“Is that a fl-” Javy began to say, before his question was answered.
Wooosh!
Zach flinched instinctively as a jet of flame streaked out of the tank toward them. For a second he began to panic, but then it felt short, about forty or fifty yards in front of their position.
“Bad aim?” Javy wondered aloud.
No, Zach thought to himself. That was probably a ranging shot, judging from the small amount of fuel used. They probably wouldn’t fire again until they closed the distance. Once that happened, though, they were ashes.
He certainly hoped that Danny could kill the thing before that happened.
* * *
“Target the tank! Target the tank!” Danny ordered, struggling to be heard over the racket. Aside from the gunfire, the sound of clanking ammunition and moving players only added to the noise.
“Both of us?” Ryan shouted back.
“No, actually. Joe, your crew targets the tank! Ryan, keep laying down fire on the infantry.”
Both crew chiefs shouted back their affirmatives and went to work. Danny went to the stairwell to make sure the ammo chain was running smoothly. It was, for the time being, but the runners were getting tired, and right now they had no end in sight.
They were burning through ammunition at an alarming rate too. The 45mm guns could sustain fire of about fifteen to twenty rounds a minute, but their shells were having much less effect than he had hoped. Their stock of fragmentation shells on this floor had been exhausted almost immediately, and Danny didn’t know how fast they could get them up from the ground floor.
The flame tank might be the biggest danger at the moment, but he could spot Ragnarok troops with man-portable weapons in the midst of the enemy force as well. Once they closed, Zach’s units on the ground floor were in for a world of hurt.
They didn’t have any choice, though. Bravo Wolf had to keep fighting, trying to keep the enemy at bay for reinforcements to arrive on time. The tower had to be held at all costs.
“Firing,” Joe said, and a second later his gun went off.
Bang!
“Did you hit it?” Danny asked.
Joe frowned. “Not a great shot, but it looks like we’ve got a mobility kill, at least. We blew off the front left drive wheel.”
“Try to kill it with another shot,” Danny ordered. He didn’t want the tank to suddenly start moving again and get into firing range while they were all distracted.
As the crews continued to fire, he looked down at his wrist menu clock. About ten more minutes before the effects of the jamming device wore off. It might not amount to much, but at least they could communicate with the other units.
That was, if they were still standing in then minutes. An RPG smashed into the face of the building, momentarily causing everyone to flinch again. He wished they had a sniper to deal with the enemy heavy weapons teams, but everyone on his level was occupied trying to keep the guns running.
The only thing he could do right now was hope that Zach’s units would realize what was happening and take steps to protect them. Otherwise, given Ragnarok’s love of using massive numbers of RPGs, one was going to find its way inside and ruin everyone’s day.
Someone tapped on his shoulder. “We’re starting to run out of fragmentation rounds near the stairs,” one of the Hephaestus engineers warned him. “We’ll have to get the ones by the entrance.”
“Keep supplying us for as long as possible,” Danny told him, his mind racing. Backup had better arrive fast.
* * *
The second flame tank started to burn, but it didn’t explode like the last one. That suited Zach just fine, because the relatively intact wreck would block the roadway to other vehicles.
But that was the least of their worries right now. Ragnarok troops had closed in to about one hundred yards from the base of the tower and were laying a fusillade of fire down on them. Xavier had immediately noticed they were targeting the fourth floor with RPGs and assigned the snipers to take care of the problem, but that diverted much-needed firepower from the assault troops that we closing in fast.
Zach resisted the temptation to just blaze away at the enemy. Even with careful conservation of his supply, he had a little less than half of his ammo load left, with no prospects of getting any more anytime soon. Instead, he focused on making semi-auto shots he knew he could hit. That limited the number of targets, since he wasn’t the best marksman, but it was better than the alternative. If he was careless then he’d be reduced to firing pistol bullets and then flinging rocks.
He managed to take out an enemy engineer with a flamethrower, and forced another unit back into cover with a shot that just barely missed. But at this point it was like trying to dam a river with paper bags. Even as hard as they tried, they simply didn’t have the numbers to do it.
“Time to fix yet?” Javy asked.
“Wait,” Zach ordered, firing off another shot. It looked likely that they’d have to engage in hand-to-hand combat, but the order to fix bayonets would signal a turning point. If that happened then the enemy would be inside the building shortly, and then they were completely screwed.
At least the enemy attack wasn’t completely coordinated, probably because the jamming signal blocked all communications regardless of what side. It was meant to balance the weapon, but Ragnarok still had the clear advantage. They knew when it would be deployed, and could disseminate a plan among the lower ranks that didn’t have to be told to them over the radio.
They couldn’t adjust on the fly very well, but with those numbers they didn’t need to. Their plan was straightforward enough.
And for Bravo Wolf, the situation was starting to look very bleak. But then his wrist alert suddenly went off.
That caught his attention, and he suddenly remembered he had set his alarm when the jamming began. Now, thirty minutes later, the radios were usable again.
Zach quickly activated his radio and opened a channel to the entire platoon. “All units, this is Wolf Lead. Please respond.”
It took a second, but everyone called in. Zach felt a bit better. At the very least, they could talk to each other even if they weren’t on the same floor.
“Zach, we’re running out of ammo,” Danny warned.
“Yeah, so are we. Try to keep it up for as long as possible.” He switched channels. “Paige, you there?”
“I’m here.”
“What’s your status?”
“I’m up in the command center, still calling for help. Alpha Wolf is on their way to reinforce, but I don’t have an ETA. I’m trying to get us some artillery, but Ragnarok’s been hitting us across the line, so I’m fighting a bunch of others for it.”
“Let me take care of that,” Zach said, and immediately switched channels. “Buck Lead, Buck Lead, come in. This is Wolf Lead.”
“Go ahead,” Bryce said.
“We need immediate artillery support in front of our position,” Zach said flatly.
“OK, just give-”
“We’re going to be overrun in less than two minutes if we don’t get it,” Zach insisted. “That’s not hyperbole either.”
“Understood.”
Zach gritted his teeth and resumed firing at the incoming enemy forces. Could they hold out long enough until help arrived, whether that was shellfire or more troops? At this point he honestly didn’t know.
“Zach, one of the guns is unfireable,” Danny said over the radio. “The barrel warped, and I don’t want to put any more shells through it.
Zach sighed. That was to be expected, given the rate they had been throwing out shots. Right now he would have killed to have a pair of heavy machine guns at their disposal.
“Wolf Lead, Wolf Lead, come in.”
He perked up for a moment as he heard the voice come over the radio. “How close are you guys?” he asked.
“About a block,” Nora told him.
“Step on it. We’re running out of ammo, and one of the guns is out of commission. Otherwise, you guy
s are going to have to repeat the assault on the tower again.”
“Ugh, I think I’ll pass on that.”
“Same with me,” Selene cut it. “We’re moving.”
Zach’s wrist alert buzzed again, and Bryce came on the line.
“They’re firing now. Shells should be landing in a few seconds.”
Sure enough, he heard a sound almost like a rushing freight train just before the 155s started falling.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
Zach laid down his weapon and braced himself, making sure to stay in cover. There was no point in continuing to fire: anyone out on the streets would be struggling to survive the onslaught, and popping out of cover was a good way to get hit with stray fragments.
“Just in time,” Danny commented over the radio. “Would have been nice if this happened sooner.”
Maybe, but better late than never, in his book.
* * *
“You just can’t seem to keep yourselves out of trouble, can you,” Nora commented lightly once the battle was over.
“We’re Black Wolf. Inviting trouble down on our heads seems to be our thing,” Danny said. “Well, that and crazy suicide missions. Maybe this counts as both.”
“So glad I got dragged along for the ride,” Paige said with considerable sarcasm. “Now we’ve got a ton of repairs to do.”
“At least we survived, though,” Nora said.
Zach frowned. Maybe, but it had been quite the close call. Enemy troops had closed to within a hundred yards of their positions, and if it wasn’t for the artillery they would have been overrun.
The anti-tank guns had proved their worth, at least. Not only had they killed two flame tanks, but their firepower had also assisted in keeping the infantry assault at bay as well. Zach had no doubt that they would have lost without them.
“We need to make this position stronger,” he told the others. “Ragnarok sent a ton of troops after us, and we’re not strong enough to fend them off without a ton of help right now. We need to change that.”
“That’ll take time,” Paige pointed out.
“Then we’ll figure out a way to move faster,” Zach replied curtly. He realized he was being short, but the battle had left him drained, without any feelings of triumph. Instead, he felt a sense of foreboding.
More hard fights were coming. And if they didn’t prepare for them, then Black Wolf was going to lose.
Badly.
10
DEFENDERS
“Javy!”
Selene called out the name, then flung the ball in his direction, past Danny’s outstretched arms. Zach tried to recover in time to stop the pass, but he couldn’t move quickly enough. A second later, Javy sank a perfect jumper.
“Hah, score!” he said with a fist pump.
Danny wiped an arm across his brow. “Man, it is way too hot today.”
“What, can’t keep up?” Selene ribbed him.
“Hah, as if.”
“I’m down for a water break, if everyone else is,” Xavier said.
Zach raised a hand. “I second that.”
The others agreed as well. That suited her just fine, because the heat was starting to get to her as well. Midsummer was in full swing, sending the temperature into the mid-eighties. They could have played indoors today, but they all wanted to be outside for a bit, even with the high temperatures.
They just needed to make sure they stayed hydrated, a tall task in the heat. A single water bottle wasn’t going to be enough, either. All of them had at least two gallons of water.
“I’m so glad we have air conditioning in our apartment,” Miko commented as they sat in the shade of a nearby tree. “Otherwise there’s no way I’d be out here right now.”
“Can’t take the heat either?” Gavin said, wiping away sweat as he spoke.
“Nope, and can’t take the cold either. Nice, steady temperatures are what I prefer.”
“Then why the heck are you living here?” Danny asked.
“Because I’m getting paid a ton?”
“OK, point taken.”
Selene leaned back against the tree and took another swig of water. “We’ve got to stay fit somehow. Being outside seems like the best way to do it. Besides, won’t you all go crazy in the winter when the snow’s piling on and the temperatures are sub-zero?”
“It is nice to be out in the sun,” Xavier said.
“That’s because you won’t get sunburned,” Danny said.
“I can if I’m out in the sun for long periods of time, and I still can get skin cancer.”
“Well, that’s a lovely thought,” Zach muttered.
“Gosh, you’re all so grim today,” Nora commented. “I’m with Selene. Just be glad that we can be outside today, because it looks like there’s going to be storms the rest of the week.”
Selene nodded. That was part of the reason they were outside today, actually, because they’d probably be trapped indoors for a while. If this was the last sunshine they’d see for a week then she wanted to be out to enjoy it, even if meant running around in the blazing hot sun.
The other reason, of course, was that they’d have a lot of their time occupied in the virtual world. Right now everything was quiet, thanks to the failed assault on the tower, but they were certain it wasn’t going to stay that way.
In fact, Ragnarok seemed to be gearing up for a long, brutal struggle for the Cudahy District. Their last offensive hadn’t just hit the area around the tower. Their enemy had tried to punch through several parts of the line, subjecting Thorn, Crimson Eagle and Lion to especially vicious assaults. Only their artillery had managed to stem the tide.
Black Wolf needed more firepower to deal with the next onslaught, because Selene’s platoon had barely made it in time to save the rest. A few more minutes and Ragnarok would have been inside the building. Machine guns, more artillery and more garrison troops would certainly help, but would it be enough?
“So,” Danny asked Zach, “are you going to be around for the rest of the week, or are your other duties going to take up a lot of your time?”
“Unless something changes, I’ll be online most of the time. But just in case, I want to make sure that we have a clear chain of command.”
“In case of what?” Gavin asked.
“In case Ragnarok decides to come knocking at a time when I can’t respond.”
“Nora’s the obvious one to take your place,” Miko pointed out.
Nora shrugged. “Well, I can if I need to, but I’m not always going to be available either. I’m gearing up for auditions next year, so I really want to practice as much as I can.”
“Weren’t they this year?” Selene asked.
“I decided that I wasn’t ready,” Nora told her. “I’m not confident enough to go in as I am right now. Give me another year and I should be good.”
“Jeeze, that long?” Danny said.
“Coming from the person who’s still working on their doctorate, can you really say anything about that?” Gavin pointed out.
“Eh, I’ll get it done eventually. Probably by the end of the fall semester.”
“That’s a question, isn’t it,” Xavier said. “What are we all going to do when the study ends?”
Selene frowned. “I haven’t thought about that much, to be honest. Or maybe I’m only doing it subconsciously. It’s not like I’m spending extravagantly, so I can stash away a lot of my earnings.”
“That’s what I’m doing,” Miko said. “Though I don’t want to be just living off of my savings account when it ends.”
Zach straightened up. “Well, there might be an alternative in a few years. Hypothetically speaking, I mean.”
“And would this hypothetical thing be a project currently in development?” Javy asked.
“Maybe.”
“How exactly would we be getting money out of it?” Gavin asked, clearly interested.
“Conversion between in-game and real world currency. Hypothetically speaking, of course.”
Xavier spoke up again. “That’s still pretty vague. I’d stick with my strategy. Actually, I could help the rest of you with it too, if you’re interested.”
“Does it have to do with the stock market?” Zach asked.
Xavier nodded. “Well, that, the commodities market, bonds and the like. I have plenty of experience dealing with investments, so I can consolidate them all into a portfolio which pays out steady earnings. I can do that for you guys too, if you’re interested.”
“How do we know if you’re any good?” Javy asked.
“Well, you’re going to have to trust me on that. I have passed all the necessary exams, by the way, so there’s that.”
It sounded interesting to Selene, but right now she wanted to go back to the competition. She took one last drink and stood up.
“Well, let’s get back to basketball. We’ve still got a beating to dish out.”
“Wow, someone’s cocky today,” Gavin said.
“Someone’s cocky every day,” Danny corrected him. “Oh well. It’s going to be fun making you eat those words.”
Selene looked over at him and smiled. “Bring it on.”
* * *
“Nice setup you’ve got here,” Anna commented as she entered the command center.
“You don’t want to know what we had to go through to get our hands on it,” Selene told her. “And count yourself lucky that you could just take the elevator.”
“I’d imagine that would be a pain.”
“No kidding, and that’s without a bunch of people trying to drop grenades on your head as you’re trying to climb.”
“No, but Ragnarok’s been taking potshots at us every chance they can get.”
“Ah. How is that end of the line?”
Anna leaned up against one of the walls and sighed. “Well, it’s stable, at least. But Ymir is deployed to the area, and they’ve been making raids across the river. David thinks they’re trying to find a weak point in our lines, and I’m pretty sure that he’s right.”
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