The duo had traveled south as the Red Line operative followed his companion with a canteen in hand. "You know, Veronica, I appreciate to know why we had to pass through an entire field of fire ants, bandits, and those flying tarantulas?" He asked, curious about her reasoning.

She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him. "Simple, Novac has a small scrapyard in the town where people like me can salvage stuff for free. I don't have to pay for anything and you don't have to worry about me."

"Is there a place we can stay in the meantime?"

"Yeah. Novac is known for its rooms for passing merchants and travelers. I'm sure they have a room for us if I have enough caps to pay for one night."

"How does one really make money in the Mojave?"

"Pavel, why are you asking these questions?" Veronica questioned.

"Where I'm from, most people tend to become stalkers and collect scrap just to earn bullets for bringing the salvage back to their stations. I wonder if it is the same here."

She shook her head. "Scavenging is a poor way to make caps, most people just settle for being a mercenary or a traveling merchant and with the NCR trying to take control over New Vegas, scavenging is below them."

Now that was worthy of a question. "What is the NCR?"

"You don't know who they are? I'll simplify it for you, they're the New Californian Republic." The scavenger answered. "They are a democratic society that is trying to spread its territory everywhere and get control of everything. They have a standard army and they even have a Senate - can you believe that?"

"Yeah. Back in Moscow, we have the Politburo for the Red Line." Pavel answered. "I'm not surprised that there is a faction with ideas from the past."

"That is interesting. Maybe I would like to come over there one of these days and you could teach me how to cook whatever you cooked last night."

He smiled at the thought, but he knew better than to come home with a girl. It would usually involve the secret police to come and find him then question him for his 'fading loyalties' to the party and the revolution. "They wouldn't like you. Trust me on that."

"They don't like outsiders? I can understand that. My family has the same treatment whenever I bring people home," She chuckled. "But I don't blame them. They're trying to watch out for me since the Mojave has its dangerous moments. What about your family?"

Family? His parents sacrificed their lives for the Red Line when the Nazis invaded his station. His true family was to the men he served alongside while Korbut was the harsh father-figure in the Red Line. The general would praise him for his accomplishments and would also berate him for going outside the box. The party was his family and he was their children. "Let's just say it's complicated."

Veronica stopped walking as she pointed her hand towards the direction of the town and the giant dinosaur present. "Here we are. Welcome to Novac."

Boone stood vigilant from his position in the dinosaur's mouth while his sniper rifle overlooked the road to the east. News from the radio had told him that the Legion's increased presence at Nelson. He wished the troopers at Forlorn Hope luck, they were going to need it when the fighting gets started. Based on the information from Novac's local Ranger, Forlorn Hope had the worst attrition rate and logistic rate in the army. An attack by the Legion would break those boys if the Legion saw a chance to take it.

He heard knocking on the door as a feminine voice called out to him. "Dinner." She said in a cold tone.

The sniper turned away from looking at the landscape, only to swing the door open and let the person in. "Why did you bring food up here?" He asked. "I already ate earlier."

She did not care about his situation with his stomach. "That was five hours ago. You need to eat if you want to stay awake on your watch."

Ever since he had met the female sniper days ago, she was insistent on helping the town despite having two ex-NCR snipers and an injured Ranger living here. While he objected to her request, he was the only one who ever did. "Anna, I don't need you to babysit me."

The strange woman chuckled. "You'd be surprised at how many men say that around me until they start whining at their wounds." They both sat down on the floor as she placed a tray between herself and Boone. "Considering how I'm the only one here with nightvision goggles, you might need my help."

"My eyes are good, no need for your help."

"Sometimes the naked eye can't do things when looking at a certain perspective." The woman replied as she slung her long rifle off her shoulders. "Besides, I heard that you get plenty of slavers at night. I thought I could see what this Legion is capable of." Then she grabbed a cup from the tray and handed it to him.

"What is this?"

"Mushroom tea. It's a commodity from where I come from, but it helps with the stress and less stress means more focus on the targets." Anna explained.

Boone took the cup and felt reluctant to take a sip. Once he tasted its contents, his tongue felt a bitter taste while it brought a relaxing feel. "How do you make this?"

"I don't. If I was back in Moscow, I would have access to that stuff, but I only have a few packets with me."

"Thank you, I appreciate the assistance." Then he noticed the young raven woman looking out at the sky with her goggles looking over the teeth and towards the eastern road. "How can you see out of those things?"

"Heat, thermal. That is what my mentor taught me. It detects creatures based on distance and its warmth. Very useful for finding people trying to sneak their way out."

Curious about the little device over her eyes he continued to ask away. "How do you power it?"

"Where I'm from, we use a hand-crank battery charger in case our flashlights or nightvision goggles are low on battery," Anna answered. "A self-sufficient way to get around the energy problem.

If he had something like that in the military, it would have been useful for the snipers or the Rangers to have whenever they needed it. Yet, he wondered whether the place she was from made a good use out of this equipment. "What is it like in your home?" He asked.

"Why do you ask?"

"I'm curious. You have a strange voice and your appearance doesn't seem to be from around the Mojave."

Anna raised her nightvision goggles and glanced towards the ex-NCR sniper. "I'm from the Moscow Metro and I'm part of a force known as the Polis Rangers of the Spartan Order. That is all you need to know about me." Her tone was icy, but she brought enough information for the Boone to know.

"Are they some kind of special forces?"

She chuckled. "In some ways, but we're the sort that helps the Council learn about the matters in the Metro. We're peacekeepers, mutant killers, and the Council's agents."

"What about you? Are you an agent?"

"No, I'm more like a mutant hunter." Her eyes returned to being covered by hernightvision goggles just to look through the scope of her large sniper rifle.

Artyom was tired, but it was a price he would pay to escape another patrol. After his first initial encounter with Caesar's Legion, the young stalker knew better than to play fate's hand in getting him and his companions captured. As he unjammed his weapon, then he watched as the Ranger continued to lead the way towards Novac.

They had just passed by Ranger Station Charlie, only to learn its inhabitants were killed. A depressing matter for Ghost as she led the way. He could try and comfort her but felt his previous actions would probably worsen his relationship with his companions. With his inability to not have someone understand him, Cass and Ghost would go through hell trying to understand what he's saying. This was one of the cases where he needed to remain silent.

His eyes looked past the shoulders of his companions, only to see a small settlement with a strange lizard creature in the area. "We're in Novac." He heard Cass comment. "The people should have a room ready for nights like this."

Then Ranger Ghost spoke. "And share a room with that guy?" A slight jab at the events beforehand. "I'd rather sleep outside." She said while passing by a pen of two-headed creatures grazing on the land. They were mutated, but they were not malicious unlike the Nosalises in the Metro.

"Your choice then, I'll take the bed. What about you Artyom? Do you mind sharing?" What could he say? They couldn't understand.

Cass glanced over her shoulder for an answer. He answered with a slight nod to the head as he saw a smile on her lips.

"That doesn't mean you - look out!" That smile of hers disappeared as she lunged towards him and pushed him out of the way.

When Artyom was on the ground, he saw his companion stand where he once stood. A strange movement like that of water was present before Cass, only to flash before his very eyes to display its muscular blue form. Its body resembled a human, but the words it spoke left little comfort at what it was. The "person" growled as it stared at the woman. "Head voices say they knew the flower girl's father." The strange creature said.

Then he heard Ranger Ghost scream before firing her rifle. "Cass, get back!"

As the fight erupted, the stalker reached for his submachine gun and began to aim it at the creature attacking his group. Before Cass could do anything, the monster pulled out a gun and smashed his weapon causing her to be tossed aside like a ragdoll. However, she screamed in agony when she landed on the pen's fence. [No!]

"Artyom, kill that thing before it starts firing!" Ghost ordered as she loaded another round into her rifle.

The young man saw the creature's weapon have its barrels spinning while screaming in delight. Despite its superior strength, it appeared to have been ignorant of him as he pulled the trigger on his submachine gun.

Bullets flew towards the monster with a spread comparable to the Bastard gun. Artyom's weapon had expended the last bullet in its magazine, yet, the creature was still standing. Despite the disheartening sight of his gun not doing well, the creature dropped its weapon and held onto its hands. "My hand!" It cried. "Human shot my hand!" In a fit of rage, the creature looked away from its fingers while its eyes greedily stared at him. "Die, human!"

There was one word Artyom could form from his mouth. [Shit.]

"I'm out!" Ghost commented, informing the stalker that he was on his own for a few moments. "Keep the nightkin busy."

He tried to load his next magazine as quick as he could, but he felt the tense grasp around his neck. "This is for my hand." It said before tightening its grip on his throat.

No, he was not going to die like this. Thoughts of desperate attempts to live occurred in the limited amount of time he had as the nightkin savored in his suffering. Artyom snatched his trench knife and began stabbing at the creature's arm in a vicious fashion. The blood he spilled by doing so was enough for the nightkin to release its hold on him as he cried out in pain.

When Artyom landed in the dirt, he looked while he gasped for in his lungs. The creature was about to stomp him until he saw a stream of green light land on its back. It turned its attention away from the stalker, allowing him to smell burning flesh and feel the heat of plasma. Another stream made its mark, causing its body to disintegrate into ash.

To the nearby buildings, lights flickered to life as shadows moved to and fro. People shouted from inside their homes while doors fluttered open. The town of Novac was awake. Yet, Artyom ignored the attention he brought as he ran over to Cass' side and saw her moaning in pain. There was a piece of wood sticking in her back.

The caravaner was bleeding and needed medical attention. Artyom brought out his orange case medkit and scrambled to pull the cap off the needle - morphine. It wasn't much, but the medicine helped dull the pain for the actual doctors. After giving the dose to his companion, he quietly prayed to god to help him. [Please God, help my friend in need.] It had been some time since Exhibition, but the fears he once had at home had returned while he looked at Cass' wound. He didn't have any medical knowledge to help her.

"Artyom, is that you?" Called a familiar voice.

The stalker looked up from his wounded companion, only to recognize the familiar face - the woman who stole his guns. Unlike his previous encounter with the girl, she expressed her horror at his predicament before kneeling beside him. "Angelique?"

"What the hell happened here?" The Courier wondered.

Then Ranger Ghost was quick to answer. "We were attacked by a nightkin supermutant. It had some kind of stealth field and caught us off-guard."

"Shit, a supermutant. Artyom, let me see her wounds?" The stalker moved aside as Angelique began to check her back left shoulder. "It's a good thing I got some doctor bags and some stimpacks. All we need to do is find a bed for her."

"You're a trained medic? Hell - I don't even think you're capable of helping her."

Out from her bag, the Courier jammed a large needle-like device into the caravaner before bringing her PipBoy above Cass and turning on the light. "I'm trained, Ranger, believe me." She answered.

The group heard sand and gravel crushed underneath a boot. As Artyom looked at the the stranger from the town, he noted the man's red beret in the white T-shirt as he held a scoped rifle in his hands. "I heard from some of the folks here have been hearing gunfire, what happened?"

"Simple," Replied Ranger Ghost as she confronted the man herself. "You don't look like you're from around here. Especially with that beret of yours. Who are you?"

"I'm an ex-sniper from the 1st Recon Battalion and I am currently the nightshift guard for Novac."

"Shouldn't you be up for your post?"

"Don't worry, someone has occupied my spot until then. Now who are you and what the hell is going on here?"

"Ranger Ghost from the Mojave Outpost. I was out accompanying these civilians for the time being until we were attacked by a supermutant. One of our people is critically wounded, is there a place to stay?"

The sniper nodded his head before slinging his rifle over his shoulder. "I don't know, I heard that everything was occupied."

The Courier rose from her patient and grabbed their attention. "It just so happens that I'm occupying one of those rooms at the moment," Angelique commented. "Now could you all help me out and bring her into my room."

Artyom looked over Cass's shoulder and glanced towards the young woman. He wanted to talk, but he knew his language was not being able to be understood by these people.

"Alright Artyom, help me out here."

After Cass was brought to the Courier's room, everyone had departed from the situation. Ranger Ghost had discovered another NCR Ranger was currently occupying another room. Then the sniper that introduced them into the town was now on alert ever since he had arrived in Novac.

Artyom didn't do anything aside from keeping Cass and Angelique company. To his surprise, the Courier appeared to be well-versed in the art of medicine. By Metro standards, she would be the most valuable member of any civilized station. He remained silent in his chair as he stayed beside Cass's bedside.

Once Angelique was finished checking her vitals, she glanced over at him. "She will recover, but Cass needs some time to rest."

A small pause between him and the Courier.

"It's been awhile since we last met, how are things with you?" Still no response. "Giving me the silent treatment eh?" She nodded her head in acknowledgment of his silence. "To be honest, I deserve it. I did run off with all of your weapons. If I didn't… none of this wouldn't happen."

What could he do? What could he say? The Dark One was his relay - a translator and without a Dark One present, he could say anything without speaking his mother's tongue in a place far away from home.

Angelique chuckled. "Funny, no weapon vendor was willing to buy your weapons since they looked like complete garbage. Consider yourself lucky that I still have your weapons around." She rose from her seat across the bed and brought a suitcase over to Artyom. "Here, you can have them back." Then she made her way towards the door. "If anything happens, come and find me. I'll be outside."

Now that was a surprise to the stalker. He had expected the woman to sell his weapon as well. Perhaps the Bastard gun was not something anyone wanted to use except him unless there was another Metro survivor nearby.

Since he was away from danger, Artyom took comfort in his seat and watched Cass rest from the events that had just transpired. There was a temptation to leave Cass all by herself, but there was a sense of helpfulness he wanted to provide in case the caravaner needed anything. Now that he thought about it, perhaps making mushroom tea and a few bottles of whiskey might be needed in case she woke up, but right after he slept.

As his eyes began to close, there was a strange sensation in his mind that just occurred to him.

'Danger… follows…' A voice whispered in his mind. 'Be… ready…'

Author's Note: Looking at this chapter now, I have never felt so tired while making this chapter.

Mandalore the Freedom: Unlike Artyom, Ghost has a longer experience with the Legion and knows what they're capable. I would be angry too when the consequences of being a woman captured by the Legion is becoming a baby maker.

About the debate between the Legion and the Nazis, Artyom doesn't know how bad the Legion is until he sees first-hand.

The lores between the Fallout and the Metro universes will find a way to be connected by a certain point, but it's essentially two universes meeting each other. It just so happens they are both in the post-apocalyptic setting. Now in Fallout universe, the Soviet Union was still around and tensions were far better with them than the Chinese.

As for Polis and Legate Lanius, the Polis Rangers are basically the Swiss Pikemen of the Metro. After listening to the banter between the Rangers at the first level in Last Light, they will fight to the death and give no mercy to their enemies just like the Swiss Pikemen and it's probably because they're essentially a city-state surrounded by powerful factions like the Red Line, Fourth Reich, and Hanza.

LanzCorporalAssWipe: *Jedi hand waves* You did not see those words.

Paladin Bailey: Yes, seeing those ideologies in the Mojave would be one serious "WTF" moment for any pre-war ghouls, machines, or those who have pre-war knowledge.

The Polis Rangers have an advantage that the Brotherhood of Steel doesn't have, they're friendly towards people and they don't hoard technology. They're more in line with the Followers of the Apocalypse since they try to use the technology to help humanity as whole, which goes against the philosophy of the Brotherhood of Steel as a whole. Why I believe they're more in line with the Followers is the simple fact that they are the post-apocalyptic version of United Nations Peacekeepers that happen to have the reputation of the Swiss Pikemen.

TMDF-Artyom: How does a Dark One die? From the way you experienced them is probably the game just not allowing you to kill them. It just so happens that they're really difficult to kill in the first place because it's just so easy for them to break one's mind.

In Metro 2033 Redux, there is a shadow of a Dark One and it shows that they can be killed by bullets, but is just so damn difficult to kill a Dark One without them breaking your mind in the first place. That is how I interpret it.

Guest: Don't worry about it. I already know about ShoddyCast. In fact, I stumbled upon them on accident when I wasn't looking for Fallout vids. However, I never gotten around to watching them. Thanks for reminding me about that.