And the Skies were Clear once more

[Lysander]

The swamp stank of death. Spectre could smell it even through his state-of-the-art gas mask, it was a smell so sweet and cloying that it made him gag, but it was a smell that he knew well. Spectre looked over his shoulder to see that Harlequin had caught up; Harlequin was Spectre's right hand man, they had been working together ever since Harlequin had first joined Clear Sky and they had saved each others lives more times than he could count. They had stuck together, even when the others of their clan had been brainwashed by the monolith, they had kept a small part of themselves locked away.
It had been a full week since Spectre and Harlequin's 'unchaining' from the monolith and Spectre was regaining his memory at a startling rate; Harlequin was a different story though, Spectre had heard him talking to himself and shaking his head, as if he was still trying to shake off the last vestiges of the monolith's influence.
Off in the distance was the huge domed tower of the old church, a place Spectre new well and the area where the new faction would be based. Motioning for Harlequin to follow him, Spectre strode off through the reeds, being careful to stick to the 'paths' that had been carved several years before by Clear Sky's scouts.
A few hours later, Spectre stepped over the threshold of the old church, it was near noon and a single ray of sunlight penetrated through the roof of the building, landing on what used to be the altar. Someone seemed to be kneeling in prayer in the light, but two dirty grey wings were folded across his back and it was twice the size of any normal man; Spectre could hear muttering and a wet tearing sound, he flinched as he saw the body of a stalker lain across the altar. Harlequin strode in behind him, oblivious of the danger and a loose floorboard creaked as the man's foot pressed down upon it.
The 'Angel' turned around, rising to its full height and spreading its wings. It's face was bestial - its skin was grey, not unlike Spectre's and it's nose was like that of a vampire bat. Blood dribbled down it's chin as it smiled, revealing rows and rows of razor sharp teeth. The remains of a radiation suit covered its body and it still wore the heavy boots of military personnel.
Spectre fired at the angel immediately but after the first few rounds, he realised that his bullets were curving away from the target as if there was an invisible field around the beast.
So, you've finally come. Spectre heard as his body froze.

[milch]

Harlequin was following Spectre exactly. A step wrong in this place could mean death. Anomalies, deadly mud and God knows what. Harlequin had already nearly sunk to the bottom of the swamp not long ago, so Spectre had to pull him out and he didn't want to do it again.
They were trudging through the mud for hours now and it didn't seem to be getting anywhere near the end. It was stinky, tedious and tiring. Harlequin didn't even know why he was following Spectre, it was some form of... instinct... as if he could trust him with his life. Spectre said that he was regaining memory fast, but Harlequin couldn't second that. He was remembering his past bit by bit and not always in chronological order, so he kept a diary of his memories so he could later arrange them right.
It was nearly a week since the two of them have escaped from their Monolith group and were now traveling South, the opposite of all the other stalkers, going as far North as they could. Even though a while has passed, Harlequin still 'received' messages from the Monolith to come back. Whenever he did receive those, he had to stop and clear his mind, shake his head, have a drink. The further away from the CNPP they got, the weaker and rarer the 'signals' were.
Harlequin looked up just in time not to bump into Spectre, who stopped for some reason. Harlequin looked where his friend was looking and saw an old wooden church. Spectre motioned for Harlequin to follow him. They entered the church courtyard and slowed down, holding rifles at ready. You could never tell you are safe in the Zone.
Spectre went ahead of his companion and into the church. Harlequin stopped to look around and saw a skeleton under a tree. He approached it and, on closer inspection, saw that it was dressed in a sky blue jacket. On the belt of the trousers there was a little case. Harlequin opened it and found some cigarettes and an old PDA.
"I'll check it out later" he thought to himself.
Then he stood up and hurried into the church, he already wasted enough time. He went through the main entrance and saw Spectre standing not far from him. Harlequin took a step forward and the floorboard beneath him creaked. Suddenly Spectre opened fire and Harlequin moved to the side to see the target. It was a creepy winged beast with some stalker features. Harlequin threw his gun up to his shoulder and opened fire. But he didn't hit once, even though he was by far not a rookie with guns. Then Spectre stopped fire.

[blackpapermoon]

Shade trudge through the swamps, the wound on the left side of his chest had stop bleeding. Hours before he had set up camp with a team of other bandits in the partly collapsed train at the Agroprom when the military raided them. The bandits never stood a chance; Arakcheyev managed to slip away but had been shot when the raid began. The assassin’s armor had protected him well enough to save his life even though the bullet was meant for his heart. The soldiers must have been Special Forces units, given how fast they wiped out the encampment. The military had gone so far to block off the road to the Garbage giving the bandit only two choices go underground or make a brake for the swamps. Preferring to not met up with any more military, Tosya crept his way to the swamp exit.

Eventually he made it to the old church; kicking in the door to the crematorium he entered it before slamming the door behind him. Finally he was safe; he doubt that the military would chase him this far and that mutants would bother him in his shelter. He then removed the top part of his amour and started to tend to the wound, the loss of blood was minor but the risk of infection in the zone was high. It was better to take care of open injures as soon as possible, then to let them rot and fester a lesson that many a stalker failed to learn. With the bullet fragments removed, and the wound sterilized and bandaged, the bandit settled down for a rest. Sleep came quickly to the assassin, who remained blissfully unaware of the creature that lived in the church.

The sound of gunfire awoke the healing bandit from his slumber, quickly redressing and arming himself he waited at the door of his hideout. However nothing came near the door, and the area outside was silent. Had he underestimated the military’s resolve of hunting down all bandits, slowly he opened the door and saw the area to be as empty as it was the night before. Without holstering his pistol he noted that he had two other contacts in the area. The only logical place for them to be was in hide the church. He knew that it would be better for him not to investigate, but curiosity got the better of him.

With slow cautioned steeps he made his way over to the rotting wooden building. Pushing his back into the decaying wood he peaked into the structure, to see a rather strange scene two Monolith fighters stood before some kind of winged mutant creature. The bandit watched them from the shadows hoping to remain hidden.

[Lysander]

As the voice echoed inside his head, Spectre tried to strain against the psychic bonds that were holding him; it was no use though - it was as if he was held by some unbreakable metal cuffs. Finally, after much straining Spectre directed his thoughts at the beast. What...who are you? as he thought this, he saw out of the corner of his eye that the exact same thing had happened to Harlequin.

The voice echoed in his head again. Do you not remember your old friend? I remember you very well. As it finished, the angel took a step towards him, grinning. I was once a weakling like you, when my brothers in arms went to fight the monolith at the centre of the zone i was left here, to continue work on our great secret. I was disappointed and angry at Lebedev's choice to leave me behind, but i knew that it was my duty to guard the faction's most important assets and to continue my research in the crypts...it was to be our greatest triumph - a revolution in military technology.

At this the mutant growled and reached out a grey, clawed hand to touch Spectre's face, he tried to flinch away but the bonds persisted. As soon as the angel's index finger touched his skin Spectre felt a dam break in his mind.

Images of his past flooded through his conciousness all but a few were blurred and those that weren't presented themselves at the forefront of his mind - Lebedev and Kalancha studying blueprints with a stranger; Spectre overseeing the movement of equipment into the crypts under the old church; talking with Vasily, the head of 'Project Atlas' about the materials needed for his project.

Vasily? The angel's smile widened at this, making its face even more grotesque.

Yes, i once went by that name, before i evolved, before I became a god. I give you a choice - leave my children and I to work in peace, or die. Spectre had a worrying idea of what this thing's 'children' were, and he didn't want to stay there long enough for the mutant to summon them. Despite the creature's claims and proof that he had once been Vasily the Scientist, Spectre was in no doubt that whatever humanity it may have once possessed was lost to it, he was sure that it would just pounce on them as soon as they turned their backs to it. When he had made his decision, he found that he could move his mouth and felt the invisible bonds release.

"We will reclaim this place, and clear the skies of your presence. Abomination!" At this the angel roared and unfurled its wings to their full span and leaped up, flying up through boards that served as the route to the upper area of the church. "Harlequin, with me." Spectre said as he started to run up the ramps, following the creature to its 'roost'.

Outside, lightning crashed and dark stormclouds started to disgorge their payload onto the earth. Spectre pulled his hood up over his head as he stepped onto the roof of the church and noticed the incredible view over the whole of the great swamps, he turned to look at the domed cupola - a ramp led up to a large hole in the side and Spectre tentatively started to walk up it, it creaked menacingly but otherwise gave no sign of breaking. Once he had reached the hole Spectre turned on his flashlight its beam cutting through the darkness as he stepped inside. Holding his rifle ready he looked around the small room, then he felt something smash into him, throwing him back out into the wind and the rain. He fired into the hole and heard a snarl of pain in reply, then, the angel emerged from its nest flexing its claws and snarling at him. He scrambled to his feet and fired a few shots into the creature - seemingly to no avail, he then turned his back on it and ran back into the church, hoping to trap it in the space and kill it.

Running down the ramps he could see no sign of Harlequin. "Where are you brother?" he shouted into the church, his plan depended on the presence of his friend sneaking up on the creature. Spectre looked up and could se hat he Angel was having some success breaking it's way into the church, he swore loudly, loaded a fresh mag into his Sig and planted his feet firmly on the ground. "Come and get me you son of a bitch!" he shouted at the monster as it burst in through the roof.

[blackpapermoon]

“Must have some kind of Psy ability,” mumbled out the assassin watching the interaction of the two Monolith fighters with the winged beast. Somehow the two men freed themselves from the mutant’s control; one of the men, young with hair as dark and almost as long as his own ran out of the wetland claimed church, yelling at the once human.

The bandit having yet to be detected followed along the very edge of the building; the longer haired Monlithian’s partner was still inside the church shooting at the ‘angel’. Whatever this this was shade felt that it should be dealt with quickly and effectively. Taking hold of and upper ledge of the window he began to climb, the structure creaking and groaning under his weight, his hand grasp the next foothold but it gave way throwing him off balance, swing his body he righted himself before he could fall.

Getting to the top of the main part of the structure, he hastily crossed the roof holding out his arm for balance. By this point the winged mutant had clawed its upper body out of the wooden house of worship. It opened its mouth to screech or maybe talk to him, however Tosya would not let it.

He shoved one of his colt 1911s into its mouth and pulled the trigger, one gun blast then the chaos of clawing and kicking before dead silences. Smirking, Shade spun his pistol then holstered it, that’s how to kill a freak. He turned intent on leaving, however as he did the rotten wood finally gave up it fight with gravity, and he fell into the church the body of the beast with him.

Fast reflexes saved him from damage as he managed to grab hold of a beam before he fell too far, however revealed him to the man still in the old ruin.

[Lysander]

Spectre threw himself to the floor to avoid the creature and the splinters of rotten wood and debris raining down with it, as he heard the monster hit the ground the ex-monolithian sprang to one knee and aimed his rifle at his adversary.

After a few seconds of waiting expectantly for the monster to move, Spectre realised that wasn't going to and walked over to investigate. The angel was lying face down on the muddy floor unmoving, however, Spectre had had enough experience fighting mutants to know that this could just be a feint - that it may spring up at any moment to take his life. He nudged it with his boot, but the mutant gave no sign of life and he decided that it was well and truly dead. He soon spied the cause of its death - the back of its head had burst outwards, blood and brain matter was leaking out onto the ground around it.

He laughed tiredly and fell to his knees. "The bastard is dead." Another peal of thunder echoed through the sky, accompanied by a bright flash of lightning which illuminated the room. At this point, Spectre realised that his companion had not reappeared as of yet and he called out for him. "Harlequin, where are you? It's gone, someone killed it."

The realisation that someone else was there with them brought Spectre to his feet - for he surely had not killed the beast. Another flash of lightning lit up the church and a sudden movement made him look up - a figure was hanging from a beam at the top of the church, near to the hole which the angel had made in the rotten roof.

"Hello?" Spectre called out, already moving up the ramps to the figure's aid.

[nuclearstorm]

Pyre had been watching two men known as Harlequin and Spectre, former monolithians who had be come defilers. The monolith had shown mercy toward them, requesting that they return. This mercy, however, had it's limits, and the defilers had denied the monolith for far too long. They had been judged. The verdict, execution at the hands of Pyre.

Pyre watched from the bushes as the defilers entered the church. He unpacked some C4 explosives, planning to collapse the blasphemous structure upon the defilers as they slept. The sight of a creature unknown to him flying up the church tower changed this. Pyre saw muzzle flashes from the tower as the beast attempted to claw it's way in. He decided to prepare his RPG instead as he saw another man, a simple nonbeliever, climb the outside of the tower. As this nonbeliever reached the beast, Pyre let his RPG fly. The beast fell, the nonbeliever with it, as the RPG hit the church tower, collapsing it with the defilers still inside.

Pyre laughed shortly before preparing to head into the structure and ensure the destruction of those who would defy the monolith.

[blackpapermoon]

Dazed, his vision blurry, focusing he saw figures standing over him, unintelligent monotone mutterings rang in his ears. Tosya laid on his back, numb to the world. His suit was tore, splinters of wood stuck out of his body. The strange man in the gray colors of the Monolith laid near by, the bandit now no longer consider him as such. Once things cleared he'd ask him about the the colors he wore.

He tried to remember what had happened; he was hanging onto a beam, one of the two men he had been watching had run up the stairway seeming to lend him aid, then an explosion.

Smoke and dust filled the air something heavy and chemical smelling was being poured over him; causing wounds to sting and burn, it was gasoline. Someone intended to burn him alive, a rage billowed up in his chest, blood dripped down from his mouth and down his chin.

"Not..to.day," Shade spat out fists clenched, "You will not take me today."

Kicking out his feet, he forced both heels into the closest Monolith fighter gut, causing pain to shoot up and down his spine and right leg. Using the pain as motivation, he limply got to his feet and retrieved his knife. The man whom he had attack was still recovering from the kick, the assassin fell upon this man, slicing him ear to ear.

"Today you'll find if your god truly does exist!" he yelled blood spitting out of his mouth as he did, falling to one knee to support himself, his other hand griped onto his handgun. Breathing controlled through his nostril, his ice eyes like fire.

Blood was his trade, he bleed and he did so to others, a lesson that these Monolithians would learn very quickly.

((So sorry about the misunderstanding, I'll make sure not to have it happen again.))

[milch]

"Harlequin, with me" the ex-monolithian heard his companion shout, but as Harlequin made a move towards where Spectre was going his head was filled with a voice speaking to him from far beyond the swamps. "YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED" the voice rang in his head so loud Harlequin could have swore Spectre ought to have heard it as well. "NOW IT IS TOO LATE". His eye started twitching once again and Harlequin's head felt as if it were sure to burst. He grabbed it with both his hands, dropping his SIG to the ground, as if that was going to dull the pain, but it didn't do him any good. The man's vision began to cloud up as the echo got louder and louder. Harlequin began wildly shaking his head and tried moving, but stumbled over his rifle, which was lying on the floor. He stumbled over and smashed into some wooden beams supporting a rotting platform used as a watchpoint before the events of Clear Sky's death.

The beams went smashing down and so did Harlequin. The floorboards beneath him gave way to the weighty structure and the suffering stalker collapsed into, what he thought was, an abyss. The shock of impact with the ground awoke Harlequin from the echoing voice in his head. He opened his eyes and found himself surrounded by total darkness, except for one tiny little speck of light above him, which was in fact the hole in the floor of the church through which he fell. The stalker shoved the debris off of himself and tried grabbing for his rifle only to find that it was absent. Harlequin then took a torch into one hand and his Walther into the other and tried looking around. From above him, through the hole, the sounds of gunfire and screams of the winged beast rang out. Harlequin was well below all that in some form of catacombs made during the reign of Clear Sky over the swamps. Harlequin had to make a choice: which of the two ways to go. Either way he was headed for darkness, so Harlequin decided to go the way which was sloping slightly up, rather than down.

He didn't know for how long has he been walking, but the tunnel didn't seem to get anywhere near it's end. Harlequin by then was thinking of perhaps turning the other way to try his luck somewhere downslope, when he heard a noise from up ahead of him. He tried reaching into the darkness of the cold, unwelcoming catacomb with his handheld torch to no avail.

"Anybody there?" he tried calling out "Hello!"

When no answer came he just about discarded the noise as rats or wind, when it repeated itself more clearly and closer than last time. The noise was as obvious to a weathered man such as Harlequin as anything else in the world. Footsteps. But not those of an ordinary man. Those were the clumsy, sometimes uneven footsteps of a creature that has long lost the ability to think rationally. A zombie.

"Mweeah" a groan came thundering down the otherwise silent tunnel and a medium-sized figure appeared before Harlequin sporting a sky blue combat uniform with a large metal helmet with a cracked visor. Harlequin threw up his Walther and aimed directly for the cracks in the visor. Shot after shot he emptied the clip into the zombie's head and only then did it collapse to it's knees and let out it's last breath. The stalker reloaded and took a careful step forward when another sky blue silhouette appeared on the edge of his torch's light. And then another, and another, and another.