Chapter One – Exploring Connections

"All aircraft and jumpers, we got a report of a wildfire."

Sky perked up at Patch's call sounding over her MP3. In a flash, she went from Relaxation Mode to Firefighter Mode, just like everyone else still on Piston Peak Air Attack base. She tossed her MP3 into her backpack and set it aside. Then she grabbed her radio and darted off to the hoses where she kept her harness hung up next to the water pipes. She slipped it on.

"Loaded and ready, Raven!" Maru called, tossing Sky her fire extinguisher. She caught it easily and hooked it to the back of her harness.

"Thanks, Maru!" Sky called. She took two seconds to check herself out to make sure she was ready to fight. She generally wore her jeans and black sneakers, but whenever she was at Piston Peak she also wore the T-shirt and sometimes the jacket Maru made for her after her certification. She kept her hair tied back, pulling her bandana off her head to tie around her wrist. She kept her wireframe headset secure on her skull, her mic in the perfect placement. The radio attached stayed clipped to her jeans pocket. To assure she would be prepared for anything, she had modified her harness to hold an oxygen tank and mask while keeping another pocket open for her fire extinguisher. She had a separate harness she used for racing. She also grabbed her pulaski tool to use for if/when Blade sent her down to work with the Smokejumpers.

"Let's go, Raven!" Blade called, already hovering above the ground. Sky hurried over and hopped into the hoist hatch, and the team took off.

Another summer came, and with it came Sky and Dusty's work as firefighters with Mayday and Blade. They still raced when they could, keeping an eye on the schedules and their email. Life went on per the usual, even with some of the crazy things that happened to them over the past two years. Dusty had invited Desiree out to see Piston Peak earlier that summer, and she was awestruck by his work as a firefighter. Rosa often liked to radio the base to talk to Blade, and Nick did what he could to go visit her. The number of fires that summer was about average. It hadn't been a dry year, but rainfall wasn't exactly record-breaking.

Now, it was mid-August, and Dusty and Sky were looking forward to returning home to Propwash Junction after a somewhat busy fire season. This fire they currently fought was simple (a campfire left unattended) and it only took about an hour or two to take care of it. The firefighters practically raced each other back to base to hose down and cool off.

Sky and Blade were the last ones back, not exactly in a hurry. They weren't about to get caught up in the scrap that was the Smokejumpers tussle for the showers. Blade finally landed and Sky hopped out of the hoist hatch.

"Hey Maru!" Sky called, marching over to the garage.

"Hey Raven!" Maru waved. He noticed her hair rather unkempt, ash across her face, and her cheeks red. "Yeesh. Some firefight, huh?"

"A little rough." Sky admitted. "Got roped into working with the Smokejumpers. Next thing we know, a tree on the cliff decided to fall right towards us."

"Should I bring up the deere that almost plowed you down?" Blade noted, smirking.

Sky rolled her eyes with a grin. She unhooked her fire extinguisher from her harness. "I got a bit of a dent in my fire extinguisher. Can you fix it?"

"Of course I can." Maru assured. Then he saw the damage: a dent so big Sky could put the extinguisher on her head and wear it like a hat. "You call that 'a bit of a dent'?" Sky shrugged sheepishly, and Maru chuckled as he took the extinguisher. "I'm on it."

"Thanks." Sky said gratefully. She shed her jacket and placed it on a nearby workbench. She sighed, feeling her muscles finally getting tired after all her work.

Blade chuckled at the sound. I know how she feels. Sometimes this job can take a lot out of a person. His eyes traveled to Sky's arms, where she had numerous cut and burn scars. Old memories forced Blade to think about how she got those scars: her crash on Dusty, during the last great inferno when Dusty's gearbox failed. It was one of the most stressful and painful moments of Blade's life, second only to Nick's fatal crash. He didn't think he'd ever feel so terrified after that day. Dusty's and Sky's crash dredged up old feelings and bad memories, especially when Maru told him about how Sky used her psych-man powers to help save Blade's life just several hours before. Of course, this didn't come without a cost: a severe burn that still scarred Sky's side to this day. Since becoming a firefighter, Sky had several injuries that usually required some form of medical attention. Nothing serious yet, but it still made Blade anxious.

Just keep calm. He constantly reminded himself. I promised I wouldn't let anything bad happen to her, and I intend to keep that promise.

At that moment, Blade caught sight of Sky's questioning glance, and he realized he had been staring at her. He quickly averted his gaze, only for Sky to quietly giggle. She walked off, announcing her plan to finally get a good, cool shower.

Maru chuckled from where he worked. "You know, it's rude to stare."

"I was not staring." Blade denied. "I was…..thinking….."

"About Raven?" Maru guessed.

"Well….." Blade huffed in defeat. "Yes."

Maru chuckled, but his face went serious again. "You know, I've been thinking about her too. I've been wondering…..have you two thought much about your Soul Connection?"

"In terms of what?" Blade asked.

"Just….anything." Maru shrugged. "Has it done anything for ya?"

Blade thought for a moment. "Not sure. If anything, it's been…..healing."

Maru smiled softly. He did a quick check to make sure nobody was within earshot. "I can tell. You've gotten better over the past couple years. You ain't the same stubborn, cold-eyed chopper with anger issues." He gave Blade a musing glance. "Then again, it's really only the anger issues that improved."

Blade gave him a deadpan look that soon morphed into a smirk. "Better than you, He-Who-Likes-to-Throw-Wrenches."

Maru shrugged, chuckling. His smile soon fell, however, to the point where he frowned in concern and thought. "Yeah. This Soul Connect. It's a great thing. It's healed you." Blade didn't answer. There wasn't really anything he could say to that. Then, Maru said, "It's Sky I'm worried about."

Blade stared at him in surprise. "What? Why?"

"She may have been able to heal you, but have you healed her?" Maru asked.

"Why would she need healing?" Blade asked. "I mean, she may still be scarred from her parents, but—"

"But what?" Maru scoffed softly. "Come on, Blade. Be honest. Are we sure we really know her? She acts just like you still do. Sky may give us bits and pieces of her past, but she'll never tell us the full story. She'll never admit what she's truly feeling." He sighed. "I can see it. No one really notices, but I do see it sometimes." He looked to Blade, almost hopefully. "Do you?"

Blade stared at the ground. "Yes." Of course he had noticed it. But all this time, he was too afraid of hurting Sky to ask. She was the victim of abandonment. Someone unwanted by people who were supposed to love her. If Blade were in her shoes…well, he just didn't know how he'd react.

That evening, before going to bed, Sky decided to stop by the garage to check on Maru's progress with her fire extinguisher. When she arrived, she found the extinguisher still on the workbench with the dent only half-fixed.

No surprise. Sky shrugged. What with the Smokejumpers' antics. Earlier that day, the Jumpers returned from mopping up the fire and had to send Drip and Blackout straight to Maru for repairs. From what Sky heard, there had been an incident that involved a "fallen log" and "an awesome trick that didn't go as planned." Sky loved the Smokejumpers, but sometimes she worried about the amount of trouble they got into.

Sky took a glance around the garage and her eyes settled on The Wall. She looked around outside, but everyone else already went to bed. So Sky went to the bottom right corner of The Wall and moved the boxes to reveal Nick's picture. As happy as Sky was to have Nick as a friend, there were moments when she forgot he was dead. It didn't always feel that way, what with Nick's energetic nature. Sky took some time every once in a while to stare at Nick's picture and remind herself of his situation. She reached out and touched the picture of the deceased helicopter. Then, Sky noticed something next to the picture: six notches cut into the wood of The Wall's frame. Sky looked to the other pictures and noticed something similar.

"What are these?" She murmured, counting the notches next to Nick's picture again.

"Years of active duty and service."

Sky jumped and spun around to see Maru there. She looked back to the notches in The Wall. "Active duty?"

"The years they worked as firefighters." Maru explained. "Or, in Nick's case, years he was acting on the show."

Sky stared at the notches and Nick's picture. "Did you know Nick?"

"I met him a couple times." Maru said. "When he and Blade came to Piston Peak for filming, they visited the base a few times. A couple years before that, I had started working here." He stared at Nick's picture. "I had already lost a firefighter, but being tines-deep in that kid while he was dying….." Maru cleared his throat. "Let's just say it took a while to get over it."

Sky looked down, suddenly uncomfortable. She covered Nick's picture again. "What was he like?"

Maru chuckled. "A goofball. Might have even rivaled the Smokejumpers. I didn't really get to know him too well, but I watched the way he and Blade acted around each other. You'd think they were related."

Not much a difference now. Sky noted. "I like Nick." She caught herself. "I mean, it sounds like I would."

"I think you and Nick would've gotten along well." Maru agreed. "You two got a lot in common."

"The implication being that you think I'm a goofball too?" Sky laughed.

Maru laughed too. "Well you know what? You two may be goofs, but you know when it's time to be serious. Nick was the same way. He knew how to respect the forest and the staff. He didn't give the firefighters a hard time when they were advising the crew. He knew that the winds didn't feel right and that…that he shouldn't have…shouldn't have…..been flying…" Maru's smile fell away, and he sighed. The sound came out bitter, almost angry, and he drove off to his workbench. Sky stared after him, a little confused and worried. Maru began working on the fire extinguisher again, not speaking for a minute. "You have no idea how happy I am that you and Dusty ain't stupid."

Sky blinked. "Thank you?" She cleared her throat. "I mean, I'm glad we're not stupid too."

"You don't get it." Maru growled. "You weren't there."

Not in the way you think. Sky thought.

"It's not just that there are stupid people in the world." Maru said, seeming to speak to himself and only partly to Sky. "It's that their stupidity affects other people. They kill people, even by accident. But they don't even realize what they do is damaging." He was steadily getting angrier, and Sky could see it. But she remained calm as he kept talking. "He knew. He knew it was dangerous but they didn't listen. And then he….." Sky jumped when Maru slammed his hammer against the workbench. "Why didn't he just say no? He should've gone with his gut. But he didn't want to cause trouble." Maru sighed, resting the hammer on the workbench. "Damn, I could've saved him. I did what I could. Why didn't he hold on a little longer?"

Maru tensed up when someone put their hand on his side, and he saw Sky standing next to him. She leaned against him, and she sighed softly. "You did everything you could, Maru. Everyone knows you're the best mechanic around. Stuff happens. You gotta move on sooner or later."

Hypocritical, much? Maru thought. You haven't moved on from some personal stuff yourself. "When you have to watch somebody die, kid, then we can talk."

"I had to watch Blade almost die." Sky shrugged.

Maru paused. "Well this conversation went downhill."

Sky gave him a playful shove. "Come on, Maru. I'm going to need that fire extinguisher. Can you fix it up for me?"

Maru smirked. "Well, I am 'the best mechanic around.' I think I can handle it. Meanwhile, you should get to bed. Go on."

"I already have a father, Maru. Thanks." Sky laughed. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Raven." Maru said, watching her walk off. He sighed softly, going back to his work. I hope Blade's plan works. He might be one of the few people who could help her.

"Are we sure about this?" Blade asked Nick. "I've talked with Skipper and Sparky. All these years Sky spent with them, and even they couldn't get her to delve into the details of her past. What makes you think we can?"

"Maru thinks you can too." Nick pointed out.

"Which makes both of you borderline insane." Blade countered.

"Come on, partner." Nick encouraged. "You're her Soul Connect Partner. With all the connections Sky can make, yours is the most powerful, the strongest. You can help her like she's helped you. Heck, she managed to convince me to finally reveal myself to you even when I was too chicken to do it." He gave Blade an encouraging nudge. "You can do this."

Blade took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Fine. But you're helping me."

"Done." Nick nodded. He and Blade looked to the door as Sky came in.

"Hey guys." Sky greeted. "I would've thought you'd be asleep by now."

"We were waiting for you." Blade said. "We want to talk to you."

Sky shrugged, climbing up to the platform next to her hammock bed. She began changing into her pajamas. "Okay. What about?"

"Well, Maru and I have been talking about the Soul Connection." Blade started.

"What about it?" Sky asked.

"It's just that we don't know much about it." Blade said.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Sky said sheepishly.

"No, no, it's not your fault." Blade said hurriedly.

"I just feel bad sometimes." Sky shrugged. "I mean, being a psyche human isn't exactly something that can be taught. Especially not in my case, having non-psych-man parents and being raised by vehicles. A lot of what we learn about our abilities requires trial-and-error and a heck of a lot of usually worthless research."

Blade nodded in understanding. "Maybe there's something we can do to help with that."

Sky sat on the edge of the platform, finally donned in her pajamas as she brushed her hair. "How so?"

"A memory share?" Blade suggested. "I wouldn't mind a look into your past."

Sky paused. "Oh. Um, okay."

"Really?" Blade did not think it would be that easy.

"I don't see why not." Sky shrugged, climbing/jumping down to the floor. "We've done quite a bit of dream and memory sharing with you. It's only fair for you to take a look at my memories."

"Can I come?" Nick asked.

Sky laughed softly. "Sure, Nick." She came up to Blade. "So, you remember how we do this?"

"Clear your head. Focus only on the memory." Blade confirmed.

"This time around, you're going to play the psyche human." Sky said. "If you don't have a specific memory in mind, just think of a subject. We can waffle through the memories when we get to that point."

"All right." Blade nodded.

"Nick? You ready?" Sky asked.

"Yep!" Nick said excitedly.

"All right. Let's do this." Sky said. "Blade, pick a memory." She reached her hand out and placed it on Blade's muzzle. Before their eyes, the Soul Connect thread appeared out of thin air to connect Sky's heart to Blade's engine. Nick disappeared, preparing to sync with their thoughts. Blade's and Sky's irises turned snow-white, and they were propelled into Sky's memories.

Sky, Blade, and Nick looked around to see what memory Blade had picked. They observed the brick walls and blue roof of a two-story building and a fenced playground off to one side. A parking lot with a bus loop rested in front of them. Old brass lettering on the wall of the building read "Sterling Elementary School."

Sky's eyes widened. "Blade? What the hell?"

Sky didn't usually curse so strongly like that, so Blade was a little surprised. But he kept his serious face. "You said 'pick a memory.'"

"I didn't think you'd pick this one!" Sky snapped.

"I let you see his death." Blade said, motioning to Nick. "The least you can do is let me see what started the pain of your past."

Sky glared. "Blade, you are crossing the line."

"Really?" Blade raised an eye frame to her. "And you weren't crossing the line when you invaded my dreams?"

Sky opened her mouth, but she realized Blade had her there. She sighed. "Please, Blade. This is my most painful memory. It's the birth of all my future painful memories."

"I know." Blade said, staring at Sky. "You've helped me with my pain. I want to help you with yours."

Sky didn't speak. She seemed to be really thinking about it, and she was clearly torn. But she turned and motioned with her arm in an inviting gesture. Blade and Nick followed her point to see a five-year-old Sky sitting on a bench near the front door to the school. She smiled from ear to ear, swinging her legs back and forth and humming to herself. Past Sky watched the other schoolkids go out the doors and meet with their parents, and it became clear that she too waited for her parents to come pick her up. Blade had only thought about the day Sky was abandoned by her parents, and he knew—based on Sky's reaction—that this was the right memory. So he and Nick watched Past Sky to see what would happen. Nick wondered what Sky's parents would look like. Sky said she looked like her mother, but that's all Nick had to go on.

Sky caught sight of the strange look on Blade's and Nick's faces. "What's that look for?"

Blade finally grinned. "You're just so adorable."

"You're a little cutie!" Nick cooed. Indeed, the five-year-old version of Sky with the red dress and sneakers looked absolutely adorable.

Sky face-palmed. "Oh shut up."

The kids and their parents soon left. Straggling kids and parents soon followed. Past Sky sat patiently, looking around and humming a few songs. Soon, a taxi pulled up and Rosa stepped out. She jogged into the school, and then returned a few minutes with the principal.

"Hello Skylar." The principal greeted with a gentle smile. "You're going home with this woman."

Rosa knelt down to Sky's eye level with a kind smile on her lips. "Hello. My name is Rosa Lopez."

"Hi." Past Sky greeted. "I'm Skylar."

"It's very nice to meet you, Skylar." Rosa said, taking Sky's hand and leading her to the taxi. They hopped in and the taxi pulled off. The principal faded away and disappeared.

Blade and Nick stared at the empty space, and they realized with a start it was over. "Wait, that's it?" Nick asked.

"That's what happened?" Blade echoed.

"Yep." Sky nodded, walking over and plopping down on the bench. "My dad went to work. My mom walked me to school. Rosa picked me up. The end."

It became one of those times when nobody knew what to say, so silence descended. Then, Nick let loose a string of Spanish that Sky didn't understand but Blade seemed to understand more than he would've liked.

"Nick Enrique Lopez!" Blade snapped in a scolding tone.

"Okay, don't talk to me like you're my mother." Nick huffed.

"There's still no reason for that language!" Blade reasoned.

"There absolutely is! How could those….those….those monsters do that to her?"

"I'm not happy about it either. But there's no need to overreact to what happened in the past."

"I oughta track those little burros down and—"

"And what? Haunt them?"

"I'll drive them so insane they'll be shipped to an asylum."

Blade gave him a small shove, gesturing towards Sky. She hadn't spoken nor moved. She had her head bowed, her hair falling over her face. The two helicopters sighed simultaneously, and they ventured closer to Sky.

"Lo siento." Nick said.

"Sorry." Blade echoed.

Sky gave a muted sigh. "What were you expecting? More?"

"Yes." Blade admitted. "I mean, all they did was just drop you off and leave? What kind of parents….." He didn't finish.

"Well, that's what happened." Sky said, glaring at the ground. She wrung her fingers, almost the point where she broke them.

"I know this hurts." Blade said. "Sky, trust me, I know what it means to feel that kind of pain. To lose someone you care about, no matter how it happens, just hurts. But you can't keep it in."

"Sure you can." Sky muttered. "What moron taught you that?"

Blade cracked a smirk. "You did."

Sky still didn't look at him. A tense minute passed. "Why didn't they want me? I mean, I didn't ask to be born a psyche human. Was I just a bad kid so they let me go?"

"Sky, you can't possibly be blaming yourself for this." Nick said. "It's your parents who were bad. They gave you up for no reason at all. Just because you were a different breed of human."

"It's racism." Blade agreed. "That's their problem, not yours."

"But what if there was something I could've done to prevent it?" Sky shrugged.

"Like what?" Blade scoffed. "Just stop being a psych-man? That ain't an option and you know it."

"It was never an option." Nick said. "Being a psych-man is a gift."

"I didn't ask for it." Sky said.

"You don't ask for a gift." Nick countered.

"Don't put the blame on yourself just because of your parents' actions." Blade practically ordered. "They're the ones who hated psyche humans so much they let it affect their lives."

"Well maybe I don't want to be a psyche human anymore!" Sky finally snapped. "Maybe I never wanted to be a psych-man! I wish I didn't have my powers!"

Stunned silence. Blade and Nick stared at Sky, who looked down again. Nick forced a laugh. "Come on, you don't mean that." More silence from Sky. "Dios Mio, you mean that."

"Sky, those powers make you who you are." Blade said.

"I know, okay?" Sky growled in frustration, standing and beginning to pace back and forth. "People always tell me that. Well maybe I don't want this to be who I am. Maybe I want to be a normal person with a normal family. Maybe I wish I could be a normal human being."

"You keep saying 'maybe.'" Blade noted. "Is that what you really want?"

"I don't know." Sky threw up her hands in frustration. "Okay, sorry if I sound like the protagonist of a dramatic sitcom but apparently that's my life."

"Cuervo, you're an orphan who was abandoned." Nick said. "There are hundreds of other orphans like you."

"Oh yeah?" Sky scoffed. "I've talked to other orphans. There are plenty orphans who were abandoned. But their parents had legitimate reasons for leaving their kid. Some of them were homeless. Others weren't financially stable. Some of these parents were even teenagers who weren't ready. But they all had something in common: they left their children at orphanages to give them a chance at a better life. My parents left me because they just didn't want me." She plopped down on the bench again, sighing.

Blade smiled softly. "Thank you, Raven."

"For what?" Sky droned. "Pouring my heart and soul out to you like a wimp?"

"Yes." Blade chuckled. "You realize this is the first time you've been truly honest with me about how you feel about your situation? And I think it's safe to say you probably haven't done this to anyone else, even your father."

"Skipper doesn't need to know my pain." Sky sighed. "He has his own pain to deal with. It's also none of his business."

"He's your father." Blade reminded her.

"And it's good that you talked to us." Nick said, giving Sky an encouraging nuzzle. "When you're in pain, it is our business. We're your family."

"He's right." Blade nodded. "You got a lot of people in Propwash Junction and here that really love you. If you would be more open, talk to them more often, they can help."

Sky looked to Blade, and she sighed through her nose. "I know I have people to talk to. But how exactly do you start a conversation like that? 'Hey, I'm feeling bad about my birth parents again. Can we chat?'"

"Yeah!" Nick said enthusiastically. "That can't be so hard, huh?"

Sky raised an eyebrow, and she glanced to Blade. The red helicopter also raised an eye frame to Nick.

"Point taken." Nick admitted.

"Can you at least try to open up more when things are bothering you?" Blade requested. "Either to me or Nick?"

Sky stared at Blade for a long moment. She gave a small smile. "Yeah. I think I can do that."

Now this is what I was hoping for. Blade thought. "And when you go home to Propwash Junction, start talking to Skipper and Sparky more, all right?"

"Okay." Sky agreed.

Blade nodded in satisfaction. "You think this helped?"

Sky bobbed her head. "Yeah. Not exactly the most fun, but healing."

"Atta girl." Nick said.

Sky's smile grew. "So, are there other memories you had in mind?"

"That's all right with you?" Blade asked.

"Sure." Sky nodded. "I'm not going anywhere."

Blade grinned. "Well, there is something I've wondered about. What was it like when you first met your father?"

Sky laughed. "Now that is an interesting memory." She looked off to one side, and the scenery changed to Propwash Junction. Blade, Nick, and Sky watched as a ten-year-old version of Sky walked with Sparky towards the hanger at the end of the runway. Sky stood beside Blade, gently leaning against him as she watched the memory. Blade noticed the Soul Connect thread appear, only this time it seemed to glow brighter than usual. Blade couldn't keep the grin off his lips.

That's what I was hoping for. It's one step closer to learning more about this connection.