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

by Mitchell T. Jacobs

  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 Wo
lf, 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.

  He activated his radio. “Wolf Lead, this is Bravo Wolf. Come in.”

  “I hear you, Bravo Wolf,” Zach replied.

  “What's the status of the main crossing?”

  “I haven't been able to reestablish communication with them, but Logan just respawned at HQ. He says they're fighting the Valkyries, and they're in the trench.”

  “Not good,” Danny said.

  “Right. He's not sure how much longer they're going to be able to hold out.”

  “Still want us to reinforce?”

  “Yes. There's a good chance you'll either be cut off or caught from behind if you don't,” Zach told him.

  “Copy that,” Danny said. He turned back to his troops. “Let's MOVE!”

  Zach looked around the command center. “We really need get our defenses in the city ready. Ragnarok's going to break through no matter what we try.”

  “Still, I want to bleed them as much as possible before they get here,” Anna said. “I'm worried that they'll be able to hit Charon in the harbor when it returns, and I don't want to lose the supplies.”

  “So if we can hold them off for a couple more hours that should give us enough time,” Lex said. He, Karen and Robbie had joined them around the map table.

  “Provided we can hold them off for that long,” Nora said. “They're playing for keeps this time.”

  “I haven't been in radio contact with Evy or her officers,” Lex said. “How bad is it?”

  “Bad,” Zach informed him. “Ragnarok's commander has a good plan. They hit the positions with an artillery bombardment, then hit them again with dive bombers while their troops closed in to their starting positions. Then they suppressed our defenses with automatic grenade launchers and heavy machine guns while their troops advanced. And they're using the Valkyries, to boot.”

  Nora frowned. “I know that Alpha Wolf has been honing their close combat skills, but I'm still not confident that they can match the Valkyries. And, pardon me for saying so, but I'm not terribly confident about Thorn's chances either.”

  “None taken,” Lex said. He looked back down at the map. “And we thought we had it tough before. I don't think we've ever faced a coordinated attack like this before.”

  “We've only faced one,” Anna said.

  Zach nodded. “Yeah. And we had our armored battalion and an infantry battalion fighting alongside us.”

  “At least they don't have tanks this time,” Nora offered.
r />   Zach groaned. “Please don't say that. We have no clue what else they might have up their sleeves.”

  “And how are they going to get heavy vehicles across the swamp?”

  “With the way things are going, nothing would surprise me now.”

  “I don't think that will be a problem,” Anna said. “The only good road is in the eastern side of the swamps, and it's impassible right now.”

  Redd Foxx had ambushed an armored convoy on the road at almost point blank range. Their heavies killed six tanks and dozens of trucks with their recoilless rifles, jamming the road with debris. They couldn't have made a better roadblock if they had planned it, and Ragnarok wasn't going to move it anytime soon. Anyone trying to shift the wrecks came under withering sniper and machine gun fire from the surrounding brush. Zach didn't rate anyone's chances against Redd Foxx in a swamp very highly.

  And that was the saving grace of the battle at the western crossing. As hard as they were being hit, Alpha Wolf and Thorn were tying up valuable resources.

  Delay, delay, delay. That's all they could do right now. But as long as they held steady, they could win. They might lose the tactical battle, but strategically they would come out on top.

  He just hoped Black Wolf would come out alright.

  An engineer leveled her carbine, and for a split-second Selene thought it was all over for her. But then she flopped over, riddled with bullets.

  A hand clapped her on the shoulder. “Come on!” Gavin urged her.

  They fell back through the communication trench, stopping occasionally to fire back at the enemy.

  Their time was up. Despite the best efforts of herself and her troops, the Valkyries had stormed up the ridge and forced the Hydra troops out of the first trench. And they showed no signs of letting up.

  On some level, Selene had to admire their ruthless efficiency. Faced with with relentless fire from the defenders, they didn't even flinch. Their first assault units had taken heavy casualties, but they kept pressing forward, putting pressure on their opponents. The follow-up waves finished the job.