That was the problem with using advanced technology, Zach thought to himself. It might provide an advantage, but if you couldn’t replace it if it was damaged or destroyed, how much good could it really do in the long run? The larger alliances preferred less advanced but reliable and easy to resupply equipment for the exact same reason.
Nora looked back out over the waves. “Sounds like the bombardment’s over.”
Zach glanced at the shore. Sure enough, the telltale signs of shellfire had ceased. That could only mean one thing.
“All units, Dragon Battalion has launched their attack on the southern wall,” Anna alerted them. “We’ll keep you updated as to their progress.”
Zach looked at the other two. “Well, that sounds like out cue. Let’s do this.”
“Right behind you,” Selene said.
Nora nudged him. “You’re company commander. Maybe say something to the troops before we head out.”
Zach shrugged. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”
He called them all to attention, a million ideas cycling through his mind. What was he going to say? What did he need to tell them? Black Wolf was one of the most veteran companies in the alliance, so he didn’t need to babysit or coddle them.
Zach decided to go with the pragmatic approach.
“Alpha Wolf,” he said. “We’re going to be first ashore against a heavily defended beach guarded by some of the best fighters in this world. Stick together, fight hard, and fight smart. Let’s go!”
Zach pulled down his mask, fixed it in place and leaped off the side of the ship.
* * *
The morning waters of the lake were murky, exacerbated by the lack of light coming from the sun. Selene surfaced for a moment to find her bearings, then dove back under the waves for concealment. She opened up her wrist menu and looked at the compass. Then, with a wave of her hand, she took off in the direction of the shoreline, motioning for the rest of her platoon to follow.
They need to be careful. A small team had done some initial scouting of the terrain, so they knew the basic layout of the area, but they didn’t know every secret it might hold. What they did know was that groups of razormouths patrolled the bottom of the lake, hunting in packs that were capable of decimating a squad within seconds. These ones weren’t particularly aggressive, though, unlike the ones closer to shore. As long as the divers kept their distance, they would be fine.
But that meant swimming closer to the surface, which increase the risk of detection by sharp-eyed lookouts. Alpha Wolf needed to balance their depth, staying away from both the bottom and from coming too close to the surface.
Stealth would be critical. Selene didn’t even want to think about how difficult it would be to struggle ashore while under fire, unable to even shoot back until they managed to get their weapons out of their cases.
Anna had offered to send a pair of river craft with them to provide cover fire, but Zach declined. To him their presence would only serve to draw attention to the area, spoiling their chances of launching a surprise attack. Selene agreed with his decision, but still, the firepower would have been helpful.
No use agonizing over what they didn’t have, though. Alpha Wolf had the skills to accomplish their mission. All they needed to do was get ashore.
Selene glided through the water, propelling herself forward with controlled movements and steady kicks. Efficiency was the name of the game. Move too fast and they would be too tired once they reached shore to fight effectively. Move to slow and the timing of the whole operation would be thrown off. A brisk, steady pace gave them their best prospects.
A small school of fish swam in front of her, harmless creatures that paid them little mind. Selene continued forward, trying to disturb them as little as possible. They might be harmless, but their presence might attract other predators. Better to keep them calm than to disturb them and risk compromising the mission.
“Wolf Lead, Wolf 2, what’s your progress?” she heard Anna ask over the radio.
“Making steady progress,” Nora replied. “We’re about half way to shore.”
Selene took another glance at her wrist menu to confirm their direction and position. Being underwater provided concealment, but that cut both ways. There were few good landmarks underwater, and swimming at an angle that was even slightly wrong could mean a huge deviation at the other end. They could end up tens or even hundreds of yards away from their desired objective.
They could pop their head up above the water to regain their bearings, but that might also reveal their position. Their only safe option was to rely on the compass and map. Selene checked frequently to make sure they weren’t deviating from the plan.
They had a long way to go.
* * *
“Looking good,” Zach commented over the private channel.
Nora had to agree. She had some doubts in the beginning while watching them train, but the week of preparation had definitely honed them. Ethan’s squad had been good to go from the beginning, but the other two needed some work. Gavin had his squad ready within a few days. Logan took longer, but it looked like his efforts were beginning to pay off. Alpha 3 maintained a perfect formation as they swam toward the shoreline.
“Training was a good idea,” Nora commented. “We should probably do more, once the battle’s over.”
“One step at a time.”
She continued swimming forward, watching the underwater world swirling around her. Nora had been diving in the real world once, on vacation with her family in the Caribbean. She had enjoyed the experience immensely, but this felt different. It wasn’t because they were in a combat situation. No, the environment itself felt completely different.
In contrast to the clear, warm Caribbean seas, Lake Michigan felt dark, cool and murky. She could see the immediate area around her, but something could be lurking in the distance, waiting to strike, and she’d never know. And that made her feel tiny, for some reason, just a small speck in the vastness of the open water.
“So, have you given the decision any more thought?” she asked, trying to focus her mind on something else.
“Hmm?”
“Deciding whether you want to accept the design job offer,” Nora elaborated.
“Oh, that.” Zach paused for a moment and kept swimming. “I haven’t given it a ton of thought yet, honestly.”
“Really?” Nora asked. “You haven’t thought about it at all? Because you were agonizing over it quite a bit the day you got an offer.”
“Well, we had all the preparations for the attack,” Zach offered.
“Yeah, but…,” she started to say, then trailed off.
“But what?”
Nora thought for a second, then decided to voice her thoughts. “Are you purposely putting it off to avoid having to make a decision?”
“Huh? What brought this on?”
“I’m asking because you seemed so worried about it in the first place, and then it suddenly just died off,” Nora told him. “That just seems strange to me.”
“OK, yeah, I guess I can understand that,” Zach told her.
“So… I know it’s an uncomfortable question, but am I hitting the mark with any of this?” Nora asked. “I don’t mean to pry, but I just found it odd that you were so worried about it and now you’re not even thinking about it.”
“No, I understand that,” Zach agreed as they continued swimming. “Well, I guess I have been putting it off, maybe. Not totally on purpose, but maybe my subconscious pushed it to the back of my mind.”
“We have been busy,” Nora agreed.
“So I guess maybe I’ve been putting it off because my mind doesn’t want to make a decision right now, even though I know I should,” Zach responded. “I mean, it’s not really a pressing issue at the moment, so it’s easy for me to put it in the back of my mind. If someone was hounding me I’d probably be thinking more about it.”
“I’m not trying to hound you about it, if that’s what you’re getting at,” No
ra replied.
“Oh, no, that’s not what I meant,” Zach said. “It’s just that it doesn’t seem all that important to me right now, so I can avoid thinking about it if I don’t want to.” He paused for a moment. “That sounds really bad, doesn’t it?”
“I can see why you’d do it,” Nora told him. “But you’re going to have to decide eventually.”
“I know.”
“Any thoughts?”
“How am I supposed to have any when I haven’t thought about it?” Zach asked.
“You have to have something. Some sort of gut feeling about what you want to do.”
“I feel so conflicted, though,” Zach said. “How am I supposed to make a decision like that?”
“Well…”
“Hello? Anyone there?”
Nora suddenly realized that Selene had been calling them over the radio. “Wolf 2,” she replied.
“You guys OK?”
“Yeah, we just got talking. Sorry,” Nora replied. “What’s up?”
“We’re nearing the shoreline,” she said. “I’m going to have Gavin’s squad go in first.”
Nora looked ahead. Sure enough, Alpha Wolf had stopped and were holding position. One glance at the map confirmed they were near one of the piers.
“Do we have an all clear?” Zach asked.
“I don’t dare surface until we’re ready to go,” Selene said.
“Fair enough,” Zach agreed. “Go when you’re ready.”
“Roger.”
“Let’s go,” Zach told Nora over the private channel.
“Roger,” she replied. Now wasn’t the time to discuss outside matters. They needed to be focused for the mission ahead.
* * *
Selene emerged from the water to see Gavin’s squad forming a perimeter with their weapons out. She quickly pulled herself and her waterproof case up onto the pier and settled down behind cover. Her rebreather came off first, and then she opened up her case and removed her assault rifle, vest, helmet and webbing. A few seconds later she was ready for a fight.
“Clear?” she called over the radio to Gavin.
“Clear right now,” he responded. “We knifed two guards, but it doesn’t look like the rest of them know we’re here. Too focused on the other attacks.”
Selene could hear the sound of intense gunfire coming from the south as she removed her hood. Dragon and Sacred Sword would pull most of the enemy’s attention in their direction for now, and those who didn’t had even more problems to deal with.
Out on the lake Barghest’s boats raced back and forth, laying down heavy suppressive fire on the beach. From this distance Selene couldn’t get a good look at the enemy positions, but doubtless they were moving up reinforcements to throw back a landing attempt. Ragnarok couldn’t afford to fight on two fronts at once, and the best spot to stop an amphibious assault was to stall it on the beaches and then throw it back into the lake.
But while that was happening, Alpha Wolf could consolidate their position and provide the rest of the battalion with a clear landing area, free from enemy fire. In fact, their boats could simply pull up to the pier and offload. The troops inside wouldn’t even have to get their feet wet.
They needed to hurry though, Selene thought as more and more of her platoon came surging out of the water. If Ragnarok figured out they were here they would do everything in their power to crush the intruders. Alpha Wolf’s position afforded them too much of an advantage, one that could easily swing the tide of battle. Their enemy couldn’t afford to let them have it without a fight.
“Good work,” Zach after he had emerged from the water and retrieved his gear.
“Still have a long way to go,” Selene told him. “We should expand the perimeter to provide some distance between the front lines and the offload point. Don’t want them to get sniped as they try to get onshore.”
“Have we decided this is the place?” Miko asked as she joined up with them.
Selene shrugged. “It seems like our best choice. We have no opposition here, so why bother trying to get ashore against the teeth of the enemy defenses? Let’s get as many troops as we can here and make a push into the district.”
Zach nodded. “Agreed, but let’s try to keep ourselves unnoticed for as long as possible.”
“Right.” Selene switched to the Alpha Wolf channel. “Everyone set?”
Gavin, Ethan and Logan all confirmed their squads were out of the water, armed and ready to fight.
Selene opened up her wrist menu and marked three locations on the map, then sent them to her squad commanders.
“Gavin, hold center. Logan, spread toward the south. Ethan, north,” she ordered.
“Where do you want us?” Nora asked.
“Preferably in the rear. Do you mind directing traffic?” Selene asked. “Sorry if that doesn’t sound exciting.”
“Hey, it’s necessary,” Nora said. “The faster we can get everyone ashore, the faster we can start pushing inland.”
“Gives us time to coordinate the assault with the southern forces too,” Zach added.
“Can I make a suggestion?” Miko cut it.
“What?” Selene asked.
A waypoint appeared on her map.
“See that location?” Miko said. “There’s a crane. Looks like it’s decrepit, but it’ll make a good vantage point. I’ll be able to see everything around for miles.”
“And shoot them as well, I’m guessing,” Selene added.
“If that opportunity presents itself.”
“I’m going to say yes,” Zach said. “Get up there and get us some information.”
“Good luck,” Selene said. “Gavin, I’m headed up to join your squad.”
“Copy.”
Gavin certainly didn’t need babysitting. Out of her three squad leaders he had the most skill and experience, possessing a certain level of daring as befitting a former assault class. Selene was no coward herself, but her actions sometimes paled in comparison to what Gavin was willing to do. He’d throw himself into fights with reckless abandon, trusting his reflexes and skills to see him through. Sometimes he made it, and sometimes that got him killed. Either way, he could be depended on to make an impact.
But Selene wanted to be where the fighting would be thickest, which she guessed would be the center of their positions. She might be platoon commander, but she had been a soldier long before she had ever held a leadership position. Selene had to itch to fight, and her platoon definitely needed her. Even at full strength they didn’t have huge numbers.
“All Alphas, if you run into enemy patrols try to knife them,” Gavin warned. “We don’t want any more attention.”
Sage advice, Selene agreed. She gripped her own gun and made her way toward the front of Gavin’s squad. Most of them let her pass by, but Gavin stopped her two from the front.
“Sure you want to expose two commanders like this?” he said. “Maybe you should think about heading back?”
Selene shot him a look. “Bite me.”
Gavin gave a quiet laugh. “Just a suggestion.”
Their scout on point, Lyla, suddenly held up her hand to stop their advance, then gave a signal in sign language. Enemy patrol. Three of them. A second later they appeared around the corner.
They didn’t stand a chance.
Lyla quickly grabbed one and stuck him with her knife, stabbing right between the clavicle and neck. Gavin lunged and caught the second one square in the throat with his own blade.
The third started to raise his weapon, opening his mouth to call for help. Three Black Wolf troops were on him in a flash. One stunned the unfortunate Ragnarok trooper with the butt of his gun, the second helped wrestle him to the ground, and the third stabbed him while her comrades held him down.
Quick, merciless, brutal. That was their M.O. for knife attacks, and they weren’t going to deviate from that ethos. Ragnarok would do the same thing in their place, and both sides knew it. Viciousness ruled the day.
“Looks l
ike we’re here,” Gavin commented as they continued pressing forward.
Selene glance down at her map and nodded. They had perfect location to hunker down and form a perimeter among the buildings of the dockyard. Alpha Wolf might not have enough troops to form a completely cohesive line, but they didn’t need it. As long as they could buy enough time for their comrades to get ashore, they were golden.
She activated her radio. “Wolf Lead, we’re in position.”
“Copy that. Ethan and Logan have reported they’re in position as well.”
“Miko, anything on your end?”
“A lot of Ragnarok troops scrambling around, but they’re focused on the beach and the southern flank.”
Selene nodded. “Then we’re golden.”
“Right,” Zach agreed. “We’re signaling the rest of the battalion. Hold the perimeter till reinforcements arrive.”
“Roger that,” Selene replied. They might be all clear for now, but sooner or later their enemies would figure out what they were up to. Once that happened, all manner of hurt would descend on them.
They’d be ready.
* * *
As soon as the order was given Nora had jumped on the channel to battalion command.
“Ghost Lead, Ghost Lead, come in,” she called out.
“Ghost Lead.”
“Anna, we have a breakthrough,” Nora told her. “We’ve established a perimeter around one of the piers and can start unloading troops on it immediately. I’d suggest exploiting it as soon as possible before Ragnarok figures out what we’re up to.”
“I agree. I’ll keep Karen at the beach keeping them busy there. Spectre will come in first, followed by Redd Foxx.”
“Copy,” Nora replied. That made the most sense. Spectre was the smallest unit in the battalion, but that meant they could offload quickly and have a complete unit on the ground in short order.
“Too bad the landing craft aren’t going to get much use,” Zach commented. “Pity that they spent so much time training for a beach assault, and now they just have to climb out over the sides.”
Deception City: A World at War Novel (World at War Online Book 5) Page 13
