Evolution or Mutation?
(This ideas been stewing for a while also this is not true to the lore and be warned I have a horrible naming sense so sorry about that)
Terra the birthplace of mankind had become a world shrouded in a metal tomb. Its people were grouped into two extremes those that lived on the surface and those that didn't and struggled to survive each and every day. The middle class had become none existent. Only those lucky enough to be affiliated with the noble families who had cornered the market could live a comfortable life. Only through them could one hope to get a job in any professional field and any sub-field related to it. There were also, a few wealthy merchants that supplied the planet with resources since all forms of production where virtually nearly nonexistent on Terra.
The most valued among these nobles were the wealthy navigator houses that guided the Imperium's ships across the stars. Peering into the warp through their third eye they are able to guide mankind's starships safely (sometimes) through the warp the only other beings capable of such a feat were powerful psykers, the Primarchs, and The Emperor. They were one of the few chosen mutants by the Emperor's grace to be allowed to live and serve even though they had left a piece of their humanity behind. Many within the Imperium still have a deep hatred for them, but the Emperor's word is law plus they are far too vital to the Imperium to be disposed of like your average mutant.
Based on historical records there are 50 floors one must pass to reach Terra's natural surface(with the 50th floor being the highest) the way lost and forgotten after the many centuries that have passed since just the first was metal shell was erected. Yet that is not to say these floors were completely abandoned many housed populations of billions till the 45th layer the remaining layers had smaller pockets of humanity which no one ever bothered to check on since it was very to lose ones way and many of the structures had long since decayed and there entrances long since forgotten.
Yet, even these people had unwavering faith in the Emperor and held a deep hatred for mutants and any sign of mutation was dealt with extreme prejudice however many of these people were in fact mutants unknowingly. Imperial justice had long since ceased to exist on these floors. Mostly devoid of power shrouded in eternally dark so after many generations their eyes developed what the Imperium would call dark sight which only space marines and Imperial assassins had been modified to have in some cases. This was the common genetic trait that all the people on the lower floors shared (30-40) only a few million people lived on each floor with the population decreasing the further one descended. On 35th to the 30th floor other mutations invisible to the naked eye had occurred but do to the lack of medical technology and lack of formal Imperial education these traits were just seen as normal usually these traits were clan based. The only mutation that was noticed and ended upon discovery was that of the psyker the few that were able to escape detection hide their powers with the utmost secrecy to the point of never exploring their power for fear of death.
Yet the 29th floor, which was built and completed in the 31st millennium, was thought to be unreachable. All know entrances had long since been destroyed or permanently sealed for unknown reasons. Its inhabitants supported the largest groups of mutants even if it only housed a few million inhabitants, most of whom had left their humanity behind across its surface. This floor actually was void of all Imperial teachings and mutation was not frowned upon. Except, when the human form was distorted to a extreme such scaly skin fang claw excreta all the most vile mutant traits that had no value where eliminated and had virtually disappeared leaving only what was judged to be useful. One such mutation the melamore organ which makes the skin highly resistant to radiation that could either kill or enfeeble them.
Yet, there are whole clans that have fallen into depravity and have become beast men and are no longer viewed as human as they outnumber the humans on the 29th level 10:1 and are extremely hostile. Most beast men do not possess human intelligence that their ancestors may have possessed and are to be killed on sight. Plus, after so many centuries there are only a few left that know the true origins of the beast men and many had further devolved into nothing more than beasts.
The city of Kandor was a gigantic megacity that in the past could have housed billions. One could see it from miles away with its skyscrapers that nearly reached the ceiling now it seemed to be all but devoid of life. However, a few pockets of humanity still remained which had settled Kandor for three generations now most being marauders or scavengers in the past. Kandor's true name was long forgotten but it could easily be any great nation's capital.
Less than half the city had been completely explored by its human inhabitants and less than a fourth of that explored area was occupied by them. This was due to the sheer size and the many dangerous elements that existed within the city. The area settled contained what the pseudo ruling clan considered to be the most vital buildings or facilities needed for their continued survival. These included two massive agro complex's and a water purification facility both of which till this day still required extensive work to become fully operational and with the limited resources they possess they are unable to utilize even half of these facilities capabilities. Three things they desperately needed were biomass which could be broken down and repurposed to help grow food by revitalized the soil, water for obvious reasons, and power to keep their facilities and homes up and running. While these aren't too hard to find they are very dangerous to acquire.
The city's human population was quite diverse hosting many clans, each having a particular mutation or mutations. While some of these clans provided essential labor and trade skills to the city and allowed its continued existence there were as in any society the undesirables which were dealt with cold and efficiently. Most clans kept to themselves the only times they would come into contact with any other clans was when trading or in dire need.
The one clan that everyone interacted with out of necessity was the Athenians, which only numbered about two thousand having the lowest population within the city. The Athenians were an organization whose people were gifted with photographic memories, unparalleled IQs, and heightened reflexes. They also had what was known as Lyman's ear it made them immune to motion sickness and gave them an enhanced hearing. They also possessed a mutation called oculobe. The oculobe magnified one's vision by tenfold allowing one to easily read a book 200 yards away. Some were also gifted psykers, to an extent, but unaware of their powers and if found upon birth to posses such powers they were given a bracelet which dampens their powers which cannot be removed until reaching maturity at which time almost half their lifespan would already be depleted.
The rarest mutation one of these people could possess was located in the center of one's brain it was a mixture of both white matter and grey matter and something unidentifiable even with the advancements in medical technology of the 51st millennium this was undetectable and granted this individual hyper cogitation. This allowed them to enter a state under intense concentration where they could think and see everything in an accelerated state of mind and gave them reaction times/reflexes that were 500% faster than your average human being which allowed these gifted individuals to learn and hone their talents at an astounding pace. However, most were unaware that these individuals possessed this gift since; most within the clan possessed very high IQs and didn't interact with each other very much in general. They would only teach their young what was needed and nothing more trying to further their own studies. The lucky few were just assumed them to be geniuses within the clan, and since they never used this heightened state to perform any physical activities other then speed reading it was almost unnoticeable. The Athenians are an arrogant people believing themselves to be above the other clans. They were generally antisocial people that lacked creativity blindly following the rules of their clan from ages past.
The reason the Athenians were so important to the city was because they provided the city's food, water, and energy supply. They also had the most advanced medical technology available all of which could be provided at a price. However, they were physically weak, tired easily, even sometimes suffered from other physical deformities and in most cases, they were short lived generally only living till 30 or 40 years if they were lucky. So in the founding of this makeshift community they recruited the Dauntless.
The Athenians in exchange for food, shelter, and access to other technologies permanently employed the dauntless to provide labor for their agro farms which were massive facilities in the city where countless crops were grown to support the population and manual labor for other vital facilities such as, the few power stations and hydro plants which purified what little water the city possessed that they couldn't complete themselves. The Dauntless also served as the Athenians' elite guard or strike force having never failed to protect or carry out a mission for their employers.
The Dauntless were people who had two to four mutations that made them the perfect workers or warriors. The first organ all Dauntless possess is their second heart, which increases blood flow throughout the whole body. If one heart failed the other would continue to pump blood and keep the body alive. The second organ they possessed was called Hemomodular which increases hemoglobin content in the blood which allows one's cells to replenish depleted oxygen more effectively making them tireless workers. These workers made up the majority of the Dauntless.
Only the luckiest or unluckiest were born with one of the two other organs which allowed them to serve as warriors. The first organ was a small complex tubular organ called ossmodula. It produced a hormones that promoted bone ossification and bone growth, making them very tall in stature usually anywhere from 6'3 to 7'5. Also, anyone found with this organ was required to take a special medicine provided by the clan's elders. This substance further strengthened their bones to the point where they became harder than steel. Although they were now unaware this medicine contained ceramic chemicals which were absorbed and deposited in the bones which gave it such amazing hardness.
Many had coveted this miracle drug, but all attempts to steal it had stopped after observing its effects on people that did not possess an ossmodula. Partaking in this medicine without an ossmodula would make the recipient suffer from great pain since the ceramic chemicals could not be absorbed to many thieves displeasure sometimes even resulting in death. Probably the greatest boon this organ gave its possessor was upon reaching maturity what would appear to be excess bone growing out along the side of the sternum would eventually meld with the rides all the way to the spin interlocking the rib cage giving them natural body armor. It also gave the secondary effect or strengthening and rapid healing of ligaments and cartilage. All these factors made them intimidating warriors that could take a serious bashing and still go on hence named The Unbreakable. However, they weren't exactly the most agile of sorts sometimes weighting up to 400 pounds since their bones were so dense and compact. Plus they required twice as much food as other people and with the resources available it put a great strain on the society.
Now the second organ that allowed a Dauntless to be elevated into this elite warrior society is called myoinaltare it increased muscle growth and transformed all muscle into pink muscle. Pink muscle has the best qualities of red muscles which is its stamina and white muscles which contained many fast twitching fibers to produce an explosive amount of force now this however did not make the bearer of this organ overly muscled where it would hinder movement it allowed for fast and powerful warriors. These warriors were known as The Unstoppable.
Generally the Unbreakable would be the guards and security for the Athenians while the Unstoppable would carry out any offensive or covert missions required of them. Very few of the clan possessed either of these organs. So, if any were born with them, they were immediately taken from their parents and trained. The only problem with the dauntless was that many of them suffered from various mental disorders or just having way below average IQs so even if one possessed the traits of a warrior they would still be deemed unqualified because they may jeopardize the group in their stupidity. Never before had a Dauntless been born with both traits if this ever came to pass they'd be the fiercest warrior that Kandor had ever produced.
Well that's that hope everyone enjoyed it. I'm not too sure if I'm going to keep this as 40k might just try to make it into a sci-fic we shall see thanks for reading!
Feel free to leave any comments btw