'How can you be sure? This doesn't confirm that Cadmus is here, only that at one point he could have been.’ Jeremiah explained.
'You should learn to trust your instincts, Jeremiah.’ Torin said.
Concluding their conversation, Ragnar turned and moved down the corridor. Jeremiah signalled Elijah to join him. Ragnar and Elijah moved down opposite sides of the corridor, the rest following behind them. The complex seemed more command centre than bunker. Until this point, the corridor had slowly descended while gently winding. Now it made a ninety-degree turn to the right. Slowly Ragnar and Elijah approached the corner. Ragnar tested the air, but it was too thick with the ripe stench of Chaos for him to get any kind of a scent trail.
Elijah crouched on the left side of the corridor when Ragnar signalled that there were sentries of some kind around the corner. Acknowledging the information, Elijah reached for his trusted auspex. Then, remembering the attack in the jungle, he decided that his own eyes would be his most useful tools. Leaning out, he saw that the corridor extended for another five metres, ending in a set of double doors. Two storm troopers of Cadmus's elite guard stood on either side of them.
Ragnar looked first at Torin and then to Jeremiah. Both realised exactly what he was thinking. Jeremiah momentarily considered protesting, but then he recalled a ferocious Space Wolf crashing through an Administratum building, tackling him to the ground. It was that ferocity that had halted their incursion. He
and Torin nodded their agreement. Ragnar signalled for the charge, grinning as he activated his sword.
Ragnar and Elijah erupted into the corridor, Rag-nar's howl filling the air. Both guards were dead before they were able to turn to face their attackers. Without slowing, they crashed into the double doors. Unable to withstand the combined impact of two Space Marines, the doors gave way.
Six of the Emperor's finest warriors poured into the room. Cadmus stood in front of a door on the opposite side of the room, clutching Gabriella by her hair. 'Well, the Wolf and the Lion have joined forces, how unexpected.’ The renegade commander growled in disgust, surprised and frustrated.
'It's over, Cadmus. Let her go.’ Ragnar shouted.
'I've heard how persistent you can be, mongrel son of a rabid dog, but you have no idea who I am or what I've seen. It's over when I decide it is.’ Cadmus said, yanking harder on Gabriella's hair.
Jeremiah slowly manoeuvred himself along the wall, trying to get himself closer to Cadmus, closer to the Fallen. This was his chance, but he would have to move quickly.
Cadmus pointed his pistol at Jeremiah. 'Stop right there, young lion.’
'It's over Cadmus! It's time for you to-' Jeremiah was interrupted as the walls on either side of the commander began to distort. Gabriella started to convulse violently. Blood flowed from her ears and nose, her muffled screams reflecting her pain and terror. Whatever was going on was tearing into her mind.
'Meet my new battle-brothers, young lion.’ said Cadmus. 'Now if you will excuse me, it's time for me to depart. I'm sure the interrogator-chaplain will forgive your failure.' The commander released Gabriella and stepped through the door. Suddenly, six Thousand Sons stepped out of the distortion into the room. Unlike the Space Wolves, their armour was not adorned with personal trophies or remembrances from previous battles, the eye of Tzeentch emblazoned across their chest was the only indication of their allegiance. The Chaos Marines stood like a wall between the Space Marines and their quarry.
Ragnar knew instantly that the real masterminds had finally revealed themselves. With a savage howl, he threw himself at the Thousand Sons.
TWELVE
The Real Enemy
Cadmus was furious. The Wolfblade were an enigma. His plan had been perfect; he never made mistakes. When the Space Wolves arrived on their patrol to discover the Dark Angels invasion force, war broke out. The Dark Angels kill team should have joined them in the fight, leaving Ragnar and the other Wolfblade to rescue Gabriella and meet their doom. They should not be working together: the Space Wolves hated the Dark Angels. Apparently, Ragnar was as troublesome as Madox said. He would think on this later, but for now he needed to make his escape.
He reached the back wall, and sliding his hand down along its surface, activated a hidden panel that slid up, revealing a keyed access pad. He entered a pass code.
The panel buzzed its rejection. Cadmus quickly reentered the code, only for it to be rejected again. He entered the code a third time, this time taking even more care to ensure that he was entering it correctly. Again, the panel buzzed its refusal.
'Running to hide again, Fallen?' The voice seemed to emanate from the walls themselves. Cadmus spun around to see a figure in the corner of the room.
It was Madox, his blue and gold armour shimmering slightly with mystical energies. Spiral horns curved up from his helmet and green light emanated from his eyes. In his right hand he clutched a staff tipped with a glowing orb.
Madox stepped lightly from the shadows.
'I sent the assistance you requested from me, Cadmus, and now you leave my warriors as you left your own battle-brothers all those centuries ago.'
'You don't expect me to believe that you're concerned about a few of your followers do you, Madox?' Cadmus asked, while turning back to the access panel.
'No, you are right. I've been waiting here for you Cadmus,' Madox said.
Again Cadmus tried the access panel, and again it failed to respond. He smashed his fist into the wall in anger.
'The panel no longer works, Cadmus, I've had it disabled,' Madox said.
'I've kept my part of the bargain! I lured the Dark Angels to Hyades! I've orchestrated a war between them and the Space Wolves, and I've even brought the Wolfblade here, as you wanted. Why are you blocking my escape?'
Madox's maniacal chuckle filled the chamber. 'Because Ragnar still lives and as far as you're concerned, I have no further need of you.'
'But we had a bargain! I set all this in motion. You seem to forget, Madox, that without me none of this would have been possible,' Cadmus said, his voice quaking with anger.
'Are you really so naive that you actually think this all came about because of you? You really believe that all of this was part of your design?' Madox asked.
Cadmus filled with rage. Had he really been a pawn to Chaos? Was he really that easy to manipulate and deceive? He searched his memory for any sign, any clue that he had not been in control of any of it. Drawing his plasma pistol, he stepped towards Madox.
'So, you see the truth of it,' Madox gloated.
'I'm going to kill you,' said Cadmus. Raising his plasma pistol, he pulled the trigger.
You are truly naive,' Madox's laughter filled the room as he vanished.
Cadmus's departure left Ragnar and the others squared off with the Thousand Sons. Gabriella lay unconscious on the floor at the back of the room. Crates, boxes and furniture lay strewn around. The Thousand Sons were not noted for their outstanding prowess in hand-to-hand combat, approaching a battle slowly and purposefully, laying down a hail of bolter fire, giving their sorcerers time to win the day. Ragnar guessed the Thousand Sons were merely a delaying tactic to buy the commander time to escape.
With a battle howl, Ragnar and the rest of the team leapt at the Chaos Marines.
Fire sparked off combat weapons as the two sides clashed. Deflecting an attack with his sword, Ragnar crashed into one of the Thousand Sons, driving his shoulder deep into his opponent's abdomen. Me had faced this menace before and although not known for their hand-to-hand fighting skill they were stalwart warriors, able to withstand a tremendous amount of damage. As the Thousand Son stepped forwards, Ragnar leapt, stepping on one of the plasteel crates elevating himself above the Chaos Marine. Wedging the point of his sword where his opponent's helmet and neck armour met, he drove it straight down. The Thousand Son buckled and collapsed to the floor and the energy holding him together was released.
Haegr swung his hammer in an upper cut stroke bringing his target off his feet, and dumping him on the ground with a thundering crash. Raising his weapon over his head, he delivered a crushing blow. The helmet of the Thousand Son exploded into hundreds of pieces. The ancient dust that was once the physical form of the Marine poured out onto the rock-crete floor.
Jeremiah bolted for the door that Cadmus had left through moments ago. A Thousand Sons Marine stepped in his path. His chainsword ripped across his chest plate, the force of the attack sending Jeremiah stumbling backwards.
Although quickly regaining his footing, his opponent pressed his advantage, forcing the Dark Angel to retreat, deflecting blow after blow from the Chaos
chainsword. The Thousand Son brought his bolt pistol around. Seeing this, Jeremiah deflected the weapon, but this left him exposed, a mistake that was soon exploited as the chainsword crashed down into his shoulder, driving him to his knees.
The Chaos Marine knew he had the advantage and intended to bring the fight to a quick end. As the killing blow came down, Jeremiah reached up, grabbing his opponent's hand, while jabbing his own pistol into his enemy's midsection, firing several rounds. The hollow, lifeless armour fell to the floor.
Torin found himself backed against the wall as one of the Chaos Marines closed on him. Ragnar had warned him that the Thousand Sons were slow, but he didn't think the assessment was entirely accurate. He ducked his head as a chainsword dug into the rock-crete wall. It was the mistake he had been waiting for. Swinging his sword up and around, he sliced clean through his opponent's armour, sending the chainsword and arm greave clanging to the floor. Using the momentum of his attack, Torin tucked into a shoulder roll which brought him up beside and just behind his opponent.
Spinning his sword in his hand, inverting his grip and placing his other hand over the pommel, he spun around, sinking his sword into the joint at the waist of the Chaos Marine's armour. He continued his spin and the sword ripped through the entire side, cleaving the Thousand Son in two.