METRO 2033
"The Journey"
Disclaimer: I do not own the Metro 2033 title. This is a fan made work for entertainment and in no way am I making a profit- Daniel Johns
"Chapter 1 - First steps"
Dmitry Volonsky was about to embark on a journey that he or his fellow Metro dwellers ever faced. His home stations on the Voikovskaya line dedicated their lives on meat production which supplied most of the Metro system. Pigs were the common meat coming out of the Voikovskaya line. However, in the recent days all of the animals "and some of the people" have died. When the higher ups of the stations investigated it, turns out that the water supply fueling the Line was heavily irradiated. After more investigation the authorities found out that three nuclear missiles were fired a few miles east of them near Exhibition for some unknown reason. They thought they could repair the filter but with the resources they had it was concluded that they needed a replacement. They thought they could just buy it from a merchant or salvaged it from an abandoned station. They were wrong. The stations on the Voikovaskya line were unique. They were the only Metro line that had a water plant near them. So, all those years their water came from a plant on the surface instead of a river that would have died out already. No one would dare venture to the surface. This is where Dmitry's story begins.
Dmitry walked slowly down the dark Metro tunnel. He was scared. He had never been outside his station ever in his life. Even though he was clad in a black leather suit with a Kalashnikov ready to kill anything that didn't look human, he was frightened. This didn't stall him on his mission though. He knows he had to do this, even though he never volunteered. Around the time Sukhoi, the leader of his station announced that the water was no longer drinkable. He gathered up some of the most fit, healthiest men in the station. He told them that who ever drew the shortest straw out of his hand had to do a "special assignment" for him. Dmitry drew the shortest.
He was tasked with a life changing command. He must travel to the legendary Emerald city hidden deep in the south west of the Metro. Long ago the Moscow University was full of the brightest young minds of Moscow. When the bombs fell the students didn't leave the university, but went under it into the Metro line. It was nicknamed Emerald city because the walls of the stations were made of emerald. At first the people traded with the people of the Metro. This lasted a few years until the Reds formed in the Metro. The Reds was strong and fast with their campaign with annexation and managed to control the whole line of the Metro and named it the Red line. Emerald city was on that line. The Reds tried to annex the stations, but they didn't want to be part of the war. The Reds saw this as treason, but before they could invade the University, the students collapsed the station of Leninskiye Gory separating them from the rest of the Metro. The rumors say they still live on and have everything anyone needs. Dmitry was to find out.
He saw the lights to the next station. It was Hansa. Hansa was not one station; Hansa was an organization that controlled the entire Metro ring. They were good with both the Reds and the Nazis. Thankfully that Hansa station and the Voikovaskya line were allies with one another, due to the massive amount of meat they produced, so Dmitry would have no problems passing into the station.
Dmitry holstered his Klash and moved forward to the gate. Two men about Dmitry size were sitting around a dimly lit fire talking about something that Dmitry couldn't hear. One saw him, stood up and with a calm voice.
"What business do you have in Hansa?"
"I need to get through here. I have to catch a scheduled railcar ride to Park Kultury." Dmitry responded with the same level of calmness.
The man nodded and smiled.
"You are coming from Voikovaskya?"
"Yes I am."
The man nodded "My brother lives there, maybe you know him? Boris Grabowski."
Dmitry did know him. He was the head butcher. Dmitry worked on security mainly watching for anything coming from the northern station but no man or mutants came from the north.
Dmitry and the guard talked for maybe seven minutes until Dmitry decided that he needs to catch his railcar.
"Wait before you go Dmitry, I will not be the only one to ask but do you have your passport." The guard said.
Dmitry showed it to him. Passports were essential in the Metro especially traveling through Red controlled stations.
"All right I hope to see you soon." The guard said and he opened a metal door that led to the Hansa station.
Dmitry was in awe. This station was crowded and it was very well lit. They had a bar, market to buy food, clothes and other things. As well an armory where weapons that Dmitry never seen before, but they were expensive. In the Metro bullets was currency. Two types of bullets were in the Metro, pre-war military grade rounds and dirty bullets made in the Metro. Dmitry was automatically richer than most since his station supplied him with an AK 74m rifle with laser sight and about 90 MGR and 120 dirty rounds. While the dirty rounds didn't pack as much punch as the MGR they were more plentiful and very cheap, just six MGR for a clip full of dirty rounds. Dmitry walked through the station and found the railcars. A big man sitting in a booth seemed to be the conductor or someone in charge of the transportation, so Dmitry went to talk to him.
"Ah yes the railcart to Park Kultury is….. Not going till eleven. It is 9:45. Do you have a ticket for the ride?"
Dmitry showed him his ticket.
"Ah Mr. Volonsky yes. Do you have a watch on you?" the big man asked.
Dmitry shook his head.
The big man frowned then smiled a little.
"Tell you what. When eleven strikes I will call your name on the intercom. Now you go explore the station a bit and buy yourself a watch." He chuckled then went straight back to work.
Dmitry took his advice. He couldn't believe how nice people were in the Metro so far. Dmitry looked through the whole station, being offered by many people special discounts and home made things. He greedily looked at the tempting half naked girls that stood outside their tents giving glances at people. He noticed a girl with dark red hair just stepping out of a tent with a man only a few years older than Dmitry. She was crying and the man was complaining demanding his bullets back. Dmitry decided not to get involved and walked away. He was hanging around book sellers when he noticed something he wanted, a nice black digital watch, with the sticker big sale 40% off. Dmitry asked the merchant who was selling it for how much. The man bargained for 25 but Dmitry lowered it to 15. He had a new watch and still had 75 MGR left. After more browsing he found a nice tent and he couldn't believe his eyes. "Fine dining" a sign said. When he entered he felt out of place. Being in a leather battle suit with a Klash and a gasmask hanging on his side didn't take to well when everyone was in nice suits and groomed hair. He got a lot of glances. The hostess came up to him and seemed shocked a little. She was very cute but before Dmitry could say something a man in a white suit which looked nice but had dirty blue jeans came up to him.
"Hello." He said "Sir I hope you know that this restaurant is very expensive. We don't serve a rat here, so a man of your look probably won't like it here."
"Well what do you serve here?" Dmitry asked.
"Only the finest meats, mushrooms and crops. Grown from our own station." The man said.
Dmitry glanced over at a chalk bored sign.
Brahmin cut steak- 20 MGR
Chicken and mushrooms mix- 15 MGR
"I'll take a Brahmin cut steak and a side dish of mushrooms." Dmitry said and pulled gave the man 30 MGR.
The man looked shocked and smiled at the money
"Yes sir right away!" he said "Alexandria seat this man."
"Yes sir!" she said flirty as if she was interested in the dangerous looking man with money.
He was seated next to a fancy man in a red checkered suit who at first despised him but now rose a glass to him.
After a few minutes Dmitry's food come hot and ready to eat.
The steak was the best meat he had ever tasted and the mushrooms melted in his mouth. It was the best meal he ever had in his 23 years on this rock.
"So tell me Ranger how was it?" The man who served him asked.
"Ranger?" Dmitry asked.
The man looked confused. "Surely you are a Ranger from Polis right?"
"No."
"Oh my mistake sir, are you a Stalker? Any way how was it?
"It was fantastic and I can't wait to stop here on my way home."
"Thank you sir." The man said uneasy as if wondering where Dmitry got that money.
Dmitry left the restaurant and checked his watch. 10:36. He still had time left to look at the station. So he headed into the eastern part of the station. Just a lot of living quarters, tents, and former Metro trains that was configured for living. Three guards were standing around telling a story. Dmitry walked up to them to hear it.
"Did you hear about Exhibition?" one asked.
"No. All I heard was about some mutants in their northern tunnels." Another one said.
"Well it got worse up there, much worse. Apparently they had to get help from polis. And that they sent Rangers to help and they nuked everything north of Exhibition from some abandoned military base deeper in the Metro."
"Is that what the earthquake was?" the third asked.
"Yes that shaking a few weeks back that was them."
"Rangers… those guys scare the hell out of me." The first one said "I heard that just one of them took out the bandits over at dry station."
"Complete crap. Those are bandits, lowlifes. They probably killed each other." said the third one.
