That fact was extremely concerning. Miko was their best stealther, better than anyone in Black Wolf and as good as anyone in Redd Foxx. If their foes could discover her, then none of them were safe in spite of any precautions they might take. The might as well not bother with stealth work and simply focus on uncovering as much of the unknown as possible.
Maybe that was Ghost Command's reasoning behind their decision to throw Barghest Company into the crucible, since their lack of stealth skills wouldn't be a problem. Whatever the case, Nora and the rest of the officers still had a bunch of inexperienced troops on their hands, and they needed to whip them into shape quickly. The situation was far too tenuous. A successful attack from any quarter could bring Hydra's plans crashing down around them.
“Well, let's see what they can do now,” Zach said. “Who knows, maybe they'll be able to rally back.”
Nora looked back down at the field. The number six batter was coming up to the plate. Certainly not ideal for a team that was trying to fight their way out of a tie, but at least it meant that the top of the order would get to bat at least once.
The pitcher threw. Strike. Then he threw again. Ball. Then again. Strike.
“He's doing pretty well,” Nora observed.
Then the next pitch came. It bounced low in the dirt and went wild. Luckily for the Brewers it didn't matter, since there was no one on base.
“OK, maybe I spoke too soon,” Nora said.
Liz shook her head. “Believe me, I really don't think you're a jinx or anything. This team is too far gone for that to have any influence.”
Thunk!
The batter came around with a smooth swing and drilled a ball right in the gap between third and shortstop. It bounced once on the ground, and...
And the third baseman made a beautiful diving stop, gathering the ball into his glove. He got up to his knees and threw a bullet toward first...
That sailed straight over the first baseman's head into the stands. The crowd cheered wildly as the batter took second base.
“And that would be why they're getting the first pick in the draft,” Liz said. “Suspect fielding, among other things. I don't even know why I'm disappointed.”
“The Cubs still have to hit with a runner in scoring position,” Danny said, “and that seems like it's a disability for them tonight.”
“Milwaukee's relief pitching isn't exactly the thing inspire any faith,” Liz replied.
The tension in the air was palatable as the batter stepped into the box.
“Just need a single,” she heard Zach say.
The pitcher reared back and threw a bullet. Strike.
“Whew, nice location,” Nora commented as she looked up on the instant replay screen. “Lower outside corner.”
Another pitch. Ball. Then another. Ball.
“Good plate discipline,” Selene said.
Nora nodded in agreement. One of the pitches had looked like it was going over the heart of the plate but then dropped at the last second. She might have swung at that, but then again, she wasn't a professional.
The pitcher reared back again and threw a pitch. It was hard to tell from this distance, but it looked like it was low. But the batter swung anyhow.
“What's he doing?” Danny asked incredulously.
Crack.
He made solid contact, driving the ball toward the gap between first and second base. The second baseman reached for it, but the ball was too high. Wild cheers broke out as the ball rolled into the gap between right and center field and the runner on second came home.
“Came through in the clutch,” Zach said with a laugh.
“Now they just need some insurance,” Nora said.
The Cubs didn't get that insurance. They didn't need it, because their closer came through in the top of the ninth inning, and the fans went home happy.
Nora had enjoyed the night outside of the game world. Playing World at War was tons of fun for her and the rest, but their lives couldn't be spent entirely inside a virtual world. There was too much outside of it to enjoy, and Nora wasn't going to let it all pass her by, even if being inside the game world was her job.
But now it was back into the world, back into the grind. They had tunnels to explore, and a mystery to solve.
Karen had called a meeting of the Black Wolf officers seconded to Barghest Company: Nora, Selene and Miko, who was now officially sporting the rank of sergeant. It was up to them to decide where they would go next, and how they would deal with the threats from the shadows.
“I don't know what to do, honestly,” Miko was saying. “I've never had problems tracking something like this, and the fact that they found me is weird.”
“I think we can rule out the possibility that they're human NPCs,” Karen said. “We're dealing with some sort of monster, and it looks like they're highly intelligent.”
“We're not even sure how they kill,” Selene said. “No one seems to remember how they died, and we have no corpses to study. Are they even using firearms, or is it something else?”
Karen frowned. “OK, what's your take on this? Because all the logical assumptions are going by the wayside.”
“Well, maybe we're fighting something that has better technology than we do,” Selene suggested. “I mean, it's not out the question that they have a schematic that we have no clue exists.”
“OK, then what could they be using that would provide a good explanation for what's happening, then?” Karen asked her.
“Maybe something like active camouflage?” Miko suggested. “Maybe that's why it looks like we're fighting nothing. Something like that would be very hard to see in the dark as well.”
“Then explain the bronze-colored blood,” Karen said. “I'm not seeing how anything human bleeds that kind of color.”
“They have to be humanoid,” Nora finally spoke up. “How else did all of the bodies in the meat locker end up on the hooks? And how were they able to drag the bodies away?”
“That room could have been put there just for atmosphere,” Selene suggested.
“In my experience, the developers didn't put anything in this game just for atmosphere,” Nora replied. “Everything is put there for a reason.”
“OK, so they're humanoid,” Selene said. “That still doesn't change a lot. Who's to say they aren't something like mutants, or something of that nature?”
“That's what we're going to have to find out,” Nora shrugged.
“And that's the major problem,” Miko said. “We have no way of tracking them.”
“I think we need to abandon stealth,” Karen spoke up. “It's getting us nowhere. They want to hide in the dark? Fine, we'll make the dark disappear. We have floodlights that we can carry with us. That should make it harder for them to just sneak up on us.”
“So we advance in force and dare them to come at us?” Selene said. “That could be a very good or a very bad idea.”
“Honestly, I'm willing to try anything at this point,” Nora spoke up. “This is just getting really frustrating. Nothing is getting done right now, and they could use a fight. And if we run into serious trouble maybe Hydra Command will be more sympathetic to our problems.”
“You don't sound too happy,” Miko commented.
Nora shook her head. “I just think that our positions should be reversed. Black Wolf should be searching the south tunnels, and we should be in the northern ones.”
“Maybe this is the right place for the new guys to be,” Selene shrugged. “I mean, like it or not they're going to run into tough situations that they need to be able to handle. This might be the best way to train them for those instances. And besides, there might not be a ton of danger. We haven't run into something like this in any other area, so maybe it's just contained to this spot.”
“Unless we just woke it up,” Miko said.
“Way to be encouraging,” Selene retorted.
“Whatever the case, we need to do our job,” Karen said. “We might have raw recruits, but they're go
od quality ones. They know how to fight, and they'll learn the tricks they need soon enough. We just need to put them in a position to succeed.”
“Are we ready for another recon expedition?” Miko asked.
Karen nodded. “As soon as we decide where we're going, we'll be good to go. We just need to grab our equipment.”
“Full company?” Nora asked.
“Full company,” Karen confirmed.
The noise they were making seemed loud, but it was oddly comforting, in a way. The dead silence of the tunnels had added to the sense of unease. It had felt like something was waiting in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment, and the lack of noise only accentuated that feeling. The atmosphere was still there, but it was far less intimidating. Something was waiting in the shadows, but they were daring it to come out and fight. Even if it was just a show of bravado it felt good.
Nothing had bothered them as they made their way back down the main tunnel, passing the first side tunnel where the first attacks had occurred. Barghest Company made considerable strides during previous expeditions, advancing about two miles through the tunnels under the Eagle Creek district. Even if they didn't know what they were fighting, they were still making progress. Several fierce firefights had driven their enemies back up the tunnels, freeing large swathes of the subway. Barghest was free to move unmolested until they reached the forward outpost.
Still, there was cause for concern. The areas they were fighting in were right under the Hydra held district. The alliance had an enemy under their feet that they had known nothing about. What else could be lurking underground, undiscovered by those blissfully unaware on the surface?
They needed to find that out, and fast. The last thing they could afford right now was for some unseen foe to suddenly come pouring out from the abyss. The Indianapolis garrison, Ragnarok, and now whatever was lurking down here; they were making quite a number of enemies.
“What?” Karen asked, and Nora suddenly realized that she had been laughing out loud.
“I was just thinking about what kind of mess we've gotten ourselves into,” Nora said. “If only we could go back to the days of trading blows with Ragnarok.”
Karen laughed as well. “You know, that doesn't sound so bad right now.”
Nora's radio buzzed. “Black Lead, Wolf 2, come in,” Miko's voice said over the radio. She was with a forward squad, scouting ahead.
“Go ahead, Lone Wolf,” Karen said.
“We found another side passage,” Miko responded. “It's... different.”
“What's that supposed to mean?” Nora asked her.
“You'll see what I mean when you reach us. It's not part of the subway, I can tell you that much. It looks like a tunnel had been dug into one side of the main line.”
“Dug? What do you mean dug?” Karen asked.
“You'll see,” Miko said. “We're going to wait here until you guys reach us.”
“Right. Black Lead out,” Karen said. She looked over at Nora. “And the hits keep coming.”
Nora nodded back. This was certainly an unexpected development. She thought that they would only have to deal with the subway, and while it was large, it was also fairly easy to tell where it went. But new tunnels, those could pose a serious problem. They had no idea where they went, or how large they were. Or, for that matter, what was lurking inside them.
Miko's scout team was waiting for them about five hundred yards up the tunnel. As soon as she reached the spot Nora knew what she had been talking about. There was a gap in the wall, about six to seven feet tall and a little wider than a person. It certainly didn't look like it had been dug using machinery. In fact, given the rough state of the tunnel, it looked like it had been carved out by pickaxe. It was pitch dark, as well.
“So, what do we do?” Miko asked.
“That looks like it could have something fairly nasty inside it,” Karen commented. “We'll take a platoon in.”
“Who leads?” Miko asked. “The tunnel is only big enough for one person at a time.”
“And you're not it,” Nora said. “We're not losing the company commander to an ambush. Pick someone else.”
Karen glanced over at Miko. “Can you lead your team in first? And Nora, follow behind her with Yellow Platoon.”
“Got it,” Miko said.
“Put some flamethrowers at the entrance to the tunnel after we go in. We'll signal you when we come out. Code will be shadow if it's all clear. If not, then the code will be broiler. If we say that, torch anything that comes out, no matter what.”
“Well, that's grim,” Miko commented. “Let's go.”
Nora rounded up the rest of Yellow Platoon and briefed them as Miko's team started their journey into the depths of the tunnel. She made sure that they had a pair of search lights with them, in case they got the opportunity to use them. She herself checked her carbine. Nora had the sneaking suspicion that they were going to run into trouble somewhere down the line.
“Do you think this is stable?” Allen asked her as Yellow Platoon headed into the tunnel.
“I'd imagine so,” Nora said. She was third in line, though she would do little good in a firefight with two others clogging up the tunnel.
“OK, at least there's that,” he said. “It's going to be rough if we get caught in a fight, though. There's really not enough room.”
“I know, but that's not my decision,” Nora replied. “And you never know. It might open up in front of us, so we'll probably need the extra troops.”
Someone buzzed her over the radio. “Wolf 2.”
“Nora, we've found where it leads. Do you have floodlights with you?” Miko asked.
“Yeah, we're coming,” she replied. “What did you find?”
“There's a drop off,” Miko replied. “It descends a bit, but it's hard to tell with our gun lights. We're staying put until you get here.”
“Roger,” Nora replied. She glanced at her HUD. The blips symbolizing Miko's team were just ahead.
“Coming in behind you,” Nora said when she saw the lights.
“Stay behind us, and watch your step,” Miko alerted her. “There's a drop here, and I have no idea how far down it goes.”
“Right,” Nora said. She relayed the information to the rest of her platoon.
“Bring the floodlights up,” Allen called back down the line.
Two of the operators stepped forward, bringing the large lights with them. They would illuminate large areas like they were outside during the day.
“OK, switch them on,” Nora commanded once they had gotten into position.
They did so, and everyone got their first good glimpse at the room the were in. No, that wasn't the correct description, Nora thought to herself. It was more like a vault or a chamber, about fifty feet in diameter. The outside walls were ringed with rough stone floors and platforms, surrounding a huge hole.
“Train your light down,” Nora told one of the operators. She did so.
“What the...” she heard Allen say as the depths of the chamber were revealed.
“That might be a problem,” Miko added in.
Nora was forced to agree. The chamber descended downward, ringed by more platforms, ladders, ramps and staircases. She estimated that it was at least fifty to sixty feet to the bottom, possibly more. There were no signs of life.
But what was most concerning was the number of passages leading out of the central chamber. There were so many that Nora couldn't begin to count them. Dozens, scores, even. And they had no idea where they went. Many of them descended lower than the subway tunnels, at the very least.
Calling this a problem was putting it lightly. They had a full-blown city underneath their feet. But was it a necropolis, or a fortress? And if it was a fortress, what was lurking inside of it?
There were too many questions for her to handle by herself. Nora got on the radio.
“Black Lead, Black Lead, come in. This is Wolf 2.”
“Copy, Wolf 2,” Karen responded.
&nb
sp; “We've found where the tunnel leads, and I'm stumped,” Nora told her. “You need to come down the tunnel and see what we've found.”
“Is it bad?”
Nora looked back down into the chamber below. She wanted to call it an abyss, for some reason. “I honestly don't know.”
Something was very wrong here.
CHAPTER 11
In High Places
“Fire in the hole!”
Everyone ducked and braced themselves. A second later a series of explosions went off. Even from behind the cover of crates, walls and other solid objects, the shockwave from the blast was intense. Zach felt his uniform ripple as it washed over him.
“Did we get them all?” he asked.
“Confirmed, Wolf Lead,” Xavier told him over the radio. “They're all scrap metal.”
“Good,” Zach said. “Go to second stage of the plan. Bravo Wolf Platoon falls back to their designated positions. Alpha Wolf follows, and we'll leapfrog our way back to the station. Let's go!”
He watched Javy's squad break cover, followed by Ryan and then Xavier. His own troops scanned the area for threats as their comrades fell back.
Black Wolf had done well. The area around the station had become a battle zone, with relentless NPC attacks coming from all quarters. Even the elite infantry from Dragon Battalion was taking a pounding trying to hold the area.
The situation had become worse when a battery of mortars deep within the district started to drop shells on the station. Bravehart had tried to fight them off, sending more mortars through the tunnels in an attempt to provide counter fire. But it was a difficult task; the enemy battery often shifted positions, and they would leave the area before return fire could be brought down upon them.
After consulting with Dragon Battalion's leadership, Danny had come up with a plan. Bravehart hadn't just been returning fire whenever it came; they had also been tracking the direction of where the shells were coming from, and had a log of the data. Using it, Black Wolf had been able to identify the locations that the enemy batteries were firing from. With a little bit of guess work, they had tried to deduce the area where the mortars would be located next. And while Bravehart could hurt the enemy from a distance, the rest of them wanted to make sure that the enemy was dead.
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