Fang: A World at War Novel (World at War Online Book 3) (23 page)

She opened up a radio channel. “Sword Lead, Sword Lead, this is Hoplite. I say again, this is Hoplite.”

“
Go ahead Hoplite,” David responded.

“
We're in the final stages of clearing out the gate,” Nora said. She watched Bravo Wolf Platoon advance toward the gatehouse. “It should be clear. If you advance now you'll reach the gates at about the time they'll open them.”

“
Roger that. Any word on how it's going?”

“
Smoothly, light casualties,” Nora told him. “We're making steady progress, and it should be fine once you get here.”

“
Let's hope so,” David replied.

Nora's assessment of the situation might have been too optimistic. Sacred Sword reached the gate within minutes and headed into the western reaches of the district. Freed from the fighting around the gate, Black Wolf and Barghest formed up and pushed southwest.

But the route wasn't easy. About a mile away from the gate they ran into heavy resistance at a crossroads. An enemy platoon had dug themselves into several multi-story buildings and were waiting for them. Unbeknownst to the Hydra troops, they also had spotlights with them. As soon as they were switched on there was complete chaos.

The Hoplite armor had an advanced array of sensors, and the suit immediately switched off the night vision mode as soon as the lights were triggered. The others weren't so lucky. Many of them were temporarily blinded by the brightness of the spotlights. Several of them were cut down in the ensuing gunfire, and everyone else was forced to take cover.

The situation at crossroads became even worse when enemy reinforcements began to flood in from the south. Black Wolf and Barghest dug in and prepared for a slugging match. The enemy fire was ferocious.

Nora had been forced to take charge of the situation. She could see better than most due to the array of displays she could bring up on her HUD. Using them, she managed to organize their force into a firm defensive line and even launch limited counterattacks. But it wasn't going to last forever. They need help, and they needed it fast.

“
Raven Flight, do you copy? Raven Flight, this is Hoplite. Do you copy?” Nora asked.

She nimbly dodged a rocket fired from the other side of the street. The enemy heavy suddenly dropped and fell off the building. Courtesy of one of their snipers, no doubt.

“Hoplite, this is Raven 1,” Robbie replied.

“
Raven 1, we need air support,” Nora told him.

“
Uh, can you be more specific?”

“
Can you see me moving on the street?” she asked.

There was a pause. “Yeah, I can see you.”

“Behind me is our side of the street. Blast everything on the other side. I don't care how you do it, just do it.”

“
Copy that, Hoplite. You guys might want to duck and cover,” Robbie replied.

Nora saw four dots moving on her radar at high speed. Then the world in front of her caught fire. The face of the building in front of her exploded. Thousands of bullets raked the remains. Anyone inside was probably dead meat.

Nora wasn't the only one with a new toy. Raven Flight had received several upgrades as well, and now they were putting them to good use.

Originally the choppers had been armed with heavy machine guns. While they were better than anything that the rangers were carrying on the ground, the amount of firepower they could throw out was sorely lacking. Their rate of fire was poor, and they were essentially useless against anything but the lightest vehicles.

Leave it to Hephaestus Company to find a solution to the problem. On the anti-vehicle front they had devised a stopgap weapon until they discovered a schematic for something better. They mounted six recoilless rifle tubes, three to each stub wing, and attached a trigger mechanism. They weren't the most accurate things and they lacked ammunition for sustained fighting, but they were powerful.

Raven Flight was also using the prototype miniguns, the same weapon that Nora had mounted in her exoskeleton's right arm. She knew from first-hand experience that it was powerful.

The face of another building exploded and then more bullets came raining down. The amount of fire coming from the other side slackened off quite considerably.

“
Nice work, Raven Flight,” she said.

“
We aim to please,” Robbie responded. “We'll make another pass and then we'll need to withdraw to get more ammo.”

“
Roger that, and thanks.”

Selene came on the line. “Now's the time to exploit the confusion,” she said.

Nora agreed. “Raven Flight is making one last pass. Get as many platoons as you can and push forward. I'll help to cover you.”

“
Got it.”

The chain of command had broken down somewhat in the confusion, but that was fine. There was no way that the company commanders could keep track of every last detail in the middle of this maelstrom, and so they would rely on their subordinates to get the job done. Ghost Company was known for the effectiveness of its lower levels of command. They could take care of business even if their captains were out of action.

Two more choppers came zooming in from behind, guns blazing. The noise outside was probably deafening. Inside, the suit automatically adjusted the volume levels to reasonable levels.

“
Barghest, let's go!” Selene ordered.

Nora scanned the enemy side of the street for targets. A muzzle started flashing in a window that was somehow still intact after Raven Flight's attack runs. She squeezed off a few shots with her autocannon.

“Hoplite, we have an armored vehicle coming up on our flank,” Allen's voice warned.

“
Be right there,” Nora told him. She took off at full speed down the street, leaping over the heads of a squad that crossed her path.

There it was. An enemy armored car was pushing up the side streets with a platoon of infantry in tow. Yellow Platoon was caught between stopping to deal with the threat or supporting the advance.

Nora was going to make that decision easy. She aimed her autocannon and pulled the trigger. The first shot did nothing, and the second shot did nothing again. But for the moment it distracted the vehicle, and that was all Nora needed.

She bounded the last few yards and cut down several of the enemy with a burst from her minigun. Then she turned and grabbed the enemy vehicle by its side and pushed up.

The vehicle must have weighed at least a ton, but the exoskeleton could easily lift that amount of weight. The armored car flipped over on its side, completely helpless. Nora took the opportunity to put several 20mm shells into its belly at point blank range. It shuddered and split apart in an understated explosion.

“
Keep going,” Nora told them as she gunned down the rest of the enemy platoon.

“
Thanks.”

“
Don't mention it,” she said.

A warning light flashed up.
Low ammunition
.

Nora checked her display again. In the chaos she had neglected to pay attention to her ammunition stocks. Her minigun was almost empty, and the 20mm cannon wasn't far behind. There was a small forward depot in the Central City district where she could restock, but that would take some time.

“All leads, this is Hoplite. I'm running low on ammunition, so I'm headed back to the depot,” Nora told them.

“
Copy that, Hoplite,” Zach said. “We'll take it from here.”

“
Good luck,” Nora replied.

She took off for the gate and made a quick glance at the power display. A third gone. It would last. Hopefully.

CHAPTER 23

Tooth and Nail

The enemy had fought them hard and with great skill. They were heavily armed and entrenched in a good position. Many companies would crumble in the face of such a stubborn defense. But Hydra was in no way average, and Ghost Battalion contained many of the alliance's best.

Under the relentless blows of the Hydra assault the enemy line crumbled, overwhelmed by both firepower and the sheer determination of the attacking troops. Supported by both Nora's exoskeleton and Raven Flight they forced their way across the street and shattered the enemy resistance.

But now both of them were gone to replenish their ammunition, once again leaving the infantry to carry the day.

Zach didn't doubt that they could do it. In fact, he knew that they could do it. But still, losing their heavy support made him feel nervous. They were nearing the airfield as well, which pushed Zach's mood from nervousness into full-blown concern. Tangling with the boss was not going to be fun if they didn't have their heavy support with them.

Still, they could pull off a coordinated attack with the other two columns. And while Redd Foxx was in the same boat as them, Sacred Sword had heavy support in the form of assault guns.

The trouble was, he had no idea what kind of situation the others were in. Zach hadn't been able to keep track during the furious fighting. He hadn't been able to fully coordinate his company either. The needed to reestablish their lines of communication, and they needed to do it fast.

He opened up a channel. “Sword Lead, Fox Lead, come in. Sword Lead, Fox, Lead, this is Wolf Lead, come in.”

“I hear you Wolf Lead,” David responded.

“
I hear you as well,” Anna added in.

“
We've broken through on our front,” Zach told them, “but Nora is back getting reloaded, and Raven Flight is getting more ammo as well. We'll try to advance on the airfield, but we might not be able to do much without our heavy support.”

“
Copy that,” Anna told him. “We're mopping up the last resistance in our area, and then we're going to launch our attack on the airfield. Gray is going to lead his platoon in from the south, and we'll attack from the southeast.”

“
We're coming in straight from the north,” David said. “No games, no subterfuge from us. We're just going to smash through their line.”

Zach didn't doubt it. Sacred Sword had over one hundred troops there, backed by armored vehicles. All of them were elite.

“OK, we're going to push in from the east,” Zach told him. “Let's make sure that we're coordinated. Our force and Sacred Sword should attack first. That will draw the enemy toward our positions, which should leave the south far more vulnerable.”

“
And it means that the boss comes after you guys first,” Anna replied with some satisfaction evident in her voice.”

“
Looking forward to it,” David replied.

“
We're wasting time,” Karen interjected.

“
Right. Let's move,” Zach said.

“
We'll contact you once we're in position,” Anna said.

“
Same with us,” David replied. “Let's get this done.”

Zach and the rest of the force pushed forward, heading toward the airfield that was now less than a mile away. Resistance on the way was extremely light, consisting of only small fireteams retreating toward the airfield. The enemy in the district seemed to be broken, but Zach knew very well that it was the calm before the storm. They would be in for a real fight soon enough.

“We're in position,” Anna told him.

“
We'll be there in a minute,” David added in from his end.

“
So will we.” Black Wolf and Barghest were just two hundred yards from the edge of the city, where the airfield began. Silently, quickly they moved into position among the buildings.

“
Black Wolf and Barghest are in position,” Zach said.

“
Sacred Sword is in position as well,” David replied. “We'll launch our attack first. Make your move as soon as you hear gunfire.”

“
Roger that,” Zach replied. He quickly relayed the orders to his subordinates.

BAM! BAM!

The sound of two loud, distinctive shots rolled in from the north. They were from
Orcrist
and
Glamdring
, Sacred Sword's assault guns. That meant the attack was underway.

Without a verbal order Black Wolf and Barghest broke cover and started to advance on the airfield. As they reached the outskirts Zach suddenly realized just what they had stumbled into.

The land surrounding the airfield wasn't flat or empty. It
looked
flat and empty from the air, but now he realized that was because of the camouflage netting suspended above it all. Below the netting was an entirely different story. A mass of trenches zigzagged everywhere, teeming with tight turns, machine gun nests and strongpoints. Antiaircraft guns covered all sections of the airfield, making it suicide for Raven Flight to try to support them.

His alert buzzed. Zach quickly opened up his menu and found a gameplay alert in his message.

Fortress capture point
, it read.
Differing from normal capture points, fortress capture points are not guarded by a single boss. They are protected by a garrison force of elite troops along with heavy fortifications. Players are advised to use specialized weaponry in order to deal with these difficult locations.

“
Oh great,” Zach said. He got on the radio. “Did you guys see the new message.”

“
Yeah,” Anna said.

“
This changes nothing,” David said. “We storm the place and kill anything that gets in our way.”

“
Easier said than done,” Karen replied.

“
We fight our way through,” David insisted. “I'm not saying that it's going to be easy, but our troops are good-”

His voice suddenly cut off.

“David?” Zach asked.

“
Sorry.
Orcrist
just lost one of its tracks. It may have gone over a mine,” he informed them.

“
That puts our armor at risk,” Anna warned.

Zach made a split-second decision. “We're punching through with the infantry. Karen, sweep toward the northern end of the trenches on this side. We'll take the south.”

“Roger.”

Zach relayed the order to Danny and then roused Alpha Wolf Platoon. “Gavin, your squad is in the lead. Ethan, you're next, and Logan, you're rearguard. We may have to split up inside the trenches, so use your own initiative. Just stay in touch.”

“Can we go over the top?” Gavin asked.

“
Do you want to
try
going over the top?” Logan asked him incredulously.

“
Stay low,” Zach ordered.

Black Wolf fought their way into the trenches, using every trick they knew to gain an advantage. They needed every single one of them. Their enemy was skilled, tenacious and knew how to defend this ground. They used corners to their advantage very well, setting up ambushes around every bend. Alpha Wolf lost three troops to their tactics before they began tossing grenades around every corner.

Zach knelt down next to the corpse of a dead enemy soldier and looked it over. Ethan's squad was in front now, taking over for Alpha 1. Gavin knelt next to him as he looked.

The enemy's gear was high quality. He had a submachine gun of a make and model that he didn't recognize. Gavin quickly snatched it up and then stripped the corpse of its extra ammunition for good measure.

“Like the look of it?” Zach asked.

Gavin examined one of the magazines. “Looks like it shoots different ammo than mine. Maybe .45 caliber? It's bigger than what I use.”

“That means more recoil,” Zach said. “Are you sure you can handle the switch in the middle of a battle?”

“
Oh, sure,” Gavin replied. “Besides, stopping power is a lot more important than accuracy in this environment. It's kinda hard to miss at ten feet when you're firing on full auto.”

“
True enough,” Zach shrugged. He continued to examine the body.

The rest of it was unremarkable, though the helmet was of slightly different design from the rest of the garrison. But something on the shoulder caught his eye. Zach rolled the corpse over and examined the unit patch.

“Airborne,” he read aloud.

“
That would explain the elite troops,” Gavin said.

“
We need to keep pushing,” Zach said. “Don't let up.”

“
Got it.”

Zach moved up and joined Ethan's squad. “Let's go,” he ordered over the din of gunfire.

Ethan nodded back and motioned his troops forward. One fell to an enemy burst rounding the corner, but the rest didn't let up. Zach moved to take the fallen trooper's place. After all, there weren't many orders to give out. They had to take this place or die trying.

He found himself in a long corridor that looked like it went straight through to the airfield. For a minute Zach thought they had a breakthrough, but his hopes were immediately dashed. Enemy paratroopers came pouring out of the side passages and started laying down a barrage of fire. Zach barely managed to get down in time before the bullets started flying over his head. Another trooper wasn't lucky and was hit several times, though Zach couldn't tell who it was in the confusion and the darkness.

Machine gun fire flew over his head from behind.

“
Stay down,” Ethan ordered over the radio link. He stepped forward, gun blazing to keep the enemy pinned.

Zach decided to help him. He quickly loaded up a round in his grenade launcher and shot it off into the enemy ranks. It wasn't his best attempt, not by a long shot, but in the confines of a trench it didn't matter. Enemy paratroopers were thrown into the walls and onto the trench floor, dead. Many more were stunned.

“Move forward! Move to the side trenches!” Ethan ordered his squad.

Zach joined them. Ethan had made a sound tactical decision. In the center trench they were out in the open and exposed. Ethan wanted his troops to take some of the side trenches branching off the main corridor, depriving the enemy of their cover and giving Alpha 2 cover of their own.

But the enemy wasn't about to let them have their former positions without a fight. As Alpha 2 reached their target area the enemy paratroopers charged.

Vicious hand-to-hand combat ensured, made even more chaotic by the arrival of reinforcements for both sides. Zach barely registered Gavin's squad coming to their aid. He was too busy fighting.

Zach lashed out with his trench knife and caught an enemy paratrooper in the throat with the spike. He grappled with another enemy but was unable to bring his weapon up again. All around him the swirling melee was taking its toll. Black Wolf was skilled at close quarters combat, but their foe was as well, and they also had the advantage of numbers.

The enemy he was grappling suddenly fell backward, dragging him along for the ride. Zach moved to stab with his trench knife, but his foe was already dead, killed by someone else in the chaos.

“Black Wolf, back!” Gavin's voice shouted down the link.

There was some confusion, though to their credit they complied, firing off their guns to keep the enemy at a distance. As soon as they broke off someone pushed through the mass of humanity to the front ranks. He bumped into Zach, and it immediately became clear what he was carrying.

Enemy paratroopers turned into torches as the flames raced down the corridor. It blocked Black Wolf's line of advance for the time being as well, but it bought them several well needed minutes of respite. Zach took the opportunity to reestablish lines of communication with the other commanders.

Danny was having similar problems, though his platoon was still driving forward. Karen was in a similar position, but Barghest was slightly better off because Sacred Sword was drawing considerable numbers of the enemy to their front.

As for the other companies, their progress was mixed. Redd Foxx was pushing through slowly but surely, but Sacred Sword was locked in a stalemate. They had breached the outer line, but now they were stuck in a trench to trench battle with a huge number of the enemy.

Then there were their last two trump cards.

“You're close to the exit,” Miko said over the radio link. She had take up a position on the roof of one of the building and was guiding them through the maze.

“
How far?” Zach asked.

“
About fifty yards,” Miko replied. “Once you get past the flames you're right at the beginning of the actual airfield.”

“
OK, thanks,” Zach replied.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire. As bad as the trenches were, the airfield was going to be far worse. At least there was some semblance of cover in the trenches, but out on the open ground the best cover they had was blades of grass. They desperately needed some form of heavy support.