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Against All Odds

Part 4

Ok we are in serious trouble

After a very intense scavenger hunt through the rear of the plane Sydney had been able to find only a scattering of supplies that they could use to help them survive the forest elements. As she stared at the small pile arranged in front of her she could only wonder how the hell they were going to make it out of there.

Sensing Vaughn approach from behind she turned round and leaned into him for a reassuring hug before stepping back to see how he was doing.

"Hey, how are you feeling now?"

"Better thanks. My chest is still a bit tender but on the whole I feel a lot better than I did ten minutes ago." Glancing down at the pile in front of them he tried to see what Sydney was able to recover from the wreckage. "How's the communications situation? Did you locate a radio or cell phone?"

"I struck out on both I'm afraid. The whole cockpit is a no-go area and my cell phone was smashed during the landing. There is no way we are going to be able to contact anyone from here." She bent down and removed a map she had found in one of the plane's compartments and shook it slightly to remove some of the dust.

"I had a quick glance at this map earlier and noticed that there was a town located about two days walk from Sloane's former base." She pointed to the location on the map. "It wouldn't be any use going back to the warehouse as it was completely cleaned out. I think the best solution for us is to head for the town and then call base for assistance from there. The only problem is that I can't be certain of the distance between the town and our location; I can only make an assumption of about four days. Do you think you will be able to make it that far?" She asked giving him a concerned look. She didn't want to push him when he was obviously injured.

"I think so." Vaughn frowned slightly and glanced at the wreckage. "But don't you think we should stay with the plane? I mean they must know by now that something has happened to us and surely they would send out rescue aircraft."

"I thought about that but the plane is just too well concealed by the trees. I think it's very unlikely that rescue personnel would be able to find it. I don't think we should take that chance with the limited supplies we have at our disposal. There's also the possibility that Sloane is still in the vicinity and witnessed the plane go down. We have got no weapons to speak of and are not in the best of conditions for a confrontation. Depending on the size of his entourage I'm not sure we could take him on in this sort of environment."



Glancing up at the canopy overhead Vaughn realised Sydney was right. Despite the fact he was putting on a brave face he didn't feel up to one-on-one combat with anyone right at this minute. Walking the short distance to the plane had taken a lot out of him, he only hoped he could keep up with Sydney once they started moving and not slow her down. He made a promise to himself that if he became a burden to her he would have to cut himself loose. He would not sacrifice her life for his.

Returning his gaze to the pile at his feet he wondered if they had the necessary equipment to help them once they got going.



"What did you find in the plane?"

She sighed before responding. "Let's just say if you see any Mounties nearby, grab them."

He frowned. "That bad hey?"

"Well we've got a small supply of food rations, three bottles of water, a life raft, a torch, and a flare gun. Unfortunately there was no sign of a compass but I did locate the first aid kit." She waved the slightly dented tin in front of him triumphantly. "Now I can bandage your wound properly." She took a step forward and opened the box, taking out a large bandage. As she started wrapping it around his arm she paused to question the smile that was lighting up his face.

"Ok out with it, what are you smiling at?"

"I'm just imagining you as a nurse. I currently have a very nice mental image of you in the uniform and it's having an extremely positive affect on my pain levels."

She shook her head and smiled shyly, absent-mindedly tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear before returning to tie the bandage. When it was secured tightly she kissed him gently on the lips and leaned in close to whisper in his ear.

"When we get home I'll wear a nurse's uniform just for you to celebrate our safe return."

Smiling at the look of happiness on his face Sydney bent down and added the first aid kit to the pile. Her gaze wandered again to the wreckage and the reality of the situation sombrely returned to her. She tried to force the pessimistic thoughts that were haunting her to the back of her mind. In front of Vaughn she was trying to play the role of the eternal optimist but the truth of the situation was that in their condition it could take longer than the four days she implied to get to the town, and their food supply might not last them that long.

She was also worried about Vaughn's injuries. The temporary bandage she had removed had been soaked with blood, and his chest seemed to be causing him a large amount of discomfort. She knew that he would play down his injuries to her and she could only wonder just how serious his injuries were. The idea to stay with the plane did seem awfully tempting but what if no help came?

Taking a second glance at the map in front of her Sydney sighed and tried again to gauge their location.

"I wish I had found a compass." She moaned, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Remind me the next time we fly to pack an emergency kit in my hand luggage......oh and keep a compass on a chain round my neck! Tell me you went camping when you were a kid."

"Uh yeah but my back garden looked pretty different to this." Vaughn replied pointing to their vast surroundings. He sighed and pulled her up into a standing position so he could place a trail of kisses along her neck.

"I knew I should have paid more attention when we were watching Survivor the other week."

Giving in to the feelings that always overwhelmed her whenever he was near, Sydney was just about to raise her head and return his kiss when he suddenly stopped what he was doing. She inched back a little further to reclaim his touch.

"Actually that's a very good point. I think the finger of blame could quite easily be pointed at you." He said taking a step back and placing his hands on his hips.

"What?" Sydney asked, a little disorientated.

"I was very much engrossed in that programme, taking in all the finer points of survival tactics when a certain someone completely threw themselves upon me and distracted me from my intense study. Now instead of knowing the art of building a compass using only a twig we are condemned to the knowledge that we very well may never make it out of here alive. I hope you are happy." As he raised his arms and crossed them over his chest in dramatic gesture, Sydney struggled to contain the laughter that was building up inside of her. She could tell Michael was joking by the similar grin that was starting to appear on his face and decided to play along.

"Well Vaughn I gotta say you were quite easy to distract. You put up no effort whatsoever leading me to believe that your focus was not fully on the programme anyway. So we could say this is actually your fault. If you had put up just the smallest amount of will power you would be leading us out of here as we speak. But since you aren't I will just have to take the lead and use other means to get us out of here."

Sydney glanced up into the sky and turned herself around to face the gaze of the sun. As she raised her left arm she lifted back the sleeve of her top in one fluid motion and pointed the twelve figure on her watch to the sun. She gave a little murmur of satisfaction before returning to face Vaughn.

"According to the map the town we are heading for is north from here. Using my trusted watch as a compass I have deduced that North is that way." She gestured to the right to show Vaughn. "Oh and honey, I have decided to forgive you and to show you that, I'll let you follow me." She gave him a wink before bending down to start packing the supplies into a rucksack.

Vaughn paused for a moment taking what she said in. "Ok you're making that up right?"

Sydney stayed quiet and busied herself with the packing.

"Syd?"

Raising her face to meet his gaze she stared back at him, her face a picture of innocence.

"Michael?"

"Ok, ok I concede." He held his hands up in surrender. He gave her a quick smile and bent down to help her pack, accidentally brushing his hand with hers. "How the hell did you know that?"

"Simple." Sydney replied, trying to stay focused. "I was recording Survivor anyway. I just watched it later when you were asleep."

At his confused look Sydney patted him on the cheek, broke into a wide grin, and said, shaking her head. "Michael, Michael, Michael......when will you learn? Men play the game, women know the score."

After a beat Vaughn realised he had been played and vowed revenge against her.

"You do realise that serious payback is going to be order, don't you?" He asked.

Sydney smiled wickedly "I look forward to it."