Several hours passed. We were waiting in the hangar for the transmission from the cargo plane to let us know they were in the area. When our radio buzzed to life, we rushed over. It was 07289. "We are approaching the area in distress. I can see a small airfield below. Requesting permission for an emergency landing." she said. "Don't worry. It's me, designation 02907. We are manning the abandoned airfield here for the time being. We will mark the landing with flares." he responded. Paul and I got our flares and walked out of the hangar. We could see a trail of smoke in the distance. It did not look good to me. We ran to the end of the runway. I was on one side. Paul was on the other. We shot them in the air. I hoped that they could see it. The plane got closer and closer. There was an engine on fire. It was a large plane and we had to get out of the way. It was a large and partially crashed. Their plane was fucked up on closer inspection. We rushed over and got some fire extinguishers from the closer hangar. We found the door to the plane. Paul and I ripped it open. We walked up the stairs.
It was a total wreck. The cargo was on its side and broken open. We did not see anyone, but it was a massive plane. The passengers were not held where the cargo was fixed. Paul called out for any survivors. We both moved towards the cockpit. There were several broken bodies. Blue blood was spilled all over the place. I saw a couple of them were still twitching. I got an energy generator out and turned it on. The gentle glow lit up the area. Of the 13 cyborg passengers, we saved 5 of them. 3 PEA units and 2 PEP units. All 3 AEP units were fine. The damage they suffered made them revert back to their primordial form. That explained the gray puddles on the ground. My suspicion was that an engine exploded. I did not have any other explanation for what happened. We had to break down the door to their pilot's quarters. 07289 was still unresponsive. We lifted her head and saw a deep blue gash there. I lit a smaller generator and shook her gently. She slowly came to. Paul carried her out the plane in his arms. Wyn, Jam, Kim and I helped with rescuing survivors. We moved them to the hangar.
Once we regrouped, it was time to go back in the wreckage. The X-frames were fine. The boxes were flimsy, but the big mechs themselves were fine. As a final favor to the Erosion Clan, we had attached x-wings to all of them. I was happy that we did. After a bit of rest and relief, they were able to get 4 of the X-frames. In a half hour, the surviving PEP units were back for the second half. There were only 2 more to go. Since they were back with another truck, Paul and I could bring the rest home. 07289 and 02907 were the drivers. She took the AEP units. He took us and the other PEA units back to their ranch. We had to ride in the back while the PEA units were inside with the driver. We were bumped around quite a lot. When we got there, I got out. I was shaken up and wobbly. Eventually it stopped and I was able to help set things up on the elevator to go to their clan building. Wyn, Jam and Kim all did their part too. After we were done, they began to celebrate. We hung out with them for a bit. I called up Brett and asked him if he was okay. "Of course I got away. Neo-Rutten is fucked though."
