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Post by Karcentric on Nov 8, 2010 6:16:50 GMT -5
Rurik watched as the blow out seemed to cover an area to the north of his location, it seemed to grow at an incredible pace before striking a dissipating and fading. "That was the strangest blow out I've ever seen." Rurik commented as the group had stood and watched the blow out. "But now we need to move." Moving ahead faster than they had traveled before the squad covered a sizable distance finally leaving the last of the forest behind them, climbing one last hill they were greeted with massive area which sometime earlier had been a helipad of some sort. Climbing down and inspecting the area, the group sat down to have a quick break and something to eat. Before they set off Rurik scanned the area through his binoculars, the area was completely abandoned apart from the stray blind dog here and there. It was starting to get dark and the prospect of spending the night in the open in an unknown area wasn't appealing. The group began moving north, slightly spread out when an ear splitting explosion rang out and one of the men screamed out before landing heavily on his neck with a sickening snap. "STOP!" Rurik bellowed to his squad stopping everyone in their tracks, looking around one of the snipers had undoubtedly stepped on a landmine. "Leave him, there's nothing we can do and we're already weighed down enough. Just stay where you are for now." Looking at his PDA didn't reveal anything useful, neither did the maps of the area. Studying the area he noticed some parts of the ground were darker than other areas. Drawing his pistol and shooting one of the dark spots which was on near a sign, resulted in another explosion, "Avoid the dark spots, lamps on." Rurik said feeling relieved that he'd managed to solve that problem. When he finally made it to the other end of the field he checked the sign, sighing and shaking his head, the sign read Мины! Mines!
Hidden in the basement of the station and unknown to the groups which were closing in on the area, a group of mercenaries were sitting out the blow out which had struck with almost no warning. They heard the sounds of footsteps slapping above ground as someone ran to find cover. The squad leader of the mercs looked at his PDA, "Freedom, two of 'em. Must be exploring the area, no looks like they've holed up in the tower. Give 'em a warm welcome when this fucking blow out finishes." He growled in a low menacing voice looking to a small squad which had recently arrived mere hours before the other factions. As the blow out ended the squad of 6 mercs crept out of the station and entered the tower silently making their way up the stairs. are strange presence seemed to emit from the room at the top of the tower. As they got to the top they heard a cry of pain followed by the squeal of a rodent. The creature scampered past heading for the stairs. A large merc put a finger to his gas mask indicating before making a hand signal and nodding. Running into the room with their guns at the ready they pinned the youngish man to the ground and checked the woman who was in a coma like state. The large merc entered holding a Colt Anaconda looking at the two captives before laughing and saying, "Stand down lads," Walking to where Ferret was strugling against the guard, "Settle down Yuras. I have to admit I'm surprised that Freedom sent people out here, to this place." He paused looking back to Ferret and then to Adder who was still laying still. Taking his gas mask off and looking back to Ferret he said to the men he was commanding, "Take them down they can talk to the boss, grab their gear too." Following the group down Schwarz pulled the door of the tower shut before entering the station and locking the door behind him.
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Post by Basil on Nov 11, 2010 19:06:24 GMT -5
"Daddy?"
It was bitterly cold, and the landscape was covered in a white, almost ethereal shroud of ice and snow. The cold silence of the taiga permeated everything, and all Adder could hear was her breathing and the creasing of her furs as she shifted uncomfortably in her position. Her father, a tall, burly man with an old Simonov rifle and a thick beard, glanced at his daughter before redirecting his attention to the area in front of their hide out. He barely made a sound as he moved.
"-Yes?", he asked in a voice made rough by cold and vodka.
"-Why...why does mummy hate me?"
Her father was quiet for a moment as he stared off into space. Adder thought she could detect a hint of sadness in his grey eyes.
"-Your mother...is an unhappy woman", he said simply.
"-Why?"
"-Well...life was hard to her."
And with that, her father suddenly pulled the trigger of his rifle, sending a bullet shooting through the trees and into a lone wolf. This made her father happy, for the animal's fur would be worth a fair share of money on the market.
____________________________
"Nadya."
Adder, now seventeen, turned to her mother. The woman was sitting in front of the stove in an old armchair. A bottle of pills sat on a tray on one of the chair's arms, and Adder's mother looked tired and drained, but still bitter.
"-Mother", said Adder in a neutral, almost cold voice. She had stopped caring about her mother five years ago, for all she felt about her now was fear. "You shouldn't strain yourself, your lungs won't take it well."
"-I'll do as I bloody please", said Adder's mother in a cracked voice. "Your stupid father's been out in town for almost a week now? I bet he's found a little whore to share his bed with..."
Adder's mouth tensed as she prepared for the usual onslaught. Her mother was an impossibly bitter person and was very verbose about it, never failing to take it out on her daughter.
"-And when he comes back, he'll go see his other little whore", she said, her mouth twisting into an ugly smile. "He'll take you out into the woods, as he always does..."
Adder, who had gone back to cutting onions at the table, felt her fist tighten around the knife. Her mother had said many horrible things before, but never had she been so far as to say Adder and her father were having more than a normal daughter-father relationship. She felt anger mounting within her as her mother carried on.
"Yes...sadly but unsurprisingly, my daughter has become a little bitch. I wonder how it happens...do you do it in the woods? Or somewhere else..."
"-SHUT UP!", yelled Adder as she abruptly stood up, throwing her chair aside and brandishing her kitchen knife. She felt like killing her mother, stabbing her in her hateful, ugly face. She wanted to stab those hateful, venomous eyes so they couldn't project any more lies and venom on the world. "Shut up! Dad and I don't do anything of the sort! What is your fucking problem? Why do you drag me in shit like this all the time? Huh? What have I done to you?!"
Her mother stared at Adder for a moment, her green eyes fixed in an inscrutable glare. After what seemed like an eternity, she spoke:
"I didn't want to marry your father, you know. I wanted to leave this dump and go to Moscow to do something with my life, but my family forced me into marriage...and then I had you. I never wanted a child, but what makes me seethe is how much you look like me."
Adder was utterly quiet. Her mother had never told her this before.
"Yes, what makes me seethe is how much you look like me...hell, you look exactly like me. But you're like your father in your actions. Your useless, drunk, oaf of a father, and this makes me angry. Your father closed the door to my future, and you're the shackle that finished trapping me..."
...a flicker of light, a vague sense of movement. Adder's eyelids flickered as she slowly rose out of the penumbra of her subconscious, and she moved her hands slightly before groaning.
She had a terrible headache.
Adder opened her eyes and realised she was being carried by someone. She hated coming into contact with other people, and this was far too much contact for her liking.
"Let me down!", she cried. "Let me go, damn it! I'm not a bag of potatoes!"
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Post by blackpapermoon on Nov 12, 2010 8:45:24 GMT -5
The Ex Bandit glared angrily at the Mercenaries as he was taken way and force into the old Yanov station.
“Get the fuck off of me,” he yelled as he struggled to free himself and trying to kick one of the Mercs in the face.
"Settle down Yuras. I have to admit I'm surprised that Freedom sent people out here, to this place." said a familiar voice.
“Schwarz?” questioned Ferret as he relaxed some, the man in question removed his Gasmask. It was indeed the Mercenary that he had once traveled with.
“Fine,” said Ferret now much more calmer then before, “I’ll go with you, just tell these apes to the hell off of me.”
The two Freedomers where lead back into Yanov and where shown into the basement where they where accosted by a tall man in a dark blue exoskeleton. He was obviously the leader of the squad of Mercs.
“Who are you,” demanded Ferret some what cautiously, “what do you want with us.”
If he pissed off the Merc to badly it would not end well for Adder or himself, and it would be unlikely that any one would find them or even find out what had happed to him or his leader. They would become just another of the Zone’s missing.
(Karc I am so sorry I did not know you edited the Mercenaries into your post.)
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Post by Karcentric on Nov 14, 2010 12:17:29 GMT -5
“Who are you,” demanded Ferret some what cautiously, “what do you want with us.”
Looking to the young man who was demanding an answer, Slasher, the man who had led the mercs into Yanov replied casually, "Young man we don't want anything from you except to know why you've traveled here and how many were there, just the two of you, or were there more?" Pacing a few steps he turned looking from Adder to Ferret and back again before continuing, "I see you already know Schwarz, My name is Slasher, I was sent here by our commander to explore the area north of Limansk."
Looking to Ferret he saw that the young man seemed rather panicky, "Schwarz, show our guests a place where they can rest and get something to eat. After that I want your squad to patrol the area again. Dismissed." He finished turning and walking away into his office.
Schwarz nodded, and motioned for the two Freedomers to follow him, "Ferret you can stay in the main barracks, Adder there's a smallish room with a bunk just ahead, but before you go were there more of you? If so we'll keep an eye out, or you can join us, whichever takes your fancy. We'll be leaving in 10 minutes either way." He said walking back to his squad to assemble them.
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Post by Basil on Nov 15, 2010 16:14:04 GMT -5
Adder felt confused to say the least. She felt like she had woken up from an incredibly long and bad dream, from which she only remembered a few fragments: a voice talking in her head, trying to kill Ferret, punching Ferret in the face...
She registered the fact that she was not with the Freedom squad any more. In fact, she was standing in front of a few mercenaries, one of whom had identified himself with the charming sobriquet "Slasher".
"Well", said Adder upon hearing the merc's question. "We were with a whole squad of people. I don't know what happened to them though...I...I just don't remember..."
Adder also noticed there was something missing. She had never noticed it before, but now that it was gone, she did. Ever since she had left the Cordon, she had heard a strange, distant background noise, as if a million people were all whispering at the same time. Now everything was silent.
"I think I need to lie down a bit", she said in a tired voice. "And at least try to contact base, even though we probably won't get a signal from where we are."
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Maginot was near the border between the Red Forest and the area around the military warehouses. He'd gone there with five Freedomers after hearing rumours of an interesting artefact being there, but so far, they had found nothing save for an irradiated Mi-24. Maginot was becoming more and more worried about the expedition he had sent North. It had seemed a good idea at first, but he had omitted the possiblity of there being other powerful psy-fields in the Northern territories.
And Maginot knew how sensitive Adder was to psychic attacks.
Suddenly, there was a crack, like a small branch being stepped on by someone, causing Maginot to turn around, reaching for his Sig 550.
"Who goes there?", he said before noticing a smallish female silhouette standing atop a rock.
"-A friend of sorts", said the woman before hopping down from the rock she stood on. As she drew nearer, Maginot felt a sudden surge of uneasiness, as if she radiated fear.
"-Balalaika."
"-You guessed it, Frenchie", said Balalaika with a nasty smile.
"-What are you doing here?", asked Freedom's leader in a threatening tone of voice. Balalaika merely shrugged before answering:
"-I'm just passing through, m'dear, going somewhere...North to be precise."
Maginot pointed his rifle right at Balalaika's chest, and the woman reciprocated by snapping out her machine-pistol and aiming it at his head.
"-Go back to the hole you crawled out from, bitch", said Maginot.
"-Hey, no need to be rude, Frenchy", hissed Balalaika in an equally threatening tone. "I just heard that a certain snake-eyed friend of mine went on a trip there, so I thought I'd follow her."
"-If you even try to get within a few metres of Adder, I will kill you with my bare hands."
Balalaika's face darkened, and Maginot suddenly felt fear surge through him. The world seemed to distort and swim around him, but he held his ground anyway.
"-Watch your mouth, fag", said Balalaika, "or the blind dogs will have picked your bones clean by tomorrow morning."
Maginot felt sick. Terrible things were happening all around him, and Balalaika seemed to be surrounded by some nightmarish black shroud whose ever-changing shape evoked a thousand untold horrors. She was truly terrifying, but still Maginot held his ground despite having shaking hands and sweat pouring down his face.
"-So why don't you try your luck? I'm standing right here, Freedom's leader, just waiting to be killed."
"-I don't care about you. You're just the snake-eyed whore's plaything. It's her that I want..."
Balalaika walked slowly towards Maginot and went past him, briefly brushing against his body as she did so.
"...and I WILL have her."
And with that, she vanished into the Red Forest. Almost as soon as she left, the world returned to normal, and Maginot fell to one knee, exhausted by the terrible ordeal. He had little doubt as to where Balalaika was headed, and he only had one thought about this: he had to stop her, or reach Adder before Balalaika did.
"-Boss?"
Maginot looked up and saw one of the Freedomers who had accompanied him.
"Everything all right?"
"-Yeah...go back to base."
"-Wait, you ain't coming with us?"
Maginot, who had stood up and turned to face the Red Forest, looked back at his comrade.
"-I have some urgent business to attend. Now go."
And with that, Maginot headed off into the forest too.
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Post by Διμι on Nov 15, 2010 17:47:04 GMT -5
Victor caught sight of a familiar silhouette leading a column of Freedomers into the Red Forest as he entered the old military base. The guards stared at him uneasily and shifted from one foot to the other, noting his frame, suit, and arsenal of weaponry. Victor nodded silently to them and held up his hands in peace, saying nothing. The guards turned back to the gate, letting him pass without a word.
Victor ambled around the base silently. It seemed the only place he felt to be home nowadays, mostly because the Freedomers were too concerned with their own intoxicating festivities to pay any attention.
He couldn't blame them.
He contemplated his situation silently. He was trapped within a nearly unstoppable cybernetic frame that never tired, would never rust or give out. He had a silicon brain that appeared to be completely immune to psy-influence, as opposed to his neural compatriots. He had an arsenal of guns he had scarcely ever fired.
It was about time he did the stalker population a favor.
He collected himself and slowly walked over to the scrapyard behind the Freedom HQ building. The stalker named Screw eyed him sleepily, a half-empty bottle of vodka sitting on the ground beside him.
"'nethin' ya need?" he mumbled at the massive loner "I ain't exactly in the state to be makin' repairs now, ya know?"
"Mind if I just look through your junk?" Victor asked cautiously, eying a massive, flat four-by-a-half foot steel plank.
"No prob, mate, anythin' you nee...." Screw murmured as his eyes closed. Seconds later, the man was already asleep. Victor left the Freedomer be, instead picking up the long piece of steel. He set down his F2000 rifle by the sleeping Screw. "Thanks. Figured you'd want some compensation anyway." he said.
Balancing the steel over his shoulder lightly with his telekinesis, the loner began to walk down towards the crumbling tunnel in the distance, where several burner anomalies were plainly visible.
Standing clear of the fiery haze, Victor slowly guided the floating steel hunk into the inferno, instantly igniting the white-hot anomalies. Jets of flame shot into the air, bathing the piece of metal which turned to red, then to yellow, then to white. Victor concentrated, forcing the molecules in the metal into a tighter packed configuration, strengthening and compacting it.
As the metal heated to malleability, two massive pieces of flat reinforced concrete floated over and under the steel, then came together with the metal in between and began to grind. Victor could feel every scrape as the stone honed the white-hot matter to an infinitely fine and strong point. He pressed harder, tearing the sword at one end and curling the remains of the torn, melting metal into a hilt as the shaped blade itself compacted even further.
At last, the two pieces of concrete fell away, revealing the new weapon. The four-foot long sword came out lighter than it went in, and was still scorching hot as Victor's sheathed fingers wrapped around the sizeable hilt.
He looked around. The Freedomers were all by the campfire, and the men manning the nearby towers appeared to take no notice of his work.
Victor took a spare carrying belt for his shotgun, and attached it to two steel loops on the hilt and blade before slinging the weapon across his back and leaping clean over the surrounding wall.
It was time to head North.
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Post by blackpapermoon on Nov 15, 2010 23:26:21 GMT -5
Ferret laid down on some makeshift bedding and starred at the cracked decaying plaster ceiling. He was alone in the main barracks, Adder was resting in one of the side rooms, the Merc leader Slasher was busy with something in his 'office' and Schwarz was leading the others to scout the area around the station. Schwarz and the others would most likely be gone for a few hours. Which meant he had a lot of time to himself for once. He had got so use it sharing his living space with others he almost forgot what it was like to be left to ones own thoughts, he had to admit he kind of missed being alone.
The Ex-bandit's mind kept going back to the short out of body experience he had, he was unsure if he had really had it or was it a dream. If it did happen was it just a one time freak occurrence or something that would happen regularly? And if so would he be able to control when and how he left his body. He pondered what he could do with this newfound ability. He had a lot of time so he supposed he might as well try to project himself just like he did before.
Slowly he let his eyes unfocused and let himself settle into the depths of his mind. No conscience thought pass through his head as he let go of the feeling of his legs and arms. His body was now numb all over, and he found himself unable to move. Darkness filled his vision and he felt himself leave his physical form. When his eyesight returned he found himself floating above his body but had no feeling what so ever.
Now free of his physical body he began to wander around he interior of the station, it was the same as when he saw it in his physical form but the only difference was the floating blue strings that surrounding him. He tore them away but where soon replaced by more. It was useless to try and rip them like this he had to find the source of the tendrils and stop it.
Ferret went over to the door to open it but his arm passed right through the oxidized metal, so long as he was in this state he and the physical world where unable to interact. He thought it to be better this way, he could travel without worry of hungry mutants. He passed through the door and began to follow the nearest tendril northward.
As he passed an old cement factory he found that the blue strings where becoming bigger and more numerous. These seemed to be more woven then the single tendrils he had encountered in the past. He moved onward, the tendrils becoming larger and thicker, just like a jungle of blue vines. Ferret soon began to worried that he would not find his way back to his body. But pushed the notion out of his mind as he stubbornly and foolish pushed onward deeper and deeper into the psy field.
However the jungle of tendrils became an ocean, and Ferret was drowning in it. He tried to return to his body but the psy field pulled him deeper and deeper into itself like a riptide pulling him out to sea. There was no escaping this on his own, he could only hope someone could wake him before the Monolith had it's way with him.
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Post by Zeno, Lord Camelith on Nov 16, 2010 1:27:50 GMT -5
Tarasov stood up, the sounds of the blowout had subsided and enough time had passed for the surrounding area to be reasonably safe. Removing the bolt from the door's lock, he slid the large metal door back.
Clouds still darkened the sky, and a faint red glow was still slightly visible to the south. A short distance away lay the prone forms of the Freedomers, their brains fried past the point of zombification by the power of the emission.
Making his way north, he stopped suddenly as he caught sight of a group of Mercenaries apprehending the Freedomers that had broken off from the group. They carried the two back into what seemed to be an abandoned train station.
Staying up against the wall, Tarasov moved over to the door and pressed he ear against the gap. Several minutes of listening only rendered several snippets of conversation. Walking around the building, Tarasov located a side entrance and carefully pushed it open. Keeping low, he poked his head into the first room he found.
Much to Tarasov's delight, inside and curled up on the floor was one of the Freedomers. Placing his hand over the stalker's mouth, he scooped the little man up and quickly made his exit.
By the time Tarasov had reached a safe place away from the station, the Freedomer had woken up and was beginning to struggle. Running up to an old train car, Tarasov slammed the stalker against it and place the blade of his knife against the man's thigh, directly above his Femoral. "One wrong move and you're dead in seconds, scum." he growled.
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Post by blackpapermoon on Nov 16, 2010 6:35:05 GMT -5
Ferret found himself pin to the wall of a train cart by an unknown foe, ironically the man now holding him captive had unknowingly rescued him from the Monolith Psy field. Fortunately for the Freedomer and not so fortunate for the military stalker the Ex-Bandit had been in a situation like this before. Back when he worked as a drug devilry boy for a small time mob boss, he was once ambushed by some punk with a gun and pushed up against a wall. He had escaped by faking an Asthma Attack, and then whiled around and tackled his would-be robber. Despite his light frame he was actually quite good at hand to hand fighting and preferred grappling to punching or kicking. Ferret began to wheeze and cough heavily, hoping that this trick would work for him once more.
“I’m having an Asthma Attack,” he panted out “I need *cough* my inhaler.”
The rogue soldier steeped back some his knife still between the Freedomer’s legs, but he allowed Ferret to go into one of his hip pouches. The Ex-Bandit’s plan was working thus far, he went into the small bag at his belt and pull out a small Antiseptic/anti-fungal spray. He used it to treat any cuts or lacerations, but he imagined that it would hurt a lot if it got into someone’s eyes.
Now was the time to put his plan into action., he pushed on the wall of the car and hurl himself back wards knocking both he and the other man to the ground. The man’s knife had missed artery and was now useless in controlling the Freedomer. The Ex- bandit sprayed Tarasov in the face with the Antiseptic/anti-fungal spray before taking his Beretta M9 off the man's belt and slowly backed out of the car.
"Don't move," he said the gun pointed at his head, "or I will shoot."
He kept walking backwards until he was a safe distance away and then made his way back to Yanov. He would need to warn Slasher and the others about the Military Stalker.
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Post by Basil on Nov 16, 2010 7:26:44 GMT -5
God that woman is fast for her small frame.
Maginot was following Balalaika's trail through the forest, but despite leaving only a few minutes after she did, he hadn't caught sight of her once. Then again, his tracking skills had all been learned from Adder, and he had not quite gotten the knack of it.
Adder had been rather reluctant to talk about her past. She had only alluded to the fact her father was a hunter and he had taught her the whole tracking and survival business. Maginot, being a polite man, had not asked her any more questions about her childhood. Delicate things were best left alone unless the person concerned by said things came forth on his or her own accord.
Maginot stopped for a few seconds to inspect a very visible scrape left in the ground. Only a hurried animal or human would leave such a mark, and Maginot had a feeling that it was the latter who had left this here. He couldn't tell if it was recent or old though. That was Adder's thing.
He quickly got up and went in the direction the tracks went before vanishing and leaving him with more nebulous clues: a few broken branches, the vague outline of a booted foot in a patch of moss. The lugubrious howl of a blind dog made Maginot stop briefly, listening for any signs of mutant activity in the vicinity, before quickly resuming his march through the forest.
As he moved, he emerged into an area with less undergrowth. It was still dark, but the all round visibility beneath the twisted trees of the forest became much better. As he went around an impossibly deformed pine tree, his thoughts went back to Adder. He'd have to be blind not to notice her attitude towards him had changed as of late, and had gone from simple friendship to something much more serious. However, he was not sure what to do about it. He knew Adder well and he knew she had problems dealing with other people, which made him hesitate as to what he should do.
There was no denying that he found her attractive, and he did have more than a passing affection for her, but was the Zone really the place for that kind of stuff? It was a dangerous place, and they both had dangerous roles in the faction they were now a part of. There was also the fact that Adder was not a very stable woman...
Then again, what the hell. He was risking his own life pursuing one of the Zone's most dangerous criminals in order to save Adder. If he ever reached Adder, would he just shrug and say "I was worried"?
Suddenly, he stopped. Right up ahead, across a small depression in the ground, was the person he was chasing. She was busy climbing up the other side of the gully, making her a perfect target, but as Maginot reached for his SIG, Balalaika's head snapped around and stared right at him.
The speed with which she reached for her machine pistol was astounding, and Maginot had to duck to avoid getting a load of bullets. One did strike his shoulder however, but was stopped by the armour he was wearing. The shock of the bullet knocked the breath out of him, and he was pretty sure he'd be rather bruised in a while.
He heard Balalaika swearing and scrambling up the bank, so he got to his feet again and reached for his SIG. The short woman, however, was devilishly fast, and had already vanished from view. Maginot ran down the slope on his side of the gully and rushed up the other side, getting mud and pine needles over his suit's trouser legs and his hands. As he reached the top, he was greeted by Balalaika sitting casually on a tree stump while pointing her SVD right at him.
"Ciao, ciao, pretty boy", she said before squeezing the trigger. Blind luck, however, was on Mag's side, as he tripped on a root and fell flat on the ground, the deadly bullet whizzing through the place where his head had been barely a second ago. Balalaika swore with anger and readjusted her aim, but Maginot was able to seek cover behind a tree.
"I told you to stay out of this, Frenchie!", snarled Balalaika as she retreated. "I'll have to kill you now!"
Maginot felt the same old rush of fear he had felt when he had confronted her before. The world distorted, and he felt the strong urge to run away to escape the feeling of irrational dread that was overcoming him. He heard Balalaika laugh nearby, and he tightened his grip around his SIG, his knuckles going white.
"I can feel your fear, Frenchie, and it's delicious."
Maginot trembled like a leaf. The world was melting, collapsing before him into nothingness...and he broke.
He dashed out from behind the tree in a mad bid to escape the nothingness. He heard a loud report as Balalaika fired at him, and a flash of pain as the bullet grazed his back. He stumbled and fell back into the gully, crashing down the slope and coming to a stop at the bottom.
He heard a cruel cackle and the sound of someone running off through the forest. With a groan, he got back to his feet. The bullet had torn through the armour on his back, grazing his skin, and he had sustained a few cuts during his fall. The bullet graze was the only thing that would hamper him, as the rest could be easily fixed with a medkit.
After treating his injuries, Maginot left the gully again and went back to following Balalaika's trail. She had probably put some distance between him and her, so he would have to hurry to catch up.
He couldn't let her reach Adder first.
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Post by Karcentric on Nov 16, 2010 9:15:43 GMT -5
Schwarz' group was carefully picking their way through an anomaly field when the group's scout El shouted from ahead. "SCHWARZ! I THINK I'VE FOUND THEM!" Finally picking his way out of the field he ran up to the ridge overlooking several ruined buildings and garages as the other mercs in his group caught up.
They could see several bodies strewn about the yard, moving closer the smell of burnt and melted flesh polluted the air. Crouching by one of the corpses Schwarz carefully prodded the body, and noted the liquid that had oozed from the ears. The goo looked like something that made Schwarz retch and turn away.
"These men and women were left out in the blow out, but the power and intensity of the blow out completely melted their brain and organs, hence these puddles." He said shivering while standing. "Collect their PDAs for Adder, leave the corpses and note the location for future reference and investigation." Clearing his throat and looking away from tortured corpses he added, "He'd better report this immediately, move out."
Running back to the station to inform Adder and Ferret of the fate that their comrades had suffered.
By the time he got back he was breathing hard and gasping for air, pulling the door open he walked quickly to the door of Adder's small room and banging on the door he called to her, "Adder we've found your people." Walking to the main barrack waiting for Adder to emerge he poked his head in looking for Ferret, who was no where to be found.
Walking back to Adder who was rubbing her head and looking rather anxious for the news, "Where's Ferret?" He asked looking around, "He wasn't in the barracks. Well I'd better tell you first, I believe someone locked out of a shelter. I'm sorry, it wasn't a pleasant death, I have their PDAs for you, and we marked the the area if you want to see them." He handed a bag containing the PDAs and added. "I'd advise against it though."
Looking around again for Ferret he looked back to Adder, "Where the hell is he?" He muttered.
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Post by Basil on Nov 16, 2010 9:49:17 GMT -5
Adder let out a ragged breath as Schwarz told her about the fate of her comrades. She remembered it all now. She had attacked Ferret and abandoned them, feeling an imperious need to go North.
"It's all my fault", she said in a barely audible voice. "I left them..."
She had killed them. Not by her own hand, but by abandoning them without guidance. She had failed them, she had failed Svoboda and, worst of all, she had failed Maginot. The strain of this new realisation made her lose her calm, and tears brimmed in her eyes.
"I've failed...the expedition is a disaster...oh, God..."
She put her hands to her face and slowly walked away from Schwarz, stopping at the other end of the station hall. She felt overwhelming solitude submerge her, as well as a sense of complete helplessness. She knew what had made her betray her comrades: the Monolith. She thought she had been cured of her vulnerability to its psychic interference, but apparently, she hadn't. The Monolith had made her its puppet, using her in such a vile way that it made her physically sick and insecure. How could she trust herself if she couldn't fight its influence?
Against her better judgement, she started to cry, and her sobs echoed slightly in the dusty room. After a few minutes, she finally managed to stop herself, and she went back to Schwarz, drying her tears with her sleeve.
"Sorry about this", she said, "anyway. Ferret."
She reached for her PDA and looked at the map. The signals up here were blurry, so it took her a while to find the small, green coloured dot that was Ferret. He was outside the station, although why he was out there was a mystery.
"He's outside", she said, perplexed. "Did any of you see him...leave..."
Adder stopped speaking and froze. She had heard something, a voice. Could it be the Monolith again? She gritted her teeth and waited for the onslaught, but was instead greeted by something altogether more mystifying. It sounded like the voice of an old man, and it only came through in fragments, like a poor radio signal.
"...according to our calculations...surrounded...special informational field...noosphere..."
And then, as abruptly as it had come, it stopped. Adder blinked in confusion, unsure about what she had heard. Where had it come from? Who had said this?
She shook her head and looked back at a rather confused Schwarz.
"I just drifted off...", she said. "Ferret is outside, did any of you see him leave?"
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Post by Zeno, Lord Camelith on Nov 16, 2010 11:02:35 GMT -5
Casually raising his rifle, Tarasov took aim at the large service pistol in the Freedomer's hands and fired.
The heavy 7.62mm round smashed the pistol out of the stalker's hand and the bullet continued forward hitting the man in the chest. The bullet had slowed enough to give the stalker nothing more than bruises, but it still knocked the wind out of him.
Walking up to the temporarily stunned Freedomer, he dealt him a savage blow to the side of the head, knocking him unconscious. Removing four zip-ties from his pack, Tarasov linked them together and bound the stalker's wrists and ankles together.
Picking up the trussed up stalker, he slung him over his shoulder and walked down the railroad tracks until he reached the entrance to a tunnel. The tunnel itself had collapsed, but the entrance and first few hundred feet were still open.
As Tarasov approached the tunnel, the crackling of electro anomalies filled his ear. Scooping up a handful of gravel, he carefully navigated the dense field and reached the other side. To his luck, a fire was still burning in a nearby barrel. He dropped the still unconscious Freedomer next to the fire then sat down himself.
Several minutes passed before the stalker began to show signs of consciousness, and when Tarasov was sure he was awake enough, he jabbed the Freedomer in the head with his rifle. "Don't try anything like that again, I won't be so lenient next time."
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Post by blackpapermoon on Nov 16, 2010 12:34:34 GMT -5
“Fuck you,” said Ferret sill seeing stars, he now had no clue to where he was. Who was this guy anyway, and what did he want with him. The Ex-Bandit tried to move his hands but found them to be bound at the wrist he soon found that his feet where bounded in the same fashion. The Freedomer struggled against his bindings but it was to no avail, he would never be all to free himself on his own.
“Untie me. Now,” he demanded furiously still trying to free himself although he knew it was of no use, “Let me go you son of a bitch, let me go right now.”
Not able to wait for a retort from the ex solider Ferret forced himself up he head butted soldier in the face. The Freedomer tried to bull over the other man but was unable to garter the force necessary.
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Post by Basil on Nov 16, 2010 18:20:31 GMT -5
Panting with exertion and wincing from the pain in his back and bruised shoulder, Maginot continued his race against time with Balalaika. He had seen that confronting her directly was far too dangerous: her skills as a sniper and her unnatural senses and abilities made her practically impossible to fight alone. Maybe if he had psy-protection, he would have stood a better chance against the insane woman. So, in the light of these new developments, he had decided to try and overtake her in order to reach Adder first. In order to do that, he had drastically increased his pace, alternating between running and jogging through the forest’s evil realms and hoping he wouldn’t run into Balalaika. At one point he had even run into a couple of pseudodogs who had chased him for a while before he managed to lose them. It was a desperate gamble, but a just one. Evidently, Maginot did not have much faith in the success of his mission. After all, he had left abruptly, with few supplies and with little idea of where he was going. He was crossing one the Zone’s most dangerous areas and trying to catch up with an extremely dangerous individual. On top of that, he was getting tired quite quickly and had sustained a few injuries. The odds seemed quite overwhelmingly against him. As Maginot scrambled up a steep and slippery slope, he saw a familiar figure up ahead. She was going round a large hole in the ground and had not noticed him. Maginot hesitated for a moment before making his move. He raised his SIG, took aim and fired. The bullets missed their target however, and Balalaika whipped around with a murderous expression of rage on her face. “YOU!”, she cried before reaching for her SVD. Maginot took advantage of that to loose another burst of fire at Balalaika, and this time, three bullets found their mark. The woman’s weak mercenary suit did little to stop the bullets, and she yelled in pain, falling to the ground. “Scum!”, she yelled as she tried to scramble for cover, holding her injured shoulder as she did so, “I’m going to fucking kill you!” “-We’ll see about that”, said Maginot as he emerged from his hiding place. He kept his distance between him and the woman, as he did not want to step into her power’s hypothetical range of action. Maginot, however, had greatly underestimated Balalaika. Before he could finish her off, the short woman had picked up her SVD, raised it and fired it with one hand. The bullet slammed into Maginot’s leg, and the French stalker clearly heard the sound of breaking bone. With a scream of agony, he fell to the ground, clutching his ruined leg. “-Toldja”, panted Balalaika. She pulled Mr Stabby out of his sheathe and struggled to her feet, looking pale and drawn. Blood stained the fabric of her suit around her shoulder as well as chest. She coughed as she stumbled towards Maginot, and blood bubbled on her lips. “I’m going to cut your dick off and then ram Mr Stabby down your shitty little throat for this.” Maginot struggled, desperately looking for his fallen rifle. The damn thing had skittered to the side and was now precariously perched on the side of the large hole. As he struggled to reach it, a shadow fell over him and he looked up to see Balalaika smiling a nightmarish, bloody smile. “Say bye to your dick”, she said before dropping to her knees next to him and grabbing his crotch with painful force. “You won’t even be able to screw your Commandant in Hell.” Balalaika was never able to carry out her grisly threat though, as a sudden tremor shook the ground. They both froze as rocks, branches and clods of earth began to levitate, compelled by an unknown and invisible force. The ground shook again, and an odd popping noise came from the hole next to them. Blinding light flooded from the pit, and reality shook and twisted. “-What the…” , said Maginot before feeling the ground give way below him, and he and his foe fell into white, pulsating light. _________________________ At first, Balalaika saw only darkness. Was she dead? She felt oddly warm, as if she had been lying on a heated mat for a while. Her eyes grew accustomed to the light, and she saw she was lying on her back in a large cavern of sorts. A large metal construction rose from the centre of the cavern, and there was the soothing sound of running water from somewhere nearby. Was this the afterlife? She felt no pain in the places where the Freedomer had shot her, only dampness. She sat up carefully and looked at herself. Her suit was still torn and stained with blood, but she felt absolutely no pain. She hastily undid her suit and looked at the places where the bullets had hit, and her eyes widened as several bloody bullets rolled out and dropped to the floor. Her fatal wounds had all healed, leaving just a few bullet scars. Gingerly, she stood up. Her SVD was lying on the ground nearby, so she picked it up and looked around her. The area around the foot of the metal construct was home to a small pool whose banks were covered in lush green moss. A small tree sprouted from one side of the pool, and one of its branches was wrapped around a shimmering green orb. Balalaika also saw the French Freedomer lying on the ground further away. His lower body was submerged in the pool's water, and he seemed to be unconscious. Balalaika briefly reached for her bayonet before stopping herself. Something about this place seemed to radiate sanctity, and even Balalaika's twisted, corrupted soul could feel that. Violence was not allowed in this haven of peace and beauty. The female stalker slowly dropped to one knee and took her Geiger counter out, putting it close to the water's surface. Not a tick. The water was completely clean of radiation. Balalaika cupped her hands and scooped some of the water out, finding it to be surprisingly cool. She then splashed her face with it, and felt her body regain some strength. After carrying out this small ablution, she took out a plastic bottle from her pack and filled it with water. Who knew? Maybe the water of this hallowed place could come in useful later on. With a final glance at the unconscious Maginot, Balalaika headed towards the metal construct and found a ladder leading upwards. She took hold of the bottom rung and hoisted herself up, clambering the rest of the way. Light came to the secret oasis via a hole in some kind of concrete dome up above, and it was through that hole that Balalaika exited the place. Once out, she dropped from the top and quickly left the area. Night was falling, and she did not want to linger in this place. Balalaika was in Jupiter. Barely a few moments after Balalaika left, Maginot woke up. Opening his eyes and looking around him, he saw that his legs were submerged in water, and he recoiled from the pool for fear of radiation. His detector however, had not gone off, so he calmed down and, noticing the unusual absence of pain in his leg, examined said appendage. To his surprise, he saw that his injury had healed. The bone was back to normal, and all that was left of the wound was a nasty scar. "C'est un miracle", he said in a hushed, awed tone. Water flowed gently from a crack in the place's concrete wall and flowed over a rocky little stream bed into a central pool. A short tree stood, one branch curled around a very curious object. Maginot stood up and walked towards the tree, and almost immediately his artefact detector went off. "What a strange artefact", he murmured to himself, not wishing to trouble the peace of this strange place. He had never seen anything like it, and he briefly considered plucking it from the tree and taking it away with him. He reached out for the artefact, and just as his fingers touched the thing, he felt a sudden wave of energy go through his body. He felt strong, young and vigorous, and never before had he felt such energy. Blinking, he withdrew his hand. That artefact certainly had some mysterious properties, and it would probably fetch a large sum of money, but what right did he have to pillage the hidden secret of this strange and magical place? He had never seen such a beautiful place during his time in the Zone, and its mere presence here, in the middle of nowhere, hidden at the heart of Soviet industrial ruins, was a miracle. If he took this artefact, maybe he would put and end to this small bubble of tranquillity and beauty. Maginot stepped back and looked away, leaving the artefact in place. He knew that Balalaika had fallen into the nascent space anomaly with him, but he saw no sign of her anywhere. He saw a ladder nearby, and walked towards it, feeling reluctant to abandon this little haven. It was with regret that he ascended the rusty old ladder and made it back to the surface. He briefly looked around him for any sign of danger before hopping down, landing on the cracked asphalt floor below. He looked at his PDA for any sign of Adder and the others, and it was with immense relief that he saw Adder's signal coming from a building to the North of his current position. He quickly sent a message to Adder: Adder,
This is Maginot, I'm a few kilometres South from your current position. Keep an eye out for Balalaika. She knows you're North and set out to find you, so I followed her and tried to stop her. I don't know where she is now, but I have a feeling she's in the area.
Maginot Just as Maginot sent the message, he heard a deep growl behind him. He slowly turned his head to look behind him, and was greeted by a huge, two-headed beast with claws that looked like they could easily rip a man's arm off. A Chimera. "Oh shit." The creature roared, and Maginot bolted. As he sprinted away from the old concrete dome, he felt a rush of air as the chimera leaped at him and missed him by a few measly centimetres. "Bordel de merde!!!", he yelled. ____________________________ Adder started in surprise as her PDA beeped and vibrated. She fished it out of her pocket and looked at the scratched and slightly dirty screen, expecting to find a message from Ferret. What she saw made her eyes widen, and a smile appeared on her face. "Mag!", she cried. "Mag! I can't believe it...he came all this way!" Her mood darkened as she read the part of Balalaika. So her enemy had also followed her North, probably with the intention of killing her out in the empty, unexplored desolation. A vague paranoid thought sparked as she considered the situation, but she shoved it away without giving it any attention. "Maybe there's still hope", she said more to herself than anyone.
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