"I'm sorry… what?" Artyom said, cracking a smile. That old bastard's surely full of shit now.
"For whatever reason, it seems our new guests have appeared close to their counterparts in our universe. Eren and Artyom, Mikasa and Anna, Armin and Pavel, Jean and myself."
"Okay, I see resemblance, but this kid is nothing like you old man." Artyom said, pointing to Jean.
"Is that so?" Khan replied, taking Artyom's statement as a challenge. "Young man…" Khan began staring at Jean, studying him closely. "If we have to become monsters to defeat monsters, maybe we don't deserve to win. It sounds like something you have said, no?"
"W-What? I did say that, how do you know?" Jean said taking a step back.
"Because we are the same man, that's how. You're still young. One day your eyes will be open like mine."
"Okay, enough of this cryptic shit!" Jean shouted. "Someone older than this damn mystic man tell me where I am! And I want a straight answer!"
Everyone stood silently, taken aback by the sudden outburst. These newcomers had been shy and quiet so far, this one wanted answers. Maybe he's Khan after all. "Its called the metro, kid." Artyom spoke up. Im sure Khan has told you some of this already. We used to live up on the surface, then the war happened. We few who survived are down here. Simple as that.
"But why am I here?" Jean asked, "Why are they here?" he pointed to the others.
"That, we don't know." Artyom said bluntly. "To be quite honest, I kind of hoped you guys would have the answer. You're all trapped here with us."
"Hey guys!" Eren interrupted, "He's waking up!" The group turned their attention to Armin as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. He opened his eyes, his face lighting up when he saw the familiar faces around him. Just as quickly, the expression faded when he noticed Pavel's presence.
"So it wasn't a dream…" He said quietly.
"Are you okay?" Eren asked.
"What happened?" Jean asked, walking over to him.
"I-I was-" Armin scratched his head. "I don't know- what happened, that is. Im fine, just a headache."
"You had me worried kid." Pavel said, hobbling out of the corner he had secluded himself to. "I had to carry you. Don't worry, you're safe, you're underground, in the metro."
"The Metro?" Armin asked, he didn't seem to recognize the words.
"What? Didn't I tell you?" Pavel said. "The Metro—"
Artyom stepped in, pushing Pavel aside, he wasn't going to let Pavel's motor mouth take up more time than he needed. Artyom explained quickly and bluntly. "We found your friends, they seem to be alternate versions of ourselves, I'm sure you see the resemblance."
Armin looked to Eren, the back to Artyom. Armin looked down for a moment deep in thought, making connections. But came up with little to explain the situation. "So can we go back?"
"That's… a tricky question," Khan began. "Although not an impossible one, perhaps with more information, planning, and, of course…" He looked to Artyom. "Assistance from the Dark Ones…"
"But the Dark Ones left." Artyom responded.
"True, they did, but now they have returned. I saw one on the surface."
Artyom's eyes lit up, not unlike an excited child. But reverted back to his normal stoic expression rather quickly. "Well, even so, I don't know if we can."
"Well if you don't try, you've already failed!" Eren exclaimed, grabbing everyone's attention. "We have to go back! The Titans threaten our entire race back in my world! There has to be a way!"
Artyom smiled at the sudden outburst of teenage stubbornness. "Spoken like a true ranger! When there's a will there's a way. We are getting these kids home."
"Well, where do we start?" Pavel asked. "I have 2 weeks medical leave, and I want to help anyway I can."
"Well, first things first, we need to get to Polis." Artyom began, taking charge of the makeshift team. "I need to get in touch with Melnik and Kornayev and get access to ranger resources, and D6 if need be.
"But about our other friends, could they have appeared here too?" Armin asked, climbing out of the cot and onto his own two feet.
"It's a possibility," Khan began. "Given that they are people you know, perhaps their counterparts could be people we know."
"Good thinking, describe someone to us, Ill make a note of it." Artyom said, pulling out his diary and a pencil, flipping to the last page."
Eren, Jean and Armin thought for a second. "Erwin Smith," Eren began," Blonde hair, blue eyes, grim, calculating, good leader, he was head of our regiment."
"Sounds a bit like Colonel Melnik," Artyom said, writing diligently. "Next!"
"Hanji Zoe," Armin said "Eccentric, smart, glasses, red-ish hair. She's a bit of a technician too."
"Damn," Artyom said, scratching something out. "Sounded a lot like a ranger named Vladimir, until you mentioned it's a she. Next!"
Armin and Eren went through people they knew, but only turned up a few possible matches. "Bertholdt Hoover," Armin said. The name struck a chord of anger in Eren after what had transpired with his and Reiner's betrayal. "Tall, Dark hair, sort of a narrow face, although he's more enemy than friend to be honest."
"Sounds similar to Korbut" Pavel shuddered, of course Korbut is locked up in the gulag nowadays."
"He had an accomplice, named Reiner Braun." Eren said. "Big guy, strong. He betrayed us too. Blonde hair, passionate, or so he seemed. Good at talking."
"Lesnitsky," Artyom muttered with slight contempt. "A similar guy betrayed us back in the day, named Lesnitsky sounds a bit like him physically, but I'm not sure about personality, I didn't know him too well. Anyone else?"
"Levi Ackerman." Mikasa said, they turned to see her standing in the doorway, her leg was bandaged but she could stand. "Dark hair, haunted eyes, he's shorter than most of us."
"Wise cracks a lot to." Jean added.
"Sounds a little bit like Ulman, anything else?"
"He's considered humanity's greatest soldier." Mikasa said.
"Hunter!" Khan exclaimed. Artyom stopped writing.
"But Hunter is most likely dead." Artyom responded.
"He is alive! I have met him. I have talked to him."
He better be telling the truth "Fine, anyone else?" The four thought for a moment then shook their heads. "Okay that settles it." Artyom began, putting his diary away. "Khan, why don't you look for Hunter and this Levi fellow. Eren, you're a face he'll recognize and you're the most able bodied right now. So why don't you go with him."
"I'm going wherever Eren goes." Mikasa said sternly.
"Look girly, you're not in any condition to go traipsing through the tunnels—
"I'm going with him, you can't stop me." She said adamantly.
"I'm going to." Jean said.
"Its fine Artyom." Khan said. "I'm more than capable of looking after a few kids.
"If you say so." Artyom said with a deep sigh. "The rest of you are with me, we're going to Polis.