Chapter LXIII: Sins of the Father

 The veil of darkness was overtaken as splashing water and blinding light touched Boris' face. His entire body ached, pain pulsed from somewhere close to his left arm and side. Yet something was numbing it, taking off the edge of the sharp and relentless pain. Boris opened his eyes slowly, the light moved away from burning his retinas as he did so.

Dima was watching him, looking stressed. There was also a man in mercenary uniform next to him, M40 gasmask covering his face. But simply from the way he stood, Boris knew it was the mercenary medic, aptly named Surgeon. Boris had delivered him a drug-making kit during his renegade days, yet didn't seem to remember a single other thing about the man.

• Well, he seems to be alive, that's good. That'll be fifty thousand, thank you,  Surgeon said in a disinterested voice.

• What the hell, I knew the mercs liked roleplaying Americans but that you even took the healthcare aspect of it too? But here you go suka, go drink yourself to death with it, Dima said, opening a wallet that looked suspiciously like the one Boris owned. Boris opened his mouth to protest, and was surprised by the croakiness of his voice:

• Wait a second. I'm not paying you to stitch me back together, who was it again that saved your ass just a second ago?

• A second ago? It's been almost a day, Boris. But you're right, Dima said, shutting the wallet and handing it back to Boris, who gave him a scathing look, getting a joyful grin in return. Surgeon shrugged.

• Oh well, it was worth a try. Guess you can go without your fee, even though you lack the insurance. But next time you won't get so lucky, he commented dryly and turned back to sterilizing his equipment.

Dima helped Boris get up, his movements still stiff and weak. But Boris needed to know what Dushman had dragged him here for, and no wound was going to keep him down. Thankfully, Polymer had installed a very expensive but useful system into Boris' suit, which would cause his body to be filled with meds and blood coagulants in cause his vitals dipped. It had taken days of fierce negotiations for Boris to get that from Xenotech, but Polymer had backed him up and finally they had gotten the life-saving system. Thanks to the system, Boris was quite a bit less weak than he would've been normally after a wound like the one he had sustained.

Dushman stood behind his counter, watching the pair with a grin that annoyed Boris to no end. He greeted them with his usual tone of superiority, getting a half-assed greeting in return. Boris went straight to business, questioning Dushman what they were needed for here.

• Alright. Believe it or not, I did not drag you here to deal with a few conscripts, although thanks for that. There's an evolving situation with a certain individual in this base, and it might have ties to a larger development in the Zone I want you to take a look into, thanks to your faction's perceived neutrality and the rather limited manpower I've got to spare right now, the merc boss replied, and Boris raised his eyebrows slightly.

• No suicide missions this time? What, you going soft or something, he taunted, receiving an angry look from Dushman.

• Go deal with the mission given or I'll kick your snarky ass to the orbit. The guy is upstairs, find out what he wants, talk about Redemption for example, he seems to be into some sort of spiritual shit, and then dispose of him if need be, Dushman said in annoyed tone. Boris nodded, and Dima stayed behind to report the things Boris wanted Dushman aware of, like the murderers they had hunted, Alpha Karlik and the resurgence of mutants.

Upstairs, Boris found a man in a odd brown and red trenchcoat preaching to a group of mercs. Boris asked the man to talk privately, and he looked to him, intrigued. His face was somewhat odd, particularly grey even. He stood up and joined Boris at the edge of the room, near a large cell where VIPs were held, in the mercs case meaning very important prisoners.

• So, I see you're not part of the local entourage. May I ask what faction you're part of? I do not recognize that patch, and I don't think you work for Duty. Are you also a seeker of salvation?, the stranger barraged Boris with questions, his voice much deeper than Boris had expected from a man his frame and size.

• I am part of Redemption, our main goal being to achieve, well, just that. My group consists of former criminals, murderers and thieves, each with a background of shame and regret which we seek to rectify, to become accepted members of society once more. And you?, Boris replied.

• I represent Sin, and our goals are very much like yours, but less self-centered. We seek to cleanse the world, to find salvation, to break the chains tying humanity down. We are the followers of Vyraj, and our father Chernobog has shown us the way. The Zone expands, and some fear it. But to us, it is a gift, a beautiful creation of Vyraj that must be defended.

• Alright. This all sounds very interesting, and I must admit it is refreshing to see another path to salvation. How would one go about joining Sin? You might be onto something here that my faction's goals are bit too self-centered.

• Well, we rarely take in recruits not blessed by the presence of Father Chernobog, but we have been working on something in Red Forest, brother Stribog there will be more than happy to guide you on the path to enlightenement. We have been suffering from attacks by those who are less... open-minded as you though, so tread carefully, the stranger explained. Boris nodded sheepishly.

• And who might be these heathens who harass you? Bandits perhaps?

• Unfortunately, there are those among Free Stalkers and others who view us as radicals and zealots, and consider our cause dangerous. It has happened even here, in Dead City. Some try to create a bad name of our holy mission, and sometimes silencing of non-believers is the only way to serve Vyraj. After all, on the road to the salvation of mankind, the bad apples must be removed that the larger tree can flourish, the Sinner preached, unaware of the concern growing inside Boris. This sounded dangerous to him, far too cult-like.

• I see. And what are your views of the Monolith? They also view the Zone as divine, Boris asked as non-chalantly as he could. The man shrugged.

• We have our own holy mission, and while we do not agree on their outlook, we appreciate their resolution in defending their holy sites. Father Chernobog has had some encounters with them, but I'll tell you of those after your initiation into the brotherhood. Just know that the Monolith will not hurt you if you join us, the man said slyly.

Boris had heard enough. This cult, Sin, was clearly yet another pawn of the Zone and Monolith, whether they knew it or not. And the man had implied that they were not avoiding violence to other stalkers. Boris got up and with a very unnoticeable nod ordered Dima behind the man. Dima sneaked behind him as silently as possible.

• I thank you for the new course in life you've given me, brother, it is most certainly a lot to think about. But now, I must leave, and so must you, although your leaving will be of a more permanent manner, Boris said in a grave voice, and before the Sin member could even show a surprised face, Dima struck a dagger at the back of his head, killing him on spot.

• Brutal, Boris, brutal, Dushman said commented, having observed the situation unfold. Boris shrugged.

• The Zone has enough fanatics. I've dealt with religious zealots inside and outside the Zone, and I know a lost case when I see one. I assume you want us to track down this Sin cult and that Father of theirs, Boris asked, raising his brows at the merc leader. He nodded.

• I presume you got a place out of him? We had a squad tracking some Sin member out of curiosity, but they've been MIA for quite some time, I have their last radio transmission here somewhere, you can have it if you think it'll be useful. Thanks for disposing the man, he's been bugging out the boys for quite some time now.

• Yup, we'll head to Red Forest once more. It appears they have a base there, and we're going there anyway. Let's hope we get to deliver the Father Chernobog his final prayers as well, Boris answered, absent-mindedly. He was still thinking the words of the mystery man. There was something more than pure devotion to some entity in them somewhere, he'd have to find out what it was.

• Oh great, back into the fucking Red Forest. And you thought this wasn't going to be a suicide mission, Boris groaned. Boris scoffed. Back into the forest of horrors once more, what joy, he thought to himself.