Agroprom. The Factory.
13:16 20/09/2018

After both Stalkers left the Great Swamps, they were now near the entrance to the Agroprom Factory. They took the long way there, though.
Both of them could've cut ways and go from the Tuzla Tunnel and take the road to the North, towards Agroprom. Unfortunately, that would lead them right in front of the Agroprom Research institue, where the military was stationed.
Yuri could pass by with no problem, due to him being a former Dutyer and a current Ecologist, both allied/neutral factions with the military... Unfortunately, Gabriel was part of an enemy faction. That and him being a deserter, they would shoot both of them on sight.
So, what they did was going back the way the came towards Cordon, resuply at Loris and Xenotech's farm, cut through the Garbage and into Agroprom.

Gabriel: "Suck my dick, you cunts."
-The soldier said as he flipped off another Mi-24 that flew over them. He knew they couldn't hear him, but damn he wished they could.
He recieved a soft punch on his shoulder from his companion, who tried to get his attention.

Yuri: "Come on, let's just move."
-He said while he kept walking, almost leaving Gabriel behind, who followed him.
After a minute or two, passing by some campfires with both Loners and Ecologists present, they made it to the entrance to the Agroprom Underground.
It was... A manhole. Just that.
Unfortunately, the smell comming from there wasn't very enjoyable... Fortunately, the filters on their helmets was effective enough to cover it up.

Gabriel: "Let's do this..."
-The Loner said before he climbed down the stairs to the Agroprom Underground
The ambience was dark, the only lights were a couple of red and yellow-ish lightbulbs that somehow still worked.

However, they were not alone. Yuri placed his finger near his mouth, gesturing his companion to be silent.
Some voices could be heard nearby. Specifically, down the other stairs in front if them, to the right.
Both Stalkers pulled out their shotguns and got ready, since shit was about to get real. It could be anything: Bandits, the military. Hell, it could even be a controller trying to lure them in.
Either way, both got ready for whatever was around the corner, with Gabriel being the one taking a peek and recieving a bullet zipping past him.

*SNAP!*

Gabriel: "FUCK!"
-He shouted as he took cover behind the wall, after that, he took another peek and fired a 12 Gauge slug in his face, killing him instantly.
After that, he saw the corpse of his victim. Judging by his clothing, he was a Bandit... And he was not alone.

*BANG! Schklick-klickt!*

*PAPAPAPA!*

Yuri: "There's more!"
-The Ecologist yelled as he began to shoot the rest of the Bandits, whom turned around a corner and fire at them too.
However, during the small firefight, the soldier spotted a certain thing in the area.
A barrell... A red barrell. He didn't know why, but a certain impulse or intrusive thought came in. And it gave him an idea, once his partner took cover again.
Shooting the barrell.

*BAM! BAM!*

*BANG!*

*BOOM!*

The barrell exploded quite violently after the slug made contact with it, killing anyone who was near it and heavily wounding anyone caught on the blast radious.
Multiple screams of pain could be heard, but not much, since the Stalker's ears began ringing since, well... An explosion indoors is pretty fucking loud.

*Schklick-klickt!*

Gabriel: "WOHOO! That was cool!"
-The loner said after he cocked his MP-133, chambering a new shell.

Yuri: "And stupid!"
-His friend replied as he held his head, feeling slight pain. He had to admit it was a bit smart though. If you don't want to waste grenades, using flammable or explosive objects in the environment is a smart option... When you don't get hit by the shrapnel that is.

Gabriel: "Shock and awe, bitch!"
-The soldier shouted, seemingly having an andrenaline boost, which he seemed addicted to... Hell, instead of walking down the stairs like a normal person, he jumped down and sprinted to a column where he took cover.
He began to load some 12 Gauge buckshot, which would be more suitable for close quarters than a slug, even if pellet spread wasn't that much. Still, he preffered to use slugs against something stronger or with better armor, so wasting that on mere Bandits with barely any armor seemed stupid to him.

*PAPAPAPA!*

More bullets rained upon both of them as a couple more Bandits showed off, whom began to curse and insult the Stalkers. As soon as the inexperienced Bandits stopped firing, due to them taking cover or stopping to reload, Gabriel and Yuri took it as a chance to strike back, with Gabriel switching to his AK, and run and gun their way towards the Bandits.
The soldier landed clean headshots with his rifle to standing enemies, whom dropped to the ground instantly, while the Egologist sprinted towards the hidden enemies, blasting them from up close and personal with his SPAS-12.

*POW-POW! POW-POW!*

*BAM! BAM!*

*BRATATA!*

*BAM!*

Soon enough, the threat was finally neutralized, with both Stalkers standing victorious among the corpses of the good-for-nothing Bandits resting below them. Despite them being a higher number, they didn't stand a chance against two battle-hardened individuals, one of them in and out of The Zone.
Anyways, after the problem had been dealt with, the Stalkers kept goinh deeper into the Agroprom Underground, finding another set of stairs. These ones were built like a spiral though. Both of them went downstairs, with Yuri leading the way with his Svarog Detector, noticing a lot of Fruit Punch anomalies popping up on his device... As if the green ilumination comming from below didn't indicate their precense already.

In order to avoid them, they would have to sidestep while basically getting glued to the dammed walls, since both of them didn't want to risk jumping over them.
After a tedious minute of constant beeping from their Anomaly Detectors, they finally made it to the other room. A big and open room, with what seemed to be huge water tanks on one side, which were also surrounded by Fruit Punch anomalies.

Gabriel: "I don't like this shit..."
-The soldier mentioned the obvius suspicious ambience that this room had, switching the safety off his GP-25 grenade launcher... Just in case something big or tough decided to appear...
His partner agreed with him. This was the perfect room for an ambush, doesn't matter if a human or a mutant does it. The ominous orange lights didn't make things any better.
Yuri still lead the way, now putting away his detector and switching back to his SPAS-12.

He did fail to notice something though... His greatest fear in The Zone: a Bloodsucker.
And honestly, you couldn't blame him for not seeing it, since these beasts are fucking invisible, except when they decide to strike you.
The damn thing jumped on top of him and attempted to bite his neck. Yuri screamed for help as he fell to the ground, with the Bloodsucker on top of him. Thankfully, Gabriel quickly went to help him, kicking the mutant off of his friend before emptying an entire magazie of 5.45×39mm FMJ rounds, mutilating the damn thing.

*BRATATATATATATATA!*

After that, he looked around and searched for any other threats. If there's one, there's more... And he was proven right, since another Bloodsucker appeared right in front of him.
However, he managed to react quickly, firing a VOG-25 grenade towards the incoming beast. The grenade failed to detonate, due to the mutant being closer to its arming distance. Still, it did have enough speed to punch a huge hole into its chest, killing instantly.
The corpse fell on top of his friend, who was still on the floor, screaming at the dead body he has on him.

Yuri: "AHH! GET OFF!"

Gabriel: "Calm down. It's dead."
-The Loner said as he loaded a new magazine into his gun, still looking around in case a third one decided to appear.
After double-checking, he went back to his friend and gave him a hand, lifting him up and getting him back on his feet.

Yuri: "You know I hate these things..."-he replied to his companion, whom gave him back his shotgun, since he dropped it after the Bloodsucker pounced on him.-"Thanks..."

Gabriel: "No need to, now let's go."
-He said before he began walking again, now going towards another entrance, which lead to a long hallway that was also filled with Fruit Punch anomalies.
As they walked past said anomalies, something began to feel... Weird. Their vision was brighter than usual, to be more specific, it had a hint of light blue. As soon as they both noticed that, they knew what they were up against now.
A Burer.

Those fat bastards are capable of manipulating gravity to throw stuff at you. Or even worse, they use their gravitational powers to exhaust you by crushing you with the weight you're carrying. And when they see you're weak, they take away your only means of defense against them, also known as your weapon. Oh, and if that wasn't enough, their powers also allow them to create a force field of sorts and stop all your bullets.
Then there's the constant whispering and stupid laughter... They don't look that terrifying, since they're basically short, fat, slow and ugly. But not scary ugly, just disgusting ugly. But they're surely one of the most annoying mutants, since they know how to play dirty and laugh at you when doing so.
Kinda makes you want to play dirty as well, which is what Gabriel thought of right now.

Gabriel: "Hey... I got an idea."-the soldier said to his friend, trying to not be so loud, so the Burer wouldn't hear his malicious plan.-"There's another entrance to the same hallway he is in, at the end of this hallway, behind us."

Yuri: "What are you gonna do?"
-The Ecologist asked, trying to figure out what kind of plan his friend had in mind, hoping it would also work.

Gabriel: "I'll lure him into this one, through this entrance."-he replied, pointing at the door they had right in front of them.-" You go around, I distract him. Once he's focused on me, you blast his ass from behind with your shotgun."

Yuri: "I like that."
-He said before nodding and tapping his shoulder, indicating that he began to run towards the other end of their hallway, being careful not to step in an anomaly.
Once he was gone, Gabriel turned to his left, into the room that lead towards the Burer's hallway. Then, he began to get... Creative.

Gabriel: "Hey, fatass! Come here!"
-He shouted, spotting the mutant, which entered the room almost at the same time he did. Once he spotted him, the mutant began to lift nearby objects so he could throw them at Gabriel, whom dodged them all.

*CRASH!*

*CLUNK!*

Gabriel: "Missed me, you wide bastard!"-he laughed as he took cover, comming back to the hallway he was in before.-"You're so fat that the grease around your body creates a different gravitational field! I guess that's how you got your powers!"
-The mutant didn't seem to like that, since the soldier recieved an angered grunt and a barrell being thrown at him, which was on his hallway and narrowly missed him.

*CRASH!*

Gabriel: "Okay, two can play that game!"-he yelled before he crouched and grabbed something from the floor, then taking a peek and throwing it at the mutant.-"Look, a rock! It's fantastic!"
-Funnily enough, the rock did hit the Burer in the face, which angered it even more.
Unfortunately, before he could even try to crush the soldier, his friend arrived just in time.

*BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM!*

Quick yet controlled shots were fired at the beasts back, which did not kill it, but it hurt it pretty bad. So much that it could barely use its powers now.
Then, the mutant's fate was sealed, and the last thing it saw was a SPAS-12 barrel pressed against its face.

Yuri: "I guess being so fat makes you kinda bulletproof..."

*BAM!*

The floor and walls were now painted red, as the Burer's skull and brain matter was splattered all over the place. Some even fell on Yuri, whom recieved a high-five from his companion, who laughed and celebrated their victory.
Now, finally, the coast was clear, and they could now begin to search for Strelok's hideout. As they did so, the began to look in the hallway they were suppossed to go before the mutant interviened.
Yuri saw some pipes, but none had stairs, as far as he knew. He basically sprinted his way through the whole area, so he may have missed something. And indeed he did, since the closest pipe they had, was suited with a set of stairs inside it.

Gabriel: "I think it's that one..."
-He said before he went into the pipe, begining to climp up the stairs, being followed by his partner.
Once they made it there, they found what seemed to be a room, a big one. A makeshift matress could be seen on the floor, with some small plastic boxes near it. A vice of sorts could also be seen in front of the matress, and next to it was what seemed to be a white case of sorts, placed on some kind of shelf.

Yuri: "Yeah, it's definitely here."-the Ecologist said as he looked around for any sort of clues, finding a notebook close to the matress, which seemed to be Strelok's.-"Hey, check this out! I got his notebook!"

Gabriel: "I found some documents too!"
-His companion replied, holding the white case, which held the documents he was talking about.
Turns out what he was carrying was a white fireproof case containing military documents and reports on investigations performed near Agroprom. The reports talked im detail about how machinery and equipment had gone missing from the institute, and how the results of the investigations on their whereabouts were, apparently, falsified.

Yuri: "Okay, let's see what this guy has here."
-The Ecologist said before opening Strelok's notebook, begining to read it. A quick read revealed many disjointed and cryptic notes. Seems the Stalker had a crysis about an important decision he had made a few years ago, and wanted to quickly resuply at Rostok before pushing North to verify his choices.

Gabriel: "So he's going to the bar." -the soldier said before he went to the backpack, likely Strelok's stash. He didn't find much, except for basic tools and a worn notebook.- "Yo, check this out! I found another notebook."

Yuri: "What does it say?" -the Ecologist asked before his partner opned the notebook. Both of them gave it a good read. It described in detail how get into an underground complex called Lab X-18.- "X-18... Wait, isn't that right where the Brain Scorcher is located?"

Gabriel: "I think so... Ah, whatever, doesn't matter now. We're not that far from Strelok, so we better move if we want to find him."
-He replied before putting the worn notebook and the documents on his backpack. Meanwhile, Yuri kept Strelok's notebook.
After that, both men picked up some more stuff they found in the legend's hideout. Gabriel found a medium and large caliber rifle cleaning kit, which was useless for him since his main weapon was in 5.45. But at least he could sell it to a technitian for a fairly good price.

Soon enough, both Stalkers had filled their pockets and were ready to leave. After going down the same pipe they used to get there and moving past the dead Burer, they took a left and went towards another hallway. After taking another left and a right, they were at another set of spiral stairs, but these ones were bigger and taller.
The soldier lead the way, aiming his shotgun foward, just in case someone, or something, decided to suprise them. Some crates were on their way, but the Loner was able to move past them. As he did so, he kept looking foward, ready to act if necesary.

*CRACK!*

Gabriel: "AAH!" -the Stalker shouted as he heard one of the crates behind him break into pieces. Then he found man guilty of such action: Yuri Oddball.- "Can you stop breaking crates, you infantile pillock!?"
-It was one of his other weird habits. And he always did it behind his back, as if he wanted to scare his friend on purpose.
Speaking of Yuri, he simply did not respond, he just looked at Gabriel with a stoic face hidden underneath his gas mask.

Gabriel just sighed in response and kept walking again. Once they finally made it on top, they found another set of vertical stairs, which lead to another manhole. He knew where this would lead: a small hill near the research institute, which was better than their other alternative. Another manhole, but this one lead directly inside the research institute.
So, despite this exit being "safer" than the other one, they were still pretty close, so as soon as they get out, they need to haul ass to the factory... Especially with that Hind flying overhead, which's rotors could already be heard as soon as both Stalkers exited the Agroprom Underground.

Gabriel: "Come on, come on! Let's go!"
-He shouted before running as fast as he could towards the factory. Thankfully, the helicopter didn't spot them... Or so they thought.

*BRATATATATA!!*

Yuri: "OH SHIT!"
-The Ecologist yelled as bullets impacted near him, narrowly missing him and his buddy.
They were screwed, they needed some good cover right now, otherwise that helicopter would just turn them into eggplant pure... A disgrace among mankind.

Gabriel: "RUN, GODDAMN IT! RUN!"
-The soldier yelled too, just as they went past the destroyed wall next to the road, which lead to the Factory. After doubling some corners, they finally made it inside, where the helicopter couldn't hit them.
Unfortunately, it was still up there, watching them. They couldn't stay for much time in there. Hell, that helo was probably sending a patrol to get them, so they had to move now.

Yuri: "Where the hell are you going!?"
-The Ecologist asked, seeing his friend going up the stairs they had nearby.
Gabriel had a plan. It was risky, but they didn't have many choices. He went upstairs, where the heli would not expect them to be. There were many, many windows in the building they were in, so keeping track of every single one would not be easy. Gabriel knew this, but he still had to act fast.
What was his plan? Well, let's just say it involved a VOG-25 grenade...

As soon as he leaned out of the windoy, he aimed his weapon at the aircraft. He had seconds to calculate how much elevation he would need to hit the damn thing.
However, his skill with underbarrell grenade launchers was surely remarkable, and, soon enough, he fired a projectile and hit the vehicle dead center.

*BOOM!!*

Gabriel: "Yeah! Burn, motherfucker!"
-The soldier yelled victorious after hitting his target. Unfortunately, it did not shot it down imediately, but the damage was so rough that the helicopter had to retreat for repairs, otherwise they would crash sooner or later.
As the machine retreated, both Stalkers ran away from the building, as fast as they could. They didn't want to deal with another chopper or any military platoons in the area, so they hauled ass to Rostok. But, in order to get there, they would have to pass through the Garbage.
Next stop: Rostok... And after all of this, a drink at the 100 Rads bar would be a good idea.

TO BE CONTINUED...

≻─── ⋆✩⋆ ───≺≻─── ⋆✩⋆ ───≺

YO YO YO YO! NEW CHAPTER!
Fuck, this one took me longer than expected. I was having a mental breakdown deciding if I should add the helicopter chase or not. But in the end, I did it.
Next one will take a little longer, I believe. But stay tunned if you want to read it too!
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! And as always, have a nice day!

-Doom_Vietnam_Slayer.