00065 --- The Little Prince in the Ossuary----=
----------------------------------------------=
#Seventh California, Camp Roberts (2)
The Humvee shook violently. The bombarded dirt road was barely recognizable as a road anymore. With the military vehicle's already poor ride comfort, passengers felt every bump and groove in the terrain. Sometimes, it was better to simply veer off the road entirely.
Sitting in the front passenger seat, Gyeo-ul opened the window. He rested his arm on the windowsill, letting the winter wind blow against him, hoping it would help drive away the 'drowsiness'.
Fatigue was gnawing away at his strength. A general decline in his abilities was apparent. It was no surprise after an exhausting night battling in a fierce confrontation, calming the refugee zone, extinguishing fires, and now being thrust into a rescue operation.
Camp San Luis Obispo had succumbed to the crisis overnight. The frontline control aircraft deployed by the containment command had identified troops moving north beyond the garrison, along with refugees, civilians, and large groups of infected mutants pursuing them.
A chase unfolded over an expansive area spanning tens of kilometers. At crucial points, radio interference by 「Trickster」 hampered communications, allowing survivors to cling tightly to avoid bombings. The task force, scattered and unable to restore command hierarchies, received briefings like the one Gyeo-ul had.
"Would you like one?"
A Bravo Company driver offered a bottle of pills to Gyeo-ul. The plastic bottle was filled with white tablets marked Provigil, a stimulant currently supplied to the US military.
After a moment's hesitation, Gyeo-ul accepted. The medication hadn't reported any side effects yet.
'The effect is quite significant for that, though.'
With three Provigil pills, one could stay awake for three days.
Gyeo-ul held a tablet in his mouth and sucked through the tube connected to his CamelBak. (CamelBak: A backpack-like water bladder that resembles a camel's hump.)
Before the medication could take effect, the threat emerged. The turret gunner warned of a mutant group appearing.
"Direction 12 o'clock! A large group of moving mutants spotted! Special mutant 「Grumble」 identified! Approximately 400 meters away!"
The surroundings were a terrain of rolling ridges. Having just crossed a watershed and begun descending a slope, the opposite ridge was clearly visible several hundred meters away. As the gunner had reported, the mutants were clustered like insects from a distance. The large outline was that of a 「Grumble」.
But Gyeo-ul did not need to prepare for a fight. A static-filled radio transmission came through.
"TF David. This is Big Bird 3. We've confirmed the approaching mutant group towards your location. Stand by. We'll rain fire upon those bastards."
At 6 o'clock, behind their position, a large, slow-circling aircraft was in the sky. It was an AC-130 gunship, heavily promoted by the US government for use in containment operations.
This plane continuously rained down firepower towards the center of the large circle it flew.
As soon as the driver slowed the vehicle, the firepower support began.
It was literally a rain of fire. Mutants exploded violently. Three different kinds of explosions devoured everything. Pieces of humanoid figures flew tens of meters into the air.
The loud cannon blasts that rang out every ten seconds were aimed exclusively at the 「Grumble」.
The explosions the size of a small house chased after the monster. There was not a single direct hit given the firing was from the sky. Yet, the indirect impact was too powerful even for alpha-level physical resistance.
The 「Grumble」 was unable to stand up after repeatedly being hit, eventually lying still, unable to rise again.
Finally, three consecutive airbursts occurred. The bombs detonating overhead scattered fragments more broadly. Until then, the sparsely surviving mutants collapsed in droves every ten seconds.
A field the size of a schoolyard became filled with blood, flesh, and the smoke of burning gunpowder.
The driver whistled appreciatively.
"The Air Force really came through for us."
"Indeed."
Gyeo-ul relaxed his finger from the trigger guard.
Shocked by the losses suffered overnight, the containment command had spared no aviation power set aside for blockade operations. With 「Trickster」's suicide EMP range estimated at around 1 km, it was judged safe to fly at higher altitudes without significant threat.
As a result, the difficulty of the rescue operations had dropped significantly.
The first rescue target was a tank platoon that had run out of fuel. West of Paso Robles, four tanks were stopped haphazardly along a winding path through ridges.
There, mutants had clung to the tanks. Despite being heavily mutated, they essentially relied on human hands and feet, madly attempting to dismantle the sturdy tanks. So many were clinging on that it was hard to see inside. Perhaps due to the noise they made, they didn't notice the slow approach of the vehicle rolling on the ridge.
This time, air Force support couldn't be requested. A sweeping rain of fire would also obliterate the tank crew. Bravo Company prepared for a dismounted engagement.
"Are we able to communicate with the crew?"
When Gyeo-ul inquired, Captain Etcher of Bravo Company confirmed.
"They're all alive. Though probably shaken."
Naturally. The interior of a tank is cramped. Imagining themselves besieged by mutants scratching at the armor, trapped for hours without any guarantee of rescue, would rattle anyone.
The engagement was brief. Bravo Company spread out widely to the left and right and opened fire. A Humvee carrying a rapid-fire grenade machine gun was in the center. Each explosive round was like a hand grenade, fired at 40 rounds per minute. A terrifying weapon that could easily kill hundreds if need be.
A succession of moderate explosions spread from left to right. Compared to air force bombings, moderate felt accurate. Yet the outcome was decisive. The mutants climbing the slope were all wiped out.
As the company advanced, the tank crew emerged belatedly. Some cried, while others couldn't stop laughing as they savored the fresh air. The platoon leader seemed the most composed.
"Thank you for rescuing us."
The tank platoon leader, Lieutenant Edmund Durant, saluted Captain Etcher. His appearance was quite rough. Recognizing Gyeo-ul, he expressed surprise.
"You're a real person?"
"......."
Not so composed, after all. Gyeo-ul doubted his mental state. Thankfully, he wasn't mad, just on edge and unfiltered from excitement.
As the tanks were refueled, Lieutenant Durant inquired with Captain Etcher.
"How is Camp Roberts? Though considering you're here for support, it seems..."
The obvious implication prompted a headshake from Captain Etcher.
"No, your unit wasn't the only one attacked. We had quite the ordeal too. Who would have imagined a creature capable of an EMP, and even infiltrating other mutants?"
"Oh? It was the same there?"
"You really are out of the loop."
"Don't even get me started. The whole night was hell. I can barely remember how I got into my tank. Communication with higher-ups was poor, mutants poured in from all around, civilians were clamoring for rescue... In the end, the 1st Battalion of 'Second California' must have taken heavy losses. They stayed behind to guide the refugees."
His face darkened in recollection. He questioned again.
"What about Camp Roberts' losses?"
"Thanks to a second lieutenant here, extensive damage was avoided."
Captain Etcher gestured toward Gyeo-ul.
"What do you mean?"
"This Second Lieutenant was the one who brought in 「Trickster」. He sensed something suspicious, requested heightened alert from the duty officer, got refused, and took independent action with the troops."
"Independent action? A mere lieutenant? Isn't that meaningless?"
"Given this man's track record, it isn't so surprising. I'm embarrassed to say, but as a company commander, there are times when it seems more soldiers favor this lieutenant over me."
Having such a discussion with him right there. Gyeo-ul managed a difficult smile so the company commander wouldn't notice.
With the tanks refueled, the tank platoon joined Bravo Company in the rescue operation. The soldiers welcomed the platoon's inclusion enthusiastically.
"They may guzzle three liters of gas with just a start, but there's hardly anything more reliable than those tough beauties."
Certainly, at this point, no infected mutants could withstand an operating tank. Even 「Grumble」 was merely prey in the face of a tank's main gun.
Gyeo-ul fiddled with the tracker monitor a few times. The vehicles used by the military were networked, allowing real-time location tracking and information exchange.
Fortunately, the tank platoon's equipment hadn't been damaged by the EMP. Their position was accurately displayed. Viewing different directions through the tank-mounted camera was also possible. Systems devised to help the military survive amid war zones, urban warfare, and terrorism.
"Who taught you that?"
A rear-seat soldier asked, intrigued by Gyeo-ul's adept handling of the complex equipment despite being a relatively newly commissioned officer. The lack of familiarity compared to Charlie Company also contributed to the fascination. Gyeo-ul loosely fibbed.
"From Captain Capston."
"Oh."
This wasn't true, of course. He just knew how to do it. The soldier wouldn't directly ask the captain for confirmation, so it didn't matter much.
The next rescue target coordinates pointed to a location west of Templeton, a city south of Paso Robles. The task force crossed several ridges, entering the western plain areas of the city. Gyeo-ul remarked,
"No matter where we go, it's all vineyards and orchards."
The driver replied.
"This is California, after all."
The vineyard they raced through the previous night west of San Miguel was vast, but these were on another level altogether.
While traveling along the road, they encountered a lone mutant wandering into their path from a diagonal direction. Separated from its group, it seemed, and indeed the intelligence of ordinary mutants wasn't quite highly developed yet. Charging blindly without regard for collision.
However, the mud and leaves clinging to its body were noteworthy. It reminded Gyeo-ul of something similar seen before. He judged that they had developed some semblance of camouflage skills.
With the vehicle's shaking, the gunner's shot went astray. Damn. Cursing his misfire, the driver instead committed to a hit-and-run. Thud! True to the sturdy nature of the Humvee, the internal impact was hardly significant. The driver shrugged nonchalantly.
"Doesn't it seem like a beggar jumping to clean windshields?"
Gyeo-ul tilted his head.
"A beggar... doesn't calling it that evoke a sense of pity?"
"If you get your car scratched a few times, you'll understand how I feel, Lieutenant."
Behind his harsh words, the driver's homesickness was palpable. Driving somewhere, waiting at a changed signal, a homeless person suddenly leaping to clean the windshield, demanding payment, then scratching the car when refused and fleeing—it all now seemed like a part of a past he longed to reclaim.
To oblige the soldier, Gyeo-ul feigned ignorance and joined in playfully.
"I thought that only happened in places like New York."
"Not at all. It's actually easier in these parts. Less risk of getting shot."
In the US, where gun ownership is prevalent, california, with its stricter gun control, ironically had higher crime rates.
"Well, all of it's just old stories now."
The roaring of jet engines interrupted their conversation flow. A fighter-bomber passed over the convoy, delivering its payload near the horizon.
Boom! The shockwave from the aerial bomb demonstrated tangible power. The sweeping motion of wind upheaving vegetation spread widely.
"We're almost there."
Gyeo-ul checked his weapons. It had become habitual.
---------------------------= Author's Note ---------------------------=
1. When things come up during the day, there's never enough time. It happened yesterday, too, going out during the day leading to writing until dawn.
Ugh...it's tough...
2.
Q. Ghozt: @Someone needs a man's TS. Running low on TSes.
A. ...?...????
What sort of response should be given to a comment like this? Why is there an @ here? (Confusion)
Q. graycrow: @Finished binge-reading during downtime on a business trip. Both Silve and this story are always such good reads. Thanks for the excellent work. Thanks to you, the childhood innocence within me is now filled with dreams and hope. I suppose you're gearing up to become a commercial writer; I wish you the best in your endeavors. I know you can't devote all your time to Silve, but please take good care of it. Seems like you've moderated the childhood innocence here considering a commercial work...
A. Really? I thought the world was fairly infused with childlike wonder...sigh, I'm still lacking. I've heard that a game called Darkest Dungeon is good for recharging childlike wonder. I'll have to wait for a discount.