"Guess it was either a timed bomb or someone decided to blow up the plane anyways"

"Looks like, we'll find out more later"

"Well I will also need to re-certify for everything I was certified for before, so it's going to be at least a year and a half before I can return to Yellowstone, even with me qualifying for certain things no matter the branch. Guess I should change my plans then and inform Yellowstone of my survival now"

"Guess so, but after this investigation is completed for the moment anyways, you know as well as I do that this will take months to really complete, but an initial investigation should only take a few days"

"Works for me"

The NTSB investigators interviewed everyone over the past few days to get any leads they could from the passenger and crew that survived the terrorist attack and quickly realized that Karen was the only reason why things didn't get worse due to the fact that she had training which was really helpful and when they interviewed Karen herself they realized that she stuck to facts and expanded on them when questioned with clarity only a soldier or public service member be they firefighters or police officers could do due to their training

"Okay thank you for that information, we'll get in contact with you if we have any more questions"

"One more thing now that I think about it, if we hadn't landed at the military base there would have been a lot more civilian casualties however normally even after this we would have been sent to a regular airport. I think someone deliberately told people about what was being used as a bomb, we might need to be looking for more terrorists as well because it might have been the military that's the target instead"

"But since people have more training in the military only those that needed to be near the plane were close by when it exploded and the fact that you landed as far away as possible also helped keep the situation...slightly contained"

"Yes, I knew better than to be close to the base because civilian planes are not normal on a military base and considering I had just knocked out several terrorists I figured best to keep the plane isolated just in case"

"We'll consider everything you've told us along with the evidence...once we get it, I just hope the black box wasn't destroyed in the explosion"

"I don't think it was, but for now we all have jobs to do"

Karen then went to the base commander and made her request up front

"Can I contact Yellowstone now?"

"Yes you can, will they believe you?"

"Well not initially no, but my family knows my codes inside and out and there's something up my sleeve in case they aren't available something only I can do"

"Okay make the call then"

Karen dials a number so familiar to her she could do it blindfolded and then simply waits for someone to pick up the phone and someone does, her chief, the chief who had believed her dead for a little over a year now

"Hello chief it's Kerenai...it's really me chief...I never died though the military rightfully thought I did that day...Echo one bravo seven...chief it is me...okay fine we'll do it the hard way...*does any human besides me know Cybertronians? *...chief...hey Powerglide it's me... *Powerglide you were the one we thought dead for almost six years not me *...yeah look I need retraining desperately considering the situation I was in when thought dead...just letting you guys know I am alive and will return...okay bye Powerglide"

Karen hangs up the phone and the base captain knows everything was going to be okay when suddenly alarms started sounding and the two look out to see trouble

"We need to get those birds tied down immediately!"

"I'll handle it"

Karen goes out and simply puts her hands on the ground and all of a sudden every plane and helicopter out in the open was chained down securely, as securely as Karen could make them because everyone could see from a distance that the chains were thick, there were several on each and as far as everyone could tell were in the ground somehow

"How far do those chains go underground?"

"Fifteen feet, now then there might still be some damage to them but as far as I know they won't be leaving the base and will be staying put for the most part"

"Broken glass and minor wing and engine damage we can handle, completely replacing the planes or helicopters would have been expensive"

"For now we ourselves need to get to safety"

"Yes indeed we do, come on I have a shelter nearby that will work"

The two of them go to the nearby shelter and see several other soldiers and civilians already inside. Once the two of them were in the doors were locked once more and soon enough the Tornado that the sirens had warned everyone about was above them. It lasted several minutes but finally everyone was given the all clear, unfortunately for Karen's group they were a bit stuck

"Looks like debris is blocking our exit guys, we're fine and safe but we can't move"

"Don't worry we're on the way looks like several groups are in the same position as you but they are safe and are handling things better than one would think besides we made sure those bunkers had at least forty-eight hours of food, granted they're MRE's but it's still food"

"Food allergies"

"Well as you pass them out ask so that you don't make things bad for anyone"

"You have a point, okay we'll simply sit tight, at least we have communication down here"

"That's something I'm glad you insisted on Commander"

"Same here it's turning out to be really handy at the moment"

"By the way we've checked on the planes. There's wind and debris damage but the planes are otherwise intact and it could have been worse all things considered. Whoever put those chains in the ground was a genius because otherwise we would have lost at least two birds and three helicopters, though how the chains were put down so fast is a bit confusing"

Karen is the one who speaks up

"I'm taking credit for that Lt., those are my chains that I made with my special abilities which you're cleared to know about due to your special circumstances"

"Kerenai, I heard the rumors that you were alive but I didn't dare believe it until now, how deep are those chains?"

"Fifteen feet, want me to disperse them?"

"Not at the moment no, it's actually better right now due to the fact that quite frankly we have nothing to put them in if another storm hits and there's so much debris that keeping the planes put for now is the best option, having them chained is even better because no one can get the bright idea of taking them for a flight otherwise because the damage we saw was preliminary damage from the storms that was visible"

"You guys need to check out the engines once everything else is cleared"

"Exactly"

"By the way considering your special circumstances how are things currently going in that project?"

"Standstill for two years now. I almost became an alcoholic because of you by the way"

"Oh?"

"Yep, I needed you at one point because I thought I could break the standstill and almost called you when I remembered you were dead. I went on a binge and was stopped by another member of your family who said that they would pull me if I went down that path, took five months to truly get over your loss and now I find out you weren't dead"

"It was a near thing at times though, and I'm sorry about that but at the time I really had no other choice due to the fact that the rest of the team would have been killed otherwise"

"I've read the reports and I know and understand, just didn't really like it"

"I know, by the way just what are you stuck on?"

"Come by later and I'll tell you since you're being re-certified to become a pilot first"

"Okay works for me"

Karen then went and started to re-qualify for what she needed to re-qualify for and since she was at an airbase she started with flying. Two days into the training she went to the Lt. to see what he was stuck with and see if he had a break through in regards to a special project

"So what exactly do you need to discuss in regards to the possible breakthrough?"

"Okay you know what my special project is about due to who raised you?"

"Yep, you were working on making Cybertronian technology able to make special chips that enable people with mental issues to be able to control their problems. You were also trying to figure out how to use Cybertronian technology to help with the energy crises the military is currently dealing with"

"Exactly, the reason why I am working on the medical aspect is because of my older sisters Schizophrenia the other project is because we are running out of oil to make gas so I was trying to see how to convert raw goods into Energon which has more energy for less for whatever reason"

"Okay so what exactly are you stuck on? I'm also sure my family could have helped if you asked"

"True except there's an aspect that they wouldn't understand that you would"

"Which would be?"

"See I know you were the one to design a few of our weapons but I can't figure out how to use human technology to make the conversion of raw fuel to Energon. I was thinking that since you know human and Cybertronian technology inside and out you might be able to help me with a converter in regards to the energy crises. I know I need a bit more help with the chip project but that I already have help with so I just need your help with the energy side"

"Okay show me how you think you made a breakthrough and we'll see where to go from there"

Karen sees the plans and instantly realizes where the problems were

"Okay, for one thing the converters are reversed which means they wouldn't work in a normal engine and for another those types of converters won't work period. Now then if you see these parts here that are meant to intake fuel and change it to Energon you can see that they should work right?"

"Yeah"

"Except converting raw fuel into Energon isn't as simple as one might think. You think it's a simple matter of a converter but there are parts that are missing that won't allow anything else to work right without them"

Karen then shows the Lt. what she was talking about and together they worked out a solution which needed testing but also looked promising

"How did Powerglide take to the conversions once he was awake?"

"He took them well and understood why, Springer and Inferno were not modified but all things considered that's probably for the best"

"But wait, then what if something happens to them that requires repairs?"

"That's why another mechanic decided to become certified in Cybertronian tech so that if something happens to those two he can repair Springer and Inferno if I'm not available for whatever reason"

"When did that happen?"

"Shortly before the mission that got me 'killed' for a year, he discussed it with me before I left and it was decided that while I was gone he would receive the proper training. Apparently Ratchet took over in teaching him what he needed to know and he did very well quickly getting certified. Helps that the mechanic has photographic memory though"

"That would help wouldn't it?"

"Indeed it would"

Suddenly Karen started coughing and when she removed her hand everyone looked at her in concern because a few others were now in the room as well because of other projects going on