Imperial Orphan. White shield Chronicles.
Disclaimer:
The ownership and rights to warhammer 40K is owned by gamesworkshop and the story that inspired this one is owned by MA7 along with the oc main character of MA7's story
Chapter Three. The great chase final part. Franklin's all out war.
Franklin was thinking trying to figure out a way to get everyone out of this alive when a loud demonic roar broke him from his thoughts.
"FRANKLIN!". The roar thundered through the air.
"By the throne doesn't that guy know when to give up!". Franklin growled in frustration.
Sister mary clutched Franklin again frantically worrying herself out of her mind. If they took Franklin there would be no redemption no cleansing they would drag him to the depths of hell and would forever damn him.
Franklin just as frightened thought he wouldn't admit it feared for the nuns lives as he believed they would not spare them. Night lords don't do mercy so Franklin had to do something he swore no more blood would be spilt this day not if he had a say in the matter.
But what could he really do he was just a kid going up against Gigantic heavily armed chaos space marines.
'what do I do what can I do i'm not an astartes just a white shield and a fourteen year old kid with nothing but an autogun and a bad attitude emperor help me what can I do to protect those here!'. Franklin screamed in his mind in panic.
Just then everything around him slowed down to a stop. Franklin turned to see the same man he saw out in the forest clearing. This majestic gold clad man looked to Franklin and smiled.
"Be not afraid Franklin it is not your time to die this day. I grant you a gift to help you in your darkest hour the gift of evolution". The man's voice was soft and angelic but at the same time it thundered with power. He touched Franklin on the brow and a small light flashed and franklin felt stronger than ever before.
"But be forewarned child this gift is not given lightly use it wisely". Said the man before turning to leave.
"Wait!". Said Franklin.
The man stopped and turned to face Franklin again.
"Please I have to know are you... are you the emperor of mankind". Franklin asked timidly.
Franklin got nothing but a smile and a wink of an eye.
"I think you know the answer to that question young Franklin. You have punished yourself for circumstances that are no fault of your own over the last few years you have proven yourself to all those around you that you are not evil. So I forgive you of your self perceived sins now the only thing left to do is forgive yourself child now go protect your people and make me proud". Just then Franklin was blinded by a flash of light when he woke up he woke up to the nuns screaming at the top of their lungs.
Loud demonic roars of triumph erupted in the sky high above. Said roars were getting louder and closer as well right up until something heavy slammed onto the roof of the bus severely denting it.
Horribly familiar lightning covered blade fingers poked through the armoured hull of the bus seeing this Franklin walked to the back of the bus and grabbed the heavy stubber literally tearing it off it's tripod.
"Damn don't know my own strength". Franklin said quietly before walking back with the machine gun and had it ready to fire.
The claws had torn a hole in the armoured hull letting the rain into the bus drenching all inside. Sister Clementine opened fire on the hole franklin stood at the ready to back her up.
More huge impacts shook the bus as multiple sword and chain sword blades began piercing the hull as if they were attempting to cut it open killing a few nuns and orphanage boys at the same time. Huge baroque power armoured hands poked through the holes and began to peel the metal away. Everyone in the bus looked at 8 monsters looking at them through the holes with arms reaching for franklin.
"SUPRISE MOTHER FUCKER!". Franklin shouted as he brandished the heavy stubber before he opened Fire forcing the night lords to step back if only in shock.
"Franklin such language!". Sister Mary scolded.
"Sorry sister Mary". Said Franklin with most finding it unbelievable that he heard the sister's scold over all the gunfire.
Seeing a night lord's hand creep up on Franklin from behind Sister Mary picked up a pistol and fired at the night lord. Said Night lord snarled and went after Sister mary.
Franklin noticed this and pushed sister Mary under a seat while he opened fire on the Night lord. But just then there was a sad click.
"Oh no". Franklin said quietly as he looked at his weapon. It had jammed franklin threw it at the night lord hitting him in the face with it before ducking under the chair with Sister Mary. Ducking and dodging the night lord's hand every time it swiped at them.
The night lord in question grew aggravated at this little game and grabbed the seat and just ripped it out of the floor the bolts holding it in place snapped like twigs and throwing it away to reveal Franklin holding two huge wide barrelled pistols.
"EVERYONE COVER YOUR EARS!". Franklin shouted just as he squeezed the triggers to his weapons.
Click click.
BAM! BAM!
The guns went off and the Night lord's helmet was showered with a deafening cloud of shrapnel and muzzle flash temporally blinding him.
"Go Move". Franklin shouted as he just began to unload on the night lords the the constant pelting of shrapnel and the sheer loud ruckus of Franklin's pistols shocked and caught everyone off guard even a few of the night lords who weren't expecting such a sudden loud bang.
The shock of the noise did more than the showering of flak and shrapnel because Ceramite power armour and while it didn't do much damage it did spook some of the night lords enough to get them to loose balance and fall off the bus.
But then the hands came back down again grabbing random boys thinking they were franklin. His pistols now empty he drew his U90 autogun and took aim waiting for the night lords to show their ugly faces.
The ripped up bodies of two of the remaining boys were dropped back in when those monsters realised their mistake.
The night lords continued to rip the bus apart in attempt to capture Franklin. The ceiling and almost completely been peeled away and that's when Franklin caught one of the big brutes in full view.
"Gotcha you big dumb bastard!". Franklin yelled as he fired like he had never fired before. Unloading a full clip into the night lord's armour only to have it do absolutely nothing.
"Ha! Ceramite power armour you lose little one". Laughed the night lord.
"Hey no fair I don't got none of those!". Franklin complained when he pulled out a flame thrower.
"Burn baby burn its a disco inferno!". Franklin roared as he sent a torrent of flames into the night lord who was now flailing about on the top of the bus before jumping onto the ground and rolling around it the mud like an idiot attempting to put out the fire.
"Sid your armour is fire proof you idiot!". Augusta yelling at Sid's Antics.
"He's not the sharpest knife in the drawer is he". Asked Franklin just as flabbergasted at the Night lord in question's stupidity.
"No he isn't but he makes up for it in being a meat shield for the rest of the squad... C'mere you little jackrabbit!". Augusta snarled as he tried to snatch Franklin only to get a torrent of fire in the face plate.
But Augusta persisted and had broken through Franklin's line of fire but just as his hand came within inches of Franklin Augusta was thrown back from being shot. Everyone in the bus looked to see they had made it to the second checkpoint and the sisters of battle that manned the checkpoint had seen them.
The night lords retreated to the air when one of their own got hit in the throat and had his head removed the dead body fell through the roof onto the floor. Franklin opened fire on the retreating night lords but Augusta still held on Franklin got up on the roof of the bus and shot the area of the roof Augusta was holding onto. Letting his bullets cut it off from the rest of the bus seeing Augusta fly backwards franklin sighed in relief.
"Hehehehehe! Bye bye!". Franklin waved with a cheeky smile on his face as they drove on
they past the check point as the night lords descended on the sisters of battle and began tearing them apart. Franklin said a small prayer for the fallen sisters. The bus was now horribly mutilated now with huge holes and gashes from top to bottom.
Out of the nuns only ten remained plus the sister of battle Sister superior Clementine. Out of the remaining orphans only two survived the youngest two. Franklin was okay physically but the loss of the nuns and his friends cut him deeper than any blade he mourned those who died as the bus drove on at this point all they could do was drive to stay alive if they had stopped they would have died.
The bus shook terribly as if it was threatening to fall to pieces at any moment and the fact that the engine began to make strained noises as it struggled to push forward through the howling winds that even now was driving hard rain in all of their faces and threatened to flip the bus itself.
The floor of the bus itself had a good inch of turbulent rippling water pooling on it, from the pelting rain that flew unhindered from the holes in the roof and the ever growing weight of this water was straining the already overworked engine even more.
Dead bodies littered the bus most conspicuously the bulk of the dead night lord as well as the seats that the monsters ripped up and thrown aside. The weight of the dead night lord was without a doubt adding enormous strain on the engine.
They pulled over and Franklin and some of the nuns along with Sister Clementine hauled the dead night lord off the bus. "Damn how could someone so heavy be able to fly". Franklin complained.
They continued down the road while keeping an eye on the sky for their enemies. They continue on the forest road where the trees begin to snake around one another to the point where they formed a meagre shelter from the rain until the vegetation got thicker and thicker until they covered up the night sky.
'hmmm their jump packs won't work in an environment like this'. Franklin thought as he got out of the bus and went to work setting up a perimeter.
When he was finished Franklin reported to the mother superior.
"Mother superior I've set up a mine field of tripwires, claymores and flares for five hundred metres nothing is getting through without us knowing". Said Franklin.
"Thank you franklin now go sit down". Said the mother superior.
Franklin went to sit down and began doing an ammo count and reloading his weapons and getting ready for the next coming engagement.
"I doubt those winged terrors from hell could fly through this tangle to get to us. We need to stop for the moment the engine is terribly overheated it needs to cool down before it breaks". Said Mother superior.
"Thank the emperor that means we can just wait here for the sisters of the painful path send a strike force the Order militant can't have failed to notice that they have lost contact with two checkpoints and the main garrison stationed at the orphanage. They will surely send a strike force to investigate before too much longer". Sister Mary suggested hopefully.
"Yes the sisters of the painful path would come to investigate true enough but they are unlikely to do so for at least a few more hours. There is a raging thunder storm above us causing interference aiding the Night lord's jamming signal. The sisters will assume the sudden lack of communication as a result of storm interference. The worst of the lightning is due to subside in a few hours once it does then they will send the strike force to investigate". Said Sister Clementine.
"Well that's not too bad a few hours is not to long in this safe place". Said Sister Mary.
"We can't stay here". Said Franklin.
"What do you mean". Asked Sister Mary shocked.
"We don't just have the night lords to deal with we also have those freaky mutants hunting us as well. If we want to stay alive we need to keep moving and as soon as possible besides they could just run after us on the ground". Said Franklin.
"The child is correct. Who's to say that the night lords on foot haven't commandeered other vehicles from the orphanage depot. They could be following their airborne brethren in a convoy. We cannot take the risk of sitting still for too long". Said Sister Clementine gently but seriously at the same time.
Some of the nuns began to panic.
"Keep strong your faith! He will deliver us. Trust him as your flame burning in the darkness". Sister Clementine rebuked the panicking nuns harshly.
"And having a loaded weapon never hurt either". Said Franklin.
Just then there was a snap. "Sister Clementine I've got movement requesting orders". Said Franklin.
"Stand your ground wait to see what the enemy does". Said Sister Clementine.
Just then the last five Cyber undead came flying out of the trees their weapons trained on Franklin and company before opening fire on them.
Franklin not appreciating being shot at responded to this in the only way he was accustomed. Shooting back at them with even bigger bullets. Sister Clementine was a big help as her bolter was much stronger than Franklin's autogun. The cybernetic undead mutant abominations came flying at the group the battle lasted for five minutes but thankfully all the casualties were on the enemy side. Franklin thanked the emperor for this as he was sick of losing people today.
(Back on Inquisitor Thraxx's ship).
"Lord thraxx we have confirmed that the command signals that the members of project 31 that were sent to the planet have been terminated". Said a man at one of the main cogitator consoles.
"Damn it all how difficult is it to wipe out the worthless spawn of heretics! I wanted to snuff their filth out but Hoffman was soft and weak because they were children! And now with the appearance of the night lords it is time to take things up a notch. How long until the preperations for Project Mancubus are completed Therador". Said Thraxx.
"All is ready we await only for the control module to be completed and to implant it". Said Generator Therador.
"Maybe not today but soon you little heretic spawns I'll finally rid the galaxy of your diseased existence along with the heretics that birthed you and the sisters of the painful path for protecting warp tainted scum like yourself... Mark my words helmsman get us out of here!". Thraxx ordered before his ship disappeared into warp space.
(Back with Franklin)
Franklin gave the dead bodies of the man made abominations one last kick before spitting on them.
"A curse on the one who made these things damn these freaks are seriously fucked up". Said Franklin as he set the bodies on fire.
Franklin turned to see the nuns and the sister of battle praying by the bus attempting to appease the machine spirit in the bus so they could continue on their way. Franklin had finished piling the dead bodies in a pile far from the bus to try and keep predators away from them.
As he the two remaining boys and many of the nuns dragged the headless night lord to the pile looked to see that the dead night lord had a bolt pistol mag holstered to his leg instead of a traditional holster with an additional 28 rounds on his person along with an enormous chain sword in an unbreakable death grip. One of the boys tried to pull the pistol off but it would not budge.
Franklin looked at the pistol and suddenly felt a strange impulse the moment his hand closed around the grip the pistol came free and fell to the ground with a loud clunk as Franklin was incapable of holding the massive weapon.
Sister superior Clementine had been watching him from the bus and spoke.
"That weapon has a genetic scanning grip handle it released the weapon because it recognised your d.n.a only a Sevenson can wield that weapon. Be careful with it the recoil will rip your arms out of their sockets it is a cursed weapon the warp has tainted it put it on the bus so we can incinerate it later at the very least we can deprive the enemy of this weapon.". Said Sister Clementine.
"Yes sister superior. Well I guess that the big brute wasn't lying when he said we was family". Said Franklin worriedly to himself.
The bus had cooled down and Franklin and company got back on the bus again Franklin laid the bolt pistol at Sister Clementine's feet standing at military attention awaiting orders only to have Sister Clementine kick foul weapon away and just ignored the young boy standing at her side awaiting orders.
"Franklin come sit here with me out of the way dear boy". Said Sister Mary.
Franklin didn't argue knowing he would lose that argument.
Franklin sat with Sister mary again who literally grabbed the poor boy and placed him on the seat herself again holding onto him as if the moment she loosened her grip he would be stolen away. He then felt Sister Mary's fingers gently tickling his ear again. Franklin smiled in the inside.
'She is scared out of her wits and completely exhausted. And yet she still finds some energy to comfort me Sister Mary you really are a gift from the god emperor. It was thanks to your kindness I was able to survive the war and continue living after the war was over. I know you never wanted to hurt me and you did it to protect my soul if anyone deserves paradise ever lasting it's you... by the throne that tickles!'. Franklin thought to himself as he sat there trying to be the foundation that kept Sister Mary calm and steady.
Franklin did a ammo count and found he was out of options the only weapon he had ammo left was the Nailer. A primitive and savage weapon designed to kill orks in the most horrible way just showering them with nails and shredding them to pieces. His entire inventory had was running low. He had next to nothing left. Fearing for the worst Franklin kept an eagle's eye out for enemy attack which he was getting sick and tired of by this point.
He made himself aware of every sound, motion and even temperature of all things around him in an attempt to prevent yet another ambush from the night lords. He saw the shaking of the leaves in the breeze, felt the temperature of the wind and rain and heard the rumblings of the bus's engine to the thunder in the sky shake the heavens
Mother superior had shut the bonnet of the bus after the engine finally cooled down Sister mary reluctantly left Franklin's ear alone and got under the seat with franklin following her. Franklin wanted to stay and keep watch but Sister Mary gave him a direct order.
'This isn't right I can't protect them from this position!'. Franklin raged in his mind.
'Look nothing you can do now Franklin so make yourself useful and see what you have left. Okay I have one full autogun clip, I have about one magazine's worth of hand cannon ammunition mixed variety, three clips of Nailer ammu, A claymore, two Krack grenades, one flash grenade and my knife. I need to find out how to use this carefully so as not to waste any of it'. Franklin thought.
'if they attack I don't think that we will be able to drive them off a second time. Hopefully the lightning has abated enough for the night lords jamming signal to become noticable by the chamber militant help could still be on the way'. Franklin thought hopefully peaking out to look at the sky.
The bus was speeding along for a while before the mother superior slammed on the brakes bringing the bus to a startling skidding halt and honked her horn repeatedly.
'why have we stopped moving we really need to be doing the opposite of stopped moving!'. Franklin thought in panic.
"Damnable Hajersnips! Get off the road you stupid critters!". Shouted Mother superior as she continued to honk her horn at the animals.
Franklin sighed with relief.
'it's only the local wildlife that's somewhat of a relief. But we need to get in gear and get the hell out of here'. Thought Franklin.
The mother superior's shouting and horn honking continued until yipping and yapping was heard before a loud thud shook the bus.
"Don't headbutt the bus you brainless animal!". Mother superior shouted at the loud thudding continued against the slow moving bus.
Then there was a loud thudding of hooves on metal franklin peeked out to see that there were hooves clip clopping down the bus's aisle. A hajersnip had jumped into the bus from the massive hole that had been torn in the roof.
"Get out you stupid animal go on get!". Mother superior shouted at the invading hajersnip.
There was a deafening bang of a single bolter round being shot, the small horse sized herbivore then flopped onto the floor dead with a big gaping hole in it's chest. Sister Clementine's armoured feet walked over to it, she had apparently just shot it.
The noise startled the other animals in the herd causing them to scatter a little bit.
"That's right you dumb critters runaway from the bang!". Mother superior shouted before the bus began moving with speed again no longer impeded by a road block of pesky and somewhat stupid wildlife. Franklin looked on at the dead Hajersnip with interest having never seen one up close before.
He had always seen them grazing at a distance around the orphanage's perimeter razor wire fence but never up close like this before. The animal in question was a brown furry creature around the size of a small horse. It had six black eyes, barbed hoofs for digging burrows and a fearsome set of four razor sharp horns. So long as if you stayed away from their calves or burrows they were harmless enough, just a nuisance on the road sometimes.
The bus travelled on a ways until began to slow down again and mother superior's shouting about hajersnips and honking started up again.
"This herd has always been a problem. They have a cluster of burrows all along the stream at the bottom of the valley our supply vehicles are always hitting them. I've been petitioning the Cannoness to give me permission to drop some poison baits around the area to kull them, but she keeps referring me to talk to other people about it". Said Sister superior Clementine with surprising candour, apparently speaking to the mother superior.
"By the emperor why are they all up and about like this in the middle of the night! Get out of the way you dumb critters!". Said Mother superior losing her patience very quickly.
"No don't jump into the bus jump off it Gaaaaaah! How could the holy god emperor allow the creation of such a stupid animal!". Mother superior shouted hysterically.
Sister Mary looked up from her hiding spot. "This is utterly ridiculous". She exclaimed.
"Try to shoo them out alive their bodies are too heavy for the bus to just keep shooting them also nobody make any sudden moves or try to touch them those horns can gut can gut a gene stealer with without any real effort!". Said Sister superior Clementine in a deliberately calm and quiet voice.
As Franklin saw it the attempts to shoo the hajersnips off the bus were doing nothing but confusing the stupid animals causing them to press up against the windows of the bus. It was clear as pristine drinking water that these creatures were not intelligent and they didn't understand that they couldn't move through the armoured glass as if it were air.
"This is getting ridiculous couldn't you just fire another shot and spook them off". Asked the mother superior to Sister Superior Clementine.
"If I did that the five Hajersnips on board will panic and might start goring people which is something I wish to avoid". Said Sister superior Clementine.
Franklin having enough of the situation got up from the seat he was hiding under with sister Mary jumped through the hole in the roof of the bus and appeared near the door of the bus with a branch with what looked like to be fruits on it. The mother superior opened the door and franklin stuck the branch into the bus.
The Hajersnips saw and smelt the fruits on the branch and slowly walked up to it to take a bite from it only to have it pulled away from them. This cycle repeated until all five hajersnips were carefully and safely removed from the bus.
"How did you know to do that". Asked Mother superior flabbergasted at such a simple solution to the problem.
"Idunno discovery channel I guess". Said Franklin answering honestly before getting back in the bus.
Just then angry demonic snarls and roars were heard.
"CURSE THESE CREATURES! DO NOT WASTE MY AMMUNITION ON YOUR WORTHLESS LIVES!".
"CURSE THIS DELAY! OUR PREY WILL ESCAPE!"
"MOVE WORTHLESS LIVESTOCK!".
Franklin turned to the mother superior. "FLOOR IT!". Franklin shouted.
"You don't have to tell me twice!". Mother superior replied as she drove off.
The loud snarls could still be heard by everyone on the bus mother superior stomped the accelerator ploughing through hajersnips stupid enough not to move out of the way. Franklin seeing the bad situation about to happen fired off his hand cannon causing the new hajersnips attempting to jump into the bus to fly off riddled with shrapnel but many more jumped into the bus and Sister superior Clementine began shooting them to prevent people from getting hurt.
She killed all the hajersnips on board but the engine was now making terrible straining noises as they worked through the herd they were now on clear road no more bouncing on and over the top of hajersnips.
As they crested a hill the engine relaxed as Mother superior coasted down the downhill slope but the huge weight of the collective hajersnip corpses caused the bus to pick up speed at an alarming rate.
Many were screaming in fear of how fast they were moving at. Franklin couldn't see a thing out the windows due to how fast they were moving. This bizarre ensemble of passengers were carried by their momentum up a gentler slope the engine made struggling noises to work with this momentum to get them to the top.
The bus plunged downwards barely staying upright on corners faster and faster the mobile butcher shop careened down hill. Without warning Franklin heard the warning hymn of the listening gargoyle they were close to the next checkpoint.
Just then triumphant demonic laughter filled the sky.
"FRANKLIN!". Roared Augusta as he descended down on the bus.
Huge objects thumped down on what was left of the roof ofthe bus the night lords were upon them.
Franklin got ready his flash grenade. 'Only one I've got best make it could Franklin old boy or you and your remaining fellow orphans and the nuns are as good as chopped meat'. Thought Franklin into himself.
"FRANKLIN! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS ZOO!". Roared Augusta.
"Its hajersnips! What the fuck is this". Replied another night lord.
"FRANKLIN! WHERE ARE YOU! DOES MY BROTHER STILL LIVE!". Shouted Augusta while the bus was still hurtling at high speeds down the road.
"WHERE IS MY BABY BROTHER! FRANKLIN!". Augusta howled with a surprising amount of emotion.
"What the hell is going on up there". Said Franklin to himself as he heard the giant bellow his name again and again unsure if he was alive or not while the bus began to get lighter and lighter for some reason.
The air was filled with yipping screams of hajersnips being lifted out of the bus and hurled onto the fast moving road. It was a terrible sound. The last of the hajersnips had been hurled from the bus and there was franklin trying to cover Sister Mary as much as he could.
"YOU ARE ALIVE". The giant roared in delight.
"You won't take my baby from me!". Sister Mary screamed at the demonic giant.
"HE BELONGS WITH HIS FAMILY GIVE HIM TO ME NOW!". Demanded Augusta.
"We are his family go back to hell devil!". She screamed.
Augusta drew his bolt pistol and took aim at Sister Mary only to have Franklin jump in the way to protect her causing Augusta to growl and hold his fire. The difference in this situation is Franklin didn't have a problem shooting.
Franklin opened fire with his autogun in an attempt to drive the night lord back. Who only snarled in annoyance at the bullets bouncing off his armour. Suddenly the amount of gunfire hitting Augusta grew as they neared the third check point.
Augusta growled in frustration and rage before he took off and attacked the sisters of battle at the checkpoint. The bus hurtled through the checkpoint into the darkness beyond it. In bad shape on death's door and barely functional anymore but against all odds the emperor delivered them yet again.
Even with small mercies the servants of the emperor can defy hell itself.
Glory be his name.
"
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