Chapter CX: The War Lab

 While the greatest emission since 2012 raged inside the Zone's borders, causing untold destruction and casualities, there were still those locked into a deadly battle. One such force was Redemption, pushing still on even as the energies of apocalypse erupted outside. These did not go unnoticed however. The second the massive emission started, the veterans of Redemption hunkered down in the lobby area of Monolith War Labs to weather it. The rigid construction and tons of earth over the bunker complex dampened the effect somewhat.

Nonetheless, even the strongest of Redemption members, Boris himself too, suffered greatly as the storm made them dizzy, nauseated and weary. Some, like Sanyok in his weakly protected Sunset suit, even suffered from hallucinations. Vityukha had his hands full administering psi-block and O27 R pills to people, but he himself finally collapsed next to the wall as the storm took its toll on him. Finally, after two hours of the greatest cataclysm of their lives, it died down.

• Jesus Christ, what the actual fuck was that?, Dima cursed as the storm begun to settle, retching violently as a wave of sickness rocked his body.

• They got the emission off... But it couldn't have been the big one, they only had an hour to charge, Sanyok muttered, looking pale and sickly.

• Indeed. Strelok managed to stop it. Our fight was not in vain brothers!, Boris cheered, trying to rise to his feet but giving up as he almost threw up inside his MASKA.

• It was big enough though..., Micha said, his eyes srill wide from shock.

• Yes, once we leave this bunker, the Zone we'll see might not be the one we've come to know, Leva murmured, staring ahead himself.

• Well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Now, let's move. We're sitting ducks up here, and as long as the Sinners remain unchecked they'll craft a new mad enterprise, Boris ordered, and slowly everyone rose up.

The room they had sought shelter in had in total five doors leading into the lab, although one was to a guard room opposite of the main room and one to a armoury next to the entrance. Leva, Toha and Sanyok had sheltered there. It was mostly empty, but a couple rusty TOZ shotguns stood on the walls and the trio had managed to scavenge some ammunition from the room. Micha kicked in the door on the left, pushing it off its brown-red, completely ruined hinges. Inside a startled rat scurried off from the way of the big Redeemed trooper. There were some lockers in the small room inside, and Micha gave documents found in them for Dima to leaf through while he himself used the exoskeleton's added strength to ruin yet another door, this time one made of metal bars.

• Material shipments to lab X-14, deals with the leaders of the Phantoms, locations of major bases in the Old Road and Construction Site areas, reports from convict disposal units, list of captured tourists who entered Group controlled areas, slated for disposal... Blyat, these guys were all over the Zone. Even killed tourists to keep hidden, Dima growled.

• Doesn't surprise me. If you're ready to brainwash your soldiers and keep up a network of unethical labs, you're going to be pretty shrewd and ruthless, Micha commented, finally breaking through the door.

The two stalkers descended into the room below, which was little more than a cramped workspace, littered with old machinery that had clearly stopped working long ago. Dima checked some of the writings on the desk, but there was not much to see, calculations and formulas that went over his head. They pried a few data storage units off the computers and left the room to see what the rest of the squad was up to, only to be greeted by booming machine gun fire coming from upstairs. Rushing up the staircase, Dima saw tracers pass from the lower floor, through the middle doorframe and into the roof, leaving rough holes into it. Toha, crouching next to the doorframe, pulled a grenade's pin and tossed it inside

• Iovi, pedrila!, Toha shouted before the explosion shook the entire lab.

Boris' Nosorog filled the entire frame and his USAS spat slugs down the staircase at frightening rate, killing two remaining wounded Sinners in seconds. They had attacked the group when Toha opened the door into rest of the lab, but quick thinking and reflexes had saved the sniper. With the dust settling and no further fanatical defenders in sight, Boris begun to walk down the staircase. The place reminded him of laboratory X-8. Dim yellow lights casted some light to the forgotten floors, but for the most part the electricity-powered lights had been destroyed in the last emission. Dima stepped into the room right behind Boris, his Val flashlight giving a welcome addition to the lighting.

• Oh no, please no. I can already feel the tomato cans clank against my helmet, please don't tell me there's burers here, Dima exclaimed, only partially as a joke

• I don't think we've got telekinetic assholes this time, just one with psychic powers and an army of brainwashed sycophants, Boris replied, turning on his flashlight as well.

• Bossman, looks like here's a ladder downstairs, Toha said, crouching next to a hole in the cement and pointing his Kiparis down it.

• Good find. Stepukha, take Toha and Leva and guard these floors in case we need an exit. Micha, Dima, Sanyok, Vityukha and Orlov, follow me downstairs, Boris commanded.

• Man, we always get the shitty guard duty, Stepukha complained to Leva.

• Speak for yourself bratukha, I'm not going down that hole unless ordered, the former merc replied, lighting a cigarette and eyeing Dima who tried to immediately bum another one for himself.

Boris begun to descend the ladder down, where there at least seemed to be a source of light judging by the warm yellow light shimmering below. He slid down the last few metres, turning around as he dropped to point the shotgun down the room. A startled Sinner who had been trying to reach the ladder jumped back, barely raising his rifle when two slug rounds struck his chest. He fell down, cursing the Redemption leader in his last breath. Two more of his comrades rushed in from another room, but Boris' machine shotgun pushed them back. This brief opportunity gave Dima and Micha the chance to slide down as well, and the three formed a defensive ring around the ladder to allow Orlov, Sanyok and Vityukha reach the floor.

• All down? Let's move!, Boris bellowed, charging after the Sinners, Dima right behind him.

• Stop the infidels, they cannot defile the holy chamber, the Sin squadleader screamed, opening fire at Boris and Micha rushing into the room like two-legged tanks.

The room they were hiding in had a pit in the middle with repair tables, rows of shelves and crates plus a rusted model version of the Rainbow Emitter. The shelves caught Boris' eye even in the heat of the battle, as it had multiple Gauss rifles on it and enough ammunition to last weeks of combat. The blood-freezing whirring of such rifle reached Boris' ears, and before he could do anything, Micha pushed him out of the doorframe as the almost silent wonderweapon fired. The tremendously lethal protectile stuck Micha, making him stagger behind before collapsing to the ground. Boris opened fire in rage, emptying the entire drum and killing the sniper. Dima and Sanyok finished off the two survivors. As the room calmed down, Boris turned to look at Micha. The ex-bandit lay on the floor, singular tear in his suit and puddle of blood sinking into the concrete.

• I'm sorry Boris, no one can survive a Gauss gun blast, Vityukha said solemnly while closing his comrade's eyes.

• As if the emission wasn't bad enough, they killed one of my best men! And for what? Fucking sukas, Boris raged.

• We'll avenge him, Sanyok said in a grim tone, picking up Micha's DP.

• Just like we'll avenge every good soldier that lost their lives in the hands of these bastards, Orlov added, spitting on one of the Sin corpses.

• Indeed. Let's break that door and finish this. For Micha!, Boris shouted, picking up one of the Gauss guns.

In a familiar whirr, it begun to charge before unleashing a blue flame, like the weapon had been bottled lightning. The beam-like projectile stuck the heavy door opposite the one Boris was standing in, and with heavy blow struck the metal aside. Boris fired the entire magazine into the door, until all that remained was a battered husk. He then walked up to it, and loading every bit of energy into his Nosorog, kicked the massive door off its now melted hinges. Behind the ruined door was a corridor, partly filled with sand and earth. Chernobog stood at the end of it, his pupilless eyes focused on the Redemption leader, arms crossed on his chest.

• So, you decided to show up here too? Do you not realize that we have won?, the leader of Sin asked in his usual fervent yet disinterested tone.

• Fuck you and your victory, it means nothing. All you did was cause a bit bigger emission. It was all futile, get it? The C-Conciousness is dead, the Zone can no longer be controlled, the stalkers will reach and explore every corner of it. You have lost, and now you will die.

• Ah, how ignorant. You really think I'd put everything down to just a psi-emitter and emission machine? Man, you might've gotten far with perseverance, but not with your intelligence.

• What do you mean?, Boris asked, puzzled by the Sinner's defiance.

• The C-Conciousness rests in this room right behind me. It lives on, despite what Strelok did years ago. I too thought they were dead, but I was wrong. They have been reborn with my help. And now, I must make sure they remain so, Chernobog explained.

Only now did Boris realize that in the window of the vault door behind Chernobog, there could be seen a tank with green liquid and a man, submerged into it, with pipes and wires coming out of him. The C-Conciousness, rebirthed. Upon this revelation, Boris opened fire with his Gauss gun first, striking the Sin leader in the chest. But to his surprise, the man simply held on, dropping his weapon but struggling on a couple more steps. Chernobog's face melted into a grin, a victorious one, and he seemed to gather all his concentration to do something. Rest of Boris' companions opened fire, filling the man with lead. But the king of lunatics simply laughed, and as life left his eyes, Boris could feel something shift in the air. The lab disappeared, turning into a plain of pure white. The whiteness stretched into the horizon with no visible point out. Nowhere to go.

• Is this... heaven?, Orlov asked quietly.

• Well, you're with Redemption, so very unlikely, Dima joked to hide his nervousness.

• I think I know what this is. Leshiy told me of his experiences inside a space anomaly. It would be a field of pure whiteness, complete silence and no real way out, Boris said, with a hint of despair in his voice.

• So Chernobog created an anomaly? How the fuck?, Sanyok questioned.

• Perhaps it was not Chernobog, but the new C-Con?, Dima proposed.

• So they sealed us and their lab off with this time anomaly?, Vityukha asked.

• Fucking hell, should've brought the nuke for this mission like Voronin told me to, Orlov murmured to himself.

• Looks like it. No need to have guards and defences up when you have a 24/7 anomaly field as a defence measure, Dima commented.

• What does that mean for us though, asked Orlov.

• To put it bluntly, we're utterly fucked, Boris muttered.

• Blyat, Vityukha said.

Half an hour later, the expeditionary force led by Strelok arrived to the scene, finding three dizzy and battered Redemption stalkers standing on the bunker door. Strelok, not much better himself after having been dragged off the emission machine complex by Father Diodor and Master who had regained their senses, looked at the three stalkers with confusion.

• What happened here? Where's the rest of your faction?, Kruglov asked.

• They went into the lab... And then it all went dark. I remember dragging these guys out of there, but as I went to get the others, something... Kept pushing me back. I would walk into the room below, and end up back here. Every time I did that, I would feel worse and worse, like it would eventually kill me, Stepukha explained.

• And the rest of your men? They're still alive?, Strelok asked quickly.

• I... don't know. I heard Gauss gun fire, a lot of it, followed by screams and explosions. I fear the worst, Stepukha said with a sorrowful face.

• I think we lost them... Chyort, they were good stalkers, Kruglov said solemnly.

• And it sounds like a space anomaly... There's no way to check the place out now, Zakarov commented, sadness softening his voice.

• I can't leave my commander rotting in there, whatever the case, Stepukha cried out.

• Well, we don't have the equipment to get that field cleared, and Monolith forces are converging on our location right as we speak. We will have to retreat, and do so quick, Strelok commanded.

• I... I don't know what to do, Stepukha said, bringing his hands to his face. Toha placed his hands on his friend's shoulder.

• We need to go, Stepukha. We will return, either to save or bury them, when we can, Leva said sternly, despite his personal sadness.

• You're probably right. Alright, Strelok, lead the way. We'll leave now, but we'll return. I promise that to you, comrades, Stepukha said, looking down into the bunker and pointing his words to his lost comrades.

As the sun begun its descent towards the edge of the horizon, the most cataclysmic day in the history of the Zone came to an end. Only now did people begin to emerge from their shelters, lighting campfires, looking for lost friends, gathering their bearings and burying their dead. In the Generators, a squad that had tried to stop all this, however, did not reappear from their shelter, trapped into a nightmare that in the past had driven strong men into madness. And as Strelok's group left the Generators, bitter and sorrowful due to their pyrrhic victory, the Monolith soldiers reclaimed their lost base. The Zone had changed, and only time would if any victory could be salvaged from this change.