Fang: A World at War Novel (World at War Online Book 3) (24 page)

Zach tried to contact Nora but received no answer. That probably meant she was out of radio range, which also meant that it would be a while before she returned. Once again it would be up to the infantry to win the fight.

The flames were beginning to die down. Zach opened up his menu and scrolled through to the maps of the district. He found the one focused on the airfield and brought it up on his display. Even from the air the enemy antiaircraft guns were evident. Using the map, Zach could pinpoint their locations and relay their positions to the heavies. From there they could destroy the targets with recoilless rifle rounds from a distance.

He needed to be accurate in his assessment. An antiaircraft mount was capable of shredding infantry, and they wouldn't get second shots if they missed. Cover wouldn't be especially helpful against guns with that kind of power, but there was no cover at any rate.

Zach marked and then sent the coordinates to Danny and the squad leaders. “Once we're out of the trenches, have your recoilless riflemen take out these emplacements,” he ordered. “If we can do that then Raven Flight can give us air cover.”

“Not going to be easy,” Danny said. “To get into firing range for some of them we'll need to cross the open ground, and that might be suicide.”

“
We have to do it,” Zach said. “There's really no alternative.”

“
What about Nora?”

“
I can't find her,” Zach said. “If we stay in the trenches we're going to lose. We need some way to break through, and this might be our only option. If we wait for her it's going to take too long.”

“
OK, we'll try.”

Ethan tapped him on the shoulder. “So you need something killed?”

“Yes,” Zach replied with a grin. He noticed that Ethan now had a recoilless rifle across his shoulder. He must have switched weapons with someone else.

“
Let's get this done, then,” Ethan said. “I mean, we can't lose to Marauder and the rest of them, can we?”

His enthusiasm was infectious. Zach gave him a confident nod and them signaled Alpha Wolf forward. They emerged from the trenches and took up prone positions in the grass.

Ethan made his way forward to a clear space and turned toward the nearest antiaircraft gun. It hadn't moved yet. Zach watched as someone loaded a shell into the back of the rifle and clapped Ethan on the shoulder, signaling that the weapon was ready. Two seconds later there was a burst of flame and the shell streaked away into the darkness.

BOOM!

Zach flinched from the brightness and then turned his attention back to the scene before him. Ethan's shot had been right on the money. The blast had turned the gun into scrap. But there were still more than a dozen guns left to deal with.

Moving quickly Ethan and his loader shifted their aim and prepped the weapon for another round of firing. Another jet of flame leaped out of the back of the rifle.

BOOM!

Zach turned away with a smile, wondering why he was even watching. Ethan was by far the best anti-tank gunner in Black Wolf. Anything that fell within his crosshairs was dead.

But then the shells started howling around them.

Zach threw himself flat as the night lit up. Hundreds, maybe thousands of shells screamed toward them from all directions. The enemy had found their range.

They were trapped, he realized. The air was filled with shrapnel. Each mount had four autocannons attached, and together they could throw out a blistering amount of fire. Coupled with proximity fuses that caused the shell to burst in the air, they were an extremely deadly weapon.

Black Wolf started to take heavy casualties, and there was nothing they could do to retaliate. Standing up or even kneeling was complete suicide. The recoilless rifles couldn't be fired while prone, and none of their other weapons had the range or power to do anything to the enemy.

Danny came on the radio. “Any ideas?”

“
Try to crawl back to the trenches,” Zach ordered.

“
We're going to have to leave a lot of casualties out here then,” Danny warned him.

“
We're going to have to make that sacrifice. We don't have any other options.”

“
Can we call for a quick strafing run from Raven Flight?”

“
The only thing that's going to do is get them killed,” Zach replied.

“
We're not going to get another chance at this,” Danny warned.

“
Then we're just going to have to trust that the others can finish the job,” Zach said with some frustration.

“
Or you can have faith in the rest of your company.”

Zach looked around. He knew that voice.

“Where are you Nora?” he asked.

“
Coming right up behind you,” she said.

Zach turned to see the exoskeleton make a bounding leap over the last trench. Shells pinged off its shell. They might be effective against aircraft and unarmored troops, but against something like an armored exoskeleton they were rendered effectively useless.

“I thought command told you not to risk the suit unless you absolutely had to,” Danny said,

“
I think this qualifies as one of those times,” Nora said.

She leveled her right arm and fired off several shots. One of the enemy guns went silent.

“Sacred Sword is breaking through to the north, and they're bringing their armor with them. Redd Foxx is headed up from the south. We still have plenty of fighting to do, but we can win this.”

“
Right,” Zach replied.

The amount of firepower being thrown at them had lessened. Many guns had been knocked out, and others had turned to face the threats coming from the north and south. Now was the time to strike.

Zach opened up a channel to everyone in the two companies. “Black Wolf. Barghest. We've taken some losses, but we've weathered the storm. Now it's our turn to bring the thunder. Advance, and crush them!”

Battered, bloodied but still unbowed, they charged into the night.

It took another hour of fierce fighting before the district was under their control. Even with the support of Raven Flight and the reinforcements from Spectre Company, the airfield was a tough nut to crack. The paratroopers didn't give up without a fight, and Ghost Battalion had been forced to weed them out of every nook and cranny. Still, they had triumphed.

Zach leaded up against the wall of a hanger, completely spent from the furious battle. Over half of the attacking force had been lost. The fortress capture point had been much different from a boss. While a boss was a powerful an intimidating enemy to face, a fortress was more insidious. It wore them down bit by bit instead of destroying them in a few blows. It was as much a test of endurance as a test of skill.

Nora walked up and took a seat beside him. “Another day, another district captured,” she said. “We have four more of them to go.”

“Four more,” Zach repeated. “It feels like we've been at this forever.”

“
Just a little bit more.”

Zach sat silent for a moment. “Barghest really performed well again.”

“I know, didn't they?”

“
I think they're ready to stand on their own.”

“
I think so too,” Nora nodded.

“
Which means that I'm recalling you, Selene and Miko. You'll be back to your spots in Black Wolf.”

Nora looked over at her suit of armor sitting dormant under a hanger spotlight. The Barghest Company insignia was visible from their angle.

“I'm going to miss them,” she admitted. “But I'm glad I was with them. I rediscovered what I enjoy most about the game, and that's what's most important.”

“
Fighting alongside comrades that you can rely on,” Zach finished for her. “That's something we all can enjoy.”

Nora leaned on his shoulder. “That's why we keep fighting.”

Zach looked up into the heavens, watching the virtual stars twinkle in the night sky. It was indeed.

CHAPTER 24

Looming Threat

The railway was finally complete. After the capture of the Meridian and Decatur districts the Hydra Alliance had been able to pour their full might into shoring up their struggling economy. Now, merely two weeks later, they were poised to take a huge step in regaining their dominance of the region.

“
So much work,” Paige said. “But so worth.”

“
Oh yes,” Nora agreed. Several Hephaestus engineers were making the final preparations for new steam locomotive. From here it would take a load of ammunition north to Lerna Bastion, establishing the rail link between north and south.

That wasn't the only change. The new Forge in central city was nearing completion. Once it was operational Hephaestus Company would be able to churn out ammunition at an astronomical rate, leaving them far more time to build vehicles, research and invent.

And then there were her own changes. While still a member of Black Wolf, Nora had been put in charge of the armored exoskeleton unit, now organized into the formation Hoplite Platoon.  She still needed to select the pilots, but their pipe dream was becoming a reality.

A sharp whistle pierced the air, and then the train started to move. Nora cheered along with the other onlookers. It slowly accelerated, pulling a dozen cars laden with ammunition behind it. And once again, thanks to the abilities of Hephaestus, the Hydra Alliance had another trump card in their back pocket.

“Well, onto the next project,” Paige said.

“
No rest for the weary, huh?”

“
No when there's so many things to play around with. There's plenty of schematics in the library I can try my hand at. I could help with the final stages of the Forge. Or I could work on the exoskeletons some more. We need to know as much as possible about them.”

“
True enough,” Nora agreed. “And we need to plot our next move. The last four districts aren't going to roll over for us.”

“
Right.” Paige paused. “Someone here for you, I guess.”

Nora glanced over toward where she was looking. Zach was approaching through the crowd with a concerned look on his face.

“Well, I have stuff to do,” Paige said as he reached them.

“
No, you can stay around if you want to,” Zach said.

“
What's up?” Nora asked.

“
There's news from the north,” he said simply.

“
From Lerna?”

He shook his head.

“From Old Chicago. About Ragnarok.”

“
Well, what about it?” Paige asked.

Zach hesitated for a moment. “They're broadcasting it all over Old Chicago. Ragnarok took complete control of Madison yesterday.”

“Yikes,” Paige said quietly.

Nora didn't respond. There wasn't much to say at such stunning news. The balance of power may have just shifted back to their enemy.

“We may be in trouble,” Zach said.

“
We may be,” Nora agreed. Then she smiled. “But trouble is what we're all about, isn't it?”

“
It is,” Zach said. He smiled back.

She looked back at the train receding in the distance. “Then let's make a fight out of it.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mitchell T. Jacobs was born in Anyang,

South Korea and was adopted at an early age.

He currently resides near Ithaca, New York.

He is the author of the World at War series.

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Also by the Author:

NOVELS:

Black Wolf: A World at War Novel

Howl: A World at War Novel

SHORT STORIES:

Hydra: A World at War Collection

Hydra 2.0: A World at War Collection