KH: I have additional information about the Russians.

TK: You do? Spill out out, commander.

KH: The Russians are from another Gate, but they are survivors of World War Three. At the moment, we're keeping an eye on them, but they're reasonable enough to speak with the Senior Vice Minister.

TK: Good, I'll go inform her as soon as possible. This is good news, indeed.

KH: This shouldn't be good news. I've promised them tunnel equipment to open a tunnel to their capital, but there is a problem. From what the Russians have informed me, we are unofficially at war with another enemy, albeit smaller than the Empire.

TK: Unofficially? The Prime Minister will need to be informed of this.

KH: They also informed me that these 'Nazis' are far more radical regarding people of other races. I'm going to send one of my divisions to secure the site, but we might be thin on forces.

TK: That isn't the worst of the news, correct?

KH: Yes sir. The Russians claim there are about fifty thousand people living in Moscow Metro with ten thousand of these 'Nazis' at war with Japan.

TK: I see. I'll do my best to convince the Prime Minister to deploy another division into the Special Region. Otherwise, you have to make do.

KH: Understood.

Upon seeing the discussion between the lieutenant general of the JSDF and the minister of defense, Lera sat back in her chair as she sipped her tea quietly. It took her a long time to hack into the network of the Japanese government, but what she found was treasure trove for her superiors. The Russian embassy was not far off from the surveillance post and she could get a secure line and tell them about this news.

There was a second Gate to a third unexplored world, but the redhead was surprised by the fact that there were other Russians in this second world. However, she became confused with the mention of the Nazis? What had happened to her country in this world to have the Nazis still exist in Moscow? Did the Germans win the Second World War during that era?

The thought of the idea disturbed her. Her grandfather had fought in the streets of Stalingrad back in the Patriotic War. It would be a disappointment in his memory that she would be fighting the men who desired full extermination of her people. However, the operative knew she could do nothing, but keep a close eye on the Japanese's traffic between the three division deployed into the Special Region. The news took in the hook by the Japanese government, but anybody with espionage background knew they were trying to hide something on the other side. Thankfully, Lera was one of the first people to figure out what they were just hiding.

Now that the woman knew what she learned about what happened in the Special Region, there was little point in trying to remain within the system. She placed her cup of tea on the side before her fingers went to work, each tap of the key doing her bidding. If she continued to lurk within the supposedly secure network, someone was going to find out and each step she immediately escaped the digital realm with a copy of the conversation safely in her removable hard drive.

When she finally exited the system, she leaned back and gasped for fresh air, knowing she escaped the system. "Ura for me." She said.

The Russian agent heard several footsteps tap from behind her back as she looked over her shoulder. Unlike most men in her building, this man was the oldest of them all and his weary bald head was evidence for his great work in the field. "Ms. Melnikova, I noticed you stopped working on your computer. Do you have a reason?"

Lera nodded her head before her mouse clicked on the option to remove the device from the computer. "Yes, Colonel Izotov." She answered. "I my surveillance has discovered several references to post-apocalypse Russians from a second Gate. May I report this to the embassy?"

The old man cupped his head face before rubbing his forehead. "Yes you may. I think we'll have to replace you with someone else. After all, you did spend enough nights here than the rest of this rabble. Pity that someone like myself is too old to talk about the times we actually did espionage instead of looking at monitors."

"I know it's boring, but sometimes boring ways can be far more crucial than simply living like those actors in Hollywood."

"Indeed." Then he looked to his right, only to see a sleeping man in his chair while his face was lying beside the keyboard. "Yuri, get up! You've got work to do!"

Lera smiled at the poor agent's situation before she took her hard drive and walked out of the room with her cup in hand. The young woman knew this would change the playing field, but just because she was out of the digital world didn't mean she was entirely safe. There was still four kilometers to cover before she was safely in the Embassy of the Russian Federation.

In the Metro, the elders spoke of a time when everybody had the opportunity to clean themselves every day before they went to work. It would have sounded unbelievable if they told that to the young boys who didn't know about the 'magic' of their ancestors. Yet, he woke up earlier than what he was supposed to do to enjoy the warm experience. If this was how his ancestors used these commodities, why would they be so stupid to destroy the world.

The young man understood the importance of cleanliness as soon as he presented the threat to the Dark Ones to the Council. However, he noted how each of the government officials and military personnel scoffed at the very stench that he carried. Ever since that moment of embarrassment, Artyom would do everything in his power to clean himself when he had the time. It was these very little things that made man different from the animals.

As soon as he thought about it, he couldn't call the Dark Ones animals. They were something else entirely. What he little knowledge he knew about them, they were nothing like a human. Yet, this race of psychic beings communicated with him where few would have been driven mad. Their existence questioned more about life as he turned off the valve and cleaned himself.

Perhaps it was a question for another time as he stepped out of the showers, only to find his own clothes were not even there. Instead, there was another set that was different from the grey uniforms of the Polis Rangers. These clothes were nothing like the ones he wore in the Metro. There was no ragged pre-war clothes that were washed to clear itself of radiation, but fresh and clean as if someone breathed life into them. His eyes fell upon a note planted atop of the stack. He would have to ask the ex-Spetsnaz Rangers what this meant since he couldn't read Japanese.

After the young man finished showering, he snuck his way out of the showers and back towards his room. Once he was finished changing, Artyom busied himself with his journal as he brought out a short pencil and began writing away about his experience in the Japanese base. Anybody could say it was a coincidence that fighting for humanity in the Metro would soon bring its rewards. However, the young man knew that coincidence was not his home's known trait. Thoughts of Sergei and Yevgeny came into mind, be he shrugged their words away when he departed from the two strangers who were never supposed to be there in the first place.

The Russian heard a knocking on his door before he rose up from his chair to open the door. He soon found Mari Kurokawa standing before him. "Good morning, Artyom." The woman began.

This was a surprise. What was this woman doing this early in the morning? "I decided to take an early shower before I'm sent over to the other side of your Gate."

"Interesting. I heard that somebody raided the mess hall and that one of the people guarding it said it was a Russian. Do you know anything about it?"

"They did?"

"Yes, I was hoping you would tell me who it was?" The Japanese soldier questioned as she crossed her arms.

"Honest to god, I was taking a shower and busy with my journal." He replied. "I don't even know what a refrigerator is."

Kurokawa rubbed her forehead before she glanced back at him. "Okay, I believe you. If you do hear anything about your friends stealing from the fridge, do tell me."

"Understood." After she turned away from the door, Artyom closed the door to his room shut before he heard a commotion from the closet. A strange ruffling sound caught his attention as he walked up to the knob before several signs of whispers came into his hearing range. "What the hell?"

When he opened the closet, two men poured into the light with several bags in their arms. By the time they got up, the young man recognized their faces before his shoulder relaxed at the familiar sight of his fellow Rangers. Uhlman smiled and waved his hands with an uneasy laugh. "Morning, Artyom. I hope neither of us were disturbing you while we were getting ready to have a meal with the others."

"Uhlman, were you the ones who stole from the mess hall?" He asked.

"Steal? No, we didn't steal anything at all. We were both busy having an acquisition of containers preserving food by other means." It was the most bullshit excuse by Uhlman's part, but there was nothing Artyom could do about it. Then the Ranger dug into his bag and handed out a small box to him. "Here. I think you deserve some compensation for safekeeping our newly acquired goods."

Glancing at the box, the only thing he saw as gibbering marks that he didn't even understand. "I can't read Japanese."

"It's tea." He answered. "Since you're from Exhibition, I hoped you would appreciate something like that."

"If I were you, none of this didn't happen if you start leaving in several seconds. One…"

The older Ranger encouraged his friend to quickly join him as they both left Artyom to his own devices while he closed the door shut. It was supposed to be a normal morning, but Uhlman's shenanigans never allowed this time of day to be.

Artyom walked over to his knapsack and slipped this foreign and exotic tea into his inventory. Then he returned to busy himself with his journal as he wrote away the time he had.

Lieutenant Itami and stood with his several members of his squad as Kuribayashi handed a sweater over to the elf. Her eyes widened at the size of the clothes. "Do I have to wear this? It isn't even winter, yet."

He had been told that ever since the JSDF's deployment into the Special Region, the weather has changed to colder levels ever since his departure. "Our world is currently cold at the moment. Believe me, you don't want to catch a cold."

"If you say so, dad." The young elf replied before eagerly taking the sweater and slipping them on.

Meanwhile, Rory Mercury walked closer to him with her polearm wrapped in cloth. "You appear to be waiting for somebody? Who would that be?"

Ever since he had found the apostle, she was an interesting character in her own right. A girl who was selected to be a messenger of the gods was standing before him in the form of a sixteen-year-old. Rory must have seen plenty of things in her life. "We're waiting for the Russians. They're coming along with us." He answered while his finger pulled on his collar to cool down the sweat.

"Those foreigners? Yes, they are a strange sort. However, I sense one of them is capable of death as much as you are."

"What do you mean?"

The Apostle of Emroy planted her weapon into the ground before leaning on it. "You've seen me when I'm not allowed to enjoy a battle. I am someone who has to bring the souls of the fallen into Emroy's embrace and my body is the vessel that carries them over. The few others are apostle such as myself." The deceitful girl explained. "However, I sense an odd thing about one of those men. What was his name? Artyom, was it?"

Now that was something noteworthy. What did these Russians have to be noticed by Rory Mercury of all people? He would have to ask Artyom himself when he had the opportunity. From what he learned about his fellow Russians, he seemed like a nice guy. "Duly noted. I do think we'll have that conversation after we meet with the diet." One of his men walked up to him. "What is it, Tomita?"

The sergeant nodded to the lieutenant's left. "They're here?"

When Itami turned his gaze towards the foreigners, he was surprised to see the black coats fit their facial demeanor. Kuribayashi made a remark about them as soon as the Russians arrived on time. "Funny, I thought Russians loved the cold."

The older man chuckled at the thought. "Contrary to belief, just because we live in one of the coldest fucking places on Earth doesn't mean we're immune to it. We just don't complain as much."

The young man was quick to express a smile in his direction. "Uhlman, Artyom, I apologize for standing out in the middle of the sun like this, but our ride is waiting to get permission."

"Hopefully, they don't take their sweet time." Uhlman replied. "By the time they arrive, we'll be truly waiting out the storm."

"Do you always try to make joke?" Kuribayashi questioned. "I'm surprised you'd have a positive outlook on the world."

Then Artyom spoke up. "As Colonel Miller would say, Russians know only happiness if we're miserable."

"Are you miserable?" Rory questioned.

"Not as much. Definitely better than dark spaces or praying you don't run out of air filters."

It was odd how Artyom simply dismissed such information as normal; however, Itami couldn't help but think about the implications. Was their world in such a terrible state that they had to wear gas masks to survive the aftermath of World War Three? Were they a result of what would happen if someone was stupid enough to deploy nuclear weapons like the Cold War? "Why do you wear gas masks?"

Artyom was puzzled by his question. "What?"

"I asked why do you wear gas masks."

He glanced over to Uhlman, who shrugged his shoulders in return before the Russian changed the subject. "On the surface of Moscow, the air is so polluted by the chemicals that it's just too toxic for a man to breathe. Yet, it's perfect for the mutants to endure since they've evolved while we hid in the Metro."

"That's quite a situation your people have gotten in. I hope they have a chance at getting out of that place."

"Thanks, I appreciate the support."

Soon the group heard the sounds of engines arrive on their side of the Gate. The paint job of the cars blended well with the darkness within the Gate. When they finally arrived to a stop, Lieutenant Itami was quick to signal the others as they gathered together to join their company. "Our ride is here. Everyone get seated."

Out from behind his back, he heard a familiar voice call out to him. "Don't go!"

Itami turned around and found Yanagida waving his hands to grab his attention, but he was accompanied by three women. He recognized Princess Pina by her hair alone; however, the blonde-haired banshee that injured him under her 'supervision' was also present as well. The third woman was familiar, but wasn't among the people that accompanied the princess or her knights. "Lieutenant Yanagida, what's going on?"

"This just came down the line. The princess and her retinue wish to speak with our government and it would be better to send all of you together than piecemeal." The officer answered.

"Understood, I guess we'll have to make room for the rest of our VIPs."

"Good luck at the diet, I hope they appreciate what you have in store for them."

When the group finally arrived at the other side of the Gate, Artyom could not believe what he was seeing. Unlike the underground stations of the Metro or the non-inhabitant hell-hole of the surface, he was looking at a fully-functioning city. It had been twenty years since had seen such sights, but the memory was too distant for him to recall anything significant; however, the sight of pre-war structures filled with him joy. His awe of witnessing a world untouched by the radioactive bombs made him feel like a child. "What a sight?" Unlike the crumbling wrecks of the Dead City, these buildings retained their strength and maintained a strong bond with the ground.

Uhlman was quick to bring him back to reality. "Artyom, close your mouth. A fly might get in."

Without delay, Artyom took the veteran's advice before he found himself accompanied by the third member of the princess's retinue. "Hello, Milena. We meet again."

Compared to his previous encounter with the Imperial spy, she was wearing the same clothes as her superiors. No longer was she blending with the crowd with the colors of these clothes. "I see that the Japanese have invited you over for diplomatic reasons. Are you willing to divulge anything to me?"

"You know I can't tell you. It's official Order business." He answered.

"This land, it's strange. Is it not?" She pondered. "There are few buildings that could ever match the glory of the Saderan Empire and the height of these buildings are the ambitions of a nation at work."

The Russian smiled as he returned to admiring the active city. "Reminds me of home, only less less cold and not infested with monsters out to kill you."

"You have cities just like this?"

"Yes. It was before the war, but I was young at that time. Pity how stupidity can bring down human civilization in a blink of an eye."

"Hey, why don't both of you lovebirds catch up with us." Uhlman chimed in.

Realizing they were being left behind, the Polis Ranger and the spy rejoined their party as Lieutenant Itami stopped the group when they were met by three men. Both went into a long conversation as Artyom looked around to see a store filled with people inspecting the goods inside. Yet, his eyes took a closer look at the counter where the customers brought the desired product.

The stranger was buying the goods, not with cartridges or bullets, but with paper money. It was the most alien sight had ever seen in his entire life. He had been told that Moscow used to have its own paper currency before everyone switched over to using military grade ammunition, but to see this kind of transaction was odd to him. What value did simple sheets of paper have to be used as money.

Lieutenant Itami grabbed their attention with his voice. "Alright everyone, the JSDF has given us enough to cover for our food expenses. We're going to eat first and then use the rest of our free time to see what you like."

Strangely enough, it almost reminded Artyom's first time at Prospekt Mira when he used to travel with Bourbon. He now felt so small when he compared the station full of commodities and goods to this world. Nothing he had seen could match the the society his ancestors built from the dawn of man. Although he never thought about it until now, he recalled how his watch was considered a device to check for the time and how much his elders placed a large emphasis on using it as it was a sign of a man who still had some sense to be civilized. "Lieutenant, I do have a question."

"Yes, Artyom? What is it?"

"Do you know what time is it?" After he asked his question, the Japanese officer's face was filled with confusion before he looked at his watch.

"It's currently ten-thirty-four. Why do you ask?"

"Living in Metro tunnels tends to make you forget what time of day it is." He answered. Then he immediately tinkered with his watch, earning the curious gazes of the Falmart girls as he adjusted his time to this world's clock. "Thank you."

"No problem. Follow me, our bus will be coming to pick us up."

Author's Note: You know, I had no intentions of including Russian surveillance, but I thought it would spice things up a bit. Helps to have a perspective of someone who is not a post-apocalypse survivor or the JSDF.

headreviewer mk2: I doubt he would want to go that far. Remember, he only heard about these people from the reports of his spy and that information is more than several days old. All he would do is get more information about them before he makes judgement. It's too early for him to make a decision about a foreign people he knows little about.