The Darkness at the End of the Tunnel

Khan leads Artyom to the deepest point in the Northern Line, and Artyom makes a decision that could save the Metro, or send it straight to Hell.

Metro Last Light with a twist

My version of Artyom can speak, he just chooses not to speak out loud most of the time. He uses sign language around most people. This story starts in the Moscow Botanical Gardens. Miller has arrested Khan and given Artyom and Anna the task of killing the baby Dark One.

Prologue: Waylaid

Anna's sniper rifle cut through the air with its booming report, and the Dark One fell off the tree and into the mud. "Down," Anna informed me over the radio. I adjusted my grip on my massive Abzats heavy shotgun and approached the Dark One. The creature was scrambling away from me, splashing through the mud, making distressed noises of pain. I stopped in shock. The Dark One was the size of a child, and its skin was a mottled pink and black pattern instead of the jet-black coloring of other Dark Ones. This one must have been only a baby. I knelt down and placed the shotgun in the mud, before slowly approaching with my hands held out. The baby had stopped struggling, but as I approached closer, its bright green eyes widened, and it pressed itself against the trench wall.

The Dark One shivered and curled itself into a tiny ball, obviously petrified. I stood there, mind racing. It recognized me. Somehow, it knew that I had been the one who launched the missiles into their nest a year ago. And it was terrified of me. I shook my head in regret, before reaching out my hand again. The Dark One paused for a moment, before throwing itself into the air, trying to leap past me. I caught it in midair and brought it down to the ground again. Just as I raised my head, it turned its own head, and our eyes locked.

My vision dissolved into blackness.

Chapter 1: Handcart Ride

I struggled out of the depths of unconsciousness as I felt myself being dragged. Cold water and snow down the back of my jacket shocked me fully awake, and I lashed out. I felt my fist connect with something solid, and whoever was carrying me fell back and dropped me, cursing wildly. I whirled around and struggled to my feet, ready to fight…
"Khan?" I gasped and signed with one hand. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Saving your life," Khan whispered. "Now get down and follow me."
I began to step through the muddy trench, following Khan's footsteps. As we walked, I started to hear the noise of a truck. All of a sudden, my memories crashed back into the front of my mind. I fell to my knees and clutched my head in pain.

Khan turned back and knelt down in front of me, shining a small light into my eyes. "Artyom, what's wrong?"
I barely managed to move my fingers to sign. "It showed me...the Metro...on fire. Everyone was dead...Miller, my comrades, you...No one will survive..."
Khan drew back with a whispered curse, before a sorrowful look crossed his face. "I didn't want to believe it, but all the signs make sense now. The Reds and the Nazis are preparing for large operations; at first I thought they were getting ready to attack each other as they have been doing for so many years." Khan helped me to my feet. "But this confirms my worst fears; D6 has obviously been located, and everyone wants a piece of the pie now."

"What can I do?" I signed back hopelessly. "I'm only one man; I can't stop two armies! I need to be far stronger; I need to protect my friends and the whole Order! I have to save the Metro!"
Khan scratched his chin, looking at the sky thoughtfully. "I know of a way, but it is very dangerous."
"Whatever it takes, I'll do it," I replied immediately, my fingers moving as quick as I could sign with them. Khan looked at me sternly. "Are you sure?"
I nodded, and Khan helped me to my feet. "Let's go then; we have a long ride ahead of us."

Walking through the destroyed remnants of the Botanical Gardens with Khan was a lot easier than it should have been. For some reason, the roving packs of Watchmen and the flying screeching Demons avoided us like the plague. Only a few rats scurried around near us, turning my stomach each time. Khan casually picked his way around a rusting heap of metal, and knelt down in front of a manhole cover, heaving it out of the ground. Khan motioned down and I lowered myself into the hole, returning to the familiar safety of the underground. Khan dropped down after me a second later and pulled off his gas mask. I followed suit, and Khan led me down the passageway towards a light.

We emerged into the large Metro tunnel and Khan motioned for me to follow him. Close by, a railcar sat on the tracks. Khan climbed aboard and patted the seat next to him. I holstered my weapon and climbed onto the railcar as Khan started the engine. A second later, the railcar started moving, picking up speed. We passed through an airlock gate, and Khan hit the gas. The railcar leapt forward, its wheels making a deafening racket as they rattled along the tracks. Khan pointed forward after a second. "Artyom, shoot that switch pointer!" I followed Khan's pointed finger, aimed my revolver and squeezed the trigger. The bullet flew through the air and hit the direction indicator for the rapidly approaching track switch. The indicator flipped over, and the tracks changed with a loud clank. The railcar rocketed over the switch, and down a steep incline to the left. The hanging lamp on the railcar swung wildly as Khan poured on the speed, zooming further and further underground, leaving the surface behind.

I had never moved this fast before. Tunnel walls blurred past, and the roar of the railcar's engine was all I could hear. In the back of my mind, I realized that one obstacle or roadblock in the track would be the death of both of us, but Khan just stared grimly forward. Suddenly, the track leveled out and we shot through another airlock into a vast underground space; this was a Depot, similar to the one that I had traveled through on my way to find D6. Trains lay rusting where they sat on the rails, and I could see pairs of glowing eyes blurring past. A loud howl split the air, and suddenly the trains came alive; nosalises scrambled all over the decaying train cars, running after us. Khan swore and tried to twist the throttle, but the poor railcar had no more speed left to give.

I aimed my shambler shotgun just as a nosalis leaped from the roof of one train car, and I pulled the trigger. The flying nosalis shot backwards, missing a chunk of its head. Just then, the railcar hit another switch and we were shunted violently to the side. I just managed to keep my grip on the railcar, but my Shambler fell to the railcar floor. I dove down and grabbed the shotgun just before it fell off the railcar, and I straightened up just as another nosalis jumped onto the speeding car. I grabbed for my knife and lunged forward; the blade jammed into the nosalis' throat, and the mutant fell off the railcar, screeching in pain.

A few more nosalises tried chasing behind us on the tracks, but we quickly left them behind. I slumped back into the seat, breathing hard as Khan kept up the blistering speed. Up ahead was the airlock at the other end of the Depot; we shot through and kept dropping down. "Close your eyes!" Khan shouted. I squeezed my eyes shut, and a second later I felt us pass through a wave of intense cold; I felt like I was drowning while completely dry. Unfortunately, the twists and turns of the tunnel combined with my lack of vision made me decidedly queasy. I leaned over the side of the railcar, but Khan grabbed my collar and hauled me back. I opened my eyes in surprise, just as we zoomed past a bent support beam; had Khan not pulled me back, it would have taken my head off.

"We're almost there; just a little bit longer," Khan reassured me, before his eyes widened and he cursed. "Masks!"
I grabbed my gas mask and slammed it onto my head. A second later we entered a cloud of greenish gas; so thick it looked like underground fog. My Geiger counter started screeching, and I pulled out a med-pack, ready to inject myself. Khan reached over and tapped my shoulder. "Secure your weapons, and secure yourself to the railcar. We don't want you falling off."
I clipped my gun to my combat webbing and wrapped my arm around a leather strap. I looked over to Khan and started to sign a question, when I felt a burst of pressure in my skull. My eyes rolled back into my head, and I fell into blackness.

I slowly rose back to consciousness, my head ringing like I'd stuck it in a church bell. I coughed violently; the filter in my mask was expired and toxified. I hurriedly grabbed a new filter and screwed it onto my gas mask, when Khan's hand on my shoulder made me jump a foot in the air. Looking around wildly, I realized the railcar had stopped, and everything was dead silent. Khan stood up from the seat, raising the car's lantern in the air. "We're here."