Chapter 293: Obvious Stares I
It should be quite the experience. Being able to visit a naval base like Miramar, that is.
Any other army base would also be quite an experience for Alexander who never really got around to visiting one before.
Throughout his years of collecting programming faults, the army's computers should have been quite the source for his collection.
Too bad, these kinds of army program malfunctions are classified.
To paraphrase Maverick about classified info. They could tell him but then they'll have to kill him after.
Alexander didn't want that... so he stayed away.
To think that circumstances were different now and he was able to stroll something military-related. Not for collection purposes though but film production matters.
Granted, he still wouldn't be able to get his hands on programming faults and malfunctions.
He may be allowed to stroll around but he is still confined to the same limitations that are imposed on the Top Gun production crew.
Further emphasized and re-reminded by an army guy named Pete Pettigrew.
The man listed out camp rules as he guided them through the base and really reiterated this to the end. "Listen, kids. It must be fun to see your grandpa work on a movie and all... but there are places that you are not allowed to go to.
"We understand." Milla had a habit of tagging along and she answered for them.
Of course, Miss Galina would always make up the usual entourage. Even more so when she finds out that the destination is Hollywood or film-related. "We've been to film productions before and we know what to do."
"Just take it as me emphasizing that military bases are much stricter with rules." Pettigrew appeased.
Alexander helped out a bit while eyeing the aircrafts that he caught sight of from a window they just passed. "Children like us are more liable to rush to things like that, so they have to be extra careful."
Children might not even be allowed at all but his grandfather just has his way of convincing people.
"You seem like a high-ranking person in this base, Mr. or Sir Pettigrew. Shouldn't you be busy with a lot of other responsibilities and shouldn't it be a film crew representative that should be guiding us around?"
Alexander assumed that this kind of high-ranking tour guide is in response to a lady of Russian descent like Miss Galina being here... but real life shouldn't be that dramatic. Russian spy and American look-out seem far-fetched.
The army man turned to stare at the strange boy who asked and gave his answer. "I'm not that high of rank. I'm just delegated to be an advisor and correspondent throughout the whole movie production. Supervising special new entrants like you guys are part of it."
A sigh had noticeably escaped from his military demeanor after that. He must not have thought that chaperoning children would be a part of his special job description. Not to mention a peculiar child at that.
"Being a middle man between your own crew and the film crew must be tough." Alexander commented. Maybe it wasn't Russian spy paranoia but the jury still isn't out on that yet.
The military man had nothing to say to that as he just led on to their destination.
The boy in re-life could already tell plenty from the man's silence and sighs.
It would seem that the clash between the film crew and the naval crew was happening in this new Top Gun production as well.
Pilots don't bicker in locker rooms. Jets can't do Negative Gs and these kinds of stunts. Being six-packed and playing volleyball is the true negative. So on and so forth.
An entertainment-focused group against the true-flying naval consultants. This seems like an irrelevant feud but it made the naval aviator flick into the success that it was.
This guy before him named Pete Pettigrew may seem like the inspiration for a certain ratty Harry Potter character but Alexander knew it was far from that.
In fact, this man is going to be a Rear Admiral at some point and had an important part to play in the making of Top Gun. He is such an Un-ratty Pettigrew that he is actually the true pilot that holds the call sign 'Viper'.
For those that don't know, vipers feed on rats. How could this Pete Pettigrew even be as ratty as Peter Pettigrew?
Alexander even saw this guy be singled out in a behind-the-movie Top Gun documentary. It is said that this was the man that tried so hard to not devolve the whole thing into a feature-length music video.
After all, Hollywood people just have the tendency to go a bit overboard with reality breaking. This Un-ratty Pettigrew must have been quite instrumental in keeping things in line.
Well, wasn't that kind of an interesting person to come across?
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Eventually, Un-Ratty Pettigrew did lead them to their destination.
The cast and crew seem to have just wrapped up a filming session. Plenty of crew was doing their production responsibilities and the cast was enjoying their break time.
They were at a high-ceiling hangar with chairs lined up in a classroom kind of way.
Going by deduction, the Charlie reveal and orientation sequence must be what they're going for.
What do you know? Alexander just paraphrased the 'I could tell you but then I'll have to kill you' scene and it looks like they may have been filming just that.
Everyone was pretty much at a cool down so the new arrival was quite noticeable amidst the norms of a filming break.
"Grandpa, I missed you." Milla greeted Old Sullivan right away whilst Alexander's eyes were more interested in discreetly peering at everything like a hawk with a calculative glint to it.
"I missed you too, little Milla." Old Sullivan was happy to see his nominal granddaughter and he was more than happy to see his grandson as well.
His own flesh-and-blood is just built different though.
"Haha! I really can't expect nothing less from a grandson like you, Alex." Old Sullivan laughed at the boy's observative tendencies but complained after a bit. "That's good and all but can't I also expect you to miss me like little Milla here."
"Alex is just weird, grandpa Sullivan. He talked a lot about business stuff all the time." Milla snitching-ly reminded her Alex-discussing partner. The old partner could only sigh. "Just as I expected. The boy's too far gone in workaholism."
"Yeah, yeah. I actually missed you too, grandpa. Even though we talk on the phone quite regularly." Alexander appeased his grandpa before their teaming duo could go too far.
Old Sullivan was still on the workaholism bit. "How was your forced vacation? Shouldn't it have helped?"
"Brief and I didn't do much... but it's alright in a way." Alexander was succinct as always since he was more interested in looking around.
Being mummed about Top Gun production details has stalled him a lot, so he was really interested in everything he saw. He even used his Batman-Holmes-Ishaan systematized perspective to help him label and process things.
Still, as he observed everything around him, he also noticed people observing him.
What are these people looking at him for? Shouldn't he be the one doing that to them?
A lot of them were even doing it obviously, unlike the smooth subtleness that he does things.
Alexander was confused at this interaction and just realized that Un-Ratty Pettigrew did a weird turn-stare at him earlier.
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Of course, the bottom line of these stares was just curiosities.
Un-Ratty Pettigrew was also curious. As he dismissed himself, he still kept on a listening distance.
As a matter of fact, it wasn't just him as a lot of the people in this set were curious about a lot of things.
The arrival of the producer's grandson was known in advance but Creed Pictures people seem to not want to divulge much about the boy.
Even Courteney Cox and the director, that are said to know the grandson, didn't expound a lot on it.
Did all of them sign some secrecy waiver or something?
Anyways, from what they were able to discuss about him, he was made out to be some sort of special kid.
It made those that didn't know him even more curious.
Fortunately, the grandson was finally here and they'd get to see what he's all about.
The boy was being called 'Alex' and if he really was the executive producer's grandson, wouldn't that make him a Creed?
Alex Creed, if put together.
They did know that 'Alex Creed' was the name of the Top Gun screenwriter in the script they're using. The one that's partly responsible for the phenomenal Back to the Future film that is taking over the cinemas worldwide by now.
The 'Alex Creed' persona is even more mysterious but they did know some stuff about him.
The 'Alex Creed' guy was discussed a bit in the newspapers at some point but it was overshadowed by the whole Reagan-BttF support stuff.
It is said that 'Alex Creed' is just short for Alexander Creed and that 'Alexander Creed' puts a whole lot more achievements to the person.
The secrecy of that fellow, the secrecy of the knowing staff, and then the reveal of the little grandson right here.
The picture was clear and the dots were all connected! How come it is still hard to understand and believe?
If the producer's grandson really is who they think he is, then they'd really find it unbelievable!
Hence, it came to be the obvious stares that they are giving away now.