Disclaimer: All characters belong to HiT Entertainment.
Through Sam's Eyes
Alien Bug Hunt
Series 11 Episode 11
It was an unusually nice Saturday in September. The sun was shining, but there was just a tiny nip in the air to remind you that autumn was about to hit. Unfortunately, I'd had to spend most of the morning in Newtown, at a meeting with Chief Fire Officer Boyce. We'd discussed all sorts of improvements that needed to be made around the Fire Station, Ocean Rescue Centre and at the Mountain Rescue Centre. He'd then informed me of some changes to procedure that would be implemented in the coming months. It had been rather boring, and I think that Chief Fire Officer Boyce realised that he didn't have my full attention, because he ended the meeting early.
As I'd started my drive back to Pontypandy on Mercury, Station Officer Steele had radioed me to inform me that he was with the team training at the Mountain Rescue Centre. He wanted me to join in with the training, so that's where I was heading now. However, as I approached the Wishing Well, I saw Norman, Mandy, Sarah and James gathered around it, holding up their mobile phones.
I wonder what they're up to now? I thought as I eased Mercury to a stop. "Hello, you lot! What's going on here?"
"We are a crew of Alien Bug hunters," Norman replied proudly. "And we are collecting lots of different alien insects from all over Pontypandy!" And he held up his phone to show me.
"Ah! I've heard about this," I said as I removed my quadbike helmet. "Isn't it one of those crazes that everyone's doing?"
"But…well, we're the only ones doing it in Pontypandy!"
Just then, Mike arrived in his van. Charlie was with him. Without saying a word of greeting to any of us, they came over to the well and held their phones over it.
"Got it!" Mike announced.
"Got it!" Charlie said as well. Then, they both dashed back to the van, got inside and drove away.
"Hmm… Not sure you are." Trust my brother to get involved in something as silly as this.
"What? Is a… But I bet they don't have a crew like me!" Norman protested. "I've got a robot…" he indicated to James, who waved and saluted at me. Norman ran over to Mandy "…An alien first officer… Ooohhh!" Mandy also saluted. "And a starship engineer!" And Norman indicated to Sarah, who also saluted to me.
"Eye-eye, Captain!"
I had to laugh. The antics of these kids could be so bizarrely amusing sometimes. "Very impressive, Norman."
"Quick! Let's get to the next bug!" Sarah suggested. "We don't want them to get them all before we do!"
"I just got a bit of a signal!" James said excitedly as the kids ran off down the road. He paused alongside Mercury. "Oh! It's gone again…" He couldn't hide his disappointment.
"Why do I get the feeling that this is not going to end well?" I pondered to myself. Sighing, I put my helmet back on, and I resumed my journey to the Mountain Rescue Centre.
…
When I arrived at the Mountain Rescue Centre, I found Station Officer Steele, Penny, Elvis, Tom and Helen wondering around outside. Like me, they were all dressed in their mountain rescue uniforms, except for Station Officer Steele, who was wearing his formal uniform.
"…Yes… Feeling hot, hot, hot!" Station Officer Steele said loudly as I parked Mercury behind where he was standing. The others seemed to be looking for something. Station Officer Steele turned to face me. "Ah, Sam! Just in time." I removed my helmet. "We're doing a search and rescue drill." He lowered his voice. "So far, no one has managed to find my expertly hidden-."
"Found her!" Elvis shouted.
Station Officer Steele spun around. "What!" he exclaimed.
Elvis laughed as he dragged 'Dolly', our training dummy, up the slope beneath the Mountain Rescue Centre. "Station Officer Steele keeps hiding Dolly, but we keep finding her!" he explained. "We're too clever for him!"
Station Officer Steele walked over to Elvis, and he took 'Dolly' from him. Even Helen was laughing.
"Well, we'll see about that, Criddlington!" Station Officer Steele declared. "Right! Everyone close their eyes and count to fifty."
I got down from Mercury and I walked over to the group. They'd all covered their eyes and started counting by the time I reached them.
"This includes you too, Sam" Station Officer Steele told me firmly as he walked past with 'Dolly'. "You need the training just as much as everyone else."
Knowing that he was right, I closed my eyes and I joined in the counting. We'd only reached 'forty-one', when Station Officer Steele announced that he was ready. Opening our eyes, we immediately began searching for 'Dolly'. It took a few seconds for my eyes to readjust to the bright sunlight, but then I joined in the search.
After we'd been searching for about five minutes, I realised that Station Officer Steele had hidden 'Dolly' really well this time. Probably because I'm here now, I thought as I looked inside the Mountain Rescue Centre through the window. 'Dolly' wasn't in there. He always makes these training exercises harder once I'm involved.
"Oh, you never should've laughed at Station Officer Steele, Elvis," Penny admonished him. "He's hidden 'Dolly' really well this time."
"Cold…cold…freezing! Brr!" Station Officer Steele said. He seemed to be taunting us.
The others came over to me for guidance.
"We've looked everywhere!" Elvis moaned.
At that moment, I remembered something that I'd been taught as part of my advanced leading firefighter training. "Hmm… I've got an idea." And I headed inside the Mountain Rescue Centre.
I went upstairs to the first-floor balcony, and I started to look around.
"First rule of search and rescue…" I said, recalling my instructor's words. "The higher you are, the further you can see."
Sure enough, it only took me a few seconds to spot 'Dolly'. She was perched on the roof of Jupiter's cab, behind the lights and sirens.
"Bingo!"
I quickly returned downstairs. Station Officer Steele was still mocking the others by pretending to shiver.
"Oohh! So cold… Sooo cooold!"
Wanting to pay him back for picking on us, I tip-toed over to Elvis. "You, ah, might want to look on Jupiter's roof, Elvis," I whispered to him.
"Oohh!" And realising that I knew exactly where 'Dolly' was, Elvis ran over to Jupiter.
"Oh! Where! What!" Station Officer Steele exclaimed when he saw exactly where Elvis was heading. "Er, getting warm, warm…hot! Hot!"
Elvis scrambled up Jupiter's side. "Got her!" he announced proudly.
Station Officer Steele couldn't hide his disappointment. I chuckled. Annoyed, Station Officer Steele turned to face me.
"Sam…!"
"You were the one who said I needed the training too, sir," I quickly reminded him.
"Oh, but…! Never mind."
"I think it's time we took a break," Helen suggested.
"Great idea!" Tom agreed. "I'll go and put the kettle on."
Elvis pulled 'Dolly' down off Jupiter's roof. Then, we all headed inside the Mountain Rescue Centre.
We'd just sat down with our cups of tea, when the emergency alert went off upstairs. Luckily, Station Officer Steele was already up there. A few seconds later, the alarm sounded.
"Norman, Mandy, James and Sarah are heading out to sea at full throttle on Neptune, looking for alien insects!" Station Officer Steele announced over the loudspeakers.
I'd already started running upstairs. The others followed close behind me. "We'll take Wallaby Two!" I told them, taking charge of the emergency. "Penny, I want us to wear our wetsuits and life vests, because we'll need to drive Neptune back to shore."
"Okay, Sam," Penny agreed.
While Penny and I quickly changed into our wetsuits, Elvis helped Helen put on a helmet for the helicopter. It took us a few minutes, but once we were ready, we ran outside to the helicopter. While Tom got into the cockpit, Elvis, Penny and I leapt inside Wallaby Two's cabin. Penny and I then helped Helen inside, because she wasn't as nimble as the rest of us. I then ensured that everyone put their seatbelts on. After all, I didn't want anyone falling out of Wallaby Two.
"We're all set back here, Tom," I radioed. Tom started up the engine, and Wallaby Two took off into the air.
Before long, we were flying out over Pontypandy. Once we were out over the ocean, I removed my seatbelt. The others followed my lead. I took a pair of binoculars out of one of the cupboards.
"Okay everyone. Keep your eyes peeled," I instructed. "There's a lot of whitecaps today, so they'll be difficult to spot."
Helen and Elvis took up positions on the side farthest from the door, leaving Penny and I to search from the open cabin door. We had to use one hand to hang on. Tom flew low across the water.
"Can't see them anywhere, Sam," Penny said over the radio. She had to use it, because I would never have heard her above the noise of the helicopter. I put my binoculars down. Her comment reminded me of what had happened during our hunt for 'Dolly'.
"Wait… The first rule of search and rescue … The higher up you go…"
"…The further you can see!" Penny finished with me. She'd obviously been taught the same thing during her more recent leading firefighter training.
"Take her up, Tom!" I ordered over the radio.
Tom immediately flew Wallaby Two higher into the air. Minutes later, Tom flew over towards the lighthouse.
"I see them," he told us. "They're near the lighthouse." And he flew closer to it.
I focussed my binoculars on Neptune. Then, I saw something that made me feel sick. James was in the water, struggling to stay afloat in the big swell, despite wearing a life vest. He was being swept towards the rocks. Oh, no, James! Not you! I knew that he wasn't a strong swimmer, even at the best of times.
"James is in trouble!" I told the others. "We need to get there fast!"
Tom flew Wallaby Two in low over the area. Leaning out of the door, I saw that James was tiring and was about to be swept into the rocks. Penny readied the rescue harness. She held it out to me.
"Take the harness, Sam," she ordered. Since we were now the same rank, she had every right to give me orders. Whether I chose to obey them or not was between us. I shook my head slightly. We didn't have time to be mucking around with the harness. James looked ready to give up, and if he did, he'd be swept straight into the rocks.
"No time," I told Penny. I knew I'd have to do something I'd only ever done in training. It was extremely dangerous, and I'd only ever done it twice before, but that was in a swimming pool under controlled conditions. One wrong move, and I could seriously injure or even kill James or myself.
Taking a deep breath, I pushed myself out and away from Wallaby Two and let go. As soon as I was clear, I crossed my arms over my chest in a brace position as I freefell feet first, at least ten metres down to the cold ocean water below.
I missed landing on top of James, but only just. Luckily, the choppy water meant that my fall was cushioned, so I barely made a splash as I broke the surface. I went underwater, but the buoyancy of my life vest brought me quickly back up to the surface. I surfaced right beside James. Relieved, I drew in a big breath of air.
"Oh! Uncle Sam!" James exclaimed wearily. I put my arms securely around his waist.
"I've got you, James!" I reassured him. Then, I leaned back, pulling James with me. That way, we'd stay afloat and be able to breathe, even in the strong swell. It was actually a lot stronger than I'd anticipated. Kicking hard, I managed to swim us over towards Neptune. The water was bitterly cold, even with my wetsuit to protect me, so I knew that we had to get James out of the water quickly.
Tom lowered Penny in the harness onto Neptune. She removed the harness, letting it swing over towards me. "I'll take it from here, Sarah," Penny told her. Sarah moved away from the controls, and Penny took over. "You three, hang on!"
I managed to grab the harness the second time it swung past me, and I slipped it around myself using just my right hand. Once I was secure, I placed the other harness around James, securing him also.
"Take us up, Tom!" I instructed over the radio, while also signalling the 'okay' sign with my left hand. I knew I sound tired, and that's because I was. Even the strongest and fittest athletes would have struggled in that swell. Tom activated the winch, and James and I were lifted into the air. "You all right, Penny?" I asked her over the radio on our way up.
"All fine here, Sam," Penny radioed in response. "I'll bring the other three back to the quay."
When we reached Wallaby Two's cabin door, Elvis pulled James inside and he slipped off the harness. Helen then placed a towel around James' shoulders and he took a seat away from the door. Elvis also helped me inside, and he put the harnesses away. I sat down on the floor, taking a moment to catch my breath.
"Right, James," Helen said. "I'm just going to check you over to make sure you're okay."
"I'm not hurt," James whimpered in reply. "Just cold, wet and tired."
Elvis handed me a bottle of water, but I continued to gasp for air instead of drinking it.
"You need to drink, Sam," Elvis reminded me gently.
Reluctantly, I opened the bottle and I took a sip. Helen turned her attention to me.
"How about your, Sam? Did you hurt yourself during your fall?"
I shook my head before I took another sip of water. Then, I staggered to my feet and I accepted a towel from Elvis. "It was really rough down there," I explained. "I'm just tired." I sat down in my usual seat, and I strapped myself in, still clutching the bottle of water. Helen put James' seatbelt on before she and Elvis also strapped themselves in.
"Is everybody ready to head back now?" Tom asked over the radio.
"Yes, Tom," I replied.
Tom took Wallaby Two out of its hover and we flew back towards the quay.
…
By the time we arrived at the Ocean Rescue Centre, I was feeling exhausted and a bit cranky. Penny had radioed to tell me exactly how the kids had ended up out at sea on Neptune, and I was ready to give them all a good scolding. Luckily, none of my colleagues spoke to me once I'd disembarked from Wallaby Two, because I probably would've snapped at them. Instead, I managed to save my snap for Norman.
I found the kids standing on the quayside along with Penny, Charlie, Bronwyn and Ben. Helen, Elvis, Tom and James followed me over to the group. Knowing that he was also in trouble, James went and stood with the rest of the kids. They all clutched their phones as if they were the most precious items in the world.
Upon seeing just how angry I was, and knowing that he was in serious trouble, Norman shrank back. Then, his phone beeped. "Can someone beam me up, please?" he begged, speaking into it.
That was the final straw, and I snapped. "Norman, you can stay right where you are! Firstly, you took a boat that didn't belong to you, then you didn't tell anyone where you were going!"
"I'm sorry, Fireman Sam," Norman replied sadly. For once, he actually did sound genuinely sorry.
I turned my anger onto my niece. "And Sarah! Just because you can work the controls on a boat, doesn't mean that you're a sailor."
"Sorry, Fireman Sam," Sarah apologised quietly.
Secretly, I couldn't help but admire her though. When I'd been her age, I was still learning how to row on a lake. She had the same courage I'd inherited through my grandad's side of the family. It'll be interesting to see what she does with her life.
Behind me, Ben took a few steps closer, so I turned to face him. "I need to take some blame here," he told me, risking my anger. "I should've moored Neptune back at the Ocean Rescue Centre, before I had lunch."
I decided to play with him, rather than yell at him. I knew that being angry with my colleagues wouldn't help me feel any better. "Yes, you should, Ben," I admonished. "I know the call of Bronwyn's fishy nibbles is strong, but try and resist in future."
Realising that I was just teasing him, Ben smiled slightly.
"But, we did get all the alien bugs," Norman announced proudly as he, Mandy and Sarah held up their phones to show me.
"I didn't." James sounded very disappointed.
"So, hopefully, that means all this rushing about is finished," I said sternly to the kids. "Being safe is more important than gaming. You need to pay attention to what's around you."
At that precise moment, Mike's phone buzzed. He took it out to read the message. "They've just released a new game! Alien Bug Hunt Two – Legend of the Megabeetle!"
"Oh, no!" I groaned as everyone's phones buzzed one after the other. They all took their phones out to look for themselves.
"Oohh!" Norman squealed excitedly. "Another voyage of the starship Norman Price! We will boldly go where no boy…"
"Ahem!" Mandy said indignantly.
"Or girl," Norman quickly added, "has gone before!"
And with that, everyone ran off in different directions to start the new game, leaving James alone with me on the quay. He was fiddling with his phone.
"I still don't have a signal," he told me sadly.
"I think it's probably for the best, James," I said as I patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Now, why don't we go and get changed into some dry clothes before we both catch a chill?"
"Okay," James agreed.
Together, we headed over to the Wholefish Café. I left James in Bronwyn's care, and then I walked to the fire station. Once there, I grabbed one of my clean station uniforms and a towel out of my locker, and I headed for the shower.
After I'd showered and changed into dry clothes, I went upstairs for a rest. None of my colleagues had returned by then, so I lay down on the sofa for a power nap.
…
Quiet giggling roused me sometime later. Penny and Ellie were standing next to the sofa, watching me. I pretended to still be asleep.
"I have to say, Penny, Sam looks pretty cute when he's asleep," Ellie whispered. "This makes coming into work early totally worth it."
"Shh, Ellie! I want to take a photo."
That was the last thing I wanted. Sensing that Penny was about to take a photo on her camera, I leapt up.
"Gotcha!" I shouted.
Startled, Penny and Ellie screamed so loudly that I had to cover my ears.
"Samuel Jones!" Penny exclaimed, clutching her chest. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"
"I think I've had one," Ellie muttered sheepishly.
Station Officer Steele burst into the room. "What on earth is going on in here?" he demanded to know.
"Sam scared us," Penny replied, shooting me a dirty look.
I stood up and patted her shoulder as I walked past her. "Serves you two right. Now, what's been going on?"
"Station Officer Steele's been trying to contact you for a debrief," Ellie explained.
I took my phone out of my pocket. Sure enough, I had five missed calls from Station Officer Steele. "Sorry, sir," I apologised. "It's been a long day."
"If you could join us now, Sam, I'd appreciate it," Station Officer Steele replied.
Penny and I followed Station Officer Steele downstairs to the meeting room. Helen, Elvis and Tom were already in there, waiting for us. Once we were seated, Station Officer Steele began the debrief. Most of it was pretty routine; who did what and why they reacted that way. As the others spoke, Penny and I wrote down the important details for our reports.
"So, what happened after you found the kids?" Station Officer Steele asked.
"James was in the water, being swept towards the rocks," Penny answered. "I ordered Sam to use the harness to rescue him, but he refused it and jumped instead."
"He what?" Station Officer Steele exclaimed, shocked.
"James was in serious danger of drowning, sir," I explained quietly without looking up from my notebook. Sensing that everyone was now looking at me, I made eye contact with Station Officer Steele. "I jumped, because I knew the harness would be too slow. James needed help immediately."
Station Officer Steele facepalmed himself. "You know I trust your judgment, Sam, but I think that most of my grey hairs have been caused by your crazy rescues!"
The others chuckled. Even I couldn't supress the urge to smile.
"I just hope I don't have to jump from a helicopter again," I said. "That was scary."
"You? Scared?" Penny said, surprised. "I never thought I'd ever hear you say that, Sam."
"Oh, the jump didn't scare me," I explained. "I was afraid I'd misjudge the jump, and land of top of James."
"That's understandable," Helen said. "You did take us all by surprise though."
"Completely," Tom agreed. "I just saw something fall into the water out of the corner of my eye. I didn't realise it was you until you surfaced."
"I hope I get to jump out of a helicopter one day," Elvis muttered.
"Right, well, I'm just glad that nobody was hurt," Station Officer Steele said. "Sam and Penny? As soon as you've finished your reports, I want to see them on my desk."
"Yes, sir," we replied in unison.
"The rest of you may go now."
Everyone left the room, except for Penny and myself. I glanced at my watch. I only had an hour to go before I was off-duty. Sighing, I picked up a fresh report and I started filling it in, using my notes for reference.
"Sorry I scared you before, Penny," I apologised after about ten minutes of silence. "I just didn't want my photo taken."
"Yeah, well, I knew you were awake."
"Uh-huh. Sure."
Penny looked up at me. "Sam, when I told you to use the harness, had you already made up your mind to jump?"
"I'm not sure. I just remember thinking that the harness would be too slow."
"Mmm… You know you put yourself into danger too. Headquarters aren't going to be too impressed about that."
"I wasn't thinking about that at the time. I was only worried about not landing on top of James."
"You're just lucky that you didn't… Right, recommendations for next time…" She glared at me while she pondered what to write.
Having finished my report, I gathered the pages together and stapled them. "Let's just hope that there won't be a next time."
"The way you snapped at Norman, let's hope not," Penny muttered.
Smiling, I left the room to deliver my report to Station Officer Steele.
…
Later that evening, I walked to the Wholefish café to get some takeaway dinner, and to see how James was feeling now after his ordeal. However, as I was passing the Cutprice Supermarket, I overheard Dilys and Norman having a loud argument upstairs.
"Norman Stanley Price! I don't care what you say! I'm confiscating your mobile phone for a month!"
"Oh, but mum! I want to finish Alien Bug Hunt Two!"
"Well, that's too bad! If it wasn't for these silly games, you wouldn't have led the others into trouble. You went too far stealing Neptune! Now, give me that phone, and go and wash up for dinner."
Smiling, I continued on my way. Let's hope that's the last we hear about this Alien Bug Hunt game… At that moment, I saw Charlie and Mike jogging towards me, carrying their phones. I sighed tiredly in defeat and I rolled my eyes. Or maybe not.