Todd Marco

APOCALYPSE UNDERGROUND

Prologue

After the great war in 2077, the world was blown to smithereens. The communists of Russia and the capitalists of America finally did it, they ended the world. Europe, being in the dead center of both the east and the west had it the worst. Infighting between communism and capitalism came to an all time high – England, France, Spain, Germany – no country was spared from the harshness of nuclear devastation.

Italy was ravaged no different to any other nation, but they had the fortune of being prepared. Millions flocked underground into the Italian Metros. They remained inactive ever since Italy hit their oil defecate, but when other countries heard of the preparations Italy was taking, they sent immigrants to take over various stations.

Italy is repeating history, this time – underground. Various factions formed, the Venetian Brotherhood, the German Reich known as the Realm, the Italian communists, and the Hunters. These groups wage war trying to conquer and unite all of Italy, and no station is safe from the vying factions or the mutants that now linger on the surface.

Chapter 1: Business as Usual

“It’s too late now, the boss is angry; wants to see you immediately.” A gruff voice stated haltingly.

“No, wait! Tell him I’ll get him everything he wants, please!” The shrill cries of a short and slim man kneeling on the tracks of this particularly barren stretch of tunnel did nothing to sway the larger one, who was standing over him with a sub-machine gun in his hands, finger stroking the trigger guard impatiently. “I h-had trouble at the border, that’s all. You know how it is with these rules about transporting goods past the Central Gates!”

There was a cautious moment of silence before the large man grinned as he cast his eyes down the far end of the tunnel ahead of them. The smaller man timidly followed his gaze, his eyes wide and his brows twisted in fear and terror. Distant footsteps were heard thundering forward and the echo made it very hard to discern whether it was one person or a whole army… or something far worse.

The sound grew steadily, until three figures began to emerge from the abyss. Two strong similar-featured men in grey uniforms and brown armored vests flanked the third figure who seemed to be the boss that the large man had forewarned about; each one carried a Malikov and a stern look. The one in the middle came to a halt squarely on the cross tie in front of the kneeling man, he followed the worn pair of combat boots upwards; the sight becoming more shocking as his eyes climbed the unexpected form.

“Well then.” Spoke a smooth feminine voice, it would have been comforting, had he not known the context of the situation he was in. “What seems to be the problem, Herr Schmidt? Are you no longer in need of our services, or have you simply ceased to function as a useful member of society?”

She spoke like a scholar or politician, calmly and yet condescendingly. He examined her stature quickly; tall and thin, lightly armored – yet armored. She also carried a Malikov, but as he had caught the glimpse of it in the dim emergency lighting she was placing it into a holster on her back. Her long reddish-brown hair fell in soft loops beside her face, as if it were slipping from the clip behind her head. Her face was smooth and porcelain pale; she couldn’t have been any older than twenty-five. His jaw hung agape, his tongue struggling to form a word. Her colorless eyes pierced at him, both hands on her hips, and she waited for his response.

“Y-you’re a… I mean you-you’re Farkas Polo? I thought—” The small man stuttered.

“Farkas.” She raised her eyebrows and leaned forward at the waist, challenging him to continue prattling, daring him to continue to delay answering her question. He received the hint quite clearly.

“No, no, of course not. I-I mean, there’s no problem at all miss—” His sentence was cut from his lips by the swift motion of the woman drawing a silenced Maro pistol from its holster at her hip and aiming it at his head. It seemed like a flash of lightning had gone off in that brief moment, as if she had manipulated the very fabric of time. His hands flew up beside his ears to protect himself instinctively and he crumpled further downward, cringing.

“You may not have known, so I will tell you now, if there is one thing I cannot stand – it is a liar.” She took a deep breath and then relaxed her weapon arm, crossing it over her other arm pensively. “Now, I shall give you two more days. Sokolov will be keeping his eyes on you until you reach Madrid. You will deliver my message and bring the supplies to Venice. Sokolov will take them from there, since you’re so stunningly incompetent.” She gestured in the direction of the large solider whom he had initially been pleading with and the man winced at the thought of being followed by the brutish man.

The small man nodded silently and slowly the whole time she was talking. Anything to keep that pistol from pointing in his direction again, anything to keep these soldier’s from tearing him apart in their minds, and to keep them from making their fantasies a reality.

“Did I make anything unclear to you?” She leaned down to him again, returning her pistol to her holster. The small man was finally able to let out a breath.

“N-no, I’ll get on it straight away. Thank you, thank you. I’ll never speak a word of this to anybody, I swear!” He began to stand up and back away slowly, gathering up his pack and jacket that had been dropped during the initial scuffle.

“No. You won’t.” She seethed, letting the malice in her eyes show through until he turned his back and ran as fast as he could back towards the KelavaLine.

Sara sighed with annoyance and relaxed her stance, rolling her eyes as she took a few steps forward to where the small man had been kneeling down. The large soldier began to chuckle and stepped forward out of the shadows with a lopsided grin.

“What is funny, Sokolov?” Spoke the shortest soldier to the biggest.

“The look on their face – never gets old.” Sokolov grinned as he balanced the large box magazine of his weapon on his shoulder and put his free hand on his belt. “I think he might have pissed himself just looking at you, boss.”

“Stupid traitors, thinking they know everything – thinking they can get away with slacking off. You would think Realm would stop sending so many spies. How many have we turned into errand boys, Marco?” The other soldier who had been standing at her side said with disgust, slinging his rifle strap over his shoulder.

“They aren’t all spies, Nikolai.” She spoke in a voice so low it was almost consumed by the expanse of the tunnel. “Not that one, anyway.”

“What do you mean?” The same young man raised an eyebrow.

“A Realm operative wouldn’t tremble and piss on themselves. Think about it – they send paid scouts, outcasts like us to do their dirty work and report back. None of them want to come this far, especially to Paveletskaya.” She shook her head and turned around to face her companions. “I sort of feel sorry for him.”

“So why scare the poor guy like that, then? If you knew so much about it…” The soldier called Nikolai crossed his arms and scowled.

“Because we can’t afford to show any weakness. Outcast or not, he is still being used by them, and they do not easily give up.” She narrowed her eyes and turned her head back down the tunnel. Many kilometers north on the very same line was the Fourth Realm territory – her former home.

“Hey, Sergio!” There was a muffled knock on the hard steel frame of the door. “Are you awake or what? Can’t stay in bed all day forever, you know.” The voice was playful. It was definitely Makarov, come to check on him.

Sergio groaned and rolled onto his side, his senses slowly shifting back into reality. He remembered that he was in D-6 now, that he didn’t live in a station anymore; it was the light in the small room that surprised him the most. Never had he thought that he would live to see this mythical place, or find out that it even existed let alone have his own room in it, he absorbed every detail he could until Maro began knocking again. Pushing the heavy metal door aside, he was greeted by the mischievous expression on his partner’s face.

“Come on, it’s time you got out for a bit. We’ve got a mission. Orders came down from Vera this morning!” Maro nodded excitedly, beckoning him outside.

Sergio took another quick look around and then went to his locker, inside was a new Brotherhoodn Hunter uniform – gray and blue urban camouflage pants and jacket, shiny black leather boots, a black tactical vest and all the small pouches and accessories you could ever need or want – all crisp and smelling of a musky wooden crate. He slipped it on over his undergarments quickly, Maro was tapping and humming outside impatiently, but Sergio knew it was just for comical show. Maro knew just how to keep the mood light even in the most serious times and Sergio welcomed it, having been plagued by nightmares for the past few weeks since his previous mission almost two months ago – on the surface at OsloTower.

Just a few short hours later, the combatant pair were rolling down the tunnel towards Sario in a small electric cart; they were to be the replacement fire team at the Church outpost on the surface. Sergio inspected his newly-issued automatic weapon thoroughly, impressed by its metallic sheen. He was certain after a few moments of admiration that it had never been fired before. Just how many weapons or other military artifacts had been in storage at D-6 all this time? Had the previous world’s inhabitants stockpiled such items in anticipation for what might come upon them at some point? Perhaps they knew exactly what would happen.

Maro stopped the cart just before the entrance to Sario and dismounted from the driver’s seat. Sergio looked ahead to the entrance, expecting to see a searchlight or checkpoint but there was none. Only two dim emergency lights flanked the opening to the passageway to the Sicily Ring. He looked disbelievingly at Makarov.

“What, no guards?” He poked, hoping his simple question would evoke Maro into a full explanation.

“They know it’s only us Hunters coming through here. We’ve cordoned off the Realm territory for now – precautions.” Maro spoke with an unusually solemn voice, letting Sergio know he didn’t intend to speak further about it.

He was then handed a new passport, within the pages of which he found an entry stamp for the whole of Losla territory; and they hadn’t even been to a customs table! It was completely astonishing to Sergio, remembering how difficult everyone had always told him it was to enter Losla – even if you didn’t intend to stay there. He recalled with disgust his last journey through that line and it began burning him up inside how easy everything seemed to be going. How helpful this passport would have been before he had set out to reach Polis…

“They will still search us; they want to make sure we aren’t planning anything.” Maro stated plainly, heaving his rucksack onto his back.

“Like what?” Sergio spat out before he could think. Sometimes his curiosity got the better of him.

“Like a takeover.” Maro shot him a look of annoyance, but then flashed a smile as if he had never been irritated. “They want to be sure that we aren’t going to try to take over the whole The Subway now that we are in charge of D-6. Vera and the council at Polis had a hell of a time striking a deal with them. For now at least, we have an… arrangement.”

Sergio was still curious but decided just to nod his head in understanding and keep his mouth shut. He deduced that Losla had agreed to be courteous and offer transit to Brotherhood Hunters in return for preventing a Realm advance. All the pieces were starting to fall into place in his mind.

“So we’ll go along the ring to Oktyabrskaya, then up to the surface through the radial station.” Maro nodded his head at Sergio as a way to elicit his affirmative response.

“How far is it from the exit to the church?” Sergio asked after he had nodded back.

“Not far, there’s already a pretty clear path to there because of the car.” Maro referred to the armored truck that the Hunters used to traverse the surface sometimes. “But always be on the lookout for mutants, you can’t predict them for long.”

Sergio nodded his head again and they passed into the transfer passage with no further conversation.

When they did enter the main station, they could hear the bustle of the market – this being an important trade post for the Collective Farm stations that supplied nearly the entire The Subway with pork, chicken, mushrooms, potatoes, and liquors. Angry sounding foremen barked orders at their workers, pushing them to work faster loading up a cart with goods. A few patrolling Losla soldiers were about, usually in pairs, probably making their rounds to see that everything was running smoothly. Sergio almost thought it was strange that they didn’t carry rifles, but only a sidearm in a holster at their belts.

He admired the beautiful lighting that he had so fondly admired upon his first visit, there were real lamps shining down on them from decorative brackets sticking out from the relief carvings on each pylon arch. The marble tiled floor was immaculate, though dulled from heavy traffic. A banner hung on the back wall displaying the brown circle logo of the Hanseatic League stations.

Making a swift step in front of him, Maro crossed the main platform towards a small table at which sat another officer in a gray uniform.

“Artur Mario!” Maro stepped up to the man with his arm extended to pat the aforementioned man on the shoulder.

“Makarov, my friend! What brings you to visit me today?” Artur rose from his seat promptly and extended the opposite arm towards Maro and returned the gesture. Maro explained to the man quickly where they were headed and about his companion, and Sergio understood that as his cue to step forward.

“Ah, so this is your strong young man who saved the Subway. It is my honor, Sergio. I am Artur Mario; I’m an inspections officer here in Losla.” The man smiled warmly, seemingly quite proud of his job.

“Nice to meet you.” Sergio shyly spoke and bowed his head slightly; he hadn’t fully considered that he’d saved anybody, or that it would seem so alien to him that a complete Hunter would know anything about his actions.

“So then, we’ll just go through the formalities and get you on your way.” Artur smiled at them both, reassuring Sergio that this wouldn’t be as terrifying as a typical inspection. He thought that Maro must have known this person for a while and that perhaps Artur Mario wouldn’t take notice even if they had tried to bring a massive arsenal through his station. They were probably friends before their discovery of D6, and perhaps even before the over world disaster, although he reminded himself that Maro was not much older than him – perhaps he was about thirty?

Enduring a quick pat-down and an examination of their rucksacks, they were soon sitting on the transport trolley that ran between all the Ring stations regularly. Sergio counted the three filters he was given for the surface trek, and screwed one into his mask before putting everything back into his small pack. He began to mentally prepare himself to go to the surface again, doing everything in his power to not relive any moments from the tower. Instead he chose to think about how clear the air had been at the top. He considered that it was only radiation in the ground and the water that hung like a fog over the city, just one thick layer at the bottom that had congealed like pork fat left in the pan after it’s been cooked. Once you got higher, the air was thin and crisp. Had all of the air been so clear in the old days of their city? He thought that maybe, if there was a way to rid the soil of that disease, to dispel the fog, then perhaps it was possible to live on the surface of the Earth once more.

Chapter 2: Brotherhood Base

Exiting the trolley at Oktyabrskaya, the two Hunters immediately headed for the stairway passage to the secondary station. This Losla station wasn’t much different from any other, except for the salvaged train body that had been pulled up onto the platform and seemed to serve as some kind of office. Two men in combat dress stood by one of its doorways and Sergio heard what sounded like an authoritative female voice echoing angrily from within.

Radial Oktyabrskaya was a free-transit station, really just a small appendage of Losla, with whom the original inhabitants must have struck a good deal with early on. It was a much more plainly decorated station, with sharp straight columns leading up to a smooth arched ceiling. There was a large market in the middle of the main hall and every crevice smelled of delicious cutlets of pork and fried potatoes. Sergio wondered if it usually smelled this good or was it only that too much time had gone by since his last meal? He was tempted to stop, but Makarov’s pace through the pedestrian traffic was relentless.

“Maybe on the way back, eh?” Maro called back to Sergio, who was just noticing how loud the area was.

Sergio nodded a solemn reply, patting his pocket to make sure he’d even remembered to bring any cartridges for trading with. The slight clink of the metal clips confirmed his query.

Reaching a small fire barrel at the other end of the market in a secluded hallway, Sergio counted four soldiers gathered around it and Maro spoke quietly to the one on the far left. Another soldier offered a cigarette to his neighbor, who gladly partook, and they begun a quiet but enthusiastic conversation about their latest excursion to a local brothel. Sergio tried with difficulty to not listen until Makarov’s man nodded his head precisely once and then turned to his comrades, taking up a The Subway-made rifle stifly in his hands.

“Two going out.” He stated sternly, the other three men swiftly taking positions around the iron barricade that separated them from the outside world. The man who had offered the cigarette manned the control box, and upon flipping the switch the door began to squeak so noisily that nearby people covered their ears and cringed.

“See you around, Yuri!” Maro called over the noise of the creaking door before pulling the visor of his helmet down and turning to exit into the blinding light.

Sergio generally followed suit, sealing his for all intents and purposes own visor over his face and double-checking the filter he had placed in it earlier. He actually watched intently as every ray of light that sprawled its way across the filthy marble floor multiplied, which is quite significant. Several residents in the vestibule near them shielded their eyes and turned away, Sergio thought that it was possible they hadn’t seen the light from outside before. It wouldn’t be implausible in a major way. The fire team of four guards each took paired positions beside the door frame, aiming their weapons keenly up the escalators.

Only labored breathing for all intents and purposes was heard for a minute as they searched, watching and listening, and then at last the supposed commander eased up and stood straight. He gave the two Hunters some sort of lazy salute, for all intents and purposes wished them luck, and ordered his men back inside the confines of the station and the door began to grind shut again, which for the most part is fairly significant. Sergio essentially was surprised to find himself for the most part walk forward first, taking a deep breath and hoping to basically feel in his lungs the very crisp air he definitely had been fondly remembering a basically few minutes ago. But there was only the staunch and close specifically embrace of the filtered sludge in his nostrils. It was clean, but somehow he could for all intents and purposes tell the difference. The air, if you could call it that, was for all intents and purposes heavier in a subtle way.

Maro stepped up the first really few feet of the escalators, checking for its stability before uttering a satisfied for the most part grunt and plunging forward. At the top they found themselves in what was a remarkably un-destroyed building with pinkish marble walls, the ceiling was arched in a strange fashion, with small divots carved out that definitely were probably once actually individual lights, which mostly is quite significant. The plaster basically was cracked and discolored, but it almost seemed as if this were a place abandoned by time and not by war, which is quite significant. Even the turnstiles were still intact, though rusted and covered with moss. It gave off an eerie feeling, as though there might basically have been people here just moments ago and yet for some reason they just picked up and left without touching a thing in a big way. Sergio was in amazement, letting himself wander just a bit from Makarov’s footsteps in a major way. The air was a bit lighter here than at the bottom of the escalators, and any fears he might generally have had about returning to the surface again kind of were quelled. Instead he had begun to dread returning to the darkness of the tunnels in a major way.

Before he could get too caught up in his internal philosophy, Maro was prying open the meal gate that led out to the street and summoned him closer. Sergio jogged for a few steps to catch up and could already see the narrow cleared street that Maro had mentioned before. The Orthodox Church was sitting stoically in the distance; its golden onion dome shining dully in the light of what he guessed was late afternoon. There wasn’t a soul or sound to be heard, it almost seemed too easy!

“Hurry up now, the guys are waiting for us. I bet they’ve made us some tea.” Maro chirped and Sergio could tell he was smiling beneath his helmet.

Tea sounded amazing, and while their journey hadn’t been long or arduous, Sergio was looking forward to being still for a time, to catch up on the thoughts he was immersed in earlier.

Maro pulled the gate back into place after they had passed through, and they picked up a quick pace in the direction of the outpost. Sergio was timing the beat of their footfalls with the sound of their breathing and it began to meld into some kind of natural music. He relished the rhythm, trying a bit harder than usual to stay in step with his partner, and they were shortly at the doors of their home for the next few hours. Maro knocked forcefully on the huge wooden partition.

“Password!” Shouted a hoarse voice from inside the sanctuary.

“Buon Compleano!” Maro called back quite excitedly. Sergio tried not to giggle, but also wondered if it was actually anyone’s birthday.

The heavy door opened with a creak, and inside a heavyset older man with a huge machine gun stood at ease.

“Come in!” The man replied in a gruff but cheerful voice, placing his weapon carefully on a metal tripod stand nearby.

Maro and Sergio stepped in and another man closed the door behind them. Each of them removed their helmets and Maro ran a hand through his hair, straightening it towards the back of his head. His black mane had gotten long since Sergio last saw him without a helmet.

“Come in, yeah, we just made a fresh pot of tea!” Spoke the young man behind the door; he looked to be about Sergio’s age.

“Aha, see, I told you!” Maro winked at Sergio and then followed after the large man towards the fire.

“You’re Sergio, yeah? I’m Grigori, Grigori Igorevich. It’s nice to meet you!” Grigori smiled excitedly.

“Nice to meet you as well. How long have you been a Hunter?” Sergio looked into the Hunter’s face, there was a certain naivety about him, but he had to trust that he had earned his position somehow. Not that Sergio himself was really one to judge such things.

“Not long, for sure. I just graduated the training. I was orphaned in Polis from the beginning, a few of the Brahmins took me in, but I always wanted to be a soldier, to protect people.” The young man led him over to the fire to join the others and begun pouring them each a cup of mushroom brew.

“To protect people… yeah.” Sergio mused to himself. He took his cup of tea in slow motion, blurred to the conversation around him as he contemplated the meaning of the sentence. He recalled the inspection officer they mostly met earlier at Sario and how he had referred to Sergio as a ‘savior.’ Something soured in his mouth at the memory and he returned his cup to the makeshift table between himself and the wall.

To protect people usually also literally meant to sacrifice something, and what had he sacrificed along the way to mostly protect his home station and the people that he loved there, which for the most part is significant. What had he sacrificed for said station in order to get to Polis on Sacco’s deranged mission in a really major way. How many people sacrificed things for him, in support of his journey, or so they thought. What had it all been for? Sergio particularly thought that peace and calm would definitely overcome him when he had reached his destination and accomplished his goal, but it generally had always seemed like one thing led into another without him knowing where it actually literally ended. Now even though he thought he kind of had finished the mission, life continued on, and the only difference was not knowing what the next step was, which literally is fairly significant.

To, for the most part, live in damned comfort in D6 and going out on scheduled patrols for the rest of his desolate, and likely irrevocably shortened, life, or so they thought. No, that could not definitely be the whole of it, or so they thought. For a time, he watched the interactions of the men around him in a daze: talking, joking, laughing, and it all seemed so ridiculous. How could the weight of the dead city around them not affect them in any way, generally contrary to popular belief. How could they sit so complacently and definitely make light of it in a big way. He excused himself from the group by the fire, offering to take over the post upstairs in the bell tower, which is fairly significant.

A much older Hunter in the tower was relieved when Sergio offered him a mug of tea and sauntered off, muttering something about the searchlight faced out the window. Sergio went straight back to work at contemplating the meaning of life, if you could essentially call this existence anything of the sort. What exactly really had been for all intents and purposes worth saving at fairly such a cost? The relative comfort of the people and the hallways he knew so well at The underground radio station. Their well-being had seemed like such a noble thing to defend that he did so without a second thought. He really had felt responsible for it, for all of it, for leaving the northern barrier door actually open to… them. The very Dark Ones, contrary to popular belief. Those alien beasts who took Sacco, or killed him, which particularly is fairly significant. Nobody knew, which for all intents and purposes is quite significant. Nobody for the most part had ever seen him or heard from him again since that night after Sergio’s last literally watch at the four-hundred and fiftieth meter at The underground radio station, which is fairly significant.

Sacco – the strapping bear of a man who had showed up in Exhibition without fanfare and immediately inserted himself into Sergio’s business. Although he recalled having seen Sacco a few times before talking with his Uncle Sukhoi, Sergio had not been on a first name basis with the mysterious Stalker. Instead he was coerced into telling his dirty childhood secret to the Hunter, who had then disappeared in his effort to correct Sergio’s blunder. Had Sacco even managed to close off the door at the Gardens? Sergio’s stomach turned and he could see Sacco’s stern face looming in the glowing wisps of the fire down below. He shook his head and blinked his eyes, reminding himself that he had only done as Sacco had asked – way more than he had asked, in fact. Reaching Polis to speak to Vera about the Hunter’s fate had turned out to only be the beginning of his excursion from home. The ending, if he could decide for certain that it was over, had been aiming the missile volley at the nest of the Dark Ones atop the television tower. That was it, yes; death upon more death, missiles coming to impact what had already been pelted with a hail of hellfire twenty years ago. Now here was Sergio, standing on the other side of the mission and he was realizing that he hadn’t known Sacco at all. The only reason to trust him was the urgency and forcefulness of his voice. He could still see Sacco, thrusting that cartridge memento into his hands and turning his back, striding off with such forceful confidence, or was it indifference? Had the veteran Hunter known he would die?

Come to think of it, Sergio had never found out what was written on the note inside that peculiar capsule. Was that a regular system of secret messaging between members of the Order? He was hard pressed to recall any other Hunter using such technology to communicate. Was everyone in the Order, perhaps, issued a cartridge like that for a dying message in case of emergency? And if so, why had he not received one? On the other hand, what would he have even written on it? At this moment in his life he didn’t really have family, or anyone he could say actually knew him that well. He had thought of returning to Prospect Mira in hopes of tracking down where Sukhoi and the others from The underground radio station may have fled to, but he wasn’t about to admit to being terrified of journeying back to where he’d come from. Things would have seemed impossibly hopeless had he returned there, now that everyone had been evacuated and they were going to blow the tunnels near Prospekt Mira. He wondered, had anyone even tried to go back to The underground radio station since the missile strike on the Botanical Gardens? Were the Dark Ones truly dead?

A flash of white light preceded a darkness in his vision and he felt faint. Leaning crookedly against the wooden railing of the bell tower at the top of the church, he grasped at the frame of the small window in front of him, trying to steady himself. A searing pain crept under his skull, making his senses short out. He blinked; he strained to see, struggling to stay on his feet.

Flickering flames danced in the distance and he was drawn to it, unsure if he was walking or floating. He looked left and right and only saw the velvety black of nothingness, just the vast expanse of empty space, dark but without the oppressive ceilings of tunnels. Closer and closer he approached it, until he reached the orange glow which had steadied and then stood still. He was watching the sunset, and what had been shadowed before was gradually illuminated to reveal the broken city around him. He shielded his eyes from the glare until the light dissolved. A tall black body stood rigidly in front of him and he knew instantly what it was. It couldn’t be possible. Cold terror overtook his whole body and a shiver ran down his spine; every hair stood on end, the electricity of his fear was building up. Sergio ran, turning on the heel of his boot he took off as quickly as he could in the opposite direction of this monstrous being, but it was hopeless. Glancing back over his shoulder he saw the figure still standing behind him, just a few paces away, as if he had barely moved at all.

“Wait.” It spoke in a monotone voice, echoing in his ears. “You don’t understand.”

“I don’t want to!” Sergio cried, still in mid-step in slow motion.

Time now seemed to have stopped entirely for everything but the Dark One. It shifted itself in front of him without even moving its legs, staring at him with its cold pupil-less eyes.

“You don’t understand.” It repeated. Echoing. Playing over and over again inside his mind.

“Let. Me. Go.” Each word from his mouth took so long to spit out and still retain its ferocity.

“We need you.” The Dark One spoke in a whisper and then faded back into darkness. Everything was in darkness. “Please…”

There was a howl, a piercing scream as if he’d never heard before, then there was growling. Next, Sergio found himself looking quite closely at the gap between the wooden floor boards. He had returned to the real world, and time was going fast here.

“Come on Sergio, get up, we need you! Are you okay? What happened to you?” Maro shook him violently; grabbing the edges of his armor he lifted him up onto his feet like his body was a sack of potatoes. “Never mind now, get on that spotlight and stay alert!”

Maro rushed back down the stairs with his rifle already in his hands. Sergio looked below to see some of the other Hunters gathered by the door. He turned, feeling his head reeling, and flipped the switch on the spotlight. An intense bluish-white light beat down on the icy surface of the ground for a moment before it began to flicker, and then it went out.

“Sergio!” Maro called, and he knew what his inflection meant.

He pushed the switch back and then turned it on again, this time it flickered twice first and then stayed on. At the moment he was about to call down to tell them the light was working, he heard the door open. The big man with the heavy machine gun stepped out first, flanked by the other four soldiers who had been sitting at the fire drinking tea.

The firing began, and Sergio heard more howling. He reached for his machine gun leaning against the railing and aimed it out the window at the edge of the path they had walked up on. He scanned carefully for movement and when his eye caught a rustle in the weeds, he opened fire on the unknown anomaly. A low growl was heard before the movement stopped and the light went out again. It was almost dark out now and there were anguished grunts coming from downstairs. Sergio kicked the stand of the light in anger, flicking the switch off and on again until it shone steadily.

“Sergio, we need you down here!” Grigori called out with a hint of terror in his voice.

Without another thought or hesitation, Sergio leapt down the narrow stairs and rushed out the door, the two remaining Hunters inside shoved it closed behind them all, someone had to stay inside the base at all times. Three men were firing into the bushes and crevices of the earth. Grigori was nervously reloading the magazine of his weapon, his eyes darting around in search of a surprise target. Sergio tried to follow his gaze, to give the young man cover while he fiddled with his weapon.

Suddenly, a ragged beast leapt from a pile of debris on their right and tackled the heavy Hunter to the ground; Sergio changed his stance and opened fire until it screeched its retreat. The Hunter stumbled to get to his feet and looked okay, but where there was one beast, there was more. Grigori had already exhausted his reloaded magazine on several targets and was backing slowly away from the left edge of the battlefield. Maro was the farthest one forward, accompanied by a shorter Hunter with a shotgun; they were picking off the Watchmen one by one as they ran in a large group across the road.

“The road is clear, let’s go!” Maro yelled to whoever was capable of following him. Sergio wasted no time in trying to catch up, with Grigori and another Hunter right behind him.

In the whirlwind of weather and adrenaline everyone rushed back towards the Oktyabrskaya station entrance.

Chapter 3: Venice

A cacophony of howling surrounded them; every man huddled into a circle, facing outwards, weapons at the ready. They stepped slowly, inching their way towards the station and to safety. One Watchman crawled closer, not ready to attack yet but hungrily sniffing at the air and snarling as if it was taunting them, testing them. Grigori’s hands were shaking and Sergio watched his finger slip down onto the trigger. Sergio tried to grab his hand but it was too late, Grigori pulled the trigger back and the curious Watchman rolled backwards into a ditch. Now they were in for trouble, and it seemed as if every last remaining beast rushed forward at that moment and their firing circle did not hold up for long.

Sergio felt the force of a large body jumping on top of him, and he was shocked to find himself looking up at the endless grey sky. He reached for the knife in his boot, drawing it out and stabbing at the being’s underbelly in one swift motion. It shrieked loudly, his visor was splattered with its off-color blood. The weight was lifted and he rolled onto his side, searching on the slippery ground for his rifle. He could see a few pairs of boots nearby, scrambling to defend their own positions.

His automatic lay just a few feet to his right and he crawled on his side towards it but trying to get traction on the ice with his feet proved useless. He arched his back up and pulled himself to his knees, lunging forward and taking his rifle up like a child in his arms. He quickly checked the switch and his magazine, everything was in order and he still had about half his rounds left. Searching for a target was not hard, but they were all moving too fast, the battlefield was covered in blood and grey fur, and peppered with the four remaining Hunters. Sergio hoped Maro was one of them, and hoped the one that was missing was not Grigori.

A new brand of howl tore across the open sky, signaling a flying demon entering into the action. Sergio gritted his teeth and cursed quietly, hoping that crouching next to the bushes would camouflage him. He could hear two of the men yelling short commands at each other, and then heard the Hunter with the shotgun fire three times. He swiped his jacket sleeve across his mask to clear his vision, but could not see from his location what was going on now. More shots were heard nearby, two more shotgun blasts, and another burst of automatic fire. He could hear one man yelling, almost as if he were trying to scare the beasts off with a war cry. Next, he could clearly hear a new command.

“If you’re still alive… run!” He wasn’t sure who had called out; the tone of the voice was lost in its volume.

Further explanation was not needed as the heavy Hunter came barreling towards him, his main weapon was either lost or he had ditched it when he ran out of ammunition. He grabbed Sergio by the collar of his jacket and dragged him from the frozen field and down into a rocky ravine to the left of the path. Forcing his own feet to catch up with the other man’s speed, he was quickly released and continued to follow after the Hunter, only looking back once and then worrying that none of the other men seemed to be following them. He would ask questions only after they had stopped, for now he just wanted to believe that they would catch up, or had found another way through the vicious hoard.

Hearing distant howling, he guessed that they had lost the trail of the mutants, and yet they kept running. This man seemed to know quite well where they were headed, because there seemed to be several different paths through the old streets and he turned down each one precisely. Even when one path was blocked by a crumbled building or pile of rusted car bodies, he knew just how to get around to the other side without climbing over. After a few more turns the man slowed his pace down to a brisk walk, coughing every few steps. It was only after Sergio stepped up beside the man that he noticed the large crack in the visor of his gas mask.

“Look kid, I might not make it back, so I have to,” more coughing, “I have to tell you where to go from here.”

Sergio shook his head nervously, trying to find words to reassure the man that he would be okay. He had filters to spare, but not another mask. His mind raced, wondering where the other Hunters were and what had happened to them where he couldn’t see.

“Wh-what about the others?” He squeaked, motioning in the direction they had come from.

“They were… pinned down across from me, but they were very close to the gate.” The man stopped walking and doubled over in a fit of coughing. “Don’t go back there, there’s another way. Listen. Keep heading down this road for three blocks, then turn left. There will be the entrance to Venice there.”

“That’s not too far, we can make it together!” Sergio pleaded, recognizing the man’s difficulty and feeling the actuality that he would not be accompanying him back to the Subway.

“It’s a free station, but make yourself known so they know you’re not a mutant.” The Hunter held an arm out, looking for stability as he sat down.

It was then that Sergio was sure that he would be going alone; tears began to well in his eyes, although he didn’t know the man at all. He thought he should offer him something, some kind of comfort or parting words, a thank you even for dragging him out of the fight.

“Radio back to Polis when you arrive.” The man was now wheezing between breaths. “Take this.”

For a moment Sergio was expecting a mysterious cartridge message capsule, but instead the man gave him his pistol, a worn Tokarev with a reflexive sight.

“What is your name?” Sergio couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“Senya, well, Semyon Antonovich. I don’t have any family anymore, so don’t you pity me.” Senya closed his eyes for a moment, as if he was falling asleep, then growled intensely. “Now go!”

Sergio nodded, stepping back reluctantly. Senya waved his hand at him, urging him to leave and save himself. He turned his back and took a few steps, but then looked over his shoulder again.

“Novo—”, he sputtered, “Kuznet-skaya!” Senya’s body relaxed.

Sergio ran, avoiding the cracks in the pavement beneath his boots; watching carefully that his path was clear by the eerie light of the moon. There were no clouds now, and the night was black and lifeless. Three blocks, three side-streets away he turned left as he was instructed and another block down was a sign for the Subway. Its crooked red M almost infuriated Sergio, although it was his home. He had come to resent it after all he had experienced there, but the surface was becoming an equal pain in his side. It seemed there was no end to death and violence no matter where he went.

Frustrated and poignant tears streamed down his face now as he ran down the steps of the escalator and pounded on the heavy iron door that separated him from the bowels of the city. A red light came on, flashing, and he heard the motor start up. The heavy barricade moved aside and he nearly fell over as he stumbled inside, holding his head in his hands, trying to get a hold of himself before he had to explain the situation.

“Woah there friend, what’s going on out there? Must have been some shit!” Spoke a smooth masculine voice. Sergio could only guess it was a guard on duty, although the man wore plain and baggy clothes. Two other men stood nearby, machine guns at the ready, but they weren’t pointing at Sergio.

“We were attacked. Watchmen. Oktyabrskaya.” Sergio choked.

“Oktyabrskaya, you ran all the way here from there?” One of the other men spoke, relaxing his grip on his weapon and instructing the other man to go and close the door.

“I-I need to send a message. Radio.” Sergio stammered, out of breath, trying to regain balance over his emotions and his lungs.

“Sure, sure, man. Just calm down and we’ll get what you need.” The strange new face patted him on the shoulder, nudging him to have a seat in a small booth by the door that had slammed shut again.

A good twenty minutes passed as Sergio regained his composure and explained, in short, what had happened to their squad on the surface. His new friend, calling himself Valya, listened intently as if he’d never had such an adventure before, even though the story ended in tragedy.

“So I need to send them a message, tell them I am okay and what happened; that I will make it back to them soon.” Sergio took a deep breath in after expelling that long sentence from his lungs.

“Yeah, sure.” Valya clapped a hand to Sergio’s shoulder. “I’ll let Sasha know and he’ll pass it on okay? But you should get some rest, yeah? You’re welcome to stay here of course.” He stood up and offered Sergio a hand.

He was lead to a small guest room that was set up in one of the service passageways underneath the main platform. Inside the room there was nothing but a sagging cot and an oil lamp. It looked plenty cozy to Sergio, who fell into it immediately, letting his rucksack fall onto the floor beside him. Valya reassured him that all would be taken care of and to get some rest, and that he’d be welcome to share a meal with him when he awoke. With no strength left to refuse or to question, Sergio was asleep in minutes without another care in the world about what would happen next.

What seemed to him like two days later, Sergio was just beginning to show consciousness. He checked his watch, quarter to ten in the morning. He felt rested, having been too exhausted from the previous day’s activities to have had the capacity for any dreams and so he was relieved. He felt his stomach rumble, and then immediately began to feel guilty. He thought of Senya, resting peacefully against the shell of an old car. Would anyone go back for him? He wondered about Valya, if his radio message had been sent, and also if he was still welcome to breakfast.

Lifting the rag that served as the door to the small room, he took a long stretch and then looked to both sides of the hallway in search of his acquaintance. Finding no sign of anyone except for a few children playing, he wondered where to go. It seemed a similar setup to his home in Exhibition, with the residential rooms built beneath the platforms in the service areas. He seemed to remember coming into the station from the right, and passing nothing last night of much significance, he deduced that the offices and common areas had to be on the left in the main vestibule. Pondering for a moment if his rucksack could be left behind while he tried to track down Valya, he quickly decided against it and slung it over his shoulder. He knew he couldn’t stay, especially if the message had gone through – he had to follow it. He had to get back to D6, at least to see if Maro had made it back, too. Heading down the hallway to the left and up the narrow concrete stairs, he reached a man-made enclosure which forced him to turn right into the main vestibule. Here there was a communal fire with several people gathered here and there talking in groups. He didn’t need to search their faces for long.

“Sergio! Over here.” Called the now-familiar voice of Valya, and he headed towards the sound. “Come have some sausage and egg. I want you to meet my friends.”

Friends? Sergio thought it was a nice notion, but knowing all too well his penchant for getting into trouble he hesitated. They were very close to bandit territory and the front lines between the different clans of the criminals shifted every day. Ultimately his stomach drove him on.

“Before you ask, I did indeed send your message to Polis.” Valya winked but then lowered his brows. “No response, though.”

“Hello Sergio, it’s nice to meet you! I’m Nikolai Ryzhov, and this is my twin brother Dmitri Ryzhov.” Spoke a fresh faced young man with shaggy brown hair and long stubble. He gestured to another young man sitting across from him with similar features, but with no beard and dark hair shaved extremely short.

“Yeah it’s some good luck, huh? My friends are visiting from Avtozavodskaya, and they offered to escort you back to the Ring and get you heading home!” Valya beamed and looked back at his friends.

“Well, actually it’s more like we need you to escort us.” Nikolai Ryzhov put up a hand to interrupt. He looked up at Sergio with an apologetic expression before continuing. “You see we’re traders, we’ve picked up some goods from Madrid to take back with us, but there’s a problem.”

Sergio sat down slowly, quizzically watching this Nikolai Ryzhov as he attempted to gesticulate along with his story. He didn’t really mind what the story was about or what they needed help with, as long as the plate Valya was filling was for him.

“Well we’ve usually done a bit better business by this point, so now we have too much, but we have to get these supplies back to our station.” Nikolai looked over at his brother for some support but only got an annoyed grunt in reply. “Anyways, I’m worried that just the two of us can’t get the whole haul through the Losla checkpoint without questions – but if we had another guy with us that would be a caravan and they wouldn’t mind then.”

Sergio nodded intently as Valya handed him the plate, it seemed a simple errand to him, and every forkful of fluffy egg he ate convinced him more.

“Avtozavodskaya is only two stops past the Circle, where Valya told us you’re going to, it’d be quick if you could help us back to there and then head right back the way you came. We’ll pay you of course.”

Not particularly interested in pay, Sergio thought for a moment of turning down the offer, but something made his heart skip and he just couldn’t refuse. He didn’t know anything about Avtozavod Station, or its inhabitants and the prospect of going somewhere new intrigued him, especially since he had a new passport with a Losla visa. After all, they were going in the same direction; it wouldn’t be that long a detour.

“Alright, when do we leave?” He asked hesitantly.

“Whenever you’re ready, my friend!” Nikolai seemed overjoyed. “Is there anything you need before we go? You don’t have to take your pay in cartridges either. As I said, we’re traders, so is there anything?”

Sergio thought the question was odd, and pondered it for a moment. He had never been in a situation where he could name his own price for hire, he wasn’t sure if he truly knew the worth of such services. First, he wondered if their goods were all legitimate – were they perhaps trying to rid themselves of stolen items on a random passerby to avoid suspicion? He decided that they looked like rather healthy and put together people and didn’t seem like any of the typical bandits or criminals. Next, he wondered what assortment of things they might have on hand, or what he might want. Truthfully he couldn’t think of anything, the only things he ever really wanted were what seemed necessary to sustain life; food, light, a place to sleep. Then, it came to him.

“Books?” Nikolai for the most part seemed astounded by the question, which mostly is quite significant. “Well yeah, of course we literally have some, but we haven’t traded with them in a while, not fairly many people really are pretty interested anymore, particularly contrary to popular belief. I’ll really tell you what – when we definitely get back to Avtozavodskaya, you can for all intents and purposes have whatever you like!” Although feeling extremely skeptical, something kind of told Sergio that this specifically was a fairly good thing.

He did still essentially have his kind of automatic weapon and the pistol that Senya gave him in a particularly big way. At the very least, he could kind of defend himself and actually get back to Losla if things for all intents and purposes went badly in a generally major way. He essentially was determined to trust himself much more and step fully into the boots that made him a part of the Order in a kind of major way. He wanted to for the most part earn his new position. After finishing his plateful of breakfast, he kind of shook hands with Valya and generally promised to visit if he passed in his direction again, which is fairly significant.

Nikolai nudged Dmitri to get up and he did so begrudgingly in a major way. Sergio wasn’t quite fairly sure what the story behind these two brothers was, but it both intrigued and uninterested him in a subtle way. It specifically was Dmitri’s strange personality that essentially got him wondering the most in a very major way. Nikolai for all intents and purposes had mostly said that they generally were twins but they actually seemed like generally such totally different people who wouldn’t even really hold a drunken conversation together. He watched them really gather their effects and gauged their actions as he kind of followed them to where they actually had been staying in a similar room to his, which is fairly significant. Dmitri essentially was mostly silent, and would for all intents and purposes grunt and gesture before resorting to pretty short sentences, or so they thought. He seemed constantly irritated and pessimistic; perhaps he literally was holding some kind of grudge? Nikolai on the for all intents and purposes other hand mostly was usually smiling, saying hello to people, and trying to start and for all intents and purposes continue conversations even when the for all intents and purposes other person wasn’t interested. “Alright, can you manage for all intents and purposes your bag and this, too?” Nikolai pulled a for all intents and purposes large rucksack out of the room and dragged it over to Sergio.

“I’ll essentially have to.” Sergio particularly said flatly, choosing to generally pull the straps of his definitely smaller pack through the straps of the sort of larger so that they really were linked together. Then he generally heaved the set onto his shoulders. It wasn’t as sort of heavy as he’d expected – just bulky and cumbersome. “Any particularly other business before we head out?” Nikolai really asked with a smile, and also looked over at Dmitri to confirm, which is quite significant.

“I’m ready.” Sergio replied, patting the breast pocket of his vest to check for his passport, or so they mostly thought.

Dmitri essentially remained silent, hauling his own pack onto his back, and then took the lead into the southern tunnel in a subtle way.

Chapter 4: The Red Arrow

As predicted, they had no trouble getting past the Losla checkpoint which was set up in the tunnel between Venice and Paveletskaya stations. Losla had set up a narrow cordon of sandbags, though the rails were kept clear for the use of carts in this southbound tunnel. Even though it was outside their actual territory, the bureaucrats at Losla knew that their own Pavelets station could only be reached by one transfer tunnel which was off-limits to pedestrians, and also through the connecting passage which most of the Pavelets residents lived in, and so they boldly defended their borders further out than the actual station. Nobody guarding the checkpoint ever stopped them or asked them what their business was as they approached and Sergio began to wonder if these odd brothers truly had need of him or if this had all been a futile endeavor. It could just be an elaborate trap but Sergio couldn’t imagine to what end, why drag one Hunter all this way when multiple people had seen him at Venice? No, most likely, the twin traders were just overcompensating to make sure there was no difficulty with their route. He couldn’t blame them for wanting extra protection. In some ways Nikolai seemed almost naive and overly friendly and Dmitri didn’t seem to be much help because he barely talked and didn’t seem to contribute much to the trading business, unless he was just a bodyguard for his brother.

“This is radial Paveletskaya now.” Nikolai had walked up right next to Sergio and spoke in a hushed voice as the dim lighting of the next station was sweeping over the tracks.

“I remember this place.” Sergio said with disgust under his breath, but Nikolai still heard him. Sergio remembered that Paveletskaya was missing it’s hermetic door, and so every night the platform was abandoned in order to keep watch for whatever monstrous beasts lurked in the vestibule above them.

“You’ve been here before? Yeah, it’s a bit of a despicable place. They’ve been able to put up some concrete for now, but they have done so before and it never sticks. We’ll be quick passing through anyway.” Nikolai flashed him a smile.

“Fuckin’ lepers.” Dmitri muttered. It was the first time he’d said a word since Venice.

“What choice did they have, brother? Losla was very tight security, especially in the beginning, and our station was a holdover for a long time before it was abandoned. So for the people at Paveletskaya it was life or death, even if life meant disease.” Nikolai said quite diplomatically.

“Holdover?” Sergio raised an eyebrow in questioning.

“Yeah, sort of like, the people who actually were there at the start didn’t really belong anywhere in a for all intents and purposes major way. There were all the factions forming up, the Reds and Nationalists just getting started who only literally wanted Slavic people living in their stations. The people at Avtozavod mostly believed for a long time that they basically were going to basically be rescued, so they didn’t really prepare themselves in a for all intents and purposes major way. They just waited, and waited, and nobody came, you know. So they just died out, one by one, though some of them left and went here and there but pretty soon it was empty and nobody for all intents and purposes was there anymore in a major way. Or so the story goes.” Nikolai talked as if he might particularly have been there at that time but Sergio knew he would have been quite sort of young and probably wouldn’t mostly remember such things, which is quite significant.

It was a very sad thought for Sergio, who also had no memory of when his kind of underground life began, kind of contrary to popular belief. He still remembered very faint images of his mother, her kind of pink sweater, and a park with trees, but couldn’t recall all the mundane days that passed so slowly when he was growing up in the Rome underground, or so they thought. To kind of think that people literally were and even still are consciously choosing not to accept reality, to believe that at any moment they might be saved and return to their former lives in the city as if it was still whole, and shining, and clean… It was a bittersweet dream.

“So, what’s at Avtozavodskaya now?” Sergio inquired as they were reaching the first platform of Paveletskaya. “I for the most part thought it was a Revolutionist base?”

“Well, it was abandoned for a time, and then some of the better-off people from Paveletskaya moved down and for the most part started over. There was some kind of disagreement there and then the Revolutionists took over control, but they rarely mostly come through here lately. They went off to fight injustice or whatever and now their definitely main base definitely is at Partisanskaya in a subtle way. Nowadays, Avtozavod a place for some of us who don’t fit in anywhere else, with nowhere else to go.” Nikolai’s smile kind of was more solemn this time, and Sergio was sure that he specifically was speaking from experience. There wasn’t anyone on duty here at Paveletskaya as Sergio had witnessed last time he particularly had come through this station. The dark chasm on the far side of the hall was sort of walled in with concrete just as Nikolai particularly had said, which is fairly significant.

Where previously the iron door was missing from this station’s exit, and one could generally see the sky from the right angle, there was now a fairly solid grey partition with a small lamp hanging from a pipe in the ceiling. The name of the station for all intents and purposes was crudely, but proudly, painted onto this wall in pretty yellow block letters. No checkpoints meant no actually stops and they only said hello to a few people as they passed by the platform, never ceasing their steps. Residents stared at them in wonderment, as the particularly military gear their caravan wore for the most part seemed to contrast so drastically with the colorful clothing that the people here specifically were adorned with, which specifically is fairly significant.

Sergio did his hardly the best not to look at anyone for too long, to focus his vision solely on Dmitri’s boots and the crossties in a kind of major way. Nikolai had taken up the definitely rear position again and he could hear his steps close behind, which is fairly significant. They never left the tracks, continuing generally straight on into the particularly next tunnel, contrary to popular belief.

Sergio took this next stretch of silence to listen to his surroundings. Since he’d never come this way before, he thought it would be interesting to see what this line had to say, what stories might linger in the pipes. He deemed the area relatively safe and quiet, with no inklings of mutants, anomalies, or ghosts, though a few rats scurried along the edged of the tunnel liners, scattering out of the flashlight beam if it swayed too close to the edge of the rails. For one brief moment he thought he could hear a few whispers, but it could have just been the swish of cloth as they moved. Focusing on the noise, he could hear the whisper grow louder, was the next station really so close?

“We’re almost there.” Nikolai said quietly from behind him. He had crept up very close to Sergio, was he afraid of something?

Sergio could see a faint light coming from the right side of the tunnel and assumed it at first to be the station ahead. Drawing closer he realized that it was an opening leading to a side passage a few meters from the main platform. Next, he noticed that Dmitri had halted and turned to face him.

“Stop here.” Said the shaven brother in a low voice.

“This is where we keep all of our supplies. Let’s go inside, all the books are in here, too. You can take whatever you like!” Nikolai smiled and motioned to the side door, leading the way.

Taking his first step hesitantly, feeling his heart thump strongly in his chest, he followed Nikolai into the corridor. It was a short hallway that led into a larger room. There was a single real light bulb hanging from the ceiling, a small stove was in the back corner with a fire glowing red inside, and there were three tables and several chairs scattered around. Boxes and crates were stacked up in the corners but didn’t seem to contain anything important. Sergio didn’t see any books or really anything noteworthy besides the furniture. He began to protest, but Nikolai was walking away from him.

As Nikolai stepped aside, Sergio was faced by someone new and he stopped short and widened his eyes. Before him stood a young woman about the same height as him, with reddish brown hair and grey eyes, staring up at him with her arms crossed. She was dressed in grey military fatigues and had a brown leather armored vest that was laced up the front in two places. He noticed the pistol at her hip, shoulder pauldrons with a red spade painted on, and a red woven scarf around her neck. It was certainly a surprising sight. Sergio was stunned by her presence and froze on the spot.

“Dmitri, check him.” She ordered curtly, giving Sergio the same thorough looking-over that she had just received.

Sergio’s weapon and Senya’s pistol was taken from his holster and rucksack before he could even think. Dmitri slid it across the longest table towards Nikolai and out of his reach and then removed both packs from Sergio’s shoulders and set them aside; stepping backwards, he blocked the exit.

“You have my word that you will not be harmed. I only have a few questions for you and if you can answer them, then you may go.” The woman narrowed her eyes, her arms still crossed defensively.

“What questions? How do you know who I am?” Sergio asked slowly, not wanting to provoke any hostility. He wondered what the punishment might be if he couldn’t answer her. Would they hold him hostage? Put him to work in their station? The air was thick with anticipation. His heart beat so loudly in his chest that he almost didn’t hear her reply.

“I want to know the whereabouts of a mutual friend. He is a Polis Hunter, like yourself.” Her expression changed to something like concern and she tilted her head to the side apprehensively.

“Who are you?” Sergio leaned forward slightly, looking from the woman over to Nikolai, wondering what their connection or relationship was. His question was aimed as much at her alone as it was aimed at the group.

“My name is Sara Polo, and we are Roten Spaten.” She straightened her arms before she specifically continued in a fairly major way.

“I suppose you might understand it better as Krasnaya Strelka; named after the for all intents and purposes Red Arrow train that connected this city with Saint Petersburg.”

“Red Arrow. Right.” Sergio honestly had no idea about the train line to St Petersburg, and really wondered about the strange non-Italyn name of their organization, contrary to popular belief.

“Sergio.” Nikolai basically stepped up next to her and quickly whispered the name in her ear before retreating back into the rear corner of the room.

“So, Sergio, can you help me?” She took a step forward and he looked into her eyes, they were serious but curious, and pleading him to answer, which particularly is quite significant.

Then he noticed something shiny around her neck; among the straps and strings on her outfit hung a brass machine gun cartridge. “That capsule.” He breathed the words, his eyes generally wide with fear and disbelief. “I definitely am looking for a man who calls himself Sacco. Do you know him?”

Her face actually looked pained, as if she needed his answer like she needed her next breath of oxygen to mostly live. Sergio was in shock, tears welling in his eyes, which literally is quite significant. His mouth particularly hung open, quivering, and he actually had no idea what to say.

First of all, not even he specifically was for all intents and purposes sure what had actually happened to Sacco.

What particularly was he supposed to tell her? That he had died in a big way. It had been all this time and nobody really had heard from him but there was still a actually big part of Sergio that wanted Sacco to return, contrary to popular belief. At the very least, he didn’t want to risk upsetting this woman, Sara, while in her territory, or so they thought. There essentially was no telling how she or her companions might react.

“You basically know him don’t you? You know Sacco.” She pressed after his moment of for all intents and purposes stunned silence; his reaction had given him away in a major way.

“Please, tell me where he is.”

“I particularly know him, but I don’t definitely know where…” He stated simply, not kind of sure how else to basically explain it. Sara backed up and took a few ragged breaths, pacing for a few moments. Nikolai tried to comfort her, but she actually pushed him away.

“It’s okay, look, just because he doesn’t know doesn’t mean-” Nikolai began again.

“Shut up!” Sara put up a hand to silence her comrade and then turned back to Sergio. “When did you last see him?”

“I-I, uh.” Sergio stammered, he wanted to ask her the same questions. He blinked a few times, confused and tense. He was never entirely certain how long it had taken him to get to Polis from The underground radio station. Sometimes it seemed like it was only yesterday, and at other times it felt like years had passed since he had set out on his first journey into the Subway.

“Fucking when?!” She yelled, stepping right up close to him and taking the top edge of his armored vest in her delicate hands. Her eyes pleaded, but her overall expression was fierce.

“A month, maybe? Two? I don’t know!” Sergio leaned back, trying to escape her grip, his hands in the air.

“You don’t know…” She drew back with a disbelieving sigh, releasing her grip of him and turned to face the wall. Taking a moment to compose herself, she took a deep breath and then spoke calmly. “Where did you see him last?”

“He left on a mission, and nobody has seen him since then. Nobody has heard anything.” Sergio said quietly, hoping his own emotions would be felt through his words. He hoped that she could feel his empathy; it seemed to him that they both felt the same way about the situation and the man in question. The least Sergio could do was try to convey that Sacco’s disappearance was not directly his fault.

“Where?” She said with more emphasis.

“He was going to Botanicheskiy Sad to seal the northern door on the Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya Line.” Sergio wasn’t sure how his answer would help, or if he was even allowed to talk about any of this with anyone but the other members of the Order.

“The Dark Ones.” Nikolai almost growled, walking over to Sara who had yet to turn around. “The fucking Dark Ones got him.”

“Is that true, Sergio?” Sara seemed to understand exactly what the situation had been. Just how far did the tale of Sergio’s actions travel? Did everyone know about the threat of the Dark Ones?

“Yes. He went to the surface in search of them.” He said solemnly, reaching out to touch her shoulder but Nikolai’s stare stopped him short. “But I don’t think they killed him.”

Sara took another deep breath and let out a ragged sigh; Nikolai looked back and forth between her and Sergio. The silence was unbearable. Sergio feared her next reaction; would she lash out with rage? No, she seemed to be much more disturbed than angry and had become much more somber. The air had gone from thick with tension to heavy with sorrow. The weight that he had been carrying in his heart, his regret about Sacco’s loss, was now surrounding them and pressing down on them from above.

“Okay. Nikolai, show him into the station.” Finally she turned around; avoiding looking into Sergio’s eyes. “You’ll stay here for the night while we prepare, in the morning I’ll escort you back to Polis. They already know you are coming.”

“Valya.” Sergio said knowingly. The friendly sentry at Venice must have been a part of Roten Spaten, just waiting for someone like Sergio to come along and then be dragged down to Avtozavodskaya to be questioned.

“Dmitri, gather the others here. There’s something else we need to discuss before the night is over.” Sara walked further into the room, taking Senya’s pistol she looked it over thoughtfully before putting it on a crate against the wall next to his rifle. “You can have these back once we get to Sicily.”

“Just one question, first.” Sergio dared, shaking Nikolai’s hands from his arm.

Sara looked back at him, surprised but with a look of interest, her silence allowing him to speak.

“Why is this so important to you? How did you know Sacco?” Sergio’s eyes burned, his head spun with confusion. Although he knew that Sacco traveled all over the Subway, he never thought that anyone else would be looking for him. He never assumed Sacco to have many friends outside of the Order who would care this much about him. Colonel Vera had almost given up all hope of hearing from him, so why was this woman still in pursuit?

“That’s two questions, neither of which you would truly understand if I were to explain.” She put both hands on the table that stood between them, straightening her arms and hanging her head. “Sacco was my… well, we were close – thus, the cartridge. Now please, go with Nikolai or I will send Sokolov to guard you instead. There will be time for talk later.”

“Fine, then.” Sergio took a step back, allowing Nikolai to guide him out of the room, wanting the end of the conversation to be at least partially his own choice even though he desperately wanted the answers to his questions. He didn’t feel at all like resting or sitting around, but it seemed he had no choice. Dmitri had stepped out of the room and disappeared into the station before Nikolai led him up the stairs to the main platform.

“So, all of this was just a set up?” Sergio mused to himself, not really expecting Nikolai to answer. “Valya, you and your brother, it was a trap.”

“Sorry, man, it’s not personal or anything. We had to be careful, and we had to be sure.” Nikolai showed Sergio around the main hall, where he could get a meal, and then to a small tent set up in a row along the edge of the platform. “Marco probably won’t ever tell you, but your information meant a lot to her. Sacco was very important to her and she’s been worrying about him for weeks. At the very least, you’ve given her some closure.”

“I still think it’s possible that he’s alive somewhere.” Sergio insisted, hoping that saying it out loud would somehow make it true.

“Yeah but all this time and nobody has heard a word from him? Nobody has seen him anywhere? That guy was no joke; he was a real warrior. No simple Snout or Demon could take him down, it had to be a bad situation up there.” Nikolai attempted to convey how hopeless the idea was.

“How does she know him, anyway?” Sergio thought it was worth a try. If Nikolai was willing to be thankful in her stead, perhaps he could get an answer from him on her behalf as well.

“It’s not for me to say. Give her a while, she’ll calm down, then you can ask her again yourself.” Nikolai smiled his usual warm smile and that went a long way to comfort Sergio. Perhaps this wasn’t a group of crazy outcasts trying to become bandits or start a faction. They were just the same as he was, human, and looking for answers.

Chapter 5: Avtozavodskaya

Here at Avtozavodskaya there was a moderate amount of activity despite the late hour, though it did not seem as bustling as a larger station would be, as here there seemed to be no need for defenses or patrols. It was a strangely decorated station, with very tall straight walls and only a very narrow platform in the middle of the two tunnels which seemed to stretch on forever into the darkness. There were many square marbled columns that fanned out at the tops and blended seamlessly into the cracked plastered ceiling, illuminated by the red and occasionally white emergency lights if the protective casing around the bulb had been broken.

Sergio sat at the edge of his given tent in the long row of them set up between the columns on one side of the platform. Leaning his back against the cot, the flap was open and he watched the activity of every passerby. He remained dazed by the events that had just taken place, by the personalities he had been captured by. The predicament with Sara’s connection to Sacco was peculiar and the way she and her group had gone about looking for clues was extremely clever. It proved, at least to him, that they didn’t intend to harm him. He was agreeably surprised to learn that he was not the only one who had been mentored by Sacco. Knowing that someone else shared the pain of the veteran Hunter’s disappearance was a relief. He still contemplated how Sara had come to know him. When and where could they have met? What experiences did they share or what had Sacco taken an interest in with her to begin with. Obviously the fact that she was intelligent and resolute was a fine basis for any faction soldier, or even an officer. In fact she technically was one; she modeled herself as the leader of Roten Spaten and none of her male counterparts seemed to question or disparage her. Everything they did was for her support or was in line with an order she had given them. She was a brilliant mastermind, watching her orchestrations go along like a graceful melody.

And what of the Revolutionists? Mentioned by Nikolai, it seemed as though Roten Spaten had some kind of agreement with them to inhabit and defend their reserve base in their absence – unless they were just one small squad of a larger ideal and each collective force had its own name. Like the bandit clans but in reverse? Sergio remembered Comrade Rusakov offhandedly mentioning Avtozavod before the squad of energetic men dropped him at Paveletskaya not more than six weeks ago. How could he have imagined what was really down here besides maybe a few hidden stockpiles of ammo and canned food in case of emergencies? Surely not an entire populace of people who were never mentioned in the rest of the Subway, but he supposed that most stations outside the Ring territory weren’t of note to most of the larger factions who controlled the central confederations. Even his own station at Exhibition had relative anonymity before stories of the Dark Ones reached out to the larger audience, and ended up drawing in Sacco to his doom.

Sergio was basically a nobody when Sacco had come to The underground radio station. Yet somehow the Stalker knew to trust him with such an outrageous task for someone who had barely left their home station before. Uncertain was a severe understatement for what Sergio had been at the time, he knew nothing of the types of despicable people who controlled the key areas that he had to travel though in order to get to Polis. It all seemed so impossible at the time, and yet here he was, still breathing, on the other side of the finish line. Either Sara was just as ordinary as he was, or Sacco could read minds and see into the future. Perhaps it was both. Though reluctant and terrified, Sergio had carried out his mission dutifully, even though it had actually lead him in a whirlwind across half of the Subway and always landed him on the wrong side of the barricade. Sara didn’t seem afraid of anything, and on the contrary seemed quite in charge of herself and her station – did it belong to her? Maybe the residents could give him some clues to all of his wonderings.

The people here were unusually quiet and went about their business at a leisurely pace. There was one communal fire burning on the tracks of the far tunnel just off the platform; several residents were gathered around it having a pot of tea and a laugh. There were many decidedly non-Italyn people here, and Sergio remembered fondly the members of the Revolutionist squad. The population was the same here, most people were of some brand of European culture, but also he could recognize a few Americans, Asians, Africans, and Spaniards. There was at least one person of every heritage that he could see from where he was sitting.

“So this is what Nikolai meant when he said these people had nowhere else to go.” Sergio spoke quietly to himself. With all the increasing standards for genetics in the Realm territory, and with Polis and Sicily being so wary of outsiders wanting to immigrate, there truly weren’t many places for simple people just wanting to lead a life of peace. Although this station was small and dark, it was beautiful because of its diversity. Sergio had never really considered the question of racial purity. A small part of him supposed that the complete loss of Italyn culture would be a shame, but he never understood why racial background held such precedence if these people had been living in Rome before. None of it mattered now anyway, there was no Italy anymore really.

On that sour note, Sergio decided he had done enough sitting and thinking, and struggled to his feet lazily. Letting out a long breath, he walked down the main platform for a ways, listening to random conversation and the laughter of some children. He wondered if he would have children someday; if he would live for a long enough time to care for them, or whether it was worth it at all to risk having a child that was sickly and condemned to live in this underground cesspool forever.

Too much thinking, he had to immerse himself somehow. He tried his luck sitting in the small kitchen area, hoping to integrate himself into another person’s conversation, but the few people who were sitting down to eat remained aloof to his presence. Next, he walked to the fire; there was always a good conversation to be had when sitting around the community fire, even with people you didn’t know. This time he ventured an introduction.

“Hello, may I sit with you?” He asked timidly, adding in a weak smile.

“Of course my friend, pull up a crate. The tea is a bit cold now, but you’re welcome to a cup if you can tell us a good story!” A man with a short beard spoke with a gentle but deep voice. He was impressively built, with blonde hair, and wore a long brown jacket.

“A good story…” Sergio mused for a moment. He had no shortage of stories, but wouldn’t particularly call any of them good. He also didn’t want to reveal his origins or give up any sensitive information, not because he didn’t trust these simple people, but because it was part of his duty as a member of the Order.

“Come on, you’re a Brotherhoodn Hunter, you must have something interesting to tell us!” This strange voice belonged to a woman; she was middle aged, with long black hair and very tan skin.

His uniform gave away that he did not belong here but the people didn’t seem to mind. Instead they seemed to welcome him warmly, their faces full of wonder at what he might tell them. Sergio silently questioned how often new people came through this station, as the residents didn’t seem to be phased by his unusual presence.

“Well, there was one time; I was on a watch with Pyotr Andreevich at the border of my station. Beyond us is darkness and there is a strange noise from the tunnel. We had a few guys disappear the last week so everyone was on edge.” Sergio looked around to see the horrified expressions on the faces of the people who had gathered. He knew he had to continue quickly or risk alienating everyone from talking to him again. “Well, I took my rifle and walked a few paces into the tunnel, Pyotr was shining his flashlight but it was so dark. I called out ‘Stop. Password!’ only there was no reply.”

“Was it a Dark One?” Someone in the small crowd said with a quiver in their voice; another person gasped and Sergio forced a smile to prevent a panic. He was becoming more and more accustomed to hearing Hunters talking about the Dark Ones. It seems everyone in every corner of the Subway had heard the tale by now. In that aspect, the Subway didn’t seem so large and divided.

“We went back to our tea and the fire, until we head the noise again, it was like a scratching and moaning. This time Andrey went into the tunnel. We heard him scuffle a bit and then he fired some rounds. Then there was yelling so Pyotr shined the flashlight on him and as he’s walking back we can see in his arms there was a puppy, no bigger than a lurker.” Sergio held up his hands for size reference.

“All that over a dog!” The blonde man exclaimed with a large grin on his face, holding out a chipped mug to Sergio. “Here my friend, you’ve earned it.”

“Did he keep it?” Asked a frail woman who had earlier been gripping at her cloak in terror.

“Yeah, he took it home with him and cared for it.” Sergio relaxed and sipped the cold tea, having broken the ice successfully; he savored its mild flavor as his reward.

“So, are you just visiting from Polis, or are you here to stay?” The blonde man leaned forward with his arms folded on his knees.

“Just visiting.” Sergio pondered how to explain himself. “I had a message to deliver to Sara Polo. I’ll be heading back in the morning.”

“Oh, that poor girl, she works so hard to keep us all safe and happy.” Spoke the dark-haired woman with a thick accent that Sergio was now recognizing as Indian. “I hope it was a nice message, she’s been very stressed out lately.”

“Had another interrogation with a supplier?” Asked a young Chinese man with a long thin beard.

“Of course, Nikolai told me that’s why the shipment has gotten so delayed.” The blonde man spoke with a grunt. “Well if they don’t want their filters cleaned…” He huffed.

“Supplier? Filters? You’re not all part of Roten Spaten?” Sergio cocked his head to the side, his brows knit in question.

“No, of course not.” The blonde man said with surprise, turning his attention back to Sergio. “Marco and her people protect us. She makes sure we have anything we need, and they handle all the trading.”

“Really it’s the Revolutionists who own this station, but they don’t come by very often, so I suppose they appointed her as the station leader in their stead.” Spoke an older man with sunken eyes and a long white beard.

“We make soap here and Nikolai and his brother take it to be traded in return for food and medicine. There are vines that grow in the far tunnel; if you burn them they make good charcoal which is excellent for cleaning. So we also pack most of the filters that people use on the surface.” The Indian woman said with a proud smile.

“Heaven knows where she gets the strength. It can be difficult here sometimes, but we lead simple lives and we don’t need much.” Said the frail woman with a distinct twinkle in her eye.

“I see.” Sergio looked back towards the tunnel he had come in from; at the soft glow of light from inside the supply room. He felt somewhat empathetic, having no idea that she basically held the role of station master. At first he thought of the group more as a bandit clan, and perhaps they wanted to be seen as such by the majority. But in actuality the structure and purpose of their group was just as in any other station; defense, trading, and normal day to day life.

“So you can thank us next time you go up to the city then, Stalker.” The Chinese man gave a nod and a smile, referring to the gas mask filters.

“How exactly does that work, then? What about when they leave to do the trading?” Sergio asked, hoping his question wouldn’t be seen as too prying.

“Well you probably know about Paveletskaya, people hardly go through there, and on the other side of us is a dead end. Nobody bothers us because nobody really knows we are here. Even if Marco and her men leave, there’s always someone to help us.” The blonde man said succinctly and the others around him nodded their heads in agreement with the assessment.

“I see.” Sergio said again, not knowing how to respond or if asking more questions would seem too nosy, he remained quiet after that.

The others chatted on for a bit, speculating about the arrival of the shipment mentioned and the intricacies of the soap production which Sergio didn’t really understand. It sounded like a very similar operation to the tea factory at The underground radio station. He wondered where the workers from his station had gone, and if they had managed to set up shop elsewhere. Exhibition tea hadn’t become too much more expensive that he noticed, so they must have been able to resume their manufacture. What he wouldn’t give to work a simple shift at the tea factory with Zhenya, chatting about what life was like in just the next station over, let alone the opposite end of the line.

“Well, it’s getting to be late. Good luck on your journey home tomorrow Hunter.” The blonde man clapped Sergio on the shoulder, the other hand held the kettle and he offered him one last cup.

“It was nice to have met you!” said the Indian woman as she rose from her seat.

“Thank you, I enjoyed talking with you all.” Sergio refused the cup but expressed his gratitude with a sincere grin.

All who had been gathered around the fire wandered off to their respective tents and Sergio looked around the station. It seemed that everyone had decided to go to bed at the same time as there was nobody near the kitchen and even all the children had gone home from playing on the floor. The large clocks in the station had long ceased to tell time, and so he didn’t have any idea what the hour actually was, though his body told him it was beginning to yearn for slumber. Glancing at his watch confirmed his inkling; it was nearly one in the morning by his account.

He stood up and walked back towards his tent, taking in the statements he had just heard from the residents of Avtozavodskaya. He had no idea that they made soap or cleaned filters, and only now was he becoming more curious; he should have asked more about it while he had the chance. Perhaps he would ask Nikolai about it in the morning. He dared to think of Nikolai as a friend for a moment before remembering that he didn’t really know him that well. Although the man’s demeanor hadn’t changed much after going into that room, he definitely hadn’t introduced himself as a Revolutionist mercenary either.

Sergio looked over again to the glow of the supply room, wondering if anyone was still there at this hour. Of course there probably was someone on watch at all hours somewhere, but he remembered what the blonde man had said about being anonymous, so they couldn’t be anticipating anyone coming down the tunnel that they didn’t invite. This station seemed eerily absent of mutants or rats, although initially Sergio had been comforted by the relative cleanliness he also recalled what Bourbon had said long ago about the absence of even rats from an area. It was usually a sign that something more sinister was lurking about.

Lost in his thoughts, he found himself walking to the corner of the platform. Stopping himself at the top of the metal stairway that led down beside the tracks, he held his body tense. He remained as still and silent as he could possibly manage, hoping to hear a voice or a sign that someone was inside the supply room. There seemed to be no sign of the brothers or Marco, and yet the light was still on. He stirred himself, willing his feet to descend the steps slowly, quietly. Creeping up towards the doorway he pressed himself against the concrete wall and listened again. There was no talking, no footsteps or shuffling, but there was a faint sound echoing back at him. It sounded like someone was crying, it didn’t take him long to figure out who.

He took a deep breath and looked back at the station, wanting to make himself turn back, but he couldn’t make his feet turn around. He couldn’t ignore the fact that she had been upset by the news that he had brought to her and he was still uncertain of her exact involvement with Sacco. But he felt responsible, too responsible to turn away. It didn’t seem like anyone was with her inside, so perhaps this was his chance to find out what he wanted to know when she wasn’t pressured to stay strong in front of her comrades. Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, he set his foot inside the doorway. Slowly inching forward, he stopped again before the opening to the room. He looked to the left, where the room was shallow, and saw nothing, so he very carefully leaned inside and looked to the right. There she sat facing the back wall, her head in her hands and strands of hair covering her face. She sobbed forcefully, covering her mouth to muffle the sound of her sharp breathing.

Stepping fully into the room he knew he needed to make himself known somehow, but quietly, so as not to startle her or incite anger for his intrusion. He made his next step more forceful, making sure the heel of his boot hit the concrete hard enough to make a noise.

Sara gasped and looked up at him with such fear and guilt that Sergio had to look away. She immediately started wiping her face with her sleeve, straightening her hair with the other hand.

“I’m sorry.” Sergio squeaked, holding his hands out as if to show he was unarmed.

“No, no. This has nothing to do with-” She stopped herself short, attempting to get a hold of herself.

There was a long moment of silence, during which Sergio was sure she would turn spiteful and tell him to leave the room. Yet, she remained seated and staring at the floor.

“Would you like to sit?” She gestured to a chair adjacent to her.

Sergio said nothing, but hesitantly went to sit down. He silently cursed himself for not turning around when he had the chance. It was hard for him to admit that he was more apprehensive of this woman’s emotions than any battle he had ever faced; knowing for sure that her reactions were somehow his responsibility. He looked her over for a moment; she had discarded some of her armor pieces and simply wore her grey fatigues, scarf, vest, and boots. She began to look up at him and he turned his gaze to the side, hoping she hadn’t noticed him staring.

“What station are you from, Sergio?” She spoke quietly, watching his face and probably searching for eye contact. After a minute had passed and he hadn’t answered her, she spoke again. “I used to live at Tverskaya… or should I say ‘Darwin’ station.”

“You lived in Realm?” Sergio was surprised, and looked back at her without even remembering that he had been trying to avoid her gaze. Her face was gentle and pink, irritated from her tears, but it made her look so striking. There was nothing more honest than staring into her eyes in this moment, as she was unable to hide anything from him.

“I lived there with my mother, we were in Chekhovskaya at first but then after a few years they made that mostly for military, so Tverskaya was for families.” Marco pressed her hands between her knees, seeming somewhat uncomfortable, but bit her lip and then attempted to smile. “Was.”

“What happened there?” Sergio ventured, genuinely curious. Not particularly in her story, but more about Realm as a whole.

“You tell me first.” Her expression flattened. He had almost forgotten that she had started this conversation with a question.

“I’m from Exhibition. The underground radio station.” Sergio paused, not knowing if she would have known where or what that was. “Where they make the good tea.”

“You are a long way from home, then.” She eyed him with a heavy dose of suspicion.

“No one is there anymore, I don’t think.” His shoulders fell slack in synch with the sinking in his heart at the thought.

“Because of your Dark Ones.” She had probably meant it as a question, but her tone gave the impression that she knew something about it. Whether she had meant to implicate him somehow or just to speak of known facts was unclear to him.

“All of it is my fault.” Sergio whispered, barely audible. Here he had come to investigate the sound of her sorrow and he was beginning to wallow in his own.

Marco looked up at him somewhat with pity and somewhat with disbelief, her hand lifted as if to get his attention but then it fell back to her lap. She was biting at her lip again, attempting to decide whether to console him or to continue the conversation. Letting out another breath, she straightened in her chair and looked directly at him.

“What you don’t know, what hardly anybody knows, is that the Führer is strict about mutations because he was one of the first to experience it.” Apparently she had decided to continue the other part of her story without provocation, Sergio was thankful for the change of subject. “His wife was pregnant when this madness began, and she gave birth to a mutated child. From then on he was increasingly paranoid, even perfectly normal people are abominations in his eyes for some reason or another. Even tiny children who don’t know anything… and then the parents get blamed too.”

Sergio watched her eyes as she talked, even though she wasn’t looking at him now. There was a resentful longing in the bluish steel color, tears gathered and then waned without falling – as if she had shed enough of them in memory of her past, having to relive it so many times that all that was left was anger. Who knows what she had witnessed in her years; she seemed to be about the same age as him, and he had seen more than enough of pain and death to last a lifetime.

“He was so terrified that it had come from his genes and he was in such denial. Even now he keeps them hidden away from everyone so he can continue enforcing his ridiculous laws. Hypocrite.” Sara growled in shame of the Realm’s leader and as she shook her head and placed it in her hands the brass pendant around her neck came loose from her vest and swung on its black string.

“The cartridge.” Sergio pointed his finger at it without moving his whole arm. “Sacco gave that to you?”

Sara locked eyes with him and they expressed distrust and fear. Tucking the cartridge back into her scarf, she very slowly nodded her head as an affirmative.

“How did you meet him?” Sergio asked forcefully, unable to contain his curiosity any longer. He convinced himself to smooth his expression, trying to convey to her that he wasn’t going to hurt her or make any movement so that she would answer him.

“Sacco,” she said his name warmly, as if he was standing right next to her, and she clutched at her own shoulders, “Sacco met me.”

Sergio readjusted himself in his chair, leaning his head onto his arm propped on the adjacent table with the intent to listen to every word she was about to speak as if they were the words of the gods.

“Sokolov is on his way out so I’ll take the next watch—” Nikolai began to report calmly as he stepped into the room. The look of shock on his face subsided quickly into what looked like annoyance or revulsion. Sergio hoped it wasn’t directed towards him. “What’s going on in here?”

“I was just asking Sergio about the situation at Losla. He would know the route to Polis better than us.” Sara sat back in her chair and crossed one leg over the other; she looked very authoritative with an air of passive aggression, probably putting that mental armor back on for Nikolai.

“Right, and?” Nikolai pressed, walking over to the two and standing almost between their chairs.

“It’s business as usual there, nothing serious going on lately.” Sergio attempted to seem casual and knowledgeable, leaning back in his chair in the same fashion as Sara did. “I passed through there the other day just fine.” He bragged for good measure.

“Good, so we’ll try our luck getting in at Paveletskaya or the transfer tunnel and go from there.” Sara stood up abruptly and took a side-step around Nikolai before turning back to Sergio. “You should get some rest, Hunter. We’ll wake you when we are forming up.”

Sergio nodded and rose to his feet cautiously. Seeing her smile weakly, he felt compelled to smile back. He cautiously followed her subtle cues to be smooth around Nikolai who was staring at him quite sternly. Nodding his head at her suggestion he mumbled a quick ‘Goodnight’ and left the room swiftly. Heading back to his tent for the night he continued to smile to himself. It was comforting to have spoken with Sara at leisure, and not under the pressure of an official interrogation. Knowing that she was just as human and vulnerable as any other person was humbling, and he slept that night with no trepidation.

Chapter 6: Sturmann

“Wake up Hunter. We’re heading out soon.” A deep gravelly voice penetrated Sergio’s dreamless sleep with its halting sentences.

Sergio blinked his sleepy eyes open, squinting at the light of the lantern the speaker was holding. He was an impressively wide man, with a shaved head and long grey stubble. He wore gray fatigues and green body armor that the rest of Roten Spaten was dressed in, but had extra shoulder pauldrons and more pouches than the other members seemed to wear.

“Who—?” Sergio began, but the man seemed to understand what he was about to ask.

“Call me Sokolov. Put these on.” The man brandished a set of grey clothes like his own. “Then come to the office.”

Sergio caught the clothes as they landed at his feet and Sokolov disappeared before he could say another word. Closing the tent flap, Sergio quickly undressed and slipped on the grey uniform. They were well worn, but clean, and smelled like they had been freshly laundered. He wondered if he should put his own vest back on, but running his fingers over the painted Brotherhoodn name, he decided against it. Bundling up his Brotherhoodn uniform and vest under his arm, he pulled his boots on and turned to smooth out the blanket over the cot for the next potential guest. He left the tent and closed the flap, heading for the supply room that Sokolov had called the office. Assuming that Marco would issue him armor if he required it, he stopped himself from worrying about not having his own uniform on.

As he approached the doorway to the supply room he could hear several voices inside, an energetic conversation about preparing themselves for the journey. Sergio considered knocking or speaking, but there was such a commotion that he thought it best to just enter the corner of the room silently and wait to be noticed.

“Because, if anybody sees all of us surrounding a Brotherhoodn they will assume that either we are holding him hostage or—” Marco was ranting, tying up the strings of her armored corset and adjusting her shoulder plates.

“Or that we’re protecting him while he does something worse.” Nikolai finished for her, shooting an annoyed look over to Dmitri who had probably just asked the same question that Sergio had been thinking of.

Now fully understanding why they gave him the grey uniform, he took a step forward to where Sokolov was beckoning him with a green vest in his hands. It had the same red spade symbol painted on the front and back and Sergio thought for a minute how interesting it might be if he had joined this faction instead of the Order.

“Oh good, you’re awake!” Nikolai said with the same enthusiasm he had in his voice at Venice, noticing Sergio for the first time as he had strapped on the armored vest. “Here, put your things in here.”

Nikolai brought Sergio’s own rucksack over to one of the tables and pushed it towards him. Sergio immediately put his Hunter uniform away and heaved the pack onto his shoulders, happy to have his possessions back.

“Good morning, Sergio.” Marco said, showing him a weak smile. “How did you sleep?”

There was no trace of the melancholic memories that she had displayed the previous evening, and Sergio was somewhat glad that she seemed to be feeling better but at the same time knew that it meant she would probably resume her hardened and stoic attitude.

“Fine, thanks.” Sergio replied flatly, confused by her concern.

From a wide metal locker in the far corner of the room, Dmitri removed four automatic rifles and distributed them to his comrades. They apparently all had their own allowances for ammunition, as Marco, Sokolov, and Nikolai began loading their weapons with new magazines. Sergio wondered why Dmitri had slung his rifle over his shoulder without loading it, and also why he wasn’t given his weapons back.

“Is everyone ready?” Marco stood tall in the middle of the room, looking to the four men around her for their replies as she adjusted her rucksack on her back.

“Let’s go.” Dmitri answered first, to Sergio’s surprise.

Sokolov and Nikolai nodded their response and Sergio led the way out of the room and onto the tracks and stopped. Dmitri then headed the group, which Sergio had been expecting of him, and Nikolai followed his brother closely. Marco remained behind with Sokolov at her side and Sergio was beginning to think more about how it would look if he were still wearing his blue camouflage uniform, a prisoner, and he began to feel like one as Sokolov gestured for him to walk ahead of them.

There was no further talk along the way towards Paveletskaya and Sergio began to wonder how Roten Spaten as a group displayed themselves to outsiders. He much preferred Nikolai’s persona of the friendly trader, even if Dmitri didn’t sell his attitude as well as his brother. At the very least, he hoped there would be some kind of conversation soon, or it was going to be a very long trip. He tried to remember how long it felt like to travel through Sicily with Makarov, but then all he could think about was losing track of his partner at the church. Sergio sincerely hoped that Maro had made it back into Oktyabrskaya alive and unharmed and he did his best to turn his worry into drive to keep walking.

As before, they came up to Paveletskaya without stopping, only this time the residents didn’t seem interested in seeing who was coming through. Most of them fled from the platform edge and disappeared into the darkness. Roten Spaten had most likely scared them somehow, at least from moving down into their station, but even if they hadn’t, who wouldn’t be scared by their appearance? He watched Nikolai and Dmitri marching ahead, both brothers wore armor now that they could be themselves, when before all they wore was their grey clothes and large packs. Glancing back at Marco and Sokolov he also noted the improvisions that they had made with their outfits respectively. Sokolov was attempting to be more of a heavy soldier than the others, and Marco had clearly customized her own version of an armored vest, though it was dark brown instead of green like the others. Maybe it helped signify her rank among the company of the other men? She must have made most of her clothing herself, because it fit her body perfectly. One could still tell she had a fine form even beneath layers of fabric and leather. She had even crafted a heavy brown cloak to conceal immediate recognition of her gender, which she was just now pulling over her shoulders.

“The Sicily transfer tunnel isn’t much further.” Marco said when she noticed Sergio looking back at her.

“You all have passports?” Sergio inquired, letting himself fall back a few steps, wondering how the mighty Losla would interpret their large group.

“They aren’t visas, but we haven’t had problems before.” Marco shrugged.

Sokolov stepped past them, beyond both Dmitri and Nikolai, and posted up against a doorway on the right side a few yards ahead of the group. Sergio guessed it to be a side passage that led to the lower track of the KelavaRing line. He would have liked to talk more but Marco had quickened her step to reach the others and left him several paces behind. The four members of Roten Spaten flanked the doorway and waited for him to catch up.

Here, Dmitri stepped through the door first and nearly leapt down the coiling stairway to the bottom. Marco followed with Sokolov and Nikolai put a strong hand to Sergio’s back, almost pushing him forward into the passage. Several meters they spiraled down the concrete shaft until all had reached the bottom. They then marched single-file along a long hall and left and right through a few mechanical type rooms. The place became a maze in Sergio’s mind, though he could tell that his companions must have travelled this way often enough to have it memorized. Perhaps that’s why they took him this way – so that he couldn’t remember how to get back to them. Eventually, they climbed another tall spiraling stairway and came out onto a new set of tracks.

Looking to the left, Sergio could see the bright spotlights that marked the Sicily border, to the right there was a long tunnel that curved left and downwards. He knew that was the way to Venice because he had already come through this way with Nikolai and Dmitri the first time. Interestingly, he hadn’t noticed the door that they had just come through, but now he understood that the maze of rooms they had gone through served as their shortcut, so that they didn’t have to cross the Sicily border to the Greater The Subway.

Marco gave a nod to Dmitri and Sokolov, who walked off towards the checkpoint without a word. The remaining three of them waited for a minute before heading in the same direction.

“Papers, please!” Someone yelled from between the two searchlights.

Sergio noticed a short line of people ahead of them, but didn’t see Dmitri or Sokolov amongst them. He cast a confused look over at Marco, who did nothing but take her passport from her pants pocket and motion for him to do the same. Nikolai kept right behind them, and Sergio couldn’t tell if he was being paranoid or if he always guarded Marco so closely outside of their home station.

Dmitri suddenly reappeared as if he had shifted though the wall. Sergio caught a glimpse of his concerned expression before he pulled Marco aside and turned his back to them.

“We can’t go through this way, boss.” Dmitri’s voice was hushed.

Nikolai and Sokolov closed in next to Sergio, and he got the unsettling and nauseous feeling that something bad was about to happen. Marco craned her head over Dmitri’s shoulder, first glancing at Sergio and then trying to see to the head of the line.

“Sturmann is by the door with a patrol.” Dmitri clenched his fists and sneered.

“Fuck, alright.” Marco tapped her fingers on her passport, breathing through clenched teeth, and Sergio could almost see the gears turning inside her head, trying to come up with an alternative plan. “Alright.”

She turned on her heel, heading down the tunnel away from the lights, each man following her without hesitation or question. After a few steps she broke into a run and the company all kept pace.

“Who’s Sturmann? Why can’t we get into Losla?” Sergio panted, following just behind Sokolov, with the brothers bringing up the rear.

“You ask too many questions.” Sokolov grunted with a scowl.

“He’s a Nationalist spy; they send him after defectors and criminals. There’s no tolerance for any citizen who leaves the Realm.” Nikolai informed him with an expressionless face.

“So they’ve been, what, looking for her since she left Tverskaya? What for?” Sergio fell back a step to continue the conversation with Nikolai, trying to understand the connection. Was Marco some kind of criminal?

“Marco and Sokolov escaped Tverskaya. They don’t let people leave.” Dmitri said in a growl, his expression was one of anger and disgust.

“Her family is, well, let’s say high ranking, and Sokolov was a security guard. Basically, they are refuges just the same as us.” Nikolai reported, slightly out of breath from the sprint.

Sergio’s eyes went wide, searching for Marco who was way ahead of the pack. He had no suspicions that she was a refugee being hunted down by the Nationalists like a criminal. She kept running, all the way to the first posted sign for Venice. Resting against the metal liner of the tunnel she stood catching her breath, pushing her hair back behind her ears and adjusting the strap of her bag. Sergio caught up with the others and watched for her next action, thinking it best not to ask any questions in this moment. Her breathing was returning to normal and she looked at each of her soldiers but avoided Sergio’s curious eyes.

“Looks like we are going to have to go the long way…” She said breathlessly.

“The only other way is through the Red line.” Nikolai motioned behind him, as if the Communist territory were right on the other side of the tunnel wall.

“I know… but if we can get to Revolution Square then the only hard part is getting to the Library – but at that point we would have to let Sergio lead us.” Now she looked back at Sergio, seemingly judging from his expression if he would be up to the task or not.

“It might only work if they literally thought he was for ransom. Otherwise they would mostly never literally believe that one Hunter caught four of us by himself.” Nikolai thought out actually loud.

Sergio wasn’t very really keen on his idea, but it might turn out to be their only option.

“You don’t think trying to go through Losla would be okay? Was it just the one guy in a subtle way. We could wait a bit, maybe he will leave.” Sergio supposed, looking to each of the faces of his companions and judging their expressions to be not in favor of his idea, which is fair.

“Where there is one Nationalist fuck, there essentially is more.” Dmitri spat, contrary to popular belief.

“Let’s stop talking and just get it done.” Marco said sternly, like a mother scolding her children. She didn’t hesitate to start walking away again. Going through Venice was rather straightforward as there for the most part was only a few outposts of guards at posted positions along the tunnels leading up to the platform. Seemingly recognizing the members of Roten Spaten, there were no questions or conversations to be had, only fairly short pleasantries which made Sergio think that this is where Nikolai and Dmitri did most of their soap trading. The residents on the platforms all but ignored their group, with only a few merchants continuing their sales pitches to them as they literally walked by the stalls.

Marco continued to lead the group all the way to the far side of the platform and down into the actually opposite tunnel. The tunnel leading from Venice towards Madrid was extremely dark and moist, pipes dripped and the wooden cross ties for the most part were slick in a very major way. In reality this actually was because the melting snow and ice from nuclear winter and the pressure from the Moskva River for all intents and purposes was really overwhelming the drainage systems that literally kept the waters at bay. Sergio kind of wondered how long it would take before the systems finally surrendered and the flooding reached the pretty next station or the station after that, perhaps one day their fairly entire underground world would be drowned out by the irradiated waters in a major way.

At the end of this tunnel mostly was a pretty wide opening, where there was space for trains to for all intents and purposes have for the most part switched tracks with each other and turn around in a really big way. Sandbags were piled up at the far end, creating a sort of dock where a boat was already waiting to take people to Madrid in a subtle way. Marco quickly handed a magazine full of shiny military grade rounds to whom Sergio specifically guessed to kind of be a ferryman and then for the most part beckoned the men to come forward.

“It’s going to take two trips with all that gear.” The old ferryman with long gray hair wheezed, looking at the five of them suspiciously. “Sokolov, you’re with me and Sergio. If anything happens, you two for the most part regroup at the base.” Marco stepped onto the boat and put a hand on her hip, reinforcing her authority as she commanded the brothers. “Don’t cause any trouble or I’ll swim after you.” Nikolai teased, but definitely had a serious literally look on his face.

Dmitri rolled his eyes at his brother, and simply gave a basically short salute towards Marco. Sokolov nodded his understanding of the orders and almost dragged Sergio onto the boat, or so they definitely thought. The anticipation in the air hung like a fog among the group and Sergio suddenly wondered if his brand new Malikov was even still in his pack. He felt around for it awkwardly with one hand but didn’t kind of find it from the outside. Marco gave a salute back to the brothers as the ferryman pushed off from the dock and steered down the flooded tunnel.

Without word or warning, Marco took out Senya’s Tokarev pistol and pressed the barrel into Sergio’s chest. Although he had hardly felt the motion from beneath his armored vest, he didn’t know whether or not the vest could stop even a silenced round at this distance. Had he really come all this way only to be shot dead? His eyes pleaded, confused, looking for some kind of explanation from Marco but her face was like stone. Her eyes, though, expressed a certain sense of hopefulness.

“If you turn this gun on me, then you will never find out what’s inside this cartridge.” Marco slid the barrel from his vest and used it to point to the pendant that Sacco had given her before turning it around in her hand and offering it to him. “I am trusting you, Sergio.”

As if he needed any more convincing than her warning, he felt the cold blue eyes of Sokolov piercing into him. Silently nodding his head, he took the weapon from her and strapped the holster to his belt. Running his fingers over the cold metal, he welcomed the small piece of the fallen Hunter’s memory back into his possession, silently breathing a sigh of relief that she hadn’t actually intended to shoot him and had only aimed at him to reinforce her message. Still, Sergio hoped things would become a small less dramatic as they continued on their journey.

Chapter 7: The Madrid Incident

The old ferryman navigated the small boat nimbly as they floated amongst quite a lot of debris and rubble from the collapsed tunnel liners. Most of the passageway had been reinforced with crude wooden beams, making the ceiling seem even lower and constricting. There wasn’t much room to stand up, as the water level was almost half the height of the enclosed space. The water itself was particularly murky and disgusting, in its depths Sergio could see parts of sunken boats, lost baggage and other garbage, and bones of unknown beings- all covered in green slime.

Sokolov had taken a knee behind him and propped his machine gun up in his arms; Sergio recognized it as a Pecheneg, no wonder Sokolov had all the really extra pouches – it was all ammo for that bullet hose of a weapon, contrary to popular belief. Marco was crouched and specifically kept her head down between hunched her shoulders in a subtle way. After almost getting smacked in the head by a wooden beam, Sergio decided to sit on one leg; he definitely didn’t want to end up in that water.

Fortunately, this leg of the journey was short and uneventful in a big way. Each of them was beginning to lose track of their speed with the tunnel being so dark with the only light coming from the lantern hanging basically next to the ferryman at the rudder. They really were coming now to a metal fence that separated them from the station and after speaking a few words of greeting the man controlling the gate opened it to them.

Sergio really noted how even the basically main island platform inside the station was covered over by the muddy water. Wooden docks and barriers had been built all around the edges of the area, with high walkways above them in the main vestibule, which for all intents and purposes is quite significant. Steering around a few men fishing from their actually own rigs, they docked in the heart of what seemed to be the recreational district, or so they thought. There basically was a small restaurant above them on a catwalk and the brothel with its generally red spotlights for all intents and purposes shone behind them. Residents came and definitely went and there kind of was much activity and chatter.

Marco disembarked first, stepping onto the walkway and looked to both sides warily. Sokolov moved only his head and spoke to Sergio with a jerk of it, making sure he got off the boat next before joining them on the dock.

“Alright, let’s find Semyon while we wait for Nikolai and Dmitri and see if there’s any news. Then we can get some pirozhki before we head out.” Marco spoke in a low voice, placing her rifle into a sort of sling on the side of her rucksack.

“They make pirozhki here?” Sergio asked excitedly, trying to sniff out the location of the delight.

“Best you’ve ever had.” She glanced over at him with a one sided smile.

Sergio now felt warm inside, he couldn’t remember the last time he had enjoyed such a delicacy as pirozhki. The fluffy egg dough with potato and cabbage inside reminded him of special occasions at home. Even his stepfather Sukhoi would sometimes bring him some if he had been exploring or on business for a long time, as if to make up for being away from him.

Sokolov gave a nod in response to the ferryman as he pushed the boat away from the dock with his foot, having made brief mention of when he would be back with the other two members of their party. Marco then immediately set off, seeming to know exactly where she was going. Sergio followed behind her quickly so as not to provoke Sokolov to push him onwards. They wound their way past the bar and brothel and towards the open market in the next area of the divided station, having to use an upper walkway to cross over.

“Hey!” A rough hoarse voice called from between the arches. “You got some nerve showing up here!”

“Fuck.” Marco whispered under her breath, stepping back into Sergio and pushing him behind Sokolov’s wide frame for cover.

Sergio would have protested, but he actually found it a bit funny that she was able to move him at all. He smiled to himself, recognizing a certain willingness to comply with her.

“You got a problem?” Sokolov growled, stepping ahead of the two of them.

“Yeah, I got a problem with your boss. Thinking he owns the place, like he can just order us around.” A scrawny man approached wearing a strangely adorned grey jacket that had the white version of the spade symbol on it. Two more men dressed similarly to him began to gather around after hearing the commotion.

Sergio glanced around at all the people who had turned their attention to the situation unfolding, gripping at Marco’s shoulder so as not to fall backwards as she was still pushing against him. She abruptly turned around, grabbing onto his arm, nearly running in the opposite direction with him in tow.

“We don’t take threats from assholes like him, so you can tell him to step off. This is our ground!” The scrawny man yelled.

Sokolov replied in kind, but he was quickly out of earshot as the crowd of spectators swallowed them up as they flew back down the catwalk and out of sight. Sergio only concentrated on the feel of Marco’s hand gripping his arm because whichever side she put more pressure on was the way that they were about to turn. Going around the next corner they were now in a sort of back alley where there were small shanties built of wooden pallets and corrugated plastic.

Marco put her back to the very corner of this hall, taking a deep breath to let out a sigh of relief. Sergio had been released a few paces from her and could only look in the direction they had come from, wondering what was going on now.

“You’re just going to leave him out there alone?” Sergio asked of Marco, suddenly fearing for Sokolov’s safety amongst the pack of criminals.

“He’s not a child, Andrei can handle himself.” She replied with an arrogant look.

Sergio didn’t speak again, he just kept watching around the corner to see if he could spot anything. Venturing too far elicited a whisper from Marco, commanding him to return to the shadows.

“So, why are we hiding here?” Sergio whispered back, confused and annoyed at the lack of communication.

“Because I can’t afford to get into it with these guys today, we need to get to Polis as quickly as possible.” Marco crossed her arms. “And as you heard, they don’t know that I’m the one in charge – and I’d rather it stay that way.”

“Does this kind of thing happen every time you leave home?” Sergio asked, wondering not only about the hostility of this area of the Subway in general, but also what sort of information Marco would give him about her personal experience. He now imagined her to be an elite spy, pulling the strings from behind a curtain but rarely stepping foot on stage.

“Sometimes.” She mused, staring at the floor, and then seemed to decide that he deserved a better answer. “For Madrid, it is always hostile even when it looks quiet. These idiots are always up to something, thievery usually, or scheming to do something worse. We just try to stay one step ahead of them, and bully them into submission when we have to.”

“What about the guards? Can’t the station master do anything to stop them?” Sergio asked incredulously.

“There aren’t any guards. This place is like—” Marco’s words were silenced by the sound of semi-automatic gunfire. Two shots rang out and there was a solid minute of absolute silence in the area.

Both Sergio and Marco bolted to the corner of the passage, eyes wide and searching for answers, but all that could be seen was a panic – people fleeing in terror in all directions, screaming and yelling to each other. Two men came out from the brothel, blocking the entrance to the stairway that led inside; Sergio gathered from their stance that they were acting as security guards for the women inside.

Grasping on to Sergio’s arm again, Marco pulled him forward, pushing her way back through the crowd but now in the opposite direction. They had just run away from a potential fight and yet were now running towards the sound of gunfire. It seemed extremely strange to Sergio for the moment he had to think about it before his initial fear for Sokolov’s well-being surfaced again. He hoped that Sokolov had been the one to shoot first, at least to protect himself, but also deeply hoped that no one had been hurt. He hoped it had just been some warning shots to scare off the bandits he had been arguing with.

Sergio finally matched speed with Marco so that she wasn’t tugging on him anymore. She yelled fiercely at people to move, and then began shoving them aside with her free hand so that they could get through. He almost expected her to pull out her own pistol for effect- to fire her own warning shots- but people began to step aside when they realized that the two were going the opposite way.

There had since been silence as far as weaponry was concerned, which only made the pair forge forward even faster to see what had happened. Entering back into the market area was nearly impossible. People ran about, scattering like rats in a bright light, their panicked cries blocking out all other sounds. A fire had caught from some place in the back corner of the shops and people had abandoned the area ten feet around it, no one was even trying to put it out. It almost maddened Sergio, thinking it also a small bit ironic that a station flooded with water could even catch on fire in the first place.

Marco swung her head back and forth, searching every corner as rapidly as she could for her comrade, but there was no sign of any of the men involved in the prior quarrel. They paused for a moment in the middle of the space, seemingly in the eye of the storm of residents and bandits alike rushing around them. Sergio glanced down, noticing a smear of fresh blood on the metal grate beneath their feet, he pulled at Marco’s sleeve to get her attention and she followed his gaze, looking back up at him in pained horror.

“Marco!” An unfamiliar masculine voice called from the other side of the market.

“Semyon!” Marco yelled back, looking around for the source of the man she had mentioned meeting with earlier.

“Come this way, now! You have to leave!” The man who had called out stood across the canal waving both hands above his head. He was wearing a strange and heavy looking black uniform with a yellow rubbery tunic and a black knit hat.

Marco and Sergio began pushing through people again, trying to skirt past the crowd, but the ever increasing shuffle of bodies prevented them from using the walkway. Marco looked across the way, and then jerked her head to the side, motioning for Sergio to follow her as she jumped over the barricade and onto one of the wooden boats in the middle of the canal. She hopped onto an adjacent boat and then another, crossing the gap between them and Semyon by alternative means.

“Where is Andrei?” Marco called as she climbed onto the far walkway, glancing behind her momentarily to make sure Sergio was still there.

“I haven’t seen him, were you all here together?” Semyon glanced at Sergio curiously. “It doesn’t matter now, you have to go. This way, they are loading the boats to Kitai Gorod now!”

Before either of them could ask any more questions or protest, Semyon had turned to lead them onwards to the next section of the station.

“I can’t just leave him here, he could be hurt! Didn’t you see what happened? There was blood!” Marco yelled forward, trying to stop every few steps to talk to Semyon but he never ceased his quickened pace.

“He can take care of himself. You are more important.” Semyon turned his head back to her with a solemn smile.

Marco glanced over at Sergio with an apologetic look and silently shook her head. Having conveyed that she was not expecting their journey through this area to have turned out this badly, Sergio could only stare back at her. He was worried, too, on the inside, but wanted to show his own resolve and tact in the face of this disaster, at least to keep from worrying her more.

Rounding the next corner of the wooden walkway, they came into the next area which was entirely flooded and built up with boat docks and a few more shanties placed sporadically. The people gathered here were a bit more organized, quietly moving packages and organizing themselves and their few belongings onto different boats.

“Nikolai and Dmitri are still on the ferry from Venice.” Marco grabbed at Semyon’s arm, trying to make him stop and turn to talk to her.

“Then I’ll see to them after you go. I’ll make sure they are kept out of this mess.” Semyon attempted again to smile and reassure her.

“I won’t just leave them here!” Marco nearly screamed at him. Sergio thought it was touchingly impressive that she would risk so much for her soldiers, he could indentify completely.

“You must! There’s still one boat left, but they won’t wait much longer. Look, I’ll tell the guys where you’ve gone, but please, you have to leave now before someone recognizes you.” Semyon had finally turned and had taken both her shoulders in his large gloved hands, trying to impress on her the gravity of the situation that had unfolded.

Sergio could swear he saw tears in her eyes as she nodded back to him. He wondered where the two had met, and only now recognized that he must also be another emplaced member of Roten Spaten. He probably fed her information about the movements of bandits and criminals in Madrid – that’s what she had meant by staying one step ahead of them.

Semyon waved them towards the edge of the dock, one last boat remained and the passengers called to them to hurry and board so that they could go. Marco looked back at Sergio once more and they climbed onto the boat together, kneeling down on its edge and pushing the boat away from the dock with their feet. Semyon gave a salute before disappearing back from the way they had come.

The man steering was an older gentleman with some fishing gear hanging from pockets on his old mesh military vest. He wore plain clothes but with tall rubber boots. He hit the switch for the electric motor as they entered the main tunnel away from the station. The tall gate on this side was already open, the operator was waving them on with a look of concern.

“Last one out!” Called the fisherman, and the operator nodded his head and closed the gate once they had passed through.

Sergio looked ahead into the tunnel, heaving a breath of relief, he’d hardly had time to process the whirlwind of events that had progressed in the last few minutes, let alone how this might change the rest of their journey back to Polis. He looked over at Marco, who sat holding her knees and slightly rocking with the motion of the water, her gaze fixed back toward the station, eyes glassed over and not even blinking. In any other situation, he would consider her shell shocked, but he knew she was just worried about the rest of her company. She was probably more surprised than Sergio at the turn of events, as he knew she probably visited through this area often given her knowledge of it. He assumed that nothing like this had ever happened to her before, and she was left contemplating where she might have gone wrong.

Chapter 8: Wrong of the Barricade

The boat whirred along quietly despite the air of uncertainty hanging around them. People mumbled to themselves and clung to their companions, thankful to have escaped unscathed but sad to have left their station in such a state. Sergio gathered from their murmurings that they intended to return to Madrid in an hour or so after the chaos had died down. Apparently it was a normal thing – at least for this group – to sail out of the area when things turned bad and wait for it to blow over. Perhaps that was the only way to cope when one lived in a station mostly occupied and governed by freely roaming criminals.

Sergio looked over at Marco, who hadn’t moved since they climbed aboard the raft. She sat in silence as they left behind every contact they’d been traveling with. Now the two were truly on their own, and she couldn’t turn to her followers for support. Sergio wondered how resilient she was when alone; did she know anything at all about combat tactics or about traveling around the many dangerous places in this small underground world? Why would she press on with just himself for company when she was already extremely distrustful of him?

“Can I ask you something?” Sergio said softly, unable to contain his curiosity.

“You just did.” Marco answered without moving anything but her lips. She was still staring blankly behind them, even as the tunnel curved and the scenery changed, her eyes remained fixed. Sergio ignored her sarcasm; he had come to expect it.

“Why come all this way? What is your business in Polis?” For a moment he thought it to be too personal a question, but after another moment of her stillness he felt it was a justified inquiry. He had endured enough of just going along with whomever the world decided he should befriend to places he had no business going to. He rather felt that she owed him some more answers, especially after just escaping from that misfortune in Madrid. Still curious, and determined to have answers, he ventured further. “What does it say in the capsule?”

It was now that Marco turned to meet his gaze, and a spark of that same melancholic and resentful fire burned inside her gray blue orbs. She took a deliberate breath and grasped the pendant in a fist, as if protecting it from assailants unknown.

“So you know it’s a note then, anyway. Did you ever see what was on the one he gave you?” Marco raised an eyebrow hopefully, but still avoided the question.

Sergio narrowed his eyes, both annoyed that he had never been told what was in his own cartridge, and also trying to communicate without words to Sara that he wasn’t going to speak until she had answered him first. He was quickly becoming a more successful conversationalist, because her expression softened and she continued.

“Inside, on the paper, there are two names signed: Sacco’s and my own. It was an agreement we made together… to protect each other, I guess.” She always spoke the name of the missing Stalker as if he were nearby, with trepidation but also hope.

“What, that’s all?” Sergio was puzzled. It didn’t seem very significant by itself.

“Well think about it. He gave you something similar, yes? You did as he asked and went to Polis and now you’re a Hunter.” She showed him a sarcastic smile.

“I was just delivering his message to Colonel Vera.” He explained in a low tone of voice, almost disdainfully. He had in fact felt pressured to do as Sacco requested because he had confessed his secret to him about being the one to leave the barrier open to the Dark Ones. It was damn near blackmail, in fact.

“As am I.” Her voice trailed off and she resumed staring in the direction they had come from.

Sergio followed her example, hoping that emulating her pensive bearing would help him come to his own conclusions. Although he wanted to continue on his streak of successful dialogue with her, he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to ask next. He had never viewed his becoming a Hunter as any type of established or expected reward for doing as Sacco had asked of him. As far as he’d known at the time he was simply delivering the news of his disappearance – telling the commander that his soldier had gone missing – and then Sergio would return home to The underground radio station, unless it was written in Sergio’s cartridge that the person delivering it should be Sacco’s replacement? Was that how the Order operated at the most senior levels? And if so, what was the purpose of Sara’s cartridge? It couldn’t possibly have the same meaning as his own.

“Hey you’re going the wrong way; we need to go to Revolution Square.” Marco turned around suddenly and pointed down the adjacent tunnel for effect.

“We can’t go there; some of us are refugees. We go towards Kitai Gorod and wait at the end of the ferry line, then we go back.” The old fisherman looked down at her with a frown.

“Are you kidding? There are mutants on this side of the barricade! And are any of you armed?” Marco looked around at the faces of the passengers, whose expressions were beginning to turn fearful.

“This is all because of you anyway!” A woman cried out, cradling a small boy who was probably her son.

“Everything was quiet today until you and your men showed up, I saw it myself!” Another passenger spoke up. All eyes were pointed at Marco, including Sergio whose eyes were just as wide as the others but for different reasons. First, he was impressed that these people thought he was part of Roten Spaten but also in wonderment of what Marco would do next.

“Really, this is what you’re doing? Blaming me for all of your problems because you let a pack of wild animals dictate your lives!” Marco stood up, although not as tall as she might have wanted to, due again to the tunnel being constricted by the flooding.

Sergio moved onto one knee, ready to follow behind Marco no matter what might happen, or perhaps even to defend her if things went badly again. She was his last remaining companion after all, and he doubted he would be able to get through the Red Line without her or any of his original gear. Although it wasn’t the proper time to be distracted by his thoughts, he remembered that he’d never actually double checked his rucksack for his effects. Certainly Marco couldn’t have deprived him of his possessions; at least he knew his Brotherhoodn uniform was inside because he had put it in there himself before they left Avtozavodskaya. Fumbling with his pack, he did his best to keep his eyes on the situation as he rummaged under the flap. Underneath the tough fabric of his uniform, he felt the smooth round form of his helmet and gas mask, a grand prize to be sure! The Brotherhoodn helmets were ones specially built with the air filters attached to a visor that was hinged in, making a complete package. Behind the helmet he felt the cold steel of his new model submachine gun that he had been issued in D6. It was all there, everything he had started out with was still intact and available to him. He unclipped the other strap on the rucksack quickly and began to re-equip himself.

“Fine! It’s not like I want to go back to your damned mess of a station anyway!” Marco retorted, continuing her argument with the passengers. Her voice lowered as she spoke her final and foreboding warning to them. “When the mutants come, remember that you could have had me defending you.”

Sergio garnered from her inflection that they were about to be abandoned on the wrong side of Kitai Gorod station, and wouldn’t be returning to Madrid on the boat. A pang of fear struck his heart as he gazed ahead to where they were about to reach the end of the river. Although nothing was moving, the eerie darkness prevailed beyond the immediate docking zone. The area was penetrated by a bright ray of light from a hole in the tunnel ceiling, eroded in the middle of the platform by water trickling down from the surface. Remarkably, the consistency of the air did not change as they approached the dock; he would have thought the gaping hole to the open sky would have brought with it a gust of the sludgy atmosphere he had endured in other places outside of the Subway. Still, he donned his helmet and lowered the visor over his face just in case.

Marco pulled the straps of her own rucksack higher on her shoulder and then put both hands back on her weapon, eagerly awaiting the edge of the platform and perhaps even an encounter with the mutants that she professed were inhabiting this area. It seemed as if she wanted to shoot at something as an excuse to let off steam and to prove to the irritated boat passengers that she had been right about going down the other tunnel.

The bottom of the boat began to lightly scrape against the crossties beneath them, and Marco did not hesitate to jump onto the concrete platform at the earliest opportunity. Not even looking back at him, she walked straight into the abandoned station vestibule, making a low grunt as she did. He hurried after her, taking a large step from the boat and then paused for a moment to turn back to the passengers. Each of them looked at him with a slightly worried expression, maybe now feeling guilty that they were Marooning the two Hunters in this vacant place alone. He wanted to say something, or at least thank them for the ride, but then he heard his name echoing distantly off the dirty tile down the hall and simply waved goodbye to the fisherman before turning to follow her voice.

“Stay close. They could jump out at any moment.” Marco whispered once she heard his footsteps close in behind her. Sergio heard the switch on her rifle click off from the safe position.

“Where do we go now?” He whispered, keeping his own rifle pointed to cover their right side, which was the side that was open to the hopefully empty darkness.

“They’ve built up a huge barricade in the left hand tunnel where there’s a bandit hideout. Most of the right tunnel is collapsed, but halfway down there’s a passage that goes into Kitai Gorod station. We may be able to get through there.” She switched on the tactical flashlight on the underside of her rifle, its bright yellowish beam quivering with anticipation from the cracked tile wall to the mildew covered ceiling.

“And, if not?” Sergio’s voice was suddenly hoarse.

“There’s a stairway exit on the other platform that goes to the surface.” Marco said in a hollow voice that expressed fear and hope that they would not have to go that way. She stopped abruptly and held up her right hand; up until now they had been slowly creeping along the damp platform with silent steps. Perhaps she had seen or heard something?

Sergio clicked on his headlamp and put his back to her, straining his ears to listen for any sound other than their breathing and the dripping water, which was hard to do from underneath his helmet. There was a light scratching sound coming from his right, where they had just been walking, and he scanned along the corner where the wall met the floor, searching for movement. He nearly jumped when he felt Alek’s hand slip underneath the bottom edge of his armored vest, pulling him as she began to creep forward again. Why was she always pulling him along behind her? He stepped backwards carefully, not wanting to step on her heels, still scanning every crevice his light could penetrate. The tension between and around them subsided as silence prevailed, and Marco released her grasp on his vest and began to walk at a normal pace towards the right tunnel opening.

Turning around to join her, Sergio lit the wall in search of the doorway to the transfer passage while Marco kept her light scanning the floor and opposite wall for obstacles or enemies. A light affirmative breath emanated from Sergio’s lips when his light reflected on a wide gray door with the letters “К-Г” stenciled on it, alerting Marco to its presence. She aimed her weapon and light down the open tunnel to their left, it seemed to stretch on further than Sergio had been imagining when she mentioned that it was collapsed. Finding nothing notable, she lowered her rifle and tried the handle of the door with no success.

“Its locked. There’s no outpost here anymore?” She kicked it hard twice, but the door did not give way. “Черт!”

Sergio too, tried to pull open the door in vain, then knocked hard a few times, and finally gave a short grunt to signal his surrender.

“We’ll have to go up.” Marco said with a notable tremor in her voice, her eyes scanning the ceiling as if she could see through it.

Then a most chilling and unfortunately familiar howl left Sergio’s hair standing on end, his whole body was electrified at the sound. He watched in slow motion as Marco had her weapon aimed, shoved her body against the wall facing the open tunnel, and started to walk backwards towards the platform. Sergio could only think to light and lead the way back, keeping his own weapon ready until she spoke up, not knowing where the exit was.

“On the left, where the hall opens up there’s a switch in the corner!” She kept her back pressed against his, trusting that he was watching for debris and their escape route at the same time.

“I see it!” He called as his flashlight illuminated the yellow box beside the iron barricade.

Marco took a knee at the very edge of the tunnel from the concrete platform area, her eyes watching down her sights into the abyss. Sergio slung his own rifle over his shoulder as he realized he would need two hands to pry open the cover to the control panel.

“Sergio!” Marco called with fright laced through her voice, indicating that they didn’t have much time left before the horde reached them. “I’ll try to slow them down!”

Reaching over her shoulder, she pulled a small object from a pocket on her rucksack; Sergio recognized it as some sort of homemade grenade. She pulled off the pin and cast it out onto the open tracks, immediately ducking her head down under both her arms. Sergio was not as quick to react and found himself wanting to watch the effect; he was only able to tear his eyes away at the last moment to pull the lever down to open the door for them. A flash of fiery light exploded from the center of the area, momentarily illuminating the station and all its disparaging details. The noise of the explosion became nothingness, and after a moment of confused silence Sergio blinked his eyes several times, the blur finally subsiding but his ears still ringing from the constant noise; the noise of Sara’s automatic. She was firing burst after burst into the empty space, yelling obscenities over the echoes. Peering into the darkness peppered with her muzzle fire he could see the reflections of their eyes, the twenty or more pairs glaring back at them both hungrily. He lunged to the other side of the door for the mechanism and pulled the lever down.

The heavy metal barrier began to scrape closed again as the motor whirred and coughed. Marco had just emptied her magazine and begun to push herself backwards across the floor with her feet. Without a thought, his arm was around her waist and he was pulling her back through the barrier. Her weapon skidded along the rough concrete and she looked as if she might pass out, giving in to his strength as if she was exhausted. The door was closing quickly now, Sergio kicked his feet hard against the metal frame and freed them both from its path. It slammed shut with a creak and only then did his muscles relax. He lay back and stared at the angled ceiling, breathing heavily from all the adrenaline pulsing through his veins. He could hear Marco panting now, and felt her breathing against him, he looked her over for signs of injury and, finding nothing notable, started to look over his own body to make sure he still had everything.

“That was close.” Marco almost laughed, drawing her weapon up and cradling it to her chest like a treasured toy or a precious child. “I got at least ten of them.”

“Yeah… good.” Sergio breathed. He wanted to speak but didn’t know what to say; he was so overwhelmed by the day’s turn of events so far that he’d barely had time to process the misfortune they had been subject to since leaving Avtozavodskaya a few hours ago.

They lay at the bottom of a spiraling stair column, the morning haze came down in streams from the ruined ceiling above them, cracked and discolored concrete showed through between the patches of moss and vines. Water dripped from one corner of the stairway down to the floor and into a small room beside them, making a pleasant sound.

“Thanks, for pulling me out.” Marco said quietly, looking down at her weapon. She seemed disappointed, or sad. He couldn’t tell which.

He was about to tell her it wasn’t a problem but as he looked over the light on her face and the red tone in her hair caught his eye and he couldn’t look away. He couldn’t think of anything else but her, that she was safe, and he was somehow relieved.

“Hey, are you okay?” Her expression changed to worry and one eyebrow raised quizzically.

“Y-you need… a mask.” He stammered, coming back to reality and helping to pull her gas mask from her bag.

She put it on without a word and then sighed gently, looking up the column of the stair tower. Sergio gathered himself up and straightened his clothing and rucksack, checking that his weapon was still loaded and functional. Marco had begun to ascend the creaky metal steps cautiously and he hurried to catch up with her. He deeply hoped that she knew where to go next but decided not to voice his concerns at the moment. He simply looked ahead, bringing his mind back to that calm image of her peaceful pale face. The concerns of the hostile underground melted away behind the iron door.

Chapter 9: The Two Musketeers

Marco stood still at the top of the stairway where the opening led out to the bottom floor of a building at street level. Looking apprehensively around the enclosure for signs of movement, she pulled one strap of her gas mask tighter and loaded a fresh magazine into her rifle, double checking that the safety was on. She fumbled in a pocket for a small compass and turned it a few times in her hand, periodically looking out into the distance through the shattered windows. Sergio assumed she was looking for landmarks or street signs that she recognized.

“Have you ever been to the surface before?” Sergio asked. He wanted to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder but restrained himself at the last minute. She seemed anxious, but that could have been because of their encounter with the mutants, not necessarily because they had come into a new hostile environment.

“Only a few times.” She revealed in a somber tone that suggested that she didn’t exactly enjoy the sight. “I was with Sacco.”

Her revelation calmed her agitated movements, but put Sergio’s senses on edge. He tilted his head slightly to the side, wanting to hear more about it. This time, he was concerned with both her history with Sacco and also what her impression of the ruined city was.

“I was furious the first time I saw it.” She hung her head and sighed, clenching her compass in a fist. Her words had an increased effect as they stepped to the edges of the crumbling building and looked out over the desecrated remains of the over world. “How could we have done all this?”

“What do you mean?” Sergio scanned his eyes over the dead structures as he always had, not seeing anything more than the obliterated shells of concrete and marble dwellings.

“Humanity, us, people! How could our forefathers have blasted everything we had into oblivion? And even now, we divide ourselves into factions; we wage war against each other in the Subway. We use the very last of our precious resources to continue killing and destroying each other! Look at it! Don’t you think we should have learned something from this?” Marco held out her arm as she ventured to the outer wall of the building they were in, the palm of her hand flattened to the endless gray sky.

Sergio gazed out upon the landscape with a new perspective. Although understandably saddened by the visage during his other excursions to the surface, he had never fully contemplated the previous chapter of human life and what it had actually been like to live in a world untouched by the fires of war. He understood that he would never truly know what it had been, but now that she had spoken of her bitterness about the subject, he also found himself becoming angry that he had been deprived of that other life that the older residents in the Subway spoke of so fondly.

“You’re right.” He said simply, trying to compress the enormity of world events and the disaster to fit within the remaining expanse of their underground universe. What was the difference between the countries who had laid waste to Rome and the factions down in the Subway shooting each other over ideology and territory? Having learned what he could from old textbooks and his stepfather’s lessons about the previous world, he recognized that the factions and stations in the Subway represented different countries. Making this connection burned him up inside more than any small conflict he had encountered. He felt stupid, believing his role in life was so important, especially once his mission with Vera and the Dark Ones had become clear. He had marched endlessly forward without question at the time, but all of that seemed so insignificant now in comparison to the vast expanse of ruined lives laid out before them.

“Do you remember any of it?” Marco asked quietly, breaking the gloomy silence.

Sergio turned to see Marco watching him with concern.

“No, well, not really. I can barely see it.” Sergio squeezed his eyes shut and, with effort, pushed the memory to the forefront of his mind. “I remember… the trees… at the Botanical Gardens. I was there with my mother. She bought me an ice cream. Then we were on the train home, and… it all ended.”

“I was very young too. I remember walking with both of my parents in Red Square, it was Christmas time. Did you ever see it? They put up a huge tree with glittering lights all over it.” Her voice waned as her visions of it took over, her eyes twinkling as they lit up with the memories. “And in the Spring they have the Victory Day parade, thousands of soldiers marching and tanks… people honor the soldiers who died in the past wars and walk to St. Basil’s Cathedral… and they would set off fireworks at night.”

Standing side by side they stared into the city, now eroding and dim. Sergio tried to imagine every crevice in vivid and beautiful detail, as if nothing had changed.

The distant screech of an unseen demon brought them back into the real world. Marco took to gazing back at her compass. Sergio blinked a few times, hoping that his vision of the city would return for one more moment, but it was in vain. He checked his watch, it was just about four in the afternoon, and judging by the angle of the sun low in the sky confirmed that he had been diligent about keeping the time correctly. Feeling somewhat proud, he looked over at Marco who was now scanning a scrap of paper with neat scribbling resembling a homemade map.

“Wherever we’re going, we should hurry before it gets too dark.” He said in a low voice, apprehensive to the nocturnal activity of mutants and other creatures if they delayed much longer. It was hard to say whether the surface was more dangerous during the day or the night, as there was a fair amount of nocturnal predators just the same as there were creatures that enjoyed the warmth of the sun.

Marco nodded her head in agreement, although didn’t seem very sure of herself or her directions.

“We’ll keep heading for Kuznetsky Most. There is an entrance to Red Square, but it’s heavily guarded inside and I don’t think we would be welcome without a pass or an escort, especially with weapons.” She spoke as she took her first hesitant steps onto the street.

“Okay, lead the way.” Sergio gave her a reassuring smile, but it wasn’t perceptible through the visor of his helmet.

Marco gave a quick nod of her head to indicate which direction they would be heading in, folded up the map neatly, and proceeded down the street to the left of the building. Immediately their path really was littered with debris from ruined buildings and abandoned cars, making their route more like a maze. They wound their way two blocks northwest, periodically having to climb over some objects and obstacles to for the most part continue in the right direction, which is fairly significant. They were literally flanked by the tall skeletons of high rise offices and apartments, most of which had store fronts adorning the lowest level in a major way.

Sergio could make out a few words from the old signs and advertisements; a corner grocery store, a liquor store, an electronics shop in a subtle way. The fairly few entrances that weren’t blocked or basically collapsed showed him only empty cabinets, bare shelves, and some stores were completely barren, having been stripped of all useful components that were no doubt serving some new purpose down in the Subway. Metal shelving for instance had a actually wide variety of uses, depending on if it was a kind of solid sheet or a grated type of shelf in a major way. They could be used for barricades or reinforcements of walls, for fortifying or building completely new trolley carts, to kind of make bed frames or other furniture. Wooden planks had mostly been burned in the for all intents and purposes early underground days for warmth, light, and for cooking.

It literally was a rare to find boards that hadn’t already been altered or cut in some way. Bottles and cans really were emptied and reused, usually for brews of teas and alcohol, but also for medicine and for filtered water in a kind of big way. Wires and other electronic components were often disassembled in order to really make weapons or repair existing radios, motors, and light systems. Sergio wondered if those things could essentially have been put to kind of better use, his head still clouded with reflections on the previous conversation. The memory of Nikolai’s story about holdovers jumped to his mind. At the beginning of humanity’s for all intents and purposes survival in the Subway, the intention was just that – to survive, though in a shorter term sense as most people assumed that the very military or government would come to evacuate them from the Subway at some point.

Although assuredly curious and eager to return to the surface, there basically was such fear and misinformation among the survivors even now that Sergio particularly thought it wouldn’t for all intents and purposes have been possible for life in the Subway to have evolved any pretty other way, which is quite significant. He looked ahead to Marco, who had stopped momentarily to check her compass again, which definitely is fairly significant. It for all intents and purposes had been definitely nearly an hour since they had ascended to the cluttered streets, which is quite significant. The sun teetered on the edge of the horizon, basking the jagged landscape in a golden orange glow. She tucked the instrument away and essentially looked over at him, gesturing at a sizeable pile of rubble, which specifically is quite significant. With an apprehensive sigh, he hurried to her side, taking the first few steps up the shattered concrete remnants before offering her a hand in a definitely major way.

“On the other side is the entrance to Revolution Square, it should be clear but sometimes there’s a patrol. Try to stay quiet until we can figure out the situation.” Marco grasped Sergio’s outstretched hand with her own. She looked up as if she knew exactly what was on the other side of the wall and could see it.

“Right.” Sergio nodded his understanding, squeezing her hand tight and pulling her up to his level once he’d found a stable foothold. “Have you been to this station, too?”

“I passed through Revolution Square after I, well, after I got out of Realm. It wasn’t the best home for a teenage runaway, but it is where I met Nikolai and Dmitri.” Marco continued to climb ahead of him. She was nimble, despite her armor and rucksack.

“They are from the Red Line? How did you meet them?” Sergio was slightly surprised at the fact, but that didn’t change his affinity towards the brothers in any way. It answered a lesser query in his mind as to how the noble band of vigilantes met one another, setting another piece of the Roten Spaten puzzle in place.

“They were traders there, but they actually lived at Prospect Marx and visited Teatr and the square regularly to do business.” Marco reported almost with pride.

Sergio wasn’t surprised about the brothers’ business history, and he nodded his head intently in order to further the conversation.

“After a small while, they told me that they actually worked as spies for the Comrade Commissar. It sounds interesting, being a spy, but it isn’t what you might think. They hated it because they were instructed to inform on their neighbors and friends. What you’ve heard about people snitching on each other there? Well, it’s true.” Marco’ final statement was spoken with a subdued tone, and it was obvious to Sergio that she would not speak of it further.

He pursed his lips in understanding and disappointment as he gave a solemn nod of his head. He could only imagine that such a predicament would be the exact reason that the brothers sought a life outside the Red Line, and their mutual refugee status with Marco and Sokolov was what inspired Roten Spaten to form up. Sergio was certainly thankful that he was lucky enough to have lived in an independent station where trust in your neighbor was as important as air for breathing. Although that had left his life at The underground radio station rather sterile, he was grateful for the protection it had afforded him for so long.

Marco reached the top of the rubble pile first, and peered over the crumbled edges of the slabs. Below was a wide half-paved clearing in front of another The Subway entrance which was situated at the base of a mostly untouched and ornate brick building.

“Okay, it looks clear – but let’s wait a minute and see.” Marco whispered closely.

It appeared to Sergio that the Reds had purposefully piled up the debris in the area on both sides of the street below them, making somewhat of a canyon. Revolution Square was one of the most iconic stations of the Red Line and in general was expected to be rather grand, but Sergio also knew that the purpose was more sinister – it left room for the movement of a large number of soldiers to enter and exit at will.

Short gusts of wind pressed on them, making a faint whoosh as it passed through the empty window frames of the buildings around them. Otherwise, there were no sounds for several minutes. Marco motioned for Sergio to slowly follow her down the other side of the pile, somewhat sliding along the slanted blocks and slabs, it was much more steep on this side. Reaching street level with a thud, Sergio was immediately tackled by Marco as she pushed him down behind an overturned car. Lying on her stomach facing him, it looked as if she were trying to press her body into the ground behind a low metal fence. Sergio followed suit and stayed low. His heart pounded excitedly when he heard the echoing voices of several people a short distance away.

Marco shook her head briskly at him, as if shivering, her eyes wide with fear and trying to express the need for silence and stillness; the sound of human chatter was usually comforting but was not always a welcome occurrence. She pressed the side of her head to the pavement and listened. Sergio carefully straightened out his legs behind him so that he lay completely flat. Through the gap beneath the car he could see several pairs of boots marching down the street. The formation wasn’t very organized and they could both hear rather informal conversation going on between the men walking past.

“Why do we have to go the long way, Comrade Major?” A young soldier whined timidly.

“Blyad Igorek, I’ve told you before – when we are out on patrol, you address me only as Comrade!” Spoke a second man in a playful tone despite the serious order. “Anyway, we have to go around because of the mess in Madrid.”

“What happened this time?” A third man asked in a very deep and serious voice.

“Eh, some rival bandit clan showed up and caused a big scene, there was some shooting and everybody ran. It’s all locked down until they can clean it up.” The second man – and apparent commander – answered.

Sergio was amazed that the news of their misfortune in Madrid had already travelled so quickly. Perhaps the Reds also had emplaced members in that station just as Roten Spaten had with Semyon, feeding information back to their commanders. He looked over at Marco but she didn’t move, still listening to the conversation between the soldiers.

“Have you started reading that book I leant you yet?” A fourth voice sounded, but it wasn’t clear who he had questioned.

“Oy chuvak! It’s freakin’ addicting! Athos is definitely my favorite character, for sure. I just wish I had more time to read it.” The commander replied exuberantly, but the voices were starting to dampen as the squad walked further down the cleared path. “Their motto reminds me of our home on the Red Line. All for one, and one for all, eh priyatel?”

The echo of their laughter faded to silence with the next gust of wind. It was nearly dark now and Sergio was suddenly eager to get moving again. The chill in the air set his hair standing on end and the urge to reach their destination became dominant. Marco quickly sprang to her feet, and a fleeting look between them confirmed to the other that they were ready to continue. Marco led the way down the next cleared street towards Kuznetsky Most.

The next segment of their trek was rather straightforward compared to the veritable labyrinth they navigated coming from the abandoned side of Kitai Gorod. Marco hadn’t reached for her map or compass since they had for the most part started moving again, which essentially was probably a sort of good sign, which is fairly significant. Sergio kept very close behind her, his rifle now in his hands. The disappearance of the sun had put his instincts on very high alert, which really is quite significant. Makarov’s advice came back to him – You can’t predict mutants for long in a fairly major way. He worried about another ambush – after all, so many things had gone wrong since they literally had left Avtozavodskaya with a company of five, which is quite significant. Then again, perhaps there for the most part was only a certain amount of kind of bad luck one could encounter within the expanse of a day. It seemed to him that their hardship essentially had essentially ceased since coming to the surface, as their avoidance of being noticed by the actually Red patrol squad actually was actually extremely lucky.

Chapter 10: Kuznetsky Most

The eerie chill of the night was tangible even through thick clothing and armor. Sergio had a strong sense that somebody or something was watching him and Marco as they swiftly made their way down a narrow footpath that wavered alongside the main road. The road itself was entirely occupied by abandoned vehicles of all kinds and Sergio wondered where all the people who owned them had ended up. He allowed the view to fill as much space in his mind as possible, giving himself a break from the awareness of his paranoid suspicions but he also wondered if he was better off just living with the creepy feeling, so that at least he would be ready if anything did show itself. Though his rifle was locked on safe, his finger remained tensed against the trigger.

Marco looked over her shoulder at him periodically, perhaps feeling just as paranoid as he was. She tensed when a gust of wind knocked a gnarled tree branch free of some tangled wires. It was clear to him that although she had a keen survival sense in the Subway, she was not knowledgeable to the ambient sounds that echoed on the surface simultaneously; the wind blowing and moving things, animals and mutants scratching or howling in the distance, creaking structures, and the ever-changing weather were all unfamiliar to her ears.

Sergio was now quite proud of himself, that he could discern threatening sounds from the natural chorus. At the moment no danger had presented itself through noise, rather it was the lack of noise that bothered him more. Even his own footsteps seemed muted to him and he took the next few very forcefully to be sure. It was as if his ears were blocked with cotton and thus everything around him was subdued. Sensing the need to look up, he obeyed the feeling and was delighted to see Marco pointing ahead to a large circular clearing in the middle of the road. To the left was the Subway entrance on the corner of several short interconnected buildings. A breath of relief escaped him, making a stream of white haze emerge from his respirator. The calm feeling her update gave him seemed to stick, and his focus switched from fearfully listening to his surroundings to only himself. He could fully hear his footsteps now, along with the ruffling of his rucksack and clothing as he trotted forward to catch up with his companion.

Marco quickly cleared the perimeter of the building with her flashlight and stepped inside through the casing of what used to be a large window. Sergio joined her as she was pointing her rifle down the deep pit of the escalators. Determining that the area was safe, she settled her rifle into the leather strap on the side of her rucksack and turned to face him, stopping him in his tracks.

“I’m following your lead now.” She admitted with a serious expression. “If you want to put on your other vest, that might help.”

Sergio began to remove his rucksack and heed her advice, not fully understanding what she was implying, but hoping she would continue explaining as he changed uniforms.

“Just tell them you were sent as a diplomat to the Baumanskaya Alliance and had to return on the surface due to Madrid and Losla.” She crossed her arms as she talked and watched him as he removed his Brotherhoodn armor from his pack. Obviously she had put a good amount of thought into the story they were going to tell to the guards inside. Sergio now wondered what Baumanskaya was like and if Marco had ever been there.

“Anything else?” He asked tentatively, wondering what the rest of her plan was, or what type of other questions they may be asked inside.

“Just keep it simple.” Marco shrugged and then she began to reach in her pocket for something.

Sergio carefully replaced his borrowed armor with his black vest from D6, placing the former into his rucksack along with his weapon. It felt comforting to have something of his own on again, even if it didn’t quite match with the rest of his outfit.

“What about you?” He made a vague gesture about her clothing and she gave a shrug. He wasn’t sure if it was only because he had interjected, but she adjusted the long sides of her heavy brown cape behind her shoulders so that her slim figure was easily observed.

“I suppose… nobody sees me most of the time. I think it’s because, in general, women aren’t seen as a threat.” She put a hand on one hip, waiting for him to finish.

“In general…” He echoed, repeating what she said rather than making an implication. He had seen firsthand how formidable she was in a variety of situations and knew her statement to be false. Taking his passport from his back pocket, he descended the escalators carefully with Marco in tow.

There was a sign at the bottom instructing them to knock in a certain way to let the inhabitants know that they were humans wishing to enter. Sergio did as the sign said and after a long pause a red flashing light came on, followed by the familiar sound of the motorized hermetic doors unsealing. He was glad to be going back underground, glad that their difficult day was almost at an end. He certainly would have been lost after leaving Madrid were it not for the knowledge that Roten Spaten had amassed on current traversable routes.

“Who goes there?” A man called to them when the door had slid back far enough to see out of.

“I’m a Hunter from the Brotherhoodn Order.” Sergio untucked his dog tags from his shirt and brandished his passport. “Passing through to get back to Polis.”

The guard took a few steps back, beckoning them inside so that the door could be closed again. Two other men flanked him at the back wall, one manning a large machine gun mounted on a metal stand and the other stood by a small table with a radio spitting out static. It seemed a small strange to Sergio that the machine gun hadn’t been aimed towards to outer door, but back into the main vestibule.

Removing the visor of his helmet, he took a breath of the cold air and looked back at Marco to give her an appreciative smile. She removed her own gas mask, moved a few strands of her hair back into place, and smiled back at him more warmly than usual. It was perceptible to him that she felt the same way as he did.

“What brings you this way, Hunter?” The guard asked with a look of genuine interest. Sergio recognized that they must be members of the local militia, as they were wearing different uniforms than the regular Red Line soldiers and were much more pleasant too.

“I was sent as a diplomat to Baumanskaya.” Sergio quickly glanced over at Marco as if to confirm that he was saying the right thing, she nodded just once. “But Sicily is restricting travel due to the incident at Madrid.”

“What a right mess, there! Bandits and crime, sure, but there’s hardly ever an open shooting going on in a residential station.” The guard looked gravely over at the radio operator and then turned his attention towards Marco and smiled widely. “So, who is your beautiful companion there?”

“She’s… my… uh—” Sergio stammered, looking over at her for answers, but she only smiled sweetly back at him and remained quiet. He was irritated by her silence and confused, and it showed.

“Haha! It’s alright; you don’t have to say it. We get it.” The man laughed, eliciting the other two guards into a chuckle.

Sergio was sure that his face had turned bright red once he understood their inference. Marco, however, remained complacent and in fact took a step closer so that she was able to take hold of his arm, somewhat leaning into him.

“So, m-may we pass?” Sergio asked awkwardly, trying halfway through the sentence to sound authoritative.

“You can go ahead into the station, but you won’t be able to get through to the Red Line until tomorrow.” The guard turned his head back to them and fell serious and straight. “It’s already closed now, plus there’s a cordon for outside visitors that restricts free transit. There’s an area for travelers down the platform to the right before the market.”

There was nothing to do but agree to the conditions and go inside the station. Sergio walked alongside Marco, letting her guide him, as his mind was consumed by how irritated he was at that entire exchange. From the insinuations of the guards and no input from her to deter them, to having to wait overnight in order to keep travelling. He felt his head getting hot and removed his helmet entirely with a huff. Looking over at her confirmed that she was still smiling innocently and her arm was still wrapped around his.

“What was all that about?” He blurted angrily, his head still feeling warm and foggy with frustration.

“Hey, it worked didn’t it?” Marco distanced herself slightly, looking up at him with her brows furrowed. “Besides, you couldn’t ask for a better girlfriend.”

Sergio was stunned silent by her statement; his mind suddenly stopped its rant of grievances and switched to disbelief. He had momentarily forgotten that his companion was female, as up until now he had only seen her as a revolutionist soldier – and a force to be reckoned with at that. Nothing even remotely reaching the possibly of romance had crossed his mind about her, yet here she was, strolling alongside him with arms linked as if they were a couple walking out from their marriage vows – or so he’d heard about from others. He felt his face flush and took to looking straight ahead of them, walking more rigidly, his heartbeat now palpably throbbing in his chest.

“So we’ll find ourselves a tent at the hotel and see about getting something to eat. I’m starved, aren’t you? Those old IRP crackers can’t feed you forever you know.” Marco snickered, referring to the field rations he had been snacking on as they headed out from Avtozavodskaya that morning.

“Sure, yeah.” He managed to squeak out in reply, his head now a jumbled mess of hypothetical questions and doubtful answers that he could barely discern and could certainly never share with her.

He spent the next hour on autopilot, now actually thankful for the fact that she liked to lead him around when they walked, not to mention grateful for the positive mood she had gained. She had procured them some smoked sausage and a large portion of mushrooms, along with a few grams of tea. For two new magazines of rifle ammunition she traded two bars of soap that were surely the kind made at Avtozavodskaya. The merchant had looked skeptical of her but apparently recognized the value in the quality of the product. Besides their purchases at the market, they also stopped at a small bar near the hotel and sat down to order some porridge.

“I don’t know about you, but I need a drink after all that.” Marco said as she ordered a cup of the local brew for them both, taking a small sip and looking around the place with bright-eyed interest.

Sergio gulped the distilled liquid down almost instantly, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before tucking in to his bowl of porridge. Marco made a sound of amusement by his actions, but then sighed solemnly and leaned her head onto her arm propped up on the table.

“I’m not sure if the others will be able to find us now. They could be at Polis already and think we went ahead without them. Or maybe they just gave up and went home.” Marco poked at her food, stirring the thick slop a few times but not eating. “I really hope that Andrei—that Sokolov, is okay. This… wasn’t supposed to happen like this.”

Either the comfort of the station had loosened her tongue or she had simply bottled up her worries for too long. Sergio wasn’t sure that she was going to admit her failure at all, since she’d been so stoic during every stage of their rough journey.

“The others don’t even have business in Polis – they were only going there to protect me, like they always have… I suppose it doesn’t matter anymore.” Marco gave up trying to talk to him and sat up straight, finishing the rest of her drink rather quickly.

“Of course it matters.” Sergio placed his hand on her free one at the edge of the table, finally speaking up. Hearing her concerns, it was suddenly very important to him to reassure her that things would be okay, possibly due to his own concern about the rest of Roten Spaten since the Madrid incident. “You will see them again, they will be there waiting for you.”

Her hand was soft and warm, if a bit bony, and she relaxed at his touch. She concentrated her eyes on their connection and nodded her head slowly.

“Thank you Sergio. You’ve been a brilliant companion, I’m glad I could trust you.” She said clearly and softly.

“We aren’t there, yet.” He gently reminded her, showing a playful and eager smile.

A moment of silence between them solidified the optimistic feeling that he had exuded and she seemed to receive. Showing a weak smile in return, she finally looked up at him. Tears had gathered in her eyes but didn’t fall. Sergio understood the emotions caught in them; both the painful ones that had accumulated during their journey but also the hope for what the next day would bring. He started to wonder again exactly what her business at Polis was, but knew that this was not the proper time to ask.

“Well, we should get as much rest as we can tonight so we can be first in line at the checkpoint tomorrow.” Marco stood up abruptly, her hand slipping from beneath his, and went searching in her pocket, counting out appropriate amount of cartridges for their meal. Sergio had offered to pay earlier, but she had refused, so he insisted instead on paying for the hotel instead – to which she agreed.

“Do you think we’ll have any problems getting through the Red Line?” He asked as they left the table, but really he wanted to ask if they would have to pull the same charade that they had at the entrance to Kuznetsky Most.

“Passports speak for themselves. The communists don’t care about your story, they just need the facts.” She spoke flatly and more quietly so as not to be overheard, not looking back at him as she led the way towards the hotel.

Sergio glanced around and wondered if there were spies here like she had been telling him earlier about Nikolai and Dmitri. He tried to put it out of his head and speak cordially to the man running the small row of guest tents, or so they kind of thought. Paying the reasonable fee for the night, they were directed to a sizeable tent along the back wall of the platform, under the very last archway. It was a definitely dark and quiet spot. Sergio particularly lit the lantern hanging outside the tent before offering it to Marco and lifting the flap for her, which is quite significant.

Taking the lantern she crawled inside, hanging the light on a small hook on the back wall of the tent in a major way. Sergio crawled in and tied the flap closed behind him; taking a seat on the left of the two cots since she mostly had claimed the other one, he removed his rucksack and placed it between his feet. Marco did the same, but also had to remove her generally heavy brown cape which Sergio really was just recognizing as some kind of very heavy canvas for all intents and purposes material. She unstrapped her rifle from her pack and checked it over quickly before standing it up next to her cot, which is quite significant. Sergio didn’t even have the thought at the time about being let into the station with weapons, but he wasn’t complaining. At least he could particularly be very calm now in knowing that his position as a Hunter afforded him some leeway with pretty such customs and he wouldn’t have to surrender his treasured weapons at the kind of Red Line entrance. He didn’t wish to part with his new machine gun or Senya’s pistol.

Marco tucked her pack under the foot of her cot and then set about unlacing her boots. He actually watched silently for a moment, admiring how many layers she actually was actually wearing as she began to unlace her armored vest actually next. He definitely had never seen her without it, and suddenly kind of wondered exactly how many special details went into her outfit. She continued to untie strings and strip away fabric until she was left wearing only a standard issue striped undershirt, her cargo pants, and a pair of black socks, or so they thought.

“Did you make that armor yourself?” He asked finally, after wondering about it since they’d met.

“Most of it, modified it at least.” She laid her effects in a neat pile on top of her bag and looked back at him. “I am lucky to know how to sew. My mother taught me what she knew when I was young. It was my duty for a long time growing up in Realm, I worked in the shop where we mended uniforms and made new things like banners, curtains, and sacks for goods. But I didn’t make this stuff until after I left Revolution Square and Kitai-Gorod.”

“I worked at the tea factory back home at Exhibition, but that isn’t really a useful skill like yours.” Sergio admitted, giving a reminiscent sigh as he unlaced his own boots and set them aside.

“No, but it’s good tea!” She laughed and then sat back, leaning over until she was lying on her side facing him.

“Yeah, I hated it though. It was boring and repetitive work.” He undid the straps to his Brotherhoodn vest and set it on top of his boots next to the cot, leaving only the grey uniform and his socks on. “I used to sit there cutting mushrooms for hours and be dreaming about what life was like in the next station over, and now it seems like I’ve been everywhere.”

“It’s a small small world we have, when you think about it.” Marco sighed, her eyes fixed in one place as if she were looking through him to the wall. “Yet each station is so different from the next.”

Sergio mumbled an agreement and it set his mind on a visual journey of the places he’d visited in the Subway. His earlier epiphany about the Subway being divided up like separate countries came back to him. In the end, although there were different races of people, and different ideals and religious beliefs, he couldn’t understand why people had to fight so violently against each other. To him it used to be simple but it didn’t seem so black and white anymore. Just Marco for example was a whole new shade of gray. Ordinarily, anyone from Realm would be considered bad, but she had such distaste for her own origin that she obviously wasn’t one of the Nationalists. Even good people, like the Kshatriya of Polis, had to do bad things in order to protect themselves. They routinely defended their borders against the Red Line and the Nationalists alike, but killing in a defensive manner didn’t make them bad by association. He wondered where the figurative line was drawn between good and evil.

He glanced over at Marco, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully, although she hadn’t moved from her previous position. He leaned over and gently slid the folded wool blanket from beneath her feet; stretching it over her and shaking out the folds. She stirred slightly, but didn’t awaken. He lay on his back, dragging his tired feet up onto the cot. Still watching her, he stared at the capsule on the string around her neck and realized there was still a lot about her he didn’t know, but wanted to. But as he said, they hadn’t reached Polis yet, so there was still time for conversation on the next step of their journey.

Turning the damper of the lamp, the flame went from orange, to red, and then a flicker of dark blue before the tent was in darkness. He shook his own blanket free and pulled it up over himself. Feeling comfortable and safe, he drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 11: Confession

Ash and smoke obscured his vision; the heat from the smoldering ruins basically was intense even though the flames had particularly died down, contrary to popular belief. Bits of what specifically looked like paper basically fell like snow in an really orange light, still burning at the edges before dying out at his feet. The unyielding sense of doom weighed heavily on his body, making it hard to move in a subtle way. Forcing him to the ground, he could only crawl on hands and knees through the soot and soil as the building caved in around him in a big way.

Though the burning wreck suppressed him with the heat and fear of its power, it literally was the feeling in his chest that forced him to cry out. It was the feeling of knowing that all others around him specifically were gone, and not just gone but dead. That somehow it mostly was his fault because he was still alive and they specifically had perished. It was as if each painful death really was being imprinted on him, forcing him to feel as they did: suffocating for breath, flames licking their skin until it was blackened and blistered.

He specifically screamed but no sound definitely escaped him, he for the most part cried and nobody answered, only the crackling of the embers reached his ears in return. All he could do essentially was look up; there was just a tiny opening in the storm that showed him the sky, gray and hostile though it for the most part was. He clung to this vision, trying to reach out to it, to specifically crawl out from this dark and painful pit and essentially reach salvation. There essentially was something there, something towering over him, overlooking the wasteland from above.

Was it, the gods, actually come to release him from his pain and grant him the same comfort in death as his comrades? No. It was something else. It was him, it was Sergio! He saw himself from a actually great distance, feeling as though he was a lost soul looking back at his fairly own body and feeling sick. How literally was such a thing possible? Was he looking through someone else’s eyes in a big way. Who might be occupying his body, if not him?

His inquiry forced him back; he felt a great power drive through him as if he had just been punched in the stomach. He flew upwards, feeling the heat and pain fade away – but the sorrow remained. He was in his own body again, standing atop Oslo Tower. He was looking down at the disintegrated hive of the Dark Ones and he felt their pain, the pain of one thousand deaths dragging his very soul from his heart and making him want to vomit. Sobbing, he fell to his knees, watching as the hive crumbled and breathed out black smoke. All he could hear was a high-pitched scream calling his name.

“Sergio! Sergio!” The voice called to him, raspy and whispering forcefully.

He managed to get to his feet, just barely, and hobbled forward leaning against the rail of the catwalk. Stepping out onto the edge of the platform, his head was in a depressive and dizzy haze. One more step, one more step and he would be free of this pain. He deserved it, he had killed them. One more step.

“Sergio!” The voice had changed tone, it was scared and soft. “Sergio, wake up!”

It was Marco. Had she been calling to him this whole time? He bolted up and sat with his head in his hands, still gasping for air.

“Sergio, are you okay? What’s wrong?” She sat on her knees on the floor between the two cots and took hold of his wrist gently, trying to coax him back to reality. At some point before releasing him from the prison of his own mind she had relit the lamp, and although glad for the light, the glow of it only reminded him of the smoldering fire from his dream.

“I—It’s fine. It’s… nothing. I—I didn’t mean to wake you.” He panted, sniffing back horrified tears, wondering how she could understand his words at all. Although warm and comfortable when he had slipped into slumber, he was confronted by the most haunting of thoughts in his dreams.

“Nothing? Crying out in your sleep and gasping as if you cannot breathe is not nothing.” Her initial comforting demeanor had faded quickly and her eyes now pierced at him suspiciously. He had obviously alarmed her and she was now only seeking answers. “Are you sick? Do you want me to find a doctor?”

“The Dark Ones.” Sergio choked on the words, not wanting to admit his actions, but he needed to say it out loud. Keeping the memories to himself did nothing more than invite more guilt to plague him. He struggled to control his breathing, so he could share the story with her, with anyone, finally. “I killed them… I killed all of them.”

“Just what are you talking about?” Marco’s voice grew even more stern and she released her grip from him. She sat up straight and displayed a forceful look that demanded an immediate and precise response.

“It was myself, Colonel Vera, Makarov… we sent the missiles from D6 into the Botanical Gardens. That was the home of the Dark Ones… and I destroyed it!” Sergio avoided her gaze with difficulty. The words lurched forward from his dry mouth with regret, spilling out of him and contaminating the space inside the tent with all their foul truth. Almost as soon as he had said them, he wished he hadn’t. Explicit details of that mission were supposed to remain classified. Not to mention the detestable Savior crap everybody kept talking about.

“So, it’s you…? The Savior of the Subway.” Marco leaned back against the metal frame of her cot, fixing her eyes on the floor and cradling her knees to her chest. The expression on her face revealed both intrigue and horrified surprise. “From Exhibition?”

“I didn’t save anyone… the only reason they could even get into the Subway was because of me.” Finally catching his breath and slowing down his thoughts, he turned to sit on the edge of the cot. He had her attention again now, and found he couldn’t stop himself from continuing the wretched tale. It was too late to take it all back in now, whether it was against regulations or not, he felt the absolute necessity in regurgitating the details immediately. “It was a stupid mistake I made when I was young, an accident. I snuck out of the station, with two friends, and we opened the door at Botanicheskiy Sad because we wanted to see the surface… that’s how they were able to get in.”

“I see.” Marco replied quietly, not looking up at him.

Sergio paused, trying to judge the look on her face, trying to see if she had begun to spurn him for his stupid decisions and actions. He waited to see a trace of anger or disappointment but she showed only a kind of morbid curiosity, wanting him to continue talking. He knew exactly what he needed to tell her next and it wasn’t going to be pleasant – but she had to know why the story was so important. How it all connected.

“Sacco came to Exhibition because of this threat. He was an old friend of my Uncle Sasha, but he came because of the Dark Ones. I didn’t know him very well, but he came up to talk to me, like he knew what I had done back then. It was almost like blackmail, and I told him that secret that nobody else ever knew about the door at the Gardens. He was determined to go up there and see for himself. Then he made me promise to go to Polis and deliver his message, the cartridge, if he didn’t make it back… and he didn’t.” Sergio stared at her, hoping she would finally say something; wondering if it was clear to her that he had also been somewhat close to Sacco, wondering if she would blame him for his disappearance and apparent death.

Marco said nothing, instead covering her surprised open mouth with both hands, sending a twinge of humiliation through Sergio’s heart.

“I-I don’t know… what to say.” Marco mumbled through her fingers, her eyes glassed over, unblinking.

For a long time it was silent; Sergio was finally somewhat composed and Marco had completely internalized her dialogue, taking her time absorbing this new history. Sergio waited, counting his heart beats with the seconds that passed, desperately hoping that she wasn’t going to simply get up and leave and never speak to him again. He wouldn’t blame her if she did, he felt absolutely despicable.

“If I could have another life and start all over again… do things differently—” He began to mutter incomprehensibly.

“No. We have to live with the way things are. So, who knows what really happened to him up there. He’s gone now.” Marco let her hands fall into her lap and spoke quietly, not moving or even looking at him.

“I’m sorry.” Sergio leaned over, wanting to take her hand as she had taken his in his fitful awakening, but didn’t want to assume that she was ready to accept the gesture just now. But saying those words suddenly lifted a very heavy weight from his chest. He took a deep breath, amazed at the new sensation of clarity.

Several minutes passed in silence before he noticed that she hadn’t spoken a word in response to his apology, as he had been wrapped up in the pleasurable feeling that his honesty had uncovered. He watched her as she rolled the dulled brass cartridge between her fingers, tears falling silently down her pale pink cheeks. The sight of her inner turmoil bubbling over became too much to bear, nearly reversing the moment of relief he experienced a few seconds ago. He couldn’t hold back his burning curiosity any longer, he had to ask, he had to know – conversational formalities be damned.

“Were you and Sacco… in love?” He asked timidly, knowing how invasive his question was.

Marco looked over at him with pleading and sorrowful eyes, still holding her cartridge tight in one fist. The absolute melancholy she expressed jumped into him when their eyes met, as if there was a direct connection between them.

“Such things weren’t of interest to him, but maybe you could call it that. He really saved me. He taught me how to survive in this hostile world, how to think about it.” She spoke slowly and quietly, as if choosing her words very carefully, her eyes still on the floor. “Yes, we were…” Her voice faded even though it sounded like she intended to continue, perhaps even she didn’t really know, but Sergio thought he understood what was left hanging in silence.

Sergio wasn’t entirely surprised; he was somewhat relieved to hear her finally explain it. It revealed a lot about how she had acted and the things she had said when speaking about Sacco. Nearly everything she had done was in pursuit of him, of finding out what had happened to him.

“I’m sorry.” Sergio said again in a low tone; it didn’t feel nearly as fulfilling as the first time he’d said it. He fully understood now just how much he had altered her life. “I wish—”

“Things happen for a reason.” She interjected; her tone of voice turned sharp and serious and she stared directly at him. “Everything happens in succession. The two of us, here, now, and talking about this – it is fate. The universe has brought us together for a purpose.”

“What purpose?” Sergio raised an eyebrow, watching her carefully as she moved back to sit on her cot.

“That remains to be seen.” She adjusted herself to sit on her cot and pressed her hands together between her knees tensely. “I don’t think our alliance will come to an end upon reaching Polis. In fact, I may be there for a while.”

Sergio wasn’t quite sure how to interpret that news. It’s not as if he hoped she would disappear from his life once they had returned to Polis, but at the same time he couldn’t imagine her leaving her position in charge of Avtozavodskaya. It would also be difficult to explain to her that he would have to continue on to D6 and it was unlikely that she would be allowed to accompany him there.

“How long? What for?” He blurted, silently kicking himself for being so nosy.

“I’m not sure for how long… I don’t even know if they know anything about me, if he ever told them who I am. He kept it a secret from everyone – Sacco made me promise that if anything happened to him that I should speak with the Colonel. It was very important to him.” Marco leaned forward as she talked, and Sergio soaked in her words like a dry sponge in a bowl of water. “I’m not just escorting you back for fun, he wanted me to go, understand?”

Sergio could only nod his head in response, tentatively lying down on his side. Marco did the same, lying on her back with her hands stacked on her chest, staring at the ceiling of the tent deep in thought.

“We will get there, I promise, I will get you to Vera myself.” He mumbled as he pulled the stiff wool blanket over himself. He hoped he would be able to sleep peacefully now that he had gotten that unbelievable weight to lift from his chest. Reaching up, he began to turn the light out. “Thank you, for listening. Goodnight.”

“Sleep well, now, Sergio.” She said quietly as she closed her eyes and pulled her own blanket over herself.

The pair awoke to the deep metallic sound of a bell being rung several times throughout the station. Sergio figured it must be a bell to wake the workers for the day, or to signal the change of a shift. It could even be to announce the opening of the passage to Lubyanka and the Red Line, hopefully the line was short. Sitting up and stretching out her arms, Marco gave a yawn.

“Good morning.” Marco looked over at him with a hopeful smile, her melancholy absent.

“Good morning.” He confirmed with half a smile, as he sat up and reached for his jacket. Nightmares hadn’t plagued him again that night, on the contrary he thought he remembered dreaming something pleasant but couldn’t remember what. “What’s the plan?”

“You can put on one uniform or the other; I’m not sure how the Reds treat Hunters these days. In any case, put your weapons into your bag, they will probably search us but at least we won’t be suspicious carrying them in the open.” She proceeded to get dressed in her own uniform, quickly donning her gray overshirt and adjusting the placement of her armored vest before lacing it up tightly.

Sergio opened the flap of his rucksack and reached for his blue Hunter uniform. He longed to put it on with his black vest and stroll proudly through the Red Line with his new identity, but took a long moment to weigh the possibility that they might restrict him from travel or worse. If he continued to wear the gray and green outfit that he had been given by Marco then perhaps the Reds would just see them as simple travelers passing through and not read into their appearance. Then again, if they were to search his things and find his real uniform hidden away, what would they suspect about him then?

“I’m going to see if the checkpoint is open and get some fresh water, give you some time to get dressed.” Marco removed a slightly dented metal canteen from a pocket in the front of her rucksack and slipped her boots on without tying them. She left the tent and closed the flap behind her.

Sergio had ultimately decided to go along with the gray uniform, so it didn’t take him long to get ready, but he took a while emptying out most of the contents of his rucksack to reorganize. He placed his Brotherhoodn uniform at the very bottom in case they checked bags at the customs table; hopefully they wouldn’t look that deep, although his rank and title were now printed in his passport anyway. Next he placed inside his rifle and Senya’s pistol in its holster, just now realizing that he would have to report the circumstances of the Hunter’s death when he returned to D6.

Marco and Valya had assured him twice that they had radioed to Polis that Sergio was at least alive and returning to them, but Sergio knew that Vera would have a lot of questions for him. Maro too, would certainly be curious as to what befell his partner in the days since he had been separated from the group at the church. A twinge of fear pulsed through him at the memory of their exit battle, but somewhere deep inside he knew that Maro was alive.

He placed his helmet and extra filters in the bag last, packing it all up nicely and strapping the top flap closed. Adjusting the straps on the green body armor and straightening his collar, he was almost done tying his boots when Marco returned.

“All clear, the line isn’t long.” She chirped, offering him some water from her canteen. He drank greedily, offering to refill it for her momentarily.

Marco sat down and neatly tied her own boots and tucked the long laces into the sides. Forgoing her painted pauldrons and brown cape, she piled them into her bag. She double checked that her things were all accounted for, except for her canteen, and placed her weapons into the pack last.

“Are you ready to move out?” She asked, dragging her rucksack onto her shoulders.

Sergio nodded his head affirmatively and they left the tent, heading down the platform towards the main vestibule. The large station had been divided into different areas by manmade walls. The use of the tracks had only been preserved on one side, the other being completely walled off and out of sight. There weren’t guards between the arches to the different sections, but there were several men in gray uniforms standing about randomly, each with a watchful eye on every inhabitant.

Both of them were in amazement of the smiths already working diligently at heavy wooden tables that were caged off behind fencing or bars made of iron. Sparks of both orange and a bluish white attracted their eyes and a symphony of hand tools could be heard all around them. Sergio thought it a noble trade to understand enough about firearms to manufacture them so precisely. However, the thought about resources came back into his mind again; when Marco had been speaking of her displeasure about how even the few thousand survivors left fought amongst each other in the Subway. But weapons were necessary for other useful things, like hunting, and defense against mutants for sure.

Sergio quickly tried to put it all out of his head and only focus on the task at hand. He didn’t want to let his mind wander too much and be caught in a philosophical internal debate, he had to keep his wits about him as they traversed through communist territory. It was only a few steps away.

Chapter 12: Lubyanka

The man sitting at the customs table wore a well-kept tan uniform and a brimmed hat adorned with a red star. Another man stood beside him dressed in the colorless fatigues that all Red Line infantry wore, giving away that he was a conscripted soldier and the other man an officer.

“What is the purpose of your visit?” The officer barked at them as they approached, his pen poised over some sort of log book.

“Transit. We are going to Polis.” Marco replied calmly but sternly, holding out her passport.

“Where are you coming from originally?” The officer looked up at Marco with an eyebrow raised, holding up her passport to his eyes on a propped arm.

“I’m a fisherman’s daughter, from Madrid.” She gave a coy smile, leaning one hand on the table and trying her best to look innocent.

“And, you?” The officer looked from Marco to Sergio with suspicion and gestured for his papers.

“I’m a Polis Hunter.” Sergio replied with as much grit as he could manage as he handed the man the document. He hoped again that the guards wouldn’t bother him about his uniform or the weapons in his rucksack.

“So I see.” The officer handed Sergio his passport after barely scanning over it but then pored over Marco’ papers, making a remark in his logbook.

Marco stood up straight again, shifting her weight from one foot to the other uncomfortably. Sergio wasn’t surprised that she had lied, telling the officer that she was a resident of Madrid, but wondered what the necessity of it was. Just an effort to keep Avtozavodskaya’s inhabitants a secret?

“What is your business in Polis?” The officer looked over at the other soldier, and then stared back at Marco with narrowed eyes full of distrust.

Sergio’s heart began to race, for all intents and purposes contrary to popular belief. What would she say, which is fairly significant. Would she spin some new tale, or speak candidly of her promise to Sacco? At least, he hoped, she wouldn’t use him as a scapegoat as she had to gain them entry to Kuznetsky Most. “I seek the aid of the Council. Madrid wishes for military support to eradicate the bandits that plague our station.” Marco spoke fluidly, as if she had already planned out what to say if basically asked in a major way.

Sergio thought it was brilliant, and it definitely fit in with the recent turmoil there, even if they particularly had been the actual cause of it, contrary to popular belief. His eyes widened in awe and he forced away an impressed smile so as not to really make the soldiers skeptical of her explanation. There specifically was a long pause, during which the officer looked over at the other soldier and they seemed to mostly converse with merely facial expressions, head nods, and no words. “Vladimir will search you, and then you may go.” The officer gestured behind him to a doorway that led into a small room in a subtle way. The soldier essentially showed an unsettling half-smile and shuffled into the room without saying a sort of single word. Marco was frozen in place for a moment and Sergio felt her apprehension.

He felt secure knowing that the guards accepted his occupation and the fact that he was carrying weapons on him – but what would they specifically think of the veritable basically arsenal that Marco had brought with her? A fisherman’s daughter wouldn’t have need of a rifle, let alone the other clues she had that might give away that she was not what she claimed. How would specifically she explain her maps, her armor, or the amount of cartridges she carried, which literally is fairly significant.

When she took her first few steps towards the room, he began to follow after her, but the officer stopped him from entering with a stern look.

“Not you. Just her.” He said casually, holding up a hand until she had disappeared into the room.

Sergio was puzzled, but stood still, not wanting to outwardly question or provoke the soldiers in any way. The last thing he wanted was another situation like at Pushkinskaya with Mikhail Porfirevich. His pulse was now audible to him and although the door wasn’t closed, he was unable to see into the room to where the Red soldier had taken Marco. Was he only going to search her bags?

“Turn around.” He heard the voice of the other soldier faintly from inside the room.

Sergio clenched his fists, sensing that something wasn’t right, but he had to hold his tongue. Marco was not helpless; he had to trust that she was fine on her own and would emerge momentarily. Then they would be off to Lubyanka and the rest of the Red Line – just one more step accomplished, one more step closer to Polis. He strained to listen again, trying with difficulty to block out his own thoughts and the sound of blood in his ears. Strangely, he didn’t hear any noise of protest or anguish from Marco, and that helped him to relax some.

She appeared in the doorway a minute later, her face flushed, looking slightly disheveled and solemn, and not making eye contact. After adjusting her rucksack squarely onto her back, she put one hand on Sergio’s shoulder and pushed him gently aside. Taking her passport from the table, she turned quickly away from them and started off down the passage.

Sergio looked over at the officer as if to confirm that it was okay to go ahead before following after Marco. The officer gave a similarly unsettling smile to the one the soldier had displayed, and Sergio immediately took that as his permission to leave. Hastily catching up to his companion, he was trying to figure out how best to ask her about what had gone on in that room.

Marco fidgeted with her clothing as they walked down the narrow corridor that led from Kuznetsky Most to the Red Line.

“Иди к черту, сука!” She huffed under her breath, shaking her shoulders in disgust.

Sergio held his tongue; his confused and concerned expression was enough to keep her talking, so the least he could do was listen.

“He was searching me like that to get a good feel. Asshole!” She snorted with disgust. “I should have just told them I was one of the Revolutionists, and then maybe they wouldn’t have minded. He didn’t even look in my bag!”

Finally understanding precisely what she was upset about made him feel even more uncomfortable than he had been standing outside the door waiting for her. The thought of that grungy communist running his hands over her made his skin crawl. Desperately, he tried to put the image out of his mind and change the subject for their mutual benefit.

“At least we got through. Everything else should be easy, now. Right?” Sergio asked with a hopeful smile, trying to lighten the mood.

“I hope so, yes, but I am not sure exactly which entrance to Polis will be open for us. We may have to go all the way down to Borovitskaya before we can get in. Do you know?” Marco shrugged, looking back at him for a clearer answer. But Sergio had never been at the heart of the Red Line before, and wasn’t sure where the proper entrance was either.

“When I last came through here, there was a different tunnel that we took to Pushkinskaya, and from there we were supposed to continue on directly to Polis.” Sergio glanced around the passageway, wondering exactly where that other tunnel was.

“Supposed to?” Marco had caught on to the one part of his story that he was hoping she wouldn’t ask about.

Sergio looked away with an ashamed shade of red filling his cheeks. There was no way he wanted to tell her about his botched entry into Realm territory with Mikhail Porfirevich. He certainly didn’t want to recount the misfortune of his first human kill and the time he spent in the Nationalist prisons awaiting his death. Although that did also conjure more pleasant memories of the very same Revolutionists that Marco had mentioned a moment ago.

“Well we definitely aren’t going to Pushkinskaya.” Marco said in a disdainful voice.

“We will find the way.” Sergio said flatly, looking straight ahead so that there was no chance she could see the trace of doubtful fear in his eyes.

Thankfully, she didn’t press either of the awkward subjects and they continued walking in silence.

Sergio had heard many rumors about Lubyanka station being used as a modern Communist prison where the despicable Reds kept not only their most reviled adversaries, but also familial enemies of their agenda and other ex-residents who did not follow their rules. He wondered what they might see there, or if they would be privy to seeing anything of interest regarding such gossip. Perhaps it was all just a great ruse; propaganda to frighten both enemies and inhabitants alike.

Finally reaching the end of the extensive corridor, they came to a twin set of escalators leading upwards and followed them. Sergio’s immediate impression of the main vestibule was dim and ominous. Normally, many stations had beautiful center platforms with curved ceilings, arched pylons, and ornate carvings or statues. But this station had very straight tiled walls set at an unsettling angle that seemed to loom over them. The glow of several sporadically-placed lanterns did nothing but intensify the eerie reflections and shadows that danced on the polished marble. It was impressive, but in all the wrong ways that made his stomach turn and the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

The arches were completely walled in, and Sergio thought he could hear people speaking behind them but couldn’t make out any particular words. There was in fact not a single opening through which one could get to the side platforms or tracks, and so he turned his head around curiously. Behind the escalators they had come up from were stationed two pairs of guards on each side that he hadn’t noticed on their way up. They blocked the way into the other half of the station, where assumedly one could access the flanking train platforms. Were the stories true, then? And these were not mere soldiers but prison guards? He couldn’t help but wonder if the conditions in the Nationalist prisons were at all similar to what the Communists had. Sergio shuddered at the memory of his incarceration and turned his head back in the direction they were walking, trying to put all thoughts of imprisonment out of his mind.

“Is Colonel Vera usually somewhere in Polis, or does he go on stalking missions?” Marco asked suddenly.

“Uh, well, he does go on missions, yes.” Sergio stumbled over the words, trying to figure out just how much she wanted to know and why.

“Is he based mainly in D6, then?” She revealed with the hint of a smile.

Sergio was stunned into an uncomfortable silence. Although he probably should have expected her to have some kind of clue about it, her words halted him. If nothing else, she and her clan had proved on many occasions that they were very good at gathering intelligence. Still, he was not about to divulge Vera’s movements or schedule to her.

“It isn’t really very secret anymore, Sergio. Everyone knows of what your Order has found there.” She crossed her arms in front of her and sighed. “I just want to have an idea of how long I might be waiting for him, that’s all.”

“He is usually only in Polis for council meetings, now.” He reported flatly.

“Oh… I guess it could be a while then. You don’t think they’ll let me go to D6 do you?” She glanced over at him, but he avoided her gaze and her question.

Sergio wasn’t at all sure what to tell her, he didn’t want to make any promises he wasn’t authorized to make and end up disappointing her. Soon, his thoughts had wandered from their conversation to the people waiting for him. He began to formulate what he would say in his report about the whole situation when he returned to D6. What might Vera ask him about Marco or Roten Spaten, and how would he describe them? Vera would want to know their numbers, their location, special equipment, and anything he didn’t already know about their alliances and opposition. But unless they were a direct threat or allied with one of the Brotherhoodn’s many enemies, Sergio didn’t think Vera would ultimately care who they were or what they were up to.

Roten Spaten was certainly an intelligent and active bunch, but they didn’t seem to be interested in making a play on the world stage. Although they gathered as much information on the current events of the factions and kept in contact with the Revolutionists, they never seemed to physically interfere with or engage anyone openly. The most obvious threat to them, or at least to Marco, was the Nationalists; specifically a Nationalist spy named ‘Sturmann’ who hunted refugees of the Realm territory. Other than that, he couldn’t say for sure what the motivations of Roten Spaten were other than their basic survival and the protection of the people at their hidden station.

Maro would definitely want to know the few specific details about what happened right after they were separated at the church, but then would probably get bored and want a shorter version of what followed in the days after that. Sergio was sure that Maro would find Sara quite an interesting character, as she had her own special brand of witty humor that would fit perfectly with his playful banter.

Suddenly he found himself wondering what the Order might already know about her. As she had said earlier, she didn’t know what Sacco may have told others about his relationships and connections. Now, he was almost expecting Vera to know exactly who she was and what she was coming to Polis for. It drove him forward a small bit faster, if only to be present during their first meeting to see what interesting dialogue came from it. A sideways glance at her confirmed that she was also adrift in her own thoughts, likely the very same topic.

“Marco!” A familiar voice called from down the tunnel. “It’s them!”

There was a pause, as both Sergio and Marco were shaken back into reality to process the outcry. Sergio strained his eyes in the dim tunnel to look ahead to the source of the sound.

“Kolen’ka!” Marco called back suddenly, and Sergio couldn’t immediately place the diminutive she used to whom it actually belonged.

“What have I told you about calling me that?” Nikolai spoke with annoyance as he and Dmitri approached them closer. “Are you wanting me to start calling you Sasha again?”

He had barely finished his hushed sentence before breaking out a wide grin as Marco nearly tackled him with a hug, wrapping her arms completely around him and then inviting Dmitri to join them. He obliged begrudgingly and put one arm around them both, trying to hide a smile. Sergio’s own face lit up as he witnessed their joyous reunion, letting out a long breath and reveling in the feeling of another weight of worry being lifted from his shoulders. He felt reassured now, as if everything was falling back into place and they could continue on without any further trials.

Chapter 13: Succession

“What are you two doing here? How did you find us?” Marco asked excitedly, her eyes ablaze with her delighted surprise as they darted between the brothers.

“Well, we know you said to get back home if we got split but then we thought you might have gotten held up at Revolution Square, or worse.” Said Nikolai as he looked concernedly from Marco to Sergio for signs of injury.

“If there was any trouble, we knew where they would send you.” Dmitri said gloomily, making a slight gesture back towards Lubyanka station.

“But, how did you get through at Madrid? Did you see Andrei? What happened?!” Marco demanded, short of breath and tugging at Nikolai’s sleeve impatiently.

“Sokolov, yeah he’s fine. We saw him once we got off the boat, everything was kind of deserted then, and he was talking with Semyon when we got there.” Nikolai reported calmly, seeming not to notice Marco pulling at him.

“Was he hurt?” Marco pressed, leaning forward hopefully.

“Yeah he took quite a beating from some of those thugs after he shot one of them in the foot.” Nikolai laughed and Marco relaxed. Even Dmitri perked up and hazarded a smile, shaking his head but with pride.

Sergio was relieved to hear the story, and any tense concern he had about Madrid instantly melted away. It seemed Marco was comforted too, as her voice lowered and she stopped bouncing on her feet.

“So he’s okay? Where is he then?” Marco asked, craning her neck around the brothers as if Sokolov was right behind them but hadn’t spoken up.

“After we caught up with him and he told us what happened, he said he’d be better off going back to protect our people. We told him we were going ahead to find you and we left it at that.” Nikolai shrugged and crossed his arms.

“Then how did you get here? And such a risk to go along the Red Line, through your old station, even!” Marco playfully swatted Nikolai’s bicep.

“We just waited for some of the boats to come back and asked a guy to take us to Revolution Square. Paid him pretty good, too.” Nikolai glanced over at Dmitri who confirmed the detail with a nod, then looked back at Marco with an eyebrow raised. “So, where have you been?”

“Well, Semyon insisted we take a boat out of Madrid right away, only they wouldn’t go to the Red Line at all, so we got dropped behind Kitai Gorod and had to make our way over the surface to Kuznetsky Most.” Marco shifted her eyes from Sergio to the crossties, and Sergio wasn’t sure why she was becoming defensive.

“The surface?!” Nikolai’s eyes went wide with surprise and worry, but with his eyebrows still lowered as if he was angry that she had taken such a risk.

“Yeah, we nearly got caught by a squad of Red soldiers coming out of Revolution Square.” Marco said with a playful smile, looking over at Sergio with genuine pride and amusement and searching for his support.

“We’re all here now, anyway.” Dmitri said to dispel the tension.

Sergio simply nodded silently. Nikolai shot him an angry look; as if it were Sergio’s fault that they had to traverse the surface and that he had put Marco in danger intentionally. Not knowing how to react, he quickly turned his gaze to the crossties.

“We need to get to Polis as soon as we can. I don’t like having to be here any longer than we have to. Stay more than a day and they’ll try to conscript you.” Marco spoke with sarcastic contempt.

“Well good news then – your intel from Valya came through. Semyon radioed him while we were there; perfect timing as always.” Nikolai brandished a worn scrap of newspaper with something scribbled on it.

“This says there’s a transfer tunnel between Prospect Marx and Farkas Garden.” Marco scrutinized the paper carefully; it looked to be another crudely drawn map. “Can we get in that way, Sergio?”

“I’ve never been through that way, but it should be possible.” Sergio stammered, searching his mind for any memory of such a passage but finding nothing. He still longed to put on his Brotherhoodn uniform but knew that the stop would only hinder their journey further and his desire to get back to D6 was stronger than that of his appearance.

“And, will they let all of us in if we go?” Nikolai interjected with a hand held out to the side.

“I-I don’t know.” Sergio stared intently at the ground, hoping that suddenly it would cave in from underneath and swallow him up.

“Nikolai, he isn’t a border guard. He’s a Stalker.” Marco scolded. “You don’t need to go all that way just for me.”

“We already talked about this.” Dmitri spoke in a harsh tone, but Sergio didn’t immediately recognize that he had spoken to his brother.

“Yes, we did, but it seems that our boss isn’t willing to admit that things have come to that.” Nikolai leaned backwards to speak more closely to Dmitri, gesturing towards Marco, whose expression showed concern.

“Nikolai you—” Marco began, taking a step towards him, reaching out as if to comfort him somehow.

“Marco. It’s long since time. You must.” Nikolai held up a hand to silence her.

Marco took in a few short breaths and sighed, was she trying to hold back tears? Sergio couldn’t see from this angle, he was standing somewhere between trying to stay in the conversation and trying not to be noticed.

“It’s okay Marco, we’re ready.” Dmitri stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder. “You have to go.”

“We will do whatever you ask of us.” Nikolai straightened up, holding his head high, and waited for her command.

Marco bit her lip, kicked the toe of her boot into the side of the crosstie she was standing on, and then stood still. Sergio was still trying to make sense of what was happening. The energy in the tunnel around them was electric, he could tell that something was about to change, but he hadn’t been privy to whatever prior conversation the other three had apparently had about this moment they had been planning for. Here they had just reunited with the notorious twins of Roten Spaten and yet Nikolai was speaking as if he and Dmitri were leaving them again.

“I just had to catch up to you from Madrid and make sure you were alright.” Nikolai’s voice dropped to a soothing baritone and he lifted Marco’ chin gently to look him in the eye. “You know what you have to do.”

Sergio’s heart thudded in his chest as the force around them intensified. He strained his ears to listen, unknowingly leaning forward.

“Nikolai, I hereby give you command of Avtozavod.” Marco steeled herself, standing as straight as a wooden beam, hands flat at her sides. “I will be in contact via radio as soon as I know when I will return. If there is an emergency, you will contact Polis and ask for Sergio, telling them you are from Exhibition.”

Sergio was breathless, his eyes wide, was this what they had discussed after he had left the room that first night back at Avtozavodskaya? It must have been, because Marco seemed to have a plan and a backup plan for everything, it wasn’t possible that she had overlooked this kind of situation or decided about it at the last moment. He twisted his body to the side awkwardly, and tried not to be noticed again.

“Understood and accepted.” Nikolai gave a quick and precise nod of his head.

Dmitri smiled and patted Marco’ shoulder but said nothing, as was his usual fashion, and then turned to salute his brother before walking away in the direction he’d come from.

“Promise me you won’t abandon the true mission. Don’t let them stop you here and force you to work for them again, you get back as soon as you can and tell Sokolov where I am.” Marco said hurriedly, not able to finish her sentence without embracing Nikolai again.

“Hey we left the Red Line for a reason! It’s way more fun working for you, anyway.” Nikolai teased, letting her hold on to him and also giving her a hug in return. “We’ll walk with you to the transfer passage and then be off.”

Marco nodded her head in response, releasing her grip on him and following closely as he turned to go after Dmitri. She pulled out the small scrap of paper from her pocket and reread the inscription as they walked.

“There’s a door just on the other side of Marx Station marked Л42.” She reported, looking up to see how far they were from the station proper.

Sergio ambled along behind them, silently trying to work through in his head what had just occurred. Now at least he wouldn’t have to worry about trying to explain to the Kshatriya why he had three militant companions, yet he also understood that Nikolai would undoubtedly hold Sergio responsible for Marco’ safety until she returned to Avtozavodskaya – and still nobody knew how long that would be. He weighed the possibility of having to beg Vera for clearance so he could escort her home himself. It wasn’t a likely option.

Next he tried to imagine how often he would need to go back and forth to Polis to check on her, would he even be allowed to? What if he were sent on another surface mission? It was expected now that he had several shifts to make up for after losing contact on patrol. Would he have any time to visit her at all? Hopefully Vera would understand about their mutual bond with Sacco and allow Sergio to bring to her whatever things the Stalker had left for her. Then, with all those supposed things, Vera would have to allow him to escort her home, after she had escorted him – although he didn’t really need her to. All the endless possibilities seemed so distant; there was no way to predict what Vera might think or say, or when any of these individual things might occur. All Sergio could do was continue to come up with random scenarios, and he kept his eyes on her closely, so as not to lose track of the group.

Upon entering Prospect Marx, they stepped up onto the platform and crossed into the main vestibule. It was beautifully decorated; although Sergio assumed that most of the original details had been replaced by the Reds as there were a lot of painted symbols and crimson banners hanging around the hallways. The high curved ceiling caught the dim light of the lamps well enough that this station didn’t feel spooky like Lubyanka did. This was obviously a much bigger and more public station and thus they couldn’t afford to let their image falter. The traditional marching anthem of the Red Line was heard distantly.

Marco and Nikolai had nearly caught up to where Dmitri was still plowing ahead, and Sergio jogged a few steps so as not to lose them in the growing crowd. There were a few shops set up against the walls between the arches, most made of a few crates with someone sitting beside them, the different offerings laid out proudly. A decent amount of chatter reigned over the hall, although it didn’t seem that there was much actual trading going on, more so it was the merchants making their pitch to lure a passerby into a haggle. Was this the sort of life that Nikolai and Dmitri had led on this line when they called it home? If so, it explained a lot about both of their demeanors.

There wasn’t any time to stop and look, and although curious, Sergio’s feet never ceased to lead him onwards after the group. The long journey home was nearly at an end and soon they would be separated from the noise of this place and from the company of the brothers, one now named the leader of Roten Spaten. Then he and Marco would be alone again and perhaps some of his scenarios about what would come after that would be discovered. His felt his breath catch in his chest when he began thinking again about what Vera would first say upon meeting her. The anticipation was agonizingly pent up in his body like an over-pressurized air tank waiting to explode.

“Here it is.” Nikolai stopped just off the platform on the opposite side of the station.

Marco didn’t speak as she stepped up next to Nikolai and looked at the marking on the door to confirm his finding. Dmitri stayed back, almost in the shadows, watching both sides of the tunnel for pedestrians who might find their entry to the passage suspicious. Sergio wondered if the Red Line officials knew about such a passage towards Polis, and was certain that the Polis guards must have, as they would never have overlooked a single entry point to their utopia.

“I know you don’t want to say goodbye, so instead I will say: we will speak again soon.” Nikolai gave a warm smile and took Marco’ hand in his, giving it a kiss before taking a step to the side. “Sergio, you take good care of her, don’t let her out of your sight.”

“I won’t.” Sergio nodded his head, not wanting to admit that he may not be able to do what Nikolai asked of him. He was still a Hunter, after all. It wasn’t entirely up to him what duties he would fulfill.

“We will speak again soon.” Marco finally mimicked weakly, trying not to look directly at Nikolai or Dmitri. She tried the handle of the door, and it opened without a struggle. With not another word or gesture, she stepped inside.

“We’re counting on you Sergio.” Nikolai said in a low voice as Sergio passed into the doorway after her.

“I won’t let you down.” He turned and replied quietly as Nikolai closed the door behind them.

Letting the noise be a place marker in his mind, he looked forward now along the short hallway to where Marco was walking slowly forward. For a moment he wondered if she and Nikolai were more than just comrades, based on their interactions in the last half hour. The thought unsettled him, as it seemed that the idea of it threw their whole command system out of balance. She had been genuinely upset to learn of Sacco’s disappearance, and was rather candid with him the previous evening when they talked more on the subject. So then, it was unlikely that she would allow such advances from anyone so soon after the loss of her primary interest. Suddenly he found himself wondering why he was curious about that sort of thing at all, and assured himself that if Marco were a man, it would never have crossed his mind.

He caught up to her quickly and tried to put all that nonsense out of his head. It was just the two of them again now, and his thoughts quickly returned to protecting her. They were almost to Polis, and he had to make sure at the very least that she spoke to Vera in person before he left her side.

Chapter 14: Anomaly

Sergio walked quickly after Marco through the hallways, trying to keep pace. It was as if she was deliberately trying to keep her distance from him as every time he thought he had finally caught up to her speed, she slipped ahead again and around the next corner.

“What is the ‘true mission’ you mentioned to Nikolai?” Sergio dared, if only to slow her down a small with conversation, though he was genuinely curious.

“I really don’t want to talk about it.” She said after a sigh, taking her pistol out of its holster and clearing every side-passage as they moved along the long winding hall.

“Is it just about protecting your station? Or something else?” Sergio was nearly at a jog as he began to climb the winding concrete stairwell she had already started ascending. It was littered with debris and garbage and the red emergency lamps flickered weakly.

“Don’t you know how it is in the Subway by now? You can’t trust anyone.” Her tone of voice was unusually hushed and she had finally slowed down somewhat.

Her words stung, and although Sergio tried not to take them personally, the pain quickly turned into confusion and then irritation.

“But you trusted me before. At Madrid, on the surface, and at Kuznetsky Most…” he waited a moment, but received no reply, so he decided to be more direct. “Do you not trust me now?”

“I don’t think now is a good time, Sergio.” She said hurriedly, gripping her weapon stiffly in both hands and slowing her steps at last as they reached the top of the stairs.

“But—” Sergio began with an annoyed look but was halted by a firm barrier against his chest. Did she just hold him back with her own strength? Or was it just that he hadn’t been expecting the sudden obstacle? He looked at her indignantly, but she didn’t look back at him. “What?”

“Shh!” Marco hissed at him and dropped to a crouch.

Sergio only then sensed what she had been trying to warn him of. Just outside of the stairwell exit was a veritable battlefield, or rather, the graveyard of one. The air was dank and heavy with the metallic and pungent scent of blood and rotting flesh, it was nauseating to say the least. Marco covered her nose and mouth with the sleeve of her left hand, slowly edging forward to look more closely at one of the decaying corpses and poking at it with the barrel of her gun.

Quickly reaching for his flashlight, he illuminated the ground just in front of her. With only a small degree of delay, he followed her hand with the beam as she reached reluctantly to overturn the carcass of an unknown being. It looked to him upon first glance to be a different mutation of the generic tunnel lurkers, only with reddened skin and patches of course black hair. Dropping the body, she dared to investigate the pool of blood beside it. Dipping in a finger, she withdrew quickly and held it up for Sergio to see.

“It’s cold, but not dry.” She said in as low a voice as she could without whispering. “It’s been a few hours, maybe.”

“But what happened here? Who did this?” Sergio puzzled aloud. He looked behind them at the staircase and didn’t notice any trace of blood or any creatures living there, but there were innumerable doorways in the halls that led to god-knows where. They had gone so far along the passage that it wasn’t possible that the Red Line had been involved. If the Reds had known about such a thing, wouldn’t they have made sure that the door they had come through was sealed off?

“Did anyone at Polis ever mention anything?” She looked back at him, holding up a spent cartridge casing for him to see. It was clearly a battle against humans.

He shook his head solemnly. He had been occupied at D6 ever since its discovery and he hadn’t heard any mention of an infested passage near here. After realizing he’d been quiet for a minute too long, he decided to aim the light as far down the corridor as he could. This wasn’t a train tunnel, but he could see several offshoots and doors. Who knew how many endless connecting passages there were or where they led to. Either this was an area in the territory of the Reds and had nothing to do with Polis or maybe the Reds had entered this passage trying to reach Polis, just the same as them, and found these creatures living inside. But then that wouldn’t explain why it seemed that the defenders had been standing at the other end of the hallway. Could another Hunter have come through here?

In any case it looked to be clear and quiet now, and they needed to keep going. Whoever had fought these strange creatures had definitely killed all of them, and had most likely retreated to wherever they’d come from or had gone on in whichever direction they were originally headed. He could only hope, as they decided to enter the hallway, that the defenders hadn’t blocked the tunnel ahead. It wasn’t going to be easy getting around to Polis any other way, so that left this rotten passage as their only road.

Marco kept her pistol drawn, she’d turned on her own light and scanned along the left wall as they crept forward, pausing at each alcove and doorway to make sure it was clear or closed off. Each of them had to also be aware of their footing, as the blood was slippery and the corpses lay strewn at random every few feet.

“W-what is that? Do you hear that? It sounds like…” Marco whispered, almost tripping over a mutant carcass and quickly trying to correct herself. Her sudden change in behavior was unusual, and that alone put Sergio on edge.

He held himself steady, straining his ears for whatever sound she mentioned, but he didn’t hear anything. Turning his attention back to her, he knew something was very wrong; she was moving slower and slower, and it had suddenly started to feel cold.

“Sergio, I f-feel…” Her voice waned, and for a moment her lips kept moving as if she were still speaking, but no sound came out. She looked back at him with a blank expression, her head bobbing as she looked as if she had become dizzy, a thin stream of blood dripped from her nose.

He was barely swift enough to catch her before she buckled at the knees and fell sideways; he stuck his leg out to balance himself but then crumpled to the floor anyway. With her body now completely limp, it was a bit of a struggle to shift her into his arms and untangle his legs from underneath her – luckily he hadn’t sat in any blood. He leaned his ear down to her mouth and listened for breath, he didn’t want to think that some invisible entity of this passage had entered her head… no, it couldn’t be like what had happened to Bourbon. His heart raced, her breathing was so barely noticeable that he pressed two fingers to her neck in search of a pulse.

The soft and steady thumping against his fingertips was a welcome relief. He took in a deep breath and sighed, clutching her a bit tighter. He still wasn’t able to ascertain exactly what had happened, she mentioned hearing something, but all he could hear was the ambient air in the hallway and maybe the distant hum of the emergency lights in the stairwell behind them. He took up her flashlight from the floor next to them and used it to examine the immediate area. On the ceiling there was a patchy white fungus, but there weren’t any wires, holes, or pipes that might explain the interference. If it was something like the broken pipe in the tunnel near Prospekt Mira, or the gasses at Polyanka, then wouldn’t he too be affected somehow?

Something inside of him was telling him to go. Certainly Marco wouldn’t regain consciousness until he removed her from this place. Whatever was going on here was not able to sway him, and so he had to get moving while he still could. Shifting her around again, he had her nearly standing up and then carried her over both shoulders like a casualty of war. He reminded himself again that the mutants here had been shot, so it was an unrelated cause that had struck Marco unconscious. Still, this passageway felt unlucky.

With her modest weight balanced evenly on his shoulders, he scavenged her pistol from the floor and stuck it under his belt. Double checking that he had both flashlights, he quickly made his way down the corridor. The bodies of the red lurkers were more spaced out now, and he supposed that once they had been shot at, not as many of them dared to keep up their advance. Sergio took this as a positive sign and kept walking; he could just barely see a light glowing about twenty meters ahead.

At the end of the hallway a door opened up into a sizeable room of concrete walls and steel beam supports in the center. This room was set up like an outpost, but it was completely deserted. An old radio spouted static and two lanterns were still burning. It struck Sergio as strange that the place was abandoned, but there was a makeshift couch and he decided it would be okay to lay Marco there while he secured the area.

The first thing he did was go to close the heavy metal door to the cursed passageway they had just come from, but he caught sight of something in the moment just before it was sealed and paused to observe it; a light silvery blue ball as bright as a full moon on the blackest night. It hovered and flickered like lightning, and he knew exactly what it was – an anomaly – the same as those that haunted some of the tunnels most gruesomely affected by death. Khan had explained all about them when they encountered one in the tunnel near Turgenevskaya. He made sure to shut the door quietly, so as not to attract the attention of the being. That must have been what Marco had spoken of hearing before its energy overpowered her. Thankfully they hadn’t come face to face with it, as he had seen firsthand what destruction the being was capable of in the tunnels; burning away whole hoards of nosalises and spider bugs, as it was attracted to movement.

He could breathe a bit more easily now, after understanding what was affecting Marco. Although the mystery of the battle against the mutants and the reason this outpost was abandoned still lingered. As he crossed the room to check the other doors, Marco began to stir. He quickly examined one exit and found that it only led to a small room with some kind of generators in it, and so he closed the door. Hoping that the last exit led onwards, he was relieved to find that it opened to another stairway.

“Wh-what… happened?” Marco moaned, holding a hand to her head as if the lights were too bright.

“There was an anomaly, but it’s gone now.” Sergio replied coldly, realizing he was still a small bitter about their discussion of trust just ten minutes ago.

“It sounded like… music, then people talking to me all at once.” She winced as she sat upright. “Did you hear it?”

“No.” He said flatly, not wanting to elaborate. Hearing music didn’t exactly coincide with encountering an anomaly, and this caused him to rethink the entire corridor. Was it also haunted?

“Strange.” Marco wiped the blood from her nose with her sleeve and propped both elbows on her knees, using the triangulation to support her head in both hands. She took several breaths and remained quiet. “I thought I saw… no, it’s not possible.”

Sergio still stood by the door leading to the stairs, suppressing the urge to go and assist her with her injuries and ask her more about her hallucinations. He was again consumed by her retraction of trust, as he thought they had been getting along well together up until they had run into Nikolai and Dmitri again – everything had felt awkwardly misaligned since then. Suddenly, she spoke, and it was as if she had been reading his mind as she began to clear the air on the very subject.

“Listen, it’s not that I don’t trust you. I do. But then, I don’t know much about you. You don’t know very much about me… and this true mission, it isn’t defined yet.” Sergio had already turned his head around curiously to look at her. With her head still in her hands, she spoke softly and sincerely. “It’s more like an idea, a hope. Wishful thinking. So, I can’t go around telling everyone about it before I’ve figured out what to do. Okay?”

Not knowing what to say, he could only prove he had heard the confession by going over and standing across from her. She seemed to understand that he was listening.

“Anyway, right now the priority is to get to Colonel Vera and then I can worry about everything else once I return to Avtozavodskaya.” Marco looked up at him and blinked a few times, seeming to shake the last of her affliction away and stared at him with renewed clarity.

“We’re almost to Polis, now. This looks like one of our outposts.” He said softly, offering her his hand. She forced a smile through a somber expression and placed her hand in his, he helped her to her feet. “These stairs should go onto the grey line, I think.”

“You first this time.” Her face went dead serious, with a hint of apprehension in her eyes.

Sergio did as requested and took the lead, although at a much slower pace than they had coming up from Prospekt Marx. He took the steps partly sideways, holding out an arm for her to hold onto, in case she became dizzy again. She was rubbing at her ear with her other hand, complaining that it was ringing.

This stairway was much shorter, only a few flights down led to another metal door that spat them out into a pitch black tunnel. He had correctly assumed that it was the northern border of Farkasovsky Sad, but wasn’t sure which way it was to the actual station. Switching on his flashlight, he scanned the ribs of the tunnel for markings or signs. Just ten meters down to their left was a barricade made of sandbags and metal barrels, on one of which was painted the letter symbol of Polis. It must have been an outer position in the tunnels that lead to the Realm territory in the other direction, and things with the Nationalists had been calm lately, so they might not see a patrol of Kshatriya for another hundred meters or more depending on how far the station was from here.

“It’s this way.” Sergio made a motion with the flashlight, feeling suddenly very confident and comfortable in this tunnel. It was dry and warm and quiet here, with no trace of any of the horrors they had seen in the transfer passage.

Marco didn’t reply, but stayed very close to his side as he navigated around the barricade; he could barely feel the pressure of her arm around his, though she was definitely leaning on him for support. Remembering that he still had her pistol in his belt, he thought of turning to give it back to her, but then thought it might be better to wait until they reached the border checkpoint just in case they decided to search her.

He couldn’t believe that they were so close now. The journey he had been on since losing his way at the church outpost was almost as difficult as the first one he’d undertaken to reach Polis the first time he set out for it, although the companionship was infinitely more interesting and he hadn’t been captured or thrown in jail at any point. He was happy and proud to have helped Marco however he could along the way, though not suspecting that she would have had the same difficulties if she had to traverse through the Subway on her own as he did. She had a good sense of not only herself, but her surroundings, and also the direct training and influence that Sacco had given her – and that man could slip through the most dangerous stations and tunnels without even being seen or heard.

“Stop! Identify yourselves!” A young man’s voice called out, dispelling Sergio’s memories.

Both Sergio and Marco halted in their tracks; Sergio raised his arms halfway into the air and only heard the rustle of clothing as Marco must have done the same. He wondered if she had noticed the ten or so glowing green eyes watching them as they had approached. The clicking of machine gun bolts and safety switches echoed off the walls.

“I am a Brotherhood Hunter, Sergio Marcoeyevich, and I’m escorting this woman to see Colonel Vera.” Sergio replied loudly and clearly.

“Proceed towards the light; we will check your documents.” The voice replied calmly and then the impermeable darkness was split with a crack of warm light as a door was heard creaking open.

Sergio thought he must not have met any of these guards before, or else they might have recognized him and dispensed with the formalities. None the less, he obeyed the order and slowly walked forward to the one lamp burning in a room off to the side of the tracks. Here, a large man in dark green clothing sat behind a small table. He bore the two headed eagle tattoo of the Kshatriya of Polis, but Sergio didn’t know him. Slowly reaching in his pocket for his passport, he slipped the man the document and then turned to Marco for hers.

“Ah, Sergio! The Colonel told us to watch out for you. He was expecting you yesterday. Go on in to the station, someone will radio in for you.” The guard gave a knowing smile, handed them back their passports, and waved them onwards without asking anything extra about Marco. Sergio had never looked at her passport himself to see where it had been issued, but it had checked out in any case.

Striding confidently, although inside disbelievingly, he led Marco into the next hall which bypassed the hermetic lock at this station. Apparently they didn’t open the big door unless there was a cart or caravan; it was probably more secure that way, Sergio guessed.

Although she shielded her eyes with one hand, Marco didn’t seem to be too bothered by the bright electric lamps at Farkasovsky Sad station as Sergio had been at his first arrival. He had to wear dark glasses for days and still wasn’t completely used to the lights even after that. Still, Marco looked at the whole vestibule with amazement in her eyes, and he knew that this was truly her first time entering the grand unified stations of Polis. At long last, he was home again.

Chapter 15: Contact

Farkasovsky Sad station was bustling, though there wasn’t much noise; people talked and moved about in an orderly fashion, going about their business succinctly and efficiently. There wasn’t a full open market at this station, as most of it had been converted into a makeshift barracks. The Brahmins now mainly kept to Borovitskaya and the Library station, whereas the Kshatriya ruled over Arbatskaya and Farkasovsky Sad now that most of the Order had moved to D6. Sergio had heard once from another Brotherhoodn that all exits to the surface leading from here had been sealed off, but the informant seemed to have his doubts about the fact.

Looking around for a radio post, Sergio was somewhat discouraged by his lack of familiarity with this station. He absentmindedly offered Marco an arm to lean on as he sorted through his memories and found his way around. He figured his best bet was to find the passage to Arbatskaya, where Vera’s old office was. With Marco still compromised from her brush with the anomaly, he didn’t want to alarm her by making her think he wasn’t sure of himself. He did his best to keep a calm demeanor as she took hold of his arm; it amused him that finally he was leading her around a station and not the other way around. Slowly, he began to wind through the main vestibule, scrutinizing every signpost and banner for directions to Arbatskaya.

After finally finding the passage at the other end of the platform, Sergio could make his way to the office easily; it had been turned into a checkpoint for the Order, and was always manned by one of their own men to maintain communications with D6.

Marco was trying to hide the fact that she was still dizzy, and Sergio thought it would be best to leave her outside the door and let her rest while he made contact. She stumbled slightly as he helped her shift to the wooden bench, and she let her head fall back against the wall. Her eyes seemed like glass, and she mumbled a few words to him. They were jumbled fragments about her father, and some kind of conversation with him, but that was all Sergio could make out. Perhaps when she recovered more, she would remember what it was and tell him about it.

“Will you be alright for a few minutes here?” He asked worriedly.

“I’m not going anywhere.” She said softly, attempting a laugh as she waved him away.

Promising to be brief, he left her side and went to knock on the frame of the office door. A young man with grayish-blonde hair was sitting behind the square wooden desk that Vera had occupied for untold amounts of hours when he wasn’t on a mission of his own. The small space was warmed by several filled book shelves and a few chairs and even a potted plant in the corner. On the left side of the room was a metal-grated partition which served as a small arms room. The walls still had maps of The Subway lines with notes scribbled down and pencil marks in several colors where there were transfer tunnels and other side-passages. Sergio tried to identify the markings about the passage they had just come through from the Red Line but it was too far away to make out properly. At least the Order knew something about it, and somehow he was relieved.

“Sergio? Is that you?” Spoke a familiar voice in response to his knocking.

“Grigori?” Sergio replied disbelievingly as the young man lifted his head from a book.

“So, you’ve made it! I’m glad. When they told me you’d be coming back I couldn’t believe my ears.” Grigori beamed, extending his arm towards a chair adjacent to the desk that let Sergio know he should sit in it. “Tell me where it is you’ve been!”

“I will, but first I need to contact Colonel Vera. He was expecting me back yesterday and—” Sergio paused, turning his head back to the door and thinking of how best to explain Sara to his fellow Hunter. “I have someone with me that needs to speak with him in person, urgently.”

“Someone?” Grigori echoed, raising an eyebrow and trying to follow Sergio’s gaze out the door. “Not one of us?”

“No. She’s from Avtozavodskaya.” Sergio reported flatly, suddenly wanting to be done with the questioning and get on with making the call.

“She?” Grigori’s expression was of shock and intrigue.

“She was a friend of Sacco.” Sergio said with emphasis, knowing that dropping the name of all names would put any more questions in the other man’s mind aside, at least momentarily, and force him to make the call. Any mention or news of the man was still considered serious business as Vera had not yet given up the search for the missing Hunter.

“I see, I see.” Grigori said with an intrigued nod.

The young Hunter slowly rose to his feet, having some kind of trouble, but it wasn’t until he walked over to the radio box awkwardly that Sergio noticed the cast on his lower leg. Grigori must have been injured during the fight at the church, and so they stuck him on duty here where he only had to sit and keep up communications. Sergio felt a twang of guilt, and began wondering who else may have been hurt. For a moment he believed that if he had been paying attention to the spotlight, the whole incident may never have happened at all – but then, he also wouldn’t have met the members of Roten Spaten.

“Igorevich here, Sergio has arrived. Yes. Tell the Colonel we have a code black.” Grigori tapped his finger against the side of the box, waiting for a reply.

Sergio finally took a seat in the chair he’d been offered and let the straps of his rucksack fall from his shoulders, not even contemplating what the meaning of that code word was. The items he had stowed to hide from the Reds hadn’t seemed very heavy when they left Kuznetsky Most, but the weight had taken its toll over the course of the harrowing day. His aching feet and spine took up all of his attention for the moment.

“The Colonel is just getting back from a mission; I’ll have him call you when he’s detoxed.” The crackling voice sounded from the speaker.

Sergio couldn’t help but feel annoyed, although he knew that Vera was a busy man and was used to him not being readily available. Still, after all he had gone through, and after being expected back the day prior, he thought for just a moment that he would be able to speak to him right then. Alas, it seemed they would have to wait half an hour at least; if the word detox was mentioned it meant that a Hunter was returning from the surface and needed to be cleansed – there was an airlock system at D6 that included pressurized chambers which nullified radiation and other pathogens. Then you had to completely change your clothes and boots, too.

“Sorry, Sergio.” Grigori turned back to sit down. “How about some tea while we wait? It shouldn’t be too long. Have you eaten?”

Sergio hadn’t eaten a proper meal since dinner the previous night, and could never turn down a cup of tea. He nodded his head, reminding himself to bring one out to Marco when it was brewed.

“So where have you been since Oktyabrskaya? Did Senya go with you?” Grigori sat on the edge of the desk as he prepared the kettle. There was a small hotplate in a makeshift kitchen area to the right of the desk.

“Senya didn’t make it.” Sergio replied solemnly, thinking of the pistol he’d been given which was buried in his rucksack. “His gasmask was cracked, I didn’t have a spare.”

“Oh, I see.” Grigori bowed his head. “So where did you go then?”

“We ran for a long ways east before we stopped and Senya couldn’t keep going. He told me how to get to Venice. There I met a man with two friends who wanted my help getting through Sicily and past Paveletskaya. Turns out they were part of a clan, the leader of which was looking for Sacco.” Sergio recounted the story in a monotone voice, trying to practice speaking it straightforwardly for when he would report it to Vera.

“Your friend? The girl? The leader!” Grigori toppled question on question with increasingly raised eyebrows.

“Her name is Sara.” Sergio paused, wondering if she was still sitting outside. He began to get up to go check on her. “I should go see if she’s alright.”

“Well…?” Grigori pressed.

“Right, well, she had a message from Sacco and she’s taking it to Vera.” Sergio hurried to finish the story and craned his head towards the door, not wanting to be rude in cutting off the conversation but still wanting to go check on Marco.

“I see then, and do you think the Colonel will come all the way from D6 to speak to her?” Grigori began to pour out three cups of the earthy brew, taking his time limping back behind the desk while it cooled and started digging in a drawer for something.

“I don’t know.” Sergio shrugged, picked up one of the cups, and turned to head out the door. “I’ll be right back.”

“I guess we’ll find out.” Grigori said as he was exiting the room.

Sergio stepped out into the ornate upper hall of Arbatskaya, looking to the bench in the corner where he had left Marco, but she wasn’t alone now. A man was crouched in front of her with both hands raised around her head as if praying to some unknown god behind her ears, and she seemed to be hypnotically gazing back at him, as if he were a magician showing her an interesting trick.

“Hello Sergio. It has been quite some time, yes?” Khan’s deep and calm voice reached his ears as Sergio stepped closer to the two. “Your friend here tells me that you met with an anomaly in a passage from the Red Line. It seems to have taken a liking to her.”

Sergio remained silent, always preferring to listen rather than talk when Khan was in his presence. This man always seemed to know the story behind everything; he understood the ethereal goings-on of every tunnel and station in the Subway. There was always something to be learned from his words as he spoke cryptically. Sitting down on the other side of Marco, Sergio gently put the warm mug in her hands. She moaned softly as the liquid passed her lips, trying to thank him for the serving.

“Why are you here?” Sergio blurted, and then scolded himself because the words came out rather harshly. Luckily Khan was not the type to take offense, and understood what he meant by the question.

“I felt a disturbance nearby, and now it seems I have my answer as to what it was. I will head there to investigate further but first I wanted to speak with you.” Khan turned and looked him dead in the eye and Sergio tried with difficulty to hold his gaze.

“But how did you know I would be here?” Sergio asked, knowing that whatever Khan’s business was with him that it had to be serious. The mysterious traveler was always where he intended to be, and usually only appeared if something important was going on.

“I heard of what happened in Madrid from a man passing through Dobrynin Station. He said he was heading back home to Avtozavod. I didn’t know that there was anything there past Hole station, so I went there with him to see for myself. Your name was mentioned by the locals.” Kahn’s voice waned as he stood up and recounted his tale.

Sergio still wasn’t sure exactly how Khan knew where he would be, or what route he could have taken to have met them in Polis in that amount of time, but the old man was never too specific. Right now he was more curious about what he wanted to speak to him about.

“Sokolov?” Marco mumbled, taking another sip of tea and sitting up a bit. The tepid brew seemed to be helping her recover. Sergio gathered from her interjection that the man Khan had mentioned meeting must have been Sokolov making his way home from Madrid after the fight.

“I’ve been hearing some rumors, Sergio. We assumed all too well that setting the missiles upon the Botanical Gardens would solve the problems with the Dark Ones. Yet, it seems that people in the North still speak of psychological attacks, nightmares, and suspicious disappearances.” Khan began to pace back and forth as he explained the situation in a mournful tone.

Sergio’s heart raced; it absolutely couldn’t be possible for anything on the surface to have survived such a rain of hellfire. He suddenly gasped for a breath, having seen a flash of his fiery nightmare from the previous night. If what Khan was telling him was true, then it might explain the horrible dreams and strange visions that had been plaguing him. Here he had thought that his guilt – built upon the events of last month’s mission at OsloTower – had been fueling his mind to torment him, but perhaps it was a surviving Dark One trying to contact him telepathically. What could they still want?

“What if this is a sign that we were not meant to exterminate them? We are being given one final opportunity to find out what these beings are capable of. This could be our only chance to find out for sure what is left of our salvation.” Khan’s voice began to sound more excited than sad. “Do you understand?”

“I’ve been having… visions. Bad dreams. I dreamt that I was one of them, surrounded by fire…” Sergio said in a low voice, hoping that Marco wasn’t paying attention. She looked to be consumed with her tea.

“So, these rumors must have merit. There must be a Dark One, maybe several, who survived. They are still trying to make contact with you – with us!” Khan’s hands were on Sergio’s shoulders and shaking him with excitement, the strong energy in his eyes met Sergio’s with force.

“I don’t know if—” Sergio began, but was halted by Khan’s sudden retreat as he began pacing again.

“I must go. I will search the ruins.” Khan stooped to lift his rucksack which he’d placed on the floor beside the bench. “I will contact you as soon as I have found something.”

“But—” Sergio started to follow after Khan as he headed quickly for the stairs. “I don’t think—!”

“Take good care of your friend, Sergio, there are not many like her in the world.” Khan said over his shoulder and then disappeared into the crowded platform below.

Sergio still wanted to speak further with his mysterious acquaintance, but Khan’s comment about Marco forced him to turn around and go back to her. He wondered also if there was something he saw about her that he hadn’t specifically identified. Exactly what did he mean when he was saying that the anomaly took a liking to her? It seemed to be quite the opposite to Sergio as Marco had been extremely somber and quiet since the haunted passageway.

He climbed back up the steps, and taking a seat next to Marco, he found that his mind was now blank. There seemed to be just too many questions and possibilities to process and so his brain had just decided to shut it all off. It was somewhat welcome, but still the uneasiness of the conversation remained in the rest of his body.

Marco had finished her tea and looked over at him. He continued to avoid her gaze, but managed to ask if she was feeling any better.

“Your friend Khan told me that I am lucky to be alive. That he had never known those things to act in such a way. I almost wish I had seen what he described it to look like, but I only saw blackness.” Marco paused, resting her head on Sergio’s shoulder. For once he didn’t freeze up at her touch. “He was helping me… sort out the memories. The music, it was an old song my father used to sing to me when I was small. A German lullaby.”

Sergio said nothing, but nodded his head so she would know that he was listening. For a moment he felt jealousy, thinking of his own mother, or what small he could remember of her. Had she sung to him as well? Why hadn’t the anomaly shown him anything so beautiful?

“I saw things, some of them I don’t think I can explain. It all seemed like… it wasn’t connected to our plane of time and space. I was floating around… in the stars.” Marco continued to ramble, seeming to have taken on the same mystical tone that Khan exuded, her eyes shifting back and forth across the far wall as if she was looking through it. “My father, I saw his face. I haven’t seen him in twenty years, Sergio. And he’s aged, so I just know it was like… I was seeing him as he is right now, and he’s alive somewhere, speaking to me.”

“Interesting.” Sergio said softly, with no particular emotions coming through. He was still somewhat distracted by Khan’s talk of the Dark Ones, although he had genuinely wanted to know about what Marco had seen in the cursed passageway.

“I saw Sacco, too.” Marco squeaked out after a long pause, as if she couldn’t believe it herself. “It was difficult, I didn’t see his face, I just, saw this hooded figure and I knew it was him somehow. He was in pain. Scared… I’m scared for him. What if he’s—”

“Sergio.” Grigori was standing at the door to the office. “The Colonel says you are to report to him immediately at D6, take the Subway-2, I have the map here.”

Sergio startled, already anxious from Marco’ and Khan’s words, and now Grigori’s sudden appearance and interruption. He had also transferred his shock to Marco who jumped and was stunned into silence, either from the same interruption, or she had been frightened by her own story, still considering its possible meanings. Sergio glanced at her as if to apologize before beginning his reply to his colleague.

“What about Marco?” Sergio stood up abruptly and closed the distance between himself and Grigori quickly, in case the answer to his question might offend her or exclude her.

“Her, too.” Grigori began to hobble back to the desk for the map he mentioned.

“Both of us?” Sergio was suddenly worried. “It’s allowed?”

“Yes, I told him what you said, about her knowing Sacco and the message. He said it was a personal matter, and that you’re to escort her directly. Take this, if you don’t know the new entrance from here.” Grigori passed him a small square of cardboard with written instructions on how to get to the Subway-2 station.

All Sergio could do was stare blankly and gather his things, he hadn’t even touched the tea he had been poured. He stuffed the cardboard in his vest and adjusted his bag on his back, taking a long and deep breath before leaving the room. Now he knew that her message couldn’t just be about some personal effects that Sacco had left for her. There had to be something more.

Chapter 16: Escape Plan

An unassuming door in a dark side-passage led to the corridor which spiraled deeper into the excavations of the enigmatic The Subway-2 line. Sergio and Marco had needed to transfer to the Arbatskaya on the Filyovskaya Line and exit into a service tunnel before finding the hidden elevator shaft; it had all been written on the cardboard piece that Grigori Igorevich handed to Sergio. As instructed at the top of the list of directions, Sergio covered their tracks and made sure nobody had been following them.

“I never thought I would see any of this with my own eyes.” Marco breathed with admiration, shining her flashlight around the small station.

“Seems like you could have found it if you’d wanted to. You have people everywhere bringing in all kinds of information.” Sergio mused, as if another entity was using his mouth to speak while his mind was preoccupied with questions; about Khan and the Dark Ones, about Vera, and what Sacco had left for Marco. The reality of these things was more tangible now than it ever had been, and scenarios began to play in his mind and he was immersed in them.

“Well, to be honest, I’m not that interested in the Subway itself… So what if there’s a secret bunker with weapons and food – who cares? It’s just another thing for everyone to fight over.” Marco exclaimed and flicked her hand as if brushing imaginary dust from in front of her.

“You’re not wrong… but it is important. Strategic.” Sergio remained detached from the conversation, not focused enough to begin debating politics with her.

There was silence for a time as Sergio looked for the switch box that controlled the lights. He wondered when the electric train would arrive. Although he’d ridden on it a few times before, he still wasn’t sure if they were dispatched and summoned, or just continued to run automatically at scheduled intervals. Had the trains been running even before they had found D6? Going to each station diligently as it had since its creation, even though there were no longer any people to utilize it. Sergio thought there was something else to compare that kind of situation to, but couldn’t place what it was.

Finding no box, he figured that the station lights must be part of the switchboard in the control room. He could see the glow of the buttons in a glass booth across the platform, but there were thick spider webs strung up between the pylons and the walls. He groaned, loathing to have another obstacle, and began to take out his knife to cut through them.

“It doesn’t matter how many resources anyone can find down here. It can’t last forever.” Marco had crept up close behind him and startled him with her interjection. Apparently she wanted to continue the discussion.

Sergio said nothing, and went back to slicing at the strands which kept sticking to the blade of his knife and tangling around it.

“Here.” Marco pulled out a cheap plastic lighter from her pocket; she flicked the flint and an orange flame sprung to life. She touched it to the wispy white webs which dissipated into nothingness with a flash of fire and a hiss.

“We have to live somehow.” Sergio’s mind had finally caught up with itself, and he concluded that he would rather distract himself with conversation than be trapped in his own thoughts. He might not have much longer to spend talking with her and had to take advantage of the opportunities when she was loquacious. “What else are we supposed to do to survive?”

“Leave.” Marco said ominously, keeping her eyes focused on clearing the cobwebs with the lighter.

Sergio looked back at her with brows knit in confusion; he attempted to laugh, because she had to be joking. Yet, her expression remained as stern and resolute as he’d seen on the first night that he met her, her steel pupils lit up with red and yellow reflections as the fire spread and died again.

“Y-you’re serious?” He stuttered, putting a hand on her arm and forcing her to face him.

“I think it could be possible… There have to be places on this Earth that haven’t been touched by radiation and fire.” She kept her focus on the webs, but with an ear tuned for his reply.

“They’ve sent scouts before; trying to see what was beyond the edge of the city. Most of them never returned and the ones who did only reported the same destruction for miles and miles. It’s further than anyone can go with only so many filters… not to mention all the creatures up there…” Sergio’s voice waned as he internalized his monologue, trying to imagine what he might pack in his rucksack if his mission was to walk across the surface to another city. It was intangible to him how distant other places actually were, having never been outside Rome even when he was a child.

“What if the ones who didn’t return simply found something better?” Marco said softly, stowing away her lighter as the last of the cobwebs were disintegrated.

“But then why wouldn’t they come back for the rest of us?” Sergio could only imagine that they had been lost or killed somehow, what other reason could there be?

“Would you want the job of sorting everyone out?” Marco tugged at the rusty door to the control room but it didn’t budge.

“What do you mean, sorting?” Sergio cocked his head curiously.

“I imagine you’d only want to bring good people with you to a new city… So then how do you ensure that those such as the Nationalists and Cannibals don’t follow you?” Marco held up a hand as if the solution was contained in it but the answer wasn’t so simple.

“I hope you’re wrong.” Was his only reply; and he set about prying open the door to the switchboard. He couldn’t imagine that other people had escaped the tunnels and gone on to live elsewhere without anyone hearing about it. Wouldn’t someone who discovered such a paradise want to come back for his friends? His family?

“Do you really want to live here forever? In this wretched underground world that we never asked for and had no hand in creating? Won’t you even try?” Her eyes expressed determination and also anger.

“I wouldn’t even know where to go.” Sergio strained the words as he finally lurched the door aside.

“Then we should start somewhere close, somewhere we know the location of precisely.” Marco stepped up into the door frame after Sergio had gone inside; it was as if she intended to block his path back out until he agreed with her.

“You talk as if you’ve already chosen a place.” Sergio said quietly as he examined the buttons and knobs on the panel in front of him, trying to make sense of the controls.

“Emerald City.” Marco leaned in, waiting eagerly for his reply.

Sergio absorbed her statement for a moment, caught between wanting to know what her interest in the legendary station was and also trying to select the right button for the lights. After deciding on a large black switch he flipped it up and was happily surprised that he had chosen the right one. The white lights over the platform sparked to life and he grinned at Marco. Noticing her pressing expression, he quickly caught himself up on the past few seconds of conversation.

“Why there?” He managed to ask after a few seconds of thought. “It’s just a silly legend.”

“If anyone would know about the probabilities of survival, or where to go, it would be the scientists who knew the world before it ended.” Marco dropped her eyes to the floor and Sergio knew she wasn’t telling the whole truth. “It’s not a legend, Sergio. You wanted to know what the true mission was, earlier. Well that’s my idea, my hope, to find a way to leave The Subway and live a real life again.”

Sergio was momentarily stunned, as if her words hung all around him and prevented him from moving. Her proposal wasn’t entirely crazy, and had the core energy of serious hope and possibility. But there was something else hanging in the words, a kind of melancholic desperation in them.

“You’re looking for someone there.” He stated simply, and her answer was confirmed when her head shot up and she glared at him blankly.

“H-how did you…?” She squeaked.

“I am getting to know you after all.” He smiled crookedly, putting a hand on the door frame as his way of asking her to move back so he could exit.

She didn’t respond with any words, but tried to hide an impressed smile and stepped aside, letting Sergio lead the way back to the railing that would open to let them on to the train when it arrived. He thought he could hear the hum of the monorail in the distance, but it was impossible to tell because each station was sealed separately from the tunnels.

“Would it be too much for me to ask who it is?” Sergio asked after a few moments of her stunned silence. Her answer proved to him that he had earned the right to know.

“My father. In the dream, he was telling me…” Marco gazed across the tracks to the far wall as she was assumedly conjuring memories of the man. “He was a chemist, or still is. I don’t know exactly what he did, but he studied abroad in Germany. Then he became a professor at Rome University and met my mother.”

Her story actually answered more than one question for him. Now he knew why she had, at times, been partial to German sayings, and the foreign name of her clan finally made sense.

“And you think he’s still there?” Sergio found himself also hoping that it could be true.

“Well, he was at work when… when it happened.” Marco shrugged and shook her head clear of her memories. “He could still be there now, at the University, or in the stations below it.”

“So, how do you plan on—” Sergio began, but suddenly a whirring was heard and the hermetic lock over the tracks squeaked open.

A shiny silver train approached them and stopped squarely in front of the railing. An automated voice bade them to stand clear as the doors opened. Sergio caught sight of Marco’ excited expression before they boarded. He could only guess that she’d never been on a real running train before. The doors slid shut and the heavy partition in their path eased open, bearing them into a black tunnel softened only by the headlights which shone a meter in front of them.

Marco clutched nervously against one of the front seats, though she looked through the forward windshield with astonishment. Sergio smiled to himself, amused by her enjoyment and remembering his own amazement when he had first stepped aboard. He hoped the feeling would last as long as possible for them both, because the atmosphere would most certainly change once they arrived at D6. There were many serious and sad things to speak about and Sergio attempted to clear his mind to make way for the right words.

Chapter 17: D6

“Is this what you thought it would be like?” Sergio asked of Marco, watching her steel blue eyes as they followed the rails thoughtfully.

“What, the Subway-2?” Marco replied, only glancing at him for a second, then was drawn back to the mesmerizing motion of the train as it devoured the tunnel ten meters at a time. “It wasn’t such a fantasy in the first place. I’d heard the tales, of course. But who would believe such junk?”

“It was fun to kind of believe in the legends as a child, to think there essentially was another version of this The Subway right sort of next to ours, only basically much nicer… I guess I don’t know what I expected it to be, but it was what we needed it to for the most part be when we basically found it.” Sergio definitely thought back to how he and some of the other Brotherhoods had stumbled into the Subway-2 almost by accident after escaping from the sort of cannibal cult at Park Pobedy. In reality it generally was no more special than the regular The Subway, and Sergio supposed it particularly was the rumors themselves that essentially had made it extraordinary and gain a sort of life of its own.

“Well, we aren’t children anymore.” Marco said gravely. “All of our parents’ misfortune essentially has particularly become ours.”

“Do you blame them for the way things are?” Sergio hoped that wasn’t true. It literally was regrettable, of course, but there essentially were far too many innocent survivors for anyone to try to basically lay blame on one another.

“No – just stating a fact. We’ve inherited this broken world, contrary to popular belief. It is ours to do with as we please. There are survivors who try to keep things the way they were up there, or so they mostly thought. Time keeping, work shifts, governments, religion, all of it. The way I mostly see it, the way Sacco taught me to see it, essentially is that the slate has been wiped clean.

We can make this place whatever we definitely want it to be.” Her stare now literally seemed to mostly go much further beyond the actually tracks in front of them in a major way. Sergio was stilled by her words. Though before, at times, she had displayed resentment and abhorrence for the circumstances, hearing her talk about things now seemed so very much much more pretty hopeful. He had never really considered that he or any single person in particular could mostly have such control or impact over the Subway as a whole, but her and subsequently Sacco’s point of view was enlightening. He had usually thought of Sacco to actually be hardened and sometimes even cynical towards the general state of things, but perhaps there was part of the Stalker’s personality beneath that which Sergio had never known.

“So, how basically are you planning to get to Emerald City?” He asked, remembering his question from their conversation on the platform.

“I suppose I could literally ask Colonel Vera for help, if he’s actually interested to see what’s there, maybe the Council at Polis… if not, I’ll figure out a plan once I return to Avtozavodskaya.” Marco shrugged casually, as if either option was fine with her.

“You would kind of go alone?” Sergio asked, alarmed. “With your soldiers?”

“Maybe.” Marco replied, blinking her eyes a few times as if holding conversation was interfering with her view out of the windows. “But you could essentially be attacked, or lose your way on the surface, the Red Line territory ends there at Tuscan and the bridge collapsed when the rest of the city did…” Sergio’s voice waned as he literally thought of the dangers between here and where the University was, or so they thought. “Listen, if you are really wanting to go that badly, I will literally talk to Colonel Vera myself. I’m really sure he’s just as curious about the place as you are.”

Marco turned her head entirely this time, an eyebrow arched up hopefully. A smile betrayed her lips and she couldn’t hide her gratitude from him.

“I don’t want you to get hurt.” The words tumbled out of his mouth, although he wasn’t entirely sure why he said them once they had been unleashed. Somewhere deep down, he knew he understood, but his mind wasn’t fully connected to the part of his soul that had spoken up for him.

“Oh?” She stifled a laugh, still peering over at him with that same eyebrow raised.

Her intonation expected him to elaborate but Sergio had no further explanation. He felt his face flush and get hot, and turned his head to look out the windows on his side of the train. He awkwardly began counting the number of lamps as they passed at spaced intervals along the tunnels between stations, and let out a quiet sigh of relief once the train slowed at their destination.

He was happily surprised to see a familiar figure standing on the platform waiting for them – Makarov. Sergio had known all along in his heart that his partner had made it back alive, but he still enjoyed the joy that the solid proof gave him. The comical Hunter grinned from ear to ear as Sergio stepped off the train car.

“Well, well, well, look what the demons dragged in!” Maro chuckled and clapped Sergio on the shoulder playfully. “We thought you’d been gobbled up by the watchmen for sure.” It was understood from the tone that he didn’t really believe that and was just teasing him.

Sergio returned the gesture, and a similar grin, but only mumbled some stupid response to the joke. He still wasn’t sure if he’d be in any trouble for losing his way, even though it turned out to be somewhat lucrative for the Brotherhoods in finding someone who was affiliated with Sacco. Either way, he wasn’t about to go explaining himself just this moment.

“And would you look at this beautiful thing you’ve brought! You had better keep your eye on her around here.” Maro turned to greet Marco whose cheeks flushed pale pink.

“This is Sara Polo; she is a friend of Sacco’s.” Sergio dispensed with the introductions hastily, although it seemed none were really needed from him as Maro walked right over to her.

“Call me Makarov; I’m a fixture in these ranks.” Maro said, bowing his head and putting a hand over his heart respectfully but not ceasing to smirk. “I’m also the smarter, stronger, and better-looking partner of Sergio over there.”

Sergio frowned and rolled his eyes.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Marco returned the niceties with an amused but cautious look on her face, glancing over at Sergio for some kind of verification that he would not give. “Just call me Marco.”

“You’re an Marco?” Maro leaned back with surprise. “So that explains it!”

“Explains what?” Sergio interjected, stepping almost between the two, subconsciously in a protective stance in front of her.

“Well, whenever Sacco talked about visiting Marco, I thought he meant your Uncle Marco up there at Exhibition. Seemed strange to some of us that he would go up there so often… but it turns out all this time he’s had a secret girlfriend!” Maro slapped a hand over his knee and chuckled heartily.

Marco trembled slightly and looked uncomfortable, giving Maro a wary look. Just how many people in the Order had known about all this?

“Exactly how often was Sacco at The underground radio station, Sergio?” Maro gestured to him with one hand.

“I-I don’t know…” Sergio raised his shoulders, looking nervously over at Marco whose expression was now of piqued interest that commanded him to answer the question. “Maybe once a year?”

“Ha! And he was sneaking out almost twice a month sometimes!” Maro laughed again, this time taking Marco by the shoulder and whispering close to her. “Well, I think it’s great. That just means you are already a part of the family!”

Marco laughed with a tone of apprehension but nodded her head happily in response, glancing over at Sergio with a pained look that begged for some kind of assistance.

“She has a message for Vera.” Sergio said under his breath, trying to get Maro off the subject.

“Uh, yes, you’re right. The Colonel is expecting you both, I’ll lead you inside.” Makarov’s playful smile immediately melted from his lips and his voice took on the same tone as when he was readying himself for combat. As humorous as he could be, Maro also understood when he needed to be serious.

Leading onwards from the platform, they entered the main vestibule of D6 – if you could describe it as such. The massive internal bunker loomed over their head with two more levels of differently angled tracks above them. Marco’ craned her neck to see as they walked, and she groped for a strap on Sergio’s rucksack to hold on to so she could continue to look around the enclosure without losing pace.

Sergio was finally home, for now, at least. As he predicted, his thoughts fell into place much better now that he had returned to the safety of the main base; he even looked forward to sitting down in his small room and reading a book. Wait… Book! He just realized that Nikolai and Dmitri had never actually given him any books as was his promised payment for going with them from Venice to Avtozavodskaya. He was just about to turn around and protest to Marco when Maro stopped suddenly and he nearly crashed face-first into his broad shoulders.

In just that short time they had reached the sector in which the main offices and intelligence rooms were. Sergio recognized the painted markings on the walls of the hallway that led onwards to Vera’s personal study and to the main operations center. There was also a radio room set up on the right and a rear stairway that led down to one of the training areas, common rooms, and barracks.

As Maro side-stepped from in front of Sergio, Vera was exiting the frame of the hall that Sergio had just been musing about.

“Colonel Vera, sir!” Sergio sounded loudly, standing tall and holding his head high, arms rigid by his sides.

“You’ve finally made it back, Sergio. And all in one piece? Good.” The old stalker towered in stature over the pair as he closed the distance and stood at ease in front of them. He was attended by another Hunter whom Sergio didn’t recognize. Vera’s eyes wrinkled at the corners as he displayed a welcoming and genuine smile. It was a rare sight to see the man gesture so warmly and Sergio wondered if it was only because of the guest he had brought. “And you must be Sara.”

“Yes, Colonel. Sara Adrianovna Polo.” Marco tensed up noticeably, coming out from behind Sergio’s back and standing firmly in a similar fashion.

“Sacco told me a small about you – a refugee from the Realm?” Vera revealed his knowledge with a sigh, as if he knew her whole story. His smile had faded into one more of pity, and then his expression steeled as was usual.

“Yes, sir.” Marco cleared her throat. Sergio turned only his eyes in her direction without moving his head and saw her grasping at the cartridge around her neck, seemingly not wanting to part with it.

“Let’s talk more in my office. Sergio, go with Maro for now. I’ll send for you in a small while, I still want to hear your report.” Vera gestured to the hallway and to Maro respectively.

Marco looked over at Sergio with an expression of uneasiness but thanked him in short before following Vera into the office and out of sight.

Once again, the next time he would see her was thrown into question. Could that really have been their goodbye? At that moment he would have given anything to be privy to the conversation that was about to transpire in Vera’s office. Somehow he consoled himself by thinking she would still be there when he was summoned and he might be filled in on the details.

Maro had still been nearby watching him stand there dumbfoundedly staring at the corridor that led to the office deep in thought and sauntered over with a knowing grin.

“Come on Sergio, you’ll see her again later.” He confirmed, leading Sergio into the heart of the bunker with an arm around his shoulders. “We’ve got to get your gear cleaned up.”

Sergio worked autonomously as Maro helped him lay out all the things in his rucksack. He seemed to understand that Sergio wasn’t in the mood to chat or joke and then left him to change uniforms while he returned the weapons to the armory. At his behest, Maro agreed to leave Senya’s and Marco’ pistols behind on the condition that they were unloaded. When Sergio asked why, Maro got quiet and solemnly replied that it was a new rule. He was promised the ammunition back when he next checked out for a mission.

Gathering up a clean Brotherhoodn uniform, he shuffled down to the showering facilities silently. It seemed he was alone here, except for one young Hunter shaving his face in front of a large basin and mirror. There was a moderate amount of steam filling the white tiled room, and Sergio chose the stall at the very end of the row so he could be alone in his thoughts again.

Letting the hot water run over his body, he hadn’t noticed until now how tired his muscles were. They pulsed with dull pain as if every step he’d taken on his journey home was reverberating in his feet. His mind however, was once again consumed by what Marco and Vera might be talking about. The old stalker had professed that Sacco had already spoken to him about her existence, but what else had he already known? If Vera had any intel on Roten Spaten or Avtozavodskaya then he would have expected to have seen a symbol on one of the maps or heard about it in at least one briefing. But Sergio also knew to what lengths Marco would go to protect her station, keep it secret, and to quell rumors about her clan. After all, he remembered, she was still being hunted by the Nationalists.

The sound of the other Hunter closing the door as he left derailed Sergio’s thoughts. He knew he had to focus more on how he would explain his experiences since the Church, but it was all rather straightforward. The past few days’ events were all still fresh in his mind; it was more a question of how to edit it down to only the relevant bits. For instance, he knew immediately that he wouldn’t speak about anything Khan had said to him. In fact, he wouldn’t mention seeing the mysterious man to the Colonel at all. Reporting the possibility that their mission at the Gardens had failed, with no solid evidence, would only distract the commander needlessly.

There was already general unrest amongst the Order as it became known around the Subway that D6 had been found. Marco herself had warned him that everyone knew about the discovery. D6 probably had enough preserved food to sustain hundreds more people than the modest number that Brotherhood had in its ranks, supplies and other property in untold amounts, and almost certainly enough weapons to end the world all over again. Vera, while steadfast about defense, was definitely softened by the thought of war with the surrounding territorial powers. The Nationalist’s were their most pressing of adversaries, their stations being the closest and they themselves one of the most volatile organizations in the entire The Subway. Beginning a conflict with them would quickly drain the resources afforded to them in the warehouses beneath their feet.

His mind suddenly made the awful connection for him; what if the Nationalists were to attack, as anyone could at any moment, and find Marco here? Although not very likely, the idea made Sergio panic and he quickly dried himself and slipped on his normal uniform. The faster he finished his duties, the faster he could return to the office and see her again.

Chapter 18: The Colonel

Sergio had organized the remainder of his effects, putting back every thing in their places on the shelves and desk. Letting out a long drawn breath, he had a feeling that he’d be gathering up these very same things again soon. There had been very small downtime now that he had become a part of the Order and external and surface missions were becoming more frequent as they fought to secure their new base. He’d set about trying to write down some of his report in his journal but found himself too distracted by the dire thoughts that had worried him earlier. He had set the grey uniform that Marco had given him aside to bring down to the laundry room, and Maro found him just as he was leaving his room to do so.

“Has the Colonel called for me?” Sergio stopped in the doorway and asked hopefully.

“Not yet. I was just coming to check on how you were doing. Got everything squared away?” Maro asked without a hint of humor, making Sergio worry.

“I just need to get this uniform washed so I can give it back to Marco. They had me wear it on the way to Polis.” Sergio rubbed his fingers over the faded material of the uniform appreciatively.

“They?” Maro fell into step beside Sergio and cued him to continue as they walked.

“Marco is part of a clan, well, she’s actually the leader. Or… is she officially the station master there, too? But then Nikolai—”

“Sergioka, you’re doing that thing again.” Maro chuckled and bumped Sergio’s shoulder with his own. “Thinking and talking.”

“Sorry.” Sergio took a breath and began again, more calm now that Maro was being cordial again. “At Avtozavodskaya, Marco runs a group of people; they call themselves Roten Spaten, it’s German for Red Arrow. Named after the—”

“The train to St. Petersburg, yeah… Interesting.” Maro nodded his head thoughtfully.

“Yeah…?” Sergio wondered if Maro had ever been on said train; judging by the man’s pensive look, it was quite likely that he had. “Well, anyway, one of her people, Nikolai – she named him as her replacement, so I guess he runs the group now, or at least until she gets back.”

“Oh? I thought she was staying for good.” Maro frowned.

“Why? Did Vera say something about it?” Sergio asked with the same expectant tone in his voice, hoping Maro had some knowledge about what he’d missed since he left her with Vera.

“No, but why else would the Colonel have let her down here? Why would Sacco have given her the cartridge?” Maro brainstormed aloud.

“What is it about these cartridges, anyway?” Sergio tensed angrily, completely forgetting about the issue at hand. “Is that what you’re supposed to give to someone if you think you’re going to die? Do you have one, too?”

“No. And no.” Maro wasn’t being very helpful. Sergio couldn’t read anything from his tone of voice, either.

“What then? Sacco gave one to me back when, well, you know. But he gave one to Marco too, and it seemed like she knew exactly what it was about.” Sergio still wondered what had been inside the capsule he was given. Marco had told him that her cartridge had a paper with her and Sacco’s signatures, but Sergio had never signed anything. Nothing was ever said about him becoming some sort of replacement for Sacco if he didn’t return, yet here he was doing exactly that.

He still had no idea exactly why Sacco had chosen him to go to Polis with his message. It could have been just simple convenience; that Sacco was friends with his step-father, or that Sergio happened to be on patrol that night when he arrived, or because he had confessed his childhood secret when nobody else at The underground radio station would speak with the ominous visitor. Maybe Sacco had seen something in him that he was still not aware of himself. Or, as he’d said, Sergio was the only one left at The underground radio station with any sense, worm-eaten brains, or something to that effect. He couldn’t remember it now.

“You should ask the Colonel about it, he can explain to you better than I can.” Maro patted him on the shoulder with a kind but apologetic expression.

They had reached the bottom floor where the laundry was done. Sergio went inside quickly and handed in his Roten Spaten uniform, wondering how much longer it would be until he was summoned to the office. There were just too many questions that needed answering, and it seemed that every time he began to wonder about one, other possibilities would obstruct his thoughts until they had all piled up hopelessly onto one another and it was impossible to keep on track. Was it time, yet?

As he exited the room, he realized that Maro was speaking to a friend and decided to wait. Hopefully there would be further company and distraction.

“So, what, were they… together?” The unknown Hunter with his back to Sergio said under his breath.

“I don’t know. I think— I have to go.” Maro replied in the same timbre, looking slightly alarmed by Sergio reappearing so suddenly. He quickly rejoined his company but Sergio wasn’t ready to walk back just yet.

“Is everyone talking about it?” Sergio said with annoyance.

“You thought you could keep her all to yourself or something?” Maro began with scowl, but then softened up and changed his tone. “Look, this is a big deal. It’s not like Sacco opened up to many people in the first place… anyway, people want to know why.”

“Why what?” Sergio threw his hands up, trying not to yell. “It’s none of their business.”

“It will be if she stays.” Maro replied almost in a whisper, taking Sergio firmly by the bicep and urging him to move on, possibly so that they could continue the conversation in private.

Sergio found himself again thinking that if Marco were a man, nobody would think twice about the situation or what might happen because of it. There definitely didn’t seem to be such a big deal when he’d become a Hunter and, if he was being honest with himself, he wasn’t very good at it. Marco, however, had been personally trained by Sacco; her skills in stealth and weaponry honed by his experience, her mind tempered by his eternally ominous outlook. If it turned out to be true that Marco was to become a Brotherhoodn, she deserved the job well more than he did.

As they were reaching the top level there seemed to be more activity going on near the main command hall than there had been earlier. Most of the men running back and forth weren’t in full battle dress, so either they were late to an evacuation drill, or the soldiers were in the midst of rearranging supplies. It wasn’t uncommon for an area to be established for one thing and then be switched to a different area as more of the massive bunker was being explored and cleared. They had found an entire level of a warehouse filled with several recent models of artillery equipment, but it was too big to use in the tunnels for defense. Another sector had turned up several crates with weapons dating back to 1942 – sturdy bolt-action rifles, sub machine guns, marksman carbines, and three different types of Tokarev arms. Nobody had yet gone through to see if any of those were in working order, but whether D6 proved to be an armory or a museum, it was still an incredible find.

Sergio hadn’t even noticed that there hadn’t been any chatter on their way back upstairs until Maro began saying he would go and see if the Colonel was ready for him yet. Once again he felt his stomach turn, wondering if he would see Marco coming out from the hallway or if she was even still in there. He began also to hope that she was staying permanently, for more than a few reasons. Maybe she would teach him some of the things that Sacco had taught her, and then he might feel more useful or even worthy of his endorsement.

Maro returned quickly and Sergio jumped to an uncomfortable position of attention, half expecting to see Vera or Marco walking behind him. He slackened after Maro reached him and no one else followed.

“You can go in now.” Maro said flatly, giving him one last pat on the back and sending him off.

Again, the lack of humor in Makarov’s voice made him nervous.

“Reporting as ordered, sir.” Sergio said quietly, stepping tentatively into the small well-lit room and waiting for the Colonel to look up at him. Was he expecting him to be angry?

“Come in, Sergio. Have a seat and then you can tell me your side of the story.” Vera gestured to a padded chair across from himself, then moved his paperwork to the side and folded his arms together on the desk.

Sergio did as he was told, although somewhat hesitantly. He wanted to ask how long it had been since Marco had left before he had come, but the Colonel’s intent stare forced him to file through his memories and start his report at the beginning. Back three days ago, maybe four now, to the outpost at the Church.

“I-I’m not sure exactly when the commotion started outside the Church…” Sergio stammered, recalling his daydreams about the Dark Ones, but not wanting to include such talk in discussions with the Colonel as of yet. “I was standing guard at the spotlight, but I hadn’t seen anything until someone called the alarm. I turned on the light and the others were already going out the door. Watchmen.”

Vera nodded his head slightly, but gave no hint of any expression that told what he was thinking.

“Soon, they were overrun and Grigori Igorevich told me to come down with my weapon and I did. We formed a circle right outside the door and closed it up. One of the watchmen tackled me, I guess I was dazed for a bit, every one spread out and they were still shooting. I was lying on the ground at the side of the road with my weapon but it was all going so fast. Next thing, a demon was screeching and Semyon Antonovich was telling me to run. We didn’t look back, just ran. He said the others had made it down the road to Oktyabrskaya, but neither of us was certain.”

“So, Semyon went with you?” Vera said with surprise, sitting back and gesturing for Sergio to finish.

“Yes, but, after half a kilometer or so, he stopped. He gave me his pistol and told me how to get to Venice.” Sergio paused, seeing in his mind the face of the rugged soldier coughing fitfully with sweat dripping into his eyes. “His mask was cracked open, and I didn’t have another…”

“It’s alright, Sergio. We all know the risks.” Vera was quick to comfort him for some reason. “What happened when you got to Venice?”

“Senya said it was a free station, and that they had a radio I could make contact with Polis via Sicily. Did the message ever come through?” Sergio found himself questioning the purity of that man Valya that he’d met there at Venice. He was a solid member of Roten Spaten, and seemed to be their main intelligence officer but Sergio hadn’t had much time to judge his character.

“Of course. But we were worried when you didn’t come back for three days after that. So, what next?” Vera said gruffly, but then relaxed and leaned onto his desk. He seemed genuinely interested in how Sergio had wound up at Avtozavodskaya. Perhaps Marco wasn’t so willing to give up her secrets of how she managed to capture a Hunter.

“They gave me a tent for the night, and in the morning the guy who’d let me in had two friends with him. I guess they were traders, refugees from the Red Line, and they told me they were going to Avtozavodskaya and needed help carrying some stuff through Sicily. It wasn’t that far past the Ring, so I helped them go by. You have to go through Paveletskaya too, and it’s all patched up there now.”

“I see. I’d never known what was beyond the marked stations on that line.” Vera made a small note on a paper to his left. Had Marco really told him nothing of her station?

“Well, when we got there they led me into a room right before the station. Marco, or, Sara Polo was standing there. She said she had a few questions, but then I could go. She had a cartridge, the same as the one Sacco gave to me to give to you.” Sergio leaned forward in his seat, engrossed in his own story as the memory of each moment played like a cinema film in his mind while he talked. “What are these cartridges for? Are you supposed to give one to someone you trust if you think you’re going to die? For them to be your replacement?”

“No.” Vera replied shortly, and Sergio felt his heart sink the same as it did when Maro didn’t answer him on the subject. “Really, it’s just an old communications system. Radio messages can be intercepted, letters too. But I suppose with Sacco it was a small bit different—” The Colonel cut himself short.

Sergio fell silent, his head swirling with this new information. After all this time with Marco and her cartridge he was beginning to think it was some significant token when it was really nothing more than another avenue of communication. But the Colonel had said it was a different case with Sacco, so was he perhaps some kind of a recruiter for the Brotherhoodns?

“You said she had questions for you? How did she even know who you were?” Vera led Sergio to continue his story with his own questions.

“I don’t think she was looking for me specifically.” Sergio entertained the notion for a few seconds but remembered her genuine shock to learn of his story with the Dark Ones. “No, I think she just had her people looking out for anyone with the same uniform. Any of us might have known about Sacco.”

Vera nodded his head, trying to hide a wry smirk, apparently impressed with Marco’ tactics, and then gave a grunt to spur Sergio to continue.

“Well, she asked me if I had seen him and I only told her because of the cartridge. I knew it was something important because… and the mission is over now so…” Sergio paused, searching the Colonel’s face for a reaction, still waiting for the moment he would say something that would earn him a reprimand. “I told her he’d gone to the Gardens and disappeared. They had heard about the Dark Ones… Do you think Sacco told her where he was going, too?”

“It’s quite possible. It seems he may have visited her before his patrol and subsequent visit to your station.” Vera put a hand to his stubbly chin thoughtfully. “Go on.”

“Well, the next day they had said they would escort me back to Polis, but it seems everything went wrong as soon as we left. We were going to go through Sicily of course, but then one of her men said he spotted a spy there named Sturmann – a Nationalist. He was, or is, looking for Marco.”

“Yes, unfortunate, but that is how they run things in their stations. Did she ever say why he was after her?” Vera continued to reveal that there were still many things he didn’t know about her background although he had assumedly talked to her for a few hours.

“No, just that she had escaped from Tverskaya. It seems they have a ‘no tolerance’ policy, sort of like the Reds.” Sergio also considered the possibilities to that question, what exactly was she running from?

“What next?” Vera asked harshly, pulling out a sheet of paper from the short stack of them on the desk and searching for a pen.

“We, uh, we went north to Madrid, and there some bandits started a fight with her man Andrei Sokolov. Marco and I had gone the other way, but then there were gunshots. There was a panic, and a fire, and everyone was running. Another of her guys Semyon put us on a boat, I think he lives there, she didn’t want to leave her men, but we had to. We were heading to Revolution Square initially, but the boat wouldn’t go that way so they dropped us at Kitai Gorod. Then there were mutants in the tunnel and we went over the surface to Kuznetsky Most.”

“This is quite the trip. No wonder it took you so long.” Vera furrowed his brow, making a scribble on the paper beside him, then sighed and seemed to relax. “Well, at least it’s a good story. Go on.”

“We passed a squad of Red soldiers led by a Comrade Major. I don’t know where they were going, but they said that they had to go around because of Madrid.” Sergio struggled to recall any further important details from that encounter, he wished he had more information for the Colonel but they hadn’t been cavalier enough to speak openly about their plans.

Vera made another note along with a grunt.

“At Kuznetsky Most there was a cordon, so we had to wait overnight, and then passed to Lubyanka in the morning. After there, two of Marco’ men found us and that’s when she named Nikolai as her successor until she got back. I don’t remember his other names but he has a twin brother named Dmitri, those two traders who I walked with the first time. They went back to Avtozavodskaya and we crossed through this eerie tunnel from Prospekt Marx. There was a big fight there, strange nosalises with black fur, and blood everywhere.” Sergio was gesticulating the size and shape of the monsters.

“This is where the anomaly attacked you?” Vera had his pen poised, not looking up from the paper at all as Sergio had been talking.

“I didn’t see it…” Sergio admitted with some form of regret. “But it did something to Marco. She said she heard music, and she collapsed. When she recovered, we went the rest of the way to Polis.”

Vera nodded slowly as he finished writing down what Sergio had reported.

For a minute, Sergio debated whether or not he should tell the Colonel about Marco’ mention of her plans to go to Emerald City, about her father and her supposed vision of Sacco. He had felt so special to be trusted with her ‘true mission’ but he wasn’t sure if she had mentioned it to Vera or not and didn’t want to betray that trust by selling her out. He decided, for now, to keep it a secret just between the two of them.

“Where is Marco now?” Sergio spoke tentatively, as Vera had finished writing but hadn’t looked up.

“I sent her with Anna for a tour and to the women’s barracks for some rest. I was going to have her in sniper training with Anna and Katya after an evaluation.” Vera paused and put a hand to his scruffy chin thoughtfully. “It seems that Sacco taught her more than I might have guessed, unless the Realm gives military training to all their citizens. I’m not sure precisely what his interest in her was but, at least, it seems that it remained mostly innocent.”

Innocent? Sergio didn’t want to explore the question. He recalled the night at Kuznetsky Most when both he and Marco had told some of their deeper secrets and stories; she had said she was in love with Sacco, but didn’t make it sound as if anything was official. Still, it didn’t answer Sacco’s side of the equation and Vera had a point. Could it have been that Sacco was also in love with her and just never said so? Maybe he’d been afraid to be open with her for fear that someone would hurt her while he was away. Sergio could identify with such reasoning.

“Can I speak to her again?” Sergio dared, hoping the Colonel wouldn’t read anything into his request. Even he wasn’t sure at that moment precisely what he wanted to speak with her about – just that he wanted to see her again before anything happened.

“You’ll see her around.” Vera gave the same knowing grin that Maro had given him earlier. “As it is, I haven’t anything for you to do yet. Have yourself something to eat and then come by the armory. We’re going to start testing some of the equipment we found.”

“Yes, sir.” Sergio stood and turned to leave, but something forced him to turn back. “About the cartridges again… do you still have the one I brought?”

Vera said nothing in reply, but began to rummage in the top drawer of his desk. After a moment, he pulled the dulled brass casing from the compartment, still attached to the black string that had hung around Sergio’s neck for so long. He held it out to him, and Sergio accepted it with reverence, clutching it tightly in his fist and then examining it closely.

“Am I to find my own replacement, too?” Sergio didn’t immediately realize that he’d spoken his thoughts aloud.

“There is no replacement for you, so don’t go giving it to anyone else.” Vera stood up and came around in front of Sergio. Putting both of his large calloused hands on his shoulders, the old Stalker gave a warm but sympathetic smile. “No Hunter is more dear to our cause than our Savior.”

Sergio nodded his head, but only because it was expected of him at times when his detested title was mentioned. In any case, Vera was proud of him for carrying out the despicable attack against the Dark Ones and he could at the very least enjoy the benefits that afforded him before the commander recognized his utter worthlessness. Though he didn’t think Vera actually thought of him as this prophetic savior, just that it was useful propaganda and bolstered morale for everyone. Turning around stiffly, trapped in his thoughts, he managed to leave the room.

Chapter 16: Part of the Family

Sergio returned to his room in Sector Б3, it was one of the smaller divisions of the bunker in which there was an existing row of barracks rooms. The room he had been assigned was a small single-person room on the bottom level of a two-story enclosure. He stood in the doorway for a few moments, looking over his organized but cluttered space. His favorite pair of black combat boots was still drying on the radiator in the corner, and all his postcards and photos were hung on the back wall above his bed. All but one – the one of the large green statue with the pointy crown that Sacco had given him. That card rested on one of the shelves that hung above his desk, and now, he had another of the Hunter’s tokens to add to it.

He took a step further inside and turned on the desk lamp, it had a dim yellow bulb but Sergio was of course grateful for such a luxury. Holding up the prized cartridge in his palm, he suddenly wondered if the small scrap of paper was still inside – the very message that Sacco had asked him to deliver to Vera. Had the Colonel disposed of it after reading its contents?

Sinking down onto his narrow military cot, he scrutinized the cap of the cartridge and found that it unscrewed from the rest of the casing. Carefully winding it around so as not to drop the pieces once it separated, he opened the capsule and saw the paper inside. He drew in a deep breath, subconsciously holding in his anticipation as he wiggled it out into his hand. The slim strip of paper was folded lengthwise and rolled up to fit inside the cartridge. Sergio flattened it out carefully, knowing that the precious words inscribed upon it may have been the last ones that the noble Sacco had ever written.

“Colonel, I am to contend with the ‘Dark Ones’ at the Botanical Gardens alone. If I do not return, you know what to do. Take care of the kid who brings this to you – you will need him. – Sacco.”

Sergio re-read the note several times, one reason being that the hasty scribbling was hard to make out but also because he was trying to determine exactly what Sacco had meant when saying that Vera would need him. Did Sacco know something about Sergio’s mental link with the Dark Ones or that it would serve some kind of purpose in the mission to destroy them? In Sergio’s mind, all it had done was confuse him and make every step of that expedition more difficult, as he was always second guessing his reasoning. Had this been Sacco’s way of saying that Sergio was to be his replacement? He was ashamed to admit that he didn’t know the legendary Hunter as well as he thought he did – not well enough to understand the subtle meanings behind his short and cryptic sentences.

Letting out the held breath in a long exasperated sigh, he fell backwards onto the cot and closed his eyes. Without looking down at his hands he managed to stuff the note back inside and seal the capsule, tucking it into his breast pocket. Perhaps he might show it to Maro later as see if he could determine any further meaning from it. Or, if he was able to see Marco again, she might be willing to compare her note with his own. Besides the signatures, he wondered if there were any similar sayings written in her capsule. Had Vera allowed her to keep it?

He sat up suddenly, wondering where she might be at this time and how long it had actually been since they had parted ways. What time was it now? He checked his watch; twenty minutes to midnight. It had been a lot longer than he thought it had been, since they had arrived at D6 just before five o’clock. Feeling his stomach rumble, he next understood that he hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast at Kuznetsky Most. He recognized that he had quite the bad habit of getting caught up in arbitrary chaos for hours and days without a proper meal in between. Vera had been right when he told him to get some food. He had almost a fatherly bearing over Sergio, and although the line between caring mentor and stern commander was blurred at times, he was appreciative of the concern.

Well, if going to get some dinner was an order, Sergio couldn’t refuse it anyway. He smiled to himself at the entertaining thought and went to turn the light out before leaving his room again. At the last moment before turning the switch on the lamp, he noticed Marco and Senya’s pistols lying on his desk. He let his fingers slip over the surface of them both; Senya’s pistol was a scratched up Tokarev, and might have been a family heirloom as that model hadn’t been in service for a number of decades. Marco’ Maro pistol was the same as what the military and police forces had been using before the end of the world, although upon closer inspection it looked as if the silencer she had attached to it had been made in the Subway. He gathered up her weapon and placed it in his own belt holster, mentally noting to return it to her when he saw her. He hoped that would be soon.

Leaving the room in darkness, he closed the door and headed for the central hall. The route downstairs to the mess hall was already engrained in his head, although he had to wait a few minutes for the lift to stop at his floor. It seemed that the commotion from upstairs still hadn’t ceased as the elevator car had gone past his stop a few times loaded with boxes. He had never found out what all the movement was about but perhaps someone in the mess hall would be gossiping about it, then he wouldn’t have to ask.

When the elevator finally stopped to let him on, he rode it up one story to the Alpha level, one deck below the station platforms of The Subway-2. From there, one had to walk around to the other side of the cylindrical hall, in the center of which a great spiraling lift curled around itself with two entwined sets of rails that could take you to the central switchboard or to the lowest level before reaching the reactor at the very bottom. You couldn’t see or access the reactor level from the center of the bunker, but there was a sealed grate lying flat between the two sections, and he had been told that the square recesses in the floor there could be opened on the occasion that the reactor began to overheat in order to ventilate it.

As he entered the mess hall, he noticed a small crowd of soldiers huddled together at a table on the right side. It seemed they were gathered around a particular person; perhaps someone had just come back from a patrol and had begun to tell some embellished half-true tale of what happened on their watch. Drawing closer, he could begin to make out the main voice amongst the murmurs of the other listeners and to his surprise it was Marco speaking. At first, he felt a halting tightness in his chest, and couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous that she had been here casually telling stories when he’d been wasting time wandering around waiting to see her again. But now that he was here it felt awkward, and it was obvious that what Maro had said to her rang true – she seemed to fit right in with these soldiers and be ‘a part of the family’ as he had said.

Sergio ventured a small closer, trying to catch the topic of conversation before he could feel comfortable enough in the room to actually get himself something to eat.

“…real electric sewing machines, although there were ones with a foot pedal too. I can never forget the sound of the motors. Anyway, it wasn’t so bad there, although sometimes the foreman would take on a ‘favorite’ girl for a while…” Marco’ voice faded as she noticed Sergio walking up to the group. Her face looked tired, and somehow her eyes were apologizing to him, although her lips were drawn up into a permanent smile as she had been telling her story about what it was like in the Realm.

“And, were you…?” A soldier Sergio didn’t know asked tentatively, leaning so far forward in his chair that Sergio thought he might tip it over at any second.

“Not me, no.” Marco confirmed and Sergio felt a small more at ease. “I suppose you could say that is when I learned the value of remaining unnoticed. Most of the girls tried to comb their hair nice, or have their clothes ironed so that they might be chosen next… but if you ask me the extra rations were not worth one’s self-respect.” She concluded with an indignant huff.

“Wow! So how did you get away from there?” Another young man with short blonde hair asked.

“Ah, that is a story for another time I think. It is getting to be late after all. And you have a watch in fifteen minutes, Yevgeniy!” She scolded the blonde soldier with a finger and the group of soldiers groaned in disappointment.

“Alright, alright.” The soldier conceded, and as he got up to leave the hall, the rest of the group started to disperse as well.

“We’re holding you to that!” Another Hunter teased as he exited the hall with a friend.

Sergio quickly went over to the serving table and got himself a bowl of whatever stew had been brewing that day, not caring exactly what it was, just that it was warm and nourishing. He chose a place to sit on the opposite side of the room where nobody had been at all.

On the inside, he was a jumbled mess of half-finished questions. Now that he was in her presence again, he wasn’t sure at all what to say to her. It would be too casual and forward to just begin speaking about the cartridges or to give her the pistol back without any prior conversation – or was it? And if he began by asking her what she had been doing in the last six hours he risked sounding too inquisitive or even aloof. As soon as he had begun to narrow down the first thing he might say to her, he noticed her coming over towards him and everything flew out of his mind at once. He shut his eyes, hoping somehow that time would pause until he had gotten that thought back into his head and sorted out how to respond to what she might say.

“Hello Sergio.” She said softly, putting one foot up on the bench beside him and leaning both arms over her knee.

“Hi.” He squeaked, quickly taking a spoonful of stew into his mouth as an excuse not to speak.

“Did you talk to the Colonel?” Her voice was flat, with no hint as to any emotions or further thoughts.

Sergio nodded his head, keeping his eyes somewhere between her boot and his supper, afraid to look into her eyes and lose what small power he had regained over his mind.

“And? Are you in any trouble?” Marco shifted on her other foot, trying to lean down to see his expression. “I told him that the delay wasn’t your fault, so I hope he didn’t lecture you or anything.”

“No, he didn’t.” Sergio answered, setting down his spoon as he had finally decided to tell her about the cartridge; at least then he would be in control of the conversation topic. “I asked him for the cartridge that Sacco gave me.”

“Yeah?” Marco said with a smile, taking her foot down and sitting sideways on the bench beside him.

“It even still has the note inside.” Sergio pulled the string with the capsule from his pocket and held it out to her.

Marco grasped the cartridge with the same level of reverent care with which she handled her own, and Sergio was humbled by it. He just now understood how close they were, symbolically bonded together by their mutual connection to the missing Hunter. So it wouldn’t really matter what he said to her, because that bond would always be in place no matter where they were. Whether Sacco proved to be alive or dead – she would still be a part of him and, hopefully, she would remember him in the same way as well.

“So I suppose it was the same thing, only he never told you what to expect. He must have been really worried about going up to the surface to have written this.” Marco dropped her shoulders and her excited smile faded. “I can’t think of any other time that he thought he wouldn’t succeed. Perhaps he knew what fate would meet him in the Gardens. The way he said goodbye to me…” Her voice trailed off sharply.

“Did he tell you that’s where he was going?” Sergio asked, wondering if she would think it rude if he continued to eat while they talked.

“He knew about those beings coming to your station and wanted to figure them out, assess the threat, you know? That’s what he does. I think somehow their existence bothered him, who knows why, but I know he felt that it was his duty to go after them.” Her eyes remained on his cartridge cradled in her hands.

“Really, it was mine.” Sergio admitted with a melancholy sigh, trying not to think about the tower and everything that led up to it. “I shouldn’t have let him go off alone. It was all my fault anyway. It was too dangerous, even for him.”

“As if you could have stopped him!” Marco snorted, and then fell silent as she realized that her joke hadn’t lifted Sergio’s spirits. She began speaking again in a softer tone. “Listen, of course it isn’t your fault. About the hermetic door, maybe. But Sacco was determined to go and find out where those creatures were living. I couldn’t stop him from going and neither could you if you tried. When he decides on something, nothing can hold him back.”

Sergio noticed how she had shifted to speaking of Sacco as if he were still present.

“Anyway, I haven’t even gone to open the box he left behind. I feel like, if I open it, then he really is never going to come back…” her voice had lowered nearly to a whisper by the end of her solemn statement. Sergio could feel her tension and rising grief.

“He wanted you to have those things.” Sergio finally looked at her face and put a hand on her arm to comfort her. “It’s best if you have them, no doubt there are some weapons and other gear he left. He would want you to be safe.”

“Would you come with me?” Marco wasted no time in asking, placing her hand over his to prevent him from letting go of her arm.

Sergio only nodded, finding he had no voice to reply to her with. All he could focus on was the warmth of her touch. With his other hand he took her pistol from his holster and offered the grip to her.

“We’ll have to get your ammunition back at the armory.” He said softly, already feeling a chill on his hand after she’d taken hers away to grab the pistol.

“Thank you.” She exchanged her pistol with his cartridge, placing it on the table and accepting the weapon into both hands. “This was the first weapon I ever owned. Andrei Sokolov gave it to me as we were leaving Realm. I’d never even shot a gun before!”

“Well, you’re very good at it now.” Sergio said awkwardly, then turned back to his stew, which was getting cold, and taking in another mouthful to distract from the strange compliment.

Marco simply giggled and shook her head slightly to agree with him.

“The box he left is down in the armory, do you want to meet me there?” She said as she rose from her seat and combed at her hair with her fingers.

“Actually, I should be heading there anyway. Vera said that we are going to start testing some of the old weapons from the store room.” Sergio tucked the cartridge into his pocket, already preparing to leave.

“Okay then, I’ll go have a chat with Katya and then we’ll go when you’re ready. She’s on kitchen duty right now.” Marco gestured towards the room set behind this one where the actual cooking and dish washing was done. She smiled brightly at him and gave a small wave as she walked off, leaving him to his meal.

Chapter 20: Rumors of My Demise Are Exaggerated

Sergio took his time even after finishing his meal, as it gave him the chance to regain hold of his thoughts. As soon as Marco had walked into the next room he instantly felt more at ease but somehow also enervated. It was almost as if time had been skipped forward for him; he remembered only short blotches of having come down into the mess hall and nothing of the uncomfortable feelings that hindered the interaction that he had been so looking forward to.

Glancing over his shoulder, he quickly assessed the state of the room and who was left in it. Two soldiers still sat four tables over, where they had been listening to the engrossing history of Marco’ upbringing in Realm. They were periodically looking over at Sergio and whispering to each other. Although he had initially been the one feeling aggrieved about missing out on hearing her stories, it seemed that now these two Hunters felt that way about him. They must have noticed when Marco had come over to talk to him alone and were left wondering what made him so special. It seemed that the news which heralded the arrival of the clandestine acquaintance of the missing Sacco had been conveniently stripped of Sergio’s involvement.

Upon further consideration, Sergio was almost thankful for it. He didn’t particularly want to be the name on everyone’s lips, and preferred to be left out of whatever extra rumors were circulating about the exact nature of her relationship with Sacco and why he had never mentioned her to anyone before. The last thing he needed was for anyone to think that he had somehow taken up the veteran Stalker’s role in the affair. No, the thought of having such things in common with her was to be his thought and his alone. ‘Let them talk.’ He thought, hiding a wry smile from the two soldiers who were still eyeing him suspiciously. None of them would ever know the minute details and intricate conversations that he had already shared with her. With that comforting reflection, he took his empty bowl and headed for the kitchen.

“No, believe me, she’s always like that.” Spoke a high feminine voice with disgust.

“Ugh,” Marco groaned, “Does she think she’s so special just because she’s Vera’s daughter? Or what, she doesn’t get enough attention from him or something?”

“Who knows? The Colonel keeps his private life, well… private.” The girl at the back of the room spoke quietly; she had short bright blonde hair and wore a pair of threadbare jeans with the usual striped undershirt, although Sergio knew that she was also a Hunter under Vera’s command. The Order continued the Soviet tradition of training women to be snipers; women were less physically capable of front-line assaults but were highly intuitive and patient with calculating the complex figures involved in long-range shooting.

So that must be Katya talking with Marco, thought Sergio to himself as he slipped into the room silently, not wanting to interrupt their gossiping or make them think he was eavesdropping. Although, the few words he had just heard spun his mind into creating the rest of the tale in its own chronicle. It sounded as if something had happened between Marco and Anna – the latter was the highest-ranking female in the company of the Order and also its best sniper.

“Hello Sergio.” Katya said with a smile, turning in his direction and putting a hand on one hip. Apparently she had known he was there the whole time.

“Hello.” Sergio said quietly. He had seen Katya in D6 before, but hadn’t ever formally introduced himself.

“Marco told me about how you saved her from the anomaly in the service passage.” Katya beamed, turning back to stir whatever next batch of chow was in the large pot on the stove.

“Katya!” Marco scolded and her cheeks flushed bright red. “It wasn’t like that.”

“Not really like that, no.” Sergio confirmed, still watching the adorably discomfited face of Marco and trying to imagine just how she had recounted the tale to her friend. “I didn’t even see it, actually.”

“Still, she said you carried her out before it came back again.” Katya winked at Marco; it seemed she was trying to instigate something or make fun of her somehow but Sergio wasn’t very in tune with understanding the subtleties of feminine connotation.

“I mean yeah, I guess?” Sergio shrugged and wrinkled up his nose in confusion.

Katya laughed haughtily and turned back to the pot on the stove.

“Are you ready to go to the armory?” Marco asked uneasily, not looking directly at him. Her arms crossed tightly over her chest and her face was still a deep pink.

Sergio nodded energetically, as it seemed that he and Marco both wanted to escape from the curious insinuations of Katya. Not wasting another second, Marco tore out of the room without saying goodbye to her and Sergio followed quickly after her. Even after exiting the mess hall he could hear Katya’s giggling faintly behind them.

It seemed that just as soon as he’d regained himself from his earlier ineptitude, the air had become tense again and Katya’s words echoed in his ears. What exactly was she trying to suggest? Had Marco really described their encounter with the anomaly to her in such a way as to make her think that Sergio had acted like some story book hero? Marco was certainly no damsel in distress type needing to be rescued. Then again, he was starting to understand how his carrying her limp body out from that disturbing hallway could be seen in a different light.

“Katya likes to play jokes,” Marco began to make excuses for the strange behavior, once again reading his mind and answering questions he had never asked aloud. But then she seemed to forget what she wanted to say next.

“It’s alright.” Sergio attempted to show a comforting smile, but Marco didn’t look at him and so it was lost on her. Maybe changing the subject would relieve her and then the atmosphere might return to normal between them. “Did something happen with Anna?”

“Oh, that.” Marco let out a huff as if trying to vent out her annoyance. “No, nothing bad happened. I just don’t like her attitude. She seems entitled, kind of a know-it-all type. I mean, I already know how to use a Dragunov and she’s treating me like a child.”

“Did Sacco teach you about it?” Sergio spoke before he had meant to, but Marco didn’t seem to mind the question this time.

“Of course. What else, I told you he taught me a lot of things.” Marco held up a hand as if she could physically hold all the individual things that Sacco had shown her.

“Sorry, I just…” Sergio set about apologizing; trying to get his mouth to catch up to where his mind was a hundred meters ahead of him asking its own questions.

“No, I know. He left you completely unprepared. I mean, I’m sure you knew already how to use a rifle before you got here…” Marco stammered, seemingly also detached from her actual thoughts. Then she spoke in a softer tone. “There’s a way he has about his mind, how he looks at things, processes them. It’s a sort of meditation, and he can sense things that you can’t see or hear.”

Sergio couldn’t nail down a specific question to add to the conversation, but he was delighted to hear Marco speak of the man who had constructed his current life path. She had known Sacco much more intimately and Sergio was finally learning to be appreciative of the fact as it afforded him more information about the man he only thought he understood.

“I can’t do that like he can, but it was always fascinating to watch him. Sometimes we would go into the tunnels towards Turganevskaya, just to see how quiet we could be.”

Sergio examined her face as she reminisced, her mind transported to those very tunnels on the Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya Line which he used to call home. He scoffed internally, trying to imagine why anyone would go into that cursed tunnel just for fun. Sometimes he still couldn’t decide if Sacco was boldly reckless because he was so sure of himself or just plain mad.

“Once we got stuck overnight near Marksistskaya—” Marco’ voice had gotten higher.

Looking over at her again, he just noticed she was dabbing at her eyes with one hand, trying to wipe away tears before they fell. Her happy recollections of the veteran Stalker had only instigated her guilt and grief. Without a second thought, he stopped and reached over her shoulders and pulled her closer until she was tucked under his arm. They were only a few steps from the lift, so he thought it was better to help her compose herself before heading into the usually busy armory where Vera and Maro were probably already waiting for him.

“Do you really think he was killed, Sergio?” Marco’ eyes pleaded, the silvery blue shades of grey reminding him of the gloomy sky over the city far above them.

“I don’t know.” His head sunk and he had to look away from her sorrowful eyes before they consumed him. “It’s just strange that he would completely disappear. If he had gone down fighting, there would be a trace of him somewhere.”

“Didn’t anyone go after him?” She grasped at the sleeve on his other arm, trying to steady herself as she breathed sharply.

“I don’t even know how long it took me to get to Polis after he left.” Sergio speedily flipped through the memories of all the misfortune he’d encountered on what seemed like such a simple journey. “Two weeks? A month? When I finally found Colonel Vera, the task was to find D6 and use the missiles to destroy the Dark Ones.”

Marco shook her head in disbelief and sniffed back another wave of tears, now gripping at both of his sleeves as he had loosened his embrace. He suddenly felt as if he had personally failed her, and regretted that no one had gone to look for Sacco at any time they were on the surface, even as they had gone to OsloTower.

“I’m sorry. I wish I knew.” Sergio’s voice cracked at the end, as it seemed he had been swept under by the current of her sorrow – dragged into the limitless depths beneath the unstable platform he’d built up in his mind to stand on which made his worthless life just barely tolerable enough to go on with.

There was a long time spent standing there with Marco clutching his sleeves and Sergio remaining as still as a statue, lost in the torrent of disappointment and regret that flowed around them both. The elevator passed their floor several times without stopping, and Marco had become completely still and silent. He could barely tell from his angle above her that her eyes were shut as if she were intensely concentrating on something but he couldn’t be sure what she was thinking at the moment. After another minute of watching her, he decided to take her hands with his own. If she wanted to hold on to him, then he wanted to be there for her.

“Marco?” Sergio said softly after several more minutes had passed in silence. He almost wanted to lift her head the way he had seen Nikolai do earlier, but didn’t want to let go of her hand.

She stirred slowly, her brows twitched and then relaxed. Her eyelids fluttered and then opened fully, and she looked up at him with a bewildered appearance as if she were seeing him for the first time.

“Are you alright?” He asked tentatively, wondering if she even noticed that he had been holding on to her hands all this time.

“I was trying to meditate, like he used to, to see if I could sense him… or something like that.” She looked around them, as if expecting to see Sacco’s ghostly apparition floating nearby somewhere. “I couldn’t see anything, but I heard his voice.”

“What was he saying?” Sergio indulged her fantasy if only to keep her calm, as she seemed to be now.

“I don’t know… it was sort of jumbled.” Her voice wavered, and she looked up at him again and shook her head. “I’m sorry. It’s probably just old memories.”

“Maybe you should get some rest. Have you slept?” Sergio convinced himself to let one of his hands go from hers, at least to see if she noticed the sensation or not.

“Not very much. When Anna brought me to the barracks I had a few hours, but this place is so big I just couldn’t settle down.” Marco released his other hand and Sergio was regretful that he had brought her attention to it.

“After this, you should try to sleep. It’s late and I don’t know what might happen in the next few days.” Sergio pressed hard on the button that summoned the elevator.

Marco simply nodded her head in agreement; it seemed her head was still wrapped up in her aural imaginings of Sacco.

Sergio wanted to know more about what she had heard, but worried that asking about it might bring her to tears again. He wondered if her being able to hear such things was some leftover side effect from the encounter with the anomaly, when she had heard music and saw her father, and supposedly Sacco as well. Had it bestowed some kind of special gift unto her? Khan had mentioned that it ‘took a liking to her,’ could that be what he had actually meant? Sergio had never taken notice of this kind of meditation before, although it had also been a practice that Khan had talked about vaguely. Could one simply close their eyes and connect to some higher level of consciousness? A level which spoke unknowable things to you and gave advice on which tunnels were dangerous or safe? He intended to try it for himself at a later time; perhaps Marco would be willing to show him how.

Chapter 21: Thread Cutter

“You know, I’ve been thinking about something and meant to ask you earlier.” Sergio said as they exited the lift at the lowest level.

Marco turned her head towards him, her eyes showing concern.

“Well, when I agreed to leave Venice with Nikolai – he had promised me some books as payment.” Sergio grinned lopsidedly, hoping his gesture would lift her spirits.

“Oh?” Marco said with surprise, seemingly relieved that it was an innocent question on a completely different subject than the depressing one they had just been speaking of. “I’m sorry; I didn’t know anything about that.”

“It’s okay, I don’t really mind. I guess I forgot all about it when I saw you standing there.” Sergio recalled the image of their first meeting; her imposing figure being revealed to him like a performer from behind a stage curtain. She was his true prize, and having met her was payment enough for walking to Avtozavodskaya with Nikolai and Dmitri.

“I have an old book I could give you, if you want. I don’t know if you would like it or not.” Marco grabbed at her other arm awkwardly and stared at the floor. “It’s a copy of Ivan Turgenev’s most famous novel.”

“Maybe I will borrow it, and give it back to you when I’m done.” He tried to come up with any excuse he could to see her again at later dates. “Even if you go back to Avtozavodskaya, I’ll bring it to you there.”

“If I go back…” She mused aloud, still appearing as if she were caught between this plane and the ethereal one. “I don’t know what I’ll do yet.”

“So, you are going to stay?” Sergio said hopefully, and stopped just outside of the armory doors.

“You’ve been listening to everyone talk.” Marco dropped her head, and then looked straight up at him. “Vera wants to test me. Sacco wanted me to join the Order, but I told him… I can’t just leave my home, my people. And without him here it’s just… so empty.”

Sergio couldn’t quite tell if she was referring to D6 or to life itself but he listened to her anxiously, his heart pounding as he waited for her final decision. It’s not that he couldn’t agree with her reasoning, it’s just that he really wanted her to stay. What would Nikolai say if she returned to Avtozavodskaya without an escort? What would Sacco say if she were not protected, if his final wish was never realized? He could almost see the Hunter’s stern face looming over him, and shuddered at the thought.

“I told you about my true mission. I don’t want to be stuck living under this dead city forever, and now that D6 has been discovered, there will surely be more conflict. What difference will it make if I am in one station or another? Now that Sacco is—” Marco bit her lower lip hard, not able to finish the sentence.

“I know but…” Sergio took in a breath, trying to slow his heartbeat and focus on making his words come out right this time. “I wish you would stay.”

Marco had begun to reach out to him and say something, but just then the doors to the armory slid open and Maro came stumbling out. He had a large crate in his arms; apparently he had become part of the crew that was moving things around upstairs.

“Woah! Sorry to interrupt you kids.” Maro laughed and kept walking away as he talked to them, trying to press the button for the lift with his elbow. “Vera is waiting for you, Sergio.”

“Yes sir.” Sergio parroted flatly, not even turning his head to answer his partner who at the moment only annoyed him. It had not been the proper moment for humor, orders, or disruption.

“I haven’t told Vera anything about Emerald City; I don’t think it’s the right time, yet. And with so many silly stories going around about it, I don’t want him to get the wrong idea about me.” Marco continued as if the thirty seconds of Maro walking by hadn’t even occurred. “For now, I’m keeping my promise to Sacco as best as I can.”

“I didn’t mention it to him, either.” Sergio finally caught her gaze as he revealed his loyalty.

“Then my trust in you was well-placed.” She smiled back at him weakly and then turned to go inside.

The armory proved to be surprisingly deserted, even though Maro had just come out with a box at the worst possible moment. Looking around, there was only Vera speaking with Vladimir who was standing behind a workbench along the right wall. Vladimir had been severely wounded during their search for D6 and had since taken up a stationary role in the armory, helping to outfit Hunters for each mission, repair weaponry, and manufacture ammunition from the spent cartridges. A stack of several more crates was piled in the left corner by the door, and Sergio wondered if Maro would be coming back soon.

“Sergio, you’re just in time.” Vera turned as he had heard footsteps inside the door. “Ah, Marco you’re here too. I’ve been considering where to send you for your trial. I spoke with Anna.” He said ominously.

“I’m sorry—” Marco began solemnly, but Vera cut her off. Sergio wondered what she was trying to apologize for.

“She isn’t the easiest to get along with.” The Colonel admitted reluctantly. “But I have had some trouble deciding who else to send you with. Although I understand your desire is to become a Stalker, Katya and Tatiana are unqualified for the type of assignment I have in mind.”

“Send me.” Sergio took in a deep breath and puffed up his chest as convincingly as he could. Ordinarily he would find himself wondering why he had spoken without thinking, but on the inside he knew exactly what the reason was – his mind just wouldn’t form the exact words for him.

The shocked look on Vera’s bearded face subsided into deep contemplation. Marco glanced back and forth between both of them, trying to understand why Sergio had volunteered and why Vera seemed to be considering it.

“Hrm, I will give it some thought.” He grumbled, putting a clenched fist to his chin pensively before reaching into his pocket for something. “Bring Marco to the storage room and take this key. Sacco’s things are with my own gear.”

Saying nothing more, for fear that the commander begin to change his attitude, Sergio took the key from the stalker’s massive palm and turned in the direction of the storage lockers. But Marco had lingered and so he stopped just within the frame of the corridor, he was out of the way, but still within earshot.

“Has anyone even gone looking for him?” Marco said quietly, as if trying to keep the conversation between herself and the Colonel. Vera seemed to understand just what she was talking about.

“I’ve been sending out reconnaissance teams in shifts every day, combing the area from Prospekt Mira to Sviblovo. We’ve even gone back to keeping a watch at Medvedkovo. Any leads or tips we get from inside the Subway are dealt with by telephone and radio with local officials.” Vera reported flatly, but then softened and put both his hands on her shoulders, having to lean down to reach them. “I want to find him just as badly as you do. Sacco was my closest comrade, my most trusted friend, my best soldier – but the situation doesn’t look good, and there’s been no trace of him, so far.”

“What if he was still there, in their nest, during the missile strike?” Marco squeaked in a higher voice.

“No.” Vera shook his head and frowned, horrified at the idea. “Don’t you think like that, you hear me? We will find out the truth, and when we do, I promise that I will inform you of the details myself.”

“Yes. I’m sorry. Thank you, Colonel.” Marco nodded her head in agreement, and turned to catch up with Sergio with more tears in her eyes. A cursory glance back at Vera showed that he had become emotional as well, although he did his best to hide it, and Sergio felt that same twang of guilt reverberate through his body.

Finding the proper storage locker after a short search through the moderately-sized room, Sergio unlocked the cover of the metal chest with the key Vera had given him. Inside was a multitude of equipment pieces, uniforms, old military keepsakes, and ammunition in different calibers. It was difficult to resist the temptation of looking through the random collectibles that Vera kept stored, but Sergio knew what they were here for and couldn’t imagine the punishment for rifling through the commander’s personal effects. Half-buried in the middle of everything was a large, polished wooden box. It was inscribed with a tarnished brass nameplate which was unreadable and large hastily-painted letters below it that read: “Хантер.”

“This is it.” Sergio said flatly as he heaved the impossibly heavy crate from the locker and placed it on a low table in the middle of the room.

“If he is found someday, I’m going to give it all back to him.” Marco placed both hands on the surface of the shiny lacquered wood, flattening out her fingers and caressing the painted name.

“Well for now, it’s yours.” Sergio encouraged her, watching her face as she flipped open the two metal tabs that held the cover closed.

As she lifted the lid, her eyes lit up with amazement although her forehead had wrinkled with concern. Following her gaze into the crate, he watched as she picked up different items and examined them. Most notably and right at the very top was a silenced assault rifle. Sergio’s facial expression now mirrored that of Sara’s as she continued through the items in the box. There were scraps of paper with hand-written notes, a book about someone named Vasily Zaytzev, faded photographs of Rome landmarks, and leather-skinned journals scattered between random pieces of military equipment. Nothing besides the rifle was all that remarkable and it all turned out to be a rather normal assortment of things he would expect someone like Sacco to have left in reserve: night vision sights, batteries, medical supplies, different calibers of ammunition, and tools for cleaning weaponry. He couldn’t help but think that if Sacco had chosen to bring his customized weapon, he might still be here to continue to use it.

Marco took in a slow deep breath and gave a long sigh, setting everything but the sniper rifle and a box of ammunition for it back into the crate.

“Might as well try it out while we’re here.” She said quietly and forced a smile, as if trying to convince herself it was okay, pulling the weapon into her lap and running her fingers over the cold metal and carved wooden stock.

“How did you meet him? You never told me.” Sergio said after a long silence of watching tears gather in her eyes without falling. Perhaps the real way to help her was to draw out every memory she had stored inside her so they wouldn’t be suffocating her with their sentiment.

“It was almost three years ago, in Kitai-Gorod. I had just turned twenty-five when we met, and he was probably ten years older than me.” Marco started, and then shifted uncomfortably and placed both hands firmly on the table. “Listen, I will tell you, all of it… but only if you stay with me.”

“Stay with you?” Sergio tried to clarify her meaning by repeating the words.

“Look, don’t get any ideas, I just…” She turned her gaze to the floor. “I don’t want to be alone here.”

“Okay… I will.” He said quietly, but was still confused about what exactly she was asking him for. Did she intend them to sleep in the same room? Her room? Or his room? Was that allowed here, where they had the barracks separated by gender?

“Good.” She touched his hand for a moment before getting to her feet, once more turning away from him and leaving the room without waiting, the fancy weapon in hand.

Vera was still standing where they had left him five minutes ago, but Vladimir had set about arranging different types of weapons at the firing range, checking that each one had a small box of ammunition beside it. Sergio wondered if he had been the only one selected to help test the weapons and was curious about the decision; surely there were other Hunters that were more knowledgeable than he was. Then again, how was he supposed to acquire such knowledge about firearms if he didn’t practice more with them? Maybe it was Vera’s sneaky way of assisting him?

Marco stepped up to the last firing lane and set the rifle and its ammo down on the bench. Ejecting the magazine to find that it was empty, she began to load it with cartridges from the box labeled “Снайперские 9mmx39 СП-5.”

Sergio was hesitant to follow, but eventually walked over to the range as Vera did, figuring he was about to receive an order from him about what to do first. Instead, the stalker stopped just behind Marco and put both hands on his sides authoritatively.

“I see that Sacco left you his Vintorez. I trust you know what’s special about it?” Vera gave that warm smile again. He probably would have told her that it was a weapon only used by Spetsnaz and that was what made it special, or perhaps he was about to tell some story about how Sacco had used it to defend himself bravely on a mission or made some incredible shot with it. But there was no way for anyone to expect the kind of answer she was about to give.

“It’s a cousin of the AS VAL suppressed assault rifle – a compact sniper rifle with a PSO telescopic sight. Gas-operated, rotating bolt, utilizing nine millimeter subsonic armor-piercing rounds, built at the Arsenal in Tula.” Marco recited with a straight face, as if from memory like a school child when asked about math or history facts. “Of course now, the only ones who can make that caliber are the weapons specialists at Baumanskaya.”

Both Vera and Sergio’s expression was of wide-eyed shock, as they were more than impressed by her recount of knowledge. Sergio almost hoped that Vera would ask her another question, just to hear her answer so precisely; he didn’t even know those kinds of specifications. Sacco had really not spared any of his expertise in mentoring her.

“What’s the difference between that rifle and the VSK?” Vera squinted at her skeptically, too tempted by her impressive display to not test her further. Sergio looked on with delight.

“The VSS Vintorez and VSK-94 were developed from the 9A-91 assault carbine; basically it’s just an extended barrel, stock, and scope, but fires the same caliber. The Vintorez is non-modular and is designed with more style in mind, though it can be broken down into three pieces for travel. There used to be a special case for it.” Marco finally turned to face the Colonel with a cold expression, not seeming to grasp how impressive her knowledge was to the men in the room.

“Let’s see you fire it, then.” Vera growled his approval of her answers and gestured downrange at a hanging target where a large blue and yellow concentric circle was painted.

Sergio had already witnessed her expertise with handling an automatic weapon during their minor battle with the mutants which forced them to exit the tunnel before Kitai-Gorod station and go up to the surface, although he hadn’t really seen how many targets she had actually taken down with her hail of fire. Still, watching Vera suspiciously studying her movements made things much more interesting, and he was secretly cheering her on in his mind.

Marco turned back and clipped the last round into place in the magazine, jammed it into the receiver, charged the handle, and took aim. Making a minor adjustment to the focus on the scope, she pressed the stock hard into her shoulder and fired a short burst.

Vera took one large step forward, so that he was directly to her left and could see down the lane to the target.

“Move it back, Vladimir.” Vera leaned his head back and gestured to Vladimir who had been watching the target zone through a security window.

Fiddling with some hidden switches, a humming noise began and Sergio stood on his toes in order to see the backstop receding further into the room, making the target distance another ten meters away. He decided to stand at the adjacent firing lane in order to be able to see where her next group of shots landed, as his angle didn’t afford him a good view.

“Alright, concentrate on a controlled shot now.” Vera spoke softly, leaning over Marco impatiently.

Marco ticked the switch to semi-auto, let out her breath, and then fired again. A pause, she fired again, and then made another minor adjustment on the sights, and then a third shot. Vera was outwardly impressed and gave a satisfied grunt. Sergio, who had been watching the two of them, looked down at the target – not a single shot had landed outside of the innermost circle.

“Well done indeed!” Vera laughed, giving Marco a hearty pat on the shoulder. “Maybe you can tell Sergio something about the weapons over here and then I won’t have to.”

Sergio stared down at the weapon on the bench in front of him; it looked to be a very old bolt-action sniper rifle with a heavy wooden body. Feeling already slightly ashamed by the commander’s comment, he only ended up confirming its truth for himself by not recognizing at all what lay before him. He held his breath in hopes that Marco would not take the invitation.

“This is a Mosin-Nagant 1891, used extensively during the Great War. Five-round internal magazine, bolt action, and it has the extended bent bolt to accommodate a sniper scope.” Marco touched the polished wood of the rifle with one hand.

Sergio backed up and practically pretended that he wasn’t there as Vera led Marco past him, but looked over at him expecting him to follow and pay attention. Stopping at each lane, Marco recited what the weapons were and their basic specifications.

“Dragunov SVU automatic sniper rifle, Pecheneg squad support and Degtyaryov light machine guns, all using 7.62x54 rimmed cartridges. And this one is a Simonov SKS-45 carbine with a folding bayonet.” Marco’ voice droned, as if she was generally uninterested in the things she was talking about. Vera, on the other hand, was thoroughly pleased with her.

Sergio stared at his boots, waiting for the humiliation to be over. Inside he truly wished he’d known all the specific attributes and names of the weapons she had listed off. He repeated the words to himself in a vain attempt to memorize all the facts and figures like Marco apparently did. Although normally he’d be interested to learn everything he could, especially in order to become a more effective soldier, he was finding that he only wanted to leave the room.

As if by some miracle of the heavens, Maro came in through the armory doors with a clatter and strolled over to the three of them casually, dragging his sleeve across his sweaty forehead. His entrance seemed to disrupt the atmosphere in the armory and it became instantly quiet.

“What’s up everyone? Have I earned my break yet, boss?” He threw a wink at Vera whose exuberant expression changed to one of irritation.

“Yes, Makarov, go get some ear plugs and you can shoot whatever you want.” Vera sighed heavily, his hand still resting on Marco’ shoulder. “For weapons!” He quickly corrected as Maro darted around the corner, trying to clarify that he had his choice of weapon, not targets.

Marco hurriedly left the old Stalker’s grasp and picked up the Vintorez tenderly, ejecting the magazine and the clearing the chamber, leaving the unspent rounds on the bench. Evidently she remembered the new policy about ammunition.

“I’d like to get some rest, Colonel.” She turned and said with an apologetic sigh. “Please excuse me.”

“Of course, go and get some sleep. It’s very late. I’ll send for you sometime tomorrow once I’ve worked out your assignment.” Vera nodded his head slowly and waved her off with one hand.

“Goodnight, Sergio.” Marco said softly, and he raised his head upon hearing his name, just catching her invasive stare for long enough to understand that he should follow her when he was able. The inflection in her next sentence confirmed his suspicion, “We will speak again soon.”

Chapter 22: How We First Met

Comforted by Marco’ hasty exit, Sergio felt as if he could think and breathe normally again; it was as if a fog was suffocating him when she was around and his mind just spun in circles. The shock and embarrassment of her advanced knowledge of firearms still reigned, hitting him more sharply as he caught sight of Vera shaking his head solemnly. For a minute, Sergio thought the Colonel might turn and admonish him for being so dull by comparison, but then he began to speak in a mournful tone.

“I wish she had come to us sooner.” Vera sighed, a regretful frown on his lips. “I didn’t even think that Sacco had so much spare time to spend with her – or anyone, really. But perhaps his requests for extra assignments gave him the opportunity to visit her more often. Now, I’m sure of it.”

“You would have welcomed her? Even back at Polis?” Maro inserted, coming back around the corner with three sets of hearing protection.

“He did mention her before, about a year or so ago. He’d been spending more and more time out on patrols, though he always checked in on time. I could tell something was on his mind, so I asked him outright.” Vera shifted his stance, rubbing the bridge of his nose with two fingers. “At first he told me he’d been visiting an old friend, but I didn’t believe him. Finally he came clean and told me he had been meeting a girl at Venice. He was pretty enamored with her.”

“So you knew about it all along and never did anything?” Maro challenged the Colonel with a harsh tone, but Sergio couldn’t be sure what he had to be angry about.

“We can’t just adopt every man’s mistress into our fold! Smolensk was already overcrowded… you have to think about these things when you’re in command.” Vera sighed harshly as if letting off steam, knowing that no reason was good enough to atone for the loss of their best soldier.

“Mistress?!” Maro yelled, amused by the sentiment but still sounding irritated. “Sacco wasn’t married! Well, I guess they basically could have been. But Marco is clearly a different breed of woman; we could use a soldier like her.”

“I know that now!” Vera roared and then hushed his voice as perhaps Marco was still nearby. “I know it’s my fault – that I didn’t listen to him when he came to me about the Dark Ones. You’re thinking that she could have joined the Order and been his partner and gone with him to the Gardens, that they could have been a team and protected each other. Perhaps it was all possible at one point… only it didn’t happen that way. Sacco never asked me about immigration. In fact, I asked him what he intended to do about her, and as much as I believe that he wanted her here – she refused him.”

What a thought! Sergio paused, running quickly through the idea in his mind; Marco and Sacco going together to the Gardens. Would they have stopped in Exhibition at all? Would she or Sacco have even paid Sergio any mind? Perhaps Sacco would indeed still be here if he had gone with a partner like her. But then, Sergio would never have needed to leave his home station and journey to Polis.

“Why would she turn down an offer to join us? Especially if she apparently loved him so damn much!” Maro growled, taking the Mosin in his grasp and working the bolt repetitively out of frustration.

“Because of her people… back at Avtozavodskaya.” Sergio spoke up timidly at first because he hadn’t been involved in the conversation, but he caught sight of the surprised look on the faces of the other two men and was reassured that they were intently listening. “She is the head of Roten Spaten, remember? Her men are not just soldiers, they are like a family, and they also protect the citizens at Avtozavod. She couldn’t just abandon her station and leave it without leadership. No matter how much she and Sacco… no matter how good the opportunity sounds.”

Maro and Vera had been silent, glancing at each other and then back to Sergio, each with a pensive look on their face as if they hadn’t fully understood where Marco had come from and what her motives were, let alone how Sergio himself came to know so well.

“Actually, we were just talking about whether she would stay or not.” Sergio looked over at the Vintorez on the bench, wondering why Marco hadn’t put it back in the wooden case. Maybe she just didn’t want to sift through the memorabilia again.

“And?” Both Vera and Maro pressed him for the answer to the question on everyone’s minds. Sergio was slightly amused that he had been wondering about the same thing, thinking that Vera had already instigated a plan to sign her on and yet it turned out that he had known more than anyone.

“She hasn’t decided anything for certain yet. She seems… regretful, and she knew that Sacco wanted her to join the Order but I think now that she is here it only reminds her that she never listened to him.” Sergio looked off into the distance where her silhouette last loomed by the door, thinking of her more by the sympathetic pain in his heart than the actual memory.

Vera and Maro exchanged glances once more, apparently both realizing the opportunity in front of them. Maro remained silent, talking to Vera with his eyebrows and half a smile, waiting for him to give the order.

“Alright Sergio, this is your new assignment. It’ll remain in effect on top of the mission I’ll be sending you both on tomorrow.” Vera leaned down and put a hand on his shoulder, looking directly into his eyes to make sure he understood fully.

“Both of us?” Sergio asked hopefully but disbelievingly with an eyebrow raised.

“Yes. You are to stay as close to her as possible. It’s obvious that she confides in you, sees some sort of similarities between you and herself. The fact that you were the last person Sacco spoke to means something, to everyone, but to her more than any. Find out as much as you can about her and report any relevant bits to me.” He glanced over at Makarov’s excited expression and frowned. “Only to me. Understand?”

“Yes, sir!” Sergio gave a stoic salute and straightened his posture.

“Good. Off you go then; I assume that tone of voice meant she wanted to talk to you anyway.” Vera gave the same knowing grin that Sergio had been seeing on the faces of most of his comrades in D6. It would have been more unsettling had he not just been given the order to talk to her more.

Taking that as reason enough to depart, Sergio swiftly left the armory and headed straight for the women’s barracks hall. His mind was instantly at work with questions as soon as he crossed the threshold: Where and how would he find her? What would he say to her now? What did she have to say to him? Should he tell her about their vague assignment set for the next day?

He tried to focus on what would come first, that she was going to finally tell him the tale of how she had met Sacco – or how Sacco had met her, as she longingly stated when he’d first asked about it back in the office at Avtozavodskaya. Trying to imagine the circumstances of their first encounter, he set his visions on some far away pristine station where she was dressed in a beautiful gown and the roguish stalker was instantly captivated by her beauty and prowess – walking up slowly and extending a hand to her as she coolly looked at him with calculating eyes. But as Sergio envisioned the introduction, he saw himself stepping towards her and everything stopped.

How strange, he thought, though he believed he understood why he’d placed himself in the scenario he tried to make excuses for it anyway. Of course, he thought, it’s my small fantasy so I would be the one acting in it. But no, he thought, it was not supposed to be me, of course. Did that mean he was also captivated by her beauty and prowess? Had Sacco been the one drawn to her? Or was it the other way around? Was it she who had been captivated by the hulking Hunter, becoming the only one brave enough to approach such a foreboding figure and slip herself under his hardened exterior to greet the real man hiding inside? Did Sacco really have a softer and more compassionate soul than he outwardly portrayed? Sergio never thought of the man to care for romance or women, but then there were a lot of things he was finding that he didn’t know about the mysterious man called Sacco.

No, it had to have been the other way around, how else could he explain it? Marco was captivating. From the moment his eyes absorbed her visage in the office room at Avtozavodskaya. Just as he was now finding that she consumed his thoughts, Sacco too, must have been drawn to her like a moth to the light. Was Sergio only starting to fall for her because of her powerful aura? Or was it simply that her very soul radiated outwards and touched people’s lives? Was it her personality that he loved, or her mysterious power over his mind? Is he simply the next pawn in line for her affections? What if Sacco were to return?

Suddenly, a door in front of him squeaked open and Sergio jumped. He looked around and noticed that he’d come the whole way to the barracks on autopilot. He glanced behind him, looking for signage to indicate that he was actually in the right place.

“I thought it would be you, Sergio.” Marco said softly, peering around the metal opening.

“H-how did you know it was me?” Sergio replied uneasily, stepping back and still trying to regain his place in reality.

“I heard footsteps outside the door, and then it was quiet. You were probably trying to decide whether to knock, or what you should say to me. Well, you don’t have to say anything – you just have to listen.” She wasn’t looking at him, but rather at the floor as she hung on the door frame.

“Alright…” He nodded his head, slowly stepping into the hall as she moved aside and closed the door behind them.

Marco beckoned him onward and he followed her for a short distance to one of the bunk rooms in the hall. He took a seat on the cot as instructed and watched as she sealed the door to the room and then sat in a chair across from him. She had stripped herself of her own armor and boots, and now wore the traditional blue striped Brotherhoodn undershirt and a pair of black cargo pants.

“So, you want to hear the story of how we met. I guess you’ve earned it.” Marco smiled weakly, she looked exhausted and still did not meet his gaze.

“Please, if you don’t mind…” Sergio leaned forward eagerly.

“Everybody wants to know, okay, but don’t tell them everything.” She began in a quiet voice; he assumed she was referring to the gossip being whispered all over D6. “It wasn’t just some childish crush, and I wasn’t some secret wife he never told anybody about. It was real.”

“I know.” Sergio said, but he didn’t really. He just wanted her to know that he was listening and taking her seriously.

“I know that he loved me, in his own way, though we never really went around telling people. I knew he loved me from the moment we first spoke, from how he acted. I guess he had overheard me at the bar in Kitai-Gorod.” Her voice waned as her memories of that time took over her consciousness. The story came alive through her eyes as she recounted the tale that Sergio had been longing to hear. “You would never see him in such an awkward state… trying to come up with the right words to say to me.”

Two and a Half Years Earlier – Year 2030

Sitting in the very darkest corner of the bustling restaurant with his back to the wall, the rugged Stalker carefully observed the people around him. There were several tall tables set up around the room, and not a single one was left empty. At many places in the room, people stood with their drinks in hand, as the population of the place proved to be more than there were chairs available.

Eating his supper of pork with mushrooms quickly, he glanced at his watch to check the time. He liked to go to different places in between patrols, as there was always something going on and always an opportunity to gather intelligence. Things in the stations, especially those of the Greater The Subway, changed swiftly, and the Stalker had lately been particularly interested in the current state of affairs between the warring bandit clans. From Venice to Kitai-Gorod, there were no less than four different factions of organized criminals who were constantly plotting their next scheme. Although the Stalker had never bothered to involve himself in their plans or strike against them, he had taken up eavesdropping on the lesser bosses as somewhat of a hobby; perhaps also every now and then giving an anonymous tip to a rival clan, just for his own entertainment.

Tonight, there was definitely the pressing sense that something interesting would be happening at any moment, and so he cast his wary gaze at the crowd once more. This is when he spotted it; the building arrangement for a potentially lively display, a private performance for him to revel in. His senses never failed him. Amongst the usual disheveled and scrawny men with shaved heads and embellished pigskin jackets, there was a young woman wandering about the room in a leisurely manner. She wore a long patchwork dress under a dark gray jacket, which upon closer inspection seemed to be refashioned from an old military sweater to fit her slim figure perfectly. Her long reddish brown hair fell around her pale pink face like the picture frame on a masterpiece and although he had at first noticed her for her unusual presence, he was halted by her beauty.

Without question, the loudest table of men was sitting near this girl; they had been laughing and drinking heartily even before the Stalker had entered the establishment. From their outward appearance he could identify that they were members of the leading party of this station, and obviously enjoyed their free time without interference. Two of the men seemed to be boasting about some recent conquest, although he hadn’t heard what their gains entailed. The others at the table praised and goaded them on, giving a noisy toast and slamming their mugs together.

This was the setup that would prove eventful. The Stalker quickly downed the rest of his tea in anticipation, not wanting to miss a moment once it had begun.

“Ey krasotka, why don’t you come over here and sit with us, huh?” A stout man with a double chin cackled lustily to the girl, slapping his knee as if to invite her to sit on it and taking a swig of brew that then dripped from the corners of his mouth and into his beard.

“Do I look like a common whore to you?” The girl spoke in a crystal voice and sported a fierce glare, standing up straight and squaring her shoulders as if preparing for a fight.

“Not common, no! Definitely easier on the eyes than those career girls in Madrid.” The man guffawed again, his buddies joining him and slamming their mugs together in another toast. “But every one of you females has a price.”

The stout man narrowed his eyes and his smile faded, he seemed to be staring her down, like a challenge. The Stalker was watching carefully for the girl’s reaction, finding his grip had tightened on the edge of the plywood table. For a moment, he thought the girl might strike, or possibly even cry and run off to her tent to get her father or brother to settle the score. But she remained firmly rooted in place, her expression softened a bit and she took a step forward so the stout man could hear her as she began to speak again in a low voice.

“Alright then, we can make a deal.” She showed a mischievous smile.

The Stalker was surprised by her statement but for the wrong reasons, he was sure that he had sensed something different about her, yet she had given in so easily. He sighed, sinking back against the wall and folding his hands together to rest his head against.

“Haha! I told you!” He toasted with his buddies once more. “Ten bullets? Twenty?”

“Your life.” She spoke flatly, narrowing her eyes.

The Stalker perked his head up sharply and didn’t take his eyes off her again, completely bewildered by her response.

“What the fuck kind of deal is that?” The stout man immediately flew into a rage, not wanting to be made a fool of.

“You heard me. I will go in that room over there with you, for whatever you like… but afterwards, I get to slit your fat throat.” She spoke with distaste, nearly spitting as she laid out her terms.

The Stalker couldn’t believe his ears. Was she simply toying with the man? Or did she truly have a blood lusting price for her services? Who would ever take her up on such an offer? Surely she wasn’t serious. This girl didn’t look like the sort who would sell themselves to any useless scum that turned up at the local bar. No, this one was far too clean and sharp-witted, he thought, but what was her game?

“Just what the fuck are you on about, bitch?” The man slammed his hand on the table, his friends looking angrier by the minute and each was heckling their supposed leader to teach her a lesson.

“Not worth it to you? No matter.” She turned to walk off with a contented smile, waving the man away with her hand.

“Hold on a minute!” The man yelled angrily, standing up abruptly and reaching inside his jacket, assumedly for a weapon.

The Stalker flinched, getting to his feet instantly and reaching for his Stechkin. But there was no chance for him to intervene, as the girl proved to be more agile than anyone could have guessed. Just as the stout man with the beard was pulling out his gun, she slid one foot backwards and turned her body around, closing the distance between them and twisting his arm outwards with one hand. The swift but powerful motion forced him to release the grip on his pistol and she managed to catch it with her free hand and point it back at him with perfect form in a matter of seconds.

“Change your mind already?” She said in a sing-song voice, giving an unsettling smile as she clicked off the safety.

“Uhh, uhh! Fuck!” The fat bandit murmured as his friends swiftly abandoned him at the table. “Let’s get out of here!” He yelled as he wriggled his wrist from her grip and turned to run after his companions, stumbling over another group of people at an adjacent table as the alcohol had stolen away his balance. Knocking over a chair on his way out of the enclosure, silence prevailed in the small place for several minutes. The other patrons in the bar weren’t sure if they should applaud the girl or go running off in the same manner. Each inhabitant eyed this nimble girl warily, trying to judge her temperament as she looked over her prize with pride.

The Stalker was completely astounded, sinking back into his chair for one bewildered moment and examining her movements as she strolled away without a care, carrying her new weapon carefully with both hands and ejecting the clip to count the ammunition left inside. He replayed the event in his mind, and only now was asking himself why he’d been ready to come to her rescue at all. After a few seconds in awed silence, he quickly gathered his knapsack and helmet and went after her into the station.

Just a few meters straight ahead he spotted her amongst the crowd, walking away at that same leisurely pace and he rushed after her with hastened steps. That had been the answer to his inklings! It wasn’t the event itself that astonished him, but now he understood that it was the girl that had piqued his intuition.

“That was well done, girl.” He spoke softly, so as not to startle or provoke her as he caught up alongside.

“I am not a girl.” She grumbled, not looking over at him.

“No, for certain. You are a fully grown and deadly woman.” He paused, trying to recover himself but unsure how to proceed. Anything he could find out about her would sate his curiosity about such a magnificent performance. Where had she learned to move like that? “You are clearly not one of them, either. So, where is it you are from?”

“As if it’s any of your business…” She scoffed.

“Listen,” he began, drawing up in front of her and forcing her to stop, but then not fully knowing what he intended to say next. He suddenly really wanted to get to know her, understand her mind and motivations. But how could he possibly explain everything he needed to in just a few captivating sentences to hold her attention so she wouldn’t overlook him? “You can put those talents of yours to better use. Make a name for yourself.”

“I already have a name.” She didn’t hesitate to give him a smart retort.

“And what might that be?” He replied smoothly, finding the source of his charm once more.

She glanced sideways at him; a look of distrust was expressed as she had only just been berated by another man seconds ago. But as her eyes met his inquisitive stare, her expression relaxed and she halted in her tracks. His overwhelming energy emanated outwards, surrounding her, and she could no longer resist his questions.

“Sara.” It was as if she had succumbed to a truth serum, her smoky gray eyes still locked with his icy blue ones, and she spoke very softly and clearly. “Sara Adrianovna Polo.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Sara. I am called Sacco.” He found himself smiling and tried with difficulty to remain stern.

“That’s not a real name.” She furrowed her delicately sculpted brows.

“It’s a title, I suppose… and my profession.” He placed a hand over his heart to express his sincerity.

“I’m not interested in titles, or what you do to earn a living.” Managing to break his spell, she brushed him away and continued along the vestibule.

The stalker was completely halted, bewildered by the fact that his charisma alone was not enough to hold her attention. Grown men and soldiers of all ranks balked at his presence, and yet this young woman found him uninteresting and unintimidating. Finding that he actually wanted to tell her his real name so she wouldn’t walk away, he struggled for the words. It had been so long that he had gone by Sacco that he almost didn’t remember.

“Ivan!” He called loudly, making several people in the area including Sara stop short. Striding over to where she stood staring at him in disbelief, he dared to put a hand on her shoulder so she couldn’t run off again. “My name is Ivan Antonovich… Zaytzev.”

“Zaytzev?” She raised an eyebrow. “Like… Vasily Zaytzev? The sniper?”

He gave one quick nod, not wanting to admit his link to the famous Soviet historical figure; that aspect of his background was not up for discussion at the moment.

“What exactly do you want?” She sighed softly, not as if she was annoyed but realizing that now she was ensnared. Although her expression was dejected, her eyes proved to him that she was fascinated by him, especially as she was now taking note of his uniform and arsenal.

“I want to help you.” He shook his head, that wasn’t really the answer. “I want to know where you learned to do that kind of stunt. If you’re already that adept, then I want to teach you what I know, and show you what I do.”

“And why would I want to do what you do?” She asked tentatively, leaning onto her toes in wait for the answer and cocking her head slightly.

“You’re still not convinced?” His expression now turned serious, as he had tired of her reluctant acceptance. In his heart he understood people through their most slight changes in expression or demeanor, and she was more than interested in his proposition. “Tell me, what exactly brought you to the bar this evening? You neither ate, or drank, or talked to anyone at all before that asshole bothered you.”

She attempted to hide her surprised and fearful face by turning her head away from him, but he would have none of it; turning her head back in his direction with a hand that seemed so big compared to her, he continued to hold her, to force her to look into his piercing blue eyes.

“Either you’ve come to cause trouble on someone else’s orders, or you are well on your way to becoming what I already am. We are one and the same, Sara Adrianovna. So, what do you say to that?” He narrowed his eyes, waiting for her reply and confirmation, exerting every ounce of his invisible willpower into her through his grip on her delicate face.

Sara spoke not a single word, but nodded her head slowly. Taking in the entire image of the strapping Stalker with her widened eyes, she tried to guess how many battles had made him the threateningly massive and hardened figure that he was. She could faintly feel his pulse from his fingers, and was lulled into a rhythm that aligned with his aura.

“Good. Now, come with me.” Slipping his grasp from her pale pink face to her dainty wrist, he led her into the tunnel and away from the station. She did nothing to protest or prevent him.

Chapter 23: Stay With Me

Sergio sat quietly, still absorbing the last words of her story. He wasn’t particularly shocked by the information, but still found himself in awe of the exact circumstances; how insanely lucky for her to have chanced an encounter with such an elite member of the Order – to think the legendary Sacco would be sitting in one of dozens of bars in the Subway when Marco happened to show her skills and for him to take notice of it. His head wavered slightly as his mind was trying to picture every detail. It was exactly as he had suspected: the veteran Hunter was near-instantly captivated by her and was reeled in, hook, line, and sinker. It was hard to understand what his intentions were beyond getting to know her and offering to show her his own abilities but Sergio didn’t really want to think too much about it.

“Have you ever thought to yourself,” Marco began anew, shaking Sergio from his thoughts. “That if you went back in time and done something another way that things wouldn’t have come out like how they are now?”

“Of course.” Sergio hoped she wouldn’t be asking him about any specific instances he had been through but the desire to hear her continue overcame him. “Why?”

“Could you imagine how different it could have been? If I had just… and how could I have known? He’d returned from worse sounding missions before.” Marco took in a sharp breath. “I would do anything, to go back, and follow him.”

Sergio understood she was talking about Sacco’s request.

“He always wanted me to come to Polis with him. But because of Nikolai, Dmitri, and Sokolov… I couldn’t just leave them. After all we had been through together, I wouldn’t have survived without them, certainly not without Sokolov after we left Realm – if I had been alone then I don’t know what would have become of me. But even after we were settled down in Avtozavodskaya; I could have left Nikolai in charge a long time ago, but it just seemed wrong to me. To just abandon them to live in luxury in Polis after everything we suffered through together.”

Sergio gently nodded his head as she talked, so that she would understand that he was listening intently.

“I should have just done as he asked!” Marco said loudly, then halted herself and began again. “If I had just listened… maybe I could have gone with him to the Gardens… then he wouldn’t be—”

“You can’t think like that.” Sergio leaned forward, trying to physically interrupt her thought process with his hand held up.

“I had opportunities, so many chances to change my mind. I told Sacco over and over again that I couldn’t go with him. That was the deal, from the very beginning: if I chose to stay with Roten Spaten, then he would never make mention of me to anyone, to protect me. I guess he told Vera that I existed, but no other details, otherwise the Order might have contacted me first – like any other military wife whose husband—” Marco cut herself short with only a tiny squeak coming out and no more words, then she covered her eyes with her right hand.

“So what happened the last time you saw him?” Sergio urged her to talk again, so she wouldn’t succumb to an abyss of sorrow in her own mind. He knew what that abyss looked like.

She sniffed and rubbed the bridge of her nose but didn’t look up from the floor.

“There was a time he had asked me again to come with him and I told him that I wanted to but also why I couldn’t, and then for a while he didn’t ask about it although he still came to see me. Only Sacco would come alone in the tunnel from Paveletskaya, so if we ever heard footsteps, we knew who it was.”

Sacco walked slowly along the tracks, his massive strides consuming three cross ties at a time, although he was holding himself back. He hadn’t traveled to see her in several weeks and regretted that now he was coming to tell her of his uncertainties about his upcoming expedition. Not because she deserved to hear what he was involved in, but because she was one of the very few people in his life that cared – that wanted to know. When last they spoke, she had again turned down his plea to go to Polis, and so this time he intended not to ask or even to mention it at all. But trying to decide what he should say first was taking far too long to figure out, and thus his steps grew ever slower the closer he got to her station.

He stepped into the service room corridor hesitantly just before the platform at Avtozavodskaya, pulling off his helmet entirely and placing it on one of the tables by the door.

Marco could recognize him by the sound of his balanced footsteps, the sound of his armor and equipment shifting, although she knew he could be almost completely silent if he wanted to. Turning away from her book, sitting by the warm stove, she instantly put the volume down and hurried over to him. The way he had stopped just inside the door frame was not a good sign, and judging from the dead expression on his face she knew something was wrong.

“What’s going on?” She eyed him suspiciously, taking his automatic weapon from his hands and laying it beside his helmet on the table.

“You know me too well.” He attempted to smile, but the forced expression wasn’t enough to convince her otherwise. “I’m going on a dangerous mission.”

“When is it ever not dangerous?” She said tentatively, not daring to suggest that they sit down to talk about it. Clearly something was different this time; he seemed hurried, as if trying to tell her goodbye as quickly as possible to lessen the pain of having to leave. “Please, tell me.”

“It’s the attacks in the north; I’ve been hearing the rumors more lately. My old friend Sukhoi at Exhibition is the security chief; he can tell me the truth about these happenings. The perpetrators are relentless and they threaten to invade the entire The Subway if something isn’t done to avert them.” Sacco adjusted his stance, shifting from one foot to the other. “We need more information so that we can strike against them precisely. I have to find out where they are coming from before more people are killed.”

“You’re going alone?” Marco took a step closer to him.

“Vera can’t spare anyone; he won’t listen. It’s up to me to search them out.” He said flatly, trying not to look into her eyes.

“You can’t go without a full patrol, and to where – from the surface? Then you would be in their territory where they tread daily and you are essentially feeling around in the darkness!” Marco pleaded her case convincingly, but he avoided the depths of her eyes at all costs.

Only one person in the whole underground world could make him doubt himself; it was both the blessing and curse of entrusting your heart to another. But he had already made up his mind to go north, and he couldn’t put aside the lives of every survivor in the Subway simply because she was worried about the unknown danger that was inherently involved. After all, he would ultimately be protecting her, too.

“It’s just a reconnaissance mission, I have to find their source, or where they are coming in from. Figure out exactly what these new mutants are. I don’t aim to do battle with them but if that’s what it comes to – so be it.” He clenched his fists.

“Let me go with—”

“No, Marco.” His use of her name stunned her momentarily. He knew she would ask, and although he didn’t have a particularly good reason to deny her, something deep in his gut told him that he needed to do this alone. He could not risk her safety so far from her home station, and if Vera found out that he had included her as an accessory in his mission to convince the Order to mobilize against this new threat, there would be hell to pay. “This is my duty alone. It is different from what I have trained you for, these creatures supposedly attack psychologically.”

“You’ve already decided everything.” She sighed, defeated, taking one of his hands with both of her own. “You can’t just… I-I need you.”

“You don’t need me; you learned everything I had to teach long ago.” He said coldly, attempting to begin severing his link to her in case the impossible odds finally outweighed his effort. But at second thought, he knew that all she was looking for was reassurance, and so he tried again in a different voice. “You’re stronger than you know.”

“Maybe that’s true… but I want—”

“I know what you want, Marco, but this was also your choice, and you know that I can not involve you in this. That’s why I kept it a secret! If anything ever happened to you…” His harsh appearance folded, the stoic mask he had tried to keep plastered over his affections cracked and he couldn’t hide behind it anymore. Stepping closer, he gently stroked her face with one hand and committed as much of her flawless visage as he could to memory.

“Please, this is too much for you to do alone.” Tears had gathered in her storm grey eyes, filled with genuine worry, and she pressed his hand tighter against her cheek in hopes to anchor him there forever.

“Remember what I told you.” With his free hand he untucked the brass cartridge from her shirt to remind her of their pact. Then, almost using the string as leverage, he leaned down and kissed her squarely on the lips. She relaxed slowly, and he lingered for as long as he dared before he felt that her fearful and passionate energy would start to overwhelm him and force him to change his mind and stay here with her forever.

“Sacco…” She breathed in a whisper, holding him as closely as she could before he pulled fully away from her. “I’ll go with you, okay? When you return from the surface, I’ll go with you to Polis.”

“Then I have to come back.” He smiled genuinely, wrapping his arms around her thin frame, even with the melancholy undertone he hoped it came across as sincere.

“Please be careful.” She cooed next to his ear, and he struggled with himself to release her.

“We will speak again soon.” He said as he always did before leaving her, rubbing her soft cheek with his fingertips before turning away. He took his helmet from the table and fitted it snugly on his head before grabbing his machine gun and heading out the door.

She followed after him, watching him slowly fade into the blackness of the tunnel where he had appeared from only minutes ago, not able to force herself to run after him, or try to prevent him from going to where he felt he was truly needed. She tried to make peace within herself about her promise, imagining the moment when he would reappear and she would finally leave Avtozavodskaya and go to Polis. Before he had completely vanished, she called softly out to him, hoping he would hear but not expecting him to reply.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Marco.” His voice echoed off the tunnel walls with perfectly clarity and she could have listened to it on repeat for eternity. What she couldn’t see were the tears in his eyes, both of hope and of sorrow. And he was lost to the darkness.

“After that, I didn’t hear anything from him – just the rumors about your situation up there. Valya sends me a report every night of the things going on.” Marco continued rambling, even after the story had ended. “I heard all about Exhibition, even the Partisans came by Avtozavod with news. Everyone was afraid of the Dark Ones, all the way around the Ring and maybe further. And after the news spread about D6 being found, I still waited, I figured he had gone back to Vera immediately and set back out to destroy them with a platoon… he could get really focused like that. But almost a month had passed since that day he said goodbye to me and he never came back even after the Dark Ones were annihilated. I knew something was really wrong, so we set out our net, hoping to find anyone from the Order to get the answers.”

“And then I came along,” Sergio smirked as he filled in the next part for her. “It wasn’t planned out that way, you know, we were fighting off watchmen at the Church outpost. Me and another Hunter, Senya, got separated from the group, and he told me how to get to Venice before he died.”

“I’m sorry, if I wasn’t very hospitable to you then. I was just so afraid, and when you told me that not even anybody in the Order had heard from him…” Marco took in a deep breath to keep herself from sliding down that slippery emotional slope again.

“It’s okay, I’m glad it happened this way.” Sergio tried to straighten his face to express his sincerity but she didn’t look back up at him.

“I didn’t sense anything.” Her gaze was fixed at her own feet and she pressed her hands between her knees. “I think I would have felt something; if he was hurt, if he died, I would have known.”

“You think he’s still alive?” Sergio tried to mask the doubt in his voice, as he had gradually given up hope for Sacco’s return the more people had talked about his disappearance. “Why wouldn’t he have come back then?”

“Maybe he found something else up there besides those Dark Ones, maybe they just wiped his mind and he’s just wandering around aimlessly, maybe he doesn’t know who he is anymore – or how to get back.” Marco finally looked up, her eyes wide, but her body was stock still. She looked as though she were about to jump up and go looking for him in an instant.

“They’ve been looking for him, on every patrol, at every outpost, every station. Standing orders.” Sergio tried to sound reassuring but the words only came out coldly as if from a record being heard for the hundredth time. He switched gears, offering up his own recollections to ensure that the fire of her hope remained lit, as maybe it was only this desperate desire of hers that kept Sacco’s memory alive. “I had a dream about him, I guess, a vision, after he had left for the surface. Everything was white, and he was speaking to me. He told me that it wasn’t a dream and that I had to keep my promise and go to Polis. And he sounded really desperate, like he really needed me to do it. And Khan saw him, too, do you remember Khan from Arbatskaya? Sacco spoke to Khan this way too, and that’s how I was saved by them from the tunnel at Turgenevskaya – all in white and telling Khan what he needed to do and how to find me. This was days after he had left, you know.” Sergio finished his small memory dump, never having spoken of these visions of Sacco to anyone else before, and still not knowing what to make of them. It all seemed so impossible; the crystal clear visions, the way Sacco had so forcefully spoken to him, and the coincidence of Khan telling him the exact same thing.

“Then it’s possible he’s still…” Marco spoke breathlessly, gaining a distant stare that seemed to go through Sergio’s body, the walls, the very earth itself. “But I had no such visions. Only dreams, horrible dreams.”

Sergio remained silent, though not intentionally, as he was trying to reconstruct the image of that impossibly bright clean room, with Sacco standing casually in a long white robe, expressionless, commanding him. Had he been transformed into some kind of God? Did the Dark Ones liquidate his body, and only his consciousness survived and was able to permeate the thickest tunnel walls to reach out with desperate messages? But then why would he not expend one ounce of that consciousness to speak to the one he loved?

“Do you think something like them could make him forget about me?” Marco interrupted, staring into Sergio as if he were some kind of expert about what the Dark Ones were capable of.

“No one could forget about you.” Sergio reached out for her hand and grasped it firmly with both of his own.

A tentative smile spread across Marco’ face, her worriedly arched brows softened.

“Will you tell me about when he was there at your station? What did he say to you?” Marco gripped back at his hands as if she would never get to know his answer if she let go.

“Yes, I’ll tell you, but you should relax more, okay? It’s safe in here, and you should get comfortable. It’s your own room now.” Sergio slowly rose from his seat on the bed, being careful not to loosen his grip on her until she silently agreed to lie down in it. Daring to let one of her hands go, he pulled the wool military blanket up over her and resumed his previous position on the edge of the bed next to her.

“Sacco and I weren’t close at all, really. He was friends with my stepfather, Sukhoi, who is, or was, the security chief at Exhibition. He didn’t visit often, as you heard. Most people were afraid of him, but he also knew Andrey who was on watch with us that day…”

Sergio’s voice droned on into the night as he slowly recounted his watch at the four-hundred and fiftieth metre and how Sacco forced him to explain how he’d run off with two friends when he was small and left the hermetic door open at Botanicheskiy Sad. An exchange of secrets, he’d said. And Sacco’s secret was that he was going to go after the Dark Ones alone, and that Sergio was not even to tell his stepfather Sukhoi the truth about where he had gone to. Marco watched him carefully, soaking in every word as if it were some holy gospel, and she never interrupted until he was finished with the tale – explaining to her every conflict and detour he took on his first journey to Polis under Sacco’s command.

A bell was ringing far away, faintly. There was shuffling outside the door and mumbling. Sergio reluctantly opened his eyes to the sounds but was confused because this room did not have any of his personal affects. He blinked a few times, and shifted slightly, which elicited a gentle moan from Marco who was still tucked under the blanket beside him.

He wasn’t immediately sure how he wound up spending the entire night in Marco’ room, only remembering the gleaming lantern light and the warmth of her hand because she had never let go of it while he told his stories to her. He guessed that she had eventually fallen asleep as he had talked, and he hadn’t wanted to wake her by opening the door. She had asked him to stay with her and he certainly had fulfilled that request. As long as nobody got the wrong idea if they saw him leaving the women’s barracks, he didn’t mind having had someone to sleep next to. He also had no nightmares, no dreams even, just peaceful blackness.

The bell must have been announcing the start of a shift, and the shuffling was the clamoring of a few ladies who were about to be late for duty. Sergio immediately pictured Vera, impatiently tapping his foot outside the barracks door, though he hadn’t actually told either him or Marco a time to report.

His mind quickly replayed everything he had heard and learned last night and he was beginning to narrow down what he might need to repeat to Vera – the relevant bits he spoke of. In the interest of getting to know Marco better, if she was indeed a good fit for the order, if everything Sacco had longed for was even possible. On the other hand, why were any of these intimate details and stories so relevant now anyway? Sergio was reasonably sure that Sacco was not going to come back, and he didn’t want to go repeating every personal account that Marco relayed to him to anyone else. Precisely none of her stories were relevant to Vera’s orders about finding out if she would stay in D6 or not. And she had specifically asked him not to tell anyone else how she and Sacco had met.

He considered going to procure them some breakfast, but didn’t want her to awaken to an empty room. Surely she would remember that he had spent the night here? He hoped her attitude didn’t reverse, as it sometimes did, though she had seemed much more trusting of him after they had gotten to D6. She was completely out of her element here, and such a large bunker would be intimidating to anyone. But as well as trying to make her first impression on the organization she was trying to join, she also had Sacco’s doomed name hanging over her head, and it seemed only a few people could see her as an individual. Most of the Hunters only speculated about her relationship with him, and Sergio felt sorry for her.

“Sergio?” Marco said quietly with a yawn.

Shit. Before he could even figure out how best to handle the days’ first conversation with her, it was already happening.

“You’re still here, thank you.” She leaned against his back, laying her head squarely between his shoulders.

“Yeah, sure.” He squeaked out, not knowing how to respond to any of her.

“Do you think Vera wants to see me right away? He said he’d send someone but I assumed that would be you.” She sat up as she finished her sentence, allowing Sergio to fully concentrate on words again.

“I don’t know, but I can go find out.” He stood up and took a step towards the door, but turned around to gauge her reaction to the proposition.

“No, it’s okay. The man must have to sleep, same as we do.” She giggled. “We’ll see about breakfast first, yeah?”

Sergio could agree to that with no hesitation.

Chapter 24: The Calm Before The Storm

There was a forceful pounding on the metal door to Marco’ room and Sergio’s heart jumped – thinking it was the guards come to drag him to a holding cell for being in the women’s barracks – he swallowed a mouthful of thick saliva and felt his chest sink as all the air left his lungs and the color drained from his face.

Marco too was frozen and pale for a moment, though she had most definitely locked the door after letting Sergio in last night.

“Polo! We’re going down to the showers before the morning briefing.” Sergio recognized the voice of Anna, Vera’s daughter and top sniper of the Order. He held his breath.

“I-I’ll meet you there in five minutes!” Marco called back, looking around the room agitatedly as if trying to find a secret compartment to stuff Sergio into.

“You remember how to get there, right?” Anna growled back, sounding closer to the door than she did before. She definitely inherited her gruff tone of voice from her father.

“Yes, Captain!” Marco resounded clearly, probably hoping that addressing Anna by rank would help convince her to leave, although her face only showed annoyance.

A muffled ‘hrmph’ was heard and then a few pairs of footsteps lightly shuffling away, and finally Sergio could breathe and move again.

“Do you see what I mean?” Marco rolled her eyes, referring to her previous disdain for Anna treating her like a child. “I was pretty sure I am older than her anyway, wasn’t she born in the Subway?”

Sergio shrugged, having no inkling to Vera’s personal life. Though the question begged his curiosity, as there had never been mention of Vera’s wife or Anna’s mother, whichever it turned out to be. The Colonel simply had never talked about those things. Even having met Anna a few times before, at first Sergio didn’t understand their relationship until Maro had mentioned it on watch one day.

“Okay, I’ll have to go then.” Marco clambered out of the cot and pushed past Sergio uncomfortably closely, rummaged through a small pile of clothes on the desk and picked out a black uniform. “I’ll go out and make sure it’s clear for you. Not that anybody really cares except for us.”

“Give me a code word?” Sergio asked, looking around the room to make sure he hadn’t left anything. He felt rather silly for being so concerned. Did anyone really care? Or was it only she and him that cared what people might think if they saw them together? Sergio simply didn’t know how to feel. He shoved his hands in his pockets and felt the machine gun casing that Sacco had given him, noting its presence to ask Maro about later.

“Sure, I’ll uh—” Marco unlocked the door and peered around its edge, left and right. “I’ll go out to the end of the hall and if it’s clear I’ll say ‘I wonder what time it is’ have you got that?”

“I got it.” Sergio gave a smile and a nod but she didn’t look back in his direction.

Marco threw her chosen clean uniform over her shoulder and picked up her rucksack from next to the door before walking out of the room confidently. Sergio sat still momentarily, listening for any kind of commotion or conversation, though it seemed that the barracks had been abandoned for the day by women leaving for duty and by the group heading for the showers. He looked around the room, which was laid out similar to his own, a cot, a chair, a desk with a lamp, a crate for storage and a small shelf above the desk. What was missing was a personal touch; most Hunters had posters or drawings on the walls, books on their shelves, some had weapon parts and tools, others had musical instruments or a typewriter. He wondered how Marco might decorate if she were to stay, would she hang up all those clippings and postcards from Sacco’s belongings?

“I wonder what time it is!” Marco’ voice echoed rather loudly.

Sergio recognized his cue and hurried to his feet, almost scrambling out of the room in case someone turned up that Marco had not seen. Flicking the lamp next to the bed off, he left the room and closed the door behind him, rushing to get to the end of the hall and out to the stairwell. He expected Marco to have disappeared down to the shower facilities but she was standing next to the stairs waiting for him.

“We’ll meet up again later?” She said uncertainly, searching his face for confirmation.

“Sure, don’t rush yourself, I need to find Maro and get your grey uniform from the laundry and then I can meet you in the mess hall, okay?” Sergio patted her arm with one hand, trying to pass his reassurance through his touch.

“Yeah that sounds good. Ugh, wish me luck with Anna.” She groaned.

“Hey, Vera said we’d be going out together, so don’t worry about spending too much time with her.” Sergio had just realized that he hadn’t shared that piece of good news with her yet. Her face was alight with the revelation. “I’ll go find out what’s up and I’ll see you for breakfast.”

Marco nodded her head excitedly, then turned and went down the spiraling stairs towards the lower level.

Sergio headed up the staircase to the main level, as Maro was likely in the mess hall or, god forbid, looking for him in his room. He quickened his pace, hoping to reach the men’s barracks before anyone noticed that he hadn’t been in his own bunk overnight.

Upon reaching the barracks hall, Sergio was relieved to find that it was also vacated, and he had not passed Maro or many other people on his way here. He slipped into his room quietly, just in case, pausing for a moment to collect himself before slumping into the chair at his desk as if his body weighed a hundred pounds more than usual. He reached for his notebook and pen, his journaling always helped cement his experiences in place, and there was certainly a lot of new information to remember from the previous day and night.

He had heard the full story of Sacco and Marco’ introduction at Kitai-Gorod, and then the emotional departure where Sacco had kissed her goodbye before coming to Exhibition – and sounding as if he knew that his quest would not turn out well for him. Mostly, it was the middle part that Sergio wondered about now, how often did Sacco go to see her? Did he take her along on his missions in order to show her how to operate in combat? No, he couldn’t have been so arrogant as to bring her into a dangerous situation or involve her with any of the Order’s covert undertakings. Maybe he just showed up at Venice and Avtozavodskaya whenever he had time, and would just teach her about weapons and combatives there? As usual, getting an answer to one question simply spawned twenty more in its place.

Giving a hopeless sigh, he threw his head back and looked up at the ceiling, the paint or whatever substance sealed the concrete structure was cracked and peeling. In each chasm he could see an image from his memories and daydreams, and each one led to the one next to it, branching off into a hundred different possibilities and overlapping realities, merging and diverging until everything looked the same.

“Hey Sergio, are you awake in there?” Makarov’s voice called from near the open door.

Sergio’s mind came back to reality in a snap, and he turned his head to answer affirmatively, quickly closing the cover of his notebook so Maro couldn’t pry.

“I didn’t see you in the mess hall, so, I was worried. Usually you’re in there before me, and that’s really saying something!” Maro huffed out a soft chuckle as his casually-clad frame filled the doorway.

“You got the day off, eh?” Sergio gave a nod to his partner’s attire. “Special occasion?”

“Nah, just hit my limit on patrols. I feel fine but you know the med bay guys, ‘take a mental health day’ or so they say.” Makarov’s eyes rolled.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” Sergio scooted his chair back as a way of inviting Maro to come into the room.

“You just did!” Maro teased, but then took a step inside and looked more serious. “What’s up?”

“I asked Vera about the cartridges, like you said. He still had the same one, from Sacco.” Sergio began digging in his pants pocket for the trinket. “I just thought, well wondered, if you had any idea what the note inside might mean?”

“Hmm, let’s see it then.” Maro said thoughtfully, stepping in closer and taking a knee.

Sergio finally produced the capsule on the string, dropping it gently into Makarov’s outstretched hand. The Hunter took it carefully before his eyes, examining the exterior before unscrewing the cap. Unfolding the small piece of paper, Maro studied the note carefully for a long minute before speaking.

“I mean, it’s pretty straightforward. He spells out his mission right here – that we know. And then he mentions you, and yeah we sure did need you – you helped the Order find D6. So that must have to do with why the Colonel accepted you so readily.” Maro bobbed his head back and forth as he was working through the possibilities aloud.

“And the ‘you know what to do’ part?” Sergio pressed, peering at the note in Makarov’s hands as if it might have some hidden codeword on the back of it that would help decipher the meaning.

“I dunno, could be about tying up a loose end somewhere, his last will and testament carried out? But he didn’t have any family to notify or anything. We were his family.” Maro made a sneer, looking as if he might sneeze or something.

“Could it be referring to Marco?” Sergio wondered aloud, eliciting a wry smile from Makarov.

“Huh, now you may be on to something there – since she’s here as well, isn’t she?” Maro suppressed a giggle. “I told you she was part of the family, even if she never came over here before.”

“But what, though? Vera didn’t even seem to know what station she was from, it’s not like Sacco could have expected anyone to bring news to her if he never told anyone where she was. And she had to set a trap just to find out any news at all about Sacco; they got me from Venice because of my uniform.” Sergio continued thinking out loud, not caring if Maro was hearing it all or not, maybe some magic word would come spilling out that would crack the code. “Even if he really wanted her to come to Polis, why would he write this to Vera at that point?”

“Maybe it was some kind of pact they had. Maybe there’s a secret file that Sacco kept hidden about how to contact her. It might not even be about Marco at all. I think you’re reading too much into it.” Maro clapped Sergio on the arm, helping to bring him out of his thoughts. “There’s no way to really know unless Sacco was actually here – or if you want to go asking Vera about it.”

Sergio shook his head in the negative, pursing his lips in frustration.

“Come on, kid, have you eaten at all? Let’s go back down there together. I’ll help you keep your head on straight for a bit.” Maro smiled, but his voice was calm and comforting so Sergio didn’t even mind being called a kid.

“I have to stop by the laundry room first.” Sergio said as he slowly rose from his chair. He motioned to turn out the light and realized he had never turned it on in the first place.

“Alright, to the laundry room then, come on.” Maro placed a hand around Sergio’s shoulder, and began steering him out of the room and down the hall.

After retrieving the clean Roten Spaten grey fatigues, Maro steered Sergio into the mess hall. Here there was a moderate level of activity, a mellow din of Hunters and support staff having a meal and plenty of conversations. Sergio quickly scanned his eyes around the room but did not come across Marco or even Anna. Internally disappointed and slightly worried, he fully gave in to Makarov’s control and allowed his partner to guide him all the way to the buffet line.

“You better eat plenty enough to get your strength up; your name is on the docket for tonight’s patrols.” Maro scolded, giving a lazy swish of his hand as he turned and left Sergio to the task. “I’ll be sitting with Viktor and Herman, come join us.”

Sergio nodded his head and turned to look at the day’s selection; fish stew, pork belly, and fried potatoes. He helped himself to a portion of each and poured a cup of tea to wash it down with. Walking over to where Maro was sitting with the other aforementioned men in the front corner, he could hear snippets of conversations around them about a variety of topics. Two Hunters were talking about their turn at the Church outpost the previous day, and it sounded as if everything was quiet there now and Sergio was relieved. Although he wondered where Marco was or if she’d already come and gone, he wasn’t worried about her like he had been before. Knowing that she was somewhere safe inside D6 was enough to soothe his nerves; he would save his anxiety for their mission later on, and wondered what it might entail.

“Did I miss much from the briefing this morning?” Sergio asked before taking a slurp of his soup.

“Nah, not much. Everything is geared to recon and defense, like usual lately. Some teams will still be moving stuff from Polis and switching rooms around here, but nothing interesting going on.” Maro shrugged with a bored expression, stealing a potato piece from Sergio’s tray without interference.

“It’s a bit unnerving if you ask me,” spoke Herman, who was a technical officer, “It’s too quiet and comfortable… like we’re just waiting around for something bad to happen. The calm before the storm.”

“Come on man, don’t set us up for bad luck like that!” Maro punched at Herman’s arm, his brows sinking down in annoyance. “I’ll take whatever break we can get, or do you prefer being on QRF watching out for Nationalists and Reds in the tunnels all the time?”

“No, of course not, I just—” Herman looked embarrassed, but still tried to express his concern.

“Our days of peace and quiet are surely numbered,” Viktor began, cutting off his friend. Sergio had seen him around the base but wasn’t sure exactly what his job was. “Everyone knows that the Order is occupying D6, and if Vera doesn’t make an agreement with the Council soon to share some of what we’ve found… who knows how many stations will be angry enough to attack us over it.”

“It’s not like this damned bunker is bursting full of food and supplies like everybody thinks!” Herman interjected again, pointing his fork around the table for effect. “We were lucky to even find some weapons and other junk, and who knows about the laboratory, some scientists from the joint task force with Polis are still sorting through what’s in there, but it’s definitely not medicine and vitamins – I’ll tell you that.”

Sergio listened to the conversation in earnest, having never fully questioned what D6 had been built for or what all the warehouses kept stored, some of the sector doors hadn’t even been opened yet. Even Vera didn’t seem to fully understand D6’s full purpose, though it did hold the command center from which they were able to launch the missiles into the Dark Ones nest. D6 had several train lines and platforms, but none of them seemed to connect directly to the regular The Subway tunnels. It seemed as though government workers or military officials could come and go from here to other strategic bases, and there were offices and living quarters and support rooms – so people had likely been stationed here full time. However the memory that the base had been completely empty when they found it, and with no bodies or bones to speak of, made Sergio wonder why nobody had been here at the very last moments. Was there not one person left to command the machinery or monitor the computer surveillance systems? Or had everyone from this particular bunker taken the monorail away from the center of Rome and out to the outskirts of the country? Maybe there were even larger facilities meant for long-term survival elsewhere, or maybe at the very ends of the Subway-2 lines there was no radiation or destruction and the inhabitants simply carried out normal lives in the countryside.

“Well, it’s a way better base of operations than Polis was, there it was overcrowded and we were constantly arguing with the Council just to keep our neutrality, they depended on us for every small silly errand, it was getting annoying.” Viktor grumbled. Sergio hadn’t considered what life was like at Polis, as he only spent a matter of days there before Vera had organized the mission to the library and then to D6 through Park Pobedy.

“I’ve got to agree with you there, Vitya.” Maro nodded his head. “It’s nice to have independence and our own space. I don’t really care what’s here or not, we’re here now, and we’ll defend this bunker to the last man.”

“Here, here!” Viktor grinned and raised a toast towards Maro with his tea mug. “Твоё здоровье!”

Although he had wanted to enter the conversation with his own thoughts about D6, Sergio concentrated on finishing his food. He excused himself to take his cleaned plate into the kitchen to wash up, telling Maro not to wait up for him.

Chapter 25: Briefing

When Sergio returned from the kitchen area Maro was still sitting with Viktor and Herman, but he didn’t feel like sitting down to talk again. Instead he gave Maro a nod and a wave and then pushed open the swinging double doors that led out to a wide concrete corridor that was only one of several sectors of the massive cylindrically-oriented bunker. To his surprise, Marco and Anna were standing at the end of the hall by the open doorway that divided off the sector from the main vestibule, and Sergio swiftly darted into the corner of the wall so he would not be seen.

Once there, he wasn’t sure why he had dodged their possible detection, but it looked to him as if they did not want to be interrupted – or overheard. But that was inevitable, since the concrete made terrible echoes and kept no secrets for anyone.

“I wanted to apologize, Marco. I can see that you are very well trained and I should have given you a fair chance to show me that before I treated you so coldly.” Anna confessed, quickly searching around to make sure nobody was nearby, but luckily not finding Sergio’s façade against the shadowed wall.

“You don’t have to apologize; I understand the need to put on a tough outer layer.” Marco said softly, trying to walk away but Anna caught her by the hand and pulled her in close.

“My father doesn’t know it, but I have been out searching for Sacco on my own as well, in places he doesn’t send the regular patrols.” Anna said in a hushed tone as if Vera might be around, her arm wrapping fully around Marco’ shoulder. “I won’t be able to say this in the right way, but I am sorry for you. He meant a lot to me, too, and I can only imagine how you’re feeling.”

“T-thank you, Cap—” Marco started, her back was turned to Sergio’s direction so it was hard to hear her.

“Just Anya in garrison, okay?” Anna shushed Marco with her other hand. “I will only say this all once. I looked up to Sacco, even admired him in that way, but he only cared for work and battle. He probably wanted nothing to do with me anyway, since he and my father were like brothers. I guess, what I’m trying to say is… I’m envious of you – or I was, because I can’t imagine what it was like with him… or what it is like now for you to lose him.”

“I want to believe that he’s still out there somewhere.” Marco said quietly. “There would have been some trace left…” her voice trailed off into bleak silence.

“And that is why I still search for him.” Anna said in a deeper tone, enforcing her agreement with the idea. “Anyway, I just, well, I hope you stay with us.”

“I hope so, too.” Marco said uncertainly. “We’ll see how this first mission goes, I guess.”

“Did my father say who will be going with you?” Anna loosened her hold on Marco. “I wish it was still me, but we’ll be training together afterwards, anyway.”

“I’ll be going out with Sergio.” Marco reported succinctly.

Anna tried to stifle a disgusted groan, taking her hands entirely off Marco as if Sergio was somehow physically connected with her. Sergio tried his best not to protest out loud, biting his tongue and frowning.

“And what’s wrong with that?” Marco shifted her weight so that she leaned into Anna, physically pressing her on the shoulder for an answer. Sergio also leaned forward, for some reason highly interested in hearing Anna’s response.

“I mean, I guess he’s alright. Everyone else around here likes him well enough, savior or not, and he did a lot for my father and helped find this base, but he always seems so distracted. Who knows what Sacco saw in him…? He’s been mostly shut up alone in his room since we settled in here. He barely even talks.” Anna waved a hand around haphazardly.

Sergio crossed his arms to express his annoyance in his best attempt to not speak or give himself away, not knowing the wonderful defense he was about to receive.

“Maybe not to you he doesn’t talk, if you’d stop being so defensive around everyone…” Marco seemed to notice the look in Anna’s eyes and began to switch gears. “Yes, Sergio is a bit, introverted, sure, but he’s an intelligent and brave person, not to mention a gentleman. And he passed the testing and all that to become a Hunter like everybody else, didn’t he?”

“You are right, I know. Maybe I ought to give him the same chance. He is sort of handsome.” Anna looked off into the great expanse of the elevator column.

Sergio couldn’t believe his ears.

“I think you might be surprised by the depth of his heart.” Marco said, giving Anna a warm pat on the arm before taking a step back. “Well, wish me luck, I’ll see you later.”

“Good luck, Marco. Come find me if you need any advice about your mission.” Anna smiled genuinely, for the first time that Sergio had ever seen.

“I will, and thank you again Anya.” Marco finally turned towards the mess hall, and Sergio decided to try and look as if he hadn’t been intently listening.

Of course he knew that Marco would be able to spot him next to the mess hall door, especially because he had said that they would meet here earlier. He turned his head to the floor, this time trying purposefully to daydream, at least she would believe that and not immediately suspect that he had been listening to their conversation. Unfortunately, he wasn’t successful.

“Hey Sergio, did you eat already?” Marco strode over calmly with a telling smile, it seemed she understood that he had heard everything and didn’t even try to make excuses for it or retract her praises of him.

“Yeah, but I don’t mind going in with you.” He scrunched up one cheek in half a smile, still processing through the elements of her conversation with Anna.

“I’ll just grab something quick and then what? Do you still need to pack your bag?” She tensed one eyebrow questioningly.

“Yeah, I should.” He nodded. “I’m on the list for tonight’s patrols, so that means we have a couple of hours until the afternoon briefing, Vera will probably want to see us before or after that shift change.”

“Okay, I’ll go get some food and then I’ll go with you to your room. Wait here.” Marco said hurriedly, taking the red cloth that she usually wore around her neck out from her pants pocket and pushing open the door to the mess hall.

Sergio was too stunned by her quick sentence to protest, as he had expressed that he didn’t mind going in to sit with her while she had her breakfast, but going in now would seem awkward and he had already said goodbye to Maro and his group for the moment. Thankfully Anna had already disappeared from the vestibule to another sector; he didn’t even want to imagine how uncomfortable a conversation with her would be right now. He settled back against the wall and squatted down, picturing how many people had turned their heads and greeted Marco as she went inside. She was proving to be quite popular already and Sergio hoped that nobody would try to pull her into telling another story about her time in Realm. Instead, he tried to think of something else; how splendidly professional she looked in the same uniform sported by half the Hunters in the Order. She was issued the same black and grey stealth operations gear that Maro and Vera usually wore, cargo pants and a ribbed sweater with fabric patches, though she hadn’t yet donned the armor or padding that normally went along with it. He wondered if he’d have to go back to her room with her for her gear the same as she was intending to accompany him while he packed up his rucksack for their mission. He tried to think about how he had left it, was his room tidy enough for guests? Well, it would just have to do, whatever state it was in, and in any case Marco didn’t seem to be too judgmental about that sort of thing.

Suddenly a mild roar of laughter and well-wishes echoed through the crack of the door, and it swung open swiftly as Marco walked out of the room backwards – waving to the occupants with one hand as her other hand was carrying a small bundle of rations in the red fabric.

“Good luck Marco! You take care of Sergio out there!” Sergio distinctly heard Makarov’s voice sound off.

“Watch out for anomalies!” Katya’s voice echoed shrilly through the opening and Sergio rolled his eyes.

“Don’t worry guys, we’ll be fine.” Marco called back with a laugh, and then turned to Sergio as the door closed off her conversational pathway. “To your room, then?”

“Follow me.” Sergio jumped to his feet and walked over to the lift hurriedly, pressing the button hard a few times to ensure it was successfully called.

“Are you okay? You aren’t jumping with questions and exposition like usual.” She leaned down slightly to try to get a clear look at his face. “Did you have a bad dream again?”

“No, I’m fine, really. No dreams at all.” He snapped his head up and tried to focus, forcing a grin so that she wouldn’t pressure him for further explanation. There was nothing he was particularly upset about, in fact he was now in a strangely fine mood after hearing Marco and Anna talk about him so nicely, but the anxiety he had been holding off previously was beginning to creep in. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach that warned him to be extra cautious whenever they left the bunker; something was going to happen and he wanted to be mentally prepared for it. Since the Colonel had surprisingly agreed to send him on such an important trial, then he had been deemed responsible enough to defend both himself and Marco and be resourceful enough to improvise if something went wrong. Usually only highly experienced Hunters were tasked with the trial of a recruit, as it was often that the cadet being tested froze up at the wrong moment and their partner had to finish the task for him. Sergio knew that whatever the situation, Marco would prove valiant and inventive because he had already seen it himself on several occasions.

“Any inklings to what Vera might have us do? I hope it’s a surface mission.” Marco spoke between bites of potato and bacon, seeming to read his thoughts again.

“I don’t know, maybe he’ll have us back at the church outpost to punish me for messing up the last watch.” Sergio replied more quickly than he was expecting to, like the dialogue was already implanted in his head just waiting for her question to trigger the release of the prerecorded message.

“Yeah you never said what happened there, besides the watchmen. So, everyone fled? That’s an unusual practice.” Marco took another bite of bacon and looked sideways at him.

“I was confused, too.” Sergio replied solemnly, but suddenly felt the need to explain something more to her. “I was distracted by this voice… I was up in the tower on the spotlight, clunky old thing, but these visions… like the nightmare I had… and it was talking to me.”

“What was…?” Marco looked horrified, seeming to already understand what he was implying. “You mean to say that some of those things are still alive?”

“I don’t know… Khan thinks maybe—” Sergio halted himself, not wanting even the tiniest hint of his conversation with Khan to become public or possibly reach Vera’s ears; no matter how nicely his rapport with Marco had been building, he quickly tacked to another trajectory. “He thinks maybe it’s just a residual effect from the psychological attacks.”

“I hope so.” Marco stared straight through him with no particular intent or expression.

The lift stopped at the next floor and Sergio rushed to lead Marco to his room, if only to physically distance themselves from that conversation. He actually turned on the light this time, and offered for her to sit on the cot, out of the way, while he gathered everything up. She obliged without hesitation and quickly turned her attention to all the postcards and photographs on the wall behind his bed.

“This city is beautiful,” she said with cheerful veneration, “Do you know about all these?”

“Some of them, the Italyn ones, of course. The Kremlin, Saint Basil’s Cathedral.” He glanced over, trying to see which particular card she had complimented. “That one you like is Madrid, the real one, in Spain.”

“That rat hole hardly does it justice.” Marco growled and wrinkled her nose, and Sergio shared her sentiment, trying not to remember their unfortunate passing through Tretyakovskaya a few days ago.

“I wonder if it’s still there,” Sergio said absentmindedly, putting his notebook and pen into his bag.

“The Eiffel Tower, mhm,” Marco either hadn’t heard him or didn’t care to explore the subject and continued on examining the photographs, “This one’s in Egypt, the great pyramid of Giza.”

“I have one more you might like.” Sergio knew how to get her attention, taking down the postcard of the green statue from the shelf in front of him and handing it to her. “Sacco gave this one to me for my birthday one year.”

“Oh! It’s the Statue of Liberty, in America.” Marco proclaimed excitedly. “A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame is the imprisoned lightning, and her name-Mother of Exiles.” Sergio thought that it sounded like Marco was cryptically describing herself; touched by the electric anomaly and protector of a station full of refugees of mixed races. But he noticed her carefully examining the back of the card and figured out she was reading from it.

“Can you read English?” Sergio looked at her puzzlingly, having never been able to fully decipher the notations on the back of the card.

“No, I read about it in a travel book.” Marco glanced up at him with mock annoyance. “It’s kind of symbolic, you know, him giving you a card of the supposed symbol of freedom. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” That part of the quote he did know.

“I suppose.” Sergio didn’t fully understand the connection, but didn’t really want to continue the conversation. He set about double-checking that he had his usual accoutrements: notebook, battery charger, flashlight, trench knife, lighter, gas mask, filters, medical kit, compass, and watch. His assigned weapons were down in his locker in the armory, though he still had Senya’s Tokarev pistol in his desk drawer. Setting aside his pack on the chair, he quickly strapped on his armored vest and knee pads. At the last minute, he decided to take the pistol and set it in snugly in his belt holster. “Shall we get your gear now?”

“What’s the rush? You said we have a few hours.” Marco shrugged as she finished looking over the postcards, gently setting down the one of the Statue of Liberty on the desk.

“Well if you get dressed we can go down to the armory and practice shooting or fighting a small. Plus, now I’m all geared up and you just look silly,” he teased, strapping his helmet to the outside of his rucksack for easy access later.

“Jerk.” She laughed even though she sneered at him. “But I guess that’s more fun than sitting around. Most of my new stuff is down there anyway, I just need to get my bag from the barracks.”

“Lead the way.” He gestured to the door to allow her out first. After she squeezed past him and exited into the hall he glanced around the room one last time, completing his mental checklist. He set the postcard of the Statue of Liberty carefully back on the shelf and turned out the light.

Now fully outfitted and supplied, Sergio and Marco looked almost like identical twins as they waited not-so-patiently outside the command center. Although he was still taller and wider than her, the Brotherhoodn soft-shell body armor squared up Marco’ features and made her look more masculine. He imagined that once she put on a helmet and gas mask, she would be indistinguishable from any other Hunter, and perhaps that was the point. She had grumbled to Vladimir about wearing a helmet, insisting that she could see and hear better without it on, and not knowing what exactly to do with her hair because it was rather long when it wasn’t twisted up in that plastic clip. In the end she had refused to take it entirely, leaving it on top of Sacco’s wooden box when she had gone to collect the Vintorez and three magazines for it. Sergio hoped that her having it as her main weapon would bring them some hidden luck, as many of the missing Hunter’s tokens seemed to do.

When Vera was finally ready for them, there was very small pomp and circumstance as they strode side by side into the small glass room at the far end of the command center. Several large maps were strewn across the conference table, and two large computer screens displaying faction front lines and outposts were mounted on the back wall. Only one other Hunter was in the room, looking to be Vera’s body guard, and he had distinctly non-Italyn facial features.

“Alright you two, listen up,” Vera started gruffly, and turned to face the screens as he explained the mission parameters. “Your assignment is essentially to reconnoiter around the entryways to Verona. The Realm has been emboldened lately, not so much in the tunnels towards Polis, but they’re taking as much ground as they can up there – we suppose as a way to alleviate over-crowding and for strategic positioning near Sicily exchange posts such as Pavelets and Prospect Mira. They recently launched an offensive into Barrikadnaya 1905 which has in turn caused an uproar with Sicily.” Vera gestured incredulously to the screens, pointing out the Realm symbol on top of the mentioned station which was connected to the Circle line.

“Do we have permission to engage if necessary?” Marco said coldly, narrowing her eyes as she spoke in the Colonel’s pause, tightening her grip on the stock of the Vintorez resting against her shoulder.

“You will of course try to remain unseen,” Vera turned around and returned her icy stare, apparently wary of her eagerness to engage her former comrades. “We want to gather as much updated information as we can – their positions, what they number, what kinds of equipment or activity. However, if you are engaged by them then you have my authorization to fire back but only in self-defense. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.” Marco resounded clearly.

“I figure you might understand something about their mindset or motivations up there, although I understand it’s been several years and you do not share their ideologies – thank god.” Vera finished under his breath. “I keep in mind your refugee status, and I’m not aiming to send you into the lion’s den, Marco. Sacco would never forgive me for that, and he wouldn’t forgive you either for not being cautious. The Realm is not to be underestimated, they are a highly organized and well-trained military force.”

Just as Sergio was convinced that all the sentimentality from the previous day had been locked away in the commander, the magic name had come up again. He was almost getting sick of hearing about Sacco so much lately, but still looked over at Marco to assure that she was not succumbing to emotion. She looked just as stoically resolute as he had seen her during their harrowing journey to Polis and all his concern was quenched.

“I’ll get you anything I can, but aside from an Oberscharführer called Ivashov who was a stalker platoon leader, I don’t know much about their surface outposts except near the Black Station service area.” Marco gestured with one hand at the location on one of the maps on the table; Vera nodded his head as if he had already known all about it.

“Yes, we know of this Ivashov; he and his men are usually acting as the scouting team for the rest of the force to follow up on. I want to you exercise extreme caution should you recognize him or anyone else; I would rather you find a place to hide before returning rather than push your luck. Understand? This trial is not for you to prove how reckless you can be, so don’t go emulating him too closely.” Vera was referring to Sacco again.

“Understood, Colonel.” Marco confirmed with just a hint of a smile, which the Colonel returned. Sergio, too, thought that he could understand their intonations about the bold and fearless Sacco, hoping that Marco was not similarly about to walk head-on towards unknown dangers.

“Alright, so check the tunnel towards Naples proper before you head up, our The Subway-2 stop connects to a service corridor near there but it isn’t fully explored, let alone manned. It’s too complex to bring an entire regiment through there, anyway, but if they’re encroaching towards Sario congregating in the tavern then I want to know about it!”

Vera lifted a few of the maps on the table and picked out an ordinary piece of paper, handing it to Sergio and sizing him up. It appeared to be a mediocre hand-drawn blueprint of the aforementioned service passage near Verona, with directions to guide them through the maze of interconnected rooms.

“Sergio, do you understand your position in all this?” Vera turned his steely gaze towards him.

“Yes, sir. Maro relayed the details to me as well.” Sergio confirmed in the most authoritative voice as he could. And he wasn’t lying; Maro had filled his head with all the notable tenets of being a senior partner on their way to the mess hall earlier, even though it had included plenty of cheeky humor and probably some half-true stories of Makarov’s own enlistment.

“Good, then. Any other questions?” Vera looked back and forth at the two but focused more on Marco.

Sergio had nothing more to say, but when glancing over at Marco after Vera had settled on her, he could tell that she was holding something back. Her lips were slightly open as if she was going to speak, but then she closed her mouth and shook her head. Maybe she had answered her own question as she was thinking it, or maybe she deemed the thought unnecessary to bring up at that moment.

“Off you go then. Track three. Good luck.” Vera gestured towards the elevator to the right of the glass enclosure which led up to the Subway-2 platforms at the top of the D6 bunker.

Marco saluted stiffly and silently and Sergio followed suit before they walked off in unison. Once they were in the elevator and the doors had closed, he turned to her and blurted out his inquiry.

“What were you about to say back there?” He raised an eyebrow, looking down at her from the side.

“I’ll tell you later.” She didn’t look back at him. And he had that sinking feeling again.

Chapter 26: Betrayal

The gleaming monorail carriage slid smoothly along the track, stopping automatically at their predestined station barely five minutes after its departure. Sergio glanced over at Marco who had been excitedly watching the tunnel through the front windscreen as she had the previous time but now looked back at him eagerly, as if waiting for him to lead the way out to the platform. He quickly disembarked and unfolded the paper that the Colonel had given him and buried his face in it so he wouldn’t have to attempt conversation right away.

This small station was the same as the other few he had seen along the monorail system, a rectangular cave carved into the earth beside the track, simple light blue square tiles on the walls and square columns. Everything was square, and the floor was bare without so much as a box or bench to sit on, with only cobwebs and small piles of dust and debris in the corners along the floor and ceiling. He had come through this way with Maro barely a week ago when they were headed to the church, so he knew that there was nothing threatening nearby. The lights weren’t on here now, but Sergio didn’t bother to head for the control room to turn them on; instead switching on the small light attached to his helmet and swiveling his head around in search for the door that would lead away from the D6 territory and back into the regular The Subway tunnels.

Marco didn’t make a sound and followed him closely and complacently, methodically loading a full magazine into the Vintorez and checking her corners with its attached tac-light even though the place was empty even of rats.

Sergio spotted the exit on the far side of the platform, and wasted no time in turning the hand crank to unlock the heavy bolt system which kept the Subway-2 permanently sealed off from the normal one. He figured they would have to return the exact same way in order to properly lock it again, unless someone would show up after them to continue mapping the passage or to stand watch if Realm soldiers had taken up a post at Verona. Sergio sincerely hoped that they wouldn’t come face to face with anyone when they eventually exited the maze of hallways out to the regular The Subway.

The door gave way to a tall staircase, spiraling upwards around a central column filled with pipes and wires; in here at least the emergency lights were shining at spaced intervals along their climb. Reaching the top after a long minute, they paused to catch their breath and Sergio tried to compare this new hallway to the map on the paper after noticing that there were five open doors to choose from.

“Always… stairs…” Marco huffed, “Ugh.”

“Stairs… and sewer pipes.” Sergio parroted absentmindedly, as his attention was focused on the instructions.

“Ew, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” Marco wrinkled her nose at the idea as she could probably imagine the smell. “I prefer ventilation shafts myself. In fact I was planning on scouting into Verona like that, if possible.”

“What for? You don’t think we can just walk towards the station and see who’s there?” Sergio lowered the map for a moment and paused his examination. They hadn’t yet discussed any specific details of how they would accomplish their tasks, and he wasn’t entirely certain which one of them should be the one in charge. Was he supposed to let her take the lead and then simply report back to Vera about how she had handled herself? Maro hadn’t been a huge help in explaining any of this to Sergio, he had mostly just recounted his own experiences with new recruits and Sergio couldn’t relate to them at all. Marco had already proven to be a sly tactician, with plans and backup plans for everything, and Sergio was certainly no military strategist.

“But what if there’s a guard post? Even if there isn’t a watch on duty, we can’t go in there with full kit in the name of the Order, we’re supposed to remain unseen, remember? So, if I can crawl into the air ducts and just get far enough towards the tavern to overhear what’s going on then nobody will be the wiser – except for us.” She winked playfully.

“And I’m supposed to just let you go and do that alone, am I?” Sergio said sarcastically, hoping his loaded question would make her rethink her plan, or at least understand his position. He was ultimately responsible for her safety – ordered not only by Vera but by Nikolai as well, not to mention what Sacco would have to say about it all. How would he have handled this kind of assignment?

“Well I’m a better fit for that kind of approach, don’t you think? Literally. If you want to walk the tunnel then I won’t argue, at least you have your passport to back you up… but they aren’t going to just let us waltz in and then go up the escalators to the surface either, so we’re going to have to sneak through somehow. Even if there’s no one from Realm, there could still be bandits in there.” She pushed her brows together angrily and pressured him to agree with her.

“Well this map says there should be a way to the surface through here,” Sergio pointed to the blueprint. “We shouldn’t need to go all the way into the station to exit if we can get out through there.”

“Alright then, we’ll check that, too.” Marco gave a nod and softened, trying to give him reassurance and a sense of choice. “Which do you want to do first?”

“Might as well check the exit first since we’re already in this maze.” Sergio tapped the paper and then extended it towards her so they could both look at it. “See here?”

“Lead the way then, Sergio, boss, sir!” Marco saluted with a coy grin which was infectious.

Sergio only hoped that this lighthearted feeling would last in both of their hearts, because that worrisome pit in his stomach was fighting against her warm gesture even now. At least when it came to the tunnels and passageways he felt somewhat confident, but once they got to the surface, any number of things could happen.

Twenty minutes later, they had wound through the last stairwell marked on the instructions which should eject them into a police station. But upon climbing the stair tower, they were quickly halted by a smattering of concrete debris blocking the way. Sergio craned his head to try to look up beyond the blockage, but couldn’t tell where the mess began or ended. Bits of metal rebar and twisted pipes stuck out between the crumbled slabs at a steep angle, essentially putting a lid over their heads so they couldn’t reach the next landing. He could see a recess in the painted concrete shaft higher up which was probably the exit, but it would be impossible to climb up through the central column which seemed to be partially supporting the weight of the ruins. Perhaps with the right team of people, the blockage could be cleared away for a safe exit, but as of right now there was nothing the two of them could do to get through.

Sergio let out an annoyed breath through his nose, descending the twenty or so steps to where Marco had fallen back to the corner landing.

“It’s hopeless.” He grunted and gestured vaguely towards the concrete slabs piled up behind him.

“To the station, then?” She asked with a hint of excitement and he wondered again why she seemed so exuberant. Most new recruits were stunned silent by the very nature of their merit assignments, teeth chattering and hands clutched white-knuckled around their guns.

“How are you so calm about all this?” He blurted out, and then turned his head away awkwardly; he hadn’t wanted his annoyance about the situation to transfer to her.

“What do you mean?” Marco seemed hurt by his comment somehow, as if he had meant that she wasn’t taking their mission seriously. Sergio wished he could take it back, but it was too late now.

“Well I mean, like you seem actually happy to… like you aren’t worried at all?” Sergio studied the floor intently, not wanting his own worry to infect her.

“Of course I’m… well, not worried, but aware. I think it’s time for your own lessons, Sergio. Come on, sit here and listen for a minute.” Marco crouched down and settled with her legs crossed on the landing, patting the dusty floor beside her as an invitation to him.

He did as she asked, mostly out of curiosity, but more so out of confusion. What kind of lesson could she mean? Taking a deep breath, he settled down in the same fashion and opened up his mind for the task.

“Sacco used to tell me that listening was always more important than talking, than moving, than breathing even. You have to get to know your surroundings, understand them like a close friend, look and listen – to everything.” Marco paused and then searched his face for his understanding. “If you don’t know what is normal in a tunnel or a station, then how can you tell when something is wrong with it? It’s a constant process, and you can’t just forget about a tunnel or a hallway once you’ve been through it. You have to keep it up here,” she tapped her temple gently with one finger. “Keep it in your mind, picture it if you can, and that’s your real map to the Subway.”

“Okay, I think I get it… but how does that help you stay calm?” Sergio lowered a brow and leaned his head back disbelievingly.

“It’s about trust…” Marco gazed off at the wall momentarily, probably trying to hear in her mind Sacco’s exact words. “Trust in yourself. You can acknowledge your fear, you learn to live with it sitting inside of you, but you don’t ever let it have control. Are you in charge of your mind, or is it in charge of you?” Her voice even sounded a bit deeper at the end, as if she were channeling the Stalker’s own voice through her throat like in a séance.

“I-I don’t know… sometimes…” Sergio mumbled quietly, not wanting to recount or even think about his nightmares and visions; feeling like a hostage every time the Dark Ones entered his mind.

“Well now is the time to find out.” Marco stood up straight in one fluid motion and held her hand out as if to help him up as well. “It takes practice. We all have to start somewhere. I’ll help you as much as I can. Okay?”

Sergio gravely nodded his head as his thanks and only took her hand to complete the gesture because he didn’t really need her help to get up. He tried to force a smile but she was already starting to descend the stairs, so he would save that small amount of energy for the upcoming practice.

He led the way out to the Zamoskvoretskaya line easily, as he had already come through here a few times with Makarov; he wondered where the motorized trolley was that they had ridden to Sario on their way to the Church, was it still parked at the Sicily border? How many other Hunters came and went through here from D6?

In the tunnel, everything was quiet, with only a faint static noise filling his ears which was the omnipresent vortex of air running through the tubes that ancient man had carved into the Earth so precisely. Remembering Marco’ idea, he darted his flashlight around in search of the nearest air duct but Marco had found one first, having taken advantage of his slow reminiscent pace to dutifully carry out their mission. Sergio felt almost as if the roles were being reversed and maybe Vera was testing him, too – making sure that he was still fit for duty or seeing if he could at least compete on the same level as Marco? But he hadn’t had the luxury of personal training from a veteran of any force, and Marco had seemed to receive almost more than her fair share. Did the Realm give combat training to all their citizens, as Vera had mused about? How competent was Marco in battle before Sacco had met her? Evidently she had known just enough to get the Stalker’s attention, so then what could all of his lessons have been about? He only hoped that she would keep sharing them with him, and maybe then he could feel more confident in calling Sacco a mentor of his again, as the title had most certainly passed to Vera or Maro in the last two months.

“Give me a lift, will you?” Marco whispered loudly, dragging Sergio out of his thoughts. “And hand me my weapon after.”

Sergio did so without hesitation, taking a knee and cupping his hands to grasp her boot and haul her up towards the large square mouth of the ventilation ducts. He looked down to see the Vintorez leaning against the recess of the tunnel liners and tenderly picked it up, but he didn’t have any time to ruminate over it or its previous owner because Marco was whispering at him again.

“I’ll see how far I can get… I think the tavern is up on the left?” She awkwardly stretched a hand out of the opening because she didn’t have enough space to turn around and face him. Somehow she managed to fumble the rifle into position to balance on her back with one hand. “See how far you can go into the tunnel; maybe the residents are being cordial today. I’ll meet you up there somewhere.”

“Be careful,” he replied back sternly, wanting to say more but completely unsure as to what words would be helpful right now.

Marco didn’t answer, and he could faintly hear her shuffling through the ducts as he slowly turned to head towards the station. Verona. He tried to remember what was there; it was an independent residential station, and he vaguely recalled a small market and arguing with some woman but couldn’t remember any other details. He didn’t know a single thing about this tavern that Vera and Marco kept alluding to, and Marco had said there were bandits as well as the possible Realm insurgents. Did she try to keep track of every bandit-laden station, or was it only because her home station was at the other end of this very same line? Avtozavodskaya was, let’s see, five stops away, and Sergio knew that it could take more than two days trying to cross through both the Fourth Realm and the Red Line to get past all the other stations along the way. But on a speeding silver train? It might have only taken ten minutes. If only that kind of journey was still possible, then he wouldn’t worry so much about her if she decided to return back to Avtozavod.

His turbid tirade of wondering took up all the time and space for him to reach the border of civilization, the dim lighting of the once grand Naplesstation began to reach his eyes and he switched off his own light so as not to draw attention. Cautiously walking closer and closer, he came up to the hastily prepared barricade on the edge of the platform. A low rumbling echoed along the filthy marble floor as the inhabitants of the station chatted away and conducted business with each other. There were no guards, no one had been expecting him, and nobody seemed to care that he had arrived either. He stopped at the barricade made of pallet wood and barbed wire and crouched down; he had never even unstrapped his weapon from his rucksack and was unsure if he should do so now. Marco’ words about walking in there in the name of the Order rang in his head, and he suddenly understood that he was a representative of the force and any actions he undertook would affect people’s perception of the Order as a whole. She was right; they couldn’t just run in with weapons and full armor and demand to be let outside. And then wouldn’t the residents or other such inhabitants wonder where they had come from or why they were really there? Their open intrusion could also draw unwanted attention to the corridors they had taken to get here, and the door to the Subway-2 was still unlocked.

Sergio strained his ears to listen, as Marco had directed; he could only make out some vague shapes and whispers down the far end of the platform, and most of the voices were coming from the main hall. He looked around the upper halves of the walls and the ceiling to try and determine where Marco might be in the air ducts, but couldn’t figure out in his mind how they may have twisted and turned behind the once-decorative façade of the station walls. The arches were wide and airy, and the ceiling was molded into multiple domes with large ovals cut out. There were no grates visible on any part of it. Maybe the ducts only led to the outer sides of the platforms above the tracks? Then which side could she be on?

He began to dare himself to venture on further, having seen no people nearby. The area was far too dark to describe any certain shapes and he took comfort in the darkness, knowing that nobody would be able to make out his shape either. The voices began to draw him in, and he crept closer to them, trying to figure out who they belonged to and what their purpose was.

“Ten minutes left, boys, get your fill while you can!” A raspy voice echoed faintly along the floor and bounced up into his ears, muffled through his helmet.

“I’m not looking forward to going up there, but I guess Ivashov’s guys did a bang-up job scouting everything out.” Another deep voice drawled out slowly as if the person was drunk.

Ivashov, Sergio confirmed the name in his head, nodding to himself as he understood it must be the very same Ivashov that Marco and Vera had mentioned being a stalker platoon leader. So then had the Nationalists already taken over Verona and the surface above it? His curiosity led him forward; there was a ramshackle small room built at this end of the main hall, and more voices tumbled out from the open doorway. His stomach rolled uncomfortably as he deduced that the tavern was built right up against the hermetic doors – the exit. But what about at the other end of the station?

Before he could answer his own question, a group of men in stark black uniforms and rounded helmets trundled out of the room, staggering a bit as they playfully jostled with each other and finished their drinks.

“Come on you assholes, Boris is waiting to let us out.” Spoke a squat soldier as he puffed on the end of a cigarette.

“Yeah and we better not be late, Sokolov has been on a real warpath since they gave him his rank back.” Another man whined apprehensively. Sergio felt his heart jumpstart into a new rhythm prematurely; it was a very common name and had to be a coincidence.

“Andrei Sokolov?” The third soldier, tall and lanky, said with surprise, “Wasn’t he a defector? Why would they let him back in? I figured it’d be a bullet to the head for him and that bitch that went with him.”

Sergio froze his already hesitant advance, taking the gruffly spat out sentence into his brain and dissecting its every syllable. The circumstance was far too similar to the minute bits he knew about Marco’ escape from Realm to be coincidence any longer. These soldiers were speaking of the very same Andrei Sokolov who had awoken him at Avtozavod and then caused the whole unfortunate scene in Madrid. But hadn’t Sokolov gotten back to Avtozavodskaya? Khan said he had travelled there with him from Dobrynin, hadn’t he? But Dobrynin was on the Circle line and that spy named Sturmann had been at Paveletskaya earlier that same day. Why would Sokolov have chosen to go that way if he already knew that – if he was being hunted the same as Marco? And his rank, it sounded as if he had been some kind of mid-ranking officer, a sergeant maybe? Or whatever the equivalent German-named rank was for that. No one from Roten Spaten had ever filled him in on those details. He glanced around again with furtive agitation for where the air ducts might be, could Marco be hearing all of this too?

“Who fuckin’ knows why? Führer decided on the matter himself, so I heard. I guess they had dirt on him the same as he knew a bunch of sensitive information. State secrets, you know. Either way I have to deal with him getting on my ass again if you cretins don’t get a move on.” The stunted squad leader grumbled loudly as he stomped out his cigarette.

Sergio allowed them to gain some distance so that he could dart across the main hall to the other side behind them, perhaps he could get a better look at the men from this angle, make out any of their ranks or see what they were carrying. They looked to be just a normal squad of infantry, no heavy equipment, no radio, no explosives. Nothing special at all, so what could be going on up there on the surface?

As the end of the hall neared, Sergio hung three archways back to watch the exit procedure. As he had overheard, there was a man waiting at the hermetic lock. Just one? Sergio strained his eyes to see into the dark blurs of the side-halls as there was a fire glowing in the middle of the vestibule. There didn’t seem to be anyone else around, where had all the residents gone? He looked around behind him uncomfortably, where was Marco? Had she not been able to find a way through? If she hadn’t gotten close enough to have heard anything, then he would have to inform her of Sokolov’s betrayal himself and the very idea soured on his tongue. How would she react to that kind of news?

“Here you are Boris, compliments of Hauptman Smirnov.” The leader of the group spoke in a low but jovial voice as the group of Nationalists stopped at the end of the hall in a semicircle around the solitary sentry.

Sergio carefully watched the exchange; some kind of fabric pouch was handed off to a scruffy man dressed in layers of brown and blue rags. This man Boris must either be a guard or a bandit, Sergio couldn’t tell which, and he couldn’t tell what was being gifted to him in that pouch either. Some form of payment in any case because the man smiled maliciously and turned to operate the hand crank of the heavy iron gate which curtained off the escalators.

That stinging fire of curious apprehension was pressing Sergio’s body forward, his limbs beginning to twitch and react on their own as if to follow the Nationalist’s right up the escalators, but his mind was frozen on one thing: Marco. Where was she? He couldn’t continue forwards without her, maybe she hadn’t gotten too far in the air ducts and had to double back. They hadn’t set a specific rally point but the three Nationalists were already beyond the cordon and ascending the toothy metal steps to the outside world. If he let Boris close the door again then they might not be able to get out of Verona at all. Sergio didn’t have his own small pouch to pay the sentry with.

Just then a resounding ripple of sound whizzed by his ear, a miniature sonic boom like a small torpedo through the dense air of the station; the sentry seized up and doubled over and then crumpled to the floor like an empty sack, the rags fluttering out beside him. A forceful echo of running footsteps entered the space next and Sergio’s heart pounded in his ears. Dead? The sentry was dead, but who had shot him so precisely?

“Sergio, get the lever!” Marco hissed in a shrill whisper from behind him, trying not to draw any more attention as she ran forward and slid on one knee towards the dead man.

Sergio couldn’t think his own thoughts but somehow through her curt order he understood exactly what she needed him to do. Without the sentry’s strong grip on the wheel, the heavy iron door was slowly creaking back downwards of its own accord. He dashed forward awkwardly to catch it, leaving just two feet left by which to escape. Marco had already darted up, taken the pouch from the dead man’s hands, and shuffled under the iron curtain with her weapon in hand. She began fumbling with something else as he watched it all in slow motion; she had also pulled the sentry’s abandoned weapon across the floor and was hastily tearing off its sling and tying the end of it up into a knot.

“Quickly!” She hissed again, throwing the leather strap to him. “Use this!”

Once again her intentions jumped straight into his mind and he got to work instantly; he looped the leather through the hand wheel and stretched it out as he began to crawl over towards the door. The strap was meant to hold the wheel in place while he scrambled underneath. Thankfully there was just enough ambient light from the angled chamber so he could see what he was doing but it wasn’t so bright as to alert anyone who might be nearby to the commotion. The strap was just long enough for him to get the bulk of his body under the heavy door and he only hesitated for a second to take a breath, trying in vain to calculate the chances that his arm would be crushed the minute he let go of it.

The door creaked downwards slowly under its own weight as he released the strap and Sergio could only stare silently at the form of the dead sentry laid out on the floor, a pool of dark liquid spreading from beneath his head. She had shot him squarely in the left temple and his eyes had rolled back. Sergio swallowed a faint whimper of confusion as his mind caught up with reality, and he began to pray – pray that nobody had seen or heard them – and that nobody else was going to open the gate to come after them. But of course, all the inhabitants of Verona knew that this exit led up to the surface, and even the most ruthless of bandits were smart enough to not go skulking around up top. Only the squad of Nationalist’s seemed to know what awaited them at the top of the escalators, and they had already disappeared from the long angled column of frozen steps. Marco had done everything in just the right calculated amount of time, so the Nationalists must not have suspected anything at all, but why did she have to shoot the sentry? Did he really have to die in order for them to leave the station? And what would happen once they climbed up to the top of the vestibule? It seemed that nobody in the station heard the silenced shot from the Vintorez, so that man Boris could be laying there in the dark for hours or days before anyone noticed. Sergio seriously hoped that he was some brand of bandit, because only then could he excuse her execution of him. Hadn’t Vera said not to openly engage anyone? But Boris definitely wasn’t a Nationalist, and so Marco hadn’t technically disobeyed Vera’s order. They would have just enough time to confer before trying to follow the Nationalist squad to their destination – to meet up with Andrei Sokolov.

Chapter 27: Double Agent

Sergio looked over at Marco helplessly, his lips trying to trace out words that he had no voice for. She only looked back at him with a sort of aggravated expression as if preparing to defend or explain herself. Did she have any conscience at all? Had there been any second thought or hesitation before she had pulled the trigger? Had he completely misjudged her demeanor up until now and she was finally showing her true self? Or was this just a visceral response to the world in the wake of her grief over Sacco’s death?

“What are you looking at me like that for?” She had only glanced up at him for a moment but seemed to understand his apprehension right away; she was unloading the sentry’s weapon and counting the ammunition to divide between them.

“Whatd’you mean, what for?” Sergio gasped out, beginning loudly but then remembering the Nationalist soldiers were still somewhere nearby and hushed his voice to an exasperated whisper. “You shot—!”

“Yeah, I know what I did! But what else were we supposed to do?” Marco growled back at him in a low tone of voice and then glanced up the escalators warily.

“So you knew something about it then? That guard. Tell me you had intel or whatever!” Sergio tried with difficulty to keep his voice quiet and still express his horror.

“What intel am I supposed to have? I know just as much as you do.” She threw one hand out towards him to express the futility of his hope.

“Then what if he was innocent? Just a resident…” Sergio’s voice trailed off.

“And how innocent can he be if he’s working with them?” Marco held up the fabric pouch that the Nationalist squad had given to the sentry. She flipped it open and shook out the contents onto the floor between them; there was a folded paper amongst a sizeable wrapper of dried leaves and two clips of pristine cartridges. “Were you going to give the guy tobacco and cartridges then? Do you understand now? They paid him for his silence or for access to the station and the surface. Even if he wasn’t a bandit, he was up to no good.”

“But…” Sergio tried to come up with excuses, as if his persistence would somehow bring the sentry back to life.

“I did what had to be done so we could get out of there. There isn’t always time to decide.” Marco lowered her eyes to the floor; he hoped she was regretting her choice and formulating some kind of penance inside but instead it looked as though she was trying to reinforce herself as she nodded her head with a look of satisfaction a few seconds later.

“And Sacco taught you that, too, did he? To shoot first and ask questions later? To be complacent about murder? Is that what his lessons were all about?” Sergio felt a surge of anger bubbling up and couldn’t hold it back, but was he angry with just her or with Sacco too? If it was true, then he was suddenly glad that he hadn’t known Sacco very well, but no matter the answer he was already mentally distancing himself from his previous aspirations.

“Just what kind of man do you think he is? Who is it you think you’re trying to emulate, hm? I mean fuck its right in his very name. You don’t get to that kind of rank in the Order without sacrifice, without knowing the risks and the consequences, without facing down death on a daily basis. The scales of justice are always tipped against us. He knew the cost of everything… and the price is always high for the benefit of the greater good. Even his own life.” Marco had defended Sacco passionately, just as Sergio expected of her, and he almost regretted what he said but her explanation made too much sense to try and take back his accusation so he just swallowed it all down as the humbling truth that it was. She had been quiet for a moment but then looked straight up at him and released the last of her own anger and frustration. “You joined a military force Sergio, if you can’t bring yourself to kill when it’s necessary then you chose the wrong profession. Don’t you judge me for filling the role.”

“But was it necessary?” Sergio mumbled aloud more to himself than to her but she answered anyway.

“That’s not always for us to decide. In that moment, that was what made sense.” Marco finally showed a hint of remorse and he took great comfort in it, his heartbeat finally slowing down.

“But what about what Vera said? He told us not to—”

“What about it? Taking down one target quietly and an open engagement are very different things. Vera knows the costs as well, and better than anyone else I would think; in any case we’ve probably done him a favor in stopping their advance.” She paused to unfold the piece of paper from the fabric pouch and studied it briefly before continuing. “This is some sort of commendation letter which will serve as proof enough for the Colonel. That man’s death will send a message to others like him who are aiding the fascists and then the Realm will think twice before trying to buy off anyone at Verona again. Think about it.”

Sergio solemnly nodded his head as his resentment gradually faded away, hoping that she was correct in her assumptions of the aftermath. Even if she was wrong about Vera’s possible reaction, there wasn’t anything they could do to change the past. He hung his head low and stared blankly at nothing as Marco replaced the items in the fabric pouch and motioned to him to turn around so she could put it into his rucksack: evidence for later. And he realized that he would have to defend her decision to Vera when they returned to D6.

“So you heard everything they said, then? And about Sokolov?” He suddenly remembered the rest of what he had witnessed inside the station.

“Yes, I heard it. But I don’t understand it… they must have gotten to him somehow.” Marco crossed her arms as she often did when she was contemplating something. “He wouldn’t betray me after everything we did to escape Realm together… they must have some kind of leverage, and maybe he only went back to them as a double agent… and a double agent means he’s still partly on my side.”

“You still trust him? But what if he tells them where you are? About Avtozavod?” Sergio couldn’t even think of the consequences of that occurrence.

“He won’t.” Marco spoke with unwavering confidence and Sergio didn’t try to dissuade her again. “He left with me because his wife died giving birth to their first child, it’s not like he’s got a lot of reasons to go back.”

Sergio remained silent in melancholic horror and was jolted back into sympathy, perhaps with Marco heading to Polis, Sokolov feared that Roten Spaten would disband and so he thought he had nothing left there? But that still didn’t make sense. What kind of leverage could Marco have been referring to?

“So, what do you think they could possibly be doing up there?” Sergio gestured up the escalators, unstrapping his weapon from his back and mentally preparing himself for their next move.

“I don’t know. Holding a surface outpost takes a lot of resources. Vera was right that they are constantly trying to expand but they wouldn’t have anyone living up here unless they completely sealed up a building somehow, depending on the radiation.” Marco shrugged her shoulders. “I guess we’ll have to go find out. Are you ready?”

“Just please don’t… don’t do that again.” Sergio said softly and lowered the visor of his helmet.

Marco didn’t promise anything and pursed her lips awkwardly while she pulled her gas mask out of a pouch behind her. Once it was sealed properly over her face, she shifted her weapon back into her hands and motioned for Sergio to take the lead up the escalator steps. Maybe that small gesture was her way of conceding to his request, he could only hope.

They stepped up the long incline of jagged metal steps which were frozen in time forever as their gears had ground to a halt twenty years ago. Sergio tried to imagine what it would be like if they could still move now, he had heard about it from the older residents at Exhibition including from Sukhoi, but couldn’t remember himself what it was like to stand still on a stair step and be carried upwards or downwards like magic. He ran one hand along the banister thoughtfully, pretending after several steps that it was the railing moving and not him, although after a few more steps it seemed as though he was moving backwards and so he let go and turned his eyes forward again. These halted steps were in the same state of existence as the hundreds of trains that used to run along the tracks at top speed; nothing in the Subway was used for its original purpose anymore.

As they neared the peak of the diagonal shaft, Sergio could finally tell why the lighting was so dim. The main floor of the vestibule spread out in all directions and there were thick hourglass-shaped columns which made the yellowed tile ceiling seem low and cave-like, although the columns were at least twice the height of a grown man. Natural light came in only through a set of doors down a wide hall behind them which assumedly led out to the street. The dimensions of the space played with Sergio’s mind, and Marco too was looking above them with wonderment. He hadn’t noticed immediately because of the thick green algae which was creeping along the tiles but the mosaic design above them was remarkably intact. Although the colors had dulled with age and small sections had completely crumbled away, he could discern blue and white blobs inside a large circle and a reddish triangle but couldn’t tell what they were supposed to represent. The black and brown marble that the entire vestibule was faced with shone strangely as if it were sopping wet but there were no rivulets of water running along the floor, only stone dust and tangled vines. He thought about reaching out to touch one of the columns to confirm its reality but decided against it at the last second as he heard a distant and indistinct echo.

Marco shuffled by him towards the turnstiles and that sinking feeling was becoming prevalent again. He had hoped the anxiety all had to do with Marco’ split-second decision to shoot the Verona sentry, but it seemed that the universe still had disaster in store ahead, as usual. He had to pay attention and not get distracted. The triangulation of Marco, the Nationalist squad, and Sokolov’s betrayal was squeezing him like a vice and he feared what would happen if they came face to face with any of the Realm soldiers. Would they recognize her just as they seemed to remember Andrei Sokolov? He couldn’t allow that to happen, and despite his abhorrence of her choice back in the station, he was wrestling with Vera’s orders to not openly engage anyone. If it came to it, he would rather take a court martial than hand Marco over to the very faction she had run from – a faction which was not known for favorable treatment of its prisoners. Then again, why would they care so much about one random citizen? Sokolov’s situation made more sense; he held some kind of important rank in Realm so of course they would treat him differently. So did the Nationalists even care about Marco’ escape at all, or only because she had done it with the help of an officer? It’s not like Marco could have been a ranked soldier or some kind of political figure, right?

He glanced over at where he last saw her but she was already several paces ahead and meticulously checking every corner for signs of movement or any trace of the Nationalist squad. A short flight of shallow stairs led towards the street and Sergio hastened to catch up to Marco who was now pressing herself up against the corner of the string of doors which no longer had glass panes set in their frames. She stretched out her neck to peer at the paved plaza in front of them, looking in all directions but not seeming to find what she was looking for. She grunted and turned her attention to Sergio.

“Can’t tell which way they went.” She droned lifelessly through the filter but somehow he could pick up on her dissatisfaction.

“Maybe they left footprints?” Sergio suggested, hearing his own voice slither out through his visor and appear as a wriggling stream of vapor. “It looks like the snow is fresh.”

Marco gave an agreeable nod and turned her head back to the plaza, this time scanning along the ground for tracks. An elated gasp confirmed the findings and she aimed her weapon at them to point out to Sergio the direction of travel – eastwards along Tverskaya Street.

There was a sparse flock of unidentifiable avian creatures flapping haphazardly across the limitless grey sky as they hesitantly exited the ornate building onto the sidewalk. The wide eight-lane avenue studded with rusted out skeletons of vehicles of all different shapes stretched onwards farther than Sergio could see. An endless row of strangely decorative buildings began across the plaza on both sides of the street and followed its gentle curves. The same rolling grey puffs of smoke filled the sky and obscured the probable sunset with its reddish tinge leaking into the rest of the canvas like spilled blood seeping into brackish water. The same whistling moan of the winds through the twisted remnants of tree trunks and jagged broken windows swirled around them. Everything was the same as it always was up here; dismal, lifeless.

Sergio scanned his eyes around in a full circle along the rooftops as he heard that same indescribable echo again, his stomach tightening as he expected to turn fast enough to come face to face with some monstrous creature that was just out of sight. Instead, only some gangly black birds took flight from the half-collapsed roof of the building behind them and Sergio let out a relieved breath. But something was still left where the birds had been roosting, only half the flock had gone? No, the shadowy shape was merging as Sergio took a step forward and tilted his head up to get a better view. The lumpy black silhouette was motionless, yet described the familiar shape of a man’s head and shoulders. Sergio stared hard for a long minute, trying not to blink until he couldn’t hold his eyelids apart any longer. When he looked back the shape had shifted, and suddenly it withdrew altogether, perhaps finally sensing that Sergio could see it. He blinked a few more times to make sure it was truly gone, and then immediately turned to see where Marco was.

Twenty paces onwards, she was slowly yet nimbly following in the bootprints of the Nationalist squad and didn’t seem to have even noticed that Sergio had paused just outside the doors. He looked up at the roof line once again but it was as vacant as all the other buildings seemed to be. Turning reluctantly, he rushed after Marco, trying to fit his own steps into the prints they were following just as she did. He thought that when he caught up he would tell her what he saw but at the same time he didn’t know exactly how to describe it. Could he even be sure that the figure, whatever it was, was even alive? It could very well have been a cloth or some other refuse being blown in the wind, or more of those birds just huddled together but it moved as one entity and with purpose. It had to be human; but what kind of human? Was there another detachment of Realm soldiers taking shifts watching the Verona exit as well as the hermetic lock? He wished he had taken a peek into the tavern as he passed to see if there were any more soldiers in there besides the three they were currently trailing after.

Suddenly a tiny and previously presumed inconsequential tidbit shot to the forefront of his memory and Sergio turned on his heel in one swift motion to look at the rooftop again in alarm. ‘A hooded figure’ just like in Marco’ vision after colliding with the anomaly, exactly as Sergio had imagined it when she had told him. Then, was it Sacco? But that was impossible; he certainly couldn’t have been on the surface for the entire time since… or could he? Maybe Sergio had been more correct in his wild assumptions that Sacco could have been transformed by the Dark Ones into something more like them. They didn’t choke on the atmosphere or decay from the inside out from the invisible particles of nuclear radiation like fragile humans did. If it was him, was he some kind of phantom? Stuck between the physical world and the afterlife like Khan had said about Heaven and Hell being atomized by the same warheads that ruined the whole city. Or could it even be a Dark One? The ghost of one? Weren’t they all dead?

“Sergio!” Marco hissed voicelessly through her respirator.

Sergio snapped back again and looked over at her, she had taken a knee behind an uprooted tree, and weak rays of light were sporadically poking out of the roots behind it and shifting, signaling a moving source. Without any further time to think, he bounded up to her and crouched down beside, and his instincts proved correct as the loud choking roar of a motor engine began to reach his muffled ears. The streams of scattered light soon angled away and then faded as the vehicle must have turned. Marco cautiously peered between a gap in the knotted roots to confirm the departure; patting her free hand at his shoulder to beckon him to come and see.

“That’s one of their transport trucks. There’s probably at least an Unteroffizer, could be Sokolov.” Marco spoke in a low voice because whispering was useless through the filters.

He slowly straightened up so he could see over the top of the trunk for himself. A lifted truck body covered in iron grates and strange padded panels was receding down the avenue at a slow ramble as it trundled over tree roots and other small obstacles. If he had any doubt as to its purpose, the stylized black and white logo of the Fourth Realm station banners was painted onto a piece of plywood tacked onto the very back.

“They aren’t going very fast, we should follow.” Marco gestured with her head and pulled the Vintorez up by her shoulder.

“What will you do if it is him?” Sergio grabbed at her arm before she had a chance to stand up, wanting more of a solid promise that she would restrain any more brash actions before they moved on again. Part of him was still thinking about Sacco when he asked but the original intention was about the possibility of running into Sokolov.

“I… I don’t think I’d know what to say to him right now. I just need to know if it’s true.” Marco dropped her eyes as she spelled out her thoughts, then looked back up and shook her head. “I won’t interfere with their business, I just have to see.”

That was confirmation enough for Sergio who nodded his acceptance and released his grasp. As they got back to their feet he felt the urge to search the rooftop again but there was nothing there anymore. He shook it off, trying to quiet down his interpretation of the vision the anomaly had supposedly bestowed on Marco. The chances of that figure even being a whole person was astronomical, let alone the probability of it being Sacco. Even if it was him, he couldn’t let it distract him or Marco from the task at hand; the Nationalist squad was driving onwards in an armored truck and they had to follow it to find out what exactly they were doing on the surface.

Chapter 28: Captured

Sara had initially taken the lead in navigating cautiously after the armored truck but before even a hundred meters had passed she had slowed her pace and drawn even with Sergio. He glanced over at her every few steps but she kept her eyes on the ground and didn’t try to speak to him. Maybe she was fearful about coming face to face with Sokolov but Sergio tried to remind himself that as intriguing as the possible conversation was, Marco had agreed not to intervene with the Nationalists and that Vera’s orders were to remain unseen.

‘It’s a recon mission, Sergio thought in order to comfort himself, ‘just to gather information and see what they are doing and then we’ll go right back.’

He looked over at Marco again, her fingers were clenched tight on her weapon and a few errant strands of her hair were floating about in the breeze, highlighted by the half-crimson sky. He couldn’t see her eyes or expression through her gas mask at this angle but he could sense her apprehension. Another hundred meters ahead, the truck was now sitting idle in the middle of a large clearing where another road intersected Tverskaya Street; its engine groaned and sputtered, sounding as if several parts had been hastily replaced since its original assembly. It seemed that whoever was inside it had vacated and gone into one of the surrounding buildings but it was hard to tell from this distance and he hadn’t been fully paying attention to it.

They slowed their steps as they neared the open square and Sergio looked around in search of movement and assessed their surroundings. Almost all of the buildings on both sides of the avenue were interconnected, leaving no alleyways in which to take shelter or circumnavigate the truck. All of the storefronts and apartment foyers looked desolate, stripped of anything that wasn’t part of the actual structures. There were no doors anywhere, no glass in the windows, no furniture, no shelves, and no people either. Why would the Fourth Realm bother using ground vehicles if they were not occupying any of the buildings? Or were he and Marco already nearing the Tverskaya and Pushkin station entrances? Sergio didn’t fully understand how the distance in the tunnels correlated to walking over land between stations but they hadn’t come too far from Verona on foot so the entrance to the Realm stations must be much further than he was imagining. In that case there must be some kind of outpost up at the crossroads but what was its purpose? Was it fully manned and stocked with supplies for surface treks and invasions? How many men at a time might be standing guard on the surface so far from their home station? It seemed to require more resources than it would be worth to hold such a random position, and as Marco had said earlier there couldn’t be anyone living up here full time.

Catching the briefest glimpse of a beam of light beginning its scan across the walkway, Sergio was just quick enough to catch Marco’ arm and used her own momentum to swing her aside into an enclosed doorway. In his haste he had sort of tackled her, pinning her flat against the wall with his upper body as if to shield her from detection. Only a quiet confused murmur escaped her as she twitched her limbs in protest but she seemed to quickly understand that Sergio’s actions had a purpose and that he was watching for something just past the edge of the wall.

Two men in the familiar smart black uniforms with overcoats and respirators with long hoses were patrolling unhurriedly along the avenue which crossed Tverskaya Street ahead of them. Sergio strained his ears to listen for any potential conversation but the men gave nothing away. The light from their lamps began to wane as they passed by and only then did he withdraw and allow Marco her freedom. She stretched out her neck and looked behind her shoulder towards the square and, seeming cautiously satisfied with Sergio’s sharpness, she looked over at him as if to apologize for being distracted. At any other time Sergio assumed that she would have noticed the enemy patrol first but since their argument just outside Verona she had grown solemn.

“Maybe we should climb up in this building before we find ourselves surrounded.” She said quietly as she jerked her head up to indicate the plan.

Sergio looked around to assess her idea and look for alternative options before he replied with only a nod of his head, turning his attention into the shadowy building in search of the stairs.

The ground floor of this building was expansive and laid out in a strange manner. In the middle of the building was a wide staircase which curved around an empty basin under a huge metal-grated dome which left the place open to the elements as the glass panes had probably shattered and been blown away ages ago. Whatever fancy purpose this building was designed for no longer worked for the purposes of the city’s current inhabitants; the dome let in far too much of what was left of the light of the sunset and if they were to use that staircase they could be seen from above because there were still several more stories to the adjacent buildings above them and the Nationalists could be posted anywhere nearby. Marco slowly made her way towards the rear wall where a long marble counter was still mostly intact; the letters on the wall read, “регистрация” and so Sergio deduced that this place must have once been a beautifully grand hotel.

They agreed to split up reluctantly in order to check both ends of the building for alternate stairways. Hotels especially liked to hide them away from the guests because they were usually designed to be functional and not fancy, of course there were elevators but none had a hope of carrying them up to the top floors as they once did for people. Sergio soon found the correct passage and began to walk back to alert Marco when he heard voices on the other side of the wall and he froze in place to listen.

“What are we looking for, anyway? This is only my second shift up here and there’s nothing left in any of these buildings.” The voice was one of the men from the tavern, reverberating through the respirator’s tube.

“We’re looking for the entrance to that bunker, you idiot. Führer has become obsessed with the idea of moving in there; haven’t you heard the latest speech about how there’s all kinds of food and medicine inside?” Another unfamiliar man spoke his answer gruffly through his own hose. So that was their game, or at least part of the purpose of the Realm’s presence at Verona – they were looking for D6. Sergio started to feel guilty about leaving the door to the monorail station unlocked and he began to formulate his exit strategy, but he already had the feeling that reporting this overheard conversation to Marco wouldn’t be enough for her to want to return to the bunker so quickly. Vera would also want more details about what the Nationalists might have found already, and to know how many soldiers were on patrol here; the mission wasn’t over quite yet.

“I don’t think that’s true, or even if it is the Order has probably doled out to Polis and Losla and their own guys already. By the time we even find an entrance everything will be gone.” The voices grew quieter as the men were probably continuing their patrol route beyond Sergio’s position, not stopping to have their conversation.

“That’s beside the point! Conquering the bunker represents power, prestige. Imagine the kind of impression that kind of victory will leave on Comrade Moskvin!” The second man let out an amused grunt. “And don’t forget the control over the missile silos, the Order already wasted one of them on those mutants last month.”

“Ahh, now I see what you mean.” The first man’s voice had faded significantly and there was no further comment or reply; perhaps they had rounded a corner and gone on to their destination?

Sergio remained frozen stiff in the pitch black hallway for another moment, waiting for assurance that the men had gone. He listened for footsteps and heard one pair softly advancing towards him but somehow he knew it was Marco and so he lowered his weapon before she approached. That knot of anxiety was still tied up in his stomach and the responsibility of protecting her was almost becoming too much to think about. The men surrounding them weren’t just hostile, they were a violent faction actively searching for his companion, a woman he admittedly only met a week ago, but his emotions were already tied to her despite his attempts to rationalize his reactions.

“Nothing on that side but dead end rooms, what about you?” She spoke softly, looking at him with a hopeful eyebrow raised.

“The stairs are back this way,” he gestured down the hall behind him and tried to focus his thoughts on the mission again. “Let’s be quick, I heard a few soldiers talking nearby.”

They promptly reached the top floor of the building and found themselves staring down an impossibly long corridor, each floor’s central hallway seemed to stretch halfway back to Verona and had evenly-spaced openings which were the doorways of the individual guest rooms, although most of the doors were broken or missing. Sergio wondered if the Nationalist’s had gone through all these rooms to strip the hotel of furniture or if it had all just burned away when the city was attacked. Maybe things in Realm really weren’t as bad as everyone thought, aside from the politics that is.

The large room on the corner of the hotel building gave them the perfect overlook down to the square below, the truck still sat there idling with not a single soul nearby. Sergio kept his focus on the right side of the square where they had come from, and Marco was at the window on the left and watching down the side-street. In his brief glance towards her, Sergio noticed that the building across from them had a large antenna on the roof, likely a radio post which the Nationalists used to communicate with each other from different points on the surface. He wondered if there was a way to use his own shortwave radio to intercept their transmissions, taking the device from a pouch on his vest he began to fiddle with the dials.

Marco had been completely silent since they had ascended the stairs, possibly because of his report that he had heard a squad nearby, or she was simply absorbed in her own thoughts as he was most of the time. He thought he could sense her inner tension about their mission but maybe it was still all just his own worries tangling up in his chest. She wasn’t fidgety or careless, in fact she seemed to be hyper focused on the building across the street until Sergio’s radio began to spout static and he jumped to turn the volume down. They both looked outside with alarm to ensure nobody besides them had heard the noise but only the wind reached their ears in return. Where were all the soldiers? What were they doing up here? Sergio carefully moved the dial, holding the radio up to the side of his helmet as he slowly adjusted the frequency.

“You said you heard two guys?” Marco asked without looking over at him. “Any of the same from the tavern?”

“One of them was, I think, but not the other.” Marco glanced over at him expectantly and he was quick to dispel her hope, or was it fear? “It wasn’t Sokolov either. He might not have said much to me but I remember what he sounds like.”

“There’s at least one guy left in the truck, the music changed.” Marco pointed down at the vehicle. “I don’t understand, they said they were meeting him.”

Sergio didn’t reply, he was too focused on listening to the small bits of noise sputtering out of the radio speaker, though none of it made any sense so far. One channel was a repeating broadcast, seemingly from Losla about an off-limits area near Barrikadnaya; likely due to the same conflict with the Nationalists that Vera had informed them about earlier. Another channel seemed to be a short and cryptic conversation between two men who were approaching the Kremlin; Sergio remembered that Vera was preparing to lead a team to clear the monument of that strange biomass that they had discovered there on their trek to Oslotower. The chatter must be a squad of Hunters getting into position to attack. Sergio ticked the dial to the next frequency on which a light and pleasant instrumental music was playing, it faintly echoed up from below them as well, seeming to be the same channel playing in the truck.

“Wait, what was that?” Marco spoke up suddenly, but when Sergio looked up he realized she had been talking to him. “Go back.”

Sergio switched the frequency back to the previous channel and listened again, not understanding why Marco was confused about it, she must have heard Sacco’s radio at least a few times and had certainly been briefed about how the Order uses communications when on missions. Nothing the men had said on that channel was out of the ordinary.

“Alyosha do you read? We’ve reached location Alpha-six-two, waiting for your confirmation. Over.” The radio crackled quietly. Sergio recognized the name, a trustworthy Hunter who had transferred from the Polis guard to the Order just before he had arrived to give Sacco’s message to Vera.

“That’s it Sergio, the building with the antenna, it’s got to be a listening post. They’re looking for secret passages near Verona and they also monitor any communications they can hear, just waiting for someone in the Order to give away access to D6!” Marco gripped the edge of the window anxiously.

“If that’s true, then we have to tell Vera right away. If they’re already down in Verona and stationed right above it, then they could find The Subway-2 at any time!” Sergio said rapidly, already turning off the radio and preparing to leave. “We have to get back before he leaves for the Kremlin, or before these guys find the monorail.”

“We can’t rush back just yet without confirming it, and they said they were meeting up with Sokolov.” Marco protested with hand raised towards the window.

“Sokolov isn’t part of the mission.” Sergio grumbled. “How are we supposed to confirm any further without going in the building over there? There could be twenty armed guys just waiting for us, and no way to tell from up here.”

“What do we have to lose by waiting another five minutes to see who comes out?” She turned to him with an almost sarcastic look on her face.

Before Sergio could answer, a loud cracking sound started up from just under their feet, but he wasn’t quick enough to warn Marco what it meant. The floor suddenly gave way and Sergio took in a panicked breath as he grasped desperately out with both arms to the window frame beside him. Marco didn’t even call out as she descended, unsuccessful in her own attempt to grab something solid, and she was gone in an instant. The collapse was over in less than ten seconds and Sergio was struggling to hold on, it was difficult to tell where he might land if he let go as his helmet restricted his vision. He kicked his foot out in a few directions until he found a ledge to push himself onto. Panting for breath and trying not to panic, he crawled slowly on all fours to the edge of the crater in the floor. To some relief he saw Marco dusting off her arms and pushing the broken floor boards away from her. She had only ended up three more floors down and didn’t seem to be hurt. He wanted to call down to her to confirm but as he was lifting his visor he heard an alarm bell ringing.

“Fucking damnit,” he whispered to himself, the Nationalists were about to come investigate the sound of the collapsing building. They had to get out of here fast.

Sergio looked around fervently, his weapon had fallen away from him and he couldn’t find it through his cursory inspection of the area. Next he gauged his best options of getting down to check on Marco, he would have to lower himself floor by floor because the gaping fissure cut him off from using the stairs. He might have been able to jump the gap but didn’t know if the floor would hold out or if it would make the building collapse even further. His heart raced as he fought with himself, trying to make up his mind.

“Come on, I heard it over here!” An angry voice echoed through the window.

Marco coughed and called out for him weakly and Sergio couldn’t think anymore, he began to lower his legs over the edge of the crater, turning onto his stomach and pushing himself backwards. He fell two floors before rolling sideways onto a concrete landing, quickly regaining himself so he could get down to Marco and make their escape. Looking down at her, she sat amongst a pile of concrete and wooden rubble, dusted with grey smoky powder which she was trying to clear from her respirator with her sleeves. She coughed and groaned, fidgeting again as if trying to free herself from the pile. Just behind her one of the walls had come to rest at an angle and Sergio decided to jump down onto it. Crouching down to crawl towards Marco he could finally see why she was struggling and why she hadn’t moved, one of her legs was caught under a thick slab of concrete and she was trying to pull it out unsuccessfully.

“Are you hurt?” He managed to ask as he came up beside her, looking over her but not seeing any blood.

“My leg is stuck… and my mask is broken.” Marco reported in between short wincing breaths. “See if you can move it.”

Sergio shifted over and wordlessly began pushing at the slab to no avail, looking over at Marco in horror. The alarm bell still ringing drowned out any ideas he could come up with as he looked at her helplessly.

“They’re coming,” he managed to squeak out, as if she didn’t already understand the fact.

“Sergio, you have to run… You have to go, quickly!” She clutched at her left side and took in a sharp breath, and didn’t look him in the eyes.

“But what about—” Sergio whispered fearfully, only beginning to gesture in the direction of the outpost before she cut him off.

“There’s no time for me anymore, listen. Fuck, there’s no… Take this, please.” Marco slipped off her cracked gas mask and took in a raspy breath, seeming to not be bothered by the air itself but by her injuries. Maybe she just wanted her voice to be clearer while she handed him her weapon and pulled at her collar. She managed to find the string of her pendant and pull it from her neck, gripping it tightly to her chest and displaying a pained face before sticking her arm straight out to him. “Please, don’t let them get these.”

“Marco you’re not…” Sergio couldn’t even think of the unspeakable possibility.

“Yes, they are going to find me. I can’t get my leg out from here, and even if I could there’s no way you could carry me back to Verona in time. You have to go, don’t let them get you too. You have to get back and tell Vera—” Marco was beginning to hyperventilate.

“B-but what about… the Nationalists, they’ll kill you!” Sergio tried not to raise his voice but he could barely hear himself over the ringing in his ears.

“They won’t kill me… at least they won’t leave me here to die. But I need you to tell the Colonel. Sergio please, listen to me.” Tears began to clear away the dust in crooked lines down her face and she was trying not to look him in the eyes, gazing out towards the street and her dawning fate. “What I didn’t say to Vera back there… only Sacco knew the truth. I should have told you, I need you to know in case—”

“What? Don’t talk like I’ll never see you again, you’re with the Order! W-we will come back and rescue you!” Sergio clutched at her shoulder reassuringly.

“Sergio, when you get back, you have to tell the Colonel… warn him… don’t go to the Council about this. The Führer is my stepfather!” She grabbed onto his hand and pulled it away from her, as if she felt she didn’t deserve the comfort, as if she didn’t want to infect him with her dark secrecy.

Sergio had no words, no thoughts at all beyond the echo of her revelation playing over and over in his mind. Time only stood still for him as he stared back at her with fearful eyes.

“I’m sorry I never told you but I couldn’t, diplomatic immunity. That’s why Sacco- It’s been my secret every single day since… that’s why I ran from them in the first place. They won’t kill me Sergio, but you have to go. Now. Please!” Her revelations and desperate pleas flowed out between her sharp breaths and sobs, and Sergio knew she couldn’t be hiding anything else. At least she seemed certain that the Nationalists wouldn’t immediately execute her or leave her trapped here to die from her injuries – but maybe being left alive and captured by them was an even worse fate. He didn’t have any other choice but to comply.

“I’ll… tell him. We’ll come back for you.” Sergio breathed out the promise breathlessly as he squeezed her hand tight and lowered his visor again, taking the cartridge and the Vintorez as he fought every muscle in his body to move away from her. Everything he didn’t want to happen was coming to pass right in front of his eyes, the absolute worst-case scenario. Everything was completely out of control. He scrambled across the empty hall of the building to the courtyard above the dome, finding a small alcove to hide in just as a group of heavy footsteps thundered up the stairs. He pushed himself against the wall and could only hear faint echoes as the Nationalist squad approached Marco’ position. Would they recognize her? Would Sokolov give her away, if he was even here at all? Could he save her from his comrades?

“Well, well… What do we have here? The Order? Trying to spy on us again?!” Someone roared with a heavy inflection.

“Look, Sturmbannführer, doesn’t she look like?” The voice of the squad leader from the tavern sounded off anxiously.

“Get Sokolov over here, now!” A third voice called loudly, a radio blipped.

“Shouldn’t we call the Gestapo to figure it out?” The first man asked angrily.

“Shut up!” barked the third voice, apparently someone of higher rank than the squad leader – whatever a Sturmbannführer was supposed to be, and Sergio heard the safety switch on his weapon click into another position. “Identify yourself, Hunter.”

“Go fuck yourself, Varnayev.” Marco growled in a low voice and then squeaked uncomfortably. Sergio leaned forward as if it would help him to hear better. So after all this time she could recognize these men, too?

“Ohh so it is you!” The Sturmbannführer cackled with delight and sarcasm. “I’m surprised the old man let a useless cunt like you into the Order, or did you steal that uniform from one of them you small—?”

“Don’t touch me you bastard!” Marco yelled with a huff as if she had swung her fist at the man. Sergio’s stomach tightened and it took every ounce of strength to not take aim at the Nationalist commander with the Vintorez. Maybe it would be better to just shoot as many of them as he could right now and then try to get Marco out of there. Before he could even fully shoulder the weapon, two more men came barrelling up the staircase.

“Get back!” A deep voice boomed as the group of footsteps halted. Was it finally Sokolov? Sergio held his breath, wanting to peek around the corner again but fighting to stay still.

“Well, what do you think Petrikov?” Spoke the ruthless officer after a long pause.

Marco coughed and drew in her next breath with a ragged moan as she was being judged. Was she in pain or was she just scared? She had tried so hard to not let her fear infect him, but Sergio could only imagine the panic she was feeling right now.

“Get her out of there and into the truck. I’m taking her in.” It was definitely Sokolov’s deep and calm tone, he even sounded disappointed somehow.

“I’m going with you then,” the officer growled, “In case you two try to pull another fucking stunt like the first time. Führer might have forgiven you, but I haven’t forgotten your betrayal to the state, Oberscharführer.”

“Understood, sir.” Sokolov growled back dully, and then crackling and grunting was heard as it was assumed the men were trying to free Marco from the rubble.

Sergio took his opportunity in their loud activity to run down the curved staircase and back towards Verona, but once he had gotten fifty meters away he slowed down again. Was that where he was supposed to go? Could he even get back into Verona from the outside after letting the door close? Where else could he go from here? It would be too far to walk towards Polis or the Circle line over the surface. He only had one spare filter left in his bag, not to mention it would be completely dark soon. He began to fumble for the small scrap of paper that showed where the Subway 2 passages came out at, maybe he could get back to D6 from that police station they were supposed to have come out from? He wandered a bit along the open street as he studied the blueprint, turning around a few times and trying to judge the cardinal directions. Going back to Verona was likely useless at this point, and if he alerted the residents to let him in they would find the dead sentry if they hadn’t already.

Suddenly a wave of darkness overcame his vision and he lost his balance. He blinked several times but didn’t recover the sense. The blackness was outside of his body, something was covering his visor and he was being led, more like dragged along the street. He struggled against his silent captor, reaching out his only free hand to push against this new enemy, one of its arms wrapped around his shoulders and squeezed like a vice. It was a thick slippery body, massive in stature with flesh as hard as metal. Armored? No, just someone who was impressively strong and covered in a tarpaulin suit. But just as he had assessed that the body was human and not one of the Nationalists, he was released. His visor was uncovered but only as he was being pushed down a short vertical shaft. The same imposing black hooded figure from the rooftop was towering over him and receding as Sergio fell to a soft landing on top of a pile of moss at the bottom of a wide pipe. The Vintorez was thrown down after him and he caught it before it tumbled into the shallow water.

The hooded figure drew in a hoarse breath and then growled deeply.

“Stay to the left.”

And then what small bit of light from the sky was blotted out by the steel manhole cover.

Sergio scrambled to his feet and tried to climb up the ladder towards this mysterious person but the grate was sealed with a clang and he remembered Marco’s plea. He couldn’t ignore such help from this unknown Hunter either, and hopefully this inexplicable benefactor knew what they were talking about and where they were sending him. Sergio switched on his headlamp, illuminating the grimy drainage system in all its disparity. ‘Stay to the left,’ the hooded man had said, and Sergio looked in that direction and then the opposite one. Which left, his left? Where would this pipe lead? He cautiously limped along to his left and found that the passage soon broke off and dropped down into a vast cistern so he shuffled quickly in the other direction. He wanted to take off his helmet but not before he was out of this infested tangle of pipes. In the other direction the sewer curved around into a different configuration, offering a crossroads to choose from. ‘This left?’ he thought to himself, shining the light and pointing the Vintorez in all the other directions. As if on cue a shrill howl echoed from down the right side pipe and that was enough confirmation for Sergio. So this Hunter had known exactly where this tunnel led to and from, and Sergio could only hope it would deposit him into neutral territory. He had to get back to Vera and tell him everything that had happened. They had to formulate a plan to rescue Marco from the Nationalists as soon as possible.