The Invasion

“You're going the wrong way!”
The voice was harsh, so it must have been a hiver. Kald'r spun on the spot, swinging his bolter upright; not a mean feat given his wounds. Through gritted teeth he wheezed slowly as his helmet's targeting system struggled to identify the target.
No signs of mutation
No symbols of heresy
Only a small red bandanna as her mask, most likely some sign of 'clan' allegiance. With bloodied eyes, Kald'r examined the woman before him...before he came to the decision that she was human, and imperial. But that didn't mean she wasn't a possible target.
“And where, may I ask, would you go?” questioned the exhausted astartes. He could not stay awake much longer, without risking serious harm upon himself. He needed a rest.
Maybe if this hiver doesn't slit his throat when he's asleep, she might be a useful ally.
“But first..what is your name. And why are you here?” he gripped his bolter's foregrip and aimed straight at the ganger's head as he barked his challenge.

'A guide?' Kald'r knew this was only a half truth. Most likely she was hiding something from him, but her trusted that it was merely a personal truth she chose to lie.
He stared coldly at the girl through his helmet, and after a minor internal debate, he chose to trust her. He knelt down as to be eye level with the ganger, staring into her eyes.
“If it is no insult, I shall refer to you as 'Virgil' if it is...then deal with it.” he barked, remembered a tale of a spirit of a warrior of that name guiding a man to defeat the darkness of a world.
He read no distinguishable emotion in the girl as he glared at her. Satisfied with his trust in her, he stood upright, readying his bolter.
“Then let us descend into this blind world.”

Sister Anna was unsure either person had seen her as they both seemed focused on each other. Kald'r had his weapon trained on the hooded figure, a smart idea given that they were armed. They spoke for a moment then the marine got down on one knee to talk to the other person that Anna’s slowly clearing head recognized as a woman. The marine stood then the woman shrugged and turned and looked directly at her.

"Friend of yours?" The woman asked pointing at her. "Because she doesn't look like any friend of mine.” She finished. Kald'r looked directly at the sister for a long moment. She guessed that he was trying to determine if she was free of taint or even to remember who she was. Finally he nodded at her.

“It is good to see you made it Anna.”

Scelene led the pair through the twisting broken alleys of the lower-hive. She didn't say anything as she went on, in fact she barely acknowledged the pair's existence except for occasionally stopping to ensure that they were still following her.

She stopped abruptly halfway down an alley, looking toward the hab on their left side. She recognized the signs. The heavy metal door, the windows barred where the flakboards had fallen away...

Another gang's stash, built to withstand the angry aggressions of a junkie trying to get his next hit, or an armed assault from a rival gang. She was starting to run low on painkillers and stimulants, and now was as good a time as any to stock up again. She stepped up to the door and tried the handle, locked, that was a good sign.

"I need stuff from in here." She said as way of explanation, going to one knee in front of the door as she began fiddling with the lock. There were a few almost silent mechanical clicks and she stood. "Stay here, watch for..."

Whatever else she was going to say was cut off by the guttural growl from beyond the iron door as it swung open. A plague zombie lunged for her and she ducked low, slamming her shoulder into the thing's legs and using its own momentum, flipped it over her shoulders.

It struggled to stand for only a moment before she slammed a foot down on its head with a sickening crunch. It stopped moving almost immediately.

"On second thought, one of you come in to watch my back while I look."

Anna did not understand why Kald'r had called the woman Virgil any more than she understood where they were going but she nodded to the kill-marine all the same. Having clear orders gave her focus, something her starved body was severely lacking. She felt a pang of hunger and thirst and wondered again how long she’d been out. She shook her head and put the thoughts from her mind, focusing on the marines orders.

The woman stepped into the darkness and Anna followed her, bring her weapon up into a high-ready position. Behind her she heard Kald’r move in front of the door.

Anna could barely see inside the dimly lit building, though her eyes were quickly began to adjust. The other woman took a moment to look around the hallway they were in, and then pointed to a set of stairs.

“It’ll be upstairs somewhere.” She said as they moved down the hallway towards the stairs. The hallway was wide enough that the two women could move down it side by side. Anna covering the right with her meltagun and their guide covering the left with her autopistol and stub-automatic. Everywhere Anna could smell the stench of death and decay. It reminded her of the train. She noticed her guide pull her face covering up.

They reached the stairs and moved up them the same way, both watching for any sign of movement. They came out into another hallway and to a door that looked far more solid than the others. The woman pointed to it.

“Give me a second.” She knelt down and began to fiddle with the lock while Anna took a second to look around. The hallway they were in was fairly unremarkable with a dozen or so doors on either side of them. She heard some of the tumblers click then a louder snapping sound and the woman cursed. More clicking followed but the battle sister became aware of a rustling noise from another door. Another loud snap and curse and Anna heard the sound of movement get louder and it seemed to be coming from more than one place. The sister tapped the woman on the shoulder but she shook her off.

“Just give me a minute.” She said as she started on the lock again. The sounds were louder than ever now and Anna heard a moan from her left only to be answered by a moan somewhere to her right. A third snap and she pushed the woman out of the way.

“I think we’re out of time.” she said pressing her melta up against the door and pulling the trigger.

“We need to find somewhere to hide” cried the ganger as her and Anna burst from the hiveblock, following the sound of Anna's melta blast, Kald'r readied himself for the incoming traitors.
“No! We shall not be running!” Ordered Kald'r as he grabbed their guide as she tried to run past.
“Wow..you really are as stupid as you look! Those armoured things are coming, and bullets can't stop them!” shouted the hiver, she clearly had no idea of what Kald'r and Anna had been fighting through. But Manin shot her a deep growl as he barked an order to Anna;
“Anna, give her the pistol...it will make her realise that nothing cannot be killed.” as Anna handed the oversized pistol to the ganger, who seemed rather surprised at the...would it count as 'a gift?'
Kald'r crouched and stared straight into the ganger's eyes, and growled “If it's hostile...we kill it!”
He quickly spun on the spot to demolish a plague-bearer with a sharp boot to the head, to further his point. “Now, let's see what they are made of, I have had enough of hiding.”