A.N.: Hello again! First off, thank you all for the kind words in your reviews! It's awesome knowing people are enjoying this fic, and I look forward to bringing you more going forth! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Oh, and if you have any questions on the story, feel free to ask them in reviews and so long as it doesn't spoil what comes in the future I will answer them in the next chapter!
"So. Let me get this straight." The Faen woman loomed over Vaem menacingly, in a manner that would have seemed comical to anyone who didn't know who she was. Intimidating did not fit with her appearance. "You've got people disappearing. Not just a few, hundreds of people are missing."
"More like thousands by now..." Vaen had considered trying to bury the mess that the Undercity was becoming, but at this point it was quite clear that he was completely losing control. Better to just come clean and hope to salvage the situation than lie and see what the Faen family would do to him when they inevitably found out.
"Thousands then. And you have...no real idea what has happened to them?" She asked, deceptively calm.
"Besides that some weird ass creature seems to be involved? Not really, no." Vaem shrugged. "I sent some of my best after it, and as far as we can tell none of them made it. Honestly...this is out of my paygrade."
"You don't get paid." The Faen woman reminded him coldly. "You just have a strange tendency to have a lot of money laying around."
"Yes yes, I'm a criminal, we know. Can we focus on the bigger issue here?" Really, after having seen multiple scenes like District Three, she wasn't as intimidating as she used to be for Vaem. Oh sure he was cautious, and he wasn't going to do anything stupid, but he found it easier to retort and argue back with her. She nodded.
"Right. Do you have a plan?"
"Yes. But I don't have the manpower." He shook his head. "If whatever is causing this can make hundreds of people disappear in a matter of hours, I don't think taking what guys I have left and marching on the manufactorum where we found the thing last time will end very well."
"Perhaps." The woman stood silent for a moment. "So. The places attacked...how many of your people actually found themselves caught in the events?" He frowned.
"Not that many. Most of the places attacked were where we'd put the least guards, the least people." His eyes furrowed. "You think what's causing this is smart enough to figure that out?" She nodded.
"It's basically guaranteed at this point. So, I think this should be out plan of attack. Gather people up. Let one of the gathering spots be less guarded than the others, and station your people close enough to intervene should something happen. At the least, we might then get more information on what is happening."
"So...use some of the citizens as bait?" It was cold. And yet, coming from the noble families of the upper levels, he was unsurprised. "I guess we can do that. Still, having a little extra firepower might help us..." He said, looking at her only to sigh as she shook her head.
"No. We cannot afford to move our own security personnel. The inspection is too risky a time to be exposing ourselves." Well, that's what she said. With the amount of people they had he was sure they could spare a few if she really wanted, but better to let him and his gang take the damage. Damn her. Damn her entire family.
"Alright. We'll get this sorted."
"Good. Because if this goes wrong, the first who will suffer the Sororitas' fire will be the Undercity." With that final threat, she walked away, leaving him alone in his dark office.
Time to call some people.
Anya walked through the halls of the manufactorum. Whilst the above ground area of the building was identical to before, the underground had seen an incredible transformation in the past few days. Organic growths had started spreading over the walls, pulsating flesh with strange fluids circulating through it. Strange, miniscule creatures scuttled on them, attending to some of the stranger organic structures growing in various parts of the manufactorum basement, the purpose of which for the most part still eluded Anya. The air had grown thick and humid, yet for Anya it felt comfortable and inviting. She felt reinvigorated whenever she took a breath of it.
Rippers were the main creatures she would come across walking through the underground corridors, but they were not the only ones. Hormagaunts were starting to become common sight, dozens if not hundreds of them having been produced from the thousands of people they'd taken and devoured from the attacks they'd committed on the people of the Undercity, and the thousands more corpses they'd taken from the sewers. Rippers would also go into out of sight places hunting the critters of the land, rats and stray dogs becoming an ever rarer sight than they'd become with the famine. In addition, termagants had joined their ranks; similar to hormagaunts, but possessing strange weapons able to attack from range, biological guns in a way.
But today, her younger self had promised a new creature would be born, one that would send their Hive to greater heights of strength. A new type of organism that would help with the opposition they were sure to be encountering soon enough.
"It is born." Her younger self spoke softly. "Nornie has given birth to them the day before, and they have now grown to their full size."
"So young, yet ready to fight." Anya smiled. "The Tyranid growth cycle sure is something."
"Indeed. You yourself have grown quite a bit in so short a time."
"Hm." She hummed softly as she entered the large room where Nornie lay. The pool had been made larger by the very strange worker creatures that had been produced after the first wave of rippers, and Nornie at its centre now stood at four metres in height, ten in length. Despite its primary purpose being to give birth to the numerous Tyranid organisms, she had a variety of ways to inflict death on any who came close. Massive scythe-like members at the end of thick, muscular arms, deadly burrowing worms ready to burst from her thorax and of course her growing psychic power that in capacity outclassed Anya's own. Though, according to the younger her, she surpassed the future Norn Queen in potential for growth.
Not too far from Nornie was a large creature, currently sitting in the pool of green liquid.
Slowly, it rose and turned to face her. The creature was tall; taller than Anya herself. It stood at a little over three metres in height, a looming figure of muscle and chitin in a bipedal stance, with a long tail serving to aid in its balance. In addition to two thick legs ending in hooves, it had four upper body appendages that at first started off like arms but quickly morphed into biological weapons. Despite having never seen them before, she instinctively knew what they were, and what name her old kind had given them. The lower two arms had merged and morphed into a powerful, devastating long range weapon: a venom cannon, a heavy symbiotic organism that fired acid and could cause terrible damage to even heavily armoured individuals. Even the security forces of the upper levels would be killed instantly if hit by such a weapon. The two upper body appendages on the other hand were melee oriented; and looked more human than the rest of the body, but only just. The members ended in vicious, monstrous clawed hands that had enough strength to crush a human skull like a grape with only a minor amount of pressure. The claws could rend through armour with little effort. And most dangerous of all was the calculating intelligence she could see in its eyes; knowing instinctively, thanks to her slowly growing connection to the Network that this creature was clever in a way that could rival a human.
The creature was as if some twisted fusion of reptile and insect, and other things she knew not the name of but the Network evoked images of. Any respectable citizen of the Imperium would decry it as a horror, and yet Anya found in it a strange beauty. A lethal creature built for battle, every inch of it designed to make it deadlier and deadlier.
It slowly lowered itself towards her, bringing its head close to her hands. With a giggle, she reached up and started scratching it under the chin, eliciting a rumbling noise from its chest. She laughed then, wrapping her arms around its neck.
Yes, this would do just fine.
"So, my old kind calls you warrior hm? A fitting name to be sure." She let go of the creature, it rearing back to full height. "For now, stay here and guard Nornie. We'll have need of your service soon." She turned to her younger self. "I am assuming this won't be the only one?"
"No. Now that we have some basis of an actual hive nest..." The younger self gestured to the walls of flesh and pulsating sacs. "More will be brought forward. Eventually, we will be able to bring about even greater organisms."
"Good. The more the Hive grows, the more attention we will get, and the greater foes we will have to overcome." She looked back to her younger self. "Now, you said you would teach me further with my psychic powers?"
"Yes. However, there is only so much I can teach you in a vacuum. I believe we require a more...proactive approach."
"What do you need me to do?" Anya replied without hesitation. The younger her grinned.
"Let us go hunting. But this time, you have to kill them without touching them physically." Anya frowned.
"That sounds complicated."
"Remember the headache you gave to that flame throwing human? That, but stronger. Or well, it is one path. There are other...more, direct, ways."
"That sounds confusing." Anya pouted as she got out of the pool.
"These things often are. Don't worry, it gets easier."
"Hm. I think I know where to go to find isolated people, though its a bit of a trip."
"Oh? Aaaah...the trail. Not that far away, for you. You should be back within a day if you are fast."
"Yup. Not many who can actually afford to leave town for long enough to hunt whatever small prey they can find there...and those that do don't trust anyone to join them. They'll be armed for small prey, and unprepared for us."
"Indeed. Still, remain cautious. Overconfidence was the demise of many whom we consumed...and some of our own defeats." She glanced back at her younger self. Something about the deadly seriousness of her expression made her take those words in.
"Understood. I'll be careful."
"I will make sure you will."
The feral dog sniffed the air. It looked nervous, famished. There was foam in their mouth. A sound, imperceptible to the human ear caught its attention, making them whip in the direction it had come from, only for their head to splatter in an explosion of gore as the bullet impacted it.
Jonathan sighed. Another rabid mutt. It had been a week since he'd seen proper prey around here. Even the trail was growing empty of food, with the number of hunters like himself going around. Famine was still gripping the Undercity, perhaps tighter than it ever had. It was an awful state of affairs, and one he couldn't help if he couldn't bring home some good food. The meat would be infected, all sorts of diseases running through it.
Just the thought of it was enough to give him a migraine.
He frowned. Actually, that was a pretty strong headache he was feeling. A throbbing feeling at the front of his mind that would not alleviate. Slowly, he brought his cantina to his lips, letting out a sigh as the cool water splashed against his lips. It had cost him a bit to get it, but if he could just bring home even a single prey it would be worth it.
The headache, instead of alleviating, only grew fiercier. He winced in pain, falling to his knees as his hands let go of his rifle and were brought to his forehead. It had grown to become a blinding pain, one that was becoming impossible to ignore. A scream escaped his lips. His brain felt like it was on fire. Blood started pouring from his nose, then his eyes.
By now he was incapable of thinking coherently. His mind was a mess of panicked, half formed thoughts, pain radiating through it and obscuring all with its all encompassing poisonous embrace. He was shaking on the ground, his eyes rolled back as his hands clawed at the side of his face, digging trenches of blood into his cheeks. His throat grew raw from the intensity of his screaming.
A shadow passed over him as someone stood before him. His eyes rolled back into place, bloodshot and wide, staring into the bright yellow ones of the person. Not a person, no.
A creature.
The intensity of the eyes seemed to only magnify the pain in his mind, until finally, blessedly, it went blank. Darkness took over him.
Anya chewed on the flesh of the man she'd just killed, looking expectantly at her younger self. The child had her head tilted, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"Not bad. You actually managed to kill that one. Still, you needed to get close to do that. There's still a lot of room for improvement." Anya nodded.
"Sure, but it's still better than before!" She swallowed the chunks of bone she'd been crushing between her teeth. "I can't feel many more people around at the time. Probably another three before we have to head back.
"Then let us show haste. The nest has grown stronger, but I still do not feel comfortable leaving it for too long." Anya nodded.
"I know what you mean. I feel restless already." She stretched, groaning in satisfaction at the feeling of her muscles tensing and untensing. "Alright. Back to work."
An hour later she was heading back towards the Manufactorum. From afar she could see that artificial darkness had fallen on the Undercity as the great flood lights turned off to simulate night. The only lights left were that of the faraway urban areas and of the colossal gates that led to the upper levels of the hive-city. Those would be guarded by large amounts of arbites and security personnel. Too strongly for her and her hive to do anything about it yet. But with the biomass of the Under-city they would be able to break through without too much trouble, she was sure of it. And then they could consume the Hive-city. She grinned. She'd never thought how amusing it was that mankind called their cities Hives.
She would show them what a real Hive was.
Arriving home, she found that there were now four Tyranid Warriors guarding Nornie. They made for an intimidating core of bodyguards, making her grin happily. She was dragging a corpse behind her, throwing it at Nornie who caught it in her mouth and swallowed it in one gulp. Anya clapped happily.
"Aw, look at you Nornie! All big and grown!" Her younger self gave her an amused look.
"She is not even close to being grown yet. She is to be far larger at full maturity."
"Psh, she's plenty big already." Anya gave Nornie an affectionate pet, the massive creature leaning into the caress. "I suppose there's not much else to do but prepare for the big attack then."
"The big attack?"
"They are gathering people. I think it's a trap. They're keeping the armed ones close by to every big concentration. I think they're expecting us to attack where they're weakest so they can crush us while we're busy with unarmed ones." The warriors stood a little straighter, a cold light of calculation in their eyes. She could see how the rest of the creatures around them reacted, almost in a trickle effect, as she formulated the ideas in her mind and they were relayed to the rest of the Network. "So, I think we go against their expectations. We send a smaller force into one of the civilian areas, and when they move in to take care of it, we surround and crush them." The younger her hummed.
"Hm. An interesting idea, and seeing as how our foes aren't exactly a disciplined, well organized military...it could yield good results."
"Great. But we'll need to gather a bit more strength. They're waiting for us, and with the famine and the blockade from the upper levels they won't be getting any stronger. Time is on our side." Anya knew that better than anyone. She'd lived it, back when she was still just a human child.
"Perhaps, but do not tardy too long. We can only grow as fast as we can consume biomass, and there is only so much we can gather from the sewers before running out. And too long might mean catching the attention of things you are unprepared to face yet." Anya nodded.
"Then...three days. Three days, and we strike."
"Three days." Her younger self agreed. In the manufactorum, the swarm went into full frenzy. Three days of preparation. They would be ready.
"Your conclusion, Canoness?" She looked back to her bodyguard. The inspection had been undergoing for a few days, and whilst on the outside everything seemed fine, she was experienced enough to see that something was wrong. Someone high up was trying to hide something. There were too many files missing that could be accounted for by the usual Administratum bureaucratic woes, too much hesitation from key individuals in sharing certain pieces of information. Some didn't even seem sure what it was they were hiding, but she could tell that there was at least something there.
"There's something rotten in this world." The celestian straightened, a tone of zealous fury entering her voice.
"The taint of Chaos?" The canoness sighed, shaking her head.
"No. It...it does not feel right. The taint of chaos is usually either more pervasive, corrupting the very essence of people...or it hides itself better." She groaned in annoyance. "This feels more like the usual corruption problem. That isn't our problem usually, but...whatever they're trying to hide, they really don't want us to find."
"If I may..." Another of the Celestians piped up. "I have received reports from some of our squads. It seems that there are delays in getting the necessary arrangements to inspect the Undercity. These might be actually be attempts to stall us until they can solve whatever it is they are trying to hide from us?"
"An excellent suggestion, Celestian." She agreed, an approving smile on her lips. "Now the question is, what is it that they are so scared of us finding out?"
"Do you wish for us to order to move out?" The Celestian's grip on their weapons tightened.
"No, no. Not yet. Gather the Faen family. We will start by asking them some questions, get them squirming. Let them know we are suspecting something, and see if they end up doing something reckless that will reveal what is going to us."
"Understood. I will pass the orders."
She had spent decades hunting down heretics, xenos and all manner of fetid abominations that sought to gnaw at the Imperium and its citizens. Often, those very citizens were the ones causing the damage. She knew when something was wrong, and this definitely felt like it. Her eyes glimmered.
If there was something going on...she would burn them all. Anyone responsible, anyone who had hid it. Anyone who was even tangentially related to it. For an infection could only be dealt with by severing the infected member and burning the stump.
Cleansed in Holy Fire.
"State your name." She looked forward, doing her best to radiate an air of confidence and control. It was a hard thing to do whilst under the scrutinizing glare of the sister of battle sat in front of her.
"Isabella Faen."
"What is your role within the Faen Noble Family?" The sister asked. The room was dark save for the single bright white light shone in her face. The sister was not alone; there were four more in the room, all in full gear.
"I am in charge of surveying rival families' interests and ensuring cooperation between the Houses for the enrichment of the wider Imperium." The sister nodded, as if that made any sort of sense. Her role had always been a facade. A series of pretty words to hide the true nature of her purpose.
"Does this role ever involve you having to go to the Underhive?" It was asked casually, in a relaxed manner. Were Isabella any lesser person, she would have been startled by the question.
"No. The Underhive is under the purview of other Houses, and any inspection from our own fall to other individuals." She said the sentence smoothly. One she had trained to say many, many times.
"I see. So the name Vaem means nothing to you?" That caught her a little off guard. No one was supposed to know that name. Let alone some off world pest.
"I...I cannot say it does." She cursed at the flicker of hesitation she'd shown. The sister gave a smile. There was nothing kind about it.
"Is that so?" She snapped her fingers, and the door to the room swung open, a bloodied and beaten maid being thrown inside. Isabella froze in shock at the sight of her personal servant having been reduced to such a state. "Because this lady here seems to believe otherwise." The sister of battle rose, looming over Isabella. When she spoke, it was with such venom, such contempt, that Isabella found herself shrinking on herself. "If you think your noble birth or your titles make you safe, you are wrong. We are His will manifest. His fury. His anger. We are the armoured fist of the Holy Ecclesiarchy. Anything that endangers His most holy Possessions..." She leaned forward, a snarl on her face that made Isabella whimper. "We Burn until nothing but Ashes remain!" Her hand lashed out, grabbing Isabella by the hair and slamming her face into the table, blood pouring from her broken nose. "Now, either you speak...or I will have you turned into a servitor on our ship." Tears poured from Isabella's eyes as terror grew within her, and she hated the weakness that showed in her voice as she spoke.
"He..." Her voice was nasally as it came out, making her wince. Pain bloomed in her face and from her scalp. The sister's grip wasn't gentle. "He is a gang leader from the Underhive. The Angels." The grip grew tighter, and Isabella sobbed. "I've been using him! Using him to control the Underhive!" She was hyperventilating as she spoke, desperate to get the hand of her sister off her, terrified it would rip her scalp clean from her head.
"What is it that your family is trying so hard to hide!" At Isabella's silent sobbing, the sister gestured and another sister stepped up, holding her bolt pistol to the noble woman's head. "You have five seconds to answer."
"You... you can't just kill me!" Isabella screeched hysterically.
"You will find I very much can and will." The sister's face was as if made of stone. "Four. Three." The click of the gun made Isabella sob violently. "Two. One..."
"THERE IS SOMETHING DOWN THERE!" She finally yelled, unable to hold back. She was trembling, sobbing and crying, her face an ugly mess cast in a terrified pale light.
"Something?" The sister asked calmly. The gun hadn't moved.
"Y...yes!" Isabella continued, now that the words were out they wouldn't stop flowing. "People have been going missing, there's been blood found in broken buildings, and groups of armed men have vanished as well!" Isabella sobbed. "It's all I know, I swear!" The sister smiled gently down at her.
"I believe you." She turned to another of the armed members of the church. "Sister Elea, please escort our friend here back to her quarters, and inform the canonness. I believe she will have some questions to ask the planetary governor."
"Fuck, it's started." Andrew looked to the man who'd spoken. They were young, too young to be participating in this. But they were dangerously low in able people in form to fight. "We're getting reports from the inside of the town. Apparently a bunch of monsters just sprang from the sewer system."
"Damnit." Andrew sighed. He had hoped this had all been some... collective psychosis. Or some scary tale to distract people from the omnipresent threat of famine. But no, apparently the galaxy wasn't quite done throwing shit at them. "Alright people!" He caught the attention of the people under his charge. Around a hundred people, scrounged up from the ranks of the Angels. Not a large force by Undercity gang reference before the rebellion, but now represented a considerable concentration of forces. "We've got some movement in town. I want everyone to move in as we planned, and watch for crossfire." He looked to the gathered troops, raising a hand. "Alright, now let's…" He frowned as a pulsating headache suddenly beset him. Doubling over he gasped, his hands grabbing at his skull, growling in pain and confusion. What in the world, he hadn't even dopped in a while!
The others seemed confused, looking at him with a mixture of concern and amusement. He felt like screaming, and not just in pain. The town was under attack, people were getting slaughtered and they were all standing there watching like he was some entertaining play!
Then, he saw it.
The sewer grate. The large, open sewer grate that he'd specifically ordered one of his squads to look at seeing as how their foe seemed to use them for movement.
And now the Emperor be damned idiots were pointing and laughing at him instead of surverying it. He tried to say something but the pain only increased. He screamed in pain as he fell to his knees, blood pouring from his nose and eyes. The laughing turned to muttered confusion and worry.
None of them were looking at the sewer opening.
None of them noticed the humanoid creature that came out of it, followed by a set of towering, three metres tall monsters. They were surprisingly silent for such large creatures; what little sound they were making was covered by the chatter of the assembled gang members. He tried to point at them, but there was no strength in him. His arm fell to the ground limply. One of his underlings walked to him, leaning down.
"You should really ease on the chems dude." Emperor save him for the morons he had to lead. These were drugged up, moronic idiots. The kind they didn't rely on except when they needed numbers. But all the actually competent folk were dead or missing, and…
One of the creatures raised an abominable amalgamation of flesh and organic tubing, pointing it at the assembled crowd. There was something wrong, even these dumbasses should have noticed something by now. He could see dark spots in his eyes as the humanoid creature stared at him from afar, glowing yellow eyes visible even from a hundred metres away. Horror gripped his chest.
Psyker.
The last thing he saw as his mind was crushed was the projectile fired pulverizing the individual it hit instantly, showering the people near him in a coating of acidic poison and shrapnel like crystals.
Anya had never felt more alive in her life.
She clawed through people with ease as her claws scythed people in two in a single motion; a flick of her arm would crush another human's bones, cave his chest in or shatter his skull. The warriors she'd brought with her were bombarding the crowd with their weapons, carving swathes into the panicking gangsters. She'd known it would hardly be the most organised or disciplined group, and using psychic energy to compel them to just…look away, if only for a moment just look at something else…it had worked wonders for their little surprise attack.
In the panic, the fear and terror that had taken them, she'd found a hole. A breach in their weak willed minds. She'd pushed against that, amplifying their fear to almost supernatural levels; making their grip falter, their aim wild and awkward. Had they focused their fire, even their poor weaponry could have downed one of her warriors relatively quickly. But as it was, they were too busy running for their lives away from them to put up a fight.
A hundred armed men, and they were being slaughtered like defenceless lambs. It was incredible. Wonderful.
She did not revel in their fear, really. It was understandable, for they had no defence against her psychic assault. No, it was the wonder of a fight won without taking any losses; of such a surgical strike on the foe that they crumbled before combat could even properly begin. It fed into a deep primordial drive, that of a hunter that purred at the thought of an easy hunt.
"Focus." Her younger self chastised her. "This is not over yet." Anya wanted to disagree, but she knew better than to simply dismiss that part of her now. It was more deeply connected to the Network than her after all, and had therefore access to far more experience and information.
"Right. Sorry. I got carried away."
"It is fine. A success of such magnitude is unusual to you and something to be celebrated. But do not let this distract you from what needs to be done." The younger self was standing not too far from her on a large rock, looking passively as she grabbed a fleeing gang member and tore him in half.
There weren't many left. Only five running away in terror, getting cut down in a single volley of deathspitter from two of the warriors.
"Of course. This is only the first." She glanced at the bodies, a crawling sound coming from the sewer entrance. "It's safe now. Come feast." A swarm of lesser creatures came out from the sewer, a flood that descended upon the corpses of the defenders and devoured them eagerly. Calling them lesser held no derogative connotations; they were simply of lesser complexity and size than organisms such as the warriors. Each organism within the Hive served a purpose; and whilst some tasks were less important for each organism due to the number of individuals serving them, it did not make the task itself any less important.
She looked to the squad of warriors, a gentle, friendly smile on her face.
"Come on. Onto the next group." They needed to strike while the iron was hot; break the defensive formations that the gangs had made and crush them whilst the element of shock and surprise was still strong.
The Underhive had turned into a slaughterhouse.
Well, perhaps not all of the Underhive. The place was massive after all, although its population was greatly diminished from the famine and rebellion. Still, much of the remaining population was currently caught in the attack by the unknown alien creatures that had emerged from the sewers.
The reports he was getting were chilling. Nightmarish abominations that resembled no creature native to the planet, all chitin and teeth and pulsating organic compounds; descending on towns of civilians whilst ambushing the troops meant to defend them. This was far too coordinated, far too organised for a pack of simple minded creatures.
He was not a man easily unnerved. But hearing the screams of his bodyguards as they fell one by one on the radio as some horror from outer space tore its way through his building block-turned improvised fortress was getting to him. His grip on the gun he clutched tightly was sweaty.
Someone cried out on the other side of the door before something impacted it with a wet squelch. He flinched as a humming noise got closer and closer, before a shadow stopped in front of the door.
A knock. He fired his gun, once, twice, until the magazine was empty. Before he could reload it the door opened slowly, a nightmare stepping into his room.
It was tall. Two metres and a half, with weirdly human hair sticking out of the silvery chitinous carapace that left little of the purple skin it displayed exposed. Its face was oddly human, with glowing yellow eyes and a softly amused smile.
"Hello." The voice was human as well; and his mind struggled to reconcile it with the horror in front of him. "You know, I used to dread the idea of ever meeting you. You're…a lot smaller than I imagined." He gulped. Half of him was having a mental breakdown over the fact the thing could apparently speak and think like a human. The other half was in a way relieved. If it could understand him, it could be reasoned with. Negotiated with.
"I can't say I hear that very often." He joked. Humour was a great way to cope with unimaginable stress and fear, he found. "I assume you're not here for a business call."
"No." The voice was female, but he was hardly going to make any assumption. It might sound human, but it certainly didn't look like it. Blood stains splattered all over its body. A painful reminder of what happened to his guards. "I always wondered what it would be like to meet you. The leader of the Angels." She chuckled. "It's a bit disappointing, I won't lie."
"You've heard of me?" He asked cautiously, his eyes stealthily glancing around for an escape route, a way out. Anything to help him.
"Oh I know of you. You were famous where I lived." She grinned. "It's nice not having to be scared anymore."
"I'm not sure I follow…" He said. She leaned forward, him leaning back in response.
"I wonder…what do you taste like?" Her eyes were wide, and he found his own gaze trapped in her own. It was almost hypnotic, how they burned with sickly yellow light. "Don't worry. I'll make this painless." He hardly registered as her hands wrapped around his neck. A crack filled the office, followed by the sound of teeth tearing into flesh. "Hm. Not too bad. A bit stringy."
"Hm. I thought this would be harder."
"The famine really weakened the Underhive. There were a lot more people before, and the gangs were stronger." Anya crushed the gang leader's skull under her jaws, the satisfying feeling of bones crunching making her smile in contentment. "It's the Upper Hive that'll be a real trouble. They'll be more numerous, better armed and better defended."
"Then we best reinforce and prepare before the fight."
"Hm." She stepped out of the office, entering the corridor filled with bodies, stepping over them without concern. Rippers would be here soon to devour what was left. "With all the biomass we won today, I'm sure we'll be able to do great things."
"Indeed. However, we are leaving known territory. Information will be in far shorter supply, and we will no longer have home turf advantage."
"These guys had it as well." She pointed to the gangsters. "But I guess with the Upper Hive they'll have it whilst we won't. Do you have a suggestion?"
"I do." The younger her's eyes glowed. "There is an organism that specialises in intelligence gathering and infiltration."
"I doubt the upper hive will bother us. They barely pay attention to what goes on down here, no way they'd be looking for someone spying on them. How long will it take to make this organism?" The younger her hummed softly.
"Not too long. Nornie is still young and inexperienced as a Norn Queen, so the longest part will be making her learn the genetic blueprint for the basic template of it." She shrugged. "Making a few of them will take some biomass that could be used for other purposes, but it will be useful."
"Alright." She reached through the synaptic web; willing her thoughts to reach Nornie. The roaring approval she heard in the background of her mind was as good as any confirmation. "She knows her task."
"Excellent. Now…I believe we have earned our meal." Anya felt a hungry grin come to her lips. Yes, she certainly had.
"Governor Faen." The cannoness spoke loudly, boldly, before the gathered assembly of nobles. She could see on their faces the hunger, the excitement and perverse pleasure of seeing one above them brought low. The gleaming light of scheming and opportunism as they already planned on taking his place.
They stood in the greatest cathedral of the Hive, a massive complex capable of housing millions of souls at once. It was used exclusively by the nobility, most of its space serving as empty glimmering halls of wealth and splendour. Representations of the God Emperor were numerous, as they should be. If it had been any different she would have called this place a monument to the nobility's greed. It still was; her faith was not blind simply by coating a fake devotion. But at least they were not foolish enough to have any faith other than that of the Ecclesiarchy. "You stand accuse of plotting. Conspiracy. Retaining information from the agents of the God Emperor's Holy Church." She glared at the naked and bound man before her. Hundreds of her sisters were gathered, armed and armoured throughout the cathedral. "How do you plead?"
"Not guilty. My Lady, I have served the Imperium faithfully for decades." His head rose, a proud expression on his face. "I have crushed those who would oppose it. Broken the cults and traitorous scum. Any misguided actions from the more foolish members of my family are not of my own devising; and I beg thee for mercy." He bowed his head. "My life is in your hands."
"It is." She grabbed the power sword's hilt, bringing it out of its scabbard. "And I judge your words insufficient." Without letting him answer, she brought the sword down. The silk on which he'd been made to lay soaked in the blood of the impious man. A large carpet had been placed there so his blood would not soil holy ground. "Now. I will speak bluntly." She looked to the assembled nobles. "Have your power struggles. Your fights, your intrigues. However, should they threaten the order and balance of this world, or become a nuisance…" She pointed to the corpse of the governor. "You will join him on this floor." She saw the fear in their eyes. They were not stupid; they would listen to her. With that, she turned away, exiting the cathedral along with her cohorts. Her subordinate walked up to her, a question emerging from her lips.
"What next? Trouble will come for such an act."
"The Ecclesiarchy is garrant of our mission. They have given their consent to this action." She tilted her head. "This man has given them reason to be cautious in the past. Better to cut the head of the snake before he bites you. As for what next…" She glared forth. "We wait for the nobles to finish their squabble and see which family comes out on top. Then, we make them investigate what's happening in the Underhive properly. If it is as troublesome as they implied." A fanatical gleam entered her eyes. "We go down there and burn the taint out."
"For the Emperor!"