Venenum Filios Chapter 28

Deep in the Warp something moved, a slice of hard darkness in a sea of frothing insanity. It drifted slowly on those ethereal tides, not really hastening to be anywhere, merely letting the current take it. This would have been anathema to the blinkered Imperial Navigators but the crew of this ship cared nothing for such timid caution. It was the Shadow, Beta's flagship, and it was limping away in humiliating defeat.

Deep within those vast decks was a special facility, a unique set of chambers built for a unique purpose. It was a series of sealed compartments, each one hermetically isolated from the rest. Every section had its own isolated life support system, along with biological detergents, hard radiation emitters and inbuilt flamers in case the worst should happen. Once this facility had housed the dreaded Virus Bombs of an entire Legion, now it served the purpose of acting as a quarantine facility.

In one of the ante-chamber a gathering was occurring, a meeting of the leaders of the Chaos Marines on board. To say that they were having a robust discussion would be a hysterical understatement, it was more that they were having a raging argument, one that threatened to spill out into bloodshed. The harsh tones were shocking in their implied menace and it made the mutant crew scamper away in wretched terror.

Loudest of all were the ringing bellows of Anurax who was shouting, "Run, you had us run, you worthless coward!"

Opposed to him was Beta who was equally irate as he yelled back, "The battle had turned and we were about to be cut down. A withdrawal was the only option!"

"Fleeing," Anurax sneered, "What sort of Chaos Lord flees at the sight of danger? Or was it more personal than that, I think it was the sight of your comrade being laid low that made your spine go soft."

"Do not test my patience," Beta growled as he let psychic power flow around his fists, "If you think I have gone soft then you are sorely mistaken. It seems that you have forgotten what happened the last time we duelled, I think a reminder is in order."

Anurax's eyes glanced at the energies curling around the Sorcerer's fists and a flicker of apprehension flashed in his eyes. He sank back into silence, not wanting to test the Sorcerer's wrath just now.

Beta didn't have time to enjoy his win for Talgor spoke up saying, "Your blunder cost us many of our warriors, we lost scores in the mad dash to retreat."

Zhumo agreed saying, "Not to mention the spoils of that world, now we run away and lick our wounds."

"There was nothing there worth fighting for anyway," Beta declared defensively.

"And the Bio-weapon," Talgor pressed, "What did your vaunted weapon achieve?"

Zhumo snickered, "The Neverborn whisper that the Throne-worshippers have already found a way to neutralise it."

"So many centuries spent developing that weapon," Talgor taunted, "So many sacrifices, all for nought."

Anurax rumbled, "The Harrowmaster is most displeased, he demands an explanation in person."

Beta looked across their line, seeing only angry and insolent rivals. This was getting out of hand; they were openly questioning his leadership and if he did not do something soon they would start to get ideas about replacing him. He decided then that these three had become more trouble than they were worth; it was time to do something about that.

"The Harrowmaster does not command this ship, I do," Beta declared but as he did so he made a surreptitious gesture to the corner where Delta and Epsilon were standing. To his surprise they did not move, standing stock still and he tetchily made the gesture again. Yet he was shocked when Delta loudly said, "Go bait your own trap."

Beta was shocked by the reply and his jaw fell open, the other three were not slow to pick up on the cue and Anurax chuckled as he said, "What's this, discord in the ranks?"

Zhumo looked between the Alpha Legionnaires and said, "It seems we are the not the only ones disgruntled with your leadership."

Beta glared at the pair of Alpha Legionnaires and hissed, "What are you playing at?"

"We're done taking your orders," Epsilon growled back, "You let Gamma get infected with our own Bio-weapon."

It was then that Beta realised how deeply his cell was wounded, the bonds that knit them together were singular and precious which made it all the harder when they broke. Trust was so rare in the Alpha Legion that to break faith with ones cell-brothers was unthinkable. It was the only bond that held them together and these two seemed to think Beta had broken that trust.

Beta was spared having to make a rejoinder when a cowering mutant emerged from behind a plastek curtain and whimpered, "Mighty one… he's asking to see you."

Beta glared at the other Chaos Marines and said, "Wait here, I need to see Gamma."

He left them behind as he stepped through the partition into another chamber. This room was divided into two by a thick armourglass wall, ringed with controls and runebanks. In his half were a score of cowering mutants in dark robes but in the other half was a lone warrior. It was Gamma and he looked to be in a terrible state.

Gamma was naked, stripped of his armour and squatting on the floor with his head in his hands. Every one of his muscles looked drenched in sweat and thick green pustules were forming all over his body. Many of them had burst, leaving runnels of pus over his flesh and they oozed onto the floor around him. "Get out," Beta breathed then louder, "Get out!"

The mutants fled in terror leaving the two alone and Beta stepped up to the glass saying, "Gamma, speak to me Brother."

Gamma slowly lifted his head and said, "Beta…"

The Sorcerer was horrified by the diseased, crippled thing before him and whispered, "Brother, I am here."

Gamma croaked in a weak voice, "The cure, give me the cure."

Beta was torn by the sight of the once proud warrior, a soldier he had trained himself and raised up through his gene-forging. There was no closer bond between Brothers than that and it struck him to the core to see Gamma like this, so weak, so helpless. The worst thing was that he knew there was no help to be had, there was nothing he could do to aid the infected Chaos Marine. This quarantine was to keep him from infecting anyone else, not the other way around.

Beta whispered, "There is no cure, that was the whole point of the weapon."

Gamma leapt to his feet in a feral burst of energy, he threw himself at the glass, beating his diseased fists futilely against it as he rasped, "You're lying, you always lie! I always hated the way you do that, I always hated you."

Beta bit back his first response and stated, "If I had a cure I would give it to you."

Gamma's eyes became unfocused and he said in a distant voice, "I can feel it in my blood, in my bones, it's eating me alive."

"Gamma, stay with me," Beta pleaded desperately.

"And then there's the voice," Gamma said dreamily.

"Voice?" Beta said as alarm rose within him, "What voice?"

Gamma looked into infinity as he said, "The voice… it offers me life, offers me so much."

"Gamma, don't listen," Beta warned him, "It's the Warp calling to you."

"The voice," Gamma whispered, "It speaks of power and strength, the might that comes from rage and bloodshed. So much strength, enough to drive this sickness out in an inferno of fury and rise anew. It says I can lay waste to whole worlds and purge myself in an ocean of blood."

Beta pleaded, "Gamma shut it out, it's trying to take your soul. Chaos is there to be mastered, not worshipped."

Gamma however wasn't listening, instead saying, "Such might, such power… I want it. I want all you have, give it to me: I let you in!"

"Gamma don't!" Beta cried but it was too late. Even as he watched Gamma's flesh began to swell, not with sickness but with new muscle mass. His skin began to convulse and harden, forming into spikes and broad plates. It began to glisten with a coppery sheen and solidify into thick plates of pressed brass, covering him neck to toe in brazen armour. Gamma's face trembled and then his gums sprouted a pair of pointed tusks, tiny at first but growing bigger by the second and upon his brow nascent horns burst through the skin.

Gamma blinked and when his eyes opened again they were not his. Something older and far fouler looked out of his eyes with a shimmering red light. Gamma's form was growing second by second, filling the room and his fist lashed out to craze the armourglass wall in a spiderweb of cracks. His mouth opened and from it came an unearthly roar, "Blood for the Blood God, Skulls for the…"

At that second concealed panels sprang open all around the room, revealing hidden nozzles behind them. There was a moment's pause and then with a whoosh of flame long tongues of burning promethium spat forth, filling the space with a blinding conflagration. The thing that had been Gamma thrashed in rage and denial but could not defy the purifying touch of flame. Its grip on reality was incomplete and it had yet to learn the full potential of its new flesh. It thrashed and screamed but was helpless to resist as its body crumbled around it, turning into a puddle of molten brass and black ashes. For minutes the flames burned and then they ceased, leaving behind a scorch mark that had once been Gamma.

On the other side of the armourglass Beta lifted his finger from the sterilisation rune and stood in silence. He looked upon the ashes of Gamma, frozen into stillness and unable to move. For long moments he stood there in shock, struggling to grasp what he had just done and what it meant. He placed a hand on the glass and whispered, "Brother I didn't want…"

Then he snatched it back and made it into a fist as he snarled, "It means nothing, he meant nothing, none of them do. I rule alone, I need nobody else. I am Beta, I am the Hydra and the Hydra always wins."

It was a firm declaration but in his hearts he knew it was a lie, yet he had to act like it was true. Beta turned his back on the ashes of Gamma and strode out of the chamber, stepping back to where the Chaos Marines were waiting. Beta entered the ante-chamber and declared firmly, "Gamma is gone."

The gathered assembly was divided in its response, Anurax, Talgor and Zhumo barely reacted, making only the feeblest attempts to look solemn. Delta and Epsilon however glared at the Sorcerer with anger and resentment bubbling just under the surface as Delta hissed, "This is your fault."

Beta narrowed his gaze and let power flare around the head of his staff as he growled, "Do not doubt me, I am in command here. Anyone who thinks that they can question me is making a grave mistake."

The group slunk back in submission, none of them wanting to challenge the Sorcerer openly. Yet as Beta looked at them he knew that all of them held him responsible for this, for their defeat and the humiliating retreat. He knew none would dare face him in a duel but they would certainly be scheming behind his back and sharpening their knives, just waiting for an opportunity. Even Delta and Epsilon must be thinking that he had lost his authority, his right to command. Resentment and anger would fester and turn Beta's only loyal followers against him.

Beta did not give anyone time to respond, instead sweeping imperiously out of the ante-chamber. He left them all behind in his wake as he strode out but every step of the way his neck itched and he felt like he had a giant bolter-target painted on his back. Beta knew that his rule was no longer safe and it was inevitable that soon someone would try to relieve him both of his command and his life.

As he strode away two questions consumed Beta's mind: how soon it would be before they made their move and how many of them would come for him.

The Storm Heralds will return in Locum Ignotum