Nothing moved in the alcove. The only sound was the drip of blood on the marble floor and the ragged rasping of her own breath. Her heart beat and she could hear the rush of blood in her ears. It was disappointing really. She was still alive. It would have been so much easier if he had simply killed her when he was finished with her. But that would have been a mercy, and she didn't think mercy was part of his make up.
She wasn't sure how much time was passing. It could have been moments or days before she heard something else. Something outside herself.
"Cleanse the Heretics! Burn the Traitors!"
Then screaming and shooting, the clash of melee and the whine of power weapons. Every shriek hammered at her raw senses, every thud of a body crashing to the floor was a blow to her mind. She tried to move, tried to bring her hands up over her ears to shut it out. She screamed herself when she tried to move her ruined wrist as waves of pain and nausea rolled over her. Curling up as best she could in the shattered remains of her armor: she wasn't sure if the screams were her own or the dying out in the hall.
Then silence. She kept her eyes tight shut unable to even pray.
Kathrine proceeded slowly, the powerful Inferno pistol held ready in her right hand. Her left arm was hanging limp and throbbing with pain from the broken upper arm. She feared the worst. With twelve of Gaius' corrupted Sororitas guarding the room Malachi said contained the Inquisitor, it likely meant she was either dead...
Or worse.
She pushed open the curtain and stepped in, ready to fire. Three Arbitrators were lying dead on the floor. A stormtrooper in Inquisitional armor was lying nearby, and Katherine noticed his slight breath. At least one of them was alive. In the corner of the room lay Simone Godschilde, her armor in pieces around her...her clothing tattered to rags. There was blood...and immediately Katherine knew what had happened. Malachi's eyes widened, "Lady Simone!" He lunged forward but Katherine blocked his passage.
"See to the other Stormtrooper," She said sternly, but her eyes were gentle. Malachi was about to protest, then clenched his jaw tightly and nodded. Flavia stood nearby with her hand...her flesh hand...clutched over her mouth as though she was about to be sick. Katherine slowly moved to the Inquisitor and knelt, her pistol still ready. She didn't know if Gaius had corrupted her...aside from the defilement of her body, "Inquisitor...it's Katherine."
Simone tried to curl tighter into the useless shelter of her destroyed armor. It was likely some hallucination. Or, she choked, Gaius returned to torment her, pretending to be the Mother Superior. If it were Katherine, she would be armed. "Burn me." Simone rasped through her bruised throat, her voice barely audible.
Katherine's grip tightened on the pistol. The barrel of the pistol wavered over Simone's head. The Canoness knew all too well what could happen to those Gaius had "touched", but that wasn't the feeling she was getting. Katherine had a sense for it. "Are you asking me to do that because you fear he's turned you...or are you asking me to do it because you are too weak to continue to fight him?"
Simone shuddered, "Yes." She couldn't stop shaking now. If Katherine was here, really here and it wasn't some fever dream, it meant she would have to get up. Get up and keep fighting. Weariness and despair made the tears flow again.
Katherine wanted to ask questions, but also wasn't sure she wanted the answers. Enough time to find out exactly what happened later...for now, get her up and out of there. "We need to get out of here. Let's get you some clothes."
The best they could do was a tunic from one of the deceased Arbites. But it was large enough to cover Simone's thin frame with complete modesty. And when they added Malachi's cloak she finally stopped shivering. Once the Chirugeon efficiently wrapped her wrist, he gave her a small dose of painkiller. With the physical pain dulled, Simone was able to gather her wits so she was able to focus somewhat on what was happening now. If only because the drug made the world a bit fuzzy and unreal. "Mother Superior, " she motioned Katherine to join her as the chirugeon finished and removed his tools. "Is the Cathedral lost? And the Convent?"
