Author's Note: This story prompt was suggested by StarLahar


O is for Obsessive


The Piston Peaks Air Attack team churned through Smokejumpers on a regular basis…it was simply a fact of the job. On the ground firefighters, especially wildland firefighters, usually only stayed on the job for a couple of years before moving on to something else. It wasn't because it was a bad job, it simply wasn't really a career.

In contrast, aircraft tended to stick around. This meant that while Blade had help select five smokejumpers since he became Chief, this was the first time he had to fill an aircraft slot. Overall, it was proving to be a miserable experience. Only three planes had applied for the position and none of them were particularly good candidates at that.

"Opinions?" The helicopter eyed the group of vehicles that he had pulled in to help him make the final decision. Windlifter, Cabbie, Patch, and Maru looked back at him…the mechanic with a barely concealed expression of amusement.

"Coyote…"

"Windlifter." Patch interrupted the helicopter before he could utter another syllable. "If you can't give a straight answer don't even bother adding your two cents."

The helicopter stared at the tug for a moment and then shut his mouth with a slight shrug of his rotors.

Cabbie finally broke the silence with a sigh. "I think we all already know what the answer is."

"But it going to be the best answer." Blade prodded his teammates. "Is she going to be a risk?"

"Anyone that you bring onto this team is going to be a risk." Maru scoffed darkly. "No vehicle who is fully qualified would actually apply to this place. But the flying boat is more capable than most."

"She seemed a bit…" Patch let the words hang.

"Obsessive." Maru filled in and when everyone bobbed on their tires he continued. "She is a rebuild, and it is pretty normal for vehicles that have had that level of work to fixate on things. From what I read in her medical records she nailed a solid core cloud. Her family had her rebuilt, but discovered that the plane that woke up had the personality of a teenager instead of the 'grandma' they remembered."

"So, we are getting a plane that is technically older than Cabbie but behaves like a hormonal teenager?" Blade muttered under his breath.

"Pretty much." Maru grinned back.

"And that is a good idea, why?" The helicopter practically growled back.

"You have a group of smokejumpers who act like toddlers…" Windlifter finally spoke up. "Compared with them wouldn't a teenager be an improvement?"

"With her tank capacity, she could be a real asset. Plus, I got the feeling that she really doesn't have a home to go back to." Cabbie added quietly, and those words caused all of the vehicles in the room to get a quiet, knowing look.

"I guess that makes our decision final." Blade looked his crew in their eyes. "Who wants to tell our new flying boat that she is a member of the family?"