A Growing Web

Wadden felt as though the forge would go on forever. Talros had led them from gantries, through service tunnels, underneath production lines, and everything in between. The Mechanicus was certainly maintaining a steady production of military arms and equipment, but despite Merrick's objections otherwise, Hurst wasn't quite convinced that the priesthood was hoarding for themselves. The supplies were constantly being shipped out to the loading bays, and heavy cargo ships continually came and went through the openings at the top of the Forge. Everything appeared to be running as Hurst thought a forge should.

They were now hidden between two large containers on a mag-train cart hurtling towards the primary Forge. So far, Talros had succeeded in keeping Tech Guard patrols and watchful priests from detecting them. Hurst hoped that whatever luck Talros had conjured up to keep the Mechanicus off their backs held out. While Hurst didn't believe in the arbitrator's suspicion of treason, being captured for trespassing was something he' d prefer to avoid. The mag-train hummed louder as it slowed to a halt in a large receiving depot. Large cranes reaching for the ceiling far above began offloading the train's cargo.

Talros slid off the side of the train and dropped a short distance to a maintenance catwalk that ran along the underside of the rail system. A tiny hatchway lay further up the grated walkway. Merrick and Hurst flanked either side of the door with their pistols drawn while the Talros produced his lock slicing tool. Hurst swung into the room, immediately checking his corner to the right with Merrick mirroring him on the left. When he gave the all clear, Talros entered and sealed the door behind them.

The room was a maintenance junction for the Forge's hydroelectric system. A small artificier console was packed tightly between a mass of dripping pipes, funneling water through the junction an back throughout the Forge. Wadden noted that only one other doorway entered the room. Easy to cover, but also easy to become trapped in. Talros produced two small, rectangular cards and pressed each against the entrance hatches. "These will emit an intermittent scan of the opposite side of the doorways. They are keyed to my neural augments, so I will know if there is movement the moment the surveyors detect anything. We will rest here for three hours, and then continue onwards."

Merrick shook his head, and nestled into a corner, resting with one hand on his laspistol. While he rested, Hurst watched the Arbites agent as he used the artificier's monitor, injecting a spike shaped object into the computer's memory banks. Hurst leaned over Talros's shoulder, staring at the screen. "What are you looking for?"

Talros did not take his eyes off the screen, and he continued to sift through information. "Anything of value. Security patrol routes, maintenance schedules, anything that might indicate if this room could be compromised in the time we stay here."

"That's not what I meant," said Hurst quietly, as to not wake Merrick. "I meant what are you looking for, here in the Forge?" Hurst placed himself between Talros and the monitor, and stared impassively at him. "I may not share Merrick's disregard for authority, but he is right about one thing. What do you need us for, exactly? You could have spoken to either of us in the past three months and learned all you could from our testimonials. But instead, here we are, helping you break into Angel Forge to steal documents. You say that the events leading up to Spire Legis's demise did not add up, Talros, but from my perspective, neither do your motives."

Talros was undeterred by Hurst's probing. He answered flatly, "You are here because I allow it. Your friend the sergeant major would still be in that cell if I had not overruled the Imperial Guard's sentencing. You are here because you are more embroiled in this conspiracy than you may realize. The Mechanicus archives will provide the proof I need to complete my case."

"Spare me the obfuscation, agent," said Hurst sharply. "I asked you a question with a simple answer. I didn't ask for another rant. What is in these archives that could be so valuable to you to risk death by the hands of the AdMech?"

"This conversation is over." Talros glared up at Hurst until he finally walked away. "My reasons are my own."

In a darkened room, visible only by the infrared sight of his optics, the priest watched and listened to the exchange between the two intruders. The Arbiter had been efficient in covering their footsteps. The low level Transmechanics overseeing audio surveillance of the Forge had been quite fooled by the encryption codes the agent had uploaded into the junction's computer bank. But not quite the match for the Logis Adept's discerning watch. The conversation was fascinating to him. A thought danced across his mind. Perhaps, a treasonous thought. But still, possibly a course of action worth exploring...

As far as Valeris could tell, she was somewhere in the lower levels of Golgotha spire. Either side of the abandoned roadway were artificial canals that provided drinking water to those below the surface level. The whole spire was covered by these waterways. Valeris hoped to follow the canals out to the water reclamation center, and from there, follow the shoreline north into Imperial Territory. It was slow going, Valeris was dragging her left leg, clutching a metal pipe as a crutch.

Her Thunderbolt had crashed some miles back. Valeris had hit the deck harder than she'd hoped, and her plane had bowled over the side of the freeway before crashing down here. She was lucky that she hadn't flipped over. Without her canopy, the plane would have crushed her. Even so, her flight jacket was stained dark red from her wounds, and Valeris' head was spinning from blood loss.

She could catch a few glimpses of the world above through the slivers of light that broke the darkness. Even as night fell, she could make out the occasional blips in the air that signified gunfire. So both sides were still going at it, she surmised. Above and below, the spire stretched for a mile in each direction, packed with countless roads, passages, and pipes leading through the labyrinth. She was constantly wary of attracting attention. If it wasn't Orks looting the lower levels, it would certainly be the Hive Gangers too stupid or stubborn to evacuate when the invasion warnings had gone off. There was always the sound of nearby gunfire, and Valeris didn't want to investigate.

The canal she had followed abruptly ended, flowing out of a huge metal grate built into the side of one of the Spire's support pillars. Valeris pulled herself over to the observation deck, thumbing the access panel to let her inside. Exhausted, Valeris collapsed through the entrance, the door hissing shut behind her just before she passed out. The last thing she felt before everything went black was the smack of her head against the hard floor.

Merrick and Hurst had their guns trained on the door the moment they heard the hatch click. Talros stood flat against the wall next to the entrance, brandishing a discreet needle pistol. Wadden suppressed the tension building up inside him by controlling his breathing and easing up on his grip. When the door didn't budge, whoever was forcing an entry opted for simply smashing it down. The hatch was blown open by a pressure ram, embedding the metal frame in the opposing wall. Then the fighting started.

The first Tech Guard through the door took a blast from Talros's needle pistol, spilling blood and oil over the squad of heavily armed cyborgs following him in. The trio fired shot after shot into the Skitarii, dropping them as they tried to force their way over the growing pile of bodies in the doorway. None of the Skitarii had yet managed to fire a shot in the engagement. Skitarii units were renowned for their lethality and advanced reflexes. Hurst prided himself on his marksmanship, but he was certain something was amiss. This suspicion was confirmed as a rasping voice shrieked "Cease fire!". The last Skitarii fell to Merrick's gun, and the room was quiet again.

Still pressed against the wall, Talros called out to the voice. "If you wish to speak, show yourself! Otherwise, join the rest of your fellow machine men in death."

The voice spoke with wearying contempt dripping from every syllable. "Oh very well, if I must. The weaknesses of the flesh are such inhibitors to proper conversation." A robed man, a Techpriest, strode into the room, showing no concern for the three guns pointed at his hooded face. "Very well, we shall do it your way, though, if I may ask a question?"

Talros cut him off. "I will be the one asking questions here," he said, still holding the gun to the priest's head. "How many more know we are here?"

"Three thousand four hundred and twenty seven Skitarii units under my command have been alerted to your presence," stated the priest. "They are currently on standby for further orders, and the nearest units can be here in thirty nine point two seconds."

"That is enough time to put us far enough away to stand a chance, then," said Talros. "And you can come with us for insurance."

The priest raised his hands and armatures in surrender, but continued to speak plainly. "Oh I assure you, agent, that will not be necessary. They will not attack without my command. In fact, I merely wished to speak with you. I understand we share a common interest."

Talros gave a harsh laugh. "And what would that be, gearhead?"

"Why, justice of course. The truth about Angel Forge. And the evidence you need to convict both Magos Dolthem and Commissar Elle Connor for heresy."

Hurst and Merrick shot a quick glance at each other, trying to hide their shock. It did not go unnoticed by the priest. "Oh, did he not explain that part to you, soldiers? You must forgive me for jumping ahead, but your skills at deduction are so limited by your hardware. Yes, heresy in the Guard ranks, and a conspiracy within the Priesthood. Isn't that correct, Aldan?"

Talros's face had contorted with anger. Flushed red, he pressed his now shaking pistol into the base of the priest's neck. "How do you know that name? Who are you?"

The priest turned on Talros, towering over the visibly shaken Arbiter. "I am the answer to all your questions, Aldan. I am Logis Corsis. It seems we have much to discuss." Another squad of Skitarii entered the room, marching over the bodies of their fallen allies. They trained their autoguns on the trio, who lowered their weapons. "If you will follow me, please."