Werewolf: A World at War Novel (World at War Online Book 4) (24 page)

“The Wraith? Yeah, it might be. He's targeting heavies and snipers.”

Selene's mind raced. The best counter to that was another sniper, but Miko was with Danny's platoon. And anyhow, they didn't even know if the Wraith was actually out there. He wasn't Ragnarok's only competent sniper.

Her wrist alert went off. “This is Alpha Wolf,” she said.

“Alpha Wolf, this is Raven Flight,” Robbie said on the other end of the line. “We're headed south to try and take out some of the enemy artillery. What's your status, over?”

“We're getting pounded out here,” Selene told him. “Is there any way you can give us some help?”

“I'll detach Blake and another chopper under the callsign Shrike,” Robbie said. “Call them if you need some fire support. We'll try to hit them where they're firing from.”

“Thanks,” Selene said.

She leaned out over the lip of the trench and fired off a burst into the chaos. A bullet cracked by her ear and forced her to flinch back into cover.

“Logan, how you holding up?” she shouted down her link.

“We're holding, but it's rough,” he replied. “We'll do out best.”

“Keep it up. Gavin!”

“It ain't good,” came the response. “The Thorn officer in charge of this section just ate a bullet. We're trying to rally them, but they're pretty spooked. I don't think they've seen anything like this.”

“Do what you can,” Selene ordered. “Help is on the way.”

But would it get there in time? And even if it did, would it be enough? There were hundreds of Ragnarok troops swarming at the foot of their positions, and Hydra's casualties just kept growing.

Selene switched channels. “Bravo Wolf, come in. Bravo Wolf, come in.”

“I hear you,” Danny replied.

“How hard are you being hit?” she asked.

“Well, they're still coming after us, but they're not making any progress. The cliffs over here are too much for them. How's it on your end?”

“Not good,” Selene said. “We might have to withdraw soon. Are you going to be able to fall back quickly if that happens?”

“Yeah, but we might need to beat off an attack first.”

A soldier to her left fell back into the trench, wounded but not dead. Selene moved aside to let a medic through.

“I'm hoping that we'll be able to hold out, but if not then we'll need to retreat, and we'll need to do it quickly. Can you be ready on my signal?”

“Copy that. I'll pass the word along to Neil as well.”

“Thanks,” Selene said.

She reloaded her gun and stood back up. Hopefully their air support would be enough to turn the tide.

If not, they were in serious trouble.

“Ragnarok forces in the eastern swamps are being thrown back,” Liz said over the radio. “We should have them completely routed soon.”

“Good news,” Anna said.

Nora nodded and switch back to her previous frequency. She had been monitoring the radio traffic in the western sector, and it didn't sound good. Selene's group was getting pounded into the dirt by Ragnarok's relentless attacks. As it stood now, it was only a matter of time before their line broke.

“Should I put my company on standby?” Karen asked.

She had a worried look on her face, and Nora thought she was probably wearing one as well. Both of them were in the same boat. Both were Black Wolf members and wanted to be fighting with their comrades on the front lines, but their duties called them elsewhere. Nora had a responsibility as strategist due to her position as acting company commander, while Karen had her own company to command.

Neither of them could forget their friends fighting on the front lines. But right now, the only thing they could do was hope. Ghost Battalion simply did not have the numbers to effectively counter such a large force. They could only hope that their elite troops could weather the storm.

And, much as she was loathe to admit, that was looking less and less likely by the minute.

“Has anyone heard about how the attacks in the south are going?” Karen asked.

“Now?” Anna asked.

“That is what this is all about,” Karen said.

“The attack on the last district happens tomorrow,” Anna told her. “Did Danny forget to tell you that when he came back?”

“Yeah, I guess he did.”

Nora looked back down at the map. “And that's all we need to remember. Whether we like it or not, we're a diversion and nothing more.”

“Tell that to the people on the front lines,” Karen said lightly.

Nora smiled. “Oh, you don't think they'd like that idea right now?”

Five to ten minutes. That was how long they had until they were overrun.

Black Wolf and Thorn had fought valiantly, killing scores if not hundreds of enemy troops. They had thrown back four separate assaults, and had weathered two bombardments from the enemy's artillery. No one else could have done better.

But Selene had to credit the Ragnarok troops as well. No matter how many were killed, no matter how many times they were thrown back, they simply would not quit.

Their efforts were about to pay off. Small teams of Ragnarok troops had forced their way to the base of the ridge and were forcing their way up the slope. The Hydra troops above couldn't fire on them without exposing themselves to the Ragnarok troops still crossing the marsh.

They had resorted to throwing grenades down the slope, but that was a double-edged sword. Ragnarok could throw their own grenades back at this close range, and a half-dozen troops were killed as the explosives landed in the trenches. Selene herself had narrowly dodged one of them.

“Shrike, where are you? Shrike, please respond,” she called over the radio.

“Alpha Wolf, this is Shrike 1,” Blake replied. “We're nearing your position. Need help.”

“Yes,” Selene said. “Do you see our position?”

“One second. Yeah, I see it. It's on the ridge, right?”

“Yeah, and we need help now. Kill everything that's not on the ridge,” Selene said.

“Any preferences?”

“
Fast
.”

“Got it.”

Selene felt a rush of wind, and then the sky lit up. It sounded like several buzz saws were going off overhead.

“Wow, will you look at that,” Gavin commented over the radio link.

Selene chanced a look. Sure enough, the enemy was reeling. Anyone caught out in the open was cut down, sometimes even cut in half by the hail of bullets. Then the two helicopters lit into the rest of the swamp, targeting things that she couldn't see at this distance.

Her own troops poured fire on the enemy below them, free from the threat of any more Ragnarok troops joining the fray. Selene took a moment to catch her breath. Just like that, the tables had turned.

“Alpha Wolf, this is Shrike 1,” Blake said. “The enemy is retreating. I just got word that Raven Flight hit the enemy artillery positions, and they're pulling back as well. It looks like they're done for tonight.”

“I certainly hope so,” Selene replied. She leaned back against the trench and breathed a sigh of relief.

They had taken a beating. But they had weathered the first storm.

CHAPTER 21

Shock Assault

“Busy night last night, eh?” Zach asked.

“You leave for one day and look what happens,” Nora replied.

Zach looked over the map. “We held them off, though?”

Nora nodded. “Yeah, we did. Most of the attacks were thrown back with few problems, but Selene's section took a beating. She said they probably would have been overrun if they didn't get close air support.”

He looked up. “I heard that Raven Flight managed to kill a bunch of enemy guns.”

“Yeah, they got quite a few of them. Hopefully they'll make Ragnarok a lot more wary about using the rest of them.”

“So we've held on for one day,” Zach said. “The attack on the last district happens today. If we can just hold their attention, then we're golden.”

“You mean it benefits us,” Nora pointed out. “I don't think you can call us golden if we get pounded into the dirt.”

Zach nodded. That was certainly true, but the fact remained that their main objective was Indianapolis. They wanted to hold Green Bay, but if their position was untenable it wasn't the end of the world. As long as they gained control of their city in the south, they had succeed.

Still, Ghost Battalion wasn't going to be content with just that. They had won round one against Ragnarok, and they wanted to beat their enemy badly.

“OK, so you were watching the entire battle last night. Do you think we can hold them off again?” Zach asked.

Nora frowned. “I think it's going to be tough to do it again. They know where all our defenses are right now, and they get all the troops that were killed back. Of course, the same applies to us.”

“But they'll have less artillery,” Zach pointed out.

“True, but if they're smart, they'll attack during the day,” Nora said. “That lets them use their air force to control the skies, and we might not be able to hold them off without our own air support.”

“OK, but worst case, we can at least inflict a ton of losses on them, right?” Zach asked.

“Our problem is going to be running out of supplies.”

Zach turned around to see Anna walk into the command center.

“Have a fun night?” he asked.

Anna shrugged. “Well, my company did, at least.”

“Right. You said something about running out of supplies?”

Anna opened up her wrist menu and scrolled through it. “We sent a resupply team to the main crossing. I figured that they needed extra ammunition after last night, at least. But just look at those numbers.”

Zach opened up the message she sent him. He felt his eyebrows shoot up.

“This much?” he asked.

“Yeah, and it's not just bullets and grenades,” Anna said. “They're burning through machine gun barrels at a pretty high rate too, and there's nothing we can do about it. It's not like they're a bunch of rookies just wasting ammo and damaging their weapons because they're firing too long. They've needed every bit of it to hold the enemy back.”

“Are we going to last, then?” Zach asked her.

“
Charon
is in the south, getting another batch of supplies,” Anna told him. “It should be back by late afternoon or early evening.”

“Will that be in time?”

“If we send extra supplies to the front lines, we should be fine,” Nora said. “We can just replenish our main stocks once
Charon
gets back.”

“How many players do we have online right now?” he asked.

“Most of them,” Anna said. “Luckily for us, it's a Saturday.”

Zach frowned. “That cuts both ways. Ragnarok's going to be at full strength as well.”

“Can't help that,” Anna said. “We'll just have to hope our defenses around the swamp can buy us more time.”

Zach was about to answer when his wrist alert went off. A quick glance at the message told him everything he needed to know.

“Well, that didn't take long,” he said. “Put everyone on alert. Ragnarok's launching another attack.”

Ragnarok had certainly learned quickly. The bombardment, while less intense than last night, landed without warning. Several troops were killed where they stood, and the rest were forced to cower at the bottom of the trench.

Selene had snapped off a message to Zach while she waited, completely helpless in the maelstrom. During the day they really had no way to retaliate. Raven Flight would be sitting ducks for the enemy fighters, so they would have to stay grounded for the time being.

Then the bombardment lifted, and once again Selene urged her troops back to their fighting positions. Ragnarok may have learned something last night, but the result today would be the same. Alpha Wolf and Thorn Company would throw them back with heavy casualties. All they needed to do was fend off the infantry attack.

But apparently, Ragnarok had different ideas. Selene was standing on the firestep of the trench, wondering when the attack would come when the surprise came.

A faint howl came from above and grew louder and louder. Selene looked up in time to see a blur. Then part of the trench line suddenly exploded.

BAM!

The force of the blast threw her off her feet, along with the troops around her. There were probably casualties as well. She heard another howl, and a second explosion went off.

BAM!

This time she was more prepared, though the explosion still rattled her teeth. She could hear urgent calls for medics coming from all sides.

“Alpha Wolf?” Ethan asked through the radio.

“What?” Selene said, still shaken. What had just happened?

“You saw that, right?”

“The explosions? Yeah, I saw them,” she confirmed. “They were hard to miss.”

“Not just that,” Ethan said. “Did you see where they're coming from? They're dive bombing us.”

So that's what the blur was. Not good. Not only were the pilots good enough to pull off the attack, but their bombs had been very accurate. They must have been training the technique for a while.

Selene opened up a channel to the entire unit. “All units, status! How many casualties have you taken?”

She tallied up a total in her head as the rest of the commanders reported in. Again, not good. They had lost over twenty troops to artillery fire and bombs.

“Think it's over?” Ethan asked.

“If it is, the infantry is coming soon,” Selene replied. She peered over the lip of the trench. “Wait, here they come.”

A line of infantry slowly emerged from the tangled brush and trees of the swamp. They had a swagger about them. That meant they were probably elite troops, confident and ready for a fight. Well, Hydra would give them one.

A noise rang out from the enemy lines, similar to a barking dog. Another joined in, then another. Selene took a half-second to process it, then suddenly realized what it was. She hadn't heard it in a long time.

“COVER! COVER!” she shouted down the radio link.

Selene threw herself flat at the bottom of the trench. Then the grenades started falling.

“This isn't good,” Nora said.

Zach had to agree with her. He had repeatedly tried to establish a line of communication with Alpha Wolf, but Selene's responses had been curt and vague. That probably meant she was in the thick of the fighting.

He activated his radio again and put it on speaker. “Bravo Wolf, you there?”

“I read you,” Danny replied.

“Anything on your end?”

“Nothing. It sounds like there's a heck of a fight going on to the east,” he said.

“Yeah, I got that impression,” Zach said. He looked over at Anna. “It might be a good time to withdraw them before they get cut off.”

“Maybe,” Anna said with a frown. “I'll contact Neil and have him withdraw as well.”

“They should reinforce the main crossing,” Nora said. “Judging from the circumstances, Selene's group is probably taking a pounding. That means Ragnarok's trying to break through there, and they might be close to succeeding. The extra troops will turn the tide.”

“They'll eventually figure that out and send troops across the other crossings,” Zach said.

“They will, but they'll still have to contend with the cliffs on this side,” Nora pointed out. “They're not going to be able to get many troops around that way, and that might buy us some extra time.”

“We're going to need to fall back to the city soon anyhow,” Anna said. “I'm not certain that Alpha Wolf and Thorn Company can hold out alone. Danny, reinforce their position. I'll contact Neil as well.”

“Got it,” Danny replied.

“I'll also leave the withdrawal decision up to you guys on the front lines,” she said. “Just tell me when you do it. I need to alert Liz as well.”

“Copy that, and will do,” Danny confirmed. “Bravo Wolf, out.”

Zach switched channels and tried to contact Selene again. This time there was no response. That certainly wasn't a good sign. Her respawn point was Ghost HQ, which meant she hadn't been killed in combat. Otherwise, she probably would be in the room with them right now.

No, her silence meant something else. It meant that she was probably in the middle of a fierce fight.

Ragnarok closed the distance and stormed up the ridge. Selene knew that style at once. These weren't cannon fodder, regular troops or even the light infantry. It was the Valkyries. Ragnarok Command was certainly pulling out all the stops today.

Selene tried to fend them off with a wall of lead, but the enemy was far too skilled. The Valkyries tossed a barrage of grenades into the trench and charged as they exploded. Selene narrowly missed being killed by one. Several others weren't so lucky.

The first assault trooper got a face full of lead for his trouble. But there were more coming up behind them, and Selene didn't have nearly enough bullets.

Not good. Not good at all.

The Valkyries were capable of any mission, but they excelled at close-quarters combat, particularly hand-to-hand fighting. If they got in the trench, her unit was completely screwed.

Selene raked the enemy with her assault rifle, shooting anyone that dared to show their face. But while she was able to fend off the attack on her section, some of the others weren't so fortunate. She saw a pair of Valkyries make it into the trench to her right and turned to fire.

She hit the first one with a burst, but her gun clicked empty when she aimed for the second. Selene quickly reloaded, but by that time more Valkyries were swarming into the trench.

One leaped over the top of the trench and grabbed her in a flying tackle, slamming her against the floor of the trench. Caught off guard, Selene had the wind knocked out of her. The soldier lifted an entrenching tool over his head like an axe, ready to bring it down on her head.

Her assault rifle was useless at such a close range, but Selene managed to get her hands on her pistol. She yanked it out of the holster and fired blindly, hoping that she would at least hit something.

The soldier crumpled over, dead. But there were more behind him.

Selene pulled the trigger again and again. Another Ragnarok trooper fell. An assault tried to open fire with her submachine gun, but Selene cut her down as well. Her pistol clicked empty, but her actions bought her a few seconds of respite. She holstered her gun, picked up her assault rifle and fixed the bayonet.

Just in time, too. More enemies charged at her from the right, wielding maces, axes and climbing picks along with pistols. Selene felt a round go right past her ear.

She fired off a burst from her assault rifle, catching one in the chest. Her comrades stumbled and tripped over her body as she fell. Selene took the opportunity to close the distance and lunge. Another Valkyrie fell dead with a punctured windpipe.

Selene skillfully yanked her gun back and slashed at another Valkyrie. She swept his guard aside with a flick of the wrist and then buried the bayonet in his chest.

She remembered. She remembered that humiliating defeat, even months later. Black Wolf Company had been one of the premier fighting forces in the region, but the Valkyries closed in on them and charged. Once they were in close combat, they dominated. Black Wolf Company had been butchered.

She kept the memory with her, determined to do something about it. Selene had trained long and hard in the Old Chicago battledomes, honing her close combat skills. When the time came to face the Valkyries again, she would be ready.

A fourth Valkyrie tried to crack her skull open with an axe, but Selene was much too fast. She stepped in and smashed the butt of her rifle into his face, then shot him as he stumbled back.

This was her vengeance. And Selene was going to make the pay for every bit of humiliation they had caused her and her company.

The sound of gunfire grew more intense the closer he approached. To Danny, it sure sounded like their position was taking a beating, and he wasn't sure that they'd get there in time.