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

  WEREWOLF

  A World at War Novel

  By Mitchell T. Jacobs

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  WEREWOLF

  Copyright © 2014 by Mitchell T. Jacobs

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  Printed in the United States of America

  First Printing, 2014

  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

  Fang: A World at War Novel

  SHORT STORIES:

  Hydra: A World at War Collection

  Hydra 2.0: A World at War Collection

  CHAPTER 1

  Slugfest

  Armageddon had arrived.

  At least, that was probably what it looked like to the average onlooker. Most players in World at War were used to small skirmishes involving a few dozen players. Others had fought in multi-company engagements with scores on each side.

  But those battles couldn't even begin to approach the scale of the large alliances. When war occurred between those titans, the earth trembled.

  And this was the biggest fight yet.

  Zach paced back and forth, watching the battle unfolding before him on the flatland below. Armored vehicles dueled back and forth, spitting shells and bullets at the opposition. He saw one vehicle on the enemy side blow up.

  Ragnarok Company was on the attack, pushing hard with their armored forces. Though newer than their counterparts in the Hydra Alliance, Ragnarok's crews were still skilled and determined. Their new equipment didn't hurt, either.

  For months the Hydra Alliance had been the only organization in the region to possess armored vehicles. Even when Ragnarok managed to get their hands on their own, they were weaker and less armored. That superiority had given Hydra a huge advantage.

  But that had changed in one fell swoop, when Ragnarok captured Madison in the north.

  Zach and the rest of Hydra Command didn't have much information. It was difficult to get spies into their enemy's territory. But based on their own experiences in Indianapolis, they could make some educated guesses.

  For starters, Ragnarok now had access to some sort of industry. That would allow them to manufacture weapons and materiel that they needed to sustain their war effort, and they could do it much cheaper than in the player hub in Old Chicago. It also gave them access to new schematics, which in turn would allow them to build more weaponry.

  Their first true hint of Ragnarok's gain had been the appearance of new armored vehicles. They still had lighter armor and weaponry than Hydra's assault guns, but they were far superior to the armored cars that they had been forced to use for months. But those weaknesses were offset by two critical strengths. First, Ragnarok's armor was faster than Hydra's own vehicles. The M11 Bull was reliable and tough, but it was a conversion from a transport vehicle, not a purpose-built machine.

  The second was that the Ragnarok vehicles had a rotating turret, in contrast to the fixed guns of the Bulls. Hydra had assault guns. Ragnarok, on the other hand, had true tanks.

  Zach counted himself lucky that they probably wouldn't have to deal with that problem. Black Wolf Company was currently in reserve, holding the left flank of the Hydra line. Their position was covered with a thick forest, impossible for vehicles to traverse.

  That didn't mean they were free, however. On the contrary, Zach expected an attack to come at any moment. And he thought he knew exactly who was coming.

  Ragnarok would send the Valkyires, there was not doubt about that. Their best unit was equally adept at fighting on the main lines or skirmishing as light infantry. If anyone could break through without heavy support, it would be them.

  Black Wolf had tangled with them before and come out the worse for wear. Zach's company was made up of rangers, light infantry skilled at raiding, infiltration and skirmishing. They were some of the best infantry that Hydra had to offer, yet they had been slaughtered in their previous battle.

  That had been months ago, though. Black Wolf had fought many battles since then, and it had honed them. Zach was confident that they could fight the Valkyries on equal terms. Their skill had improved greatly.

  And Ragnarok wasn't the only one with new toys.

  “Hoplite Lead, Hoplite Lead, this is Fox Lead. Please respond.”

  Nora triggered her radio. “Go ahead, Fox Lead.”

  “Forward units are reporting that the enemy is moving on our left flank,” Anna said.

  “Composition?” Nora questioned.

  “Company strength, at least. Possibly more. There's no heavy support with them.”

  “The Valkyries?”

  “They couldn't confirm that, but my guess is yes, it's them,” Anna said. “We'll follow the plan as discussed earlier.”

  “Roger that. Hoplite Platoon will be ready and waiting for your signal,” Nora confirmed.

  She turned to the other four waiting behind her. “Alright then, let's mount up and get set.”

  Black Wolf had suffered a humiliating thrashing at the hands of the Valkyries, and now was the time to return the favor. Together, Ghost Battalion's command had devised an ambush for their bitter foe.

  Squads of Redd Foxx troops would be scattered throughout the forest, acting as skirmishers. They would engage the Ragnarok troops and then slowly fall back, drawing their enemy deeper and deeper into the forest. Further in, Black Wolf, Barghest and Spectre Companies had prepared a strong defensive position, complete with heavy weaponry. Redd Foxx would suck the enemy in and force them into a fight against a tough line. Then the real fun would begin.

  Nora climbed into her powered exoskeleton and booted it up. Her platoon's role was to hit the Valkyries on their right flank once they were bogged down. They hoped that the appearance of their trump card would allow them to swiftly crush their enemy.

  She looked on her HUD to make sure that everyone was in place. One by one, their symbols lit up: Will in Hoplite 2, Terra in Hoplite 3, Max in Hoplite 4 and Justin in Hoplite 5. Her platoon was ready for action.

  The Hoplite pattern powered exoskeleton didn't have the presence of a tank. It had less armor, and carried a lighter armament. But those weaknesses were offset by the suit's superior mobility. They could dodge faster and jump higher than a soldier on foot, while shrugging off a considerable amount of punishment. Just as critical was their mobility in the context of a larger plan. The suits could traverse terrain that would be a deathtrap for a tank, and they c
ould bring much needed fire support to the infantry.

  The Valkyries were in for quite the nasty shock.

  Nora knew that her team couldn't afford to get cocky. While they would be quite the surprise, the Valkyries were veteran troops and could probably recover quickly from the initial shock. The suits weren't invincible either, and all it would take was one well placed shot from a rocket or RPG to ruin their day. Most importantly, the suits were irreplaceable. Hydra had discovered them after capturing a district inside Indianapolis, but they had no way to manufacture more. If they lost one, then it was gone forever.

  They couldn't afford to sit on their gain, however. Hydra needed to win, and if they had to risk one of their most valuable resources, so be it. This battle might very well determine the survival of their alliance.

  Anna buzzed in over the radio. “Redd Foxx is breaking off.”

  “Copy that,” Nora said. She radioed the rest of her platoon. “Hoplite, let's move!”

  She only hoped that the main line could hold off the enemy.

  * * *

  The Valkyries were still good, he had to admit. Most people would have stumbled blindly into the ambush. The Valkyries had been caught off guard, but they had advanced carefully. A half-dozen fell instead of scores.

  Still, Black Wolf had the enemy on the back foot, and Danny was going to take some measure of satisfaction from that.

  “Bravo Wolf, keep pouring it on,” he ordered.

  His platoon responded, blazing away at anything that moved. His troops had plenty of ammunition, and so he had ordered them to use as much as they needed to keep the enemy's heads down. They were responding quite enthusiastically to the instruction. Automatic fire swept the enemy line, punctuated by the occasional launched grenade or recoilless rifle shell. Even though they were designed for heavier targets, Danny wasn't going to be stingy. If they could keep the enemy off balance he would use them. They needed every advantage they could get against an opponent this tough.

  Danny cocked the bolt of his own machine gun and fired at the enemy line. He swept his weapon from side to side, raking the trees with bullets. Danny tried to get hits, of course, but his main objective was to keep the Valkyries pinned.

  That was what separated the top fighters in World at War from the middling or lower tier players. Many were simply in it for the kills, for how many marks they could claim at the end of a battle. To them it was their badge of honor.

  Hydra and Ragnarok didn't have time for those notions.

  Kills were useless if they didn't serve as a part of a larger battle plan. And while firing off thousands of bullets without scoring a hit could seem tedious, its importance was paramount. A machine gunner's job wasn't kills; it was to suppress the enemy. If they went into business for themselves, their entire unit would suffer.

  Danny had his fair share of kills, but the way he measured his prowess was how successfully his unit performed. If they could advance or hold position with minimal casualties, he was going it right. If they suffered, it was because he was doing a poor job keeping the enemy suppressed.

  Teamwork. Lots of players mocked it, but when faced with a proper unit they were slaughtered. Glory hounds stood no chance against a team that was properly coordinated and drilled. A group of players had a fighting ability equal to their combined skill. A unit's fighting ability was exponentially larger, because their skills worked in synergy and made them that much more effective.

  That's what made Hydra such a dominant force in the Old Chicago region. All branches of the military, whether they were infantry, special forces, artillery or armor worked in synergy, and that produced a result greater than the sum of its parts.

  Crack!

  Danny flinched as a round cracked by mere inches from his head. He made a quick decision to change positions. An enemy sniper had probably spotted him, and if he stayed in place for long he was asking for a bullet in the brain.

  Ragnarok knew the value of teamwork as well. Their forces worked in concert just as efficiently as Hydra. The company's lower level troops provided numbers, and their veteran troops helped to give their forces a tough backbone. They had armor and air support that could work together to deliver a knockout blow. Their special forces could disrupt an enemy position, leaving them vulnerable to attack.

  And their snipers were some of the best in World at War. Others might be better shots, but their shots meant more in the context of a battle. Danny was on the receiving end of that prowess right now.

  Snipers were often thought of as loners, but they played a critical role in deciding the outcome of battles. A single bullet in the right place at the right time could be more devastating than a whole armored platoon or a company of infantry. It was knowing what time and what place that separated the best from the rest of the pack.

  Ragnarok had many of those types. The Wraith was one, and he was widely considered to be the best in the region. He was apparently passing on his talents, because more and more were starting to emerge from the ranks.

  Hydra was starting to fall behind in that area. But they weren't completely helpless.

  * * *

  CRACK!

  “Nice shot,” Selene commented, looking through her binoculars. An enemy tank commander lay slumped forward, halfway out of the hatch.

  “Kill?” Miko asked.

  Selene turned to her and nodded. “Oh yeah, he's down. Dead center in the chest.”

  “You sure that you don't need to do something else?”

  “Nope. The Valkyries are hitting the center of the line. That makes it Danny and Karen's problem. We're going to sit tight until Zach or Anna tells us to move. And in the mean time, watching you snipe is pretty entertaining.”

  To be honest, Selene wasn't worried about the fight happening in the forest. The rest of Ghost Battalion could handle the situation just fine without Alpha Wolf's help. They were veterans, and they had numbers on their side as well. Plus the presence of Hoplite Platoon would tip the balance even more in their favor.

  Selene was more concerned with the battle unfolding on the plains below. She had left Gavin in charge of the platoon and then walked out to the edge of the forest accompanied by Miko. The tank battle was still raging.

  “Looks like they're bringing up more reinforcements,” Miko commented while looking through her scope toward the northwest.

  Selene trained her binoculars in that general direction. Sure enough, there was a column of eight more tanks moving toward the battlefield.

  “That might not be good,” Selene said.

  “Yeah, but we can make this painful for them very quickly,” Miko said. She paused for a moment. “Buck Lead, Buck Lead, come in. This is Lone Wolf.”

  Selene nodded when she understood what Miko was going. Hydra had artillery positioned further back behind the lines, and they could call upon it to lay down some hurt on the enemy. They might be able to kill the reinforcements before they even saw an enemy.

  “Cross your fingers,” Miko said.

  “Why?”

  “Because if I called the coordinates in wrong of if their shot is off a bit, this is really going to hurt.”

  Selene was going to ask why when the first shells hit.

  BAM! BAM!

  She felt the earth below her shake, and they were over half a mile away from the blasts. Four of the tanks had been thrown into the air and scattered about like they were toys. Another spun listlessly, its right track blown clean off. The surviving three continued to push forward, which surprised her. Selene thought they would have retreated in the face of such devastating firepower.

  Hydra's new artillery was a 155mm gun, discovered during their campaign in Indianapolis. The weapon was large, bulky, time consuming to produce and difficult to load, but it packed a wallop. As far as they knew, Ragnarok had nothing comparable. At least, in theory. There was one particular danger that was making everyone very nervous.

  “They used them?” Selene asked.

  Miko shrugged. “Bryce deeme
d it worth the risk,” she said. “And that's his decision.”

  “Still...”

  “They need to watch the skies, yes,” she said. “He's well aware of that. But we aren't completely helpless.”

  “We hope,” Selene said. “Hard to take out an aircraft when we don't have good tracking equipment or radar.”

  Ragnarok's greatest trump card was their aerial units. Selene had no idea where they found the schematic, but a pair of fighter bombers had appeared from nowhere. In one moment, the balance of power in the region had changed completely.

  Hydra didn't have anything that could match Ragnarok's equipment. They had utility planes, but those would be useless in a dogfight. Their attack choppers wouldn't be any better either, and so Ragnarok had a way to dominate the skies.

  One result of their appearance was the increase in the number of antiaircraft guns on the battlefield. Autocannons and heavy machine guns were sometimes ignored before, but now they served as an integral part of Hydra's anti-air defense. Several self-propelled guns had been purpose built, mounting quad autocannons or machine guns in a swivel mount. They weren't great by any stretch of the imagination, but they did provide some form of protection. And they needed it.

  “Crap.”

  Selene looked over at Miko, who was staring through her scope. “What?”

  “That explains why they're not retreating.”

  Selene picked up her binoculars and took a look. There were more tanks advancing now. At least a dozen, probably more. And behind them were platoons of infantry.

  “OK, that's bad,” Selene said. She activated her radio to call in the warning to Hydra Command.

  It was almost unfair.

  Hoplite Platoon emerged on the enemy's right flank, throwing their entire unit into confusion. Moving rapidly, they tore into the Valkyries with guns blazing.

  Nora aimed her right arm and pulled the trigger. Three Ragnarok soldiers fell, riddled with bullets. She shifted her aim slightly and gunned down two more, then aimed her left arm and fired off three autocannon shells. The heavy trying to aim an RPG at her was thrown into a tree like a rag doll.