The starter solenoid turns an electric signal from the ignition key into a high voltage signal that activates the starter motor. If there is a problem with your starter solenoid, your ATV won’t start. While you can’t rule out replacing the starter solenoid, sometimes it’s not necessary and all it may need is a bit of troubleshooting.
Before you make any conclusions, it is important you rule out other problems such as battery issues. Fortunately, there are several tell-signs that something is wrong with the starter solenoid. These include:
This is the most common sign pointing to issues with the starter solenoid. If you engage the ignition process and your vehicle doesn’t turn on, it may be because of a faulty starter solenoid.
When you start the engine and stop pressing the starter button on modern vehicles, the circuit is supposed to close, discontinuing power to the starter motor. If your starter stays on after the engine has ignited, most likely the main contacts in the starter solenoid have welded together in the closed position.
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This is a common symptom when the battery is low on amps, but it could also be the starter solenoid isn’t sending a full signal.
A starter relay sends power to the starter each time it is engaged. If it is not working properly, maybe due to damage arising from dirt, excessive heat, debris or other issues, the starter might operate sporadically. If the starter doesn’t activate instantly when you try to start your ATV but then works when you turn the key switch once again, this is most likely a problem with the solenoid.
There are two basic tests you can do to evaluate the condition of your solenoid. You will need the following tools:
This test is designed to establish if the contactor is pushing up and completing the solenoid connection.
To do that:
The tests involve first checking to make sure the connector is engaging and completing the starter circuit and then making sure the starter circuit is connected when the connector is engaged.
If you have a bad solenoid, you can start your quad by jumping the starter solenoid wires with a wrench. First, you will need to find the starter solenoid, usually located on the outside of the plastic next to or under the battery and close to the wiring harness. You should see two big main wires once you’ve located the starter solenoid. If it is set up, you can then jump the wires and be able to start the quad.
A starter relay consists of a coil wire wound around a ferrous core and an armature on one of the coil. A starter solenoid, on the other hand, is a coil enclosing a movable plunger. Unlike in the starter relay where the coil core is immovable, a starter solenoid core is an iron or steel plunger free to move in and out of the coil.
However, the terms solenoid and relay can often be used interchangeably.
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You can jump a starter solenoid if you have a good and strong battery to start the engine. You should only proceed if your battery has enough current to turn the motor, otherwise, you won’t be able to start the vehicle by jumping the starter solenoid.
You turn the key or push the starter button on your ATV, but nothing happens. The bike is completely dead, with no sign of wanting to start. But do not worry; there is no need to panic just yet.
When you find your ATV in a “no crank, no click, no light, and no start” situation, there are a few things that could be wrong. This troubleshooting guide will help you identify and fix the most common causes.
Most ATV owners will find themselves in a situation where their bikes won’t start at some point or another.
However annoying it may be, the problem is more often than not caused by a minor issue that is relatively simple to fix by yourself.
The key to successfully troubleshooting such an issue is to begin by noting how the ATV behaves when you try to start it. Doing so helps you narrow down the possible culprits quite a bit.
This guide only covers a situation where you turn the key or push the starter button, but the ATV is completely dead:
If that’s the case, continue reading to discover what’s causing it.
However, if your ATV does show signs of life, such as the lights or dash coming on, it makes a clicking sound when you turn the key, or if the engine cranks but doesn’t fire up, the problem is likely something else entirely. If that’s the case, we recommend checking out this troubleshooting guide.
When you first notice that your ATV is dead and does not show any sign of wanting to start, it’s only natural to suspect a dead battery. After all, that is the most common cause when faced with such an issue.
But, before you check the battery, it’s a good idea to rule out most simple things first. This guide begins with the quick and easy steps before working our way through the more time-consuming issues.
If you’re confident that your battery is dead, you may skip down ahead to the part on how to start an ATV that has a dead battery.
While this may sound too obvious, you’d be surprised how common this simple mistake is. The run switch, also known as the kill switch, needs to be on for the ATV to start.
I’ll be the first to admit having assumed that the kill switch was in “ON” like I usually leave it. Only to later realize, after wasting precious riding time on troubleshooting, that I had switched it off the last time I parked the bike.
Another scenario is if someone else has pushed down the kill switch. If you have children, you know they like playing on parked vehicles by randomly pushing buttons. The shiny red, easily accessible killswitch is a temptation it can be hard for them to resist. So always begin by making sure it is set to “RUN” or “ON.”
Some ATVs use a tether pull-cord style kill switch instead of or in conjunction with a kill switch. Make sure the cap at the end of the cord is connected correctly.
Many ATVs are designed not to start when in gear as a safety precaution. The gear shifter must be in “Park” or “Neutral,” or the starter will not engage.
Also, on some models, the parking brake needs to be engaged to turn off the starter interlock.
Now it’s time to inspect the battery and connectors for issues. Remove any panels or covers to access the battery.
On modern ATVs, the battery may be hidden underneath the seat or behind removable plastic covers, usually at the front of the vehicle.
After gaining access to the battery, make sure both the positive and the negative battery terminals have not come loose from the battery terminals. Also, make sure the terminals do not look overly corroded, leading to a bad connection.
Some ATVs have a power cutoff switch near the battery that cuts all electricity to the bike. Make sure it is turned “ON.”
The main power switch on a Polaris Sportsman XP 1000You usually won’t use this switch daily, but it’s good practice to turn it off to prevent shorts whenever you’re working on the bike’s electrical system or prevent parasitic battery drain when you leave the bike sitting for extended periods.
Like the kill switch that you usually don’t use every time you ride, easy to forget to turn the main power switch back on when you’re ready to use the ATV again.
You will need a multimeter or a simple voltage tester to check the battery. Some ATVs also have a built-in voltage meter in the instrument panel, making reading the battery’s state of charge a bit easier.
A fully charged ATV battery should read between 12.6 and 12.8V with the engine off. If the voltage drops below about 11,5V, the battery won’t have enough power to start the bike. If it drops even lower, the lights and possibly the instrument panel won’t turn on.
To read the voltage using a multimeter, follow these steps:
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If you read a voltage between 11.5V and 12.4V, you should charge the battery with an external battery charger. This guide will tell you how to charge the battery correctly.
If the voltage reads below 11.5V, the battery is considered dead. A dead battery cannot always be revived, especially if it has bees sitting for more than a few days with a low charge. But if you notice the low state of charge early on and act fast, it may be possible to bring the battery to almost a full working order. This guide shows you how you can charge a dead ATV battery.
If the battery won’t charge or won’t hold a charge, you may need to replace it with a new one. Before you do, it may be worth testing the battery to verify that it is bad before spending money on a new one. This is how you install a new battery.
Related: 10 Reasons Why Your ATV Battery Keeps Draining (Going Dead)
Check the Main FuseMost, but not all, ATVs have the main fuse. It cuts off power to the ATV’s electrical system when it’s blown. So if the battery checks out fine, you need to make sure that the main fuse hasn’t blown. To locate the fuse, please refer to the user manual. It is usually located close to the battery.
If the fuse is blown, replace it with a new one with the same rating as the old one, assuming no one has previously switched it to an incorrect rating.
The kill switch is usually not operated during regular riding but sits fully exposed on the handlebars. Over time, internal corrosion caused by dirt and water may cause malfunction by preventing a proper connection.
In some cases, you can return the switch to working order by soaking it with WD40 while repeatedly operating it. If possible, disassemble the switch to clean its internal metal connectors.
While this may bring the ATV back to life, it should only be a temporary fix.
Corrosion issues tend to come back sooner or later when they’ve first appeared.
Your best bet for a more permanent fix is to replace the switch with a new one and protect it by packing the internals with non-conductive dielectric grease.
Also, make sure the switch is not full of mud and water, which would cause an internal short.
The ignition key or starter switch on your ATV is not designed to handle the high current required to power the starter. It would have to be much bulkier with high gauge wiring going to and from the switch.
That’s where the solenoid comes into play. The solenoid is located between the battery and the starter. It acts like an electrically operated switch that turns on when it gets a smaller electrical signal from pressing the starter button.
Each time you press the starter button or turn the key, you should hear the solenoid’s audible “clicking” sound. This tells you that the solenoid is getting power from the battery.
The problem is likely with the solenoid itself. Solenoids sometimes won’t fully engage due to internal corrosion. In some cases, the problem may be with the actual starter, but this is less common.
When there is no sound, the solenoid may knot be getting power from the battery, or it may not be getting a signal from the starter button/key. Use the multimeter to verify that there is no power at the solenoid positive terminal.
Look for loose, damaged, or corroded wiring. Another potential culprit is a faulty starter button or ignition switch, often due to internal corrosion.
We’ve now covered the most common causes to look into when your ATV is dead. However, the list is not complete.
Other things to look for are blown fuses (lights, instrument panel, or ECU fuses), loose or corroded ground wires, damaged wires shorting out, and a defective rollover shutdown relay.
All of these topics are covered in our post on reasons why your ATV is not getting power.
Suppose your initial testing came out with the battery completely dead, but you cannot charge or replace it. In that case, the options you are left with are limited.
Jump-starting is using a set of jumper cables to connect the battery on another vehicle, such as an ATV or a car, to the battery on your ATV. The healthy battery will provide external starting power to the dead battery.
Jump-starting is not considered a suitable method to charge your dead ATV battery fully. It’s only meant to stay connected for a few minutes until you succeed in starting the dead ATV.
IMPORTANT: When using a car as a donor battery, it should stay OFF during the entire procedure.
You will need a set of jumper cables, preferably with built-in circuit protection.
Caution: Make sure the black and red connectors never touch when connected to a battery. Also, ensure the red lead connectors never touch any exposed metal when connected to the battery. Both of which will cause a direct short. This short may not only damage the battery or the electronics in both of the vehicles. It may also cause a potentially fatal accident from the battery exploding. Always wear protective eyewear when working on the battery.
Most modern ATVs with larger displacement engines do not have a pull start. However, if you ride a youth ATV or an older model with a smaller engine, it may have a pull starter for emergencies like this.
On some models, the pull starter is visible; look for a pull starter handle on the side of the engine. On other models, you may need to remove a plastic cover to access the pull handle.
Stels ATVs have long conquered the expanses of Russian off-road. If you ask any quad rider what he likes most about this sport, you will most likely baffle him, it is so difficult to choose one from the whole host of sensations. Someone will remember the indescribable feeling of speed, someone likes riding in the mud, and someone loves to fly over the dunes.
However, for many, jumping on a quad bike is the most exciting experience. ATV jumps vary from taking off a little on a random bump to flying off a springboard, but it's definitely one of those hard-to-forget-feelings, just as hard to forget any feeling of free-flying. After all, the heart stops even for those who simply watch the flight from the side.
However, in order for the thrills not to have tragic consequences, it is necessary to prepare not only yourself, but also your device before flying. How to ensure your safety when jumping?
Of course, you shouldn't do extreme sports without protective equipment, make sure that your body is protected as much as possible and at the same time the equipment must be of high quality to provide sufficient freedom of action. Try to get a complete set from boots to a helmet and goggles and be sure to protect your body well, because you will be in the air with a device weighing several centners, in case something goes wrong you will need reliable protection.
First of all, you need to remember the basics of jumping, which is that when taking off and landing, your front wheels should be slightly higher than the rear ones, and you need to keep the ATV in the air in such a position during the entire flight. Then the rear wheels will touch the ground on landing earlier than the front wheels, which will soften the impact when touching the ground. Landing on the front or all four wheels takes most of the impact on the ground, which is enough energy to throw you out of the saddle.
The second rule of extreme jumping is not to sit while jumping. You have to stand in the ATV, or at least raise yourself in the saddle, only then your legs will act as an additional shock absorber, helping to soften the impact. Otherwise, having taken a hit on the fulcrum, you can easily fly out of the saddle at the moment when, after compression, the shock absorbers are again unclenched. Allow the craft to move under you in flight, and by lifting yourself off the seat, you will have more freedom to move your body and balance, which will allow you to adjust the angle of the entire craft-racer system..jpg?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/quality,q_70/resize,m_mfit,w_350,h_350)
There are two ways to achieve the desired angle, controlling the position of the body and using the accelerator. When approaching the liftoff point, lean back to lighten the load on the front wheels, control the throttle smoothly, preventing the ATV from tilting forward after the liftoff. If you understand that the speed for the jump is too high, slow down slightly, and just before the takeoff, release the brakes and squeeze the gas. It is important to choose the right acceleration so that it is not too large and at the same time too small. In general, the choice is determined by many parameters and is usually selected individually by the rider for his ATV. That is why you can move on to ski jumping only after preliminary training on small jumps. This is especially important if you are riding this ATV for the first time, before going into sharp turns, experiment on small obstacles.
When jumping on a quad bike, you may find that not everything goes as it was originally intended, and you usually notice this when you take off from the ground.
Your ski jump might actually be steeper than you thought, you might yank the handlebars too hard or add too much throttle and the quad will become vertical in the air. In this case, begin to shift your body weight forward by pushing down on the handlebars to lower the front wheels down. Release the gas and apply the rear brakes. Oddly enough, they can help you even if the wheels are no longer touching the ground. The fact is, stopping the rotation of the rear wheels causes inertia to lower the front wheels down. In order not to cut off the engine, do not forget about the traction when braking in the air. If you land with your front wheels up, slow down, shift your body weight forward, and be prepared for a sharp rudder jolt. One of the dangers in this case is to fly forward and get under the wheels of your own ATV.
If the rear wheels are up, shift the weight back and press the gas, this is one of the most dangerous situations that should be avoided as much as possible. However, if you do not get confused, you will be able to level the ATV in the air.
Remember that while jumping on an ATV is similar to jumping on a motorcycle, one of the main differences is the need to watch four wheels instead of two. Do not allow the ATV to skew, otherwise you run the risk of simply breaking the rear axle when landing. Remember that the wheels should touch the ground at the same time, if you feel the ATV lean to one side, you need to shift the weight to the opposite leg and try to straighten it in the air - this is another reason to stand rather than sit in the saddle when jumping.
– Why are you laughing? Anna glanced suspiciously at the smile that crossed her lips.
“That’s me talking about mine,” Tatyana giggled. - Sometimes being a blonde is very useful.
- Certainly not here. The young woman interpreted her words in her own way. - Once again, boil the hormones for everyone! They are already wild here. As soon as we move to Kusk, we will immediately paint you in some nasty color so that it shines less.
And in general, for a natural blonde, you somehow have too much hair. We’ll pick up a bigger lump for you, with a hood, you’ll collect them into a bump and always walk in a hood ... - She thoughtfully looked at her face: - Glue a couple of warts to you, or something ... thicker ... Then I'll try to sew.
“Actually, I didn’t mean that, but if it’s better, then go ahead,” Volodina shrugged. – Only at first I would like to return alive from this oil field.
- Pip you! Anna was outraged. – Everything will be fine, we thought of everything, you were training…
The door to the cab opened and the driver appeared. He glanced at the spread out map and said, poking his finger at the image of the road:
- Sito is sitting here, two and a half meters from the bumper to him. Someone has already plunged into it, there lies bloody rags. The anomaly is large, almost four and eight meters across, the UIPs give all five. In short, the road was completely blocked, we won’t go along this bend, we’ll cut it right here.
He scratched a dirty fingernail at the map. - It's clean, we checked, but there are a lot of small bumps, so it's amazing. We won’t get stuck, but we wouldn’t lose the barrels.
He slowly reversed a few meters and turned the steering wheel all the way to the right, driving off a dirt road overgrown with grass. Headlights slid over green stalks covered with yellow dust, and the truck shook off the road. Tatyana, grabbing the handrail with one hand, framed the OIP for Anya. With her free hand, she entered the anomaly mark into the device, and the girl again thought about the upcoming risky venture.
She prepared for it for five days. The photographs of the fallen pine were of poor quality, they were taken at dusk and without flash. As Anya explained, the stalker who photographed the area was alone that day and was afraid to attract the attention of too many animals or someone worse. But even in this capacity, it immediately became clear that the tree was not at all thick.
At the base, its diameter was twenty centimeters, but closer to the top it narrowed to ten. The branches of her crown and did suggest thoughts of imminent death. The pine lay, having collapsed on the fence, and the top did not reach the edge of the roof of the oil tank for about a meter, but it was there, according to Anya, that the crown was covered with Web. The side branch, which theoretically could be passed, but in practice it already cost the life of the author of the plan, turned out to be just a little thicker than a thumb. How to take a run there and what to step on? Moreover, the tree itself is at an angle of forty degrees, no less.
In order to somehow increase their chances, they found a suitable tree near the settlement, and Anya persuaded someone to cut it down so that it fell on neighboring trees at the right angle. It turned out, frankly, not very similar, but it was better than nothing. The rest of the time, Tatyana trained on it to take a run, practiced jumps and tried to think through options for an unforeseen development of events.
It gave her some confidence, but it was still scary, and the longer their small column moved through the anomaly-filled taiga, the more taut her nerves became.
We reached the ruins of the oil field at four in the morning. The old road, completely eaten up by the Area, once laid here by the road service of the RAO, a dozen meters from the defensive structures destroyed to the state of ruins, suddenly reappeared smooth and clean, gleaming in the headlights with brand new asphalt. Before reaching him a few meters, the driver stopped the truck.
- Everything, further - only to the next world! He automatically crossed himself. - The asphalt is brand new, and the UIP is silent! The Yellow Zone is close, the range of the devices is falling, it does not reach from here.
“You can walk through the ruins on the right,” Anna said. - The car will not pass, but we will reach the tree with our feet. The trail was wide, a month ago an ATV could fit on it.
As it turned out, since then the path narrowed a little, and there were more anomalies around, but in general the passage still existed.
One of the stalkers, checking every second with the IIP, led the others through the ruins of the oil field, and Tatyana, dressed in a tracksuit, was thrown over a canvas cape.
“Pooh,” the stalker briefly explained in response to her silent question, nodding at a cloud of yellow flakes slowly floating through the ruins against the wind. “The skin will corrode in a couple of seconds. Wrap yourself up.
Of course, this very Pooh covered her, how else. Half of their team, moving along the path one after another in a column one at a time, calmly passed the dangerous section of the ruins, but when Tatyana caught up with a pile of building debris, the Pooh cloud got tired of crawling against the wind, and along with another gust, it seemed like a yellow blizzard rushed at her. The girl barely had time to sit down, shrinking into a ball, and cover her head. Behind someone shortly cried out in pain and cursed angrily, there was some fuss and Ani's muffled voice:
- Tanya, sit down and don't stick your head out! “Looks like she was covered in a tarp herself.
- We are waiting for Pooh to fly by! Breathe slowly, the tarpaulin does not let air through! Don't choke there!
Fortunately, the utterly old raincoat had many small holes. The tiny holes were too small for Pooh, but they allowed her to breathe, and forty minutes of crooked waiting did no harm to her health, which cannot be said about her courage. Several times it seemed to Tatyana that everyone fled in all directions, leaving her to sit in the very center of the Yellow Fluff under a piece of leaky tarpaulin, under which toxic flakes were already crawling. In order not to panic, she tried to talk to Anya. Understanding that you were not alone in this muck calmed your nerves at least partially.
- An, how will people carry oil through this rubbish? – Tatyana tried to make her voice sound firm. “With a stretcher on your shoulders, you can’t quickly jump under the tarpaulin.
- The peasants have "Barriers", - she answered dully. - They will put it on, if anything. In general, you need to see if the pump has enough power to pump "X" from the tank to the tank.
We have a whole bay of hose, almost two hundred meters there. Maybe you don't have to carry anything.
Finally, someone lightly patted her on the back and allowed her to get up. Tatyana got to her feet and cautiously looked out from under the tarpaulin. A cloud of Yellow Fluff floated lazily into the distance about thirty meters to the left, and the stalker who led the column waved his hand to her, they say, faster! She hurriedly followed the one in front, looking back at Anya. She gave a thumbs up to let her know that she was fine, and squinted her eyes to the side, pointing to the person walking behind her. There was a fresh bandage on his cheek, sealed with adhesive tape. Pooh looked like the miner got hit on the cheek, but he treated the wound himself while he waited out the cloud under a thick, wide cloak. Tatyana turned away and quickened her pace, instructing herself to make sure she got a full set of equipment if she managed to get out of this oilfield alive. And then she doesn’t even have a first-aid kit, all that’s good is a UIP and a tracksuit with sneakers, pretty worn out over the past month.
Anya is right, they need money. Money, money, money… Tatyana sighed sadly. Everywhere is the same. And since childhood, she wanted to live in some kind of fairy-tale world, where the financial side, if not at all, then at least let it be one of the most frivolous issues. As Julia said, such an absurd view of the world only spurs her longing for the lost big sport. In general, Julia was right. In the national team, special people dealt with money, Tatiana almost didn’t care. As long as she gave results, she managed to live in her own "ridiculous" world. Now everything is different.
“Here it is, the tank with the X,” Anya's voice sounded nearby, and Tatiana tore her eyes away from the back of the man walking in front of her, distracted from her thoughts. - We went straight to the fallen tree ... Damn! What the hell, I don't get it! Is the cloud covering the top?
“The cloud is out, on the other hand,” the stalker jabbed his hand. - Broken top. Someone was here. And tried to use our method! Along the way, the trunk near the crown could not bear the weight and broke off.
There and their rags, lying around the tank, in Pleshi. What kind of device did he have with him?
The speaker strained his eyes, peering into the morning twilight, and Tatyana followed his gaze. The oil tank was exactly the same as in the photo, only brand new and shiny. Its perfectly smooth walls contrasted sharply with the impossibly rusty roof, covered with dents and long deep scratches clogged with yellow dust. There really was nothing to catch on there, on the roof, it seems that a powerful explosion, or something that came from the Epicenter on the day of the cataclysm, completely shaved off all the protruding elements from the tank, leaving the metal surface completely bald. The thick lattice fence surrounding the oil tank was a match for the tank itself: the fence seemed to have been completed ten or fifteen minutes ago, and it seemed that even the smell of fresh paint remained in the air. At the same time, the barbed wire stretched over the fence rusted through, burst and in many places hung in bundles of brown scraps.
In the morning twilight, thin silvery threads were clearly visible, densely enveloping a four-meter fence, like a cocoon of some huge spider.
A fallen pine tree that had fallen on the fence was broken off at the top and now did not reach the roof of the oil tank for about five meters. The very top of the tree lay behind the fence, under the walls of the tank, as if half melted. Not far from her, on an absolutely clean-looking patch of earth overgrown with short grass, lay a pair of shapeless heaps of rags hardened with gore. A little closer one could see fragments of something heavily charred and wooden, resembling a broken homemade ladder with counterweights fixed at the ends.
“In short, it’s clear,” the stalker grimaced. - They muddied the stairs, they wanted to go through the pine tree to the place where the tree still holds, and from there to transfer it to the roof, like hanging a ladder. Along the way, they did not know about the Solenoid, or hoped to be in time.
In just ten seconds, you’ll have time to drag the ladder, balance it, and even push it up onto the roof from the bottom up. He sensed them and shibanul on the very "land rest in peace to you." The top has been torn off. There were three of them, it seems. One was fried to ashes by the Solenoid, there, the pine was charred where he sat. The rest fell into Plesh along with the crown.
- Dove, look here! - Some of the stalkers went to the distant bushes and fiddled with something poorly visible there. “Their ATV is hidden here!” With a barrel on a trailer!
He pulled a piece of grass, which turned out to be a camouflage net, and pulled the veil from the bush. Beneath it was found a battered ATV with a makeshift barrel mounted on a wheeled chassis. The stalker went around the bushes and squatted down, looking at something on the ground.
- There was another one with them! he said. “Two ATVs were parked here. On one of them, he fell off after the sidekicks got into trouble.
Since he disguised the good, it means that he was going to return. I wouldn't quit the quadric either, it's money!
- How long have they been here? - Grey-haired was alert, and his eyes ran over the surrounding ruins.
- A couple of Emissions have definitely passed, - the stalker answered. It's strange that he hasn't returned yet. Maybe he got in somewhere with a fright or was taken prisoner on the way back...
- Dove-gray, you need to set up guards. - Anna went up to the stalker who led the movements of their team. - The motor pump will be heard far away, suddenly someone will hear!
- Why just expose it like that? - Gray turned to Tatyana and asked: - The tree has broken off! Will you jump from it to the roof? Or maybe we're wasting our time?
- So we can cut down another one! Anna tried her best to hide her nervousness, but it was easy to see that she was trying to prevent the escape of stalkers who had lost their prospects. “We’ll attach it to the barrel of this one where the Solenoid can’t reach!” Let's shorten the distance!
“Some have already reduced it,” Gray-haired grinned, not looking at Anna.
- I won’t go there, find out the area of \u200b\u200bthe Solenoid on my own skin. You said it's the right thing to do. And it turns out - bullshit. "X" I can get and easier. So, "Alina Kabaeva", are you going to jump or get out of here?
“Tan…” Anya looked perplexedly from the broken top of the pine tree to Sizoy and Volodina. “You did it in the forest… five meters… no more here…
“Shut up,” Siziy advised her curtly and continued to glare at Tatyana.
Something in his look reminded her very much of the expression in the eyes of the drunken Prokopenko, lewdly reaching out for her in the oppressive atmosphere of the trendy nightclub so beloved by Yulia. And why did she even go there at all ... However, what's the point in suffering over this now. But this Gray-haired will only be glad if she does not jump. He's one of the contenders for her. However, if she dies, he will not be upset either. He has many competitors, and all of them are the least interested in her opinion.
That's why he called her Kabaeva. An undisguised mockery. As soon as he managed to remember the name of a talented gymnast, he was just an intellectual! Tatyana thought that Kabaeva would not have jumped, she didn’t care about all this. But Volodina, it seems, does not have many other chances at all.
- I'll check by myself where the Solenoid has a boundary! Anna suddenly announced. - I can do it in half an hour! Give me only a normal UIP, my very old one...
- Don't, - Tatyana stopped her. - I will try. I'll warm up a little and jump.
- Tanya, you can do it! Anna exclaimed immediately. – You succeeded in training…
– You’re trying the wrong way and jumping on the wrong one, – Gray-Grey muttered with a grimace. - Still not enough to lay down a young woman in an anomaly. Do you fucking need it? Do you want money so much? Choose a guy, and you will have loot! How much do you want? I have half a green lemon in the Areal Bank!
- Fuck off, gray-haired! Anna hissed angrily at him.
- You know the concept! Here it is determined, then you will find out who is lucky and who is not! Don't bother now, she needs to jump!
- Jumpers, your mother! - The gray-gray swore softly, but nevertheless moved aside. He was joined by a couple of stalkers, and they spoke quietly, throwing displeased glances at the women. It became clear that none of them liked the idea of a jump that was doomed to death.
- Tan! - Anna went up to Volodina, who was kneading her ankle joints, and whispered: - We must jump faster! It's suspicious how they whisper! If they decide that you have no chance, you never know what will come into their heads! If you mess up, they won't get oil or money. And you yourself are already money, and there are no witnesses if you remove me ...
As if to confirm her words, Gray with two stalkers resolutely moved towards them.
- Hey, Kabaeva, stop warming up! he said. - You won't jump. We cannot risk your life, you are a very valuable element of our bright society!
- Gray, fuck off! Anna abruptly straightened up, turning to the approaching stalkers.
- Shut up! - He did not even look in her direction, sliding along the curves of the figure of Volodina warming up with a sticky look.
- Back off, you bastard! - Anna put her hand in her bosom and suddenly pulled out a pistol. - Back off, she said! Otherwise you'll get a bullet in the belly! She aimed at the stalker in the stomach. - We have an agreement! She jumps, and then we'll figure it out!
- Oh, you bitch! The gray one froze in place and swore dirtyly. - All right, we will respect the trunk. But if she gets in trouble, you sheep will follow! I will personally organize this for you, so pray!
He turned to leave, but the gun in Anna's hands twitched, pointing the muzzle higher.
- Stay where you are, freak! she demanded. - I'm not going to get a bullet in the back from you or your homies ahead of time! Let's all stand here and wait!
Behind Tatyana there was a clicking of weapon metal, and she saw the rest of Sizogo's people. They stood behind her with machine guns in their hands and aimed at Anya's back.
- Lower the gun, you slut! one of them demanded. - And then I'll make a hole!
- Right now! - she snapped. “I’m already running, stumbling along the way!” Come on, fire! I will definitely have time to shoot the gray one! And Tanyukha will not be given to you alive, she is not like that! What will you tell Gevorkyan? That the two of us have formed an anomaly together? He did not give permission for this hiker! We agreed to divide the loot with Sizym in half, Gevorkyan breaks off with a share!
- Don't worry about us! spat the machine gunner. We'll find something to say! Lower the gun, or I'll fail right now! I don't give a damn about Sizoy, I know him for the second day!
- So, dear gentlemen! Tatyana straightened up with a sigh, straightening her legs. It seems that all the filth of the world really firmly settled in her life. If now it will always be like this, then it will not be enough for a long time. And if so, then the question "to jump or not to jump" becomes an analogue of Shakespeare's rhetoric.
“First, I’ll try to jump to this rusty roof, and then you can shoot each other if you need it so much!”
She walked around the armed men standing opposite each other and headed towards the fallen tree, glancing at the DEA. It was not enough to plunge into the anomaly just before the jump.
- Wait! they called out to her from behind. - Where did you go? Decided to die proudly?
“Let him jump,” Doziy unexpectedly allowed. - If it suddenly jumps, the loot will be good.
- May she not jump! - they told him. - It will only turn out bespontovo! In general, we will remain without attendants! Let's sell it! Let's say you got it!
- We'll sell this one, if anything! The dove nodded at Anna. - You need to sell as a last resort. And then the world is small, someone can recognize her. In short, let him jump! He smiled contemptuously, looking at Anna: “A contract is a contract!” We are responsible for our words. Brothers, like a heifer will start climbing a tree, throw a bait to the Solenoid so that it is discharged! How much does it recharge?
- This one - in ten seconds! Anna snapped.
“I told you back in the village!”
The stalkers were fussing, dragging something to the fence and quarreling among themselves about something else, but Tatyana no longer paid attention to their actions and did not hear the squabble. She walked to the base of the collapsed pine tree and stopped, feeling a cold ball of soul-crushing fear grow inside her. Just to take a run and jump five meters forward for an international master of sports in gymnastics would not be a serious problem. But now the take-off run will have to be taken along a thin tree trunk pointing upwards at an angle of forty degrees, and the jump should not be just a horizontal flight of five meters. There is almost a meter and a half difference between the breakaway point and the touchdown point. This is provided that the thin tree trunk closer to the top does not begin to bend ... She never had to make such jumps, and even the girls from the athletics team hardly jumped like that. But she knew some of them. An old memory of a long-standing conversation flashed in my head, and Tatyana stepped onto a tree trunk. If you do not jump now, then it will become completely scary.
She strode up the trunk, quickly balancing herself on the narrow sloping ground, and the conversations fell silent behind her. Having taken a few short steps, Tatyana rushed into a run, not giving fear the opportunity to overwhelm her entirely. The tree trunk played dangerously underfoot, the adrenal glands instantly released adrenaline into the bloodstream, burning the body from the inside with a flash of ice flame, and in a matter of moments the girl flew up to the trembling top of the broken trunk. The sports reflex of a high-level professional unmistakably matched the push of the legs with the translational swing of the tree, using it like a flexible springboard, and Tatiana flew into the air, going into a somersault. Somewhere in the depths of her mind, wholly invested in the jump, a detached thought flashed that she had to land on her shins, otherwise there would not be enough height, and she folded her legs into the right position. In the next moment, the world revolving wildly before my eyes was replaced by the rusty coating of the roof of an oil tank flying towards me, and my shins were hammered into the rusty metal with a swing. A sharp pain pierced her body like a giant red-hot needle, and Tatyana wheezed hoarsely, biting her lip and forcing herself to endure and not move. She froze like a statue, as if on the final note of the musical accompaniment flowing at international competitions, and tried her best not to feel at least half of the torment that had bitten into her spine and bloodied legs.
- Fuck you! someone downstairs said, and his voice broke through the blood pressure alarm in his ears with a dull hum. - I already thought - that's it, tweezers for a heifer! You have to hold on!
- Fuck! – agreed with him. - Hey, dude, just don't twitch! The cloud is crawling towards you!
The dark circles before her eyes began to disappear, and Tatyana saw that she had landed on the very edge of the roof of an oil tank and her feet were hanging over the void. If it did not fly another ten centimeters, it would be impossible to stay on the edge. A meter below, from somewhere to the left, along the brand new and perfectly even side of the tank, something resembling a green thundercloud was slowly floating.
- Tanya, freeze! - through the fading rumble in the ears, Anna's voice was heard. "Your legs are sticking out!" If you move, the Cloud will strike! Don't move at all!
How long she had to sit still until she was allowed to move, she did not understand. The pain that engulfed her body passed slowly, and Tatyana did not immediately manage to crawl away from the edge and stand on her feet. She staggered, took a couple of steps and stopped, keeping her balance. Broken legs obeyed badly, but there were no fractures, the rest was not the first to endure. But now the sick spine responded with pain at every step, and it became clear that she had received a relapse of an old injury. Now the main thing is to stand on your feet, nothing is over yet.
- Tan! How are you? Anna waved her hand from below. - Dawn strongly, the tank is visible from afar!
“I’m fine,” breathed Volodina, wiping the trickle of blood rolling down her chin from her bitten lip. She looked around. - There is nothing to strengthen the rope. Even on the hatch cover there were no oarlocks or handrails. I don't know how to open it.
- Let's open! - promised Sizy. There was no trace of his aggression. - Grab the rope! We will tie a ladder to it, as planned. Pull it up to the roof and hold it while we climb.
One of the stalkers took out a bundle from his backpack and quickly assembled a small crossbow from the parts found in it. A rope was tied to a crossbow bolt loaded into it and shot in the direction of Tatyana. For the first time, the shooter did not calculate the effect of the unwinding rope on the flight of the arrow, the bolt hit the wall of the tank just below the roof, fell to the ground and immediately turned into a fine mush. The second time the arrow was shot higher, it fell on the rusty surface and crawled to the edge under the weight of the rope. Tatyana managed to catch her at the very edge. We had to wait for some time for the stalkers to assemble a ten-meter ladder from the links they brought with them. Then they strengthened the pine tree and dragged the ladder onto it, then waited for the Cloud, which had entered the next circle, to leave. In the end, Tatyana was told to pull, and she harnessed herself to the rope that had become heavy, with an effort of will to hold back the groans from the pain that accompanies each movement, radiating into the spine. Two stalkers, straddling a pine tree at a safe distance from the Solenoid, directed the feed of the ladder, keeping the long structure from tipping over. Despite the pain, she managed to drag part of the ladder onto the roof of the oil tank, and the stalkers fixed its lower half to the pine tree.
- Listen, Tatiana! - Gray-gray cautiously climbed a fallen pine tree and on all fours approached the top of the stairs. - You hold her tight! I'll climb up to you, and everything will be okay, then we'll figure it out ourselves! Now his voice sounded almost friendly. - Just don't drop it! - He nodded to one of his people: - Drop it!
A stalker standing under the fence threw a sack full of grass over the fence. He flew a couple of meters, in the next second a dazzling blaze of a curve and a long lightning bolt flashed above the ground, the bag was torn apart on the fly, and smoking charred lumps fell down. Siziy immediately climbed along the suspension bridge that had formed, gazing tensely either at Cloud, which was enveloping the oil tank, or at the base of the stairs tied to a pine tree, or at Tatyana, who was holding its upper part with difficulty.
– Hold on, hold on! he muttered, freezing with fear on every rung of the swaying staircase. - Now everything will be ok, everything will be, you, the main thing is this, hold on tight ...
- Gray-gray, move your butt! - advised him from below. Three seconds left!
Hearing the warning, the stalker vigorously began to work with his hands and feet, because of which he almost tore the ladder out of Tatyana's hands. As soon as he was on the roof, her legs gave way, and the girl awkwardly sat down on the rusty metal.
- Eh, Tanya, what are you doing? - Gray-gray caught the ladder slipping out of Volodya's hands.
“My back… hurts,” Tatyana breathed out, trying to take a horizontal position to soothe the pain. - The old injury got out ... the jump turned out to be painful ... I will rest a little ...
- Gray-gray! Anna's voice was indignant. - What with her? What did you do to her, you bastard?!
- I didn't do shit! he snarled angrily in response. - She hit while jumping! It hurts her! Don't yell, blah! SchA recovers and goes down! Come on, get the hose! - The gray-haired turned to Tatyana and added: - You are, as you wake up, get down and go to the car. Sit in the cockpit, have a rest, we can handle it further ourselves. Let's raise the tool, open the hatch, start the hose, turn on the pump - just have time to adjust the barrels!
He grabbed the ladder with both hands, somewhere below there was a sharp bang of a powerful electric discharge, the air smelled of ozone again, and soon a stalker with a backpack climbed onto the rusty roof. The newcomer threw off his luggage, which turned out to be various plumbing tools, and both men began to break open the hatch, which was stuck with rust to the metal coaming of the base. By the time the pain tormenting her spine subsided and Tatyana was able to stand up, they had already dragged a hose onto the roof of the tank and carefully lowered it inside the opened hatch. Volodina took a few steps, listening to her spine. She can walk, the pain is bearable. Now I would like to lie down for a couple of days ...
- Tan, stop! You will fall under the Solenoid! Anna warned her. - Now let's throw a bag!
The solenoid was discharged, and the girl with a quick step easily went down the stairs to the fallen tree. In another second, she was already on the ground and stopped, painfully moving her shoulders.
- What's wrong with you? - Anna jumped up to her, looking around from head to toe with a look full of anxiety. - Legs ache? Let me help! You landed right on your knees as soon as you didn't break anything! When I saw how you were flying somersault and you didn’t have enough height, I thought that you would hit the edge of the roof with your feet and fall down! And you landed on your knees, and even on the very edge, centimeter by centimeter! I haven't even seen this in the movies! You didn’t jump like that when you trained near the village!
“I accidentally remembered how jumping girls once told that in the second half of the last century the sports world was looking for the optimal trajectory for running long jumps,” Tatiana smiled weakly. - It turned out that the most effective is a somersault forward. But this trajectory was quickly abandoned due to its high traumatism ... - She took a step and involuntarily grimaced. - And they did the right thing ...
- Give your hand, your trousers are covered in blood, you broke your legs badly! Anna grabbed her by the elbow. - Get in the car! We have done our job, then let them work hard. Wow, how everyone immediately became kind! Just best friends! Still, they got fifty tons of X for free!
“I'm better on my own,” Volodina shook her head. - Don't pull like that, please. My spine is injured, and this jump caused an aggravation of the injury. I'll get to the car, just help me get into the cab, okay? Can you get me up?
- You? Anna squealed. - Yes, easily! Forty kilograms I somehow push!
“Fifty-two,” Tatyana corrected her. “Fifty-three in tracksuit and shoes.
- Yeah, and if you consider how you eat, it happens even fifty-four in the evenings! Anna teased her. - No, you definitely need a lump of a bag! It's okay, we'll dress up soon, The piece is mine now, even though he doesn't know about it yet! Tanya, you are great! The main thing is that these fools move, otherwise the motor pump will roar so that it will be heard on half the area! It's good that we chose the right time! New Year's Eve and the Yellow Zone are nearby - no one will come here. By the way, Happy New Year to you again. Today we are like Santa Claus with the Snow Maiden, we brought gifts to ourselves!
“Thank you,” the girl grunted tiredly. - Anh, why does the Solenoid strike a bag of grass with lightning, but not a ladder from a tree to the roof? - Volodina, grimacing from the pain spilling from her spine to her very heels, followed her friend and cautiously looked at the ruins of the oil field in search of Yellow Fluff. Now she didn’t have a cape, in case of danger there was nowhere to hide. Fortunately, there were no clouds of poisonous flakes nearby, the wind died down, there was silence around.
– Of the inanimate, it only attacks moving objects, – she answered, glancing at the DPC. - He fries everyone alive, but for some reason he doesn’t beat Blue, maybe she’s too small for him, no one really knows. And this Solenoid is generally rare, it recharges for a long time, almost eleven seconds. They usually only need one or two. It's probably because of the Cloud. It passes over him and takes away his strength, therefore it is always green. Clouds usually change their phases and stay in them for several hours. If it's black, then it's safe.
- Have you been stalking for a long time? Tatyana asked. Her UIP issued a quiet unhurried squeak, reacting to a clean and even-looking piece of land, located three steps to the left of their route among crumbling reinforced concrete ruins, and the girl involuntarily quickened her pace, catching up with Anna. Broken legs and injured spine immediately ached more.
- I don't do it at all. There was an evil note in her voice. - It was that stalker who told me about this place. Before the cataclysm, I lived in Syktyvkar, played in the drama theater ... - the woman sighed wistfully, - that day I came with my daughter to a friend in Sosnogorsk. It managed to…” She fell silent, calming down, and continued in a casual tone: “Now every Addict is a bit of a stalker, you can’t get away from it. Soon you will learn too.
