Originally Drafted: May 22nd, 2022
Originally Uploaded: May 25th, 2022
"The year is 2033. The world has been reduced to rubble. Humanity is nearly extinct. A few thousand live on, not knowing if they are the only survivors on the planet. They live in the Moscow Metro - the biggest air-raid shelter ever built. It is humanity's last refuge. It is a world without tomorrow, with no room for dreams, plans, hopes. Feelings have given way to instinct - the most important of which is survival. Survival at any price."
– Metro 2033. (I really loved this blurb here. Sets the tone really well for the series, no?)
Had an idea spring up in my head. About some of the people in Metro 2033 winding up in Strangereal from Ace Combat: With the Russians meeting the Yuktobanians.
I wondered how they'd react to their counterparts, especially when the Yukes are in the middle of their own war.
Unknown, Unknown
October 6th, 20XX
The sound of footsteps crunching the snow underneath greeted the Stalker. His eyes blinded by the transition he experienced after being exposed to a new kind of anomaly.
"Am I on the surface? I thought I was still in the tunnels." He worryingly said to himself. Moments prior he was still in the dark labyrinthian complex that made up the Moscow Metro. The place of refuge for those who survived the nuclear holocaust, though not without much sacrifice.
20 years of living underground had reduced most men into their base instincts, survival at any costs. But, eventually some semblance of civilization was formed after the initial chaos subsided. As those in the stations began to organize and establish their own communities. It was livable, but not ideal.
Which was why he was initially out here in the first place. As a Stalker, the occupation being named after an old book published during the Soviet Era — he was partly responsible for keeping his community alive. He, along with other Stalkers, would venture to the irradiated surface for valuable supplies - often risking life and limb.
But as for where he ended up now? He couldn't actually tell, as his vision was obscured in darkness. Was this a side effect? He thought. He'd fallen right into an anomaly on his way to the surface to search for more supplies. A routine he'd carried out for years at this point.
Remembering the location he assumed he was now in, he began to panic. Being blind and all alone on the surface was a death sentence. He didn't have enough air filters on him to last a few minutes on the surface; having accidentally lost them during the sudden transport.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" He started cursing out to himself, he didn't want to die out here. Wasting precious air in the process as his mind started to accept his inevitable death.
"Is this it for me? To die alone from my careless mistake?" He quietly surrendered himself to despair. Normally, he wouldn't have minded dying, having longe since accepted this was par for the course in his line of work. He knew the perils of this job, everyone who ventured to the surface to bring much needed supplies back to the stations did. But dying like this felt cheap to him, he thought it an ignoble end — he couldn't have that.
Attempting to recompose himself, he tried to regulate his breathing. His eyes — temporarily blinded, were now trying to adjust. Tears began to well up on the inside of his gas mask as he fell on his knees. His breathing coming out heavy from the strain it took on his psyche.
"Breathe, just breathe." He talked to himself, repeating it like a mantra.
Regaining his bearing as his breathing began to calm, he took stock of the situation as his eyes slowly regained vision.
Where am I? He thought to himself. His feet continued to crunch the soft snow beneath them as he warily stood up and took a few steps forward.
I have at least 5 minutes left in these filters. God knows how long I'd last before I finally pass.
His eyes began to clear, and he readied himself to face whatever horrors the Moscow surface would throw at him, but to his surprise — he found himself in a snowy taiga region, low-mountains were off in the distance and trees could be seen all around him.
"What." He muttered in disbelief. It was a sight that he hadn't seen in nearly 20 years.
He'd have worried by now, having spent minutes staring off into the distance, disbelief evident on his face at what he saw — but thankfully there was no telltale sign of the dangers of radiation radiation from his Geiger Counter telling him it wasn't safe.
Lifting a hand up to his face, he took off his gasmask. The cold air nipped at the skin on his face as it was exposed to the elements and sunlight bathed down on him as he stood.
Breathe in, breathe out, he repeated. The fresh air a welcome guest to his lungs.
"Is this heaven?" He said to himself. Surely, he must have died and found himself amongst nature once more. The horrors of the Metro now long past him.
But that didn't seem to be the case. There was a strange otherworldly noise behind him. The same noise he heard before ending up here. Looking backwards, he saw a ripple in reality, one which peered into the dark tunnels of the Metro as he stared back.
"I guess not." So, he wasn't dead. But it seemed this anomaly led him to somewhere untouched by the Great War — a land which would have looked vibrant in greenery, were it not for the winter snowscape that dotted the environment.
Tears threatened to well up within his eyes. This was a discovery of the century! He thought to himself. No longer would his people have to live in fear of the dark underground tunnels which made up their homes.
He just had to convince them somehow.
The Stalker continued walking through the sparse forest. His feet leading him to what seemed like shelter made by some animals. What better way to bring proof, than to bring back some food? Was his line of thought as he did this.
He hadn't been able to hone his hunting skills underneath the concrete tunnels underground. But, he remembered enough from his youth on how to go about it.
Finding some tracks which belonged to a familiar animal he'd often hunted with his father, he followed. The tracks zigzagged along the snow, deep enough to leave a line of imprints which he could clearly see for meters ahead. He'd have to hurry before a sudden snowstorm would leave him lost in this frozen biome.
Carefully shouldering his rifle; an older AK variant refurbished with scrap on a strap behind his back, he carried onwards hoping to find where the animal had run off to.
Moving cautiously through the treeline, where the sunlight peaked through the pines of the snowy forest he was in. The sight was serene. A stark contrast to the dreary damp darkness of the tunnels the Muscovites called home for the past 20 years. It was a breath of fresh air to the Stalker, being able to walk freely on the surface without worry of the hazards his job usually entailed.
Trodding along the mounds of snow that made up the ground his prey left a tray on, he soon found his target. A deer, male at that, standing proudly over the snow. Its antlers slightly bent, showing it had been under quite some trouble before he got here. It seemed to walk with a slight limp to it, unused to its newfound disability. He felt a twange of pity at the sight.
I'll be putting it out of its misery then. He thought to himself. He'd at least be eating good if he brought this buck, back to the butcher's.
Taking aim at the creature, he pointed his rifle to where its heart should have been. Steadying his aim, he waited a moment before firing. The deer, wistfully unaware of its coming demise. It didn't have time to react before the trigger was pulled.
The shot resounding through the landscape. No doubt alerting the rest of its herd, if they were still around. But he wasn't here to hunt them all, he only needed one. He watched as the creature weakly tried to get away before collapsing — its red blood staining the white snow.
He smiled at his kill. For once, he didn't have to be scavenging some ruins or running from bandits. This was good, honest, work. He knelt next to the corpse and checked it for any signs of disease, but on the surface it was perfectly healthy to his surprise. A grin crept up on his face.
"You, my little friend. Are going to make a lot of people very happy." He said to the corpse, before attempting to lug it on his back, carrying it all the way back to his home station.
The return trip back through the anomaly was uneventful, he was thankful for that. If he came back to the tunnel blind as a bat, he could kiss any of his dreams goodbye.
He found himself back where he was last — the anomaly hovering in the air behind him as he looked back. It was a surreal sight. Like a mirror into a world that could have been, had they not reduced theirs to rubble in a pointless war all those years ago. But he hadn't the time to dwell on it, he had something that would have changed the lives of those he cared about, he didn't want to waste this opportunity.
Lugging the deer on his back, he felt the weight on it as he walked back towards his home station. A trip which took him a few hours, he hoped the dampness hadn't ruined the carcass. It wouldn't do if it was ruined by the time he got there. But to his credit, he did make good time, as he soon found himself at the entrance to his home.
"Uncle Patya's back!" Shouted a young boy excitedly. He recognized the Stalker walking to the Station's entrance, with the animal corpse hung limp on his shoulders.
Patya Semonov, the Stalker, and now Hunter of deer, walked proudly towards his home station, Alexeyevskaya, which was part of the VDNKh Commonwealth on the northern outskirts of the former Moscow Metropolitan network. His deer hanging on top his shoulders. Many looked upon him as he valiantly strided forth the dimly lit halls.
The station wasn't as wealthy as their other contemporaries, it was in fact on the smaller end. Sparsely populated and their economy barely afloat, were it not for their allies helping them. But it was home, a home he wanted to protect no matter what.
"Mama, what kind of mutant is that?" A boy pointed to the animal on the Stalker's shoulder.
"My God, I haven't seen one of those in ages!" Another pointed out.
Smirking to himself, it seemed the deer he caught was bringing in the attention he needed. What he had to do now was convince the leaders of the station, hoping to God they would believe him.
Walking past many awestruck gazes directed at him, he made his way to where the local butcher's would be. One of the few people in the station who knew how to handle animal meat.
"Welcome back, Patya." Greeted one of the station's guard. They had their own militia to protect themselves, easily told apart by the painted "A" on their backs.
"Good to be back, Lyosha." The Stalker greeted. He had a wide grin on his face.
"What the hell do you have on your back?"
"This?" He hefted the creature, feeling its weight a bit. "It's a little something I found on the surface."
"Bullshit." Lyosha said in disbelief.
Shaking his head. "No bullshit. I found an area untouched by the war, so I'm bringing this here as proof."
He brought the deer on his person closer to the dim light source the guard was standing beside.
"Is Mitya the Butcher home?" He asked.
"He should be, or maybe he's tending to the pigs. I bet he'll be excited to work with something that hasn't been rolling around in shit and mud for once though."
"And I'll be happy to eat something that hasn't been doing that too." He responded jokingly.
With a wave of goodbye to the guard. He moved past him and into what passed for a slaughterhouse in the Metro. Dirty and unsanitary to look at, but it was clean where it counted. The Butcher took care to make sure that no disease would be festering on the meat.
The sound of a cleaver cutting through meat and bone could be heard as Patya walked closer to the room. Mitya the Butcher stood bloodied as he worked on cutting up some pig carcasses.
"Mitya, Is that you?" Patya asked. The Butcher turned to look at the source of the voice to find the Stalker at his doorsteps, animal carcass on his shoulders.
"Patya? I didn't know you were back so soon." Mitya replied. He tried to wash away the blood on his hands as he moved to greet the man, but he paused upon seeing what he was carrying.
"Where the hell did you find this?" He exclaimed in bewilderment. He hadn't seen an animal that didn't look mutated in years.
"A little present, from me, to the rest of the Station." He dropped the carcass next to the pig Mitya was working on. The healthiness of the deer becoming apparent to the man.
"How? It doesn't even look like it's been irradiated." Mitya asked the Stalker.
"Would you believe me if I told you there's more of these out there? I needed some proof to show you guys." He pointed at the carcass. "This could be huge, not just for our station, but for all of us in the Metro." Patya declared.
"What are you talking about?" Mitya was confused, the Stalker hadn't been this optimistic in years.
The Stalker simply grinned.
Weeks continued to pass, and the tales of a Stalker coming back and forth between his home, carrying non-mutated animal meat had sparked interest within many in the VDNKh Commonwealth. The proximity between the stations making up this alliance made it easy for such rumors to proliferate. And with the increase of such rumors, came the increase of trade.
His station experienced a renewed since of vigor and purpose. With him becoming a reliable source of edible meat, hunted from the game he procured in that unmolested part of the surface. Alexeyevskaya became more than just an unremarkable little hub — beginning to overtake their sibling stations in popularity as many traders came to barter for their exotic meats.
Patya didn't mind. This was part of his plan. If he could get enough interested in where he was going, he could eventually convince the station's leadership to leave the Metro entirely and start settling in that untouched land. Becoming free of the darkness that dwells within the dilapidated tunnels of the Metro.
Especially since there were disconcerting rumours flying about. VDNKh, otherwise known as "Exhibition" was the station behind Alexeyevskaya, it had been recently suffering at the hands of mutants known as the "Dark Ones." Creatures of horror which haunted the outskirts of the safety of their barricades. The very thought of something like that so close to his home made his own self-appointed mission feel all the more important to him.
He'd spent weeks hunting in that foreign land, bringing back enough food to have made his station lively enough to organize a feast — though that event was kept secret from the others. Despite their new wealth, it wouldn't do if many started flocking to the station in droves after hearing about such things. They could barely afford to feed all of them, even with Patya's expeditions through the anomaly. Making their new trade quite a premium to those who could afford it.
Moving past the sealed doors marking the entryway to Alexeyevskaya, he ventured forth; only to be stopped by a familiar voice, halting him in his steps.
"Uncle Patya!" The voice called out.
The Stalker turned his head to look behind him, looking for the source of the voice. It was the sight of one of the station's guards, along with two others he vaguely recognized. They all wore protective gear like he did, to protect themselves from the harsh surface. It seemed they also planned their own adventure.
"Lyosha? What do you want?" Patya asked. They all looked eager, their faces held a grin as they stepped forward to meet him.
"We want to come with." The man beside Lyosha said. His face, now much more clearer as he got closer, was now recognizable to the Stalker. It was Sevastian, the son of the station's defacto leader.
"Da, we already talked about it with the rest of the militia. Ever since you've been consistently bringing back such things; they've been curious about where you've been going to. They also thought it'd be helpful to you if we came with." Lyosha responded on his behalf.
Patya hummed in thought. Having three extra bodies with him would help him carry more back to the station, and he always was planning on telling the others about the portal. It seemed like a win-win situation for them all.
"Alright. You can come." He replied. The trio burst into a small cheer at the Stalker's words. "But, you will have to listen to what I say when we're out there. Got it?" He declared in an authoritave voice.
The trio nodded. They've heard the stories of the things Stalkers faced on the surface, and if even if they were watered down for the children's sake, they were still horrifying to listen to.
"Especially you, Sevastian Alexeev. Your father is going to be angry at not just me, but your friends here too if something were to happen to you." He pointed at the young man.
"Da, Uncle Patya." Sevastian said sheepishly. Embarrassed at having been singled out.
"Good. Now, let us go. I shall be showing you three something you will never forget.
"Uncle Patya, what the hell is that?" The third member of the hanger-ons pointed to the portal anomaly the Stalker led them to.
The Stalker had led them past a few maintenance tunnels off to the side of the main ones. An out of the ways area nobody would have noticed if they hadn't been told about it before. Patya apparently used to work on the Metro tunnels itself before the war, and he took to the job of Stalking quickly due to his experience in the tunnels.
"That, my friend. Is our salvation." He gestured to the strange rip in reality, which showed a glimpse of the outside world. A foreign sight to the young men he had in his temporary party.
"Are you sure it is safe?" The third one asked again.
"Of course it's safe, err… What's your name again?" Patya asked, he didn't quite recognize the other member of their party.
"Gavriil." He responded.
"Right, Gavriil. Of course it's safe. I've been going through that thing for weeks after all." He huffed his chest proudly at the boast.
"Where does that lead us?" Lyosha asked. Hesitance on his mind as he felt apprehensive over moving through an anomaly. He had always been told to avoid those if he could.
"Outside. I don't know where exactly it leads to. But, all I know is that it is safe. You don't even need to wear a gasmask out there."
The trio were wary. Patya was trustworthy, but his claims seemed too good to be true. But before any of them could interject, the Stalker had already stepped through.
"Uncle Patya, wait!" Lyosha called out, but the Stalker was already on the other side. From their point of view: they just saw a man disappear through an anomaly, they would have run home back to their station and reported him missing in normal circumstances. But the sight of the Stalker waving at them through the portal assuaged their concerns.
"He seems… fine?" Sevastian said in disbelief.
"Reckless is what he is. Are all stalkers like this?" Gavriil asked the other two.
"You have to be insane to do this job willingly after all." Sevastian shrugged.
"Well, which one of us is going first?" Lyosha asked. The trio still stood before the portal. Unsure of what to do next.
"Fuck it. I'm going through." Gavriil declared. Shouldering his rifle to his back, he gently approached the portal and promptly disappearing before the eyes of his two comrades. The remaining pair cried out as he seemingly faded from the earth. Only to show up standing next to Patya.
The pair locked eyes with each other as they thought of which one should go next. "Ladies first." Lyosha said jokingly.
"Fuck you too, Buddy." Sevastian raised a middle finger to the man before he went through the portal — then the world went white.
Glubina,Yuktobania
November 1st, 2010
With a steaming cup of coffee on hand and a pile of paperwork tucked underneath his arms on the other, a Yuktobanian officer made his way to his post. Another day, another pile of papers to sift through. The man thought to himself. He was a decorated veteran of the Belkan War — the last conflict his nation had fought in, judging by the many medals on his uniform. He was the very image of a model officer.
A few salutes came his way as he walked the halls from his room to his office. Many of the faces he saw were eager young men, hoping to take the fight to the Oseans; but were unfortunately stationed here in the midst of a frozen landscape to guard Prisoners of War. A boring posting, but an important one nonetheless.
His job required him to oversee the affairs of running this camp. Going through reports, responding to any issues brought up by his staff and ensuring the Oseans they had locked up weren't up to anything drastic. A major breakout of enemy troops in the middle of Yuktobanian territory during the war — would paint a black mark on his service record.
All of this weighed on his mind, but there was also one other issue he had to contend with: An anomalous reading. Reported by one of his Senior Staff Officers, one who worked on the nearby RADAR installation to monitor for any incoming aircraft or unknowns. Detected strange readings off into the wildlands of the Yuktobanian countryside.
He'd sent forth a recon team to investigate, only to find nothing but the occasional tracks of deer in the snow and a few spent casings of ammunition. If he didn't know any better, it would seem someone had been illegally poaching in the area. Which wasn't much of an issue during wartime, as they had more pressing matters elsewhere. It was most probably just some disgruntled civilian wanting to blow off steam, one of his men surmised.
But the Yuktobanian Officer thought otherwise. He had a feeling this mysterious hunter was partly responsible for the anomaly. He just had to know how or why. They usually happened once a week, those mysterious readings, so he had some of his men ready to move out as soon as they had a report. Sipping the coffee he had on hand, he went back to work.
Dressed in the uniform of a typical Yuktobanian infantryman, stood guard one Dimitry Orlovsky. Who waited patiently next to the technicians manning the RADAR. He was ordered to move out as soon as one of those readings came through and investigate. They were reported to usually come around this time of the week, it wasn't long now until it came.
"I've got something!" Shouted one of them in eagerness.
"Is it from the anomaly?" Asked Dimitry. He wanted to make sure it wasn't a false alarm.
"Da, Comrade Orlovsky. Same readings as before, but it seems to be stronger this time." Reported the man.
"Then we best make haste now. Thank you, Comrade." Dimitry said to the man before he left. Moving towards his own squad who were waiting nearby. A team of 12, which was under his command; waited patiently for their leader. They all quickly turned and snapped to attention when they saw the man move in. His steps resounding throughout the room.
"We have our mission, Comrades." Dimitry said to his men. "Gear up and mount up! You shall be debriefed on the way." He ordered.
With a returned shout of acknowledgement the men sprang into action. Putting on their equipment and mounting their transport, a BTR; which waited nearby. Ready to transport them to their objective.
Spirits were high as the men boarded. This was their first taste of action in a while since they were stationed here. With the war now on their home soil, it was hard on their psyche to be uninvolved in the conflict — feeling themselves left out of the great battles ahead.
For Dimitry, this was his chance at redemption — due to an injury he sustained at the beginning of the war, he was stationed here; far away from the battlefield.
Stuck with boredom and contempt over his new posting, he jumped at the opportunity when the Commandant of the base asked for volunteers to investigate the phenomenon. He assumed these anomalies to be the work of the Osean Federation, considering all the fancy technology they seemed to wave around; it wouldn't be too far fetched to assume this was their doing. And if it was, he would be there to stop it.
Lyosha panicked as soon as he emerged through the other side. His vision was white and it hurt to open his eyes. He would have screamed at this, had Patya not covered his mouth in snow as a response.
"Don't be such a baby!" He said. Nearly shouting to him. "That's just temporary. Plus the snowblindness will fade as soon as you get used to the sunlight. God knows you kids need it." He chuckled.
Gavriil and Sevastian sat in a daze on the cold snowy ground as they nursed their heads from their headaches.
"This feels like a hangover." Sevastian muttered. His head felt like it was constantly being pounded by a hammer, his sense of direction was skewed.
"I didn't know you were a drinker." Patya turned after hearing the young man say it. He saw the young man trying to nurse the pain he felt on his head as a side effect of that transportation. Chuckling to himself at their expense.
Sevastian looked up to the Stalker, and he felt himself duped for following him here. He thought he was going to regret it, until.
"W-what." He muttered to himself.
Far above him was the clear blue sky and the sun looming overhead. Instead of the drab and dreary darkness that the surface was described as — it was instead a deep and lively blue. White clouds swirled off in the sky, painting it like a beautiful canvas.
"Quite the sight, no?" Patya said to the young man. His jaws had seemingly dropped open at the view.
"It's incredible. I didn't know the surface could look so beautiful."
Patya simply humphed in agreement. "This is what we used to see all the time. Before the war at least. It's good to see that part of it still remains." A hint of nostalgia in his voice. The Stalker breathed in the fresh air that surrounded them. It was good to be amongst nature once more.
"Now. Are you all alright?" Patya asked the trio. Who had all seemingly recovered, their gazes wandering about the scenery. It was like seeing kids at a candy store. Their eyes looked on excitedly.
"Hey, I'm talking to you three." He clapped his hands loudly to get their attention. They all snapped out of their stupor and turned to look at the Stalker.
"Sorry, Uncle Patya. This is all so new to us we just had-" Patya cut them off with a shush as one of them tried to explain.
"Alright, alright. I understand. How about you three bask in the moment while we walk?" He held his hands to the trio who were still seated and started pulling them up. "But we're going hunting afterwards, understood?"
"Yes, Uncle Patya." The trio nodded in agreement at his words. With that piece done with. The party of four soon ventured out into the unknown.
Author's Notes: Had this idea stuck in my head while I was in the middle of doing another chapter for one of my other fics. I'm not sure where I would be going with this story in the end, but it was fun doing this as a change of pace.
I really love Strangereal as a setting and I thought it would be a waste not to use it. It's a wonderful reimagining of our world that I wish it was used more in other settings. Which is part of the reason why I had the crossover set here.
If you're wondering as for when exactly this story is supposed to take place. It's during Metro 2033 (the first game) and before Ace Combat 5's Ice Cage mission.
So, Artyom will have been going through his journey in the background and Nagase might show up later on. Though I don't know if I'll get to that soon. This fic is lower on my priorities compared to my other two so far.
If you have any suggestions or comments. Feel free to join the Discord server: https/discord.gg/sDgJN8F4tY
Thanks for reading. And as always. I'll see you in the next one. じゃ、またね
