Chapter XII: False Sense of Security

 Diary of Lance Corporal Dimka Torodov, day 12.

The journey from Zaton to Jupiter took us roughly a night since we were quite lost and had to circle a lot of anomaly fields. Still, we did scavenge through a few abandoned vehicles and found some supplies and other materials, so it wasn't a complete waste of time. Or at least that is our story and we're sticking to it. Sevka got some 20-gauge ammo for his TOZ from a beaten up UAZ jeep, a guy inside had decided to end it all with a similar TOZ, which by now was a rusted piece of junk. The markings on the man's armour reminded me of Ukrainian Speznaz, but the choice of weapon was odd. Still, everyone gets by with what they have in the Zone, UNISG being the prime example of this.

At the crack of dawn we arrived to the place named after a Roman god, which had been stolen from Greek mythology. Odd name for an area in the middle of Ukraine, but hey, could be worse, could've been called literally Garbage. At first glance, the place seemed to be much the same, swamps to our left and right, but there was also some sort of canal and a large concrete block building with a tower. On top of it we saw figures in black leather coats and brown trenchcoats. Bandits. They had an excellent vantage point, but approaching from the cover of the large building and staying low could provide us an advantage.

Sevka agreed on this course of action, and we made our way up the canal side, careful to stay hidden. The building appeared to be some sort of a plant, perhaps for concrete production or mining operations. Behind it was a structure with a ladder that led up, and we decided to climb it since there seemed to be a set of pipes we could use to surprise the outlaws. The ladder was rusty and creaky, but the howling of the wind most likely covered our approach. I heard faint crackling ahead and raised my head to look, seeing sparkles of energy buzz on the side of the ladder. The anomaly was so close I could feel the sheer energy raise the hairs on my arm. But the anomaly was just far enough that we passed unharmed and got to the roof.

• Hostia puta, that was intense. Bit too close a shave for my liking, De Luca murmured.

• For sure, I've seen those things fry wolves before. I much prefer not finding out if I'd be fried as well, I replied.

We maneuvered around some more electric anomalies, making our way to the pipes. I have no idea why the bandits still did not see us, perhaps they were too high or drunk. Judging by all the cocaine and vodka I had looted off them, could be either one. We paused for a second to assess if the pipes could hold our weight, when gunfire started. Immediately, we scrambled for cover, laying low on the roof. But it soon dawned to me that we had not been the target. I raised my head just enough to analyse the situation, and found the culprits. A squad of men in white and grey urban camouflage marched towards the tower, blazing away with very heavy weaponry. The bandits were dropping like flies. In a matter of minutes, the squad of degenerates had been wiped out, and the unknown stalkers continued heading down a railroad track.

• Who were those guys?, Sevka asked quietly once the attackers disappeared into the morning mist.

• I've seen their uniforms once, in Army Warehouses. And Barkeep told me about a paramilitary group up north defending the Zone, armed to the teeth and very well organized. I think they were called Monosith or something?, I pondered out loud.

• What is this, Star Wars? I think you mean Monolith. I overheard some of the Dutyers speak of them in the infirmary, they were speaking of how they were the only thing on the way of their triumphant march towards saving the planet. Yes, they repeated the last thing like twelve times in five minutes. Yes, the scalpel Aspirin had left next to me was looking more promising every second, Sevka mused, and I chuckled a bit.

• Whoever they are, we can't afford to mess with them right now. Let's move, we need to report this to Hernandez.

• For the first time in ages you're actually in a rush to meet our CO, damn.

• Watch it, Spaniard, unlike you I have actually good reasons for being late. No, siestas are not an excuse.

• Oh man, I could go for a siesta right now. Still, you're right, let's go.

We got down the way we arrived. While I would have preferred to explore the facility a bit more, the anomalies had seemingly taken it over. I could smell the scorched ground all the way on the outside. We left the facility quickly, as Sevka spotted a pack of dogs in the distance. Behind the plant was a long paved road, running next to a railroad with abandoned locomotive and a filthy canal to our left. The road seemed safe, but as we got closer to some sort of railway tunnel, it soon dawned on us that everything was not as peaceful as it seemed.

First thing we saw were Zombified. I spotted four shambling corpses, arms stretched out holding pistols or close to torso, dragging a rusty piece of shit shotgun around. They were under attack by a pack of dogs, but this was where it got downright bizarre. Sevka and I sprinted to a nearby bush to avoid detection, and from there we observed the scene. Pseudodogs kept coming from the bushes nearby, clawing at the Zombified until they caught a bullet, which made them vanish in thin air. I looked at Sevka wide-eyed, and he nodded, equally bemused. Leaving the Zombified to their fate, we circled around and hoped with all our souls that the weird dog-thing would not spot us.

It worked, thankfully. As the thicket opened up, we got to the train hangar. And what a refreshing sight it was. After all our travels, the constant mental strain of operating deep inside enemy territory, knowing that any uncalculated word or action would have us bleeding out in a ditch, we were finally among our own people. The familiar red, green and white camo pattern on our men signaled to us that we had made it. And for a second, I let down the guard that I had propped up the day I slipped into my Voyager suit and took on a false identity of a stalker.

That mistake almost cost me my life. Sevka pushed me forward, and before I could yelp out of shock or anger, a bullet smashed into the railing on the spot I had stood mere seconds ago. Adrenaline kicked in, my training took over and I scrambled for cover as the UNISG task force did the same. The unknown gunman soon revealed himself, when a monotone battlecry rose above the hills. Despite the action, the voice rang clear and the delivery sent shivers down my spine.

• Oh Monolith, we slay our enemies, guided by your radiance. Give us your blessing this day, so our blades may quench their thirst on the blood of our enemies. Let us carry forth your sacred work, to purge this land of the infidel, to burn away the sacriledge of these unfaithful, a voice chanted, the low, almost robotic intonation soaring over the hills.

• Vrag Monolita!, other voices cried out, and a storm of bullets struck one of our men.

Explosions came next. I made it into cover behind the walls of the tunnel, but the booming made my eyes ring and I could barely hear a word Sevka was shouting at me. His intentions were clear however, and I followed. On my left, another UNISG trooper, member of my original squad, Captain Taylor, was hit by at least twelve high-calibre rounds, ripping him apart in seconds. I spotted his killer, one of those urban-camoed stalkers we had spotted in the concrete plant, and my AKS-74U replied in kind, cracking the warrior's battleplate and sending him into freefall from his elevated position. Sevka was focusing down another of the ambushers, who was hiding behind the walls as well. I joined in, and together we forced him to retreat.

Major Hernandez and some other officer joined the battle, using a window near the entrance as a makeshift bunker. Their assault rifles claimed another target. Sevka and I got out of our somewhat exposed position and rushed up the hillside, determined to finish of the Monolithian we had forced on the run. He sprayed at us with a sub-machine gun, barely missing.

• Umirai!, the man shouted as another burst of .45 ACP narrowly passed us.

• Umirai to yourself, bitch, I heard Sevka mutter, followed by rifle fire which my rifle soon joined.

Our combined firepower turned the man into a corpse in mere seconds, the kevlar plates on his suit unable to resist the hail of bullets. He collapsed to the ground, whispering final prayer to some entity called Monolith. Downhill, the battle died down, but I could hear Hernandez yelling to Private Ramirez to check one of the wounded for possible questioning. Sevka and I were checking the bag of the dead man when an explosion rang out, shaking us from our looting. Checking over the edge of the wall, we saw Ramirez laying next to a fresh corpse, missing his legs with only bloody stumps in their place. Hernandez was on the spot in seconds, and I could see him exchange a few words with the screaming Ramirez. Then, a muzzleflash, and the screaming stopped.

• Mierda..., Sevka murmured.

• Captain Taylor was our medic, he could've maybe saved Ramirez, but these bitches got him first. It was the only thing Hernandez could've done, I said quietly.

• Doesn't make it any less brutal.

• No, it doesn't. But this place is brutal by nature.

• I got an odd phrase from the locals that I think fits. "Such is life in the Zone". Guess this is what they mean.

• Yes, I guess so. But Sevka?, I said, watching my companion sternly.

• Yes, Torodov?, Sevka asked, raising his eyebrow.

• If that happens to me, do the same. Don't let me suffer for nothing.

• I will. And I expect you to do the same, De Luca replied with a hard-to-read expression.

We finished the looting in silence, the heavy pact we had just made weighing on us. We weren't friends, only two guys thrown together by fate, but during the last week I had grown attached to Sevka in a way that often happens with comrades-in-arms. And unlike rest of UNISG, I felt a bond with him, feeble as it may be. At the train hangar, we finally met with Hernandez. He was clearly pissed off, and I could see he wanted to blame us for the recent ambush, I could see the rage in his eyes. But he held his cool and I could see that rage dissipate as I gave him the documents alongside the ones I had copied from Barkeep's stash.

• I must admit, you went above and beyond Lance Corporal. These extra documents alone were worth the wait, but the intel Dushman provided? I no longer feel as in the dark as before. Good job, Torodov, Hernandez said, and from his tone I could hear that he was no longer furious at us.

• I also made connections inside the locals while working undercover. I presume we may be able to use them in the future?, I commented.

• We'll see. We might need you to infiltrate the ecologists, they are the main source for scientific progress here and employ the services of stalkers often. But first, go meet Lieutenant Maus. He'll get you started here.

And with that, we had made it. The Major dismissed us, and for the first time in ages, I had no active missions to pursue. I should've been relieved, but in reality I was raring to get out and explore this place further. The encounter with the fanatical Monolith had shaken me, but it had also created questions that I needed answers to. Answers that I would get, no matter the price. The Zone had enraptured me, and I could never escape it now, no matter what horrors it threw my way. For the first time in ages, I was truly living. And even if it meant a not-so-distant death, it was worth more than to fade away inside a routine of boredom and misery.