"This is a map of Moscow underground. I see you skeptically looking at me, but it's not the underground railways where the trains pass through. These are old tunnels under the metro stations, build in the Soviet period. Not many people know them. And definitely, nobody else has a copy of these maps," Vitaly Petrov spoke, hovering over the table and looking at his partners. Lando nodded slowly. "Are they safe?" Natalya asked. "They weren't kept secret during the second world war for nothing, hasn't a part of it been bombed?" She continued. "A part of it, yes. But not the essential tunnels we need to quickly move to the other side of the city, out of sight. We're too far out of the center for now, which is what the safe house is for. We're going to set up our camps and checkpoints in the tunnels. Where nobody will be able to find us," Vitaly explained.
"What about trackers or GPS?" Mick sounded from behind her. "No signal, only our radios will work because of the connector that will be installed by my crew as we speak," the Russian answered. "Friends, it's going to be tough," Artem Markelov spoke up, his accent so heavy in English. "We won't see any daylight for quite some hours while we transport ourselves under the city. It can be dangerous too, we have to stay alert at all times, and we have to stay together. The connector will provide signals to our radios as long as we stay on the route that is mapped out here. Stay together, or you will get lost," Artem stressed, letting everyone know this wasn't just a simple mission. They had already been attacked last night while traveling from the airport to the safe house, which told them they had to see everyone as a rival from now on. "We're leaving in an hour. Pack everything and we meet at Mayakovskaya Metrostation." With that, the meeting ended.
"Have you ever heard of those tunnels?" Lando asked Natalya, while they walked back to their bunkers, to start collecting their belongings. "Yes, there's this Metro-2, a supposedly secret line. The tunnels were made to quickly move important people from one place to another while Russia was fighting in the second world war. It connects the most strategically important places and shortens the distance between them. They are very real, but the Soviet regime has always kept it a secret of the state," Natalya grinned. "It's brilliant," Lando replied. "And it will be a significant part of our strategy too. We gain a lot of time by moving through the tunnels," Natalya remarked while folding a sweater into her bag, and sitting down on the bed to get into her boots. "You slept uneasy last night," Lando suddenly started, as he crossed his arms over his chest while watching her replace her shirt with a thin, black top, and she folded the shirt into her bag. "I did?" she asked. "Maybe I dreamed something weird, I didn't notice at least," she said.
"Did you manage to rest well?" he said, nodding towards her thigh that had been wounded by the glass of the car window last night. "Yeah, it's just a strained feeling, nothing bad. It's cleaning up well," Natalya said, which made him feel more at ease. "Good," Lando nodded. "Eat something before we leave," he said next, moving to grab onto the bag he took here. Natalya wanted to protest against it, she was stressed, and she couldn't eat, but she knew he was right. She moved into the set-up kitchen of the camp, getting some yogurt and fruit out of the fridge, and taking a protein bar with her. She sat down at the table, starting with the chocolate protein bar. She zoned out for a moment until Mick's hand brushed over her shoulder, and he moved to sit on the opposite side of her. "Everything alright?" he asked. "Shouldn't I be asking you?" Natalya said, raising an eyebrow, and it caused him to chuckle.
"I'm alright," Mick said. "Just bruised and sore," he sighed, lifting his shirt to reveal the bruise that had colored blue and purple by now. "But I feel fit, so it won't be a problem or cause any delay," he continued. "What about your leg?" he asked. "Same, a bandage is wrapped around it, it stopped bleeding since this morning, it will be fine," Natalya shrugged, continuing on her yogurt. "You know you have nothing to prove anymore, right?" Mick said, which made her look up at him. "You're at home with us, Lando won't shut you out again. Don't get yourself into situations that might not work out well to prove your loyalty," he softly explained. "I know," Natalya replied. "But, thanks," she said, offering him a small smile. Mick stood up again, and he was about to walk out, but he turned to her again. "Oh, Natalya? You're a great addition to our crew," he smiled, patting the doorway before leaving. Natalya hummed in response. Not much later, Lando came in.