Secret War: Warhammer 40,000, Ben Agar [list of ebook readers .txt] 📗

face.

"Karmen!" I hissed through clenched teeth. "Karmen!"

But she seemed to ignore me completely.

"Karmen! Karmen!"

"What?" she snapped suddenly, her attention-catching to me.

"C-can I ask a quick question?"

"Well, you did just then, but sure. Fire away."

I swallowed. "W-when I met with Taryst that night. He asked me to spy on Glaitis for him, but if you could read my mind so easily, he really didn't need to, so why? Why did he ask me to spy on Glaitis for him?"

She smiled and shrugged. "Good question, Attelus; maybe he saw potential in you or something."

I grinned widely. "Or perhaps he did it because you asked him to, didn't you?"

Karmen sighed. "Alright, alright, no point in denying it, I guess."

"Well, thanks," I said. "I appreciate it, and I can't help wonder if anything would've gone differently if I'd accepted the offer."

She pouted and shrugged again. "Another good question; they say it's our choices that shape us. It could have."

I grimaced, truly doubting it would've made any difference at all. Perhaps I wouldn't have hurt Vex, but Glaitis' plan would've gone through no matter what.

"But, Attelus," she said. "I may have asked him to do it, but he only did it because he did see potential in you, believe it or not."

Immediately, I believed her and couldn't help but beam at the compliment, but also, I couldn't help wonder; I had the potential for what exactly? Potential to become yet another sycophant toady in Taryst's organisation, maybe? I frigging hoped not.

I let out a slight sigh at my cynicism and suddenly really wanted a smoke of Lho.

But they'd even taken them off me too. Bastards.

We walked the rest of the way in silence; during that time, I'd expected someone would exit to greet us or something, but even when we came close, the door stayed firmly shut.

"Uhh," said Arlathan as he scratched the back of his head. "So, what's the plan now, princess?"

Karmen just rolled her eyes and turned to the Throne Agent. "They haven't run they?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, maybe."

Karmen clenched her at No One of Consequence's incompetence, then turned and smashed the palm of her hand repeatedly against the door, much to all our bemusement.

"Let us the frig in!" She roared at the top of her lungs. "We need to talk!"

She did this for a good six seconds before finally giving up, clutching at her red, hurt hand.

"That's the plan?" said Arlathan. "How...Inventive."

"Shut up!" she snarled. "Why don't you, you know, actually try to contribute instead of just standing around snarking and being generally useless."

"Hey, sister-"

Arlathan was cut off mid-sentence as the door suddenly opened, and just inside stood two huge hammers with autoguns held in our faces.

"Shut it!" yelled one. "Stop ya friggin' yellin' and poundin' before we make you stop!"

"Please," said Karmen. "We need to talk to your boss."

The Hammers ignored her, turning their attention to No One of Consequence.

"You okay, Jeksen?" said the other Hammer.

"Seen better days," answered 'Jeksen.'

The Hammer smiled.

"I said-!" started Karmen.

"We heard you!" The Hammer interrupted. "We're not deaf! And you're friggin' lucky the boss wants to talk to you too. Or we would've just shot you on sight, even with Jeksen with you. No offence, Jeksen."

"None taken."

"Get in!" said the other Hammer, beckoning us inside with his autogun. "And no frigging funny business!"

 

 

We walked into what would've once been the building's reception area with our hands raised over our heads and found over two dozen more hammers with a large assortment of different guns aimed squarely at us.

They certainly weren't taking any chances.

"Keep a good eye on the short one," said one of the Hammers that'd let us inside, indicating me with a thumb. "That was the one that attacked the Twilight bar."

"I see my reputation precedes me," I whispered to Karmen.

"Yes, well, don't let it go to your head, Attelus," she hissed back.

"Check them!" yelled another Hammer, and immediately a few Hammers moved forward and patted us down, even Jeksen included.

"Clear!" all of them yelled, one after the other.

"Well, well," said one Hammer as he emerged through the others; he was taller and older than the rest and seemed to ooze leadership he was perhaps well into his fifties which could've meant two things in the underhive, he was smart and skilled as only the very best lived that long, or the luckiest. "Comin' into the lion's den unarmed, you must be desperate."

He grinned and folded his thick tattooed arms across his barrel chest. "Or just stupid."

"We would have been more stupid if we had taken in weapons," pointed out Karmen.

He shrugged and pursed his dry lips. "Good point. So, what brings a pretty little boy, a fancy, senior magistratum detective and a babe like you to our oh so humble abode?"

Karmen clenched her teeth. "We wish to talk."

"But to talk what, exactly?" said the gang leader. "What could've brought our enemy so low that they wish to talk instead of shoot?"

"I can't tell you now," said Karmen. "We need to speak with Brutis Bones."

The huge Hammer rounded on us, his brow knotted in utter rage. "Not until you tell me what I want to know!" he roared.

"Calm down, Tevith," tried Jeksen.

"Oh, frigging shut it, Wesley!" roared Tevith. "We all know the reason they found us was because you squealed! As far as I'm concerned, you're a frigging traitor whose words don't mean crap here! You know how many good men have died because of these idiots! To frigging many! But still, here you are! Now frigging working with 'em!"

"And I'm sorry to say many more will die if we don't listen to what they have to say!" yelled back Wesley Jeksen.

Tevith pulled out a massive handcannon and aimed it right at Jeksen's head, his expression now a deadly calm.

"I told you to shut it, Wesley and I frigging meant it," said Tevith, deadpanned, "and I don't care if you're a Throne Agent. You're still a frigging traitor. And you know what traitors get."

The shot rang deafeningly through the room, causing everyone to flinch in pain and fright, and a horrid scream of complete agony immediately followed.

But Jeksen, who stood right beside me, was unharmed. It was Tevith who screamed as he clutched at his bloody, destroyed hand.

Another figure emerged from the mass of Hammers, holding a raised, smoking stub revolver, and I immediately knew this was the Brutis Bones character we'd been looking for.

The blue power armour he wore made him dwarf most of the Hammers in the room, and over his shoulders lay a fur cloak of beautiful make. Sheathed at his hip was an ornate sword, and slung over his shoulder was a bolt gun with an under-slung grenade launcher attached. He didn't wear a helmet, so we could see his short red hair and his pale, freckled face, which seemed permanently set into an expression as hard as hell.

Brutis Bones was truly an Inquisitor through and through.

"Get him to medicae Aheth," Brutis Bones ordered casually as he holstered his stubb revolver, and two Hammers immediately moved to carry the whimpering Tevith away.

Brutis shook his head and approached us. "Please forgive Tevith; he's rightfully pissed off about all the crap you've done."

"Th-thank you for saving us," stammered Karmen.

Brutis smiled slightly and shook his head again. "No need to thank me. If he were going to shoot any of you other three, I wouldn't have stopped him. You okay, Wesley?"

"Y-yeah, boss, but I've been better."

"I'm sure you have, and I'm sure there's a fething good reason why you've brought them here? Right?"

"Of course, boss, but," he glanced around the room. "But, I think we'll need to talk about all this in private."

Brutis nodded, turned on his heels and waved us on. "Alright then, follow me."

Immediately Hammers approached us and grabbed us roughly, shoving us after Brutis Bones as he led us further into the complex.

 

 

Brutis took us up to a small, separate office on the second floor. Along the way, I took the opportunity to look around. I found that the entire place had been fortified; the plastcrete walls were reinforced further with thick bits of flak board. Many of the windows were completely boarded up, and the ones who weren't all had a Hammer standing watch.

But what got me was on the shop floor all the workbenches had been moved, taken away to Emperor only knew where. Instead, there were sleeping cots, dozens of them and sleeping, sitting or walking around them were women and children, people who I could only guess to be relations to the many Hammers under Brutis Bones' employee. Both Arlathan's and Tresch's auspex had said only forty lifeforms; well, that was certainly proven wrong now.

As we walked through, everyone had eyed us with big bug eyes and expressions of undisguised curiosity. I'd looked back, finding myself suddenly almost overwhelmed with horrified apprehension.

I had no idea they'd be here; I'd never given even the slightest thought of where the Hammers had kept their wives, their children. It was a trap, this I knew without doubt and them being here, them being here, it complicated the situation vastly, and as we walked through, I found it very hard to breathe.

Karmen looked over her shoulder at me, asking, "you alright, Attelus?"

I had managed only a nod in response.

Brutis held the door for us as we filed in; it was a simple, spartan room with only a large cogitator bank in the back wall, a cot in the corner and a large desk in the centre of the room with an office chair behind it. Although Brutis didn't sit, he just kept standing at the doorway, his face unreadable and folded his arms over his chest.

"So, we're alone, speak," he said bluntly.

"This is a trap," I said immediately.

Brutis looked at me, turning like he was targeting me. "What?"

"This is a frigging trap," I said through clenched teeth. "Inquisitor Edracian is planetside; he's engineered all of this so we'd all be together so that he can kill us altogether."

"But aren't you his allies?" asked Brutis, with an almost mocking raised eyebrow.

"Not anymore," said Karmen as she stepped beside me and gave me an uncertain look. "After we found out from Interrogator Heartsa the information you had, Taryst decided to cut all ties to him."

Brutis' eyes narrowed. "So why did you still want to capture me?"

"Because Taryst wanted to have all ties to Edracian silenced, and this included you and the information you hold," answered Karmen. "But that's all changed now, now that Taryst is dead."

Arlathan, who'd been leaning on the wall, eyes widened and rocked forward in disbelief as Brutis' pursed his lips.

"Dead?" How?" asked Brutis.

"Murdered, though an internal conspiracy," said Karmen.

Brutis shrugged his massive shoulders and moved to his desk; sliding open one of the draws, he took out an expensive liqueur bottle and a few crystal glasses, doing so with the remarkable skill for one with armoured power fingers.

"Damn shame," he said as he poured himself a glass. "I was hoping I'd get to throw that bastard out the window of his grotto myself. Amasec anyone?"

Everyone declined except Jeksen.

"Yeah, boss, that'd be appreciated."

Brutis smiled slightly, poured another glass and handed it to the other throne agent, who swigged it back with great enthusiasm.

"Well," said Brutis sipping at his Amasec. "Is Edracian on Omnartus, now, huh? Well, that's what we've been waiting for, for all this time, isn't that right, Wesley?"

Jeksen nodded confirmation, and both Karmen and I exchanged confused glances.

"What do you mean?" asked Karmen.

Brutis shrugged again. "That's why we've been fighting this was with you; we figured if we fought it for long enough, Edracian would get tired of Taryst's failure so would come and finish the job himself, then we'd be able to take care of both of them."

Brutis took another sip of his sacra and said with a grimace of distinct disgust, "fething Isstivanian bastards. So, how do you know Edracian's planetside?"

"Because he attacked me," I said. "He and a group of axe-wielding, suit-wearing idiot Hammers ambushed me, captured me."

Brutis took another sip of his sacra.