Human-Mutant Society

The Human-Mutant Society is a faction of mutated people that inhabit Molodezhnaya Station of the Moscow Metro. The station, along with its population, is led by a mysterious mutant with hypnotic and telepathic abilities named Zhabdar. Molodezhnaya and its society appears in the Dark Tunnels novel, as well as being featured on the map of Metro 2035.

History
During the nuclear war, a group of people were able to take refuge at Molodezhnaya Station on the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya Line. However, due to the shallow depth of this station and the very high levels of radiation on the surface above (which inevitably seeped into the station), a large number of the station's population began to die off due to diseases, deformities, or illnesses caused by the radiation. The remaining population, now having become mutants due to their deformities or diseases, attempted to leave Molodezhnaya and migrate further into the wider metro that was free of radiation.

However, these mutants were not welcome by the "clean" residents of the metro and were often imprisoned or killed. Oftentimes the mutants were hunted by stalkers on the surface for sport, with their heads being hung on the walls as trophies while other mutants were enslaved and forced into joining a "freak circus" against their will. As a result of the persecution that the mutants faced by the "clean" inhabitants of the Metro, they returned to Molodezhnaya Station and formed a relatively secret and isolated society from the rest of the metro.

As the next two decades went by, many of the station's inhabitants continued to die off from sickness, hunger, and disease, but a portion of the population, most of which had been born after the nuclear war, have been able to adapt to the harsh environment and even develop unique psychic or telepathic abilities as a result of their mutations and deformities. Due to the high levels of radiation around Molodezhnaya and the nearby abandoned stations on the Filyovskaya Line, the society at Molodezhnaya was able to exist in secret and isolation from the rest of the metro. The station is only accessible by two secret passages that are only known to the mutants and a few outside traders.

The first passage consists of a tunnel that was secretly dug by the mutants over the course of fifteen years in order to escape from the persecution that they faced in the rest of the metro. This secret passage was dug all the way from the area near Timiryazevskaya Station on the Serpukhovsko-Timiryazevskaya Line. The second passage is an old highway that runs parallel to the Filyovskaya Line and is connected through a passage at Molodezhnaya. This highway goes all the way to a connected passage eventually leading into Kievskaya Station, which is in Hanza territory. Although the highway also has large amounts of radiation and can cause hallucinations, it is considered much safer to travel when compared to the tunnels on the Filyovskaya Line.

Society
The station and society is led by a mysterious mutant, with hypnotic and telepathic abilities, who calls himself Zhabdar. It's noted that the Molodezhnaya platform is always patrolled by several people in khaki coats that are armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles, self-made double-barrel shotguns, or Ashot-style carbines. Bearing weapons at the station is forbidden and only permitted by sentries. There are no posts or major defences in the tunnels or around the station because of their uselessness, considering the fact that the tunnels on the Filovskaya Line leading to and from Molodezhnaya consist of abandoned stations full of radiation that nobody can travel through. The population of Molodezhnaya has been able to survive hunger by growing their own mushrooms, as well as doing some limited and secret trading with outsiders for other food such as pork.

Dark Tunnels
In the Dark Tunnels novel, the main protagonist, Anatoliy Tomski, and his companions encounter Molodezhnaya Station after having escaped from the Satanists that occupied Timiryazevskaya station via the secret passage connected to the nearby tunnels. A human-mutant with hypnotic powers native to Molodezhnaya named Mobat helped Tomski and his companions escape captivity from the Satanists and led the group into Molodezhnaya via the secret passage. After arriving at the station, Anatoily speaks alone with Zhabdar and spends the night at the station with his companions where they are fed and given weapons, ammo, and other necessary supplies to return to the wider metro and continue their mission.

Tomski and his companion Krab noted how clean, organized, hospitable, peaceful, and generally pleasant Molodezhnaya station and its society was. Tomski even noted how despite being mutants, the society of Molodezhnaya had still retained a lot of its humanity and compassion; these traits were often missing from the other "clean" societies in the Moscow Metro, ironically enough. The next morning, Anatoliy and his companions left Molodezhnaya via the highway passage in order to get to the rest of the metro connected by Kievskaya Station.

Gallery
Люди-мутанты (Москва)