The Job
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Kharai had trained his entire life to be the perfect tool for the Imperium. Two decades spent training his speed and endurance, two more spent on asset retrieval. He'd run through so many ship layouts that he could traverse a Gloriana-class with his eyes closed. It was a cruiser he would be navigating today. Tighter corners, narrower vents, less opportunities to hide. He'd have to push himself to the absolute limit, he'd have to make sure to bring a calorie pack for the halfway point, and he could not hesitate for even a moment. Failure would mean death.
Iron Warriors were infamous for their traps and snags, most of which Kharai had encountered in his training. They were cruel and they enjoyed the art of cruelty more than they would admit. At least a Night Lord could, and would, accept and acknowledge their cruelty instead of hiding it behind rambling speeches about how creating a trap that would impale and leave its victims alive to dangle and scream for days on end was a necessity.
They were also cheap bastards. Kharai had worked for too many who would try to walk back their initial agreement and do their best to convince him to do more work, and when that didn't work they would try to convince him that in some way, he'd failed them.
This felt like payback.
He'd been practicing on maintaining his speed for weeks, and Amadeus had been stockpiling calorically dense foods to create calorie packs for him. That was the easy part. He'd become accustomed to intense personal training during his time in the crucible, he was accustomed to the pain.
The difficult part was trying to explain to Horns why they'd have to be separate. The World Eater made loud, displeased growls whenever Kharai brought it up, grabbing at him until he bruised and making high pitched whines when he attempted to pull away. It had been difficult but he thankfully had been settling down the closer they came to go time.
Kharai stroked his head as they sat and watched the ship they had been tracking. Amadeus had pulled some strings and the ship had received damage that would take days to fix, and that was after finding the right parts, all of which were going hard to find in such a small port. He watched as Iron Warriors began to march out, all of them loudly arguing and some coming close to blows. Tensions were high, it would make them forgetful, or so he hoped. He double checked his hair was secure, and triple checked the straps on the makeshift armor Amadeus had put together for him. It was hard for any standard armor to keep up with his speed, much less provide the flexibility he needed.
He waited for any strays to exit, and he rubbed Horn's neck, "Stay here."
Horns barked at him, grinding his teeth in displeasure. He hoped that was a yes.
Kharai took a deep breath as he leapt down from his hiding spot. He crouched and rested his palms on the ground. He listened for the sound of any possible daemon engines or servitors that may be guarding the storage bay ramp. He took a deep breath. His entire body tensed as his lungs and hearts began to speed up, his veins feeling as if they were full of sparks as he sprung forward and broke into a sprint. He moved so fast the doors were still open from the exiting Iron Warriors, serfs and servitors not having the time to process him moving past them. Scanners and heat sensors couldn't trace him as he recalled his path to the secured room the map was supposed to be in.
His eyes fell on a heavily secured door with two Iron Warriors standing guard out front. He unlatched the blades on his bracers, and the Iron Warriors had no time to turn or tuck their heads down, their armor old and ill-plated. Their heads rolled on the ground as they remained perfectly upright, their armor locked. Kharai took a shaky breath, his body warming with adrenaline as he approached the bio panel. He took out a vial of blood, and dripped it onto the scanner, the doors struggling for a moment and whining as all the locks disengaged.
He took the calorie pack from his side and drained it quickly into his mouth as he stepped inside. He paused as he stepped closer. No. This couldn't be right. The room was bare, save for a metal bassinet with a glass cover that had several tubes attached to the sides. He stepped closer, and froze as he looked inside. A toddler was restrained tightly inside, twitching and whimpering. His hearts began to sink. This was the right room. The contact had told them the map would be the only thing inside. He looked closer and realized the boy was covered in scars. No, not scars. Birthmarks. Birthmarks that upon closer inspection, looked like star maps.
Oh. Oh.
He was gentle as he unlocked the case, dribbling more of the blood on the DNA reader. He unplugged all of the wires, and removed what he could as he lifted the child to his chest. This made his escape more…Complicated. He'd have to be slower for one, slow enough he could be sensed. He turned, and could hear loud ceramite bootsteps. He pressed the boy close to his chest and bolted out, seeing a pair of Iron Warriors approaching. They didn't speak, instead raising their bolters. He put his hand over the boy's head and rushed forward, too fast to react but not fast enough to avoid the third Iron Warrior who approached. He felt the sting of a bolter round narrowly missing his head and grazing his cheek as he ran across the wall. The toddler made a terrified sound as Kharai kept running, hearing shouts and alarms blaring.
Another sharp sting, this time to his hip as he cursed and sped up. He was pushing the limit of what he could do with the boy still in his arms. He kept sprinting, soon seeing the slowly closing storage bay. He cursed, diving and rolling as bolter fire roared above them. The second they reaches open air, Kharai could hear snarls and growls as Horns approached and took a defensive position in front of him, snarling at the approaching Iron Warriors.
Kharai looked around before taking notice of Amadeus who was racing towards him alongside Carrion. He stood, and ran to to meet them, shoving the boy into Amadeus's arms, "This is the map, take him, we'll take care of them." He ordered, and Amadeus seemed taken aback.
His dark eyes scanned over the Iron Warriors before he nodded, "I'll bring around the stormbird, just hold until then." Amadeus held the boy close and stroked his hair for a moment before disappearing in a silvery mist. Kharai had yet to fully understand how Amadeus worked, but that was a question for another time.
Carrion had already thrown himself into the fray, and Kharai moved past him. He leapt,grabbing onto one of the Iron Warriors and swinging himself to kick the head off of another with audible 'pop'.
The one he was anchored on attempted to turn and grab him but Kharai simply locked his thighs around his head and with a twist sent him to the ground before tightening his thighs and twisting until the man's head was wrenched the wrong way and his neck snapped.
Horns was busy disemboweling another of their attackers while Carrion ripped another in half using his chainaxe which was buried in the poor bastard's upper back for leverage. The ship's storage dock flew open as Iron Warriors began flooding out, and Kharai cursed to himself as Horns howled and charged them, limbs flying as Carrion laughed and joined him. Kharai went for their flanks, killing any stragglers who had split from the mess of limbs being made.
The roar of the Thunderbird caught his attention and he whistled at the others to get their attention and all three narrowly avoided the hellfire rained down on the Iron Warriors as the ship landed. The exit ramp shot out as the temperature of the air began to drop rapidly. Ice formed along the ground, avoiding the feet of the warband as the Iron Warriors were rapidly engulfed in ice, completely flash-frozen.
Their cruiser was swiftly covered, its engines trying to spur to life only to be more thoroughly frozen. The source of the ice stepped out of the ship, singing a happy tune as his long, opalescent hair flowed freely in the air. His skin was white, with large chunks of what looked like blue glass exposing teeth and organs, offering a look inside. His eyes were covered by a thick, navy blue blindfold that had silver chaos runes covering it, his armor looking similiar save for the large silver pauldrons with what looked like silver stags antlers emerging from them. Blood ran down from the blindfold as he walked, unafraid, "Oh, what terrible trouble you've found yourselves in, such a mess. Come now, let me take care of this."
Kharai had yet to grow accustomed to their newest addition. Amadeus had said Faedrin was once of the Merciful, but he'd been left twisted and broken by the Thousand Sons. It was easy to believe. He spoke softly, he had advanced knowledge of medical care that went beyond what even Amadeus could provide, and most obvious of all, he was always singing.
The sorcerer waved them inside, Carrion marching past, his red hair falling loose around his shoulders, and Horns was soaked in blood, but purring as he nudged Kharai and pushed a heart into his hand. Kharai ate it without much thought as he walked inside and flopped onto one of the benches, Faendrin renentering as the ramp closed and the ship took off.
Kharai rested his head against the wall, and Horns rested his chin on his thigh with a content sound.
He couldn't help but wonder what they were going to do with the kid. He was too tired to worry for the time being, and he drifted off.
-
Kyth'ari had always been scared. It was hard for him to think of a time when he wasn't scared. He was always scared, and always alone. He hadn't been held or squeezed before, not until the fast man had taken him. The man with the long soft hair had held him too, though he hadn't squeezed as hard. The man with the long hair had sat him on a big bed and told him to wait. He didn't know for what. He sat and watched the door until he heard a strange, scratchy sound. He heard loud sniffing and then a pale, furry little beast wearing a gray tunic emerged from a vent. He had big ears, and a waggly little black tail that was short. He looked silly. The creature approached, sniffing him before smiling and showing long, sharp teeth, "Baby!"
Kyth wasn't a baby. He frowned but the creature began to nuzzle him and it tickled. He made a silly sound he hadn't before, and the creature seemed pleased, grabbing him and tucking him close before scurrying into the vents. It was dark, and scary, but the creature was warm and soft, and Kyth didn't feel as scared when the creature made a rumbly, weird sound. It made him feel like he was being shaken super fast! Eventually, they emerged into a cozy little nook filled with blankets and pillows. The creature flopped down and began to lap at his hair and face. His breath was stinky, and his tongue was bumpy, but he didn't mind.
"Me Mors." The creature said,sniffing his hair, purring.
Mors seemed nice. Kyth cuddled closer to him. He hoped he would get to stay with him. He wondered if the long haired man would try to take him. He didn't want him to.
Mors nuzzled his cheeks and his hair again, "Baby hungry?"
Kyth didn't understand the question. He just stared. Mors pulled away and dug into his blankets before bringing him a plastic wrapped thing. He didn't understand what it was. Mors ripped it open, and pointed at his mouth, "Eat?"
Kyth understood now, and he took the object, putting it in his mouth and chewing it. He didn't recognize the flavor, but it was tasty. Mors began to lick his hair again, and he swallowed before drifting off, feeling warm and safe.
- Kyth awakened to Mors whining as a large, red headed Astartes sat just outside of their little nest, "Mors, you have to let Amadeus examine him so he can be healthy." The Astartes urged.
"My baby!" The creature hissed, holding Kyth closer. He peeked out from under, and the Astartes smiled at him reassuringly before turning back to Mors who was now pressing down to hide Kyth.
"I know, your baby, but we have to take him, remember how Amadeus makes you feel better when you're sick?" He asked, moving forward only to be swatted at, "Mors…"
Mors whined, shuffling around before settling, "…I take."
"You'll take him?"
Mors grumbled and Kyth wiggled as scooped up and held close to Mors's chest, "I take. My baby…Need to see."
The Astartes sighed, and Mors began to trot down the vents until they entered a brightly lit room with rows of metal tables on one side, and beds on the other. The long haired man was sitting in a chair, and he smiled as he saw them, "Hey, good to see you guys. You can leave him on the bed, Mors."
"No! I hold."
The red-headed Astartes shrugged, "I tried, Amadeus."
Amadeus chuckled, "It's ok. Mors, I just need to draw a little blood, no biting." He warned as he retrieved a needle.
Kyth hated needles. He was always being poked with them. He pressed closer to Mors who growled and hissed, "No! Bad for baby!"
Amadeus raised a brow, "Mors…It'll help me make sure he's healthy, just one little blood draw, I promise." He said, setting the needle down, "It will barely hurt."
"No! Bad!"
Amadeus sighed, "Mors, have I ever hurt you?"
The creature whined before shaking his head slowly "Gentle with baby…Or I bite."
Amadeus smiled, "Of course. Now…Let me see.." he retrieved the needle and Kyth hid his face in Mors's chest, squeezing his eyes shut, "and….Done!"
Kyth was confused. He turned to look and saw his arm was bandaged and the long haired Astartes was smiling as he examined two vials of blood and set them in a device. Amadeus dug around and handed Kyth a brightly colored, circular thing, "Here, you did sooo good, have some candy." He cooed, and Kyth accepted it. He'd heard of candy, but he hadn't tried it before. He put it in his mouth and ate it.
Mors whined and held out his hand, and Amadeus gave him some candy too, "Right, you've been very brave too. Do you want to take your baby back to your nest? He's had a big day."
The little creature squeezed Kyth close, "I take baby back now."
"Wait-"
Mors scrambled into the vent with Kyth and back to their nest, tucking him into the blankets, "Nap time for baby." The beast curled around him, tugging more blankets over them as he began to groom Kyth's hair.
He settled into the warmth, and began to drift off, for the first time he could recall, he didn't feel scared.
