The rain stopped and the fire went out, but the sparking coming from the severed cockpit still concerned Poe. He watched as Rey moved over to the older couple that had been carried off the plane, kneeling down on the muddy ground next to them. As he looked around the group of survivors, twenty-eight in all, he realized several people were bleeding, and all of them were wet and shivering, both due to cold and to shock. While it was July and the temps here in the high country were probably in the low seventies normally, it was chilly thanks to the storm, and would probably get much colder after sunset.

Swallowing hard, he made a decision. While he knew he was far from an expert on survival, he also knew these people needed a leader, and it was pretty obvious from their response right after the crash that they were more than happy to put him in that roll. He turned to look at them, and almost all eyes focused on him immediately.

"I need every able-bodied person to come back on board the plane with me," he told them. "We need to get everything we can off of it. Luggage, food, water, blankets." He glanced at Rey as he finished, and saw her looking at him with approval. "Who can help me?"

Seven people stepped forward, including Rey's friends and the young man who had carried out the unconscious woman.

He looked at Rey again, nodding at her. "I'm gonna find you a first aid kit," he told her.

She nodded back, giving him a soft smile, then she turned her attention back to the older man, who was now awake and reaching for the unconscious woman.

"Let's do this." He turned back to the plane, and one by one the little group climbed back up on the wing of the plane and went back inside. "Grab all the luggage out of the top compartments," he said. "Just throw it all out, gently, for now. Everyone can go through and claim theirs later." As they started going through the bins, Poe made his way back to the open front of the plane. He reached the closet and was amazed that everything inside was still intact; the jump seat with the flight attendant had been ripped from the wall, but everything next to that was still there.

He went through the closet, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw the emergency medical kit right away. He pulled it out and grabbed up several small but warm blankets that were also stacked inside. He looked over to see the young man who had helped get the injured couple standing close to him. "Hey! What's your name?"

"Kaz, Mr. Dameron," the kid said.

Poe handed the pile of blankets and the kit to Kaz. "Take this stuff to Rey, will you?" he told the young man. At Kaz' confused look, he elaborated. "The pretty brunette that was with me when we checked the injured. She's an EMT."

Kaz nodded in understanding, grabbing the supplies and heading back for the side exit. Poe continued to rummage through the closet, finding boxes of bottled water and snacks and cans of cola. He pulled them all out and set them in the aisle. He found more blankets and pillows and added them to the pile.

Rey's friends, Finn and Rose if he remembered correctly, came up to him. "All the luggage is off," the black man said.

Poe nodded toward the pile. "Take this stuff, and then see if you can get the cargo door open. It should be just down from that exit," he nodded toward the door. "Closer to the tail."

Finn nodded as Rose started grabbing up boxes. Finn followed with more while Poe began to walk around the interior of the plane, looking carefully for anything else that might come in handy in case they were stuck here for a while. The inside of the cabin was drenched, with rain water still dripping from the cracks in the ceiling. It would have been nice if the structural integrity of the plane had remained intact so they could use it as a shelter, but it didn't look like that was an option.

He finally exited the plane again. He looked over toward the rocks and wasn't surprised to see Rey, who now had the first aid kit, treating a young woman's injuries while others waited their turn. There were blankets over the seriously injured couple, and Rey didn't look like she was going to stray too far from them any time soon. What did surprise him was the handful of people that were roaming around the open area collecting branches and bringing them back to their 'camp' by the rocks. When Rey smiled and said 'thank you' to a man with his arms full of wood, he knew she had been the one to suggest it.

Well, if he was going to be the impromptu leader, she was going to be his right hand, he thought with both humor and gratitude. While she had obviously been terrified during the crash itself, since then she had been absolutely amazing, he thought. When he had originally hoped to get to know her more, he had not expected to do so in such a dramatic fashion.

With a sigh, he turned back toward the plane, his eyes immediately drawn to the severed cockpit. There were still some sparks coming from an area near the tear, and dark smoke was still creeping out of it, but it wasn't smoldering so much now, and he really needed to get in there. Determined, he headed for it, trying not to look at the charred bodies of the three people who had been killed, he assumed, when the plane had hit the rocks and had its 'head' ripped off.

He moved up to the nose of the plane, which was sitting at a right angle from the rest of the aircraft, and peered inside. He didn't really want to see the burned bodies of the pilot and copilot, but he needed to see if the radio was intact. He needed to know if the controls were still functioning, if the GPS locater was working. He needed to know if rescue was on the way. He knew the plane had gone off course, and he was pretty sure they had disappeared from any local radar thanks to the storm, but if he could radio for help or if he knew there was a way rescuers could find them…

Taking a deep breath and holding it, he stepped in to the smoke.

XXXXXX

So, I just got back from California where I spent my birthday at Disneyland (especially Galaxy's Edge). I am exhausted! I'm going to go take a nap and you guys can comment on what you think of this story so far. Deal?