"Though for you guys this means that school will last an extra three weeks to make up for what you've missed"

"Oh the district knows that but they've got plans for the last three weeks apparently, and no Karen I can't tell you because even I don't exactly know what those plans are, the only reason why I was told is because of the fact that I can legally sign any paperwork regarding you and since I am a Captain in the EDC the other kids also fall in my jurisdiction even though it's very slightly"

"What about my military training?"

"Don't worry the Marines already know what's happening, and besides you've already passed most of their requirements already you just need to relearn how to swim with full gear and get through the obstacle course and basic rifle lessons considering the fact that it's known that every Marine is a rifleman though I have no idea where that quote comes from"

"Okay then, well best get some sleep since I have school starting tomorrow, Jazz could you give me a ride tomorrow?"

"No problem"

Part of the reason why Karen asked Jazz to take her was a security measure established when she started school only a year earlier. Due to who her family was and no one knew when an attack might happen it had been decided that only a member of her family and that included Captain Faireborn or another EDC officer would take her to school so that if something did happen they were already trained on how to react. Another measure was that the same person never took her two times in a row and they also never took the same route two times in a row they always switched things around as much as possible but Karen could always ask a family member to drive her in but even she knew better than to ask the same person two times in a row, the reason why she had asked Jazz though was because he had recently been hurt and while she could see that he was fine he hadn't been out since then so she wanted him to drive her to school for her own reassurance. The next day Karen finally starts the new school year and things actually were pretty normal for the most part after they finally managed to get school started, one time school was closed early because of a pipe burst but that wasn't the fault of either district because it turned out that the inspection had missed how weak the pipe was in one section through no fault of their own due to how small the crack in the pipe was, another two times were because of snow storms and one time was because they simply lost electricity during the spring because someone hit a telephone pole knocking it and the wires down

"So how was your final day of school Karen?"

"It was great, and I'm glad you couldn't tell us about the last three weeks Captain Faireborn because they were fun and I got to enjoy it with the rest of my classmates because of it"

"I'm glad you did"

"So when are the Marines picking me up?"

"Tomorrow, once you're done with Marine training you'll be going to Alaska for the rest of the summer and depending on the situation also during part of winter"

"Coast Guard?"

"Exactly, now then it's a lot busier with crab season but that doesn't mean trouble can't strike during the summer but it's a lot slower in regards to boating issues but hiking goes up"

"I understand, now then President wants me in on crab season?"

"Maybe, but that depends on how things are for the Coast Guard when your summer vacation ends"

"Okay I think I understand what's going on here I'm mainly going to be there for the summer but if things pick up I'll be staying for crab season at least"

"Yes, if that happens we'll make sure you have school work sent to you on a regular basis and a place has already been arranged for you to stay at while you're up there"

"An EDC officer?"

"No actually a Coast Guard family that will be moving up there just as you're heading up there"

"Why give me to a family that is also trying to get established?"

"Simple, because the young family was already living in Alaska when the father joined right out of high school, he married his childhood friend and they had a kid while he was training and then went to Florida for six months as part of his extended Rescue Swimmer training, they're finally returning home as part of his first official posting"

"Oh, that actually makes sense then, they're already used to Alaska they just need to move into a new home is all"

"Exactly, and you'll also be a great baby sitter for them when needed"

"Except I'm not old enough to baby sit"

"Sorry I explained that wrong, whenever you're at home you'll be helping the mom out with basic tasks and maybe watching over the baby for a few minutes while the mom gets some things she might need for feeding or to get dinner ready, small basic things"

"Oh that makes a lot more sense"

The next day she boarded the bus to go to Paris Island and again the recruits were shocked that she was treated as a fellow recruit but then they started to discover that there were differences with her for reasons they didn't understand

"You will complete this obstacle course to the best of your ability, you are not expected to complete it like the rest of your fellow Marines but you will complete it as much as possible or I will fail you to another platoon"

"Ma'am yes Ma'am"

Soon enough she got into a routine and then during a run she suddenly tripped and realized that she might have broken an ankle so immediately after the run and before the obstacle course she went up to a Drill Instructor and mentioned the ankle, in as direct a way as possible

"Ma'am this recruit cannot continue onto the obstacle course ma'am"

"Are you refusing to do what you are supposed to do Marine?"

"Ma'am this recruit is not refusing to obey orders ma'am"

"Then why is this recruit currently not obeying orders?"

"Ma'am this recruit suspects a broken ankle ma'am"

The Drill Instructor has two of her fellow recruits get her to the sickbay and they discover that she had indeed broken her ankle but it was not only a clean break but a simple one at that and would heal within six weeks, afterwords she continued the relative training she needed but didn't go to Alaska like she was supposed to instead she went back home because of how close it was to the beginning of the school year. The family once again fell into a routine of Karen going to school during the school year and helping the Coast Guard in the summer, though she was signed on for a month long mission with the Marines after a Tsunami hit the Philippines the summer before her eleventh birthday but that was because they needed the man power and that was the only reason she was called in, later that year she even visited a fellow Marine who had been in a training accident that was on life support but brain dead to say goodbye to him because he was one of the few people who actually treated her like a soldier from the beginning instead of a kid. Then everything changed once she was fourteen, one day during the fall she had just finished school when she knew something was up. Karen ran to the med bay as soon as she got home having received word of an incident involving her family, then again having been picked up by Captain Faireborn in an EDC car instead of a family member was a big hint

"Ratchet how is he?"

(sighs) "I'm afraid we've lost him Karen"

"But the monitors..."

"Do you remember three years ago when you visited the military hospital to visit a fellow soldier after his accident?"

"I get it, the machines are keeping him alive but he's essentially brain dead"

"It's a bit more complicated than that, you know the insides and outs of us Cybertronians which has allowed you to save our lives a time or two, Powerglide is missing three essential pieces that would allow Powerglide to function and be well Powerglide, the best thing to do is to simply let him go and then give him a proper Cybertronian funeral"

Karen looked at Optimus, Rodimus and Megatron and saw that they all agreed with Ratchet and in a way Karen did too, but then she got an idea

"Ratchet I become sixteen in two years which is the minimum age requirements to become a licensed pilot in this state correct?"

"Yes what of it?"

"Well I was wondering that if I become a licensed pilot it would be the first step to become a pilot for the forest fire services, once I become certified to become a pilot for the fire service I would be able to use my piloting skills to stop fires. That means that if you modify Powerglide to become a SEAT or Single Engine Air Tanker I could fly him on missions and he'd still be able to help people, even if he's no longer aware of it or even technically alive his memory would be because sometimes people name their planes and I would keep his as Powerglide, though you would have to explain that I had your permission either that or give the people in the highest authority the truth and let me decide whether or not to tell my fellow pilots the truth"

"What about your commitment to the military?"

"I'm already considered a reserve soldier have been since I was five. I can sign documents once I'm eighteen signifying that I will stay as a reserve soldier and if I explain the situation to my firefighting bosses there wouldn't be any problems because that ways they would understand my obligation to leave once a weekend a month and two weeks once a year"

"You know that could actually work, but Karen it won't take long to modify Powerglide to become a SEAT and certify him as such an airplane while it will take you two more years to even get started"

"That's something I didn't think about"

"How about this I know that Captain Faireborn has a cousin who needs a new crop duster temporarily while his old one gets a major overhaul, he knows about us and we trust him with our lives, we tell him about Powerglide and your plans and let him use Powerglide as a backup plane until you're ready to properly use him. Once you're old enough and getting ready to certify to pilot a SEAT we'll let him know that it's time to modify Powerglide into a SEAT and that's when we'll make the modifications"

"Okay let's do this"

So Marissa Faireborn gets in touch with her cousin and he accepts the responsibility of temporarily taking care of a no longer alive Powerglide until Karen was ready to go for her SEAT certification at age eighteen