Danny was waiting for them up top, along with the rest of Bravo Wolf Platoon.
“Where's Zach at?” she asked.
“Over there,” he said, indicating a tall building that looked like a department store. He turned toward Anna and Lee. “We want to hold that building because it provides us a good vantage point. If one of you could put a squad there, that would be great.”
“I'll put fifth squad up there,” Lee said. “What's our objective from here?”
“We're driving toward the south gate,” Danny said. “We have a big enough force to take it so we can get assault guns inside the walls.”
“Not giving us the easy job,” Selene commented.
“Well, Dragon Battalion decided to go fight the whole city by themselves,” Danny grinned. “Taking one gate seems like it's pretty tame by comparison.”
Nora looked over at Karen. “We should get everyone ready for the advance.”
Karen nodded. “Right. Assemble your platoons on the surface and let's get ready. I'm going to figure out when and where we go.”
Nora signaled the rest of Yellow Platoon. “Everyone, assemble on my marker.”
She watched them come forward; first was Allen's squad, then the squad led by Simon, and finally April's understrength squad. Nora looked her troops over and spoke.
“OK, you're going to get your first taste of what this alliance is really about. We're all about the big battles, and that means several things. It means aggression tempered by good sense. It means communication with other squads and other companies to make sure that we're fighting at peak efficiency.”
She paused for a moment to let her words sink in. “You might not be the most experienced ones here, but don't let that get you down. You're important, and we'll need you in order to succeed. Just remember that you don't have to be the hero. Fight smart, and fight as a part of the task force. Make sure we know what you're doing, but if you see an opening don't hesitate to take it.”
Nora paused again and looked at them in turn. There was some nervousness from them, but she could see the determination as well. Every single one of them wanted to be a part of Redd Foxx or Black Wolf, and this was their chance to prove themselves in front of their leaders.
“Yellows, are you ready to fight?”
“YES!” came the reply.
“Good speech,” Karen said from behind her.
Nora turned around. “So, what's the plan, then?”
“Redd Foxx is going to act as the vanguard. The rest of us follow behind them. Storm Hawk covers the left flank, Black Wolf covers the right. We're going to be in the center.”
“I see,” Nora replied. On one hand, it put them out of immediate danger. On the other hand, it meant that they would have to reinforce any part of the line that was faltering.
“We'll try to punch through the enemy positions and take the gate as quickly as possible,” Karen said. “Keep in mind that we're Redd Foxx's immediate backup, so we're probably going to have to get down and dirty.”
More unsettling news, Nora thought to herself. They were really intent on testing what the new players were capable of doing. That was all well and good during recon missions, but this attack was critical to the long term success of the alliance.
She shook off those thoughts. They were probably wrong, and anyhow, it wasn't like her opinion mattered at this point. The task force needed to get going before the enemy had time to recover and organize a proper defense.
Barghest deployed into a line stretching from one side of the street to another. Selene's platoon lead, with Nora's following behind. Black Wolf and Storm Hawk moved to streets on the flanks, and Redd Foxx had already gone ahead.
Karen's voice came over the radio. “OK Barghest, move out and stay sharp.”
The company started down the street at a brisk pace. Nora hoped that their plan of attack would work without many hitches. They were going to push down the fastest route to the gate, brushing aside any resistance they came across. Hopefully there would only be small patrols, which Redd Foxx could take care of with little problem. The last thing they wanted to do was to become involved in a pitched battle before the task force reached the gate. That would allow the enemy to call for reinforcements and stop the Hydra advance in its tracks.
And a delay like that could be the death blow for their attack on the district. Without their armor support Hydra was at a distinct disadvantage, especially since they didn't have their air support either.
“Contact,” Anna's voice said over the radio. All of the officers in the task force were using a single channel to communicate, and there were separate channels for each platoon as well.
“What kind of contact?” Nora heard Lee ask.
“Small patrol. We're not going to bother being stealthy. It'll take too long.”
There was a pause for a moment. Nora thought she heard the sound of gunfire ahead, but it was echoing from all around at this point.
“That's taken care of,” Anna said. “We're going on ahead. Assume we're fine unless we give a signal otherwise. We'll take care of the enemy patrols in the meantime.”
Barghest Company continued their advance, eventually coming across the bodies of Redd Foxx's victims. They looked like they were well equipped. Most were carrying assault rifles, though two had machine guns and one was carrying a sniper rifle. It also looked like they had been well stocked with grenades, though their pouches were empty. Redd Foxx must have stripped them of ammunition before they had moved on.
They moved on. Another patrol lay slaughtered a couple hundred yards ahead, again stripped of ammunition. The streets were scarred by grenade explosions and bullet holes. Anna certainly wasn't having her troops be stingy with their supplies. It was often forgotten in favor of their stealth abilities, but Redd Foxx was capable of putting up quite a fight.
“Contact. Contact,” Liz's voice suddenly broke in over the radio.
“Yeah, I see it too,” Danny responded.
“How bad?” Karen asked.
Nora didn't have to wait for a response to know what was happening. The sound of a ferocious battle filtered over from the direction of the right flank. She could hear a ton of automatic weapons fire, punctuated by the sound of something much heavier.
Zach's voice broke into the conversation. “Black Lead, are you there?”
“I read you, Wolf Lead,” Karen answered.
“We're bogged down here. You're going to have to push on ahead with Storm Hawk.”
“Can we come help?” Selene asked.
“We're going to be stuck here for a while. It looks like we just stumbled across an assembly area, and they have several companies here with armor support,” Zach told her.
“Are you guys going to be enough to hold that off?” Karen asked.
“Yes,” Anna said.
Karen spoke up with some force. “OK then. We can't afford to lose momentum right now. Barghest Company, double time it. Once we're past Redd Foxx we'll make our attack on the gate. Nora, take the Yellows and head in first. Selene, follow behind with the Reds and back them up when they need it. Crush the enemy. Lee, can you hold Storm Hawk on the flank to guard us?”
“Sure thing,” came the response. “Are you sure that your guys are ready to handle something like this.”
“Positive, thanks. Barghest, let's get this done!”
“Come on,” Nora told her troops with a wave of her hand.
She smiled as they ran forward, skirting the edge of Redd Foxx's positions. Karen was displaying the leadership qualities that all of them had seen when they had nominated her for command of this company. Faced with a situation where her inexperienced troops would have to carry the load, she showed no hesitation. The speed with which she had designated her company's assignments showed confidence, and that would trickle down to the lieutenants and the squad leaders.
It didn't seem like much, but having confident troops was critical. It could mean the difference between storming a room successfully or bei
ng bloodily repulsed when the attackers hesitated for a split second.
The gates loomed ahead of them. The gatehouse itself wasn't going to be that tough to take, especially since they were behind the wall. All they needed to do was to perform a single storm assault on the structure, and they would have it in hand.
The problem, though, was the walls and fortifications surrounding the area. Barghest could take the gate, but if they didn't suppress the defenses their reinforcements were going to come other withering fire as they tried to enter the district.
But the defenses on the walls were formidable, much like the ones that Hydra had placed at Lerna Bastion. The walls were covered with pillboxes and bunkers, bristling with machine guns and heavy weapons. There was only one entrance at each strong point, which was easily defended and difficult to storm.
Barghest Company wasn't helpless; they were equipped for close quarters battle, owing to the fact that they had come straight from a recon mission in the tunnels. They had flamethrowers, grenades, and lots of automatic weapons. But still, this was going to be a tall order, first getting on the wall, and second, clearing it.
Nora switched her channel to her squad leaders. “No hesitation, and don't lose momentum. Let's move!”
Yellow Platoon broke cover and charged straight for the wall. Bullets started to skip around them, fired from the enemy turning to face them. The Yellows continued to press their attack despite taking several casualties. Then Nora saw several of the enemy fall. The rest tried to take cover.
“Press the attack,” Selene said over the radio. “We'll provide overwatch until you get a foothold on the walls.”
“Thanks,” she responded.
Simon's squad was the first unit to the steps.
“Don't hesitate. Get up top and secure the area!” Nora ordered.
To their credit, the squad responded quickly. They charged up the stairs, heedless of the bullets heading their way. One of their soldiers was hit, but the rest kept going, pressing the assault. They reached the top and started laying fire on the enemy surrounding them.
“Keep pushing,” Nora said. “Simon, press your squad to the right section of the wall. Allen, head left once you get up top. April, keep your guys with me. We're going to do some bunker clearing.”
“Sounds like fun,” April commented with a healthy dose of sarcastic enthusiasm.
Nora looked up at the wall again. Most of the bunkers that would cause the assault guns trouble were to the left of the stairs they had taken.
“April, head left. Allen, bypass the bunkers if you can. We'll clear them out on our way through.”
“Copy, Wolf 2,” Allen said.
“How are we getting inside the bunkers?” April asked.
“Well, we do have some breaching charges with us,” Nora said. “And if those don't work, there's always the flamethrower through the firing slit.”
“Can we reach them from the wall?”
“We only need to get the flame to go through the firing port,” Nora reassured her.
Flamethrowers didn't just kill with fire; they also burned all the oxygen in the air, which would be deadly in a confined space like a bunker. Nora planned on making heavy use of grenades and flamethrowers. She didn't want to risk any of her troops if she could help it, since they couldn't gain practical battlefield experience if they were dead.
She climbed up the stairs and headed to the left, following in the footsteps of Allen's squad. April and her troops were right behind her.
The first bunker they came across was shut, barred by a heavy steel door that looked like it would be tough to break through. Terrance, one of the engineers in the squad, kicked at it.
“So, how much explosives are we going to need to use on this? 'Cause it looks like it's gonna be a lot,” he said.
“One charge,” Nora told him. “Place it there. Right between those two rivets in the middle of the door. No, over a bit. Yeah, right there, that's good.”
If Nora's hunch was correct, the doors to the bunker were the same as the ones in the Eagle Creek District. They could stand up to the force of several explosive charges, but a shaped charge could penetrate the door. Place right over the lock, it would have two effects. First, the locking mechanism would be destroyed, so they could easily shove the door open. Second, the lock would be blown to pieces by the charge and would shower the inside of the bunker with lethal shrapnel.
“As soon as we blow the door open, we need to chuck two grenades in and cover. Once we do that, a fireteam moves in to clear out the bunker. April, you're in charge of that,” Nora ordered.
“Got it. What are you going to be doing?” came the question.
“Give me Terrance and two others and we'll move on to the next bunker while you take care of this one. Come meet us, and we should have the charge ready to blow.”
“Right. Jay, Eve, go with Nora,” April said.
Nora looked over at her team. “OK, as soon as we blow that charge we're moving. Ready? Now!”
Terrance triggered the charge. The blast was loud but contained. The purpose of a shaped charge was to direct the blast one way, and the force went right into the bunker.
“Next bunker!” Nora said, motioning her fireteam forward. They took off at a sprint toward the next enemy strongpoint. Nora didn't look back at the other team; she didn't think she needed to. Even if anyone survived the initial blast or the grenades, they would be too stunned to fight back.
Moving quickly, the squad was able to clear out three more bunkers without any trouble. By the time they were done with the third reinforcements from Red Platoon were arriving on the walls. Selene had ordered her troops up to support Yellow Platoon's advance, and Blue Platoon was in the process of taking the gate itself. Nora found Selene in the confusion.
“Is the right end of the wall secure?” she asked.
“There's still fighting, but the enemy has to come out of their bunkers to have a go at us, so they're neutralized all the same,” Selene said. “I think we should signal the armor forward.”
“I think so too. I'll alert Karen and then get right on it,” Nora said.
A good portion of Hydra's armor was deployed in the north, but they still had the assault guns Reaver, St. Michael, Gabriel, Storm and the new vehicle Talon. That would probably be more than sufficient for their needs.
“Black Lead, the wall is secure enough to call over the armor,” Nora alerted her. “I'm contacting them now, so they should be arriving right when you take the gate.”
“Copy, Wolf 2. We'll try to have the gates open as soon as they arrive,” Karen responded.
Nora switched channels. “Tusk Platoon, Tusk Platoon, this is Wolf 2. The gate is clear. I say again, the gate is clear.”
“Wolf 2, this is Tusk 1. We copy, and we are headed to your position right now. We'll be there in about five minutes.”
“Thanks Tusk 1. We'll see you soon.”
Selene turned to her as she finished her radio message.
“How do you think they're doing?”
Nora was confused. “Who?”
“Your troops, I mean. How well do you think they did in the assault? I think mine are performing pretty well. Better than I had hoped, actually.”
“They're doing well. I was really worried that they would be hesitant and would lack the killer instinct they needed for this kind of fighting,” Nora admitted. “But, they're fine as long as they get some direction. The officers could use a bit of work, but I think that's just inexperience. They'll get better about it in time.”
Selene nodded. “That's how I feel. They've really stepped up to the task whenever we ask them to. That's definitely a good thing for us.”
“Still, they need to work on their stealth skills,” Nora pointed out.
Selene smiled. “Hey, I didn't say we should lower the bar for entry. They can suffer through the ranger challenge in the battledomes just like the rest of us.”
They might not get the chance for a while, Nora thought to
herself. The battledomes were located in Old Chicago, and the challenges required specialized skills in order to pass. And while Barghest Company was making steady progress, they were also too focused on their missions to receive the training they needed.
But at least they could act as infantry right now, and that was what the alliance needed most. Even the specialists in the artillery and armor branches of the alliance were capable of giving a good account of themselves as infantry. After all, what good was a force that was incapable of fighting on the front lines when the need was pressing? Long before they had become rangers Black Wolf Company had been fighters on the main line, and Barghest was going to have to follow in those footsteps.
Selene seemed to read her thoughts. “Well, I don't think we're going to be headed to Old Chicago for a while. Too many things to do around here. Like taking districts, for instance. Or the bottomless pit that seems to be under the city.”
Nora frowned. In the rush to deploy their troops for the fight, the memory of the abyss they had discovered had slipped her mind. She was going to have to report it in detail, and the specifics needed to go to alliance command. A company might not be enough to clear a place of that size, and the might need to use the entirety of Ghost Battalion to search the place.
“Still, they did well. Better than we did, during our first attack on a settlement,” Selene said.
“Don't say that. We haven't even seen the boss yet,” Nora said.
Selene rolled her eyes. “Oh, listen to you. I got killed by the first boss and almost had the second one fall right on top of me, and where were you? HQ, that's where,” she commented jokingly.
“Hey, blame Zach for that, not me.”
“That's true,” Selene agreed. “Still... Not to press our luck at all, but I wonder what this place has up its sleeve.” She paused for a moment. “I wonder what insane plan we'll have to come up with this time in order to kill it.”
“Hey, that's Dragon Battalion's problem right now,” Nora said. “We've done our jobs.”
“The antiaircraft gun in Lerna Bastion was Redd Foxx's problem,” Selene pointed out. “How did that end up going?”
Fang: A World at War Novel (World at War Online Book 3) Page 13
