Unity
I hope you've been enjoying the story so far and I have finally got a new chapter up. I've gone for a much darker approach here as a sign of what's to come. The books are really driving the themes of this story so far and now if you've read the books you'll know what I am referring too however it is not necessary to know who they are. Anyway before I give the game away I hope you enjoy the chapter, please feel free to review and tell me what you think, I don't own the metro universe but I do own Spartak and Svetlana.
I found Svetlana in Biblioteka Imeni Lenina part of Polis where she was sitting outside Millar's office with her head sunk low in her hands; I walked over to her and placed my hand on her back. The metal on my chest rig clanged as I shuffled closer to her, she looked up at me as I stood directly infront of her she had tears running down her face smudging the mascara that she had lightly adhered to her eyes.
"What's up sestra?" I asked her as I took a knee infront of her.
"What's up?" She questioned me angrily I looked down at my feet knowing exactly what she was about to say, "It's been almost a year since I last saw you, you've changed so much, and I…" She paused for a few seconds looking around the station as its inhabitants went on their business as usual, "I feel like I've been stuck in a purgatory where I lost everything and have been letting the world slip past me," she brushed my hand off her shoulder like it repulsed her.
"I thought I had lost you," I told her as I sat cross legged on the muddy wet floor, I could feel the water seeping into my trousers, it was cold but I didn't really care at that point I had bigger priorities.
"You didn't try to find me?" She asked me as I just sat staring deep into her eyes.
"How could I?" I replied sternly, I could feel the contours of my face deepen with anger.
"I don't know, I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that," She told me as she finally looked me in the eye, "It's just this time without having you ere has destroyed my trust, funny you were the only person I trusted before and now a choice that wasn't even yours destroyed my trust in you. It sounds stupid doesn't it?" She gestured to me as I stood back up and place me hand on her shoulder again only this time it was met by her hand holding it in place on her shoulder.
"I'm here for you now, when I return from the mission with Khan I want you to join us for a catch up drink," I suggested to her as I continued to look at her. We had both aged we were a whole year older, she had become a woman in that year, her hair was shorter but still the same Svetlana brown that I had come to know and love, her eyes still could pierce your soul with a single look and her body well that had now taken a woman's form.
As I looked at how much she had changed she simply replied, "I'd like that," with an ear to ear grin on her face exposing her pure white teeth, the only person I knew who could maintain themselves that well in the Metro. We just sat there smiling at one and other but it couldn't last forever.
Millar's bellowing voice could be hear from inside the building that Svetlana and I had been sat outside, we both had cups of shroom tea from VDNKh, one of the most northern occupied stations but one which produced the best shrooms due to the fertile land by the river Yauza.
"Khan, you are not taking these men there, they have no experience with those things," Millar told Khan as the two men exited the building through a worn down steel door in single file.
"How else do you expect to gather information on what the cult is doing?" Khan asked him as they completely failed to acknowledge Svetlana and I, who were drinking our shroom tea and taking in the argument.
"Those things took some of the best soldiers we have, I will not sacrifice recruits for little or no gain, the cult is not a threat they are a parasite who will eventually consume themselves," Millar angrily told Khan as he finally notice Svetlana and I just watching in amusement as the two men bickered like school children.
"They are under my supervision and so I say the mission is necessary," Khan finished as he looked over us.
"That will be decided by the board!" Millar said to Khan loudly as he stormed off.
"That man never has had patience," Khan told Svetlana and I softly as if he had instantly deescalated from the argument.
"What was that about?" I asked Khan as he walked slowly over to us.
"We need to move, get Levii and meet me at the northern exit to Arbatskaya," Khan told me as he just walked straight past me and continued to walk through the densely populated streets.
"Well that was informative," Svetlana joked to me as I continued to watch Khan walk away.
"Yeah I know, you wanna come back to barracks with me and get us to the gate?" I asked her turning back to look at her. She just nodded as she stood up, moving her hands to tell me to lead the way. "So are you okay with me being a Ranger?" I asked her as we walked side by side once again, only this time we belonged and we had no fear.
"Yeah, I'm fine with it, just as long as we're not separated for that long again," She told me as we continued to walk, I could feel the air in station getting thicker and thicker. As the stench of the barracks drew closer, "What the hell is that smell?" Svetlana asked as she recoiled.
"You can stop now if you want?" I told her laughing at her as she placed her cuff over her mouth and nose.
"I'll keep going, but urgh, you actually live here?" she asked but Denyamov came around the corner so I pushed her into a corner where she was just out of sight.
"Sir," I said to him as I saluted he just walked past me not even looking in the direction that Svetlana was laying.
"What the hell was that for?" She asked me as she stood up and dusted off her clothes.
"You can't be seen here," I told her as we continued to move to where Khan had ordered.
"So how is living here?" She asked me as we moved silently past the actual billeting area.
"Shit…. I mean, really bad, but it keeps us fed and keeps us bedded," I replied trying to keep my swearing to a minimum.
"So what are you going out on today?" She then asked me trying to get something out of me.
"Honestly I have no idea; I think it's an operation to the northern tunnels, a fairly quiet sector," I told her as I spotted Levii move out of our billet with his pack over his shoulder and mine on his hands. He had my Bastard on his left shoulder and his Kiparis on his right. I jogged up behind his my pistol holster clanged as I did, I could hear Svetlana running behind me. "Sorry I'm late," I told Levii as I scooped my pack from him and placed the Bastard over my left shoulder. I laid the pack on the floor, the various bungee cords and buckle clips kept the thing shut.
"You're not late Khan told me to bring this to the gate," He told me as I opened the bag, it had a few spare magazines, a box of 5.45mm and a few days' worth of ration packs.
"Why do we need all this?" I asked him as I closed back up the bag and slung it over my shoulders.
"I don't know Khan asked for it all," He replied as we walked towards the Arbatskaya gate. As we all walked Levii finally notice Svetlana, "H…H..Hey Anna," He said to her across me as I walked, I looked at him with eyes of death, he shrugged at me.
"Hey Levii," She said nervously, I could see her twiddling her hair and looking over to Levii with glazed eyes.
"What are you doing here?" He then asked her as I just picked up the pace and walked infront of them both trying to ignore their conversation but I kept listening in.
"I came with Spartak, I didn't want to leave him after all I haven't seen him in a year," She then told him almost as if she was ready to spill everything there and then.
"Yeah I know you've been separated for a long time, he never shut up about you in training," I could hear Levii telling her, he then paused, "I can see why now," He told her making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
"Alright that's enough you two," I told them as I continued to walk towards the gate. It was only about fifty or so metres away, but as I drew in to maybe ten metres where I could hear the guards rambling on to one and other about how it sucked being on duty. I stopped remembering that Svetlana couldn't be there with us, "Levii, we need to get Svetlana out of here," I told him as he finally snapped back to looking at me and not 'admiring' her.
"There will be no need for that young one," A reassuring calming voice echoed from the shadows towards the service shaft. As we all stood stunned waiting for what lurked in the shadows. I could see a shine coming from the glass lens of something and a darkened outline of a man. After a few seconds, footsteps, not from the front or the back just footsteps.
Each one sounded like the crisp sound of highly polished boots on a concrete floor, I knew the sound well it was the sounds of Lubyanka, the officer's boots. I looked over to where Svetlana was but as I did I couldn't see anything, just a solitary light on the floor. I walked towards it but as I reached it, just as my toes were engulfed by light, the blackness fired into it as the glass from the bulb landed on my shoulders, I moved my toes in the dark but as I did all I did was crunch the glass.
The sound of cracking glass caused a light to light up down a corridor that hadn't existed before, the light was about twenty metres down the corridor. Something was sitting beneath the light I couldn't see what it was but I drew my Makarov and walked towards the light and whatever it was. As I drew in I could see that it was a child about ten years old, at first I thought it was a boy but as I heard it cry I knew it was a girl. I lowered my Makarov and called out.
"What are you doing here?" it didn't sound like my voice it was like I was talking through a thick cloth just noise, the noise reverberated around the corridor. Getting no reaction from the child her short brown hair just moved in a draft which I could not feel.
I closed in on her, eventually getting into arms reach, she was crying into her hands, I knelt down and reached out. However, as my hand got within centimetres of her body, her head snapped around. Her eyes were sunken but retained their blue colour, the sclera was red like a blood hound's. The most haunting thing was her skin, it had been torn like tissue paper the scratching patterns not like it was done by another but it had been self-inflicted, her cheeks were so worn down that she had holes gaping in them and her teeth were showing through like daggers. She stood up and walked towards me, she was clad in a pure white gown but it was badly torn and covered in blood, her fingertips had been worn off like she had been scratching away at something.
"What are you?" I asked her in the same muffled noise.
"Don't you recognise me?" She asked, her voice sounded like she was hissing, she raised her hand to me exposing the bones in her finger tips and a torrent of still bleeding flesh.
"No," I barked back at her raising my Makarov to her face.
"Now, now, Spartak," She told me as she walked closer still with her hands raised high to me, she came within two feet of me her figure changed her skin regenerated her eyes came forward in her skull, "Now do you recognise me?" She asked me her form now taking the shape of Svetlana on the day I met her.
"What the fuck?" I shouted in a muffled voice, "How can you do that?"
She just shook her head and rammed her fist into my stomach, "I am the fear that consumes you, I am the driving force that manifests inside you and I will reveal myself soon enough!" she hissed into my face as I hit the floor, watching her skip back down the corridor smashing all the lights as she did.
So what the hell was that about? All will be revealed soon, please feel free to review and tell me what you thought and how I can improve. I will hopefully be able to update soon but until next time….. PEACE!