No Day but Today

A Second Career

"Fall back! Fall back now! We must return to base! This storm is getting worse!" Called out a male voice over the harsh thunderstorm.

"We can't leave them! Please! We must stay!" A female voice called out. "We need more aircrafts!"

"Negative #5." Replied in another male. "Return now! There are no more aircrafts! We're all full!"

"No! There has to be a way! Please!" The female voice begged.

"Get back to the drop off now! There's nothing we can do!" The same male voice called from a distant.

"Don't leave! Come back! Come back please!!" She screamed out through her tears. "WE CAN'T LEAVE THEM!!"

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Robyn woke with a start and tries to slow her heavy breaths as she looked around her hangar, then makes a deep sigh closing her eyes slowly. "That's the second time this week." She spoke to no one in particular but herself, opening her eyes and rolling off her flat bed and glanced at the time, 9:15am. She didn't have any friends around to go out to, she's been living on the Coast Guard base for about a year since she quit her line of work, she had nowhere else to live besides back in Germany and she did not want to make that flight, but luckily the Master Chief Petty Officer of the base let her stay until she had a place to go.

As she stretched and made a soft yawn, there was then a knock at her hangar door. "Coming." She called and rolled to the door and slid it open, there stood a red and white HH-52a Seaguard, Command Master Chief Wade, he is part of the team she use to be a part of.

"Morning sir." She greeted as she backed up to let him inside.

"Hello, miss Krause, I'm stopping by to see how you are, you haven't left this hanger in two days, trying to work on your third?" He questioned with concern while he rolled inside and turned to face her. "It's not healthy for you, you may not be a part of the Guard anymore, but you are free to roam the base as you please."

"I know that I just... rather stay to myself most the time, I don't know many here." She answered, glancing outside the window, seeing other aircraft moving about the grounds.

"That may be so, at least converse with your team, well, the team you were once in, you were the top line and the second highest rank of them all, they looked up to you Robyn." He said looking at her wall of her badge ranks. "They were upset that day of your announcement of quitting."

"I know... but you know why I had to..." She sighed.

He gave a nod. "It's been over a year since then, and getting close to your second, I don't know how much longer Master Chief Lorenzo will allow you to stay, sometime soon he's going to be bringing in some new recruits."

"I've been trying to find another line of work to try and do, I haven't seen many openings for anything lately."

He thought for a short moment before something came to mind, he remembered seeing about a day ago, and looked in her direction. "Actually, I think I found something yesterday that might peak your interest." He smiled. "Come to my hangar." He motioned her as he reversed a bit and rolled outside, Robyn following behind, they reach a slightly bigger hangar that was a bit discolored with a solid silver eagle emblem mounted up top of it, Wade slid open the door and lead inside to a countertop that had a job article of a newspaper open. "I wasn't sure at the time if you had found something or not, but I held onto this in case you didn't."

Robyn moved upward to read the article, it was an opening for a place called the Piston Peak Air Attack, seeming to be looking for new trainees. Robyn felt a bit iffy about this, keeping silent.

"They seem to be getting quite a lot of fires this time of year, it is fire season right now for them up there, so they're struggling a bit, I think it would be a good second career for you." Wade smiles. "It's hard and dangerous work, but so it is here, and you pulled through, I know you could do it; this could be the only chance you have."

She hesitated before backing up a little and looking at the other copter. "I'll think on it."

Robyn went back to her hangar and taking the article with her, this could be the only chance she had at getting off the base before Chief Master Lorenzo boots her out and gives her hangar to a new recruit and leave her homeless. Taking up on the opening, she takes things that only meant important to her, her badges and picture frames in one box that a forklift loaded into her from the other side of where her hoist was. Rolling outside she was greeted by Wade and a yellow and black MH-60 Jayhawk, it was Lorenzo.

"Good luck out there with your firefighting Robyn." He spoke giving a smile of encouragement. "And stay safe."

"I will, thank you sir." She smiled back and moving to the helipad and starting her engine.

"Contact us if ever you need to." He called out over her engine. "And always remember Robyn, Semper Paratus!" Lorenzo cheered. And with that, Robyn took off on her journey to Piston Peak, the two below watching as she disappeared in the distance, this will be one long flight.