Cars, Planes, and Changelings

Training and Superintendent

Chrys was at the lake as she watched Dipper demonstrate how to collect water from it. She was making sure Dusty didn't crash and end up on the wall. But she saw him fly in, collect water and as he was pulling up, graze a tree.

She winced at that but shook herself out and jump into the water. The changeling knew she had to work on her swimming in case someone was stuck in a body of water like this one.

Good thing her radio and gear was waterproof.

"Chrys, you're getting better at swimming! Keep it up!" Blade radioed her as he hovered a good few yards away.

Chrys nodded in his direction. "Copy that!"

Later the changeling was helping Dusty understand the wind speed and direction being a factor in how the fire could spread and how you put it out.

Then she was outside as Dusty was practicing dropping water on flaming barrels. She was sitting next to Blade.

The plane dropped the water. "Too early!"

He tried again. "Too high!"

Again. "Too low. Those crops of yours, do they die a lot!"

The last time he tried he completely missed, and the water landed right on Chrys. So, she radioed Dusty this time. "Dusty, I'm not a target! Work on your aim!"

"Sorry!" The changeling shook herself out and grunted through her nose.

Later that day she went to Aegirine Canyon to watch the rookie fly through it. But he bailed out last minute, it made Chrys curious and concerned. She followed from bellow and Dusty seems to have spotted her.

"Chrys?! Were you watching?!" She answered back.

"Yes! Why'd you bail out?!" She was still worried, but Blade radioed her before she could get and answer at all.

"Scorpion, head back to base!" Chrys followed his order, and due to her speed and her inner map, she got there first.

Once Blade and Dusty arrived, she noticed the smirk on the helicopter's face and the plane's pout. "What happened? Blade, you rarely have a shit eating grin on."

"He dropped retardant on a camp." This made Dusty roll his eyes and shake what would be his head. "I thought it was an actual fire."

Chrys snorted and shook her head. "What? You dropped retardant on-." Her shoulders shook as she snickered behind her smaller talons.

"Again, I thought it was an actual fire." Dusty tried to defend himself, but this only made it worse.

The rogue changeling doubled over laughing, and accidently going into her human form. Which was a shock to everyone since Chrys has never gone human since she got to Piston Peak. And as her laughter died out, she looked around.

"What? I can't be the only one that finds that funny."

Cabbie answered her. "You're in human form, Chrys."

Chrys looked down and shrugged. "I haven't been in human form for a while. I'm just really used to my true form, so I rarely use this one."

Dipper got a closer look. "But you look so cute! Why wouldn't you want to be in this form?"

"I used to go human all the time in Radiator Springs, so I don't intimidate anyone unless I want to. But out here with all the fires, I need my exoskeleton more than this squishy body. Unless I want to be on the wall."

"Are you also weaker in this form?" Dusty was genuinely curious.

"A little, I still have most of my strength. But I'm smaller, meaning I can squeeze into tight spaces, and I'm more agile in this form." Chrys demonstrated by jumping on various objects, up to the top of Maru's workshop and then down onto Windlifter's canopy.

He's one of the only members of the team to let her climb on them.

"But, like I said, I'm easier to kill in this form." She jumped off the helicopter and transformed to her true form. "So, I stay like this so it's harder for me to die. I'm not fireproof, but a few burns and scars are better than burning alive."

Patch, their radio operator, then was heard on the intercom. "Dusty, someone's trying to reach you from Propwash Junction!"

Dusty quickly thanked Patch and went to his hanger.

"Anyone else have questions?"

Avalanche and Drip raised their scoops and Blackout raised his saw, Maru also raising a prong to ask a question.

"Any that aren't if I'm venomous, single, or slightly feral?" All four of them put their 'hands' down. "Y'all are nuts for wanting to ask me that. Answers, yes, yes, and I plead the fifth."

Patch then was heard again. "Superintendent Spinner has entered the base! Repeat! Superintendent Spinner has entered the base!"

Dusty came back out and Chrys jumped up the main hanger roof as she spotted a white car heading towards them. Now, if it wasn't obvious, Chrys hated the superintendent. He was a greedy narcissist, and he tried hitting on her once he saw her.

But when she split a rock in two wing her bare talons, it shut him up quick.

She knew Blade didn't like him either.

But she hid up there to stay away from him, watching with slitted eyes as he talked to the chief with disrespect and then went to Dusty. Chrys rolled her eyes as she heard the car invite the plane to a party, he then was trying to get Dusty to do a performance or rub elbows with VIPs.

But it was enough for her to make an appearance by leaning on the lip of the workshop like she was a cat. "I smell Bullshit!"

"Ah! Chrys! Good to see your beautiful face! Listen, maybe you'd like to perform at the party! Rumor has it you're a wonderful singer! What do you say, sweet cheeks?!"

Chrys chuckled dryly and shook her head. "I'd rather eat my own tail! And quit flirting with me! It's never going to happen you poorly packaged, narcissistic, greedy, piece of tractor shit! SO, FUCK OFF!"

She ended up giving him a quadruple flip off with all her front talons.

Maru burst out laughing in his garage, Dipper held in a snort, Windlifter was calm as ever, and Blade nearly broke his stoic look. Dusty was in shock at what Chrys yelled, he didn't take her for someone who would curse. Spinner kept smiling though.

"Still feisty as ever! Love ya!"

"Oh! That's it! You're gonna-!" Blade stopped her before she could jump down. "Scorpion! That's enough!"

Chrys huffed and calmed herself as she got down and stood with Windlifter. "I still want to give him a piece of my mind."

"Chrys, baby, come on-." Spinner was cut off by the changeling.

"You love your little lodge so much this place is held together with wire, ducktape and the webbing I made! Maru had to rebuild that tower, by himself no less!"

Maru then yelled at the group. "It's better than new!"

"Hear me, fellow forest friends, dirty though you may be. This is an historic weekend." Spinner then got a call and was yelling at the person on the other side. He then looked to the group and smiled. "Could you hold on a second?" He then drove a few feet away yelled some more and came back.

Chrys then glared at him. "I take it that's your cue to leave."

"You're not the only ones who came put out a fire, right?" Cad chuckled and turned to Dusty. "Will I see you at the party? Yes, I will." He then turned and winked at Chrys before going to leave. "Superstar! Dusty Cropslinger! He's even more famous than you, Blazing Blade."

That finally set the changeling off and she chase Spinner until he was off the base, screaming his head off. It made her feel better, but she still went to check on Blade.

"He's at the cliff again. I just know it."