Garro: Legion of One by James Swallow

Author:James Swallow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-03-14T00:00:00+00:00

SCENE 9: Ambush!

[ATMOS: INSIDE THE RUINS OF A FALLEN BASILICA, AN ECHOING SPACE. WIND AND DRIPPING WATER ON STONE]

[SFX: GARRO AND RUBIO APPROACH FROM SOME DISTANCE AWAY, MOVING CAREFULLY THROUGH THE RUBBLE]

CERBERUS (whispering): Traitors. They have returned. Come to find me? [a cold smile] Oh, they’ll find me...

Garro led the way into the fallen basilica, his power sword Libertas held out before him. His eyes narrowed as they picked out shadows among the broken stonework. Here and there, bottomless black pits fell away into the spaces below the massive building, where sublevels had collapsed into one another.

Taking care with his footing, the warrior cast a look down at an electromatic device hanging from his belt, and frowned.

GARRO (distant): Readings from the auspex are confused. The metals within the wreckage fog the sensors. Do you have anything, Rubio?

RUBIO (distant): There are ghosts in this place. Be content you do not hear them.

GARRO (distant): What do they say?

RUBIO (distant): What all ghosts say. They want revenge.

Garro studied the other warrior for a moment. He could not be certain if the psyker were telling the truth or mocking him. He decided not to press the matter.

[SFX: GARRO AND RUBIO MOVE CLOSER]

Turning away, he glimpsed a distinctly human silhouette amid the broken beams and cracked supports. Garro recognised the familiar shape of Maximus-pattern battle armour. He raised the sword and stepped forward.

GARRO: You. Stand and face us.

RUBIO: It would be a horror if he did so, Garro. No spirit remains in that one. He is long dead.

The battle-captain saw that the psyker was correct. Closer now, and he could see what at first appeared to be a bowed head was in fact the ragged stub of a neck. He looked away, disgust colouring his expression. It was no way for an Astartes to be remembered.

As Rubio cast around, searching in the damp, gloomy corners of the chamber, Garro examined the damaged armour. He saw blast marks and the tell-tale gouges from the edge of a power blade.

GARRO: The livery... Beneath the dust, the colours and insignia are visible. This warrior was a captain of the Sixteenth Legion...

RUBIO (horrified): The Sixteenth... Horus’s Legion-

[SFX: STONE AND RUBBLE EXPLODE UPWARDS! A CHAINSWORD SNARLS!]

Rubio’s words were suddenly drowned out as a caped abomination burst from beneath the rubble at his feet. He barely had a moment to react before a snarling chain-blade came roaring down on him. He blocked with his vambrace, ceramite meeting tungsten with a flash of sparks.

Rubio caught a glimpse of a scowling, furious face before a renewed, savage attack was unleashed upon him. The pommel of the chainsword slammed into his head, fracturing bone and shattering psionic crystal. He stumbled, fighting to regain his balance, but the assault was psychotic in its intensity.

Dimly, he was aware of Garro coming to his aid; but then his foe laughed and tore an object from the depths of his tattered cloak.

[SFX: THE PIN PULLS ON A HIGH-TECH GRENADE, AND IT GOES SKITTERING AWAY ACROSS THE FLOOR]

GARRO: Krak

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