Free Carnage City: A World at War Novel (World at War Online Book 6) by Mitchell T. Jacobs Page A

list. What else?”
    “Depends on what you want to use this place for,” Paige replied. “You said you want to use it as an observation post for the artillery, but what about mounting some of it either inside the building or on the roof?”
    That comment made Nora frown thoughtfully. “Is that even possible?”
    “Well, you’re not going to be putting the 155s in this place, but if the structural integrity is good then you can probably get the 75s mounted. We’ll reinforce the mountings of course, and make sure the building can support the weight of the recoil.”
    “How are you going to do that?”
    “Calculations.”
    “And if they’re off?”
    “They’ll be fine,” Paige assured her. “Remember, most of us do this for a living in the outside world as well.”
    “Don’t you have the ability to do computer simulations and projections out there?” Nora pointed out. “Unless you’ve made some rapid breakthrough that I haven’t heard about, how are you going to replicate that in here?”
    “We’ll do it the old-fashioned way. Do the calculations, check them to make sure, then implement them.”
    “And if they fail?”
    “Then we have a disaster on our hands, same as what happened in the old days,” Paige told her. “But I don’t think that’ll be the case. We all know how to do our jobs without the aid of computers. They built the pyramids without mortar or concrete, after all, and we have access to better materials.”
    Nora had to smile at her confidence. “Ok, I really can’t argue that. Besides, you guys have pulled off miracles before.”
    “We’re not in the business of miracles,” Paige replied with her own smile. “We’re just the best at what we do.”
    “So, you think mounting artillery is possible?” Nora asked her as they continued walking.
    “Again, I’ll have to look at the structural integrity, but at first glance this place looks pretty sold. It’s concrete and metal, so it should be able to stand up to the shock.”
    And that could prove to be a valuable asset, especially given the height they could operate from. Normally in an urban environment artillery had to rely on indirect fire to attack enemy units, but when mounted on a tall structure they could see and fire for miles around.
    “We can also add mortars to the roof,” Paige added. “Those we can do without any kind of problem.”
    Nora thought about that for a moment. “That’ll help us direct fire support. We can just call down to the batteries by an internal line instead of having to contact them through headquarters.”
    “Speaking of which, we should also install telephone lines within the building, along with ones that go back to the main headquarters.”
    Nora nodded in agreement. If Ragnarok launched an attack with their jamming technology, and she was certain they would, they needed some way to communicate when the radios went down.
    Another question popped into her head. “All that artillery is going to make us a pretty fat target. I can’t imagine that Ragnarok is just going to let us sit here and take pot shots at them.”
    “Are you concerned more about a ground assault, or counterbattery fire?”
    “Probably ground assault. I get the feeling that they’re like us and want to keep the structure relatively intact.”
    “Yeah, and I’m not sure how much damage they could do to it anyhow,” Paige commented. “This building is pretty sturdy. Looks like solid reinforced concrete. Ever see pictures of one of those flak towers that are still standing in Germany?”
    “Yeah, I think I remember seeing them in my history textbooks in high school.”
    “Going on one hundred thirty years and they’re still holding up,” Paige said. “I ended up touring one of them when I was in Berlin for a trip. This reminds me of one of them, actually.”
    “Really?”
    “Well, this might not be quite as sturdy, but it can probably take some hits. We’d probably have to bring in the 155s at point-blank