Authors Notes:

Id like to start off and say thank you for the kind remarks about the story I hope that you are all enjoying it so far and that Im able to keep it interesting.

First off id like to note that I am trying something with Artyom's character. In that im trying to keep him silent as he is throughout the games at least in terms of speaking. Id like your feed back on how you think this is going and if it doesn't work out to well then ill try something new.

Chapter 3: Into the Light

It never took very long for word to spread around the metro. They said that during the height of the cold war it took just a week for top secret documents to go from the Pentagon to the Kremlin. The speed at which secret information speed at which information spread around the metro made the old cold war agents look lazy and slow.

It never took more than a few days to reach all of the inner stations and no longer than a week to reach the important outer stations. So the factions had taken to acting on their plans quickly with in hours men would be mobilised sent either by foot or cart to their mission in order to try and beat the information leak that was bound to be already making its way to the other factions.

So as it was Pavel found himself listening in on the conversation of two Hansa guards enjoying a little bit of down time.

"I shit you not Lukas an Aircraft I heard it on the radio, one of the Hansa merchants was reporting in after hearing it from one of the leagues operatives. The Order scouts spotted an aircraft flying over Moscow."

"Ahhhh Gregor, the scouts where probably delirious with radiation sickness the order spends far to much time on the surface these days whilst the metro falls down around us. They sit pretty in D6 whilst pissing about on the surface. It shit you not Gregor one day will come when even the Hansa get sick of the Order and they are brought down for good."

Pavel turned from listening to the conversation to the small glass of vodka in front of him, the bottle not far away half empty by this point. He looked into his cup at the clear liquid distilled behind the bar in the giant distillery that gave the dive of a bar its name. Ever since the Kremlin, no Ever since he had met that Ranger Artyom Pavel had felt a pang of something he could quite place or at least he couldn't until his meeting with him at the Kremlin. When Artyom had elected to save his life instead of take it for all that he had done.

Pavel wouldn't have blamed him if he had taken his life there and then. He had betrayed him after forming a bond many men seldom formed. They had become brothered forged in the fires of hell when they escaped from the Reich and back to the redline. He had felt guilty when they took him but had remained steed fast to General Korbut. It was only as time progressed that Pavel began to realise that he was on the wrong side, that he had been blinded by propaganda and the promises of power and wealth.

It made him feel sick to the stomach just thinking about it. He had betrayed all that he believed in and allowed himself to be lead astray. He downed what was left of his cup of vodka wincing as it burned the back of throat and set his belly alight.

The room was starting to spin the vodka finally kicking in but he didn't care this was the 5th night in a row he had frequented the bar with the intention of forgetting his sins in his drink. He reached for the half empty bottle of Vodka only to have it snatched away in the last second by a gloved hand.

"Hey! Im... not dfone with thhhat!" He moved quicker than any drunk man had the right to be but still missed almost falling off his seat in the process.

Grappling with the table he righted himself and sat up holding his hands in his head. For a few moments before looking at the person who had taken his salvation. She was a skinny woman, with flowing fiery red hair done up in a military fashion bun. Skin as pale as moonlight and deep green eyes. Her ruby red lips flashed a a quick smile before she sat down opposite him.

"My my look how far you have fallen Comrade Mozorov" She spoke as she picked off her leather gloves and placed them on the table just in front of her before grabbing his glass and pouring herself a drink.

"I dont know who your talking about" Pavel replied. He had been in hiding ever since he had found the strength to make it back into the metro. He knew that if he returned to the red line with Korbut gone he would be hanged as a traitor to the revolution. Not that he really wanted to re enter Korbuts services either. So he had chosen to hide on the ring line, the busiest route in the whole of the metro a place where you could hide indefinitely if you kept moving. Something Pavel had neglected to do in order to stay one step ahead.

"Come come Major" She spoke just before downing her shot. "No one can mistake the darling poster boy of the Redline military especially not me your biggest fan" He smirked again revelling in the sensation rolling down her throat.

"What do you want I don't serve Korbut any more." Pavel replied knowing full well he was to drunk to put up a proper fight.

Her eyes seemed to sparkle for a moment in the dim light as she leant forward her smile widening showing a single k9.

"Comrade Mozorov what I want is you..."

Pavel never even had a chance to blink as the sack was placed over his head and the but of a rifle cracked against the back of his head. Darkness and silence came together washing over him like a tsunami.


He stared at them, sunken eyes fixed on them grown hard and cold from all that he had experienced in and out of the Metro. The Warrior Monk himself Artyom saviour of the metro bane of communists and Reich alike. The first of a new breed of human not susceptible to the mind tricks of the Dark ones.

Chance looked at him, jaw hung slightly open at the third member of their team. Both Anton and he stood there transfixed stuck to the spot blocking the entrance to the small room. Time seemed to cease passing for them both as they where engrossed by the colossus sat across from them. Anton fidgeted but chance did not look away he locked his stare with Artyoms for a moment longer before the monk nodded softly and turned away from them holding up a pair of dog tags before him and allowing them to spin on their chain.

Chance noticed the other two chuckling to themselves as they continued to pack, either they had known about this before hand or they simply wernt phased by the feats Artyom had performed. Either way Chance already felt safer at the prospect of having the man along.

"Are you to going to stand in the door way for ever or do I have to get these fine men to dislodge your sorry arses!"

Anton and Chance both jumped and moved out of the way instantly, both men stood to either side of the door allowing the woman to move into the room. She was everything a spartan woman needed to be appart from the swollen stomach giving away that she was pregnant. She paid them no more notice and moved towards Artyom who rose instantly. They embraced for a few short moments sharing a short kiss before resting their heads together and closing their eyes.

"Thats Anna... Dont want to get on the wrong side of her, I heard"

"You heard what?" Anna was suddenly a hairs lengths away from Anton staring him down, they may have all been Spartans it never stopped one from punching the other when they got on the wrong side of the other.

Chance smirked Anna lived up to her reputation as a ghost even when pregnant she was able to sneak up on someone without them even batting an eyelash. Chance had worked for years trying to perfect his own technique. In many ways he looked up to Anna although he wouldn't admit it.

"That...That your the most badass Spartan in the metro?" Anton whimpered pushing back against the door. Anton may have been build like a brick house and the most reliable partner in a fire fight, but when it came to strong women he fell apart.

Anna stared at him for a few more moments before stepping back and glaring at him, before looking to Chance and the SVD slung over his shoulder. It looked as if she was about to ask a question but decided not to. Instead she composed herself and cleared her throat.

"Im here to give you your orders. The Colonel regrets that he couldn't be here himself but he was called to Polis unexpectedly. You five have been picked to go on a mission of up most importance, Anton and Nikoli(Chance) here a few days ago spotted what they and command believes was an aircraft flying over Moscow."

"An aircraft who would be dumb enough to fly in this age the Razor wind alone would rip you to shreds up there." Yoris stood by his bunk arms crossed looking just as sceptical as Keller who continued to pack.

"Thats initially what we believed but ranger teams on the field confirmed the sightings. It was last seen heading North by North west. We believe it was a short range aircraft so couldn't have gotten far if it wasn't taken down by one of the freak storms. Artyom will be leading the expedition you are to follow him and report back everything you learn.

This will be an extended op so make sure you pack plenty of filters rations and make sure your Geiger's are working. We aren't going to come after your sorry arses if you get into trouble."

Anna looked them all over once before turning back to her husband to be and father of her child. He embraced him one more time before taking her leave clearly more upset than she was trying to let on. It was always hard for anyone to let their loved one wander around on the surface, usually it was to dangerous to to spend more than an hour on the surface for fear of radiation poisoning and the attack of mutants.

Chance couldn't lie to himself they where being sent on what was essentially a suicide mission, that was why they had no back up or no rescue option. If they returned alive that was all well and good and if they didn't well the metro would go on regardless. He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind he couldn't allow himself to think like that for the moment he did he was doomed never to return to the metro.

The city or the wilderness beyond it would swallow him up like a small plaything.


"You do realise what you are doing is equal to a suicide mission Colonel?"

Adrik looked on emotionless as the council looked down upon him, from their seats. The Council of Polis meant well and where at least to Adrik the only real shining light in the metro with no real ulterior motive other than to see humanity survive into the next century. However it was this motive that sometimes clouded their judgement.

To some on the Council ever life was so precious that it never warranted to be put under threat under no circumstance. Others where more forward looking and it was those that had stayed quite during his grilling. The Council had called him to Polis because of the reports that he was sending out a search party for the confirmed sighting of an aircraft over Moscow.

He wouldn't deny it, even as they spoke the five man team was preparing to depart from the D6 Entrance to the surface. It was to risky for them to ride to the lines to the edges of the city. Bandits the Reich even the Red Line would no doubt try to stop them for what ever reason. Even with the Order rebuilding its numbers it was still depleted by the attack several months ago, and with a lot of its forces now concentrating on surface operations in orders to bring in new materials and resources to fix the metro. Or at least stop it from falling down even more, it was up to Polis and its allies to defend itself at least for the time being and let Adrik and his commanders do their job for the good of the whole metro.

He looked up to one of the viewing galleries, locking eyes with Miller. The old commander had a fiercely stubborn look about him today, almost as if he was judging Adriks every move. He looked again to the council before him and clasped his hands behind his back standing straight.

"Me and my Spartans swear and oath to this metro, to protect it and make sure its population do not come to harm from mutants or other outside threats. We are simply doing our mandate as decreed to us in the early days after the collapse of the interim council.

You all know the state of the Metro, it is a ruin and it is only us who are even trying to help it from falling down on top of us. I am simply ensuring the continued survival of the human race, we confirmed a sighting of an aircraft obviously not of any of the powers of the Metro. It is my duty and everyone of my rangers duties to ensure that this monumental sighting isnt the precursor to some external entity obviously better off than us.

Adrik looked to the council the old men so adamant on saving life had backed down somewhat grumbling to themselves, like angry old men did.

"Do you believe that this could be a precursor to an invasion Colonel?"Another of the younger more pro active council members asked sitting forward from his own position.

"I do not wish to comment at this moment all I will say is that our rangers saw an aircraft and that we are going to investigate it." Adrik nodded in his steadfast determination and looked up into the viewing gallery, he looked for miller but this time he was gone.


Before them stood the final protection from the surface several inches of iron, and hydraulics. The every things that had kept them safe for so long in their new underground home. The gates where revered in many ways by some they where the only life line some stations had against the hordes of mutants.

The five of them stood silently looking at the gate, each one saying a silent prayer in an attempt to ensure that they made it home alive. For all the bravado and manliness they had put out before reaching the gate they where all afraid that this would be their last mission.

Chance looked at the other four all stood next to him in an almost perfect line. The only one of their group who had remained silent for the whole duration was Artyum their Warrior Monk hadnt joined in with their japes. He found himself wondering how the man was meant to lead them when he didn't speak a word.

The other two would do it for him he supposed, he and Anton where the lowest ranking members of their five man squad placing them on the bottom of the food chain as it where. If they hadn't had the first hand experience of seeing the aircraft and where it was heading he doubted they would have ever been allowed to climb down from their next atop St Basils cathedral.

Chance looked up as the light atop the massive blast door began to flash, red and ominous it was soon followed by a loud creaking as the doors hydraulics got to work. The sound of scraping metal echoed for a few moments before the door finally stopped resisting.

It opened pretty quickly after that, parting like the red sea. Cold air rushed into the room as it howled through the space. Two heavily armoured guards stepped out first, their flamers at the ready as they checked the immediate area for any signs of mutants. Chance checked his sniper rifle and patted it softly in an attempt to reassure himself. The guards came back in after a few more moments.

"All Clear good luck out there"

Chance took a deep breath and looked down the line at Anton and the rest of the group. Artyom was the first to take a step forward Gas mask obscuring his face, he walked forward clutching his assault rifle. His move gave the others the confidence to move as well, first Anton then Keller and Yoris and finally himself. Each of his steps seemed to echo in his head as he made them, the sound bouncing around as if he was walking through an empty hallway wearing jackboots.

Chance stopped on the thresh hold before the gate watching the others as they moved on ahead. Looking down at the line and then back to the others, taking another deep breath Chance stepped over the line into the City of Moscow.