Deception City: A World at War Novel (World at War Online Book 5) (18 page)

“Could that make regular stores obsolete?” Zach asked.

President Starvos shook his head. “Of course not. There will always be a demand for physical stores, just like I will always demand access to physical files. But there’s a significant chunk of the market that can be scooped up by this undertaking.”

It would be novel, at least. Zach couldn’t quite imagine going out for an adventure in the virtual world and then walking back into town to purchase groceries for the real world. Then again, the lines between the cyber world and the real one were already becoming very blurry. What was one more change?

“That… does interest me a bit,” Zach admitted. “But I’m still unsure whether I want to join the development team or not.”

“I understand,” Starvos said. “But if I may make a point?”

“Yes?”

“Elysium Visions has been based on quantum computing. It’s what got us to where we are today. It’s the source of our wealth and our prestige. If we wanted, we could do nothing else. In fact, many investors and pundits believe that our virtual reality division is too risky. It consumes huge amounts of resources and money for questionable profit. So why do I continue to push for it in spite of that?”

“Because of the potential?” Zach said.

“Partially, but it’s even more basic than that,” Starvos said. “I do it because it’s something dear to me. Something close to my heart that I love. I’ve always dreamed of how humans could transcend this reality and create our own. And now, that dream is well within our grasp, if we only reach for it. How can I sit in my comfortable bubble when a world of possibilities exists outside of it?”

“I see,” Zach answered, his feelings stirring in side of him. Had Starvos read his mood? Was it just a lucky guess, or was it because he felt the two of them were kindred spirits?

“And that’s why I continue to push the boundaries,” President Starvos told him. “Because it’s what I was called to do, and what I’m continually called to do. I simply can’t abandon it for security or comfort.”

Those words cut deep. Zach tried to hide the turmoil they caused inside of him. Was that it? Was he giving up his calling and his dreams for a measure of security and comfort? Was he content to exist inside a birdcage, unwilling to spread his wings and fly because his current location was safe?

The feeling gnawed at him, and Zach started to feel very foolish. What good were dreams and callings if he wasn’t willing to follow them, to try and make them happen? What had he spent all that time studying and working for? Were they just some chips to be bartered for a safe haven?

But still, he couldn’t bring himself to accept at the moment. Something within him refused to let him go into action.

President Starvos continued, apparently observing his predicament. “Well, I know you’re still deciding, and we’re still trying to get everything pinned down. You have time. But I’d like to go over some more with you to see if it piques your interest.”

Zach nodded.

“Good,” Starvos said. “Now, on to the next element.”

“
A
ll units report in
.”

“Raven Flight, ready.”

“Bravo 1, ready.”

“Bravo 2, ready.”

“Bravo 3, ready.”

“White Tiger, ready.”

“Ready for some real action, Tafari?” Danny asked with a grin on his face.

“Gosh, I should be offended,” Tafari replied dryly. “Oh well. Can’t beat the offer you gave us.”

“Few can. At least, not people you’d want to side with,” Danny replied.

“Let’s get a move on it,” Blake suggested. “We have a lot to do tonight.”

“Right. Tafari, hold your troops as planned. We’ll scout ahead and lay down some hurt on them.”

“Make sure you don’t blow up everything. That’s why we’re here, after all,” Tafari replied.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Danny replied jovially. “Don’t worry, you’ll get your pound of flesh from Ragnarok.”

“Copy. White Tiger out.”

“Going on ahead,” Blake told him. “We’ll scout out the convoy and try to ferret out the guards. Be careful what you’re shooting at. We don’t want to destroy the munitions trucks.”

“Again, wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Just making sure. Raven 2, out.”

Danny settled back into his seat and adjusted his night vision goggles. He made one last check of the minigun in front of him before signaling his pilot over the radio.

“Brooke, let’s go.”

“Copy that.”

A swarm of helicopters cut through the night air, heading for one of the side roads that Ragnarok used to ferry supplies at night. They had four Hornets under Blake’s command, along with three of the new helos, now dubbed the Typhoon. Bravo 3 crewed the gunner positions in the three Typhoons, while Bravos 1 and 2 provided the vanguard force. White Tiger would bring the muscle and do most of the heavy fighting on the ground.

Danny’s grand gambit was finally coming to fruition. Ragnarok’s supply lines needed to be attacked, but with so many units tied down in other theatres the list of available troops was in short supply. Rogue and Sacred Sword had to protect the front lines outside Milwaukee, Dragon and Ghost were embroiled in a fierce fight within the walls, and Magic Battalion had to hold Green Bay.

That last one bothered him the most. Hydra maintained a presence in Green Bay because it posed a threat to Ragnarok’s vital industrial and resource producing areas, but Danny was skeptical about its actual utility. True, Magic could attack mining groups and destroy important equipment, but they could only do so in small raiding teams. There was no threat of them actually taking and holding any of the important towns, let alone threatening Madison. They needed reinforcements for that, and unless something drastically changed they’d never get them.

Danny believed that the Hydra Alliance would be better served by abandoning Green Bay and focusing their efforts around Milwaukee. Magic Battalion could provide desperately needed troops to turn the tide, either shoring up the western end of the line or providing extra punch for the urban warfare in the east.

He didn’t want to be the first one to bring up the prospect of abandoning Green Bay to the enemy, though. Ghost Battalion had fought a vicious, desperate battle to keep it out of Ragnarok’s hands, and he imagined that they’d be loath to just give it up without a fight. It was Magic Battalion’s prize too, and there’d definitely be pushback from them as well.

Whatever the case, the current situation meant getting enough troops to perform a raid on the Ragnarok supply lines would be difficult. Not only did they have a lot of ground to cover, but the convoys themselves were heavily defended.

Raven Flight had shadowed several convoys during the night hours, staying at a distance and out of sight. By piecing the various reports together, Blake and Danny determined that the convoys were huge, with forty to fifty trucks on the road at the same time. Not only that, but they often had tanks or armored cars along for escorts, along with trucks bristling with antiaircraft guns.

Bombs weren’t an option, since Ragnarok patrolled the roads during the day, making it impossible to send a sabotage team behind enemy lines. They couldn’t use helicopter transport, and by the time they arrived on foot the convoy would be right on top of them. No, the only way to deal with the convoys was straight battle, but an ambush carried its own dangers. Not only did they have dedicated escorts, but each truck had at least one trooper riding shotgun. A single platoon wasn’t going to cut it, not even one with strong air support.

Hydra needed extra troops for the raid, but where would they come from? They couldn’t be pulled from other parts of the line, NPC troops were of questionable use on the offensive, and none of them wanted to trust mercenaries. They probably couldn’t get enough of them anyhow, and even if they could, would they measure up to Ghost Battalion’s raiding ability? Danny certainly didn’t think so. Every unit in the battalion had months of experience in this kind of warfare, and someone pantomiming their abilities just wouldn’t cut it.

That’s where White Tiger came in. They didn’t quite have the abilities of a unit like Black Wolf or Redd Foxx, but they could hold their own in this kind of situation. More importantly, Danny had worked with them before, and had become good friends with their company commander, Tafari. He knew how they fought, knew their tendencies, and knew how to utilize them to their greatest effect. Most importantly, he knew they could work together efficiently, without any major problems.

But they weren’t going to come cheap. White Tiger was one of the major players in Ronin’s alliance and were needed at the front lines at Davenport. Danny had believed that he could convince Tafari about the danger Ragnarok posed both alliances and their territory, but Levi was a different matter. Ronin’s company commander had tunnel vision at the moment, and was completely focused on Davenport over all else.

On one hand he could see why. The major players in the region had cities where they could form an industrial base to support their massive war machines. Without one, Ronin would be continually marginalized, doomed to be a bit player to the other, stronger factions. But on the other hand, it left theme very vulnerable to being hit hard while their troops were away. Even while they were pushing for Indianapolis, Hydra had always kept an eye on Ragnarok, trying to keep them at bay.

Regardless, Ronin’s alliance was focused on Davenport, and in order to tear them away they needed some sort of incentive. It had to be good, too, because a lowball offer would never cut it, and anyhow, Danny wasn’t going to insult their intelligence by trying that.

But Danny also knew they needed weapons for the attack on Davenport. They could purchase light artillery from the NPC factories in Old Chicago, but that might not be enough against especially tough defenses. Even Hydra’s 155mm guns or Ragnarok’s rocket artillery could have trouble breaching thick city walls. Coupled with the fact that the guns had to be constantly supplied with ammunition and that Ronin lacked any large-scale factories, and the result was a dire predicament. They desperately needed a new trump card to play.

They could search for schematics or try to improvise a solution, but their best bet at the moment was to acquire their weapons from another source. Hydra wasn’t about to give them any of their top of the line equipment, which was desperately needed at the front lines, but they’d have no problem handing over Ragnarok’s tech. All they needed was to get their hands on it.

That’s where the raid came into play. White Tiger would provide the muscle for the ground assault. In exchange, Black Wolf and Raven would capture the convoy, not destroy it, and hand over the weapons as payment. Everyone would get something out of the deal. Well, everyone but Ragnarok, but who cared about what they thought?

Danny watched as the Typhoons sped toward the intercept point, watching them zoom past the darkened fields and trees. Through the lenses of his night vision gear, everything had a green tint.

“Bravo Wolf, this is Raven 2,” Blake called over the radio. “We’re approaching the target area. We’ll split into pairs, one to the front of the convoy, one to the rear. We’ll trap them as planned.”

“Copy. We’ll be right behind you. Xavier, Javy, how you guys coming down there?”

“We’re making progress, but we’ll be a little behind you guys,” Xavier told him.

“It’s not easy to keep up with a helicopter on foot,” Javy added. “Especially when you have to go through thick forest like this. We’re lucky there’s no predators down here.”

“Wouldn’t that suck,” Danny commented. Predators were a fact of life out in the wilds, but they usually wouldn’t bother large formations. They’d definitely stay clear of fierce combat zones, unless the battle took place in an especially dangerous area.

That would certainly be problematic, he thought to himself simultaneously fighting against both the environment and an enemy formation. Redd Foxx had experienced a situation like that in the swamps around Green Bay, though their stealth skills and field craft helped them immensely.

“ETA, one minute to target,” Brooke told him over the radio.

“Got it. Everyone ready?”

The rest of the crew gave him confirmation. Danny gripped the handles of the minigun in front of him and prepared for combat. Other than firing pot shots from the bench seats of a transport Hornet, this would be his first time fighting from the air.

Hephaestus Company had done their jobs well, providing Ghost Battalion with a powerful helicopter unit that could perform a variety of tasks. The Typhoons could be tailored for either troop transport, or in this case, fire support. This particular loadout gave the aircraft modular stub wings, which could mount a variety of guns or rockets. In this case, they had chosen miniguns for their ability to lay down a wall of lead. They couldn’t hurt heavily armored vehicles, but the Hornets had rockets and could take care of them instead.

The stub wing mounts weren’t the only weapons aboard. The Typhoons also had a pair of weapons mounted on pintle mounts at each door. His bird had chosen miniguns as well, though he knew one of the others had selected .50 caliber machine guns for their superior penetrating power, enough to stop a truck in its tracks with just a few rounds through the engine block.

“This is Raven 2. We’re in position. Going in to kick the hornet’s nest.”

“Aren’t you the Hornets?” Danny asked.

Blake answered with a dry laugh. “True. Well then, guess we’ll show them our sting. Keep an eye out for enemy antiair. Raven 2, out.”

The roadway loomed in front of them, dark, looking deserted in the moonless night. The convoy was probably running with their lights off to avoid detection. All well and good, but that helped them little when the enemy already knew where they were. He could see the shapes of moving trucks through the lenses of his goggles. Even in the dark, there was nowhere to hide from the wolves.

And then the highway lit up in a sheet of flame as the Hornets began their attack. Rockets tore into the three lead vehicles. One took the full force of several rockets on its flank and careened wildly, tipping over and rolling several times. Despite himself, Danny felt a little bit of pity for the crew. Tanks probably didn’t have seatbelts, because why would they be needed? Anything strong enough to topple one over would probably kill the crew anyhow.

The second tank slewed to the side, spewing flame out of a single hole in the turret. The third stopped rolling and then blew up in a spectacular geyser of flame and shrapnel. The blast was bright enough to temporarily blind him. Danny blinked and tried to regain his bearings.

“Going in over the convoy. Keep an eye out for AA trucks,” Brooke warned.

Danny regained his vision in time to see his helo swoop in over the convoy. Tracers filled the night sky, zipping every which way, so thick that he could probably walk on them. How were they going to manage to get out of this alive?

And then he had no more time to think. A quartet of closely-grouped flashes to left caught his attention, probably a quad-mount of machine guns or autocannons. Danny trained his gun and pulled the trigger, sending a hail of bullets toward the enemy target. He could see the sparks of bullets pinging off the metal of the gun shield, but the antiaircraft gun went silent.

He heard the sound of bullets pinging off the skin of their chopper. Danny tried to finds the source of the attack, but there were too many targets and too many ways his shots could go wrong. He didn’t want to destroy the supplies in the trucks, which meant the convoy guards could shoot from inside their transports with near impunity. Airborne platforms lacked the precision to accurately hit such small targets.

Oh well, Danny thought to himself, that’s what the ground troops were here for. They could operate at close range and fire aimed shots. Right now his worry was the antiaircraft guns around the convoy. They could obviously threaten their air power, but worse, Ragnarok’s guns were capable of shredding infantry as well, even in the thick cover of the forest.

Danny lined up another shot and pulled the trigger, spewing lead and tracers out of his gun. Shots ripped through a pair of machine guns mounted on the back of a truck, killing the occupants as well.

“Raven 2, how’s it coming?” he asked over the din of battle. Even with the noise of the helicopter, the sound of gunfire surrounding them was almost deafening.

“They’re trapped. Both ends of the convoy are destroyed. Now we just have to take care of the ones in the middle.”

“Tall order.” Danny switched radio channels. “Bravo 1, Bravo 2, White Tiger, how close are you?”

“Give us another minute,” Tafari told him.

Danny gritted his teeth and tore into another gun that started to turn their way. “Hurry if you can. We’re taking heavy ground fire, and we can’t shoot because they’re in the trucks. I’m guessing you don’t want your supplies up in smoke either.”

“That’d be a good guess. We’ll get a move on,” Tafari replied.

“Man, you’re brutal,” Javy laughed. “Step on it or your payment might get sent sky high if you don’t.”

“That’s not a threat, that’s a friendly warning,” Danny replied. “We can’t keep this up forever, and I’d like to make sure we hold up our end of the bargain.”