Deception City: A World at War Novel (World at War Online Book 5)

by Mitchell T. Jacobs

  “And now that we’ve taken control it feels weird, is that right?” Selene asked him.

  “I guess so,” Gavin agreed. “Well, it’s like we’re just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Like, I can’t help but think they have some trick up their sleeve to surprise us.”

  Selene thought for a moment. “If this is a trick, I can’t see the use for it,” she told him. “We’ve taken a lot of territory since we launched the offensive. It’s put them on the defensive, and we’re really starting to squeeze them. I don’t think they would have let this happen on purpose.”

  “Right, and my feelings don’t make total sense,” Gavin agreed. “I just have a little voice in the back of my head saying something’s up. Why are they still trying to take Milwaukee when they could be using those troops to hit back at us? Especially now that Ronin’s gone.”

  “Who knows,” Selene shrugged. “But that’s for our strategists to worry about. We’ll deal with the issues on the ground.”

  “Right,” Gavin grinned. “One of the advantages to not being a high ranking officer.”

  Selene smiled back to reassure him. “We’ll be fine. But do what you think is best.”

  Gavin nodded and went back to his studies. Selene continued on into the heart of the forward base.

  It was amazing just how far they had come from the early days. In the beginning, Hydra had struggled to take even a small town. The battle for the location that would become Lerna Bastion had been won by the skin of their teeth, with a huge chunk of their forces killed in the battle. In contrast, the same number of troops had taken Racine without much trouble. Sure, there had been casualties, but the outcome never seemed in doubt to her.

  Part of that was due to their vastly better equipment. Selene passed by a battery of 155mm howitzers aimed toward the north. Artillery had given them a head start in the battle and allowed them opportunities to advance. In the old days, they had to storm ahead on the ground if they ran into a particularly tough enemy position. Now, they could simply call a rain of shells down onto it.

  They had other tricks up their sleeve as well. After months of street fighting, everyone in the alliance was an expert at urban warfare. They knew all the angles and tricks, and could exploit them to their full effect. The alliance had access to armor, air and naval support, further tipping the scales in their favor. Ghost Battalion could move anywhere quickly thanks to their helicopter transports and river craft, and once they got there they could bring heavy firepower to bear.

  Yet for all their formidable equipment, skill and ability, Ragnarok remained a daunting foe. Gavin’s attitude might have been a bit extreme, but his basic sense was right. Ragnarok wasn’t filled with fools or chumps: they could fight with the best this world had to offer, and given an opening they could quickly turn the tables back in their favor. The Hydra Alliance needed to keep them on their toes, but they also needed to do so with caution in mind. One misstep could give their enemy exactly what they wanted.

  The prospect excited her, though. Milwaukee was shaping up to be one of the critical battles in the war between the alliances, and she would have a front row seat to the action. Selene had always been a competitor, and she took Ragnarok as yet another challenge. No beating on weaklings for her. She wanted to go up against the best, and she wanted to beat them at their own game.

  Her hair fluttered in the breeze as two helicopters took off and circled over the area once, then headed west. Selene could see minigun pods mounted on the stub wings. Obviously someone out there needed air support.

  “How are you guys coming?” a voice said behind her.

  Selene glanced over her shoulder, then turned to greet the speaker. “We’re fine, Gray,” she replied. “Ethan’s squad is out on the lake practicing with their scuba gear. Logan took part of his squad to help with the supply run into Old Chicago. And Gavin’s reviewing stuff right now.”

  Gray nodded. “Alright, sounds good. Anna’s calling a meeting later today to go over some stuff as well. We’re making our plans for the recon phase.”

  “Naturally.”

  Gray grinned. “We’ll see if your guys can keep up.”

  “Don’t worry, we’ll be there to bail you out of trouble when you get yourselves cornered,” Selene joked back. It was all in good fun; both Black Wolf and Redd Foxx had a health respect for each other’s abilities.

  “Yeah. Anyhow…,” Gray said, looking toward the north. “What’s it like in the city? I mean, you guys are the only ones to have set foot in the place.”

  “Didn’t get much of a glimpse at it, to be honest,” Selene told him. “First I was underwater, then I was hiding in the dark, then we had to fight, and then everything exploded.”

  “Sounds like every other raid.

  “Yeah. I will say, though, Ragnarok had a lot of NPC guards around the place. Probably because they want their actual troops on the front lines instead of playing guard duty.”

  “And I’m betting those same troops want to be on the front lines as well,” Gray said. “Can’t imagine that guarding a warehouse day after day would go over well.”

  “I’d probably go crazy,” Selene agreed.

  “Maybe we can exploit that, like we did in Eagle Creek,” Gray suggested. “We sneak parties ashore and map out the entire district.”

  Selene shook her head. “I don’t think that’s possible right now. Ragnarok’s probably on full alert after the stunt we pulled. They’ll be watching.”

  “So our best chance is going to be air recon,” Gray said. “Not ideal when your enemy has an edge in the skies.”

  Selene shrugged. “Who says we have to focus on that one district? There’s plenty of others we can take a look at. Besides, the one we raided is right in the middle of the city. Do you really want to be squeezed from all sides?”

  “OK, point taken,” Gray acknowledged. “Still, recon work isn’t going to be easy.”

  “But that doesn’t matter, ‘cause we’re good,” Selene replied.

  Gray laughed. “I think I should be the one saying that. You’re right, though. We’re plenty good enough to take on this challenge. See you later at the briefing.”

  Selene waved him off and continued walking. Even the doubts of some of the other leaders couldn’t dampen her enthusiasm. Ghost Battalion had gone through some of the hardest fighting the alliance had seen, from raids behind enemy lines, to clearing out the subway tunnels in Indianapolis, to singlehandedly taking a district with an improvised plan, to their greatest, most desperate fight against Ragnarok at Green Bay. They had taken all comers, met all challenges and come out on top. That was back when they had to constantly worry, with the price of failure weighing heavily on their heads. One wrong move could spell doom for the alliance.

  Now they had control of the initiative. No longer did they have to worry about their next mistake being a deathblow to the alliance. After all this time, they finally had a sense of control. Now they were on top, and Selene was determined to keep it that way.

  It felt good, being the predator instead of the prey. Black Wolf and the rest of Hydra would hunt Ragnarok to the ends of the earth, giving them no chance at rest or respite. They would find their weaknesses, hit them hard and cut their throats.

  Nothing else felt quite like it, not victory, or discovery, or anything else. It was almost like drug. They finally had control. And if she had anything to say about it, Ragnarok would learn to fear those prospects.

  4

  OPEN DOOR

  Forest. Filled with all manner of leaves, fallen branches, twigs and brush, a simple walk through the woods could turn into an exercise in futility for anyone trying to remain stealthy. Danny made his way through the thick undergrowth, willing himself to remain silent.

  He tried to remember his stealth training mostly taught to him the hard way by Liz. First, he needed to relax. The harder he tried to focus on remaining stealthy the more his body would tense, and that was a sure way to kill his attempts. A stiff body wouldn’t mo
ve as fluidly, potentially causing more noise.

  He didn’t have to remain completely silent either, due to the ambient sounds of the forest. The sound of the wind rustling the treetops, the call of birds, the random sound of a falling branch, all of those could help mask his presence. Plus, trying to conceal all noise meant moving slower, which made the risk of detection even greater. It was often better to cause some noise in order to move quicker, because it meant less time being exposed out in the open.

  And anyhow, Danny wasn’t in this alone. He had his unit him, and there were several Redd Foxx squads spearheading their advance, guiding their path to the target area. Even if he couldn’t remain silent they could, and they would take care of any enemy patrols on the way.

  But they weren’t here to fight. That would come later. Instead, their task force had been assigned to scout the area between Racine and the southern end of Milwaukee. Command wanted to know what kind of forces Ragnarok had placed in the area, how many there were, how well they were armed, that sort of thing. Information like that would be critical in the coming offensive. If they knew their enemy’s hand they could anticipate their moves and come up with counter strategies.

  Their second goal was to find a way inside Milwaukee. The alliance had looked at it as a possible target during the early days, but it was deemed too difficult to deal with. The walls were massive, and they had no way to cross the lake to the less fortified shore. Instead, they had chosen to take an initial base and Lerna Bastion, and then proceed on to Indianapolis.

  Things had changed this time around. Hydra had plenty of artillery to breach the walls, but that would take time and a lot of munitions. An amphibious assault remained a possibility, but that could result in heavy casualties. Plus, if they were invading a Ragnarok district their enemy might very well throw them back into the lake.

  So if they could find a weak point in the southern walls they would do everything they could to exploit it. Whether that meant artillery, or armor, or a straight assault he didn’t know, but they would find a way. They always did.

  His wrist alert vibrated. “Bravo Wolf,” he answered quietly.

  “Looks like they’re patrolling this area pretty heavily,” Liz told him from the other end of the link.

  Danny frowned. “That’s a surprise.”

  “Or not,” Liz replied. “They know at least part of our battalion is at Racine. Would you want to give us free reign of your rear areas?”

  “Point taken,” Danny said. “But is that going to interfere with our mission?”

  “Not if we stay quiet,” Liz said. “They’re sticking to the main roads. Probably to protect supply convoys and the like. We might have free reign of the deeper parts of the woods.”

  “Hopefully.”

  “And if we don’t, well, we can make it happen,” Liz said. “Quietly, of course.”

  “Right.”

  “I mean it. Don’t riddle anyone with bullets unless you absolutely have to.”

  “When have I ever done that?” Danny protested.

  “Just saying. Fox Lead out.”

  Danny opened up his wrist menu and took a look at the map. They had about a half mile to go until they reached their destination, deep in the thick forests. Once they had established a forward position they would send small scout teams toward the southern walls of Milwaukee, hopefully to find whatever weakness they could exploit.

  Meanwhile the main force would remain behind, gathering information from the various sources and covering their line of escape. Hopefully they wouldn’t have to use it, but if they were discovered they would have to fall back through enemy lines. They had sneaked through a small gap in the enemy positions on their way up here, but Danny had a feeling that would close very quickly if they were discovered.

  But if that happened they could force another hole open. Danny had a direct link to the heavy artillery battery inside of Racine base, and could call down strikes whenever he needed it. He didn’t want to use it unless absolutely necessary, but he had a powerful trump card to play.

  Their mission was reconnaissance, however, and it would be a failure if they didn’t come back with the information they needed. No matter how many of the enemy they might kill, how much confusion they might spread, if they didn’t get their data the whole thing would be a bust.

  Ghost Battalion had units moving up and down the enemy lines, probing at their weaknesses, making note of their positions and strengths. When the time came to advance, they’d be ready for what lay ahead.

  Danny had left most of his platoon in Racine to help guard the base, taking only Xavier’s squad with him. He didn’t want to chance being caught off guard by a surprise attack, and battalion command had agreed with him.

  He came to a small ridge overlooking a section of highway. Danny moved up for a closer glimpse, taking care not to expose himself to anyone who might be lurking below. He could hear the sounds of motors getting steadily closer, coming from the north.

  Sure enough, a light tank with Ragnarok markings trundled past, followed by a line of trucks. Most carried stacks of cargo on their trailers, though two of them had antiaircraft guns mounted on their backs. They were probably there in case Raven Flight’s attack helicopters showed up, but their quad autocannons would be extremely deadly to anyone on the ground trying to ambush them as well.

  Danny fought down the urge to attack the convoy. He had enough troops and heavy weapons to launch a devastating ambush, and doubtless the enemy convoy carried important supplies, but that wasn’t his problem right now. The more attacks they launched behind enemy lines, the more Ragnarok would patrol the area, and that would compromise their attempts at reconnaissance. Danny wasn’t about to trade a large victory for a small one like the destruction of a convoy.

  He didn’t want to risk alerting them to his presence, though, so he stayed put and watched the line pass by. Danny counted trucks to pass the time, reaching twenty before the line ended with another light tank. Apparently the enemy wasn’t taking any chances with an ambush.

  But with the convoy gone he could move freely again. Danny made his way back into the undergrowth and continued on his way with his unit, skirting the edge of the road. It might be easier to walk in the thinner parts of the forest, but that increased the chance of detection by enemy patrols. Better to travel the harder road with less chance of exposure.

  “Bravo Wolf, we’ve reached the target point,” Liz said. “Area is secure. No signs of the enemy present.”

  “Copy that, Fox Lead,” Danny replied. “We’re moving up to join you. We just had a convoy heading south along the main road. Think we should call it in?”

  “I’d rather not risk it,” Liz said. “They might not be able to decode our long range transmissions, but they’ve been able to detect them before.”

  “Copy that,” Danny said. “We’ll keep moving. Bravo Wolf out.”

  “We’re on fire support, right?” Xavier asked as they passed close by.

  “Yeah, although hopefully we won’t have to fire a shot,” Danny confirmed. “Let’s focus on getting there first. Then we can worry about our mission profile.”

  “Roger that, boss.”

  Danny had somehow ended up as co-commander of this operation, even though Liz outranked him and Redd Foxx was fielding the majority of the troops. Maybe it was a sign of respect from them, he thought. Either that, or it was pity and they were just throwing him a bone.

  Either way, Black Wolf’s role in the operation was clear. Redd Foxx would handle the actual scouting duties, owing to their superior stealth skills. Black Wolf was plenty capable of handling such tasks on their own, but with a better option available it would be foolish not to take it. Instead, Black Wolf’s role was to provide heavily armed backup as usual, providing covering fire if the unit got into a tight spot.

  The mission suited them, because Black Wolf always brought heavily armed and motivated troops to the fight. Danny had been at the front of some of the worst fighting against Rag
narok, and he was proud to say his troops had never broke. Their enemy could hurt them, rattle them, cut them down, but they could never make them turn tail and run. If they fell back it was of their own accord. Otherwise, Ragnarok would have to kill every last one of them.

  Although that had happened in the past, Danny reflected. Fighting like die-hards had its disadvantages as well. Sometimes you won, and sometimes the enemy brought overwhelming force and massacred you where you stood.

  But with proper planning and a tiny bit of luck that wouldn’t be happening today. If they did their jobs right their enemy would be none the wiser. Well, at least until Hydra came bursting though all their weak points, that was.

  Liz signaled for him to join her as they approached the staging point. Xavier went along as well.

  “OK, I’m sending four teams forward,” Liz told them. “We’re splitting Squad 3 and Squad 4. Squad 2 will stay here and hold this area, along with your guys.”

  “Shouldn’t one of us be up front making sure we get the right stuff?” Danny asked.

  “I’ve already briefed the teams.”

  “What about using the wrist menu video feed?” Xavier suggested. “The scout groups can send back the areas they’re looking at, and then you can decide whether you want that info or not.”

  “Good thinking,” Liz nodded. “I’ll tell them that.”

  “Any particular way you want us to deploy?” Danny asked.

  “That’s up to you,” Liz said. “Though I’d suggest pushing them forward of our current position a little bit, to let them cover the scout teams if they need to retreat.”

  “Sound like a plan,” Danny replied. He glanced over at Xavier.

  “Right on it,” came the reply, before Xavier disappeared into the undergrowth in front of them.

  “And now we wait,” Liz commented.

  “We’re going to be doing a lot of that, I bet,” Danny said, settling in next to her. He opened up his wrist menu and started surveying the map again.