No Day but Today

Tactical Thinking

As the hours grew, darkness began to fall in the sky, everyone was inside for the night except Windlifter and Dipper, who watched the sky where Robyn took off from. She hasn't even radioed to them at all. The door to Blade's hanger opened and the chief rolled out and went up to the two, going up beside Dipper.
"She hasn't come back?" He questioned; Dipper shook her nose in reply.

"No, she hasn't... not even a radio response." She said glancing to Blade who just sighed deeply, looking back up at the sky. "Should we, go out to find her?"

Blade thought a moment. "I was thinking that... but wasn't sure if she was still upset at me." He replies.

"I think that is the least of the problem Blade." Windlifter spoke. "We need to make sure she's safe."

"You're right, you're right..." Blade said taking in a breath. "Have you tried radioing her?"

"I did earlier, she wouldn't answer." Dipper replied.

"Well, then let's give her some more time and wait, if she isn't back by morning then we'll go look for her. Meantime, you two can stay out here and wait for her if you want, at least get some rest in at some point." Blade said as the other two nodded and he went back inside. When the next couple hours went by, it was 2am, Blade was starting to become restless as he was settled in his bed, he hoped to hear the sound of props of Robyn's return before trying to sleep, and he didn't. Even after her outburst toward him he had pushed that aside and he was worried about her safety the most. With that worry still lingering, he left his hanger once again and looked around, this time only seeing Windlifter outside. He approached him, looking at the sky and trees.

"Dipper went inside for the night." Windlifter spoke knowing Blade was there. "Robyn is still not back."

"Then let's go look for her." Blade said as he started his engine up, turning around and moving toward the open runway for room between them before lifting off in the sky, switching his lights on, Windlifter followed suite and the two flew out over the forest in search for the trainee.

"Let's check around Anchor Lake and the Lodge, those are the only places I can think she'd be." Blade radioed to Windlifter.
"I'll check the Lodge." Wind replied and the two separated to search the areas. As Blade headed toward the lake, he made sure to look thoroughly in the trees below to see if he can spot Robyn if she was possibly hiding. As he grew closer to the lake, he searched around then spotted a red and white speck near the lake's edge from above. Blade then stopped and hovered. "Windlifter, I think I found her, she's here at Anchor Lake." He radioed.
"Turning around now." Wind replied.
Blade waited for Windlifter to join back up before descending down in an open area of grass to land, Blade coming first in approaching the other helicopter. Blade was about speak until she did first.

"I had a feeling someone would coming looking for me..." She said before slowly turning around to the two, her eyes being slightly red, Windlifter being the first to notice.

"You've been crying." He said, Robyn looked down toward the grass.
"A little..." She admitted.
"And why is that?" Blade asked. "Is it something I said from earlier?"
She hesitated to answer. "I don't want to say it was that in particular... It was... I-I was just reminded in a way of my past..."
"What happened?" Windlifter asked her. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Robyn sighed, as she turned a little looking toward the water. "Well, I can't keep everything secret forever..." She gave in and started to explain. "This all happened when I was living in Germany still at the time... I've been married over three times, first husband died, second one cheated on me and the third is where it all went downhill for the next year on... he was, emotionally and physically abusive to me... telling me where I could go and not, beat me around every day and put me in the hospital once forcing me to lie about my injuries... and had done much worse things to me that are too graphic for me to say..." She paused, Blade and Windlifter looked at each other as they listened.
"I managed to escape him, get help and filed divorce." She makes a deep sigh. "But I think it's why I have trust and listening issues with men that tell me what to do because of my past experiences... hell I've even given my old chief at the Guard a little bit of listening problems when giving his orders."

"Which is what you've done with me." Blade said coming closer. "But now I understand why, and I'm truly sorry you had to go through that." He frowned. "And... sorry for earlier, for disrespecting the Guard the way I did too."

"It's fine... but no need to apologize for that... I should be the one apologizing to you..." She said turning to face him fully.

"No, I understood why you did what you did... and before you ask, no, I'm not letting you off of your training, it's still going to continue. And with what happened yesterday, I have another training method in mind for you try, we can do it in the morning. But let's head back to base and catch up on some sleep, maybe I'll give you a few extra hours of sleep-in time." He said with a little smile and headed out to the open grassy area starting his engine, Robyn smiling a little as she did the same the three copters headed back. Once landing simultaneously, they headed for their hangers and bunkered down for what was left of the night.
When morning came, Robyn began to stir and woke up slowly, she looks to her clock which read 9:14. She lifts up on her landing gear and stretched before leaving the hanger and into the sun's rays.
"Hey look who's back!" Called out a voice, she looked seeing Maru carrying some boxes and also Blade heading her way.

"You ready for that new training method today?" Blade asked. "I will require your hoist, but it snapped, didn't it?"
Robyn then opened her side door to bring it out, just an empty line. "I completely forgot..."
"I'm sure Maru can replace it for you." He said as if on cue the forklift came around with a hook in his fork.
"Already on it." Maru said as he began to attach it, not taking long at all. "All set."

"Good, now let's get in the air, were headed back to that river where that camper was trapped before, the Smokejumpers are going to be meeting us there as well." He explained as he was rolling along with Robyn close behind him, lifting off in the air soon after with her joining. "So, here's the plan, one of the smokejumpers are going to throw an upright lifebuoy that's attached to a weight in the water, it's light enough to make it float and strong enough to keep it upward. What you're going to do is use your hoist line to grab it out the water through the ring before it reaches the lake." He instructed as they neared the lake, the smokejumpers could be seen spread out along the river. "And try not to get your hoist stuck again." He said in a joking manner. "Now head down there." Robyn nods and descended, Blade watched her as he radioed Drip.
"Okay throw it in."
Drip tossed in the lifebuoy, and it began to float downstream, seeing this as her sign Robyn dived down with her hoist at the ready following the lifebuoy, starting the aim then threw out her line, missing by a branch that got in the way bouncing off it. Groaning as she retracted and the lifebuoy made it into the lake, Pinecone reaching out and grabbing it to bring back to Drip.
"Almost, you'll get it, just mind the debris." Blade radioed to her.
Drip tosses it in again and Robyn tries to take her time with this one instead of rushing it. When halfway down the river she tosses her line at the lifebuoy and got it through the loop and lifted it out the water.
"Good job. Hand it back to Drip and do it again." Blade radioed her once again.
She responded by circling back around and dropped it in Drip's claw, waiting for her to be at her position before throwing it back in, second dive in she was able to repeat the action, snatching the lifebuoy out, and Blade had her repeat it one last time.
"You do learn quick I'll say that." He said as Robyn joined back up with him. "Much faster than my last trainee." He chuckled as they both headed back to base and the smokejumpers did too.
"So, what was that supposed to teach me exactly?" Robyn questioned, flying beside the chief.
"Well, your aim with putting out those oil barrels is good, best I'd train you with aiming with your hoist incase an animal or another camper needs saving." He answered, while on the way back he caught sight of thick smoke in the distance and radioed Patch as he and Robyn stopped to hover.

"Patch, sound the alarm and get the team in the air! We got a fire, northeast of Canopy Dome." He radioed as Patch sounded the alarm and started to announce the location of the fire.