Chapter XXVI: Taking over the Meadow, the Triumph

 Meadow is often regarded as the smaller Darkscape, a quiet backwater with little to do in, but right now it was all but quiet. Automatic fire could be heard from the factory, large assault rifles barking like dogs of war and submachine guns firing their bursts in sharp, sudden manner. Sometimes this cacophony involved beastly roars from shotguns and quieter yet lethal howls from pistols. The battle for Meadow had reached its peak, yet Dima and Boris had no idea who was fighting who. They had defeated a squad of military troopers, yet not without damage. But now was not the time to lick wounds.

Boris started moving up the hill towards the factory, Dima following him closely, keeping his Val rifle as high as he could with his wounded arm. Boris meanwhile was limping slightly, but thankfully his leg was operational still and the painkillers had numbed the pain into a slight, pulsating ache. Boris had switched back to his AKMN and reloaded a new grenade. They were aware of how exposed they were as they climbed the hill, but the road had no cover outside of few rusty old vehicles. Fortunately for them, there was no resistance, until they reached the top of the hill.

There was a pair of soldiers aiming their rifles at a old store or mess hall, slowly moving crouched towards it. They ducked down when a burst of fire flew out of one window, missing them by a countrymile, but this fire at least made it hard for them to spot Boris and Dima. Boris nodded at the one at the front and pointed the other for Dima, and they quickly raised their rifles, firing in unison and killing the soldiers on spot. There seemed to be no other soldiers lurking around. Fire still continued in the factory, at times joined by screams of pain and death. A mercenary stepped out of the factory, AK-74 PMC held high and looked extremely stressed out. He noticed his saviours and looked like he felt more relieved than one could possibly feel.

• Aren't you guys a sight for sore eyes! I was almost done for, I can't shoot for shit, the merc said in an voice that was almost as full of relief as his face was.

• And you are?, Boris asked, confused as to what a merc was doing here. Had Dushman found out about his little pet project?

• Oh, I'm Toshka Attorney, at your service. I was looking for artefacts here, when these gentlemen decided to invade. I stayed inside there when about 30 or more moved past here, looks like they're trying to take over this place. These two unfortunately noticed me, and I was almost done for. What about you guys?

Dima and Boris looked at each othet quickly, having a small conversation through glances alone. The man seemed harmless enough, and his equipment was far from a assansins gear. And by the look of all the lead-lined containers, artefact application modules and detectors, he sure was here looking for artefacts. Boris nodded so slightly that only Dima could notice it and they turned to the man.

• It's pretty secretive, but our main thing right now is taking down these bastards, so will you help us with whatever is going on there?, Boris asked and pointed at the factory.

• Well, I'm about as good with weapons as a half-blind babushka but I'll help you since you saved my ass, Toshka replied, looking more anxious than he sounded.

The trio of mercenaries begun moving towards the large battle, where firing had devolved into small bursts and single shots. The sides are getting more entrenched, Boris thought to himself. Boris took the lead due to his heavy armour, Dima following close behind and Toshka taking the rear, clearly out of his element. They found the gate of the factory unguarded, but not far from it were a few military troopers, an officer among them. Boris raised his AKMN while leaning from behind the wall, took plenty of aim to make sure he hit and fired his grenade launcher once again.

The grenade hit the squad spot-on, killing them in an explosion and staggering the nearby squads. Some of them got out of cover and were picked up by a crossfire, part of it coming from the factory and part of it from Dima and Toskha who had taken positions alongside the gate. With their covering fire, Boris rushed in and took cover between a hangar, observing the scene from behind a ZIL truck.

The factory yard was a mess. In the middle of it were puddles of anomalous goo, and beside the tell-tale signs of gravity anomalies. A squad of military men had been killed there, presumably by the factory defenders. There were more soldiers hiding behind hangars, cement pipes and vehicles all around the factory yard, some still pointing their weapons towards the main building. There were also other corpses that bore the markings of bandits and renegades. Dimuha and Vityukha had clearly managed to recruit some people to their cause, Boris thought, but it remained to be seen if any of them would survive this onslaught.

Just as Boris ceased his thoughts and started to plan his next move, he was attacked by soldiers from behind. Two soldiers wearing Bulat armour had appeared behind him, and Boris had only seconds to take cover from them. He leaped to cover, his wounded leg protesting heavily, and the bullets dodges him with a slim margin. Dima had acted just as quickly as Boris and already nailed the other soldier. Toshka reacted a bit slower and fired the entire magazine of his AK into the hangar wall, at the ZIL Boris was hiding behind, at the sky and at the ground. Boris could see Dima give him a very questioning look. The failed attempt at marksmanship had given Boris the opportunity he needed and he bounced from his cover, blasting the soldier away with his MP-133.

His leg was struggling to keep up, the wound combined with exhaustion was taking a toll on him. Dima and Toshka rushed in as soon as they saw Boris wavering. The military, now realizing how small their group was in reality, begun a strong push against the ZIL. Two grunts stayed behind and kept firing at the factory and administrative building, while around 6-7 soldiers in Bulat and Skat armours moved towards Boris and company. They were led by a Nosorog-clad officer. Boris would have to hold on a little longer if he wished to survive.

Boris laid the plan out for Toshka and Dima as quickly as he could. He and Toshka would distract the enemy by moving to the other side of the hangar while trying to break towards the factory. Dima would man the watchtower and fire at the enemies while their backs were turned. Boris hoped that when they were attacked by the military, whatever survivors there were in the factory, they would help Boris and Toshka. Dima and Toshka both nodded, the time was not right for more complicated plans.

Boris limped forward, Toshka helping them as they went. Every step was agony, but by sheer willpower and need to survive Boris kept going, gritting his teeth almost to the point of shattering them. They made it to the back of the last hangar, and from there opened fire, Boris hitting one of the soldiers, Toshka hitting the hangar, ground and possibly some cloud somewhere. The enemy group turned around and sent a volley of automatic fire towards them, Boris pushing Toshka to cover while his armour absorbed most of the punishment. The trap was set, he hoped Dima had gotten into position.

The sickening sound of a bullet piercing someones' skull confirmed that Dima was, indeed, in position. Another bullet collapsed a lung of one of the soldiers, and yet another killed one of the Skat-wearing troopers, penetrating his armour and striking his heart. While the enemy unit dissolved into chaos, Boris and Toshka jumped out from between the hangars and opened fire, killing the Nosorog officer with overwhelming firepower. However, things slowed down in Boris' vision when he saw one of the soldiers pull a pin off a grenade while preparing to throw it at them. Dima hit him once, but he barely flinched. He was extending his arm, about to throw. Boris could not get out of the way of it, he knew it.

A mass of fire flew at the soldier, killing him on spot. Boris turned to face the source of the fire, and saw that at least 10-15 men were rushing out of the factory, firing pistols, shotguns and assault rifles at the soldiers, killing many and wounding others. There were renegades, bandits, mercenaries, all fighting side by side. Boris and Toshka rushed in, Boris firing his AKMN at the last soldier and decimating him. The fighting died down, and all Boris could hear was the wild, roaring cry for victory emerging from the survivors as he collapsed to the ground, his leg giving in at last. Laying there, in agony yet still with relief, he heard a familiar voice:

• Hey old man, this ain't a proper sleeping spot, you could catch a cold out here, the voice said and Boris turned slowly to look at the source. It was Dimuha, the young bandit now glad in a proper exoskeleton and grinning like a madman. Vityukha appeared at his side, smiling as well.

• Well, looks like I saved your asses again. Had I known you were still here, I dunno if I would have bothered, Boris joked as they helped him up.

• You would've, since these fine gentlemen now owe me at least a pack of smokes, Dima said as he appeared from behind Boris.

Dimuha hid the pack of smokes he had been about to open quickly, and glanced at Boris, before saying in a more serious voice:

• So, Boss, I think it's about time you meet your new recruits!