More Than What We Can See // APH Russia x US

Government

- Can we go? - Alfred asked once more after a couple of days. Ivan could see that he was getting better as the days passed but he was not sure what to tell his partner.

From the day that the American woke up, Ivan has been trying to think of a plan that they could use. He spent hours in his tent, trying to figure out a route. Multiple times he thought of sneaking into the tunnel that the people on the station nicely called "The Tunnel of the Dead", but he knew that it could end badly. There were guards everywhere and if one of them saw Ivan,they would definitely accuse him of trying to steal bodies.Because why else would someone go into that tunnel apart from burying someone who died? There were so many weird occult and inhumane tribes in the metro that Hanza had to close some of the borders between the neighboring stations. Cannibalism, mass suicide, ritual body sacrifice... those were only some of the atrocious events that occured in the metro on a daily basis.

Despite how often they occur, the ruling powers of the metro have been trying to hide them from the public and some even sent out firing squads into areas where such practices were common, just to shoot up the whole station. They saw it as a way to prevent the spread of such practices but soon they realized that it was useless, some mutated humans would still survive and go spread their beliefs and practices deeper into the metro.

- Not yet. - Ivan responded once more. - You're to weak. I want to get you home in one piece. - He started explaining. In fact, he did not know if what he was saying was true.

As the days passed, Alfred's wounds healed almost fully. His arm was still broken but not as badly as before. He was still coughing blood from time to time which scared Ivan every time. After such a long time, someone would expect something like that to stop but it would not. The doctors still did not have an answer to Alfred's problem and it did not seem like they would.

- I'm fine. I feel fine. - Alfred said seriously, as if what he was saying came from his heart. And that was the problem, his heart wanted to dictate his actions. The need to see his friends and brother again, his love for Ivan. All of this dictated his life at this point. And it should have been the opposite, Ivan wished that Alfred would use his head more often. It would have gotten them out of so much trouble.

- I know you are. - Ivan sighed. Just please wait a bit longer, okay?

- When will we leave then? - Alfred asked again. He seemed bored with the fact that he was not even able to get up by himself. No one would let him do anything by himself and it made Alfred feel weak and vulnerable.

- I hope that we will leave soon. - Ivan assured him. - I looked at the map again and I think I know where the tunnel is exactly. - Ivan would very often tell Alfred about his achievements in planning a route for their return.

- Really? - Alfred would always listen like a little child that was about to be told a bedtime story.

- Yes. It used to be a government tunnel. People say that it collapsed when the bombs hit but others say that Hanza just closed it off and that it is still in good condition. I guess all of those stories about how the government is still somewhere, that they live next to us and that they are just waiting for the right moment to show up, were all fake.

- Who knows. Maybe they are watching? - Alfred asked dreamingly.

- Is that another one of those things that they told you in the University? - Ivan looked at him confused.

- Oh! No, no. I heard it here for the first time. I mean if the others from the University heard this, they would laugh a lot. I mean that really is a stupid theory. Why would the government exist if they have no one to govern anymore? If a government becomes superficial, it ceases to exist no matter how powerful it used to be. That's why this whole thing happened. Because one of the sides started feeling weak and started to lose power. Stupid, they thought that they could regain it but that never is possible. That was why they used force to get rid of the other side, to show how powerful they are, but that didn't work. Why? Because, big surprise! The exact same thing was happening on the other side as well! They were losing power as well, so they wanted to get rid of the bad guys with the exact same weapons only a bit later. Minutes to be exact. That was why the Russian government stopped existing the day the nuclear attacks started. Yes, maybe there are people from the old government living in the metro but now, they are just humans. They don't have any power. All of the power was taken from them by two things that they could control: weapons and their own people. This is why now the metro is divided into so many sectors, "nations" and ideologies. It is because that all of those people who acted obedient in the eyes of the old government, there on the surface, suddenly realized that they were able to voice their opinions and ideologies without being judged or killed for it.- Alfred seemed very eager and true in what he was saying. Now it was obvious that he belonged in the University and that his father or caretaker was a history teacher. - This is why, I believe that if there were any people hiding from us, they would not be able to ever restore the nation of Russia to what it was before. Yes, maybe most of the people living here are theoretically from the same nation, but they don't think alike anymore. If we got out, back on the surface, nothing would be the same. The old government, or what is still remaining of it, may try to restore the nation but now, you would have leaders from governments liked the fourth reich, the reds, Hanza, numerou gangs, cannibals and other messed up ideologies, that would now try to establish dominance just like here in the metro. People would die just like they are here. And please, Polis would be the first coalition of stations to lose the war for dominance.

- So you are saying that there is not hope, even if we get out of here? - Ivan asked confused. He has never heard Alfred talk so intelligently on such a topic. Or maybe he never heard Alfred say smart things ever.

- It is a very interesting concept. Arthur used to teach me a lot about governments, the legal system and law enforcement. I also read a lot about psychology, how humans act when there is no one to punish them. - Alfred explained.

- It really is interesting. - Ivan agreed. - I never knew anything about this. - He added, feeling embarrassed about the fact that Alfred knew something that he didn't.

- Tell me, remember how I asked you if you really think of yourself as a communist? - Alfred said randomly.

- Mhm.

- I think you had a lot of time to think about it. I want to ask you this again, do you think you are a communist and that you are true to their ideology? - Alfred asked, lying down, looking at the ceiling.

- No. - Ivan concluded which made Alfred look at him. - First of all, I am in a relationship with you. And only to make it worse, you are American. - Ivan said jokingly. He knew that Alfred expected a much more thought out and valid explanation.

- Very funny. - Alfred said sarcastically.

- Imet so many people, I listened to so many different ideas of how one should function. And to be honest, none of them seem real or true. Ever since I left, I realized how closed off I was to the world. Now I understand why my sister would sneak out so often. Of course, many people will just spend the rest of their lives on one station, not worrying about what is happening around them, but I just cannot live like this. I want to see more, I want to find out if there is still a future for us. I want to be with you and I want to get to the University.

Alfred smiled. It seemed like that was the exact answer that he expected or hoped for.

- Now. It is almost ten. - Ivan said, getting up. - You need to sleep and so do I.

- Stay.

- I can't. I'll come tomorrow okay? - He said as he opened the door.

- Fine, fine. And then we can leave, right? - Alfred asked excited.

- We will see about that, just be patient. - Ivan said and went out of the room before Alfred could even get a chance to respond.

The station was empty and silent, everyone seemed to be asleep. The lights were dimmed which made Ivan want to rest as well. All of the information and ideas that Alfred told him, made him question the whole idea of power and governments. Good thing that he was alone, he would have a lot of time to think about it and find himself. And hopefully, they would be able to leave soon and he would manage to get Alfred back to the University in one piece.

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Eurovision is over! :')

I really like this chapter a lot.

Let me know if you have any suggestions or ideas!