The hangar doors were thrown wide open. Inside, a line of F-14 Tomcats gleamed, their engines still ticking as they cooled.

A handful of pilots lingered in the shadows. The new class. Eager. Sharp. Watching the flight suits move past them like gods descending from Olympus.

You'd just finished a debrief when you felt it—the subtle shift in the air. The way conversations around you quieted, just for a second, before picking back up with renewed energy.

You turned.

Behind him, Slider appeared, grabbing a water bottle and pretending not to watch the two of you like a spectator at a car crash.