The old service centre of Pripyat Outskirts crackled with electricity unleashed from the noosphere. Its lower floor had been occupied by blue electric anomalies, acting as a natural minefield for anyone seeking to explore this blocky structure. Many stalkers who had made their way to the treacherous north had met their end here, missing the safe corridors between anomalies by a few millimetres. The dead bodies decomposing there kept company to the skeletons of even earlier victims.

Dimka could not understand what drew men to such place. His detector, even though it was just a weak Echo model given to him by Sokolov, was not beeping in the slightest. Perhaps there was something they were not privy to in this place. Whatever was the reason for these dead men, it did not deter him and Sevka from their mission. Boris had given them the order to search most notable buildings around Pripyat Outskirts, in hopes of finding the UNISG hideout. A needle in the haystack was a tried and tested expression for these situations. Sevka was coming behind him, his flashlight flickering from the sheer electric tension in the air. Dimka tossed bolts in front of him, carefully making a proper path between the fields of energy.

"These bodies look at best a day or two old. I wonder if they actually got fried or if someone is trying to make it look so.", Sevka noted.

"Don't know, but why would you need to hide bodies like this in the Zone? You can always say that those urban camo lunatics killed them.", Dimka commented.

"Uh, yeah, didn't think of that. Still, better check this place just in case. Who knows, maybe we'll finally get some payback for Khan's actions."

"About goddamn time. Listen, Sevka. Do you think about the others in our unit nowadays? I find it quite disturbing that despite us working to avenge them, I don't really think back to it a lot. Hell, sometimes I even forget that Maus is in the Zone.", Dimka sighed.

"I do think of them. Not as often as before though. Are we... getting nativized here? Mierda, I refuse.", Sevka growled.

"Yeah, if I wanted to live in a post-Soviet depression state, I would have remained in Bulgaria. But we're at the finish line now, let us not dwell on it for the time being.", Dimka said, tossing yet another bolt, this time causing one of the anomalies to crackle and illuminate the entire room as it did.

Not that way, then, Dimka thought to himself. Another bolt yielded far greater results with no lethal energies released. They continued zigzagging their way through the minefield of murderous currents, and while occasionally a bolt set off one of the Electros, none were released by their bodyparts. Once the last deadly tear in reality was behind the pair, they took a break to get a sip of water and calm their rapidly beating hearts. With the nervous breakdown pushed a few hours back, they took a look at their surroundings. Rest of the first floor seemed mainly free of anomalies, and Sevka soon found a way up. His shotgun barrel led the way, with Dimka's two pistols backing it up. Dim light glowed from upstairs, and slow, dragging noise could be just heard.

Flashlights on full power, they rounded the corner guns ready. A surprised grunt followed by a groan of pain followed, when a monstrous figure raised its hands over its face. It had a disfigured face, with boils, scars and squinted eyes, its body wrapped in a black, worn trenchcoat. It was the last thing Dimka noted before Sevka's shotgun opened up, and his C96 and Ruger Redhawk followed suit. The monstrous humanoid had no time to raise its shield, blinded by the flashlights, and it could only escape further. Bloodtrail followed it, and Sevka was almost as closely on its heels. Dimka was stuck loading a clip into his Mauser, when Sevka barreled back, thrown by an invisible punch. His Ruger saved Dimka's life when the burer returned, charging its attack but interrupted when a .45 ACP bullet pierced its skull. For a second Dimka was unsure if it had died, as it stuck upright. However, as it remained motionless, Dimka concluded that it had indeed met its end.

Turning his attention to Sevka, he saw the Spaniard rise to his feet slowly. Massaging his forehead, Sevka let out a litany of curses, but seemed to be otherwise okay. Dimka was about to ask if that was indeed the case, when rustling from behind them alerted the stalker. Dimka turned around, holding his pistols high, their barrels staring down a startled rookie in a white leather jacket.

"Who the fuck are you?", Dimka asked, almost as surprised as the rookie.

"Vadim Stranger, sir! Don't shoot, I'm of no threat to you!", the rookie said in a panicked tone, and Dimka lowered his arms.

"What are you doing here? And how did you survive the burer?", Sevka asked in turn, having managed to get himself back together.

"I came here with couple other guys from the Laundromat. We arrived to Outskirts yesterday, and met Strelok in the flesh. He asked us to find his lost pals, Snitch and Bogue. My friends got fried in the Electro field when we tried to check this place, and when I finally thought I would get past them, this bastard appeared", Vadim managed to explain, pointing at the burer corpse.

"And then what?", Dimka pressed on.

"It knocked me out with a flying bucket and dragged me here. I don't know exactly what it wanted of me, but there's another corpse in the backroom that had a small journal on him. Apparently the burer wanted some company, but the guy tried to escape and got his ribcage smashed in.", Vadim replied.

"Mierda, burer wants a buddy? I may not be the most veteran Zone-dweller but I bet that doesn't happen often.", Sevka scoffed.

"Boris and I did run into a sane controller once, perhaps this one did have some shred of humanity too. Now I feel bad for killing it.", Dimka sighed.

"It killed a dude who didn't want to be his best bud, and I would've had the same fate. So I think it was justified.", Vadim noted, and Dimka nodded.

"Enough of the lonely burer. You said you were seeking to find Stitch? We're on that case too.", Dimka commented.

"Yeah, Vanya and Bull wanted to find him since legendary Strelok was looking for him. You don't get to rub shoulders with Zone legends that easily everyday, so we took the gig. We already checked the school, and we thought of checking those two tall houses nearby but there were some men in odd uniforms there so we circled around. Not much our shotguns and pistols could do to them.", Vadim recounted.

"Odd uniforms? Did they have a patch like this?", Sevka asked, showing his UNISG patch, and Vadim nodded hesitantly.

"I think I saw one with those. They only appeared for a second, so I don't remember well though.", Vadim replied, scratching his head.

"Can you lead us there, then? We are hunting that group.", Dimka questioned, and Vadim nodded, saying it was the least he could do.

After a brief look through the second floor, which yielded little results, they exited the service centre through a previously locked staircase. While they were moving towards the tall commie blocks, Dimka handed his Ruger to Vadim and explained how it worked. The stalker's weapon had been tossed somewhere by a mutant, which Vadim now cursed. He explained that said weapon had been handed to him following the events of a karlik attack in Darkscape, and the gun had belonged to the trader there.

"What's a karlik?", Dimka asked.

"Usually, a nuisance. They create illusions of other mutants and try to steal items or kill unwary stalkers for food. This one though, was different. It was utterly unstoppable, and tortured us with such strong visions that even months afterwards I could barely function as human being due to the fear. I heard that some legendary hunter, I think called Mark, killed it.", Vadim explained.

"Mark Garlic? We met him once, I think. He left the Zone soon after, but you could tell he was a professional.", Sevka noted.

"Huh, where'd you meet such a guy?", Vadim prodded, and Sevka gave him a very awkward look.

"Eh, in some place up north. Truth be told, it was really quick experience and we were sweating bullets the entire time, so it isn't that inte-", Dimka continued in place of his friend, when a wheezing sound alerted them.

Three gasmask-wearing creatures on all fours leaped from the nearby school floors, from a large crack in its walls created by anomalies. Landing with a roll, they began a frenzied charge towards the three stalkers. Vadim opened fire the first, his bullet striking one of the snorks in the head and ending its life that second.

"Nice shot!", Dimka shouted while chambering a round into his DVL.

Sevka's shotgun followed suit, its buckshot hitting the yard, sending stone shards and dust flying. Some pellets struck one of the snorks, ripping into its grey-skinned arm. It wailed and slowed down momentarily, just long enough for Dimka's rifle to bark and strike it with all the might of .338 Federal. It sent the snork back like it had been struck by a giant's hammer, and the ragged figure no longer rose from the ground. Dimka could not savour the hit for long, when the last snork landed on top of Sevka and began clawing into his Scout suit. Sevka screamed from surprise and tried to push the mutant away, when his shotgun stock absolutely imploded. Splinters from it landed all over the ground as the brittle plastic was hit by the snork's claws. Dimka rushed in to help, trying to raise his gun again, but the unhealed wound in his arm slowed this down. Vadim had no such issues, and when Sevka momentarily shoved the mutant back, the Ruger claimed another victim.

"Tu puta madre!", Sevka shouted at the snork, looking at the stockless shotgun in his hands.

"Thanks Vadim, you saved our asses here. We don't have much experience fighting muties.", Dimka said, his voice heavy with gratitude.

"And I have too much of it. What's with the shotgun? You bought it from Sidorovich again?", Vadim asked, pointing at the smashed Saiga.

"We got ambushed and the shotgun was tossed afar from me by a grenade blast. It must have cracked while landing, but I missed this during combat. Guess it gave in now.", Sevka said, tossing the gun on his back and drawing his pistol.

"Are you guys sure you want me to lead you to the weird guys? Between the three of us, we have one working sniper, a broken shotguns and three sidearms. I saw them only briefly but they were packing heat.", Vadim queried in a bit frightened voice.

"Finding them is quite personal. We may not need to engage them, just to locate them, and then we'll call for back-up.", Dimka replied.

"I sure hope you live by that plan, Dimka.", Sevka commented, seeing the look on his friend's eyes.

Dimka only grunted in reply and holstered his rifle, ending the conversation. Vadim looked at the pair with a degree of hesitation, but eventually took lead and began marching through the overgrown vegetation slowly. The two tower-like blocks rose over the horizon, a strange vine-like growth rising between them. Dimka wondered if it was some type of anomalous plant, and if that was the case, could this type of gigantism affect mutants too? Shuddering at the thought of a three-story tall tushkanos, he pushed the idea aside. Better worry about those if they show up, he thought. The bushes and trees covered their approach, and few minutes later they arrived to the foot of the twin apartment blocks. Vadim took out binoculars and scanned the windows, pointing at one. Dimka pointed his scope at that too, and there, after such a long time, he saw a man in UNISG attire.

"Dimka, no.", Sevka murmured, seeing Dimka's finger twitch on the trigger.

Dimka struggled with himself, but managed to keep back his more vengeful tendencies. The trooper soon disappeared from view, and Dimka looked at his companions.

"Okay, what now?", he asked.

"Let's contact Boris. If we act fast, we can finish them here and now. Keep observing them, let's see how many are here. And no shooting.", Sevka ordered, taking out his PDA.

He had just managed to write a single line of text, when the sound of rotors echoed into audible range. Sevka raised his eyes to the sky, and not long after, a black Mi-17 helicopter appeared from among the dark-grey clouds. A white Greek letter omega was painted to its side. The three stalkers dispersed and hid in the underbrush to the best of their abilities, which proved to be life-saving as the helicopter began a circling approach. A M134 minigun was visibly mounted to the helicopter side, which would have turned them into minced meat in seconds had the trio been spotted. Slowly, the heli descended to the building roof, its rotors slowing down to a halt. Men in black Twilight suits and SEVAs jumped out of it.

"Who the hell are they?", Vadim asked.

"You tell me. Looks like we have gotten ourselves a jackpot.", Sevka muttered.

"You mind if I head back to the laundromat now? Dying was not in my plans for today?", Vadim proposed quietly.

"Go and report to Strelok. Tell him we may have found his pursuers. It's about to go down.", Dimka ordered.

Vadim rose to his feet slowly and turned around to head towards the laundromat, when a shot rang out and smashed his skull apart. One of the black-suited men, now holding a smoking sniper rifle, peered down through the scope and before either Dimka or Sevka could react, life had left Vadim's body. Working on vengeful instinct, Dimka fired back, striking the scope on the man's rifle and pushing the bullet through into his eye. The corpse fell over the edge and began spinning dramatically down to the ground.

"Fuck.", Sevka commented.

"Fuck indeed.", Dimka replied.

Bullets began striking the ground around them.