5
KILLHOUSE
Zach activated his radio. “All units, report.”
“Alpha Wolf.”
“Alpha 1.”
“Alpha 2.”
“Alpha 3.”
“Bravo Wolf.”
“Bravo 1.”
“Bravo 2.”
“Bravo 3.”
“Wolf 2,” Nora said, though he was right beside her.
“Lone Wolf,” Miko finished.
That was everyone. Zach made one last check of his weapons and gear. In addition to his carbine, knife and ammunition he also had eight grenades attached to his webbing, with many more inside a bag slung over his shoulder. Each commander had one so they could resupply their units in the middle of the ferocious fighting. The standard amount wasn’t going to be enough. Black Wolf would go through scores, maybe even hundreds during the coming fight, and he didn’t want his troops to run out at a critical moment.
Zach activated his radio again. “Miko. You ready?”
“Ready and willing,” she replied. “Looks like it’s pretty quiet on their end.”
“Good. Then let’s get this started. Black Wolf, let’s move out!”
The rest of his platoon and squad commanders voiced their assent. Zach climbed out of cover and headed for their objective, flanked by his troops on every side.
Their role was the central part of a larger operation. Dragon Battalion wanted to extend their lines in their sector, anchoring them on the tower as a strongpoint and observation post. In order to do that Crimson Eagle would support Black Wolf’s assault, pushing the enemy lines back and making sure the tower was connected to the rest of the Hydra territory within the district.
But Black Wolf would have to do the heavy lifting once they were inside the structure, and Zach had no delusions about their chances. They had a full company of veteran troops well versed in urban combat, but they had no idea of the layout or even a concrete number of the troops guarding the place. They would certainly take casualties.
He and Nora had done their best to minimize those chances, though. The entire company was properly armed for close-quarters combat, with carbines, submachine guns, shotguns and knives in abundance. Each squad knew their job and the jobs of the others as well, in case they had to cover for them.
And most importantly, they had chosen a specific time to launch the assault. Zach had initially wanted to launch an attack at night, but the presence of searchlights and night vision equipment minimized the effectiveness of darkness. Instead, they had gone with Miko’s suggestion. Black Wolf Company attacked at 6:00 PM Central Time, right when most of the player base in this region would be eating dinner.
The interplay of the real and virtual worlds. Some people might call exploiting that fighting dirty, but none of them were in Hydra or Ragnarok. Both sides knew what kind of war they were fighting, and would us any tool they could get their hands on. Within reason, of course: no one was going to commit murder over a game, but they’d take a bunch of other advantages if they could.
“I see a few in the windows,” Miko said in his ear. “Waiting for your signal and my group will start taking care of them.”
“Do it when you think is necessary,” Zach ordered. “Make sure you give us the maximum amount of surprise, though.”
“Got it.”
Black Wolf’s snipers had been grouped under her command, since they wouldn’t do much good in the tight confines of the close-range assault. Their utility would be limited to picking off anyone who showed their face near a window, but it was a lot better than doing nothing.
Alpha Wolf surged on ahead, making their way up to the last set of buildings before they reached the base of the tower. Both they and Bravo Wolf would storm the outer defenses in a furious assault, overwhelming the few enemy guards outside and clear the way into the structure. Once the outside was secure they would storm the entrance.
Despite being a veteran of many battles, Zach felt the thrill of excitement, along with a hint of nervousness. This certainly wasn’t going to be easy, but that was part of the rush.
“In position,” Selene’s voice said over the radio.
“We’re ready as well,” Danny added. “Just give the word.”
Zach moved into cover and contacted Miko. “Start making it personal. Everyone else, begin the assault when you hear the shots. We’ll-”
Nora suddenly grabbed him by the shoulder and then shoved him. A second later something clanged off an exposed metal truss. Zach quickly rolled into cover.
“Sniper,” Nora commented as she joined him. “Well, games up now.”
“Doesn’t matter. Black Wolf, the enemy is aware of our presence. Proceed with the attack.”
A few seconds later, the world descended into chaos.
* * *
Ragnarok had about a squad of enemy troops guarding the outside of the building, but they never stood a chance. Half of them were cut down by Miko’s sniper squad, and the others barely had any time to register what was happening before a deluge of fire ripped through them as well. Selene watched the last one fall and then signaled her platoon.
“Alpha Wolf, let’s move!”
She broke cover with her platoon and charged toward the entrance to the tower, gun at the ready. Selene had an underslung shotgun attached to her carbine, mostly for breaching locked doors. It would be devastating in close quarters if she needed it, though.
“Selene, door’s opening,” Miko warned her over the radio.
“Roger. Alpha Wolf, hostiles at the entrance!” she said.
Selene could see it now. More enemy troops began to flood out of the entryway doors, guns at the ready. Alpha Wolf was in the open now, surging across the street toward their objective with little cover.
They had no choice at the moment. Stopping to exchange fire would only leave them exposed and slow down their momentum. They had to keep moving, no matter what.
She was about to call out the order to charge when more automatic fire ripped through the enemy, killing most of them within seconds. Selene made a snap shot and killed another, sending a perfectly placed shot through an enemy’s chest.
Danny piped up. “Selene, go. We’ll cover you.”
“Thanks,” she said. “At least we won’t have to breach the doors.”
“That is a good thing,” Danny agreed. “Good luck in there. Save some for us.”
“Better hurry,” Selene quipped back, though there was probably no danger of that. Ragnarok would fight like devils to keep this position, she was sure of that.
Gavin’s squad was the first to make it to the base of the tower. Selene saw him make a hand signal to his troops as she approached. Two of them tossed grenades into the opened doorways. A few seconds later a pair of muffled explosions filtered back to her. With one more signal, they stormed into the tower.
Selene turned back and urged the rest of her platoon forward. Ethan made it next, with Logan in tow. She made a quick count of their troops as they passed. No casualties. Their rapid advance and the sniper fire had done their jobs.
But all that meant was more bodies for the grinder, because the real killing was about to start. Selene fell in line and followed the remainder of her platoon into the tower.
Straight into the maw of the beast.
* * *
Nora watched them go inside and then signaled Crimson Eagle. “C.J., Alpha Wolf is inside the objective. Bravo Wolf will be inside shortly. How long until you launch your offensive?”
“Momentarily,” came the reply. “We’ll be making a thrust to both sides with our infantry, backed up by mortars and assault guns.”
“Understood. Make sure you keep a healthy distance from the tower. They still might be able to fire off a few potshots from the upper levels.”
“Understood on my end. Good luck. Eagle Lead, out.”
Nora turned her attention back to the tower. “Looks like we’re in,” she said idly. “Now it’s just a matter of taking the place.”
“Um, yes?” Zach said. “That is what we’re trying to do here, after all.”
“What else is there to say right now?” she replied, giving him a light shove.
“Gosh, what nice weather we’re having?”
“Clear as always,” Nora said. “And you say my topics of conversation are obvious.”
“Let’s find something else to do then. Say, storming a heavily fortified building,” Zach suggested lightly.
“Like that one?”
“Yeah, like that one.”
“Sounds like fun.”
The pair jogged toward the tower entrance, and Nora tried not to think about what lay in store for them inside. Their idle banter was mostly to calm their nerves, because they had a world of hurt waiting for them inside. They all knew it.
Nora hadn’t done much urban combat on foot in a while, but she remembered the nightmare of the tunnels under Indianapolis. Fighting in such confined spaces was brutal, in-your-face and often deadly. Even the most experienced fighters could be gone in a flash, stabbed or shot in the middle of a swirling melee, ambushed, surprised, bludgeoned to death, and any other number of awful ways to go.
The inside of a building would be no different, but Nora was prepared. She had played sports in high school, and this was very similar: two teams going after each other in an all-out brawl, where only one could come out on top.
And it sounded like the fight was in full force, Nora realized as she and Zach reached the entrance on the heels of Bravo Wolf. The sounds of intense gunfire and explosions rippled past.
“Here goes nothing,” Zach said, before they plunged into the darkness.
* * *
A body flailed and fell backward, straight into Danny’s arms. He caught the falling soldier and then quickly passed her back so she could get medical attention, then resumed firing up the stairwell.
The ground floor had been cleared without incident, probably because most of the guards on that level had charged outside when the initial fight started. But then they got to the stairwell, and chaos ensued. Ragnarok troops were already on the landing above them, and Bravo Wolf had to charge up the stairs, make a turn and then charge up another set to reach them. That left them completely exposed, and they had already suffered two casualties.
They weren’t safe down here either. Something dropped down in front of him, and Danny quickly caught it. He tossed it back up as fast as he could and then hit the ground.
BAM!
The sound of the grenade echoed off the walls, only adding to the noise. In such confined space the noise from their guns was deafening. Danny could barely hear the radio, let alone shouts from people, even if they were right next to him. Hand signals would have to do for now.
He felt a tap on his shoulder, and Xavier was suddenly beside him, grenade in hand. He made a signal to his squad, then made a few motions to Danny, who took the hint immediately and gave a thumbs up.
In one quick motion, Xavier pulled the pin out of his grenade and lobbed it in the air, aiming it so it would fall on the landing. Once it exploded they would storm up to the next level.
BAM!
Danny took off in the lead, followed by the rest. He knew he probably shouldn’t be up front, but somehow he had found himself on point, and there was no time to switch out. Besides, even if he was killed Bravo Wolf could handle themselves. It wasn’t like their orders were very complicated anyhow: storm every level of the building, and kill anyone that got in their way.
Danny saw two bodies on the landing up above as he made his turn on the stairs. Something moved in the doorway, then stumbled backward as he fired off a burst from his carbine. It felt odd, having a much lighter weapon with smaller magazines, but that was what he needed in close quarters. A machine gun would be more of a liability than a help.
He reached the top of the stairs and prepared to move up to the next landing, but Xavier grabbed him by the shoulder and stopped him.
“Fall back a little,” he said, audible now that the gunfire in the stairwell had ceased.
“What, concerned I’m going to get my head blown off?” he asked.
“No, you’re stealing all my thunder,” Xavier replied with a smile. “Let me handle things.”
Danny grinned back. “Alright, I get your point. Let’s keep moving.”
Bravo 1 and Bravo 2 continued up the stairs, while Bravo 3 charged into the second floor. Danny followed them into the hallway. Every room, every stairway, every corner had to be cleared on their way up. Bravo Wolf would handle even numbered floors, while Alpha Wolf dealt with the odd numbered ones.
Bravo 3’s two fireteams stormed room after room, finding nothing. It felt like a waste of time, but Danny knew it was completely necessary. The last thing they needed was for an enemy unit to jump them from behind.
“Danny, looks like this level is clear,” Ryan told him over the radio.
“Right. Let’s catch up with the others,” Danny replied. It might be quiet now, but that was definitely going to change.
Maybe sooner than he thought, Danny realized as the sound of intense gunfire started up again.
* * *
Selene speared the enemy in front of her with her bayonet, slamming him into the wall with considerable force. She kicked at the dead body to draw her blade out, then searched around for the next target.
The operation had been going relatively smoothly at her end. Alpha Wolf had cleared two more floors without any trouble, but the seventh floor brought their progress to a screeching halt. Her platoon managed to get into the hallway, but then Ragnarok troops swarmed them.
Gavin’s lead squad had lost half their number in the initial barrage, with one dead and three badly wounded. The survivors pushed forward and kept the pressure on, though, minimizing the damage and forcing the enemy to fight hand-to-hand. Selene’s remaining squads joined them.
They didn’t know how many enemies there were on this level, how they were armed or how they would respond. The only thing they could do was fight room to room, taking on whatever came after them.
She whipped her carbine around and unloaded a burst into an enemy soldier at point-blank range. There were targets aplenty all around her, but Selene had to be careful where she aimed. Her platoon had broken down in the chaos of the melee, unable to coordinate or even communicate with each other. All they could do was try to stay alive from moment to moment.
A Ragnarok trooper came at her swinging an entrenching tool. Selene reacted quickly, simultaneously dodging to the side and parrying with her own weapon. Her enemy stumbled forward as the strike missed, and she took the opportunity to slam him across the face with the butt of her gun. One stab later and he was down as well.
The last few enemies fell, but Selene felt no sense of satisfaction. They still had almost half the tower to go, and they had no idea how many more enemies might be waiting for them.
She activated her radio. “Wolf Lead, Wolf Lead, come in.”
“Go ahead,” Zach replied.
Selene took a deep breath before responding. “We’re meeting heavy resistance. I’m not sure if we’re going to have enough troops to take the place.”
She hated to admit it, but what other choice did she have? Selene wasn’t about to lose the fight because of some semblance of stupid pride. Their success meant far more than soothing her ego.
But right now, that was very much in doubt.
* * *
“Danny, how are you coming?” Zach asked over the radio.
“Slow,” came the response, with the sound of gunfire in the background. “Storming stairwells isn’t easy. They have height and cover, and we’ve got nothing.”
“OK, keep at it.”
Zach glanced over at Nora, who was communicating with Crimson Eagle on the outside. Their part of the operation seemed to be going smoothly, but then again they could fight in relatively open ground. Right now, Zach would have killed to switch places with them.
“Well, this is a problem. Any
ideas?”
“The fire escape?” Nora suggested.
Zach frowned. “That’s complete suicide. There’s no cover.”
“Yeah, and there’s no cover in the inner stairwells either. If we can get into the upper levels or even the roof we can start forcing our way down. Then we’ll be the ones with the advantage.”
Zach thought about that for a moment. It was a gamble, to be sure, but one they might need to take. Black Wolf Company was taking heavy casualties every second, and the tide of enemy troops didn’t seem to be slowing much. Many of them were probably logging in, having been warned of the ongoing assault.
He activated his radio. “Miko, is anyone covering the fire escape?”
“Doesn’t look like it,” came the reply. “I’d be safe venturing a guess that they’re pretty occupied right now?”
“You would. Thanks.” Zach switched channels. “Danny, Selene, do either of you have a fireteam you can spare? We’re going to try something.”
“We kind of need all the troops we can get right now,” Danny protested.
“So do I, but Gavin’s squad took a beating in the last fight,” Selene said. “I might be able to spare him. What do you need them for?”
“We’re going up the fire escape to the roof,” Zach told her. “From there we’ll fight our way down to you.”
“Really? There’s no cover on the way up,” Danny said.
“Do you really just want to keep charging up the stairs into the teeth of the enemy defenses?” Zach asked. “We’re going to have to take a risk somewhere.”
“Besides,” Nora cut in, “that’s kind of our thing, remember? What would one of our fights be without us trying some crazy stunt?”
Danny laughed. “OK, that’s true.”
“We’ve got a little breathing room right now. I’m sending Gavin down to you guys.”
“OK, we’re on the sixth floor,” Zach said.
“Copy that. We’re on the ninth floor right now. Looks like they’re rallying for another stand on the tenth or the eleventh.”
Carnage City: A World at War Novel (World at War Online Book 6) Page 5