Alpha Wolf Platoon was first in line and moved toward the autocannon at the ticket counter. They had deemed it too risky to get within hand grenade range, so they would use launched grenades instead. Zach was carrying his standard launcher and carbine for this mission.
He could see shapes moving ahead. The station was dark, illuminated by only a few emergency lights and beams from the enemy's personal gun lights. They had cut the power to the area in order to make infiltration easier. Once they were in position they would signal their engineer team to turn the power back on so it would be easier to see. They didn't want any friendly fire casualties if they could help it, and the initial shock of the attack would probably be enough to throw the enemy off balance.
Zach froze as a beam of light went directly over his head, then faded away. It wouldn't be the end of the world if they were discovered, but it certainly would make things much harder.
There weren't many ways for them to kill enemy NPCs like this, either. Many of the Black Wolf troops were carrying suppressed pistols, but World at War treated them realistically. A shot from one of them was much quieter, but still plenty audible. Being in an enclosed space wouldn't help matters, since the sound would echo. Their only real choice was to attack from behind with knives or other close combat weapons, though there were other risks attached to that as well.
No, the only practical option for them was to use their silence to their advantage. They could kill later when the battle was joined. Right now their objective was to get into position, and anything that put that at serious risk wasn't worth it.
A message from Danny flashed up on his HUD. In position, it read. Bravo Wolf Platoon's objective was to take out the machine guns covering the tunnel from the west side of the station. Combined with the guns and the autocannon on the east side, it provided a perfect crossfire that would make mincemeat out of anyone coming in from the south.
That was, if they got the chance to fire. Black Wolf would make sure that didn't happen. It was going to be hard enough fighting over one hundred enemies in such a small area. Giving them any more advantages could be a disaster.
The most difficult part was going to be fighting their way up the stairs into the upper sections of the station. Cover was poor and there were plenty of good shooting angles, meaning that troops moving up the stairs would be extremely exposed.
Then there was the question of how they were going to defend the upper entrance if the troops in the district above tried to drive them out.
Band of Brothers was with the assault force. They wouldn't take part in the initial attack, but they would move up to secure the upper part of the station and fortify it against an attack. They had heavy weapons with them; heavy machine guns, recoilless rifles and a squad from Bravehart Company with a pair of mortars.
Zach believed they would be able to put themselves in a good position to thwart any counterattack, but he wasn't certain. None of them had gotten a good look up top. The one who managed to get the furthest was Miko, but she had barely gotten a glimpse before she had been spotted and shot to pieces.
Alpha Wolf was in position, Zach noted as he saw the messages on his HUD from Gavin, Ethan and Logan. The time for stealth was over. Now, it was all about might.
Wait for my signal, he messaged them back. Zach quietly slipped a grenade into his launcher and aimed it at the autocannon. Then he pulled the trigger.
BAM!
A bright flash lit up the area. The autocannon was thrown backward, its barrel twisted by the force of the explosion. Several crew members standing near the gun were hit as well.
More explosions went off all around. A machine gun roared to life and then went silent, engulfed in a rush of flames. Then the lights flashed on.
Zach switched back to his carbine and started gunning down any target that presented itself. The rest of Black Wolf Company was doing the same, taking advantage of piles of rubble and pillars for cover. They had caught the enemy by surprise.
But the garrison wasn't defeated. Not by a long shot. They reeled, hit hard by the torrent of fire, but then they started to rally. Bullets came whipping past them from all directions. One of his troops was hit, then another. He saw Joon, one of his team's medics, moving to help them. He had to crawl to avoid the torrent of lead flying overhead.
Some of the fire coming from the left slackened off. Zach glanced over and saw Joe washing the enemy positions with a stream of flame. Several of them ran a few feet aflame before falling. Others who survived the initial attack were flushed out of cover by the heat and flames. They were quickly cut down.
“More contacts,” Logan's voice alerted him over the radio. His squad was the furthest forward.
Zach chanced a look around the pillar he was sheltering behind. Sure enough, several squads were heading down the main stairs, firing as they advanced. He loaded up another grenade into his launcher and pulled the trigger.
Crack!
He heard the sound of a bullet go right by his ear and instinctively threw himself back into cover.
“Good shot, Wolf Lead,” Logan said.
“I didn't see it. Did I hit it?”
“Yeah. Scattered them pretty good, too. They're easy pickings up there.”
“Can we advance?” Zach asked.
“We can try it,” Logan responded back. “It's going to be rough since there's no cover on the stairs or the platform, but we should be able to.”
“Alright. Be ready to advance on my signal.” Zach switched his radio channel. “All officers, this is Wolf Lead. Gavin, Ethan, we're going to make a push into the upper levels. Logan is going to lead us up, but be ready to move in behind him. Danny, have your platoon give us cover fire, and then help clear out this level.”
“Isn't the attack up top Marauder's job?” Danny asked.
“We're switching the plans. Marauder will follow behind us, but I want to take advantage of the confusion right now. We'll help clear the way for him.”
“Sounds like a suicide mission,” Danny commented. “Good luck. I'll relay the change to Cody and the rest.”
“Thanks,” Zach replied. He moved over toward Ethan. “Let's move up.”
“Got it,” Ethan grinned. “We don't get any of the easy jobs, do we?”
Zach grinned back. “Let's go have some fun.”
One hand motion later and the rest of Alpha Wolf Platoon started moving into position. Enemy troops peered over the edge of the platform above, but were quickly driven back by relentless fire from Bravo Wolf Platoon. A pair of them fell onto the track below, riddled with bullets. Definitely the handiwork of Danny, Zach thought to himself.
“Logan, move your squad up the stairs and take the platform,” he ordered. “We'll be right behind you.”
“Copy.”
Zach watched Alpha 3 break out of cover and launch their assault. One of them was hit by a stray bullet and fell, but the rest quickly stormed up the stairs and started to lay a hail of fire on the enemy positions on the main platform.
“Move! Move it!” he heard Ethan yelling at his squad. Alpha 2 sprinted up the staircases to join their comrades fighting up top. Alpha 1 was right behind them.
The cover on the platform was better than he had hoped. There were benches on both sides. They weren't great, but it was better than standing out in the open. One of Logan's heavies had gotten behind one and was pumping machine gun fire down the passage.
They couldn't stay here forever, though. Even with the cover their position was far too exposed. Enemy reinforcements coming from up top could lay a hail of fire on them while advancing down the staircases leading from the surface.
The rest of them knew it as well.
“Ethan, Logan, give us some cover,” Gavin said. “We're going to head to the base of the stairs.”
Zach spoke up. “Ethan, have your squad ready to leapfrog them,” he said. “Move up the stairs into the main station.”
“Do we have enough troops to deal with that?” Logan asked over the radio.
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“Well, we'll find out soon enough,” Ethan said sardonically.
Zach nodded. No guts, no glory. “Alpha Wolf, let's move.”
Someone buzzed him on another channel. Zach answered as the rest of Alpha Wolf carried out their orders.
“Wolf Lead, this is Raider Lead. Wolf Lead, come in,” Cody said.
“I hear you, Raider Lead,” he responded.
“We're moving up toward your position. How are things coming on your end?”
“We have the platform leading up to the above ground levels. We're trying to take the stairs right now. Light casualties,” he replied.
“Copy that. We'll-”
The sounds of gunfire suddenly came drifting down from up above. Zach turned in time to see three members of Gavin's squad fall. Even from this distance he could tell that they were dead. Then another one was hit, though they were still alive.
“Crap!” Gavin said through the radio. “We need backup, now! We just lost Lyla!”
She was Alpha 1's medic, so without her there was no chance of treating casualties. But the most important part was the fact that Alpha 1's strength had been cut in half in a few seconds. There were enemy troops in force up top as well.
“Raider Lead, we need backup now,” Zach ordered. “Heavy opposition up top. Heavy opposition up top in the main station.”
“Copy. We're coming,” Cody responded.
Zach looked down to see squads of Marauder troops moving toward the stairs. They would turn the tide, but Gavin's squad needed help right now.
“Alpha Wolf! Let's move!” Zach ordered. His squads charged forward toward the bottom of the stairs with him in the lead.
Famous last words, Zach thought to himself. This seemed like one of those times where he would get himself killed. But there was little else to do. Marauder was going to have a hard time pushing into the upper levels of the station if the enemy pushed them back. And despite their place as stealth troops, Black Wolf was made up of tough fighters.
Zach reached the bottom of the stairs and trained his carbine upward. A shape moved up above, silhouetted by the light streaming through the windows. He fired.
The enemy fell, but more took its place. Bullets cracked by his head. Someone fell on him from behind, spoiling his aim and causing his next shot to go wild. Zach turned to help whoever had hit him up, but they were face down, stone dead.
He loaded up a grenade into his launcher and fired it into the upper reaches of the station. At the very least, he hoped that he could scatter some of the enemy troops.
“We can't stay here,” Gavin said.
Zach nodded at him. “Alpha Wolf! Push up the stairs into the station and take anything out that gets in our way. Form a perimeter so Marauder can get up the stairs without any trouble. Aye?”
“Aye!” came the response back.
“Let's move!”
Logan's squad went first, firing as they went. Another one of their members went down, but they managed to reach the top of the stairs relatively intact. He signaled the rest of them forward.
Ethan's squad moved up next, having a much easier time of things since they had allies up top providing cover fire. His squad started to fan out across the station above.
Zach looked back at the Marauder troops hurrying across the platform to Black Wolf's position. There were a lot of them, at least forty to fifty. More of them were on their way.
“You can withdraw your squad,” Zach told Gavin.
Gavin fixed him with a look. “No way. We're seeing this through to the end.”
Zach shrugged. “Suit yourself, and head up top. I'll bring Marauder with me.”
He turned and greeted the first squad to reach him, lead by Cody.
“How are you doing now?” Cody asked him.
“Still pretty hairy, but we can win this,” Zach told him. “My guys are forming a perimeter up top. “No sure how long they can hold out, so they need reinforcements pronto.”
Cody gave him a devilish grin. “Well then. That's what we're here for.” He turned to his waiting troops. “Marauder! Let's crush 'em! Are you ready?”
“Hakkaa päälle!” came the reply.
Marauder had borrowed the old Finnish battle cry as their own: hack them down. They would certainly do that.
“Let's go!” Cody ordered. He charged up the stairs with the rest of Maruader Company in tow.
Zach went up with them. There was still a lot of brutal fighting to do, but for the first time in a while he felt relief. Now their victory was in sight. Now they had the upper hand.
CHAPTER 10
Underworld
Crack!
There was a collective shout of dismay, followed by a deathly silence. Then the boos started.
Nora wasn't among them, but she sat watching miserably as the batter rounded the bases. The others weren't so quiet.
“Really? REALLY?” Danny was saying in disbelief.
Zach had his head in his hands. Selene just groaned.
“Eh, probably not the time to gloat,” Liz said.
Nora looked over and gave her an icy smile. “Not really, no. Although I'm not sure why we're all so shocked.”
The Cubs were at it again. Up by two runs, fighting for a spot in the playoffs, things looked like they were well in hand against the Brewers. The pitcher had given up a single in the top of the eighth inning, but had struck out the next two batters.
Then everything collapsed with one pitch.
The batter had crushed it, blasting the ball over the center field fence. With it went the Cubs' hopes of a quick victory. Now they would have to win in the last two innings, and their offense wasn't exactly inspiring any confidence.
“Seven scoreless innings, and once again the bullpen's going to blow the game,” Danny groaned.
“Would help if the offense could score,” Selene muttered.
“When's football start?” Zach said.
Nora looked back over toward the mound. “Come on guys, they can still pull it out.”
“Glad you're so optimistic,” Danny said.
Liz snorted. “Oh please. At least your team has a shot at the playoffs. Mine's in contention for the number one pick in the draft.”
“And yet they're somehow not rolling over and dying like they were supposed to.”
Crack!
“Are you serious?” Selene asked in disbelief.
Nora caught a glimpse of the ball. “It's going foul.”
Indeed it was. It landed in the right field seats, just outside of the foul pole. Barely.
“I'm going to have a stroke,” Danny said.
“Maybe we should have drank more,” Zach commented ruefully.
Clunk.
Another ball flew up in the air and landed in the stands behind home plate.
“Better,” Selene said. “Maybe they'll be able to fight their way out of this mess.”
Nora watched the pitcher rear back, then hurl the ball. From her vantage point in the stands near third base it looked like it was going outside of the strike zone. But then...
The batter swung and missed, and the stands erupted in cheers.
“Nice curve,” Zach said.
“It had some bite to it,” Nora agreed. She had played softball in high school and had watched it often as well, so she had a great deal of appreciation for good play.
“So, can they do it with two innings left, is the question?” Liz said.
“You're being a remarkably good sport about it all,” Zach said.
She shrugged. “When you root for the league punching bag, you tend to take these kind of things in stride. Plus, no one actually expects them to win, so I'll take what I can get if they do.”
“Besides, this gets us out and about, at least,” Selene said.
“Speaking of that, how is your end going?” Liz asked.
Selene frowned. “A whole lot of searching. We're getting the place mapped, but we've been running into fights, and we still don't have a clue what's attackin
g us.”
“Yeah, it hasn't been great,” Nora agreed.
The further that Hydra pushed forward, the more they were pushed to their limit. By taking the station they had opened the path to another district in Indianapolis, but that came with its own problems. The surface around the area was the scene of fierce fighting. Dragon Battalion was spending most of its time fending off attacks from the NPC garrison. Redd Foxx had started to scout the district itself, but the work was dangerous.
That left Black Wolf and Barghest to scour the rest of the subway tunnels to find out where they went. That was all well and good for Black Wolf; they had a plethora of veteran troops that were used to fighting inside the tunnels. And even though they were in a hostile environment, they could thrive, using all their strengths and skills to their advantage.
But Barghest Company was a different story. They were solid, in their own way. Nora had worked alongside them long enough to know they didn't lack the ability to fight. But they were missing the skills that made Black Wolf so effective. They couldn't perform the stealth work that the rest of Ghost Battalion could, and they lacked the experience in close quarters battle that they others possessed. Yet Zach had been adamant, and Anna had reinforced his decision. Barghest Company needed to pull its weight, and was in charge of exploring the tunnels to the south.
It was a tough job. Maybe that was the point, to put the new recruits through the grinder to see who would come out the strongest. But the southern tunnels were probably the worst place to train them, in Nora's humble opinion. There was just too much down there that made even the veterans nervous. She felt it, Karen felt it, Selene felt it, and Miko felt it. Something about the place was just very wrong. The enemies that were hounding them throughout the corridors were like ghosts, impossible to find. Bodies had a tendency to disappear when they were around, never to be seen again. The only signs of a struggle were the spots of bronze-colored blood.
Miko had tried tracking them by herself, but had found nothing. Worse, the enemy had managed to get the drop on her and forced a firefight. Nora had to lead a strike team into the tunnels in order to extract her from her predicament.
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