Secret War Warhammer 40,000 part 3

As before she sat at her desk, Glaitis reclined her long, lithe form back in her leather chair he feet planted on her desk. She looked positively relaxed but her piercing blue eyed glare said otherwise and I had to fight really hard to keep myself from wincing under its intensity.

My breath had caught in my throat as I saw her and my heart beat sped its already fast rate she was, she was-.

Then my jaw set in anger, damn it Taryst maybe right! But if it was true Glaitis must know and then she has to had used it against me on occasions when I never knew and if it was so obvious, why had no one in the company ever mentioned this to me before?
Glaitis would have told them not to of course so she could use it to her advantage, my fear was suddenly replaced by giddying disgust and I seriously found myself reconsidering my decision on Taryst's proposition.

'Mamzel Glaitis, here he is as ordered,' said Elandria behind me her smooth, soft, voice flowed like silk but the pistol never relenting in sticking in my back.

"I can see that, thank you Elandria, " said Glaitis sardonically, "and good work."

I glanced over my shoulder as the pistol finally let off, looking just in time to glimpse the young assassin bow slightly; likely she had never noticed Glaitis sardonic tone and turned to leave.

"Stay Elandria," ordered Glaitis as she sat forward leant her shoulder on her desk and cupped her smooth jaw in the palm of her hand, "I have a task for you which I will tell once I deal with him."

"As you order," said Elandria.

Then Glaitis turned her glare on me and I met her gaze unflinchingly.

"Why did you do it?" she asked bluntly and despite myself I did flinch, I had expected her fly straight into an anger fuelled lecture saying things like: "you have disgraced our company!" or "your idiocy could have cost us our reputation!"

I hesitated, no matter how hard I tried Glaitis always out witted me it was infuriating, in all my years under her tutelage I could never predict what she would say or do.

"She asked you a question worm! Hurry and answer!" I flinched at the sudden words erupted behind me and even Elandria started in surprise.

I clenched my teeth as I recognised to whom the voice belonged to and I turned to see Darrance approaching us. He was one of Glaitis most senior employees and a right bastard. The true epitome of arrogance and snide superiority I knew nothing of where he came from but I could hazard a guess, and my guess was: he was some son of some member of Imperial Hierarchy who had squandered and spoilt Darrance and thus creating this monster, how and why Darrance became an assassin was beyond me, perhaps the governor got sick of his creation and threw him out into the cold.
But despite my dislike for the senior assassin I could not deny his skill, neither me nor Elandria had any idea he was in the room until he chose to reveal himself.

My jaw set hard as I turned back to face Glaitis, this just emphasized how much I still had to learn.

"Yes, young Attelus I did indeed ask you a question," said Glaitis, an evil smirk curling her full lips, "has a feline stolen your tough by chance?"

I could think of a no more fitting cliche at that very moment.

"Hey Darrance," I managed through clenched teeth but I kept my attention still fixated on Glaitis, "I see you have returned from your assignment as well and so I assume it was a success then?"

"I am not here to waste time tarrying words with a fool like you!" snarled Darrance at my back, "mamzel Glaitis asked you a question and you will answer or so Emperor help me I will-!"

"Darrance," interrupted Glaitis her eyes were attached to my own and her voice soft but the warning in it deadly obvious but I could detect a slight amount of amusement in the words and in her eyes. What would be entertained by? My audacity of taunting Darrance who was three decades my senior and who could potentially beat me in a fight with his eyes closed and one arm tied behind his back, or, perhaps the sheer idiocy either way I was making progress.

The senior assassin said no more.

"Now child, please would you finally deign to answer my question, why indeed did you beat up on poor little Vor?"

"I believe it is pronounced, Vax, mamzel," corrected Darrance timidly.

"Oh yes sorry indeed it is, why did you beat up poor little Vax?"

"Vex," I corrected gruffly.

"Sorry young one?" she asked.

"Vex! His name is Vex," I said impatiently, so she cared so much about the poor kid that she would forget his name.
No, I quickly corrected, that was very much unlike Glaitis her memory was photographic there was no way in hell that she could forget especially when she was only informed a few short hours ago, she was testing me again.

I glanced side long at Elandria, my fellow squad member must have informed Glaitis of my meeting with Taryst and Glaitis must be testing to see if I had betrayed her.

"Hmm, indeed," said Glaitis as she sat back in her chair, tapping her perfect nose with a fore finger, "I know you young Attelus, to all but the most educated you seem…chaotic, strange, random but you really are not, there is some method to your madness. Some surprisingly sane reasoning as to why, ironically nothing like your father who was always as straight and narrow as anyone can get, that is a trait I can admire, one that would help you if you ever meet the requirement of making you a full fledged assassin…That is if you live that long of course, but for me it makes you predictable."

I smiled half at the compliment and half that now I knew the game and so could play, but I quickly decided that I cannot tell her all. Not yet if I confirmed her of Taryst's propistion it would take away any potential leeway I might have in future and so I followed one of her many teachings, "the best way to lie, is to tell the truth."

After hissing out breath through clenched teeth I said simply "The little bastard told."

"Told? The little bastard told whom and of what! Answer straight young one! I begin to tire of your meandering!" She snapped suddenly making all but me flinch in surprise.

"I had made an agreement with Vex a few weeks ago; I paid him to search the systems for more detailed information into Taryst's past, just in case, but came up with nil for anything of any use. Taryst hides his tracks very, very well."

"And so you were stupid enough to be surprised when this young hacker betrayed you so you strangled him right in his very office? Right were dozens of witnesses could see you do it?"

"Pretty much," I said, trying hard to keep my cool and to keep any remorse from my voice and that was far, far harder, "I let my anger over come me, I was idiotic, stupid and foolish I make no excuses and am ready to face my punishment mamzel."

"Punishment young one?" sighed Glaitis, and she could not hide her rising ire in her voice, "believe me Attelus Xanthis Kaltos you will face punishment but for now you escape it, we have far more important matters to attend to."

"What!" both Darrance and Elandria exclaimed together incredulously and I could not help but smile. This I had actually seen coming. Both Darrance and Castella just suddenly being here, Glaitis earlier saying that she had a "task" for Elandria, I had gambled on this and had won and I could not help but wonder if Glaitis knew this and that was why she was so flustered, knowing the rules indeed.

"Quite both of you!" she roared, "I like this no more than you do! We have it and we are to act before Taryst can know and we need all of us to do it!"

I grinned asking, "and what is 'it' that we have mamzel Glaitis?"

Glaitis eyes narrowed, "information 'it' is child, information on the where abouts of this 'Brutis Bones', the man that Taryst seems so desperate to hunt down."


We sat in back seat of the old Hesuitor 89, Elandria and I in silence. We watched as the hive outside drove us by. It was the dead of mid night but the lighting of the hive conquered the darkness in a blazing haze of an artificial day and the hustle and bustle of traffic never abated. A hive city like Omnartus never truly slept, Imperial bureaucracy was everything. It was more important to the survival of mankind than the Ecclesiarcy or the Adeptus Arbites, the Imperial Guard or even the Astartes, everything rode upon its ever turning cogs and so a Hive city like Omnartus never slept. Forever more, as long as it lived it would have millions upon millions of serfs sit and type upon their cogitators, monitoring countless upon countless lines of information.
The very thought of it made my mind hurt, to know that we more counted upon them than those who fight to defend the Imperium, they give their very lives. They say that it is for their Emperor but in all truth is was only that this organized chaos could survive.
To say it was quite depressing really was the understatement of the millennia and many more millennia to come.

I could only thank the Emperor I wasn't one of them.

But beside the countless bureaucrats coming and going from work a few amongst them were many night owls, party goers that deemed to rid themselves of the dull drudgery of their work lives for a brief foray into the night life. We were driving through Omnartus' night district and at its peek. I wore a high quality silken suit with white shirt, black blazer and black pants. Castella had told me it was the latest in men's fashion out and yes I had noticed many in similar attire on the drive along the way.
Elandria sitting next to me looked very quite stunning indeed, her long black hair was tied back revealing her attractive high boned face and some how her disliking frown pouted her lips and made her even more appealing also she was wearing makeup, a first for her since I met her a whole six months ago.

I sighed to myself, placing my elbows on my thighs and balling my hands in together near my chin and began to relay in my head for the umpteenth time the plan, Glaitis' plan.

After the master Assassin's revelation almost immediately Castella burst into the room and grinning from ear to ear.

"Ah yes indeed information retrieved by yours truly of course" said Castella, with a mocking bow "you can all thank me later if you like."

I had been initially taken aback by Castella's sudden entrance, but this was replaced buy sudden revelation and I turned back to Glaitis.

"So I see that you have been doing your own extracurricular investigating while under Taryst's employ master?" I said.

Glaitis grinned, "Why of course my young apprentice," then she looked to Castella, "and do not take all the credit for yourself Castella do not forget that Hayden had as much of a hand in it as you did."

Castella hunched forward with an animated pout, "Pah! Details!" and then she grinned, a sly grin, "and now I'm betting that you are all wondering how I knew what you all where saying right."

"No," said Elandria, "we can all see your ear piece quite clearly."

Castella grimaced, another extremely animated expression that brought a smile to my face, "Pah! Details!" she repeated.

"Alright enough of you're clowning," sighed Glaitis but I could hear the amusement quite clearly in the master assassin's voice, "now we move onto business."

"We have located through much investigation the possible location of Brutis Bones," she said on, not waiting for us to recover, "his main base all evidence points toward a bar in the night district of the hive, highly popular for the locals, it is named "The Twilight bar."

Castella let out a derivative snort which made me smile all the wider, I could not have agreed anymore, "The more I hear that name the cheesier it sounds," said Castella.

"Yes I know Ms Lethe but the bar provides an almost perfect cover for the gang leader, it is high class, quite sophisticated and-."

"And so it wouldn't be believed by anyone looking because it would be to obvious" I cut in, "what do they call that? That's right, refuge in audacity."

"Indeed young one," confirmed Glaitis, "Taryst being the utter genius he is, had left that area for last in his investigation as you and Elandria may know."

"Yes," confirmed my squad mate and to my surprise I could detect an undercurrent of annoyance in the young woman's voice. Evidently Elandria did not like being left out of the loop and neither do I to be honest but I can just hide the dislike better than most and by now I was used to it.

Glaitis could also tell the young woman's dislike as emphasized by the master assassin's patronizing glare.

After a brief pause Glaitis moved on, "thanks to Hayden Tresch's hacking skills we were able to get a full layout of the plans for the entire bar," from under her table Glaitis pulled out a control wand and with a flick of her wrist the lights died and a large and sophisticated hologram sprang out from the middle of her desk.

"This is it; the building is at the far North West end of the night district's main street, the Dawn of Ages Boulevard. As you can see there are three entrances, the main being the south east coming from the Dawn of Ages Boulevard of the other two, one is placed on the northern side and the other on the south all are guarded constantly and all are placed on surveillance cameras. The security is very tight indeed as befitting such a leader."

I shrugged, "but I'm guessing that no tighter than any other club in the district so they don't draw suspicion."

"Indeed and also no match for us at all," said Glaitis, "and here is my plan, Elandria both you and Attelus and dressed satisfactory for occasion you two will enter into the bar via the front entrance, posing as legitimate patrons, as a dating couple of course."

Beside me Elandria visibly stiffened in obvious distaste, which made me feel a lot more upset than I cared to admit.

"But mistress," I said, "if you send in Elandria and myself…with our activities together over the last six months the odds of them knowing our faces would be higher than if you sent in Castella or anyone else."

Glaistis smiled, "of course and that is what I gamble upon, that viewing your entrance into the bar will spike up the suspicions of the ones running it and they will not turn you and Elandria away for fear of spiking your own suspicions. I believe that you two will be very, very closely monitored indeed."

My jaw set, "so we are the distraction then?"

"Never miss a beat then do we child?" she said, "but that beat was about as subtle as an explosion. Yes you and Elandria are the distraction once inside I want you both to-."

"Start a bar brawl?"

Glaitis frowned, "yes Attelus, start a bar brawl and we need a big one indeed, one that will distract the vast majority of the moody hammers acting as bouncers so both-."

"Darrance and Castella can slip in unnoticed and plant bugs in the bar, but why not just have us plant them, it would be easier."

"Actually child, I was going to say that Darrance and Tresch do it but never mind, while what you say is true what we are not to sure of is the surveillance in the bar , it is well hidden. But what we do know is two elite assassins in syn skin body gloves will move unseen, we just need you to distract the hammers for long enough to do it, also we don't want them placed in the bar itself but in the back rooms, otherwise it would be just pointless wouldn't it?"

I shrugged, it made sense. But why was she doing this? I knew Glaitis and she would only move if this information was one hundred percent confirmed she never did anything half way. I suspected that she wanted to plant these bugs so she could find the reason why Taryst was so desperate to find Brutis Bones, but there had to be more.

I set my jaw.

"So there is the plan," said Glaitis, "whether you take it or leave it is immaterial were doing it. I have a transport ready for you both in the parks and suitable clothing, after of course you take a shower Attelus, you smell like you haven't washed in days! Dismissed. And Castella make sure that you go over the details with the lovely couple for me."

"As ordered mamzel," said Castella with a bow and I frowned in annoyance as we all turned for the door.

"Oh and young one," called Glaitis at my back causing me to freeze in my tracks, "do not for a second believe that you are off the proverbial hook, you will face your consequences one way or another and you will keep that in mind, okay."

I swallowed noisily, "y-yes mamzel."

"Oh and young one, stop interrupting me in mid sent sentence you are not doing yourself any favors."

"Y-yes mamzel."

"Good now leave before I make you leave."

I did as ordered and quite hurriedly indeed.

"We're here," growled the voice that cut me out from my revere and I realised Darrance glared over the driver's seat at me as the car was coming to a stop, the senior assassin's face fowl.

I grinned. "Yes thank you good driver," I said in my best up hive accent, "we must really be getting to the party chant us dear?"

It was Elandria's turn to glare at me, "what are you doing?"

"Why getting into character my dear."

"Well if you call me "dear" one more time you will find yourself sorely lacking a head."

I grinned even wider, "well good luck in that endeavour my dear since you lack the proper appliances to pull through with said threat."

Elandria started slightly in remembrance, we were both very much unarmed so we could go through the bar's detectors without a hitch, but then she smiled, "Haven't tried it with my bare hands yet "dear" and then there is always a first time for everything isn't there?"

"Shut up you two and get moving!" snarled Darrance, "I have yet to get into position and I will not have this mission ruined by your unresolved sexual tension!"

I started in embarrassment but moved quickly, opening my door of the old limousine; I swiftly got out, walked around and like a gentleman of old opened the door for my "date." All the while I fought the urge to cover my eyes from the blaring lights.

Elandria clumsily climbed out, she was still unused to wearing Stilettos and I frowned as I wondered if it was truly wise sending her instead of Castella then I offered my hand to help which she reluctantly took.
Gently pulling her out, I placed my arm over her shoulders holding her close and steadying her walk as we moved down the street, almost immediatly the old Hesuitor violently drove off leaving a cloud of exhaust in its wake.

"W-What are you doing?" she said, though only slightly struggling.

"Making sure that you don't fall on your face my dear," I answered and then cried out theatrically and so loud that many a passing padestrian looked my way in bemusment, "oh Emperor forbid! That my lovely date would slip and break her nose on our very first engagement! I would never hear the end of it from father oh Emperor forbid!"

"Lovely?" she said wide eyed and we started to approach near the bar.


When I saw the long line of potential cavorters waiting for entrance into the Twilight bar, I barely stifled a curse I hated waiting in lines it was my anathema, well one on my anathemas on a long list of many more.

I deeply sighed then Elandria, my arm still over her shoulders, she turned to glare at me balefully.

"What's wrong now?" she growled.

"Nothing, nothing," I said lightly, "I am just so entranced by your-."

"Shut up!" she snarled, "Your 'character' is even more annoying than you are."

I smiled patiently Elandria's constant grumpiness was really beginning to get on my nerves, "may I ask you a question my dear?"

"No," she pouted, "but I know you will anyway."

I grinned, "now that you have said that, I will. Have you ever done undercover operations like this? You have always sat out our earlier missions as reserved reinforcement."

"No," she answered rather simplistically.

I frowned deeply, it was obvious to me right from the start that Elandria's skill set seemed more militaristic than the other assassins of our organization. Seemingly the society which had trained her completely neglected to teach her the complexities of civilian infiltration in favour for battle field specialization, hence the reason why she could barely place one foot in front of the other while wearing high heels or act like a high class hive citizen for more than three seconds.

I sighed, "I guess that answers a few questions, yes. But could you, at least try, to be in character when we line up."

"But I thought we were to make them suspect us as being undercover?"

My jaw set hard, why she was being so insistent on antagonising me so. Actually I suspected she wasn't doing it on purpose at all.

"That is true, but it does not mean we can't be professional. We are gambling on them knowing our faces and even if they don't the fight we start will hopefully suffice for the distraction even without the extra attention. Perhaps acting convincingly may cement any suspicion of our position in Taryst's private investigatory force."

"What ever," was her reply which made my choler rise even higher but before I could reply we had arrived at the end of the line and it was depressingly long I did a quick head count, of the crowd of young, ostentatiously dressed pretty people and found that approximately sixty locals in total waited for the huge hammer acting as the bouncer to let them in.
I could hear the music from inside and feel the boom of the bass line tingled my teeth with each note.

Despite it being called a "bar" the Twilight Bar seemed to resemble a club first and foremost, prior booking before hand is a must to gain access and thanks to Hayden Treash's hacking expertise we certainly were on the list, under aliases of course.
That made me wonder actually, how long had mamzel Glaitis actually known about this club and its connection to Brutis Bones? Just judging at how long this line is alone that a booking maybe needed to be at least a week prior to guarantee entrance.
Perhaps Treash had not hacked into the system at all, maybe they had made the booking legitimately. But if that was the case why act now of all times?
On that subject I could hazard a myriad amount of guesses but the most obvious once again came down to Glaitis was testing me and if so whether it was a test of my abilities or whether or not I had betrayed her was another question entirely.

Or perhaps I just needed to get it through my thick head that the universe didn't revolve around me and my idiocy.

"Attelus Kaltos stop it," Elandria's voice abruptly ended my revere, "stop leaning on me."

With a start I realised this and immediately let off my weight, flushing in embarrassment, "s-sorry about that."

"Lost in your little world once more were we dear?" she said with a contemptuous sneer that seemed to exclaim my idiocy and hypocrisy all at once.

The corner of my mouth twitched, I really needed to learn to keep myself from being lost in my thoughts and I shrugged.

"Oh I do apologise my dear, oh how my idiocy knows no bounds please forgive me! Please do."

Elandria gritted her teeth then turned away and I grinned to myself, that made her shut up and again I took another sweeping look over the crowd.

I started midway through as I saw through the crowd two young, very attractive women eyeing me with quite enthusiastically flirtatious gazes.

I flinched and I felt my face turn bright red then I tore my attention away, up toward the three surveillance cameras which watched us from above, Castella had informed me of their positions during her in depth briefing earlier but I just wanted to see them for myself, just in case.

When I looked back down I found the two women were still looking at me luridly, trying to avoid their eyes looking down to peer at my wrist Chrono. In all my research into Omnartus' culture I never could recall ever reading about the local women being so obvious about their attraction despite the guy of interest having another woman right under his arm. Perhaps they had a sixth sense, could they just tell by instinct alone that Elandria and I where not a real couple?

I looked side long at Elandria who still had her attention turned away and plastered to the wall and I set my jaw. Or perhaps she was just making it so frigging obvious it wasn't funny.

I sighed and reached into my pocket for my Lho's, it had been while since my last smoke and the cravings were beginning to get to me.

As I began to light my Lho clenched in my teeth I was using the activity to try averting my attention away from the two women who were still looking even now. The line had finally made a step forwards and I began to tap the tip of my shoe on the rockcrete floor.
I am not a partier I'm an assassin who kills people for a living and being the dangerous job it is and that I would quite like to live past my twenties I spend every waking hour for training. Making sure I have the necessary skills to live to see the next day.

The line had sped up, already we had made another step and I glanced over my shoulder and to no surprise at all saw that already five more people had lined up behind us and as I did this I accidentally caught the eyes of another young woman.

I flinched, turned and sighed, hunching animatedly then Elandria looked to me.

"You're strange," she said out right and bluntly.

I looked at her side long, exhaled smoke while smoothly slipping my ceramic Lho casing back into my pocket. I was used to Elandria's extreme lack of subtlety but it took a hell of along time to acclimatise to.

"Yeah well, tell me something I don't know."

"There are many things I do not understand like how after so long training in martial arts and weaponry and your posture could still be so terrible."

I immediately straightened, Elandria had a point, if I was to act as an upper class hive citizen I had to stand like an upper class hive citizen who were stereo typically, straight backed and refined both traits which I sorely lacked. Perhaps that was the real reason those two young women were looking at me so intently, they must find my posture entertaining and at that I inwardly cursed. That had to be it and no other reason could explain it.

"There is that better?" I growled.

"Now you're just over doing it."

I sighed and went back to being hunched again.