Timur sat alone at an empty water tower as he waited for the dawn to come. By sunrise, the coalition would commence their attack against the Fiends and eliminate their ranks by the end of the day… or so the commanders say. He knew better than to believe they were right, especially the commissars. His time in the Red Army had taught him not to accept the propaganda as fact until there is something there that works, but he hated seeing the young men join into the ranks to escape their family situation. He wished he could show them what they were up against and deter them from leaving their families. Yet, the government would also condemn him for defying their laws.
The lonely sniper heard the clanging of metal behind him. Somebody was coming up the ladder. He let his sniper rifle rest on the metal flooring as he grabbed his automatic pistol and focused his full attention on the top of the ladder. To his surprise, he recognized somebody from the NCR. "There you are, I was looking all over for you." She said before he relaxed and rested his back against the water container. "You're a little bit early."
Then the Russian holstered his weapon and smiled. "You're lucky I recognized you. Could have blown your head off." He said.
"The NCR wouldn't like it. That's for sure." Soon, she laid down on the metal floor and rested her sniper rifle beside his. "What are you doing here all by yourself?"
"Getting into position for the operation." He answered.
"That is quite some dedication."
Timur chuckled at the thought. "You have no idea. Besides, somebody needs to see the details of what we're up against." Then he pointed his finger towards the direction of Fiend territory. "I think I was able to locate where the Fiends are coming from."
Betsy grabbed her sniper rifle and aimed down her scope. "Really? I don't see it."
"That's the point." He replied. "If you see the tall ruins more to the right, I'm noticing that there is a large influx of patrols going in and out. That usually means they're switching out the tired patrols for the well-rested."
"Damn, why didn't the NCR think of that? It looks so easy from this viewpoint." Betsy commented. "I just wonder if they'll ever have the operation will succeed. The Fiends are not people that should be easy pickings."
"Problem with drug-fuelled soldiers is that they lack the sense of aim. By the time the main force pushes into that compound behind the wall, they'll be in the thick of it."
"Should we move in to provide sniper support?"
"Yes, but after the sentries and outer patrols are put down."
Timur's radio spoke to life as Betsy turned her head towards the sniper. "Glazkov, are you in position?" The man asked.
Then he grabbed his radio and pressed a button. "Affirmative. I have possible eyes on what appears to be a Fiend base."
"Understood. The operation has commenced, but there is a sizeable force advancing towards the base camp. Thin them out, would you."
"Loud and clear." The Communist sniper replied. "Betsy, get your rifle. Hostiles are advancing towards our outpost."
The NCR sniper grabbed her sniper rifle and pointed her barrel in the direction of Fiend territory. "Where are they located?" She asked.
Timur looked down his scope and hoped he could see movement this early in the morning. As the sun was coming up, he could feel the sunlight pressing against the back of his head as he noticed a large pack of people in rags moving towards the southwest. "On our left, you'll see them."
"Damn, that's a lot of them." Betsy commented before looking down her scope. "I see them. Should we open fire?"
The Russian inspected his silenced semi-automatic sniper rifle before adjusting for the range. "Now." He said. Then he heard her rifle's crackling cry in the morning as one of many targets slumped to the ground. Through his scope, he intended to do the same, but he noticed a man wearing an animal skull spouting orders while waving his golf club in the air. When he lined up his sights on the man, Timur held his breath for a moment while dozens of Fiends were running past his target. After the pull of his trigger, he waited for his bullet to make its way on the soon-to-be dead man.
The bullet struck his bare chest before he dropped to his knees and tried to stop the bleeding. Then he looked towards the direction where the sniper fired from. Whoever this person was, he intended to point out his position towards the others.
Another pull of the trigger would make sure that would never happen.
Bourbon opened his eyes as he heard the shouting within the camp. Soldiers were scrambling out of their tents and small makeshift huts just to grab their weapons as they moved up to the northeast perimeter of the camp. Whatever was going on, he would do the same and be safe than sorry as he loaded his Shambler.
When he stepped out of his tent, Bourbon saw Uhlman stirring up the coalition to life. "Wake up people! Enemies to the northeast!" As the Ranger took notice of the stalker, he walked up to him and yelled. "Alright stalker, get moving!"
He did as he was told as the majority of soldiers took their positions in a trenchline directed towards the Fiend territory. Then he jumped down and joined his fellow man before noticing Nazis and Communists resting their weapons on the sand.
To his surprise, he heard a Red officer shouting propaganda behind his back. "We must hold this position. Reinforcements are coming, we just need to hold."
Then another soldier spoke. "Hold the line, comrades. Do not let them pass!"
With the rising sun coming up, Bourbon could see figures coming over the horizon.
"Steady, wait till they get close!"
"For the Metro, get ready."
The stalker looked out from his trench and saw the figures running towards them as they screamed and waved their melee weapons violently. When he saw their faces, they were covered in dirt with their faces expressing evil smiles before they charged towards their lines.
"Open fire!" The officer screamed to the top of his lungs.
In one single moment, Bourbon watched so much firepower unleashed from a single trenchline. Assault rifles, machine guns, shotguns, all of these weapons were faced in a single direction as the enemy disregarded their safety to close in for the kill. Yet, they did take the opportunity to return fire whether it be bullets or energy weapons.
Lasers and strange green projectiles flew over their heads, those unlikely enough to get in the way were burned for life.
"Do not retreat, show them no mercy!"
Bourbon's finger rested upon the trigger as he saw a Fiend carrying a strange weapon in his hands. His curiosity was sated when he saw fire spewing out of its nozzle. "Flamethrower!" He shouted before his shotgun blasted away and riddled the man with Dragonbreath shells. The target who wielded the flamethrower was now on fired before machine gun fire cut him down.
A battle cry roared between the Fiends and the Metro coalition as the distance between the two sides was slowly getting smaller by the second. Despite the losses of those unlucky enough to be struck by a stray bullet or fragmentation were nothing compared to the droves of bodies that were lying underneath the sun. The fighting continued with Fiends running ahead of their fellows and descending upon those who fought in the trenches.
Bourbon slipped more shotgun shells into the clamps while seeing a Fiend sprint towards him with a machete in hand. "Fuck!" He said to himself before trying to bring his weapon to bear. Yet, the person jumped down into the trench and landed on him.
The man leaned forward and tossed his shotgun aside. "Do want to see the sight of your own blood?" He asked. Then he was about to lunge his machete into his chest, but a Nazi drew his pistol and fired into his head.
As the blood soaked into the trench, the stalker grabbed his shotgun and spent one shell into his foe before rejoining the fight. Explosions erupted throughout the area in front of him, but he could recognize the makeshift pipe-bombs flying at the enemy. Upon contact, they would explode, others were tossed out with their fuzes burning before detonation.
A Red on his right looked around and started talking. "Keep firing, don't hold back!"
Another spoke. "Look, they're running!"
Bourbon focused his full attention on the Fiends running away as they shot back at the defenders of the base camp.
"Stay vigilant, they might attack again."
Being a prisoner of the Fiends was a terrifying prospect, especially for Rachael. The possibility of some chem-fuelled addict finding her attractive to be raped, it became an uncomfortable thought. Then she looked to her fellow prisoners, a ghoul and a man. They probably had better chances of surviving once they escape. At best, the Fiends might try to recruit them by taking some drugs.
At the very least, the Fiends weren't known to guard their prisoners given that they wanted to feel good with the chems. She was sitting back in her chair and hoped this nightmare could end, but life was really a bitch sometimes. The NCR didn't have the men to take on the Fiends much less find their base and destroy it. One way or another, she was a dead woman.
Her contemplation of a possible breakout or rescue was answered when she heard the ground shake and awake her cellmates. The lights flickered on and off, but an explosion could be heard echoing throughout the entire vault. Whoever had the guts to bomb Vault 3's doors was like knocking on a Cazador's nest.
The three prisoners looked outside and saw Fiends sprinting past them with their weapons in hand. Something had grabbed their attention if they were arming themselves to defend this place. Nonetheless, she hoped the assholes would die for being the insane addicts they were.
Mags and her squad stacked up against the remains of a stone wall. Her squad was never supposed to get some action, but the arrival of these foreigners changed everything. The NCR had allies and was taking full advantage of it. This coalition of various tribes had been sought out in order to help them deal with the Fiend issue and the results showed. The foreigners had drawn most of the Fiend forces to attack their base camp while giving their strong units and the sum of NCR forces at Camp McCarran to break them at their weakest.
Right now, she saw Vault 3's door blown open as the foreign troops stormed into the underground facility. From what she heard from her sergeant, these people had experience in tunnel warfare. One of these Russians ran out, only to be met by a lieutenant. "The main entrance is clear. Get your troops in there fast. We don't want them to dig in."
The NCR lieutenant nodded his head as he turned his gaze towards her. "Mags, your squad is up." She was the first to walk into the vault filled with Fiends while she heard the rest of her squadmates make their way inside.
Upon entering the room, they were met with the horrific carnage that was littered everywhere. Many Fiends bodies were on the ground, but she saw the casualties of the Russians and saw them separated from the defenders. A masked man returned from the fighting in the hallways as he took notice of their arrival. "I need you four to come with me."
"Understood." Mags replied as she slipped the safety off her service rifle. While she followed the stranger deeper into the vault, the woman looked at the passing rooms to see Fiends lying on the ground or on their knees with their hands tied. "What do you need us for?"
"My friend, Hans, needs a squad to watch his back. His pepperbox carries plenty of firepower, but reloading takes a long time." The man answered.
As they were about to enter into a hallway, they were stopped by an exchange of gunfire flying past them. On their left, a Russian was pushing forward while carrying a reinforced shield to block the bullets coming at him. Yet, he was merely drawing their fire before Mags was surprised to see this tall, but heavy man carrying what appeared to be a handmade gatling gun. The man stole a quick glance from her group before stepping out from behind the shield soldier and firing it away at the Fiends fighting back. "Diesel, tell those soldiers to suppress the fuckers while we advance."
Diesel grabbed his hanging assault rifle and looked back at the others. "You heard him, cover fire." Then he peeked out from behind the corner of the hallway and fired bursts at a time before Mags crouched below him and fired away.
She looked at the three other men in her squad and started spouting orders. "You three, go on the other side and shoot them from there." Then she returned to the fighting and saw four Fiends using tables for cover.
One of them stupidly rose out of safety, but her gunfire struck her in the chest before she landed on her back.
Hans spun his gatling gun and unleashed a hailstorm throughout the hallway. However, the Fiends were stupid enough to try and kill him before they were riddled with bullets. After they died, Mags and everyone else continued deep into the facility. On their right, they saw a window looking into another room. How were the Fiends capable of having prisoners?
. . .
Motor-Runner was pissed. The Fiends under his command told him the NCR managed to get inside of Vault 3 with some additional help. He knew that his people were somewhat stupid with the drugs they get their hands on, but this was a whole new level. Apparently, the NCR managed to get some allies that just appeared in the Southwest. "Damn it all." He said to himself. He just sent most of the Fiends there to kill those bitches just so the Great Khans could get their chems in. Now Red Rock Canyon was cut off from the Vault.
His bodyguards had taken up defensive positions around a single door with their energy weapons at the ready. Now he had to lead the charge while one of the girls looked up at him. "Fucking NCR! The bitches cut us off from the rest of the Vault." She said.
"Don't sweat it." Daniel replied. "By the time we open this door, they'll be all dead. Now open it."
One of his men put away his pool cue and unlocked the door while the leader of the Fiends brought out his chainsaw and sparked it to life. The rusty blades roared while he became the first to step out the door.
Daniel's eyes saw a bright light shining at him from the other side of the hallway. A voice with a strange accent spoke to him. "Lay down your weapons and surrender peacefully."
"Fuck you!" He cried before sprinting into the blinding light alongside his bodyguards.
"Open fire!"
Past the white light, he saw dozens of NCR troopers waiting for him, but they were not the only ones there. Strangers stood beside them, wearing strange armor while their faces were covered in gas masks. Out from his lungs came a loud battle cry as he raised his chainsaw above his head. "Eat this!" His eyes say blinding flashes before his very eyes and felt his entire strength ripped away in every literal sense.
Daniel slumped to the ground with his chainsaw out of his hand while he saw tracers flying over him and into the bodyguards that followed him. No one was spared in this fight while the leader of the Fiends found himself bleeding to death. His head looked back at the bodies and saw the remains of his fellow drug-addicts lying on the floor in the pool of their own blood. Some of them didn't even look recognizable.
This was the end. An end to an entire era of striking fear into anyone they came across. Even the fucking NCR had problems with them. It was only until the arrival of these foreigners did their time end.
He rose from the ground as he looked at his own wounds, seeing the Vault's hallways now marked with their deaths. Then the leader of the Fiends looked up at the muzzles of his opponents and saw one of the strangers take off his gas masks. "Come at me fuckers." He tried to say.
The foreigner shook his head in a disappointing expressions. "We warned you." Then he glanced to his fellow soldiers. "Put this asshole down."
The last Daniel would see was the barrel of a Dushka with a bullet with his name on it.
The operation was going well. The coordination between the Reds and the Nazis were tolerable, but it was better than having them shoot one another. However, he noted that the NCR troops had to have superior numbers to actually get anything done while he waited within an abandoned shop.
Uhlman had reported back that the Fiends took heavy casualties from attacking their base camp and were returning back to Vault 3 to recover. The colonel would make sure that would never happen.
An entire street was open for the enemy and it would become their grave. Miller cocked his assault rifle as he heard the survivors of the Fiend forces running back to their base. The Rangers, the Nazis, the Reds, even the NCR had spent some token troops and a group of their Rangers to join them. This was going to be their moment.
Colonel Miller had told their NCR allies that they were going to attack when the Rangers opened fire, specifically him. Yet, he wanted to wait and see whether the bulk of their forces lived so if they did come in with the retreat they would end the threat right here and now.
There was no wounded among them, they probably left them behind in the fighting. Despite their losses, they made it up by pulling out their drugs and injecting them into their bodies. This was the perfect opportunity to attack. Drugs had their strengths, but their judgement would be clouded and an ambush would definitely confuse them.
He reached for his short-ranged radio and spoke. "Now." Not a moment later, Miller rose up from behind the broken window and looked down at the Fiends. His finger was on the trigger as he lined up his sights with one of many who were about to be killed like the animals they were. Without a word, his weapon fired as he gunned down the enemy. Soon, he turned his gaze upon another unsuspecting victim.
The Rangers started the fight with sporadic gunfire and then the Nazis and the Reds joined them in cleaning the streets of the raiders. Not so long after, the NCR joined them with semi-auto shots at picking off the enemy one-by-one. Grenades were thrown about while the confused Fiends tried to get their bearings on fighting back. Such disorganization for the raiders was atrocious in Miller's eyes, but allowed the massive attrition rate to occur.
This was for Paveletskaya and their vengeance was complete.
A drifter looked at the area filled with Fiends, only to see them gunned down by the dozens. Whoever these foreigners were, they would prove a threat to his lord's rule throughout the region. The dissolutes had now sided with the profligates in dealing with these raiders. It was possible that the NCR and the dissolutes allied out of necessity to deal with the Fiends, but there was also the possibility that they became permanent allies out of this single battle.
He grabbed his radio and spoke to his superior on the other side of the channel. "Inform the legate that the arrival of the dissolutes have joined the NCR. I will relay any additional reports about our enemy as soon as possible."
The man on the other side was quick to reply. "Very well. The legate and Caesar will be pleased with your report. Do not break your cover and restrict your actions to observation."
"Understood, I will comply."
Author's Note: I apologize for the lack of an update, but between keeping my sleep schedule for Ramadan and school it tends to leave little room for fanfics. Thankfully, a Friday and the weekends are still off. So I'm good.
Paladin Bailey: My notes say that you are very optimistic about the future.
Someguy the anon: Hell if I know and I don't want to know.
Guest: Thank you.
Another S.T.A.L.K.E.R: You are probably thinking of Metro: Last Light. As for your comment about Artyom, I disagree. The guy dealt with Father Elijah, an ex-member of the Brotherhood of Steel who slapped bomb collars on anybody who would disagree with him out of greed. Ricky is a dog with all bark, but no bite. Do you get what I'm saying about the guy?