The Multiverse Project: Warhammer 40,000

"Hey Miriya, if you pull any harder you might go bald!"

"It'll be worth it to get rid of the stench!"

Laura couldn't help but laughed as the Celestian Sororitas squeezed another mound of shampoo on to her head then scrubbed vigorously until a mountain of bubbles crowned her hair. Laura tried her damnedest to focus on Miriya's face, but more time than not her gaze drifted down to the Battle Sister's ample womanly assets. The boob plates didn't lie.

"Have some decency!" From across the bubbling Jacuzzi she shared with her four friends, Yuki was teasingly displeased.

"At least I was subtle," Laura stuck her tongue out in a raspberry and picked up a pina colada at the edge of the pool, taking slow, delicate sip. "You were practically drooling."

"Yeah, can you two not make this weird please?" Nikki eyed them exasperatedly, prompting Laura and Yuki to seductively close in on the Russian. "Just so you guys know, I'm allowed to defend myself."

"From what?" Laura asked innocently while making sure that their distance was uncomfortably inappropriate.

"Sexual assault," Nikki groaned. "Lita, help me!"

"Laura, Yuki, behave," Lita never took her eyes off the data-pad, finger swiping casually over the glowing wet surface, the 40k foldable iPad was a hundred percent waterproof. With a pout, Laura and Yuki backed away from Nikki and returned to their seat. Easing her back against the smooth marble edge, Laura let out a contended sigh as torrents of bubble massage her aching body. It has been three days since the battle at the Silatar industrial complex, and although the battlegroup took one of the biggest beatings they'd ever received in their illustrious career, the casualty was surprisingly low, with five hundred dead, humans and eldars, and three thousand injured, with most expected to return to active duty after a short recuperation. That was lightyears better than the four hundred thousand dead the Leenisium PDF suffered, and about twice that number injured. They did a good job at being cannon fodders though, Tangmo, Leilatha and Raine having successfully put the fear of the God Emperor into them. Fast forward to now, the battlegroup had advance deeper into the northern section of Gothicipolis, drawing nearer and nearer to the true Chaos control zone, which made it that much more surprising when their last pit stop turned out to be an ultra-posh neighborhood owned by a wealthy as fuck Navigator family. They had welcomed the Immortal Spirit with open arms, and the troops were given a forty eight hours period of rest and relaxation after the long march. Everybody was making the most of it, especially Miriya, Firnera, Astrid and their squad after the now infamous sewage incident. Like at the docks, the girls had taken over what was essentially a gigantic spa resort, while the boys occupied a Ritz-Carlton like casino hotel down the road. Now, as she glanced around the super opulent, vaulted ceiling bathhouse that combined the classical Roman architectural design with the modernity of a Japanese onsen, Laura couldn't be happier. Mainly because all the main female characters were here, wet and naked and giggling, who would've thought the grim darkness of the forty second millennium could be so sexy!

"You know, something been bugging me about the Immortal Spirit," Lita put away her data-pad, looking thoughtful.

"What's on your mind?" Laura asked

"Don't you think it's weird that an Imperial Gloriana seems to be very eldar friendly, both in design and function?" Lita went on. "I mean, the hull and structural integrity of the ship responded to the Bonesingers persuasion, and there's even a module in place for an Infinity Circuit to be installed. You can't tell me that's not freaking weird, even by 40k standard."

"That's actually a really legitimate point," Nikki added. "It's like the Immortal Spirit is an Aeldari Craftworld disguise as an Imperial ship."

"It might be," Yuki spoke up after sipping an apple martini. "The ship was built during the Dark Age of Technology, right? Maybe it was a joint human eldar project?"

"I highly doubt it," in the Olympic size mosaicked swimming pool beside the Jacuzzi, Marwen emerged, Ariel style, and joined the conversation, "if you don't mind me saying."

"Human and eldar working together?! Ha! That's stupid!" On a cushioned marble slabs, Krix barked a laugh. The captain was lying flat on her chest, legs crossed above her buttocks and enjoying a glass of Cosmopolitan.

"And what would you call this union our battlegroup is embroiled in then?" Lying on a marble beside Krix, covered from the chest down by a white cotton towel, Luva intoned lazily, almost pitying her Cadian colleague. Krix frowned but said nothing as she finished her drink.

"Well, I'm inclined to agree with the captain," colonel Joanna of the Antebellan Cobalt Star, seated on a low stool before a long mirror pane that stretched down the length of the pool on both sides, lathing herself with washing gel and filling bucket full of water from a swan shaped faucet like one of those Japanese public bathhouses, spoke up. "I meant no offense to y'all eldar fillies, but I can't wrap my head around the idea that both our people built a spaceship together."

"The Dark Age of Technology is shrouded in myth," Lingxin spoke up from beside the southern belle and poured a bucket of water over her head. "Strange, unspeakable things could have happened in those times lost to human history."

"It might not be as strange as you think," Mavia spoke up as she backstroke passed Marwen. "We Tallarn have always been on good term with the Aeldari race. We even safeguard some of their most precious artefacts."

"You are courting heresy, honorable rayiys," Morelia, the Valorous Heart canoness, hovered close by like a shark.

"We are used to such accusation," Mavia shrugged and continued swimming, for a woman pushing forty she had a phenomenal body. "In the end, basic necessity can bend even the strictest of rule, especially when the benefit became apparent."

"Perhaps you are right," Amaryllis of the Ebon Chalice said as she drifted slowly across the pool, her opinion ill received by the other canonesses. Bellona of the Bloody Rose looked about ready to chastise Amaryllis when Korri, Zuhra and Himinn stormed into the bathhouse, towels clutched tight to chests, flustered pink making their complexion glow. The trio quickly jumped into the pool, the enveloping water did little to banish the red from their skin.

"Don't," Korri pointed at the door, "go into the sauna, By the Emperor just…don't!"

"Everything was so wet and slippery," Zuhra shuddered.

"This was worse than that hot spring incident two summers ago," Himinn added, equally mortified. "There were several eldars in that pile too."

"What are you lasses blabbering about?" Aileen sat up from her marble bench, brow quirked inquisitively. Nearby, swimming in the shallow end of the pool, Eldul, Skoleif and Sigrid were laughing uproariously.

"I see others are happily embracing Frystasvard's vigorous bonding ritual!" Eldul guffawed loudly and glanced at the three bashful girls trying to sink beneath the pool, grinning wolfishly. "You should have joined, little ones, it is quite invigorating. And Himinn, isn't it about time you experience your first? Me and your sisters had, so trust me when I say you'll enjoy it."

"Degenerates!" Bellona bellowed and swam to the pool's edge.

"Interrupt wolves in the deepest throe of passion is unwise, canoness," Skoleif grinned at Bellona who was perched half way out of the pool, and bloody hell those muscles and abs were to die for! "You might even find yourself joining in if you're not careful."

Bellona growled but slowly lowered herself back into the water, grumbling as she swam away from the chortling Frost Bringers, even Heloise and Amaryllis were snickering. Laura was about to laugh too when she noticed how violently Miriya and Astrid were washing their hairs, the lack of care put into the task was making her cringed.

"Oi Miriya! Astrid!" Laura raised her voice. "I'm serious about you going bald earlier, don't maul your hair like that! It's really bad on the scalp you know?!"

"I need to get rid of the smell!" Miriya cried and proceed to ignore Laura's warning.

"Oh for the love of – stop!" Firnera got off her stool suddenly and, to the startlement of all, grabbed Miriya's arms and pried it away from her head. All along the washing row every eye turned to watch them, stunned into inaction by a scene that will surely end in violence.

"Let go of me!" Miriya hissed and Firnera did exactly that, the easy compliance left the Celestian flabbergasted as the Banshee picked up a bucket of sloshing water.

"The foul odor can be easily removed, given the correct persuasion," Firnera went on. "May I?"

After a moment of hesitation, Miriya nodded slowly, prompting Firnera to kneel behind the Sororitas and softly poured the water over her head, washing away the bubbles until only damp black brown hair remained.

"You know what to do?" Miriya asked curtly as Firnera squirted a handful of conditioner onto her palm.

"Don't insult me," Firnera flipped her gleaming red hair back as if to demonstrate her point, every strand spotless and clean, fanning out in a silky veil, then slowly applied the conditioner to Miriya, the Banshee's fingers running tenderly over the Celestian's locks. "Brute force cannot solve everything, sometime a softer approach is needed."

"I'll keep that in mind," Miriya said tightly, blushing from the attention she was receiving. "…Would it be possible for your Banshees to assist mine and Astrid's squad in this matter?"

"If that is their wish," Firnera gazed at her Banshees. After a moment of awkwardness, the eldars took their places behind the Sororitas and began grooming them. It was the cutest, most beautiful thing Laura had ever seen in her life.

"Me next, me next!" Astrid bounced enthusiastically on her stool, and if this was an anime blood would be gushing out of Laura's nose right now.

"Patient, mighty wolf," a ghost of a smirk flitted across Firnera's lips. "Your time will come."

Smiling wickedly, Laura was about to make a comment, which was devilishly snarky, when Nikki's hand clamped over her mouth, turning it into an annoyed muffle.

"Keep your smartass mouth shut," Nikki hissed. "Things are going good, don't ruin it!"

Laura rolled her eyes and it was only after a nod that Nikki let her go. She was about to protest but Lita's dagger sharp look shut her up. But the Russian was right, things were indeed going very well, with the tenseness from before easing away as the pampering continued. Conversation, clipped though it maybe, were even starting along the row. The canonesses were fucking fuming though, with Miriya pointedly looking away from Galatea's burning scrutiny.

"Well, I guess your hygiene crisis has been resolved," Yuki announced brightly to the cheers of the main characters.

"Yes," Miriya's gaze darkened on Leilatha who was seated a couple of feet to her right with Raine and Evangeline. "Then we can get on with the business of punishing the one who had shamed us so."

"And who would you be referring to, sister Celestian?" Leilatha met Miriya's animosity with a narrowing look, fearless and unyielding.

"Your lover," Miriya spat, Firnera and Astrid grunting in the affirmative.

"I'll be the first to admit that Tangmo can be infuriatingly immature," Leilatha went on easily. "But he is innocent in this regard."

"Unsurprising that you would think so," Miriya sneered disdainfully.

"That is because I know him better than most of you," Leilatha continued undaunted, but inclined her head respectfully at Laura, Yuki, Nikki and Lita, "barring you four, of course."

"So you two are close then?" There was a sinister edge to Cassandra's voice.

"We are," Leilatha's posture stiffened, sensing danger.

"And you return his affection?" Cassandra went on.

"Wholeheartedly," Leilatha spun on her stool so that she was facing the Celestians, shoulders squared.

"Is it safe to assume then that he can be persuaded to do anything for you, especially if you are to be in danger?" The piercing look Isabel shot the lady commissar was icy.

Low laughter rumbled from Leilatha, mocking and goading, "you are sorely mistaken if you think I'll be intimidated by such crass threats."

"And if you seriously want to see Tangmo goes absolutely batshit crazy, then go ahead and hurt is girlfriend. I've seen it before and trust me, it is not a pretty sight," Lita raised her voice and Laura nodded in agreement. Lita used to date Tangmo after all. "And are you people seriously this petty?!"

The Sororitas and Banshee let their combined menacing gaze lingered on Leilatha for a few seconds before going nonchalantly back to the hair washing, Verity and Alnelle striking up a lively conversation to try and lightened the mood.

"Is he capable of being so immature though?" General Sulla swam closer to the Jacuzzi, many of the guardswomen joining her. "Commissar Tangmo, I mean."

"Well, he can be an absolute dick sometime, but in this case…shit, I really don't know," Yuki said then squeak when Leilatha glared at her. "I mean, it fits his prank MO, but like I said, I'm not sure. Come on Leilatha don't give me that look!"

"Considering how he isn't going around bragging about what he did, I think Tangmo's innocent this time," Nikki observed. "Hell, he's been avoiding the Sororitas like crazy, dude look scared shitless."

"You must forgive us for doubting the impartiality of your observation," Raine ignored Leilatha displeased look. "The four of you are his friends, after all."

"There's one way to prove his innocent," Lita placed her data-pad on the edge of the Jacuzzi, waving for the main characters to gather around her as she tapped the screen quickly. "The boys are in a meeting right now, let's listen in."

"You can do that?" Mavia politely squeezed in between Marwen and Eldul, her eyes gleaming with unhealthy interest. "Pray tell, how is such task accomplished?"

"Trade secret," Lita winked then shushed everyone as she gave the data-pad a few more taps. "Alright everyone, be quiet, shh! It's starting!"

"…So did we got fucking hacked or what?!"

Damien's pissed off voice blared from the data-pad.

"No," Tangmo now spoke. Too bad they were getting audio only, Laura would've loved to see their serious faces. "The battlegroup isn't compromised, but the Avenging Knights are watching us, that much is obvious."

"How are they accomplishing this?" Erik asked.

"From what I can gather, there were at least six satellites hovering above you guys during the battle," Henry added, his voice a little distorted since he was still in Lithia's manor. "They didn't go back into orbit until after Lita destroy the skaven's altar. From the data I managed to pull, those satellites are used for taking orbital images, the super high quality kind."

"But all our electronic devices went haywire when the skavens attacked," Erik said. "How are the Avenging Knights immune to it?"

"Their tech's probably better than ours. Not surprising, we're dealing with both Batman and Iron Man here," Tangmo's timbre was begrudging. "Those cosplaying bitches really fucked us good. They know exactly where to plant each sister for maximum damage. We went down for the fucking count. At least they didn't kill anyone."

"I heard Lita got ganged up by the Justice Avenger League," Henry asked and Lita blushed at the mention of her name. "Is she alright?"

"Isha's amulet healed her, but they fuck her up pretty bad," Damien growled. "Thank God Laura, Yuki and Nikki made the save. I swear I'm gonna Bane Lithia next time I see her."

The four of them shared a smile and Lita mouthed 'thank you'.

"You two got stomped too, right?" Henry asked Tangmo and Erik. "Come on, I want to know the detail."

"The Punisher, or Sicario as she called herself, sleeper hold me with her fucking bolter," Tangmo said. "I slipped free and fought that bitch to the ground. But holy shit she can fight, I almost got stabbed a few times."

"Harley Quin almost broke my leg yo," Erik shuddered. "She went Tonya Harding on my ass, and her baseball bat was electric too. I got tased and beaten up at the same time. Good thing Verity and Alnelle dogpiled her, or I would've been a goner."

"Compare to the UFC match I had with Sicario, you got off easy" Tangmo snorted while Erik made a grumbling sound. Out of the corner of her eyes, Laura saw Verity and Alnelle getting a little red from the compliment. "But God fucking damn, the Avenging Knights really whacked us man."

"Who owned the satellites that were spying on us?" Damien spoke up. "Lithia? Taelin?"

"No, they're owned by the Azahmetrioz Navigator House," Henry said. "…Get it? Azahmetrioz? Azarath Metrion Zinthos?"

"I noticed, that shit is fucking cool," Tangmo chuckled. "This part of the city is own by them too, I can see their creepy ass mansion from the hotel. It got a very nice, evil sorcerer look to it."

"They also run a private school down the road from us," Erik was obviously smirking, "the Azahmetrioz Institute for Higher Learning."

"Guess we know where Lyca comes from then," Tangmo muttered.

"So…we should storm the Azahmetrioz institute and their mansion and arrest everyone?" Damien offered enthusiastically. "I mean, this seems like the best course of action considering that the thing inside the lockbox we took from the mini-manufactorum was a freaking star map. The Navigator probably knows how to read it."

"Why not just ask them to help us nicely?" Erik suggested.

"Because they're working for the Avenging Knights and will betray us the first chance they get," Damien said. "But if we take them into custody we can force them to help us, and the Avenging Knight can't rescue them without going to war with us."

"That…" Tangmo paused suddenly, his silence lasting a few seconds before continuing. "That's a good idea. Anyway, on the subject of the conspiracy, I had a little chat with Tovin and Jeremiah about the fighter jet Laura and Yuki found, the PDFs were apparently following explicit instruction from the planetary governor while the Arbites were kept in the dark. Tovin claimed he was never given any detail, but I think I'm gonna give him to Emily, I want to see that little bitch squirm."

Emily let out a very quiet, but very haughty, little giggle that was quickly shushed by the others. She mouthed 'sorry' as Henry continued.

"Tread lightly guys, I don't want the Avenging Knight catching wind of what we're doing. My job tonight is hard enough as it is."

"You sure about this man?" Damien asked, clearly worried.

"I am," was Henry adamant answer.

"At least Amberley's gonna be there with you," Erik offered.

"I send her away to the artillery command headquarter this morning," Henry said. "She'll tell Ladaee of what I'm about do, and they'll set up a contingency plan if I don't contact them back within twenty-four hours."

"So you're going into the fucking Batcave alone?" Tangmo was super incredulous and Laura gasped. Around the pool the main characters were trading looks of absolute shock, some were even exchanging whispers.

"Don't worry dude, I'll be fine. I got everything planned out, to the best of my ability that is," Henry chuckled nervously.

"You know these people are not actually Batman and Captain America, right?" Tangmo pressed on. "They have 40k morality. If you get caught, they're gonna fuck you up, slowly, painfully."

"Don't you think I know that?!" Henry was getting miffed. "It's a fucking suicide mission, but I need to do this so we can find out what in the actual fuck is going on with the Chaos invasion and Isha's amulet, so a little encouragement would be fucking nice!"

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry dude," Tangmo sighed. "If anyone can pull this off, it's you. And if the Avenging Knights somehow managed to catch your ass, we'll get you out. You can count on it."

"Thanks dude," Henry was genuinely grateful.

"I assume you already have a plan?" Damien asked. "I mean, how do we even know this channel is secure?"

"This communication channel is encrypted, don't worry about it," sure Henry, so secure that the girls are listening in without the four of you any wiser. "Anyway, I've already found several hidden entrances and secret tunnels, everything's mapped out, getting in will be easy."

"Please tell me Albert is going with you," Erik said. "There's bound to be bobby traps everywhere."

"Oh yeah, I'm totally going with him," Albert the AI chirped up. "I'll keep him safe."

"So you're going there now?" Damien asked.

"Oh no, that will raise suspicion, I swear to God the maids and servants are watching my every step," Henry said. "I'll wait until Lithia and her Justice Friends come back from visiting you guys before going incognito."

"Lithia's coming here?" Erik, along with everybody else, was rightly surprised. "Hold up, when did that happened?"

"About…" Tangmo made the strange pause again. "About an hour ago, she said she's coming to meet the Azahmetrioz representative and boost morale for the soldiery, in thanks for their heroic effort against the Chaos invaders."

"Yeah, can you guys not, like, go crazy on her and her friends?" Henry said. "If Lithia is pushed too hard she might drop the act completely, and that will make things extremely, unnecessarily, difficult for me."

"How about if we be snarky, condescending and mean to her?" Damien offered. "You know? Make her cry by being absolute assholes, because after what she and her homies did to Lita, we can't let that shit slide."

"Hey, go nuts, just make sure she doesn't come back to soon," Henry chuckled.

"Alright, I guess…" again with the pause, what the hell Tangmo? "I guess that's it for today. Good luck dude."

"What's up with you?" Henry asked. "You've been acting like a fucking schizoid all morning."

"…You haven't heard about the shit show?" Damien started laughing and Laura can feel the simmering hatred emanating from the Sororitas and Banshees behind her.

"The shit show?" Henry was confused.

"Tangmo drowned Miriya, Astrid, Firnera and their squads under six feet of raw sewage," Damien was laughing every word. "Lord Almighty, they're gonna need a few weeks of good scrubbing to get rid of the smell."

"…Dude," Henry was speechless. "I don't know whether to salute you or start writing your eulogy."

"It was an accident bro!" Tangmo blurted. Huh, so he is innocent. Around Laura subdued murmurs rippled across the bathhouse, the timbre rising excitably. Miriya, Firnera and Astrid remained impassive though. "I didn't mean to do it! I mean, it was funny as hell, but it was an accident!"

"I was there, Tangmo really didn't know he shot the release valve," Erik further vindicate the Thai commissar, "although Verity and Alnelle did warn you not to shoot the damn thing."

"So that's why you're all skittish," Henry snickered. "What? You think Miriya's gonna be waiting for you in the shadow?"

"I've been sleeping with one eye open for three fucking days, even when Leilatha's with me!" Tangmo exclaimed and around the bathhouse everybody was trying their hardest not to laugh at how hysterical the commissar sounded, even Leilatha was cracking a smile. "I mean, shit, I have to check the closet and under the bed every night!"

"You know, you can just tell them everything was an accident," Erik was annoyingly naïve. "I'm sure they'll listen to reason."

"Those crazy bitches won't listen to reason!" Tangmo shot back. "They're gonna beat me up, torture me, then chop my balls off! And probably not in that order! You know Miriya like to hurt people, right? If she get her hands on me, she's gonna take her fucking time!"

Miriya grinned sweetly at this and Laura couldn't help but shivered. Bloody hell that was hot.

"You should be more worry about Leilatha at this point," Henry pointed out.

"What do you mean?!" Tangmo's voice rose in alarm.

"The nuns and elves would've already kidnapped her by now, doing all sort of nasty things to her," Henry was totally enjoying this. Laura glanced back and saw that Leilatha was exchanging challenging look with the Sororitas and Banshees. "Next thing you know you'll be getting a bloody package from Miriya with Leilatha's fingers inside."

"Tangmo, calm down dude!" A scuffle erupted. Erik was obviously stopping Tangmo from rushing out of the room they were in.

"I gotta go save her!" Tangmo squawked.

"You're too late bro!" Henry cackled like a supervillain.

"Leilatha's tough, she can go toe to toe with Miriya," Damien offered his placation.

"Yeah, like Miriya's gonna fight fair. Leilatha doesn't stand a chance dude," Henry continued to be an unhelpful dick.

"Would you shut the hell up?!" Erik yelled at the American. "Tangmo, you have to chill dude. If something like that happens we would've known about it by now, so calm down, alright?"

Tangmo breathing slowed until he wasn't hyperventilating anymore, "okay…okay."

"You cool?" Erik asked him.

"Yeah, I'm cool," Tangmo exhaled loudly. "I'm sure Leilatha's okay."

"I'm sure she is," Damien said. "And if anything happens, we'll help you."

"Thanks dude. Anyway, I think that's pretty much it for today, right?" A round of 'yes' answered Tangmo, "guess that's it then. Henry, good luck dude."

"Thanks man," Henry said.

"You guys got anything else to add?" The others responded in the negative and it wasn't ten seconds later that Tangmo spoke up again. "What about you Lita? Got any input for us?"

Gasp went up around them, loud enough that the boys more than likely heard. But nobody, despite being grown women of war, wanted to be the first to admit that they were eavesdropping, so everyone kept their mouth shut.

"Oh please, we've known the first moment you started listening in. A bright red icon pops up when this happens," Tangmo went on as the silence continues.

"I wasn't listening in," Lita spoke up sheepishly, "my hand just slipped and pressed the button by accident?"

"Nice try Lita," Damien was infuriatingly smug. "You heard everything, got anything to add?"

"No, you guys have it all figured out," Lita said.

"Why does everything sound echoey?" Erik asked. "You're not alone, are you?"

"Well, Laura, Yuki and Nikki's here with me," Lita fidgeted guiltily. "Along with all the main girls, we're in the bathhouse spa, you see."

"Is Leilatha there?" Tangmo cut in suddenly.

"I'm fine Tangmo," Leilatha spoke up, "just enjoying a nice rinsing in the presence of good company."

"Oh thank God," Tangmo breathe out a huge relief. "Miriya and her friends haven't kidnapped you."

"That could still happen, lord commissar," Miriya now said, a maniacal grin carved across her face.

"…Shit."

"You guys are in a bathhouse?" Damien's question was inappropriately eager.

"That's right love," Laura smirked naughtily, earning giggles and prudish gasps in equal measure. "And apparently swimsuits aren't really a thing in the forty second millennium, so we're all skinny dipping right now."

"Show us," incredulous shrieked answered Henry's request. Some, like Miriya, Leilatha, Raine, Firnera, Emily, Evangeline and the canonesses blistered at the indecent demand, while the squeamish of the lots like Korri, Verity, Alnelle, Zuhra and Himinn were squealing and blushing furiously as they quickly covered up their bare breasts and crotches.

"Yeah, Laura, sharing is caring dude," Damien added, snickering lowly.

"How about you guys fuck off and we won't fucking kill all of you later?" Nikki growled at them.

"Yeah guys, this is sick, cut it out," Erik interceded sternly, the white knight coming to the defense of the maidens.

"The door's right there Erik, feel free to leave," Henry said and Erik responded with awkward mumbling. "Yeah, that's what I thought

"Turn the camera on Laura," Tangmo spoke up, unnervingly calm and reasonable. "If you do, I'll give you the three hours long, uncut footage of that time you and Yuki convinced Nikki and Lita into a foursome at Las Vegas. I know you lovebirds haven't seen it yet, and goddamn you're missing out. What do you say? Quid pro quo?"

Laura and Yuki were fast, but not fast enough. Their grasping hands were an inch shy of the shrieking Lita when Nikki leapt into the crossfire, tangling her legs and arms around Laura and Yuki, effectively stopping them.

"Throw it away! Argh!" Nikki squawked when Yuki dunked her head into the frothing Jacuzzi, the Japanese reenacting the battle of Tsushima on the Russian, buying Lita enough time to flip the data-pad closed and threw it across the pool.

"Shite!" Laura cursed then shrunk to the far side of the Jacuzzi when Lita stomped toward her, wading through the water like Godzilla. Never had Laura seen a sight so beautiful and horrifying.

"You told me you deleted that clip!" Lita roared, lightning danced on her fingertips, the main characters were either running or swimming away from the soon to be murder scene.

"Hmm…I forgot?" Laura smiled sheepishly as Lita leaped at her, clawed hands aiming for the Brit's neck. Hey, she always like it kinky once in a while, this couldn't be too bad, right?

"General Henry, Madam Lithia has requested your presence. We are here to escort you to her bedroom."

There was no knock, and the door Henry knew was locked just swung open without warning, admitting Castrum and Lyca, the Wolverine Sororitas, into the guest apartment. And to make things worse, Henry was in the process of strapping on the Kevlar combat vest over his black, tight fitting Navy Seal shirt, every belt and pouches filled with magazines, knives and grenades.

"…There's a perfectly good explanation for this," Henry had badly miscalculated Lithia. He should've known something was off the moment Lithia and her retinue returned to the manor at noon, all smiling and polite despite the Immortal Spirit's social media blowing up about how his friends had made the madam's little visit a living hell. And now, two hours later, he's been caught red handed while trying to accelerate his infiltration plan, and judging by the grim look on the two women's faces, this visitation was not an accident. Yep, he fucked up bad.

"Finish getting dress, lord general," Castrum went on sternly. "The Madam doesn't appreciate tardiness."

"And don't try anything stupid," Lyca growled, having seemingly read his mind, because he was totally thinking about tackling her. Welp, that plan just went down the toilet.

"Alright," Henry calmly put the final touches on his black op get up and turned to face the pair. All of his belonging and clothes, including the awesome general coat and cap, went with Amberley earlier this morning. "Lead the way then."

"Follow me," Castrum strode down the hall and Henry followed, Lyca taking her place behind him. Swiftly, the three of them traversed the gilded corridors and marble staircases of the Xyla Manor, the speed not giving Henry time to appreciate the scenery, and before he knew it they were standing before an intricately carved ebon door. Flanking the entrance was Kalina and a woman with black curly hair, who Henry suspected was Praelia. Both their dresses, violet for Catwoman and sapphire for Wonder Woman, transcended the word opulent. Both of them didn't look happy to see him. Without saying a word Kalina pushed the door open, madam Lithia's private sanctum was black and velvety.

"What the hell are you waiting for?!" Lyca snapped at him.

"Alright, jeez, calm the hell down, will you?! Ow! Shit!" Henry was shoved roughly inside by Castrum, almost tripping over his own heels as he stumbled into Lithia's bedroom. Managing to find his footing before he faceplanted the marble floor, Henry swiftly sprung back up and cast an indignant look at Castrum, who grinned sardonically as she led Kalina, Praelia and Lyca in after him, making sure to slam the door shut with unnecessary force.

"How do you like my room, lord general?" Henry spun at the voice and found Lithia seated on a big ass, super posh armchair beside a towering crystal clear window that probably overlooked her greenhouses. She had a glass of dark red wine in her hand, legs crossed lazily over the other. Oh, and she was wearing her Avenging Knight armor, san the helmet.

"It's really nice madam Lithia, like something out of Versailles," Henry kept his cool and glanced dispassionately at Lithia. "That's a nice look for you."

"Why, thank you, I do like this a lot more than those frilly dresses I must endure for the sake of propriety," although her youthfulness remained, there was a clear depth and sharpness to Lithia's visage now that she'd dropped the rich girl act. "It feels truly liberating."

"I bet," Henry cracked a nervous smile. "So…what happens now?"

"Many things, lord general," Lithia got off the armchair and glided smoothly toward him, sloshing wineglass still in hand, looking every inch like a supervillain.

"Am I going to like these things?" Henry asked as Lithia continued her strutting, supermodel approach.

"Well, that truly depends," Lithia came to a stop not two inches from him, a wickedly playful grin lifting the corner of her mouth. "All of our actions have consequences, lord general, I truly wonder what yours will be."

"Hopefully nothing bad in the foreseeable future," Henry summoned his courage and put on a shit eating grin. "Did Tangmo and Damien managed to crack you open? I heard things went pretty bad at the frontline."

"Oh indeed, your colleagues were merciless," Lithia chuckled. "I really enjoy the banter, just so you know. It's been a long time since I've played the weeping damsel." She finished the wine and tossed the empty glass on to her bed. "But the fun was diminished by how easily you and your friends see through my façade."

"Sorry," Henry shrugged.

"On the contrary, I should have dropped the subterfuge long ago. Many of my sisters in arm had suggested cooperation with the battlegroup, with passion I might add," Lithia shot an unpleasant look at Praelia, who squirmed like a scolded child. "If such avenue of an alliance is still open, that is."

"Well, me and the rest of the Eight aren't really too happy about you guys kicking the living shit out of Lita," Henry eyed Lithia darkly. Nobody hurts Lita and gets away with it.

"Your eldar friend was still adamant on an alliance, even after our misunderstanding," Lithia continued and…Henry wasn't sure if the regret playing across her face was genuine or not.

"Here's the thing, we're not a kind and perfect person like Lita, we hold grudges like a motherfucker," Henry pressed on, feeling a bit braver now. "And you shot us!"

"And nobody died, I've given explicit order that non-lethal forces were to be used against the Immortal Spirit battlegroup," Lithia was infuriatingly smug. "Tell me lord general, did any of your guardsmen or eldars died because of us?"

"No," Henry admitted reluctantly.

"What do you say then, lord general?" Lithia pressed on smoothly, not giving him a chance to retort or make a counter offer. "You should be able to see the benefit of this partnership, despite our parties less than auspicious start."

"Oh yeah? And what if I refuse?" Henry shot back like a smartass.

"Then I'll have to kill you," Lithia deadpanned and yep, she'll totally do it.

"Welp, I'm convinced, welcome to the team madam Lithia!" Henry smiled brightly and extended his hand, behind him the Avenging Knights snorted.

"…Very well," Lithia cautiously clasped her hand with Henry. The shaking started off awkward but grew more energetic as the seconds wore on. "I'm sure Warseer Lita will be pleased with this outcome."

"I'm sure she will," Henry broke off the handshake and totally wished that he was wearing his awesome general coat, making deals while wearing Kevlar vest makes him feel like a terrorist. "What now? Can I call my friends and give them the good news?"

"I rather you postpone the celebration for the time being," Lithia walked toward a wall comprised entirely of mirror, nudging her head for Henry to follow. "The battlegroup's close proximity to the PDF demands that we exercise caution."

"That's understandable," Henry nodded as he strode after Lithia, and holy goddamn her cape is freaking epic up close!

"But you deserve some answers," Lithia tapped the mirror and the flawless surface rippled then folded like a fan, revealing a large elevator. Even hidden the damn thing looked like an art project. Lithia glance passed Henry's shoulder as the doors slid open. "You four ready?"

"We are," Henry spun around and squawked as the now armored women joined them, looking more graceful and natural than they did wearing civilian clothes. And how did they change so quickly?! He didn't even hear a thing! Kalina and Praelia sniggered at his reaction while Castrum and Lyca just stared silently.

"Shall we, general Henry?" Lithia was already inside the elevator, her tone playful as she waved at an empty spot next to her.

"Of course," Henry said stiffly and went to stand beside Lithia, her Justice Avenger League buddies taking their places around him, effectively boxing him in. As the elevator's door closed and the descent began, Henry couldn't help but be reminded of that scene in Captain America Winter Soldier where Cap was ganged up by Hydra goons in a confinement not that dissimilar to this.

"Scared?" Lyca grinned wickedly on his right, her fingers flexing.

"A bit, yeah," Henry admitted then looked around. "So you're Kalina and Castrum, what about you two?" He wagged his finger at Praelia and Lyca. "What's your real name?"

"Athena, lord general," Praelia dipped her head in nod. Her smile was warm and friendly, "a pleasure to truly make your acquaintance."

"The pleasure is all mine," Henry wasn't the least bit surprise that Praelia's real name was Greeco inspired. He then put on his best smiley face for the scowling Lyca. "What about you?"

"It's Lyca," she spat.

"She said real name, not work name," Kalina said insidiously and Lyca growled dangerously. "You can either tell him or I'm going to take that satisfaction."

"Fine," Lyca said darkly then glared at Henry like everything was his fault, her voice was barely a whisper when she spoke again. "…It's Lily."

"Hold up, did you just say Lily?" Henry wasn't sure he heard that right.

"She did," Castrum confirmed nonchalantly.

"I'm sorry, but the scary ass Avenging Knight that singlehandedly disemboweled a freaking Black Legion Chaos Marine is called Lily?!" Henry knew he was about to die, but shit, he couldn't stop laughing. Lily's murderous look was having the opposite effect of curbing his rising hilarity, "umm…nice name?"

"And here I thought the commissar was supposed to be the immature one," Lithia said as the elevator glided smoothly to a stop. Lily was drawing way too close to Henry when the doors slid open, revealing a cavernous corridor lit at interval by neon bulbs, the place have a very strong nuclear bunker vibe to it. Henry quickly followed Lithia down the silent passageway, trying his best to ignore Lily's death aura, until they reached an intersecting tunnel where a long, oval shaped train-like bogie was waiting. And standing beside it was an aging, but smart looking, woman in a butler outfit. Her grey white hair did up in an immaculate bun, revealing a worn, but very striking, face.

"Good afternoon, mistress Lithia," the woman bowed then looked at Henry, her blue grey eyes kindly. "I see the meeting went well."

"Oh hey, you're the Alfred I see lurking around the mansion," Henry said.

"It's Audrey, actually," the woman butler waved them toward the empty bogie. "Please take a seat, we are running on a tight schedule, I believe?"

"We are Audrey," Lithia was the first inside and took her seat at the front with Kalina beside her, while Henry got sandwiched between Castrum and Lily in the second row, a smiling Athena taking her place behind him. Audrey seated herself down at the control panel last.

"I thought your base was under the manor?" Henry said as the bogie shot forward, going from zero to super-fast in a blink, and beside the minor pressure on his chest he was wholly unaffected by the change of speed.

"Of course not general Henry, that would be too obvious," Lithia glanced back at him with a smirk. "So you see, your little ill thought out plan of trying to infiltrate my base was doomed from the start."

"You knew about that?" Henry felt himself blushing. "But I made sure every time me and Amberley talk shop all communication devices were turned off or disrupted."

"It is terribly easy to walk inside the wall of the manor, lord general," Kalina crooned mockingly. "You shouldn't depend too much on machines. It dulls your other senses."

"I'll keep that in mind," Henry nodded the same moment the train entered a gigantic space bathed in calm neon hue of soft blue, his jaw dropping to the floor at the splendid sight before him. It was the Batcave, but in the size of a freaking city. The domed cavern was covered in metal, glass and neon. Walkways, rooms and weapon turrets dominated every available space that Henry laid eyes upon, replacing the natural rock formation with breathtaking feat of human engineering ingenuity, not a single inch given to wastefulness, all parts working in tandem with the other for the greater good of the whole. Suspended rails made a chaotic crisscrossing spider web above and around them, all loaded with cargoes that sped to and from the Batcave.

"Please try not to drool on my armor," Castrum droned, more than annoyed as Henry geeked out at the magnificent superhero hideout, his unblinking eyes glued to the window as the bogie glided gently to a stop at a nondeceptive station currently occupied by several squads of Avenging Knight Sororitas, all of them armed and ready. It didn't stop Henry from gawking though.

"We have arrived, good sir and madams," Audrey announced and went to stand beside the opened door, white gloved hand gesturing outside as Lithia and Kalina strode on to the station. Making himself as presentable as possible, Henry followed the canoness into the Batcave, again boxed in by Castrum, Lily and Athena.

"Welcome back Lithia," a blonde woman saluted them crisply, her hair cut pixie short. She smiled when she spotted Henry. "It appears that you finally heed of my advice."

"Indeed," Lithia rolled her eyes. "Don't look so smug Samantha, it's not polite."

"I'll try my best," she turned to Henry and repeated the salute. "A pleasure to finally meet you, general Henry."

"Likewise," Henry returned the gesture. "You're Caesar, right?"

"I am. If it would please you, we have…"

"Where's the eldar ranger at?!"

Samantha was almost knocked over when another Avenging Knight sporting a twin blonde pigtail and an unsettlingly sunny smile, her armor a checkerboard of neon red and black, bounced forward and came uncomfortably close to Henry. It's the Harley Quinn Sororitas.

"He's still up top, sorry," Henry took a step back when the woman continued to violate his personal space. "You must be Pierrot."

"That's me!" She clapped and skipped happily. "But around here people just call me Marie. Anyway, where's that pretty pointy ears at?! I was having so much fun with him last time! I think he likes me!"

"If all of you would postpone the introduction," Lithia hissed sharply and Marie squealed, the hyperactive jester jumping onto the groaning Castrum, arms and legs wrapping tight around the bigger woman's armored chest, whimpering like a scolded child. "Come along general Henry, time is of the essence and we have many things to discuss."

"Lead the way mam," Henry quickly took his place on Lithia's left and the group started off at a brisk pace down the gleaming metal street illuminated by bright sky blue neon that give the place an almost cyberpunk atmosphere as opposed to the usual gothic grimdark motif. Hurrying to keep up with Lithia, Henry barely had the time to take in his surrounding, which was a shame because from the little glimpses he managed to catch, the entire cavern appeared to be filled with super high tech technology that rivaled the Immortal Sprit herself. But then their destination caught his attention. At the center of the dome enclosure was none other than the Hall of Justice, the design identical to that of the comic book, but with black paint job and a shitload of evil looking buttresses, gargoyles and skulls, lots and lots of skulls. Hey, this was still 40k after all.

"We call this the Fortress of Justice," Athena said from behind Henry, her voice friendly and courteous.

"Sure it's not call the Fortress of Solitude?" Henry made his quip as they strode inside, the large pristine hall was filled with ranks upon ranks of Avenging Knights Sororitas, all of whom stood at attention and saluted Lithia as the entourage swept passed them.

"I told you that name was better," Lily scoffed.

"You guys expecting trouble?" Henry piped up, noticing how tight the security was.

"The ratmen, skaven as you called them, breached one of our tunnels and used it to attack the battlegroup three days ago," Lithia told him. "Commissar Tangmo was right when he accused me of withholding information of strategic importance, but it was our underestimation of these new enemies that allowed them to infiltrate the junction beneath the Silatar Industries. For this, I offer the Immortal Spirit my deepest apology."

"Let's hope you'll be less stingy with the intels from now on," Henry said.

"We'll see," Lithia shrugged as the group entered a large, circular room dominated by a great round table of white granite with a huge, and extremely intricate, beautifully rendered fleur-de-lis carved into the center. This was the meeting room, like in the comic, and Henry had to stop himself from fainting at the awesomeness he was witnessing. It was bustling with high ranking Avenging Knights, the ones based off famous superheroes and heroines, some sitting and some standing. All conversation ceased when everyone turned to regard the XY chromosome intruder. Now, Henry like being the center of attention, especially from beautiful women, but this feels more like stumbling into a den of angry lionesses.

"You want some hotdog?!" Henry squealed girlish when a ponytailed Avenging Knight with two katanas strapped to her back appeared in front of him and shoved a large platter of greasy hotdogs into his face. At least his undignified response elevates the tension a bit.

"Don't frightened him like that Wendy, he has a very soft sensibility," Marie snatched up a hotdog, took a messy bite, and draped her arm over fem Deadpool's shoulder, who was surprisingly pretty and lacking any disfiguring scars.

"Marie! We're not supposed to use our real name in front of strangers! You trying to get us killed?!" Wendy blurted and threw the platter high in exasperation, groans and curses erupted from the other Avenging Knights when it splattered all over the table.

"We're not wearing our masks, genius, and Lithia invited him," Marie glared at Wendy. "And you just said my name out loud, doofus!"

"Ahem!" The banter came to an end when Lithia seated herself directly opposite the entrance, which put her at the head of the table, so to speak. "If you two are done wasting everybody's time, perhaps you can take a seat?!"

"But there's no more chair left…" Marie mumbled but a glare from Lithia whipped her and Wendy into motion, the two comic reliefs going to stand on the right side of the table, "whatever you say boss!"

"General Henry, please be seated so we can begin," Lithia waved politely at the last remaining seat that faces her directly, flanked by She-Hulk and Hawkgirl. Keeping his cool, Henry went over to the seat, wiped away the hotdogs and sat down.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road, good afternoon ladies," Henry greeted She-Hulk and Hawkgirl then smiled disarmingly at the Avenging Knight's canoness, "whenever you're ready, madam Lithia."

"I bring this emergency meeting to order," Lithia tapped the butt of her power scythe on the floor, the reverberation silencing all conversations. Seconds ticked by into the minutes and Henry started fidgeting when nobody moved to speak, Lithia herself was getting more agitated as time went on.

"Holy Throne, where in the hell is…?!"

"Sorry for the wait! Our guest of honor was being very uncooperative, so some last minute persuasion had to be made."

Taelin, the fem Iron Man, and a black Avenging Knight with long beautiful dreadlock, her bionic right eye glaring a furious red, burst through one of the side door behind Lithia. And struggling between them was an individual in a dirty brown prisoner jumpsuit, hands cuffed in front of him by heavy iron, head covered with a black bag. A section of the table parted to make an avenue for the three while the center sank into the floor, creating an open space where the Avenging Knights placed the prisoner down and yanked the bag off, revealing an eldar with long black, silky hair, his face bruised and bleeding.

"Do your worst Mon-Keigh," the eldar hissed and rose to his feet, every little movement eliciting pained grunts, the simple act of standing was taxing him greatly. "I will not betray my mission to you."

"Everyone talks eventually, xeno," Castrum said darkly, and half of the room chuckled insidiously. "You just have to decide how much more pain you want to endure. Or perhaps you enjoy it? Aeldari are a hedonistic bunch after all, maybe that's why the interrogation has not been effective."

"Wait, are you the pilot of that Nightshade Interceptor Laura and Yuki found?" Henry cut in before the Avenging Knight can continue their taunting. The eldar look at him, eyes widened in surprise at seeing a fellow male, albeit one of a different species.

"Who are you?" The eldar demanded, suspicion reasserting itself quickly.

"General Henry of the Immortal Spirit battlegroup," at Henry's introduction the eldar gasped in shock, his stern mask shattered by shining, naked hope.

"Do you speak truly?" The eldar went on quickly.

"Got no reason to lie dude," Henry shrugged.

"You hail from the battlegroup that give refuge to Aeldari from war torn Craftworld?" The eldar asked. "The one blessed by Yvraine, the emissary of Ynnead herself?"

"Well, I wouldn't say she blessed us, it's more like she gave us an okay thumbs up on what we're doing," Henry got off his seat, the table parting and went to stand next to the eldar prisoner amidst the admonishing murmur of the Avenging Knights. "But yeah, we got along great with Yvraine."

The eldar looked deep into his eyes then lowered his head, frowning in deep contemplation. His gaze darted vehemently at the surrounding Avenging Knights, fear and hatred twisting his handsome face into an ugly sneer, the Sororitas found his poisonous look amusing. Then, after a few minutes of tense silence, the eldar closed his eyes, exhaled slowly, and glance up at Henry again, his visage one of resignation.

"I shall answer your question," the eldar said and the Avenging Knights started chattering excitedly, many leaning over the table to hear better.

"Thank you," Henry laid a hand on his shoulder then looked at Lithia, pointing at the handcuffs. "Can we get this off him please?"

Not looking too happy, Lithia nonetheless complied and nudged her head in his direction, prompting Samantha to approach them, the table splitting a path for her. She tapped the little digitize keypad set into the iron band between the cuffs and the manacle sprang free. The eldar glared at Samantha as she took the handcuff and magnetized it to her belt, the woman not meeting his gaze.

"Maybe a little water too? He looks parch as hell," at Henry's request, Samantha quickly handed her canteen to the eldar, who took it with reservation before drinking slowly.

"By the Throne, why not have some candy and ice cream while we're at it?" Standing with fem Cyborg to his right, Taelin made her quip and half of the Avenging Knight laughed.

"With chocolate syrup and cherry on top for me please!" Henry grinned like an absolute dick, shutting the guffawing Taelin up instantly, then turned back to the eldar who was giving the empty canteen back to Samantha with a nodding thank. "What's your name dude?"

"My name is Caengan," the eldar bowed.

"A pleasure to meet you," Henry extended his hand and Caengan took it hesitantly, breaking off after only one shake. "Are you the pilot of the Nightshade Interceptor the PDF shot down?"

"I am," Caengan nodded. "You found my ship?"

"We did," Henry went on.

"Is the amulet safe?" Caengan continued urgently.

"It is," Caengan deflated visibly after Henry's answer. "The amulet is with Warseer Lita right now. Hell, the Avenging Knight tried to take it from her and failed spectacularly."

"I am glad to hear that," Caengan smirked nastily at the fuming Lithia.

"Now, about this amulet," Henry went on before the canoness can make a fuss. "What's the story behind it? I mean, my friend confirms its authenticity, but is it really blessed by Isha? And I mean, the Isha, the Aeldari goddess of healing and life?"

"By Her hands was it crafted, by Her song was it completed, and by Her tears was it sanctified," Caengan said reverently then glanced sharply at the Avenging Knights, his hatred unhidden. "They want to destroy it, so I endured their torture and refuse to reveal the secret of the amulet."

"We do not want to destroy it, xeno, how many time must I say this?" Lithia groaned with exasperated haughtiness. "We only want the damnable thing off this planet."

"No!" Caengan cried. "You will doom both our races if you pursue down that path!"

"Since this amulet was made by Isha herself," Henry interceded, "then she must she's calling for help from Nurgle's Garden. So what's your mission here exactly? Trying to find a way to free her or something?"

A wiry grin crept across Caengan's bruised face as he looked at Henry, beaming with pride and a healthy sprinkle of smugness, "no lord general, we do not need to free Isha for we have already liberated her from the diseased clutches of Nurgle. She is free, and my mission is to make sure that she remains so, for the sake of the Aeldari people and all who stand against the Ruinous Power."

Wait, whoa, hold the fuck up, Isha's free?! Holy fucking shit! Henry's shout of inarticulate shock was drowned out by the Avenging Knight's cacophonic indignation of pious disbelief, with words like 'blasphemy' and 'heresy' being the most prominent amongst the raging admonition.

"Isha's fucking free?!" Henry managed to rediscover the English language when the commotion died down. "When?! How?!"

"It was at the end of Abaddon's 13th Black Crusade. When Ynnead was awaken and your Primarch return from the dead the Immaterial was cast into total disarray, with the Chaos Gods reeling from the unexpected event. It was during this turbulent time that the Order of the Solace Sun broke into Nurgle's Garden and at last free Isha from captivity."

"Holy shit dude, this is fucking heavy," Henry chuckled lightly, the news making him giddy. "Papa Nurgle ain't too please about this, is he?"

"He is furious," there was no joy in Caengan's statement. "Legions upon legions of plague daemons now scour the galaxy looking for Isha, their task made easier by the emergence of the Great Rift. So we flee, jumping from planet to planet, finding temporary sanctuary before the Chaos horde descent upon us. The toll upon my brothers and sisters has been mounting."

"Why not just flee into the Webway?" Henry asked. "It wouldn't be so easy for daemons to follow you guys in there."

"But they can," Caengan sighed. "And we do not trust the reception and motive of our Drukhari kin."

"Oh right, those fuckers tried to kill Yvraine," Henry nodded understandingly. "So you've just been running and…what? Hope that Nurgle will get tired and leave you alone?"

"Nurgle's eyes will divert to more pressing matter eventually, we just need to outlast this war of attrition," Caengan said. "That is until we heard about the Immortal Spirit battlegroup."

"Come again?" Henry's brow shot upward.

"We've heard of a flourishing human Aeldari alliance under your command," Caengan continued. "Regardless of the truth, it was enough to stir hope, no matter how fleeting. Now, besides safeguarding Isha, the Solace Sun is determined to seek aide from the Immortal Spirit."

"Well, you found us," Henry grinned.

"I suppose we did," Caengan nodded.

"So what is the significant of the amulet beside healing people?" Henry pressed on. "Is it some kind of beacon? Or a communication link to Isha?"

"Nothing so simple I'm afraid," Caengan explained. "The amulet is just one of the many that Isha has given to us. Alone, it is a source of near infinite healing power, but use it in tandem with a star nexus of eldar making, it can reveal to us where Isha's essence linger in the galaxy at large."

"The star nexus…like that control terminal on your jet?" Henry asked.

"Yes. Alas, I believe it was destroyed," Caengan said sadly.

"It wasn't though, the PDF freaking took it. But my Space Marine buddy got it back from those assholes," Henry told Caengan, whose shoulder sagged in relief.

"Thank the goddess," a soft of a smile flittered across Caengan's face.

"You are the reason the Chaos army is invading Leenisium," Lithia's sharp utterance cleaved through the room, the temperature suddenly dropping fifty degrees below zero. "They followed you here, didn't they?"

"…It was never my intention to bring them to this planet," Caengan lowered his eyes while jeers and shouts erupted around them, the Avenging Knights were not pleased in the least by this revelation, and they were calling for blood.

"He needs to pay for his crime!" Cried fem Cyborg.

"The xeno must not be allowed to live!" The Hawkgirl Sororitas added, banging her fist furiously on the table.

"I shall make an example of him!" Fem Thor was already twirling her hammer.

"Get in line, I get first cut," Lily's grin sadistically.

"Me next! Me next!" Marie was unnervingly eager.

It didn't take a genius to see things were not looking good for Caengan, and it appeared that nothing short of horrific murder can satiate the Sororitas's rising bloodlust. Why did Henry have to be stuck in the crossfire? Yep, the Avenging Knights didn't give a shit that Caengan's immediate survival was paramount to the galaxy at large and that his boss, the goddess Isha, could prove to be a valuable ally for Guilliman.

"Enough!"

Did Samantha just shout down the mob?! Holy shit, she did! And it fucking worked! The tumultuous death that was closing in on Henry and Caengan suddenly dissipated, a storm breaking and surrendering to the radiant sun. Lithia shot up from her seat, knocking the chair over in the process, and stomped into the circle, the table swiftly parting for the furious canoness. Henry was legitimately surprise when Samantha stepped in front of them, barring Lithia's approach.

"Get out of my way Samantha," Lithia hissed, up close Henry was able to see that Batman had a slight height advantage on Captain America.

"Don't do this Lithia," Samantha pleaded, naked in desperation. "You know this isn't right."

"I do what I must to protect Gothicipolis," Lithia took another step, her nose now touching Samantha's own, lips peeled back in a snarl. "Now stand aside."

"Killing the eldar won't solve anything," Samantha reasoned, refusing to back down.

"It'll be a start," Lithia growled.

"You kill him, then what?" Samantha pressed on. "The Chaos army will still be here along with the amulet and the star nexus, both of which are under the protection of the battlegroup."

"You're looking at the perfect bargaining chip that has so obediently fallen into our lap," Lithia tilted her head at Henry, who seriously wasn't liking the direction this conversation was going.

"Yo, hold up a second," Henry interceded and squeezed himself in between Samantha and Lithia, making himself into a buffer between the clashing women. "What the hell is your game plan here, I'm fucking confuse."

"For your safe return, the Immortal Spirit will surrender the amulet and the star nexus to us," Lithia spared him a sideway glance. "We shall send it off the planet. Hopefully, that will convince the Chaos warband to leave Leenisium and pursue their original goal."

"First off, I ain't nobody hostage," Henry said, "secondly, what the hell kind of a plan is that?! The Chaos army can't leave! They're stuck here because their fleet was destroyed! And if they had some kind of portal at the Azrael Asylum, then it would be to funnel in more troops, not out. Hell, once the battlegroup won, like we always do, we'll take it off the planet. So what's with all this convoluted shit?!"

"And we are to take your words for it?!" Lithia hissed. "We are to suddenly believe that your battlegroup will help us out of the goodness of their heart?! Spare me!"

"Holy shit, we've been nothing but honest with you people since we got here!" Henry was getting quite annoyed. "The only one who'd been dicking around here is you! And didn't you tell me you want an alliance with us?! The hell?!"

"Now that we understand the truth of the situation, any cooperation between our two forces is moot," Lithia was becoming more irrational as the seconds went on. "We can end the Chaos horde ourselves. Your battlegroup, like those worthless PDF, are nothing but a hindrance. It would be best for Leenisium if your meddling simply cease."

"I'm sorry, but why are you being so goddamn obtuse?!" Henry couldn't believe how stupid Lithia sounded right now, wasn't she supposed to be smarter and more composed than this?

"He actually has a point," Taelin spoke up, looking serious. "The Immortal Spirit battlegroup have proven themselves to be valuable allies, not to mention willing."

"We've seen their likes before," Lithia spun sharply on Taelin, allowing Henry, Caengan and Samantha to back away to the edge of the opening. "And in our trusting naiveite, allowed them to betray us, have you forgotten already?!"

"No one has forgotten Lithia," Athena said kindly. "But Jerimiah had vouched for them. They are not like those that came before."

"You said the same thing about those PDFs," Lithia growled at Athena, who flinched as if struck. "Shall I remind you of how they repaid our trust?"

"Lithia, stop it," Kalina now glided into the circle. "That's not fair, and you know it."

"Don't talk to me about fairness," Lithia spat at Kalina, but she courageously braved the canoness's dark wrath to come and stand before her.

"I beg you to see reason," Kalina cupped Lithia's face in her hands. "Please my love, I know you mean well, but you cannot forsake others and stand alone against the darkness. This isn't what Dahlia would want."

Lithia snapped. It was probably at the mention of this Dahlia individual, but whatever it was the canoness totally lost her shit. Lithia jumped Kalina, hands wrapping around the other woman's slender throat, the gauntleted fingers squeezing hard as she pushed her flat on the tabletop.

"Dude, what in the fuck is going on?!" Henry squeaked as Samantha, Athena, Taelin, Lily and Castrum converged on the pair, prying the enraged Lithia off Kalina. Around them, screams and gasps rose to a deafening pitch.

"I don't know, I was a prisoner remember?" Caengan was equally horrified as the Avenging Knights managed to extricate their canoness off Kalina, the Catwoman Sororitas sagging limply into Castrum and Athena's arms, she didn't put up a fight throughout the entire ordeal. "But from what I was able to glean, the canoness isn't someone who champions the concept of trust, which put her at odds with many of her comrades, Samantha and Kalina being the chief amongst the opposition."

"Yeah, I can see that now," Henry nodded as things calmed down, Lithia's mask of bestial fury cracking to reveal nothing but shame and sadness.

"By the Throne…no, no, no," Lithia's lips trembled as she shrugged the other off and went over to the coughing Kalina, wrapping her up in a tender embrace that belayed her earlier violent outburst, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. The knife wound on the singer's neck had reopened and was bleeding. "I'm…I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

"It's okay," Kalina returned the hug, holding the sobbing Lithia close to her bosom in a display of unconditional love. "I'm right here my love."

Henry was starting to enjoy the heartwarming scene when an earthshaking explosion rumbled across the Hall of Justice, the resounding reverberation made his teeth rattled, dusts and pebbles rained from above as the lights stuttered and flickered.

"That," Henry spoke to the silent crowd, "sounds like a super powerful mining bomb."

Then the sirens went off.