Werewolf: A World at War Novel (World at War Online Book 4) (23 page)

“That puts my exoskeleton out of commission, then,” Nora said. “There's no way I can command and pilot it at the same time.”

“Command is your top priority,” Anna said. “By the time we'd need the exoskeleton, Zach will be back here anyhow.”

“Got it,” Nora said. Someone buzzed her on her radio. “Wolf 2.”

“Wolf 2, this is Alpha Wolf,” Selene's voice said. Nora could hear gunfire in the background.

“Has it-”

“Yeah. Ragnarok launched a full scale attack over the crossing. We're holding,” Selene said.

“Update me if anything changes. Wolf 2, out.” Nora looked over at Anna. “Well, that didn't take long.”

Anna paused for a moment, listening to her own radio. “Got it, Liz. Make them pay for every inch.” She looked over at Nora. “So it begins.”

For better or for worse, the gauntlet had been thrown.

CHAPTER 20

Storm Surge

Selene raised her assault rifle and fired. Her first shots caught an enemy soldier square in the chest, dropping him straight into the middle of the strip of dry land. The assault following behind him tripped over his body, and Selene killed him too, for good measure.

“Looks like they're falling back,” Logan said over the radio.

“Not like they have much choice,” Selene replied.

Ragnarok probably didn't know they were up here until the bullets started flying. Alpha Wolf had taken the time to camouflage their positions, and the sun was starting to set. Soon enough it would be dark, and that obscured the enemy's vision.

Dozens of enemy dead littered the crossing. Not only had they died, but they would impede any advance until they were cleared away.

Selene fired off another shot into the backs of the retreating Ragnarok forces. She didn't see if she hit anyone, but it really didn't matter much at this point. The first wave had been beaten back. But there was more coming behind it.

“All troops, withdraw to the bunkers,” Selene ordered. “Leave a few spotters in the pillboxes to warn us when they come back.”

Alpha Wolf and Thorn Company scrambled back through the trenches, trying to move as quickly as possible. The enemy was sure to bombard them within a few minutes, and none of them wanted to be caught out in the open.

Selene was one of the last to reach the bunkers and climbed inside. She met up with Ethan's squad, plus some members of Thorn Company.

“This is gonna be a whole lot of fun,” Ethan said. Even in the faint light of the single lamp, Selene could see the worry on his face.

“We'll be fine,” she told him.

“I just hope that we don't get buried alive,” he said. “I'll take any other method of death other than that.”

“Be careful what you wish for,” Selene said. She couldn't say more, because the rockets started falling.

BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

The earth above them started to shake, and dirt fell on their heads. The noise was loud, and it was probably deafening outside. But they at least could be thankful. The rockets were landing close, but they weren't penetrating the bunkers. Or, at least they hadn't scored a direct hit yet. If they did then the occupants were probably screwed.

Once again, Selene wished they had Griffon or Bravehart with them. If they had some way to fire back, then at least she could have that satisfaction. But right now they had to wait, helpless and hoping that the enemy wouldn't kill them.

It bothered her more than it should have, but Selene felt restless. She wanted to fight, and she agreed with Ethan. Death could come claim her, but she wanted it to happen while she was in the thick of things, not while she was huddled underground when a shell or rocket came through the roof.

As suddenly as it began, the explosions stop.

“Everyone, report,” Selene ordered into her radio.

It went better than she hoped. No casualties. But the spotters reported Ragnarok troops moving back across the marsh crossing and closing fast.

Selene urged her troops back out into the fray and headed for the front line trenches. The rockets had had done a number on the surrounding area. Most of the forest had been shredded. Leaves, branches and even whole tree trunks lay scattered about like someone had gone through with a giant weed whacker. One of the communication trenches had taken a direct hit, though it really didn't matter since no one was inside. But the crater was impressive, nonetheless.

She heard the steady chug of the autocannons as she approached the forward trench. The sounds of battle became louder and more frequent as more and more troops got into position. Selene moved back to her old post and settled in, observing the enemy all the while.

They were trying to make the best of their bad position. Apparently the commander had hoped the bombardment would do more damage, because his troops were pushing across the marsh in a frontal assault. Then again, there weren't many good alternatives, either. Selene imagined that Sacred Sword or Marauder would have problems if they were put in the same position. She was just glad her troops were on the defensive.

“Alpha Wolf, come in,” Danny said.

“I hear you, Bravo Wolf,” Selene responded. “How's it going on your end?”

“We pushed back an enemy platoon that was trying to cross,” he said. “They might bring more, but it's going to be tough sledding for them. How are you doing on your end?”

“Holding, but it's going to be rough,” Selene said.

“Let me know if you're going to collapse, because we'll need to withdraw before that happens.”

“Copy,” Selene told him. “Alpha Wolf, out.”

She lined up her sights and fired off a burst. An engineer fell like a rock, hit by a lucky shot in the head. More of her comrades fell beside her, gunned down by the hail of lead coming from above. The machine guns up here were murderous for the enemy below.

But this couldn't last forever. Somehow, some way, Ragnarok was going to find a way to break through. They had too many good troops and too many smart leaders for anything else to happen. And it might not even be here. They could break through on the river, or even in the eastern swamps.

But before any of that was going to happen, Selene was going to make them pay for every inch of ground. The pile of Ragnarok bodies was large. She was going to make it larger.

Crack!

The lead soldier tumbled backward into the murky water, stone dead. Miko's shot had caught him straight in the chest.

Danny activated his radio. “Bravo Wolf, smash 'em!”

Machine gun fire tore through the enemy troops struggling through the swamp. A dozen of them fell into the water and sank like stones.

Once again, Danny had to admire Ragnarok's sheer tenacity. Faced with an impossible position, the enemy just kept coming, trying to keep the pressure on his troops. And even though they were dying in droves, there was just no quit in them.

Danny wondered if they were trying to tie down his troops so they couldn't aid Alpha Wolf. If they didn't know he had just a platoon up here, they might commit a considerable number of forces over here to keep them pinned down. And it they did, he would flip that tactic in the opposite direction. There was no way that Ragnarok could take this position while it was defended, not without suffering horrendous casualties.

On the other hand, human wave attacks were possible in a game like World at War, since none of the casualties actually died. They could respawn, rearm and be back on the front lines within a relatively short period of time.

Still, even though it was possible, that didn't make it a good strategy. The dead troops' weapons and ammunition would remain where they fell, which meant the enemy's stocks would be severely depleted the longer this went on. And every minute they wasted was another minute closer to the time that Hydra and Ronin would launch their joint attack.

It would be massive, including all three battalions in the south plus every soldier that Ronin and its allies could spare. They would smash through Ragnarok's southern defenses and they wouldn't halt until the enemy stopped them cold. Ragnarok would be forced to respond, lest they lose huge chunks of their territory.

That was in the future, though, and it didn't matter if Ghost Battalion didn't hold the north. Danny looked down his sights and fired into the darkening swamps. They'd be turning red soon enough.

“I really wish we had an actual map table,” Nora commented.

“We'll have to make due,” Anna said. “We survived without them.”

“Yeah, but that'd be helpful right now. Oh well,” she said, looking at the paper map spread out before them.

At least there wasn't a lot to keep track of on her end. Black Wolf Company held two of the crossings through the swamp, supported by Spectre Company at the third. All three positions had come under attack, though Alpha Wolf and Bravo Wolf were taking the brunt of the attack.

So far they were holding, but night was fast approaching, and that worried her. Everyone in the battalion had night vision gear, but it would still reduce their visibility and effective firing range, allowing Ragnarok to close in on them. The only saving grace was that the enemy would have the same problem, but it might tip the balance in their favor, nonetheless.

Nora was also worried that the enemy would simply pull back and then blast the crossings with everything they had. If that happened, they would be in trouble. The bunkers provided reasonable protection, but they probably couldn't stand up to a sustained bombardment.

And then there was the even bigger problem of the length of the battle. Everyone had families, jobs and other responsibilities, and they would need to log off eventually, if only to sleep. When that happened they stood to lose a lot of troops.

Of course, that went for Ragnarok as well. But Nora couldn't make any estimated as to how badly it would hurt them versus how much it would effect Ghost Battalion. She hoped they could make it a moot point. If they could end the battle quickly, then none of it would matter.

“I'm surprised at how daring they're being,” Anna said. “They're trying to push through the eastern swamps as well, even though that's a death trap.”

“Yeah, I wouldn't want to mess with that place, especially at night,” Nora agreed.

“If you get past all the creatures, you still have the best light infantry in the region waiting for you at the north end. Or at least, the ones who haven't been harassing you all the way there.”

Nora smiled despite the situation. “I bet Liz is having a blast out there in the dark.”

Anna smiled back. “Your guess is right on the money.” She looked back down at the map. “I'm surprised that Ragnarok hasn't tried to spearhead their attack on the crossing with their elite troops.”

“They probably don't want to risk them at this stage of the battle,” Nora said. “The Valkyries will die as badly as any number of scrubs will. The defenses are too strong at this point. Once they're able to get some push they'll probably send them in.”

“So you think they'll be no shows if we can keep the attack force at bay?” Anna asked.

Nora frowned. “I'm concerned that they'll try to flank our positions. There's a whole wide river there, and they have boats.”

“Haven't you heard?”

Nora turned around to see Karen walking toward them. “Heard what?”

“Raven is patrolling the river tonight. They'll sink anyone who crosses their paths.” Karen informed them.

Nora nodded. “Well, that puts my worry to rest.”

“And their air force should be grounded at night as well,” Anna said. “I can't imagine they'd try landing a plane in the middle of the night.”

“Could we use that?” Nora suggested.

“How so?”

“Their fighters are grounded for a while because of the dark,” Nora said.

Karen quickly caught on to her plan. “So if we put Raven Flight in the air, they'll have free reign over the battlefield until it's morning.”

“That might give us enough time to pinpoint their artillery and launch strikes,” Nora said.

“One of you, get ahold of Robbie and have him arm Raven Flight for an attack. It's a risk, to be sure, but we need to take some chances,” Anna said.

“I'll do it,” Karen said.

Nora stopped when she heard a signal from Selene.

“We need to take some risks,” she agreed. “Ragnarok is bombarding them again.”

This time Ragnarok was playing for keeps.

The earth shook again as the shells and rockets fell. Selene's units could do little more than cower inside their bunkers. One had taken a direct hit, killing the Thorn Company members inside instantly. The rest of the bunkers managed to survive, though one of the pillboxes was also knocked out.

As soon as the bombardment ended, Selene urged her troops back to their posts. They were shaken and tired, but they were the only line of defense. If they fell, then their entire force on this side would be cut off.

But holding their ground would be no easy task, The bombardment may not have killed many of them, but it had torn up there positions. It was difficult to find spots where they could fire from cover. Parts of the trench line had been completely destroyed, and others were severely damaged.

Most worrying of all, they were starting to run low on ammunition. They could fight for another hour at this rate, but beyond that she wasn't sure. Selene was doubtful that a supply convoy could get to them in the chaos. They might need to fall back as a matter of practicality.

No matter, right now. The only thing they could do was fight, and Ragnarok was giving them the fight of their lives. Even with all the bodies, even with the withering fire, they kept coming. And this time, their bullets were starting to find their marks.

“Alpha Wolf, we just lost two more,” Ethan said. “I think there's at least one sniper out there.”

“Is it him?” she asked.