Dark One

The Dark Ones, known as "Чёрные" (Blacks) in the original Russian, are a race of highly intelligent humanoids in the novel/video game Metro 2033. They were the next stage in human evolution, until Artyom, the hero of the series, fired nuclear missiles at their home in the botanical gardens to save his home station from the supposed "threat" they posed, only later learning that they were peaceful.

Appearance
Dark Ones, being descended from humans, have a basic humanoid form, unlike most mutants in the series. they have long, thin arms and legs, large hands with long fingers. They possess no facial features besides a pair of eyes, relying instead on telepathy to communicate. Their skin is a dark ash-grey colour, much like other mutants in the series.

History
When the bombs fell in 2013, those in Moscow who weren't in the Metro when the bombs hit but didn't die were mutated into the Dark Ones. They lost all abilities to manipulate technology, but gained telepathy and the ability to survive in the radioactive ruins of Moscow, prefering the hive-like nest they created at the Botanicheskiy Sad (Botanical Gardens) metro station. There, they lived in peace until the day Artyom and three of his friends snuck out of their home station with a shotgun and went exploring. They opened a door here which allowed the Dark Ones to enter the metro. In 2033, Artyom would leave the station of VDNKh in the novel or Exhibition in the game, trying to find help in Polis, a city made up of four connected stations. The Dark Ones would try and persuade him to help them, although he'd never realise it. When he made it to Polis, he found out that they couldn't help his home. With the help of members of the Stalkers (novel) or Rangers (game), he made his way through the Moscow State Library and the creatures that lived there, and activated an old missile silo in D6, part of a secret metro accessible only to members of the Russian government and military before the bombs. He then climbed to the top of Ostakino Tower, one of the few surviving buildings with a view of the Botanical Gardens, set up a laser targeting system and those in the D6 silo fired the missiles at the Dark Ones' nest. Before the missiles hit, the Dark Ones showed him more visions of the future they'd planned, where he, as their ambassador, would be responsible for leading humanity back to the surface, but it was too late. They were destroyed by the missiles by the time he realised. There may still be some survivors of the species, but it is unlikely as their home was destroyed and they were only known to leave when trying to make contact with humanity.

Abilities & Weaknesses

 * Telepathy - The Dark Ones used telepathy to communicate. However, most humans were driven insane or killed when they tried to talk to them.


 * Superior intellect


 * Fragile bodies - Five revolver rounds (lets say .44 Magnum rounds) could easily kill a Dark One. Most mutants in the series would take 6 or more.


 * Cannot use technology