7 7: Yandere #2

Sona Roxxy was a… complicated woman. Her life had not been a particularly hard one, nor had it been particularly easy. It just kind of… was…

She just existed, drifting from one day to the next in a sort of fugue that never allowed her true personality to show. Everything around her and about her was normal compared to what one would expect from an average Imperial citizen in the 41st millennium.

She lived a decidedly middle-class life in the middle levels of the Hive City she called home. Her family was just one of the millions of families doomed to samey mediocrity. Her days passed with a boring routine that left no room for advancement or change. There was no excitement to be had in her life. She ate the same things every day, went to the same places, and performed the same tasks. Even when her parents died and she was left alone in the world, Sona Roxxy's routine barely changed.

With each day that passed, Sona Roxxy hid more and more of herself. Any and every unique thought or aspect of her personality was thoroughly crushed by the monotony that was life in the Imperium. It turned out that when your planet wasn't getting invaded or turned inside out by things no one dared speak of the 41st millennium was remarkably dull and dreary.

And yet through this all, there had always been something buried deep in Sona's soul. A spark, a craving, a need for something more… She never showed it to the world but Sona always felt like she was biding her time, waiting for something to happen.

And when treason and heresy came to her planet, Sona thought she'd found what she had been waiting for. So she'd joined the rebellion, allowing herself to be guided by dark masters with unknowable goals. Instead of directly joining the idiotic nobles leading the rebellion, she went her own way, forming something that quickly came to resemble a cult around her. She pulled strings, directing the events that happened in her Hive City until things were nothing like the normal routine.

For Sona, morals, philosophy, or even pesky things like faith did not matter. All she cared about was that things were interesting. She did not particularly believe in the dark masters that had taken over her life. Just as she had not particularly believed in the God-Emperor of the Imperium. She'd learned to give the higher powers just enough 'faith' to make it seem as if she did though. All in pursuit of something more exciting and entertaining.

She came to be known as the Maestro from the way she 'conducted' and pulled the strings of those around her. The title was a 'gift' from her dark masters, Sona was sure. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at that. It wasn't as if those mad gods ever talked to her. If anything, she was sure she was merely a useful tool to them. Something she didn't mind because of how interesting it'd made her life recently.

Of course, her followers were true believers. Sona… not so much. To her, the mad gods she claimed to follow were the same as the God-Emperor in the end. She didn't put much salt in loyalty to either. But she figured that didn't really matter all that much. As long as things continued to be interesting, she could and would keep playing her part. And if the Emperor's side suddenly became more appealing to Sona then she wouldn't hesitate to change up her plans and loyalties.

And when she stumbled upon something in the Underhive that caught her attention, Sona began to think that maybe the time to switch sides was here. The two people Sona had found fighting some sort of monstrous creature were already an unusual and interesting sight. A Sororitas and her Guardsman boy toy? In the Underhive? It instantly grabbed Sona's attention. She quickly put out a call for her 'loyal followers' (read: fodder) just in case she needed them.

Then the Guardsman proceeded to pick up the Sister of Battle and slaughter the creature while panicking the whole time and Sona's interest only grew. There seemed to be more to this 'boy toy' than just a pretty face. Though it was a very pretty face, Sona mused… But what really sealed Sona's interest was hearing the Guardsman's utterly relieved laughter. It cut through the air like ringing bells and Sona felt something inside her react for the first time in her life.

An eager grin spread across her face, "~He's perfect~..."

The Sister was perfect as well. She was beautiful and severe, yet a lighter side leaked through her persona when she looked at her Guardsman. She appeared to be utterly infatuated with the Guardsman — almost to the point of worship — if Sona's eyes did not deceive her. A Sororitas who put a mortal man on the same level as her God-Emperor… Oh, how interesting!

So when the Sister and her Guardsman continued their journey through the Underhive, Sona ghosted after them. She stalked them without an ounce of shame in her heart. Sona wasn't as familiar with this area of the Underhive as others but it didn't seem to matter since her targets looked to be utterly lost. As such, it was easy for Sona to keep to the shadows and the couple's blind spots.

The Corpse-Starch processing plant gave way to another foodstuff processing plant of some kind. Sona didn't pay much attention to anything other than the two interesting people she was stalking. Nothing else held a candle to their raw magnetism. It was as if the whole world started to revolve around them from the moment Sona laid eyes on them.

She overheard their names while eavesdropping — Sabine and Octus — and thought they sounded just perfect. Idealized images of the two of them were quickly being built in Sona's mind. From the way they walked, to their personal dynamic, and even something Sona couldn't quite put her finger on. Everything about them was perfect and obsession quickly set in for the Maestro.

Her nose for anything interesting also let her realize something else about the pair. They were probably the heroes of the mad gods' play… The more Sona thought about that assumption, the more sense it made to her newly obsessed brain. It also gave her an idea that made her giggle in the shadows. Every hero needed a villain… Oh, how interesting!

Sabine had been feeling like something was off since Octus killed the Catachan Devil but she couldn't figure out exactly what she was feeling. It was like they were being followed but without the sense of danger Sabine would normally associate with being hunted. There was still danger in the air though. A different kind of danger… The kind that had her practically growling and rubbing herself all over Octus like she was trying to mark him with her scent.

Even Octus had noticed that something was off, though for him the main clue was the way Sabine was acting. She was being very… touchy. Not that that was a bad thing! Well… Octus didn't really know how he felt about it but he didn't hate this new development. It was almost like Sabine was interested in him… in that way. But Octus immediately dismissed that possibility. He was just a Guardsman after all, and not a particularly bright one at that. There was no way a Sister of Battle would like him like that…

Still, it got to the point that Octus felt he had to speak up, "Sabine? Everything alright?"

Sabine's voice had an almost animalistic purr underlying it, "Yes~ Why do you ask?"

"Uh… no reason," Octus very pointedly didn't mention how uncomfortable it was for his head to be pressed up against the breast of Sabine's power armor. "We're just a bit… uh, close at the moment…"

"Of course," Sabine nodded imperiously, still not letting go of Octus. "All the better for me to protect you. You would not want me feeling useless again like earlier, would you?"

Octus sighed, accepting his fate, "No, I guess I wouldn't…"

"Good. We are in agreement then," Sabine said with finality. "I will keep you close to protect you from the cruelty of the world and you will not complain."

Before Octus could say anything in response, they both tensed as a series of giggles rang out from the shadows all around them, "Aww, you two are just too cute!~"

"Ah, Hell, not again," Octus muttered to himself.

Sabine shouted a command into the shadows, "Show yourself!"

A woman appeared as if she'd just melted out of the darkness, doing nothing to help either Sabine or Octus relax. She was buxom and dusky-skinned with a pair of round glasses set on a pretty face. Glowing pink eyes shined at them from behind those glasses. Black hair fell down her back like a silky curtain. A sultry and certifiably insane smile split the woman's lips. She wore a little black slip of a dress that hugged her generous curves for dear life.

Octus stepped forward slightly, "Now, lady, I don't think ya know what yer talkin' 'bout. I mean, yeah, I can agree that Sabine here is positively adorable and could set a man's pants on fire with a look but I ain't nothing special. I ain't been called cute by anyone other than my ma and I know I don't hold a candle next to her. Like, seriously, you kiddin' me? Just look at her-…"

Octus trailed off as he realized he was saying things that he probably shouldn't be saying to a stranger. Sona giggled at him and though he didn't see it, Sabine blushed scarlet at his words.

"We'll just ignore that for now… Anyways… Hi!" the woman said cheerfully. "I'm Sona! It's always nice to meet a couple as cute as you!"

"There ya go again!…" Octus groaned, mostly to himself.

Sabine did her best to suppress her blush and treat Sona as a potential threat, "Are thou friend or foe?"

"I can be whatever you want me to be, chica~" Sona rasped. "How 'bout you, me, and simply-hunky over there figure out what we can all be together?~"

Sabine almost rejected the mystery woman outright before she remembered what Octus had said in the tunnel — how he wanted to be loved by many and not just a few — and the seed of an idea that Octus' dream had planted within Sabine sprouted a few leaves.

Still, she did not commit to anything, "We shall see… Now, I must ask, what are you doing down here? I cannot imagine this is a location anyone frequents."

Sona shrugged with a knowing smirk on her face, "Oh, you know. A little bit of this… A little bit of that… I'm really down here on something of a job."

Sabine had a bad feeling about this, "What kind of job?"

"Something I thought was interesting at first," Sona rolled her eyes. "Now… I'm not so sure. Can you believe they even call me 'the Maestro'?"

"Heretic!" Sabine hissed, putting herself between Sona and Octus in an instant as she realized what was truly going on.

Sona giggled, "I knew you two would be interesting~ Oh, how right I was~"

"You're the big bad evil guy that the watcher-dude was talking about??" Octus asked incredulously.

"Octus!" Sabine looked affronted that he would even talk to Sona after what she revealed herself to be. "Please don't engage the sexy heretic!"

"Aww~ You think I'm sexy?~" Sona teased Sabine with a sultry smile.

"Silence, wench! Do not tempt me further, lest you wish to lose your stupid sexy face!" Sabine declared loudly and proudly, ignorant or uncaring of how ridiculous she sounded.

Sona burst into giggles again, "Oh, you two are too much! Yes, I can already see it. This is the best decision I've ever made. I almost don't even want to attack you anymore…"

"Err… So you're not gonna try and kill us?" Octus asked, hesitant and a bit confused.

"I didn't say that," Sona's smile took on a cruel tint for the first time in their conversation. "I said 'almost'. After all, every hero needs a villain~ Get 'em, boys."

Men and mutants surged out of the shadows at the pair. Cruel abominations of Humanity snarled and bared their teeth in greater numbers than what should have been possible to fit into the shadows of the large room. A wave of heresy and deviant monstrosity crested and came down to break upon its targets.

The difference between Sona and her followers was instantly apparent to Octus and Sabine. Where Sona was beautiful, almost perfect to the point that Sabine hadn't even suspected her of heresy at first, her followers were wrong on a fundamental level. They were freaks and horrors, visibly cursed by their loyalty to the Ruinous Powers.

Sona faded into the background of the room with a smile of cruel delight and enjoyment painted across her sexy face. Sabine and Octus didn't hesitate to let loose shots into the charging mob. Sona's sadistic giggles could somehow still be heard over the thunderous cracks of bolter fire and explosions of blood and gore. Sabine and Octus had no choice but to try and put her out of their minds so they could focus on the overwhelming crush of cultists.

The well-placed shots of Sabine's bolt pistol tore through the crowd two at a time. Octus' shots were less accurate but no less deadly. Something seemed to guide his hand in the heat of the moment and each explosive bolt put to rest as many heretics as possible.

The sounds of battle and glorious bolter fire echoed through the Underhive, attracting the attention of all of its residents. To them, the Emperor's wrath had finally descended upon the corrupted depths of their home. They were all too familiar with the regular sounds of violence to dismiss these booms as anything else. A good portion of them hadn't yet fallen to the insidious temptations of Chaos as well. These noises proved to them that the God-Emperor had heard their pleas and prayers and one group — led by an especially loyal ganger — hurried to answer His call.

Octus' world narrowed down til all he could see was the blinding muzzle flash of his loaned bolter. And still, his aim never faltered. His body moved automatically, almost as if something greater than him had taken over, and yet he never felt like he wasn't in control. He held his ground, taking not a single step back from the rushing tide of cultists.

If Octus was a solid wall that the heretics broke themselves upon, Sabine was the reaping scythe of the Emperor Himself. She danced through the throng of traitorous heretics, never straying far from her Guardsman. Their earlier separation was still fresh on her mind even as she carved through mutants with blade and bolter. She ducked under mutated claws, parried jagged blades, and slipped past the aim of makeshift Slug-throwers, never hesitating for a moment in her fluid dance of death.

But even with Sabine and Octus working together in perfect harmony, the horde of heretics seemed never-ending. It was like they were literally crawling out of the walls. A dozen fell. And then a dozen more. As Octus' first magazine, and Sabine's third, began to run dry, the tide finally broke.

Before Octus could even think of relaxing, a massive mutant Ogryn the size of a small tank roared and bore down at him. Octus got off a shot at the mutant's center of mass before his bolter clicked, finally out of ammo. As if he was expecting it, Octus had already dropped the holy weapon and drawn his combat knife. He braced himself and the knife even as Sabine shouted in fear and panic.

The Ogryn's roar died to a choked gurgle as its momentum buried Octus' knife in its throat. Octus jerked to the side, trying to get out of the mutant's way. He was only partially successful. It fell, crushing Octus' lower half and trapping him beneath the behemoth. Sabine rushed to his side, trying to push the Ogryn off her Guardsman as the remaining cultists faded back into the shadows.

Sona's disembodied giggle echoed through the room, "I hope you two are always this interesting~ Until next time, cuties~ ta~ ta~"

Suddenly, another new voice made Sabine tense until her panicked mind caught up to what the new voice was saying, "Oh, shit! C'mon, you bums, help the Sister!"

Sabine barely noticed as additional bodies joined her in trying to push the Ogryn off of Octus. With their assistance, Octus was quickly freed. He propped himself on his elbows, watching as tears welled in Sabine's eyes. She was looking at his knee. Even Octus knew joints weren't meant to bend that way…

But before she could say a word, there was a ghastly crack and pop. Octus' leg snapped back to normal right in front of Sabine's eyes. Octus and Sabine both looked at his now-perfectly-functional leg in shock.

"Huh," Octus mumbled mostly to himself. "Guess it was just dislocated…"

"T-that's impossible…" Sabine stuttered in shock.

Octus laughed, "I reckon it ain't, Sabine, especially considerin' it just happened."

A snort made Sabine look at the half a dozen people who had helped her. They were an… eccentric bunch to say the least. All of them were Abhumans of a type Sabine had never seen before. They all had rabbit ears that stuck straight up from the sides of their heads in place of the standard Human ones. Other than that one shared feature, the group was as varied as they came.

One of the group had an ashamed blush on her face. Sabine assumed she was the one who snorted. She also appeared to be the leader of the group given the way the rest of the Abhumans seemed to defer to her. She had skin the color of milk chocolate, white hair (including her rabbit ears), and red eyes. She was attractive, Sabine noted, in a sort of 'masculine-femininity' way. The flimsy yellow top she wore looked more like swimwear than clothing but it revealed the woman's toned musculature and hugged her assets, leaving very little to the imagination. The same could be said about those denim shorts she wore and the shredded thighs that were under them.

Sabine raised an eyebrow at her, making the woman duck her head in shame, "I thank you for your aid but I must ask who you people are. And if you have any malicious intentions for me and my companion?… Well, let's just say that will not end well for you…"

The woman looked scandalized at the idea but not Sabine's implication, "Of course not, Sister! None of us would ever dream of harming a daughter of the Emperor! The upper Hive may have fallen, but plenty of loyalists are still holding out down here."

Sabine hummed, "That is promising information… I was under the impression that everyone in this city was either a traitor or a heretic."

"Pardon my vulgarity, Sister," the woman apologized in advance. "But Hell, no! A lot of us never agreed with this dumbass rebellion. We're still fighting for the Emperor's Imperium. In fact! I can take you to the last loyal section of the Hive!"

Sabine glanced at Octus and he nodded his agreement with the idea, "… Very well. What is your name, citizen?"

"Miko, Sister!" the woman replied eagerly, practically vibrating at the prospect of being able to continue to help one of her childhood heroes. "It's an honor to meet ya!"

Sabine nodded patiently, "Likewise. I am Sister Sabine. This is Corporal Octus Humblestock. If you lead us to those you say are loyal, we shall follow."