Alarms blared as Leman and Melinda descended through the spire, occasionally encountering a stray patrol of guards sent to find them. Leman would dispatch them with brutal efficiency while Melinda attempted to stay out of the way, learning quickly that any worries she had about the safety of her rescuer were unfounded. However, the guards were beginning to increase in number and quality, some sporting full combat armor and weapons more deadly than a stun maul. At last, they reached the ground floor of the spire, their path emptying into a large cargo bay where shipments to supply the gargantuan complex would arrive by rail or air transport. They were on a suspended walkway that hugged the wall of the cavernous room, hanging at least 50 feet above the floor. There was a set of stairs at the far end of the room, leading to a large cargo entrance through which they could escape into the streets of Hyperia. Then, all they would need to do is return to Lucas, wait for Fen to deliver Admu to them, and set up the trap for the Cardinal… provided he fell for it.
Behind them, another mob of heavily armed guards poured out of the doors and onto the walkway in hot pursuit. Leman looked back and saw a familiar face leading the throngs of zealots and patrols: the raven-haired Battle Sister, Ophelia. She was dressed in heavy power armor painted black and gold, and her face was twisted with rage and determination. Her power sword glimmered faintly blue in the dim light of the cargo bay, casting her in a ghostly glow. She charged recklessly towards them, her sword dragging along the wall and leaving a long, smoldering scar across the concrete. Leman spun around and deflected the sword with the head of the power maul he was carrying, causing the blade to slice through one of the metal cables holding the walkway aloft. The platform quaked slightly, causing everyone except for Leman and Ophelia to nearly lose their balance. Leman's shock maul sputtered slightly, not quite designed for the power output necessary to deflect a power sword, but continued functioning nonetheless. Leman gripped the handle tightly, his eyes squinting and face tightening as he analyzed his opponent within a split-second. Her stance, her strengths, her weaknesses, and how to strike exactly where she wouldn't expect. His hand began to move, preparing to swing the mace directly at her center of mass… only, she had dodged. The mace swung straight past her, striking nothing but empty air. Leman was confused.
How did she dodge my strike… before I swung? Leman thought.
He swung the mace again, testing his hypothesis. Sure enough, Ophelia dodged once again. Leman was also confused by the look on her face, something akin to a mixture of surprise and intense focus. He was about to swing a third time, but Ophelia had already begun to swing her blade towards him. He angled the macehead to deflect the sword once more, yet somehow, she had managed to change the trajectory of her swing mid-movement. The blade grazed the head of the shock maul, slicing through the handle and flying straight past Leman's face. He jumped backwards, holding the sparking, decapitated remains of the shock maul. He felt the side of his face, noticing a shallow cut that managed to elicit a drop of blood. By the time he had noticed it, his enhanced metabolism had already begun to heal the small scrape.
Perhaps this 'disguise' has dulled my reflexes more than I suspected… Leman thought. Though, there is certainly something peculiar about that woman.
Leman felt the drop of blood on his finger, and smirked.
"Hm. I must admit… I'm impressed." Leman said with a wry smile.
Ophelia looked at him briefly with a confused expression, but before she could even think to react his open palm had already connected with her abdomen. The force of his strike was like nothing she had ever felt, knocking the wind from her chest and sending her flying backwards. She collided with the mass of guards behind her, knocking them all off their feet and backwards onto the suspended walkway.
"Run!" Leman shouted.
Leman and Melinda began to run towards the stairs, but Ophelia was determined to stop them at any cost. She grabbed her power sword and began slicing the metal cables holding the walkway up, causing the entire platform to shake and vibrate uncontrollably. The walkway sagged to one side, causing some of the guards to lose their balance and plummet to the ground below. The remaining cables began to strain and fray, as the anchors in the ceiling holding them in place started to crack and uproot themselves from the extra load. Leman briefly considered trying to make it to the stairway, but decided the easiest route was probably the best one.
"Melinda, I need you to trust me… and hold on tight." Leman said.
He picked her up, effortlessly lifting the woman in his arms. Just as the walkway was about to give, he leapt into the air and plummeted to the ground below, Melinda holding onto him as tightly as she could. He landed on the solid pavement beneath them, the impact leaving small cracks as his enhanced physiology absorbed the shock of his landing. He put Melinda down and turned to see more guards pouring in from the sides of the room. Ophelia stepped out of the wreckage of the fallen walkway, battered but still doggedly determined to catch him.
"Close the cargo bay doors!" She shouted.
An immense metal door began to descend from the ceiling, threatening to close off their only escape route. Leman leapt into action, dodging lasfire as he attempted to reach the hangar doors. Just as they were about to close completely, Leman slid under them and caught the several-ton door on his shoulders. He grunted and gritted his teeth, slowly lifting the door just enough for Melinda to get through. Ophelia and the guards looked on in shock as the seemingly normal man not only held the impossibly huge door in place, but was actually raising it with nothing but his own strength.
"Quickly! Through the doors!" Leman shouted, a command which Melinda readily complied with.
Once Melinda had passed through the opening, Leman clenched his teeth and lifted the door as high as he could, slipping past and allowing it to slam shut behind him. Ophelia rushed towards the closed door and began hacking at it with her power sword, though even her blade wasn't enough to slice through the thick metal. She stood in front of the closed door, panting heavily as beads of sweat dripped down her face. She turned to the rest of the guards.
"What the hell are you all waiting for!? We have to organize a patrol to search the city! We can't let those heretics escape!" Ophelia shouted.
Leman and Melinda slipped through alleyways and into the crowded streets, the sound of blaring alarms quickly spreading throughout the city. Confused and panicked civilians filled the streets, providing perfect cover for the two fugitives to escape unnoticed.
Alright, now for the final phase of the plan. Leman thought. We just need to reach Lucas… and then wait for Fen and Admu. Just where the hell are those two!?
Admu and the Broodlord tumbled through the dim grotto, cast in an eerie red light by the faint glow of volcanic activity in the caverns below. Admu rose to her feet and found herself surrounded on all sides by swarms of Genestealers, with the immense Broodlord at the front. The monstrous creature towered over her, scraping its claws and boneswords against the rocks and creating sparks. It made a loud, guttural noise somewhere between a roar and bellow, eliciting a cacophony of shrieks and cries from its smaller kin. Admu flinched, her face contorting briefly with a pained expression, before quickly recovering and glaring at the towering Broodlord.
"That won't work on me again." Admu said.
The Broodlord growled deep in its throat, bearing its glistening, knife-like teeth.
"I know what you are." Admu said. "I saw it. Even if it was just a shadow, an echo… I saw what you are."
The Broodlord unleashed a harrowing cry, a grating howl that reverberated through the caverns and was echoed by the smaller Genestealers.
"NO!" Admu shouted. "You are not Life! You're a parasite, a cancer! You're unnatural! You consume everything in your path leaving nothing behind, devouring worlds and everything… everyone on them! You're unnatural!"
The Broodlord narrowed its red, pupil-less eyes, snarling and growling with increasing intensity.
"You are an enemy of Life. My papa taught me to protect nature… to protect people… so that makes you my enemy." Admu said. "I won't let you consume the people of this world!"
The Broodlord howled furiously, taking several aggressive steps towards Admu. The swarm of Genestealers became agitated, rushing in from all over their nest to attack the intruder.
"I know what you are." Admu said. "But you have no idea what I am. AGAITH!"
A blinding flash of light filled the cavern, briefly stunning the Tyranids. When they had recovered, the 10-foot Ogryn girl they had just surrounded was gone. In her place stood a towering, half-beast giant with a crown of antlers and a long, flowing tail. The Broodlord intensified its howling, raising its boneswords and directing the swarm to attack.
Cassius dragged the injured body of Yngvi while Ulfric covered them, emptying round after round of bolter shells into the swarming Genestealers.
"What… are you doin'?" Yngvi grumbled, blood dripping from his mouth.
"What's it look like? I'm savin' your arse." Cassius said.
"We need… reinforcements." Ygnvi said. "Leave me behind… muster a force on the surface… and come back to wipe out these bastards."
"Sorry grey-beard, but we've got no apothecary to harvest your progenoid. You're just gonna have to suck it up and let us help you." Cassius said with a wry look.
Ygnvi grabbed Cassius by the collar of his power armor, drawing him closer.
"Promise me… if things become dire… if you're about to be overwhelmed… leave me. There's no need… for all of us to die here before we can… accomplish the mission." Ygnvi said, his breaths becoming wheezing and hoarse.
The Bloodclaw unsheathed his Chainsword and drew his Boltpistol.
"No…" Yngvi said. "Take this."
The old veteran of the Wolf Guard drew his Frostblade, plunging the sword into the ground next to him.
"Aye, Huscarl." Cassius said, leaning his injured commander up against the wall.
Cassius clutched the hilt of the Frostblade, its edges crackling with ghostly energy. He pulled the blade from the earth in one, swift motion. It seemed to draw in the ambient energy around it, leaving a trail of icy cold air in its wake. Cassius charged back into battle, rejoining his brothers.
"As if his ego couldn't get any bigger." Garrick said, dislodging his Powerfist from a Genestealer's face.
"Less talking. More killing." Jax said, shoving away a Genestealer's claws with the pole of his Frostaxe and caving its skull in with its blade.
"I couldn't agree more, brother." Cassius said.
He leapt into action, firing off a number of bolts into a charging Genestealer to stun it before lopping off half of its torso with his Frostblade. He spun around and impaled another, unloading his Boltpistol into a third Genestealer. All 4 Bloodclaws tore through the charging beasts with impressive skill, but their sheer numbers were beginning to wear down on their cohesion.
"Emperor's name, they keep sneaking up on us!" Garrick said, holding a flailing Genestealer by the neck before slamming it into the ground and crushing its skull with his boot. "They're coming from all directions!"
Cassius turned to Ulfric, who had just finished reducing a charging Tyranid into a pile of perforated gore with his Boltrifle.
"Ulfric, I need you to collapse all the tunnels except for the main entrance to the hive with explosives." Cassius said, decapitating a Genestealer with his sword.
"Why not all of the tunnels?" Ulfric replied, firing off a volley of bolter rounds.
"If we leave them an entrance, it will drive them all through a single point where we can concentrate our attacks." Cassius said.
"Aye, I'm on it." Ulfric said.
He loaded a Krak grenade into his underslung grenade launcher, cocking the barrel and aiming towards one of the tunnels. One by one, he detonated the ceilings of each entrance and sealed them, leaving only the gaping chasm in the center that led directly into the Genestealer's nest. The number of Genestealers pouring into the room lessened momentarily, as they re-routed their movements into the main entrance. Cassius took advantage of the momentary pause to re-group.
"Ulfric, take a position on the left and provide covering fire. I'll take point, Garrick will cover my flank. Jax, anything that gets past Ulfric, Garrick, or me, goes to you. Understood?" Cassius said.
"Aye." the three Bloodclaws said.
The four Space Wolves took their positions, awaiting to bear the full force of the swarm all at once. The Genestealers stopped coming for several minutes, and Cassius almost thought they may not be coming at all… then, the horde attacked. Dozens of Genstealers flooded the room every minute, crawling along the walls or simply charging on foot. The sound of synchronized bolterfire and rent flesh filled the room as they concentrated all of their attacks on the single cave opening. Dead Genestealers would pile up only to be torn apart to make way for their living brethren. Soon, the pools of blood were beginning to reach ankle-deep in some areas. They shot, burned, slashed, crushed, and pulverized the alien menace without pause or rest, stopping only stopping for a precious few seconds to reload their weapons. Bolter shells littered the ground, clattering like marbles as they floated in the soaking gore-puddles. Eventually, even their ammo stocks were beginning to run dry.
"I'm on my last magazine!" Ulfric shouted, tossing away his empty cartridge and raising his Boltrifle to face the enemy.
"I'm out, completely." Garrick said.
"Same here…" Cassius said, holstering his empty Boltpistol to hold the Frostblade with two hands. "Ulfric, Jax, Garrick… on my signal, take Yngvi to the surface."
"What? What are yo-" Garrick said.
"I'll hold them off long enough for you to escape! The Huscarl is a veteran of the chapter… he doesn't deserve to die here in some sewer, without even being able to hold a sword." Cassius said.
"Cassius…" Yngvi said, between bloody coughs. "...You cocky bastard…"
Cassius smiled.
"Sorry, old man." he said. "Think this'll get me into Kjaalhalla?"
"Aye, lad…" Yngvi said, laughing between his coughs. "...and I'll be sure to get there soon and kick your arse for disobeyin' orders!"
Cassius turned to the swarm of incoming Tyranids, gripping the handle of his Frostblade tightly.
"Now!" he shouted, charging into the horde of attacking Genestealers.
He slashed through the arm of one, finishing it off with a slash to the neck. He sliced another through the chest, crushing its skull beneath his boot. He blocked another's claws with the edge of his blade, pushing it back then piercing it through the stomach. He fought his way through the swarm of Tyranids, tearing through them without care for his own life. His battle-frenzy raged as he was barely able to see anything that wasn't directly in front of him, anything that he wasn't currently killing. His armor was scratched and torn, until finally he shoved the point of his blade into the heart of an attacking Genestealer… and then nothing.
Cassius blinked, snapping out his momentary berserker rage. His sword was impaled in a dead Genestealer, and he was surrounded by Genestealer corpses. Yngvi, Jax, Garrick, and Ulfric were all still there, and the flood of Tyranids had ceased entirely.
"I think you got 'em all." Garrick said.
"Well, I guess that little speech was a bit premature, then." Cassius said.
"It was a right pretty speech, too. Had me moved to tears." Garrick said.
"Oh, shut up." Cassius said. "I guess we're both makin' it out of here, Huscarl."
"That was an impressive show of bravery there… and a flagrant disregard for my orders. Two months on weapon cleaning duties." Yngvi said, followed by the sound of Cassius groaning. "But, on the bright side… I do respect you slightly more than I did before. I'd say that's a fair bargain."
"You know what, maybe I should've listened to my orders and left you behind, grey-beard." Cassius said.
Yngvi let out a hearty chuckle, pausing to cough up a few splatters of blood.
"Shame about the girl, though." Jax said, in a hushed tone.
"Aye… she seemed like a nice lass." Yngvi said.
With the reminder of their failure to protect the lost girl, their victory took on a bittersweet note. They'd all collectively seen their fair share of innocent deaths, too many to count… but even still, it was never something they readily accepted.
"Say…" Garrick said. "Whatever happened to that Broodlord?"
Suddenly, a massive object flew out of the large cavern. It hurtled through the air and landed with a wet thud, splattering blood with its impact. It was the severed head of the Genestealer Broodlord, its teeth broken, its face covered in deep lacerations, and one of its eyes gouged out. Then, the stunned Space Wolves turned to see none other than the lost Ogryn girl emerging from the darkness of the cavern, seemingly unscathed. Her face, hair, and arms were covered in Genestealer blood, though curiously her clothes were pristine. She was breathing heavily and had a look of deadly seriousness painted on her face. In the dark her eyes seemed almost to glow… though, when she entered the artificial light of the atrium, she covered her them as they adjusted to the light. Her face instantly shifted back to how it was when they had met: friendly, curious, and mildly oblivious.
"Oh! Thank goodness you're all alright." Admu said, noticing the Astartes were still alive.
The 5 Space Wolves simply stared at her, occasionally looking over to the severed head of the Broodlord. Admu looked over at Yngvi, crumpled over against a wall and clutching his wound. Her eyes immediately widened, and she rushed over to his side.
"Oh no! Mister Fangbreaker, are you ok?" Admu said, placing a hand on the gaping hole in his armor.
"I… I've lived through worse…" Yngvi said, more incapacitated by sheer confusion than pain. "It's just a flesh wound… and a pierced lung… I'll be fine…"
Admu looked around and saw the several dozens of Genestealer corpses littering the room, as well as the battered state of the surviving marines.
"I'm so sorry about all of this…" Admu said, a regretful timbre filling her voice.
"Uh, really it wasn't your faul-" Cassius said.
"I was trying to kill all of them before they reached you, but a few managed to get past me and… I'm just glad you're all okay." Admu said, tears welling up in her eyes.
"...a few?" Garrick said.
Cassius slowly turned around to look deeper into the cavern where 'Tia' had come from. He cautiously turned on the flashlight built into his helmet, and what he saw shocked even him. In all of his decades of being an Astartes, fighting on the frontlines against some of the worst horrors the known galaxy had to throw at them, he had never beheld a scene of such utter, brutal carnage. It was difficult for him to put into words just how many dead Genestealers there were, and just how severely they had been annihilated. It was as if someone had fired a Hellstorm Cannon into an entire swarm at point-blank range. He wordlessly shut off the flashlight.
The silence was broken by a loud thud, originating from the sealed metal door that led to the rest of the hive sprawl. The Space Wolves immediately readied their weapons, fearing the worst. There was another loud crash, and another, each one warping the thick plasteel door inwards. Another thud, and another, and finally the entire door was torn from its heavily welded hinges, flying straight across the room and sliding along the floor. To the Space Wolves' further shock, behind the door was none other than… a dog. It was rather large for a domestic dog, larger than most of the Imperium's working canines, but otherwise fairly unremarkable… aside from being covered nose to tail in Genestealer blood.
"Fen!" Admu shouted, rushing over to her lost companion.
She picked him up in her arms and twirled around, ignoring the blood she was smearing all over her face and clothes.
"That's… the dog you were looking for?" Ulfric said.
"Yep! He's my best pal, right after Mister Ru-" Admu said, her eyes opening wide and shutting herself up before she made the situation worse. "Um… nevermind."
Ulfric and Jax looked past the girl and her reunited pet, peering down the hall where it had come from. The hallway was, similarly, a bloody slaughterhouse of Genestealer corpses. The walls were smeared and splattered with gore, and, most disturbingly, some of the Genestealers appeared to be half-eaten. The two Astartes simply looked back at one another in disbelief.
Admu let Fen down, and the dog sat in front of the girl and began to look intently at her. Admu's facial expression began to change slightly, like she was listening in to a silent conversation. Suddenly, she gasped.
"Oh my, right away? Then we have to go now!" Admu said, turning to the stunned marines. "Thank you all so much for helping me, but I really have to leave. It was wonderful meeting you, farewell!"
Admu waved goodbye to her new friends, and then she and the oversized dog quickly ran off down the hallway.
"So, Leman needs me for something? Did he say what?" Admu said.
No, but it sounded urgent. He told me to meet him at a certain location, it's near the station where we arrived. Fen said.
They reached the maintenance shaft at the end of the hallway where Fen had made the long descent to reach her.
We have to hurry. It will take us some time to ascend this stairway, but if we-
"What about that?" Admu said, pointing to a pair of metal doors in the wall next to the stairwell.
There was a metal panel next to the doors covered in black and white stripes, with a large red button embedded into it. Admu pressed the button out of curiosity, eliciting a loud buzzing noise followed by the doors opening. Inside, there was another panel with dozens of buttons each labeled with a different stratum of the hive sprawl.
…or we could take the elevator. That was… going to be my second suggestion. Fen said.
Back in the Genestealer abattoir, the 4 Bloodclaws were recuperating and preparing to return to the surface. As Cassius was packing up his weapons, he noticed Yngvi struggling to his feet. He rushed over to the injured Huscarl, holding him by the arm.
"Steady there, Huscarl. Are you sure you're alright to walk without opening the wound?" Cassius said. "We could organize a lift to-"
"I'm fine, newblood." Yngvi grumbled. "In fact, I… don't feel injured… at all." He said, puzzled.
Yngvi removed his hand from the large gash in his armor, and amazingly the wound seemed to have completely closed on its own. Not only that, but the bloody wheezing had disappeared from his breathing, and, even more strangely, the persistent crick in his lower back he had gotten after wrestling an Ork in the Octarius Sector had mysteriously vanished. The old Wolf Guard veteran felt a hand placed upon his shoulder pauldron and looked over to see Cassius, his helmet removed and showing a small, grateful smile.
"Say, old Huscarl…" Cassius said. "You think we could find some Ogryn girls like her and bring 'em with us to Fenris?"
"Four months on weapon cleaning duty." Yngvi said, followed by a loud groaning from Cassius and raucous laughter from his fellow Bloodclaws.