[h2][center][color=aba000]KRISS MAUSER[/color][/center][/h2]
[center][i]LOCATION: SCVRS[/i][/center]
[center][i]TIME: WEDNESDAY, 5:30 PM[/i][/center]

Nothing ever goes exactly according to plan. Snap could have told you well ahead of time that the 12-hour training day would ever get cut short or last too long due to some kind of problem. It was usually a mechanical failure. Something just wouldn't start or an engine would die in the middle of the river or something. Maybe they'd forget something, who knows. All she knew for sure was that the kids were going to be cold when they got back. Kriss wanted to stay out late enough so that they'd be operating in the dark, which was great and all, except that he had a total rookie in the boat. In the dark. In frigid water. She had an uneasy feeling about it, something that had stuck with her for her 20-year term and was seldom wrong. Unfortunately, there really wasn't any other way to go about it. No one else was in and she had paperwork to do. She paused from her work, then reached into her desk and pulled out a thing three-ring binder that was chocked full of restaurant menus. Brushing her hair behind her ears again, Snap shuffled through them. She found the squad's favorite pizza parlor and checked for discounts. Midweek special? She could work with that.

Glancing at the clock, Snap slid her phone from her pocket and made a call.

She had been right about the training. Everything went perfectly fine...for about three hours. Kriss was satisfied with her ability to locate and use equipment and had moved on to explaining equipment in the cabin. Allison was a trooper and had only thrown up once, in one of the many bags on board for such an event. She had refused to quit, which was good, because he wasn't going to let her do so anyway. He was halfway through explaining how the throttle functioned when Allison, who was standing behind him outside the cabin, lost her balance again. She leaned to the right to grab the handrail, unaware that she was much closer to the edge of the edge of the boat than she realized. Her outstretched arm missed it and traveled over the side of the boat. Kriss heard her shriek and turned just in time to see the bottom half of Allison slide over the edge of the boat. He winced at the sound of her smacking into the river, as it was followed by a very loud gasp for air and a second, much quieter shriek. Kriss grabbed a life ring tethered to the boat and tossed it to her. She was only a few feet away, but, even though she had only been in the water for a few seconds, she was already visibly shaking. Her hand were turning white as they gripped the corners of the lifejacket.

The life ring hit the water and she latched onto it, digging her nails in and holding on for her life. Kriss bent his knees and reeled her in. He lunged forward and grabbed the arm holes of the jacket to haul her in. She hit the deck and curled up into a ball, teeth chattering as her clothes clung tightly to her skin. Kriss grabbed a thermal blanket and wrapped it around her to try and keep the cold out. 

[color=aba000]"Are you alright?"[/color]

She brushed the hair away from her face and nodded quickly. 

[color=aba000]"We are heading back. Try to avoid hyperventilating."[/color]

She nodded again, pulling the blanket closer to her body. Kriss started the boat and gunned the engines, making a tight arc and heading back to the boat ramp. So much for that.

With the help of the man at the station, Kriss winched the boat back onto the trailed and secured it. He jumped into the already-running truck and glanced at Allison, who was wrapped in a new blanket and had angled all of the dashboard air vents, all blowing at maximum heat, at herself. Wordlessly he put the vehicle in gear and headed back to the station. He was disappointed. Not with Ally, but with the lost time. They hadn't even gotten to operating the boat at night. If there was a water rescue to make in the next few days, he hoped someone more qualified would be on board. After all, Ally's one-week term was coming to a close soon. She was, in his opinion, qualified and capable. She was a little too excitable for his taste, though, and definitely needed more training. Maybe Snap could arrange for her to take courses if she wanted to come back and join later on.

Nothing else of interest occurred between leaving the marina and parking the truck. Snap met them at the front and helped guide Kriss into the bay, making sure he didn't park too far back. The instant the vehicle came to a close, Allison yanked the door handle open and slid out.

"Please tell me it's warm in here!" she exclaimed. The warm truck interior had helped, but her teeth were still clenched. Her clothes and wet hair were making it impossible for her to warm up.

Snap realized immediately what had happened and placed an arm behind her, leading her quickly across the garage.

"Come with me. We're getting you into the shower."

Nodding again, the two of them vanished into the back rooms. Kriss ignored them, choosing instead to wash the saltwater off of the boat with a large fire hose mounted to the wall. She would be fine.