"Go with the Emperor, Malachi."
The Crusader nodded briskly and with one look for Lukas, sprinted away down the corridor. Simone let the leather case she had stored the precious maps and crumbling manuscripts rest on the floor. Lukas had the three Arbites who remained with them reloading and was wrapping the injured one's wrist with a surgipatch. The burn wasn't too bad but they needed every gun at the moment.
The antechamber they had secured wasn't large, in fact it didn't even have a door. It was really just a large alcove with two padded benches along either wall. Expensive pottery and statuary stood in the niches above the benches. But there was certainly no time to admire the former Bishops' excellent taste in art. Simone drew her bolter and checked its ammunition levels with an unsteady hand.
Even after all the years she had spent in the service of the Emperor in his Ordo Hereticus, it still shocked her how quickly things turned. After she had 'interviewed' and sentenced the Senator Decimus, Simone had reviewed the information he had given her. She had concentrated on the harder facts then his assurances that Gaius was out to collect her to his court as some queen or mate. The very thought was repugnant. It had to be the mad ravings of a jealous servant. The delusions of a corrupted man seeking to further ingratiate himself with his new foul master.
The more factual information had lead her to believe that Decimus may had given them the most beneficial revelation he possibly could have. The location of Gaius' lair. But her search of the available maps had shown nowhere he could be hiding in the midst of the city. Then she had suddenly thought: but what lay under the city.
The old maps of the city and older manuscripts of the building and rebuilding of Constantius were stored in the catacombs under the Cathedral. Simone had quickly gathered up Malachi and Lukas and had ensconced herself in the dusty shelves of the Cathedral's Librium for the rest of the day.
And her search had finally born fruit. She had found an old chest, locked and shoved back under one of the tall shelving units that had peaked her curiosity. There was an ancient seal that looked very similar to the city's new seals but was subtly different. She had known it was probably more water line surveys or property deeds but she had asked Malachi to break the rust encrusted lock anyway.
Inside had been a treasure trove of maps, diagrams and manuscripts dedicated to the old city. She had laughed out loud: all they had to do was overlay a current map and the probable locations of Gaius' hiding spot would be clear. Well, she hoped. At the very least it would be a place to start.
Simone had just been carefully packing the documents into a leather satchel when she suddenly tipped over with vertigo. Malachi had caught her before she could fall completely and set her back on her feet. Dizziness made her vision waver and she had needed a few minutes to let it pass. Of course Malachi had been worried but Simone had reassured him that it was simply too long with a meal and she would remedy that as soon as they returned to the Hall of Order.
But before they could even get out of the catacombs, the Cathedral was rocked by the first explosions and the rapid fire of gunshots rang through the halls. Simone had said swift prayer of thanks that she had donned her armor that morning before they came to the Cathedral. Though she seldom went anywhere anymore unarmored or unarmed. The three of them had hurried upward and were met by a squad of Arbites looking for them. Simone knew they had to find the rest of their compatriots. So they had all made quick time towards the center of the Cathedral, where Malachi had guessed the Imperials would be massing.
However they didn't have to go very far for the battle to find them. They had barely reached the first floor when a the hallway in front of them had suddenly filled with the roar of Daemons and the blinding pulse of weapon fire. Simone wasn't sure how long they had been pinned down there, trading fire with the forces of Slaanesh but things had turned from bad to worse when one of the horribly corrupted Sisters had appeared behind the warp spawned daemons and had rallied them forward.
