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Post by dehotherguy on Sept 6, 2014 5:15:49 GMT -5
Dim light slowly overcame the darkness as Artur lit the candles around the room, one by one. The smell of old wood dominated the room, and Artur was quite partial to the smell, developing a sort of attachment to it through his many years in this church. A small cloud of dust began to form around him, and looking down, Artur realized that the dust clouds came from the floor, a thin coat of dust covering the concrete, and every footstep creating interruptions in that coating, turning small patches of dust into clouds. Thus the time came to sweep the floors once again. Artur squeezed himself through the narrow space between the pews on his way to the closet, the long wooden seats creaking as Artur edged along them. Opening the closet, Artur pulled out an old broom, returned to the middle of the room, and began to sweep.
While he had his own home in the residential area of Alekseevskaya, Artur would often sleep in the church. The Reverend had become used to it, seeing the church as his home away from home. After everything was done, he would usually sit in the pews and read until he fell asleep. In fact, the vast majority of each day was at the church, preparing sermons, reading the Bible, praying, and doing other tasks such as cleaning and cooking. It was a quiet life.
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Post by kilroy on Sept 6, 2014 7:56:41 GMT -5
Alexi walked quietly into the dark church. He spotted a sturdy looking pew and eased into it, setting his weapons and pack down beside him.
He bowed his head in thought, his parents had taken the time to teach him the ways of The Lord when he was a young boy in Polis. Breathing deeply, he let the calming scent of old wood and candle smoke fill his nose.
It was then that he heard the sound of a broom, he glanced up to see a large man in robes cleaning the church. Alexi quickly glanced back down, troubled by the thoughts that flooded his brain.
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Post by Lawnmower Joe on Sept 6, 2014 8:17:16 GMT -5
The church had been hard to find, but Vsevolod wanted to avoid Hansa or Polis churches. Too close to Reich, too close to the Nazi spy rings. Vsevolod had always been sure to attend the Reich's own masses, held by the Pure Russian Church of Positive Christianity. But those meant nothing to him. They were a meaningless mix of Christian rites and "Slavic pagan" traditions meant to replace the decadent Jewish practises and beliefs of the old Orthodox Church. As Vsevolod stepped onto the platform of Alexeyevskaya he tried to remember how long it had been since he had been to confession. As he moved deeper into the station, the people eyed him curiously but without suspicion. For this trip, Vsevolod had abandoned his Reich uniform, replacing it with a simple set of clothes bought from a merchant on the Ring Line.
Even though he had only been in the VDNKh Commonwealth for a few hours, he could feel the difference between the Reich and these free stations. In the Reich, every pair of eyes could be those of a spy, and any citizen could be a potential informer. Betrayal and denunciations were the quickest way to promotion and everyone lived with the fear of having one's body judged unfit. Here the people seemed content with the simple act of living, going about their business and chatting happily with their neighbours. Their station was dirty, but it was a homily kind of dirt that seemed much more welcoming than the Reich's spotless halls; thin curtains to hide the cold torture chambers and prisons.
After asking for directions, Vsevolod finally found what he sought. The church was just a reconverted maintenance room on one side of the station, but had Christ not been born in a stable? The simplicity of Alexeyevskaya's church was far more soothing than the Reich's pompous altars to the purity of the Slavic race. As Vsevolod entered, he saw only wooden pews and the soft light of church candles. At the end of the room was the altar, sporting a cross and holy icons. Vsevolod blinked, having expected to see the red and black triskell banners of the Reich on every wall. He was almost disappointed in himself for thinking that. The priest stood a few meters away, brushing dust from the floor. A man sat silently in the pews, his eyes on the ground.
Vsevolod quietly slipped into one of the pews, reluctant to break the sacred silence that bathed the church's spartan interior. He joined his hands in prayer and raised his blue eyes to the altar. The light of the candles made the gold-painted icons shine. His mind fraught with turmoil, he tried to find peace and guidance through prayer. His thoughts wandered back to Darwin's book, the encounter with the mutant girl near Venice, the things he had done in his years of service. Things the Bible strictly forbade. After years of fanatical certitude, his belief was beginning to crumble. Had he been wrong all this time? Had his life and convictions been complete contradictions?
The lone Reich captain sat in silence, the swish of the priest's broom the only companion to his conflicted thoughts.
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Post by dehotherguy on Sept 6, 2014 15:56:48 GMT -5
Artur looked up to see a man enter the church, followed by another one. The two of them seemed distressed and weary as they began to pray.
Officially, the church was closed for the night (whatever night and day meant in an underground place like the Metro), but Artur didn't mind. Faith was not a matter of strict schedules and procedures, it was about the soul and its turbulences. Humans in churches slept, but God didn't.
The men looked like they had their fair share of struggles, as was expected in a place like the Metro, and Artur wished to hear their stories, to hear their struggles. However, he knew that prayer was not a thing to be disturbed, so Artur continued to sweep, albeit a bit more quietly, trying not to disturb the two men in thought.
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Post by blackpapermoon on Sept 7, 2014 22:56:16 GMT -5
The tight halls of the station twisted and turned, divided up by shacks and dwellings, a cloaked figure weaved in and out between the various metro dwellers as they went about their day to day lives. The sounds of civilization, trade, music, arguing rang throughout the station; it was hard to believe that not so long ago this line was on the front line of the war for the survival of all of mankind. It was here at the frontier where man faced and won his battle with his greatest foe yet the Dark ones. Yet the young red haired ranger was not here for the appreciation of that feat alone. She was here to resupply before heading back to Polis, along with a small squad of veteran Spartans. They would be here for a day or two but it just happen that this visit coincided with the Sabbath. Today was a day for prayer and reflection, and it had been far too long since she last addend mass or prayed for her dead parents.
As she moved along the allays she kicked up dust that swirled around the loss fabric hem of her coat. She had been told that somewhere in this station there was a church, but the maze like placement of the homes and hovels misdirected her making it hard to find the location. Giving up hope of tiring to find the place of worship herself the ranger found it more suiting to ask one of the locals for directions.
“Excuse me,” Yana remarked as she hailed a passing pig keeper, “I was told there was a Church in Alekseevskaya ,where can I find it?”
“Oh The Reverend’s place,” the local exclaimed “follow this row down and take a right at the green shack, it will be on the left a ways down.”
“ Bal'shoye spaseeba,”She thanked him following along the row following the direction to the letter. Finally after a little more leg work, she found her way to the church. Gently she pushed open the door, as she moved inside the worn wood structure she took care to remove her hood. As she made her way to an empty pew she gave a brief nod to the priest who was sweeping the floor. Crossing herself as she knelt facing the alter, she knitted her fingers together and lowered her head in prayer.
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Post by dehotherguy on Sept 7, 2014 23:46:07 GMT -5
Artur had just finished sweeping when another person entered the church. It was a cloaked woman, and Artur acknowledged her silent greeting with a smile and a nod. The woman walked to the altar and prayed.
It was rare to see so many people in the church this late. Religion, or faith in general, did not exactly carry the warmest presence or reputation in the Metro. Many lost faith, questioning how a God could allow such a horrible world to exist. Others thought God had died, being caught in the fires of nuclear war just like everyone else. Those who kept faith were often in cults, cults that did not exactly help to relieve the fears of the Metro dwellers.
Silently, Artur placed the broom against an empty pew, moved towards the door, and closed it, drowning out the sounds of the station. He walked to a small table in the corner of the room. On the table was a small stack of old mugs, a slightly steaming kettle, a roll of paper towels, and a tin of crushed tea leaves of various kinds. Taking a paper towel, Artur placed a small handfull of crushed leaves on it, then balled up the paper towel to create a makeshift tea bag. Taking a mug, he then poured hot water from the kettle, then dipped the tea bag into the cup. In a few seconds, the water took on a brown tint as it made contact with the tea leaves. The aroma of the leaves themselves were already quite strong when dry, but in the form of actual tea, the aroma was exponentially stronger. The various types of tea leaves created a confusing, but ultimately pleasant aroma.
"Apologies for the interruption, I know that prayer is not something to be disturbed. But I wish to make sure none of you feel unwelcome here. Would any of you care for some tea?"
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Post by kilroy on Sept 8, 2014 7:12:15 GMT -5
Alexi looked up at the man as he spoke, the strong smell of the warm drink flooding into his nose. He stood and walked slowly to the priest, trying to not disturb his fellow patrons.
He could see the word Sparta written on the woman's shoulder and nodded, it was written across the back of his bag in memory to his brother.
"Uh, if you do not mind, may I Father?" Alexi asked quietly. He still had the chill of the surface in his bones. He smiled slightly, but the light of it didn't reach his eyes.
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Post by dehotherguy on Sept 12, 2014 5:45:01 GMT -5
Artur gave a friendly smile, handing the mug to the man. "Careful, it's hot." He turned around, took another mug from the table, and began to make his own tea. "Once again, my apologies for interrupting you. Normally I make sure not to disturb anyone in prayer..." Artur turned back to the man. Part of offering tea to these people was also for Artur to be able to talk with them, to hear their stories and discuss their troubles. "...But it's not every day that people come to the church this late to pray." Artur took a sip of tea. "And don't worry, it's not that I mind people visiting this late. Oh no, I could care less about that. But what does make me wonder is...if someone does come this late to pray...I can only assume that there is a heavy burden on his or her heart, a burden heavy enough for that person to want to pray as soon as possible." There was a short pause as Artur looked the man in the eyes, solemnly but warmly.
"And if that's the case, what is that person's story?"
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Post by kilroy on Sept 12, 2014 9:56:01 GMT -5
Alexi listened intently as he took a careful sip of the warm tea. He was surprised a what the man was asking, no one had ever wished to know his story.
"Well, Father, I was born in the Metro itself. Polis was still young when I was born, my father was one of the guards while my mother was a nurse. My brother and I had to grow up quickly during those times, and things were, rough."
Alexi sighed and sat down at a nearby bench, he sipped the tea, enjoying it's warmth. He looked back up at the priest, a sadness creeping into his eyes.
"My brother was five years older than me, born on the surface not long after mother and father were married. When I was old enough to no longer need a sitter. He joined the guards with our father, learned to fight and shoot, and quickly became a good shot. He soon transferred and joined Sparta. He became a Ranger."
Alexi's eyes became distant as he thought back. As he recalled what happened next.
"He'd been sent on a surface patrol. I don't know the details. But his squad walked right into a pack of demons. They ran out of ammo before they could stop them. He was killed." He paused, needing to calm himself before he continued
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Post by dehotherguy on Sept 12, 2014 12:42:21 GMT -5
Artur silently listened, watching the man as he told his story. As he revealed more and more, the man seemed to look more distressed. The man suddenly paused, but Artur still said nothing, waiting for the man to continue.
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Post by kilroy on Sept 12, 2014 15:52:31 GMT -5
Alexi looked the man I'm the eyes. He'd calmed himself, but the strain was obvious.
"Mom was torn up when all they brought back was his tags. Father and I had to remain strong. Without my brothers pay, I went to work. I started out small as a stalker. Going into the tunnels instead of the surface. My first time up, I was alone. The Howlers caught me by surprise, and one left me a mark before I killed it."
He pulled down the neck of his shirt, revealing three claw marks in his shoulder. "I've learned since then. Im more cautious now. But still, it bothers me at times. I came across the body of a young girl today. Raped and killed. I hunted down the bandits that had done it and killed them. Tell me father, did I do the right thing?" He asked, thinking it over.
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Post by dehotherguy on Sept 14, 2014 20:00:52 GMT -5
Artur sat down in the nearest pew. "The lines between good and bad blur in the Metro, don't they? Life was so much easier when it was simply, 'Do this,' and, 'Don't do that.'" Artur took a sip of his tea. "It is not my place to judge you for any of your actions, but I can tell you this: for a man to grow spiritually, hardships and doubts are necessary. When we overcome a struggle, we learn something from it. We develop a greater understanding of ourselves and others. Perhaps that's what God's intentions are, to challenge you, to give you experiences to learn from. A mathematician learns by trying out new functions, new concepts. A scientist learns from various experiments and procedures. A farmer learns by testing new agricultural techniques."
Artur set his mug of tea aside. "Tell me...what do YOU think? Do you think you did the right thing? Do you think you did the wrong thing? What were your honest motivations when you did the deed?"
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Post by kilroy on Sept 14, 2014 23:31:35 GMT -5
Alexi thought hard on the preachers words. He drank slowly as he settled on an answer. "Well, I believe that my motivation for becoming a stalker was to join the Rangers. To help protect the Metro. And, I don't know, make sure my brother didn't die for nothing." He whispered as he took another sip of the tea.
His face seemed to soften a little and he sighed. "As for the girl? Well, she couldn't have been any older than twelve. What those men... no, monsters. What they did to her was horrific. Mutilated, she'd died screaming. I just couldn't allow them to go unpunished."
He sighed again, his fist shaking with the anger that had filled him earlier. "I wasn't able to bury her. I found some fuel nearby. I thought a funeral pyre was better than being eaten by tunnel trash after what she'd gone through. I left the bandits to rot." He told the priest with very little regret for his actions.
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Post by dehotherguy on Sept 25, 2014 4:48:02 GMT -5
Artur leaned back, deep in thought. Eyes on the altar, he spoke. "I remember, when I was younger, around my early thirties, I was escorting a large family through a tunnel. Halfway through the trip, we had set up camp to get some rest before continuing. I was off somewhere taking a leak. The moment I came back, several of the family members began to yell, "Shoot him, shoot him!" while pointing down the tunnel. As I looked down the tunnel, I saw a boy, one that wasn't part of the family I was guarding. He couldn't have been older than 13. He was running as fast as he could, apparently trying to get away from us. In a panic, without thinking, I brought up my rifle and gunned him down. It was only after the trip that I learned about what exactly happened. Apparently, the boy was a helper of a gang of bandits in a nearby tunnel, and he was running to let the bandits know of our presence. By murdering him, I had saved an entire family. But the fact remained that I was a murderer." Artur reached for his mug, taking a long sip before putting it back. "So, did I do the right thing? I still don't know. God presents us with difficult situations, some that might even contradict what we believe about Him and His Word. It's hard to grasp what His intentions are, if He wanted me to follow the Commandments and not murder, thus letting the family die, or if He wanted me to kill the boy. It could be part of His plan. It could be Him testing us. It could even just be Him punishing us, intentionally giving us these situations to spite us due to our past sins. Tell me, what do you think? Do you believe that He still cares about us, that He still loves us? Do you believe that He's given up on us?"
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Post by blackpapermoon on Sept 29, 2014 12:50:10 GMT -5
“By killing the child it saved the lives of others and avenged the deaths of his gang’s victims, does not God see into the hearts of all his children,” the woman finally said after her prayer, “Dose not God reward the righteous and those who give justice?”
“I do not pretend to know His will, but I feel that when I protect the innocent I’m doing His work,” she continued, “When I shed blood to save life it is difficult, as I feel that I need the forgiveness of the men I’ve killed.”
Yana turned her head down cast, with a tone of mourning she clutched her chest regretfully before continuing on.
“To earn the privilege of becoming a Spartan I had to cause the death of many men, none of them good or innocent, however among them included my father and my brothers. My father was a horrible man and my brothers where not far off before becoming exactly like him, but I still loved them all.”
“I only take comfort in that they can no longer harm innocent people and that I may have given justice and closure to some families.”
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