'This should be far enough,' the parallel brain claimed, but Konrad wasn't quite sure.
"I can still see Pripyat behind us," he whispered. "In fact, I can almost feel the eyes of those mutants on my back. You sure it's safe now?"
"Safe, huh?" Strelok scoffed. "Nothing in the Zone's ever safe. But I agree with the voice, look."
He pointed ahead, and yeah.
They were about halfway between the ghost town and the looming dome of the CNPP.
It could have been a good sign, but—
"Anything closer, and we'd walk straight into the Teleportation Anomaly," the Stalker claimed. "I did it before, and I don't recommend it. A pain to find your way back, let alone through it."
Yeah. The parallel brain didn't tell them anything about how to breach it so far, either.
But before that—
Strelok pulled out his PDA and waved the soldiers closer.
"Go this way. Avoid that valley; it's a radiation trap. You'll reach the railway here, and can follow it all the way back to the Wild Territories. Branch off at this old mill, and you'll be at the Bar."
"No, wait, I need to go back to the Duga for my samples," Dmitry muttered.
And while doing so, he still held that damned Controller's head.
When did he become so obsessed?!
The other three had no complaints either way.
Turns out, they'd been hiding in the sewers for two days, and anything that got them out of this mess was fine. They came to the Zone without the slightest idea about it.
Flying into one of the many anomalies in Pripyat was one thing, but—
"W-will there be mutants along the way?" one of them muttered, trembling in the dark.
"If we're lucky, we won't run into anything bad," the Captain tried to comfort them. "But I can't say the same about you two. Are you sure you don't need me to help out?"
"In the CNPP?" Konrad asked, turning to take a better look at that dome.
The brain didn't say much about what might have been in there yet. And as for Strelok, this was the closest he'd ever been to that place, too, so he couldn't even guess.
But judging from the crowd in Pripyat—
"We'll be fine," Konrad lied, forcing a smile. "You've been a great help already. And from the start, you said you'd only drop me off at the edge of the Zone. Go, escort your comrades, and—"
"T'was before I knew what was going on," he grunted. "Now I want to kick those researchers' ass."
Well, yeah. He shared the same mentality.
While Konrad only came here to collect Strelok—
The more involved he got with the Zone, the more he wanted to find those responsible.
If they had something to do with Lucifer, he had to stop them, and better yet—
Had they been the fallen angel's actual puppets, they could use them in the fight against their master. Even with Strelok and himself volunteering, his wives' plan was still dangerous.
"I'm serious," the Captain noted, too. "Can't we change the plans so I can go with you?"
"What about the aircrews, then?" Konrad asked, hesitant. "You're the only one who can—"
"I mean, they're soldiers," Dmitry scoffed. "Volunteers, too. They joined the force to protect their homeland, and I dare to say, the Zone might be a bigger threat than—"
"Yeah, no. They'd be in the way," Strelok interrupted, shutting him down.
And considering he was the one to save them from the Monolith's clutches—
"They're too green, and weren't trained for this in the first place. I'm still not sure what we'd find in the Powerplant, but they're definitely not ready for it."
And Konrad could tell they weren't exactly motivated, either.
"S-sorry, Captain. I have a family," one of the soldiers muttered.
"We've already lost the commander," the second one added. "We've been starving and ran out of ammo. I'm very grateful to you all for helping us, and wish we could give some back, but—"
"No, I'd feel better if I knew you guys made it out safe," Konrad noted, shaking his head.
But on the flip side—
How close did they have to go until the parallel brain could actually tell them what to expect?
'Sorry,' the voice replied, sounding groggy. 'Right now, I'm trying to analyze this strange new Anomaly. They're already elusive to find, let alone to figure out how they work.'
Okay. At least he was doing something other than arguing with him.
Their earlier discussion about getting his mana back—
Heck, not even the planning stage was over yet.
'But since you're so worried, Dmitry Bandera,' he boomed. 'Take your time with that return trip. Go safe and slow—and if anything happens to us, I can still warn you. My range is 5 miles.'
"Holy crap," Konrad scowled. "Is that for everything, or only your telepathy?!"
And since when?!
What the hell did he find in that lab?
'For telepathy, with people I've already established a connection with,' he noted. 'For scanning an area, or brain control, it's way less. But I could improve on it if someone gave me mana—'
This again?
Right. Konrad had to make a decision soon.
Whatever was waiting for them on the inside would have been tough to face without his magic.
But at least Dmitry seemed satisfied with the brain's offer.
"Okay, then back the way we came," he said. "We'll rest somewhere around that old farmhouse, and if anything comes up—let me know. I'd be flying right back with these Flash Artifacts."
Not that he could breach the Teleportation Anomalies if the voice couldn't, either.
But at least their goodbye didn't seem as final now.
Even if Konrad thought they'd never see each other again.
"I can't press it enough," he muttered. "You were a great help. I'm very, very thankful."
"What?" the Captain scoffed. "If you didn't show up that day in that hotel, my men and I would already be dead. Once this is all done—I don't know. Hit me up someday. Let's have a drink."
"Now you want me to drink?" Konrad laughed, remembering how it went whenever he did.
But yeah. It's been what, a week or two? And they'd been through a lot.
'You sure are an emotional bunch,' the parallel brain noted. 'No kissing, please. And once that patrol behind us passed, we should get going before the skies clear up above. A wind's coming.'
Ugh. The bastard.
And what if he was emotional?
Unlike this parasite, Dmitry was a friend. And he followed him of his own volition, and not because it was in his best interest. No threats, no blackmailing—
'Fine, you can kiss, then,' the voice scoffed.
And Konrad let out a frustrated sigh.
"Anyway," he said, keeping his voice low and offering a hand. "It's been an honor fighting by your side, Captain. And if I ever have to save the world again, you'll be my first choice, to—"
"Ugh, nope. After this, I retire," Dmitry grinned. "But the best for you, Duke of another world."
Their handshake was firm, and it lasted quite a while.
But soon, his new friend had turned his back and left with the rescued airmen.
Not even a minute passed before they all disappeared into the darkness.
And Konrad was alone with Strelok again, facing an unknown challenge.
"Well," the man grunted. "Let's go then."