"Emerald City?" Eren asked, "What is that?"
"A legend, to be entirely honest." Khan answered. "They say the brightest minds of Moscow University descended into the Metro, but the Leninskiye Gory Station was built on a bridge, and collapsed when the bombs fell cutting off the three stations below from the Metro. Universitet, Prospekt Vernadskov, and Yugo Zapadnaya, were cut off and became known as Emerald City. Stalkers near Park Pobedy and Sportivnaya Stations have claimed to have met Stalkers from Emerald City, saying they had suits that allowed them to cross the toxic river."
"I hate to interrupt, but we have no knowledge of where these places are." Jean cut in.
"Khan, of course. But you'll learn soon enough. Who knows how long it will take to return you home."
"But there is a way, right?" Eren asked, "You are going to get us home right?"
"I am thinking, I may know of a way, but we must find your friends first." Khan replied.
Most of the southern Surpukhovskaya line was abandoned. Even Hansa refused to colonize the line. Their trek had taken them from Revolution Square, back south through Venice, where Khan and Jean had met. Then Southwest through Oktyabryska-Koltsevaya, still rebuilding after the Reds unleashed Ebola on the poupulace, and attempted to burn the station to the ground. From there, it was East along the Ring and into Dobryninskaya. And south into the unexplored Tulskaya Station. They would now continue south through three more abandoned stations to reach Sevastapolskaya, the home of Hunter. It would have been quicker to simply go from Revolution Square to Polis then straight down the Surpukhovskaya line, but Khan had chosen this route to spare the newcomers from the horrors of Polyanka. Without Khan's passport and glibness, they would never have made it through the Hansa checkpoints. Sevastopolskaya would be even harder to enter, the station was described as a small Sparta, bristling with defenses. The youngest girl to the oldest man, all Sebastopolites knew how to use weapons. This was all for good reason. The tracks were flooded, a brown radioactive river flowing from an unknown source, turning the center platform of Sevastapolskaya into an island. This river was the lifeblood of the Sebastapolites. In the southern tunnels were watermills, creating electricity to be traded to Hansa in return for the vital ammunition the station needed. Bandits had tried more than once to raid the station, only to be killed by the stalwart defenders, always leaving one alive to spread the tale.
"Some time ago, a traveler attempted to travel to Sevastapolskaya, he made it to Tulskaya station, until he turned back." Khan began "He described the tunnels as clean, with no signs of life, a ghostly train eventually forced him to turn back."
"What do you mean forced him back?" Mikasa asked. "I mean if it's true, will we run into it?"
"It should be fine, the man was probably just scared off." Khan answered.
"But wait," Eren said. "You said that people traded with the place we are headed. So the train can't be real."
"It is possible the man was gifted, or crazy." Khan explained. "He was also alone, ghosts tend to leave groups alone."
"Judging by that, we should be fine then, right?" Jean asked, with an uneasy look.
"We shall see."
Tulskaya was just how Khan described, clean and silent. A few rats were seen, but scampered away quickly as the light from the headlamps illuminated them. Khan had already explained to them that rats were a good sign in areas like this. They proved that ghosts and other anomalies were not present. Their footsteps echoed eerily through the dark empty station. Along the walls, massive bundles of cable were tacked to the wall, carrying electricity to Hansa. They exited the station and back into the tunnels. The newcomers were beginning to show signs of "tunnel fear". Their second-hand lights were barely able to penetrate the inky blackness that enveloped them. Eren and Jean couldn't help but look behind them every few paces, there was no way of knowing if something was following them, and for many, that was the main cause of tunnel fear. Even Mikasa, the elite soldier, was tense. She gripped her blades, ready to spring into action. She still had her ODM gear, but using it in confined space like this would be impossible. Jean's hands were trembling, he made sure to keep his finger off the trigger of the AK-74. Khan had given him the weapon and explained its use. Simply aim and pull the trigger, similar to the muskets they had used during training. Eren had only one sword, the other was packed into a duffel bag with the rest of his ODM gear and had likely reached Polis with Artyom and the others by now. Khan remained calm, his face emotionless, unaffected by the darkness. They crossed through Nagtinskaya and Nogornaya with no problems. They were halfway down the tunnel when Jean stopped.
"G-guys, can we stop for a s-second?" he stammered. He turned around, his headlamp unable to pierce the darkness. He raised the AK-74 to his shoulder. Khan and Mikasa stopped to. Eren ignored him, but stopped a second later when he realized the others had heeded Jean's request.
"What is it," Mikasa asked, hands gripped tight around her blades, beads of sweat on her forehead.
"Be quiet." Jean whispered, holding a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture. His whisper echoed down the tunnel for a few seconds before fading off. The four stood silently for a moment. "Sorry, it's nothing, I thought I heard something behind us."
"It is just the echo," Khan said. "It's nothing you need to be worried about."
The kept their pace, reaching Nakhimovsky Prospekt. A large sign stood outside the station the word "SEVASTAPOLSKAYA" written in reflective paint, underneath were the words "remember to ring" followed by a drawing of a skull. Nakhimovsky Prospekt was an abandoned station, the air filled with the scent of human decay. Collapsed tents, and all types of trash littered the station. At the very end was another sign. The word "RING" was written on it, an arrow pointed to a length of rope. The rope ran along the wall of the tunnel and into the darkness. At the end was a bell, next to the Sevastopolskaya barricade. Khan yanked the rope three times. There was nothing but silence, Sevastopolskaya was still faraway. They likely had their floodlights on and manned the gun positions.
"From this point on, keep your weapons secured." Khan said. slinging his Hellsing over his shoulder. Jean did the same with the Ak-74. Mikasa sheathed the blades in her ODM gear.
"Mikasa, do have space for one more?" Eren asked, ejecting the blade from its hilt.
"I don't think so…" she said, looking at her gear. "No I don't."
"I can carry it," Khan said, taking the blade. He managed to get it into in his backpack, it still stuck out a good deal, but at least it was secured. Eren put the handle back into its holster. Before long, they could see the lights of the barricade. As they came closer, they could see bits of rope hanging from the ceiling, cans attached to them, a crude alarm system.
"Make sure to walk through, the guards need to know we're here." Khan said. The group followed suit, the cans clattered together as they brushed through. They were a stone's throw from the gate now.
"Halt!" A voice shouted, the floodlights turned on them, they shielded their eyes from the blinding light that illuminated them. "What is your business in Sevastapolskaya? We aren't expecting any shipments from Hansa!"
"It is I, Khan! I have returned once again! I have three guests with me."
"its Khan… alright! Open up!" the guard shouted.
The crude scrap metal door rattled open on a primitive system of wheels. The hermetic door had long since rusted, and was stuck permanently open. The Sebastopolites didn't have the time, bullets, or manpower to fix it, not with mutants clawing their way up the south tunnel, and the river eroding the station platform.
"Eren, Mikasa… does that voice sound familiar? Or am I just hearing things?" Jean asked. Eren and Mikasa looked at him quizzically. Now that they thought about it, the voice did sound familiar. Soft and masculine, an almost friendly vibe to it. Jean scanned the guards at the gate, hoping to identify the owner of the voice. But thanks to the floodlights, all he could see were dark silhouettes.
"Damn Khan, and here I thought you had gotten sick of us. What brings you back to the gates of hell?" the familiar voice said. A soldier walked down from the walls to rail level.
"We are searching for the brigadier." Khan answered.
"Hunter? Alright, but be aware, the man has been a wreck since Sasha was killed." The voice said.
Eren made the connection, the familiar voice belonged to that soldier. The one talking to Khan. He also heard the name, Sasha, could it be Sasha Blouse's counterpart?
"You're fine, but I have to check these other guys before they enter." The soldier said.
"You three, do whatever he tells you. I'll be waiting just inside." Khan said. Walking through the wooden door into the station.
"C'mon in," the soldier said, "And line up along that wall." They walked into an area between the walls and the door. They lined up as ordered. The guard lifted his face mask. He was young, younger than some of the other guards, he had black hair and freckles. Half his face was covered by a massive burn scar. From the half that remained pristine, Jean identified him almost immediately.
"Marco?" Jean said, overjoyed to see his best friend alive.
"What?" The soldier replied. "The name's Mikel! Now all of you put your hands on your heads!" They did as ordered, it was rather strange, could Mikel be this worlds Marco? But their Marco was dead, bitten in half. Mikel started with Mikasa, he looked at her ODM gear curiously. "What the hell?" he murmured, tapping the gas tanks. "Is there gas in these things?"
"Yes there is." Mikasa answered.
"Dumb bitch," Mikel said. "One bullet, and you're in for a grand cremation."
"It wasn't built for fighting people." Eren said, defending the gear's capabilities.
"Yeah, yeah," Mikel said, waving his hand dismissively all of you spread your legs two shoulder widths apart." He patted each of them down. Satisfied, he pointed towards the door. "Go ahead."
"If you were looking for weapons, you didn't do a very good job." Eren said, taking a step to the door.
"I was looking for weed, not weapons. We can't have anyone getting high when the nosalises could come at any minute." Mikel replied.
The three walked into the station, Khan was waiting just inside. "If I am correct, Hunter will likely be at the bar. They followed Khan through the station, the place seemed empty compared to the other stations they had passed through. The station was a central platform, two rivers flowing on both sides. The water drained into neighboring Kakhovskaya, and down the line into the unexplored stations. The whole station had a gloomy vibe, not surprising given the situation. Khan led them up to a small makeshift bar. A bored looking bartender stood cleaning a rusted metal cup. At one of the tables was a huge bear of a man with a shaved head. He looked asleep, his head down resting on his arms. He wore camouflage cargo pants, and a Kevlar vest. A dark trench coat over it all.
"Hunter, I am looking for you." Khan said, lightly kicking the ex-rangers chair.
"I've paid for this table, get lost." He said gruffly, keeping his head down. This is what had become of the mighty Hunter, the 40-something man had had feelings for the 17 year-old Sasha who had traveled with him and a man named Homer 2 years ago. It was only in her dying moments that they confessed their feelings for each other. But, after the Rangers assault on Tulska station, her body was not found among the corpses. Perhaps a small part of him still believed she lived elsewhere. The dark ones had broken him by showing him his true nature, he was a beast, a killer, but it was what he was best at. Sasha's death only made things worse. He would work his shift as the brigadier of Sevastapolskaya, only to descend into depression once off duty.
"Hunter, it is I, Khan."
Hunter looked up. "So you are," he said.
"Does he look like your friend Levi?" Khan asked. They looked at him, his face was a perfect match. Except that Hunter was bald. Something else was off to, Hunter was huge, tall, with a bear like frame. While Levi was shorter than Eren.
"Yes, it looks just like him." Eren answered.
"Khan, why are you here? What do you want from me?" Hunter asked.
A puff of steam filled the room, cutting off Khan's response, the steam dissipated quickly. A man now stood beside Hunter. Short, with black hair, wearing a soldier's uniform with dual wings insignia. It was Levi. Levi looked around frantically, his hand on his blades. His eyes met Hunters. The two stared at each other, their faces were an exact match. Levi drew his blades, Hunter stood up, knocking his chair over, and drew a revolver. Levi was quick, his swords crossed in an X, the edges resting on each side of Hunter's neck. The barrel of Hunter's pistol was pressed against Levi's forehead.
"What the fuck is this?" Hunter asked the shorter version of himself.
"You first, what's going on?" Levi demanded.
Eren was the first to react. "Captain! We can explain everything." Levi glanced over, seeing Jean, Eren, and Mikasa. He turned his gaze back to Hunter.
"Who, or what, are you?" Levi asked Hunter. Their cold eyes were locked on each other, ready to kill at the slightest provocation.
"I am a man, what the fuck are you?" Hunter replied.
"Same," Levi answered.
"Both of you lower your weapons, the four of us can explain everything." Khan said, stepping towards them. "Hunter, it would seem your weapon is unloaded."
"He didn't know that!" Hunter said. "I always unload it before drinking." Levi relaxed his arms, bringing the blades back down to his sides. Hunter lowered his pistol as well.
"Now one of you start explaining this shit right now." Levi demanded.
Khan opened his mouth to speak, when a Sebastapolite soldier suddenly pushed past him. "Brigadier!" He panted, out of breath. "We have a problem!"