Howl: A World at War Novel Read online

  HOWL

  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.

  HOWL

  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

  HOWL

  To Drew and Maria

  CHAPTER 1

  Grab and Run

  “Alpha Wolf, what's going on?”

  Selene took a second to respond. She leaned out around the wall she was sheltering behind and fired a burst at a Ragnarok trooper peeking out of cover. They fell, shot in the head.

  “Alpha Wolf, are you OK?”

  “Wolf Lead, we have a problem,” Selene said. “Ragnarok's here in force too. I guess they found out about the schematic and want in on it.”

  There was silence at the other end of the line for a moment. “OK, I guess these precautions were a good idea. Can you keep pressing forward? I'll send Danny up to support you, and Nora's on the horn with Cody right now.”

  “I'll do my best, Zach, but we've got a three way melee on our hands here,” Selene answered. Black Wolf had originally come here on a scouting mission, looking for the schematic that was rumored to be contained within the walls of an old abandoned shopping mall. What they had found was a well guarded fortress, bristling with machine guns and filled with enemy NPCs. They had forced their way in through the south entrance, only to find that Ragnarok troops were fighting their way in through the east.

  Ragnarok. What had started as petty squabbles had ignited into a full-fledged war, with the massive Ragnarok Company on one side, fighting the Hydra Alliance on the other. Black Wolf was a founding member of the alliance, and had shouldered a considerable portion of the fighting in the early days. Ragnarok had been driven out of the area south of Old Chicago, but they still had significant holdings in the north, and were a powerful force.

  “Alpha Wolf, we're going to make the jump across the middle of the mall. Alpha 3 is going to give us cover fire.”

  “Copy that Ethan. I'll have Alpha 1 cover you as well.”

  That had been one of the biggest changes in the past three months. Black Wolf had been a small company of twenty-two members when the war started; they now had over fifty. Many of them were newer players, but they had rapidly become an important part of the company. Frequent battles had taught them how to fight.

  “Watch it, they have a heavy with a machine gun in the phone kiosk,” a voice warned.

  “Thanks, Lone Wolf. Hear that, Ethan?” Selene asked.

  “Yeah. We'll have Joe try to blast him out with his grenade launcher,” came the reply.

  “Don't bother.” A loud shot rang out from the second floor. “She's down.”

  “Thanks Miko,” Selene said. The influx of new recruits wasn't the only change. The veterans were becoming even more skilled fighters in their own right.

  Miko, for instance, had gone from a raw new player to an extremely fearsome sniper. She could shoot with the best of them, but her real forte was her stealth abilities; Miko could fade in and out of the battlefield at will, like a ghost. She had taken the time to practice with the stealth experts from Redd Foxx Company, and the time spent was paying off. She had become so good, in fact, that she existed completely outside the normal chain of command. Instead of being a part of a squad, she operated alone under the call sign Lone Wolf.

  “Alpha Wolf, we're going to push up through the second floor. We'll give you cover fire and from above and keep Ragnarok from returning the favor.”

  “Copy that, Bravo Wolf,” Selene said. “Don't get yourself shot, Danny.”

  “Haha,” Danny replied humorlessly.

  That was another change. With the increase in the number of members, Black Wolf's organization had undergone a drastic overhaul. The company was organized into two platoons. Selene was the commander of Alpha Wolf Platoon, and Danny was in charge of Bravo Wolf Platoon. Zach was still the overall commander and Nora was his second. They had taken the Wolf Lead and Wolf 2 call signs, respectively.

  “Alpha Wolf, we're across the middle. We can cover you,” Ethan said. “I think I see a door to the mall security office, but we should probably have backup before we try.”

  “You're clear,” Miko said.

  “Alpha 1, Alpha 3, head across the middle. Alpha 1 first, then Alpha 3.”

  “Copy that, boss,” Gavin replied. He was the most experienced squad leader in Alpha Wolf Platoon.

  “Got it, Alpha Wolf,” Logan said. He had come in the first wave on new recruits, and had proven to be well liked and a good leader. He was a natural choice to command the third squad.

  “Bravo Wolf, are you up top to cover yet?” Selene asked.

  “Alpha Wolf, this is Bravo 1. We'll be in position in a second. Bravo 2 and Bravo 3 are going to guard our flank,” Xavier said.

  “Copy that, but we might need a squad to take care of the enemy NPCs. We've driven them back, but you never know when they might start making a counterattack.”

  “Got that. Danny, who do you want in reserve?”

  “Keep Karen in reserve. Have Javy's squad cover you from the east,” Danny said.

  Danny's choice of Karen for a squad leader had been unexpected and had raised a few eyebrows. She was a relatively junior member of Black Wolf, having only been a part of the company for around two months. It was a gutsy call, but Danny's choice had considerable merit, Selene had to admit, even if she would have been leery of making the same decision. Karen may have been a new recruit, but she was smart, tough and an effective tactician. Her squad had bonded very quickly and were performing well.

  It helped that Bravo Wolf had two very skilled squad leaders to back her up. Xavier and Javy hadn't originally been earmarked for leadership responsibilities, but they had proven their mettle leading small fireteams, which had translated well when they led squads.

  “Alpha Wolf, we're across,” Gavin said.

  A loud boom combined with a clanking noise echoed from above. Someone had fired a recoilless rifle. “Xavier, what's going on?” Selene asked.

  “Ragnarok's trying to make another push from the east side of the mall. I had Izzy fire off a round to make them think twice. He took out an RPG heavy with his shot as well.”

  “Copy that, Bravo 1. Alpha 3, get across the center,” Selene ordered. “I'll be with you.”

  “Got that,” Logan said.

  “Alpha Wolf, Wolf 2 just called me. Marauder is going to loop around the east entrance to try and hit Ragnarok from behind. We grab the schematic and hightail it out of here,” Danny said.

  “Got that,” Selene said. She moved forward to join up with Alpha 3. They were taking shelter in the remains of a restaurant.

  “We're ready,” Logan told her.

  She nodded. “Let's go.”

  Miko buzzed in. “Selene, it looks like the NPCs are coming back for another round. I count about twenty of them coming in from the west side of the mall.”

  “Did the rest of you hear that?” Selene asked.

  “We're with her, so yes,” Xavier confirmed.

  “Right.
This is why we have a reserve in place. We'll take care of it from here,” Danny said. “Go grab the schematic.”

  The sound of gunfire from up top started to pick up. Selene saw Karen's squad move into position on the second floor, taking cover in a blasted jewelry store in the southwest corner of the cross.

  “Go!” Logan ordered. His troops leaped to their feet and sprinted across the middle of the mall. Rounds came flying at them from both sides, but enemy fire was relatively light. Their cover was doing a good job.

  They made it across without losing a single person. Selene found Gavin and Ethan standing next to a door that said employees only. She joined them.

  “Is this it?”

  “This is the most likely place, unless you want to sweep the entire mall,” Gavin shrugged.

  “How do we do this?” Ethan said.

  Selene activated her radio. “Everyone, this is Alpha Wolf. We're at the entrance to the mall security office, and I think the schematic is in there. I'm going to take Alpha 1 and Alpha 2 and search the place. Alpha 3, hold this area. We'll try to be as quick as possible.”

  “Copy that, Alpha Wolf,” Danny said.

  “Alpha Wolf, be advised that David's force is fighting Ragnarok reinforcements. We need to be very quick about this,” Zach said.

  “Got that,” Selene said. Hydra had another force up here in the north, to provide protection for the search party. Sacred Sword, Crimson Eagle, Grizzly and Bravehart Companies were grouped into a task force under the command of Sacred Sword's David. They were acting as a blocking force, guarding the road leading to Old Chicago to prevent any reinforcements from reaching the mall. Doubtless the Ragnarok scouting force had asked for backup by now.

  “Gavin, your squad's going in first,” Selene said.

  “Right.”

  Selene had an underslung shotgun attached to her assault rifle. It had take precious skill points in order to use, and it cost a fortune, but it had been worth it when they needed to get through locked doors. She cocked it and blasted the lock away. Lyla, Alpha 1's medic, yanked open the door and the rest of her squad stormed in. Selene followed behind them.

  They descended down a flight of stairs, into the basement level of the mall. The tunnel at the bottom of the stairs branched off in three directions; one heading north, one heading east, and one heading west. The northern branch was short, and she could easily see to the end. Compared to some of the other underground places she had dealt with, this was relatively clean and well lit. The concrete floors and walls were in good condition, and there were florescent lights hanging from the ceiling every ten yards or so.

  “There's a lot of area to explore,” Gavin commented.

  “Search the northern branch first, Give me two of your squad, and we'll hold here while you search. Ethan, take your squad west.”

  “Lyla, Chris, hold here with her,” Gavin ordered. “Everyone else, let's clear this place, fast.”

  Gavin's squad took off down the northern branch, opening doors and storming rooms. Ethan moved down the western branch with his squad, though there was only one door in sight on his end.

  “Wolf Lead, how much time do we have?” Selene asked.

  “Bravo Wolf is holding them off,” Zach said, “but if you can step on it that would be good.”

  “We also need enough time to get away before all of Ragnarok shows up,” Nora said.

  “How much can they really bring, though? They still have to fight us on the other fronts, and then there's Ronin's group as well.”

  Hydra was the strongest opposition to Ragnarok, but it wasn't the only one. Ronin Company had tried to form an anti-Ragnarok alliance several months before the war started, but squabbling and infighting had derailed the entire thing. Now Ronin was a much smaller alliance against Ragnarok.

  Selene hadn't been privy to the meeting that had taken place, but by all accounts it had gone very poorly. Part of the problem was Ronin's leader, Levi Kanagi. He inspired loyalty in his own troops, but he was also a control freak and often rubbed other company commanders the wrong way.

  She didn't think much of that approach. Selene wasn't one to undersell herself; she knew very well that she was one of the better players, with experience from the World at War beta and several months of hard fighting. But at the same time, she was aware of her shortcomings. She was well rounded, but there were others that had skills she didn't possess. Many times she had been a subordinate in task forces that combined squads from several companies, and she had been perfectly content to play her role. Organization was key to this game, and Selene wasn't about to do anything to upset that balance. Besides, she liked being on the front lines, and being a commander would mean that she might get stuck in a command post.

  “Nothing this way,” Gavin said.

  “Nothing our way either,” Ethan said. “There's three rooms we've searched, and then there's another stairwell that goes up, but I think it goes to the west side of the mall, which puts us right in the middle of the NPC garrison.”

  “OK. Come back this way, and we'll go east.”

  “You'd think that the schematic would be in the middle of the mall,” Lyla commented.

  “That would be too easy,” Chris said.

  Selene nodded. “That's one thing you can say for the designers. Everything seems very well planned out, and none of the dungeons are predictable.”

  “Makes it tough on us,” Lyla said.

  “It also makes it a lot more interesting,” Chris added.

  Gavin came back from his branch. Ethan's squad was just a minute behind them.

  “Let's go,” Selene said. “Gavin, you're in the lead again.”

  “I think we should go first,” Ethan cut in.

  “How come?” Selene asked.

  “This tunnel branches off to the east. If it's anything like the western branch then there's probably another entrance. And if Ragnarok figured that out, then there's a pretty good chance we're going to end up in a nasty firefight. We'll probably want Leigh up front.”

  “Point taken. You have lead,” Selene said. It was a good observation. Leigh was an engineer and was carrying a flamethrower. She wasn't much use in an open battle, but in the confines of a tunnel she would be absolutely lethal.

  They pressed forward. The tunnel was straight, with a few doors on the north side. “Ethan, keep moving forward. I'll have Gavin's squad clear out the rooms,” Selene ordered.

  “Roger,” Ethan said.

  Selene stopped for a moment and buzzed Miko. “Lone Wolf, can you see what Ragnarok's doing up there?”

  “They're holding position,” Miko said. “And they're not being very aggressive. They seem to be grouped around a small hallway, but I can't see what's at the end of it.”

  “Do you know how many of them there are?” Selene asked.

  “Around thirty,” Miko said.

  “Crap!”

  Gavin gave her a quizzical look as he prepared to search another room.

  “What?” Miko asked.

  “They had more troops than that to begin with. There's no way that thirty troops could throw out that amount of firepower.”

  “What are you thinking?” Miko asked.

  “Never mind, just keep watch.” She switched channels. “Ethan, Gavin, I think that Ragnarok found their way down here. We might have some company pretty soon.”

  “Roger,” Ethan said, though he sounded like he was distracted. Selene could see that his squad had stopped. They were grouped around a hole in the wall. Four of them moved in.

  “Cover! COVER!” she suddenly heard one of them shout. A second later there was a series of loud, heavy-sounding bangs.

  “Alpha 2, what was that?”

  “I'm not sure,” Ethan said. “Terra's fireteam went first, but I can't see them. We're next to a parking garage or something.”

  “Terra, you there?” Selene asked as she switched channels.

  “Yeah, but we're pinned down in cover,” she said. “I think we found where the
schematic is, 'cause there's an auto-turret with an autocannon mounted on the ceiling. It's right in front of a door.

  “Can you take it out?” Selene asked.

  “It looks like it's armored, and we don't have great weapons for dealing with that,” she said. “We don't have enough space to fire the recoilless rifle unless we stand in the middle of the garage, and that's suicide.”

  “Think you can hit it with a grenade launcher?” Selene asked.

  “Maybe, but that's going to be tough. And I think we're going to have to use armor-piercing rounds,” Terra warned.

  “Alright,” Selene said. Jade was the only one in the platoon with a grenade launcher, and she only had a few armor-piercing rounds. They were extremely expensive, and they had very limited use. Most of the time it was better to carry the more common high-explosive ones.

  The cannon suddenly fired again. Selene had been on the receiving end of four autocannons once; her entire team had been wiped out. It had sounded like a massive sewing machine. This cannon fire much slower, but it sounded like it had a lot more power as well.

  “It's not firing at us,” Terra said. “Crap. I think Rangarok is coming in from another part of the garage.

  The cannon fired again.

  “I'm moving in,” Ethan said. The rest of his squad went through the hole in the wall.

  “Us next?” Gavin asked.

  Selene nodded. “Let's try to get as many troops in there as possible while that thing is distracted.”

  Selene went in first, followed by the rest of Gavin's squad. Ethan's squad was in cover behind broken down cars and concrete barriers. She noted how thick the cover was. The cannon could probably penetrate anything short of a half dozen cars lined up in a row.

  “Do you see them?” Selene asked as she slid in next to Terra. From her position she could see that the entrance to the garage was covered in rubble.

  “They're over on the south side of the garage. The cannon is focusing in on them. I think they tried to hit it with an RPG,” Terra said. “I'd take the opportunity to destroy it, but I think they have us outnumbered.”