Kensai
我们都是中国人
- Location
- Hel
Sera shrugged. "Why not? I'll do anything or anyone once."
The Exclusion Zone (S.T.A.L.K.E.R.)
- Thread starter Sushi
- Start date
- IC
Sera shrugged. "Why not? I'll do anything or anyone once."
DerPoltergeist
Potato
@Sushi @PanzerWaffles
Another German speaker! And she was offering to teach him how to use the gun! Maybe these scary looking people weren't all that bad after all. "Danke sehr!" Felix replied, also switching to German. "That'd help me a lot."
Another German speaker! And she was offering to teach him how to use the gun! Maybe these scary looking people weren't all that bad after all. "Danke sehr!" Felix replied, also switching to German. "That'd help me a lot."
DB_Explorer
Purveyor of alternate realities.
- Location
- San Diego, California
- Pronouns
- He/Him
"Could we all try actually?" Dexter asked as he wiped off his hands with a rag that, at least relatively, passed for clean. Getting something like the Niva working as never going to be clean - and doing it in the zone just made it worse really. "It's sorta small for a sample group but it would be interesting to see if their are any changes between users." Dexter explained as he pulled out a notebook. "So ... yeah how do we activate it?"
Sushi
#fuckcancer
@Kensai @DB_Explorer @Zeitgeist Blue
_____"Okay, Bloodhound, you take that one, and 'S.V.' take one too," Fox said. The older stalker looked a little taken aback at the truncated name of the latter, but it didn't keep him from his work. "If you have some wool, extra socks, long underwear, you want to build a static charge. That will wake up the spark. Once you can feel that tingle, your hairs standing up, put them into the battery right away," he said, miming the motion. There were two side-by-side cutouts in the box lined with a sort of shining, reflective surface. "Don't touch them together, either. It is... a bit like a novelty plasma ball, so it should not normally discharge when in your hands, but it never hurts to be safe. Okay, maybe hurts a little bit."
_____"Eh?" Dexter's comment made the mechanic rock on his feet, hands in his pockets. "I have no idea what happens if you 'activate' a Spark twice in a row. Maybe better to try that out when it has gone to sleep later on, stalker." He rubbed his hands together and nodded to the two rookies. "I would take turns so you don't bump together and cause a lightning storm."
_____"Okay, Bloodhound, you take that one, and 'S.V.' take one too," Fox said. The older stalker looked a little taken aback at the truncated name of the latter, but it didn't keep him from his work. "If you have some wool, extra socks, long underwear, you want to build a static charge. That will wake up the spark. Once you can feel that tingle, your hairs standing up, put them into the battery right away," he said, miming the motion. There were two side-by-side cutouts in the box lined with a sort of shining, reflective surface. "Don't touch them together, either. It is... a bit like a novelty plasma ball, so it should not normally discharge when in your hands, but it never hurts to be safe. Okay, maybe hurts a little bit."
_____"Eh?" Dexter's comment made the mechanic rock on his feet, hands in his pockets. "I have no idea what happens if you 'activate' a Spark twice in a row. Maybe better to try that out when it has gone to sleep later on, stalker." He rubbed his hands together and nodded to the two rookies. "I would take turns so you don't bump together and cause a lightning storm."
Yurihime Himeyuri
CV 6 USS Enterprise.
- Location
- The Pacific Ocean, conducting air strikes.
@Wizard_Marshall @Sushi
Val slid close to Rachel letting a hand down for Geralt to sniff with a soft smile on her face as she gave the large wolf dog a soft scratch behind the ear. "You're supposed to be my contact. An old military friend told me that. We haven't spoken in years, so I guess things must be serious. What is a beautiful snow angel like you doing in the Zone?" Val asked with a wink towards Rachel.
Val slid close to Rachel letting a hand down for Geralt to sniff with a soft smile on her face as she gave the large wolf dog a soft scratch behind the ear. "You're supposed to be my contact. An old military friend told me that. We haven't spoken in years, so I guess things must be serious. What is a beautiful snow angel like you doing in the Zone?" Val asked with a wink towards Rachel.
Zeitgeist Blue
Currently Made of Metal
- Location
- Manila, Philippines, GMT +8
@Sushi @DB_Explorer @Kensai
"Shit!"
His arms flew open and the Spark tumbled out of his grip, the artifact still twitching with excess energy. A boot kicked dirt over it and that was enough to ground it.
He'd held it too long, or charged it far too fast, and now Nick held his two palms tight between his armpits, the air around him smelling faintly of burnt clothing. When he pulled his hands out, the socks he used were charred black around the area where the Spark had been, and, he suspected, slightly fused to his skin. It took a matter of several long seconds to peel the socks off, one first then the other, to reveal palms an angry red as if he had passed them over a fire and got scalded in the process.
Nick snorted. Not as bad as he feared, his socks took the worst of the shock, but his palms were still tender to the touch. He poked his hand gingerly, flinching from the pain. He'd have to apply ointment.
"You better wrap your hands with a lot of thick layers or rubber," he told Dexter and Sera. "It stings like an open circuit."
"Shit!"
His arms flew open and the Spark tumbled out of his grip, the artifact still twitching with excess energy. A boot kicked dirt over it and that was enough to ground it.
He'd held it too long, or charged it far too fast, and now Nick held his two palms tight between his armpits, the air around him smelling faintly of burnt clothing. When he pulled his hands out, the socks he used were charred black around the area where the Spark had been, and, he suspected, slightly fused to his skin. It took a matter of several long seconds to peel the socks off, one first then the other, to reveal palms an angry red as if he had passed them over a fire and got scalded in the process.
Nick snorted. Not as bad as he feared, his socks took the worst of the shock, but his palms were still tender to the touch. He poked his hand gingerly, flinching from the pain. He'd have to apply ointment.
"You better wrap your hands with a lot of thick layers or rubber," he told Dexter and Sera. "It stings like an open circuit."
Kensai
我们都是中国人
- Location
- Hel
Sera looked at Nick like he was a dog that had tried to lick a hedgehog. Then she rubbed her hands vigorously on her wool scarf before taking the spark into her hands.
Her fingers trembled just a little at the contact - the tingle in her fingertips told her it had woken. Without hesitation, she slipped the woken spark into one of the cutouts in the box, and tapped it into place.
"No problem," she said to Nick when she was done. "Maybe it just didn't like you."
DB_Explorer
Purveyor of alternate realities.
- Location
- San Diego, California
- Pronouns
- He/Him
@Kensai @DB_Explorer @Zeitgeist Blue
Dexter watched their would be driver slot the artifact into the slot with hardly an issue, unlike the more grizzled detective. "Maybe we should make you group artifact poker? Get you a ten foot pole maybe?" He said with a grin. "Though I have to wonder why you did'nt have an issue..." Dexter started as he reached out to touch the sphere with a finger. "I mean you basically did the same -" The rest of the sentence was cut off by a howl followed by a string of profanity in serval languages, including Afgan to the surprise of any soviet veterans in ear shot. "Frack me that hurts." Dexter finished as he shook his now lightly singed fingers - nothing overly serious but it still stung. "Ok everyone is getting a stick to poke things with."
Dexter watched their would be driver slot the artifact into the slot with hardly an issue, unlike the more grizzled detective. "Maybe we should make you group artifact poker? Get you a ten foot pole maybe?" He said with a grin. "Though I have to wonder why you did'nt have an issue..." Dexter started as he reached out to touch the sphere with a finger. "I mean you basically did the same -" The rest of the sentence was cut off by a howl followed by a string of profanity in serval languages, including Afgan to the surprise of any soviet veterans in ear shot. "Frack me that hurts." Dexter finished as he shook his now lightly singed fingers - nothing overly serious but it still stung. "Ok everyone is getting a stick to poke things with."
Sushi
#fuckcancer
@Kensai @DB_Explorer @Zeitgeist Blue
_____₽ ₽ ₽
_____The air was ripe with the aromas of singed flesh and azone. Dexter and S.V. threw the artifacts home, light flashing across the shed as the connections threw orange sparks across the bay. Fox stepped over to turn the key, and the Niva's little four-banger came to life with a muted growl. "My part is done here. You owe me, Wolf."
_____"If you insist," the younger man said with a shake of his head. "Looks like it's yours now, rookies. And you, with the biker gear, your name was 'S.V.?' Whatever they call you, you know your way around artefacts and tachkas. Come with me, I have a little something I'd like to ask of you." Wolf stepped around through the back door, toward a large pile of crates stacked by the fence. There were a pair of green cans that Sera vaguely recognized as being American surplus. Maybe ammunition containers or fuel drums. "Look, I know Sid wanted to ask you about running some canned food to the Pig Pen. That's a good opportunity for me to ask you to run something else. Wild Napr at the Flea Market is expecting some artifacts before Sundown, but the Bandits raised their prices and we're 'negotiating.' I know you have a motorcycle, which means you can get past their little blockade at the edge of the garbage."
_____Wolf took a knee, scratching a simple map in the dirt with the point of his bayonet. "The old army blockhouse is in the middle of the road at the end of Cordon. If you go to the right— South once you hit the end of the road, there is a steep 'goat trail' that goes right up over the wall. It is a little bit exposed, but since there's a field of anomalies not far from the other side, the bandits never post guards. You should make it toward the neutral territory in the middle of the Garbage pretty easily and make the delivery. if you can do it, I'll pay 2000 Rubles up front; half your contract fee. And if you want to do more jobs for us, I might have a spare Anomaly Detector for your bike..."
_____₽ ₽ ₽
_____The air was ripe with the aromas of singed flesh and azone. Dexter and S.V. threw the artifacts home, light flashing across the shed as the connections threw orange sparks across the bay. Fox stepped over to turn the key, and the Niva's little four-banger came to life with a muted growl. "My part is done here. You owe me, Wolf."
_____"If you insist," the younger man said with a shake of his head. "Looks like it's yours now, rookies. And you, with the biker gear, your name was 'S.V.?' Whatever they call you, you know your way around artefacts and tachkas. Come with me, I have a little something I'd like to ask of you." Wolf stepped around through the back door, toward a large pile of crates stacked by the fence. There were a pair of green cans that Sera vaguely recognized as being American surplus. Maybe ammunition containers or fuel drums. "Look, I know Sid wanted to ask you about running some canned food to the Pig Pen. That's a good opportunity for me to ask you to run something else. Wild Napr at the Flea Market is expecting some artifacts before Sundown, but the Bandits raised their prices and we're 'negotiating.' I know you have a motorcycle, which means you can get past their little blockade at the edge of the garbage."
_____Wolf took a knee, scratching a simple map in the dirt with the point of his bayonet. "The old army blockhouse is in the middle of the road at the end of Cordon. If you go to the right— South once you hit the end of the road, there is a steep 'goat trail' that goes right up over the wall. It is a little bit exposed, but since there's a field of anomalies not far from the other side, the bandits never post guards. You should make it toward the neutral territory in the middle of the Garbage pretty easily and make the delivery. if you can do it, I'll pay 2000 Rubles up front; half your contract fee. And if you want to do more jobs for us, I might have a spare Anomaly Detector for your bike..."
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- Location
- A happier place
@Sushi @DerPoltergeist
Talon nodded.
"Well, let's get to it. Your new MP-5, well, new to you, is a reliable work of German art. With any art, there has to be an appreciation of it, so here's the means for proper appreciation." She couldn't help but smile at the battered SMG and the fond memory of performing a running slide in a gravel pit while firing full auto. "The trigger grouping on your weapon shows as S,E, und F. These are the firing modes. S is Sicher, E is Einzelfeuer, und F is Feuerstoß. Self explanatory on what those mean."
The Belgian continued in her impromptu lesson. "The handle, or that knob on the end, has to be locked back before loading the magazine in. Trust me on that one. Once you've pulled back the handle and inserted a loaded magazine, slap the handle down, Counter Strike style."
She scratched behind her ear and rested a fingerless glove over her own weapon. "Practice provides confidence, so go through the motions more than once before you stray too far. Oh, and go for short bursts when firing, and make an effort to aim low. Above all else, keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to fire."
Talon remembered she had other business to attend to, and cleared her throat. "Should you survive long enough for us to meet again, I can teach you some tricks. However, I must be off. Aufwiedersehen."
Talon nodded.
"Well, let's get to it. Your new MP-5, well, new to you, is a reliable work of German art. With any art, there has to be an appreciation of it, so here's the means for proper appreciation." She couldn't help but smile at the battered SMG and the fond memory of performing a running slide in a gravel pit while firing full auto. "The trigger grouping on your weapon shows as S,E, und F. These are the firing modes. S is Sicher, E is Einzelfeuer, und F is Feuerstoß. Self explanatory on what those mean."
The Belgian continued in her impromptu lesson. "The handle, or that knob on the end, has to be locked back before loading the magazine in. Trust me on that one. Once you've pulled back the handle and inserted a loaded magazine, slap the handle down, Counter Strike style."
She scratched behind her ear and rested a fingerless glove over her own weapon. "Practice provides confidence, so go through the motions more than once before you stray too far. Oh, and go for short bursts when firing, and make an effort to aim low. Above all else, keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to fire."
Talon remembered she had other business to attend to, and cleared her throat. "Should you survive long enough for us to meet again, I can teach you some tricks. However, I must be off. Aufwiedersehen."
DerPoltergeist
Potato
@Sushi @Druby @Yurihime Himeyuri @Wizard_Marshall
"That was a bit of a dark farewell," Felix thought aloud. His gaze shifted towards the MP-5 in his hands. "At least I know how to use this now." Whether or not he'd be any good at using it was a question he was in no rush to find the answer to. As Felix turned to continue up the road, he noticed the familiar shapes of Val and Rachel ahead of him. An idea flashed in his mind, and he broke into a jog to catch up with the two women. If he was lucky, they'd be heading in the same direction he was.
"That was a bit of a dark farewell," Felix thought aloud. His gaze shifted towards the MP-5 in his hands. "At least I know how to use this now." Whether or not he'd be any good at using it was a question he was in no rush to find the answer to. As Felix turned to continue up the road, he noticed the familiar shapes of Val and Rachel ahead of him. An idea flashed in his mind, and he broke into a jog to catch up with the two women. If he was lucky, they'd be heading in the same direction he was.
- Location
- Postcard from the Root
Geralt liked Val, and he had good taste, most of the time. This wasn't the first time someone was hitting on Rachel, but it didn't mean she didn't appreciate it. Val's revelation about being her contact was a little surprising and convenient. She had entertained the possibility one of her teammates could be her contact, but she'd honestly thought she'd have to do some more digging first.
If this was yesterday, Rachel would've been all business, but she'd warmed up to Val since then. Instead of her usual coldness, Rachel responded to the other woman with a small smile and playful tone. "Well..."
Rachel explained to Val about her missing people and the outside contractor once she'd verified Val's info. Just as they finished their discussion, Rachel saw Felix approaching.
@Sushi
- Location
- Here
@DerPoltergeist @Wizard_Marshall @Yurihime Himeyuri
Issac, or Notekeeper as he kept telling himself to start thinking himself as, stepped out of the bunker and surveyed his surroundings once more. Doesn't look like much changed since his short conversation with Sidorovich. Most of the guys were still clustered around the barn, seemingly fiddling with something that he couldn't quite see. A short distance away, however, a gathering of three seemed to have sprouted up, and Issac furrowed his brow. A low conversation seemed to be going on between them, and they stood off near the edge of town. Where they getting ready to leave?
Making his way over, Issac did his best to give the others a small smile and a wave in greeting. "Hey! Hope I'm not interrupting anything... Er... Are you guys getting ready to head out? Maybe make your way to Garbage? That's pretty much the only thing up north of here, so... Uh... I figure that's where everyone would be heading..." Issac trails off slightly, growing a little awkward as he tries to piece his words together. "I was just hoping that I wouldn't have to go it alone."
Issac, or Notekeeper as he kept telling himself to start thinking himself as, stepped out of the bunker and surveyed his surroundings once more. Doesn't look like much changed since his short conversation with Sidorovich. Most of the guys were still clustered around the barn, seemingly fiddling with something that he couldn't quite see. A short distance away, however, a gathering of three seemed to have sprouted up, and Issac furrowed his brow. A low conversation seemed to be going on between them, and they stood off near the edge of town. Where they getting ready to leave?
Making his way over, Issac did his best to give the others a small smile and a wave in greeting. "Hey! Hope I'm not interrupting anything... Er... Are you guys getting ready to head out? Maybe make your way to Garbage? That's pretty much the only thing up north of here, so... Uh... I figure that's where everyone would be heading..." Issac trails off slightly, growing a little awkward as he tries to piece his words together. "I was just hoping that I wouldn't have to go it alone."
DerPoltergeist
Potato
@Druby @Yurihime Himeyuri @Wizard_Marshall @Sushi
"Hey there! Wasn't expecting to run into the two of you as well!" Felix greeted the two women with a smile. "I'm heading out to the pig pen right now for a job. If you guys are heading in that direction, mind if I tag along? To be honest, I uhh, I'm a bit nervous about heading over there all alone." Before they could respond, another familiar face appeared from behind.
"Garbage? Well, depending on what happens at the pig pen, I may need to head over there as well. Not entirely sure where that is though." Felix held out his hand. "By the way, I don't think I've properly introduced myself yet. I'm Felix. Wizard if we're going by Stalker names."
"Hey there! Wasn't expecting to run into the two of you as well!" Felix greeted the two women with a smile. "I'm heading out to the pig pen right now for a job. If you guys are heading in that direction, mind if I tag along? To be honest, I uhh, I'm a bit nervous about heading over there all alone." Before they could respond, another familiar face appeared from behind.
"Garbage? Well, depending on what happens at the pig pen, I may need to head over there as well. Not entirely sure where that is though." Felix held out his hand. "By the way, I don't think I've properly introduced myself yet. I'm Felix. Wizard if we're going by Stalker names."
Yurihime Himeyuri
CV 6 USS Enterprise.
- Location
- The Pacific Ocean, conducting air strikes.
@Wizard_Marshall @DerPoltergeist @Sushi @Druby
Internally Val breathed a sigh of relief that things had gone smoothly meeting with Rachel, far to often in the past meetings catered by a third party were traps or dead ends. This meeting though had seemed more like she had a friend as they conversed. Exchanging what they both needed, they finished up just as the others were getting their own heads on.
Felix seemed to be walking a little strangely though, like he'd packed on a cute little tummy with his brand new camouflage jacket. Val took a glance over 'notekeeper' as he was being called by the others here. "I have no problem's with a couple tag-alongs as long as you don't mind working together." Though she was worried a camouflage jacket wouldn't work very well with Felix's new dress. "That looks good on you Fe, super cute!" Val said jokingly at the to large coat, clearly something made for a guy with more.. moreness, not the stick thing form of a girl like Felix
Internally Val breathed a sigh of relief that things had gone smoothly meeting with Rachel, far to often in the past meetings catered by a third party were traps or dead ends. This meeting though had seemed more like she had a friend as they conversed. Exchanging what they both needed, they finished up just as the others were getting their own heads on.
Felix seemed to be walking a little strangely though, like he'd packed on a cute little tummy with his brand new camouflage jacket. Val took a glance over 'notekeeper' as he was being called by the others here. "I have no problem's with a couple tag-alongs as long as you don't mind working together." Though she was worried a camouflage jacket wouldn't work very well with Felix's new dress. "That looks good on you Fe, super cute!" Val said jokingly at the to large coat, clearly something made for a guy with more.. moreness, not the stick thing form of a girl like Felix
Sushi
#fuckcancer
_____As the quartet begun to march, the sound of their footfalls and conversation lapsed into the woods flanking the path. It was quiet, the morning mist cool on their skin. A thrown bolt every few steps cape them clear of the anomalies — Rachel's keen eye spotted the tell-tale shimmers in the air, the wisps of dust that were too precise, too regular to be safe. One bolt made a mote of dust explode into an upwards fountain of dirt and leaves, the air reeking of ozone for a few minutes after. Whenever they got too close to one of the anomalies, Geralt would sit down in front of the spot. The few wild animals they met on the way kept their distance.
_____A few minutes out, Geralt growled. As the group paused, Rachel saw a slumped shape in the grass off the right end of the road, maybe twenty feet down a slight incline. There was a telltale glint of metal under the shape, which was clearly some kind of body— and a human one by its shape. It couldn't have been there for long, as there wasn't the smell of death that she knew about the place.
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Kensai
我们都是中国人
- Location
- Hel
Sera gunned the KTM's engine as she careened through the blighted landscape. Hauling this crap wasn't particularly glamorous, but she hadn't done glamour... well, ever really.
Easy money, really. Too easy, boring even. That was the problem with jobs like this. They got too dull and then you lost your edge and then you miss the one thing that -
VITTU.
VITTUHELVETTIPERKELE.
Even as the curses rang silently through her head - you didn't curse out loud while you were falling, you tried not to open your mouth at all, that way led to shattered teeth and bitten-off tongues - she'd instinctively pumped her front brake and goosed the throttle so that her rear tire slid out from under her. Her easy ride had exploded into chaos, but it was a controlled chaos. The bike went down and her with it, but gently and smoothly as could be expected. No flips or spins for Mrs. Vammatar's (may she rot in hell) little girl.
Only when she'd come to a stop did Sera realize just why she'd gone into a slide. The air shimmered menacingly just a couple of bike lengths ahead of where she'd taken evasive action.
If I'd gone and driven through that -
A quite unfamiliar shudder passed through Sera, shaking her shoulders violently.
And then she heard the sound. A whimpering, coming from the bushes.
"Who the hell is that?" she called out.
Easy money, really. Too easy, boring even. That was the problem with jobs like this. They got too dull and then you lost your edge and then you miss the one thing that -
VITTU.
VITTUHELVETTIPERKELE.
Even as the curses rang silently through her head - you didn't curse out loud while you were falling, you tried not to open your mouth at all, that way led to shattered teeth and bitten-off tongues - she'd instinctively pumped her front brake and goosed the throttle so that her rear tire slid out from under her. Her easy ride had exploded into chaos, but it was a controlled chaos. The bike went down and her with it, but gently and smoothly as could be expected. No flips or spins for Mrs. Vammatar's (may she rot in hell) little girl.
Only when she'd come to a stop did Sera realize just why she'd gone into a slide. The air shimmered menacingly just a couple of bike lengths ahead of where she'd taken evasive action.
If I'd gone and driven through that -
A quite unfamiliar shudder passed through Sera, shaking her shoulders violently.
And then she heard the sound. A whimpering, coming from the bushes.
"Who the hell is that?" she called out.
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Sushi
#fuckcancer
_____it was the edge of a clearing. Sera had a rotted wooden fence to take cover behind. Through the gaps in the eaten-up lumber, she could see a dust trail as a vehicle pulled to a halt beside a small, sheet-metal shack. A van door creaked open. Two stalkers in green anomaly-protection suits climbed out from the front, both wearing the radiation-symbol patch that marked them as unaffiliated loners. By the way they rolled their heels with each step and kept their fingers clear of the triggers of their Kalshnikovs, they seemed well-experienced. With the rattle of the van's bodywork, they hadn't heard Sera's slide. A few moments later, they opened the rear doors and dragged a flailing pile of denim and leather onto the ground. "On your feet, damn you!"
_____"Oh, brothers don't kill me! I swear I have done no wrong!" The man wailed in broken, Russian-tinted English. He whined like a child, though the bulging beer-gut pushing against his leather jacket and salt-and-pepper beard said he was much older. There was a bandana tied over his eyes, and his wrists were chafed under a rusted pair of handcuffs. There was a wet crack as one of the stalkers smashed a wooden Kalash butt-stock across his face, and he went sprawling into the dirt, choking on a broken nose. One of the stalkers threw a canvas bag onto the ground, and a handful of artifacts spilled loose, clinking together like wine-glasses.
_____"Fuck you, asshole! Our brother is dead and you tried to steal our fucking artefacts!" The younger of the two grabbed their flailing prisoner by the scruff of his jacket. "Okay, cocksucker, let me ask you. Where did you hide. My. Artefacts. I'll give you a generous five seconds before I shoot your fucking balls off, you piece of shit!"
_____"I don't know! Stalker, please, my family!" He gagged on his own saliva as he squirmed backwards in the dirt, boots twitching compulsively. "I was so scared, I ran from the bloodsuckers!"
_____The larger, bear-like stalker growled. "Sasha, this fleabag is full of shit. Just blow him away."
_____"This is for my brother, you Serbian son of a bitch!" Sasha said. He raised his AK and snapped off the safety. The bound man floundered in the soil.
- Location
- Postcard from the Root
"We're actually headed over to the Grain Elevator first. Got a job from Sid there." She didn't mind lending the others a hand, but she already made plans with Val and wanted to get it done first.
"I'm Rachel. My call sign is Grey Wolf," Rachel replied in a business-like manner, though there was less of an edge to her voice, more polite, neutral.
"I'm fine with working together. Just stay alert. We're not headed too far out, but this is the Zone." Needless to say, they'd need to be responsible for themselves. Rachel couldn't guarantee their wellbeing.
Geralt was the first to notice, superior dog senses triumphed over his human entourage. The moment she saw Geralt tense, Rachel's eyes swept the area. They picked up a human body off the main road, like it had been hastily disposed.
"Stay sharp. We've got a body up ahead. Could be Sid's newcomer," Rachel said as she scanned the rest of the area, looking for any danger. "I'm going in for a closer inspection. Cover me."
As she approached the body, Rachel hoped that glint of metal under his body was his gun and not a trap left behind. If he was attacked by people, they would've stripped him of everything of worth. Still, there was little she could tell at this distance. She couldn't even tell if he was dead for certain. That's why she was cautiously approaching with her rifle in a ready position.
Sushi
#fuckcancer
_____A blade of grass danced across his back. His torso trembled with faint, furtive breaths. Some of the grass was smudged dark red, trampled and bruised. A few drops were going crusty brown on the road, leading up the path. He was black-haired, round in the face, with thin-framed glasses smudged by dirt. A red pack hung off one shoulder, a neat hole poked in the back. There was a matching hole in the outer edge of his shoulder, clotted and scabbed over. The uniform he wore was vaguely familiar, a simple blue jumpsuit. Much like the one Felix was wearing, down to the stylized UVZMR label. A name-tape above his pocket read 'Martin Liem.'
_____There was an angry furrow of red on his temple, where some of the hair had been shaved clean away what looked like a bullet wound. His pulse was rapid-fire and weak, his breaths rapid. There wasn't any blood below his body to show he had been bleeding out there. The gunshot in his shoulder looked as if it had been through-and-through, seeping around a hurriedly taped-on dressing. He wasn't in any immediate risk of dying on the spot, it seemed, and from how far the trail of blood droplets went, he had to have run quite some distance.
_____Moving his unconscious form aside, the group found a polished metal rifle hanging on a sling. Despite his fall into the dirt, it wasn't even scuffed.
- "Hand-Crafted Ruger AC-556"
- "ZM Field Research Papers"
- "Spare 5.56 Ammunition"
- DA-2 Anomaly Detector
- "A Red Locked Box"
- "Some Camping Food"
_____As they were examining the wounded man, Talon's Mercedes arrived almost soundlessly just beside them, rocking once in the grass before stopping.
Zeitgeist Blue
Currently Made of Metal
- Location
- Manila, Philippines, GMT +8
@Sushi @Kyldin
Nick knew it was too good to be true. A job for money. A loaned out artifact until they found their own Spark. And a new four-wheel drive that could go through hell terrain and back, and still drive like it came out of the factory. Of course, this one's been sitting derelict for who knows how long, and a cursory once-over like Fox gave it wouldn't be enough to work out the kinks.
It was a nagging feeling at the back of his head when he'd loaded the Niva with the supplies and equipment they were to bring over to the Pig Pen just a short drive from Rookie Village. He'd thanked Wolf for the help as first Keiko and her bodyguard came. They wanted a ride to the Pig Pen, and so finding that he shared the same goal with the two again Nick offered to drive.
It wasn't smooth by any means. He had to go through more dirt paths than he wanted to count, and the roads that he used was in dire need of repair, nothing like the highways of Saint Petersburg. The suspension did well to keep the worst of the bumps from jarring their bones and the Niva, while not as smooth as a dream, was well enough a drive. It was only at the end of their short journey that the car broke down, brakes as good as useless when he stepped on them.
They broke a fence when they crashed, an AK broke in two against the bumper, but no one was worse for wear. Jarred maybe as each one got out, and the goods they were delivering wasn't in any bad shape.
He spotted a stalker coming their way. From the look the stalker was giving them, that was either their fence or Kalashnikov they broke.
"This yours?" Nick asked.
Nick knew it was too good to be true. A job for money. A loaned out artifact until they found their own Spark. And a new four-wheel drive that could go through hell terrain and back, and still drive like it came out of the factory. Of course, this one's been sitting derelict for who knows how long, and a cursory once-over like Fox gave it wouldn't be enough to work out the kinks.
It was a nagging feeling at the back of his head when he'd loaded the Niva with the supplies and equipment they were to bring over to the Pig Pen just a short drive from Rookie Village. He'd thanked Wolf for the help as first Keiko and her bodyguard came. They wanted a ride to the Pig Pen, and so finding that he shared the same goal with the two again Nick offered to drive.
It wasn't smooth by any means. He had to go through more dirt paths than he wanted to count, and the roads that he used was in dire need of repair, nothing like the highways of Saint Petersburg. The suspension did well to keep the worst of the bumps from jarring their bones and the Niva, while not as smooth as a dream, was well enough a drive. It was only at the end of their short journey that the car broke down, brakes as good as useless when he stepped on them.
They broke a fence when they crashed, an AK broke in two against the bumper, but no one was worse for wear. Jarred maybe as each one got out, and the goods they were delivering wasn't in any bad shape.
He spotted a stalker coming their way. From the look the stalker was giving them, that was either their fence or Kalashnikov they broke.
"This yours?" Nick asked.
Sushi
#fuckcancer
_____A leather-faced man with a pockmarked scalp marched over to the Lada. He stooped by the driver's window. "License and registration stalker?" He croaked. When the joke fell flat upon their ears, he scooped up the shattered rifle for their inspection. The plastic stock had been crushed, splintered and the pin destroyed, and the receiver was scuffed, though mostly intact. His beady eyes scanned the passengers and the crates in the back. "Listen, I would normally slap you around like a dog, but I see you brought our supplies, so I'll forget about the fence. Only problem... I was testing that shooter for some of the National Guard boys in the Zone. Angry, itchy trigger finger boys, you know the type.I don't personally give a shit, but if they find out it is your neck and mine."
_____He shook out a smoke for Nick and himself, igniting the cigarettes with a lighter made from a fifty-caliber cartridge. "I need a new butt-stock. Plastic, black one. Unless you have any bright ideas?"
09-01-2016 — "Pig Pen"
Sushi
#fuckcancer
@Druby @AKuz @DerPoltergeist @Yurihime Himeyuri @Zeitgeist Blue @DB_Explorer @PanzerWaffles @Wizard_Marshall @Kyldin @Kensai
"Pig Pen," Cordon
_____It was larger than the "Rookie Village" and maybe even better produced, twin rectangular buildings running North-South. With their stout metal construction and the nearby clearing, the place had probably been an animal pen of some sort before the stalkers had taken over. By now the walls were reinforced with additional sheets of metal, lumber, sandbags and wire, and a few stalkers sat upon the roofs of the buildings, smoking cigarettes and eating bread. Past the sour-looking bald stalker, they could see the main entrance, a hinged metal gate set beside some vehicles and a lumber watch-tower. The middle was a sort of Bazaar, where many rookies and veterans alike peddled their goods from open stalls, lounged on sacks full of flour and other sundries, and a roasting toward the very northern end let columns of smoke into the air, as whole pigs cooked inside smoke-houses and over open flames. A Bearded man built like an oak barrel marched around the place, giving the young men at the pit the encouraging pat on the back, or a pour from a thick metal pitcher._____Compared to Sid's village, it seemed everything here was constantly in motion, though there was a certain, restrained undertone to the place. Nothing in the camp was upended, and there wasn't a drop of alcohol in sight any stronger than kvass. Guitar tunes rose from the men sitting by the fire. They weren't the only new arrivals, as stalkers came by the handful with heavy packs and left with full wallets. All paid their dues to Father Valerian, a serious-looking man who looked out from the window of his chapel when not on the wireless set.
_____It wasn't the good father that did receive their transported goods, but instead the giant bearded stalker wielding his pitcher like a Makarov pistol. "Hallo! New stalkers, I see! Welcome to the 'Pig Pen,' make yourselves comfortable!" He grinned, pacing their vehicle and doing a lap around in in hardly a blink. "Phew, do I smell some bad driving?" he wrinkled his nose, fanning away the odor of the Lada's brakes. "I'll have the boys unload Sid's supplies. Now, anything you rookies needed help with?"
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DB_Explorer
Purveyor of alternate realities.
- Location
- San Diego, California
- Pronouns
- He/Him
The Lada rumbled through the rough tracks of the zone as Dexter scanned his side of the vehicle keeping an ear out for the dosimeter and an eye out for anything odd or dangerous. Which seemed to be the same out here. He quickly settled into a routine, watching and dismissing things almost automatically as the truck continued through the woods. Though it wasn't really a truck, he thought. The things engine was tiny, can't tow much of anything with it… but it was too off… roady to be a car, off road car maybe?
His idle thoughts where brought to a halt as the Lada came to literal crash with a squeal of brakes and a cloud of dirt and smoke. He, like the rest, we're uninjured but not alone as an older stalker came up and started asking about an AK they seemed to have broken. "I'm sure we can salvage something you can use for repairs, just tell us where to bring it all." Dexter paused as he realized he was speaking for a group that may not like that. "Unless my partners here have their own ideas for how to reach amends."
His idle thoughts where brought to a halt as the Lada came to literal crash with a squeal of brakes and a cloud of dirt and smoke. He, like the rest, we're uninjured but not alone as an older stalker came up and started asking about an AK they seemed to have broken. "I'm sure we can salvage something you can use for repairs, just tell us where to bring it all." Dexter paused as he realized he was speaking for a group that may not like that. "Unless my partners here have their own ideas for how to reach amends."
Zeitgeist Blue
Currently Made of Metal
- Location
- Manila, Philippines, GMT +8
@Sushi @DB_Explorer
Nick grunted, bending forward to accept the stalker's lighter. He stood back, cigarette in hand, and shook his head. Dexter's idea would waste what time they had. After unloading the supplies, they still had two more jobs in their itinerary.
"Better to just give him the money," Nick said to the group. And then to the stalker, "If you can point us to a supplier or trader we'll pay for the stock repair."
With little else to do, Nick returned to the driver's seat. He'd have to be more careful going into town. The break needed to be fixed, and a more thorough inspection might reveal other defects they'd miss when first prepping the Niva. Well, Nick hoped that it wouldn't be more than a few. He didn't want to burn all the cash earned from this job on a mechanic. He didn't but he had to.
With a tired sigh, he turned othe engine on said to the stalker, "Anyone in the Pig Pen who could fix up our car? We need to check it up."
Nick grunted, bending forward to accept the stalker's lighter. He stood back, cigarette in hand, and shook his head. Dexter's idea would waste what time they had. After unloading the supplies, they still had two more jobs in their itinerary.
"Better to just give him the money," Nick said to the group. And then to the stalker, "If you can point us to a supplier or trader we'll pay for the stock repair."
With little else to do, Nick returned to the driver's seat. He'd have to be more careful going into town. The break needed to be fixed, and a more thorough inspection might reveal other defects they'd miss when first prepping the Niva. Well, Nick hoped that it wouldn't be more than a few. He didn't want to burn all the cash earned from this job on a mechanic. He didn't but he had to.
With a tired sigh, he turned othe engine on said to the stalker, "Anyone in the Pig Pen who could fix up our car? We need to check it up."
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