Chapter 3

The walk through the streets had become some ugly form of quest for Kael. At the start of the night it had been a usual drop, but now he was second guessing himself and looking twice at everyone they past. Why had Gia been attacked? And what was really niggling him, apart from the fact it had been a monk, why had Gia got away so easily?

Yes, he was happy his gang-friend had escaped, but if someone – anyone – was going to attack or rob you in Parthenon, they really meant it and you didn't get away easy. Something just didn't sit right.

The rain had continued its downfall, steadily becoming heavier after he had met Gia. Both of them had decided to head back to the Hab building the gang used, deeming it too weird and unsafe to do any more jobs tonight. Kruger may be angry, but when he found out at least three of his sellers were dead, surely he would realise something out of the ordinary was going on?

There was a deep, booming, rumble in the distance. More thunder, Kael thought, great. Moments later, the ground shook slightly, accompanied by another distant rumble.

'What was that?' said Gia, stopping in her tracks. 'Did you feel it?'

Kael had stopped also, and replied: 'Yes, and I don't think that was thunder.'

'What could it be, then? An earthquake?'

'I don't know, maybe.' What now? He said to himself. 'Let's just get back to the hab.'

Gia nodded and both of them continued onwards. Others in the street had stopped what they were doing also, and some had opened windows and looked to the angry night sky. Russ growled quietly, and had an agitated look about him, his tail tucked firmly between his legs. What does he sense? wondered Kael.

They walked up to a crossroads, where the street met a roadway. The road was not as busy as the central main street, and the traffic flowed easily along the much worn taramite. Water flowed steadily along its edges, like twin streams on either side, and the traffic slowed intermittently to slosh through large puddles.

The two gangers and the dog ran across the drenched road, dodging cars, vans and trawlers alike, and jogged into a darkened street on the other side. The roads here were even quieter, and the lighting even poorer.

Kael hated this part of his daily journey. Grater Lane. It was an old, decrepit place that only the truly lost or desperate lived. He had been attacked several times walking through here in the past.

Which reminded him all to well of what the night had held for him so far.

Something suddenly occurred to him as they moved deeper into Grater Lane. What if Gia had been deliberately allowed to run away from the attack? What if one of Kruger's rivals wanted to find out where the gang lived? Maybe they were being followed, and once they made it home, the rival gang would attack?

He was so caught up in his thoughts, that he never saw the hooded shadows ghosting through the ruins around him.

*

Nayth grabbed hold of the table next to him to steady himself after a tremor washed through the building. What in the warp?

'Rek!' it was Seren, and she sounded worried. She had moved into one of the back rooms, searching for any clues, while he looked in the front room.

He hurried into the back room of the hab-flat, his fit and muscular body moving with ease under his combat bodyglove.

'Rek!' she yelled this time. 'You have to see this.'

'I'm there,' he said mildly, his gruff voice steady and in control.

He entered the room, and what he saw outside the window made him stop short. A large plume of smoke rose from a cluster of tall buildings not far from the hab-flat. Continuous detonations ruptured throughout the superstructures, making them look as if they where being hit my small meteorites every second. As the explosions petered out, the cloud of smoke gathered lazily above the city, the black smoke mixing with the stormy clouds above.

'Not good,' he said.

'What now?' Seren whispered. Rek turned to look at her, taking in her good looks as he did so. She had not been with the team long, and Nayth still had trouble trusting her. The fact she was beautiful and a psyker – some kind of telepath – just gave her the stereotypical air of a spy.

'Down boy,' she said, smiling. 'You can stare at me when the world isn't blowing up around us.'

Rek blushed slightly, recovering quickly. 'Stop reading my mind.'

Seren smiled, 'I don't need my powers to know when a man is staring at me.'

Women, Nayth thought. 'We need to get back to the cutter, find out what the hell is going on.' The flicker-glass shook and the room moved worryingly as secondary blasts echoed outside – not even the windows or walls could hide to colossal sounds – and both of them moved into the hall. 'Call Dorian, tell him to scan the city and the airwaves, we're losing control here.'

'When were we ever in control?' said Seren. Even though she smiled, Nayth knew she had a serious point. This was never going to be a clean-cut mission.

Rek Nayth hated when things got complicated.

*

Another echoing explosion had enveloped the streets and Kael knew now that it was not thunder, but something more terrifying, more dangerous. 'Something's gotta have exploded in Central City – or maybe an lander has crashed from orbit.'

'Let's get back to the hab, yeah?' said Gia.

'Yeah,' answered Kael, but his thoughts had drifted from Gia all of a sudden. Russ had turned his head and sniffed the air, his hackles rising. Even though he was a longhaired dog, he was so big Kael could see the ripples of quivering muscle underneath. His dog was tensing, why?

Russ growled menacingly and looked over at a derelict building to their right. The building was a broken shell, maybe nine or ten stories high – it was hard to tell since the roof had caved in long ago. The windows to the place had been smashed or broken years back, and the remaining dirt-caked panes looked more like jagged, rotting teeth than glass. The wind and rain added to the ominous look of the place, casting a dark mood across Kael's spirit. Something was wrong.

Russ barked, edging close to his master, and Kael reached into his coat for his old knife – his only weapon.

'Kael, what now?' said Gia.

'Trouble, I guess,' he replied. The way things were going, of course there would be trouble. Maybe now I can find out what is going on, he thought.

Suddenly a figure appeared out of the shadows. It moved confidently towards them under a dark brown habit, and it held a cruel looking sword that cackled with energy – a power sword? Kael had heard stories of such a weapon, but never thought to see one. All Kael knew them was that they were an ancient weapon that coursed with energy, enabling it to cut easily through the toughest of armour. The fact the attacker was a monk did not surprise the young ganger - he now guessed at least one of them had been followed - however, the fact he had such a powerful weapon did.

The monk stopped just outside the old building, the sword sizzling as the rain hit the energy blade. 'Kael Athenus, you will come with me.' His voice was loud and calm, and had a course edge to it. The monk himself was over six foot tall, and looked well built, but mostly his body was hidden under the hooded cloak. The way he stood made Kael think that he was dangerous, and used to fighting. Not good.

'What?' was all the young ganger could say, his muscles tensing for a fight, his blood pumping loudly in his ears. He could feel the mix of excitement, adrenaline and fear build up within him, and his sweaty hands held the knife tight in his pocket.

'I wouldn't try to do anything stupid either, my young friend. Brother Artur will shoot your girlfriend in the head if he thinks you won't come quietly. And call off your dog, or Brother Freidal will kill it.'

Kael suddenly felt out of his depth. This wasn't a brawl in a dark lane with a Deep addict, the stakes had been raised. There was something more important here, something bigger. He couldn't see the other monks, but sensed that they were there, skulking in the shadows.

Russ barked with more ferocity, and stepped toward the monk. 'No, Russ! Stay!' Kael shouted. His dog halted, but continued to growl and bare his sharp-looking teeth.

'Now, boy, come with me and I'll not harm the girl.'

Kael was about to answer, but through the wind and storm he heard small puttering sounds and slashes of energy. At first Kael thought the monk's friends were firing warning shouts, or worse, shooting at Gia and Russ. But, the puddles of water around the monk hissed and spat suddenly, as if they had rapidly heated and the monk raised his sword and backed into the building. Someone was firing laser weapons at the monk.

A tall, slender figure appeared in front of Kael, in-between him and the monk. 'Follow, mon-keigh, or you will die for sure.' It said in a strange, soft accent. His apparent saviour also wore a hooded cloak, but it was no monk, it was something very different. A xenos, an alien to his world. 'Come, quickly.'

Before he realised it, he grabbed hold of Russ and started running in the opposite direction from the ruined building and the monks along with the strange being, taking cover in a derelict house. The hooded xenos had helped Gia in with one hand, while firing off shots from an outlandish looking pistol.

More shots impacted off the thin rockcrete walls, kicking up small puffs of dust. The house smelt of damp and age, and Kael wished he had found somewhere better to hide from the gunfire.

Outside, a vicious gunfight flared suddenly, as if two gangs had clashed in open combat. The crumbling walls of the house burst open with las fire as he and Gia ducked for cover, fearing for their lives. Kael heard Russ barking wildly and pulled on his chain, while choking dust and smoke clouded his sight. Outside, the fighting and gunfire grew ever closer.