Lenten Moon

The Piston Peak Air Attack Base didn't start feeling claustrophobic until the snow got too deep for the satellite dish to work. Now they were not only physically cut off from the rest of the world, but they were also electronically cut off from the rest of the world. The three vehicles trapped in snowbound limbo did their best to make the most of it. They went down to the lodge to access the internet on clear afternoons and watched films from Cabbie's surprisingly large collection of bootlegged foreign films in the evenings...but a mind-numbing boredom always set in at this time of year and no matter how many times they winters he had gone through it, Maru was never really prepared to face it.

Chief Ranger used sleep to cope with the endless hours of being cooped up. Like many helicopters, Blade seemed to practically go into hibernation during the depths of winter. He slept for hours on end, and could only be coaxed into work using multiple mugs of coffee and warm antifreeze shower.

Cabbie, on the other tine, seemed to come alive in the depths of the winter chill, which made a lot of sense to the mechanic. C-119's had been one of the few aircraft capable of exploring the frozen wastelands of the south pole and had been among the first to do so from the air. Compared with that capability, the Park's chill, even on a bad day, was neglectable. Add the comfortable rhythm of a day in, day out routine that included plenty of time for the plane to engage in his hobbies and catch up with buddies on the radio, and Maru was pretty sure that winter was pretty close to paradise for the old bird.

For Maru though...this situation was rapidly approaching the slag of Hell. While the little mechanic had experienced a lot of worse situations... think any member of their team going down ...he also had the power to act in those situations. His actions might not be successful, but he could do something, anything, to try to change the tide of disaster. Right now, Maru was stuck not only obeying the whims of the weather, but also the whims of his companions and tug suspected that the reason he felt so trapped was that he didn't have wings. The two aircraft on the base could theoretically leave any time they pleased, and they could also theoretically choose to leave him behind to stew in the silence of the base...and apparently, he was getting that 'crazy' look in his eye, because Cabbie was giving him a concerned look over breakfast.

"I think we need to get you out of the park for a day." Cabbie informed Maru between bites of slightly burnt pancakes. "Blade is overdue for a visit to Dodge Ridge and I think you should go with him."

Maru glanced over at Blade and wondered if he really wanted to fly in him. He knew that the Chief would perk up a bit once he had drunk the other half of the coffee pot, but he was still looking pretty lethargic. The mechanic almost opened his mouth to protest, but the helicopter didn't give him a chance.

"We have a clear patch in the weather, then?" Blade muttered between yawns.

Cabbie gave a bob on his tires. "The National Weather Service is expecting at least three storm-free days and it looks like the density altitude for all of them are going to be excellent. Looks like you could even get away with spending the night off base if Susanna wanted to keep you for dinner."

Maru couldn't help but make a snort of laughter at that particular comment. Everyone on base knew that owners of the Dodge Ridge ski resort would try to convince Blade and Maru to join them for a nice lunch. Maru also knew that if they accepted, Susanna and Duggy would make sure to pull out a few choice vintages from their Napa Valley collection for the group to enjoy. Which meant that by the end of the dinner, Blade would be incapable of getting safely home...even if he had any night flying skills, which of course, the helicopter didn't. The actual meaning of Cabbie's statement was clear, he was letting the two vehicles know that they were welcome to have a night off. The old plane would hold down the fort while they were gone.

It took about another hour and a half before the sun started to heat the winter air and Blade was finally awake to make the flight safely. Then the only thing left was for Maru to strap in and let himself be carried north across the snowy landscape. As Blade came in for the final approach, it was clear that the ski resort was fairly busy for a Tuesday. Grinning at the scene in front of them, it was clear to Maru that he and Blade were not the only vehicles that were playing hooky from work. Apparently, the good weather, proximity to San Francisco, and laid back atmosphere of the resort had been too tempting to resist.

Duggy and Susanna were waiting just outside of the lodge's helipad to greet the two Air Attack members and they barely waited for Blade's rotors to stop spinning before rolling up to them.

While the two cars hadn't been the founders of Dodge Ridge, they had purchased it in the '70s and took pride in having a family-run establishment that provided a safe skiing experience. Their ski resort would never be as fancy as Tahoe, but it didn't have to be. What they lacked in glitz they more than made up in warmth.

"I hope that you two are hungry." Duggy drawled as he practically pressed his side against his wife. "Because Susanna has been working on a recipe from one of her new mail order cookbooks, and it made a meal big enough for a midsized commuter jet."

"Oh, Duggy." Susanna's bell-like chuckle range out in the winter's air. "You just noticed that I put Brussel sprouts in it, and you are hoping to dump them on an unexpected guest."

"You caught me." Duggy shrugged his tires and looked at tad bit sheepish; then he motioned for their two guests to follow him. "We better hurry, we wouldn't want the food to get cold."

As expected, lunch was a sumptuous affair for which Susanna had clearly spent the morning preparing. Once neither Maru or Blade could manage another bite, the whole group headed out into the lodge's lobby so that they could all gab while staring out the large plate glass windows at the ski slope. Duggy and Susanna took delight in filling their two friends in on the winter's news. When Susanna had to duck out of the conversation to teach a children's intro to skiing class, Duggy easily pivoted the conversation to more casual topics.

Soaking up the warmth, Maru knew that he was going to have to bring Cabbie home a treat to thank him for arranging this restbet from the normal drudgeries of winter...but that was something to think about later. For now, the mechanic was enjoying being surrounded by the constant hum of activity, sitting in front of the roaring fire with a mug of hot cocoa, and watching Blade argue with Duggy about current Hollywood politics.

The day was flowing past like the water in a stream, and by midafternoon Maru found himself too relaxed to keep his eyes open. As he drifted off to sleep, the mechanic had to admit that today had truly been a wisp of fresh air breathing life into the dark depths of winter. Because for the first time in weeks, the thought of returning to base didn't make him feel trapped anymore.