Chapter CVII: The Scramble to Stop a Gathering Storm

 Major Tarasov, long-time combat veteran of the Zone, former army officer and one of the few survivors of Operation Fairway. The last days he had felt defeated and despair had gripped his heart. The helicopter that had carried the freshly assembled Ecologist commandoes was blown out of the air near the Generators. They made it out, the chopper's pilot Susarov had strained his skills to their limits with the landing. Still, it had all gone downhill from there. Susarov had suffered injuries during the landing, and despite Boghdan's medical efforts, perished soon after. Yarik had broken some bones too, and was suffering from dangerously high fever. Edik's CBSE suit was damaged, and Boghdan was working day and night to keep Yarik alive.

Still, nothing had lifted his spirits quite like when he stumbled upon Boris and his faction while on scouting patrol. He still wasn't completely trusting of the Redemption's crew, since they did come from all the hives of scum and villany in the Zone, but Tarasov's escapades in Pripyat during the aftermath of Fairway had taught him to not judge a book by its colours. After he finished gawking at the pile of pseudogiant corpses, their blood streaming downhill like rivers, Tarasov led the small Redemption force over twisted terrain to a cave entrance, than on closer inspection was actually some sort of a lab hallway. It reminded Boris of lab X-16, and he looked at his two companions, who both looked back, Dima with frustrated amusement and Sanyok with dry smile.

• Remember how you said third time's the charm with X-16? Fourth one is about as charming as a bloodsucker, Dima said.

• Hey I think I have a joke for that, Orlov exclaimed, prompting a dozen angry stares towards him.

• Yes Dima, I so remember that. If we have to crawl into there and it's similar to X-16, Orlov shall take my place, I'll stay here and grill me some sausages, Boris muttered, and Dima snorted.

• Yeah right, like you could turn down a suicide mission.

The bunker entrance was rather cramped. Strelok's squad of religious zealots led by Father Diodor had sat into the elevator, listening a fiery sermon from their leader. Kruglov was eyeing them suspiciously, while Strelok only looked tired. Rogue and Zakarov were going through some battleplans, while Boghdan and Stitch tried to help Yarik with the help of Edik. Zakarov noticed the newcomers first, grinning as he saw his old friends appear from the somewhat misty and snowy air. The others stopped their work as well upon seeing Redemption arrive, and soon there was a flurry of greetings and shaking of hands. Vityukha rushed to help the two medics, while Strelok invited the three Redemption leaders to a campfire for planning and some of Beard's fine mushroom tea.

• As you can see, the situation is dire. Kruglov's squad suffered losses upon arriving, and I also lost one of the "Templars", as they like to call themselves, upon arriving here. Still, we have managed to gather plenty of intel and have gotten our bearings on the place. Rogue, if you will, Strelok explained in a weary voice, prompting Rogue to roll out a crude map of the surrounding area.

• This is where we are now. The entrance to lab X-3, the Stormfront, as Kruglov says, or Icon of Sin, as Diodor calls it. Anyway, we know how to get to the lab, but we also know that Chernobog with his last Castigator is waiting for us to do just that, and once we do, it's all over. We need a distraction to break through, and before you arrived we lacked the means to do both the disabling of the machine and the diversion, Rogue continued where Strelok had left off.

• Let me guess, Redemption shall work as a bait?, Dima asked.

• Yes. We need you guys to attack this place here. I believe it is called Monolith War Lab. Sin consider it holy, and so do the Monolith. According to Strelok it was where he appeared after a series of teleportations, and that was where C-Con was located.

• And here I was hoping there was no lab crawl coming up..., Sanyok sighed.

• We'll do it. How much time do we have until the emission machine is charged?, Boris asked, eyeing the map for any significant detail.

• By our calculations, it should be ready in two hours or so. They have been charging it so long that if fired in an hour or so, it will still be a massive one, quite similar to the first and second emissions. I already sent message to Sakharov to broadcast the "Cataclysm" alarm designed for situations like this, I truly hope it got through all the interference, Kruglov spoke, shaking his head at the thought of the emission occuring.

• And what if they get a full charge off?, Sanyok asked quietly. Kruglov went visibly pale.

• Kiev, Kharkiv, maybe even Odessa and Sevastopol, all gone. The emission reaches them, and the populations evaporate. The Zone grows exponentially from its current size. To put it simply, this cannot be allowed to happen. Not now, not ever, Kruglov said sternly, despite his paleness his voice did not waver during the last sentence.

The room quieted down as everyone sinked into their thoughts. Boris couldn't help but admire the scientist however. Everyone in the Zone made fun of the ecologists for their lack of combat skills and somewhat naive outlook into the Zone's dangers, but here was one that fully understood them as well. Kruglov was a mighty ally, and Boris made a silent vow to keep on his good side. He glanced at the clock before coughing nervously and looking around the room.

• You heard the scientist. Doomsday is near, and those Sin fanatics are its cause. We shall break them, we shall bend them, and we shall destroy them! They threaten our families, our homes, our people for a lost cause, and that shall not come to pass! Redemption! We may be unredeemable bastards, but we have homes too, homes we shall defend to the last man!, Boris commanded, and his men rose up, gripped their weapons and their eyes filled with grim determination.

Without further comments, Boris nodded to Strelok, shook Kruglov's hand and stepped out into the radiation-filled air. He reached over his shoulder and swung down his black assault rifle, charging the handle back and chambering an armour-piercing round. It was time to do what Redemption did best, fight an uphill battle. Dima emerged next to him, loading a magazine into his Val, and Sanyok followed suit, sighing as he looked down at the USAS Boris had borrowed to him.

• Man, Dimuha must be kicking himself for not being here, Vityukha laughed, gazing at the breathtaking view in front of him.

• He sure does, although we better not expect any of our vodka stashes to be full once we return, Toha said, smiling.

• Ay mlyaa, my beautiful Nemiroff, Stepukha muttered, prompting chuckles from the others.

• Okay men, as I just said, this is no tourist trip, get your gear ready. Toha, Leva and Orlov, you're on sniper duty. Stepukha, Sanyok, Dima and me will be the hammer. Any sign of Anton or Mark?, Boris asked, pointing his words at Micha, who was observing the scenery through his binoculars, having stayed behind as a guard.

• Uh... I see a dead chimera being feasted on by a pair of snorks, disgusting urods... But no sign of our loner companions. Neither dead or alive, which I mean is at least a good sign, right?, the heavily-armoured replied.

• It's good. Sin couldn't capture them even if they tried, and I doubt that anything could kill those two. Well, I'm sure we'll run into them, let's move men!, Boris roared and threw his Nosorog forward at a frightening pace.

Redemption moved through the twisted and tortured hellscape at quick pace, passing bones and shreds of armour as they went. Snow covered some of the ground, but the strange, almost unnatural heat emanating from the emission machine seemed to have melted some of it. There were skeletal remains of beasts Boris had never seen before too, like massive boars and something resembling a smaller pseudogiant. Had they had more time, Boris would have gathered samples for scientists, but now every second counted. They passed the claw-like formations and broken earth on the foot of the hill where the generators pulsed with energies unimaginably powerful. Boris gave them a passing glance, the hairs on his neck standing up from the static in the air.

There was a foreboding calm amidst the group. Everyone prepared themselves mentally, the battle would be a tough one. On top of yet another hillside was a small outpost, barely larger than the military checkpoints in Cordon, where the masterminds behind C-Conciousness had resided many years ago. Sin forces flooded out of the gates as Boris' forces approached, and without a word his heavy squad moved to intercept them. There was four to six Sinners, more inside the outpost walls, and by the looks of it the area around it had been made into a minefield. As if anomalies were not a big enough nuisance, now they had to worry about conventional booby traps.

Micha took lead and crouched down behind a broken down ZAZ car, perching his venerable Stalin's Dinner Plate on top of it and opening the battle with a crescendo of machine gun fire. The Sinners spread out, startled by the heavy fire. They had clearly reacted more on the battle with the giants on the hilltop nearby than to Boris' force taking the direct route to them. With Micha's covering fire, Toha and Leva rushed to support him and soon there was a heavy firebase pouring an absolute leadstorm into the rust-red coloured Sinners. Two fell down, the red of their coats mixing with the crimson of their blood. Boris held his force back however, keeping them down and supporting the fireteam.

And then the moment he had waited for came. Sin forces moved down the road without hesitation, and that confirmation was all Boris needed. With a soaring battlecry he rallied his assault squad, and they ascended up the dirt road, weapons blazing. Micha left Orlov in charge of the snipers and joined Boris' squad, his DP spewing lead alongside Dima's Val. The remaining zealots slowly fell back, furiously battering Boris' armour. For some reason the massive red and black armour agitated them the most, but Forester's and Polymer's solid work earlier paid off as even large-calibre bullets harmlessly dulled themselves on the thick plating. Boris pushed on adamantly, and Sanyok used his charge, ducking from behind him and blasting away using the Korean shotgun.

• Boris, watch out, snipers at the towers!, Orlov screamed from behind them.

Rounds struck Boris' armour, and they hurt. Boris staggered back, dazed. Sanyok took lead, and together with Stepukha, the two Redeemed fired their drums empty to keep the enemies occupied. Dima slapped Boris helmet, bringing him back to focus, and Micha stepped aside him, emptying his black machine gun with long bursts. Another Sinner fell down, crying out in a low voice. Stepukha struck one with his stock, a wounded fanatic who had tried to reload his shotgun, and Sanyok struck a knife into the man's abdomen. Boris came to his senses, raised his rifle and killed the last straggler. The snipers had been kept down by mostly speculative fire from Redemption snipers.

With their leader now back in action, and the doomsday clock ticking behind them, the Redemption force rushed inside the gates, Sanyok tossing a few smoke grenades to cover their advance. From the smoke they emerged, guns firing rapidly at anything that moved. Two cultists fell from their towers, killed by accurate fire, although one managed to wound Stepukha to his arm. But the battle was not over yet.

• Unforgiven! I admire your determination, but it is useless. I told you once already, that I will win. I must win, for the good of the world, and of the Zone. I will finish what Duty and Clear Sky never could, contain the Zone for the good of mankind!, Chernobog raged from the speakers mounted on the bunker door, the bunker leading to Monolith War Labs.

• This the joker we met at the hospital?, Dima asked.

• Yes. Chernobog. Father of Sin. And grade A urod, Boris sighed.

• Well, no time to lose. Let's finish this then, storm the lab, kill the bastards, Sanyok hissed, surprising Boris.

• Well men, you heard Sanyok! Chernobog thinks his mad plan will be enough to contain the Zone. Let's show him just how much we do not like it. Sanyok, do the honours, Boris said, and Sanyok nodded with fire dancing in his eyes.

Over the small stretch of pained and cracked earth that made up the territory of the Generators, a swirling storm of unnatural energies was forming. The pink tinge rose over the horizon, and the sound of a massive charge being loaded onto the spherical generator structures rang across the land. The Mother of All Emissions was coming. And the world would not be ready for it.