Protection
‘We’ll see about that,’ Talen said, snatching a vibro-spanner from a nearby workbench. Stepping in front of Mekki, he brandished the makeshift weapon… only to have it blasted from his hand by a bolt of arc energy. He cried out, clutching his scorched hand.
Quigox struck, a mechanical tentacle darting forward like a viper. The pincers locked around the frame that protected Mekki’s withered arm, pulling him in. Zelia grabbed for his other arm, only to be stopped in her tracks by the barrels of the guards’ arc rifles swinging around to face her. Talen wasn’t so easily discouraged. He charged forward but was floored by a mechadendrite that took his feet from under him. He was flipped in the air to crash to the floor.
‘You will stay down,’ the tech-adept commanded. But before Talen could respond, Grimm launched itself from the Cognis chamber, soaring over the ganger’s head to land on Quigox. The tech-adept fell back, the snarling cyber-mastiff pinning her to the ground. The skitarii swung around, ready to blast the robotic hound from their mistress, but she threw up a hand to stop them.
‘No! Don’t! You’ll hit me.’
Her mechadendrites slammed down on Grimm’s back, sharp pincers trying to drag the hound from her, but the animal clamped its jaws around the nearest tentacle. Grimm bit down, steel teeth shearing the mechadendrite in two. Oil spat from the severed arm while Quigox fought back, releasing Mekki’s arm in the frenzy.
‘Zelia!’ he called out and she scrabbled forward to yank him free.
They didn’t get far. The nearest skitarius made a snatch for Mekki’s backpack, pulling him from Zelia’s grip. Catching Mekki in a headlock, the guard shoved his arc rifle in Zelia’s face. She froze, staring into the glowing barrel as a voice boomed out behind them.
‘That. Is. Enough!’
Jeremias stood in the doorway, showing little sign of his ordeal in the psychic amplifier. He was standing ramrod straight, his hair slicked back, his gaze strong and steady.
‘These children are under my protection,’ he announced. ‘All of them. Grimm, let the adept go.’
The cyber-mastiff released its prey, stalking back to the inquisitor. One of the skitarii went to help Quigox up, but she batted his robotic hand away, pushing herself up, the severed tentacle hanging uselessly from her back.
‘This is none of your concern.’
‘Not the concern of the Emperor’s Inquisition?’ Jeremias asked, his voice dangerously quiet. ‘I decide what is my concern, not you. Perhaps I will decide that this entire planet is worthy of my concern. How would that be? Your forge world investigated? Every corner of every manufactorum examined in exhaustive detail. Imagine the delays. The missed quotas. The penalties that would bring.’
‘You haven’t the resources.’
Jeremias regarded her with contempt. ‘Is that a challenge?’
The tech-adept hesitated, chrome-capped teeth grinding together before she finally relented.
‘Release the heretic,’ she hissed, repeating the instruction with more force when the skitarius failed to heed her command. ‘Release him.’
Mekki scampered back to Zelia and Talen, who surrounded him in case Quigox changed her mind.
‘Thank you,’ Jeremias said. ‘I commend your dedication to the Adeptus Mechanicus. It will be noted in my official report. Make sure that’s all I’m tempted to record.’
The threat in his voice was clear.
Quigox stalked from the workshop without another word, her tech-guards falling in behind.
As soon as they were gone, Jeremias slumped where he stood, nearly dropping to the floor. Talen jumped forward to support the inquisitor before he could collapse.
‘Are you all right?’
‘It is nothing,’ the inquisitor croaked. ‘The Cognis has left me weakened, that is all.’ His eyes dropped to a burn on Talen’s palm where the spanner had been electrified. ‘But you have injuries of your own.’
Talen flexed his fingers. ‘This? It’s nothing. I’ve felt worse from shock-sticks back home.’
Jeremias offered a weak smile. ‘You are strong. That is good.’
‘You better believe it,’ Talen said, helping the inquisitor back to the Cognis device.
‘We must hurry,’ Jeremias said as he flopped into the chair. ‘Quigox will not rest until she has her pincers on our Martian friend.’ He glanced at Nalos, who was cowering nearby. ‘Not that she should have known we were here in the first place…’
The tech-adept wrung his crooked hands together. ‘Quigox has electronic eyes and ears everywhere. I thought I had checked the building for spying equipment, but…’
‘But you failed.’ Jeremias glanced up at Mekki, who was still in the workshop, Grimm standing guard at the front door. ‘Mekki, perhaps you and Zelia could scan for scrying devices.’
‘I will assist,’ Corlak chirped, but the inquisitor shook his head. ‘No. You will assist Nalos.’
‘What about me?’ Talen said.
‘You will help me, my boy.’
Talen frowned. ‘Me? How?’
Jeremias didn’t answer, but looked pointedly at Zelia and Mekki. ‘The scan, if you please…’
‘Okay, okay,’ Zelia mumbled, reluctantly joining Mekki in the workshop. The door closed behind them and she heard a lock clunk into place. Grimm reacted immediately, charging back to scrabble at the shut door. It didn’t reopen.
‘Ever felt locked out of a conversation?’ Zelia said to Mekki, but the Martian didn’t reply. She was about to ask if he was all right when she turned to find him already hard at work at a cogitator terminal.
With a sigh, Zelia joined him, not even sure what she could do to help.