Chapter Fifteen: The Piston Peak Inferno

Sky blinked and found herself back in Blade's hanger. The wounded fire chief hadn't moved, but he seemed much calmer now. Sky smiled broadly, wiping away happy tears. She kissed her fingers and patted them against Blade's nose. "Get well soon." She whispered, staying there for a moment longer before exiting the hanger. She pushed the doors shut, sighing in content. She began humming a bit as she walked down towards the garage.

Then, she jumped as the alarm sounded across the base. Patch's voice came in over the speakers. "We got trouble, y'all. Wildfire jumped the main exit road and now it's blocked."

"There's not another way out of the park?" Sky asked, approaching Windlifter and Dipper.

"There's only the one main exit and entrance." Dipper said. She looked to Windlifter. "I know it's after sunset, but you're in command. It's your call."

"If you're gonna go, you better go now." Maru warned.

"And we'll need every plane we've got." Dusty added. Everyone looked to Windlifter, waiting for his response.

"Load up." The Sikorsky ordered.

Everyone leaped into action. Maru began hooking up Dipper, Dusty, and Windlifter to the hoses for retardant and the Smokejumpers loaded into Cabbie.

"I'm coming with you." Sky announced, approaching Dusty. Since her shirt was torn, she had to wear the light, black jacket she wore on the flight here from Propwash. Her harness was strapped on and her goggles rested on her head. A torn piece of her shirt rested in her hand, ready to tie onto her face.

"You're hurt." Dusty protested.

"Don't care." Sky said, unloading her fire extinguisher and opening it to refill. "We work as a team. I'm with you every mile of the way." Dusty stared at her, then nodded.

"All right, let's get you guys—" Maru paused, jiggling the lever to the water. But nothing flowed through the hoses. Maru hurried to the gauges near the hoses, tapping one of them. "Problem! There's no water pressure!"

"Main line musta burst again!" Cabbie groaned.

Sky groaned in frustration, forced to drop the empty fire extinguisher as she hopped onto Dusty. "Not good."

"Hey Patch!" Dipper called as Maru unhooked the hoses. "What's the lake look like?"

"Negative." Patch reported ruefully. "No visibility. Boxed in by fire and smoke."

Windlifter began taking off, his lights flicking on. "All we have left is what's in our tanks. Let's make it count."

"Dusty?" Sky asked, pulling her torn shirt piece around her mouth and nose like a makeshift bandana.

"I still got some retardant left." Dusty confirmed, joining Cabbie and Dipper on the runway. "Let's do this."

Sky nodded, lowering her goggles and hooking her harness to the handlebar on Dusty's canopy. She tucked her feet into the stirrups, bracing herself as the aircraft took off. In no time, they were all headed straight towards the main road. The fire ahead of them raged on, the glow seeming to light up the night.

Sky swallowed. Don't be afraid. You can do this.

"We're headed straight into the fire!" Dusty called. "Shouldn't we fly around it?"

"The fastest way to the main road is through the fire!" Dipper protested.

"Brace yourselves!" Windlifter called. He and Dipper disappeared into the smoke. Dusty and Sky tensed up a bit as they and Cabbie followed close behind.

Chaos. That was the simplest way to explain the inside of the inferno. Embers blew up in everyone's faces. Smoke clouded their vision. Chunks of flaming wood shot down like tiny meteors. Everyone became forced to weave their way through the destruction to avoid getting hit. Dusty and Sky were vaguely aware of Dipper shouting encouragingly, but the intensity of the firestorm made it hard to concentrate. After a few tense moments that felt like years, the team finally broke through the smoke. Thankfully, they all came out unscathed, but the sight on the other side of the smoke made them all widen their eyes briefly. Flames engulfed the valley, leaving only a burning glow beneath them.

"Holy Chrysler….." Sky breathed.

The crew ended up flying right over the lodge, somehow unaffected by the flames getting closer and closer. Soon, Sky and Dusty noticed why: a huge amount of water soaked the lodge from the roof sprinklers. Sky narrowed her eyes in suspicion. That was quite the amount of water for standard roof sprinklers to put forth. Then again, Cad was probably so addicted to the stupid lodge he would've spared no expense to keep it safe. So the team continued on, reaching the main entrance in less than a minute. A long line of cars and humans stood in front of the burning, destroyed gate, and Muir the train blew his whistle desperately. The Air Attack team moved in. Windlifter dumped his load of retardant first, snuffing out the flames of the destroyed gate; Dipper moved along the side of the cliff, extinguishing the fire threatening to come up over the ridge; Dusty and Sky moved in last, aiming for the flaming trees blocking Muir's path. Dusty swooped in and dropped the retardant, hitting his target directly and allowing Muir to push through the burnt wood to continue on. The Smokejumpers deployed from Cabbie, hurriedly clearing a pathway for the rest of the campers. Ol' Jammer began encouraging the campers forward, and the civilians all began moving at a steady pace through the charred debris. Several of them thanked the Smokejumpers on the way out, and everyone smiled warmly as the aircraft of the team began making their way back to base. They were already pushing it by flying out at night in the first place; the longer they stayed out, the greater their chances of someone crashing. But they couldn't help feeling proud of what they did. They saved the lives of the campers, just as they were trained to do, and they could all go back and plan their attack on the fire at first light.

Or so they thought.

"Windlifter, come in." Patch called hurriedly.

"Go ahead, Patch." Windlifter responded.

"We've got two old RVs trapped in Augerin Canyon." Patch reported.

Sky tensed up. Two old RVs? At Augerin Canyon? "Dusty, isn't that...?"

"Oh no." Dusty understood and he pulled ahead to fly alongside Windlifter. "That's Harvey and Winnie! From the lodge!"

"They must've left before the fire spread and it overtook them." Sky guessed.

"Augerin Canyon?" Windlifter said. "That's at the other end of the park."

"I can get there the fastest. Sky can help me." Dusty said.

"The canyon will be engulfed in flames and you have no retardant." Windlifter protested.

"I'll scoop off the river. There's a clear stretch of water." Dusty countered.

"I'll be right with him the entire time." Sky added. Windlifter said nothing, a contemplating gaze in his eyes. He stared at each of them in turn.

"Windlifter, we can do it." Dusty assured. This time, there wasn't a hint of cockiness or desperation. Just pure confidence.

Windlifter finally answered after a long pause. "Go. Be safe."

Sky nodded as Dusty took off, the two of them shooting into the fire. Dusty looked to his torque. He was already pushing into the yellow at this speed. "Dusty, don't look at that." Sky urged. "Just be careful and trust me." She took a breath, coughing a bit from the smoke, and activated the connection between them. Dusty felt the pull in his engine, and he picked up speed. The two of them shot off over the trees, finally reaching Augerin Canyon and diving down into it. Windlifter wasn't joking; the entire canyon seemed to be on fire, especially the bridge near the falls. Winnie and Harvey were resting right in the middle, the area around them unburned for now. They shouted for help, and Dusty tilted a wing in response before shooting off again. He turned hard, diving down to the river at the bottom of the canyon.

"Keep talking to me, Sky." Dusty urged. "We can do this."

"Right." Sky nodded as Dusty lowered the scoops for his pontoons. "Just keep going. There you go. Easy now." They were getting lower and lower to the river, and Sky eyed the rocks poking out of the water. "That's it. Little lower." Her eyes widened. "Flaming tree!" Dusty pulled up sharply, barely missing the flaming log. But when he went down to scoop, he had to jerk up again and his pontoons clipped another log in the river. Sky groaned. "Dusty, it's no use. The river's too shallow and there's too much debris. We'll never be able to scoop enough water in time!"

"I know." Dusty groaned. "But we can't give up!"

Sky looked up and gasped. "Heads up!" Dusty swerved as flaming trees fell past him. He shot forward, doing a barrel roll as Sky pressed herself against him to avoid the falling rocks. They swerved through falling debris and the still standing rocks in the canyon, trying to imagine it was just another training session with Blade. Sky winced as a flaming chunk of wood shot past her head. "Dusty, there's nowhere to scoop water here! We gotta get to the lake!"

"But Patch said it's boxed in!" Dusty protested, still avoiding falling debris.

"It's worth the risk!" Sky said. "I'll give you an extra power boost and that'll keep the gearbox from breaking. We can scoop up the water and then hurry back and we can save Harvey and Winnie!"

Dusty thought for a moment as they approached a wall of smoke. "Yeah, yeah, okay! That could work! That—" He gasped as they cleared the smoke to find a horrifying scene before them. The bridge had begun to collapse, and Winnie was half-hanging off the edge of the platform with Harvey keeping a tight grip on her wheel. At once, Sky's plan was shot down. There's no way they'd be able to refill at the lake and get back in time before the bridge collapsed, taking Harvey and Winnie with it. So what could they do? How were the two of them going to save their friends now?

We need a miracle. Sky thought.

Suddenly, the sound of helicopter blades could be heard over the crackling of the fire, and Dusty and Sky looked up thinking they'd see Windlifter coming in. But instead, a familiar, still beat-up AgustaWestland burst through the smoke.

"Blade!" Sky called happily.

Blade shot down the waterfall, not looking fazed by his still-healing injuries. He spun around and hovered in the air over the bridge, his hoist hatch opening. He threw the hook and cable, catching Winnie and holding her from the edge. Blade grit his teeth a bit, using all his strength to stay hovering in the air. His eyes looked to Dusty and Sky, and he glared at them. A silent message passed between the fire chief and the trainees, and Sky and Dusty glared back.

Message received.

There was only one way to refill now.

"Sky?" Dusty asked.

Sky readied herself. "I'm with you, Dusty."

Dusty shot off. He ducked under the flaming bridge and then pulled up sharply, running parallel with the waterfall. Sky kept the connection up between them, giving Dusty the extra strength he needed and praying the gearbox would hold on with her help. Dusty lowered the scoops to his pontoons, dipping the gear into the waterfall. His body shook from the water hitting him and filling his pontoons, but he stayed firm.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Sky suddenly reached around and punched the warning light, ceasing its flashing and blaring. Dusty cast her a brief smirk before he turned his gaze back on the task at hand. The two of them shot up, up, up, higher and higher, and cleared the top of the falls. The momentum carried them up past the smoke a little ways, allowing them to see a clear night sky. Then, Dusty fell back and looped down low, speeding right past Blade's hoist cable and dropping the water he gathered across the flaming bridge. Blade tugged on the hoist, helping Harvey and Winnie up onto the bridge. The two RVs sped off, making it into the stone tunnel just as the bridge collapsed behind them.

Sky cheered loudly, punching the air. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes! We did it!"

"You bet we did, co-pilot!" Dusty nodded, smiling broadly. Sky laughed, hugging the plane.

"Dusty, Sky!" Blade called as the two passed him. They glanced to the fire chief, who actually smiled at both of them. "Good move, partners."

Dusty smiled, feeling pride well up inside of him. He did it. He saved lives, like a true firefighter, and he earned the respect of Chief Blade Ranger. Sky patted his side, obviously proud. Best of all, Dusty's gearbox didn't—

SCREECH!

Dusty's propeller jerked to a halt, a horrible grinding sound coming from his engine and smoke streaming into his face. Sky felt her heart seize and she screamed in pain. Dusty heard alarms blaring and red lights flashed across his panel, pain radiating throughout his entire body. Sky was writhing in agony on his back.

"Sky!" Dusty gasped, pain choking his voice. He looked to his side view mirror, and Sky stared back at him with desperation in her eyes.

"Dusty…" Sky groaned, clutching her chest where her heart lay. The both of them were starting to slip into unconsciousness as Dusty suddenly took a nosedive. He hit the trees, branches slapping him and Sky repeatedly.

"NO!" Blade came up behind them, throwing his hoist. The hook and cable wrapped around Dusty's tail, and Blade jerked backwards. He shouted in some pain and frustration when the winch suddenly broke, causing Dusty and Sky to fully tumble into the trees.

Blade flinched at the sound of the crash, and when it became silent once more he hurriedly searched for a place to land. Finding a small opening amongst the trees, the AgustaWestland carefully yet quickly lowered himself down to the forest floor. "Dusty! Sky!" He shouted, rolling forward in the direction of his fallen comrades. He finally saw a spot of white and orange through the trees and he rushed over. But when he saw Dusty, Blade couldn't help wincing in sympathy. The poor racer looked like someone crumpled him up like a piece of paper and then lengthened him out again, his prop destroyed beyond repair, and one of his pontoons ripped off. It bore a frightening resemblance to another crash Blade witnessed so long ago, but the fire chief kept his emotions in check.

"Dusty?" Blade gave the plane a gentle nudge, hoping he didn't cause more damage.

Dusty gave a pained moan, and he wearily blinked his eyes open. At least, they opened halfway. The world before his eyes looked like a splash of watercolor paints, and he blinked a few more times to clear it up. "Blade?"

"Hey Champ." Blade sighed in relief. "Just hang on. You'll be all right."

Dusty coughed a bit. He looked to his side view mirror, but it had snapped off during the crash. "S-Sky….where's Sky?"

Blade looked, but realized with a start that not only was the handlebar hanging loosely off Dusty's canopy, but the hooks that were attached to Sky's harness had been ripped off. The hooks remained, but Sky was nowhere to be found. She must've gotten thrown off when they crashed. Blade scanned the area, starting to wish Sky didn't wear such dark clothing so he could find her. Then, he spotted something at the base of a nearby tree, and he pushed aside some branches to find Sky lying unconscious on the ground. She lay on her side, her chest barely rising and falling. Her makeshift bandana had ripped free and her goggles were cracked. Twigs stuck in her hair and clothing, and she was covered in ash. But she was alive…..barely, but alive.

"She's right here." Blade returned to Dusty. "She's still alive."

Dusty could feel his eyelids getting heavier, unconsciousness overcoming him. "Blade…please…please don't let her die….."

"She'll be fine." Blade assured. "You'll both be fine."

"I don't…care…..about me….." A few tears escaped Dusty's eyes. "But…..she can't…..die…..please, Blade…..don't let…..her…..die….." His eyes shut, and he became still.

"Dusty? Dusty! Champ, hey!" Blade gave the plane a few nudges, but Dusty didn't move. Blade listened closely, relieved to hear Dusty still breathing. "Just hang on." Blade murmured, turning on his radio. "This is Ranger 301 to base. Somebody come in."

After a moment of static, Maru's infuriated voice came over the radio. "Blade August Ranger you freaking son of a junkyard mutt!"

Blade rolled his eyes, unsure what exasperated him more: Maru using his full name or that rather unusual insult. "Maru—"

"Do you have any idea how worried I was?" Maru screamed. "When I said 'stay put and let the others handle it,' that was not your cue to take off when my back was turned!"

"Maru."

"I swear, if you crashed while you were out there, I'm not even gonna help you this time! I'm gonna disassemble you and rebuild you as a toaster oven! See that I don't, Blade! Because I swear—"

"Maru!" Blade shouted. "I didn't crash. Dusty and Sky did."

Silence. "What?" Maru's voice was only a whisper, something Blade never heard before.

"They saved the lives of two campers, but then Dusty's gearbox failed and he crashed." Blade explained hurriedly. "They're hurt really badly, Maru. You gotta get Windlifter out here ASAP."

"Rule about no flying after sunset aside, there's no way Windlifter can find you right now." Maru said. "He and the others are scanning the park for any stragglers, and by the time they get back it'll be way too dark to see anything. They're going to have to come straight back to base. Dusty and Sky are gonna have to hang on until it gets lighter."

"Damn it, Maru, they may not have that much time!" Blade argued.

"Are you kidding?" Maru scoffed. "Those two are tougher than nails and there's no way they're going to give up now. I don't like the idea of waiting either, Blade, but it's what we gotta do."

Blade growled in frustration. He understood the rules and the need for everyone's safety, especially Windlifter's considering the Skycrane was the only one who could properly transport injured vehicles for medical treatment. But could Dusty and Sky hang on long enough? Blade rolled up closer to Dusty, listening to the plane's breathing. Steady; a little shallow, but steady. Sky: steady, but barely breathing. Blade sighed. "All right. At first light, you get Windlifter out here."

"Copy that. I'll have the shop ready for the both of them." Maru hung up.

Now it was just the waiting game, and Blade hated it. He was just supposed to sit here and wait for dawn to break? Well that certainly sounded fun (insert sarcasm). But he steeled himself and resigned to the situation. He moved back and forth between Dusty and Sky, not trusting himself to move either one of them, and kept close tabs on their vitals as best he could. Dusty continued breathing just loud enough for Blade to hear him. Sky was a little more difficult. She either barely breathed or she breathed so quietly Blade couldn't hear her sometimes. He gently pressed his nose against her head, activating their Soul Connect involuntarily. Blade could feel pulses of life, indicating Sky clung on and wasn't letting go anytime soon.

You'll be okay. Blade assured. You'll both be okay. I promise.

Blade looked into the distance, where the fire still raged. Fear tried to claw at his engine, but he pushed it aside. Still, a terrifying thought came to mind: what if the fire got to them before Windlifter did? He didn't have his retardant tank, so he wouldn't even be able to create a barrier around them. After several minutes, Blade heard the unmistakable sound of thunder in the sky. "Oh great." He groaned. If they had to worry about mudslides on top of this stupid fire…

Then, the rain began coming down. It washed over Dusty and Blade, but the latter rolled over Sky to shield her from the cold droplets. Mudslides on top of a fire he could deal with. Sky getting pneumonia on top of her current injuries, not so much. Blade felt his front wheel touch Sky's hand, and he could feel her life force seeming to flicker.

"Come on, Raven." Blade whispered. "You're a lot tougher than anyone gives you credit for. I know you can do it. Just keeping holding on and I promise nothing will happen to you."

After a few minutes, the rain faded to nothing. Blade blinked in surprise, and he looked off towards the fire. Only now, there was only smoke remaining. Blade couldn't see the soft orange glow of the fire anymore, and he had to wonder if the entire blaze had been taken care of in that one bout of rain. I don't know who's watching over us now, but thank you. Blade sighed in relief, allowing himself to calm down. It would still be at least an hour before Windlifter could arrive. Blade began to feel anxious, wishing it could be brighter already. Dusty still breathed evenly, but he didn't move an inch. Sky's life force continued to flicker every time Blade checked.

Come on, come on! It took all of Blade's willpower to not begin pacing. How much longer is this going to take? They can't hold on forever.

Blade…

The AgustaWestland paused, looking around. He could've sworn he heard something. Or maybe it was just his nerves. He waited for the voice again, thinking someone was trying to contact him over the radio. But there was nothing. Blade groaned. Between his major crash and the stress he felt right now, he really didn't need to be hallucinating voices right now.

Blade.

Okay, he definitely heard that. "If someone is out there trying to mess with my head, I swear I'm gonna tear you in half!" Blade shouted. There was silence for a moment. A soft breeze blew over him, seeming to carry two simple words with it.

Cuervo….hope…

Cuervo?

Cuervo….hope…

Cuervo.

Raven.

Blade looked to Sky, rolling over to her and gently nuzzling her head. Don't give up hope on her. He guessed. I won't. I promised I wouldn't lose this one. You're not going to die, Raven. You were there for me when I needed you, so I'll stay right with you.

Blade's promise seemed to appease the voice, because it didn't speak again. He sighed softly, feeling his resolve waver. He brushed his nose against Sky's head.

"Don't die." He whispered, his voice uncharacteristically weak. "Please. Please don't die."

A/N: I don't know if you picked up on this, but Blade's middle name is inspired by the "Agusta" part of AgustaWestland, the type of helicopter he is. I thought it would be fitting.