2. Strider: Day 0

We walked through Orane. A small town seven kilometers from a checkpoint protecting the entry point to the thirty kilometer exclusion zone. Trying to find the weapons we ordered from a supplier in a package hidden from view left time to admire the sights. The town itself had fallen under hard times following the Chernobyl disaster which was felt by the rest of the nation. The world attempted to provide aid though it was never enough to cover the incredible maintenance cost of keeping the zone secure. Weary individuals scraping by trudged through the street returning from work frustrated with the sight of their slowly dilapidating homes.

The streets were saturated with police patrols as a result of the influx of people finding their way into the zone. While this problem inflated security costs further aggravating an already critical economic state it also promoted a massive wave of weapons and equipment trafficking. Operated by small criminal organizations trying to find other avenues of profit and supported by massive weapon’s companies looking to test their equipment in the harshest conditions.

Ironically this kept the town together as supposedly noble criminals provided the government with desperately required funds. The police correspondingly focussed on individuals attempting to penetrate the zone perimeter rather than the trafficking as not to jeopardize the nation they protected.

The increased police presence kept Bishop and Hazard within the comforts of the hotel, their inability speak Ukrainian or Russian would’ve put them on notice to be inspected by government officials and deported or imprisoned. That left Flux and myself out and about scanning for our quarry until I managed to spot it on the outskirts of town in the forest near the agreed area. Further investigation displayed it wasn’t being observed by the authorities as a man finally approached breaking the silence.

“Seems we're still on schedule, you must be ecstatic Strider.”

Turning towards Flux with a subtle smile to notice he was already scanning the woodland ahead of us entirely focussed on finding our cache rather than share a moment of relief. Pointing out the cache he quickly honed in on the equipment and turned away leaving as briskly as he arrived while still focussed on the gear laid out in the woodland.

“Right, we leave tonight then. I’ll go and rally Bishop and Hazard to move as soon as we’re ready.”

My eyes returned to the dead drop as he continued to to walk away, concentrating on how we’d breach through the checkpoint no doubt. The sound of crunching gravel suddenly paused for a moment gaining my attention to notice Flux sharing a rare subtle smile on his face as he broke his gaze on the drop in order to share a postponed moment of relief.

“You know this is probably the best thing for Bishop and Hazard, us as well even. It’s kinda funny to think we’re using all that extra training in the end. Surviving on our own, going to be the first real aspiration we’ve had in awhile.”

Lifting his gaze from me indicating to follow him we walked back to the hotel filtering through the exhausted populace and vigilant officers. A warm orange light began to shine down the grayscale streets as the sun began to set under the aggregation of clouds building up above us, the overcast night would provide a welcome sheet of darkness as cover.

Come darkness we ventured into the trees to where our gear was located. Quietly we rummaged through the package claiming what we had purchased, each claiming a Makarov pistol, PDA, knife, survival and repair gear in tactical webbing along with a substantial amount of food and water in large backpacks, the straps pulling tight on the camouflaged sturdy overcoats we all wore. Not wanting to attract too much attention we ordered sub par weapons that we would easily find parts and ammunition for in the zone.

Bishop’s hand went straight for the old AKM assault rifle located in the stash. Checking the ancient firing mechanism found it to be without defect and hopefully as reliable as the guns legacy had proclaimed. I myself carefully lifted out a Mosin-Nagant M91/30 PU rifle with a 4x optic which trained eyes peered down inspecting the sight as to be sure it was properly aligned. Hazard managed to secure himself a substantial piece of equipment. An old RPK light machine gun that the supplier happened to have in his inventory surprisingly. Finally Flux claimed a PPSh-41 submachine gun. A soviet era lead hose bound to drop anything caught in front of it assured by its rate of fire at around 1000 rounds per minute.

Finally geared up we advanced towards the checkpoint through the thick darkness amplified by the surrounding woodland improving our cover by blocking out what light penetrated the overcast sky. While difficult to navigate barely being able to see a few meters in front of myself the light thrown into the sky by the checkpoint provided me with a beacon to navigate from as we broke from the concealment of the trees into open areas in between the woodland. After around seven kilometers of careful movement and avoiding the occasional patrol we stopped near the edge of the woodland to observe the checkpoint for an opening.

A few days prior I investigated the checkpoint to determine a plan. The entire area was surrounded by a three meter high perimeter fence which curved inward toward the zone more intent on keeping what was inside secure rather than solely preventing illegal incursions by man. Rustling lazily in the wind razor wire deterred plans to climb the fence as lookouts from towers armed with heavy machine guns spaced a kilometer apart observed the area the fence contained. Irregular foot patrols accompanied by headlights bobbing up and down and the periodic rumbling of armed jeeps could be heard patrolling the outer perimeter keeping it secure. Penetrating the fence itself seemed highly unlikely to succeed and the road leading into the checkpoint had a seventy meter distance of bare road, the perimeter fence flanking either side leaving the entry entirely exposed.

However with patience and lying in the undergrowth of the forest motionless I discovered there was a flaw in the defence. The lookouts from the towers seemed to only watch inward toward the zone rather than out and the secured road could only be constantly surveyed from the guard post on the left side of the gate. If my observations had determined a pattern a supply truck should be arriving soon that could be used as cover down the road. When the headlights of the predicted truck came into view I gave out a signal. With confidence we advanced to the very edge of the woodland into a drainage ditch beside the intersection waiting for the truck to slow down for the corner.

With the whining of brakes eventually fading away the truck began to take the turn as we broke concealment for a fraction of a second and launched ourselves at the the loading tray latching on silently. Bishop losing his grip and almost his footing as he hit the ground reached out desperately towards us though Hazard was surprisingly ready for his blunder. While holding himself up he took Bishop by the arm and threw him with ease onto the back of the tray quietly enough not to be heard over the engine.

Shortly after the whine of the brakes began again approaching the gate and once proceeding slowly enough we disembarked crouching quickly around the side of the truck underneath the passenger door mirror. With guns up and ready for the gates to grind open we’d advance with the truck until we could take cover alongside the buildings on our right in the compound. Waiting anxiously the gate guard and truck driver conversed.

“(Long night Velychko?)” The guards greeting was met by a long audible groan.

“(So much paper work. These materials for the research teams always leave a fucked paper trail.)”

“(Just a bunch of metals yeah? Must want it getting to them pretty bad. Gates primed and about to open, I’m about to make some coffee as well so once you’ve parked the truck come round while they unload.)”

“(Lina, you’re a godsend.)” The gate began to grind open to allow us entry.

“(Well if I don’t look after you who else will.)”

With a hearty chuckle the driver revved the engine once more while we proceeded alongside it into the surprisingly empty compound containing a barracks, garage and a grouping of helipads to the left. To our right was an armory and the two story command structure connected to the reinforced wall with a bulkhead gate underneath ahead of us, the ramparts were armed with two heavy machine guns and an elevated tower manned by a skeleton crew. As the truck sped up towards the helipads we darted across towards the armory and skirted around its side in between it and the concrete wall which separated us from the zone.

Proceeding slowly, Flux on point with Bishop right behind, followed by Hazard then myself watching the rear we proceeded as cautiously as possible trying to remain silent regardless of the twenty kilogram packs on our backs. Reaching the corner of the armory I took hold of Hazards shoulder, who clasped Bishop’s and Bishop Flux’s. As soon as Flux felt his grip he led around the corner with the old smg shouldered to quickly cover the rest of the group as they darted in between the buildings in one fluid action that would last only a moment.

As soon as he turned the corner however it became obvious the action would be anything but fluid. Now looking down the alley between the buildings revealed a rather confused guard locking eyes with mine while taking a drag from a cigarette as another opened the back door to the command building. The door now blocking the view down the gap between the buildings the confused guard now fumbling for his rifle dropping his cigarette as the other began to turn his head towards us.

“(Wh-? FU-!)”

Flux launched into action. A quick jab into his throat silenced and shook him just enough for him to miss swiping for his rifle. The other cocked his pistol forcing the slide back by pushing the gun into the holster with a mechanical click. As the gun was about leave the holster Flux delivered a quick kick to his left shin while taking hold of his collar and arm. Using his leg placed behind his after the kick unbalanced him just enough to throw him as Bishop delivered a vicious combo leaving the other stunned guard on the ground.

After choking the two out we heard some commotion from within the building. Footsteps sluggishly stomping down concrete stairs. Another coming down to investigate what the noise was about. Without hesitation Hazard and I dragged in the bodies. Flux breached the building holding the investigator up at gunpoint then restrained him from behind with his arm locked around the PPSh-41 over his back ready to fire. With the guard as a shield he and Bishop advanced upstairs. Upon reaching the top of the stairs Bishop already had the crowd under control with hands in the air.

It wasn’t long until Hazard hastily tied them down with their own cable ties, easily overcoming any resistance. Once the room was secure I spotted another two guards holding their rifles up to their chests slowly moving towards the command structure. Upon noticing me they brought their weapons to a readied position. Calmly returning their gesture with an easy wave bewildered them further as they continued to advance slowly to investigate instead of firing.

“Fifteen seconds, over the wall.” With my command Flux led out the door to the ramparts. Under his cover we let ourselves down from the ledge dropping into the long unkempt grass of the wildlands. We were in, the zone sprawled ahead of us, it’s bleak breeze disturbing the grass to emit a hopeful whisper of true freedom, it’s glory ours for the taking.

Instantly taking the initiative we bolted towards the woodland ahead of us, the density of the trees drowning out the light thrown from the floodlights. Our straightford escape from the checkpoint was eventually interrupted by the sound of an alarm blaring from the compound thirty seconds later. We’d already cleared almost two hundred meters from the wall but it wouldn’t be long until the guns would be manned and upon us.

Another minute and now at a distance of six hundred meters gunshots from the heavy machine guns could be heard firing blindly into the woodland way off our position. It seemed we should be well and clear. Slowing our pace to something more manageable while staying in cohesion with each other the floodlights barely illuminated the woodland from the compound so far behind us. It was enough for us to navigate the woodland at speed as we made for the edge to eventually cross the road into the massive forest ahead.

It wasn’t enough to spot the tripwires however. With the simple sound of a click that was so sickening to accustomed ears we all noticed the cord once strained against Bishop’s leg, the end of which carried a pin as it flew through the air. That second lasted what seemed a minute, but it wasn’t an accompanying explosion that followed, rather a swath of light from above. A flare. Thank god. He’d triggered a flare not a mine. Emitting a breathless laugh I looked over towards him with a wry look as we proceeded at jogging pace.

“Not today Bishop… just a flare…”

Suddenly his facial expression turned to one of shock which we all shared as high powered spot lights traced the ground to where the flare had originated from.

“Oh… OH FUCK FLARE GET DOWN!”

Just as my cry was heard a hail of fifty calibre rounds ripped through the trees. The heavy machine guns from the compound walls roared through the darkness of the night. Dirt, splinters of wood and rock filled the air accompanied by a tree falling. The rain of fire continued. Desperately diving and crawling under patterned bursts. Fearfully trying to avoid catching a stray round. I managed to make a fair bit of distance from the area of fire while Hazard and Bishop were slightly behind. Flux nowhere to be seen. Trees began to creak and collapse joining the orchestra of chaos drowning out the world until an unmistakable whistling noise could be heard from above.

Quickly diving and curling up in a ditch a great explosion resonated from just behind. Apart from ears ringing the world became quiet. A fire starting behind quickly taking hold. Forced to move once again beginning a dead sprint through the woods with rifle in one hand. Hearing still afflicted but returning. The crack of bullets passing by returning first. Another explosion. Further away than the last but startling enough to instill a loss in footing quickly recovered from. Running further and further until confident I was outside the area of bombardment sliding to the ground on my back and rolling over I brought my rifle up supported by a log and steadied myself.

Long deep breaths. The chaos continued ahead as Hazard and Bishop continued to run towards my position. Scope unsteady and wobbling off the spotlight I intended to hit I adjusted myself. Another mortar whistling above but off my position not compelling any action that would compromise my aim. Deep. Breaths. Raising the muzzle by a millimeter. Squeezing the trigger. The shot rang out bringing my senses back to the surrounding world as the spotlight went out. The last mortar had started another fire fifty meters behind us.

In a precise fluid motion bolting the rifle quickly the casing ejecting onto the log it’s impact inaudible over the chaos. Lining up the rifle again this time towards an illuminated heavy machine gun. Aiming carefully not to hit the guard but the box magazine. Wrapping my finger round the trigger. The patterned burst of muzzle flash blinding my aim periodically. Long. Deep. Breaths. Exhaling slowly. Squeezing the trigger.

Another shot rang out as the round travelled for a moment impacting the box magazine on the machine gun in just under a second. Jamming the weapon and suppressing the other machine gunner dropping to the ground in shock. The break in fire gave Bishop and Hazard the cover they needed to regroup however Flux was still no where to be seen.