Chapter 2

(Gareth's POV)

I rented out a small booth that once belonged to a mushroom seller until he was conscripted into the Red Army. It was kind for the Station Manager to allow me use it to sell my pistols. I wait and watch large sums of people come and go like ants. I usually don't like waiting but I adopt the lifestyle of a merchant. While the hours past and before I knew it it's half past noon. I close up the shop until a stranger walks up to me. He looks like he is in his late forties. He has a red scarf on his head, he has a beard that is braided, a brown leather jacket and his hair is gray. From the looks of him he wants to talk to me about something.

"Hello there" I greet him.

"You must be new here; telling from the way you're dress you are not from any of the stations."

"Correct; I arrived from the states specifically from the Mojave to do some trade and take my leave."

"Well be careful; without a proper guide you can lose yourself in the metro and I mean it in the spiritual sense."

I think about what he said. I know the dangers that are on the surface and in the underground but something is telling me to have him guide me through the metro stations. One thing that stopped me from ignoring his warning is the fact I have Exal with me. The moment I laid in bed next to her I felt a powerful connection that we were meant to be together. I have my doubts about this feeling. I am a trained soldier. I'm not supposed to have emotions out in the field but I turned mercenary just to send funds back to the military. So I guess I went rouge but the training stuck. I sigh and I turn to him.

"Can you show me around the metro?"

"Very well meet me at the tunnel and bring only what you need."

"Wait, if I'm going to trust you I'm going to need to know what is your name."

"My name is Khan and remember well where to meet."

I walk back to the train depot. I heave a sigh knowing I could be conned. I dwell on the thought until I reach my railcar. I open it up to find Exal frustrated over a can of food. I look over at the corner that most of the canned goods we had were cut open and burned by her lightsaber. I drop the crate of ammo and scrap metal to run towards Exal. I stop her hand before she yet again cost us another can of food.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to cook some food; what does it look like I'm doing?"

"You already cut through seven cans of food; there is a reason we have an oven."

We struggle over the weapon in her hand until we tumble over each other. I end up landing on top of Exal. I had my eyes closed when we fell. I open them and I notice that our faces are a mere inch away. I try to move my mouth until I realize that hers and mines have closed that distance. I try to release myself from her, sparing her the humility. When I try to back out she does something I didn't expect from someone like her. She wrapped her arms around me and she pulls me closer. I look at her eyes and I see them closed and tears running down. Out of pity I roll over letting her be on top. I feel her lips wanting more than simple cooperation. I open my mouth allowing her to explore a bit before making her claim. I hold her closer as she intensify her kiss. I hear her moan as we kiss but it feel more one sided than a shared kiss. She lift herself up so she can catch her breath.

We stare at each other both with sympathy in our eyes and keeping our stoic faces. The tension is thick in the air you can almost cut it. A moment pass until we decide to sit up and try to make conversation. Every time we try we end up trying to talk over each other. Even though we try to keep our emotions hidden we end up flustered every time we make eye contact.

Sometimes I can't believe it but I may as well accept it. We kissed, and I honor my family code. The thought alone just leaves me confused. She was born in a high social class where I was born as a middle class citizen. I tend to be one to look for true love while doing my work but looks like work was my love and it's sitting right next to me. I try to make a proper conversation. I attempt to work it out in my head until.

"I just want you to know Gareth that was the first time I ever kissed someone."

"Same goes for me."

"So what now?"

"I follow my family code: if I were to give my first kiss to someone that person is whom I am to marry."

"So that's it; I going to be married to you" she said harshly but also with concern.

"I guess but I didn't want this to happen."

Dumbfounded she asks "what do you mean?"

"My assignment was to observe, protect and provide for you; never in the assignment was I supposed to deal with our current situation."

I get up and I collect as many rifle rounds as I can carry as well as my shotgun. I take some gear enough for three days. I set them up by the entrance of the railcar and I approach Exal. I place my hands on her shoulders. I can see in her eyes that it's filled with concern. I could already guess that concern is being alone for a while. To be honest I'm scared myself. I don't want to leave her even for a day. I'm scared for her but if I need to provide for us I need to venture and find eligible trade route. I pull her closer and I nuzzle into her neck. I hear her sobbing a bit into my shoulder. It's her fear that's eating her up. It's only been a day and horrible nightmares and our engagement just appear out of the blue.

I quietly caress the back of her head. I feel a tear down my face. I try to deny it in my head but my heart says other wise. I love her. I could deny it all I want but it will lead to suffering. So I accept that fact right off the bat. I didn't know any of this to happen and so fast but it did. My entire life I trained to fight but never once I was trained to be tender. So in other terms I'm very green behind the ears. I liberate her of my embrace. I grab my helmet and I prepare to walk out of the door.

"Exal, I'm going to find some trade routes for us to travel to; I want the best for us okay?; there is a pistol in the conductor's glove box; it's a 5.56mm so it have enough stopping power; stay safe I won't be gone for more than a few days."

I give Exal a goodbye kiss. It is brief but memorable. I grab my gear and I head out. The first thing I do before I leave with Khan to the ring and the rest of the roads is that I head over to the Ranger post to pay for my railcar parked in the station. I arrive to a Ranger with his nose deep in a book. I knock on the desk to acquire his attention.

"Yes, what is it?"

"I'm here to pay for my railcar spot."

"That will be twenty bullets."

"Here is a week's worth."

He stares at the small box of ammunition and eventually he accepted the payment. I walk over to the metro entrance and I see Khan with someone. I assume that he is a business partner of his but I am proven wrong when I notice that his colleague bears the Spartan patch. I walk up to them and greet both men.

"Hello there Khan I'm ready to traverse the metro."

"Ah my merchant associate I would like you to meet Artyom."

He reaches out his hand and says "nice to meet you."

"Likewise" I articulate grasping his hand.

We head out into the tunnel. I am surprised that we are walking through the darkness of the former subway. I clench my Kalashnikov as we walk through the darkness. I try not to be nervous but from what I heard back in New Vegas that the tunnels are dangerous and because the warheads hit harder here that danger is tripled the twice that amount of danger. So in terms I have to like a hawk with a sniper rifle. The darkness is consequently thick that I could try to cut a slice with my knife. We continue down the tunnel until we heard a clicking sound and it doesn't sound like a computer or anything electronic, it sounded more like an insect. I tighten my grip over my gun until I hear it getting closer. When I feel like it right next to me, I unleashed my powers and I burn the giant arachnid. I notice that Khan and Artyom is nowhere to be found. I panic a short moment until I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn to burn whoever touched me until I realize it's just Artyom. I wonder where Khan is. I scan the tunnel until we hear a whistle. I turn to see a door leading into the interline tunnels wide open with a trail of footprints in the dust. We follow into the room to see Khan sitting on a chair waiting for us. I cough into my hand to indicate the old man that we're here. He turns to us and he smiled.

"You should be careful."

"Yeah" Artyom reinforcing. "There are spider-bugs in there."

I somewhat feel relieved knowing what is in the tunnels but at the same time scared. I never had to deal with this back when I used to do my service in the GC military. The things I had to deal with seem nothing compared to this. I only have enough bullets for the going trip and I need to conserve my ammo if I want to head back to Bolshoi. The only problem is that there is a small fork where we're standing. One path leads to the surface and the other to uncertain darkness and who knows what. We flip a coin on the path we take. As the coin tries to land we hear a horde of spider-bugs closing in on us. The tunnels and halls fill with a high pitch shriek. The pitch is so sharp the light bulbs on the ceiling broke and fills the room anything but light. We rush to the ladder with the hopes of surviving. I leave a path of flames to keep the hard-shelled insects from following us. We hold our breath until we reach the surface. I turn to see the flames already dying out. We climb the ladder up and into the bright sun and pale sky. We wrap our gasmasks on our faces until we can breathe again. I use Exal as a reason to live, a reason to keep moving, a reason to fight.

The sight I am beholden by is amazing and stoic. The ruins of a city and corpses of vehicles everywhere, this is a treasure trove of metal waiting to be salvaged. I would on better circumstances but duty calls. No time like now and no place like the Metro, this is the belief to live and to survive. I scan the area and we appeared to have emerged from a sewer entrance. The streets seem to be empty but this is not the time to be standing around. The more time we waste standing around the less time for our filters. I'm just glad we are wearing equipment all over our bodies; otherwise the gamma radiation will burn and kill us. I cock my Kalashnikov with a new clip of ammo because I forgot to load it before leaving the station. I travel with my new found companions east to the ring.

As we travel I notice on the map Artyom gave me the positions for Ranger outposts. The closest outpost to the ring for supplies is D6. The legendary bunker suitable for warriors like the Spartan Rangers; last I heard their numbers dropped to as few as twenty soldiers. It's a good thing the Nazis agreed to an alliance with the Spartans or else the Nazis would have charged in after the Reds into the bunker to take it by force. The whole path in front of us is nothing but debris. I can't believe that I have to cross a radiated city just to establish a trade route to the ring, into Hansa territory.

I for one have mixed feelings about this. I feel some anxiety swimming around me. I worry for Exal. I'm afraid if some Nazi sympathizers get a hold on her or even worse. I'm afraid to find her dead and her blood painted in my railcar. The worse thought is that if the Empire finds her. Even they have blasters and Sith Warriors with them I will fight to my dying breath.

Every thought is washed away when we hear a howl and a screech. I turn to see a pack of nosalis and a demon coming straight for us. We charge up the hill of car wreckage. I try to move fast but I hardly trained in cardio. I'm faltering behind. I scream as soon some teeth dug into my leg. I look to see one of those mutated bastards with a firm grip on my leg. I shoot with the barrel of my gun pressed against it and I let the bullet loose. I look up to see Khan and Artyom busy with their own groups going after them. This Exodus was a mistake, this trip, this life. I should have stayed with the squad; I should have stood by Michael. The mutants try to surround us. I quickly lose hope. That was until I hear a gun shot from a sniper rifle. I look up to someone on the fifth floor of an adjacent building. I look up to the sky to see the body of the demon falling and crashing into the mountain of rusted scrap I'm standing on. I hobble to where Artyom and Khan are standing. I reach out and Artyom pulls me in. I turn to see he is waving to the sniper. They must be friends or something.

We follow the path through and into a Metro entrance. I can't tell on the map where we are. I have this feeling we are arriving to a very important station. I look at the sigh painted on the arc and it reads 'Polis.' So we are about to enter the original head quarters of the Spartan Rangers. If I were to compare them to any branch of the GC military I would compare them to the Praetorian Guard. Such feats are otherwise unobtainable. We enter the station and I see some Nazis and a few Spartans. I guess they are merging armies but keeping well into their own branches. I can see the tension in the air about them or it's the fog on my mask. We enter the station so we can take a short rest.

I am about to go a man to buy some shotgun shells until I feel a small disturbance. I don't know what to make of it but it's intense. The feeling burns through my head until I hear a woman scream. It's Exal's voice. I quickly buy my ammo and filters and I rush back out to the entrance I came through. It's a good thing I memorized the map. I have a good guess where Exal might be taken to.

I get outside and I run east. I utilize my skill back in Spec Ops training to get there faster. I come up to the entrance of the Metro station entrance. I don't need a soldier to tell me it's the home station of the Reich. A few men try to stop me but I give them a retort, a harsh one at them. In my wake I leave a trail of blood. I run through the station killing soldiers and pushing civilians out of the way. My rampage attracted the attention of the military. The one thing that throws my off is that it's slowly turning from bullets coming at me to blaster fire. I still shred through them with my guns. I reach the main centre and I can't believe my eyes. There are some bodies laid across the ground. I recognize one of the bodies that it's the body of the Reich Fuhrer and his personal guard. I look up to see the alter. The same alter from Exal's dream; the same one where Vitiate tries to purge Exal's mind. The only difference is that I may be too late.