Grigori - This is all we have... I would say we have a week... Week and a half at best.
Maksim, Boris and Grigori were standing insede the truck and looking at the shelf with empty bottles and containers marked as "Pure water". Few bottles and a single container with "25L" were still full of water.
Boris - We lost most of our people...
Grigori - Yeah, yeah! I already made all nessesary calculations... Thanks to the professor over here.
Maksim - Anyway... I am not really happy with what we have. And we need to move north-west for god knows how long. We need to get back on the road as fast as we can! Now... Where is Nita?
Maksim hurried out of the truck and started looking around.
Boris - I already took care of everything! She is clearing the path on north road.
Grigori - North road? Are we going through the red zone?
Boris - Relax! We know what we are doing!
Grigori - Since when "we know what we doing"? For the last 10 months that i was in this group, every single idea went so horribly wrong. "Vladimir's community" were a scam, and we barely got out of there with our life. Team up with bounty hunter? We only gained Nikolai on our heads, the rest were dead! Magni corps? That was a trap and i caught up on it from the get-go! If not for Nita, we would be dead or worse! Now we are chasing some mysterious green zone ironworks, that running low on manpower so that they invite people to work there! I dont know about you, but that is fishy as hell!
Maksim - Do you have any better ideas? For the last year we were trying to settle somewhere down... But each time we were chased away by various reasons. I don't know how even Sergei were able to hold on for so long. He probably were the oldest in this group!
Boris - As far as i know... It was Maria and Sergei who started this group. But nobody left from thoes times. And they were't really fond of this idea, as they said, they just didn't have a choice back then.
The three man walked out of a truck and looked around. The rundown walls of some forgotten plant were surrounding them.
Grigori - In the end... We are stuck here. Guess it is a waiting game. Speaking of waiting! Do you guys wanna play cards? I got a deck perfect for a few rounds of "Duraka"
Boris - No... I am on a patroll... But you can ask Nikolai.
Maksim - And i don't really mind... Let's play a few round!
=== On the road ===
Nita slowly turned steering wheel. Road were dirty, dusty, forgoten and damned. All kinds of dangers could be out there. Noone were really worried. People were desperate. Their destination the past few years were changing like gloves of an surgeon. But few things worry Nita. Like some things were missing. A few months of their journy were just empty. Not a single record. What was before she joined this group? These were questions that were stuck in Nita's neural data. It didn't mater in the end. Answers would not give her anythin, atleast not right now.
What mattered right now. Road... Just like before, just like right now. Maybe even the future of this whole group can fit in a single word "Road"
But then, road came to an end. Nita slowly steped on the brake pedal, SUV slowly came to an stop.
The river... Road were suposed to go by the bridge, but the bridge is gone. Nita came out of the car to take a better look. River were glowing in red and green collors. Probably due to the collapse radiation. And a few collapse crystals were growing near the bank of the river.
??? - I don't need you to save me. But you need to go! Else this was for nothing!
Someones words cameup in Neural Data. Unknown, but familiar voice. Voice that for some reason.
??? - But i will ask you for one thing... Will you be my own little angel? Angel of death?
//Error\\ Detected request to "Memory 297A2B" that is qurently on quarantine!
Attempting to restore data from "Memory 297A2B"
Database restored successfully
=== Memory 297A2B ===
Sergei - Come on! Open the door! God damn it!
Maria - It is to no use! We will find another way!
Sergei were trying to open a door with a crowbar. But heavy, metal door didn't budge. Sound of gunshoots and explosion surrounded the place. And a corpses of a few "Magni corp." soldiers were laying nearby. Nita stood right in front of Maria, and were trying to open the door too, but the door kept it position, no matter what.
Sergei - Are you sure?
Maria - Yes! I have a Nita here! We will be fine! There is supposed to be a way through the sewers! I will meet you on the outskirts!
Sergei - Ok! We will wait...
An explosion made the ceiling collapse. Burrying the door and part of the room in the debries. Nita quicly grabed Maria and covered her from the falling pices of stone and glass. And surroundings covered in darkness.
Maria - Thank you Nita!
Nita - Are you injured?
A ray of light pirced the darkness. Flashlight in Maria's hands turned on. Maria were much smaller than Nita, and nothing injured her, all while Nita pushed her hands at the gound near Maria.
Maria - I am fine as much as can possiably can. Can you get us out?
With that said, Nita stood up, shifting debrie around, so that Maria could get up.
Maria - Uh... There supposed to be a way to the sewers. Come on Nita! We should be moving, before anyone else come for us!
With a limp, Maria walked throught the corridors covered in stone and metal walls. Where even more "Magni corp" soldiers and robors were laying dead and destroyed. On the radio of a one of the dead soldier someone talking, but the signal were in poor condiction, so words were impossible to recognize.
Nita - Should i assist you in moving?
Maria - Thank you Nita, but i need you to cover us. I am not a good fighter, you will do much better in case we stumble on someone!
Nita - So... We are going through the sewers?
Maria - Yeah... It should be somewhere here!
Maria opened the door that lead outsied, to the alley. Just outside the alley, few robots of "Magni corp" were roaming around, with few soldiers nearby. So Maria hurried to hide behind trash container and Nita followed.
The patrol stoped for a little while, before long round of shots and explosions made them hurry to the source. And in a few moments, the way was clead
Maria - Can you open this manhole?
Maria pointed to the ground, where the manhole were found. Nita hurried to open it. But without instruments, she just decided to break the hatch. And with a one well placed punch, the hatch broke in to the pieces.
Maria - This will do... Uh... I already forgot, how strong i made you.
Nita - You can reminiscent on that latter! For now... Should i assisst you in going down?
Maria - I am more than capeble of going down!
// Error \\ part data is unable to be restored. Load failed. Attempt in restoring failed... Overwriting...
Record impossible... Corrupted data... Deleting corrupted data... Unable to delete data...
Attempt to rewind to next data record... Success! Resuming...
Nita - Maria!
Nita jumped in to the water without any thinking. Maria were washed away by stream, and she kept geting futher and futher away.
Nita due to her heavy frame weren't swiming, but the strong current kept pushing and pushing Nita in the same direction. A few errors pouped up, but Nita didn't cared. She was trying to catch up to Maria, but to no avail.
And then with a waterfall, that made it's way to the road tunnel, Maria fell right on roof the bus, and then on some other car that was washed to the side. And Nita followed, falling on the highway.
Finaly... Nita managed to get a hold on Maria, and pull her to the side. But then was terrified. Raiation reading were showing over 7,000 Vebryan. And Maria's protection costume were all ruined.
Nita - Maria! Maria! Wake up!
Other then that, one of the Maria's legs were bent in a way, that it can't be normal.
Maria - I am... *Cough*
Maria took of her gasmask and hood. Bloodied face of middle aged woman showed up.
Nita - No, no, no! You can't do that! We will find kikima and she will find a way to fix you!
Maria - Does it looks like something you can fix?
Nita - I... But we must...
Maria - Listen Nita... You must go! Before someone else would show up!
Nita - Don't say that! I will save you... I will fine a way.
Nita were about to grab Maria, but Maria pushed Nita away.
Maria - No! Nita...I don't need you to save me. But you need to go! Else this was for nothing!
Nita was in disbelief. And found no words to say. Maria coghed out blood and small crystals...
Maria - But i will ask you for one thing... Will you be my own little angel? Angel of death?
With a pained face. Maria looked at the rifle, that was resting behind Nita's back, fixed with a belt. Nita unwillingly, took the rifle from her back.
Maria - Nita... Just so you know. You are something much more important than just an doll. Don't forget that! Just for me... Don't forgert that.
Maria grabed the gun by the barrel, and led it to point at her forehead.
Maria - After that... Find Sergei... And don't forget! Never forget! But for now... Please...
Nita pushed the triger...
=== End of the memory ===
Another shot, and a bullet pirced the head of an oversized rabbit. Another ELID were dead, and by the looks of it. The road were clear.
Nita looked at the river, and just down the stream, there were another bridge. That was the broken bridge, where she came up at first. But turning on another road revealed another road, with diffrent way, but this time with more or less fine bridge.
And once the corpse of ELID were dumped in to the river under the bridge. Nita stared at the rived. It's colorfull and deadly appearence reminded...
Nita - Maybe some memories better stay under quarantine!
Just a few secconds. But she did ask to "never forget"... What a cruel woman. And the only thing that i will remember of her is her bloody and corrupted face with collapse?
Nita shook her head in denial, and then get back to SUV. At least the way is clear!