U is for Utilities

Given his reputation when it came to utilities, Blackout wasn't particularly sure why he had been saddled with this particular job. Yes, he had a saw, but it wasn't like he was the only vehicle who could wield one in the Park. Or better yet, the Park could have brought in an actual specialist to fix the problem. But no, it was the weekend and a certain superintendent had decided that it would be cheaper and easier to have a smokejumper do the repair instead.

Blackout really didn't care how much cheaper he was, he wasn't a plumber. He had no clue what he was doing and after one excruciatingly painful experience with the live powerline, Blackout really, really didn't like sticking his blade into things when he couldn't see/didn't understand how they worked. But at the same time, he also really didn't know how to say no. Not to the Superintendent. So against his better judgment, he had rolled into the hole and gotten to work.

At first, Blackout had been able to just power through the problem. As long as he didn't think too hard about what he was doing, he could work by the glow of his headlights. Fixing this pipe shouldn't be too difficult; he just finished the task one step at a time. For the first 15 minutes, Blackout thought he was going to be able to do it. But the piping system hadn't been properly drained so when his blade broke through the pipe, and waterfall gushed out causing part of the ceiling to collapse and the floor to start filling with muddy water. It was as though the world was closing in around him, drowning him in water and soil.

Blackout panicked.

There was no other word for it. He panicked and all though he was able to shake himself free of the soil, he knew that he couldn't take it anymore. As his mind flashed back to a moment in time that he was not fully capable of remembering and his tongue tasted the metallic tang of electricity, Blackout took the only action left to him.

"That's it. He terminado!" Blackout announced before backing out confined space. He drove off without a second glance, even though he could hear people calling his name and argument break out. He also heard someone try to follow him, but there was the reeving sound of a familiar engine and it seemed like Dynamite successfully stopped them in their tracks.

Blackout didn't stop until he had successfully driven back to base and parked himself in the power washer. Engulfed by hot water and steam he was finally able to feel the worst of the panic attack ebb, which of course meant that the full force of what he had just done flooded in. Blackout had let his team down and the ache of guilt and embarrassment settled like a stone in his engine.

Drying off, he was able to speak enough words to convince Maru that he could be left alone. Sadly, Blackout bumped into Cabbie on the tarmac and the old plane proved to be more stubborn than the mechanic. It was clear that the C-119 wasn't going to move and he was sitting between Blackout and the smokejumper's hanger.

"You know what happened?" Blackout finally asked his transport plane quietly.

"Only what I heard on the radio. You gave Dynamite quite a scare storming off like that, but she mostly took that out on the contractors." Cabbie softly chuckled, then let everything lapse into silence. Looking the smaller vehicle up and down, he finally asked. "Want to talk about it?"

"Realmento…no…" Blackout admitted, sinking lower on his tires.

"Alright." Cabbie spoke without judgment, then after a moment, he shrugged his wings. "I was going to watch some baseball in the main hanger. You are welcome to join me."

Even though the plane usually didn't follow sports, Cabbie puttered over to the main hanger and turned on the TV. Flicking through the channels he settled on the most sedate baseball game he could find. Neither vehicle spoke for the rest of the afternoon. Occasionally Maru or one of the other aircraft would peek their noses into the hanger, but Cabbie would do his talking without saying a word thing and the other vehicle would simply nod and leave.

By the time the other smokejumpers had fixed the mess he had created, Blackout was finally feeling better. He looked up Cabbie, who was pointedly focused the screen in front of him. The little vehicle gently bumped the plane's side and whispered his thanks. Cabbie didn't speak, he just rolled with Blackout back to the smokejumper hanger before heading back to his own space.

The rest of the smokejumpers looked at Blackout with a mix of curiosity and concern. Under his fellow vehicle's stares, he couldn't help but feel the heat of guilt and embarrassment bubbling to the surface. He had screwed up today, and that had reflected poorly on his team. He had let them down and he didn't know how to make that right.

"Lo siento…" Blackout tried start but he quickly found himself parked tire to tread with Avalanche.

"SUPERINTENDENT SPINNER IS AN IDOT." The dozer rumbled as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The words hung in the hanger for a few rotor beats…then Pinecone started to giggling and any tension that sawyer still felt disappeared. The team didn't blame him for what had happened; they just wanted to make sure that he was okay. After he let Dynamite poke and prod him a bit to make sure that nothing was damaged, the team quickly slipped back to their normal evening rhythm. With a yawn, Blackout let himself just enjoy the comradery.

Blackout really didn't like working with utilities…but that is alright. He really liked working with his team, and he knew that his teammates had his back when things got sticky.

Term- Utilities- This term refers to the public utilities that the National Park accesses. These often include the electricity, internet, phone, water, sewage, and garbage removal. While most National Parks are able to access these services by connecting the communities around them, some National Parks and Monuments are isolated enough that they are responsible for producing and managing all of their utilities on site.