Carnage City: A World at War Novel (World at War Online Book 6) (3 page)

Zach killed two more enemies before the dust finally settled.

“Everyone, report your status!” Javy said.

A quick headcount told them they had lost two of their number in the fight. Zach quickly found his carbine and set himself up in another position, preparing for the next onslaught that was sure to come.

“How many did we get?” he asked.

“That was about fifteen to twenty of them,” Javy told him. “More than we have, but not a ton.”

Zach frowned. “Probably went in on their own initiative. Cut off by artillery from the main force with no way to withdraw and no way out except going forward. What else are you going to do?”

“Have to admire their fighting spirit, at least.”

Zach nodded. Ragnarok might be the enemy, but both sides had a healthy respect for the other. Besides, in a game like World at War Online, fights of this nature shared more similarities to a football game than to a war.

“Miko, what’s the enemy doing right now?” Zach asked.

“Hm. Looks like they’re assembling to have another go at us,” she said. “Though it also looks like there’s a lot less assault troops and a lot more long range combatants in this wave.”

“That’s odd.”

“I know. Maybe they’re trying to get us to trade fire with them until we run low on ammunition.”

Zach frowned again. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He switched to the open channel. “Everyone, make sure to conserve your ammunition. We don’t want to run out before help arrives.”

But how long could they really last? They had been fighting for almost twenty minutes, constantly fending off attacks from all directions. His section of the defense had spent half their load of grenades in the last attack, and they would probably run out of ammunition soon.

“Zach,” Danny’s voice crackled over the radio. “C.J. just signaled me. Crimson Eagle is launching their attack and making a beeline for our positions.”

“Good.”

They weren’t out of the woods yet, because even though their relief was just three hundred yards away, who knew how long it would take them to fight their way through the enemy defenses? All Bravo Wolf could do right now was to keep fighting and hope for the best.

His mind raced as he tried to come up with a solution. “Danny, I’m headed up top into the building,” he said. “I’ll try to help them get here faster.”

“Roger. Good luck.”

Both sides continued to exchange gunfire. Zach waited for the right moment before sprinting through a large hole in the side of the building. He charged up the crumbling stairwells to the fourth floor and headed for a position on the south side. Sure enough, he could see Crimson Eagle’s advance from his vantage point.

“Eagle Lead, Eagle Lead, this is Wolf Lead,” Zach said. “Can you see my marker on the map?”

“Yup, I can see it,” C.J. confirmed.

“I’m on top of a building, so I can see what’s in your way,” Zach said. “If you could hurry, please? We’re starting to run out of ammo, and they’re not letting up.”

“Copy that. We’ll see what we can do.”

Zach switched channels. “Mortar 3, Mortar 3, come in,” he said, hoping he could get some close-range artillery support.

“Mortar 3.”

“I need 81mm fire on these coordinates,” he said, just before transmitting them.

There was a pause. “Those are doable. Just give us thirty seconds.”

“Copy that, and thanks.”

“Zach, looks like they’re choosing to stand off and trade fire with us,” Miko said. “Doesn’t look like they’re gathering strength for another assault.”

Zach nodded. “Probably trying to form a stable line, then. They have to know that Dragon Battalion’s on the attack now.”

About a minute later, C.J. confirmed that guess.

“Ragnarok’s falling back,” he said. “Did you do something?”

“No, looks like they’re falling back on their own,” Zach told him. “They’re digging in across from us. Looks like they want to reestablish their lines.”

“Ah, I get it. Well, something for us to take advantage of, at least.”

A series of explosions went off outside. Ragnarok was already in full retreat, and the mortar fire would only serve to speed that up.

Zach slumped against a wall, feeling no satisfaction, no glory, nothing but exhaustion. All that brutal, taxing fighting for only three hundred yards of ground.

This was going to be a long, hard fight.

“
W
e’re making progress
,” Lex said.

Nora frowned and looked over the tactical map spread out before them. “If you can really call the last week progress.”

Yes, they could call it progress, but only in relative terms. Hydra had been used to fast-moving offensives, using their mobility and ferocity to gain huge amounts of ground quickly. Their gains were measured in miles, not in feet. Even when fighting for control of towns or cities they could usually win within a few hours of high-intensity fighting.

But the Cudahy District was turning into a nightmare. Hydra had been engaged with Ragnarok for well over a month and had only minor gains to show for it. They had breached the wall and surged about halfway up through the district, but determined resistance had stopped their offensive, and a well-planned counterattack threw them back a significant distance. The situation had settled into a stalemate as Ragnarok focused on a flanking attack to the west.

Once that had failed, though, the situation changed drastically. Freed from the concern of being flanked and cut off and bolstered by reinforcements from Green Bay, Hydra was back on the offensive. They now had the strength to advance while protecting all of their other important areas.

At least, that was the theory, but Ragnarok wasn’t going down without a fight. They still had a significant number of experienced, well-armed troops within the district, and they fought like demons. Several planned assaults had been bloodily repulsed. Gains amounted to a few inches a day.

Faced with such fanatical resistance, Hydra Command looked for some way, any way to turn the tables further back in their favor. Time was starting to tick against them. They might have the strategic initiative for now, but Ragnarok Company would certainly try to take that back. Every hour, every day wasted presented even more opportunities for them to accomplish that.

And so that meant Black Wolf, initially freed from the fighting within the district by the arrival of Magic Battalion, was back in the thick of things. Their mission this time was very different, however. Instead of acting as line infantry, they had been charged with finding some way to break through the enemy defenses.

They had troops scouring every possible route, from the subterranean tunnels to the streets, to locations along the lake and even the skies. None of them would be simple. Most were heavily guarded. Selene’s route through the storm drain tunnels looked promising, but they still didn’t have a good idea about where it came out. For all they knew, they could end up walking out right in front of a machine gun nest.

And then there was the problem of actually doing damage once they reached their target. Nora had a ton of confidence in Black Wolf’s skills, but their enemies were not slouches either. And if they were holding commando units in reserve like she expected, they might not come out on top. Black Wolf had lost several head-to-head confrontations with the Valkyries before, and she still wasn’t sure they could come out on top this time.

“We eliminated the salient in the line,” Bryce, second in command of Dragon Battalion said. “That takes away a significant annoyance.”

“And we have a possible route into Ragnarok’s rear areas,” Cody, commander of Dragon Battalion said.

Nora looked down at the map again. “This… This seems way too convenient. How haven’t they discovered this route? That just isn’t like them.”

“Maybe because it was concealed?” Bryce said. “I mean, we missed the fact that there was a subway right under our feet in the Eagle Creek District. They could very well have missed it, especially since it’s in the middle of the water.”

“I think the better question is, though, where does it lead? Because we need to make sure before we try anything with it,” Nora said.

Cody shrugged. “We can just explore it more.”

“That’s very risky. In order to exit the tunnels they have to climb through a bunch of boat wrecks. That’s not going to be quiet, and we have no idea what might be lurking in the water. Plus, even if they do get outside, what’s waiting for them there? We might give away our secret before we even get a chance to use it.”

“OK, so what do you want to do?” Lex asked. “We can’t just leave something like that alone. Not when it might be what turns the tide in our favor.”

Nora opened up her wrist menu to view a map of the city, then zoomed in on the general location of the tunnel exit. “Looks like it comes out on the lake shore, which matches with what Selene saw. We might be able to send a river craft up to it to figure out what’s outside.”

“Won’t that attract attention too?” Bryce asked.

“Nothing out of the ordinary, I’d think. We’ve had patrols out on the lake trying to find a way to get ashore. We could probably just pass this mission off as another one of those.”

Cody frowned as he looked down at the map. “Assuming we do figure out everything, where are the assault troops for this route coming from? My battalion can’t spare anything.”

“Neither can mine,” Lex said.

Nora nodded. “I know. I’ll talk with Anna about it. Black Wolf will spearhead the operation, of course, but I’ll see if we can get Redd Foxx or Barghest to help out. Probably Barghest.”

The entire affair concerned her. Even with their extensive experience in urban combat, this was a bad situation. Nora knew full well they were probably going to die in droves. And even though this was a game where death wasn’t permanent, dying still stung.

The radical changes to World at War Online were having their desired effect. While before death was merely an annoyance, now it was a significant setback. It took weeks for a veteran soldier to train back up to that level after they were killed, and that severely reduced the combat effectiveness of units involved in intense combat. Their only comfort was that their enemies had to deal with the same problems.

Nora didn’t hate the changes, because they were needed. Dying had become far too cheap in the original game, merely an inconvenience that warped players back to a certain location. Larger companies and alliances could often win by simply swamping their enemies in an endless tide of bodies. But the new system made that much, much more difficult.

Human wave tactics were still possible, but they now could prove to be extremely costly. Less skilled troops would remain that way if killed time after time, drastically lessening the effectiveness of the attacking unit. Adding veteran troops meant risking a valuable asset that could take weeks or even months to properly replace. It made medics very valuable, and many players very leery of taking risks.

It meant attrition had to be factored into the planning as well. Now they not only had to consider how casualties would influence the immediate battle, but how they would affect the situation days or weeks later. It made things more realistic, but it also gave them yet another thing to track.

“Can you get in contact with Barghest right now?” Bryce asked. “Last I heard they were deep behind enemy lines.”

“Oh yes, we have ways,” Nora assured him. “The messaging system, for one, and we can extract them by helo if we need to move them to another spot.”

“Still, that takes away a unit that can do a lot of damage to Ragnarok’s supply lines.”

“We can deal with that. The only reason we’re raiding right now is to buy us time, anyhow. If we take the district than it becomes less important.”

And maintaining that balance would be crucial. They couldn’t afford to let Ragnarok have their way, but they also couldn’t let themselves get distracted. They needed to remember their objectives and always work toward them.

It was why they had abandoned Green Bay, even though they had spent huge amounts of time, effort and equipment to capture it in the first place. The city was a prize, to be certain, but it served no real purpose in the grand scheme of things and robbed the main front of vital troops. As a result, Hydra Command had made the calculated decision to bring Magic Battalion south, where they would be more useful, and leave Green Bay to the enemy.

Nora had advocated for the decision, even though it stung as well. They had no room for sentimentality, not when they were going up against a tough opponent like this. They needed every advantage, every edge they could get their hands on.

Cody looked over at her. “So, I guess our charge to your company is to keep looking, and keep us in the loop. We need some way to break the deadlock that doesn’t involve smashing ourselves against a brick wall.”

Nora nodded. “Right. We’ll make sure to do that. I don’t-”

Her wrist alert went off, and the time popped up.

“Sorry, I have to run. See you all later,” Nora said. She opened up her menu and logged out.

The situation in the virtual world wasn’t the only thing on her mind right now. Auditions for the Chicago Philharmonic orchestra would be on her before she knew it, and if she wanted to give a good showing, she’d need practice.

A lot of it.

B
ach’s Cello Suite No
. 1. It was a piece that Nora had played scores of times before, but one she always appreciated. She would test herself against other pieces, but this was one she could always come back to if she needed a breather. She knew it by heart, and could simply sit back and enjoy playing. It gave her some well-needed respite from the grind of trying to learn another piece.

Or maybe she was just avoiding having to confront pieces she didn’t have a good handle on. Maybe, but Nora knew she wouldn’t avoid them forever. She couldn’t. If she wanted to be taken seriously as a cellist then she needed to be able to step up to any challenge thrown at her, even if she couldn’t complete it right away.

So much going on, so little time to do it. Nora had responsibilities inside the virtual world, plus she had to find time to practice and maintain her normal life. That meant the normal eating, sleeping, maintaining her apartment, exercising, and a dozen other little things.

Still, she couldn’t complain that much. She earned good money participating in the study, and she could flex her hours however she wished. Nora certainly wouldn’t trade her current situation for many things, except maybe a position in an orchestra. But that kind of opportunity was a long way off.

Nora paused for a moment to look at the clock. About four. That gave her a little more time to continue practice before she needed to quit and get ready to go out.

Yet another thing to do tonight.

“
H
appy Birthday Javy
,” Nora said as she gave him a hug.

“Thanks,” he replied with a slightly awkward grin. “I’m finally starting to catch up to you guys.”

“Well, we’re getting older too,” Zach said.

“Yeah, but at least I can drink now and you don’t have to act all awkward around me.”

Nora laughed. “True.”

Javy’s birthday had actually been three days ago, but today was the first time they could get together. Danny and Xavier had taken care of the particulars, reserving a private room in a restaurant and making sure everyone was invited. Nora looked around the room at the various guests: Miko and Selene, Gavin, Ryan and Ethan sitting and chatting with each other. Danny and Xavier were off somewhere, probably the bar, and Zach and herself stood with Javy. That was everyone.

“First time in a long time we’re not logged in during the evening,” Javy commented as they sat down.

“Well, we’ve had some nights off here and there, but not lately,” Miko said. “Who knew this was going to end up turning into such a massive time sink.”

“It might become an even bigger one, if all those rumors about earning real world money are true.”

Nora saw Zach frown but didn’t say anything. He would know, since he was on the development team for another virtual world MMO, but she didn’t want to pry. Besides, even if she did he might not be able to answer.

“That would be pretty cool for us,” Ryan commented.

“Keep this quiet,” Zach spoke up, “but there’s rumors going around that they’re going to start broadcasting e-sports with World at War as their basis. Tournaments, maybe a documentary, that kind of thing.”

“And is there money involved?’ Gavin asked.

“Of course. Tournaments are a good way to get sponsors, and there’s even rumors going around that individual teams can get their own sponsors. That’s all hearsay, though, and you didn’t hear it from me.”

“Still,” Ethan commented, “that’s interesting, although it might make things a lot more contentious.”

“What, people powergaming to get better and make money?” Gavin asked. “I could sadly see that.”

“My sources tell me that the tournaments would take place outside the scope of the regular game. Kind of like a pocket dimension, of sorts,” Zach said.

“That makes sense. Wouldn’t want to throw off the balance of the game that most people play for fun,” Selene said.

“Yeah, but it probably won’t be long before we have a game where you can earn real world money just by playing,” Nora said. “Not huge amounts, of course, but little increments.”

“How the heck would that even work?” Miko asked. “They’d need to make a profit somehow, so how are they going to do that when they have to pay their players as well? You really can’t ask for a subscription.”

Nora shrugged. “Maybe advertising? I’m kind of surprised we don’t have billboards and announcements floating around Old Chicago, to be honest. It’s a space where people frequent. Why wouldn’t they use it to advertise?”

Zach shifted next to her uncomfortably.

“Well, someone knows something,” Gavin said.

“No comment,” Zach replied, stone-faced.

“Do you know anything?” Miko asked Nora.

“Nope. It was just a guess,” she shrugged.

“Always nice to have someone with insider information,” Selene said.

“Please don’t prod me for it. I really don’t want to get fired,” Zach replied.

Their conversation ended as the door opened and Xavier stepped through, followed by Danny. They both had a pitcher in each of their hands.

“Happy Birthday Javy,” Danny said.

“Jeeze, alcohol poisoning anyone?” Gavin said with a smile.