Carnage City: A World at War Novel (World at War Online Book 6) (16 page)

“Humph, thanks,” Danny said with some sarcasm. “Nice to know you have such confidence in my stealth abilities.”

“Be fair, do you really want to be running around in the middle of the night behind enemy lines with just a squad to back you up?”

Danny grinned. “Heck no. I'll take my chances digging holes.”

“That's what I thought.”

Nora looked down at the map again. “So the areas not covered are facing our lines. That might mean they're going to be very alert for raiding teams coming from Dragon Battalion's positions.”

“We can handle it,” Selene said.

“More importantly, we might be able to coordinate some sort of distraction with Dragon,” Danny said.

Zach shook his head. “I'll alert them to what we're doing, but I don't want to rely on them. They have their own issues to worry about, and it's not like we need anything major.”

“Huh, easy for you to say. You're not going to be the one getting shot if this goes south.”

“Actually, I probably will be, since I'm an engineer. I'll be out there digging with you.”

Nora looked down at the table again. “Which means I'm in command. You sure like shifting those responsibilities onto me, don't you?”

“You can go outside and dig if you'd like.”

“Eh, I'll pass.”

“Good then. Let's try to get this done as soon as possible.”

“Tomorrow will probably be good,” Selene said. “I can probably cobble together a raiding team even if we can't get full squads on at the same time.”

“Do what you need to. Just make sure we have enough minelayers,” Zach told her.

Nora nodded in agreement. It didn't matter how they did it, they just needed to accomplish their goal. Because if they didn't, they could be in a tight spot very, very soon.

“
Y
ou're clear for now
. Go.”

Selene heeded Nora's instructions and stepped out from their temporary shelter inside a ruined building. Nightfall was upon them, and darkness covered the landscape.

Conditions favored them. The weather was overcast, with no moon or stars in the sky. Save for a few installed lights around some important positions, the district lay in pitch blackness. How much that would actually help them she didn't know.

Selene guessed that the Ragnarok sentries would be wearing night vision goggles, which would limit the effectiveness of the darkness. While they still would be far less visible than during the day, an attentive enemy could spot them from a long way off.

But that was where the second part of their plan came in. Black Wolf had the map table inside the tower's command post, and they could exploit it to their advantage. The device was capable of networking to the entire company, gathering information from every single soldier. By using that information they could observe the movements of the enemy, even if individual elements didn't have a clear line of sight.

In this case they had positioned several snipers in the upper levels of the tower with their scopes trained on the Ragnarok lines. From their vantage point they could observe the enemy, looking for the location of patrols and for where gaps in the picket line might lay. Once they networked that back to the map table Nora could get a clear overall picture and then relay that information to the forward teams outside of the tower.

Zach had command of one squad that was tasked with laying mines at the designated pointed, mostly made up of engineers with explosives skills. Danny had overall command of the tower garrison, leaving Nora free to concentrate on coordinating the entire operation.

That left her to command the raiding force. Selene had selected Gavin's squad for the job, mostly for their quick-strike abilities and their stealth skills. They'd need them in the coming fight.

Selene had instructed her unit to leave their new rifles behind, instead taking submachine guns fitted with suppressors. She didn't want to risk losing their weapons during such a dangerous mission, and anyhow, firepower would matter little to them.

The could use their guns in a pinch, but even the relative quiet of a suppressed submachine gun made a distinctive noise. The suppressor reduced the range it could be heard from and made it far more difficult to locate, but experienced troops like those from Ragnarok would know something was up and would probably go on alert. Plus, even if they could completely suppress the bullets they couldn't completely muffle the sound of the gun's parts cycling as it fired.

So instead, they would have to rely on stealth and knives, sneaking up on the enemy to stab them in the back or throat. This kind of work was going to be extremely dangerous, even with their considerable stealth skills. Selene hoped that their enemy would be somewhat lax, not expecting any kind of aggressive action from the troops trapped inside the tower. After all, if they were stuck awaiting relief from the other battalions, would the want to risk their troops in a raid for little gain?

She couldn't count on that, though. Ragnarok had fought them more than enough times to know that Black Wolf thrived on pulling crazy stunts and performing the unexpected. They'd probably be on alert, looking for any signs of a surprise attack or raid.

That didn't make their job impossible, though. That just meant they'd have to be even sharper than usual.

Selene activated her own night vision equipment, being careful not to look back toward the upper reaches of the tower. They had a few lights mounted there, and staring into them would play havoc with her vision.

Her column quickly made their way through the ruined buildings surrounding no man's land, taking care not to leave themselves exposed for too long. One wrong step and they could end up bring a whole world of hurt down on themselves.

“Selene, when you come to the next building on your route head east, then south,” Nora told her over the radio. “There's a sniper just ahead of your position.”

Miko's voice cut in. “I'm going to try to make some noise. If I can get a bead on them I'll try to take them out. I'll give similar orders to the rest of the snipers up here as well.”

Selene sent a non-verbal acknowledgement back at them and continued forward. Even a quiet message back to them over the radio might be enough to tip off the enemy.

She wasn't even sure that she wanted them to kill the snipers, mostly because it might draw more unwanted attention. On the flip side, the enemy would probably just dismiss it as more minor skirmishing. Black Wolf and Ragnarok had been taking potshots at each other even before the tower had been surrounded. A few more probably wouldn't arouse any suspicion.

Gavin made a hand signal from his position in the front of the column, directing them through an alleyway per Nora's instructions. The rest of the squad made the turn and hurried through the deserted, winding paths, trying to keep themselves out of the line of sight as much as possible. Noise remained a consideration, but moving in complete silence wasn't useful if they had to slow down too much to do it. At this distance the enemy couldn't hear the clank of weapons or the rustle of clothing, so why bother trying so hard to hide it? That would only come into play once the closed the distance.

Crack.

Selene heard the faint but distinct report of a sniper rifle coming from the direction of the tower. Miko had probably taken out one of the enemy snipers, and Selene imagined she was enjoying herself immensely.

As Miko had explained it, at night they could snipe from the upper levels of the tower with near-impunity. First, in order to counter them their enemies had to actually find which window they were operating from, which was much easier said than done. Once they found it they would have to make a shot through a relatively small target, aiming upward and fighting the force of gravity. Only skilled snipers could make those kinds of shots with any consistency.

Third, even if they did find the Black Wolf sniper and were skilled enough to take them on, they had a third obstacle unique to the night. Anyone wanting to snipe in the darkness would need to use a night vision scope. And once they tried to aim it at the top of the tower, they'd receive a blinding eyeful courtesy of the lights mounted up top.

“Your watcher is down,” Miko said in her ear. “I'm scanning the area for some more targets, so stay sharp.”

Selene nodded and continued forward with her squad. It felt odd not being able to properly reply, but then again that was the nature of stealth work. Ghost Battalion had always exercised a considerable amount of initiative in the lower levels of command, relying on the work of the sergeants and lieutenants to carry out the orders. Upper level command simply coordinated them into a coherent plan when they could.

While that wasn't always best for performing complicated maneuvers, it served them well in situations like raids. They could sow confusion within the enemy ranks, because few on the other side could predict what they were going to do next. Even if they were outnumbered or outgunned, they could gain the initiative with the element of surprise and dictate the course of battle. Whoever controlled the tempo of the fight could control where or when the individual battles were and who fought them.

That was why, despite all the danger that this mission entailed, Selene appreciated the fact that they were out here about to get in the enemy's face. They might not have a lot going for them, but this would serve a greater purpose than a few enemy deaths. It would make it apparent that Black Wolf was willing and able to launch strikes into Ragnarok held territory even while surrounded, and the enemy commanders had to account for that possibility.

If they didn't then they could very well have rangers rampaging through their rear areas while the rest of the Hydra forces in the district launched a counterattack, and that could turn into a disaster. Resupply convoys and troop reinforcements moving toward the front line could be ambushed, or even worse, have accurate artillery fire called down on their heads. That kind of chaos could prove to be backbreaking.

Crack
.

Another shot rang out. Selene continued to advance forward, heedless of what Miko might be targeting. If it was important then they'd let her know.

Nora started to speak over the radio, but that became lost in the shuffle as Selene saw Gavin suddenly make a hand signal ahead of her. Everyone in the unit quietly drew their knives, dulled with soot or camo paint to avoid giving off a glint even in low light.

Despite her veteran experience, despite having been in scores of fights, Selene felt a bit of nerves rising within her. Stealth work always had that quality to it. She'd charge into a storm of bullets or stand firm in the face of an enemy horde, but those instances sometimes gave second chances. If they screwed up while they were performing stealth work then the whole operation could be compromised in one instant.

She waited for a moment, wondering what might be out there waiting for them…

And then a patrol moved past their positions, a fireteam of four Ragnarok troops. They looked like they were trying to avoid staying outside of cover for too long, just like Alpha 1, but that meant their eyes kept straying upward. It was a fatal mistake.

In an instant the Black Wolf troops were on them at once, stabbing them in the back and neck multiple times to keep them from sounding the alarm. The unfortunate soul Selene attacked took several stab wounds through the armpit from her and another Black Wolf trooper.

And then it was over. The squad dragged the bodies back into cover and moved on.

This was the nature of knife work though: quick, quiet and brutal. Black Wolf's techniques weren't terribly refined, pretty or flashy, but they were effective. That was what counted in the heat of battle against skilled opponents like the ones they were facing.

“Selene, I just saw several marks converge on your position. Are you alright?” Nora asked.

Selene replied with the non-verbal affirmative through the messaging system.

“They'll probably miss their patrol before long. Make sure you stay sharp.”

Selene had to smile when she heard that. What else were they going to do? One lapse of concentration or judgment could mean the deaths of her entire squad, and Selene didn't want to have to retrain her skills if that happened. Better to make enough of an impact and leave than to stay too long and get themselves killed over some pointless fight.

She wondered what kind of progress Zach's team was making, but Gavin's squad was moving too fast for her to type out a reply. Again, if she needed to know it the others would communicate that information to her. In the meantime, her objective was clear.

Find the enemy, sneak up on them and then wreak havoc.

T
hey made
their way through the rest of no man's land, guided by Miko and Nora's directions and dealing with occasional patrols that crossed their paths. They avoided a few, but most were knifed. They might be just a diversionary force, but Selene wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to weaken Ragnarok's troop strength. Every enemy trooper that had to spend time getting their abilities back up to par was a plus in her book. She'd had enough of dealing with a seemingly endless tied of elite Ragnarok troops. Let them go back to using newbies and amateurs for a bit, or failing that, at least cut down the effectiveness of their veterans.

Besides, the more bodies they created, the greater chance that someone discovered them and sounded the alarm. This was a distraction after all, and distractions only worked if people noticed them.

Gavin held up a hand again as they neared the enemy lines. Selene took the time to pause and open up her holographic menu so she could communicate detailed messages to him. Since it was set on stealth mode only she could see the projection. That meant she couldn't use it as a map to guide others, but it was better than nothing.

Enemy strongpoint ahead. Looks like there's a couple of squads stationed there
, the message from Gavin read.

Selene typed her reply.
Are they all there now, or is it just a skeleton crew?

Gavin made a glance toward the enemy position again, then typed his reply.
Looks like it's big enough to house a platoon, but there's only about ten to fifteen enemy troops there. Do we want to go around them, or do we attack them?

Selene frowned as she thought. Should they try to get deeper into enemy territory, or should they just attack now and cause a distraction? If Zach team was close to completing their objectives they could even use their guns, killing the enemy and then hightailing it back to the safety of their own lines.

Hold on for a second,
she told Gavin, then messaged Nora.
What's the status on Zach's end?

The reply came only a few seconds later.
Making steady progress. Should only take about ten more minutes.

Ten minutes. If they launched an attack now that would give them just enough time to kill the enemy troops in front of them, hightail it out of there and be back to their own lines before anyone was the wiser. Of course, that was totally dependent on them being able to eliminate the enemy without raising the alarm.

The entire operation had gone better than she expected, though. Zach's team would be finished laying mines, and her team hadn't run into serious opposition. The fact that they'd hadn't been discovered yet pleased her greatly. Maybe their stealth skills were better than they thought. Either that, or they had gotten very lucky this time.

But they had to press that luck one more time. Selene sent a message to Gavin.
Prepare for attack. Infiltration with knives. Use our guns as a last resort. Withdraw back to base when we're finished.

She received a thumbs up in response. A few seconds and several hand signals later, the unit sprang into action.

They crept through the rubble and debris in front of the Ragnarok position, being careful to stick to the shadows. Several of the enemy were grouped around a light of some sort. It was so bright through her night vision goggles that Selene tried to avoid looking in that direction and blinding herself. Once she established the positions of the other enemy troops she turned them off, preferring to work with what little light they had at their disposal.