Chapter XC: Siege of Limansk Part 2, Seizing the Means of Production

 Wind howled between the buildings of Limansk, the narrow alleyways amplifying the sounds. What little vegetation still remained unburdened by the snow rustled as gusts of wind danced around the pavement. Dimuha glanced at the fluorescent glow of his clock. Eleven in the morning. Time to move on, he thought, and sighed. Taking out his SVDS rifle, he swapped the PSO scope for a more close range Kobra sight. No point using a sniper scope on the city streets.

Having finished his tinkering, he took a look around. Gleb Hawk, Valik Anti-Air and Leva Voyager were the Redemption continent of his small squad, Arthur Heathen was the lone Freedomer who had joined them after the battle for the Brain Scorcher. All fully equipped and ready for battle. Dimuha gave them a silent order to get ready, the mission would surely be rough. They had orders to take a small factory outside of the main road, apparently Sinners had a primitive arms and material workshop there. Taking it out wasn't a huge priority, but Boris had plans for its contents which could be a huge boon in the battles to come.

The squad crossed through a half-collapsed pathway near the free stalker defence line, which they jokingly referred to as the Maginot, while in reality it consisted of a couple sandbags and a ruined jeep booby-trapped with IEDs. Monolith had tried to use this passage before to surprise the defenders, which is how the arms workshop was discovered. Slowly, the squad travelled through the deserted courtyards, avoiding sunlight like the plague. Dimuha covered the rest while they crossed and moved in after them. These streets had seen little stalker or fanatic activity in the long years, still bearing signs of the original inhabitants of Limansk.

• You guys hear the whispering too? The little kids giggling?, Gleb asked in a hushed tone. Valik and Arthur nodded.

• Wouldn't trust the Freedomer, he's high as a kite. And you stooges are probably playing a prank again, Leva murmured, prompting a chuckle from Dimuha, which was cut short when he and Leva heard the voices too.

• Hey, I've been sober for fifteen minutes at least. And besides, you just became whiter than Hitler's daydreams, I bet you heard them too, Arthur mocked.

• Allright, everyone shuts the fuck up and keeps going. As long as the ghosts keep giggling in the shadows instead of flinging shit or fire at us I'm fine with them. Now, keep moving you lazy bastards, my babushka moves faster, Dimuha ordered.

• I bet he doesn't have a babushka, with that face he probably sprung up from some hole in the ground next to a radioactive puddle, Valik whispered to Gleb.

The group kept moving on, ignoring the strange voices. Still, Dimuha could not shake the feeling of being watched, something that was even more unnerving to a sniper than it was to others. Sneaking through an abandoned house, they came upon a road blocked by a wrecked car and lost cargo. The factory lay on the other side of it, its smokestack towering over the terrain. Dimuha could see a lone Sin sniper scanning the grounds below atop the stack.

• Should've kept the scope after all, Dimuha murmured angrily and started screwing the PSO back in place.

• Should we start sneaking in?, Gleb asked quietly.

• Yup. You and Leva take the lead since you've got good suppressors, Valik moves in behind and Arthur stays with me for the time being as my spotter.

Final orders being given, Dimuha glanced at the clock. Twenty minutes had passed. Boris, do your party trick please, Dimuha thought, and as if on cue, a massive firefight erupted over the houses. Arthur looked at Dimuha with an amused grin as he raised his sniper at the lone fanatic, the man's attention now turned at the battle going elsewhere. The trigger was heavy and the pull long, just like Dimuha preferred, the effort being rewarded by a muffled rifle blast and a streak of blood erupting from the zealot's chest.

Dimuha reported into the radio that the coast was clear, and Gleb copied. Down by the factory, two cultists fell to a series of rather silent shots, their bodies slumping over the factory watchpost. Dimuha glanced at Arthur, who reported a few more targets. The sniper identified the targets and two more shots followed, each connecting with lethal consequences for the cult members. The Freedomer kept a close eye at the factory windows through his binoculars, but it seemed that the death of the Sin stragglers had gone unnoticed.

• Alright, we got them all outside, let's move in too. Guys, no need to worry about going loud anymore, he said, first to Arthur and then to the speaker.

Inside the factory, Gleb had led his squad through a side door. Despite being brought to life by the fanatics, signs of wear and tear still dotted the used machinery and storage lockers. Gleb had expected to see Sinners working on the guns and equipment, but in reality there was about a dozen stalkers from a multitude of factions slaving away, assembling guns and armour parts. Sin guards kept an eye on them from the ramparts, their guns trained on everyone who made sudden movements. Gleb did slight hand gestures to some of the darker corners of the room. Nodding, both Valik and Leva moved to position while crouched.

Dimuha and Arthur entered using the main door. The noise made the Sinners turn their attention towards it, and Gleb took this opportunity, opening fire with his M4 rifle. Valik and Leva were ready as well, and a hailstorm of bullets struck the fanatics, turning the entire factory into chaos. Old, barely functional alarm was triggered, the prisoners started running around, some trying to grab guns while others headed for cover. Dimuha noticed a door beneath the Sinners ramparts, kicking it in and storming up the staircase, Arthur struggling to keep up. The pained groans and cries of agony coming from the other room indicated that Gleb's trio had finished off the believers.

Dimuha smashed through the door upstairs as well, finding a single Sinner in the room. His shotgun thundered and struck Dimuha at point blank range, the exoskeleton absorbing the pellets but most of the sheer force still sent the Redeemed stumbling backwards. The Sinner screeched triumphantly and rushed after the attacker, only to end up in the sights of Arthur's G3. The heavy bullet left the German gun's muzzle, splashing the walls red with the zealots blood. He collapsed down, vital fluids leaving his body. Dimuha fought to get back up with the help of Arthur, and eventually stood over the now lifeless Sinner. While they were catching their breaths, Gleb yelled from the downstairs for Dimuha to come down.

Downstairs, Valik and Leva were helping the now free prisoners, distributing rations and ammo. The former slaves now seemed extremely grateful, apparently time spent under Sin zealots was not a pleasant one. That was however not the reason Gleb had asked them to come here. Two corpses lay at the very corner of the room, bullet wounds in their foreheads. The uniforms were bloodsoaked and grimy, but Dimuha still noticed the peculiar camouflage scheme. A mix of red, white and green, while otherwise similar to merc suits in design, with a red shoulder patch of unique design.

• What the hell? Who are these guys?, Dimuha asked.

• Apparently one is Major Pavel Morozov and the other one goes by the callsign Jackdaw. The PDA I found on one of the spoke of the failure of Operation Alpenglow or something, Gleb replied, clearly thinking the situation in his head as well. He gave Dimuha the battered PDA.

• Interesting. Probably something worth investigating. But not what were after. There, let's check out that crate.

They crossed the room and one of the prisoners gave them a crowbar. Arthur cranked the crate top open and they peered inside. A warm grin spread across Dimuha's face.

• Mission complete, bratans, mission complete, he said.