"Sure thing, big guy. Try to keep a better hold on that while you're here. We've got a lot of books, wouldn't want it to get mixed up with those." Viktor stepped aside as Rock Hammer got off the ground and wandered out of the room, and as the infirmary began to clear itself of anyone who didn't need to be there, he headed for the door as well. Stefan stopped him with a quick call of his name, and gave a reminder that he was running on an empty stomach and was probably somewhat dehydrated. Viktor would make it a point to stop by the kitchen later. Right now, he still felt a little too ill to go putting anything else in him.<br/><br/>He was stopped by another Stalker, apparently intent on introducing someone to him. The description of another newcomer, one by the name of Flora, was definitely interesting. "Should take her to the farmers then, they could use all the help they can get. I've got a job to turn in right now, but I'll come find you later." Finally making his way out the doorway, he continued on to where he'd been planning to go before, a room built above the lounge where jobs were taken from people and passed out to any Stalker who would take them.<br/><br/>It was a bit of a stroll, and he had to go upstairs, but he made it there with thankfully little issue, passing by some familiar faces on the way. As he entered, he met eyes with one of the oldest Stalkers in the building, the one he'd been contacted by in the metro station. Pavel Rascalov, more commonly called "Coach" by most of the younger members of the group. He was elderly, gray haired and deeply wrinkled, a large beard framing his jaw. He was a bit short and stocky, and a scar running down his forehead led to an eyepatch on his left eye. The rest of his outfit was much like the others, a mix of normal clothes and military surplus gear with a patch sewn onto the biceps of his long coat.<br/><br/>"Took you long enough to get here, Red. Now, I know you've got things to do, but first I need to ask. Why the hell is an<span style="font-style: italic">entire</span>Underbelly station a no-go now?" Pavel, sitting behind a desk, leaned forward onto it as he spoke.<br/><br/>Viktor huffed, sliding his hands into his jacket pockets. "Well, what can I say. Some people out there don't like us. They'll look for any excuse to kick people out of their little hole in the ground." He paused, and once he saw Pavel clearly not buying it, continued. "And one of the new company sort of busted down a few walls. Not his fault, though. What the guy really needs is some medicine."<br/><br/>Pavel put a hand on his face and sighed. "And you brought him here?"<br/><br/>"What, you wanted me to leave him down there? They would've executed him. Besides, our walls aren't nearly as shitty as that station's were. Have Doc take a look at him later and see if he can find out a treatment." Rock had been a handful to deal with so far, but that was one of the primary reasons Viktor brought him along. He doubted that there was anything that could be done to significantly reduce his symptoms, but if another freak-out could be avoided, it was worth a shot. "For that matter, some of the others look to be mutants too."<br/><br/>"Stefan's got a lot of work on his hands today." Pavel considered the reasoning, and found it fair. Perhaps not the most intelligent idea, but noble. "Well, that aside, how did the hunt go?"<br/><br/>"Like shit. We got the job done, but there were more bears there than I've seen in the past year. Something's got them spooked bad. Could be something moving in on their territory. Or maybe there's another storm coming." Viktor frowned, recalling the appearance of not only one, but a whole pack of demons after the bear hunt. "We fought off some demons. Little ones, but still. Could be a Tear letting them out, but I don't have a good feeling about what's gonna come."<br/><br/>Pavel was silent for a while. He then suddenly opened a desk drawer, and began searching around inside it. "Bears, demons, and a whole lot of lives saved. You ever think about slowing down, Red? Save some glory for the others." A few stacks of Rubles were placed on the desktop, as well as a pistol and three magazines of ammo. "Here. Promised payment, plus a little extra."<br/><br/>Viktor halfheartedly smiled. Sure, a lot of people made it back, but just as many had died on the return trip. But, he wasn't going to turn down a bonus because of that. He stashed the money in the larger pouch pockets on his legs, then picked up the gun to examine it. Keeping his finger off the trigger, he pulled back the slide to examine the barrel and test the spring, then took aim at the wall to see how the sights worked. The gun was an MP-443 Grach pistol, a little scuffed-looking, but otherwise in seemingly shootable condition. "Don't suppose this came with an extra holster?"<br/><br/>After another quick search through the drawer, Pavel tossed Viktor a leg holster. "There. Now, there's something else for us to talk about." He waited until Viktor had the holster properly worn and the gun put away, then continued. "Some folks have reported sightings of some people coming in from out west. Heavily armed and doing some sort of humanitarian work, or something like that."<br/><br/>"Uh huh. So what's the problem?" Viktor returned to a casual stance, and watched as Pavel set a radio atop the desk. It was turned on, and a signal was broadcast through it halfway into a sentence.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"-will free Russia and its people of the mutant threat. No longer will any human being need to live in fear of the monsters that plague this land. In time, all will be purified. We will rebuild this world together, as one unified nation. We are the hand of the New European Union. We are Chernovolk."</span><br/><br/>As the speech ended, an orchestral song began to play. It was unlike anything Viktor had ever heard before, but very pleasant. Still, the speech itself, or at least the tail end of it, made him feel uneasy. "Sounds like another crazy militia trying to make their mark. Propaganda?"<br/><br/>Pavel nodded. "Yeah. Some of the broadcasts are coming out of Ostankino Tower in topside Moscow. They must have sent in some scouts to prepare for their main arrival a while ago. So, we're going to go and take down their broadcasts. This isn't gonna be an easy job, but it pays well and keeps these people from dragging anyone into their little campaign. What do you say?"<br/><br/>"Yeah, I'll take it. But let the crew I was out with rest, it's been a hell of a day for them. I'll figure out some others to take out with me." He took out his PDA, and passed it to Pavel, who typed out something to write out objectives for the job. Upon getting it back, the old man saw him off.<br/><br/>"Okay. Take your time with this, you need to rest too. I doubt it's anything we can't handle, so you don't need to push yourself too much out there. Go on." He closed his desk up as Viktor left, back into the base halls.<br/><br/>Viktor's PDA picked up the call from the gunsmith, and he answered. "Yeah, big guy's with me. He causing any trouble?" As he walked, he went to find that new person he was partially introduced to earlier as well.