Know the Mutant; Kill the Mutant

Alert

Mutant Discovery

4. Detection in this facility

Identity confirmed

Name: Hanna Martin

Residence: last known: federal runaway centre

Location: Manteo

Age: 16

"So Chuck what do we know about that kid?",

Logan grumbled gruffly as he slipped into the seat of the x-jet, his hand already flicking the levers and buttons for the starting sequence as the rest of the young x-men filled in.

"Yes, Professor vhat can he do? You said he might be like me!",

An excited Nightcrawler asked from a seat behind them, eagerly curling up his tail at the prospect to meet another transporter like him.

"Calm down Kurt, I'm sure the Professor will tell us all in due time.",

Scott threw in patiently as the jet started to take off and slipped away into the night sky under its nearly perfect stealth.

Battle of Mordian, Aftermath

"Witch.",

Closing her eyes Neonate Hannah Vasari brushed past another group of guardsmen, their bright blue uniforms covered in soot and blood as they leaned against the corner of the corridor.

Watching their hands grip the stocks of their lasguns tighter she sighed and quickened her steps lightly, her black gloved hand going up and massaging her temple gently, the cybernetic stick to it giving her a faint headache as she knocked on the door of her mentor.

A small smile played over her gaunt and pale face: headaches were the smallest trouble a psyker could have on a planet recently invaded by chaos.

"Enter!", a voice called out…no, she closed her eyes: a voice had spoken against the shields of her mind and that she still heard her mentor even after reciting all prayers of mental fortitude was….humbling.

Nonetheless she reached out and slowly opened the heavy plasteel door and walked over to her master, lowering her head in greeting and interlocking her thumbs.

"May the Emperors light beacon our way."

"And may our fire lighten the enemies of the God-Emperor"

Psyker primaris Lando Corrati was standing behind a low desk, a candle burning some sort of sweet smelling wax as his withered and thin fingers traced over a map.

As he looked up to take notice of her, his eyes seemed vacant for a moment, before rolling back into focus, their colour shifting in a way, which made it impossible to judge their colour.

His figure was extremely thin, his pale skin and deeply sunken in eyes showing the price each psyker had to pay for the power they wielded.

Landos face was solemnly showing any emotion, he had a firm grip on them and that might be the only reason why he was standing here after doing his duty in the imperial guard for more than twenty years, countering the witchery of xenos and heretics alike.

"I see you have returned Neonate? I take it that the Emperors most valiant guard had a task for you and wasn't simply seething with anger at seeing you in one of their uniforms?",

Another man might have raised an eyebrow, or moved any other sort of muscle to emphasize the question: but the Primaris Psykers face stayed a nearly white expressionless mask, only his tone hinting his thoughts from time to time.

"The Mordians were….disciplined.",

Hannah said simply, inclining her head respectfully, the short black hair she let grow to shoulder length on her shoulder, tickling against her scared cheek as she straightened again.

"That's…..most fortunate, they just had an invasion of their home planet and we can only rejoice in the knowledge that the Emperor commands about brave warriors like this."

He said and closed his eyes, hand gripping a silver Aquila around his neck.

After a moment he opened them again and those two deep sunken orbs stared at her:

"The Colonel told me about a report regarding heretic worship on the lower levels of the hive, both of us shall accompany him and the rest of the regiment downwards to flush the last remains of the traitors out of their hiding places."

Intermission

She tasted blood in her mouth, spitting it out Hannah tried to get up, only to stumble forward again as her long Mordian boots slipped on the blood pooling on the floor.

Looking down she stared at the severed lower half of the hive punk which had appeared just in the middle of the fighting, two slender legs on terribly unpractical shoes.

Emperor, had she been a psyker?

A quick look around quickly confirmed that this wasn't the lower hive of Mordia, looking up she could see a clear night sky full of stars and a single moon.

Looking down at the corpse she shook her head, did the rest of the fools body stay behind? Opening passages like this was something no one was supposed to do!

Resolving to thanks the Emperor more reverently than ever before in her life in she started to limp out of the alley, with a last look behind she raised her hand and set the whole thing on fire: one should be sure with things which came to close to the warp….or, as she reflected wryly: persons.

From the looks this seemed to be a rather small settlement, maybe she appeared on a agri world?

"God-Emperor give me the strength to…",

Hannah had said this prayer hundred, most likely thousands of time and remembered the beginning of the soul binding when she had cried her throat hoarse until she couldn't feel anything anymore.

She only remembered glimpses of it: the strength and the pain which was a tiny fragment of the Emperor himself: its psykic presence was still unlike everything she had ever seen in her life….till now.

As her steps quickened she ran over a street, a mobile transport screeching as it came to an halt next barely a meter away from her, but Hannah had no mind for things like this, she ran through a small forest, her clutching the side of her temple, her psykic amplifier seeming to burn as she heard waves and water moving in front of her.

Only as her boots sank into the sand and water rose around her ankles she stopped and looked up. Not with her eyes than those weren't enough to comprehend, but with all the senses the touch of the warp had given her to serve mankind.

"Ohh Emperor…..praised be your name….God-Emperor who watches over mankind….your worlds number the million….your guardsmen the trillion…You….You are….",

Any further words stayed stuck in her throat as she saw:

If her mentor was a candle and she barely a dim matchstick, the presence which regarded her now was brighter than a thousand suns.

The psykic presence seemed to roll over the waves like the rising sun, encompassing the whole planet and the air which reached her lungs, its shine floating in the universe like a burning torch.

"Ohhhh Emperor….",

Was this how the astronomicon looked like to the navigators?

She didn't dare to breath as the presence leaned forward, its ageless mind brushing onto hers and despite all the training the scholastica Psykana had hammered into her she opened her mind to it, closing her eyes and let him….HIM see into her memories….she tried to concentrate, showing the recant campaign on Mordia:

The tried but unyielding guardsmen, the wise and working techpriests of their regiment and her teacher himself how he hurled fire at eldritch abominations which would have broken a lesser man.

She just prayed that he would be proud, she once again whispered and concentrated on the small connecting she still had thanks to the soul binding.

"God-Emperor…"

And He flinched back, the presence leaving her mind as quick as possible, her defences snapping quickly in place behind it as Hannah's soul started to fill with dread.

He had deemed their work…unworthy….He even recoiled from it….where they such incompetent servants?

Had they….had she earned His scorn?

Her legs gave away under her and she hit the ground, her conscious mercifully already fleeting as her last thoughts rang through her mind.

"Ohh Emperor….I have failed you."

Only barely she heard steps running through the shallow water, voices shouting at one another as someone grabbed her coat and turned her on her back: but why should she care? The Emperor himself at gazed at her….and found her an unwanted disgrace, which was a shame for the Imperium….she should just….should just…

"I think we found her Chuck? What do you mean you can't find her? She's right in front of us!"

"So …no teleporter , the alley was really torched, don't you think so elf?"

"Shut up Spyke, can't you see she's bleeding?!"

What were they…she couldn't see…heretics?

Was the Emperor displeased because she brought them with her to an innocent world?

Seeing only faint black shadows against the dark beach, she rose her hand and drained the last reserves which were stored in her amplifier, a torrent of flames aimed at the two loudest voices.

For a moment….there was pandemonium, voices crying and shouting through another and Hannah sank back even as two strong hands grabbed her and pulled her around and upwards.

"Let go of me Nightcrawler!"

"A "thanks"would be nice; I just saved your skin Spyke!"

"Logan you should be careful with her! She nearly roasted Evan!"

"Rogue, can't you see the poor girl is covered in blood and has gashes all over, its so much and only hers from what I read, it's a miracle she even got this far!"

She had no idea what sort of gibberish they were spouting, but she didn't feel a dagger at her throat yet….a pity….she didn't even have enough power left to use herself as a human bomb, maybe He would have looked with some mercy on her if she would have been able to.

"Yes, Mrs Monroe, but are you sure she's safe?"

"Or if she even is Hanna Martin? They Professor suddenly can't pin point her anymore!"

"Logan!",

A woman's clear and calm voice cut into the noise and Hannah winced lightly, maybe they would simply get over it and finally finish her….undisciplined cultist scum they were.

"Can't you see the poor girl is scared without end? Manifesting your powers without anyone who cares around and then burning down a whole alley. Someone must have attacked her and…"

"No Storm….but I'm not sure of Chuck wants us to bring a potential risk…"

"She's only a girl Logan….she will be no risk for anyone when she learns to control her powers."

"From your lips to gods ears."