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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Clown (2), Santa Maria
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The next day, 5:50 a.m. Central training field.
Winter arrived right on time. Two MH-6 helicopters were warming up their engines. They were small. Round and pudgy-looking. Not at all like military gear. Long metal plates were attached to either side for passengers to sit with their legs dangling out. The only empty seat was the one for the boy. The ones already seated showed their curiosity. Only the public affairs officer remained indifferent.
The rotors began spinning exactly on the hour. A peculiar clicking sound: tick-tick-tick-tick. Smaller than expected. The pilot mentioned they had special noise-reduction equipment installed.
The rotors reached critical speed. A momentary pressure, like being crushed. The sensation of defying gravity squeezed his chest.
The sky drew closer, and the ground fell away.
The sun had yet to rise. In the cool bluish world, the sky marked the boundary between dawn and morning. Beneath his dangling feet, the landscape rushed by. A season that shared the boy's name.
Winter reached out toward the wind. Waves that didn't wet flowed between his fingers. A sergeant who had been watching with interest issued a warning.
"Lieutenant, you'll fall off like that."
The viewers were already screaming in the chat. Spectators from another world sharing the boy's senses. They were wailing that he'd fall. They hoped he would. There were crash-prevention straps, but he wasn't wearing one, and handholds, but he wasn't gripping them. Their nerves must have been on edge.
The helicopter tilted. The flight path curved. Camp safety always came first. Far below, the hungry things raced toward the sky with all their might. They swarmed from every direction in great numbers. Even with reduced noise, a helicopter was still a helicopter. The two choppers hovered in position for a few minutes. Once they'd drawn enough attention, they resumed flight.
"Have you ever ridden a helicopter like this before?"
Winter shook his head at the sergeant's question—the one who had warned him about safety.
"First time."
At least in this run. The sergeant found it amusing again.
"You've got no fear, sir. Better than most green lieutenants."
"I'll show even better in combat, Sergeant Greg."
"Looking forward to it."
For the rest of the flight, Winter checked his issued gear. What he already had was good enough, but for the cameras, they'd given him even better stuff. A new-model rifle, various accessories, a receiver-style radio, a much lighter ballistic helmet (OPS-CORE), and more. Some weren't standard issue.
The landing zone was behind a ridge along the highway. They'd approached via a canyon, so the noise wouldn't carry much toward the city. A few Rangers guided them in with lasers.
The Rangers' temporary company HQ was a lavish mansion. Besides the main house, there were two annexes, a large swimming pool, a ranch, and nice fencing. Solar panels provided their own power.
The location was ideal. The road dipped low, so passersby couldn't spot the mansion.
"Wolf Leader, this is Wolf Three. Circus Team arrival confirmed."
The Rangers' radio chatter leaked through.
Circus Team, huh. The call signs were a mess again. Winter wondered what his assigned code would be. Whatever it was, it'd be better than Banana, but not by much.
Sure enough. Among the info they were told to memorize, Winter's call sign was Clown. No need to stop by company HQ. The Rangers who joined gave Winter a brief glance. Their expressions weren't friendly. The look you give a rookie. They introduced themselves curtly and demanded to move out right away. It was so rushed there was no time to learn names. A sign of what they thought of this mission.
Amid it all, one man properly greeted Winter.
"Saw you on TV. Brave stuff you did."
A man offering a handshake. His gear differed from the others. Winter nodded.
"Lieutenant Han Gyeowol. No unit assignment yet."
"Santa Maria PD SWAT, Sergeant Perry. I'm your city guide. Probably won't need to go in today, though."
So his role was advising on drone flight paths. Backup for when improvisation was needed outside the planned routes.
The Ranger squad leader shot an annoyed glance.
"No time. Let's move."
They set off. Splitting to either side of the road, staying vigilant. To the Rangers, the "Circus Team" was just a protectee. They kept Winter and the public affairs filming crew in the center, blocking front and rear.
Sergeant Perry walked right in front of Winter. Glancing back slightly, he spoke softly.
"Understand their side, Lieutenant Han. They're beat. Mentally exhausted."
"How long have they been out here?"
"I've been about a month. Not sure on the Rangers. They say they haven't left the contaminated zone since the outbreak."
Makes sense—the squad was undersized for a platoon. Winter counted heads. About ten percent casualties. Normal procedure would've pulled them back by now.
But nothing was normal anymore. A world view crumbling bit by bit.
Apparently they overheard. A nearby Ranger snapped. Told them to cut the chatter. The sergeant smiled and apologized. Good-natured guy.
7 km took over an hour even at a brisk pace. Hard to stay silent the whole way. Sergeant Perry used small talk to build rapport. Asked about Camp Roberts, shared what he knew. Still in a quiet voice.
"Santa Maria had one of the most successful evacuations. The mayor acted fast. Got the governor to deploy the National Guard. It was chaotic, but nothing compared to the hell other cities went through. 97% of citizens got out safe."
"What about the 3%?"
"Santa Maria's last rescue request was two months ago. Amateur radio."
Couldn't see the sergeant's face.
"Any chance of survivors?"
"We've done steady close air recon. Rangers started scouting recently too. But no evidence of survivors in two months. Odds are..."
He trailed off. The conversation shifted after that.
The city drew near.
They veered onto a narrow southern road to avoid the visible highway.
Tension rose, and talk naturally died down. Surprisingly, the public affairs officer broke the silence.
"Damn. Why are there so many of these bastards' wheels..."
There were tons. On the road, in the grass—everywhere you looked, a few at least. Giant bugs flapping around. The veteran Rangers just grimaced. The public affairs officer and his team were freaking out. Flap-flap-flap. One flew right at Winter's face. He brushed it off casually.
They finally reached the embankment. Cross the bridge, and it was Santa Maria proper. The film crew set up their gear. On the Ranger side, two drone operators got to work. Testing fuel, signal strength, functions.
One function was the noise maker. They turned down the volume and checked if sound came out right.
"Screams, huh?"
A mix of desperate cries, pleas for help, and groans from various people.
Winter asked, and the soldier replied indifferently.
"Regular noise doesn't lure well. They react best to human voices—especially screams. Short repeating patterns don't work either."
Surprisingly thorough answer. Winter figured it was respect for rank.
The drone took off.
The controller looked like a small bag. A rugged laptop made for drone control. The public affairs officer stood beside Winter, peering at the screen. Alleys flashed by fast. The drone's sensors tracked heat sources busily. No telling how many were inside buildings. But the streets alone had plenty of mutants.
"That's a lot for a city where most evacuated."
The public affairs officer muttered. The ever-annoyed but diligent soldier replied.
"They're pouring in from surrounding areas. Not just here. They head straight for urban zones, no matter what."
"Why?"
"If we knew, we wouldn't be here."
Gruff response. The public affairs officer frowned. Winter knew the answer but stayed silent. It was unknown info at this point. The control AI would adjust via situation calc, or roll back if impossible. (Roll-back: Rewind time to before the error.)
Repeated roll-backs meant penalties.
The infected mutants preferred noise. Clustered still in dark alleys. Staring blankly at sunlit roads. Anything alive passing by, and they'd charge like mad.
Finally, a Grumble appeared on screen. The soldier reported.
"Bogey One spotted. Bogey Two nearby too. Intersection of Donovan Road and N Broadway."
"Damn. Why so far today? Usually they loiter on the outskirts."
The squad leader grumbled. He checked fuel status.
"Fuel left? Enough to lure?"
"Close, but doable."
The soldier handled the controller skillfully.
Drones in plain sight were useless. Obvious metal screaming no good. The drone hid in an alley and played the first scream. Screen filled with idiots in that alley staring up dumbly. Sergeant Perry occasionally added advice.
The drone emerged, capturing the lured group. Small fast ones charged first; the two Grumbles lagged. Big lugs that only ran if they saw you.
The ones idle in alleys saw the runners and went berserk, joining in.
The soldier used speed difference to separate Grumbles from the pack. Not his first rodeo. Mutants in full sprint. Tougher than humans, but limits existed. After 1 km south, they were spent. Plenty trampled by their own.
Fresh joiners bounded with energy. Exhausted ones got crushed.
Separation complete, the drone looped north. Volume down, luring only the isolated Grumbles. They perked at invisible screams and lumbered after.
"Could you take both at once?"
"Possible."
Winter gave a casual reply to the public affairs officer, Captain Maguire's question. The captain muttered something to himself. Tech correction made it hard to follow.
A few minutes in, the lure went smoothly.
Drone made noise in alley, emerged onto main road. Controller and watchers gasped.
"Squad leader!"
"I see it...!"
People on screen waving at the drone. Must've come out for the sound, spotted it. Then they startled hard. Soldier whipped the controller. Screen spun around.
Two Grumbles opposite.
Rounding the corner. Yellow eyes locked on people. Healthy reserve hosts.
Or, food.
[GRRRRAAAAAHHH!]
Thunderous duet. Loud enough to hear unaided from downtown. Drawing nearby mutants. Then, building-smashing racket.
"Damn it! Dex! Your squad stays here guarding Circus Team! Drone team! Recon surroundings and report to me! Lose the drone if you have to! You! Report to HQ! Rest with me!"
"I'll go too."
"No!"
The squad leader instantly refused Winter's offer, but paused. Narrowed eyes scanned the boy. Moments later, in a near-warning tone:
"Stick tight behind me."
"Yes, sir."
Sergeant Perry joined.
"I'll guide."
"...You prepared for this?"
"This is my beat. My job."
Squad leader nodded. Local cop's terrain knowledge was welcome. Worth the sacrifice.
"Run! Find a vehicle on the move!"
Low voice carried clear. Ranger squad reacted instantly.
Another city block shattering. Debris flying visible from afar. Soldiers racing to duty. Boots pounding urgently in unison.
============================ Works Notes ============================
1. Correcting last chapter's error. Wrote walking distance as 2km, but author misread scale. 7km as in this chapter is correct. Will compile real background info for blog someday, as mentioned.
2. This novel probably #1 on Joara by average reader age. All 40k+ years old...
Author vows to keep the innocent hearts of these 40k-year-old adults safe.
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