Chapter XV: A Path Opens Up Ahead

 Diary of Corporal Dimka Torodov, day 17.

We approached the end of the tunnel complex slowly, Sevka and Lyonka taking the lead while I and Alla provided overwatch with our more accurate weapons. The area we had now entered was some sort of a train stopping point, it was hard to tell in the dark but large coal wagons indicated so. Remembering the earlier incident with the tushkanos, I climbed on top of one of the platforms and walked on the uneven coal. Whatever was ahead of us, it was clearly partially exposed to sky, as moonlight shone inwards and lit the area up. Rails continued in there, and from my vantage point I could see what was ahead.

A squad of those religious soldiers, Monolithians, were fighting another horde of monsters. I could see what the merc had called a chimera, and there were even more of those tushkanos. I held my fire and closed my lamp, signaling the others to do the same. We could see well enough with the moonlight, but the Monolith troopers would have a much harder time doing the same. I raised my DVL to eye level and my PN-23 night-vision scope revealed to me the scene unfolding ahead.

One of the fanatical cultists was using a massive exoskeleton, but it seemed to hinder him more than help. Pack of tushkanos was gnawing and clawing at the wires and exposed bit in his legs, and I could see them slowly whittle him down despite him shooting or stomping some of the tiny creatures to death. There were five Monolith soldiers in total, the exo one stuck with the tushkanos and the other fighting the chimera. The soldiers circled on the beast to keep it pinned down, concentrating their firepower. But wounding a chimera and killing it are clearly two different things. The mutant pounced on one of the soldiers, and despite being slowed down, managed to clamp him down to the ground. Before a yell of "vrag Monolita" had fully left the fanatics lips, the chimera tore his head clean off.

The exo-soldier meanwhile was getting overwhelmed. The tushkanos jumped on him and tore through, others sunk their teeth deep into the man's flesh. My scope had just enough magnification that I could see a sort of look of despair on the man's face as he succumbed to the tiny monsters, his massive metallic frame collapsing. The rat-creatures feasted on his flesh, tearing away chunks through the holes in the armour. His alive comrades soon spoiled the party with gunfire and grenades, blowing to pieces the horde. With the final squeal of rat mutant echoing off into nothingness, the Monolith warriors lowered their guns. And that was when we struck, like a well-oiled machine striking exactly at the right time.

My suppressed sniper barked once and claimed the life of the most distant enemy soldier, penetrating his battleplate and rupturing his lungs. The shot itself had not attracted attention, but the sudden collapse of their comrade caused the Monolithians to be alerted. Alla's VSS rifle, heavily customized by the mercenary gunsmiths, decided to re-enact my rifle's performance, and the sub-calibre round deeply wounded a second Monolith zealot. His military suit had seemingly softened the blow, but the warrior was clearly now limping away.

I could see Lyonka at the corner of my vision, charging ahead, gunfire echoing in the underground facility. Perhaps it was the death of his friend, perhaps it was some deep-seated trauma, I would never know for sure. The mercenary attacked the Monolithians like a rabid dog, with such fury we could barely react in time. He slammed three rounds into the wounded Monolithian, and then turned to face the last one, screaming in rage. But Lyonka had severely miscalculated the Monolith soldier, and a thundering gunshot sent him staggering back. Before the soldier of fortune could recover, another swarm of hot lead streaks struck him, right on the heels of another earthshattering boom.

The Monolith warrior walked next to him and raised his large shotgun, firing once more. The mercenary was dead for certain now, but the warrior had made a mistake himself in assuming that Lyonka had been alone. Sevka's Saiga barked twice in retribution, and the final defender fell, spine shattered by slug rounds. Alla looked devastated by the loss of her companions, both mercs now dead due to a single slip-up. We let her be for a second and secured the new perimeter. It seemed like this place had been some sort of a silo or dome, used for controlling the underground railways. Outside holes in the dome stretching dozens of metres upwards, I could see deserted Soviet-era apartment blocks. The infamous Pripyat.

The massive dome hall had plenty to explore, most strikingly what appeared to be a command centre, but before that could be done, I wanted to pay my respects to the fallen. We first buried Lyonka into a collapsed part of the tunnel and stuck his rifle as a grave cross of sorts, his M40 gasmask hanging from it. Sevka said a traditional Spanish obituary for him, and Alla tapped the makeshift cross one last time. Then she turned to face us and said:

• Thank you, I would be worm food if not for the support. I must get to Pripyat to finish what we came here to do in the first place.

• Anytime, anywhere. We'd be ratfood if it wasn't for your quick thinking. Mind telling us what exactly that is that you came here to do?, I asked, and immediately regretted it when I saw Alla hesitate, but eventually she replied.

• We were transporting a weapon to Meeker. It's a prototype one, one of the Gauss Guns captured from Monolith. It is remarkable in that it is in such a good condition, usually the ones we find are quite beat up and repairing them is really rare, only Clear Sky technicians know how to do that.

• Interesting, I'll let command know that such a thing exists. I don't suppose you could give us a demonstration shot?, Sevka asked jokingly.

• I can't, I don't have the ammo for it. But up there are plenty of folks willing to give you one, free of charge, Alla replied, grinning while pointing at the moonlit buildings just outside the dome.

• I see. I think we'll pass the offer for now. Also, I'm really sorry about your friends, I said quietly.

• They were good men, and such are hard to come by here. But such is life in these parts. Anyway, thanks and goodbye, I do not wish to linger in this hellhole one second too long, Alla said solemnly and left, travelling through another door at the other side of the large room.

• Gauss Gun, eh? I don't believe her, sounds like some science fiction bullshit, especially since she didn't show it to us, Sevka commented.

• Deadly anomalies and dangerous mutants, yet you draw the line to a gauss gun? Something we already have had in development for years? Anyway, I'm more worried about it being in the hands of criminals. If they have no moral qualms about using all sorts of controversial weapons, imagine what they could do with the things found here, I replied with worry in my voice.

• Looks like somebody needs to step in, then, Sevka replied.

• Yes, although I must admit, if UN steps in, the things might just get a more straightforward route to their buyers. Mercs are probably already selling their stuff to weapon companies, with UN takeover, eventually they'd wrangle their paws into this operation as well.

• You might have a point. I just hope you're wrong.

• Me too, Sevka, me too. Let's get back to work though, we need to check this place out properly, I said, and Sevka nodded.

Hours later, the main contingent of UNISG arrived. We had explored everything, from the command centre to a stack of shipping crates near the southern wall. I didn't find anything of note, it looked like someone had gone through this place beforehand. Sevka found a stash with some maps, related to places marked with X and a number. It seemed like they were some sort of labs. I had overheard numerous stalkers mention the X-19 and X-16 laboratories, which had apparently housed some sort of psi-emitters and had been throughly explored. Those were mentioned in the maps as well, but there were others as well. X-2 and X-3, X-1, X-7 and X-8... All sorts of interesting things. When the main force arrived, Hernandez was visibly excited by the news.

• This is a tremendous find. We now have an established base of operations, and a clear targer. We need to send teams to these locations immediately. X-8 has apparently been explored before, so I am afraid we may not find anything there, but it apparently has connections to X-7. Torodov and De Luca, you check that out. Pereira, you and your men check out those psi-emitter facilities. Report back to here once you have results!, Hernandez ordered.

And with these orders, we obeyed. Sevka and I geared up, patched up our equipment, repaired what needed to be done with our guns and switched into full mercenary gear before following Alla's trail. The quest for knowledge and discovery into the secrets of the Zone had truly begun.