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

by Mitchell T. Jacobs

  Ragnarok had countered their assault with extreme precision. The moaning sound was the noise of rocket artillery descending on them.

  “Alpha Wolf, Alpha Wolf, are you there?”

  “I’m here Liz,” Selene responded.

  “Good,” Liz replied, sounding relieved. “What kind of damage did you take?”

  Selene looked around. “Underdetermined, but it looks bad. I just got revived after being hit, actually. I’ll try to get a head count ASAP.”

  “Thanks. It sounds like everyone took a bad hit,” Liz told her.

  Selene frowned at that statement. Hitting a single section with artillery was one thing, but doing it along the whole front was another. And then there was the fact that they had hit Hydra just as they were launching their attack and breaking from cover…

  “Not good,” she muttered to herself. Selene had the suspicion that they had just played straight into the enemy’s hands. How else could they explain being hit with such precise timing? It was almost like Ragnarok wanted them to attack.

  “What’s our orders?” Selene asked.

  “Still trying to determine-”

  And then the line suddenly went dead.

  “Liz?”

  No response.

  Selene switched channels and tried to contact the others. No one responded.

  “I can’t hear you through the radio,” Ethan shouted over to her from his position.

  Selene looked at the display. None of the radio readouts displayed anything.

  “What the…”

  And then she heard the sound of gunfire, just seconds before a stream of bullets went whizzing by her head.

  Selene threw herself to the ground and aimed her rifle, trying to find the source of the attack. She found it alright. A Ragnarok soldier was advancing down the street in front of her, firing tight burst with her assault rifle. Selene ended that with a pair of shots straight to the chest.

  But as soon as she fell more enemy troops appeared. Not just a fireteam or a squad. Dozens. Scores. A platoon at least, maybe even a full company.

  “Oh crap,” Selene said as she suddenly realized what was happening.

  The artillery bombardment wasn’t just dumb luck or a means to slow down Hydra’s attack. Ragnarok had caught them out in the open, and were using the opportunity to launch a counterattack.

  And somehow, some way, they had managed to cut Hydra’s communications, further adding to the confusion. The din of battle only increased around her. Selene couldn’t even communicate with the rest of her platoon unless they were within shouting distance, and that was becoming smaller and smaller the louder the ambient noise became.

  Her mind raced as she tried to make sense of everything. How were they going to fend off a determined Ragnarok attack? It was hard enough with optimal conditions, but how were they going to do it when they couldn’t even coordinate the various units.

  “Ethan!” she yelled out as she hurried to his position. “How many do you have left?”

  “Seven, counting me,” he said.

  “Take one off the line and have them act as a runner,” she ordered. “Have them head toward Redd Foxx’s position on the right and reestablish communications with them. I’ll see about getting in contact with Barghest.”

  “Got it.”

  No helping it, Selene thought to herself as she sprinted in the direction of Gavin’s squad. In a situation like this they had no choice but to fall back on the old ways of doing things. That meant using runners and a whole lot of guesswork. Or rather, it meant falling back on the old ways the existed in the real world. Selene never had to coordinate a situation without the radio before, and now she was going to have to learn on the fly. This could very well turn into a disaster of epic proportions, she realized.

  “Gavin!” she shouted as she reached his position. “Get a runner and send them to Barghest’s position.”

  “One step ahead of you,” he replied. “I figured we’d have to resort to that once the radio went down.”

  “Good. Try to hold out while we get a clear picture.”

  “Right,” Gavin nodded. “Perfect time for something like this to happen.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “Zach always said there were ways to screw with the communications systems,” Gavin commented. “Ragnarok must have found one.”

  True enough, but simply finding it only meant so much. It was the way they were deploying it that made it so damaging, timing it to cause maximum confusion in the middle of a counterstrike. Hydra was literally stumbling around in the dark out here.

  Selene checked up on Logan next and got them into position to repel the enemy attack. By now the Ragnarok assault was in full force, held at by for the moment only by withering fire from Alpha Wolf. But how long could it last? Eventually a weak point would appear, or they would simply run out of ammunition. Artillery or mortar fire could help, but how could they get them? Even if they sent a runner they couldn’t provide accurate coordinates.

  She was about to send another runner back toward the rear when an ATV pulled up at the rear of their positions. Selene moved to greet the newcomer.

  “How’s it looking?” Nora asked as she dismounted.

  “We might have a problem,” Selene told her with a sour smile.

  “Yeah, I thought we might. Communications are dead throughout the district, and from what we can gather Ragnarok’s launching a counterattack along the entire length of the front.

  Selene glanced toward Alpha Wolf’s forward positions. “We’re not going to be able to hold out for much longer.”

  “Didn’t think you would. We’re trying to get communications reestablished with all the units so we can pull back a few blocks and consolidate our positions.”

  “That means we’re going to be right up against the lake,” Selene said with some concern.

  “We’re abandoning that part of the line,” Nora told her. “Don’t like it, but we can recapture it later. We’ll rely on the land routes for supplies.”

  “I have runners out to Barghest and Redd Foxx,” Selene told her.

  “So do we,” Nora said. “Anna’s the only one at HQ right now. The rest of us are on ATVs trying to get the situation under control.”

  “I hope you can fight, then.”

  “Of course,” Nora said, hefting her assault rifle. “But I’m going to have to pull back at some point to let them know what’s going on at your position.”

  Selene motioned toward the rear. “Go then, and try to make it quick. We can’t hold out forever.”

  Nora jogged back toward her ATV. “Right. Don’t advance any. I’ll try to bring down some artillery fire down in front of your positions.”

  As if they were in a position to advance, Selene though to herself, but she wasn’t going to turn her nose up at an offer of help. All they could do was hold their battle lines and hope for the best.

  She sprinted toward Logan’s position and took up a spot sheltering behind a low pile of rubble. Nothing else to do right now. Selene lined up an enemy trooper in her sights and pulled the trigger, knocking him clean off his feet.

  A burst of gunfire forced her back into cover to avoid being hit. She crawled right about ten yards and lined up her next shot. No sense in popping up in the same place like a target in a shooting gallery. Unpredictability was a powerful tool in a gunfight.

  There. Selene spotted her assailant, illuminated by the fires of the burning buildings lining the streets. She placed her crosshairs on his chest and pulled the trigger. Her target stumbled flat on his face and then lay still.

  She shifted her aim just in time to catch an enemy trooper with a flamethrower preparing to fire. Now wasn’t the time to mess around; Selene flipped her selector switch to full-auto and squeezed the trigger. She emptied the rest of her magazine, scything down her enemy in a hail of bullets. The flamethrower operator crumpled over, stone dead. A second later her tanks exploded.

  “Thought we should take care of that be
fore someone else grabbed it,” Logan shouted out over the din of battle.

  “Good thinking,” Selene replied. Bullets wouldn’t cause a flamethrower to explode unless they were incendiary rounds, but something like a grenade explosion would definitely set leaking fuel off. She must have punctured the tanks with the last burst.

  Someone tapped her on the shoulder. “Barghest is preparing to withdraw on the next signal,” Terra told her.

  “Whenever that comes. Thanks,” Selene said, trying to be heard over the howling din of the battle.

  Up until now she hadn’t realized just how much they relied on the radio, not only for long range communications, but to be heard of the cacophony of battle. Right now it felt like she had to shout every word to be heard over the din.

  The next runner arrived soon afterward. “Redd Foxx is in the process of pulling back as per the orders from HQ,” Chris explained. “They-”

  Selene held up a hand. “One step ahead of you. Nora already told me in person.”

  Chris nodded. “They want you to hold the line until they’re past. They’ll leave one platoon to provide support on the right flank while the rest of them withdraw to the designated point.”

  “Got it,” Selene said.

  The designated point. Wherever that might be, because no one had told her anything about such place. Not that they could, given the complete lack of long range communications. How had soldiers and general managed to coordinate large actions without radios? Selene finally understood how so many blunders and miscommunications occurred in the wars prior to the twentieth century.

  “Alpha Wolf, Fox Lead, Spirit Lead, Black Lead, please respond. Alpha Wolf, Fox Lead, Spirit Lead, Black Lead, please respond.”

  The sound in her ear startled her. It took Selene a second to finally realize that the radio was working again. Why? How? Did the enemy’s jamming equipment have a time limit on it? Had they stopped the jamming for some reason?

  Whatever the case, they had the radio back. Now they could finally coordinate a response with the rest of the battalion, and with Dragon as well.

  “Alpha Wolf,” Selene spoke.

  Karen called in afterward, followed by Liz and then Neil.

  “Good,” Anna said with a sound of relief. “Nora, Zach, the radio’s back on. Everyone, what’s your status?”

  “Ready and willing to fight,” Selene said. “We’re holding them off.”

  “We’re withdrawing as per your orders,” Liz reported. “Heavy casualties.”

  “We’re holding. We managed to keep ourselves out of the line of fire when the rockets hit,” Neil said. “Not sure that three squads are going to mean much.”

  “It’s good enough,” Selene said. “We can hold them, if we can coordinate with the artillery and get some backup here.”

  “We can’t,” Karen protested. “I lost half my company in the rocket attack. All my platoon commanders and most of my squad leaders are dead. I’m barely going to be able to coordinate the withdrawal, let alone hold out against a Ragnarok attack.”

  “I’m headed over,” Nora said.

  “Thanks.”

  “We can still hold out, if we can move forces around,” Selene protested. “If we-”

  “I don’t think that’s practical. Dragon’s withdrawing as well. We’ll have to follow,” Anna pointed out.

  “We’re giving up a lot of valuable ground,” she insisted. Who knew how long it would take them to regain it?

  “We can’t help that,” Liz said.

  Selene felt the frustration rising within her, despite herself. Her common sense told her that a retreat was the only practical option at this point, but the competitor inside didn’t want to give up the battlefield. Not while they were still fighting off the enemy, at any rate.

  “Are we just going to crumble in front of them again?” Selene spat out, her anger getting the better of her. “We’re holding them. We can do it if we just-”

  “Selene,” Zach’s voice cut in over the radio, “your orders are to withdraw to the secondary line as ordered. Gavin, you there?”

  “I’m here.”

  “You heard all that?”

  “Loud and clear.”

  “Good. Your orders are to make sure that happens. If Selene refuses, take control of Alpha Wolf,” Zach ordered. “Though I’m sure you won’t have to do that.”

  Selene scowled at that remark, but she took his point to heart. She was acting childish, after all, arguing for a hopeless battle just to massage her own ego. Better to fall back and live to fight another day.

  “He won’t,” she told them. “Liz, we’ll hold position until you get past us, then fall back when signaled. Karen, I’d send you help if I could, but we’re short on troops as it is over here. We’ll nail down the flank for you, though.”

  “Much appreciated,” Karen replied.

  “You’ll have artillery coming down within a minute,” Anna said. “Use that to cover your withdrawal. I’ll be sending you coordinated for your new positions.”

  Everyone acknowledged the order. Selene resumed her firing, taking out two more enemy troopers to try and vent her frustration. She knew retreat was the right decision, but they had lost to Ragnarok yet again.

  She heard a screaming sound, just before the earth shook and the scene in front of her erupted in fire. Now was their chance.

  “Alpha Wolf, withdraw to the set coordinates,” she ordered.

  Selene took one brief glance at her wrist menu before breaking cover, moving with an angry stride. In the span of less than an hour, the situation had completely changed.

  Ragnarok had won this round.

  15

  LOST IN THE ECHOES

  “Gah!” Nora said in frustration as she messed up again. She gritted her teeth and went back a few measures, trying to get the section right. Once again she got about half way through before slipping up.

  Nora set her bow and cello down, stood up and arched her back, trying to loosen up from sitting down for over two hours. Maybe she had been going at it for too long to be effective. A break could do her wonders.

  She went into the kitchen to get a drink of water. Even in just a tank top and shorts, Nora was sweating from exertion. Many people didn’t realize just how physically taxing it was to play an instrument, especially when performing complicated or fast-paced pieces.

  Nora considered herself to be a competent, even excellent cellist, but the piece she was working on today was giving her particular trouble. It was her nemesis, one she could never get a good handle on through all her years of school and college, up to when she had completed her master’s degree in music.

  Bach’s Suite No. 4 in E-flat major, BWV 1010. No matter how hard she tried, the piece continually felt uncomfortable as she played. Oh, she could perform it competently, but it lacked a certain flair, a certain flow that she could put into other pieces. It felt like she was just hammering out notes instead of being a musician and playing the piece.

  Maybe it was because it was in such an uncomfortable key for a cellist, but Nora had played plenty of difficult pieces before. It took plenty of practice and hard work, but given time and effort she could make them her own. One of her professors had likened her playing style to breaking a wild horse and making it look effortless. It took a considerable amount of effort and fighting with the piece, but eventually Nora could tame it in the end and bend it to her will.

  Not this piece, though. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how much she practiced it always felt like she was walking on eggshells when she played it, and that didn’t suit her. Nora always felt at her best when she had complete command of the piece and could just play without thinking, being completely swept up in the music. Thinking about every individual note, worrying about every single fingering and stroke, that was something that killed the sheer joy of music for her.

  To her, music was something that needed to have a beauty to it, needed to have a flow beyond a bunch of sounds strung together. It went beyond
something scientific, something mathematic, something that could be quantified. Music needed to transcend the physical and reach somewhere deeper, somewhere emotional inside of every person.

  But she couldn’t do that if she was focused on just banging out notes like a machine. She could be right on the money, but if it had no soul, no beauty to it, then did it really mean anything?

  Nora thought about doing something else for a moment, but her cello called to her. If she was serious about auditioning for the philharmonic, then she needed to get as much practice in as possible before June hit.

  She finished her glass of water and went back to her seat in the living room, easing herself back into her chair and picking her instrument back up. Nora inhaled a deep breath, exhaled it slowly, and touched the bow to the strings.

  Then she started playing.

  Nora tried to clear her mind, not thinking, not straining or focusing, just playing. Too much concentration meant playing like a robot, and that wasn’t her style. She had to experience the piece, to feel it flow through her bones, through her entire body. She had to feel it in her heart and soul, and she had to make anyone who was listening feel the passion, the emotion as well.

  That was the greatest challenge for her while playing the suite, trying to harness everything and let it flow out. The demanding technical aspects certainly didn’t help. Nora had flubbed it many times before when she tried to play it in high school, and she had finally resorted to extreme concentration in order to overcome the obstacle.

  She could play the piece now, but Nora didn’t feel that she had conquered the challenge yet. After all, it had forced her to switch her playing style, so what was the point of being able to hit all the notes? It was just a bunch of different sound waves strung together. It didn’t have her heart and soul in it, and what did it really mean without those?

  Nora tried to loosen her focus as she played through the difficult prelude. It sounded counterintuitive, but focusing too much could actually hurt a player’s performance. If they thought about what they were doing too much they were more likely to make mistakes as their brain tried to perform each action one step at a time. It was like trying to run a marathon while concentrating on each motion that made up a step. Doing that would only slow her down; instead, she needed to focus on stringing the individual steps together into one coherent piece.