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Post by Soulthief on Jun 27, 2014 21:39:17 GMT -5
The loud clattering and beat of tracks barreled down the ring line northwards, the little vehicle sliding down, hand-cranked by one of the final Arbater merchants. It was a mostly-abandoned Reich vehicle led by a member of one of the most hated factions by most people in the metro system, with the exception of the warm and friendly arms of VDNKh.
The man sat down, looking away from the rails, figuring he'd let his arms rest. It's not like anything large would be coming through the tunnel anyways, VDNKh was never the worlds' busiest or best station confederacy... it reminded him of his own station federacy or Belarouskaya outpost, actually, but it wasn't time to remember that. The lightly-bearded man pulled out his last twenty rounds and a gun that, indeed, he stole from the Nazis. AK-47, the gun THEY took from him. That he stole back... perfect.
But that was besides the point. he overlooked a map of the metro, plotting a course between the couple service tunnels between the VDNKh stations. He left some doodles on the map, and pumped up the driving mechanism on his little handcar. Within the half-hour, he felt his cart come to a stop at the second station on the VDNKh system, he having been detached, never hearing about the "Undead attacks" there and in Exhibition. He shot through Rizhskaya and passed them by, so, Alekseevskaya was the next plot on the line. He hopped out his cars' lightly armored side, and began to walk around the mushroomy grounds of the tracks. He stepped up to the station entrance, and gave the door a nice, hard knock.
No reply.
"Damn." He cursed, and he raised up his fist again, and knocked a straight five times, wanting to, at the very least be called on by. "Eh! Look at me! I'm no Nazi, It's just... you know... Desperate times call for desperate measures! Open your doors!"
And again, No reply.
"Aaargh... Come on, guys. It's me! The good guy! With the pork bites? And that's a trademark! Someone should know me for that, atleast..." He stated, already tired with this little situation. He hopped off of the station entrance and back in his vehicle again, sliding out over the seating of the car "Hmmph. Fine. You want to give me the silent treatment, VD? Give me your best." He said, pulling up a can of Pork Bites. "I'll be waiting."
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Post by The Khan on Jul 16, 2014 10:42:32 GMT -5
Sonya's eyes were good, but sometimes a flashlight was handy to have, just in case. And flashlights don't last forever. Hers in particular was broken recently when she found herself wandering too far into the nest of some Spiderbugs. She managed to get away without too many scratches, but without a flashlight to keep them away they relentlessly pursued her until she left their nest. As she had learned many times, running, in most cases, is the best thing you can do.
So she found herself in need of a new flashlight, maybe some spare batteries. So Sonya once again had a need to enter into a station. She really didn't like the bigger ones, too many people, too many lights; so she found herself on her way to a place marked on a map she'd found called Alekseevskaya. From someone, somewhere a while ago she had heard that there was a settlement there. While she was there she thought she might see if she could find some pork. Surviving on rats and mushrooms wasn't too bad but sometimes something different was good.
So off she went, through side passages and tunnels and caves and varies shortcuts she made her way to Alekseevskaya with her pistol holstered at her right side, her machete in a sheath strapped to the outside of her left thigh and her AKS-74U packed neatly away in her improvised backpack she'd made, in which she also had cartridges, spare ammunition, some food and a few other little things that might come in handy. She had several small 'outposts', she liked to call them, set up all of over the metro, hidden as best as she could hide them. She used them to stop over, places where she knew she would be (or more likely be) safe, somewhere where she could catch a few hours of sleep if she needed it.
When she got to where she thought the train tunnel to Alekseevskaya should be it was blocked off. Sealed over with what seemed to be a makeshift barricade, made from wood and steel. She swore to herself as she look at the map again to make sure she was in the right place.
"This should be it", she said to the darkness, looking back up at the blocked off door and back down at the small piece of paper she held in her hands. Folding it away and stowing it in one of her pockets she looked around for something... something to help her get through the barricade. On the ground only a few feet away was a steel rod. She picked it up with her right hand and started prying the wood off of the door with one hand. Her left arm had been scratched the week beforehand by a Watcher, it was bandaged from shoulder to wrist, she didn't want to use that arm in case she pulled the crude stitches out. Despite the handicap it didn't take too long, and before she knew it she was out on the train tracks. Whoever had blocked off the tunnel was lucky that there weren't many monsters anywhere nearby; a determined Watcher could break that down in a matter of seconds.
Sonya went out of the side tunnel and onto the tracks, she looked left and right to make sure she was alone. She stood there in silence for a few seconds to see if she could hear anything before turning left and heading towards where Alekseevskaya should be, according to her map, moving with a slight limp.
It didn't take long to get there, she seemed to have come out considerably close to the station. Seeing the distant glow of lights she put her sunglasses on and pulled the hood of her tattered cloak up over her head and cautiously made her way to what seemed to be the entrance. She kept her hands by her side where she knew her machete and pistol would be if she so needed it.
There was some sort of vehicle parked on the rails, a little rail cart or something, and someone shouting at the door. Her pace slowed a bit more as she edge her way closer. She shielded her eyes a bit before they adjusted to the light, it didn't take long due to her sunglasses.
The person, now obviously a man, was now sitting in his handcar, still shouting at the door. Sonya didn't bother trying the door herself and sat down a few paces behind the vehicle with her back against the damp tunnel wall, still keeping an eye on the man. She wouldn't wait too long, she didn't want to stay longer than absolutely necessary.
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Post by mamajumbo on Jul 17, 2014 13:31:35 GMT -5
Is there a way to understand Destiny, this strange idea of convenient variables producing a vague message of what God or other great entities want from mere existences, evolved monkeys trying to step out of the crowd and feeling special perhaps? Raised to take care of the wounded meat grinders of the Reich without asking questions, his heart spoke out when he discovered he and his brethren were about to butcher a human being who had the misfortune of living on the wrong side of the tunnel, maybe he fooled Destiny that day, then the test subject became a person and persuaded him to work for a greater cause, the "to be" unified metro. New objectives, new line of work and, of course, switched teams. Apparently his role was so shady, that the Reds forgot him, one lost, ten more behind they say. With no figure to follow, the homeless Doktor found a book of a greek surgeon, with an old Oath that Reich forbids to pronounce and Red doesn't bother with such useless rubbish. The principles were simple and gave him a new direction. To the wounded, not only nazis or communists, but everyone. The young apprentice knows he cannot bear all. The whole metro has sicks and battle bruised soldiers. Today, he will be his own commander, his destination? VDNKh, strange rumors appeared. What he could gather woke the tiny scientist in him, people affected by that something were scarred, neither by a creature nor a knife, their minds were shattered. He is no psychologist but there is work to be done there, and with work there is money and food, maybe a home.
"Wake up you moron, growled the masked guard, you gonna get out or stay? Travelers are waiting behind you."
"Yes, I'm needed there, here are my documents" A stamp jumped from one place to a paper and there he went, sailing on his own, diving in the cold and dark tunnels, on his way to the famous tea producers.
In a few hours, Vassili faces an odd situation. Wasn't the Alexeyevskaya supposed to be curfew free? A wall again, and people standing there, their shadows dancing as his flashlight scans the corners of the door.
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Post by kilroy on Jul 17, 2014 21:41:17 GMT -5
Alexi had traveled far, there where to many stalkers in Polis, so he'd traveled to the Commonwelth to see if he could make a profit here. He traveled down the tracks quickly, and his head hurt for some reason. He saw a cart parked up ahead at the door to a station and whistled loudly.
"Hello up there! Hold the door! I'm a stalker!" He said, holding his hands up to show he was unarmed as he walked up to the cart. He stopped short of the cart, showing that he wasn't violent or hostile.
He turned off his light, but kept his armor an helmet on. The Mosin and Bastard gun where both loaded, he'd learned the hard way that you never went anywhere without a loaded gun.
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Post by derchemiker on Jul 18, 2014 7:14:00 GMT -5
The only sound Michael heard for hours were his boots tapping ont the ground. "This tunnel isn't that bad" he tought to himself wandering through the quiet tunnel between Richskaja and Alexejewskaja.
Indeed this tunnel wasn't so bad as he heard, the hansa traders telled him horrifying storys about people just vanishing in this tunnel. But Micheal felt pretty safe. The only thing that bothered him was the nazi that passed him in an railcar about 15 minutes ago. Wondering what the extremist could wan't in this part of the Metro he heard an loud whistle. Micheal thought "Looks like im near the station" and got a little bit faster.
Soon he reached the Station, only to find an group of people waiting in front of the closed entrance. An extremist who was eating pork bites on his railcar, two men standing apart of each other and a woman with some sunglasses. Wondering why someone would need sunglasses in the metro, Michael stepped up to the door and was about to knock against it but then he just turned around, looked to the man eating on his cart and asked him "Hey, how long have you been waiting for the guards to open the door?"
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Post by Soulthief on Jul 18, 2014 16:20:19 GMT -5
Distracted from his "meal", the Arbater raised his head to look at the traveller far behind their group. "Yagh... we've been here for the past... what? Hour? Probably.
This man is no Nazi, not in the slightest. He's from the other side of the station, and judging from his western/southern accent, he doesn't even seem Muscovite... more Ukrainian than anything. Doesn't stop him from being here, though. This merchant is in the same boat as the rest of you- waiting for the guards to open the door. "So, people... who- who are you all? It would be rude of me to not know before we descend." He says, opening a bag of what looks to be some dried Meat and Mushroom preserve.
The stuff has a ghastly smell to it, it's probably as old as it is ugly, but it does -slightly- resemble some type of Jerky and mix. Of course, it won't be the healthiest thing. He pulls out one slab of flesh and breaks it halfways, holding one hand out to the side and laying the other piece on his lap, liesurely sitting on the cart, Fluffing a pillow behind him in discomfort. "Gah!" He softly exclaims, in frustration. "Nazis can't make a decent chair if their lives depended on it."
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Post by kilroy on Jul 18, 2014 16:47:32 GMT -5
"I'm Alexi, a Stalker from Polis. I came here to see if I could trade for tea. And you are?" He asked as he leaned against the cart. He wasn't smiling, a serious look on his face as he stared at the large door.
It was clear he was young, no older than 17, a small amount of stubble on his face. He wrinkled his nose a little at the smell of the food, he temporarily thought about wearing his gas mask, but decided against it.
Alexi glanced around at their group, the strange man on the Nazi cart, two others standing on the tracks, and the girl with the sunglasses keeping to herself. He walked up and pounded on the door a few times.
"Hello! We are travelers! Is anyone there!?" He called out, sending an echo through the tunnels.
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Post by The Khan on Jul 18, 2014 21:18:30 GMT -5
There were way too many people here for comfort. Sonya was starting to get a bit nervous; she stood up and started pacing back and forth. She always got like this around too many people. and with nothing to do to keep her occupied it only got worse. She saw a few people over by the cart now, talking to each other. She didn't want any part of that though so she just ignored them.
It'd been an hour already, much more time than what she was used to staying still. She could just walk off and come back another time when it was open, but she needed more food and some clean bandages for her arm, as well as the flashlight. While sitting there she had thought about what else she might need, matches, medicine, working up a shopping list. She hoped they had those sorts of stuff there, otherwise this would've just been a huge waste of time.
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Post by Soulthief on Jul 18, 2014 22:28:00 GMT -5
"Hmm... Me? I'm Argrim. Argrim Stirkov. Born in D'nipropetrovsk, moved to Kiev, fled to Moscow, and, well, crawled down here. Where are you from, youngster?" The Arbater states, flipping through some musty old cook-book, probably scavenged from a low-metro station. "Speaking of places... anyone know what we're going to do? I'd have my Nosalis herd dig a tunnel through the vents, but I had already lost them down in some Reich territory... scum. I had to trick and decieve my way out of there. "Nazi is I!" I say, Nazis believe me. I join a bandit killing squad, I kill the bandits, I back-shot the Nazis, I trick a red into thinking I'm a good guy, I blow off his head, and then I have the luck of finding the Hanza trolley I was with destroyed.
Good times. someone from each of the scum-level factions died yesterday, in short succesion!" He gives himself an imaginary pat on the back, dropping his Kalashnikov and focusing entirely on his little book, lightly nibbling at the piece of Pork jerky he had pulled apart. "So, I hopped this old thing, had the released prisoners down there fix it, took a rest, and the past hour or two before now was just... driving here. Now that I am here- well~ it would help if these VDs would answer!" He shouts out, once more trying to grab attention. "
It's like they forgot people visit here. Mushrooms, Pigs, Nosalises, Books, medicine, common guns and munitions, Gasmasks, Every Trader has a Bastard-Mag of MGR. They're people that could take over the Metro! I even hear rumors some famous rangers Frequent, as well as lived, here... Can you imagine? I can't see a change, but I hear rumors that it got massive in 2033. I've been here in low times, but now... Just the sheer words...
These words... music to my ears. It's a gold mine for a trader like, say, yours truly. I got-" He stops short, and opens up a Magazine, pulling out the contents. "Six or seven bullets. I could have one hundred by the end of the day... thank the lord for Pork Bites!" He jokingly celebrates, tossing his empty can in the air, and letting it thunk some auxiliary switch, causing what sounds like a motor to start pumping, and with a sputter, the door has a loud creak, and groan, and stops. A small opening for the brave- and thin- and young- to fit through is thus revealed.
"... Well. That was convenient. It would be fantastic if what I hit was a little more visible... and if it actually worked..."
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Post by kilroy on Jul 18, 2014 22:50:53 GMT -5
"I'm Alexi, as for you. I don't entirely know if I should trust you. I'm from Polis." Alexi cautiously shook the mans hand. He looked at the partially open door and sighed.
"I'm guessing I'm the only one that'll fit? Damn. Okay, cover me. I'll try to open the door all the way. If I come out running, the second I'm through that door, shoot whatever is behind me." Alexi said as he walked to the opening.
"If anyone is there, don't shoot! I'm friendly and coming in!" Alexi yelled as he lit a flare and tossed it in. The flame pushed the darkness back a little as he set his pack inside, then squeezed through with his Bastard drawn and ready.
The station was dark and quiet, Alexi scanned the area, finding it empty. He looked to the side and found a switch. He threw it and the doors groaned open all the way.
"Something is wrong here. It's like a dead station. Got any big lights on that cart?" He asked the man as the stepped into the light and crouched down, looking towards the door.
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Post by Soulthief on Jul 19, 2014 1:35:56 GMT -5
"Got you!" replies Argrim, attaching a Nazi-type Charger to the caravan. In a loud flicking sound, two bright, shining lights flip on, peering lightly into the station. Pressing on the throttle, the emptyness is revealed, and it is nothing but dust. No chatter, No people, No bodies, No blood, No pigs. Only colored Walls and human-made structures recently built.
"Well. This is -highly- problematic, me thinks- Uh. Right! No problem here! Just dissapearing people. Imagine a... Surprise party! Yes. A surprise party, and that they're just waiting for us.
In the meantime... Give me some rounds. A magazine, if you can. I don't like the idea of being unarmed here." He asks, jumping off the platform of the Nazi Caravan and onto the stations' loading dock.
Judging by his earlier story, it's kind of hard to believe. That, his cart, his trader guise. It all seems awfully shifty. His concern, to be armed, is understandable, but, is he really worth trusting? Maybe. Regardless of you, he walks forward, scavenging the ground for some bullets only to find not a single blank is on the ground. Come to think of it, nothing in the next room is present. Only some cages, tables, and the walls all around. No candle-holders, guns, animals, people, foods... not even glowing mushrooms, which would have already overgrown this place in understandable conditions.
"Okay, guys? I'm getting -reeeeaaaal- creeped out now."
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Post by derchemiker on Jul 19, 2014 7:57:26 GMT -5
As he entered the almost empty station and climbed from the rails up to the waiting area Michael wondered what could have caused an whole station to become abandoned. Wandering in the direction where Argrim wen't he heard the trader speaking.
"Okay, guys? I'm getting -reeeeaaaal- creeped out now."
"Why? Whats wrong?" asked Michael, he was now jogging almost running to the direction where he guessed that Argrim was.
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Post by kilroy on Jul 19, 2014 8:05:37 GMT -5
"Well, maybe someone is in one of the shacks? They can't have just up and left. VDNKh was thriving last I heard, only a few problems with mutants." Alexi said as he looked around.
He couldn't see any lamps or gas lights glowing from the shacks as he opened the first one. It was empty inside, except for a journal on the floor.
"Hey! I found something!" The young stalker said as he walked back the the cart. Argrim was still looking as he approached.
"It's a journal. May hold some clues." Alexi said as he opened it and read. His eyes widened as he read. The contents of the journal giving him some clues.
"It says they left, something about the 'Dark Ones' would be coming. That Exhibition was already being attacked by the Dark Ones. I remember when a man came two years ago, asking Miller for help. I didn't think it was real." Alexi said as he read it aloud. He closed it and placed the thing in his pack.
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Post by The Khan on Jul 19, 2014 8:10:31 GMT -5
With the door now open Sonya rushed in, she had grown terribly inpatient. It wasn't nearly as crowded or bright as she had expected. She took off her sunglasses so she could see in the darkness of this deserted station. She was unsure if this was normal for this station or not. She couldn't see anyone in there.
She put her sunglasses back on and walked over to the person in the cart, "W-which way is it t-to a trader?" she managed to get out. She found it hard to talk to people, she always found it easier to talk when no one else was around. "I-I need to b-buy a flashlight from s-someone."
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Post by kilroy on Jul 19, 2014 8:20:21 GMT -5
Alexi looked up from his pack. The shy girl from earlier who wore glasses in this darkness. "I'm afraid you won't find a trader here. It's either VDNKh or Hanza. But, if you need a light, then I'll sell this for, hmm, four bullets." Alexi said as he pulled out a spare light from his pack. He'd learned from the older stalkers that extra gear was always sellable.
"Don't worry, it's rechargeable. I found it on the surface and tested it." He said as he turned it on and off to prove it.
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