Right after talking to the representative of C-Consciousness in the Visions of Truth main mission of Stalker 2, Skif discovers that eternal life exists within the Noosphere. However, he'll have to travel to the Center of the Zone to confirm this. The only person to ever go there is Strelok, a legendary stalker. But to get to Strelok, Skif must find his companion, the Doctor, who was last seen in the Red Forest region. Thus begins the Dark Times main mission, setting Skif on a quest to locate the Doctor.