The Dreaming – chapter 4

Search and Rescue

Colonel Wilma Deering tried to quell the panic that was rising in her gut as Hawk's anguished voice relayed over the emergency channel. Her calm exterior demeanour gave nothing away of her inner turmoil as she scrambled a rescue mission and begun issuing orders to her assigned crew. Her starfighter streaked ahead of the rescue shuttle as her computerised system tracked the co-ordinates of Hawk's comlink. She knew that every second counted as Buck lay in the forest. She didn't want to contemplate just what could be happening to him right now. She only hoped that the mist enshrouded terrain Hawk had described wasn't too bad for them to land.

Please let us be on time she prayed. She simply could not contemplate losing Buck. Every time he went away, a small piece of her went with him. He was the most amazing man she had ever encountered and she'd come to care about him more than any other man in her entire life – even she had realised, after the hazardous journey to Oasis, more than she had once cared about her old flame Aram Duvoe. She had long since accepted, though that the special, close friendship she shared with Buck may be all that ever happened between them, and tried to ignore the longing in her heart for more.

When they reached the planet, visibility was poor and if it wasn't for the starfighter's accurate navigation system being able to locate the earlier shuttle, Wilma and her crew would have crashed into the trees. Both ships made it down safely to find a very distressed Hawk waiting for them. It was clear that he was cold and was quickly wrapped in an insulating blanket but he refused to go back to the shuttle until they found Buck.

"Hawk, please you're going to catch a chill," admonished Wilma." but her plea fell on deaf ears and she reluctantly agreed that his input was necessary if they were going to find Buck.

Armed with huge searchlights, the rescue team set off on their perilous journey through the forest. A journey made even more hazardous by the thick fog, combined with the danger of quicksand and the possibility of encountering more of the strange animated plants. One of the party, a tall, stocky man carried on his shoulder a large cylinder which was attached to a rubber hose.

Someone suggested that they waited until the mist cleared but Wilma was resolute and waved off the suggestion.

"We don't have time lieutenant," she said stiffly, "we don't know what Buck is up against – or what's happening to him." Her voice broke as she spoke the last word.

The others glanced at each other. It was obvious to everyone on the Searcher that Colonel Deering cared deeply about Captain Rogers. She would never otherwise have risked such a rescue mission in these terrible conditions, her common sense would have prevailed and told her to wait until the mist lifted but she was adamant. They were going to continue to look for him.

Two unlucky soldiers blundered into the swamp and cried out for help. They were thrown a rope by another team member but only one of them was saved. He could only watch in horror as his ill-fated companion sank without trace.

Wilma felt guilty about the soldier's death, but she knew that the chance of losing a friend or loved one was a possibility every time the Directorate scrambled starfighters or accepted an undercover mission. To dwell on such matters caused hesitation and this could not be allowed. She had always managed to remain professionally detached throughout her career, trying not to let personal feelings hinder her job, usually...

They wandered round for what seemed like ages. It looked to all extent like their mission was going to prove fruitless and even Wilma with a heavy heart contemplated calling off the rescue until visibility had improved, then someone stumbled against an obstruction. At first they thought to be a fallen tree but it was the wrong shape and texture to be a log. A triumphant cry rang through the forest.

"Colonel, it's Captain Rogers – I think we've found him!"

*******

The impending darkness meant they had to act quickly. Buck was shrouded from head to foot in a damp, green cocoon. The strange, alien plant, however fought back! Even more threatening, in its reluctance to relinquish its pray, it wrapped a cruel snake-like tendril around Buck's throat, and started to squeeze the life from him.

Realising the urgency of the matter, Lieutenant Gregory, the man who had been carrying the cylinder stepped forward and pointed the hose at the plant. He turned a switch and a bright green liquid spewed forth. The tendrils which moments earlier were squeezing the life from Buck, now started to shrivel up and die. In the container was a chemical compound prepared by Dr Goodfellow. It was poisonous to the plant but completely harmless to humans. The brave soldier fought tirelessly to free Buck of the remaining, shrivelled bonds, starting with the one fastened around his neck. The leaf attached to Buck's chest at last fell away, leaving an open, bloody wound.

"Captain Rogers, can you hear me? Captain Rogers." He leaned over and put his ear to Buck's lips which had now turned purplish blue. "He's not breathing!" he cried.

Wilma threw herself down on the floor and joined by Hawk, she tore at the vines, not caring or noticing that she was breaking her finger nails in the process. She pulled at the now shrivelled, dead vines, scraped leaves and muck away from Buck's face as tears ran down her cheeks. She placed her hands on Buck's chest, and remembering what Buck had taught her about CPR, she interlocked her fingers and started doing manual chest compressions, until her crew members attached the portable computerised defibrillator. "Come on Buck, you can't leave me – not like this!" She couldn't help but notice though, that the corners of Buck's mouth were turned up in a smile. Whatever this plant had done to him, he looked so...content.

The small device was fitted to Buck's chest. A blue light came on and within seconds it had administered a small electronic shock to the unconscious man.

"We have him," Lieutenant Gregory called out, "Colonel, he's breathing."

Wilma threw her hands up to her face and wiped away the tears, "Thank God," she exclaimed.

Hawk said a silent prayer of thanks to Make Make.

An oxygen mask was quickly placed over Buck's mouth and he slowly drifted back to consciousness. His eyelids started to flicker, "Wilma?" But although the plant was dead, the effects of the venom that Buck had been injected with were far from Over.

To be continued