Chapter 46

I get down from the tree, eventually. True I was clinging to it most of the way and this slowed me down. There was a fall involved and a lot of swearing.

I am now standing over the limp form of the operative I have been sent to find. Before I can check her vitals, I need to remove as much of the pollen as possible. It’s affecting me again. Things are getting wavy again according to my eyes.

I used clumps of the damp grass around us, I get some of but she is caked in the stuff. Checking her neck, I feel a pulse strong but erratic. Ok, good news, but she’s out cold.

I begin to strip the kit of her body. As I am going to have to carry her, I need her to be as light as possible. I will not remove her armour as that will endanger her if we are attacked from behind. I must combine that with my kit and present physical condition meaning this was going to be hard.

She has two devices attached to her armour across her chest. They are about the size of a smartphone and about as thick. They have been integrated into her armour. I leave them but part of me wants to smash them to annoy Hawk, but I let that pass.

Just.

I get her ready, then stop to eat and drink again. I reload my flare gun and check myself over once again. Happy I take a deep breath and kneel down. I pick her up and put her into a fireman’s carry position over my shoulders. I get up slowly due to the extra weight almost falling over. My body is audibly creaking. That’s not good!

I head out of the zone. I move slowly due to carrying an unconscious body over uneven terrain in fog on the lookout for killer plants. Also, the earth seems to be moving like I was on a ship.

I hate my job! I do.

Following the trail back is made harder with me breathing in the pollen. She was still covered in a lot as was I. Things heading back were intense as my vision and head state were all over the place. Movement flickered at the corners of my vision edges; colours were more vivid and my emotional state was changing fast.

I wanted to drop her and just lay down to sleep, she was heavy man!

Ssllllleeeeeeepppp. Sounds good right now!

……

“Shit! Keep with it!”

I was able to refuse these ideas and kept my eye on the prize. Getting out of the zone! That was the most important thing, not the really good looking sandwich walking over there.

I lost the trail several times along the way backtracking and finding it again. Suddenly I was out of the zone near where I had entered, with this realisation, I collapsed.

Breathing hard I closed my eyes but I heard a voice nearby.

Looking up I saw one of the perimeter military guards talking into a mic. Several meters away.

“Biohazard protocols!” I yelled to him. Was that right? Yeah, I think so.

He nodded still at distance relaying my report. I just lay there in the late afternoon light a tangled mess with the other operative. Just glad to be out of there. I was feeling a bit mellow now, mellow yellow. The pollen has made a lot of the pain I am feeling dull which allowed me to get out of the zone. My knees are not happy with me even with the blocking effects, my back was wanting a word as well. Dudes chill it’s all good!

The sky is clear and the air is clean and fresh. I lift my faceplate and allow myself to just breathe. Breathing just breathing this is good I decide. I was breathing heavily but I am slowing down, most likely breathing in more of that pollen shit but I just don’t care right now.

I get a few minutes of peace. I use it to maximum effect. I wallow in the feeling of peace, I close my eyes and just exist for now.

“Operative Harrington report!” Hawk speaks breaking the peace totally ruining the mood I was enjoying.

And there it is the end of my moment of peace, I sigh heavily. I open my eyes and look up from the ground. A large group of people have arrived in the environmental protection suits.

“The yellow shit on us is a drug of some type. Its causes you to trip if you inhale it. She’s alive by the way.” I tell them. Indicating the other operative.

They are pulling out equipment to take samples and readings. I lean back as they check on the other operative’s vitals. I have forgotten her name again. They quickly turn their attention to me.

“How are you feeling?” Someone asks me. Hawk is hanging out close listening to everything.

“It’s some sort of pollen. I encountered two plant creatures in there. I was hit hard and tripped just as hard. I am still feeling the effects.” Waving in the vague direction of the zone from the ground. I have to focus on the person talking, a light is flashed into my eyes.

“Ok. We are going to transport you to the decon tent and then we are going to hold you in isolation to check how you are.”

“Sure, no problem. Not going anywhere right now.” I can’t be bothered at all right now even to get up.

“Alright, we are going to check your vitals some more.” The person checks my vitals via my neck pulse. The other operative is picked up and loaded onto a stretcher and carried off.

“I can get there on my own I think.” I say as I begin to get up. Someone helps me as I get up. The bloody ground is still wobbly we will need to check on that!

The world spins then for a second too but quickly settles. I am herded by the group as they led me to the decon tent. We do not travel very quickly as four people are carrying the operative on a stretcher. The base personnel are out of the way at the recommended safe distance. We take a more roundabout way through the camp.

“We will do a full debrief as soon as you are able.” Hawk is next to me talking. I don’t care at this moment.

We reach the tent. The other operative is sent in first. I wait.

I stand around. Just looking around. I notice something.

“Hey who’s that?” I ask pointing at someone lurking around some crates.

Hawk spins around to where I am pointing. The figure is a slightly overweight man, not in typical military fatigues filming us with a mobile phone. He pales and turns and runs.

“Hawk to security intruder in the base check the perimeter!” Hawk set off after him still communicating into his radio. He does not go too far as he is within the containment area. Others quickly joined the chase. I lose interest not important right now. I realise what is, I have the munchies!

I stand around just enjoying watching people do their thing at a distance for most wondering where there is food. The tents are designed for one and as she is unconscious, they have two women in there taking her out of her armour.

Everything is more vivid for me. The colours and sounds. To me, at the moment the whole camp is an amazing thing in motion. No food that I can see which brings me down a little.

The water starts up in the tent. I will not be long for my own showering down. They are placing her armour in a biohazard-marked crate for transportation. Samples of the pollen are also packed into separate containers.

The team turns their attention to me and soon samples are also being taken. From me, they get the weird green ooze as well as pollen. They ask me about different things as they catalogue the different substances. They even take samples of grass and dirt from my armour.

Hawk returns talking into his suit radio as he walks toward us.

“Sorry. A zone watcher somehow got into the perimeter.” Hawk explained. “We have him in custody at the moment.”

“Ok.” Was still not really interested.

“How are you feeling?” He asks. Concern on his face.

“I am high as fuck!” I tell him as I start laughing.

“Evidently.” He says unsure to be amused or shocked. Some of the others snigger.

“Can you hand over your axe and shield?” A technician asks. This brings them back to the fact that the high guy is also well armed.

“Sure.” I hand over them with no argument. They are packed into different containers. Biohazard symbols are all over them.

“Next we need all the equipment and other weapons now please.” Again, it is all catalogued and stored for transport. “Helmet now please.”

That is added into a crate after a few attempts to get it off. I sat down awaiting my turn in the shower. A woman in an environmental suit starts talking. I am a bit zoned out then. She tries to attract my attention.

“Sorry lost you there for a moment.” I told her as I focus.

“Of course. I am Dr Sheldon camp physician. Can you tell me what happened to you when exposed to this yellow substance?” Her voice was coming through a filter and was a little muffled.

“No problem. The fog in some areas was yellowish. I didn’t notice at first but when I ran into the first triffid…”

“Triffid?” Hawk asks.

“Yea tall plant things look like triffids from that old tv series. So, the triffid was standing around not threatening. I got worried when I realised it was following me. That wasn’t cool by the way. We got into a fight, killed it and as it died shot this yellow stuff all over me.” I told the doctor. “I think I will call it mellow yellow.”

“Good to know. Then what happened.” She gently prompts me.

“I tripped hard. Man, I was gone for hours. Don’t remember much.”

“Did you pass out?” She began to ask more questions.

“Not sure.”

“Did you ingest any of it?”

“Maybe.” I am feeling tired and hungry now. Major munchies alert!

“How are you feeling now?”

“Stoned. Think major munchies are coming on.”

“Do you think this yellowish fog is still affecting you now?”

“Yes.”

“Right, we need to remove your armour.”

An additional barrier is set up around us for privacy. I take off my armour and boots with some issues. They are taken away, she does more basic tests as they are resetting the decon shower for me. Blood samples are taken. I did not even notice the needle in my arm until they were removing it.

“Shower is almost ready. Operative Harrington, we will shower you down and then you will be placed into an environmental suit to be transported back to Command.” She tells me.

“He is not able to give you a proper debrief in this condition.” She tells Hawk.

“Thank you, Dr Sheldon. I will gather my team and head back with them. Additional transports are on the way.”

He leaves this to a separate area to get out of the environmental suit. I just sit there not caring.

“Ok Operative Harrington your up.” A technician in a suit tells me, I am led into the shower area. “Ok, we need the underwear.”

“Bloody hell don’t I even get a movie and a meal first!” I exclaim.

“Sorry no.” He tells me. I swear I hear more sniggering from somewhere behind the curtain.

“Alright.” I give up what is asked for. When he has left, they shower me with cold chemically saturated water.

“Fuck me that’s cold!” I am scrubbed down to make sure that nothing I had been exposed to from the zone was left. It is never a pleasant experience at the best of times. I dry myself off and I am supplied an environmental suit to wear. I got into it and seal it all up. A technician checks my seals and gives me a thumbs up.

After it is on, I am led into another tent with the sleeping operative I had rescued also in a suit like mine. She is on a cot while I get a chair, I can hear the sound of my breathing echoing in the helmet.

I still can’t remember her name.

We are left there. I doze for a while to the best of my ability. There is a hose running down my back to an air tank at the base of my spine. My stomach slowly got more vocal. Thankfully we are not there long, I think. I hear the sound of several helicopters approaching.

I see the others who came with me this morning boarding one group of helicopters. Sleeping beauty and I are loaded onto another with several crates from earlier. I am strapped in and we lurch into the air quickly.

The flight back to Command will not be long so I relax as best as I can.

Bloody munchies!