ROOTS 11

Part 4 of: The Lies We Told Each Other

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

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

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Chapter 11: Kill Me Again

Summary:
"I don't think I can do this, Mavdad."
"The Mission?"
"What?" -he raises his face and looks at him surprised- "No, no. Of course I won't leave you right now. I mean, I won't keep flying after we get back."
"Okay."
"Aren't you disappointed?"
"That you have enough courage to give up when you are still young? I'm jealous."
"What are you thinking, Mavdad? I know that expression, and it always ends up involving the police."
"Well…"
"Maverick!"
They turn, Warlock is leaning against the locker room door frame. The helpless expression in his eyes is enough for Pete to understand.
They both loved that old man like a father.

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Monday, November 4, 2019

 

After the beach football, practices improve a lot between Friday and Sunday, and the squad arrives in high spirits on Monday. Their good mood evaporates when they arrive at the conference room, which has become the de facto headquarters of the operation, and see Vice Admiral Simpson and Rear Admiral Bates conversing with Captain Mitchell with somber expressions.

Cyclone waits until everyone is seated - this time, Yale and Fritz were the last to arrive - to give the floor to Warlock.

"Good morning. We're here to give you an intelligence update. The plant you must destroy will be operational sooner than expected. According to the new information, the uranium will arrive at the plant in ten days. To avoid contaminating the valley with radiation, the Mission has been brought forward a week."

The class reacts in unison, which is a good sign amid the terrible circumstances. They exchange looks of astonishment and concern.

"Sir," -Coyote dares to say- "we have improved, but no one here has managed to complete the flight to the objective."

Warlock nods, but his expression doesn't change.

"However, they have been ordered to continue."

As the class takes this in, Warlock gestures to Maverick.

"Captain?"

Maverick turns on the screen and starts to explain.

"We have one week left to focus on phase two of the plan, the most difficult part. You will have to carry out a pop-up strike with a steep dive. The success of this phase requires nothing less than two consecutive miracles. As you know, the plant rests between two mountains. After traveling through the canyon at the lowest possible altitude, you must ascend following the mountain and then invert directly into a steep

dive to keep the highest possible speed. Your target is an impact point less than three meters wide.

"Someone call a galaxy far, far away, please," Halo murmurs.

Omaha shakes her hand in a vain attempt to comfort her.

"At this point," - the captain continues - "the importance of teamwork returns. Precise coordination of all four aircraft is essential to both mission success and survival. Immediately after falling along the slope, you must hit the same point twice. The WSO of the first two-seat aircraft will mark the target with its laser target. The lead aviator drops his bomb with the guidance of that laser. The impact will expose the ventilation shaft on the surface. That's miracle number one. They cannot delay, as the second pair will repeat the procedure, but their bomb will enter through the breach opened by the leader and destroy the facility. That's miracle number two."

Jake leans forward, puts his elbows on his knees, and rests his chin on his clasped hands. His eyes shine with excitement. He is frankly enraptured by the elegance of the plan. He can now understand his father's insistence on communication and trust within the squad. Yeah. Making these maneuvers demands the coordination he has with Harvard or knows Rooster and Phoenix achieve.

On the screen, animated planes arc upward and climb the side of the second mountain to exit the valley.

"Egress is a sharp climb. A short but violent flight to the top of the opposite side of the valley."

Maverick pauses. When he speaks again, the inflection of his voice has subtly changed. Only Brad and Jake, who have known him since childhood, notice him. The brothers exchange a brief look of concern. What comes now that his father finally lets his fear show?

"Upon reaching the top, you will be directly in the enemy radar area, just as you are losing all your speed. This is where you will be most vulnerable. Within seconds, enemy SAMs will fire. This... is coffin corner."

The captain turns to his students with wide, imploring eyes.

"The speed with which you can return to the canyon will make the difference between life and death. You can send the missiles crashing into the canyon walls with basic evasive maneuvers and then stay under the radar. This is miracle number three."

"But on a climb like that, at that speed, we will be doing at least eight G." -Omaha objects incredulously.

Jake snorts dismissively. Brig gives him an imperious look and doesn't blurt out any of the sarcastic comments on the tip of his tongue.

"Nine at least." -nods Maverick.

"The stress limit of the F-18 fuselage is 7.5 Gs." -Omaha argues, now clearly confrontational.

At the front of the classroom, Cyclone raises an eyebrow. He doesn't like the plan but likes impertinent aviators even less.

Maverick responds without acknowledging the lack of respect implicit in Neil's response.

"That is the accepted limit. Trust me, it can hold out a little longer."

And it gives them a meaningful look.

"Oh," Payback says, baffled.

The group remembers that half of Maverick's missions are classified. They understand that their captain has personal experience with the actual limits of the F-18.

"In short: low flight, rapid climb and fall, two pop-up strikes, 9 Gs climb, evasive maneuvers against SAMs, low flight, and dinner of dehydrated food when you return to the aircraft carrier."

He looks straight at Hangman.

"As fast as if your ass depended on it."

Jake bites his bottom lip. He looks at Maverick, the screen, and back at his father.

"What if we don't go fast enough?"

The captain nods, activates one more element on the screen, and turns to continue explaining. Before he turns his back on them, Jake catches the slightest smile of pride.

"If they fail to reach the goal in time, they may have to deal with an even bigger problem. There will be four F-18s damaged against fifth-generation fighter aircraft."

The room remains silent. The squad exchanges looks of disbelief and confusion.

"Sir..." -Phoenix finally says- "Is this even possible?"

Maverick tilts his head and sighs.

"Miracles are the concrete expression of the impossible, Lieutenant Trace. This Mission requires three. So, in the end, the answer to your question will come down to the pilot in the box. Now, go fly."

Bradley rubs his face with his hands. Suddenly, he wants one of those coffees that Blue wakes him up with at White Pearl. No. He wants a shrimp cocktail. They give people who are going to die whatever dinner they want, right? They are so screwed!

 

California Desert, Secret Training Area, Tuesday, November 5, 2019.

 

The sunset falls over the desert. Javier, Natasha, and Bob travel the route with bitter determination but little hope of achieving their objective. No one has hit a target in the five drills they did between yesterday and today. Hangman came closest to the target, but Seresin had the good sense not to boast. After all, as the captain made clear, missing by half a meter is the same as missing by three meters. Although collective failure is a sad consolation, it at least prevents tensions from emerging within the squad.

But they are not discouraged. There is something about Maverick, in the way he looks at them - somewhere between proud and pleading - that makes them trust him and his crazy three miracles plan. Since the morning on the beach, the Daggers - as they have begun to be called at the base - have become an actual squad. At least they now manage to get to the bombing point without being detected by the radars or smashing into one of the sides of the canyon. Progress is progress, right? The most important thing is that they do not complain but rather repeat the exercise over and over again.

Until today.

 

Miramar Air Base Hospital, California, Tuesday, November 5, 2019.

 

Javier gives Jake a shaky smile. His friend holds his hand and looks at him like he will disappear at any moment. Although it could have been, right?

"I thought I lost you," he sighs.

He nods, still feeling a little confused. One minute, he was determined to complete the climb. The next, the world became blurry and gray.

"Maverick, he…"

Hangman nods vigorously. His expression is a mixture of pain and awe.

"Yes, he did."

"Can you call him? Wanna…"

"You can't talk to Captain Mitchell yet, Lieutenant Machado."

Both look towards the entrance of the room. Vice Admiral Simpson closes the door and approaches the bed with a determined expression. Jake lets go of his friend's hand.

"Seresin, I need to talk to Machado alone."

But Javier doesn't trust Simpson, and honestly, he doesn't trust himself either after whatever happened during the drill.

"No. Jake is one of my emergency contacts. Whatever you have to tell me, say it in front of him."

The vice admiral looks at Hangman with disapproval. The lieutenant returns a calm but firm expression.

"Very good. In light of the squadron's inability to complete Captain Mitchell's plan and what happened to you today, I feel obliged to ask you. In the course of training, have you felt that Captain Mitchell was pushing you beyond your natural abilities?"

Javier doesn't have to think about his answer.

"No, sir."

Cyclone looks at him for a moment and asks again.

"Would you say, Lieutenant Machado, that Captain Mitchell's training leaves you no room for error?"

Jake and Javier exchange a dismayed look.

"Don't look at him, Machado. Answer the question. Would you say Captain Mitchell's training left no room for error?"

Coyote's face becomes a blank mask, but his eyes flash with fury. At his side, Jake uses all his self-control training to avoid jumping on the commander. How dare this man…? His father is a genius! A perceptive and compassionate strategist who seeks to give them a chance to survive, and this... bureaucrat with a roll of regulations up his ass intends to use the squad to wash him out? The nerve!

"I know what you want me to say, sir. I'm not going to say it." -Javier finally responds calmly, deliberately slowly- "We were doing what the Mission requires. Captain Mitchell is not responsible for what happened to me, and it was his quick action that saved my life. I am telling you now and will say it at a formal hearing, if necessary."

"Very good."

Simpson gives them one last disapproving look before leaving them.

Outside, Maverick waits his turn to see Coyote. When the vice admiral emerges from the room, there is a long, awkward pause between them.

Cyclone opens his mouth, but just before he starts to speak.

"Vice Admiral!"

Maverick and Cyclone turn, Warlock and Hondo approach through the gallery.

"Vice Admiral," Bates begins to report as soon as he is next to them, "at Hondo's request, I have just supervised an inspection of Lieutenant Machado's plane."

Cyclone doesn't say anything, only making an imperious gesture with his jaw, urging him to continue.

"Lack of oxygen, sir," Hondo reports.

Come again?" -asks Cyclone, perplexed.

"Coyote's oxygen mask had a faulty valve, and the pressure from the climb drill caused the blocking of his oxygen supply. He was suffocating."

Cyclone looks at Maverick for another moment and then walks away. Warlock follows him.

Maverick and Hondo are left alone in the gallery, sharing a worried look. Suddenly, Maverick looks around.

"Where is Bradley?"

Bradley is sitting on a bench in the squad locker room. With trembling hands, he looks at a series of images on his phone. The last photo of her entire family, in 2008. Carole with Goose, holding a three-year-old Bradley. With Natasha, Bob, and other people from his squad on the USS George HW Bush in some bar of the world. With Sam and Sean at his little brother's USNA graduation. The last one is a selfie in which Blue sleeps on his chest.

He feels quick footsteps in the hallway and the sound of the door opening and closing, but he doesn't turn around. He recognizes Maverick's hand on his shoulder and is not surprised.

"They will keep Coyote, Phoenix, and Bob in the hospital overnight for observation, but they will be fine."

Bradley nods. He can't stop looking at Blue's relaxed face, lips pursed as if they were kissing while dreaming.

"I have never lost a wingman. Neither in exercises nor in combat. Never."

"You've been lucky. Fly long enough, it'll happen."

"Is this what you felt...? What you feel when you remember Goose?"

Maverick swallows dryly and sighs.

"I guess... You learn to... live with it."

Bradley caresses Blue's profile on the screen.

"I don't think I can do this, Mavdad."

"The Mission?"

"What?" -he raises his face and looks at him surprised- "No, no. Of course I won't leave you right now. I mean, I won't keep flying after we get back. I want…" -closes the photo app with a determined expression- "I want to use well the time I have left."

Maverick smiles and puts an arm around her shoulders.

"Okay."

"Aren't you disappointed?"

"That you have enough courage to give up when you are still young? I'm jealous."

"I think... it's not something sudden, you know? I just didn't dare say it out loud."

His father looks at him sympathetically.

"You weren't ready."

Rooster doesn't understand. Crosses his arms over his chest.

"Ready? Now that I can almost fly like you, I realize that flying is not the must important thing in my life. That's to be ready?"

"No, ready to forget the book. You've reached the point where you trust your instincts. Do not think. Just do. If you think up there, you're dead. But when you reach that point, you also achieve great clarity about the rest of your life."

Bradley smiles at the irony.

Maverick thinks it would be nice to go to White Pearl as a group to see how Blue deals with the entire clan. The idea makes him smile.

"What are you thinking, Mavdad? I know that expression, and it always ends up involving the police."

"Well…"

"Maverick!"

They turn, Warlock is leaning against the locker room door frame. The helpless expression in his eyes is enough for Pete to understand.

They both loved that old man like a father.

 

 

Miramar Base Cemetery, Friday, November 8, 2019

 

There's no way to ignore Maverick's dark circles on the funeral day. In the three days since the death of retired Rear Admiral Mike "Viper" Metcalf, the captain has spiraled into utter grief. He tries to deal with it, poorly, by concentrating on the squad's training. When not dissecting his students' performance, he gets lost on the dusty roads on his motorcycle. Neither the invitations to spend free time with the Daggers nor the increasingly desperate messages from Sarah get him out of it.

"Why does it hit him so hard?" -Javier asked Jake yesterday.

The blonde looked in frustration at the trail of dust left by the Kawasaki as his father left the base.

"Viper flew with Duke Mitchell, my grandfather. Since his own children went to live in New York and Philadelphia, he and his wife Linda decided to adopt my father when he stayed in San Diego. Growing up, Viper and Linda were like my grandparents."

"Oh." -Coyote nodded. Families of choice was something he could easily understand- "So are you going to the reception?"

Jake frowned. The entire squad received a formal invitation to the Metcalf family's funeral and reception at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. It is the custom: the officers take their cohort. He knows the current Top Gun students will also be there as a sign of respect. The problem is that going to that reception inevitably means meeting the Kazansky clan. Was he ready for that?

Then his eyes landed on Brig, sitting on the porch floor while talking on the phone with his parents. The entire 86 Squadron will come for the ceremony. Metcalf touched many lives, first as a combat aviator, then as a Top Gun commander, and at the end of his life as a White House security adviser. His funerals will be a first-rate gathering in the military community, an opportunity to see and be seen. As the son of Hollywood and Wolfman, there are a lot of eyes on Harvard. You can't leave him alone at a social event of such magnitude.

This isn't just about him and his feud with Admiral Kazansky.

"Yeah." -he said finally- "We will go."

Now, the bright sun fails to displace the light but persistent cold of the California winter.

Viper's portrait presides over his funeral.

The photo is from at least fifteen years ago, Bradley thinks casually. Grandpa Viper shrank like a raisin in recent years, and his hair became thin. He could barely see, so he learned to use an e-reader to continue reading classified documents and railing against government decisions.

A soldier presents the folded flag to Monica Lewis, Viper's eldest daughter. She receives it with a stoic expression. She is supported by her brother, Duke. Linda and Mike's four children are packed tightly together as if holding each other up. Around them, their spouses and children create a wall that seems to isolate them from the rest of those attending.

The cemetery is - as Jake predicted - full of important people. There are naval officers in their blue uniforms, but also from the Marines, the Air Force, and the Army. Each general or admiral with his family. The Kazansky clan is complete. Penny and Amelia Benjamin are, for once without fighting, together with the rest of their relatives.

There are also civilians: the Secretary of War, the Secretary of the Navy, the presidency sent Henry McCord - a graduate of Top Gun in the late nineties -, Senator Chiper - of course -, and - to the chagrin of several people for very various reasons - Representative Richard Abbot.

Monica clutches the flag to her chest and looks at Maverick, standing between Sarah and Tom on the other side of the tomb. He nods slightly, steps forward, and addresses the people in attendance.

"Viper understood what it is to be a father and a teacher. He understood it as a variation of being a wingman. A wingman is willing to defend your life with his own, to stay with you no matter how impossible the odds. More than anything, a wingman is there to push you beyond your limits and encourage you to find your best self. Mike "Viper" Metcalf was a wingman for his family, colleagues, friends, and students. He paid attention to his surroundings and could remain silent or give advice with impeccable timing. He somehow changed the lives of everyone he touched and the lives of thousands who never knew his name. That is why I know he'll never be truly gone."

At the end of the eulogy, Maverick puts his wings on the coffin, punches them in, and salutes.

The roaring crescendo of the jets is heard, and they pass over the crowd, leaving a blue trail.

When the ceremony ends, people slowly make their way to their cars, or a minibus in the case of the Top Gun squad that came from Fallon, to head to the reception.

Sean Kazansky says goodbye to his squad and walks towards his family. They will go together to the Hilton San Diego Bayfront in Icepop's SUV. He stops dead when he recognizes Jake Seresin. His ex-brother has not seen him, walking away in the opposite direction, next to Brig Lennox. Sean's face goes from pain to outrage in a second.

Sarah sees him and tugs on Ice's sleeve to get his attention. Maverick and Ice follow their wife's gaze and realize what is brewing: their four children will be under the same roof for the first time in more than ten years.

Viper's memorial reception will go down in history, for sure.

The trip from the cemetery to the reception takes about twenty minutes. While driving, Brig casts uneasy glances at his boyfriend, sitting beside him. Jake hasn't reacted to Viper's death or seeing so many familiar people at the cemetery. He opens his mouth, but the blonde beats him to it.

"If you ask me one more time if I'm okay, Brig, I swear I'll share the photo of your burger adventure in the squad chat." -warns sharply.

In the back seat, Javier giggles. Brig looks at him through the rearview mirror. His eyes plead for help, but Coyote just shrugs and looks outside. Of course, Machado only knows what? A third part of the story? Jake told him that he is Maverick's son and left home at seventeen, upset that his father wouldn't come out of the closet - and that's the height of irony, considering his three carefully choreographed relationships.

If it were just that, Brig would admit that perhaps his concern is a bit over the top. But it is not. Javier thinks they are going to a reception where he will have to smile at a bunch of old men with their chests loaded with medals, remembering the glories of the Cold War and helping Jake avoid his father. He doesn't know anything about the rest of the family.

For a decade, the Squad 86 has been careful to split up "casually" for every holiday so that Jake and Brig would have somewhere to go without running into Kazansky and Mitchell. After the second year, they realized that Jake couldn't stand Slider and Cougar either. The feeling was mutual.

So it's not about one awkward interaction and some hors d'oeuvres.

They're on their way to meet the whole family. The family Jake left in the dry eleven years ago with no explanation other than, "I'm mad at Kazansky and my dad. Bye." Now, as an adult, Brig imagines that Ice, Maverick, and Sarah understood that their son needed time. Sarah certainly didn't seem resentful at all when she went to comfort Jake after the Maki Incident. But Jake didn't just break up with adults. He abandoned his twin and a little brother who idolized him. He did not look back, convinced by his pain and trauma that he would be forgotten.

Last Thursday's collapse showed that, at least for Jake, those wounds have not healed. During the funeral, his boyfriend only had eyes for Samantha and Sarah. He is sure that almost everyone confused his expression of longing with the moderate sadness that should be projected at the funeral of a virtual stranger. Except Viper wasn't a stranger, and Jake should have been there with them. Even letting his father lean on his shoulder.

The biggest unknown is what that pain has become for Sam and Sean Kazansky. Bradley never talks about them, it's one of the unspoken rules of their relationship. He knows Jake has quietly followed their accomplishments through the Navy gossip network —they are the offspring of the terrible Kazansky, after all— but that's all.

Yeah. Brig believes he has good reason to fear Mike “Viper” Metcalf's funeral reception.

He hopes, with all his soul, to be worried for nothing. Another glance at Jake's carefully blank face convinces him that he's not wrong.

In another car, the dialog goes in a very different direction.

"Thank you, Aunt Penny," Patrick says again from the back seat. "The timing for the car to come to pick me up at the cemetery really didn't work."

"Ah, it's nothing. We were planning to go to the reception anyway." -she assures him, and she tries to watch the traffic instead of letting her mind wander.

But Amelia has no obligation to take them to their destination, so she twists around in the copilot seat to get a good look at her cousin.

"So, since when have you been wearing the ring?" -she asks with bright eyes.

Patrick blushes and lets out a half-embarrassed laugh, but he holds up his hand so she can study the jewel.

"Six months ago, in Niagara Falls."

She lets out an excited squeal.

"That's a marriage proposal, unlike a guy I know of."

"Amelia..." Penny warns.

"True! No need to think about my loser father now. Your ring is the best, cousin Patrick."

The young officer nods.

"Well, but tell me, when will you make it official?"

He smiles at his little cousin's impatience.

"We want a summer wedding, but before the 4th of July, so that no one gets a stroke or something. We're going to visit some locations tomorrow while we're here."

Amelia's eyes become dreamy.

"I bet it will be great. You'll be in Navy News and everything!"

"Of course," -he confirms smugly- "only the best for a Benjamin."

"Oh!" -Penny smiles knowingly at him through the rearview mirror- "Now you sound like your grandfather."

As they close at Bronco, Natasha looks around the parking lot and runs her hands over her uniform, trying to smooth out any minor wrinkles. Bob takes her hands.

"Stop it, Tasha. You're perfect."

She snorts but doesn't insist. She looks at Bradley, who is wearing his dress uniform with the ease of someone who grew up running around the gardens of the Miramar base and North Island.

"How long do we have to be here?" -she asks anxiously.

Her friend gives them a kind smile. Under any other circumstances, she would feel a little guilty, but she can tell Bradley appreciates the distraction. He was also struck by Viper's death.

"An hour, at least. The ideal would be for you to hold on until the highest-ranking person leaves, which I believe is COMPACFLT. I'm not sure who came from the Air Force and Army."

"Oh! Right," -Bob's eyes are a little cloudy with emotion- "the famous Iceman."

Natasha pats her WSO on the back.

"Change that face, or Mrs. Kazansky will realize you want to steal her husband away."

"The what?" -Bradley asks, amused.

Floyd blushes all over.

"It's no big deal. Natasha says I have a crush on Kazansky. It's nothing, really." -he repeats when he sees the pilot's smile- "It's not like he cares what any WSO thinks."

"You're not just any WSO, love," Natasha contradicts him, hugging him from behind.

Bob makes an inarticulate noise and she resists the urge to ruffle his hair. So she settles to brush their cheeks before letting him go.

Bradshaw looks at them with a strange expression of admiration and nostalgia. Does he think about his own parents? Does he think about his mysterious lover? Finally, her friend shakes his head and adjusts his expression to the formal seriousness that the event demands. With an effort, she and Bob imitate him.

"Let's go."

 

Hilton San Diego Bayfront, Friday, November 8, 2019

 

As Sarah guides him to where they can sit and eat their feelings, Pete thinks they chose the place well. The Sapphire West measures about six hundred square meters and can accommodate almost seven hundred people. Although nearly everyone has arrived (they stopped at the house so Sam could change her shoes), it doesn't seem crowded. There are several buffet tables, and the pungent aroma of Vietnamese food reaches him.

It was Viper and Linda's favorite.

They have a table reserved near Viper's family. They are close enough to exchange knowing glances but far enough away that those who stop by to pay their respects don't feel obligated to speak to them as well. Pete knows he's never been good at the empty noises of casual conversation. Today, on top, he is hurt.

"It was a nice speech."

He looks up and sees Duke Metcalf with two glasses of something that smells like jasmine tea. He gives him a weak smile.

"Thank you."

The other sits next to him without asking permission. Pete looks at him questioningly.

"Sarah asked me to take care of you while she gets the food."

"Ah..." -that makes sense. He's been quite harsh these days. "It's not…"

"You're doing me a favor," Duke cuts him off. "I don't feel like..." -he makes a vague gesture towards the family table, where Monica and Michael, the second child, are talking to a general.

"Yes... I remember when Carole, greeting people and answering questions about the menu was worse than burying her."

Duke grunts affirmatively.

They stay silent, drinking their infusions. Pete discovers that he likes that silence. He met Viper's brood when they were all young adults. Duke is the youngest, four years younger than him. He was eighteen when Pete showed up at Viper's house, about to leave Top Gun. If his father hadn't died, if he'd grown up as a Navy brat, those four would have been his lifelong friends. Sighs. A life that could have been. A world that, if Sean's rantings about math and comics are to be believed, exists simultaneously with this one.

Sarah breaks the bubble when she places a plate in front of him with several small portions of traditional dishes.

"Here you go, Pete."

He blinks in surprise and notices he feels relaxed for the first time since learning of Viper's death. He looks at Duke, who winks at him knowingly before standing up without saying a word.

"Uh."

"Something wrong?" -Sarah asks.

"Do you think Duke may have some magic?"

She follows Viper's fourth child with speculative eyes. He now leans casually over his older sister. Monica's paleness diminishes a little.

"It could be. I have always found it curious that he went to make artisanal fragrances."

Pete lets his eyes wander around the room. Ice is talking to the Secretary of the Navy. Brad just walked in with Natasha and Bob. Payback and Fanboy try to use the chopsticks to eat, giggling nervously. Sam chats with Sundown, both having completely forgotten about their meals. As usual, Sean is on guard next to his sister, threatening with his frown at anyone who looks at her too much.

Is it like usual? Sean set out to fill the role he imagined Jake should take, but it had become like a game in recent years. After all, Sarah is an adult, and Sean understood - or made them think he understood - that imitating Jake wouldn't bring him back. Today, the territorial aggressiveness is back, and Sean makes no effort to hide it.

"Your son is looking for a fight," he whispers to Sarah.

"Ah, today is my son?" -she replies sarcastically without looking at him.

He shrugs and focuses back on his food. He just remembered that they will have a fight. While the Metcalf family would probably appreciate some drama, what's a funeral without a good family fight, after all? Knowing he will be at the center of what is coming doesn't excite him.

Bradley has been making the social rounds with Natasha and Bob. He knows that the couple, inexperienced in social maneuvers but aware of its importance, appreciates it. Now, he quickly swallows a piece of chicken and puts on a fake smile for the officer who approaches them.

"Lieutenant Commander Benjamin."

"Lieutenant Bradshaw. How are things going for the USS George H.W. Bush?"

"Same as always, you know, oil leaks, clogged toilets, detecting Chinese ships with fake iPhones."

"Sounds exciting," Patrick replies with a bored expression. "Can you introduce me to your companions?"

"Lieutenant Natasha "Phoenix" Trace, pilot of my squadron, and his WSO, Lieutenant Robert Floyd."

"And your callsign?

"Bob?" -answers the WSO with a shy smile.

Patrick gives him a blasé look, but there's something like admiration when he focuses back on Bradley.

"I must admit, Bradley, I didn't know you'd gone so far up the food chain. They let you bring companions. Good for you!"

"Excuse me?" -Natasha intervenes, insulted by the idea of her being anyone's escort- "We are here for Captain Mitchell."

"Mitchell? Maverick?"

"Yes, we are part of his squad."

"Oh!" -now he looks at them up and down with admiration- "So Kazansky finally did it. Congratulations."

But that's not a topic of conversation that Bradley wants to let develop. So, he decides to divert the focus.

"And how are things going in Charleston? Patrick works at the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command," he explains to his friends.

"Same as always, you know, figure the width of a wall, measure the resistance of a roll of wire. Although right now, I have more exciting plans," he raises his hand conspicuously, fingers extended.

"Oh My God!" -Natasha can't contain herself and grabs his hand- "How many carats do those stones add up to?"

"So many," says a man with gold armor glasses and a bass voice who appears next to Patrick, "but never enough for a Benjamin. Right?" -he says mockingly.

Patrick gives him a smug half-smile.

"Correct."

The man nods.

"Are you going to introduce me?"

"Lieutenant Trace, Lieutenant Floyd, Lieutenant Bradshaw, my fiancé, David Abbot."

"Abbot?" -Natasha repeats- "Like the representative from Texas who...?"

"... who just joined the Armed Services Committee?" -completes David- "Yes, although I don't think we'll invite him to the wedding." -he looks directly at Bradley- "You've grown up, Brad."

Rooster stares at him in amazement. Natasha and Bob look at them alternately, blankly.

"Excuse me," Bob asks, "but do you know Bradley?"

"We are cousins. My mother's maiden name was Abbot."

"So you are also related to Richard Abbot?" -Bob nervously adjusts his glasses.

"He's my mother's brother," he admits with a grimace, "but he knows it's better not to mention it."

He feels Natasha's questioning gaze on him. She knows there is a story, but she understands it is not the place or the time. Patrick observes him, too. He knows Maverick was his mother's second husband. He must have connected the dots by now. He decides to change the subject again.

"Hey, Patrick, what did Admiral Benjamin say when he found out about your engagement?"

"You have no idea." -Patrick lets out a theatrical sigh- "He complained that David didn't ask his permission first. Plus, it turns out that he was waiting for me to tell him that I wanted to settle down because he had a list of "acceptable bachelors" for me. All from military or political families. Of course.

The three pilots laugh out loud. Bradley barely manages to contain himself to clear a doubt.

"Was I on the list?"

"Of course." -David nods- "Brigham Lennox and Sean Kazansky too. What a competition I won, right?" -and looks tenderly at his boyfriend.

"Even Jacob Mitchell is on the list." -adds Patrick.

"Are you kidding?! Everyone knows your grandfather hates Maverick, and no one knows where his son is." -Natasha exclaims.

Benjamin just shrugs and looks directly at Rooster as he says.

"My grandfather knows many things about many people. Wherever Mitchell III is, he's worthy of a Benjamin."

Across the room, Jake runs his finger along the collar of his shirt in his umpteenth attempt to relieve his tension without messing up his uniform.

"Don't you feel hot?" -he asks Javier.

His friend looks at him, clearly worried.

"If you want, we go out to the balcony."

"Thank you."

The Sapphire West has a large terrace with seats and low tables. From there, you can see the famous San Diego freight docks, to the south, the Coronado Bridge, and to the west, almost in front, the North Island Naval Station. The symbols of the Navy's power over the city are visible during Vider's farewell. Nice.

Jake doesn't care about any of that. He leans on the railing and takes a deep breath of the air that smells of oil and cigarette smoke, as if he had just come up from the bottom of the sea.

"Better?"

He gives a wavering smile to his friend.

"Better" is the closest he will come to admitting that he is not okay.

The problem is that too many emotions are swirling inside him, emotions unleashed when he saw his family. He is alone, famous for leaving behind those who cannot keep up with him. What good is it? He should have been there, like when they buried Mom Carole, but he has been denied it because he is stubborn and arrogant. He shakes his head, trying to regain control of his body. This is not about him but about Brig. When he finishes with his family and makes the rounds, he has to accompany him.

Iceman half-follows the conversation between Gordon Becker and Ellen Hill about the president's latest craze. Jake and Machado will be back from the balcony any minute. Sam is chatting with Sundown, and unfortunately, they chose a table in a direct line with the door they will enter through. He can't intervene nor allow Mav to do so. Not just for their mental health and the respect they owe the Metcalf family. Above all, he has to avoid any slip-up from Mav because Simpson is here, and the bastard wants to get his husband off the Mission.

Jake can tell that Javier is already cold, and the truth is that they have spent quite a bit of time here.

"Let's go inside. I want to eat something before Brig comes to meet us."

"Good idea." -Coyote nods- "By the way, why did he go alone to greet his parents?"

"Because they are my father's friends," he explains simply.

Javier purses his lips but thinks better of it and nods instead of saying anything else.

When they have taken a couple of steps into the room, Jake looks around to decide which buffet table is closest to him and his eyes meet…

Oh!

It was one thing to see her from afar in the cemetery and another to have her face-to-face. Her large dark eyes remain like nocturnal lakes of warm, caressing water. For a moment, the world disappears. It's just him and Samantha, brothers in everything except the womb from which they came.

"Cekpápi" -he exhales.

"What now?" -Jake doesn't listen to Coyote, but his friend doesn't need an answer either.

He follows Jake´s gaze, full of longing, and recognizes one of the most beautiful and desired women in the United States Navy.

Fuck! Does Jake know Kazansky's daughter? And apparently, she knows him too, judging by the sadness with which she looks back at him. It makes sense, of course, everyone knows that Mitchell and Kazansky are friends. But it's best not to find out what the Commander of the Pacific Fleet thinks about Jake and his personal decisions.

He drags Jake to one of the drink tables and shoves a soda into his hands. Jake takes a drink on automatic but doesn't stop looking at her.

"Control tower to Hangman." -he finally reacts and looks at him, surprised- "Stop it, man. Half the room has realized that you and Samantha Kazansky are doing the tango with your eyes."

"It's complicated," the blonde sighs.

"Do you know her?"

"Yeah." -Jake's face contorts as he tries to put his emotions under control- "Or knew her, now..."

He looks for her again, but a tall, muscular body appears in his field of vision.

"How dare you set your dirty eyes on her?"

"Hey dude, I don't know what´s your problem, but we're not doing anything wrong, okay?"

He looks him up and down with all the disdain that only half a lifetime of nursing resentment can conjure.

"I'm not some dude, but Lieutenant Junior Sean Kazansky," -and he pauses so that Javier has time to understand who he's talking to- "and I'm not talking to you, but to" - his mouth deforms as if he were chewing on a lemon- "this shameless rat."

"Sean, please..."

"For you, I am Lieutenant Junior Kazansky, Lieutenant Seresin."

"Yes. Yes, of course. I'm sorry. I don't... I don't want to cause problems, I assure you."

"Yet, here you are."

Jake wants the earth to swallow him. He turns his eyes away, embarrassed, and sees Sam, who seems frozen across the room. Sean turns to follow his gaze and moves to block him again.

"Stop looking at my sister. You have no right."

"Kazansky, please, we are in public." -Javier tries to mediate- "You hold a grudge because he broke up with her more than ten years ago? Please!"

The young man looks at him surprised.

"Is that what he told you, that they were dating?"

"Well…" -Javier realizes that he really doesn't know. Jake has been extremely vague about why he left his family. But Sean doesn't give him time to come up with something and turns back to Jake.

"You can't open your mouth without telling a lie, huh?" -his eyes go from contempt to morbid amusement- "Your guard dog is coming."

That makes Jake react.

"Don't talk about him like that."

"Oh? Are you going to tell me that you love him? That your feelings are true this time?"

"Whether it is true or not, it is not for you to judge, Kazansky."

Brig puts his arm around Jake's waist in a possessive gesture.

"Lennox," he greets. "I see that you are still committed to recycling garbage."

"And you keep meddling in what doesn't concern you."

Kazansky shrugs, they've had that conversation many times over the years.

"Everyone knows you could do better."

"Are you offering yourself?"

"At least you wouldn't have to send me to Texas every time we have full family reunions."

Jake cringes, embarrassed.

"Sean, I give you my word that..."

But the hardness of the green eyes silences him. There is no trace of tenderness on his younger brother's face, only a deep, visceral contempt. Jake wants to cry.

"You gave your word to always be there, but you left. You gave your word that you wouldn't come back, but here you are. As far as I'm concerned, you have no word, Seresin. My dad believed in you. I'm not gonna make the same mistake. Do us all a favor and…"

"Enough, Sean."

"But Uncle Slider..."

"You're making on a show at Grandpa Viper's funeral. Don't you realize that this is unbecoming?"

"He shouldn't be here."

"He is Brig's boyfriend." -Kerner cuts with a definitive tone- "We accept our relative´s partners, no matter who they are."

Young Kazansky's cheeks turn red, and he lowers his head. There's a story there, Jake understands. Some mistake his brother made that he knows nothing about. Does it matter? Kerner silenced Sean, but it also hurt him, and it was deliberate. He has stripped him of everything with one sentence: he is not Maverick's son, he is not Bradley's brother. He is a sad little pilot with no connection to his old family other than his romantic relationship with Brig.

He squeezes his boyfriend's arm convulsively.

"I have to get out of here."

"Of course," -Brig agrees- lets..."

"No! You stay. You are a son of Squad 86, this is your place. It was me who shouldn't have come. I'll call an Uber."

 

Temporary Office of Vice Admiral Beau "Cyclone" Simpson, Miramar Base, Saturday, November 9, 2019

 

Maverick looks at Cyclone suspiciously. Why did he send for him when they must spend every minute of the next two days training? The squad already manages to miss by half a meter consistently, they are almost there.

"I know you and Metcalf were close, Mitchell. I can only imagine what you must be feeling."

The captain blinks, puzzled. Simpson already offered his condolences yesterday. Twice, in fact.

"Thank you, sir."

"You must take care of your health. Take some time. Whatever you need."

"I appreciate that, sir. But there's no time. The Mission is in…"

But Cyclone shakes his head in disapproval.

"I'll be taking over the training from here."

Maverick has to call on his decades of training to stay still.

"Sir…?"

Cyclone has the nerve to smile at him.

"We both know you didn't want this job, captain."

It's true. He did not want it. He does not want it. That doesn't mean I´ll let them fly to their death.

"Sir, there is only one way to fly this Mission."

Cyclone gives him a pity stare.

"There is never just one way to do things, captain."

"They are not ready..."

"It was his job to get them ready!" -the vice admiral interrupts.

"They have to believe that the Mission can be flown."

"Yes. But all you've managed to teach them is that it can't."

Maverick narrows his eyes, trying to distance himself from the surprise and anger to understand Simpson's move.

"Sir..." -he tries again.

"You're grounded, captain. Until you recover from the death of your mentor. That is all."

 

Kazansky Residence - Mitchell, University City, Saturday, November 9, 2019

 

Sarah is on the porch when Maverick arrives on the motorcycle. Her husband's expression is turbulent.

"Braley called me. He says you are no longer captain of the squad. What the hell happened?"

Maverick hugs her tightly and breathes in her scent of wild flowers and paper.

"Let's go inside, okay?"

While they drink tea in the kitchen, he recounts the strange conversation with Simpson.

"You are grounded until you recover from Viper's death? What kind of shit is that?"

"The worst excuse to get me out of the way that I have ever heard in my life, honestly. Not even Admiral Benjamin would accept it. Simpson never wanted me on the Mission. I think he just waited until the end."

"What are you going to do?"

"Before you say it, I won't ask Ice for help."

"But Mav… the children."

"No, Sarah. That's just what he's waiting for, for me to appeal to the higher powers. They will confront each other, and the Secretary of the Navy will have to mediate. Simpson will accuse me of nepotism, of trying to sabotage the Mission because my children are on the squadron. There are only two days left, and they will give the green light to his suicide plan because it works. Then, if Ice tries to get revenge, it will revive the rumors about my closeness to him. It will be a disaster."

She nods slowly. Sarah knows enough about politics within the Navy to recognize the scenario's plausibility.

"Then you will have to find your way back on your own."

"But how? The bastard put me on temporary leave. It's over."

Sarah glares at him.

"Is not over! Ice put you there to give them a chance to survive. Even if we didn't have two children involved, they are your pilots. If something happens to them now, you will never forgive yourself."

Maverick nods, he knows she's right, but he still doesn't see a way forward.

"Let me think, okay?"

She smiles a little, fearful but confident.

"You'll find a way, Pete. I know you'll do it."

 

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