Here\'s the second part in the Search and retrieve extended episode in what I have now named \'Smith\'s saga\' (I hope to come up with a better name later:)) In any case the third and action packed part should be up on thursday or Friday (no promises thought!) As ever all crit is welcome.



?Standard three team procedure?Nord and Jameson you will take the path over there, Honus you are with me, Smith I believe you are experienced enough to go with Reena.? Malvolio took at a map out of another of his pockets. ?We will convene here this is the area where there is the highest density of rebels. Remember we want at least two of these Genestealer mutants alive for further study when you stun one take it with you until we convene then if we already have two we will head back?however if we do not we will have to press further into the rebels territory.?
Oscar made a suggestion very nervously ?Sir?Why don?t we call in the ordo hereticus to purge the rebels??
Jameson let out a derisive laugh ?Do you really think they?ll not kill every living thing down there? The ordo hereticus doesn?t have to worry about choosing targets like we do. We?ll meet you at the point, C?mon Nord.? With a wave Jameson and Nord confidently strode into the obscurity of their paths. After Nord and Jameson left Malvolio turned to Reena and Smith ?We are no use to the emperor waiting here, Reena and Smith take that path.? Reena and Smith nodded and began to walk down their path. Smith?s eyes
***
Smith?s eyes darted from each dark corner to the other his breathing became heavy as he tried to see through the darkness. After some time Reena turned to Smith ?Stop!? Reena looked around ?It?s silent here??
Smith stopped ?I?d thought that?d be good.?
?It?s bad it means that either they?re lying in wait in front of us or someone has started an attack before we?ve got here?? Reena inhaled deeply ?Can you smell that??
Smith sniffed the air ?Smells dusty?though that?s no surprise, look at all the rubble.?
?No.? Reena said biting her bottom lip. ?It smells like...like a dead body only more putrid.? Reena looked around. ?This way!? she urged and began to leap through the remnants of a number of buildings. Oscar followed stumbling through the rubble trying to keep up with the pace Reena was setting, at intervals she stopped and darted at a sharp angle in a different direction. After some time Smith lost sight of Reena, Smith continued running but stopped when he heard footsteps and the sound of a man laughing. Suddenly a hand covered his mouth and dragged him behind a wall, he turned to see Reena looking at him with a frown ?We have to keep quiet if we don?t want to get caught.? She whispered. ?Let?s go and see who this guy is.?

Reena creeped away to a building that appeared to have fires lit inside. As they came nearer Smith grimaced as he smelt burnt flesh, Reena looked back and smirked shaking her head. Tentatively Reena looked through a window of the building quickly she climbed through beckoning Smith to follow her, when he entered Smith?s eyes widened ?Emperor preserve me! They?have no?what happened to their skin??
Reena inspected one of the bodies ?It looks like they were skinned expertly, there?s no trace of any deep gashes?what disturbs me more is this.? Reena strode through the room and looked down at charred bodies. ?It looks as though these people were burnt after they were skinned?which makes me think that whoever did this is not too far away.?
A short man appeared in one of the doorways, his hair neatly slicked back, his mouth was smiling but his eyes burned with anger ?You?re not wrong. Although to be fair I didn?t perform these killings, I mean look at the workmanship I?m nowhere near this careful? I just cleansed the bodies.? Smith raised his plasma gun and the man snapped a gun up to Smith?s face. ?Do you really think that you could shoot me before I shoot you, boy? It makes no difference I have to cleanse you anyway.? Reena pulled out a knife and began to run towards the man, however he easily dispatched her with a flash of the hand and a kick of the leg. Just before he was going to shoot Smith he noticed the inquisitorial insignia on Smith?s chest plate. ?So you?re with the inquisition?my apologies, I am Nikolai Yezhov hired by the ordo hereticus to cleanse this area.? The man appeared to be relaxing, but without warning he pulled out a second gun and raised it to Reena?s head ?But who?s to say I can?t have my fun on this mission?I?ll let you live if you can finish this sentence.? The anger in the man?s eyes had faded and was replaced by a sadistic glee ?If the streets of Necromunda are paved with gold?? Both Smith and Reena stood, Reena?s eye?s darted thinking of anytime she heard the comment before. Smith on the other hand looked to be growing angrier and deadlier much in the same way that had occurred in the ordo hereticus base, suddenly Reena realised who might know the answer. ?Jameson?Jameson!?
Jameson replied quickly ?what??
?There?s a man here and he?s given us a riddle, If the streets of Necromunda are paved with gold??
Jameson replied puzzled ?Then those in the under hive are truly rich.?
?Thanks a lot. Reena out.? Reena looked at the man but he didn?t lower hos guns instead he chuckled ?Jameson?well that?s a revelation, you?re consorting with demons there!? Then he looked towards Smith ?So you must be the one that Bohanon told me about?there?s a mighty bounty on your head boy!? Just as he was about to pull the trigger Reena kicked the gun out of the hand aiming at Smiths head, then she grabbed the arm raised at her and twisted it behind the man?s back taking the gun out of his hand as she did so. The man dropped to his knees ?Your good I?ll give you that?but you failed to take into account this. From a pocket the man pulled out a grenade. Reena and Smith sprinted for the door and were thrown to the ground as the explosion went off.

Smith was the first to stand up shaking dust from his hair, he looked down at Reena who began to stand up blinking bewilderedly. When Reena gained composure she looked to Smith and said ?Let?s go there?s probably some of the mutants up ahead.? This time Reena moved slower then before taking in every detail of the surrounding area, the area appeared to have been heavily bombarded. Reena looked around ?It looks as though our friend, the governor, had tried to destroy this rebellious faction with brute force? can?t blame him for trying.? Scuffling could be heard up ahead, Smith raised his gun through the mist there appeared to be people in armour running towards them as they got closer the definite outlines of imperial stormtroopers appeared. Reena called over to them ?We are members of the ordo xenos?what are you doing this far in??
A reply came from one of the stormtroopers ?We are members of the ordo hereticus?and you are the reason we are this far in.? The stormtrooper gestured and five storm troopers sprung out behind them and grabbed hold of Reena and Smith. The storm trooper captain called ?Let?s get this scum back to Inquisitor Bohanon at the landing pad.? Reena didn?t struggle instead she lowered her head and accepted her fate. Smith tried to do the same however the more they walked the angrier he became, and the angrier he became the stronger he got and this strength came from the weakening of those around him. Smith tried to stop his involuntary invisible feasting but without success, after some time one storm trooper dropped to his knees clutching his chest. Smith cried out in pain of trying to suppress all the energy he had taken in. Giving up any attempt to control himself Smith tore himself from the grip of his captors, when he did so it became clear how large his muscles had grown from the energy he had taken in. He took one of the troopers by the neck and crushed it easily, taking another trooper by the arm Smith threw him against a wall resulting in a terrible cracking of bones. In the confusion Reena broke free of the troopers grip and began taking out troopers with the flashing of a blade, she easily managed to take the strom troopers on hand to hand, cutting jugular after jugular. A shot was fired by the captain hitting Smith in the chest, but he appeared not to feel any pain. Smith leapt on the captain and forced him to the floor, with a sadistic smile Smith grabbed the captains head and without a second thought let the captain?s skull crumble in his hands.

When Smith stood back up all the troopers were dead, with every breath afterwards Smith gradually returned to normal, his muscles began to get smaller and rage dissipated from his eyes. Smith stared at the blood on his hands then stared around him looking at what he had done ?By the primarchs? what have I done?...what am I??. Reena stared at Smith ?Smith?? she began then she just looked to the floor and began to walk away. Oscar felt his chest where he had been, he picked out a lump of metal and realised that the bullet had not even penetrated his chest. He looked to see where Reena was and began to chase after her when he saw one of the troopers standing back up grasping his gun. ?Reena!? Smith cried but it was too late, the shot had been fired and it hit Reena in the back. Smith turned to the trooper and shot him more times then he could count with hatred in his eyes that almost seemed unholy. Smith sprinted over to Reena he turned over her body and saw how much damage the bullet had done. Suddenly Malvolio?s voice barked in his earpiece ?To all members of the retinue reconvene back at the landing site. I and Honus have secured two mutants. Malvolio out.? Oscar looked down at Reena?s body, then for the first time Smith appeared to have a clear idea of what he needed to do. He knelt over Reena?s body and gave a prayer to the emperor, then stood up and charged back to the landing pad hoping to warn Malvolio before he worked into a trap?

Post edited by: saustin, at: 2006/06/05 04:14