Edwards Air Force Base, Flight Test Center, California.
The smell in the locker room had become pungent. Not a side effect of sweaty socks, or equally sweaty pilots... No, Guy Gardner had entered the room. Lt. Harold "Hal" Jordan, a tall, muscular built man stands before the mirror in his locker, zipping up his flight suit in preparation for the days test flight.
Guy Gardner, shorter than Jordan, but very muscular with his bright orange hair cropped closely to his head, leans against the locker next to Jordan's. A lop-sided grin across his face making the already ugly man almost unbearable to look at.
"Hey, Jordan... Looks like it's just the two of us up there today. Just for old time's sake, you know... since this is our last hurrah up there before your discharge... I'm kickin’ your ass."
Hal smiles back at him sarcastically, "You mean, like you have oh so many times before, Guy? Get out of my face before I physically remove you myself."
Guy's grin dissolves quickly into a grimace as his rage begins to burn. A hush comes over the hustle and bustle of the normally very busy locker room, as everyone pauses, waiting for the coming explosion.
Guy jabs his finger into Hal's chest. "Like Hell, you sonuva..."
With quick reflexes, Hal grabs Guy's finger and begins to bend it backward. Guy drops to his knees in pain as a familiar voice booms through the locker room.
"ATTEN-HUT!"
Jordan releases Gardner and stands at full attention. Guy springs up next to Hal and whispers, "You're dead, Jordan..."
A tall, middle aged black man in dress fatigues enters the locker room. The sheen from his freshly shined shoes, only outdone by the shine of his captains insignia on his lapel. The unusually quiet locker room falls even more silent as all the occupants stand at attention.
"You are all dismissed... except for the two of you." Both hands clasped behind his back, he pauses just inches away from the faces of Lt. Jordan and Lt. Gardner. "Is there a problem here, boys?"
"NO CAPTAIN STEWART, SIR!" both men reply in unison.
"Good... good." As Captain John Stewart begins to pace before them. "I do not need to remind the two of you that General Scott is here to watch you two hotshots with the X-23's."
"NO SIR!" once again, in unison.
"Good... Lt. Gardner, dismissed."
"Yessir!" Guy turns and rushes out scowling.
"At ease, Jordan..." he says as Hal finally exhales, after what seems like an eternity. "Why do you let him goad you like that? Come with me."
Both men exit the locker room, into the enormous hanger, strolling casually towards the flight deck. The sunlight outside the hanger doors burns bright, cooking the experimental X-23 planes sitting on the flight deck.
"It's a shame to see you go, Jordan. You sure you won't change your mind?"
"No sir... it's time and Ferris is making me an offer I can't refuse. Couple of weeks to visit my mom and brothers, then it's off to fly for Ferris."
"You do know, son, that's exactly what you do here, right?"
"Yes sir... they just happen to pay better."
Captain Stewart's face brightens up in a large toothy smile. "They do at that... off to follow in your father's footsteps. Marty would be proud."
"Thank you, Captain. It means a lot to me to hear you say that... but you still have me for two weeks."
"I do indeed... Jenni's coming out for dinner tonight. I'll have Marianne set a place for you if you're interested?"
"Thank you, sir, I think I'll take you up on that," Hal replies as he shakes John's hand.
On the tarmac, the two small X-23 fighter jets sit side by side. Guy Gardner already strapped in to one of them, helmet on, waiting impatiently. Hal climbs the ladder into his plane's cockpit. He straps himself in and puts on his helmet. As he begins to run through the pre-flight systems check, Guy's voice crackles through his helmet speakers...
"Hey, Jordan, about what happened, I might have been out of line... no hard feelings, eh?"
Hal, not believing his ears, turns to look at Gardner and sees Gardner flipping him off while contorting his already ugly face.
"That's nice, Guy, real mature..."
In the control tower, Captain Stewart stands side by side with General Alan Scott. General Scott, an elderly man with graying blonde hair, with a concerned look on his face as Captain Stewart rubs his forehead. The monitors in the control tower display not only the readings from the planes, but the pilots' vital signs, as well as the pilots themselves. Both planes have in-cockpit cameras.
"Are you sure it's safe to send those two up together..." General Scott asks as he leans in to Captain Stewart. "I mean, Jordan's a great pilot, but Gardner pushes all of his buttons..."
"Yes sir, he does indeed... but they are the best."
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