Secret War: Warhammer 40,000 by Ben Agar (reading eggs books TXT) 📖

"Any other questions?"

"No," I said and shook my head. "Just please, please don't pretend to be Karmen like that ever again. I will do whatever you tell me; just don't deceive me like that. I've already been tricked and manipulated in my life enough."

Faleaseen smiled. "I understand, Attelus Kaltos. I will from henceforth refrain from such manipulations. I will just resort to psychic torture to get you to do what I want."

I looked at her with wide, terrified eyes.

Faleaseen bellowed out laughter. "I am joking! I am joking! Do not look so scared! Anyway, I think it is time for your awakening!"

Almost immediately, the bush, the valley around me, began to phase away into white.

Her 'joking' didn't give me any comfort, no comfort at all.

With a sharp gasp, I awoke and glanced about, finding myself strapped down to a gurney in a medicae vehicle. Karmen lay on another gurney next to me, her face still bandaged, and to my relief, her chest was rising and falling as she breathed.

"You're awake," came a voice behind me, and I craned my neck up to see the medicae who worked for Brutis Bones. The old man stood near the door to the driver's area, holding onto the side table to keep his feet. I'd already forgotten his name.

"Well, yes. I am aware of that," I said while moving in my bonds as best as I could. Finding there was no aches or pains, or anything, I was fine.

+I cannot do this often, Mon'keigh,+ Faleaseen's voice cut through my thoughts. +Healing you and directly communicating with you. It takes too much of my energy. I'm afraid I must leave you, for now.+

I sniffed loudly and frowned, not at all upset about her departure. Assuming, of course, she wasn't lying and was now just watching me to see what I'd do when thinking she wasn't. There were many, many questions left unanswered with the meeting I had with her. I'd say it'd caused more than before. Much, much more.

The medicae smiled and shook his head. "Yes, yes, I'm sure you are." Please, please don't struggle so much, your injuries..."

"Are fine," I interrupted. "I'm fine. Can you tell me what's going on?"

"I'm not sure, from what I know, it seems Brutis Bones and one of your colleagues have brokered an alliance, and as we speak, we are travelling to Taryst's tower," said the medicaes. "I was told that you have a proper medical facility where I could treat you and the woman properly."

"There is, but I'm fine, I swear," I said. "Now, can you let me free?"

Without any word, the medicae suddenly approached, pulled out a small medical auspex and scanned me over.

"Hmm," then he looked at my hands. I still wore the torn, destroyed gloves, but the blood had dried, and the wounds closed.

"I-I don't quite understand; how did you heal so quickly?"

"I don't know," I whined; I was starting to feel anxious now. "Can you let me free, please?"

"I have never seen anything like this before," said the medicae, seemingly ignoring me. "Maybe I should run a few tests."

"Let me out!" I roared, struggling harder against the restraints and began to hyperventilate with panic. "Let me out now, you son of a bitch!" I roared.

"You must understand, young Mr Kaltos, that I've never seen this before. It's unnatural; you're unnatural."

A cold shiver of fear crept up my spine as his use of 'Mr Kaltos' reminded me unnervingly of Feuilt.

"I am a medicae, and as a medicae, it is my duty to decipher and understand human anatomy. It is also my duty to find any mutation, any deviance in our genetic structure, and find out in great detail the how and why. And then whether this deviation is potentially a threat to the Imperium of mankind and, believe me, according to the teachings, it almost always is."

I looked up at him, wide-eyed. "So? What? You're just going to cut me open now!"

The medicae frowned, shook his head, then, much to my surprise, suddenly opened my restraints.

"No, no, I am not," he sighed. "I was told about what you did, what you went through to stop the daemons. I could also tell after examining your injuries. I owe you, we all owe you; I will spare you in exchange for that. I will also not inform Inquisitor Tybalt of your unnatural healing. I'm sorry I lead you on like that, but I needed you to know how hard this is for me."

I sat up on the gurney. "Th-thank you."

The relief I felt was beyond belief. This medicae was putting his life on the line to protect me, and I couldn't even remember his name, yet I still thought; he would tell someone eventually anyway, whether through interrogation or some other circumstance. Perhaps the best thing I could do was arrange for him to have 'an accident,' make sure he'd never tell.

I clenched my teeth and shook away the thought.

"There is no need to thank me; it is the very least I owe you," said the medicae. "Just please, do not make me regret it."

"I won't," I stammered, trying to keep the guilt from my voice and quickly changed the subject. "How is she?"

The medicae frowned. "She is stabilised; she will live."

I sighed and looked down at Karmen. "Do you, do you think she'll be able to use false flesh to cover the scars?"

"Yes, I think she can," he said. "She is a lovely woman; it is a complete tragedy to see such beauty destroyed."

I couldn't contend a reply as the horrific image of Karmen tearing her face apart flashed through my mind. I closed my eyes to hold back the sudden tears and clenched my jaw. By the Emperor, I wished I could forget that. I wished I could've stopped her sooner.

"Are you alright, Mr Kaltos?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." I sighed and rubbed away the tears. I was tired, damned tired; I needed a good, hot cup of recaff. "Just, really tired is all."

The Medicae smiled and nodded. "Of course, after all you went through. I'm not surprised."

I rubbed my eyes again, then my stomach suddenly growled violently, and the pain of extreme hunger ripped through me.

"And hungry," I added. I'd eaten just before we'd left for Brutis Bone's base, but that was hours ago. I'd already had a freakishly fast metabolism, even after the most substantial meals; I was hungry within an hour or two, but after Faleaseen had sped it up even more. I must be on the brink of starvation.

"Any food in here?" I stammered desperately.

The medicae's eyes widened briefly. "Hmm, I'm not sure, I will look for you, but I doubt it," he said, then started to search through the draws.

"Thanks."

Just then, I felt the medicae vehicle slow, then swerve to a stop, and I gazed through the small back window, seeing Arlathan's Magistratum van following us, and after that, one of the black limousines, we'd travelled to Brutis' base inside.

Two faces abruptly appeared in the windows, and both back doors opened. The two orderlies jumped into the vehicle. Without sparing me a glance, they picked up Karmen's gurney and carried her out.

Immediately I was up and running after them, into the parking lot, ignoring the Medicae yelling my name and pushing through two of Taryst's mercenaries as they approached the vehicle.

I saw six more medicae vehicles in the undercover parking lot, and around a dozen other patients wheeled toward the doors.

At the doors, two more mercs stood holding them open, waving us through.

I was jogging alongside Karmen's gurney, and I looked at her; she was still as limp as a corpse but still breathing.

It was then I noticed that the two orderlies were looking at me with shocked expressions.

I grinned, realising how strange it must've been.

"I-I'm alright," I said. "I'll take you to the medicae area; follow me."

They only nodded dumbly, then picking up my pace, I ran through the doors and into the white, brightly lit corridor.

As I led them, my mind began to wander, allowing my instinct to take me to the medical area.

So many questions, so so many, why did Edracian want to take poor Elandria's corpse off-world? And where? What would Edracian want with all those souls? Why were they going somewhere else and not to him? And again, where? Why was Feuilt sent to guard the conduit alone? Why did Karmen not tell me she also was working for Faleaseen? Did she know that Glaitis was also working for the Farseer? Also, why didn't Faleaseen communicate properly with me earlier? How was her view 'limited?' Did my father really teach Feuilt 'everything he knew?' So was Serghar Kaltos involved in this? I knew my father worked under an Inquisitor but not the Inquisitor's name; perhaps he did work under Edracian. But why wasn't I ever told this? It seems like a pretty important piece of information for me to know. If my father was here, on Omnartus, that might mean, that might mean.

At that thought, I felt my chest tighten. My father, I haven't seen him in seven years. Seven frigging years. Was my dream going to come true? So much was foreshadowed by that dream; my fight against Elandria and the meeting of Karmen both came true. So my battle against Serghar was entirely possible, but to be able to fight on such, even terms against someone lauded as one of the greatest assassins of the sector? And not just that come out victorious? Was I already that good? I doubted that highly.

Still, on instinct, I turned left as we came to a T junction.

Just then, another thought hit me and hit me, frigging hard, making me stop in my tracks. If Faleaseen could pretend to be Karmen's voice in my mind, what was stopping her from pretending to be me? To make me think things I wasn't actually thinking? Like that voice that forced me to move when I almost gave up with exhaustion. Was that her? What if I was no longer me? What if I was Faleaseen just pretending to be me?

"Uhh, you okay?" called one of the orderlies, knocking me from my train of thought. "We have to keep moving."

Slowly, I looked over my shoulder at them, my mind a mess of fear.

"I'm sorry," I stammered and began to make myself move, forcing the fear away. Now wasn't the time for that line of thought, not with so many lives in the balance. I couldn't continue to think like that at all. In fact, or else my sanity would undoubtedly be destroyed, I'd have to have faith that my thoughts were mine.

I started to run again while grimacing and sticking out my tongue in disgust, 'faith,' as much as I hated that word, it was the only one I could aptly apply to it.

As much as it was dull, repetitive and hard, I was missing the earlier months of this job; I missed the simplicity of it. I'd wished for something to happen, for it to change and advance besides moving from Hammer hideout to Hammer hideout, killing and killing. I should've been careful what I wished for.

In silence, I led them through the building, struggling to keep my mind clear and concise from any thought.

According to my wrist chron, It took about a minute to arrive, but it felt like a frig load longer.

As they gave me nods and thanks, the orderlies wheeled the injured through the doors; with them were a dozen armed mercs I'd never noticed were following us, watching Karmen constantly before she disappeared from view.

With a tired sigh, I approached the nearest seat and dumped myself onto it.

My stomach groaned with hunger, and I had to fight the fatigue as it instantly threatened to overwhelm me.

Placing my face into the palm of my hand and wondered, how did all this happen? How did Edracian manipulate us all so frigging well? The only plausible explanation I could think of was he could also see into the future, perhaps