Dragon Team Seven

by Toby Neighbors

  “You have solar blankets in your packs,” she told them. “Spread them on the ground and get some more rest while you can. We won’t be going anywhere until the sun rises and this storm passes.”

  “If the river keeps rising,” Ember said. “Will we be able to use the raft?”

  “Not safely,” Tveit said. “We’ll just have to wait and see what the morning brings.”

  Nick didn’t want to think about the morning. All he wanted to do was sleep, to fall back into the sweet oblivion where his mind wasn’t fixated on the constant dangers and his emotions didn’t make him want to flee.

  Nick spread his blanket by the fire and was soon asleep. When he opened his eyes again, the sky was gray with clouds overhead, and the fire was nothing but smoking chunks of saturated wood.

  He sat up and looked around. Ty was perched on a fallen log not far away. Kal, Jules, and Ember still slept. Nick checked the chrono on his data-link. It was less than an hour past dawn. He pulled a container of protein powder from his backpack that had served as a pillow and mixed his breakfast.

  “Morning, Nichols,” Gunny Tveit said.

  “How’s the river?” Nick asked.

  “It’s a mess. Lots of debris. There must have been a stronger storm to our south.”

  “I’m glad it didn’t hit us,” Nick said.

  “Me too,” Tveit replied. “What’s your reading on the evac zone?”

  He brought up the directional app on his helmet. They were only about one hundred and fifty kilometers from the evac zone if they traveled in a straight line. He was confident they could reach the area, but it would require crossing the river.

  “Looks like we made camp on the wrong side,” he said.

  “How far do we have to go?”

  “One hundred and fifty klicks,” Nick said, “if we travel straight toward it.”

  “Why wouldn’t we?” Tveit asked.

  “Because of the river.”

  “We can’t float it now,” she replied. “We have to decide if we should wait until the water calms down or find a way across and continue on foot.”

  Nick didn’t want to give up on the river. It still made a lot of sense to him to finish their trek using the river’s power to move them with little effort on their part. But he also recognized that he was holding to the idea just out of pride. Taking the river had been his idea to begin with and he didn’t want to give up on it, even though he knew it might be days before the water calmed enough to safely continue using the raft.

  “I wouldn’t mind hiking out,” Nick said. “But we still have to get across the river.”

  “It’s a risk we’ll have to take,” Gunny Tveit said.

  “What if I take the raft across and run a line so that we can ferry back and forth?”

  “It’s a good idea, but the water is too strong. You’d need a steel cable and several attachments to keep the current from pushing you downstream.”

  “So we go together?” Nick asked. “What if the raft capsizes or breaks apart?”

  “What options do we have?” Tveit asked.

  Nick thought about the question for a moment. The river was still moving in the right general direction, but Nick knew they wouldn’t come to a natural ford. The river was wide and deep. They might be able to swim across, but with their gear it would be difficult. On the other hand, it would be impossible to move the raft down river. They could try to walk it down, but the bank was difficult ground to traverse and the river’s current would be too strong.

  The only other option Nick could think of was to retrieve the cushions from the escape pod, hike down the river in hopes that the water slowed, and then swim with the cushions as life preservers. He couldn’t decide which option carried the least risk.

  “I get the feeling you have already made up your mind,” Nick said. “You’re the NCO—aren’t you suppose to give us orders?”

  “In the field, yes,” she said. “But this is a training exercise. My function is to keep you alive and encourage you to solve problems on your own. I might not always be around to save you.”

  Nick wanted to scoff, but the truth was, he felt better when Gunny Tveit was close by. She had a self-assurance that Nick envied. He was creative and resourceful, but he was riddled with doubt. Fear was robbing him of the ability to make decisions. His greatest fear was that his poor choices would cost someone else their life. The attack of the feline creature played over and over again in his mind. What bothered him most was the speed of the attack. There was hardly any time to react, and certainly no time for someone to intervene. He thought about how Kal had rushed to his aid, and he couldn’t help but fear what might have become of him in the few seconds it took his best friend to reach him. He could have been bitten, ripped to bloody ribbons by the animal’s claws, his life torn away—or worse yet, left to linger in excruciating pain, too wounded to survive.

  “The way I see it,” Nick finally said. “Our best chance is to gear up, fight our way across the river on the raft, then hike out to the evac zone.”

  “You’ve considered everything else?”

  “Everything I can think of,” Nick said. “We can’t ford the river without risking our lives. We could retrieve the cushions from the escape pod and travel along the riverbank in hopes that the water calms. But that will take us kilometers out of the way, with no guarantee that the water will become less volatile.”

  “And we can’t move the raft,” she added. “So for now it’s our best resource to get across safely. That’s good reasoning, Private. In most situations, there will be options. Your job is to put the mission first—to figure out the best way to achieve the goal and then attack it directly. Danger will always be part of the equation, so don’t try to avoid it all together.”

  “You’ve been in worse situations, I suppose,” Nick said.

  “I have. It doesn’t get easier. There are times when bad things happen and no one can stop them.”

  “You’ve lost people?” Nick asked.

  She nodded. A lump of fear formed in his stomach. Nick thought he could handle facing danger himself. It wasn’t easy, and he wasn’t deluded about it. He was terrified of dying—the animal attack the night before had proven that beyond all doubt. Yet what he feared most was seeing his friends die. He wasn’t sure he could handle that. Even the thought of it left him cold.

  “I’ll rouse the others,” he said.

  She nodded. Ty stood up and walked over to where Jules was sleeping. He bent down and gave her a gentle shake. Then Nick put his hand on Ember’s shoulder. He could see her face through her helmet’s transparent front; the padding cradled her cheekbones, and she looked peaceful. He hated to wake her, but knew he had to. Her eyes fluttered open, and the smile that spread across her features was like seeing the sunrise after a cold night.

  “Good morning,” she said.

  Nick stood, extending his hand to her. Ember stretched, then took his hand. He pulled her up to her feet.

  “Good morning,” he replied. “Get some chow. We’ll be heading out soon.”

  Nick stepped over to Kal and nudged him with the toe of his boot.

  “Hey man, what gives?” Kal grumbled. “You offer Em a hand and smile and all I get is a kick good morning?”

  “You were awake?”

  “What can I say, I’m a light sleeper. You going to help me up?”

  “Sure,” Nick said with a smile.

  He pulled his friend to his feet.

  “What’s for breakfast?” Kal asked.

  “Gruel,” Ty said. “All you can eat.”

  Nick was about to add that they didn’t have much time when a thunderous roar rolled over the hills toward them. Everyone froze, looking for any sign of danger. Whatever had made the noise wasn’t in sight, but Nick didn’t want to wait for it.

  “I’m not hungry,” Kal said.

  “Yeah, we better move,” Nick said.

  “What’s the plan?” Jules asked Gunny Tveit.

  “We’re cros
sing the river, then hiking to the evac zone. Grab your gear and let’s move!”

  Chapter 34

  Everyone carried their own gear. Nick still felt a little strange without a spear, but he forced himself to focus on the task of getting across the river. Nick and Kal were the last aboard the raft, untying the paracords that held the small vessel against the surge of the storm-swollen current. Both of them nearly fell trying to get aboard. The raft rocked unsteadily under their sudden movement.

  “Let’s keep her steady!” Gunny Tveit ordered.

  Ty was pushing away from the bank, and despite the best efforts of Ember, Jules, and their sergeant, the raft was spinning.

  “We can’t keep it straight,” Jules said.

  “Use the poles,” Kal said.

  Nick had the second pole and he moved opposite Ty. He planted the long shaft into the water, feeling it catch on the muddy bottom. A hard shove sent the raft a little closer to the opposite bank.

  “This is crazy,” Ember shouted.

  “Keep rowing!” Tveit ordered.

  “We can do it,” Nick called out.

  They were racing downstream much faster than ever before. The water surged around them, gurgling through invisible eddies and filled with debris. Nick saw trees and bushes tumbling through the water as he planted his pole and shoved again. The raft seemed to fight their progress. It was racing downstream but pushing them back toward the shore.

  Disaster was what ultimately saved them. A hidden rock just below the surface of the swollen river caught the front of the raft. Ember and Ty were both tossed off the wooden platform and into the swirling waters. Everyone was shouting, and then the raft, held in the strong current, the wood flexing under the pressure, suddenly broke apart. The paracord snapped, and the logs split apart, but only on one end. The rear section of the raft held and spun toward the shore they were making for. Nick slammed his pole onto the rock and pushed with all his strength.

  “Damn!” Kal shouted as his foot slipped between two of the logs. He managed to jerk his leg free before the logs slammed back together, but in the process he toppled from the raft.

  “Get to the bank!” Tveit shouted.

  “What about the others?” Nick said.

  He could see Ember and Ty bobbing ahead of them. Kal had managed to take hold of the side of the raft and was holding on tight.

  “They’ll make it,” Tveit said. “Keep going. We’ll pick them up downstream. Swim hard, Gracie.”

  “I’ve got her,” Ty said, his voice frantic but clear over the com-links in their helmets.

  “I’m okay,” Ember said.

  Nick was working hard to get the raft to the bank. The current was trying to pull the logs apart. They made it into calmer waters behind a row of rocks near the bend in the river. Nick didn’t wait or try to salvage the raft. He jumped into the water, which flowed swiftly around his legs, and charged toward dry land. Gunny Tveit and Jules were right behind him. Kal had a harder time, but once Nick was on the bank, he stretched out his pole to his friend, who took hold and used it to gain his footing and slog to shore.

  “That was a disaster,” Kal said as he dropped down onto his hands and knees.

  “Wait here,” Nick told them, before hurrying down the riverbank.

  “Stay in pairs,” Tveit shouted. “Lonzo, stay with Phillips. I’m going with Nichols to help the others.”

  “Roger that,” Jules said.

  Nick didn’t wait for his sergeant; he knew his friends were in trouble. Even at a full sprint, he was barely keeping pace with the river. If Ty and Ember didn’t get to the shore on their own, there was little Nick could do to help, but his fears propelled him forward. In the distance, Nick saw Ember pulled high up on a rock that rose up from the water that foamed white as it rushed around the stone.

  “I’ve got eyes on Gracie!” Nick shouted.

  “What about Ty?” Kal asked over the com-link.

  “He’s here,” Ember said. She was panting, and there was a note of terror in her voice, but she assured them that Ty was okay.

  “Wait for help, Nichols,” Tveit said. “I’m coming up behind you.”

  Nick dashed to the bank, which was over a meter above the water. Unlike the place he had come ashore, the river where Ember was stranded was much less hospitable. He dropped to his knees and flung out the pole he’d used when crossing the river. It was just long enough for Ember to take hold of the end.

  “Hold on tight,” Nick said. “I’ll pull you ashore.”

  “I’ve got it,” Ember said as she eased back into the water.

  The current jerked her suddenly downstream, and Nick fell onto his side and began sliding off the steep bank.

  “Got you!” Tveit said as she grabbed his shoulders and hauled him back onto the bank just in time. “That’s why you should have waited, Nichols.”

  “Sorry, Sergeant,” Nick replied, his face flushing with embarrassment.

  “Gracie, take hold of those roots,” Tveit ordered.

  Nick had been slowly swinging Ember toward the bank. It was too steep for her to climb up alone, but a tree near the bank had a cluster of gnarled roots protruding out from the steep bank and hanging down into the water.

  “Got it,” she called.

  “I’ll pull her free. You get the pole back to Ormond,” Tveit ordered. “But tell him not to let go of that rock until I get back.”

  “Yes, Sergeant!” Nick said.

  “Uh, Sergeant,” Ember said in a strange voice. “We have a problem.”

  Tveit dropped onto her knees just above Ember and held onto the tree trunk as she leaned out over the water.

  “What’s wrong?” Tveit asked.

  She was reaching down toward Ember, and Nick looked their way just as Ember shouted a warning.

  “Look out!”

  Gunny Sergeant Tveit saw the danger a second too late. She tried to pull her hand back, but the snake that had taken refuge in the dangling roots was faster. It struck Tveit’s hand, the long fangs snagging in the ligaments, vessels, and bones. As she pulled back she also pulled the serpent free of the tree roots. It dangled for a second in the air, then dropped.

  To Nick’s amazement, Ember didn’t shy away or lose her grip on the roots. Instead she reached up, grabbed the snake as it fell and flung it out into the river where it couldn’t hurt her.

  “Damn,” Gunny Tveit said. “Damn, damn.”

  “What’s going on?” Jules said as she and Kal came jogging down the river bank.

  “Gunny’s hurt,” Nick said. “Kal, give me a hand. Jules—”

  “I’m on it,” Jules cut him off.

  Kal held onto Nick as they pulled Ty across the raging river. Jules hauled up Ember and then helped Ty climb up the tree roots to safety. Nick should have felt relieved. All his friends had survived the crossing—but one look at Gunny Tveit stole all sense of accomplishment away.

  “How bad is it?” Nick asked as he bent down next to Gunny Sergeant Tveit.

  “It was venomous,” she said in a shaky voice. “Burns like my hand is on fire.”

  “What kind of first aid do we have?” Jules demanded, flinging off her pack and starting to dig through it.

  “We don’t have anti-venom,” Tveit said. “Gotta get me to the evac zone.”

  “Alright,” Nick said. “Let’s do that. I’ll take point. Jules, you help the sergeant walk. We’ll go until she can’t walk, and then we’ll figure out what to do next.”

  “We can make a litter,” Kal said. “Use a couple of saplings and our solar blankets.”

  “Good idea, but let’s walk while she’s able,” Nick said.

  “Won’t that just make the blood circulate faster?” Ty asked.

  “Can’t stop that now,” Tveit said. “Our best bet is speed.”

  Nick could see that her hand was already swelling. He helped her up and Jules wrapped the sergeant’s uninjured hand around her shoulders.

  “I’ve got her,” Jules said.

 
“We’ll swap with you once you get tired,” Nick said.

  Jules nodded.

  “You good, Em?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little shaky,” Ember said.

  “Okay then, here we go.”

  Nick brought up the directional display on his helmet. It pointed him in the right direction. They had almost a hundred fifty klicks to go before they would reach the evac zone. If they pushed hard, he thought, they might make it by dark the following day if they kept moving all night. It would be risky, but Gunny Tveit might die if they didn’t get her help.

  Nick picked up his sergeant’s spear and set the pace as they headed out into the jungle. He was soon forced to break down the spear so that he could use the D-Gar to cut their way through the thick foliage. The forest had broad-leafed trees and climbing vines. He avoided the tangles when he could and hacked his way through when he couldn’t. He was forced to move more slowly than he wanted to, but every step brought them closer to rescue.

  Gunny Tveit made it nearly three hours before she couldn’t hold herself up anymore. The good news was that the poison hadn’t killed her. The hand that had been bitten had swollen until her armor locked down. The pain was her biggest issue. She did her best not to make a sound, but Nick knew she was hurting. The pain and shock had robbed her of strength. When she couldn’t walk, they took a break.

  Nick and Kal found two young trees. They cut the arbors down and stripped them of their limbs and bark. Next they tied solar blankets to the poles, overlapping the thin material so that it would support Gunny Tveit’s weight.

  “How is she?” Kal asked as they moved her onto the litter.

  “Passed out a few minutes ago,” Jules said.

  She and Ember had taken turns helping Tveit walk. They were all tired after the ordeal on the river and marching through the jungle, but Nick knew they couldn’t take time to rest.

  “We’ve got to push on,” he said.

  “Shouldn’t we let her rest?” Kal asked. “We could all use a break, man.”

  “I know that,” Nick said. “But we aren’t getting one. We’ve got to get her off this planet as soon as possible. That means marching all day and night. We don’t stop until we reach the evac zone.”