Disclaimer: The characters and story originally created by Dmitri Glukhovsky in the book and video game series "Metro: 2033" and its sequels do not belong to me. Those properties are owned by Glukhovsky, 4A Games, and Deep Silver. This work of fiction is intended for entertainment purposes and is not meant to be canonical, though I tried very hard to make it fit within the parameters. I do retain my rights for the creation of my own original characters and ideas. I do not make any money from writing this story.

Chapter Four: The Red Arrow

As predicted, they had no trouble at the checkpoint which was set up in the tunnel between Novokuznetskaya and Paveletskaya stations. The border guards from Hansa sat behind a cordon of sandbags, though the rails were kept clear for the use of carts in this southbound tunnel. Even though it was outside their actual territory, the bureaucrats at Hansa knew that their own Pavelets station could only be reached by one transfer tunnel which was off-limits to everyone, and through the connecting pedestrian passage which most of the Pavelets residents lived in. So, they boldly defended their borders further out than their actual station.

"Who goes there?" Called a voice from one side of the tracks as they approached.

"Just some nosalises, no big deal," Nikolai jested though he raised his arms up and slowed his pace as a spotlight was shined upon the group.

Artyom was surprised by his laid-back disposition towards such a strict faction but he also understood that these brothers must pass by this way pretty often and so maybe they were on good terms with the soldiers at this particular outpost.

"Ah, just the twins again." The spotlight operator on the opposite side of the tunnel sighed contentedly and switched off the beam. "Not so successful this trip, eh Ryzhov?"

"Maybe it doesn't look that way to you, but we've made a new friend, so the trip was a success to me!" Nikolai replied cheerfully.

"Too bad for him, though!" The first guard joked back to him and then settled back into his position.

As their group walked onwards, Artyom began to wonder if these odd brothers truly had need of him or if this had all been a futile endeavor. It could just be an elaborate trap but Artyom couldn't imagine to what end. Why drag one Ranger all this way when multiple people had seen him at Novokuznetskaya? No, most likely, the twin traders were just overcompensating to make sure there was no difficulty with their route. He couldn't blame them for wanting extra protection. In some ways Nikolai seemed almost naive and overly friendly and Dmitri didn't seem to be much help because he barely talked and didn't seem to contribute much to the trading business, unless he was just a bodyguard for his brother.

"This is radial Paveletskaya now." Nikolai had walked up right next to Artyom and spoke in a hushed voice as the dim lighting of the station was sweeping over the tracks.

"I remember this place." Artyom said with disgust under his breath but Nikolai still heard him. Artyom remembered that Paveletskaya was missing its hermetic door, and so every night the platform was abandoned in order to keep watch for whatever monstrous beasts lurked in the vestibule above them.

"You've been here before? Yeah, it's a bit despicable. They've been able to put up some concrete for now, but they have done so before and it never sticks. We'll be quick passing through anyway." Nikolai flashed him a reassuring smile.

"Fuckin' lepers." Dmitri muttered. It was the first time he'd said a word since Novokuznetskaya.

"What choice did they have, brother? Hansa was very tight security, even in the beginning, and our station was a holdover for a long time before it was abandoned. So, for the people at Paveletskaya it was life or death, even if life meant disease." Nikolai said quite diplomatically.

"Holdover?" Artyom raised an eyebrow in question.

"Yeah, sort of like, the people who were there at the start didn't really belong anywhere. There were all the factions forming up, the Reds and Nazis just getting started who only wanted Slavic people living in their stations. The people at Avtozavod believed for a long time that they were going to be rescued, so they didn't really prepare themselves. They just waited, and waited, and nobody came, you know. So, they just died out, one by one, though some of them left and went here and there but pretty soon it was empty and nobody was there anymore. Or so the story goes." Nikolai talked as if he might have been there at that time but Artyom knew he would have been quite young and probably wouldn't remember such things.

It was a very sad thought for Artyom, who also had no memory of when his underground life began. He still remembered very faint images of his mother, her pink sweater, and a park with trees, but couldn't recall all the mundane days that passed so slowly when he was growing up in the Moscow underground. To think that people were consciously choosing not to accept reality, to believe that at any moment they might be saved and return to their former lives in the city as if it was still whole, and shining, and clean… It was a bittersweet dream.

"So, what's at Avtozavodskaya now?" Artyom inquired as they were reaching the platform of Paveletskaya. "I thought it was a Revolutionist base?"

"Well, it was abandoned for a time, then some of the better-off people from Paveletskaya moved down and started over. There was some kind of disagreement there a few years ago and then the Revolutionists took over control, but they rarely come through here lately. They went off to fight injustice or whatever and now their main base is at Partisanskaya. Nowadays, Avtozavod is a place for some of us who don't fit in anywhere else, with nowhere else to go." Nikolai's smile was more solemn this time, and Artyom was sure that he was speaking from experience.

There wasn't anyone on duty here at Paveletskaya as Artyom had witnessed last time he had come through. The dark chasm on the far side of the hall was walled in with concrete just as Nikolai had said. Where previously the iron door was missing from this station's exit, and one could almost see the sky from the right angle, there was now a solid grey partition with a small lamp hanging from a pipe in the ceiling. The name of the station was crudely, but proudly, painted onto this wall in yellow block letters.

No checkpoints meant no stops and they only said hello to a few people as they passed by the platform, never ceasing their steps. Residents stared at them in wonderment, as the military gear their caravan wore seemed to contrast so drastically with the colorful clothing that the people here were adorned with. Artyom did his best not to look at anyone for too long, to focus his vision back on Dmitri's boots and the crossties ahead of him. Nikolai had taken up the rear position again and he could hear his steps close behind. They never left the tracks, continuing straight on into the next tunnel.

Artyom took this next stretch of silence to listen to his surroundings the way Khan and Bourbon had talked about. Since he'd never come this way before, he thought it would be interesting to see what this line had to say, what stories might linger in the pipes. He rapidly deemed the area relatively safe and quiet, with no inklings of mutants, anomalies, or ghosts, though a few rats scurried along the edges of the tunnel liners, scattering out of the flashlight beam if it swayed too close to the edge of the rails. For one brief moment he thought he could hear a few whispers, but it could have just been the swish of cloth as they moved. Trying to focus on the noise, he could hear the whisper grow louder, was the next station really so close?

"We're almost there." Nikolai said quietly from behind him. He had crept up very close, was he afraid of something?

Artyom could see a faint light coming from the right side of the tunnel and assumed it at first to be the station ahead. Drawing closer he realized that it was an opening leading to a side passage a few meters from the main platform. Next, he noticed that Dmitri had halted in front of it and turned to face him.

"Stop here." Said the shaven brother in a low voice.

"This is where we keep all of our supplies. Let's go inside, all the books are in here, too. You can take whatever you like!" Nikolai smiled and motioned to the lit entrance, leading the way.

Taking his first step hesitantly, feeling his heart thump strongly in his chest, Artyom followed Nikolai into the corridor. It was a short hallway that led into a larger room. There was a single real light bulb hanging from the ceiling, a small stove was in the back corner with a fire glowing red inside, and there were three tables and several chairs scattered around. Boxes and crates were stacked up in the corners but didn't seem to contain anything important. Artyom didn't see any books or really anything noteworthy besides the furniture and a radio. He began to protest, but Nikolai was walking away from him.

As Nikolai stepped aside, Artyom was faced by someone new and he stopped short and widened his eyes. Before him stood a young woman about the same height as him, with auburn hair and silver eyes, staring up at him with her arms crossed. She was dressed in grey military fatigues and had a leather armored vest that was laced up the front. He noticed the small pistol at her hip, shoulder pauldrons with a red arrowhead painted on, and some kind of crimson fabric tied around her neck. It was certainly a surprising sight and Artyom was stunned by her presence and froze up.

"Dmitri, check him." She ordered curtly, giving Artyom the same thorough looking-over that she had just received.

Artyom's weapon was taken from his holster before he could even think; Dmitri slid it across the longest table towards Nikolai and out of his reach and then removed both rucksacks from Artyom's shoulders and set them aside. Stepping backwards, he blocked the exit.

"You have my word that you will not be harmed. I only have a few questions for you, and if you can answer them, then you may go." The woman narrowed her eyes, her arms still crossed defensively.

"What questions? How do you know who I am?" Artyom asked slowly, not wanting to provoke any hostility. He wondered what the punishment might be if he couldn't answer her. Would they hold him hostage? Put him to work in their station? The air was thick with anticipation. His heart was beating so loudly in his chest that he almost didn't hear her reply.

"I want to know the whereabouts of a mutual friend. He is a Polis Ranger, like yourself." Her expression changed to something like concern and her head tilted to the side.

"Who are you?" Artyom leaned forward slightly, looking from the woman over to Nikolai, wondering what their connection or relationship was. His question was aimed as much at her alone as it was aimed at the group.

"My name is Aleksandrya Dmitriyev, and we are Die Roten Pfeil." She straightened her arms before she continued. "I suppose you might understand it better as Krasnaya Strelka; named after the Red Arrow train that connected this city with Saint Petersburg."

"Red Arrow. Right." Artyom honestly had no idea about the train line to Saint Petersburg and wondered about the strange non-Russian name of their organization.

"Artyom." Nikolai stepped up next to her and quickly whispered his name in her ear before retreating back into the rear corner of the room.

"So, Artyom, can you help me?" She took a step forward and he looked into her eyes, they were serious but apprehensive, pleading him to answer.

Then he noticed something shining amongst the straps and strings on her outfit. On a delicate silver chain hung a brass machine gun cartridge - just like the one that Hunter had given him back in Exhibition before the Ranger had disappeared in search of the Dark Ones.

"That capsule." He breathed the words, his eyes wide with fear and disbelief.

"I am looking for a man who calls himself Hunter. Do you know him?" Her face looked pained, as if she needed his answer like she needed her next breath of oxygen to live.

Artyom was in shock, tears welling in his eyes. His mouth hung open, quivering, and he had no idea what to say. First of all, not even he was sure what had actually happened to Hunter. What was he supposed to tell her? That he had died? It had been all this time and nobody had heard from him, but there was still a big part of Artyom that wanted Hunter to return. At the very least, he didn't want to risk upsetting this woman, Aleksandrya, while in her territory. There was no telling how she or her companions might react to the horrible news.

"You know him don't you? You know Hunter." She pressed after his moment of stunned silence; his reaction had given him away. "Please, tell me where he is."

"I know him, but I don't know where..." He stated simply, not sure how else to explain it.

Aleksandrya backed up and took a few ragged breaths, pacing for a few moments and putting a hand over her eyes. Nikolai tried to comfort her but she was quick to push him away.

"It's okay, look, just because he doesn't know doesn't mean-" Nikolai began.

"Shut up!" Aleksandrya put up a hand to silence her comrade and then turned back to Artyom. "When did you last see him?"

"I-I, uh." Artyom stammered, he wanted to ask her the same questions. He blinked a few times, confused and tense. He was never entirely certain how long it had taken him to get to Polis from VDNKh. Sometimes it seemed like it was only yesterday and at other times it felt like years had passed since he had set out on his first journey into the Metro.

"Fucking when?!" She yelled, stepping right up close to him and taking the top edge of his armored vest in her fragile hands. Her teary eyes begged desperately but her overall expression was fierce and determined.

"A month, maybe two. I don't know!" Artyom leaned back, trying to escape her grip, both of his hands in the air.

"You don't know…" She drew back with a disbelieving sigh, releasing her grip of him and turned to face the wall. Taking a moment to compose herself, she took a deep breath and then spoke calmly. "Where did you see him last?"

"He left on a mission, and nobody has seen him since then. Nobody has heard anything." Artyom said quietly, hoping his own emotions would be felt through his words. He hoped that she could feel his empathy; it seemed to him that they both felt the same way about the situation and the man in question.

"Where?" She said with more emphasis.

"He was going to Botanicheskiy Sad to seal the northern door on the Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya Line." Artyom wasn't sure how his answer would help, or if he was even allowed to talk about any of this with anyone but the other members of the Order.

"The Dark Ones." Nikolai almost growled, walking over to Aleksandrya who had yet to turn around. "The fucking Dark Ones got him."

"Is that true, Artyom?" Aleksandrya seemed to understand exactly what the situation had been. Just how far did the tale of Artyom's actions travel? Did everyone know about the threat of the Dark Ones?

"Yes. He went to the surface in search of them." He said solemnly, reaching out to touch her and make an actual connection but Nikolai's stare stopped him short. "But I don't think they killed him."

Aleksandrya took another deep breath. Nikolai looked back and forth between her and Artyom. The silence was unbearable. Artyom feared her next reaction, would she lash out with rage? No, she seemed to be much more disturbed than angry and had become much more somber. The air had gone from thick with tension to heavy with sorrow. The weight that he had been carrying in his heart, his regret about Hunter's loss, was now surrounding them and pressing down on them from above.

"Okay. Nikolai, show him into the station." Finally, she turned around, avoiding looking into Artyom's eyes. "You'll stay here for the night while we prepare, in the morning I'll escort you back to Polis. They already know you are coming."

"Valya." Artyom said knowingly. The friendly sentry at Novokuznetskaya must be a part of the Red Arrow, just waiting for someone like Artyom to come along and then be dragged down to Avtozavodskaya to be questioned.

"Dmitri, gather the others here. There's something else we need to discuss before the night is over." Aleksandrya walked further into the room, taking Artyom's pistol from the table she looked it over thoughtfully before putting it on a crate against the wall next to his rucksack. "You can have these back once we get to Hansa."

"Just one question, first." Artyom dared, shaking Nikolai's hands from his arm.

Aleksandrya looked back at him, surprised but with a look of curiosity, allowing him to speak with a nod of her head.

"Why is this so important to you? How did you know Hunter?" Artyom's eyes burned, his head spun with confusion. Although he knew that Hunter traveled all over the Metro, he never thought that anyone else would be looking for him. He never assumed Hunter to have many close friends outside of the Order who would care this much about him. Colonel Melnik had almost given up all hope of hearing from him, so why was this woman still in pursuit?

"That's two questions, neither of which you would truly understand if I were to explain." She put both hands on the table that stood between them, straightening her arms and hanging her head. "Hunter was like… my… well, we were close - thus, the cartridge. Now please, go with Nikolai or I will send Ivanovich to guard you instead. There will be time for talk later."

"Fine, then." Artyom took a step back, allowing Nikolai to guide him out of the room, wanting the end of the conversation to be at least partially his own choice even though he desperately wanted the answers to his questions. He didn't feel at all like resting or sitting around but it seemed he had no choice. Dmitri had already left the room and disappeared into the station before Nikolai led him up the stairs to the main platform.

"So, all of this was just a set up?" Artyom mused to himself, not really expecting Nikolai to answer. "Valya, you and your brother, it was a trap."

"Sorry, man, it's not personal or anything. We had to be careful, and we had to be sure. We know how stubborn you Rangers can be." Nikolai quickly showed Artyom around the main hall, where he could get a meal, and then to a small tent set up in a row along the edge of the platform. "Aleks probably won't ever tell you, but your information meant a lot to her. Hunter was very important to her and she's been worrying about him for weeks. At the very least, you've given her some closure."

"I still think it's possible that he's alive somewhere." Artyom insisted, hoping that saying it out loud would somehow make it true.

"Yeah, but all this time and nobody has heard a word from him? Nobody has seen him anywhere? That guy was no joke, he was a real warrior. No simple nosalis or demon could take him down, it had to be a bad situation." Nikolai attempted to convey how hopeless the idea was.

"How does she know him, anyway?" Artyom thought it was worth a try. If Nikolai was willing to be thankful in her stead, perhaps he could get an answer from him on her behalf as well.

"It's not for me to say. Give her a while, she'll calm down. Then you can ask her again yourself." Nikolai smiled his usual warm smile and that went a long way to comfort Artyom. Perhaps this wasn't a group of crazy outcasts trying to become bandits or start a faction. They were just the same as he was, human, and looking for answers.