So Black Wolf had infiltrated past the enemy front lines, waiting for the mortar battery to set up shop. Once they did so it was all over for them. Hiding in the buildings and alleys around the site, Black Wolf Company had massacred the crews and their guards. Once the area had been cleared they shoved a brick of explosives down each mortar tube and wired them all together. The ensuing explosions blew them all to pieces.
That was only half the battle, though. They needed to fall back to the cover of the station, and they needed to do it while taking as few casualties as possible. While troops were replaceable if they were killed, their equipment was a different matter entirely. Players would respawn back at base, but their equipment would stay on the corpse. And while casualties were a fact of life in a game called World at War, losing too many troops in enemy territory could put a serious dent in their armory stocks.
“We're in position, Wolf Lead,” Danny's voice said over the radio.
“Right. Alpha Wolf, let's move!”
Logan's squad broke cover first, followed by Ethan's troops. Gavin's squad came last with Zach in tow. He had made sure to stick with the rearguard, mostly because he was spoiling for a fight. Zach wasn't terribly worried about getting killed himself; Danny was perfectly capable in command, and the rest of the squad leaders could operate without platoon command. One of the hallmarks of the rangers was their individual initiative, after all.
The platoon moved back behind Bravo Wolf's position without incident. It wasn't going to stay that way for long, however. Zach could already hear the sound of motors and see troops moving down the far end of the street. The hammer was coming.
But Black Wolf had a trump card up their sleeve.
“Andy, start calling in coordinates to the Bravehart teams,” Zach ordered one of his snipers.
Bravehart Company had a battery of 120mm mortars dug into a fortified position in the station, from which they could hit almost any point in the district. Their shells would lay down some hurt on any enemy force. And now that Black Wolf had destroyed the enemy's own battery, they had no way to retaliate.
“Bravo Wolf is falling back,” Danny informed him.
Zach watched them go, then turned back to look at the enemy advancing toward them, lead by an armored car armed with an autocannon. They were still too far away for a clean shot, so Zach simply sat and bided his time. He didn't have long to wait.
The first mortar shell came shrieking down right in the center of the enemy column and caused havoc. Several soldiers were thrown into the air by the blast. Others were knocked flat, and Zach imagined that those close to the center of the blast had been completely vaporized.
Another shell came down, then another. The enemy advance broke apart and started to scatter into the surrounding buildings, desperately seeking shelter from the rain of death. The armored car at the head of the column continued to trundle forward, acting oblivious to the shells falling around it. Then it suddenly blew up.
“Man, Bravehart is good,” Ethan commented over the radio link.
“That's what having math geniuses does for your company, or at least that's what Bryce tells me,” Zach replied.
“Bravo Wolf is in position,” Danny told him again.
“Right behind you. Bravehart's putting the hurt on the enemy, so we should be good from the rear.”
“I'm honestly more worried about a flank attack,” Danny said.
Something on his HUD caught his attention. There was a message in the upper right hand corner. St. George, it read.
That was code for an attack on the station. C.J. of Crimson Eagle had come up with the pun. St. George was coming to kill the dragon, and the dragon needed every bit of help it could get to fight him off.
“Danny, are you seeing this?” he asked.
“Yeah. Great, so we walk right into the middle of a battle.”
“It also might help us to fall back,” Zach said. “We're two blocks from the station. Let's take our chances and head there as fast as possible. We might be able to come up on the rear of the enemy or something.”
“Fine by me, We've got plenty of ammo,” Danny responded. Zach could tell he was grinning at the other end.
“Alright then. Pass that along, and let's move.” He switched channels. “Alpha Wolf, change of plans. We're falling back double time toward the station. Code there is St. George.”
“What are we doing when we get there?” Gavin asked.
“We'll figure that out as we go,” Zach told him. “Move out!”
Alpha Wolf Platoon took off at a fast jog, following in the footsteps of their comrades. Behind them the enemy was still reeling from the mortar strike, though the shells had stopped falling. Zach's alert buzzed.
“Wolf Lead, this is Buck Lead. Sorry, but we're going to have to cut our support short. We need to help out here,” Bryce told him.
“No problem, Buck Lead. We're headed back. Who's in charge of the defense?”
“It's C.J., right now.”
“Thanks.” Zach switched channels again. “Eagle Lead, Eagle Lead, this is Wolf Lead. What's your situation?”
“Wolf Lead, this is Eagle Lead. We're under attack from a push coming from the eastern end of the district. Battalion strength at least.”
“Sounds wonderful,” Zach said flatly. The enemy sure wasn't kidding around this time.
He brought up his map and looked it over as he ran. They were coming from the north toward the station. If his estimates were correct, they could hit the enemy on their right flank, or even sweep around to their rear. He contacted C.J. and suggested both options.
“The rear attack is too dangerous,” C.J. told him. “Too much chance that you'll get surrounded and annihilated, especially with those numbers. Hit them from a flank, and make sure that you have a way to retreat back to the station. We don't want you to get cut off.”
“Roger,” Zach said.
“We've also calling for reinforcements. The rest of Marauder is headed here on the rail line. So are Viper and Lion Companies. We'll crush the attack here and now.”
“Good,” Zach replied. Hephaestus Company had managed to get the rail line working, which allowed Hydra to shift troops between stations relatively quickly. It allowed them to provide a rapid response to any attack in the Zionville district.
Danny suddenly joined in on their conversation. “Sorry about eavesdropping, but I have an idea. Can we launch a counterattack once we've thrown their assault back? This might be as good of time as any to exploit the confusion.”
“We don't have enough troops,” C.J. said.
“We have us. Redd Foxx is back at base, but they can get here quickly. Barghest is in the tunnels, and we can recall them. Spectre is here, the rest of Dragon is here, and I think that Storm Hawk and Archangel are around as well. That gives us over six hundred troops.
“Without armor or air support,” C.J. pointed out.
“We're going to have to take some risks,” Danny said. “I think our infantry can carry the day. Besides, we took a settlement before with just infantry.”
“We'd need to get it past command,” Bryce cautioned.
Zach thought for a moment while he ran. “I'd rather apologize later than miss an opportunity like this. Get on the horn with everyone else and get as many troops as you can over here. I'll take responsibility for the fallout if things go south.”
“Brave man,” Bryce commented.
“OK, get in position and hit them hard. None of this happens if we don't throw back the attack,” C.J. said.
“Danny, you heard the man,” Zach said. “Get on their flank and massacre them. We have plenty of supplies inside the station, so don't be stingy. We can restock later.”
“Copy that, Wolf Lead,” Danny said. “Remember the department store to the northeast of the station? That seems like a pretty good place to hole up.”
“Head for there,” Zach said, “and we'll follow.”
The building that Danny was referring to was five stories tal
l and towered over many of the surrounding buildings. They had looked at using the spot for a stronghold, but it was too far away from the main station and was likely to get cut off in the event of an attack. That made it less than desirable as a fortified position, but it suited their needs perfectly. Snipers and machine gunners on the higher levels would wreck havoc on enemy infantry below.
The sound of gunfire grew steadily louder as the neared the station. Zach had found that if he listened close enough, he could tell what was firing. He did so now. Assault rifles, cracking on semi-automatic and full auto. The buzz of machine guns. The slower, heavier thunk thunk of an autocannon firing, And sometimes, the sharp crack of a sniper rifle.
“Gavin, Logan, have your squads stick to the bottom floors,” Zach ordered. “Ethan, take your squad to the third floor. Danny, post your squads on the fourth and fifth floors. Don't fire until everyone is in position. Then let 'em have it.”
Zach wished that his company had a heavy machine gun or two, but such bulky weapons didn't suit the usual needs of the ranger company. Not that they were hurting at all for firepower; they still had grenade launchers, light machine guns, and recoilless rifles, along with their snipers. But having heavy machine guns would allow them to reach out and really lay some hurt on the enemy from a distance.
You fought with the weapons you had on hand, Zach thought to himself as his platoon approached the department store, and not the ones you wanted to have. And Black Wolf still had fangs. They could hurt the enemy badly.
Zach left his platoon to their own devices and made his way up to the roof. They were experienced, and didn't need any babysitting. Once he reached the top he met Danny, who had apparently had the same idea.
“Looks rough down there,” Danny commented, looking over the enemy battle line with his binoculars.
Zach joined him and pulled out his own pair. A quick survey confirmed C.J.'s estimates; the enemy was indeed attacking with a battalion, and they were backed up with armored support. They were using armored cars armored with autocannons. Against an assault gun like the Hydra Alliance's Bulls they were at a decided disadvantage, but they were still a powerful tool against infantry. And anyhow, their weakness didn't matter, when Hydra had no armor support coming. They would need to rely on their recoilless rifles to carry the day.
“My guys are in position,” Danny said. “Looks like they haven't noticed us yet.”
Zach made a quick check of his own platoon and received confirmation that they were all set as well. He opened up a channel to C.J., Bryce and all of Black Wolf.
“We're ready. Open fire!”
He heard the sound of machine guns start up below. Bullets came streaming out of the lower levels of the building and scythed into the exposed enemy lines. They fell like corn in front of a reaper, and the line reeled. An enemy armored car blew up from a direct hit.
“How are they firing the recoilless rifles indoors?” Zach asked.
“There's a fire escape, remember?” Danny reminded him. “They're firing from that position and ducking inside to reload.”
“Ah, good plan,” Zach said with a smile. He went back to watching the battle.
Black Wolf's ambush had thrown the enemy attack into disarray. The enemy infantry scrambled for cover, trying to avoid the bullets coming at them from two sides. Another armored car was thrown back, hit by a recoilless rifle shell. A pair of explosions added to the chaos. 81 mm mortar shells, it looked like. Bravehart was certainly putting on a fireworks display today.
“Might want to get down,” Danny said. He grabbed his machine gun and crouched next to the edge of the roof.
Zach got down as well, prepping his grenade launcher for a shot. He might be able to hit the enemy at this distance with his carbine, but it wouldn't be easy. A grenade was likely to have more effect.
The enemy below started to return fire. Bullets smacked into the face of the building. Nothing came close to them, since they were so high up and they hadn't fired any shots. The enemy was likely more concerned with the hail of fire coming from the lower levels.
Well, they would ignore them at their own peril. Danny lined up the sights and pulled the trigger. A second later Zach lobbed a grenade onto the streets below.
“Wolf Lead, how does it look from your angle?” C.J. asked. “Marauder is two minutes from the station, and the rest of the attack force is mobilizing right now.”
“We have them on the back foot,” Zach told him.
“Good. We'll wait for the rest of the battalion to arrive, then we'll launch the counterattack. Can you guys hold the station while we make the push forward?”
Zach stepped away from the edge of the wall to hear better. Danny's machine gun was chewing through the enemy infantry on the streets, but it was also causing quite the racket.
“We can, but are you sure you want us to give up this position? It's pretty strong.”
“Once we push the enemy away you should be able to hold the station with just a platoon,” C.J. said. “I'm assuming that you want to join up with Barghest Company when it gets here. I can have Viper or Lion hold the station, if you want.”
“No, that makes perfect sense,” Zach agreed. “I'll send Bravo over to hold the position when you launch the counterattack.”
“Roger. Once we get the troops in we should be fine with just Bravehart holding the station. Push south and try to take the gate. I told Storm Hawk and Archangel to have their assault guns waiting to move in once you guys capture it.
“Will do,” Zach replied.
That was a tall order, and it was certainly going to be a trial by fire for the new recruits of Barghest Company. It would be fun, at least. Zach hadn't been a part of a pitched battle since the assault on the Eagle Creek district, and he was spoiling for a chance to fight. Plus, taking this district would be a coup. Nora's idea of a rail line between Lerna Bastion and Indianapolis wasn't just a pipe dream; it was a definite possibility. It would take time to construct, but once that happened they could easily shuttle troops and equipment between the north and the south. That would give them the strategic mobility needed to take care of both the city and Ragnarok Company with the troops they had on hand.
Ragnarok. Indianapolis had become such a formidable obstacle that he often forgot about their existence. But they were there, and their presence was a nightmare for Hydra. Every time they tried to plan an operation they had to worry that their enemy was going to stab them in the back while they weren't looking.
Surprisingly, the northern front was fairly silent. Lerna Bastion had been subject to several air raids, and there had been some skirmishes up north, but there was nothing serious. News seemed to indicate that Ragnarok was hitting the smaller companies in the north, along with fending off attacks from Ronin and its allies. But their presence was still being felt. Hydra still needed to defend their northern areas with high quality troops in case the enemy changed their mind. Having Knight Battalion, particularly Sacred Sword dedicated to the north was a hard blow to their efforts in Indianapolis.
Still, there were plenty of veteran troops left in the south to do the job. All they needed to do was execute. And while Black Wolf Company was a light infantry unit, they could fight, and they certainly weren't going to shrink from their job.
Zach signaled Danny over the radio to get his attention. “Dragon Battalion is going to launch an attack once their reinforcements get here. Once that happens, head over to the station and hold it until Barghest arrives. We're going to take the southern gate after they get here.”
“Jeeze, not asking for much, are you?” Danny commented. “Sure thing, I'll alert my sergeants.”
Zach turned his attention back to the scene below. Between the troops holding the station and Black Wolf's flank attack, the enemy battalion was in complete disarray. All of their armored vehicles were either badly damaged or completely knocked out. Scores of troops had been killed, and the rest of them were hugging cover. Any time they tried to retaliate they were met with a
torrent of machine gun fire and sniper bullets.
“Wolf Lead, this is Eagle Lead. Marauder is here. We're launching the counterattack right now,” C.J. told him.
“Might want to duck and cover,” Bryce added.
“Everyone, be advised that there's going to be fireworks,” Zach warned.
A few seconds later the shells started falling.
Zach ducked and covered to avoid the possibility of being hit by any shrapnel. From the sounds of things Bravehart was laying a ton of hurt on the enemy. The smaller explosions of the 81 mm shells were punctuated by the larger booms of the 120s. The building shook. And then, suddenly, it stopped.
“Hakkaa päälle!”
Zach looked over the edge of the building in time to see Marauder storming forward, cutting down any enemy that had survived the bombardment. Crimson Eagle was right behind them, and Taurus, Viper and Lion followed in their wake.
“Time for us to go,” Danny commented from beside him. “Bravo Wolf, let's move!”
Zach activated his radio. “My guys, give Dragon Battalion cover fire, but be careful. I don't want any accidents.”
He watched Dragon Battalion smash through the enemy line, sending them reeling. Their gambit had begun.
CHAPTER 12
Wild and Young
The Zionville district was a warzone by the time Barghest Company arrived. Although, that was pretty much true about every place in the virtual reality, Nora thought. It was called World at War, after all. But battles fought by alliances and larger companies were on an entirely different level from the run of the mill variety.
Nora could hear the crackling of small arms as Barghest Company emerged from the subway. They had received the signal from C.J. and headed for the station, leaving behind the mystery of the abyss. Once they had reached the station they had loaded up in the passenger cars, along with Redd Foxx and Storm Hawk. A short trip later and they were in the middle of the fight.
Fang: A World at War Novel (World at War Online Book 3) Page 12
