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The Exclusion Zone (S.T.A.L.K.E.R.)

Reader mode
L'Esprit watches as the man with the bundles moves into the alleyway.

This was clearly suspicious, the movement is all wrong, and the bundles are people sized... and people shaped. And emitting distressed noises.

On the one hand, L'Esprit has well learned the lesson, "Keep your nose out of other people's business" (not thier stuff of course.) Just, we'll, sge's learned that you don't piss off angry men who know how to violence a person right up.

On the other.... Katia is still missing, and they were supposed to enter the Zone together and this is a way into the Zone...

But again this is almost certainly not her...

But. But. While L'Esprit may have learned to keep to herself, Katia never had, she'd always had an actual developed conscience.

As the woman hesitates she can almost hear what her partner would say about letting big angry men drag away unwilling victims.

Well. She thinks to herself. She doesn't have to get involved, but she should take closer look anyway. Just in case it is her partner.

Droppong her cigarette, and scuffing it out, the small woman detaches from the shadow that she'd been parked in and quietly dashes along the street to the edge of the alley and scarefully peeks around it.
 
Back Alley, Караваєві Дачі (Karavayevi Dachi Station)​

_____Issac and Felix were made to sit down on an overturned wooden crate like school-children as the clean-shaved man pried open the doors. He spun back to them, brows climbing on his face as he splayed out his fingers. "Can you even imagine being locked inside a huge, rusty freighter crewed by foul-smelling Serbians in the Adriatic for weeks, soaked to your eyeballs in cosmoline?" A smell vaguely like hospital antiseptic wafted through the open doors as he produced an elongated chrome tube and a full-face mask. The metal slab thumped into place with a polarized slot for his eyes.

_____"But, NO MORE!" he bellowed, twistiing the knob on a tank of compressed gas and lighting the torch with a burning cigarette. Orange flame a foot long leapt to life in his hand, scorching the brick in the alley. A quick twist on one of several skull-shaped knobs narrowed it into a short blue flame, and he turned back to the van. Issac and Felix heard something heavy careen to the van floor with a jarring metallic clang, a wisp of smoke in the air along with the scent of ozone and the off-blue glow. He dropped his equipment in a heap and dragged the two over, throwing his head back in a triumphant cry.


_____His blue eyes reflected the flame of the smoldering locks with a merry glow as he clapped together gloved hands. "Oh, how many months I've waited! Those blowhards in Bundesministerium der Verteidigung kept dragging their feet! All the payments for the guards, the truck... but now, I HAVE MY INVENTORY!"

_____The man dragged the two close in a bear hug. "I'm so happy I'll give you a discount. Free shipping into the Exclusion Zone! — just keep that between you and me, ja?"
 
@Kyldin @Yurihime Himeyuri

_____"The pudding didn't agree with me," Teijo said politely. "But the cinnamon-coated twists were delicious, Keiko-sama." She had been insistent he sample some of the bounty that was the bakery's entire stock, and Teijo had been too good of a servant to say no. The food sat heavily in his stomach on the ride over, where his contacts had long since gone quiet over their CB radio. They had been stuck behind a particular SUV blaring music fit to bring the sky down. He stared impassively through the windshield as the other vehicle's headlightsblotted out most of the evening street — the signs, the people, the lane markings... he drove the Audi with a light foot and let the pest drive out of sight, leaving their vehicle solitary on the usually-busy roads. All save for a lone person, it seemed.

_____Teijo pulled the Mercedes-gold sedan to the side of the road, pulling up beside the blond woman. At once he had a suspicion they were bound for a similar destination. He saw her eyes first, the way they scanned around her and the even roll of heel to toe. It was the first woman he had seen without heels today. "English?" he asked, holding a slip of paper with the train station's name between two fingers.
 
Караваєві Дачі (Karavayevi Dachi Station)​

_____It was a silent killer.

_____She peered through the lens and squeezed. The camera shutter was almost soundless inside the security office, and a split second was all it took to etch the motion of drawing a gun into memory. The rookies coming in always thought it was about Kalashnikovs and Glocks. The Zone was about asking the right questions. It just so turned out that guns were the how, information was the why.

_____Journalist dropped her camera into a bag at her side like a smoking pistol and eased open the office door. She went down the steps, thumb on the lid of her lighter as she shook out a smoke and tucked it between her lips. There was a jittery, roughshod gunman at the desk poking through a laptop like it had his porn stash, while a solemn-looking blond lingered at the door with a wolf-dog at her side. Journalist spoke in smoky english. "You know the funny thing about trouble? Spend too long trying to avoid it, and it just sneaks up on you anyway. Better come in before you draw a 'cop.' Didn't bring that much bribe money today."

_____Gaze cool, tone steady, Journalist looked bored more than anything. She waved the trio inward. The door slammed shut a moment before the sounds motors grew in the distance, and the far-off cackle of what was probably a local with too much to drink. "You're early, but I hope this isn't all of you," Journalist said. That many last-minute cancellations on a zone group would have been a silent end to her side-job of a career. Her ice-blue gaze fell upon the dog at the woman's side and she rummaged through her pack, producing a plastic-wrapped package.

_____"Nice dog. He like pemmican?" She asked, breaking off a piece of the bar. They made good companions, and even beter weapons, but a part of her wondered what this paranoid girl was thinking bringing a canine to the zone.
 
Zeitgeist Blue said:
@Wizard_Marshall
"Yes," he answered, equally blunt, and watched as she ran a hand through her pet's mane. Nick noticed; still she made no move to enter, ready to use the door as cover, hand kept reassuringly on her dog. She was unsure, wary. He scoffed and sat down, powering the laptop from its sleep. "Next time, keep your pet on a leash."
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Rachel didn't feel relief at his admission. She didn't know him or his motives, besides he was a dick. Not that she minded. Rachel didn't come here to make friends, but she wasn't about to take orders from this jerk.


Sushi said:
_____Journalist dropped her camera into a bag at her side like a smoking pistol and eased open the office door. She went down the steps, thumb on the lid of her lighter as she shook out a smoke and tucked it between her lips. There was a jittery, roughshod gunman at the desk poking through a laptop like it had his porn stash, while a solemn-looking blond lingered at the door with a wolf-dog at her side. Journalist spoke in smoky english. "You know the funny thing about trouble? Spend too long trying to avoid it, and it just sneaks up on you anyway. Better come in before you draw a 'cop.' Didn't bring that much bribe money today."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...


As she shut the door, Rachel's azure orbs smoothly slid towards the newcomer like a knife's gleam.

[_____Gaze cool, tone steady, Journalist looked bored more than anything. She waved the trio inward. The door slammed shut a moment before the sounds motors grew in the distance, and the far-off cackle of what was probably a local with too much to drink. "You're early, but I hope this isn't all of you," Journalist said. That many last-minute cancellations on a zone group would have been a silent end to her side-job of a career. Her ice-blue gaze fell upon the dog at the woman's side and she rummaged through her pack, producing a plastic-wrapped package.

_____"Nice dog. He like pemmican?" She asked, breaking off a piece of the bar. They made good companions, and even beter weapons, but a part of her wondered what this paranoid girl was thinking bringing a canine to the zone.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

"Sure." Rachel was a shit conversationalist, but that didn't mean she had to be a bitch. Best she come off as cooperative, affable because pretty soon she'd be trusting these strangers to watch Geralt and her backs in the zone.

She gave Geralt a nod, and the perpetually hungry dog moved forward. His jaw carefully accepted the gift and left a few licks as thanks.
 
@Zeitgeist Blue @Wizard_Marshall

_____Journalist took a knee as the big wolfdog ate, dropping her unlit smoke in a pocket as he cleaned house. "Glad he likes it, not that bagged jerky shit that makes dogs puke their guts out." The weirdest part was seeing a wolf-dog that didn't want to bite her ankles off. Being in the zone made you forget they existed. "Dogs are nice," she said. "But I never brought one to the Exclusion Zone. They have trouble sleeping."

_____A shrug of her shoulders said that's your call. "So, I'll probably need to repeat myself when the others show up, but you two need to lay out the gear and any permits you have. We'll have some time later tonight to shop around, and I have a contract who can do special orders if you have to."
 
@Kyldin @Sushi

Val couldn't help but to notice the obnoxious Mercedes pas by her, blaring loud music. Shaking her head and looking back to her little phrase book occasionally while she continued towards her destination Up far ahead down the road she saw the SUV turn in through the chain link around the warehouse, where it disappeared from her view. Checking her phone she saw she still was a bit early, and continued her pace as she hear another vehicle approach, this one at least trying not to be too noisy.

Hearing the vehicle slow behind her and come to a stop at her side she put her book in her pocket and turned to look at the man. He was Asian in feature,with narrow face and bone structure, fairly tall at least what from what she could see. There seemed to be another person in the back at first glance, but the heavily tinted windows obscured any information that could be gained. The car was also riding lower than would be normal even for a sportier car. Likely armored, she noted to herself.

"English?" The man asked while holding out a small slip of paper with some writing on it held between two fingers.

Val nodded and stepped off the sidewalk, to take a look at the paper. Accepting it from the man, she took a look and smiled softly, seemed she had met one of her prospective companions for the up coming excursion. "Yeah, just keep taking this road to the warehouse ahead, I am actually headed there as well, if you wouldn't mind giving me a ride?" She asked with a smile handing the paper back to the man.
 
@Yurihime Himeyuri @Sushi

Keiko looked up from the cinnamon-coated twist that she had been happily devouring as she felt the car decelerate to an eventual stop.

"English?" She heard Teijo ask.

Then came a voice like an easy-going, quiet contralto graced with a smile that could be heard. "Yeah, just keep taking this road to the warehouse up ahead; I am actually headed there as well, if you wouldn't mind giving me a ride?"

Keiko instantly decided that she might like this person. "Teijo, let's give her a ride. She'll be our companion in the near future, so there's no reason to be rude." She flashed a friendly smile at him only when she was sure no one else could see.

Teijo smiled slightly at the rear-view mirror in response. "Yes, Keiko-sama." Then he returned his attention to the woman waiting outside the car, "It would be our pleasure."
 
@Kyldin @Sushi
Valkyrie smiled at the driver, "Thank you." She said as she walked towards the rear passenger door, and opening it, stepped around, and with her bag on her lap sat in the plush leather interior next to a beautiful asian woman. The woman had soft delicate features, and silky onyx hair tied up in a bun held together with a pair of chopsticks. Pulling on a seat belt and taking in the scent of fresh pastries in the car she smiled warmly at the girl next to her. Bowing slightly to the girl, she introduced herself. "Hello there, most people call me Val." she said. "What brings a beautiful flower like you to Kiev besides the food?" Val said with a nod towards the bag full of pastries on the seat in between them as she used her free hand to close the door as the man in front, likely a bodyguard, began driving once again.
 
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@Druby @Sushi

Felix didn't have any time to process what the bald man had said before he and beanie man were tossed onto some wooden crates as if they were bags of groceries. Before Felix could protest, the smell of antiseptic assaulted his senses. When he'd recovered from that, the bald giant had turned into a bald giant with a full face mask holding a container that was spewing fire. Felix wanted to run, but he might as well have been paralyzed beneath the waist. As the giant stared at him through the vision slot of his mask, Felix was pretty sure that this was going to be the end of his little adventure in Ukraine. The man put down the bundle he had grabbed from the van and tore off his mask laughing... and then grabbed both Felix and beanie man in a bear hug. "I'm so happy I'll give you a discount. Free shipping into the Exclusion Zone! -- just keep that between you and me, ja?"

Felix wasn't sure if the man was joking or not. He looked over at beanie man, but he looked just as shocked as he was. Scam or not, Felix just wanted to get out of there. "Y-yeah, I'll take one."
 
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@Sushi @Wizard_Marshall

Nick had given up on the laptop when another stranger appeared, descending from a stairway. Theatrics marked her entrance. A rival, or someone here to disrupt, kill, sabotage with the force of arms to back her confidence. Or--

"You're early, but I hope this isn't all of you," she had said and Nick smiled, lips tight. The much awaited guide, and more than that, his suspicions proven true. As they ascended into the offices, Nick noted offhand that she had been perched inside for some time, observing them the moment they had arrived most likely. No electronic surveillance then. Instead, an old-fashioned stakeout.

Keeping his silence, he took a rare moment to enjoy the simple act of smoking a cigarette as his companions cooed over the dog.

Then their guide stood up. "So, I'll probably need to repeat myself when the others show up, but you two need to lay out the gear and any permits you have. We'll have some time later tonight to shop around, and I have a contract who can do special orders if you have to."

Stepping forward, he unzipped his gear bag. Laid his guns beside each other on a table, the TOZ-123 from his bag and from his holster the police issued MP-433 Grach, before the rest of his equipment was deposited. He produced in his fist a sheaf of papers, the firearm permits, last.

"I'm legally permitted in the acquisition and handling of firearms, and I've money put aside for bribes; I know how the system works. The border guard won't give us any problems unless they actively target me."
 
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@Yurihime Himeyuri @Sushi

Keiko watched the woman's figure move toward the rear passenger door. She quickly repositioned herself to leave enough room for their new guest, and set to look as dignified as possible—though the bags of pasty goods may have taken away from that a little.

There was a click, then the door opened. The woman was beautifully pale, with a bookish feel to her. Gold tinted amber blonde hair fell leisurely onto her shoulders and over her face. She bowed slightly as she got comfortable, "hello there, most people call me Val. What brings a beautiful flower like you to Kiev besides the food?"

As soon as the door closed, Teijo got on the gas and resumed his chauffer duties. "So far, it's just the bread," Keiko smiled, trying to avoid the question without being rude. "would you like some? The twists have become my new favorite."

It wouldn't be long before they finally arrived, but there was never a wrong time for bread—at least not with Keiko.
 
@Druby @AKuz @DerPoltergeist @Yurihime Himeyuri @Zeitgeist Blue @DB_Explorer @PanzerWaffles @Wizard_Marshall @Kyldin @Kensai
_____The Audi was almost soundless as it pulled into the lot, only the tell-tale shudder of rubber across pavement and the scent of brakes betraying their arrival. Teijo picked a spot just by the main entrance, putting Keiko's door immediately proximate. She heard the muted click of metal upon metal as he checked something in his hands, but the black shape disappeared into his waistband before either woman could see what it had been. "We're here, Keiko-sama. Stick close."

_____He still smiled, it was an expression ironed on by habit as he received Keiko's door, then Val. Val? Valentine? Americans chose strange names, Teijo thought. He stepped over to the door with an upright authority, standing to one side as he rapped a gloved knuckle against the door. He twisted the knob anyway a moment later and peered around, meeting the gazes of the trio before holding the door for the two women.
 
@Zeitgeist Blue @Wizard_Marshall @Kyldin @Yurihime Himeyuri
_____Journalist's lips pressed into a thin line as the cop plopped the monstrosity of a TOZ on the table. Little said overkill like a "shotgun" designed to fire slugs through engine blocks. "Those things are made from cut-down 'Zeus' barrels. Might have some trouble finding ammo for it," she said dryly, wistfully thinking of near-death encounters at the hand of the 23mm Soviet classic. At the same time, what use of force policy did his department use? They handed out Krinkovs like popcorn to the cops in Ukraine and most of Europe armed their flat-foots with sub guns.

_____The Viking pistol was a stand out when most state police were still balls-deep in the nostalgia of the Makarov. There she was, fixating on the little details of his story. She brushed the thought aside; a guy claiming to be a cop was easily debunked with a few clicks and some phone calls. "You've got that handled? Solid," she said. He didn't have reason to lie about that much, though the harrowed look made her think the work was far, far into the unofficial side.

_____Her eyes had fallen to the dog-human duo when there was a rap at the door. As the panel parted and a stuffed-shirt Asian mafioso type poked in, the blond waved at the chairs. "Yo. We're troubleshooting equipment. Bring anyone else with you?"
 
Issac continued to spit and splutter as he was guided along by the giant of a man and forced to sit down, glancing around wildly for some way out of the situation. His partner-in-being-kidnapped certainly wasn't going to be able to help him out of the situation. His nose wrinkles at the smell of antiseptic, briefly wondering what the hell needed to be cleaned like that, before the thought that, whatever it was, it was probably bad news ran through his mind.

He lets out another yelp as he's yanked off his feet towards the equipment the man drops to the ground, blinking in surprise at what the man was presenting. Guns. Lots of them. Assault rifles too, by the looks of it. Apparently door to door salesmen were getting a lot more aggressive, and started literally pulling people off the streets...

"I, uh- umm..." He stutters out, trying to collect his thoughts. "Y-yea, sure... I mean... How much are they...?"
 


Meanwhile, out back a lithe figure watched as the mottled-puke SUV pulled up, blaring motherfucking Turmion from its oversized speakers. Whoever was driving this thing definitely had a lack of something to compensate for.

Sera spat out the butt of her keretek, watching the dim glow of the cherry spin through the air and sizzle out in a rainbow-slicked puddle. The sick-sweet scent of clove hung about her, a topnote to the smell of road dust and engine oil that clung to her leathers. Her helmet was bungee'd to the pannier on her KTM, leaving her hair free. The bike itself rode low with the weight of her gear slung on it.

She lifted her flask to her lips, took a sip, paused, then a swig.

Fuck it. Fight fire with fire. She popped her earbuds in and put on Darude. If she had to listen to obnoxious shit, it would be her choice of obnoxious shit.
 
@Sushi @Yurihime Himeyuri @Zeitgeist Blue @Wizard_Marshall

Teijo stepped into the warehouse first, bringing his arm to his waist and bowing slightly. "Good evening, my name is Teijo. I am here for the meeting." Something told Keiko that the arm at his waist was for more than just formalities.

A woman from inside asked about "anyone else", so Keiko pushed the door lightly and stepped in as well. Her left hand found itself resting on the grip of the revolver holstered at her hip. She had never used it before—having focused more on the katana strapped on the other side of her hip—but it gave her a little sense of security nonetheless.

Keiko's expression adopted a practiced dignity as she appeared beside Teijo. "Hello, my name is Keiko, I am here for the meeting as well," though her bow this time was a little awkward on account of her hand resting on her gun.
 
Back Alley, Караваєві Дачі (Karavayevi Dachi Station)​
​
_____He wore his best philosopher's frown, running over the ledger contained in his skull for a long moment. He balled one fist, with fingerless glove up and stroked at a short blond goatee. "Good question! Hum, normally I charge extra for short notice but today is a good day— the best of days! How about three thousand Euros? You see, even a Kalashnikov can run over two thousand here, and they won't throw in the extra equipment like I can!" He marched from left to right, unzipping duffels and opening cases, revealing what had to be many thousands of Euros in optics, web gear, and firepower.

_____"AIMPOINT! TACTICAL VEST!" he bellowed, stooping close with a finger upheld. "And magazines. Magazine for days!" When the blond stopped shaking like a leaf long enough to ask for one, his face lit up into a picture of glee, the man throwing up two fists in victory. "WUNDERBAR!"

_____"By the way, call me Sam," he grinned. The giant marched around with redoubled energy, reversing the impromptu arms show and throwing equipment at breakneck pace back into bags and cases. He opened an envelope that the two hadn't noticed a moment prior, producing an array of forms and a pen for each. "Sign here, here, and here! I understand you have a lot of shopping to do before you enter the zone today, so we can call it an I.O.U.! Hurry, I wouldn't want you two to be late to Journalist's briefing!"
 
Roadside, Караваєві Дачі​
​

_____A bike revved somewhere behind and Talon gunned it, as the next track blared over the speakers, rattling the glass, the bars. The spotlights scoured the road bare. The mercenary seemed heedless to the finer details, until a glint of light made her boots descend on the brakes and clutch, the heavy Mercedes lurching to a stop on the road-side. She sat there for a few seconds, staring at what seemed like a random point in space. Talon shot a sideways look to Dexter as she unbuckled and threw the Merc into park. "Wait here," she commanded.

_____Then she was out the door like a light with the keys, leaving Dexter locked in with blaring music and the evening roadside scenery. Her shape dipped into the side of the lot and vanished into an alley.

_____Somewhere, someone had seriously bad taste in music. Talon could feel it.
 
@PanzerWaffles @AKuz @Kensai @Sushi
Dex watched as his so called bodyguard left him in the Benz, having decided some random alley was more important than her nominal job. "Go ahead! I'll be fine." He called out, not really expecting her to listen. "I've fought Taliban, been under RPG fire – dealt with hippos! Seriously don't fuck with hippos." He trailed off as he checked to make sure the truck was locked. "Oh great she took the keys." He muttered to himself as he switched the radio to something less … attention grabby.

Then after a moment he decided to figure out where Talon was keeping the guns – just in case.
 
@DB_Explorer @PanzerWaffles @Kensai
_____Dexter found the locked rifle case was buried under the kit bags and a tarp for camouflage. It still had a travel net around it from the airport, held with a TSA-compliant padlock. Where was his Glock? There were a half-dozen identical looking standard issue cases, jackets, crates of MREs and cartons of water all fighting for space behind the second row of seats.Bent over searching in the back, radio cranked up, he didn't hear the tapping at the glass until a minute after Talon had left.

_____There was a girl, maybe fourteen years old at the passenger window, knocking on the glass.

_____With a Glock.

​
 
The clink of metal on glass was subtle against the louder sounds of music blearing in the background so it took a few moments for Dex to pick up on the regular pattern of the sound. He looked up from his position draped over the back of the car to see a girl, not older then fourteen, tapping on the glass.

With a god damn Glock.

Dex bit back a curse but he doubted he hid the 'god damn it' his body language conveyed as he pulled himself forward back into the front of the car and promptly turned off the radio. Noting the girl had stopped tapping on the glass. He reached to bring the window down just enough to let sound through when he paused and considered. What, exactly, was he going to do? He could hardly just bludgeon a girl like this, and while offering cash for the gun could work he felt spending the bribe money on this would have Talon throwing him out of the car – at speed.

Really he needed to figure out what the damn girl wanted first so he brought the window down a crack so they could both hear. "Evening – How can I help you?" He asked calmly in almost passable Ukrainian – learning to read his grand uncle's journal had been useful in more ways than one.
 
Караваєві Дачі (Karavayevi Dachi Station)​

_____The two named themselves in turn. They reeked of criminal underworld, everything from the Mercedes-gold auto to the cut of coat on the muscle and the sword that the girl had brought. The two couldn't be any more dissimilar, Teijo in tailored lightweight suit, hand at hip level, Keiko in gun belt and black fatigues. It was the kind of run in that Vice might have killed for with the recent Exclusion Zone craze, especially the sword part. "Yo," Journalist said, looking pointedly to the raven-haired girl. "Kiev's a nice place. A little too nice for 'combat casual.' Get what I'm saying? This isn't the wild west. A hand on a pistol is the wrong way to start any conversation."

_____Teijo's brow furrowed as he took a step in front of his younger charge. "We have permits."

_____"I'm sure you do," she shrugged. "Kiev doesn't issue permits to wear swords and guns around. At least not legit ones. And a permit won't stop some stupid kid from trying to steal your heirloom sword because he can scrape off the gold with a screwdriver and sell it." She was matter-of-fact, but there was a hint of irritation in her tone, like brother common sense had taken five at the most inopportune moment.
 
@DB_Explorer
_____Without a key in the ignition, the window lowered into a crack wide enough for little more but a playing card to fit through before halting dead, the switch no longer responding in the minutes since Talon had left. The girl tapped the gun against the glass again, only raising her voice enough to say "hryvnia."
 
@Sushi @Druby

Felix could barely keep up with what was going on. As he signed the forms, a million questions swirled around his head like fortune cookies in a blender. How did Sam know about the meeting? How did he know that Felix and beanie man were supposed to go to the meeting? Who were the other people in the group? What the hell kind of name was Journalist anyway? As Felix finished signing away his soul, he regained just enough of his composure to ask where the warehouse they were supposed to meet in was. Upon getting his answer, he backed out of the alley and sprinted towards the warehouse entrance before he could be kidnapped again.
 
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