ROOTS 7

Part 4 of: The Lies We Told Each Other

Fandom: Top Gun (Movies), Thunderheart (1992)

INDEX: http://palabraspulsares.blogspot.com/p/the-lies-we-told-each-other-4-roots.html

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Chapter 7: All the Right Moves

 

Summary:
Jake becomes Hangman and graduates from USNA. Typically, you get your callsign after you start flying, but he is a special boy.

 

6 Operations (continued)

 

6.2 Make it clear that your priority is yourself

 

In January 2010, Jake began his fourth semester at USNA. "3/C Spring" has four required courses and two electives. Due to coincidences of tuition assignments (read the USNA policy of separating couples), Jake and Victoria do not share any classes. She expresses her displeasure vocally. He sees an excellent opportunity to start establishing his shithead credentials.

The opportunity comes the next day. They are in the dining room, her friends surround them, and Victoria repeats her tearful argument.

"We will waste so much time seeing each other." -she sighs- "Also, it frustrates me so much just thinking how beautiful it would be to share Ethics class and do those projects as a couple." -she sighs again- "You with your technical vision and I with my training in history. We would be unstoppable!"

Her eyes are wet with the emotion that the mental image produces.

Four female heads nod in unison. Five pairs of eyes turn to Jake. He snorts and makes a face of obvious displeasure.

"Victoria, it is unbecoming for a future officer to complain about the decisions of her superiors due to sentimental ties. Don't you have autonomy?"

The five enraptured looks immediately transform into expressions of horror.

His girlfriend choked on the bite she was chewing. She begins to cough and gives him an imploring look, but he remains impassive. Her roommate, Amber, taps her on the back a few times to unblock her throat. Jake watches everything with a disdainful expression, waiting for her to recover and get back on track. He knows her well.

"But Jake, our relationship..."

"It is not more important than GPA." -he interrupts her- "I," -and he emphasizes the personal pronoun- "plan to be among the hundred best in the graduation of 2012. If you," -again he emphasizes the pronoun- "don't make it, it will be your problem." -he stands up with his tray- "Excuse me, I have a Strength of Materials class in which I plan to get an A."

Victoria responds to the rudeness by canceling her "study" date that night. Jake is happier than he can admit. He goes to play couples basketball with Javier, Brig, and his roommate, Mike. Who knew that being rude to other people's feelings would bring so many benefits?

Victoria comes crawling back three days later. She even apologizes for her lack of seriousness. Jake welcomes her into his arms again in his macho, hypercompetitive, and magnanimous role. He avoided the encounter until she had no choice but to admit her "mistake" publicly. Thus, it is clear to their entire audience who won (McCormick and Wells follow this like a soap opera), and the school PDA norms save him from excessive saliva exchange.

During January, he manages to keep her at bay with the excuse of studies. So, their private encounters are short and far between. Unfortunately, not even an institution as strict as the USNA is immune to Valentine's Day romance fever. To make matters worse, February 14 falls on a Sunday this year, so the planning for "intimate evenings" is going at full speed.

Victoria joins the wagon without even asking him. Jake doesn't tell her that it bothers him. Instead, he mentions it to his male friends at their (now regular) tag team basketball game. He knows how the gossip network works in this community. Many of these guys have girlfriends and are genuinely scared by Valentine's Day, but they don't have the balls to refuse the rituals of heterosexuality. Instead, they will try to make themselves look positive by contrast.

"Don't complain about my apathy, baby. At least I don't speak ill of you behind your back like Seresin does."

They will open their eyes a little and see no reason to contain their curiosity.

"Seresin? Victoria Nelson's boyfriend? What did he say?"

The guy, relieved to have diverted attention from his own emotional immaturity, will go into detail in his diatribe against the saccharine praxis of Valentine's Day.

Whether the comments get to her or her inner circle protects her from the harsh truth, it doesn't matter. Victoria is a determined woman when she makes plans. On Friday, she proposes, with wide eyes, that they not see each other on Saturday to concentrate on their school duties and have Sunday free. Jake agrees with a phrase between disinterested and disdainful about all the fuss with Valentine's Day. Amber looks at him suspiciously, and he smiles at himself. Finally, the sign that this "relationship" is failing is in front of the face of one of her inner circle.

On Sunday, February 14, 2010, Jake Seresin wakes up in a good mood. He plans to break up with his girlfriend and hide from the pink madness that has taken over the school by playing chess with Brig. He is alone because Javier - who has a real relationship - went for a walk through nature with his girlfriend at dawn. As he is finishing dressing, he hears a commotion outside his door. Jake knows those voices, and one of those people shouldn't be here at this hour.

Upon opening, Jake blinks and struggles to keep his facial expression contained at the sight of Victoria and Brig glaring daggers at each other. She is perfectly dressed for the romantic day she has planned. She wears a tight blouse, a borderline decent skirt, and discreet makeup. Her cheeks are red, probably because she considers Brig's presence an unwelcome hindrance. On the other hand, his friend is only wearing jeans and a USNA sweater, but he has put on boots, has a jacket hanging over his arm, and - strangely enough - the car keys dangling from his hand.

"What's happening here?"

"I came to pick you up." -Brig announces- "Get dressed for the road and take an extra change of clothes, just in case."

"Of course not," -Victoria intervenes with a strange mix of demand and plea in her eyes- "I have our day planned, Jake, it will be a night to remember."

A night to remember isn't the kind of promise that'll excite Jake, but that's not important. He ignores his girlfriend and looks curiously at Brig. He knows what he plans to do. He will only be here if there is an emergency.

"What's happening?" 

Victoria snorts, outraged. Because anyone who tries to disrupt her romantic plans should be politely but firmly sent out of the way.

Brig doesn't say anything. Just hands him his phone. On the screen is a text message from his father.

“Brad at Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center for car accident. If Jake wants to come, I'll send you details.”

Jake swallows dry and returns the device.

"Warm up the car."

"Jake!?"

He turns to her with a calculating look. Out of the corner of his eye, he notices several people already leaning out of his doors. They watch the spectacle with expressions ranging from surprise to amusement.

"Victoria, I find your constant need for validation from others exhausting, your clinginess suffocating, and your mediocre academic performance downright repellent. I am not interested in continuing this relationship, that clearly does not benefit me. A relationship that you, furthermore, imagine has long-term perspectives. That never had anything to do with my plans. We're done."

She is red and gasping like a fish. Jake slams the door in her face. He rushes to put on a sweater over his T-shirt and change his sneakers for boots. He puts a change of clothes in a backpack, grabs his wallet and jacket, and opens the door to leave.

"You're still here?"

"Jake I... we..."

"There is no us, Victoria. I am destined for the heights. You are a hindrance. Bye-bye."

He closes the door behind him and runs to the parking lot in search of Brig.

"Don't break the speed limit," he warns as he puts on his seat belt, and his friend maneuvers out of the parking lot. "We don't need a patrol car to stop us."

Brig nods with a stern expression.

"Do you have more details?"

"Yeah. Slider doesn't mess around."

Oh, of course, Slider had to intervene. The Admiralty had Vice Admiral Kerner return to NS Norfolk as soon as the renovation budget for the massive complex was approved to put his USNA naval architecture and marine engineering degree to use. Brad has been at NAS Oceana while the USS Ronald Reagan completes her six-month maintenance in Norfolk. He probably has lunch at home every Sunday.

"He didn't ask, like Mav." -Brig continues explaining- "He sent two very colorful messages about you and your place in the family. The third says which room at the Augusta Bradley is in."

Jake nods. Watch them leave behind the gray waters of Weems Creek.

"Have you already answered my father?"

"Yeah."

He nods, thoughtful. It is one thing to cut ties and another to make people suffer for the sake of it. He doesn't feel like talking, so he looks through Brig's box of records on the floor in the back of the car and tries to pick out some music. After some thought, he puts “The Captain & the Kid” into the car's player. Elton John's playful voice rises between them.

We heard Richard Nixon say, "Welcome to the USA"
The common sense I sometimes lack
Has opened up a seismic crack
We've fallen in and I can't pull back
And I guess we'll have to stay

The choice makes Brig glance at him sideways and give him a strange smile. "Oh really?" seems to say. Jake just shakes his head and, inspired by sudden tenderness, puts a hand on his thigh. He doesn't know how to talk about this, but there's a reason his friend keeps these records in the car, not in his room at USNA.

"Just drive, okay?"

The traffic on this Valentine's Sunday is awful. Going through Washington DC and then Alexandria becomes torture. They arrive an hour and forty minutes later. They'd heard "Peachtree Road" in its entirety when they finally saw the buildings of the Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center. As they leave Gunston Road onto Ninth Street and turn back onto Belvoir Road, Jake takes the record out of the player and returns the music box to its hidden place.

They meet Slider in the hallway of Bradley's room. He is leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest, the skin on his face gray. He raises his eyes when he hears them.

"Uncle Slider." -Brig greets, always polite.

"Little wolf," he answers in a tired voice and pulls him in for a hug.

His face becomes a mask of suppressed anger when he looks at Jake.

"Midshipman Seresin," he says with clear disdain.

"Vice Admiral Kerner," Jake doesn't even pretend to be sympathetic.

He has not forgotten that Kerner and Cortell were Kazansky's accomplices in separating his father and mother.

"Your father is with him," he warns.

Jake looks towards the bedroom door, unsure. Brig, the always timely Brig, cuts the awkward silence.

"What happened?"

"Last night, Bradley and two other lieutenants from the USS Reagan went to a concert on the Floyd Festival circuit. They returned at dawn, probably a little drunk. Bradley was in the passenger seat without a seat belt when the driver lost control of the car at eighty miles per hour. They went around seven or eight times. Brad was ejected out the window and fell about fifty feet from the car, unconscious and covered in blood. The lieutenant in the back seat was able to call 911. In that first call, he says that Brad has died."

Jake, who has been staring intently at the lines on the wall, quickly turns around.

"Did you hear the call?"

Slider gives him a look of superiority - he's taller than Jake by about three inches.

"I am the commander of NS Norfolk, and the three of them are sailors from the Reagan. The matter immediately came under the jurisdiction of the military police. Of course I listened."

"But he's not..." -Brig doesn't try to hide his fear.

Slider keeps his brown eyes trained on Jake for a few more seconds before answering the other young man.

"No, little wolf, Rooster is not in mortal danger. He had hit a tree, and that's why he lost consciousness. He only broke some bones in his left arm. Plus, it has gravel embedded in his cheeks."

Jake lets out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding. Bones can heal. As long as he does not lose vision or mobility in his hand, his brother can continue being an aviator. He steps towards the room door and reaches out to open it, but it opens from the inside, and his father walks out into the hallway.

Maverick's eyes are bloodshot, and the skin on his eyelids is swollen. His upper lip trembles slightly. He looks at Jake and Brig in surprise.

"Oh! You are already here."

The attitude offends Jake. Why do they assume he wouldn't come to see his older brother as soon as possible? He has not cut contact with Bradley, even seeing each other briefly last fall. If they're going to treat him like this, it's better to skip the empty formalities.

"Is he awake?"

His father nods and steps aside to make way for him.

Inside, the walls are white, and the smell of disinfectant and oxygen is disgusting. Bradley opens his eyes with difficulty and smiles with the right half of his mouth, the one not covered in bandages.

"Uh! The heartbreaker has arrived."

"Please. The one who has broken hearts is you with this show. Didn't you have another way to get a date with a hot nurse this Valentine's Day?"

His brother tries to laugh, but all that comes out is a dry cough.

"I like it rough, you know," he manages to say between gasps.

Jake nods as he sits next to the bed. He carefully brushes Bradley's good hand's fingers because they used that arm to connect the IV line.

"Did Dad call you?"

"He sent a message to Brig." -after a moment, he adds- "Slider also sent for me through Brig."

Brad's skeptical expression is still recognizable through his half-bandaged, bruised face.

"A single message?"

"Three. Two to vent his rage and the third with your room number."

"Ah! If it's any consolation, he also put Ice back and a half."

Jake raises an eyebrow, curious.

"He thought I was still unconscious. I suppose he preferred to call Vice Admiral Kazansky stupid and lily-livered in private. We are in a military hospital after all."

"Why?"

"I don't know. He hasn't arrived yet?" -Jake shakes his head, and Bradley looks at him sadly- "But Ice is in D.C."

In D.C.? He thought Iceman was on the other side of the world, in Bahrain. Using his charms to cover up the Marines' mistakes in Afghanistan and guarantee control of the Red Sea. It doesn't make sense that Kazansky wouldn't get to the hospital before Brig and Jake if he was in Washington. Could it be that…?

"And what is the glorious Kazansky doing in D.C.?" -he asks through his teeth.

"Reports to the House for NSA Bahrain construction expenses."

Yes, Jake remembers that. $580 million to expand the Navy Central Command and the Fifth Fleet headquarters. Obama wants to buy the goodwill of military families by putting money into improving their living conditions. Something is going on.

"But that doesn't matter," -Bradley interrupts his Machiavellian thoughts- "Tell me about Victoria."

Jake looks at him, confused.

"Victoria?"

"Yeah. Your girlfriend Victoria. What do you have planned with her today?"

"Nothing special," -he lies automatically- "Walk along the Annapolis boardwalk, dinner at a restaurant."

Bradley is so busy pretending it doesn't hurt to his core that he doesn't notice how vague the answer is.

"Very good. My brother is the USNA heartthrob."

Jake snorts. Bradley has no idea how literal his statement is. His thoughts return to Kazansky.

"And dad, when did he arrive?"

"I don't know. When I woke up, he was next to me. He was in Haiti yesterday, flying to deliver aid to isolated areas after the earthquake. Slider must have gotten him out of bed and grabbed the first transport that left for Virginia."

So, they didn't plan a romantic encounter along the Potomac. Okay. Not that Jake thinks his father and Kazansky are that style. They would have been caught already if they got into such nonsense. Still, the vice admiral's delay makes no sense. Everyone knows that he helped raise Bradley. Coming to see him in the hospital on a Sunday wouldn't be out of character. As is often the case with Iceman, he realizes he is missing something but can't go beyond that.

"You should go now," Bradley whispers sleepily.

"Why?"

"Victoria must be waiting for you."

"Yes, yes, of course. Will you text me?" -Bradley is the only one with his new number.

He knows that, if he wanted, his father could get it from Merlin, but he must give him credit for not having forced the issue. He communicated through Brig.

"Sure, as soon as I get my phone back."

Bradley blinks slowly once, twice, and falls asleep. Jake gives him another long look and stands up.

Outside, Slider, Brig, and his father pretend to be busy on their phones, but the tension can be cut with a knife. Maverick looks at him without hiding his concern.

"Did he fall asleep?"

"Yeah."

"Good, yes. He should rest. Are you staying for lunch?"

Jake looks at him in surprise; behind Maverick, Slider, and Brig are equally amazed. He feels a little sorry for his father but squashes that quickly. It almost reminds him of his condition, but this is different, right? He came for Bradley. His father was considered enough to call him.

"I don't think so. The way back is long. Come on, Brig."

"Will you come visit him?" -he insists.

"I don't think it's convenient for them to see me here." -he remembers the mystery of Iceman's absence and decides to risk a theory- "Tell him he can come now."

His father's pale face and sad eyes and Slider's furious expression confirm his theory: Kazansky doesn't want them to meet.

He snorts and starts walking down the hallway.

Back at the USNA, no one cares where they went. The talk of the school is how he left Victoria Nelson hanging on the most romantic day of the year. But Javier is not like most people.

"Why did Brig come looking for you?" -he asks him that night after the obligatory speech about how cruel it is to leave a girl on Valentine's Day.

Jake gives him a blank smile.

"We have known each other since we were children, we have... friends in common. One of those people was in trouble."

Javier narrows his eyes and purses his lips, frustrated. He well damn recognizes a curveball when he sees it. Jake Seresin is a guy with too many secrets to be just a poor orphan from San Diego, California. But he is a black Latino from South Texas who knows that secrets are a necessary part of life.

"Will that problem come looking for you here? Will I have to punch someone's face next time we go to the Iron Rooster?"

That earns him an amused look from Jake.

"No," -the blonde answers, smiling- "The problem will not come after us."

 

6.3 Establish valuable relationships

 

During the summer of 2010, Jake and Brig were assigned the "Midshipman Professional Training," colloquially "Career Exposure," and "Leadership Training" courses in July and August. Since they will be together for those eight weeks, Lennox does not protest when Jake leaves for Texas in May with Javier to work on his family's ranch. He is not afraid of the Abbot family recognizing him. Their chances of meeting are scarce since Abbots and Machados move in different social circles.

When they meet again in August to begin their third year, 2/C in USNA terms, there are two topics of conversation: the repeal of DADT and a visiting professor in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering.

"He came to cover this semester for Professor Koul, who is on maternity leave," explains Summer, Javier's new girlfriend, while they have lunch.

She is, literally, a summer love, as they became entangled during the four marathon weeks of "Career Exposure." Jake doesn't care much about Summer, Michelle Koul's maternity leave, or whoever replaces her. The DADT thing, on the other hand…

Since February, when McCain read to Congress the infamous letter signed by "over one thousand former general and flag officers," Jake has harbored an intense hatred for the man and his entire staff. What a nerve to claim, "We firmly believe that this law, which Congress passed to protect good order, discipline and morale in the unique environment of the armed forces, deserves continued support." when everyone is living in paranoia, and the DoD has lost almost ten thousand people because of this ridiculous rule. It's not for himself, of course. But Brig, Bradley, Hollywood, Wolfe, his father... even Kazansky. Who knows how many men and women around him suffer from this.

Jake shakes his head and pushes the negative thoughts away. The Murphy amendment passed the House of Representatives in May, and everything indicates that Uncle Chipper will win the battle in the Senate this fall. "We will have Christmas without DADT," he promised Bradley on one of his visits to the hospital. Beyond his resentment against Iceman, Slider, and Cougar, Jake cannot help but admire the close friendship of Squad 86. It is evident that the entire group knows about the "inclinations" of four of its members, but that did not separate them. They accepted each other as they were. They have helped and protected each other for twenty-five years. He hopes to find something like that for himself when he goes to Top Gun.

A couple of hours later, he receives a message from Bradley: "Submarine Monument." Curious, Jake finishes putting his clothes in the closet and leaves Bancroft Hall towards the park. The afternoon is cloudy, it looks like it will rain, so the area is empty. A person is sitting on the bench near the monument. Jake could recognize that profile anywhere in the world.

"Bradley? What are you doing here?" -he sits down next to him but looks around with his heart pounding.

He says it half with joy and half with fear. The wounds from the February accident took time to heal. They had to put twenty staples around his shoulder to realign the complicated joint. Then it turned out that the wrist had healed incorrectly - some bone splinters and internal protective mechanisms mixed up - so they reconstructed it surgically as well. One part where the medical team opted for caution was his face. They decided not to remove the stones in his cheek because they feared causing more scarring. So now he has a couple of grooves crossing from the bottom of the cheekbone towards his jaw.

His brother smiles and points triumphantly to his left arm, now free of external artifacts.

"I was finally discharged from the Augusta Military Medical Center, but I am not free yet. I have to do physical therapy at least until December before going to the fighter pilot recertification process."

"Oh! So, you're going back to San Diego?"

His brother came to say goodbye in person. He feels moved. They haven't seen each other since February. As he told his father, he had no reason to visit Fort Belvoir, but they maintained constant communication by text. Thus, Brad had someone to complain to about the constant surveillance of Slider and his wife.

"Are you crazy? They warned me that physical therapy must be with the hospital staff. Something about continuous monitoring of the treatment. Because, you know, I'm a Navy experiment now."

Yes, of course. Semi-organic materials fresh from the laboratory for his wounds, etc. Only the best for Kazansky's adopted son.

"So?"

"It turns out that the USNA needs someone to teach Dr. Koul's course until December, and, of course, an internal hire is much more convenient than open the post to contest."

"Are you the visiting professor they are talking about?"

Brad raises an eyebrow, his eyes shining, amused.

"Are they talking about me already?"

"Don't get any ideas. It is because Koul is very popular."

"Yes, those who teach electives tend to be popular. Hey! I can play the piano."

"No, you can't," Jake immediately warns seriously. "Nothing that could strain your wrist until they give you the green light at Augusta."

Bradley sticks his tongue out at him in the best possible imitation of a five-year-old. They both laugh. This feels good. But…

"Bradley, why did you call me here? You could have told me that by message."

His older brother sighs and looks away.

"Since I am still technically on rest and should not even be driving, the USNA management will assign me a TA, although the rank of visiting professor does not include it. They must be an engineering student but without interest in the "Corrosion and Corrosion Control" course, as it would have a significant advantage, and they will not be allowed to take it as an elective. I know that Merlin put you as Stanlake's TA these two years so that you could practice Lakota without problems. I know it's important to you, okay? You looking at your indigenous identity and that. But I thought that..." -Bradley takes a deep breath and turns his face towards Jake, his eyes reflecting insecurity- "That maybe you would want to be my TA?"

"Brad…"

"You don't have to answer me now! I know that babysitting is not your style and that you don't want to be seen together, and that..."

"Shut up!" -Jake puts his arm over Bradley's shoulders and rests his head on his shoulder affectionately- “Of course, I'll be your babysitter, fool."

"Really?"

Bradley's voice is hesitant, and Jake suddenly remembers how hard this year has been for him. There was a moment when it seemed like he would never move his left arm naturally again.

"What are brothers for? Besides, being your assistant will do wonders for my reputation."

"Yeah?"

"Just imagine, Seresin the bastard, kissing ass of terrible Kazansky's protegé. I will be unbeatable on the "Cynics on the way to promotion" chart."

Bradley laughs. It's a deep, relaxed laugh like he hasn't had since February 14.

"Anything to help you, midshipman Seresin. Just don't leave me hanging like Victoria Nelson."

Jake smacks his lips.

"Don't worry, your GPA is much better than hers."

As he promised his brother, Jake becomes his permanent caregiver. He carries his books when he goes from one side of the USNA to the other. He writes on the board during classes. He goes to the grocery store and cooks for the whole week. He leaves him microwave-ready plastic pots calculated according to his nutritional needs. He drives him to Augusta three times a week. There, Bradley not only has physical therapy sessions he also undergoes laser treatments to try to reduce some of the scars. It is painful and exhausting. They often have to carry him back to his apartment between Jake and Brig.

This is how Jake Seresin, who was already called "Hangman" since the previous year due to the brutal way in which his relationship with Victoria Nelson ended, cements his callsign. Everyone watches with fascination as he spends the fall of 2010 hanging from Lieutenant Bradley Bradshaw's orders. Few pilots acquire their callsign before graduating from Annapolis, but Jacob is unique.

The reactions are diverse. The association with Bradley causes the attitude of the nepo-babies’ group to change radically. They no longer ignore him but greet him respectfully. By extension, they begin to greet Brig and Javier. The two laugh their asses off as they notice how their friend's new status destabilizes power relations in the student body.

McCormick is furious. He is convinced that Rooster's criteria for choosing his TA have dark reasons or, as he says pretending to be sophisticated, fallacious. And he tells everyone close to him, whether they want to hear it or not. It's not normal for Rooster and Hangman to be so close together, he insists. It is a totally inappropriate relationship between a teacher and his TA. DADT hasn't been repealed yet, right? It never goes beyond that because he's not crazy enough to say that the USNA faculty is part of some sex work scheme, but the implications are clear and dangerous.

Jake, Brig, and Bradley find it hilarious.

The coolness with which Jake takes the matter dissuades Javier from taking drastic measures.

McCormick's tirades continue until October, when the nepo-babies —legacy students, they call themselves— task Patrick Benjamin to explain the realities of the world to the smug, loudmouthed Southerner.

Paxton feels the door close behind him and resists the urge to run his hands through his hair, so he moves them up and down his thighs. He's never been invited to Benjamin's room, so he's unsure how to behave. Of course, he knows that this room cannot be entered without permission. Patrick is the son, grandson, and great-grandson of four-star Navy and Air Force officers. He could choose between West Point, Colorado, or Annapolis and decided to come to USNA. Not like him, who had to work his ass off training and received his letter of recommendation only after hundreds of hours of community work -yikes-. Patrick Benjamin is royalty within the USNA and behaves like such.

Right now, he continues writing without reacting to his presence. Paxton licks his lips nervously, wondering if he should say something.

"Sit down, McCormick. I'll be with you in a moment." -says the host without taking his eyes off his laptop screen.

He nods and settles into the only available chair. A few more minutes pass like this until Benjamin closes his computer and turns to his visitor.

"Thanks for coming."

"Of course, whenever you need me..."

"I don't need you, Paxton." -he interrupts- "I called you because I want to discuss a certain theory that you have been repeating in the hallways since the beginning of school year."

Paxton's eyes widen. Does one of the nepo-babies leaders want to discuss the Seresin creeper? This is unexpected. Could they want to get rid of Bradshaw? No, it's more likely they want to get rid of the little blonde gold-digger and keep the lieutenant. Still, he should treat this with caution.

"Well, I'm not sure what you mean. I am majoring in Mathematics and Economics. I practically talk about theories all the time."

He laughs to lighten the mood, but it sounds false even to him. Benjamin does not smile. He looks at him with a calculating expression and without a hint of sympathy.

"They tell me you want to go to Navy Operations, McCormick. That's why you study economics."

"Yeah."

"But the glorious McCormick family, pillar of the community in Alabama since before the Civil War, never before had members in the armed forces."

"Well, I have a great uncle who…"

"Yes, yes, I know, postmortem purple heart for Viet Nam. The thing is, you don't have anyone to vouch for your character, Paxton. You are, so to speak, alone."

The emphasis on the last word does not go unnoticed.

"I want to make friends," he says in his most blasé tone, "but it's difficult."

"Of course, no one wants the friendship of a tattletale."

"A tattletale?! I…"

Benjamin silences him with a gesture.

"Spare me the babbling, please. Last year, was the Obama may be a Muslim line. This year, all the things about Bradshaw. Discretion is a highly valued trait in the defense community."

McCormick narrows his eyes, annoyed.

"I thought that morality and respect for the laws too."

Benjamin nods and clasps his hands.

"Yeah. You never get tired of remaining the DADT is still active. But that's where you lose people, Paxton. Because the key is in the still. Obama will sign the repeal before Christmas. Everyone knows it."

"Yes, but meanwhile…"

"And one of those leading the charge in the Senate is Charles Piper, from Massachusetts. Do you know him?"

"Vaguely," Paxton admits. Where is Benjamin going with all this?

"Piper is a retired Navy aviator. He was part of the August 1986 graduation of Top Gun, where the pilots for The Layton Affair came from. They call them Squadron 86. I know they mentioned that in Leadership class - he mentions the course with a particular disdain because, for the legacy claque, those are the stories they were told in bed, the discussion topics at the dinner table. They shamelessly fall asleep in lectures and then get A's.

For Paxton McCormick, it's different. He must pay special attention to all history classes to compensate for nepo-babies's advantage. He knows about the Layton Affair and its cursed pilot, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, son of another aviator that USNA classes also mention, but as a cautionary tale to scare rookies: Duke Mitchell. Everyone was waiting for Jacob Mitchell in August 2008, but he never came.

"What they don't mention in class, McCormick, is what brought Squad 86 together. Why are we still talking about them after twenty-five years? It wasn't the Layton Affair, but an accident two weeks earlier when they were on Top Gun. Nick Bradshaw, Maverick's RIO, died in that accident. He left a widow and a two-year-old son, Bradley. The survivors decided to care for the little one as if it were their own, so Rooster was orphaned but gained nine guardians. Those guardians include Senator Chipper Piper, Captain Merlin Wells, Rear Admiral Sundown Williams, Vice Admiral Slider Kerner, and, of course, Vice Admiral Iceman Kazansky.

Now Benjamin waits. He learned from his grandfather that you must give people time to process. Expecting immediate reactions is unrealistic, and a lack of realism is not a good trait in a leader. Patrick carefully observes the redhead's face. Through his expression changes, he can see how he organizes the information, understands it, and gets scared. McCormick opens his mouth to say some idiotic apology that Patrick isn't interested in hearing. It is time to end this conversation and return to his pending "Dynamic and Stochastic Models" project.

"This is what's going to happen, Paxton. You are going to return to your room, you are going to open your computer and delete the folder where you keep all the "evidence" of... What do you call it? The unseemly idyll between Jacob Seresin and Bradley Bradshaw. Next, you'll make sure that all the text messages you exchanged with your little group of swindlers disappear, too. You understand?"

Paxton, pale and sweaty, nods, eyes filled with fear and fervor. Will it be enough to keep him safe from his own stupidity? Patrick doubts it. It doesn't matter. Once they leave Annapolis, he will do everything in his power not to run into this idiot. He decides to put the last dot over the last I.

"Just so you know, Brigham Lennox is also a son of Squad 86."

 

6.4 Be the best

 

Jakob R. Seresin graduated from USNA in May 2012. He is among the hundred top-performing students receiving their diplomas from President Obama. As he climbs onto the stand, he recognizes Squad 86 among the guests but ignores them. After all, Brig also has the right to share this moment with his parents and uncles. He stays with the Machado family at the end of the ceremony while Lennox hugs his uncles and (miracles!) his mother.

Pensacola passes by in a blur. Jake completed his flight program this past summer at USNA. It was relatively easy because he has been playing with flight simulators since he was five years old and flew for the first time when he was ten. At NAS Pensacola, the four weeks of classes seem like a trap to lull you into a false sense of security before the two weeks of survival training. Brig, Javier, and Jake support each other as they splash through the swamps and cry for a chocolate bar and a bed.

Since the high powers have fun at the expense of human feelings, they separate them for Primary Flight Training. Lennox is assigned to Air Training Wing Five at NAS Whiting Field, Florida, while Jake and Javier are assigned to Air Training Wing Four at NAS Corpus Christi, Texas. Machado is happy because he is close to his family. Jake feels his arm has been cut off due to Brig's absence, although he copes with it with constant exchanges of text messages and photos. Flying the Beechcraft T-6B Texan II is the first genuinely new experience since he took the controls of that two-seat Cessna-152 at age ten. He will fly it alone!

The callsign Jake brings from the USNA solidifies in Texas for two reasons. The first is his way of relating to the rest of the brigade in the air: everything goes well until the "Formations" unit arrives. Hangman simply doesn't know how to wait for anyone. Javier knows his patience and saw his ability to explain when he was Bradshaw's TA and wonders why he hides that empathetic side so fiercely. The second is that he leaves a woman hanging again.

Jake considers that after two years, it is time to renew his "heterosexuality credentials." The civilian population around NAS Corpus Christi seems like a good space, as they have become accustomed to the constant parade of young pilots. There is not much expectation that his relationship with Maya will last. Being honest with himself, he's unsure why, but he feels more comfortable doing this while away from Brig. Less dishonest. He tells Brig about Maya, of course. There are no secrets between the two of them.

Javier raises his eyebrows at that statement and looks at him with some pity. Jake doesn't pay much attention to him. Javier is crazy about Maria Celeste, a senior student at St. Phillip's College pursuing a degree as Aircraft Technician. Hearts almost come out of his eyes when he describes her. Javier can't be trusted these days.

After completing centrifuge training, they must go to Advanced Flight Training. Luck smiles on them in their own way. Javier is sent to NAS Kingsville so he can continue his romance with Maria Celeste. Jake and Brig meet again at NAS Meridian, Mississippi. Again, Hangman exceeds almost everything, but he is behind in Tactical Formation Flying (TACFORM) because he keeps forgetting to wait for the entire squadron, not just Brig.

"It's not my fault they can't keep up," he complains, sitting beside his friend one night.

"No." -Brig concedes- "But it is your fault when you choose to abandon them before teaching them."

Jake bites his lip, but he communicates better with his squad the next week and is a little less disastrous in TACFORM drills.

Lennox has not left behind his childish pleasure in getting machine grease on his fingers. All the time he's not with Jake, he spends it with the ground crew, messing around with the insides of anything with engines. He likes to discuss methods and innovations. It is during those days that Brig earns his callsign.

"You're like a Harvard professor," -one of the instructors tells him- "all upright and with that elegant accent while you discuss the pros and cons of five ways to change the engine oil."

Adding pros and cons, this fifth year of studies has been good. True to his goal, Jacob "Hangman" Seresin finishes with the best score of the 2013 Navy advanced strike flight graduates, although in his file, there is a note about his tendency to take risks and difficulty in teamwork. That's unfair, of course. Jake is very proud of how he learned to hide his impatience with slow aviators. Brigham "Harvard" Lennox and Javier Machado are among the top twenty.

When Maria Celeste takes Javier to meet her family, he proudly declares that he is sure he will be assigned to one of two exclusive F-18 replacement squadrons. She lets out an excited squeal, and they start discussing the variations between the F/A-18E and the F/A-18F. The rest of the family doesn't understand what they are talking about. The father and mother exchange a satisfied look from their sides of the table.

Jake is a little nervous about the assignment. He wants to return to California, of course, but he doesn't know if he can bear the weight of the memories. He knows that his father is in San Diego, between missions after the deactivation of the Second Fleet. Sam also returned. After graduating from Oglala College with honors (that's his cekpápi!), she studies medicine at the University of San Diego. Those are the challenges if he is sent to the VFA-122 Flying Eagles squadron in Lemoore.

Instead, VFA-106 Gladiators is at NAS Oceana, Virginia. That means living under the watchful eye of Senator Charles Piper and Vice Admiral Kerner. They will not be as discreet as their parents and iná.

In any case, what matters most to him is to finally enter combat and begin to pay the price that the universe demands in exchange for the identity of Rachel Seresin.

 

7 Results and Discussion

 

In late 2013, Airman Javier "Coyote" Machado – named for his frequent visits to Mexico while with VFA-122 in Lemoore – is assigned to Carrier Air Wing One (CVW-1) aboard the USS Harry S. Truman. Airmen Jacob "Hangman" Seresin and Brigham "Harvard" Lennox are assigned to Carrier Air Wing Three (CVW-3) aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. Hangman to squadron VFA-32, Swordsmen, Harvard to VFA-105, Gunslingers.

In the complex network of information and favors exchange of the US Navy, the Seresin surname gets momentum. He is talked about as a strange mix of the two most famous aviators of the previous generation: Maverick and Iceman. On land, he is quiet, calculating, and, according to some, spiteful to the extreme. In the air, he is fierce, impatient, and risky, with impressive aim. Although everyone recognizes his talent, his reclusive nature prevents him from establishing close ties within the squadron.

The officers soon notice that Hangman is slightly less unpleasant when Harvard is around. The Admiralty decides it will be better for everyone to officially put them together, even if it means moving some pieces around. In 2015, two places open up in the VFA-151 squadron, Vigilantes. So, the two received orders to join the Carrier Air Wing Nine aboard the USS John C. Stennis to fly Operation Enduring Freedom patrols through the mountains of Afghanistan.

In 2016, Jake hugs Brig tightly before leaving for Top Gun.

"You are twenty-five years old, son. The youngest pilot here since the famous Maverick," -the phrase with which the base commander in Fallon, Nevada, greets him.

Jake controls a grimace. He knows not to say anything. People reveal all kinds of surprising and always helpful information when you let them talk without interrupting. This time, it is also like that. The commander gives him an analytical look, and a sly smile appears on his face. He thinks he is the only one who understands some secret joke.

"But the truth is that you look more like Iceman. Are you also on your way to the top?"

"I'm here because I'm the best, sir."