Escape from Tarkov is a Battlestate Games production. Mirai Nikki, also known as "The Future Diary" was illustrated by Sakae Esuno and published by Kadokawa. We do not own any of this.
Story content is subject to change as Escape from Tarkov is still in the closed beta stage of development as of this writing, and may not reflect actual gameplay experience and established lore for the Russia 2028 universe and Mirai Nikki.
Day 90 of Survival Game, 05:35:00 AM
28 July, 2004 (3rd World)
Yukiteru Amano - 1st
City of Sakurami, Middle School
"Murmur Three, this is Murmur Two, requesting backup at the Sakurami Middle School, we have a Code Zulu, I say again, Code Zulu, over!"
"You idiot! Why did choose me over a world where you have everything you've ever wanted?"
Why indeed. After all, she tried to kill him a while ago before deciding to trap him inside an illusory prison world thing where he would have what she thought - no, what she knew he wanted: a faithful, loving and normal girlfriend, a complete and happy family, a loyal, tight-knit group of friends, and a chance to actually see the stars together with all of them.
But apparently she forgot something. Or someone, rather.
"You already know the answer, Yuno. Deep inside your broken heart, you know the answer. But for the record, it's because you were never in it. I could never - and will never - be happy without you."
"Yukki..."
"That's why I want you to end me now. At least when I go, I could be with Mom, Dad and you in the afterlife."
"But I... I can't go through all of this once more! I can't take it anymore, Yukki! I'd rather die than lose you again! I can't lose you again, Yukki... I CAN'T LOSE YOU AGAIN!"
"I've already seen you die once, Yuno. I can't have that again. I just simply can't."
"No..."
"Do it. I won't be mad. I deserve it."
"I can't, Yukki... I can't..."
"I can't end you too, Yuno. So please, if you really love me like you've always said you do, please end my pathetic failure of an existence. I won't hold it against you, and I won't love you any less for it. Didn't I tell you that being God means jack shit if I can't be with you?"
"Yukki..."
"It's alright. I'll always be with you no matter what. Also, look over there. Your parents have come to their senses and realized just how much of a treasure you really are. And best of all, we'll be able to make good on our promise to see the stars and start our own family together, at least in this world."
"I don't deserve this happiness... Not after all I've done..."
"Yes, you do, Yuno. You've been through so much. You've earned this happy ending. All that's left is to make me pay for all the crimes I've committed with my life."
"Yukki, you're too stupid for your own good..."
The young man's innocent blue eyes saw her lift the blade into the air, and immediately hugged her even tighter, bracing for what he believed would be a fatal stab to the back. Moments later, he hadn't felt anything hit him from any direction. He then opened his eyes and saw the blood starting to fall around his beloved childhood sweetheart's feet. He then saw that the knife was in her flank instead of his back like he wanted. He was stunned for a few seconds when he realized what just happened.
At that moment, he wanted to scream. He wanted to let out the loudest scream possible, but a barely audible whisper came out of his mouth. It was loud enough for the young woman dying in his arms to hear, though.
"God damn it, Yuno! Why?"
"This is a world I want to call home. One where we can finally be happy together."
"Damn it..."
"I told you, remember? I won't be the one to kill you."
She then collapsed to her knees, forcing the boy to hold his first love up.
"Why? Why did you do this?"
"No more rewrites now. Let the future be what it has to be."
"This isn't what I - no - what we fought for!"
"Yukki... I want the warmth of your lips to be one of the last things I remember. Will you give this pathetic wretch her last request?"
With a heavy heart and tears in his eyes, the young man nodded in agreement before steeling himself and inching his face closer to his beloved's. The moment felt like an eternity as the star-crossed lovers shared what would be their final kiss as the girl was dying in his arms from unusually rapid blood loss.
"Now a kiss like that is something worth fighting for. And besides, you've already done enough for me - like you said, you got my parents to come around and see me as the treasure you keep telling me I am, and you managed to save me from my demons, ensuring that this world will be one where we will be happy together."
"Yuno..."
"Congratulations on your victory, Yukki! Let's go, we don't have much time left!"
"Go with Murmur, Yukki. I'm not feeling any pain. For what it's worth, I'm sorry for everything I've caused and done to you. I love you, Yukki. I really do. I'm sorry if this is as far as I can go with you. Congratulations..."
The poor girl finally allowed herself to expire, having said everything she could say before she did so. She had a sad smile on her lips, and her now dead eyes were drowning in tears before her beloved closed them, trying to wipe away every tear obscuring his vision as he did so.
"I'm sorry for your loss, Yukki, but we really have to go now - we still have a world to rebuild!"
The current universe's Murmur then arrived to take the rogue one into her custody. She then urged her second incarnation and her new boss to get out as soon as possible.
"I'll take over from here, Two! You and the second Yukki need to go! Your world doesn't have much time left!"
"Don't die on me, Yuno! Don't fucking die on me! Please!"
"Let her go, man! She's gone! And we can't stay here any longer!"
As much as the little demon girl wanted to give her new boss more time to bid his now lost love farewell, time wasn't really on their side. So, with a heavy heart, Murmur Two began pulling Yukki away from the now dead Yuno and flew into the sky with the grieving youngster in tow. Naturally, he didn't take this well.
"No, no, no, no, no! Let me go, Murmur, let me go! Yuno... YUUUUNOOOOOOOOOO!"
With each passing day, the situation in the Norvinsk region grows more and more complicated. Incessant warfare in the region, particularly in the city of Tarkov, has sparked massive panic, forcing the local population to flee the city. Those who stayed are looking to improve their fortunes at the expense of others. Having accepted the new reality, many Tarkov residents who were either left behind or opted to stay flocked into well-armed gangs and started the partition of the city. They became scavengers, also known as "wild men" or "Scavs" to Western ears. Nowadays, the region is separated by unseen borders, controlled by different groups. Armed gangsters would go to any length to gain money, power and control of the region, including the murder of civilians and direct confrontation with two private military companies, UN peacekeepers and Russian servicemen. The city of Tarkov, along with the rest of the Norvinsk region, is sealed off by UN peacekeepers and troops from the Russian National Guard and the Russian Armed Forces, supply chains are cut, communication with operational command outside the region's borders is lost (although there are numerous reports of unrestricted access to the Internet from within the sealed-off region), and in these conditions everyone has to make their own choices of what to do and how to get out of the urban hellhole the once promising region has become.
City of Tarkov, Norvinsk Region, Present Day.
The Norvinsk region's Special Economic Zone became a gateway between Russia and Europe. Preferential conditions for large international companies, however, have not only attracted law-abiding businesses, but corporations of dubious intent and organized crime syndicates as well. In Tarkov, one of the largest cities of the region, a transatlantic corporation became the ground zero of a political scandal. Six months later, the political standoff escalated into an armed conflict involving UN peacekeepers, the National Guard of Russia and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, and two private military companies. The region's borders were sealed off, and those who got left behind became trapped in the middle of this localized flare up and were supposedly isolated from the outside world.
The confrontation on the edge of darkness.
The most active forces in the Norvinsk region are two private military companies, hired by the sides of the initial conflict. USEC, employed by the notorious TerraGroup international corporation, vigorously engages in armed clashes, hindering the investigation of TerraGroup's activities carried on by local authorities worldwide, especially in Russia and the United States. Moreover, according to numerous foreign and federal intelligence and security agencies, news outlets and activist organizations, USEC has been providing armed cover for TerraGroup's illegal activities since its foundation, whereas BEAR, allegedly created on direct orders of the Russian government, and despite a formal ban on the presence and operation of private military formations in Russia, is employed by local officials and concerned citizens to help uncover and bring to light any evidence of TerraGroup's illicit activities there.
Day 62, 09:25:15 AM
28 July, 2021
BEAR Operator Yukiteru Kurovich Amano - "Snowman", "Jack", "Jake", "Jupiter"
City of Tarkov, Customs
"Yuno... Ah, fuck, not again."
The BEAR operator just had another painful flashback. This has been going on for a decade and a half, and it gets worse everytime it happens on a certain date. That date, of course, is none other than 28 July, the end of the Survival Game - and the day Yuno took her own life again, forever putting her out of Yukki's reach. Or at least, that's what he thought.
"You alright over there, Yukiteru? You've been acting weird today."
"Sorry about that, Anton. It's just that, well, it's that time of the fucking year again."
"Oh, today's that day, right?"
"Yeah. Don't worry about it. I'll be alright."
"Hopefully."
Yukki then racked the charging handle on his AK-105 carbine to further emphasize the point that he wasn't going to let the pain from his tragic past hinder his current performance in combat. He then looked out of the abandoned train he and his two comrades were hiding in to see if the coast was clear. He then turned to Anton - the leader of the three - and signaled to him that it was good to go, adjusting his skull balaclava and tactical glasses beforehand.
"Alright, Come on and get ready to move. We'll be linking up with Goblin's team near the bus terminal in a few minutes."
"Got it."
After getting out of the train, he three operators went through the abandoned vehicles that clogged up the bridge connecting the customs terminal to the industrial park near the factory and the dormitories where its workers once lived in - and where they are currently headed. They moved as low and fast as possible, using the vehicles to hide themselves from any observer tracking their movements.
Too bad this didn't work, as they were then fired upon at close range by three USEC operators, who seemed to be in a hurry to leave the area. As soon as he and his team were safe behind cover, Anton retaliated with a burst from his AK-74M, while Yukki and Yuri began going around the vehicles to flank the three hostiles.
"I knew we should've gone through the dry patch of river bed over there!"
"Cut it, we're in position!"
"Make your fucking move already! I'm reloading!"
Yukki went in first, just in time to catch the attackers' own attempt to flank Anton. Yuri was right behind him as he engaged the first guy he saw. The poor bastard managed to turn around and fire his tricked-out MP5 submachine gun at the two, hitting Yukki in the chest plate. Before he hit the concrete, he managed to fire off two rounds towards the shooter's unprotected head, killing him instantly.
"Fuck, I'm hit!"
"Shit, are you alright?"
Yuri had to hold off on tending to his downed comrade as he still had to deal with the other hostile that was now sending long bursts towards them from his rather weathered 7.62x39mm RPK light machine gun as his buddy engaged Anton's position. The armor-piercing ammo barely missed Yuri's helmet by a few inches, forcing him to fire blindly from behind cover while he regained his composure enough to push the attacker.
The shooter failed to notice that Anton was already making a move on him, having shot his buddy down beforehand. By the time he turned to his left, noticed his homie dying on the floor and started shooting, it was too late. Yuri had gotten out of cover and took aim, while Anton already had a clear shot on the attacker.
Two 5.45x39mm rounds from Anton's rifle tore through the USEC operator's unarmored chest rig and exited out the back, destroying his heart and spinal cord in the process. Yuri, meanwhile, opened up on the poor sap's head. Three rounds from his his own AK-74M ensured that the guy's last thoughts and prayers ended up being smeared onto the concrete.
"He's down!"
"Hawk, this is Phoenix, we're hearing gunfire near your position! Report your status, over!"
Just as the hostile dropped his machine gun and fell dead, Yukki got back up, still trying to catch his breath. Once he was sure that the suppressed Heckler & Koch HK417 on his back was still working, he immediately reached for his carbine and went towards where the enemy was. He then heard a shot.
"Phoenix, this is Hawk, we've just neutralized three USEC goons that attacked us at the bridge. We're fine, although the attackers managed to knock Snowman down by way of 9mm Luger to his armored chest. He's still hurting and busy catching his breath, but he's still combat effective. Where are you, over?"
"The fuck was that? Are you guys alright?"
"I just finished one of the fuckers off. We're a bit shaken, but we didn't get hit. How are you holding up, Yukiteru? Are you hurt?"
"Fuck, it still hurts a lot, and I'm still catching my breath, but I'm fine. I got him before my ass hit the ground."
"You lead a charmed life, my friend. Now if you think you can handle it, go and check what they have. Don't worry, we got you."
"I got it. You guys know all too well that I've taken worse hits than this."
Much, much worse than this.
Yukki immediately dragged the guy he shot dead to cover while his comrades took position and scanned both sides of the road for anyone approaching them. Anton was still talking to the other BEAR team on the radio while he was covering his side of the road. Yukki could still feel the pain from the earlier hit, but he tried his best to work through it as he took off the dead man's guns, rucksack and gear and searched his pockets for anything useful. The operator found a pack of croutons, some folded up pieces of paper, two packs of cigarettes, a box of matches, a silver iPhone X with some dirt on the screen, a flash drive similar to the ones they found before, and two half-empty magazines for the pistol he took from the dead man's leg holster. Said pistol turned out to be a Glock 21 chambered in .45ACP.
"A smartphone, a flash drive and some conveniently folded pieces of paper. Do you think there's something interesting inside them?"
"Maybe. We'll see once we get back to the hideout."
Yukki then searched the pouches on the dead man's unaffected plate carrier. The pouches had more ammunition for the MP5 and the Glock, along with a few hand grenades, some chocolate bars and pieces of candy wrapped in plastic, and his radio, attached by a wire to his tactical headset. Apart from those, he also had an individual first aid kit (IFAK) attached to his plate carrier, besides the proprietary sheath for a Gerber Downrange Tomahawk. Yukki wasted no time removing said tomahawk from its sheath and put it on the ground. He then detached the sheath from the plate carrier so he could attach it to his own. And then he put the tomahawk in the sheath. The man's rucksack yielded an empty, moderately customized M4A1 carbine and four full thirty round magazines for it. The rucksack also had some rope, more food and drinks including two cans of General Sam's RatCola, a limited edition "Loot Lord" plush toy, a small box with US$420 in cash and a Veritas brand guitar pick inside, a sealed plastic bag containing a bottle of LVNDMARK brand rat poison, two folded up Pestily brand plague doctor's masks and another plastic bag containing around ten grams of high-quality marijuana.
"Ukabiagaru kimi wa amari ni azayaka de..."
"Marude soko ni iru ka to te wo nobasu tokoro de futto kiete shimau..."
After a few more minutes of scrounging through the other two dead men's corpses, guns and gear, it was Yukki's turn to cover his guys as they took whatever they could until all thay remained were their clothes. Anton took the 7.62 RPK and its newer, AK-12-based 5.45 younger brother along with extra magazines for the two, while Yuri bagged an HK416A5 carbine with multiple attachments on it and four extra magazines for it. They also took all the additional grenades, loose rounds, provisions, medical supplies and other stuff they can barter for additional equipment. Unfortunately, the other dead men didn't have any money on them.
"Are you two done looting? We need to go now."
Anton tapped Yukki in the shoulder to signal to him that they were good to go. He then told him to take point. As soon as they crossed the bridge, they spotted a small group of local scavengers - also known as Scavs or "wildlings"/"wild men" in Russian - looking around, their guns pointed at random directions. The trio then quickly made their way to a nearby tree surrounded by bushes, where they could observe the Scavs without being seen.
"I see five Scavs on the road, one's armed with an SKS, another with a Kalashnikov-pattern rifle, and the rest have shotguns. Do we engage, or do we wait for them to go away?"
None of their currently held rifles had suppressors attached, so any engagement here would be loud enough to attract even more attention. Anton thought about what to do next as Yuri kept his own AK-74M aimed at one of the Scavs, waiting for the call to open fire while observing their movements. Meanwhile, Yukki was in the process of switching out his AK-105 for his HK417.
"We'll have to wait until they leave. Not only do we have to conserve our ammunition, but we might also draw too much attention to ourselves."
"Good call."
A few moments later, one of the Scavs pulled out a phone from his left chest pocket and began talking to it. Yuri then pointed it out to his two comrades.
"It seems like we wouldn't have to wait long. Look over there, you two."
Apparently, he was taking a call from someone. After a few more minutes of talking, the Scav put his phone back in the pocket he took it from. He then turned to his companions, spoke for a bit and then motioned for them to follow him down the road, presumably heading towards the dormitories. As soon as they were completely out of sight, Anton motioned for Yuri and Yukki to follow him to the rally point, making sure to stay as low, quiet and concealed as possible, as they could still see and hear the Scavs. The sky looked like it was about to rain at any moment, which meant that they would have some reprieve from the heat of the sun. Even so, their clothes and gear were getting drenched in sweat. Good thing they brought a few bottles of water in their backpacks, although they might have been buried under all the loot they took.
Then, as the three came close to the bus terminal, they heard what sounded like a bunch of single shots going off at the same time. The Scavs ahead of them instantly fell dead. As they went prone, shouldered their rifles and scanned the area, the radio received a message from their comrades.
"Hawk, this is Phoenix, be advised, we just took out a group of Scavs approaching the rally point. We're coming towards you, so stay where you are, over."
"Copy that."
The trio quickly got up and took position. A short while later, six BEAR operators came out of the bus terminal, and their equipment weren't that much different from what the three had on them. They made their way to where Yukki and his guys were, their guns pointed in every direction as they did so. Anton then motioned for his comrades to link up and head into the bus terminal to discuss what their next move will be.
"Yukki, are you there?"
He suddenly raised his carbine and aimed it towards the entrance to the bus terminal. This took the rest of the group by surprise, and forced them to also shoulder their weapons and point them at where Yukki was pointing his.
"Yukki?"
"Yu- ah, fuck!"
"What is it now?"
Upon noticing that there was nothing there, everyone immediately lowered their weapons and relaxed themselves. Yukki was the last one to do so.
"Okay, what the fuck was that for?"
"Are you alright, Yukiteru Kurovich?"
"Did Snowman hit his head when he got knocked down earlier, Foxhound?"
"No, Goblin. It's more lingering teenage trauma than anything else."
"What do you mean, teenage trauma?"
"I think it has something to do with his dead first love."
"Blackbeard is right, it is about Snowman's dead childhood sweetheart. She died on this very day fifteen years ago. He's more qualified to explain this further than I am, but I don't think he's in the mood to bring up painful memories from his youth."
"Got it. I just hope he's alright, as I don't want to jeopardize this operation by having one less man available to us due to his personal issues."
"Me too."
"Hey, are we not going to loot those dead Scavs over there?"
"They don't look like they have much. And their guns look like they haven't undergone regular maintenance in a long time. Come on."
Two of the nine BEAR operators - Yukki and T-Rex from Goblin's group - got to the open top of a double-decker tour bus parked inside the terminal and took position at the front row, covering the entrance to the terminal and the industrial area near the factory. The rest went inside and began planning their next move, with two of Goblin's other guys covering their left and right flanks. Since their comrades inside the bus were talking in hushed voices to lessen the risk of someone hearing them, the two posted on top wouldn't be able to know what the plan would be until the meeting was done and they got back on the ground. As he looked through the scope mounted on his integrally suppressed Vintorez sniper rifle, T-Rex took the opportunity to talk to his fellow marksman about what happened earlier.
"Hey, are you alright? You fucking scared the shit out of us earlier. What was it about?"
"Yeah, I'm just a bit fucked up from that encounter at the bridge. Sorry about that. I thought I heard something suspicious."
"What was it?"
"I don't know how to describe it. It's like a ghost calling out my name or something."
"A ghost, huh? Who or what do you think could it be?"
Yukki took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. It took him a while to answer his comrade's question.
"Well, you heard what they talked about earlier. And I've been talking about it with you boys for a good while now."
"Oh yeah. I get it now. You're still moving on from the death of your childhood sweetheart fifteen years ago, aren't you?"
"Yes. Trust me. It fucking sucks. And losing guys in this fucking hellhole only makes it harder. Add that on top of all the guys I've lost when I was in the Self-Defense Force."
"I know. I know."
Meanwhile, below deck, Anton and Goblin had just finished their discussion and were now presenting their plan to Yuri and the others.
"So let's go through this one more time, shall we? Here we go. Apparently, Fence had a very nasty falling out with the Dealmaker, and it somehow also involves Skier, whose guys frequent the dorms and often come into contact with the 'no refunds' guy's people. Now Fence wants his former business partner as dead as humanly possible. Jaeger is also offering a handsome reward for putting the Dealmaker down and handing over the bastard's signature golden Tokarev handgun."
There's this bastard in Customs, folks call him the Dealmaker. I'm pretty sure you've heard of him. This buffoon and that gang of his has been there for a while - robbing and killing people, and involving himself with some very shady characters. Kill him, and get his gun as proof. It will be a good match for the Mechanic's collection.
"He's also asking for the uniforms worn by the Dealmaker's bodyguards for some reason. As long as it means more money and supplies, I guess we can do that."
One more thing. When all this fuss started here in Tarkov, things got so bad that brother fought brother - it's the usual thing, even for the local authorities. To the point that many of those who had sworn to uphold the law and to serve and protect the people before, became unprincipled creatures - or worse. Some didn't even change their uniform - can you imagine? I have personal accounts with them. If you send some of these demons back to hell, it will not be for worse, for there has been nothing human left in these for a long time. Obviously, I need proof for this as well - give at least three sets of clothing from the corpses of these treacherous creatures.
"For all of them? That's a bit too much."
"No, he only needs like three sets. And there's also the stuff we might be able to loot once we're done. Anyway, enough about why we're going in and what's in it for us. Now here's what we'll soon be up against."
Goblin pulled out his armored laptop from his backpack, booted it up and began showing the gathered BEARs photographs of their current targets and other information relevant to the upcoming assault.
"We know that the Dealmaker has a core of seventeen guys in his near circle, with more Scavs working for him being close by. He usually goes out with three to four guards, while the rest remain on standby. Whenever he's here in Customs, there are three areas he and his boys frequent: the makeshift stronghold in the construction area near the railroad, the new gas station more than a hundred meters to the west, and the dorms, where he and his boys often take a break in and sleep over for the night. Intelligence also says he and his boys are sometimes spotted at the abandoned military checkpoint past the new gas station, and that his group often goes through the hills nearby."
"Our source has said that the Dealmaker and his goons will be at the dorms a few minutes from now."
"Alright, so we're gonna hit them at the dorms?"
"Yeah. But it won't be easy. You've seen the gear on the guards. The Dealmaker himself is far from a pushover. And then there's the Scavs he's managed to recruit. Also, one of Fence's boys just told me that there's gonna be a lot of people also coming for the Dealmaker's head. From USECs, raiders to rival Scav gangs - they all want a piece of the pie. Fence's guy says he's surprised that our servicemen and UNTAR aren't also gunning for him."
"Probably because they have someone else doing it for them."
"I know. It's us."
"Then how are we going to get the Dealmaker with all these fuckers coming to get him before we do? That's assuming he and his goons are at the dorms."
As Anton and Goblin finished detailing the background for the game plan, Yukki was watching the bus terminal entrance by himself, as T-Rex decided to go to the back row and cover their rear. The relative silence was too deafening for Yukki, so he decided to quietly sing to himself a Japanese song from a famous group personally introduced to him by a South Korean soldier he met during a UN deployment to Afghanistan many years ago.
"Kimi no inai mirai wa iro no nai sekai monokuro de tsumetai..."
"Mitsumeteru kurayami sae mo so beautiful, boku o shinjite hoshii..."
"Massugu ni kimi dake o mite doko ni mo ikanai you ni..."
Yukki was thinking of pulling out and taking a look at an old photo of him and Yuno in happier times, but at the same time, he had to make sure that there was nobody else on the street looking for any sign of his crew's presence. He also knew that it might end up getting him a free ticket to the afterlife, where he knew his first love was waiting for him. Minutes passed without incident before the other BEAR operators exited the bus and called for him and T-Rex to get off the abandoned vehicle. The two marksmen went down to the lower deck as fast as they could before getting off the bus. Once they were outside, the team exited the bus terminal through the gap in the wall on its left side, having entered from the main entrance on the right. They then continued onto the dorms, which were usually filled to the brim with people wanting to do business with the Dealmaker, as well as his core guards who were taking a rest. Right now they were empty, but it won't stay that way for long.
"So, what's the plan?"
"Goblin and his guys are going to ambush the Dealmaker and his guys from inside the two-story dorms. The three of us are going to get to the observation deck of the three-story building and try to cover the road to the highway. Fence's boys are already on their way here to provide us some extra muscle, but I don't think they can get here in time."
Once they arrived at the dorms, they were met by two of Fence's men. Somehow, they got here ahead of the rest. They also looked tired and thirsty, prompting Yuri to offer the two some of the provisions he took from the dead USECs at the bridge earlier. After the two Scavs said they were feeling good enough to get to work, the BEARs split up again. Goblin's team went inside the two-story building and took position, while Anton went to the three-story building with his boys and Fence's men. The duo - known only as Rabbit and Hammer - carried modified SKS carbines with medium-power assault scopes and extended magazines and had weathered Tokarev pistols in their holsters. As it turned out, they served and saw action in Syria and Ukraine as contract infantrymen, like so many BEARs Yukki knew, including his whole crew. After the veterans shared stories from their time on the frontline, the BEARs then asked the two Scavs why they got to the dorms before their homies did.
"We were just checking shit out at the new gas station when the call came out."
"And you ran here as fast as you could."
"Yes. The boss told us that we should expect you coming here in a while. We never knew that you'd arrive a few minutes after we got here."
"Got it. What were you looking for over there?"
"Anything the Dealmaker's boys stashed and left behind there."
"Oh. Did you find anything?"
"Not much, at least when it came to finding anything useful. I almost forgot, were your guys the ones who shot the loons near the bus terminal?"
"Yeah, what about them?"
"They're with the Dealmaker. Me and Rabbit frequently see them hanging around with the guy and his guards. I took a phone from one of them on the way here."
"Fucking idiot didn't even bother activating the lock screen."
By the time Hammer gave the phone to Anton, the group had already reached the observation deck on the third floor. The messages and call logs could prove useful in the future, but now was not the time to check them all out, as they had a job to do. As the BEARs began taking position, Rabbit contacted his guys to find out where they were and how long was it going to take them to arrive at the dorms. Hammer was covering the doorway back inside.
"Alright, where are your boys at?"
"Markus says that they'll be coming from the east, through the bridge. There's gonna be around ten to fifteen of them. Would that be enough for you? Fence told us there's gonna be a lot of other fuckers coming here. And then there's the Dealmaker himself, along with his whole entourage."
"We'll take what we can get."
Once Rabbit was done talking to his homies, he then took position near Hammer and covered the wooded area behind the dorms. After a while, Yukki spotted the Dealmaker's entourage on the highway. He then notified the guys with him at the observation deck. Anton then got on the radio and informed Goblin of the new development. At the same time, Rabbit received a text message from an informant. It had important news.
"What did it say?"
"There's another group of loons coming in from the west. Around eleven to fourteen of them, pretty well-equipped and trained. My contact also said that there's a bunch of USECs on their tail, and they're also coming for the Dealmaker."
"Ah fuck, so we're gonna have a party down here, huh? Where are your guys now?"
"They're already at the bridge according to the message they sent me. Looks like we'll have to hold out until then, though."
It didn't take long for the party to get started. One Scav from a rival gang fired the first shot once he saw the Dealmaker's entourage. The group at first tried retreating into the three-story dorms, but they were forced back by accurate fire from Yukki's HK417. He managed to kill three of the core guards and two hired Scavs with headshots. Anton then pulled out the RPK-16 he looted earlier, checked to see if it was working, and began letting loose on his team's targets. The Dealmaker decided to try and get his crew inside the two-story building, thinking that it was empty.
His entourage instead got ambushed by Goblin's crew, immediately taking out five hired Scavs and two of the core guards. They then tried to flush the BEARs out with smoke and frag grenades, but they either were duds, or were thrown away from the BEAR team's positions. At least one working frag grenade was sent back toward the Dealmaker's gang, causing some casualties.
"Where the fuck are all these fuckers coming from? And where the fuck are they, exactly?"
"I don't know, boss, but I think we have to get the fuck out of here!"
"Easier said than done, Grisha! We're fucking surrounded!"
Soon enough, the rival Scavs had also gotten inside the two-story dorms, and they had started trading shots with the BEAR team. The USEC group chasing the rival Scavs then managed to reach the back of the three-story dorms. They were immediately engaged by Hammer and Rabbit, while Yuri and Anton repositioned to counter the new threat. This meant Yukki was the only one engaging the Dealmaker's boys and the other Scav gang trying to take his target out.
"Phoenix to Hawk, Phoenix to Hawk, we're getting crushed between a rock and a hard place down here! We are requesting immediate assistance, over!"
Yukki continued to engage the Dealmaker's entourage by himself as his comrades and Fence's men were still trying to get the USEC goons off their backs. The bullets being sent his way were starting to find their mark, with at least three rounds flying uncomfortably close to his cheek before embedding themselves into the wall. To make matters worse, some of the rival Scavs were going inside the three-story building to try and flank him and his boys.
"That's a negative, Phoenix! We also have Scavs and USECs coming for our asses over here! Rabbit here says his homies are coming in a few minutes! We'll have to hold these fuckers off until then, over!"
A 5.45x39mm round from an AKS-74 wielded by one of the Dealmaker's goons grazed Yukki's right arm, while another hit his helmet. Fortunately for him, the round missed his head by an inch, although the impact was still enough to knock him down. He quickly grabbed the first aid kit on his rig and wasted no time treating his injury. The Dealmaker's entourage then began moving into the three-story building through the front entrance, giving Goblin's team an opportunity to focus on neutralizing the Scavs that were still inside the two-story dorms. Just as the last of the Dealmaker's goons were about to enter the building, Yukki opened up on them with his AK-105, having already finished bandaging his graze wound. Five of them fell down, with two dying on the spot. He then went inside to find where his guys and Fence's men were and warn them that the Dealmaker's entourage was already in the building.
"Shit! We got a BEAR here! Take him down!"
"I'm on him!"
He was met by two USEC goons, who broke through the locked southern fire exit to enter the third floor. He switched to the MP-443 Grach in his holster and engaged the mercs in close quarters. Despite their best efforts to suppress him long enough to push and neutralize him, Yukki managed to put the two goons down - at the cost of an entire magazine's worth of rare armor-piercing ammo, and the associated effects it has on the weapon's internals. After quickly taking their customized Sig MCX carbines and P320 handguns along with magazines for them, he then went outside and ran downstairs to continue his search. He then found his guys inside the second floor kitchen, trapped between the rest of the USEC goons and the Dealmaker's entourage. The situation was chaotic enough that Anton came too close to shooting him, apparently thinking that he was as USEC operator.
"Well, shit! What the fuck were you doing, then?"
"I got knocked down again, and I had to treat this fucking graze wound on my arm! I even had to kill two fucking USECs on the way here! Do you still have enough ammo?"
"We're still good!"
Fence's men, however, weren't doing as well.
"My carbine's dry! I'm switching to my sidearm!"
"I only have half a magazine left for mine! And it looks like one of my pistol magazines got hit!"
"You're in luck, boys! Catch!"
Yukki wasted no time in turning over the carbines and pistols he had captured to Fence's men. He then switched back to his HK417 and began sending 7.62mm NATO rounds towards every hostile he saw. He was soon followed by Rabbit testing his new toy out against the Dealmaker's men. Hammer then began firing his new Sig MCX at the remaining USEC goons, who were now trying to fight their way out. They got out through the southern fire escape and tried to disengage, but they got caught in the crossfire between the Scav gang they were tailing- which got out of the three-story building a while after the Dealmaker's men entered - and Goblin's team instead. They were forced back inside the three-story building, where they once again engaged the Dealmaker's men.
"Boss, the tourists are trying to get away!"
"Take them down, then!"
"We're taking heavy casualties up here! We're going down there!"
"I'm covering! Go!"
The guard then spotted the BEAR team and Fence's men exiting the kitchen and heading for the area opposite rooms 213 and 215. He then opened up on the group with a rapid succession of single shots from his .366TKM VPO-209 carbine, but he only hit the wall behind them as well as the door to room 213. He then reached into his rig to get a grenade he could throw, but he was stopped by a 7.62 NATO round from Yukki's battle rifle to his head, his FORT Kiver-M helmet providing little resistance. He fell dead to the floor before he could even pull the grenade out of the pocket it was in.
"One down!"
"Get over here! We'll cover you!"
"I'm coming!"
One of the surviving guards then tried to recover his homie's corpse - or rather, what he had on him - while his other homies opened fire on Yukki. The return fire from the BEARs and Fence's boys forced him and his homies away, taking out one of the guards covering him. And then Yuri threw an apparent grenade at them. Even though it was only a flashbang he took from a dead USEC, it still made the Dealmaker's men fall back to the first floor, where the man himself and the rest of their homies were engaging the remaining USECs.
And then Rabbit received some bad news.
"Great, this is just what we needed right fucking now!"
"What did it say?"
"My guys got ambushed at the checkpoint near the bridge by raiders and some of the Dealmaker's hired thugs, and they've taken serious losses."
"Fuck. Is there anything else?"
"For what it's worth, they got seven of the fuckers in the initial exchange, and they're trying their hardest to break through to us."
"Damn it. So it's all up to us then?"
"Looks like it. Let's go."
As Anton contacted Goblin on the radio to see how his team was holding up, Fence's men were rifling through the corpses for anything they could use. Yuri and Yukki threw grenades down the stairs to fuck up whoever was waiting for them over there.
"Shit, grenades!"
"Fall back, fall back!"
As soon as the grenades detonated, the group went downstairs as fast as they could. Once they reached the ground floor, Yukki and Fence's men engaged the Dealmaker's goons, while Yuri and Anton hammered the remaining USEC goons, who have taken further casualties by the time the BEARs and their Scav companions got there. Soon enough, the USECs began limping out of the building through the southern fire exit under fire. Once they got out, they briefly came under fire from the Scav gang they were tailing earlier, but that group had to go back to engaging Goblin's team, who had already inflicted serious losses on them. The westerners then took the opportunity to get away. It was just their luck that the old road gate was open, and the armored SUV that was often positioned there was present. They wasted no time getting in and giving the driver all the money they had.
"Where do you want to go?"
"I don't fucking know, just get us to somewhere safe!"
"Got it."
As the vehicle drove away, Goblin's team continued to engage the remaining Scavs, who fled back into the two-story building. Back inside the three-story building, the BEARs and Fence's men were left alone to face the Dealmaker's entourage, the latter not noticing that the USEC group had fled. At this point however, most of the Scavs he contracted were either dead or ran away in the chaos, while some of his surviving guards were injured. Nevertheless, he wanted to make sure they learned their lesson, even if it meant having to expose himself to their fire so he could personally engage them.
"Fuck you and your mother, Fence. Zhora, Sanya, stay here with Vasya and Grisha! Everyone else, come with me!"
"Boss, where are you guys go-"
"Cover us, you dipshit! Go!"
The Dealmaker then went outside with the rest of his men, leaving four men inside to cover their apparent flanking attempt - two to keep the BEARs pinned, two more to cover that duo's rear. The four men he left behind wielded some serious firepower, but they were starting to run low on ammo. They still had a few grenades between them, but they thought they weren't enough. It was also assumed that the USECs were still there, despite having escaped a few minutes ago.
Then, the two-story building fell silent as Goblin's boys approached the southern fire exit. Fearing that it was a trap, Goblin and his men instead went towards the three-story building, where their guys and Fence's men were still fighting the Dealmaker's goons. As they approached the three-story building's main entrance, they heard Yukki curse at the top of his lungs - he got hit again. This time around, two 5.56x45mm rounds from an AK-101 carried by a guard hit him dead center, knocking him down once more. Anton took the shooter out with a double-tap to the head, which easily pierced the goon's 6B47 helmet. He then tended to Yukki, who was still firing the AK-105 in his right hand wildly while checking under his plate carrier with his left. The plate in his Ars Arma CPC Mod.2 plate carrier still managed to save him, but it wouldn't be able to take any more hits afterward.
"Yukiteru, are you alright?!"
"FUCK!"
"YUUUKKIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"
"Phoenix to Hawk, Phoenix to Hawk, Snowman is down, I say again, Snowman is down! Where the fuck are you guys, over?!"
"Hawk to Phoenix, we're coming in from the main entrance, watch your fire, over!"
Just as Goblin's group entered the building, the southern fire exit opened to reveal the Dealmaker himself, his 5.56 AK-101 blazing away at the BEARs and Fence's boys, forcing them back into the kitchen, with Yukki having to be dragged inside. The Dealmaker then continued inside, flanked and followed by his surviving guards. At this point the men he posted at the northern fire exit began moving towards them to link up, but Goblin's team cut them down in the blink of an eye. One of the guards suggested that the group go back out, but then gunfire erupted outside once more.
"Now what?"
"Our guys at the bridge are here, and Fence's men are on their heels!"
The Dealmaker's gang was now trapped around the southern end of the three-story building, as Fence's men had finally managed to push their attackers all the way back to the dorms. Nevertheless, the cornered crooks and the raiders that accompanied them did not let up even as they took more losses. The raiders went inside to replace two guards who were taken out by Spartan, Goblin's machine gunner and spotter. His buddy T-Rex advanced under his covering fire to get to where Anton's team was.
"How's Yukiteru Kurovich, Tony?"
"His plate's fucked, and he's got a nasty bruise underneath, but he's still alive and breathing somehow."
"Another one like that and I'll be fucking dead!"
"That's why you should stay there and rest up - we'll handle these motherfuckers."
"Good news! My guys are here - you can see them outside the window!"
While Rabbit was giving the BEARs the details behind the good news, Hammer was busy relaying messages to his homies outside via hand signals. He could see that some of them were bloodied and bandaged, and at least one of them had tears in his eyes as he was shooting it out with the Dealmaker's goons.
"Oh my fucking God. It's worse than I thought."
After a few more minutes of fighting, the Dealmaker's entourage decided to break out and head to the two-story building, which had been silent for a while now. They managed to reach the entrance under heavy fire, losing two more guards and five Scavs in the process. One of the raiders accompanying the Scavs was also killed, but they took out two of Fence's men and injured five more in the exchange. Upon entering the building, they could hear some loud noises upstairs. The Dealmaker quickly dispatched the surviving raiders, five Scavs and one of his guards upstairs to check it out, while he ordered the rest of his entourage to secure the ground floor and hold out while he tried to get his contacts on the phone and try to gain any kind of assistance from them.
"Come on, damn it, pick the fucking phone up!"
"Get down, boss!"
As the guard pulled the Dealmaker down, the BEAR team and Fence's men began their attack. Hammer and Rabbit took some of their homies and began engaging the guards and Scavs on the first floor, while Goblin's team took the rest and moved towards the two-story building's northern fire exit to try and flank the Dealmaker's entourage. Anton and Yuri were originally going to go back to the observation deck on the third floor by themselves to cover the two groups, but Yukki insisted on coming along despite having been hit multiple times earlier.
"I know this sounds counter-productive in a combat scenario, but relax. Take it easy. If it gets too dicey, and we bail the fuck out, follow our lead."
"Whatever he said. And try not to get hit this time around."
"Yeah, I know."
As the three operators climbed up the stairs as fast as they could, Yukki was still trying to power through the pain and catch his breath. To Anton and Yuri, he was just acting like he's supposed to be, even though they could see that he wasn't feeling very well after all the hits he had taken. He had left his backpack in the second floor kitchen to lighten his load, but the weight of his guns and gear was already a bit too much for a tired and damaged Yukki. Nevertheless, he immediately took position at the observation deck once the trio arrived. Just as they had begun to engage the hostile positions at the two-story building, the rain finally fell. The veteran operators didn't mind getting drenched, but they sure didn't like the reduced visibility the heavy downpour brought along with it. Good thing the BEAR team's more sensitive electronics and gear were either waterproof or in waterproof containers.
"Hawk to Phoenix. Hawk to Phoenix, we've entered the second floor, I say again, we've entered the second floor. Watch your fire, over."
"Copy that."
Goblin's team and around four of Fence's men - the rest were positioned near the ground floor fire exit- began clearing the second floor room by room, while Hammer and Rabbit's group continued to engage the Dealmaker's goons on the ground floor. It didn't take long before the goons the Dealmaker sent upstairs came out of the room they hid in and engaged the group. At the same time, the Dealmaker sent some of his remaining Scavs to try and find an escape route, but they were immediately cut down by Yukki and his guys from the observation deck.
After a while, one of the Scavs from Hammer and Rabbit's group went up to the observation deck to send a message to the BEARs positioned there. They could also see Fence's men executing a rather hasty yet effective fighting withdrawal from the two-story building, which meant that Goblin's team would be facing the Dealmaker's entourage by themselves.
"What's going on? Why are your guys leaving?"
"We've just received word that a bunch of fuckers tied to the Dealmaker are coming here from the factory area! We're leaving as fast as we can to intercept them and get them off your asses!"
"Ah fuck. Alright, good luck! Give Hammer and Rabbit our thanks! We'll take it from here!"
"Got it! Good luck to you too!"
"Be sure to come back here - we'll definitely leave a lot of shit behind for you!"
The Scav then turned to Yukki and thanked him on Hammer and Rabbit's behalf for giving them new toys. He then turned around and got out of the BEAR team's sight, not wanting to be left behind. Once Fence's man was gone, the BEAR team took it as a cue to go outside and storm the two-story building. While Anton's group was scrambling to get downstairs and out of the three-story building, Goblin's team was already engaging the Dealmaker's entourage, which now only consisted of three out of seventeen core guards, seven out of twenty-nine Scavs and the Dealmaker himself after the goons he sent upstairs earlier were neutralized, along with all the raiders who got away from Fence's men earlier. They also found that the rival Scavs they were engaging earlier had died already, either due to injuries taken earlier in the engagement or being eliminated by the Dealmaker's men.
"Boss, Fence's men are breaking off! Let's get the fuck out of here!"
"Erik, you idiot! They're leaving to intercept our boys! We ain't going anywhere without them!"
"Shit! We got Bears coming for the main entrance! Take them do-"
The guard's sentence was cut short by two 7.62mm NATO rounds to his neck, effectively decapitating him. Yukki then turned his battle rifle towards another one of the Dealmaker's men, who was busy engaging Anton and Yuri with his rather worn-out .366TKM VPO-209 carbine. One shot to the guy's head put him down for good. Yukki then switched to his AK-105 and made a mad dash for the main entrance while Anton and Yuri provided covering fire. At the same time, Goblin's team had managed to push through to the ground floor, cutting the Dealmaker and three of the core guards off from the rest of their homies.
"Phoenix to Hawk, we've reached the ground floor, watch your fire, over!"
"Copy that, Phoenix, we're entering from the main entrance, over!"
As Yukki entered the building, he saw one of the Dealmaker's men, who was about to throw a black market M67 grenade at Goblin and his team. This time, however, the pin had already been pulled, and he had already let go of the safety lever, which meant that the grenade was going to explode in a few seconds. He didn't hesitate to tackle the goon into the ground, which made him drop the live grenade.
"Not on my watch, asshole!"
While the goon was still stunned by what happened, Yukki grabbed the live grenade, which landed right next to his head. He immediately threw it at the goon's homies, who didn't have time to react before the grenade exploded. Yukki then ran like hell towards Goblin's team, who immediately took cover inside the closest room they could get into.
"Grenade!"
Once the grenade exploded, Yukki and Goblin's team then engaged whoever survived the explosion, starting with the guy he took the grenade from. Anton then entered the building and headed to where Goblin's team was, with Yuri following behind him. They then engaged the Dealmaker and the guards with him. Goblin's team then pushed the remaining survivors, while Yukki went back to his guys and engaged their targets with them.
"Southern end clear!"
It didn't take long before the Dealmaker was the last man standing among his group. He could try to bargain for his life and get away, but he knew that there was no way he was going to get out of here alive. He then took his trusty golden Tokarev pistol, since his AK-101 had already ran out of ammunition. He thought of blowing his own head up then and there, but he also wanted to do some damage before his inevitable demise. He then pulled out another golden Tokarev from his armored chest rig, and went out to face his killers.
"Motherfuckers!"
He pulled the triggers on his Tokarevs so fast the BEARs thought he had Stechkin machine pistols instead. Fortunately for the BEARs, the Dealmaker didn't hit anybody apart from Anton and Yuri, who were saved by the rifle-rated plates in their Wartech TV-110 plate carriers. The rest of the Dealmaker's shots did fly uncomfortably close to the rest of the BEAR team. Yukki then put him out of his misery with two shots to his chest and one to his forehead - a textbook example of the Failure Drill. He then went over to his teammates, and Goblin's team immediately followed after making sure that all of the Dealmaker's men were really dead.
"Are you guys alright?"
"Yeah, but the fucker took the wind right out of me. Is he dead?"
"He's dead, Tony, and he's got his fucking brains all over me!"
Somali from Goblin's team pulled out a plastic bag containing an unopened box of anti-microbial soap from his backpack. He then helped Yuri up and handed the box to him. The rest sat on the floor for a bit to rest.
"What's this for, man?"
"It's raining outside, and you desperately need a shower. Figure it out."
"Well, thank you for that, but does anyone have a dry towel and some spare clothes?"
"I guess I can try to take some off from these dead fuckers and disinfect them with the rubbing alcohol in my first aid kit, but as for dry towels, I'm at a loss."
"There's plenty of blankets here, but I'm not sure if they're clean enough to use."
"I think there's one in my backpack, but it's in the kitchen at the other building. I left my mask and my glasses in there too."
"Alright, let's go. Might as well let the rain wash all the shit on us away while we're at it."
Yukki took a photo of the Dealmaker's corpse with his smartphone, while Goblin and Anton took one golden Tokarev each from the dead gang leader's hands. Somali then took the gear and clothes off of one of the dead guards, who died from a shot to the head. He then applied rubbing alcohol to the clothes he took, and put them inside a clean plastic bag his homie Pennywise gave to him. The BEARs then exited the two-story building and went towards the three-story building, with their guns pointed at every possible direction. They all took in the rain falling down on them as they crossed the courtyard between the dormitories, with Yukki managing to hide his tears beneath the raindrops.
"Yuno..."
Once the BEAR operators got inside the three-story building, they began shaking the water off of themselves and their gear. Yukki just sat on the floor in front of the doorway and quietly wept. The tears he shed weren't just for Yuno, his folks and the friends he lost during the Survival Game, as he had lost way too many brothers in arms during his time in the Self-Defense Force, as well as in the Norvinsk Region, with two of them dying in combat a few days ago. They didn't really show it, but the other BEARs were also still reeling from the loss of their comrades. He stood back up and went back outside for a bit to let the rain wash his tears away. He then went back inside to dry himself, starting by wiping his face. The rest of the team save for Yuri, Anton and Somali were lounging around near the entrance, either taking a nap or getting some nourishment and hydration from the food they packed in their backpacks. Joker, Goblin's grenadier, was covering the main entrance.
"Hey, where'd Anton and Yuri go?"
"They went up with Somali to the observation deck."
"Oh yeah, I forgot."
Yukki was about to go up to the third floor and check on his homies when he suddenly heard a sound from the second floor kitchen. He pulled out his Grach from its holster, turned on the attached flashlight and quietly went over to the kitchen to see what was there.
"Hey, what's Snowman doing?"
"I don't know, but I think he might have heard something."
"Should I back him up?"
"Go ahead, Spartan. Just don't make too much noise and keep your distance."
The machine gunner held his customized PKM and slowly followed Yukki before making himself known. The two then continued towards the second floor kitchen. As the two operators approached, the sound became louder and clearer, until it suddenly stopped just before they got past the entrance to the showers. Yukki was the first to enter, with Spartan right behind him. He saw someone rifling through his backpack, and it looks as if they haven't gotten to Anton and Yuri's backpacks yet. He pointed his sidearm at the intruder and began barking orders in Russian and English.
"Drop it and put your hands up!"
The intruder then dropped his skull balaclava and turned to face him. Yukki could clearly see what - or rather who - the intruder was, thanks to his sidearm's flashlight. A young woman was trying to steal his stuff and loot from his bag. A very, very familiar young woman. Although she looked somewhat older, taller and a bit curvier than he remembered, she was still wearing the exact same robe that she wore the last time he saw her. It was enough to convince him that she was who he thought she was.
"Yuno?"
Yukki dropped his sidearm, the flashlight beam hitting his unmasked face long enough for the young woman to recognize the heavily-armed man who was pointing it at her moments ago. She also looked like she had seen a ghost - a ghost she had destroyed the universe twice to be with. Even though he was much taller, more muscular and sounded deeper than the dying boy she held in her arms all those years ago, she knew deep inside that the man who just dropped his pistol was the first and only boy she fell in love with.
"Yukki? Oh God... It's you! Yukki!"