Days have passed since the queen was trapped in this land, but Khan's assistance was indispensable. They had to move into an enchanted forest to seek out their destination; however, the longer she lurked her skin began to crawl. A shiver ran down her spine as the old man guided her mount through. It was as if something was stalking the two from the shadows as leaves rode the wind past a countless sea of trees.
Elsa continued to scan her surrounding until her senior spoke. "You sense it, don't you."
His perception still uncannily disturbed her, but she had to agree there was a wrongness the more they continued. "Do you know what it is?"
"It is a Spirit of the Wind," Khan answered as he looked forward, "They can catch you off-guard if you are not paying attention, but they are quite playful. You'll know they're around when they move against the natural winds."
Her shoulders relaxed, out a sense of relief, knowing there was nothing sinister from such a magical entity. It had already been a few days, but the last problem she needed was losing her mind to some hidden horror she had not anticipated. Then the Nokk stopped for a moment as her companion knelt to the ground picking something off the dirt.
"What is this doing here?"
"Khan?" Asked the queen as she dismounted off the Nokk and joined the old man inspecting pieces of brass in his fingertips. Yet, she recognized the shape and the markings that would have been used for the Russian weapons, "Are those bullets?"
His hands inspected the pieces. "Shell casings, but the question is, how did these get here?"
"You do not know?"
"No," He shook his head as he answered while pondering the possibilities, "I rarely returned to Northuldra before the bombs fell, so this is a complete mystery to me."
It took her a moment to investigate the strange detail in this supposedly magical land. Was this related to the otherworldly Russians? This idea sounded possible given the underground fortress near her castle. Yet, the promising discovering required more clues and hints… unless she could see into the past. "Hand it over to me. Maybe I might be able to do something?"
Khan passed the shell-casing to her as she slipped her gloves off. She hoped that having contact with the object would be more than enough to solve the problem. Elsa began to concentrate, recalling that time when she looked into the past of Artyom's past, hoping that she could replicate those very same circumstances that allowed her to know the truth. For the first time, she was bothered by the cold.
The girl's stomach began to turn; yet, she knew not the reason for this ominous feeling. The Nokk called out for her with the same mannerisms as a horse, but her mind felt it was trying to grab her attention. Curious, she opened her eye to find the spirit of the water take a few trots back as Khan remained where he was, looking at the sheer level of ice and snow that surrounded them. With the queen's powers being used on full display, what could be the results?
Two groups of people stood opposite each other in the middle of a clearing and Elsa took a closer look to find out that one of the groups was mostly matched in Arendellian colors and designs. It was a far cry from two or three people, wearing greatcoats and stars in front of their peaked caps. Were they the reason why those bullets were used? None of these detail could compare when her eyes looked to the head of the group. At the front was the ruler of Arendelle - but he was not alone - a boy stood beside him, eager to leave an impression on the others. Despite his younger age, she could tell that it was her father when he was a mere lad.
Familiarity came to an end when it came to observing the other group. Where the Arendellians and their Russian companions were organized and neat, their counterparts seemed to have lived a life in the wild with their clothes to reflect on that life. Despite these differences, these two parties came together with her grandfather stepping out of line to shake hands with the leader of these strangers. Smiles and grins matched the scene before they broke out of their respective crowds and intermingled in each other's company. Meanwhile, the king of Arendelle left his son alone while he accompanied an old man from the others.
Her companion had finally broken the silence. "Your people seemed to have encountered the Northuldrans, but with the company of Soviet soldiers. What truly concerns me is what caused them to use their weapons?"
When the leaders were out of sight, the ice and snow had shape-shifted but had transformed these two welcoming parties into a battlefield. The Arendellians had their swords drawn and formed a defensive line with their shields, fending off attacks by Northuldrans riding reindeers into battle and using their spears to outreach their foes. Elsa saw one of the soldiers tell the young Prince Agnarr to run as he rejoined the line.
The queen also noticed that the otherworldly Russians were nowhere to be found until the scene showed one of the Russian officers amid the fight with a weapon gripped in his hand. As the Arendellians and the Northuldrans clashed, it seemed like these foreigners were confused by the action and unwilling on the combatants. It was strange to see such men restrict themselves in the heat of combat, she was given little time to ponder when an Arendellian blade was swung towards him and startled the nameless Russian into firing his pistol.
Snow and ice began to melt despite being in the winter, but all was clear at this moment. A great battle between her people and the Northuldrans occurred with the Russians being involved. Elsa's mother spoke of stories of her people and even the battle that had occurred here, but to learn that she did not speak of the otherworlders had also left a grand mystery by the former king and queen of Arendelle.
"There is more to this than I had anticipated," Khan commented as he stood up and turned away from the royal's side, "This requires knowledge that only Moscow's dead may reveal and so I must leave you."
Elsa was taken aback by his sudden shift in goals. "Is it that important to leave me all by myself? I can't expect to find the locals with just the Nokk."
"The spirits of Northuldra do not take kindly when bloodshed is spilled on this land. I must seek out the secrets that the state library might hold if you wish to break down this barrier."
"If I do find them, there is little I can do other than remind them of these events," She replied as she chased after him, "You forget that I am Arendellian."
The old man stopped in his tracks and turned around with a smile of a warm grandfather. "You have the Nokk by your side. They will welcome you and perhaps allow questions where a stranger would not be permitted to ask. Remember, that this land will belong to you when I am gone. Now I must go and perhaps speak to Artyom of your situation."
She did not have anything to say. A path had been laid down to her as if fate had finally given the queen a chance at something spectacular; however, her heart did not seem to feel like this adventure would be easy. As she watched Khan walk away, a black portal appeared, disturbing the landscape as ancient whispers entered her mind uncontrollably. Then it suddenly stopped the moment the mysterious stranger disappeared before her very eyes.
Artyom found himself back in Arendelle, walking through the streets and greeting the locals passing by. The sun was high above, shining down on the castle and the surrounding buildings. Being close to the shore, the wind was fresh and calm, allowing for a nice walk back to his friends and what could be the love of his life. It seemed like a party was about to occur as great festivities and tables were placed in the open grounds while decorations were planted on the rooftops. Then there was the food, which was something he sorely needed to try when it was time to eat. He walked past everyone with an eager heart to see Queen Elsa once more. As he approached the castle, the gates were slightly opened as the Polis Ranger was quick to be in front of those very doors.
When he closed the distance, he looked inside the courtyard to find Princess Anna conversing with the servants before she was about to enter the castle. Then Prince Hans appeared from the corner of his vision with an entourage of armed guards. She was caught off-guard by his arrival as she walked up to him, about to speak up. Yet, the scene changed at that moment when the prince gestured his hand for his men to step forward. Her smile turned into horror as the guards readied their weapons, bolts loosed and gunpowder smoke into the air.
The pain he inflicted on the girl tried to make Artyom intervene, but as he tried to break through the gates, the doors refused to budge. With all the force he could muster, the soldier tried to push as much as he could to save his friend. Yet, the doors remained where they were as he watched helplessly from his side of the wall.
Anna was on the ground, bleeding and crying out, but foreign guards looked to their prince as he silently gave them a nod of approval. Those men drew their swords and brought their polearms forward, surrounding the poor girl before hacking and slashing the princess. Why was this happening? Why would Prince Hans do this?
Screams and gunfire happened behind his back as the Polis Ranger turned around to find the town and its port under attack. Wooden buildings burned while fighting broke out between Arendellian soldiers and those who accompanied Prince Hans. The bravery of the Arendellian men and women was no match for the power of pike and shot. Musketeers fired volleys of gunpowder and bullets into town indiscriminately. More of these soldiers arrived at the docks with a massive fleet reinforcing this attack.
Russian soldiers were quick to respond to the attack. Men from the various factions of Moscow Metro and OSKOM took it upon themselves to counterattack, but somehow it was not enough. They found themselves outnumbered as more of Hans' soldiers took the places of the fallen. Yet, it did not end there as men armed with assault rifles were seen among the attack. Artyom tried to make sense of it all, but then he suddenly recognized the ones fighting alongside the attackers. They were the bandits from the Caspian.
Artyom found himself removed from the moment, only to be standing inside the castle. Bandits and soldiers stormed the main hall with haste while Prince Hans met with a man twice his age. His apparel was like that of the Caspian bandits, but he was twice of the royal's age. With the floor covered in glass and blood, the duo was surrounded by their respective troops, shaking hands as if this was a moment to be proud of.
Anger took hold of the young man as he rushed forward to punch Prince Hans. As his fist lunged forward, the impact never came. The person's body disappeared like smoke and before there was a moment to realize what was going on, he was drowned in darkness.
What had felt like minutes, nothing was done as if he couldn't do anything at that moment. Then a siren called out and it was somehow the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. Yet, he recognized that voice, inviting him to approach the voice without any light whatsoever. The volume grew louder, but as he continued to approach the noise, Artyom found a light ahead of him. Whatever illuminated it was calling for him and felt as if it was an obligation to seek it out.
The darkness seemed to escape him the closer the Polis Ranger brought himself towards the light. Then he managed to see a figure standing in a room made of ice as her dress was white as snow. Her allure did its job as he approached the person, only to find out it was Elsa herself with her hair down. She was absolutely beautiful as she sat down on a frozen chair, but the experiences he had up till now, made him worry about what would befall her. He wanted to tell her about Anna being in danger, but a shadow appeared behind her with a sword in hand.
It did not take long for the truth to reveal itself as Prince Hans stepped into the light with an evil grin taking over his expression. Elsa remained unaware of her lover's intentions while his sword was raised above her. He wanted to scream at her to move out of the way, but this all seemed futile. The stroke of the sword was brought low, all while the Queen of Arendelle was slain by the Prince of the Southern Isles.
Artyom awoke from his sleep. Fortunately, it had all been a nightmare and he was grateful it was just that.
In his cot, the young man sat up, sweating and breathing hard as if the figment of his imagination was real. He spent a few minutes regaining his senses, more importantly, focusing on calming his nerves after what his mind had gone through. While his half-awake gaze looked around, the wolf sat beside him and whimpered. Was the poor creature frightened by the terror that took hold of his slumber? His hand reached out to calm him down, petting the canine's head for caring so much about him.
He needed a drink after what he had been through, preferably tea. Soon the soldier rose from his comfort and brought his plash palatka around his neck. The winter chill had been wreaking havoc on everyone these past few days.
When he was finished preparing for the cold, Artyom made his way out the door of his abode and looked around for any open fires. His eyes caught the dancing of the flames to his left as he walked over to the campfire where a dozen men were huddling around while wrapped with as much clothing they could get their hands on. With each step, he shuddered at the thought of what those dreams meant and it worried him. Surely, there wasn't much to it, right?
They noticed him and scooted over on their logs to give an empty seat. He appreciated the gesture with a warm smile before taking the spot for himself as his animal companion joined him. The Polis Ranger leaned forward to feel the warmth of the fires take hold before looking over at the emptiness in the expressionless looks of the others. "Anyone wants some tea?"
"Yeah," One of the men replied, "I'm up for that."
"Well, I'll go look for a kettle."
A pair of footsteps ran over to their firepit, inviting the men to look over his shoulder. Roman approached him with a worried look on his face. "Artyom!"
"What's wrong?" He asked as he rose from his seat and turned around, "You seemed to be in a hurry."
"The leader of the pirates, the Admiral, just told me that the radiation at the bottom of the dam is getting stronger. He just checked it and told me that its foundations seem to be breaking apart. We need to leave, right now."
Blood from the soldier's face felt drained. He had hoped that they would make it over the season, but this changed everything and now he needed to act. The first detail that went into his mind was the start of the evacuation and that everyone needs to be accounted for. "Roman, are you able to send scouting parties to anyone outside of this settlement? Can you get tell them to come back here and pack up?"
"Y-Yes, I can do that!" He was trembling in his voice, but who could blame him under these circumstances, "Olga is on some old holy grounds. Can you organize this by yourself until then? She doesn't know."
"Can do," The quiet atmosphere of the firepit had changed after Roman departed from the group. Then Artyom turned towards the men from train, pirates, and pioneers found themselves in a crisis. "Guys, I need you to spread the word to the rest of the settlement. Tell them to start packing their belongings and what can be carried. We need water, food, clothes for the cold, medicine, munitions, and weapons."
It didn't take much to convince them, given the dire situation presented. So they quickly splintered off and started to knock on the doors of homes throughout this humble piece of human civilization.
At the same time, Artyom took the moment to inform others on his radio. Upon pressing the button, he spoke, "To everyone on this frequency, the valley is lost. I say again, the valley is lost. Evacuation is underway, pack with what you can and rendezvous at the train. We are leaving."
Three men were alone in the war room and they remained silent in their seats. Mel'nikov watched as OSKOM counterpart brought out a recorder and placed it on the table in front of him and General Vinogradov waited patiently for the reason for this meeting.
Colonel Klebnikov looked at the two men sitting across from him. "Colonel Mel'nikov, I was visiting one of your radio listening posts in Arendelle and your Polis Rangers seemed to pick up something on the waves."
"Is that why we're here?" He wondered at the thought-process for a recorder's importance, "They heard something?"
"More than just some random scratches. Listen."
When the officer played the recording, they first heard a few seconds of static before it disappeared and started with an old stranger speaking. "I appreciate the hospitality of your home to both my men and me. The final touches of the invasion are almost complete, just as you planned. We will honor the bargain."
"Thank you," The commander of the Spartan Order recognized that voice and was shocked that Prince Hans was conversing with him, "It is pleasant that an army of bandits such as yourselves is capable of being civilized men. When we are done here, you and your men will be elevated to genuine nobility once the throne of Arendelle is mine. Your name will finally have meaning."
The recording was paused as Colonel Klebnikov stole a glance over to his fellows. His expression was filled with worry as the soldiers took a moment to contemplate the information they have just heard.
Mel'nikov had to address the obvious. "So Prince Hans orchestrated the kidnapping with the help of the bandits. We need to warn Queen Elsa and everybody else of this threat."
"How are we supposed to do that?" Pondered General Vinogradov as he brandished a cigar lit the end, "Didn't the man propose to the girl just before she went north? What evidence do we have against her lover and a prince of another nation? We cannot bring this forward without a loaded gun."
The colonel of the Polis Rangers remembered he had a report from one of his men that an ice harvester was almost drowned by Prince Hans' men at the docks. Had it not been for the intervention of an American loyal only to him, there would have been nothing he could do.
"Colonel Mel'nikov, you seemed to be getting an idea."
"I have one that might work," He answered, "There's a local who was quietly disposed of by some mercenaries under Prince Hans. We could use him as a witness to back our case alongside the recording Klebnikov brought forward. At the same time, we should detain the prince before he thinks on escaping."
Their heads turned the man who thought up of this supposed plan as the general was taken aback. "You want to confront him about trying to attack Arendelle? What if he denies that allegation under our authority? It would hurt the credibility of everyone we represent back home."
"If he is linked with the kidnapping of Princess Anna, it might convince Queen Elsa to look our way. He also has an invasion in hand and we don't know the full extent of those preparations. Time is of the essence and we need to act before the future of our people is compromised."
"I do not know," Commented Colonel Klebnikov, "Whatever we do now might start a war. Is there a possibility that we can find an alternative?"
The general let out a deep sigh as he lowered his head to contemplate the situation. No one could blame him for reacting that way. Then he stood up from his seat with his hands behind his back. "Our friend here also has good points and I am loathed to agree with him, but the reality is that if this Prince Hans wants an invasion of Arendelle, our people who have been brought here will be caught in the crossfire. We all owe the queen her willingness to harbor us on these lands. Will you bring this issue over to the Council, Colonel Mel'nikov?"
"Yes," He assured him. The commander of the Spartan Order knew that the generals, politicians, and scientists at Polis needed to know of the situation they have found themselves in. Yet, it was not the only reason. The Order could not be the only ones to shoulder this burden alone and while OSKOM had capable fighters, the factions throughout the Metro would be outraged by the threat of a foreigner interfering in the salvation of their citizens if the problems required mobilization, "I will try to get to Polis once Hans is dealt with. We must make our emergency preparations."
A loudspeaker rang before someone spoke into the war room. "Colonel Klebnikov, there is a Ranger about to debrief you of his report. He'll be in there for a few minutes."
"Thank you for the heads up."
It did not take long as the men paused the conversation just as the doors slid open. An active soldier entered the room with haste before snapping his boots together and saluting the officers and general. "From the listening post, sir. We just sighted foreign troops arriving in the harbor."
"Who is it?" The Spartan Commander demanded as he left his seat and approached him, "Anything distinguishable?"
"They're all Russian and carry the imperial flag. I even asked one of them. It turns out the tsar of Russia brought the Preobrazhensky and other regiments with him. They're heading north to meet with the Arendellian royals."
The news seemed to have left an impression on all of the men as Klebnikov was almost left speechless. "The emperor of Russia, here of all places? Who would have thought he would be here?"
"That is not all, sir. We also received word from the former station commander of Exhibition that something happened with the Northuldra expedition. I am told that Queen Elsa has gone missing."
"Damn it," Swore General Vinogradov as he took his cigar from his lips and planted it in the ashtray on the table, "I had hoped we would all get only good news."
Colonel Mel'nikov walked over to the young soldier and patted him on the shoulder. "Good work, comrade. You are dismissed and have earned a meal in the mess hall."
The duo exchanged their salutes before he departed from the room, leaving the men with a sizeable chunk of issues to tackle. Yet, the Spartan Commander needed to divide the work among his fellows to make the best of their situation. Troops were needed, but they also needed an audience with the tsar to continue the number of evacuations throughout the Metros of Moscow and Novosibirsk.
"Colonel Klebnikov, it seems like the expedition of Northuldra needs help, but you could also hit two birds with one stone. Could you introduce yourself to the tsar and tackle some of our issues while on the way to help the expedition find the queen?"
"Is that an order?" The OSKOM counterpart wondered, "What will you be doing in the meantime?"
His hand reached out and pointed a finger at the recording. "Dealing with that man."
"General, I'm going to need some men to assist me. Will you accept my request?"
"No problem," Vinogradov answered as he made his way out of the room, "Command has been waiting for some developments that I can report to them for. So this will suffice until we all meet again. Given the nature of your city's political infighting, I think they will be keen enough to send more than just soldiers."
When all was said and done, three men left the room together for goals that would decide the fate of the two worlds.
Alone in the wilderness was a queen on a magical horse. For such a strange creature, there was a familiarity in being so close to it. How could she describe the sensation? It was as if she could feel the Nokk's intentions and its feelings. She did not know how, but it almost felt like it was related to her very own powers. Water was, after all, related to snow and ice.
Khan's immediate departure demoralized her; however, it was no match towards meeting the Northuldrans. She did not know what to expect from them after she witnessed the memories in that clearing. Would they treat her with hostility or a stranger they have never seen before? This thought took a considerable toll on her mind and every passing minute made her dread the future.
Elsa and the Nokk had managed to exit a forest and climb uneven terrain, but she could manage. What truly surprised her was when they had reached the top of the slopes, only to be on the edge of a cliffside. A massive valley encompassed the land below, but the main attraction was a well-constructed dam that bridged one side of the valley to the next. The immense structure overlooked the land with a shadow that could drown out the earth and it was impressive to find a piece of civilization that was a stark contrast with the hinterlands. Part of her mind had gathered a possible thought that this achievement was the result of the Northuldrans.
The admiration of the scenery had come to an end when she noticed movement down below. Her eyes searched around to find a small campfire smoking from the bottom, but with a dozen people gathered around it. These strangers were not alone as the queen leaned forward in her saddle for a closer look, hoping that they were the locals who lived amongst this land. She made the Nokk make a few steps forward towards the cliffside with the hopes of a way down from such an incredible height.
She was caught by complete surprise when the ground started to rumble. Rock and dirt collapsed underneath the Nokk's hooves. It tried to climb up to higher ground while she held onto the spirit's form for a good grip. Unfortunately, when the reins were made out of ice and a horse that is fluid as water, the Queen of Arendelle found herself slipping out of the saddle. Her legs dangled into the air while she screamed for her life, but the more horrifying part was her fingertips were empty.
Once in the air, the girl descended towards the valley below and cried out in pure terror. She tried to use her magic to make a bed out of snow for her fall. Yet, it did little since she was so high from the ground and moving too fast for the snowflakes to form. All she could do was anticipate her ultimate demise while tears escaped from her eyes just as they formed.
It all changed when she heard a gust of wind rush past her from behind as if it heard her. A low coo echoed into the air while a small pile of leaves defied all laws of physics and formed tornado mid-air. Elsa was soon caught in a ball of air, being carried off by an entity far beyond her understanding as to the feeling of meeting the earth had subsided when the winds slowed down. Then she was released back, only to softly land on the ground.
She sat up and was amazed by this sudden rescue of her life before she picked herself up and looked at the cliffs above. Had it not been for the Spirit of the Wind, the queen would have died in an unmarked grave that nobody would have found. Another coo had grabbed her attention as the flying leaves flew around her with such fascinating speed and fluidity. She remembered what Khan said about the spirit's behavior and it rang true at that moment when it made her laugh and giggle.
The royal owed her life to the spirit and she decided to reward the wind a moniker for itself. "I'll name you Gale."
Sticks cracked and bushes rustled nearby, earning her full attention as she anticipated someone to find her. After all, the queen was not exactly subtle about her screaming and crying. As she wiped the tears of both terror and joy from her face, five people emerged from the wilderness from her left. Their skin was slightly darker than hers as they slowly approached the royal with hesitation with spears in hand. Yet, it was quite clear that she had found those she had been looking for. The only thing she could do was make a greeting that contained a hinge of fear.
"Hi."
A dark-haired girl stepped ahead of the group, wearing sturdy rawhide coats. "We saw you fall before the Spirit of the Wind rescued you. Why were you watching us, trespasser?"
"I-"
Elsa didn't even get a chance to introduce herself to the Northuldrans before a shuffle of vegetation grabbed their attention onto her right. Out from the shadows of the trees were a dozen of armed warriors with swords and shields. Each man and woman were wearing the uniforms of Arendelle as a tall black man pointed his sword at the Northuldran. "Attack!"
She realized that the two sides were about to fight once more, just as the memory sequence had shown her, but she had no intention to let this bloodshed continue. So she removed her gloves and used her powers to split the two from engaging. A wall of ice sprung up between the battle lines, halting the two. "Stop! I didn't come all this way to Northuldra just to witness another battle."
"Wait, you came here?" Asked the leading soldier as the two confused forces looked towards her, "That is not possible. We've been trapped here for three decades. How can that be?"
"It's complicated, but I was let in. There is an expedition from Arendelle just outside. I'm trying to look for a way to break down that fog."
Quite the understatement, but to learn that this had been going on for that long had surprised her.
The Northuldran girl who had talked earlier had approached her. "So that means you're new here? Just who are you?"
"My name is Elsa, I am the Queen of Arendelle and daughter of Agnarr," She began, "I came here to learn about the truth about my powers, but it seems I also need to know what also happened here."
The old soldiers knelt before her, causing the royal to turn her head and see them acknowledge their ruler. "Your majesty!"
"I did not know my kingdom had soldiers here until recently. So this is a pleasant surprise to see you are still alive."
"We are glad that our duty has been performed long enough for his child to meet us," Spoke the leading soldier as he was the first to rise and sheath his sword, "I am Lieutenant Mathias. We are the honor guard for Prince Agnarr and King Runeard, back when we came to greet with the Northuldrans."
She smiled at the thought that this man knew her grandfather when he was alive. Father rarely spoke of him as Elsa turned towards the Northuldrans, whose all looked uncertain of the situation themselves. "Do not be afraid. I came here to understand this place. It's just… I didn't anticipate that I would meet your people like this."
"I don't know. We have spent a long time with them," Came the reply from the leader of the Northuldran group as she stole a glance from the queen's soldiers before focusing her full attention on her, "If what you say is true, then we should meet with Yelana to settle things with our people."
"Thank you…" Her voice trailed off before Elsa took the moment to learn about the foreign locals, "Could I get your name?"
She had finally garnered a chuckle from the stranger, who seemed appreciative of the effort at the show of respect. "Honeymaren."
"Thank you, Honeymaren."
"We should get moving then," Stated the Northuldran, "The Earth Giants are going to be passing through here."
The queen looked towards her warriors with the hope that they would be reasonable. "Lieutenant, could you stay your hand against the Northuldrans."
Her officer answered with a slight nod of the head.
Honeymaren began to lead the way towards her leader as the Arendellian soldiers and the Northuldrans flanked the queen onto their destination. The two groups kept their distance from each other by using Elsa as an anchor.
Artyom did not enter the train with the others. He and many other Moscowvites rallied the Children of the Forest and the others to climb into the cars with what they could carry. The site of such an evacuation worried the Polis Ranger so much because anything could go wrong, but he was fortunate enough just to deal with large numbers of luggage trying to find space on a train. To say it was going to be packed was an understatement, but he did not care about that detail. Their lives mattered more to him than their discomfort and while the young would share that with the others, his heart hoped that it would only be temporary.
Just as the sea of people dwindled into a few dozen people, Roman and Olga returned from the outskirts of human civilization with another contingent of forest dwellers. It was not the same size as the refugees from the main settlement, but sizeable enough to take the train and its passengers wait even longer. Nonetheless, the soldier would not have it any other way as if it was in his blood to save them. Had someone else been in charge, they would make a rather heartless but practical approach to dealing with the evacuation. He kept the thought of leaving others behind, out of his head as much as possible.
Roman approached him panting from his searches. "We got everyone. Is there still any room left?"
"There should be," Answered the Polis Ranger as he still gestured everyone to keep moving, "If we don't have room, I think we could risk tossing some luggage off."
"I hope not. You would be surprised what my people carry. Our teacher always told us that anything is useful if you put your mind to it."
He had to admit, there was some degree of wisdom to be had there. "I'll take his word for it."
When the last of the civilians were on board, the soldiers began to climb aboard in an orderly affair. Weapons and ammo seemed to have found space while Artyom stood from the sidelines to see to their success as well while Roman departed from his side and joined the others. Meanwhile, he remained where he was, ensuring that he was the last person to step onto the train before anyone else. Through the windows, he could see the scared faces of the refugees and he assured the curious children with a smile. Every bit of hope and assurance meant a lot to these people.
Once the last soldier had boarded, the young man followed suit, running towards the front and climbing the train's steps before entering the driver's room. Roman, Pavel, and Olga were present alongside the engineers as they turned their heads towards his arrival.
"Last man's in," He stated before issuing the next best decision, "It's time to go."
The engineers picked up his cue and the first shovels-worth of coal found themselves tossed into the fires of the engines. As the fuel burned away in the engines of ancient machinery, the whole train began to advance with the wheels accelerating into a rhythmic beat. It was a slow start, but the refugees began to cross the dam from their end, passing by the car wrecks littered on top.
Everything seemed fine until the dam itself begins to shake. Artyom stole a glance at the intelligent men who operated the machinery, hoping that they would be able to escape death's embrace from the radioactive waters behind one side of the dam. "Fuel the flames, I'm going to the rear car and see if we can make it."
He left those at the front on their own as he rushed through multiple cars across the train. Men, women, and children stepped aside - taken aback by his sudden reaction to the dam's deteriorating state.
When the Polis Ranger had finally arrived at the end of the final passenger car, his only window to the outside world was present, but only for a moment. The dam trembled continuously as he held onto something. Everyone was halfway across; however, the stress was pressed against the young man as he watched the first cracks appear. Pieces of concrete were shipped away by the broken foundations below and worst of all, the Geiger counter ticked at being so close to such horrific levels of radiation.
"The dam splitting in two!" Artyom shouted over the radio with genuine fear before a clear thought passed his mind and gave him a chance to escape his doom, "Ride all ahead full!"
Green water poured through and with this force, hastened the demise of the dam once and for all. The collapsing infrastructure chased after the train while the young man held onto his dear life. He was feet away from being one of the first passengers to fall out, but he tried to maintain his strong composure to the end, knowing full-well that the others would notice his fear if he tried to flee.
The tension and the burden on his shoulders were lifted when the train's speed increased tenfold, fleeing the broken dam and the following valley behind. Another beautiful piece of land destroyed the leftovers from a war almost forgotten. Thankfully, the radiation wouldn't chase him either while Artyom became relieved about the success of the evacuation after such a close call. Any minute later, there wouldn't have been a train full of refugees as the concrete disappeared for solid ground.
He turned around and made his way towards the front. Those he passed earlier gave him nods of approval or took off their hats out of respect as mothers openly prayed on his behalf while children saluted him. It was a surreal experience to receive that kind of attention from strangers. Well, the last time he saw that kind of expression was back when he passed through Paveletskaya Station.
After he returned to the front of the train, the engineers looked like they were working overtime. With the danger passed, the future now came into question as Pavel pointed out the obvious. "Comrade, what happens now? It's going to start snowing and we're not ready for it."
"What's the status of our fuel?" Artyom asked of the engineers. He had to start with something substantial before formulating a decent plan ever since the previous one won't work right now, "How long can we last?"
One of the engineers turned around and spoke up. "We have enough for six months if we keep this up, but if the weather gets worse, more fuel will be spent to keep the engines warm."
"Damn. We can't turn back and forward is the only option we have left."
"So what can we do?" Pondered Olga, "You do have a plan, don't you?"
A few seconds of hesitation overcame him, but a clear head was needed to deal with the task of meeting with old friends from home. Then the Polis Ranger reached into his sealed pockets for satellite maps he kept on his person. His eyes traced their current position and realized the distance it would take to Vladivostok was too far. The logistics to achieve that were not possible, but his eyes noticed a small rail line that led to a nearby city he was familiar with. "The far east is too far and winter is too close, but if we are quick enough, maybe we can traverse through Novosibirsk."
"You want us to go into a dead city. The radio transmissions told us that they were hit with the worst of the bombs and the radiation is too high for us to handle."
"I know," Artyom replied before remembering the slight details he had about the locals and their anti-radiation drugs worked effectively on their people, "Fortunately, the locals have the means to help us get into safer territory. OSKOM has something that can deal with the radiation and we just so happen to have some men on our train who might have them. If we get their help and use their knowledge of their Metro, we can limit the exposure to everyone."
It was better than nothing; however, Roman remained skeptical about this. "Novosibirsk has a lot of radiation and I'm not sure if we can afford to let people get sick."
"I know that, but maybe we can solve that problem as well on the way there. If we have enough, we can seal the train in lead to protect everyone while a small team fetches OSKOM for help. Even if there is the risk of radiation, they probably have more anti-rads on them than we do and they don't plan on staying in their Metro forever."
Thus, the leaders aboard the train found themselves on a path to uncertainty and possibly death. No one cheered at that moment since there was work to be done and many lives to protect. From the frying pan and into the oven, the apocalypse would test their endurance and hopes. Artyom prayed to every god to grant him small mercy to make it through to the end.
Author's Note: This chapter originally had Artyom deal with more issues about the interactions between the train crew and the Children of the Forest, but with Elsa running around in Northuldra I think this part of the storyline had to end here. There was so much I could do with the valley and without the bandits or the bear being a present threat, I didn't want Artyom to be complacent as his situation as the train commander. So something had to happen and force him into dire situations.
Another additional issue is that I misread my Google Maps and realized that Artyom is still a long way from Vladivostok. Theoretically, one can go from Moscow to Vladivostok in several days, but Metro Exodus shows that you have to be a complete optimist to believe that. So if Artyom continues on the path I laid out for him, it would extend the storyline much further than I wanted. Much more, I also looked at the major rail lines between the Caspian and Vladivostok that he'll still have to go through Novosibirsk regardless.