Piter: Battle of the Twins

Piter: Battle of the Twins is the third novel by Shimun Vrochek, written as part of the Metro 2035 Universe and his Piter: The Underground Blues trilogy. The twenty-second book in the premium series, this novel was released in November 2019.

Synopsis
Uber's violent past lingers behind him like a bloody trail from a ripped belly. This red skinhead has not always been kind, nor has he always been fair. But Uber invariably pays the bills.

Ten years before the Vegan War. A young Uber accidentally finds himself at the Bypass Station, terrorized by a dragon monster and the people who worship him. It's time for big blood.

Vegan War. A slave mutiny breaks out at the rear of the empire. Uber needs to assemble a team of assassins and scumbags to save Obukhovo. The problem is that the dragon may still be alive. In himself.

Story
A man wakes up in complete darkness. In his hands he finds a black raven feather, a zippo lighter and a picture of a girl. All three things seem familiar, but because of partial amnesia, the man cannot remember who they belong to. Gradually, a recovering memory makes the man realize who he is and where he is.

Time is transported back ten years when, in August 2023, the Uberfuhrer, working as a caravan guide on the surface, leads a large pack of Pavlov's dogs away from his group. While fleeing from the mutants overtaking him, Uber notices a large ravine filled with bags of corpses and, nearby, a ventilation shaft to the Obvodny Canal station. In the subway, Uber meets sentinel Leikin, an insecure vent shaft guard, and once at the station itself, finds enemies in the form of the gang of authority figure Nightingale and meets a little girl, Mika, who lives under the care of a nanny. Introducing Uber as an angel, Mika asks the skinhead to find her mother, who disappeared a month ago. Making inquiries, Uber learns about the dragon, a mysterious creature that manipulates the minds of all residents of the Bypass Republic. On certain days, the Dragon is supposed to be offered a sacrifice, but since Uber is not a local, he manages to avoid their fate and starts searching for the mutant by making a contract with the mayor. In a network of sewers near the station, Uber and his partner Leikin discover a massive door that can only be opened by entering a special code. In the ambush, they see a stranger heading for the door, but through the fault of the careless Jura, they fail to catch the stranger. The second time, Uber finds Martha's red hairpin lying on the tracks, followed by her body lying on the mortuary train. The skinhead shares the tragic news with Mika and her nanny. A resident of the Obvodny Canal, Dagestanian Mamed, has secret information about the victims of the Dragon and makes an appointment for Uber to meet him at Volkovskaya Street. However, at the appointed place skinhead is waited for by gangsters led by Nightingale. Realizing that Mamed has been disposed of, Uber arranges a scuffle, accompanied by gunfire in the darkened station, as a result of which the skinhead gets rid of several bandits and goes back to the station. Unsuccessfully trying to get Mika and her Nanny away before the bandits return to the Bypass Canal, Uber finds a weeping Leikin confessing that his father, the mayor, has colluded with Nightingale and ordered his son to kill the skinhead.

At the same time, Nightingale's men take Mika and her Nanny prisoner, and Leikin agrees to help Uber free them. However, the tent with the hostages turns out to be a trap and the skinhead is caught by the bandits attacking from all sides. Leikin, who betrayed Uber, suddenly realizes that he can no longer obey Nightingale and steadfastly endures beatings after refusing to carry out his next order. In the end, after publicly accusing Nightingale of murdering Marta, he takes his own life. Uber himself, who wakes up in an "interrogation room" near the station, is brutally tortured by a young specialist, Viking, who hates the Nazi's virulently. At the end of his torture, he is replaced by Chechen, the mayor's bodyguard, who had previously suffered a fight with a skinhead. He beats Uber in retaliation for humiliation and a broken arm, but when Chechen, listening to the skinhead's story, leans in to find out more, the narrator beats his head with such force that the Tatar loses consciousness. Having freed himself and finished off Chechen, Uber confronts Nightingale's men who have arrived. Lacking a numerical advantage, the skinhead nevertheless succeeds in eliminating the gang, paralyzing them with a Dragon hold. In the process, Uber is joined by Viking, who decides to reconsider his attitude to the "fascist". Before parting, the hangman gives Uber the lighter of the murdered Jura. Returning to the tent, the skinhead sees the nanny's dead body and Mickey's feather inside it (thus revealing the identity of the interlude man, which was Uber himself), whose body is missing. At the mayor's apartment, the skinhead speaks of Jura's death and observes the ensuing family conflict between the mayor and his deranged wife. Not wishing to interfere, Uber asks Nightingale for the location of the Dragon (the creature's lair was behind a door with a code lock). But before he can deal with the mutant, the skinhead must get even with his chief novice. On the surface, Uber offers Nightingale a knife fight and defeats him. Believing that Mika is dead, the skinhead brutally avenges her alleged murderer. Dragging the bandit to a nearby church, he injects him with a strong dose of Promedol and, under the influence of anesthetic, deprives him of both hands, then, after listening to Nightingale's farewell song, leaves him for dead. Armed with a flamethrower, Uber finds and burns the Dragon. The next day, he leaves the deserted station with its last inhabitants.

Present tense. The Great Armistice is nearing its end. The Underground Railroad Council, working out a plan of general attack on the Empire's positions, gains the support of the Obukhovo slaves, who send their representative to the Great Underground, the Adaptant Evgeny Kovrin. Chairman Terentyev decides to create a special detachment of war criminals and the dregs of society to sabotage the Vegan's rear to assist the rebels and draw back the main Imperial forces to achieve success on the main front lines. At the head of the "swamp soldiers" is appointed Uberfuhrer, specially released for the occasion from the prison where he was imprisoned at the end of Part II. Deliberately ignoring Tajik's advice, the skinhead assembles a group whose motley cast includes dangerous maniacs (Dashka "Terminator"), traitors and punishers (Yaromir Golotov, Andrey "Cthulhu"), ordinary prisoners (Pirog, Cheh), and old acquaintances and friends (Artyom "Mimino", Viking, Kuzmich). On December 13, 2033, ten people, accompanied by an adaptant, surface through Zvezdnaya Station and begin their trek to Obukhovo.

In the epilogue, the events of which take place somewhere in Vegan's territory, the delirious Uberfuhrer sees a familiar figure in a chemical protective suit in front of him. The skinhead recognizes the man as his friend Ivan Merkulov by his trademark passphrase.

Main Characters

 * Uberfuhrer (Uber) is the protagonist, a red skinhead adventurer. In 2023, finding himself at the Bypass Canal Station, leads a hunt for the Dragon. In December 2033, he is the commander of a sabotage squad.
 * Mika is an orphaned girl. Asks the Uberfuhrer to find her mother.
 * Nightingale is a bandit with a vocal gift. He is an informal head of the Bypass Republic and assistant to the mayor. Serves the Dragon.

Secondary Characters

 * Yura Leikin (Duraleikin) is a sentinel of the ventilation shaft, son of the mayor. Helps Uber in his search for the Dragon.
 * Nanny is Miki's guardian.
 * Viking is a young anti-fascist member of Nightingale's gang. A first-rate executioner and interrogator who defected to Uber's side. In 2033, he joins his squad for the march on Obukhovo.
 * The Mayor is the leader of the Bypass Republic. People who hear his name within the station fall into hypnosis and lose control of themselves.
 * Mamed Nurtumbekov is a resident of the Bypass Canal. He keeps a list of all the victims of the Dragon.
 * Chechen is the brash and stern bodyguard for the mayor. Contrary to his nickname, he is not Chechen himself.
 * Martha is Mika's mother, who disappeared without a trace.
 * Alexander "Dagon" - A discharged soldier of the Seaside Alliance. Adjutant to Uber. Has a twin brother, Andrei, nicknamed "Cthulhu". Both go with Uber to Obukhovo.
 * Tajik - Head of intelligence for Trade City. Assists in finding the correct people for Uberfuhrer's team and provides the right equipment.
 * Artyom "Mimino" - A circus clown, arrested on charges of treason. Joins the "swamp soldiers" at Uber's request.
 * Kuzmich is an experienced stalker, a hero of Uber's tales, and a glorious fellow. Having listened to Natasha's fiancée, he is summoned to join the skinhead team.
 * Evgeny Kovrin - An adaptant with mutations. A slave from Obukhovo, who made it into the massive subway via the surface. Conductor of the squad.

Interesting Facts
Питер. Битва близнецов
 * Formally released in parallel with the expanded reprint of Piter.
 * The reissue of Piter and the reprint of Piter: The War is timed to coincide with the release of the long-awaited trilogy to put together a new collection.
 * The working titles are "Piter 3" and "Piter 3: Uber and Everything".
 * Due to the fact that the artist used character models from the game Rainbow Six Siege, he had to fix the cover as a matter of urgency. Nevertheless, both versions are still on sale.
 * The novel consists of two unequal parts: the action of the first takes place at the Obvodny Canal Station in August 2023, with the action of the second part and the interludes - December 2033.
 * The first part is based on the play "The Dragon" by Eugene Schwartz.
 * The title refers to the confrontation between the inner "dragons" of Uber and Nightingale.
 * Unlike the previous novels in the series, Peter: Battle of the Twins is rather a chamber novel.
 * Translated into Polish by Patricia Zarawska.