Star Trek Voyager – Captain Proton and His Daring Rescue!

By Allyson Dudley.

(A/N – This is meant to be a short sequel to my previous Captain Proton story, – so probably not as good. I do not own Star Trek Voyager and this story was only written for fun.)

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The thunderous echoes of the wild beast's growl echoed through the unnatural silence. Somewhere in the distance the noise caused a small rock avalanche from an unstable outcrop, breaking the stillness. In the undergrowth, the rustle of leaves, the crunch of branches and the squishing of swamp water signalled the beast's retreat. After an almost deafening quiet moment, the familiar sounds of chirping crickets, warbling birds and screeching monkeys returned the jungle back to life.

In the dense red and green tree line, multicoloured leaves suddenly exploded into the clear blue sky like a firework. A very disgruntled monkey chattered loudly as it jumped into view before leaping into a neighbouring tree. A head popped up and quickly scanned the surrounding area before disappearing under cover. The unmistakable Galactic Hero, Captain Proton, smoothly dropped from his hideout in the uppermost branches of the tree. He had barely landed on his feet before sprinting deeper into the undergrowth.

Almost instantly, he could hear and smell the familiar sizzle of laser fire being shot at him. His evil nemesis, Doctor Chaotica, had sent his goons onto him and they had found him again! Captain Proton picked up his speed, ducking the odd laser beam that seared passed his head.

Without hesitation, he grabbed hold of a strong-looking vine on the edge of a viscous green swamp and swung out. The fêted stench made Proton gag but the smell was soon forgotten when a sudden sound made his eyes widen in surprise. Looking down at the blur below his feet, his suspicions were confirmed. Crocodiles!

Three mouths full of sharp teeth snapped at his heels, reaching up to take a bite out of the hero. Captain Proton allowed himself to feel relief as he touched down safely on the other side of the swamp. He paused only briefly to gain his balance and re-orientate himself before sprinting further into the forest. The sound of laser fire and the angry snapping of crocodiles reached Proton's ears, informing the Galactic Hero that he was still being pursued.

Ducking branches, avoiding poisonous blossoms and side-stepping thick puddles of mud, Proton was so caught up in his concentration that he failed to see what he was running towards until it was almost too late. A deep ravine stretched out before him, steep sides ensuring a painful but speedy death. Proton skidded to a halt seconds before plummeting over the edge. The loose pebbles cascaded over the side and into a deathly silence. Proton never heard if they hit the water below or not.

Taking a deep breath in surprise at his lucky escape, Captain Proton looked around to find a way across the ravine. His eyes settled on a rickety rope and wood bridge spanning fragily across the expanse; that swayed haphazardly in the slight breeze. It didn't look safe but that was just part of the excitement of being a Galactic Hero!

Swiftly moving to the bridge, Proton stepped carefully onto the structure, bracing himself as it lurched under his weight. The tortured groaning and creaking of rotten wood under the soles of his boots spurred him to move quicker despite the danger. Laser shots from the border of the forest caused him to start running despite the jerking movement below his feet and the dizzying vertigo when he glanced down into the ravine. He was almost three-quarters of the way across before danger hit.

An agonizing snapping sound that seemed to echo in the Captain's heightened hearing caused him to stop dead in his tracks. Whipping his head behind him, he saw one of the knots that tied the bridge to a sturdy tree was fraying from the added tension on the decaying rope. Proton watched in apprehension as the knot snapped free in an almost slow motion action. The rope bridge sharply swung down to the left causing Proton to stumble before throwing himself flat against the wooden slats to stop his unwanted fall to certain death.

He waited with baited breath as the next knot followed suit and snapped under the sudden added pressure. For one weightless moment, Proton felt like he was floating in mid-air. The moment was over as soon as it began as the bridge swung down towards the ravine and his body whacked into the slats he had previously been lying on. Digging his finger nails and his boot toes into the gaps between the slats, Captain Proton, the Galaxy's Hero, braced himself as he swung towards his death . . .

"Computer, freeze programme."

The sudden sound of the disembodied voice startled Lieutenant Tom Paris. He almost lost hold of his precarious hanging place despite the fact that the bridge was now 'frozen' in mid-air and the sound of laser fire had muted.

"Tom! Where are you?"

Tom let out an exasperated sigh as he heard the frustration and displeasure in B'Elanna Torres's voice.

"I'm coming, B'Elanna," he called out, with a semi-patient voice. "Aren't you having fun?"

"Fun?" B'Elanna's voice almost squawked. "I don't know how you talked me into this-"

Paris bit back a grin as he stopped her from continuing by commanding, "Computer, resume programme."

Immediately, the broken bridge hit the other side of the ravine taking the breath out of Captain Proton's lungs. The jolt of wood hitting rock caused Proton to lose his hold and drop a few slats before regaining his grip. Taking a deep breath, Proton managed to pull himself up the slats one agonizing stretch after another.

Proton collapsed on the other side of the ravine moments before the rope bridge finally collapsed into the abyss below. His knuckles, fingers and knees were scraped and bleeding but he paid no heed to them. He had a mission to complete and a near death experience was not going to stop him!

The unmistakable form of Captain Proton, Galaxy Hero, continued his arduous trek through the forest until he came to a clearing. Ruins from a bygone era, now fallen and in a state of decay, littered the area. Tiny bright eyes watched Captain Proton intently from deep within the shadows. The Galactic Hero was aware of the vampire bat's focus and chose to ignore them. His attention was riveted to the largest still-standing pillar. Stood atop, cross bow drawn, was a tribal warrior costumed in ceremonial war paint, feathers and animal skins. The warrior's steady proud gaze was fixed on the Galactic Hero and Proton knew that how he proceeded from now on would determine whether he would live or die. He hoped for the former as both men sized each another up without making a single move.

A deafening roaring noise echoed through the tense moment, disturbing both men's concentration. Without further warning, the south side of the forest was torn apart by the barrage of animals running for shelter. Captain Proton leaped upwards and caught hold of a low hanging branch from a nearby tree. Hauling himself up, he narrowly managed to miss being trampled to death by the stampeding herd. There was an eerie moment of silence as the last two-legged creature fled the clearing before a huge torrent of water crashed through the forest sweeping away everything in its path. Proton moved quickly further up the tree to a safer height. The tree bucked and swayed from the force of the flood washing around it but remained standing firm. Captain Proton let out a small sigh of relief and wander as he realized if he hadn't jumped upwards to safety, he would either have been swept away by the flood or drowned.

Looking towards the ruins, now mostly submerged, the warrior was no longer standing proud. He had vanished! Proton didn't know if he'd left during the stampede or if he'd drowned when the flood hit. The flood was still raging fiercely and it occurred to Proton that he was trapped with no way to escape!

C-c-r-r-a-a-c-c-k-k!

The tree limb that Captain Proton was sitting on suddenly snapped away from the tree trunk and crashed into the flood water below. Straddling the tree limb, Proton held on tightly as he was swept along with the tide. Broken thorn tree branches whipped passed the Hero's face as the flood pushed him deeper into the forest. Trying to stop his momentum by dragging his heels into the rapidly turning muddy water proved fruitless.

Unknown to the Galactic Super Hero, ahead was a waterfall with a deadly steep drop. Thousands of tonnes of water crashed over the cliff descending into a frothy mist below. The thunder of water drowned out the sound of a small log and its cargo being buffeted through the air and then tumbling into the white waters below with a final unnoticed crescendo. The log bobbed back up to the surface, empty, and floated calmly downstream. But where was Captain Proton, the Galactic Hero?

Around the bend from the waterfall, away from the crash of waves, a body floated serenely in the shallow water. It caught on a small overhang on the bank of the river and bobbed gently with the rhythm of the rippling water. Coughing up mouthfuls of water and gasping for lungfuls of air, the galaxy's favourite hero opened his eyes and managed to pull himself ashore. He was alive and safe!

Not even a second close call with death could stop the hero, as Proton pulled himself to his feet and looked around to get his bearings. Surprised, he found he was almost at his target. With renewed spirit and a spurt of adrenaline, Captain Proton began to run once more through the dense forest.

Bursting through the underbrush, Proton brandished his ray gun and called out, bravely, "Give it up, Chaotica, you evil fiend. You'll never defeat me! Now let Constance Goodheart go."

Instead of mocking the mocking laughter of his evil nemesis or the relieved scream from his loyal and beautiful secretary that had expected in response, only silence prevailed. Frowning, Captain Proton slowly lowered his weapon before looking around to see what was wrong. His jaw dropped in surprise.

Proton's evil nemesis, Dr Chaotica, who normally stood tall in his flowing cape and oozing maleovence, now lay sprawled in an undignified heap on the floor, unconscious. Though he was unconscious, a foot on his back kept him pinned on the ground firmly. Proton let his eyes follow the foot upwards and this time his expression changed to one of exasperation and amusement.

"B'Elanna," he said. "You're supposed to be playing Constance Goodheart. You're supposed to wait for the hero – me – to come and rescue you."

"You were taking too long," growled B'Elanna Torres, with a scowl. She wore the long white revealing dress of Captain Proton's beautiful secretary but also wore her usual Klingon glare that could send a grown man cowering for cover. "And I am not a damsel in distress!"

"You certainly aren't," murmured Tom Paris, AKA Captain Proton, in agreement with a smile. He was smart enough to keep out of the Chief Engineer's hitting range.

B'Elanna speared him a look but relented with a small smile at his innocent expression.

"C'mon, flyboy," she said, stepping over the crumpled form of Dr Chaotica. "I still have an hour before I start my shift and you still owe me a meal for agreeing to dress like this."

"You're the boss," responded Paris, as he walked with B'Elanna towards the exit. "I bet you'd love to join in with the new Captain Proton holo-programme that Harry and I have been working on. Of course you'd have to play Constance Goodheart again-"

"Computer end programme."

The End.