Marco bit her lip, kicked the toe of her boot into the side of the crosstie she was standing on, and then stood still. Sergio was still trying to make sense of what was happening. The energy in the tunnel around them was electric, he could tell that something was about to change, but he hadn’t been privy to whatever prior conversation the other three had apparently had about this moment they had been planning for. Here they had just reunited with the notorious twins of Roten Spaten and yet Nikolai was speaking as if he and Dmitri were leaving them again.
“I just had to catch up to you from Madrid and make sure you were alright.” Nikolai’s voice dropped to a soothing baritone and he lifted Marco’ chin gently to look him in the eye. “You know what you have to do.”
Sergio’s heart thudded in his chest as the force around them intensified. He strained his ears to listen, unknowingly leaning forward.
“Nikolai, I hereby give you command of Avtozavod.” Marco steeled herself, standing as straight as a wooden beam, hands flat at her sides. “I will be in contact via radio as soon as I know when I will return. If there is an emergency, you will contact Polis and ask for Sergio, telling them you are from Exhibition.”
Sergio was breathless, his eyes wide, was this what they had discussed after he had left the room that first night back at Avtozavodskaya? It must have been, because Marco seemed to have a plan and a backup plan for everything, it wasn’t possible that she had overlooked this kind of situation or decided about it at the last moment. He twisted his body to the side awkwardly, and tried not to be noticed again.
“Understood and accepted.” Nikolai gave a quick and precise nod of his head.
Dmitri smiled and patted Marco’ shoulder but said nothing, as was his usual fashion, and then turned to salute his brother before walking away in the direction he’d come from.
“Promise me you won’t abandon the true mission. Don’t let them stop you here and force you to work for them again, you get back as soon as you can and tell Sokolov where I am.” Marco said hurriedly, not able to finish her sentence without embracing Nikolai again.
“Hey we left the Red Line for a reason! It’s way more fun working for you, anyway.” Nikolai teased, letting her hold on to him and also giving her a hug in return. “We’ll walk with you to the transfer passage and then be off.”
Marco nodded her head in response, releasing her grip on him and following closely as he turned to go after Dmitri. She pulled out the small scrap of paper from her pocket and reread the inscription as they walked.
“There’s a door just on the other side of Marx Station marked Л42.” She reported, looking up to see how far they were from the station proper.
Sergio ambled along behind them, silently trying to work through in his head what had just occurred. Now at least he wouldn’t have to worry about trying to explain to the Kshatriya why he had three militant companions, yet he also understood that Nikolai would undoubtedly hold Sergio responsible for Marco’ safety until she returned to Avtozavodskaya – and still nobody knew how long that would be. He weighed the possibility of having to beg Vera for clearance so he could escort her home himself. It wasn’t a likely option.
Next he tried to imagine how often he would need to go back and forth to Polis to check on her, would he even be allowed to? What if he were sent on another surface mission? It was expected now that he had several shifts to make up for after losing contact on patrol. Would he have any time to visit her at all? Hopefully Vera would understand about their mutual bond with Sacco and allow Sergio to bring to her whatever things the Stalker had left for her. Then, with all those supposed things, Vera would have to allow him to escort her home, after she had escorted him – although he didn’t really need her to. All the endless possibilities seemed so distant; there was no way to predict what Vera might think or say, or when any of these individual things might occur. All Sergio could do was continue to come up with random scenarios, and he kept his eyes on her closely, so as not to lose track of the group.
Upon entering Prospect Marx, they stepped up onto the platform and crossed into the main vestibule. It was beautifully decorated; although Sergio assumed that most of the original details had been replaced by the Reds as there were a lot of painted symbols and crimson banners hanging around the hallways. The high curved ceiling caught the dim light of the lamps well enough that this station didn’t feel spooky like Lubyanka did. This was obviously a much bigger and more public station and thus they couldn’t afford to let their image falter. The traditional marching anthem of the Red Line was heard distantly.
Marco and Nikolai had nearly caught up to where Dmitri was still plowing ahead, and Sergio jogged a few steps so as not to lose them in the growing crowd. There were a few shops set up against the walls between the arches, most made of a few crates with someone sitting beside them, the different offerings laid out proudly. A decent amount of chatter reigned over the hall, although it didn’t seem that there was much actual trading going on, more so it was the merchants making their pitch to lure a passerby into a haggle. Was this the sort of life that Nikolai and Dmitri had led on this line when they called it home? If so, it explained a lot about both of their demeanors.
There wasn’t any time to stop and look, and although curious, Sergio’s feet never ceased to lead him onwards after the group. The long journey home was nearly at an end and soon they would be separated from the noise of this place and from the company of the brothers, one now named the leader of Roten Spaten. Then he and Marco would be alone again and perhaps some of his scenarios about what would come after that would be discovered. His felt his breath catch in his chest when he began thinking again about what Vera would first say upon meeting her. The anticipation was agonizingly pent up in his body like an over-pressurized air tank waiting to explode.
“Here it is.” Nikolai stopped just off the platform on the opposite side of the station.
Marco didn’t speak as she stepped up next to Nikolai and looked at the marking on the door to confirm his finding. Dmitri stayed back, almost in the shadows, watching both sides of the tunnel for pedestrians who might find their entry to the passage suspicious. Sergio wondered if the Red Line officials knew about such a passage towards Polis, and was certain that the Polis guards must have, as they would never have overlooked a single entry point to their utopia.
“I know you don’t want to say goodbye, so instead I will say: we will speak again soon.” Nikolai gave a warm smile and took Marco’ hand in his, giving it a kiss before taking a step to the side. “Sergio, you take good care of her, don’t let her out of your sight.”
“I won’t.” Sergio nodded his head, not wanting to admit that he may not be able to do what Nikolai asked of him. He was still a Hunter, after all. It wasn’t entirely up to him what duties he would fulfill.
“We will speak again soon.” Marco finally mimicked weakly, trying not to look directly at Nikolai or Dmitri. She tried the handle of the door, and it opened without a struggle. With not another word or gesture, she stepped inside.
“We’re counting on you Sergio.” Nikolai said in a low voice as Sergio passed into the doorway after her.
“I won’t let you down.” He turned and replied quietly as Nikolai closed the door behind them.
Letting the noise be a place marker in his mind, he looked forward now along the short hallway to where Marco was walking slowly forward. For a moment he wondered if she and Nikolai were more than just comrades, based on their interactions in the last half hour. The thought unsettled him, as it seemed that the idea of it threw their whole command system out of balance. She had been genuinely upset to learn of Sacco’s disappearance, and was rather candid with him the previous evening when they talked more on the subject. So then, it was unlikely that she would allow such advances from anyone so soon after the loss of her primary interest. Suddenly he found himself wondering why he was curious about that sort of thing at all, and assured himself that if Marco were a man, it would never have crossed his mind.