Colonelwalrus: It was welded to the stump cap of his right arm. Sorry about that, only described it briefly. I'm glad that the static thingy is decipherable. Thanks for your review.
Alien26: Glad to see you're still reading man, thanks. Yeah, you see marines in books and animations being killed by a single shot or slice, and you wonder what happened to their second heart.
Wjinxy: Dude I really appreciate your comments. I'll do my level best at this story. Count on it!
We crept warily out of the deserted compound, eyes peeled for the enemy. The black marines had left a trail of devastation in their wake, littering the road with eviscerated corpses and the blazing carcasses of vehicles. We bent down to fossick the remnants of the soldiers for ammunition cartridges, as we had run low during the fight. Urgh! A body squelched as the captain walked relentlessly back to our ride. Sometimes I swear he wasn't human.
Finishing our grim task, we climbed into the truck, which was the only thing not bullet-ridden in the immediate vicinity. The marine stowed himself back into the floor compartment, grunting in pain from his chest wound. The truck lurched forwards and we slowly grumbled our way to the palace.
"Hey cap', you OK?" I asked. The wound was a deep one, five red puncture marks sealed in some sort of resin.
"Fine, Lister, fine. Just out of breath. Damn machine actually managed to rip apart my heart and a lung. I'll live, but I won't be able to pull off many more stunts."
Holy hell. This guy actually wasn't human. "How many lungs and hearts you got stashed in there?"
"Not supposed to tell you normals, but very well. I have – had a third lung, and a secondary heart."
"Jovi damn! How come you're tired then, Mr Marine?"
"Apart from being in slight pain, the human body was not designed to grow this tall," he said, pointing to himself. "My remaining heart is boosted, like the rest of me, but it can only supply sufficient oxygen to my entire body in periods of light exertion. I will be hard-pressed in any fights that we get into." Slight pain? Slight pain? If five gaping holes in your heart is small pain, what is a big pain?
Damn. There goes our star player. We were so screwed. Our marine was a geriatric. If a Jaeger ran into us we'd be meat pies in five seconds flat. The captain seemed to notice the doubt in my eyes.
"Lister, we are not storming the palace. Only infiltrating it. Milord Horus and his terminators will teleport in and destroy the Tyrant."
"Who's this Horus fella you keep talking about?"
"Lord Horus. Some of my brothers would have killed you for saying that. He is the greatest man to stride the stars after the Emperor. The first son of the Emperor, so I heard. At least, the Emperor found him first, around thirty years ago. He is a primarch – a superhuman in truth. A giant among men, and a great leader."
"Wait, thirty years? Exactly how old are you?" I shot back.
"A hundred," came the nonchalant reply. What? A hundred? He was pulling my leg, the sly bastard.
"Shouldn't you be dead, cap'?"
"I'm a space marine, we live to a very old age if we survive."
A bang sounded from the cabin. "Ho, we're here!" yelled Jane. I looked up and gulped. The marine slid back into the floor while I wasn't looking.
The Palace of Ginas. The capital of Sayre. Five hundred metres tall, half a kilometre in diameter. It bristled with laser defence batteries, independent of the citywide system. A vast iron spike. The Tyrant's den. And also the biggest expression of the need to compensate from any man alive. Of matters southwards, if you get my drift.
Sammo shuffled next to me, muttering, "Holy hell, we're attacking that?" I agreed. My balls had started to retract into my stomach again. Only Jane seemed unfazed. Jovi, what a girl.
"Halt! Cargo inspection!" roared an armoured guard, packing a laser rifle. Jovi curse them! This was bad.
A pair of soldiers jumped into our flatbed, poking at every nook and cranny, as if suspecting that we had somehow stashed a space marine on the truck. Well, we had, hadn't we? They rummaged about for several minutes, and I watched with sweat running down my body. Jovi help me, I prayed silently. I hoped they didn't notice how scared I looked. Sammo was sitting calmly at the back, tension only betrayed by his white-knuckled hands.
Finally the inspection finished, the guards hopping off the truck. "Pass! Glory to the Tyrant!" intoned the first guard. We waved salutes back at him, that officious sod.
"I thought we were screwed!" said Sammo. He breathed a huge sigh of relief.
I nodded, still too wound up for words. We passed large columns of soldiers, who had retreated into the safety of the palace now that the city's laser defences were crumbling. The area was a hive of activity, as the Ginasian soldiers hastily erected barricades and entrenchments in preparation for the marine attack.
"Look! The sky!" shouted one man, pointing at the sky and frightened cries. "The silos! They're dead! The marines are coming! The Imperium is attacking! To arms! To arms!"
The columns dissolved in panicked shouts and terrified men. I looked at the sky, which seemed starrier than usual. No, they were ships! With a quiet flash, they blossomed with fire, firing their drop pods into Sayre's atmosphere in swarms. A rasp of metal made me turn around.
"My brothers come," murmured the captain, eyes tracking the fiery pods. A swarm of missiles rose to meet the red streaks. As one, they slammed into the pods, knocking them about in a frenzy. This time however, most of the pods made it. Alaris' vox came to life.
"Strike Force Luna! The enemy is here, and this world is too small for the two of us! Astartes, kill for the living! Kill for the dead!"
The captain gave a snort. "Ezekiel. What a pontificating turd."
We nodded, not knowing what to say. The roar of battle was slowly filling the air, the Imperium taking the fight to the enemy. Men pelted their way around our truck, weapons clutched in their hands. Fear, confusion, determination. Emotions filled the air like a miasma. I saw a man sobbing on the ground, curled up in a ball and refusing to move. I saw soldiers march in lockstep to their dooms outside the gates. I saw idiots firing their guns madly into the air, caught up in a frenzy of machismo. Jovi, what a nightmare.
The truck pulled up with a jerk in a dark corner. Jane leaped nimbly out of the cabin and into the flatbed. "This is as far as we can go, I think," she whispered. Her body trembled slightly, for fear or excitement, I don't know. Damn, I was getting the jitters too. I hoped that I wouldn't wet my pants like Sammo did. That would be too much. Overhead the massive defence lasers of the Tyrant's palace began pounding at the marines outside, lighting up the area.
The marine rose out of the floor and checked his weapons, intoning a religious liturgy as he did. These marines were nuts. Sammo's gun's went clack-clack, the sound of him loading almost too loud in the dark. Even Jane was checking her gun, her brown hair tumbling down across her face. Man, she did look good. Snap outta it, you idiot, I muttered to myself. Now was not the time. I contented myself with loading up my autogun.
"Eh?" she said, looking up. Oh damn, was I really talking to myself? She shone me a wan smile.
"Nothing, nothing," I grunted. The captain was already moving, busy spitting on the rusted iron door. A hissing sound filled the air. He turned to us, beckoning to us to come nearer.
"Jane, Sammo, Lister. What we need to to get as high as possible up this tower. Our intelligence reports indicated the Tyrant resides in the upper levels of the complex. Now, slaying the Tyrant will bring much of the local resistance to its knees. That is what I intend to do, get up the tower and call in a teleport. Ah-however, due to this accursed atmosphere's refraction value we must find a room with a roof at least four metres high. I don't want to be the one who kills Milord Horus by teleporting him into a roof. Bloody Mechanicus. They still haven't developed safeguards for this sort of nonsense."
Made sense to me. But I did feel a little bit disappointed at not being able to kill the Tyrant myself. I'll just find Grevan afterwards and stick a poker up his arse. Alaris paused for a second, and pointed at our clothes.
"Take off your PDS uniforms. Too much of a risk of friendly fire," he commanded. I nodded, remembering that bloodthirsty terminator who wanted to kill me. Psychotic bastard. Sammo gave a small whoop and joy and shrugged on his beloved jacket. I stripped off my Ginasian uniform and hurriedly slipped on my normal clothes. In my anxiety I forgot about Jane being there. Oh well, she got to check out the merchandise.
Unfortunately, she didn't seem in the mood to return the favour. I guess you can't have everything in life.
"Aren't you boys going to turn around?" she snapped, arms crossed. We hurriedly looked the other way, with the exception of the marine.
"Is this the normal social convention? Or a quirk of this world?" he queried, sounding genuinely interested. I could almost hear Jane's teeth grinding.
"No, mister, it's Jovi's own rusty guitar! Of course it is! Manners, hello?" came the irate reply. She suddenly choked, realising who she was talking to. "Oh! Sorry, captain! No offence meant!"
He rumbled back, "None taken, miss." He turned around, muttering to us softly, "Are females usually like that? I've forgotten. It has been a very long time."
We shrugged. The orphanage had never taught me much about girls, nor had I had much of a chance to talk to one back there. Jane was probably the only girl I ever really had a proper conversation with. The rest had been etiquette lessons or sociology experiments.
"Alright, let's go!" came her voice. We turned back and she was in her normal clothes. The marine nodded, wrapping his remaining hand in spare rags.
"Shhhh..." he hissed. His hand lashed out, breaking the lock with a muffled clang. We hustled in the doorway, the captain taking the lead. We hurried up a metal stairway, its structure groaning from the marine's weight. The dank walls seemed to press in on us. Every footstep sounded like an alarm. I imagined the tromp of feet as the Tyrant's guards came to kill us.
The stairway ended several dozen stories up, terminating at a faded yellow door that said 'FIRE ESCAPE'. We waited for a moment, the marine pressing his ear against the door. He turned his head to us and smiled grimly.
"Three heartbeats. A few metres away from the door. From their beat rate and foot steps these men are not on a high alert. Do those 'Jaegers' of yours have hearts?"
Sammo shook his head. "All ya need is a brain and the spinal cord."
"Very well. I will charge the two furthest away. You three take out the closest, which should be to your left. If there are Jaegers, well, we shall improvise. And be quiet," Alaris said, hefting his chainsword. I gulped and took out my knife in a white-knuckled grip. I had never used it before.
"In three – two – one – GO!" he snarled, slamming into the door. It burst out of the wall, and with a muffled clang barrelled into someone. Scream and crunch, as the marine jumped on the man trapped underneath. Eyes blind from the sudden light, I charged out, stabbing at the closest blurred shape. Lunge. Scream. Slash. My knife connected with something with a muffled thump. Again! And again! The weight slid down, taking the knife with it.
Oh Jovi, I killed someone! My eyes recovered from the light, objects focusing. Just in time to see the marine sling his silent chainsword into the last guard, connecting with a wet smack. The man's back broke with a sickening snap. Alaris hadn't turned the sword on.
I sat down in shock, adrenalin still coursing through me. I know I had killed before. With guns, that was. But with the knife... I could feel the man dying as his life fled him. Jovi, it was horrible.
A clap on the back startled me from my guilt. Jovi, that hurt! The marine squatted down next to me, panting faintly. "A fine kill, Lister. Next time, stab upwards for a quicker kill. The ribs will close to deny entry from a downwards stab, but they heartily welcome an upwards stab."
I angrily pushed away my guilt. Mourning is for later, I reminded myself. Jane stared at me in shock, mouth agape, face white. Sammo was quickly raiding the guards for keys and identi-chips, stuffing his findings into his pocket.
"I believe the next stairway is this way," called the marine with typical Astartes aplomb. He looked barely ruffled by the killings. He wiped his chainsword on one the bodies, ignoring the visceral squelching noises they made. We hurried over to the stairwell. Never know when a patrol would come.
"My instruments state that we are one hundred and fifty metres above ground height," the captain announced as we laboriously climbed up the stairs. It felt like a thousand. Still the horror of the dead man haunted me, my mind replaying and replaying the image. I shook my head, trying to clear it. Jane touched my shoulder, drawing up next to me.
"Lister, it's OK. He was the Tyrant's soldier. A murderer. A rapist. Don't – don't ever fuss about him," she warned, face still pale but determined. "Think of all the lives you just saved."
"But he – he just died on me," I replied lamely. "He just...left."
"Yeah? Remember Ryain? Payback, Lister. For us, for Ryain."
I nodded numbly, mulling over what she said. I had never seen her this angry. But she had a point, Jane did. We marched on up the stairs, half-expecting guards to pop through the doors and blow us up. The captain had his finger on his ear, muttering commands to the ships above.
"...need heavy support!" I heard him say. A wash of white noise replied him, followed by a static-ridden voice. I couldn't quite catch what was being said, apart from something along the lines of 'minimising damage'.
The marine turned to us growling. "Bloody Mechanicus and their Dark Age toys." He spat on the stairs. We backed up in horror, half expecting them to crumble underneath us.
"Eh?" Alaris asked. "Ah, that's not my acid spit." He jumped on the spittle, the stairs squeaking in protest. "Perfectly sound."
If you say so, Mr Marine. We gingerly skipped the step with the spit and continued our way up. Not long afterwards, another door blocked our path. Alaris pressed his ear against the door once more. We held our breath.
SMASH! A clawed hand shot out through the door, nearly decapitating the startled marine. He leaped back.
"JAEGER!" he roared. "To arms, my friends! We are discovered!"
We levelled our guns at the door, spraying it with bullets. A metallic growl issued from behind it. With a howl the captain's weapon swung, hacking the arm apart. He charged into the door, flying through it and into the machine. Another pair of green eyes stared at us, and two other hands crackled to life. Our bullets hammered into the tussling Jaeger and marine, spraying both indiscriminately. To no effect.
"Move!" yelled Sammo. I leapt to the right as the second Jaeger's claws sliced past. I heard a cracking sound as the marine split open his adversary's head. It went limp.
"Ha! Pathetic!" he taunted. "You fil-" His eyes flicked behind the remaining Jaeger. I turned to see. Oh Jovi, no! A horde of Jaegers stalked towards us. The marine punched the Jaeger, knocking it to the ground.
"Run! I mean – tactical retreat!" hollered Sammo. He was right. We pounded away from the advancing machines, even the marine, who seemed reluctant to leave. We hit a fork in the corridors.
"These Jaegers don't seem too bright. We shall split up," snapped the captain. "You, Sammo, with me. We will lose this scum yet."
Oh no. No, no, no. Me and Jane's chances of survival had dropped from nil to somewhere around negative infinity. The marine continued relentlessly.
"If you survive, the schematics show there is another stairwell at the other side of the building. Rendezvous with us up at the next landing."
If you survive. A kilometre of running through the Tyrant's home. Well, I did fight for the Sayrean Freedom League. Time to cause some damage. I turned to Jane.
"Let's rock'n'roll," I muttered grimly, turning to the left fork. "I'll see you there, cap'"
The marine solemnly banged his chestplate. Sammo called, "We'll see each other again, I know it! Sayre and Freedom!"
And they were off. We ran down the corridors, completely disorientated. The pounding march of metal feet dogged us menacingly. We were going to die, I knew it. The floor turned out to be a storage area, filled with high shelves and goods. We slipped through a maze of them, hoping to confuse our predators. No use, my inner voice called mockingly. The Jaegers could just follow our scent.
Jane grabbed my hand suddenly, squeezing it tight. Her touch sent a fresh spark of vitality through my taxed legs, and together we sped through the dusty maze of shelves.
The clanging footsteps grew louder as the automatons drew closer. Suddenly, I realised that I still wanted to live. To enjoy life. To see the galaxy. To do things that I had never done. Starting with this one. If I was going to die, I'd live what life I had left to the full.
"Jane – I – never – thanked – you – for – what – happened – at – the – silo," I huffed as we ran. Despite our predicament she turned to me and grinned.
"You – never – did. Didn't – you?" she gasped. We sped through several twisting corridors.
My heart started to pound even more, not from the running but from what I wanted to do next. A crash as the first Jaeger rounded the corridor.
I felt like it, so I did it. Without thinking, I grabbed her close and kissed her, full on the lips. Hell, if you're going to die, live with no regrets. It felt bloody beautiful. I felt her kiss back for instant before I withdrew, and we were running again.
The stairway door! I wrenched it open and pushed Jane inside, quickly following her up the stairs. BOOM. The door blew open again, a Jaeger screaming its electronic battle cry as it swiped its claws at us. We yelled as it missed, and scrambled up the stairs. Go! Go! More Jaegers poured in, claws sparking against the walls as they thumped up the stairs. Jane clutched my hand as we hauled each other up the stairs.
"One more! Just one more!" she cried, as we ran up the stairs, legs aching and burning.
The door above suddenly broke apart with a crash. Jovi, we were done. Commend Jane's soul to heaven, I prayed to Bon Jovi. We leapt, ready for the flood of Jaegers and bloodthirsty soldiers and to sell our lives dearly to boot. Jane's kiss burned bright on my mouth.
Bonk.
Our heads collided with something big, black and moving. I saw stars for a moment, then realised the red ones were the eye lenses of a space marine. The big variety. He nudged Jane with an uncaring foot.
"Good. The captain said you would arrive be here. Make way!" boomed a synthetic voice. The marine hefted some kind of long barrelled cannon with six barrels. They began to spin. Remembering my past experiences with marine guns, I scrambled over to Jane's prone form and pulled her back, trying to cover both our ears.
WHREEEEEEEEEEEEEE! The cannon erupted with a scream, spitting lead down the stairway. We yelled in pain as the noise filled our ears, hammering at our ear drums. Metallic whines and groans sounded as the Jaegers were reduced to scrap. Dammit, why didn't the marines have some respect for normal people? Satisfied with his work, the terminator slowly turning around to face us. A thunderous crash rang from the stairway, the flimsy structure obviously destroyed.
"Move. We go to the captain," barked the synthetic voice. Man, were all marines jerks? They all seemed to be. Apart from Alaris. I nodded and pulled Jane up, slinging her arm over my shoulder. She groaned groggily.
The marine clumped noisily forward, sweeping the surroundings with his gargantuan cannon. He had trouble negotiating corners, I noticed. Those shoulder pads were wide enough to hide a tank behind them. We entered a bloodstained hall, littered with bodies and debris and bullet holes. Jane shrugged herself off me, walking unsteadily by herself.
Boom. Our heads snapped around, looking for the enemy. Boom. A door burst open, flinging into the room the top half of a man. It would have been comical if he wasn't screaming. Boom! Another terminator strode in, finishing off the man. He stepped on and over him without a second glance. Squelch. Urgh.
"Floor cleared, brother. Where is Lord Horus and the captain?" reported the new marine. His chipped and gouged armour spoke of many dead Jaegers.
"Right here, brother," boomed a new voice, deep and melodious, powerfully reverberant. I turned to look, and suddenly a metal hand pushed me face-first into the ground.
"Kneel, boy! Do not sully Lord Horus with your unworthy eyes!" snarled the terminator. Jane was also shoved down into the ground as well. That black armoured bastard's hands dug into my back painfully. I tasted dirt and spat quietly, not wanted to further offend this mysterious 'Horus'.
"What are these?" asked the voice dismissively. He sounded like he was talking about cattle, the arrogant prat. 'What' indeed! I hope he got piles as well. The captain quickly spoke up, sensing my irritation.
"Natives, my lord. Loyal to the Imperium. They have been of great help."
"Hmph. Carry on, captain. We have a job to finish."
With that the prat strode away, and the hand that was holding us loosened and let us up. We massaged our necks, glaring at the impassive terminator. The captain walked over to us, Sammo in tow.
"You made it! Man, we 'ad so many Jaegers chasing us. You guys 'ad it better, right?" he excitedly babbled.
I paused for a moment. "Yeah, it was alright," I grunted. Jane and I locked eyes, still remembering that kiss. She gave me a quick wink, making me flush and look away.
"I am glad that you fared well," announced the captain. He looked decidedly worse for wear, armour slashed and damaged. His face was a ghastly white and he breathed heavily. A white armoured marine strode over, firmly clamping his hand on Alaris' right pauldron.
"Brother, you must refrain from fighting. Your wounds threaten to overcome you," he commanded. The heavily modulated voice brooked no argument, but the captain had other ideas.
"I will fight, apothecary! This is my operation!" he retorted, shaking off the other marine's hand off his shoulder.
"Brother captain, you are missing an arm."
"Tis' only a flesh wound!"
"What about those holes in your chest, captain?"
"A mere scratch! I am combat-ready, brother! Now let me fight!"
The other marine sighed, and pulled out a vial. "If I cannot dissuade from combat, at least take these stimulants. Report to me immediately after it is done." The small bottle was pushed into the captain's hands and the 'apothecary' walked off.
The captain took the concoction in one belt. Pressing his hand against his ear, he listened in to his comrades, nodding enthusiastically all the while.
"Lord Horus has found a way up that can support the terminators' weight. We head to the cargo lift," he told us, striding off into a corridor. "The Tyrant dies."
Hell yeah to that! We following the captain, reloading our weapons and checking our equipment. We met the rest of the marines at the end of the corridors, a black crowd surrounding a single massive armoured man. He too was armoured in black, yet towered over the terminators around him. A marine stepped in my way, and my view was blocked. The huge form turned towards the captain.
"Brother captain, are you really bringing those normals?" he boomed.
"Yes my lord, they owe the Tyrant a few bullets," Alaris neatly replied. Good on him!
The lift pinged, the giant muttering, "I hope they don't cut the cables."
…...
We piled in the lift, me, Jane and Sammo first, with a wall of ceramite and metal in front of us when the lift doors opened. I gulped as the marines pressed in on us. Even the captain was dwarfed by the terminators this close, and the giant man had to bend over slightly to fit in. Several pairs of red eyes burned down on us, but not a word was said. The captain smiled down encouragingly at us.
"Fear not, you are among friends," he whispered. As if. The other marines looked they wanted to kill everything in sight, starting with us as appetisers. The lift arrived with a cheery chime. How ironic. The marine tapped their guns impatiently, and I readied my autogun in anticipation.
"Open fire!" rang a soldier's voice from the room. "Glory to the Tyrant!"
"Glory to the Emperor!" roared a terminator. "Our father and lord!"
The marines in front were met with a thunderous fusillade of laser and auto fire, bouncing off their armour like flies. We ducked behind a particularly wide terminator for protection. Suddenly, beams of laser cannon fire lit the hall, smashing into the terminators. The marine we were using for cover staggered as two hit him full on. Crap! A mechanical growl issued from his helmet grille, and he fired into the smoke. A pool of molten metal pooled at his feet.
"With me, my brothers!" shouted the giant. His armoured form rushed into the Ginasians, scattering them like chaff. The marines gave a throaty cheer and surged into the gap. A hand pushed me forward.
"Let us advance!" cried the captain. He had switched his blade for a bolter, each shot a thunderclap. We ran forth into the enemy, spraying bullets wildly. Jane was muttering a prayer beside me. Jovi spare us!
I ducked as a shining blade whizzed past me, thrown by a wounded soldier. I yelled and cut him down with a burst. Kill! my inner voice howled. I grinned like a madman, shooting several more. No guilt this time. These guys deserved to die.
Slam! Thrown to the ground. The world went black for a second. Get up! GET UP! A soldier had me by the throat, a hand ready to plunge a knife into me. I choked and gurgled. No help, no captain this time. So this is how it ends.
BLAM! The man was smashed back, a gaping hole in his head. A fine spray of blood landed on my face. Jane loomed over me, shaking my shoulders.
"Lister! Get up!" she screamed. I could barely hear her. My throat was the size of a straw.
"Br...brea...breathe..." I wheezed. I shakily picked up my autogun. Jovi, I need AIR! I massaged my throat until I regained my breath.
"Ya'll orright?" called Sammo, gleefully shooting the now-fleeing soldiers. The battle in the hall was all but won. The marines busied themselves finishing off any survivors.
"Yeah," I wheezed, gingerly standing up. My skull felt cracked, the forehead throbbing. Dammit, why did I always get beaten up? Jane looked it at carefully.
"Was that another one I owe you?" I asked her, half hopefully. I think I was warming to this kissing business.
"Sure was," she sniggered. "Later, buddy. Keep your pants on!"
I flushed at that, and began to retort, "Well I di-"
A stentorian roar filled the bloodstained hall. "There he is! He flees, the coward! HAVE IT AT HIM!"
The Tyrant! Time for revenge! We snatched up our things, ready to roll. We skidded around the corner, following the captain. We was busy muttering a prayer, or was it his squad mates names? I heard a 'Talaris' in there. I whispered my own prayer with Ryain and Corvin's names in it.
Jovi damn, that was one big crowd of Jaegers! We hurriedly halted, firing at the machines. I spotted a big blue sphere in the middle of the platoon, humming with energy. Some sort of Ancient shield, that murdering turd.
"Preparing to fire," announced the terminator with the huge cannon. Jane, Sammo and I hastily moved away from him. Those guns were as loud as hell. The cannon spoke, smashing apart the Jaegers in a flurry of mechanical parts and fluids. Within a minute the machines were all dead, the Tyrant the only one left in a field of debris. He stared at us contemptuously, lip curling.
"You can't kill me!" he sneered. He had a voice of a weasel, he did. I raised my gun hatefully and fired.
"Jovi! Jovi and freedom!" I yelled. The Tyrant simply stood there, the arcane shield taking the hits.
"Fire!" commanded the captain. We covered our ears as the marines opened fire, the percussion hammering at our skulls. When the flashes cleared the Tyrant stood there laughing.
"You stupid scum! Pigs! That Emperor of yours was the son of a whore! You hear me, fools?"
A deadly silence fell over the marines. Bad move, I thought. An ominous clink of armour sounded.
"No one insults my father," said Horus in a quiet voice. "No one alive."
His rage-filled voice filled the room. I could almost feel the earth shaking as the giant raised his armoured claw. For the first time the Tyrant looked fearful.
The claws slashed down.
Crack! The shield was cloven in two, and the Tyrant gave an awful scream as the claws tore him in two. He's dead! The Tyrant is dead!
For a moment we stood in silence, absorbing the sight. Then we broke out in cheers, hugging each other. The marines watched on in confusion.
"He's gone, Lister! We're free!" yelled Jane ecstatically. Sammo joyfully roared out the SFL's anthem, tears streaming down his face.
It was over. The Tyrant was dead, and we could live our lives now.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! My longest yet, took the combined efforts of three days to finish it. Oh, forgive me for not going in much detail about Horus. He's GW's character, so naturally I shouldn't focus on him. The terminator armour is one of the older models with those huge-ass shoulder pads. Please review and all!