Deception City: A World at War Novel (World at War Online Book 5) (6 page)

“Copy that Blake. We’re below you.”

“I see four tanks assembled in a plaza further back from the docks. Looks like it’s a maintenance yard of some sort, but I’m guessing we don’t want to take any chances. I’ll try to kill them where they sit.”

“Copy that, but be careful,” Zach warned. “Don’t stray too far over any antiaircraft guns.”

“Hey, who do you think you’re talking to?” Blake asked in an amused tone.

“Right. Forget I said anything,” Zach said with a smile. Blake might be the best gunship pilot in Raven Flight. He certainly knew how to protect himself from ground fire.

He could hear alarms going off inside the district. Good. Their enemy definitely knew they were here. Now, to make them believe Hydra could pull off a serious attack at any time…

Zach trained his gun and fired again, raking down a pair of enemy soldiers that had suddenly appeared from around the corner. Doubtless there would be more.

He activated his radio. “Looks like the welcoming party has finally arrived,” he told the others.

“And so the real fun begins,” Danny said with some relish.

“How do you want us to proceed?” Nora asked, all business.

“Make sure we have a clear landing area for Barghest,” Zach ordered. “Blake has a Raven unit above us. Try to coordinate your fire with him.”

“Can we call in mortar fire if we need it?” Selene inquired.

“Of course. Redd Foxx is already ashore, and they have the rest of Raven Flight backing them up,” Zach replied. “Let’s get this done!”

Another Ragnarok trooper edged around the corner with an RPG on her shoulder. Zach and a half-dozen other guns immediately spotted her and shot her down.

Even with their complete sense of superiority, they needed to be careful. One good shot, and a dozen of them could be at the bottom of the harbor within seconds.

But that was part of the fun of combat in World at War. Battling on the razor’s edge, knowing full well that death surrounded you on every side. Few other experiences could match that thrill.

B
ullets pinged
off the gun shield in front of her. Selene ducked down as more passed close to her ear. Ragnarok might had been caught off guard, but they certainly weren’t caught with their pants down. Enemy units had rallied around the shoreline and began fight back with a fury, pouring fire onto the river craft skimming the waves in front of them.

Doubtless the entire operation would be analyzed back at base, combed over for every scrap of information they could find. How fast could the enemy respond, how they organized themselves, how effectively could they fight, and so on and so forth. It could determine whether alliance command thought an amphibious assault was feasible or not.

But right now, that didn’t matter. Right now, the only thing Selene was focused on was suppressing the defenses so Barghest didn’t get themselves killed.

“Danny, can you move your section further to the north?” she asked.

“We’ll try, but Ragnarok’s not making it easy,” he replied.

“Do your best. I want to see if we can catch them in a crossfire.”

“Right, but should we call it off? Looks like this beach is pretty heavily defended.”

Selene had to consider that suggestion. More and more Ragnarok troops were beginning to flood the area, and anyhow, they didn’t have any specific objectives. Carnage was the order of the day, and they didn’t want to risk their veteran troops for some worthless spot.

It would have been different in the older version of World at War, but the effects of the sync system had changed their approach. Losing troops didn’t mean just a temporary setback, it meant having to retrain them to get them back up to standard as well.

She couldn’t fault the change, though, because death had been far too cheap under the old system. Now it paid to be cautious and mindful. It brought a whole new strategic element to the game, because now they had to weigh the worth of their troops against the worth of their objectives.

“Let’s see what we can do,” Selene told him. “If we can’t make headway then I agree.”

“Roger that.”

Selene switched frequencies. “Thunder, Thunder, this is Alpha Wolf. Do you copy?” she asked, calling out to the mortar section.

“Alpha Wolf, this is Thunder,” came the reply from the leader of the Bravehart crews manning the mortars. “Go ahead.”

“I’m sending you coordinates,” she said. “Can we get a few shells on target?”

“Copy that, Alpha Wolf,” Thunder replied. “We’ll fire a three round barrage apiece and go from there.”

“Thanks,” she replied. Selene sent the coordinates, her best guess as to the actual position of the enemy troops. Hopefully they could at least suppress them, because the weight of fire coming from the shore was steadily increasing. They hadn’t lost any boats yet, but it wouldn’t stay that way if this continued.

“This is Black Lead. We’re approaching our landing area,” Karen alerted them all.

“Hold tight,” Selene told her. “We’re running into heavy opposition. Hopefully it won’t last much longer.”

They might be able to fend off Ghost Battalion’s attack craft, but how would they fare against a mortar barrage?

S
hells screamed
down on the enemy positions, throwing clouds of debris and dirt into the air. Danny could see the occasional body mixed in as well. The effect was devastating.

At least, that’s what it looked like from a distance in the fading light, but he knew better. Having watched the mortars in action several times before and come under artillery fire himself, he knew things often appeared worse than they actually were. Coming under fire was never pleasant, truth be told, but it wouldn’t annihilate a unit that knew how to take cover.

Danny took out his binoculars and surveyed the damage, trying to assess just how effective the shelling was. From his vantage point it didn’t look promising. He could see the shapes of Ragnarok troops hugging cover, but they would be up and fighting again once the bombardment lifted.

He activated his radio. “Looks like they’re still hanging on,” he told the others. “I think this is going to be a no go.”

N
ora watched
the bombardment unfold as well, trying to determine the best course of action. They could throw Barghest Company into the breach, but for what purpose? Having spent plenty of time with them in their formative stages, she knew they were capable, good fighters, but what could they do, struggling to get ashore against a heavily defended beachhead in the dark?

And what could they accomplish, when they got there? They would have to fight their way inland to do any more damage, and doubtless more enemy reinforcements were on their way. Nora imagined they had managed to rouse the entire garrison.

“I’m with Danny,” she said. “Looks like this is a no go.”

Z
ach heard all
the suggestions from his subordinates, but in truth he had already made a decision. Their lack of progress only served to reinforce that.

He opened the main channel to every member of the battalion. “All units, this is Ghost Lead. Whiskey. I say again, Whiskey. All units on the ground, extract and get back to your transports. Barghest, Black Wolf, move to Redd Foxx’s position and help provide cover fire.”

No point in staying and incurring more casualties at this point, he mused as his troops pulled back. They had already accomplished their goals.

He could just imagine how much Ragnarok Command would be sweating after tonight.

“
E
verything looks to be normal
.”

Zach looked over at the screen and the research assistant beside it. He didn’t know why, because the readouts on the screen meant absolutely nothing to him.

The assistant looked over a list on his tablet. “Anything unusual this week, medically speaking.”

“Nope.”

“Feelings of lethargy, exhaustion or the like?”

“No.”

“Headaches or migraines?”

“Nope.”

“Blurry vision, afterimages in your sight or double vision?”

“No.”

“Any phantom smells, feelings or sounds?”

“You mean feeling or seeing something that actually isn’t there?” Zach asked.

“That’s right.”

“Nope, haven’t had that problem,” he replied.

The assistant nodded. “Good. Looks like you’re not suffering any side effects from the neuro-helmet. Those are extremely rare, of course, but we want to make sure you’re healthy and functioning properly.”

Zach nodded. The medical tests had been going on for a while, though they had increased greatly after a year in the research study. That was likely because they wanted to study the long term fallout from spending a significant amount of time in a virtual reality. Any long term medical problems stemming from it needed to be accounted for, and they were the test subjects.

But Zach hadn’t seen anything to worry about, although he was pretty far from being anything close to a medical professional. He also imagined the company would remain hush-hush about certain things to keep from scaring them off, but there was no hiding serious medical issues. None of them had experienced anything dramatic, outside of an occasional headache.

The study’s strict requirements also served to keep them healthy. Elysium Visions wanted data from subjects who had good mental states and physical health. All of them were required to exercise a certain amount of time a week in order to stay fit. None of them had a problem with that order, since most had been athletes during high school and college. Zach had run track during high school and still enjoyed jogging, even in the cold Chicago winters.

There were also provisions for time off, which Zach welcomed as well. Nora’s family had a cabin in the Wisconsin backwoods, and sometimes it was good to leave civilization behind for a bit.

Speaking of which, he needed to remember to finalize plans with her later tonight. Yet another thing to put on his to do list.

Even with all the requirements, Zach remained quite happy with his lot. He had been a programmer working on a contract basis, often wondering if he would still have a job when the project finished. But now he had some security, and was compensated handsomely, to boot. Besides, he was being paid to play a game, and that in and of itself had many perks.

“Everything checks out fine,” the assistant told him. “Please make sure to report anything if it comes up between now and your next checkup. We want to make sure you stay healthy.”

“Thanks. I will,” Zach said as he stood up and exited the examination room.

All of the other doors in the hallway remained closed. The others were probably still in the process of going through checkups, he thought, but that wasn’t surprising. He had been the first one to arrive today.

“Mr. Wofford?” a voice called to him from further down the hall.

Zach turned toward the source. “President Starvos,” he said with a bit of surprise. Zach moved to meet him and took the proffered handshake.

“I trust you’re doing well, today?” President Starvos asked.

“Very well,” Zach confirmed. They had met many times over the course of the study, but Zach still remained somewhat in awe of him.

Anton Starvos, founder and president of Elysium Visions, one of the foremost tech companies in the world. They pushed the boundaries of computing technology, being the first to introduce quantum computing for practical use, the first to create fully immersive virtual technology, and the first to create a fully functioning virtual world. World at War Online was a culmination of all those technologies.

And he had been at the forefront of all that progress, taking the company from a garage to a global multi-billion dollar corporation with branches in several major cities. Without his intellect, determination and savvy none of this would have ever happened.

Zach felt slightly intimidated by his presence, even though President Starvos had shown them nothing but politeness and respect. Maybe it was his list of accomplishments. It sounded completely ridiculous, but Zach felt small in comparison.

“I actually have a question I would like to ask you,” President Starvos told him.

“Ah, yes?” Zach replied, not quite knowing what to say.

“I think it’s best to discuss in private. If you’ll follow me?” Starvos motioned to him. “My office should suffice.”

Zach nodded and fell in step with him. A private meeting with the president of the company in his office? What was going on here?

“
I
appreciate
the work you all have done in our study,” President Starvos said from his seat behind his desk. “The data we’ve gathered from your work will help us greatly when designing future projects.”

“I’m glad to have been of use,” Zach replied, wondering where this was all going.

Starvos folded his hands on his desk. “And that’s what I brought you here to discuss, those future projects. You were a programmer on World at War Online, if I remember correctly.”

“I was,” Zach confirmed.

Starvos nodded. “Communications, was it? You designed many of the communications systems that most players take completely for granted. The designs are marvelous, actually. Simple, effective, but they have a certain elegance to them as well.”

“That’s gratifying to hear,” Zach responded. “I just designed them in a way that made sense. I didn’t think they were anything particularly special.”

A smile played at President Starvos’ face. “Ah, you might not have, but others might disagree. Lawrence, our section manager, was particularly impressed by how you were able to design such a system. And you did it almost completely on your own as well. I must say, when I looked over the records I was quite impressed as well.”

“I really didn’t think anything of it,” Zach admitted. “They were simple designs of something that’s been around for a long time.”

“Ah, but that’s the trick,” Starvos replied. “Designing something that will work without overcomplicating it or reinventing the wheel. Too many designers are caught up in making their project special, making it their own, and they forget the most important thing. The technology has to function correctly, above everything else.”

“That was my goal.”

“And I would say it worked out beautifully,” Starvos told him. “Which brings me to my reason for meeting with you today. We’re in the process of assembling a production team for our next project, and I’d like you to be on it.”

“What sort of project?” Zach asked, trying gain time to collect his thoughts.

“We would like to broaden our horizons with another virtual world game. World at War remains quite popular, but there are other demographics that the game won’t appeal to. We would like to create another MMO with the expressed purpose of reaching those demographics. A fantasy themed one.”

“I see.”

“We are in the infant stages of preproduction. At this point, we don’t have a full team assembled, a name, or even anything more than a basic concept. But everything must start somewhere, and the best creations are those built with love and care. Finding people who can create that way is of the utmost priority. I would like you to be a part of the development team.”

Zach felt the shock rush over him. He rated himself as a fairly decent programmer, but had shove that aside now that his work involved the study of World at War Online. And now it was coming back to him, with the president of the company making a personal recruitment pitch to him. Zach didn’t know quite what to think.

The obvious question popped into his head. “What about the study?”

“You’ll be a part of that as well,” Starvos told him. “I’m recruiting you because of the study, in fact. You’ve been a part of the various parts of World at War. You know what it’s like inside of the world, and you know what it took to build all those elements. You’re not going to be involved in the day to day aspects. Your role will to be a production manager of sorts, making sure all the various systems fit together.”

Zach frowned. “I’ve never had a position like that before…”

“Which means you won’t be inclined to follow the book,” Starvos nodded. “You’ll bring your own perspective to the project, with a mind for both the technical aspects and viewpoint of a player. I believe that will be our driving force for success. I also believe you’re more capable of leadership than you might think.”

Zach nodded, but his mind still spun. So much had been dumped on him at once. How was he going to straighten it all out, let alone make a decision?

“I don’t need an immediate answer,” President Starvos told him. “Like I said before, we’re in the early stages of preproduction. We won’t be ready to start for at least six months, probably a year. But I would sincerely like you to consider it, because I definitely want you on the team.”

“Can I have time to decide?” Zach asked.

“Of course. Bear in mind this isn’t common knowledge, so I would like you to keep this to yourself, if at all possible. Of course, I know it might slip to an individual or two. Miss Cleary, for example…”

Zach cleared his throat in embarrassment.

President Starvos smiled. “I’m aware that it will probably slip, and there’s no helping that. But please make sure that you keep this to as few people as possible.”

“I will,” Zach agreed.

All he could think is that he needed a drink right now.

T
he drink came
courtesy of lunch with Nora. They headed to a pub after their session with Elysium had finished.

“So you’ve been recruited to join the development team of another virtual world MMO?” Nora asked.

“That’s the gist of it, yeah,” Zach confirmed before taking another drink. The initial shock of the meeting had faded away, but he still remained lost. What was he supposed to do?

“And he said that you could continue to work in the World at War study?”

“Yeah. The production manager role is going to be part time, essentially,” he said. “All the departments do their thing, and I just make sure they all fit together. And there’s other people who are going to do the actual managerial side of things. I’m more of a consultant than a supervisor.”

“Sounds interesting,” Nora said. “So, what’s the holdup? Sounds to me like it’s a pretty good deal. It might take up a lot of time, but wouldn’t you consider the study somewhat of a leisure activity?”

“I guess,” Zach agreed. “But is now really the time to change things? I’m in a good spot right now. Do I really need to take on the added responsibility? It’s not like I need the money.”

“Maybe it’s not about the money,” Nora shrugged. “Look at it another way. Suppose you never had to worry about money again. Would you be content to sit around, doing nothing all day?”

“I don’t think I could do that,” Zach replied. “I think I’d have to do something, otherwise I’d go completely crazy.”

“Why’d you choose your particular major?’ she asked.

Zach frowned. “Well, it was something I was interested in. The ways people talked to each other always fascinated me, for some reason. I don’t know, it just called to me.”

“Yeah, I definitely understand that,” Nora agreed. “That’s why I went for music instead of becoming a doctor or lawyer. I might have been able to do them, but I didn’t love them like I loved music.”

“Better to do something you love than to be miserable doing something you’ll hate, I guess,” Zach said.

“Doesn’t that apply to you as well?” Nora asked. “You said you chose communications because it fascinated you. You spent years learning about it, enough to get a degree. You worked in the field. So can you really toss that aside, especially if you love it? Because I certainly couldn’t. I can’t, actually.”

Zach nodded. “Are you still planning on auditioning for the Philharmonic Orchestra?”

“Yes, I am. Because music’s a part of who I am, and I just can’t let it be. I have to let it out. I have to try to use it, otherwise what did I spend most of my adult life for?”

“I guess… I guess I just think this is different,” Zach told her. “You’re auditioning, taking a chance that you’ll make it. But there’s no guarantee. It’s like a test, to be able to say you tried or you could do it. But this isn’t a test for me. If I go for it I already have a spot waiting for me.”

“True,” Nora agreed. “But shouldn’t that make you more confident? I have to prove that I’m good enough to be a part of an orchestra like that. You’ve already proven yourself, and you have people who believe in you. I’d kill to have that.”

Zach smiled. “Would you?”

“OK, maybe not that far, but you get my point.”

“I do.”

Nora took a drink before replying. “It’s your decision. But if you want my honest opinion? I think you should go for it. You have the chance to do something that you’ve devoted a lot of your life toward. Shouldn’t you take it?”

Zach frowned and then sighed. “I don’t know. I really don’t know.”

“Well, at least you have time to decide.”

True enough, but would it become any easier as the deadline approached? Pluses and minuses swirled around in his head, creating nothing but a whirlpool of confusion. What was the right answer?

“Gah,” he grumbled in exasperation. “I don’t know what to do. What the heck am I supposed to do?”

“That’s for you to decide,” Nora told him. “Not sure talking to me is going to do much more good, since you already know my stance on it.”

“You’re the only one I really can talk to about it,” Zach said. “I’m pretty much banned from mentioning it.”

“Wait, should you have said anything to me about it?” Nora asked. “Will that get you in trouble?”