The Polis Council was intimidating at first, but the crown princess was glad that they were able to placate her comfort. They wanted access to her world and requested her permission to allow people to move into her kingdom. It seemed like a nice decision to help the people of the Metro, but based on what she learned from Anna, Elsa was now reluctant to accept. She wanted to think about it before informing them of her decision; however, she had no idea how long they would wait until she gave them an answer.

Time passed as Elsa waited in her quarters. The Council gave her one of the largest rooms they could afford, but it was ridiculously small in comparison to her room at the castle. Nonetheless, there was enough space for her to walk around and think about her decision. She leaned against the window, looking down at the train platforms to see Polis Rangers depart from the station and refugees arrive.

She heard three knocks on her room door, causing her to look away from the window to see the metal between the princess and the hallways. "Who is it?"

Her question was answered by a friend. "It's me, Artyom."

Elsa smiled as she walked over to unlock the door. He was clad in his armor, his sword hanging from his belt, and his helmet resting underneath his arm. The last time she saw him was when Colonel Miller took him away from her entourage for a private talk. "What brings you here?"

"I came to say goodbye." He said, "A train has been scheduled to take me home."

"You're leaving?" She was genuinely surprised by the news, "I thought you were going to help me with my powers."

"Colonel Miller suspended me from going anywhere and thought it was a good idea to send me back to my stepfather. I tried to convince him to let me keep you company, but he made up his mind and was adamant about sending me back home," Artyom grimaced at his predicament, "I am sorry about dropping in like this."

She went back to her seat near the window and took in the news. "You're leaving us? How long will you be staying before you leave the station? Surely, Anna and I could do something. Maybe we could give you a gift to remember us by?"

The young man shook his head. "I'm about to go. There is little I can do to change that."

An idea popped in her head as she considered the idea of extending the time when she had to decide in front of the council. "What if my delegation accompanies you? If you can't stay, maybe we can join you?"

His eyes lit up at her proposal. "It sounds like a wonderful idea, but there is one problem with that."

Elsa leaned back on the couch. "What would that be?"

"Your meeting with the Polis Council. I overheard from the Order that you still need to meet with them to decide on something important," He answered, "Putting them off does not sound like a good idea."

She thought about his reply and considered her thoughts carefully. The princess of Arendelle did not want to offend anyone in this strange and foreign land, but the decision was not something she could revert if it went badly. At the same time, Elsa did not want to stay her hand from helping others. "I need to know more about this place. Maybe I can come down with a decision if I understand what it's like to be down here."

Artyom expressed his immediate concern. "Your highness, the journey to Exhibition is perilous. We might get ambushed by bandits, mutants, or even anomalies along the way. Even if they're absent, there are other dangers that you are not prepared for."

"That is why I have you," The princess admitted, "You seem to know your way around this place that I can trust your judgment if terrible things do happen. I trust you enough to help us."

He took a look at the numbers in the device on his wrist. "Time is short. If you're coming, better to tell Kai before the caravan leaves."

Soviet mentality often involved some kind of secondary purpose in construction. The Metros were designed to increase transportation between one part of Moscow with another. Yet, they also had the feature of being built for nuclear war, a blessing in disguise. Stations were found underneath important city locations in an attempt to receive the best and the brightest of the Soviet Union. The Spartan Order's walls were soundproof, allowing those with secrets to talk freely without worry.

The troll that had been brought from Arendelle was an interesting person and it was hard for experienced soldiers to be talking with a creature that was straight out of a fairy tale. Now it was a reality for them and they had to learn much from someone who understood real magic. Colonel Miller thought about the young man's words about Elsa's powers, surely he had something to do with that. However, nothing was certain as he needed more information before he could pass judgment.

Grandpabbie was sitting on the soft couch, looking up at the ceiling to see the lightbulb. "It appears that your world has harnessed lightning to practical effects. I am so used to seeing humans use torches that this is surprising to me."

Colonel Miller smiled across the table between them, knowing full well about the luxuries of Polis. "This station is more of an exception. If you left and head to those outside of the ring stations, you might be able to find humans using torches for light. Not everyone has the technical knowledge of our forefathers to replicate this."

"So you make do with what you have?" He wondered, "I find that as a remarkable trait for your people. My kin prefers to be natural since it's closer to the earth. The only time I have ever seen these tools was when a group of strangers came out of the very same cave you came from."

Sviatoslav took notice. "What did you mean by that? Are you saying that someone from our world came here?"

The troll ceased his fascination with the light and nodded his head. "Yes. A couple of decades ago, I remember this one time where these foreign men showed up. They were quite similar to your people with weapons and the red stars on their clothes."

"This has to be before the bombs fell. Given the secrecy and black ink surrounding that facility, I wouldn't know why the old Union sent people. Was there anything peculiar about them?"

"There was. One of them actually got acquainted with King Agnarr and Queen Iduna, Elsa and Anna's parents." He said, "They seemed to be good friends or so I have heard. My kin rarely leaves our homes to interact with humans."

The commanding officer let out a deep breath. "What a pity? I doubt they would be alive today. Even if they did, they probably have better concerns than to deal with us."

Grandpabbie was surprised. "You do not consider the weight of your words to other people, do you?"

"The Council tries to be nice or use bureaucracy when it comes to people. I offset that by being blunt and upfront. Yes, it's harsh to hear at first, but direct to the point. Being the commander of the Order is not easy and people are a lot more amicable to honesty. Truth is worth its weight in gold around these parts. I will not mince the reality about those strangers you've seen."

A door handle twitched as Klebnikov slipped into the room with a stack of piles in his hands. "Miller, I found something interesting that you might see. It appears that one of your men was connected with this portal stuff. Maybe you can search him out and get him talking?"

"Let me take a look."

When he was given the papers, he took a long silent glance at the information. Some of it was covered in black ink, but he wouldn't expect less from the Soviet Union. Then his eyes came over a list of names that were supposed to be selected for this expedition. It mostly consisted of men in their formal name; however, it was not enough to sort everything out. The colonel flipped through a few pages, only to find the pictures of the men involved. His heart stopped when he saw his face.

The troll was concerned at the reaction. "Your face looks drained. Is there something that distresses you?"

It was Hunter. He was wearing an older uniform design in the Red Army, standing tall amongst his men after the caption mentioned him passing selection. Then there was an asterisk at the end of the caption. "I know this man."

"Who is it?"

"His name is Hunter," Miller replied as he flipped through the pages, trying to find out what was being referenced, "He was a close friend to Artyom and died trying to save his station."

Colonel Klebnikov quietly swore under his breath. "Damn, I hoped we might have something to work with. OSKOM would have appreciated this news."

Grandpabbie slipped off the couch and approached the Spartan Commander. "Those… pictures. May I have a look as well?"

He passed the photo of Hunter to the troll, looking for the additions. "Take it. Maybe you'll know more."

When he was given the picture, he gasped. "I know him as well."

The two soldiers immediately turned their attention to him. "How?"

"We have met before. He came with an expedition, but something happened that caused him to return. What I do remember is that he had left with a princess."

"What kind of princess?" The OSKOM officer asked.

His eyes stole a glance from the duo. "A princess from Imperial Russia, I think."

"Shit." Both men said in unison.

Everything was different ever since they left Polis Station. Anna was surprised by the sheer amount of trollies that were moving through the tunnels. Even for a small delegation, there was much logistics involved to keep it safe. The Order's Polis Rangers had trollies filled with food, ammunition, and many other commodities that would make traveling easier. Arendellian guards and servants found themselves helpless in their seats while their sentries remained vigilant in their duties.

Being near the front of the caravan seemed to carry a stigma with worried looks from the guards. From her seat, Anna could see Artyom's figure standing tall at the front of the trolley, he seemed to be manning a position where it was heavily equipped and armored. Why he wanted to be there, she would never figure out.

Her eyes trailed upwards as she looked at the ceiling to see cracks in the stone. Occasionally, droplets of water fell upon the caravan as time passed on. At the same time, the princess had to try and endure the boredom that came with the waiting. The Russians wanted complete silence from its passengers to hear anything nearby. So that meant she couldn't talk loudly with anyone nor sing any songs to pass the time. The only interesting place they've been to that seemed worthwhile was a station called the Theatre, but she was never allowed to check it out.

She heard a giggle beside her. "You look bored."

Anna smiled. "Isn't it obvious, Elsa. There is not much we can do while we sit in these seats. Artyom says that traveling isn't that long, but it feels like half a day has passed."

"An hour has passed," The princess replied, "Isn't there something you could read?"

She expressed her skepticism to her sister. "Am I someone who reads?"

"No, but it is better than nothing."

Her eyes glanced at her sister's empty hands. "Why don't you have a book to read then?"

"It's the lighting," Elsa answered, "I like to see what I'm reading in the dark."

Anna leaned back in her chair and groaned. "What a nice excuse you have? It's not like you have a lantern hanging in front of you."

The caravan came to an abrupt stop as the girls heard Artyom's voice shout to the top of his lungs. "Stop the trolley!"

Kai had accompanied the girls from the rear of the caravan as Artyom left the front and made his way to the princesses. "What's wrong? Why have we stopped?"

The Russian's face seemed serious as he spoke. "We came to the right turn; however, we are approaching a Sukhaerevskaya station."

"How is this place any different?" The head servant wondered.

His hands rested on his weapon hanging from his person. "I have been there, sir. The last time I was here, it was chock full of bandits. It might be empty, but I'm not sure if there another gang took over or if the mutants broke in."

He nodded his head, understanding the full implication of the situation. "How long until it's safe to continue?"

Artyom shook his head. "I don't know. Now I told the captain to keep the caravan here until I reconnoiter the station if it's safe. If I don't come back within the next day, all of you go back to Polis immediately. No point if staying I can't handle it."

Anna was taken aback about his demeanor in this situation. Back in Arendelle, he was quite nice to be around with. However, it looked like she was looking at a different person.

It was considerably easier to sneak into Sukharevskaya than last time. A pair of night-vision goggles and experience was enough to avoid his first mistakes. The front gate of the station was a makeshift barrier, but a simple grenade would do its work to tear it apart. Artyom considered that it was meant for the mutants who could try to get in.

On the left side of the tunnel, there was a man who was sitting beside a machine gun while he smoked a cigarette behind a spotlight. The shadows would shift from one side of the tunnel to the other and so he had to time his movements lest he gets torn apart from a single burst. Eyes peeked around the corner to see that the guard was casually ignoring his post while shards of glass were scattered around the ground.

When the light had shifted away from his position, Artyom was about to make his way forward. Yet, his strange paranormal senses felt like something was behind him. Hands reached for his Kalashnikov as he immediately spun around, a finger a moment away from pulling the trigger. The green filter was in the way as a terrified Anna took a step back. Then he lowered his weapon and stayed close to the tunnel wall. He whispered to her, "What are you doing here? I thought you were with the rest of the group. Elsa would be angry if she found you here."

She peeked over and returned back to the shadows. "Sorry, I didn't want to scare you, but I wanted to help. Maybe you could use an extra hand?"

Artyom did not want to hear any of it. "Anna, this is too dangerous. Return to the caravan and stay with them."

"Why not? It's not like you can take them all by yourself.

"Do you know how to use a gun?" He asked.

The princess shook her head. "No, but you could teach me."

"This is the worst time to teach you how to fire a gun."

The feeling of a barrel was pressed against his head as Artyom turned his head to his right. "I don't know who the hell are you, but you're not exactly the quietest."

"Shit." He said as he slowly raised his hands high from his weapon.

"Who's the girl?"

"A friend."

He chuckled. "Alright, both of you follow me and if you two don't I'll shout for the machine gunner."

The two were brought out from the side of the tunnel as they slowly made their way forward to the light. Someone at the entrance was standing tall beside the machine gun nest. "Bring them closer, I want to get a good look at them."

Why did he recognize that voice? As the Russian and the princess were brought closer to the light, Artyom took a good notice at the man who wished to see. He was surprised by someone who should have remained dead. "Bourbon?"

His ears perked up at his voice. "Wait a minute, I think I know you. Raise his goggles and visor."

The guard behind him had stepped forward with his weapon ready to shoot. He did as he was told, raising the equipment and the armored visor to the man in charge. As his face was revealed, Artyom smiled. "Son of a bitch, I thought you were dead."

The man with the cap had chuckled and lowered his hand to the guard. "Stand down people, he's a friend."

There was a surprise amongst the guards. "You know this guy?"

"Of course I do, he's running around with my assault rifle," He answered before committing his full attention to him, "What brings the Exhibition kid back to Sukharevskaya?"

Artyom couldn't help except laugh. "I am going home. I did what needed to be done and I'm bringing some friends along to help me."

Anna was speechless at the change in the situation. "How do you know this guy?"

"He taught me how to survive," His eyes addressed his appearance. He was a lot nicer-looking than last time, "Bourbon, we have a lot to talk about."

"Indeed we do." The borrower of bullets said, "Get inside, I'll do my best to provide some decent hospitality."

"It better be big. Anna and I got a caravan behind us."

Author's Note: How is that for a chapter?