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

whose face was a little less beaten and brutalised than earlier. His broken teeth replaced by a pair of high-quality false ones; the medicaes had done an excellent job even in such a short time; I couldn't help but be impressed.

No One of Consequence got enough time to briefly glare at us with undisguised hatred just before Torris and Garrakson handed him over to two Stormtroopers.

"Ah! So you finally decide to show up!" came a deep, mocking voice, and we turned to its source. "I was beginning to believe you'd called us so that you could have my men and I dawdling uselessly in the underhive."

Approaching us was a big man in his mid-thirties flanked by two Magistratum troopers. He wore the blue uniform of a high ranking Magistratum officer; he was pale like many hive worlders and was handsome, his short pitch-black hair slicked back, and he grew the beginnings of a beard. He eyed Karmen from head to toe with a hungry look and smiled, a broad, confident smile that was more disturbing than friendly.

I could tell at a glance he was a snake, someone even less trustworthy than Taryst was.

"Yes," said Karmen stepping forward, "and you're Arlathan Karkin, I assume?"

Still smiling, he held out his hand. "Correct, and you're the liaison Taryst mentioned, I assume?"

"Yes again," answered Karmen taking the proffered hand, shaking it hesitantly. "Is everything all in order?"

Karkin grinned wolfishly, turned and began to walk on, beckoning us to follow.

"Of course," he said as Karmen fell into step with him, while Torris, the Olinthre-thing, Garrakson and me shadowed behind. The many Magistratum troopers and officers filling about gave us a lot of room. "We've got the building surrounded, and the auspex confirms there's at least thirty to forty people inside; there's no way in or out for the friggers."

Karmen shook her head. "Remember, Arlathan; these aren't just any normal gangers; these are highly trained throne agents; we cannot take any chances."

Karkin sighed. "We haven't, mamzel; why do you think I'm so confident about it?"

Karmen stopped in her tracks, which caused him and the rest of us to follow suit. "Because, I can tell at one glance that you are the type who is extremely overconfident, Arlathan Karkin, even at the worst of circumstances."

He grinned even wider, shrugged again and said, "with respect, mamzel, overconfidence is only overconfidence if it isn't justified."

Karmen grimaced with extreme disdain. "Of course it is," she said, deadpanned, then they moved on.

"Well," said Karkin. "I have six hundred men ready and waiting to storm the building to capture Brutis Bones. At your word, of course."

Karmen stopped again and looked at Karkin with wide-eyed surprise, her expression mimicking my own. "Six hundred?"

Karkin nodded and grinned enthusiastically. "See, I told you my confidence was justified."

"And where are the Arbites?" demanded Karmen, annoyed.

"They decided not to come," said Karkin with an animated shrug. "They gave us the schematics of the building from their cogitator banks, but they didn't want to have first-hand involvement; that's what my boss said, anyway."

Karmen let out a little growl of frustration then walked on.

While this went on, I looked over my shoulder at Garrakson, who walked just behind me; he immediately turned away, then over my other shoulder and gave Torris a great big grin.

Torris only replied with a nod and the slightest of smiles.

I couldn't help but wonder; why were they both so angry at me? What did they know, exactly?

I sighed out smoke; we'd been through hell and back over the past six months. I'd have thought us going through all that together would've been enough for them to get over it and still be my allies.

"Well, your men don't need to worry about storming the building, Arlathan Karkin," said Karmen, knocking me from my reverie.

Now it was Karkin's turn to stop in his tracks. "And what does that mean?"

"Things have changed," informed Karmen. "We no longer want to capture Brutis Bones; we wish to negotiate with him."

Karkin's eyes widened. "And what exactly happened to cause this change of mind?"

Karmen smiled and sniggered, shaking her head. "You really don't need to know that, Arlathan Karkin," then she went to move on.

"No! I think we do!" said Karkin causing her to halt abruptly. "After everything we've done for you over the past half a year. I think you owe us as much."

Karmen suddenly wheeled on Karkin, her index finger right in his face, her expression a mask of anger. "No, I really don't believe we do! In fact, I would say if anyone owes anyone anything, it's you who owes us! Arlathan, how much does a senior Magistratum detective such as yourself earn a year?"

"Around-"

"That is a rhetorical question, Arlathan!" She snapped. "I already know the answer; ever since you came under our payroll, your pay has not doubled, not tripled! But quadrupled! And you know what we're paying you for! So you can sit around on your arse and do nothing while we do all your work for you!"

"Well, what about that crap that happened at the Twilight bar!" Karkin snapped. "Do you know what we went through to cover that mess up!"

Karmen laughed contemptuously. "I'd hardly say that you earned even a tenth of what we pay you from that incident alone, face it! Detective! You have no ground to stand on! You can't demand anything! Sorry!"

With that, she turned and continued onward with Garrakson, 'Olinthre' and Torris wordlessly following after her, leaving Karkin alone watching them walk through the crowd of Magistratum troopers and detectives, still with that cold smile.

As I exhaled smoke, I moved to catch up, and Karkin fell in step with me.

"Hey, kid," he said conversationally.

I didn't respond; only the corner of my mouth twitched; I really didn't want to have anything at all to do with this slimeball.

"Can I have a smoke?" He asked.

My jaw twitched, and my muscles taut. But despite loathing it with my very being, I still hesitantly reached into my jacket pocket, pulled out the ceramic case and offered the detective one.

Karkin took the Lho, put it in his mouth, lit it with his igniter and after taking a long drag, asked, "Who's she?"

I frowned and answered, "She's Karmen Kons, she's Taryst's...secretary."

Karkin exhaled the smoke, seemingly hardly hearing what I'd said and grinned a perverted grin from ear to ear.

"I...like...her," he said.

 

 

Karkin led us to his command centre, which was a large, boxy, dark blue truck parked in an alleyway about a block from where we'd parked. Karkin slid open the back door and beckoned us in.

It was only Karmen, the Olinthre-thing, Torris, Garrakson and me who climbed in with Karkin while the twenty Stormtroopers stayed outside.

"So!" said Arlathan as he slapped the sides of his thighs and turned back to us. "What's the plan?"

The inside of the truck was surprisingly small. Stark and spartan only around three metres wide and five long, with metal seats lining the walls, and there was a large cogitator unit on at the end.

Karmen shrugged. "I do assume they know of your presence?"

"Of course they do!" Karkin exclaimed. "It's sorta, kinda hard to miss six hundred magistratum enforcers moving through the underhive; the only reason why they didn't already escape was that we came from every direction."
I frowned, took another smoke of my Lho, then folded my arms and leaned against the wall.

"Well," I said. "That's assuming they're still in there. In the Twilight bar, they had a secret tunnel out; I'd think it'd be safe to assume that they've one in this too."

Karmen looked at me, her brow furrowing heavily. "Didn't you investigate the place earlier? Did you find one?"

I turned to Torris and Garrakson, who just looked back under hooded brows. The only reason why I'd remembered that we'd investigated the place was that we'd lost three of our number there—fighting the Hammers guarding it. It'd been so long I'd ashamedly forgotten the names of those dead men, but I'd somehow remembered the place's coordinates. I've always been pretty bad with numbers and figures, so I found it strange indeed.

"Not from what I can recall," I said after getting no response from either of them; they knew it was 20036 by 33299 and knew we'd been there before, as the Olinthre-thing had given them a quick briefing on the drive over here.

Karmen shrugged. "If the place is just a backup, maybe it's not as well prepped as the twilight bar was."

"Perhaps," I said.

Karkin's smile lessened a little. "The auspex said-"

"I'd suggest," I interrupted. "Not to trust so much in your auspex. There are many, many ways to fool them."

Karkin grinned widely. "It's never failed us before."

"I do not know if you have tracked throne agents before," said Karmen. "But you must know, they have access to the best technology the Imperium can provide; that's why I've taken certain liberties..."

Karkin grimaced. "Such as?"

"We've got agents of our own scouting the place," said Karmen.

And those agents were Tresch, Castella and Darrance, who'd left straight after we'd arrived at Taryst's building. The Medicaes had taken four hours to help No One of Consequence, and we'd taken an hour to drive down here, so I could only assume they'd been here for a while yet, although we had yet to hear back from them.

Karkin's eyes widened. "My men never reported any breaches in the cordon."

Karmen grinned. "Shows just how secure it really is."

The Magistratum detective's face turned ugly.

"With all due respect," said the Olinthre-thing, stepping up, ever the diplomat. "They are agents of the highest calibre; if they got through your cordon, it's not the fault of your men."

"And you are more invested in keeping people, in, detective, rather than out," said Torris.

Arlathan grinned, but his eyes glazed with barely contained rage.

"Of course we are," he said slowly. "So, what's the plan?"

"We're still waiting for the scouts to report," said Karmen. "But, after they do, I plan on sending in three people, openly, along with our captive. One representative for each faction involved. One for Taryst, one for..." She paused to glance at me. "One for you and one for the Magistratum."

"And what does 'openly' mean, exactly?" asked Karkin.

"Oh, you know, the usual; unarmed, hands raised, so on so forth."

I clenched my teeth, and my eyes widened with apprehension; this was the first time I'd heard Karmen's 'plan' as well and couldn't help but guess that I was going to be one of the three sent in; 'unarmed, with hands raised, so on and so forth.'

Arlathan Karkin facepalmed, sighed and sat slowly down on the chair at the cogitator. "Great, just great, and I am the 'Magistratum representative,' I assume?"

"You are the highest-ranked here," stated Karmen.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he groaned. "I just have a little trouble with approaching a building full of twitchy, wired Hammers without any weapons, is all."

"If it's any consolation, I'll be coming with you," said Karmen.

Arlathan Karkin laughed. "You'd bloody well better! If you didn't, I'd be rather pissed off about it!"

Karmen smiled, about to reply, when she stopped and reached to her ear.

"Excuse me, this is them now," she said and turned to walk away.

Garrakson and Torris eyed her as she walked past them; Garrakson's gaze overflowed with barely contained contempt.

"Well, she truly thinks she's in charge now, don't she?" said Garrakson with a grimace.

Torris shrugged. "Although I wouldn't trust her as far as I could throw her. I've gotta admit she isn't doing too bad a job so far; at least she's prepared to go and risk herself with the rest of us. Unlike someone we know."

Garrakson sneered and turned to the Olinthre-thing. "So, boss. What do you make of this, woman?"

"I just pass on orders, Jeurat," It said blandly; its attention was still on Karmen as it unashamedly tried to overhear her words. "Making the big decisions in secret wars like this isn't something I'm good at, so I'm happy to let her take the reigns, sergeant."

I couldn't help smile at the Mimic's response, such a lie, such an ironic lie, that was told so