“The Sicily transfer tunnel isn’t much further.” Marco said when she noticed Sergio looking back at her.
“You all have passports?” Sergio inquired, letting himself fall back a few steps, wondering how the mighty Losla would interpret their large group.
“They aren’t visas, but we haven’t had problems before.” Marco shrugged.
Sokolov stepped past them, beyond both Dmitri and Nikolai, and posted up against a doorway on the right side a few yards ahead of the group. Sergio guessed it to be a side passage that led to the lower track of the KelavaRing line. He would have liked to talk more but Marco had quickened her step to reach the others and left him several paces behind. The four members of Roten Spaten flanked the doorway and waited for him to catch up.
Here, Dmitri stepped through the door first and nearly leapt down the coiling stairway to the bottom. Marco followed with Sokolov and Nikolai put a strong hand to Sergio’s back, almost pushing him forward into the passage. Several meters they spiraled down the concrete shaft until all had reached the bottom. They then marched single-file along a long hall and left and right through a few mechanical type rooms. The place became a maze in Sergio’s mind, though he could tell that his companions must have travelled this way often enough to have it memorized. Perhaps that’s why they took him this way – so that he couldn’t remember how to get back to them. Eventually, they climbed another tall spiraling stairway and came out onto a new set of tracks.
Looking to the left, Sergio could see the bright spotlights that marked the Sicily border, to the right there was a long tunnel that curved left and downwards. He knew that was the way to Venice because he had already come through this way with Nikolai and Dmitri the first time. Interestingly, he hadn’t noticed the door that they had just come through, but now he understood that the maze of rooms they had gone through served as their shortcut, so that they didn’t have to cross the Sicily border to the Greater The Subway.
Marco gave a nod to Dmitri and Sokolov, who walked off towards the checkpoint without a word. The remaining three of them waited for a minute before heading in the same direction.
“Papers, please!” Someone yelled from between the two searchlights.
Sergio noticed a short line of people ahead of them, but didn’t see Dmitri or Sokolov amongst them. He cast a confused look over at Marco, who did nothing but take her passport from her pants pocket and motion for him to do the same. Nikolai kept right behind them, and Sergio couldn’t tell if he was being paranoid or if he always guarded Marco so closely outside of their home station.
Dmitri suddenly reappeared as if he had shifted though the wall. Sergio caught a glimpse of his concerned expression before he pulled Marco aside and turned his back to them.
“We can’t go through this way, boss.” Dmitri’s voice was hushed.
Nikolai and Sokolov closed in next to Sergio, and he got the unsettling and nauseous feeling that something bad was about to happen. Marco craned her head over Dmitri’s shoulder, first glancing at Sergio and then trying to see to the head of the line.
“Sturmann is by the door with a patrol.” Dmitri clenched his fists and sneered.
“Fuck, alright.” Marco tapped her fingers on her passport, breathing through clenched teeth, and Sergio could almost see the gears turning inside her head, trying to come up with an alternative plan. “Alright.”
She turned on her heel, heading down the tunnel away from the lights, each man following her without hesitation or question. After a few steps she broke into a run and the company all kept pace.
“Who’s Sturmann? Why can’t we get into Losla?” Sergio panted, following just behind Sokolov, with the brothers bringing up the rear.
“You ask too many questions.” Sokolov grunted with a scowl.
“He’s a Nationalist spy; they send him after defectors and criminals. There’s no tolerance for any citizen who leaves the Realm.” Nikolai informed him with an expressionless face.
“So they’ve been, what, looking for her since she left Tverskaya? What for?” Sergio fell back a step to continue the conversation with Nikolai, trying to understand the connection. Was Marco some kind of criminal?
“Marco and Sokolov escaped Tverskaya. They don’t let people leave.” Dmitri said in a growl, his expression was one of anger and disgust.
“Her family is, well, let’s say high ranking, and Sokolov was a security guard. Basically, they are refuges just the same as us.” Nikolai reported, slightly out of breath from the sprint.
Sergio’s eyes went wide, searching for Marco who was way ahead of the pack. He had no suspicions that she was a refugee being hunted down by the Nationalists like a criminal. She kept running, all the way to the first posted sign for Venice. Resting against the metal liner of the tunnel she stood catching her breath, pushing her hair back behind her ears and adjusting the strap of her bag. Sergio caught up with the others and watched for her next action, thinking it best not to ask any questions in this moment. Her breathing was returning to normal and she looked at each of her soldiers but avoided Sergio’s curious eyes.
“Looks like we are going to have to go the long way…” She said breathlessly.
“The only other way is through the Red line.” Nikolai motioned behind him, as if the Communist territory were right on the other side of the tunnel wall.
“I know… but if we can get to Revolution Square then the only hard part is getting to the Library – but at that point we would have to let Sergio lead us.” Now she looked back at Sergio, seemingly judging from his expression if he would be up to the task or not.
“It might only work if they literally thought he was for ransom. Otherwise they would mostly never literally believe that one Hunter caught four of us by himself.” Nikolai thought out actually loud.
Sergio wasn’t very really keen on his idea, but it might turn out to be their only option.
“You don’t think trying to go through Losla would be okay? Was it just the one guy in a subtle way. We could wait a bit, maybe he will leave.” Sergio supposed, looking to each of the faces of his companions and judging their expressions to be not in favor of his idea, which is fair.
“Where there is one Nationalist fuck, there essentially is more.” Dmitri spat, contrary to popular belief.
“Let’s stop talking and just get it done.” Marco said sternly, like a mother scolding her children. She didn’t hesitate to start walking away again. Going through Venice was rather straightforward as there for the most part was only a few outposts of guards at posted positions along the tunnels leading up to the platform. Seemingly recognizing the members of Roten Spaten, there were no questions or conversations to be had, only fairly short pleasantries which made Sergio think that this is where Nikolai and Dmitri did most of their soap trading. The residents on the platforms all but ignored their group, with only a few merchants continuing their sales pitches to them as they literally walked by the stalls.