Chapter 33-3 Red Winter

[clem131]

Considering the features of a Little One I could imagine that it could wrack havoc in Boulder in no time. Strategy would be simple:
Attack small groups of people, wound and infect as many as possible, jump/ run away, hide a few minutes, attack the next group; in the meantime the number of Little Ones litteraly explodes. Since the military dudes would react directly most of the military force would focus on this attack like what all the police and military personell did in L.A., which means: As soon as the men are downed, the city/ rescue camp of Boulder would b defenseless. And don't forget: there are/ were not that many soldiers around ...

So: Yeah, it is a frightening scheme, but considering what happened so far it is not even unlikely ...

Definitely not. I find it strange though that nobody was near a radio and able to call back to Irwin. Maybe we are imagining this differently from the way it is, but I would assume there would be some guard posts around the city connected with a main post somewhere, and at least a radio for each post + multiple long range ones to communicate with Boulder, + satphones.

[Privateer]

As far as Communications go, everything /could/ be down. Or the blizzard could have prohibited them from getting the distress call out...

I have to comment on the gasses causing Zedism. I think it /is/ kinda silly. That was a big chunk of the main cast that got hit, and we haven't noticed Victor turning because of the gas, or Riley or Angel turning because they were in a big pile of bodies. As for Tanya not being effected... She's a doctor! She's experienced with blood guts and Unpleasant smells, even if its just animals. That being said, Checkov's corpse. Michael didn't /have/ to open up the bag for story purposes... So maybe its not such a crazy thing after all. :P

[Privateer]

Someone mentioned the Navy and where was it during all this. I imagine a sub could be roaming around, but most ships are fuel guzzling chunks of several hundred people, that need to be supplied regularly. At some point, most of them would call at a port, (possibly even all returning lost haste to deal with the National Emergency) and them get eaten. Even if they were around, Irwin may not have the communications ability to communicate with a boomer in the middle of the Atlantic, but its not a horrible stretch to see how the Navy might be out of the picture.

The real question is how the virus spread across the world. Britain and Western Europe should have had plenty of time to divert all resources to securing borders and effecting a draconian quarentine, right?

[Robzombie]

There would have to be physical barriers around boulder, its what made it safe in the first place. Not around the whole city necesarily but around whatever part they secured and is holding that population. I very much doubt that any z's could just wander in and I'm sure sneaking in would be difficult as well. I wouldn't doubt if there are several other electronic and physical means of monitoring and securing the area, such as cameras, trip wires, claymores, sensors etc etc...I don't think anything can easily get in no matter how lax the guards might be. Redundancies should be in place to not allow any one person or action to make it exposed. No way Boulder goes down unless multiple people f up huge.

[LiamKerrington]

Hi there,

Definitely not. I find it strange though that nobody was near a radio and able to call back to Irwin. Maybe we are imagining this differently from the way it is, but I would assume there would be some guard posts around the city connected with a main post somewhere, and at least a radio for each post + multiple long range ones to communicate with Boulder, + satphones.

I just pictured what _could have_ happened to Boulder - especially as a response to what Robzombie mentioned; I don't say that this _has_ happened in that way. I just want to stress the little fact, actually, that Little Ones act a lot more strategic, commando-style, cautious and a lot more effective then regulars - and it were mainly regulars that nearly obliterated L.A. of life in less then a day. Therefore I don't see it as unlikely that even a single Little One could actually push Boulder over the edge.

That aside: I am with you regarding the communication thing. As soon as there would be an attack, the local military would a) try to deal with it and probably b) report it to mission HQ (Fort Irwin), unless they mistake the attack is just another regular attack. Actually we don't know the regular work-around for any incident, if each one needs to be immediately reported to Fort Irwin or if there is some kind of schedule ... In the latter case: Imagine an attack on Boulder and a little One directly aiming at the main power facility ... We don't know the infrastructure of Boulder; but if all the Boulder power or at least all the power for communications is 'centralized', well make up your mind what would happen if THAT one is taken down.

And about the weather/ storm being the source of interrupted com-links ... Well ... Red herring or something like that ... ?

All the best!
Liam

[LiamKerrington]

No way Boulder goes down unless multiple people f up huge.

What else is there to say ... ?

[Leedo2502]

I was hoping to see Puck and Michael exchange the "Shit just got real" thing...

[clem131]

Hi there,
I just pictured what _could have_ happened to Boulder - especially as a response to what Robzombie mentioned; I don't say that this _has_ happened in that way. I just want to stress the little fact, actually, that Little Ones act a lot more strategic, commando-style, cautious and a lot more effective then regulars - and it were mainly regulars that nearly obliterated L.A. of life in less then a day. Therefore I don't see it as unlikely that even a single Little One could actually push Boulder over the edge.

I agree. You said "not unlikely" and I answered "definitely not (unlikely)" but I did not realize it sounded ambiguous until I read it now, sorry.

[Robzombie]

What else is there to say ... ?

I hear ya...it's deffinately not impossible that Boulder gets messed up. And ya I do see the Little Ones being smarter than your average bear, but I don't think it is on par with Ink. I see them more as a pure warrior killer machine type based more on instinct as opposed to an intelligence, such as Ink's, that I think would be necesary to do Boulder real harm.

Da-da-daaaaa! Are we going to see Ink again real soon?

[LiamKerrington]

Hi there,

Da-da-daaaaa! Are we going to see Ink again real soon?

Mh ... maybe, but that would add some more levels of confusion to the whole story, which already is packed with nearly enough ... Also having Ink in Boulder right now would render the complete The Colony stuff kind of ... well ..., don't get me wrong, but kind of "pointless" ...
So no. We won't see Ink soon - at least not in Boulder. Here I would just say:

Little One #2 happened to grab on the Chinook. After hours of ambracing the awesome flying experience it decided to go for some more killing. And killing it did, but killed it got, too. But it created offspring (Griggs), which is on its personal rampage. Griggs as Little One is an autonomous killing-machine, a kind of "universal zombie-soldier" without any agenda or control, especially not from Ink, because there is no connection between the both of them. And Griggs might have come to Boulder. Here anything could happen - something between "just a small 'kill the zombie' plus bad weather-condition and therefore no com-link to Fort Irwin" on the one side and on the other "Boulder goes L.A. 8th of May 2009 starting all with but one Little One (Griggs), thus full catastrophee 'Aliens*-style' (*Aliens, the second Alien movie) " ...

My personal estimate: Something between, Boulder is hit by Griggs and some things gone out of control, but it won't go down, 'cause Datu zu ressourceful and his mind-boggling three Angels "Hope, Kelly and Pegs" have stopped the Boulder-apocalypse right in time, and if not them, then the soldiers of Boulder did the right thing at the right time. (Wouldn't be the first time that I could be wrong ...)

All the best!
Liam