"So you'll be working at Yellowstone between spring and fall or what's more commonly known as fire season and here during the winter to keep your skills up, with an occasional chance to fly"
"Yes there's also the fact that I will occasionally be leaving to do training seeing as how I am part of the reserves in the military"
"Okay I can work with that, I actually have another person who's in the reserves as well so you two might get along well and might even have training at the same time, though probably different unit"
"Yeah that's a probability"
As it turned out though the two did know each other, but not because of being in the reserves
"Karen, what are you doing here?"
"I just started here, I work at Yellowstone from spring through fall as a SEAT pilot and decided to work here during the winter months. I thought you were planning on college Kevin"
"I was but you remember the bombing incident?"
"Yeah, I was gone most of the year though and you know full well why considering who your parents are"
"Well that was when I was inspired to help people, so I decided instead of going to college for an electrical engineering degree I would become a public servant, I was trying to decide between paramedic and firefighter and ultimately became a firefighter because I realized I wasn't that interested in the medical field, though everyone has at least basic first aid training"
"What's up with the reserves then?"
"Took a bit longer but I realized that I also wanted to serve my country but didn't want to be part of the active duty so I took the route of the reserves, which still allows me to serve my country at times of need but also allow me to stay at home"
"Okay then that makes sense"
"Karen I also recently received a coded letter that I think would interest you"
"I didn't receive any letter"
"I know, but that's probably because it arrived while you were at that funeral"
"Okay show me the letter and I'll see what I can figure out about it depending on who it's from...screen the letter before you open it?"
"Not to the degree you might now because I can see the signs of your paranoia but yeah I did do basic screening all of us were taught at age fifteen"
"That works for me because of the fact you're not as high risk as I am"
"Fine, um, you want a tour of the town so that you know where the basic amenities are?"
"I was actually given the tour early on when we had to get a prisoner to the police"
"Okay that was all I was wondering, do you need to stop by the bank though because I do and I think we should catch up some more"
"I most certainly do actually because I have some questions actually about a recent transaction"
So after work because they worked the night shift they went to the bank and unfortunately they were unlucky in the fact that the bank was robbed and everyone was held hostage. The only good thing was that Karen got a good look at the perpetrators and as such managed to get pictures of them through her special contacts and through careful blinking managed to send the pictures to the FBI because a negotiation team was happening at the moment
"Sir someone just sent us these pictures, I think they're from the inside but I have no idea who sent them or even how"
"Run them through facial recognition and we'll go from there"
"Yes sir"
Meanwhile inside Karen had also made sure her powers protected everyone innocent so that if anyone was shot it wouldn't be fatal. Three hours later the group managed to escape and shot several people in vital spots but while they went down from shock they wouldn't die because they would get to hospitals in time, though the robbers didn't know that
"Hey this guy is somehow alive, and so are a few others but we don't know how long because they were hit in vital organs"
Karen was one of those shot and she told the paramedics how it was possible because the doctors needed to know, besides she wasn't hit in a critical area, only the shoulder
"The guys that are hit in critical areas can bleed out but nothing vital was shot even if it should have been due to me, I have an ability called Arranyan powers, POTUS can give you more information however I can not be knocked out until I know everyone else is safe, or well safe enough because if I go unconscious those shields drop and the bullets will continue their trajectory and kill those hit in vital areas so for now mild painkillers only"
"How are you even able to speak clearly?"
"Training...lots of training"
"Let me guess POTUS clearance only"
"Not quite but if you need to know you will"
"The bullet doesn't seem to have penetrated far so most likely a doctor will be able to take it out easily but you'll still need x-rays to see what damage was done to your shoulder"
"Well then I am going to have Kevin drive me in so long as he wasn't injured otherwise I'll have someone else drive me in but I am not going in the ambulance because I don't need it"
"Kevin can drive and you're right you don't even need an IV or if you do the hospital will give you one and we do have mild painkillers in pill form available"
"No need I have Naproxen Sodium in my purse"
"You carry aspirin with you?"
"Yeah I have a job where painkillers are a bit of a necessity"
"Okay then you just need to sign a form stating you've refused treatment from us"
"Okay then let me sign the form and then I'll head to the hospital"
Several hours later Karen is just getting x-rays at the hospital when she learns that all the patients would survive baring any complications that even doctors couldn't sometimes foresee and her main doctor could physically see the drain her powers had on her
"Do you always get tired after using your powers?"
"Yeah, it always various but even when I'm shielding myself if I am consciously maintaining that shield for long periods of time I will get exhausted, especially if I'm maintaining it to protect my life, though if I'm knocked unconscious for any reason even surgery my life is in sudden jeopardy depending on what's going on with my body after I lose shielding"
"I think that's all I need to know, now then I'm still waiting on the x-ray results but from what I can tell you can be released tonight with wound care instructions and a note to your doctor that you're on light duty for the next week, what do you do as a job?"
"Firefighter"
"Okay, that means you main the truck charging the lines if you're qualified or if not you stay at the station and simply clean and cook and you're going to have to get checked out again before being cleared for full duty but as far as I can tell nothing was broken"
"That's good news, but why wait a week then?"
"There may not be broken bones, but I suspect a dislocated shoulder, however I need my x-rays to prove that and even then there's some previous damage that I'm worries about that I want you to rest"
"Previous damage?"
"Yes, do you remember anything happening to you recently? I know you work with the forest service so did something happen there that you didn't think anything serious at the time but now are thinking about it more since I brought it up?"
"Actually now that I think about it yeah. Shortly before fire season ended I was doing some self defense training on some equipment when suddenly one of my co-workers interrupted me despite my constant warnings not to do that and they know better because of the fact that I've told them my story due to circumstances so they know I'm in the reserves and make sure to stay in shape. I was in the middle of a punch but at the last second wrenched my shoulder back so that I never made contact. Guess it all happened so fast and the fact that I only felt a little more sore the next day then normal made me think everything was already when in reality it was just festering waiting for the right opportunity to strike"
"Well the x-rays should be here soon enough"
Just then two people showed up and showed badges to make sure they left the room
"I was wondering if you guys would show up"
"Karen the people were part of the group though you wouldn't know it from the answers they're giving"
"Mainly because the officers don't know how to ask the right questions and even if they did these guys are low level and as such don't know much more than the fact that they were being paid to rob banks. How did you guys find the connection?"
"It took a bit of digging but we managed"
"Must have been doing that since I sent the photos for you to have an answer by now"
"Yeah we were, good thing you have those contacts"
"So what's the plan now?"
"He knows where you are and is coming for you"
(Sighs) "I just started this job too"
"We know, unfortunately you know as well as we do that either he or his associates still on the outside will have a hit out on you by the end of the night and they'll execute it within a week"
"Where would I go?"
"California, we already have things set up for you to move there, and you can apply to the fire department after you arrive considering you have the credentials no matter who you're called"
"And the reserves?"
"That will remain as well, if your direct commanding officer needs to know the truth he'll be told by POTUS himself, this time even your direct commanding officer is on the need to know list"
"How long?"
"You know as well as we do that we don't know that, especially if he stays on the run and doesn't do the hit himself"
"I know, when should I expect to see you guys again to execute the plan?"
"Don't know to be honest, mainly because of the fact that we also need to decide how to do this"
"Fine, however don't show up at my job, I might be out on a call and I can't have you guys coming around or else Kevin might suspect something"
"We already know about Kevin, if need be don't worry we'll wait at your place"
"Okay then, see you guys later"
Two days later the agents were in her driveway
"I guess this means it's time to execute some sort of plan"
"Yes and this time we actually lucked out, where you approached by your chief by any chance?"
"Yes, there's a conference coming up this weekend and he wants me to attend"
"Tell him you accept, on the way you're going to die in an accident"
"I am not killing others so that I can survive"
"Didn't your chief tell you where the conference is?"
"No, he told me that he would give me more information should I choose to accept"
"It's in the next state over, easily within driving distance, you can have an accident on the way there on a road that had regular traffic but not traveled too frequently because we don't want someone to discover the ruse"
"Okay then, I guess I'll accept and get ready to die, which means I'm going to have to pack like it's a normal trip"
"Exactly, afterwords we'll take care of the rest"
"Okay, however how long will I be missing since no one will know of the accident for a bit"
"Okay I think you misunderstood me when I mentioned regular but not too frequent traffic. I am talking about the fact that there is travel on it every day but it's not like a freeway, more like a main road that is regularly patrolled at least once a day maybe a bit more depending on what's going on in the area"
"You mean like a small town road"
"That's exactly what I mean"
"Okay then that will work, we're going to have to leave evidence of my having been in there though besides my ID"
"Don't worry we have that already set up"
"Okay then, let's do this"
The next day Karen informed her boss that she decided to go to the conference and a day later she headed to the conference but would never make it. An hour before she reached the city she stopped in a small town that had regular traffic but it wasn't like big cities and as such while accidents would be reported it would take several hours to be discovered by which time Karen would already be headed to San Francisco California. Five hours after Karen crashed a civilian made a 911 call and reported said accident and a sheriff quickly responded hoping someone would still be alive but as soon as he arrived he realized that he needed to call the coroners office
"I need to run a license plate, I hope this can help us ID the person so that we know who to get in contact with"
The information is quickly given and the sheriff is saddened even further when he finds out that it was a fellow first responder that had died and probably instantly too from what he could tell. Family contact was Captain Faireborn of the EDC and the sheriff made that call personally as soon as he got that information. Marissa would tell the Cybertronians in turn while she had given the sheriff permission to tell her job about their loss. At the fire station Karen worked at they were all wondering when Karen would report in stating that she had made it to the convention safely when the chief's phone rang
"Hello?...yes this is he...I see...no I understand...where did it happen?...I see...no um I'll, I'll come to declare the body...okay I'll see you there then...of course...thanks you...goodbye"
Everyone could tell the chief had received bad news
"Chief what is it?"
"Kerenai's dead, it appears she went off the road and crashed, according to toxicology reports she had nothing in her system so they suspect she simply became tired and unintentionally fell asleep at the wheel"
"But that's not possible, Karen's able to stay up for days at a time no problem"
"Kevin she might have been sick affecting her ability to stay up, or she might have stayed up longer than we thought and the lack of sleep simply and suddenly caught up to her"
"Very well, when's the funeral?"
"As soon as we can bring her here for burial, Captain Marissa Faireborn of the EDC called the day Karen joined and stated that her will states she's to be buried in the state she was working in, in the nearest town or city that has a cemetery to her place of work"
A few days later the group held a funeral for Kerenai while she herself was settling in to her new job in San Francisco