Editing HS40K (section)

==Chapter Four==

Roboute Guilliman sat back in his easy chair, settled his reading glasses on his nose, and folded the newspaper to the sports section. He allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction. It was a quiet Sunday morning, the lawn was mowed, the bills were paid, and his boy was in the paper. Captain of his Bloodbowl team. Led his teammates to victory over the Greenville Waaaaagh. Good kid, natural leader. Not like the other. Guilliman frowned. Scout Marine was a good boy at heart, but some of his friends...and that girl. The way she dressed. Guilliman sighed. Now he'd worried himself again. Had he given the boy 'The Talk' too soon?

The Vox beeped. Guilliman glared at it. Heedless, it beeped again. He heaved himself to his feet and went to answer it.

"Venerate the Immortal Emperor, Ultramarine residence, Roboute Guilliman speaking. Hmm? Still in bed, I think...and at this hour, too. Yes, yes, young lady, hold your artillery, I'll put him on."

The stairs creaked under the weight of his power armor as he went up. Then down the hall to the left to knock on the door with the Doomrider and the Emperor's Children poster. Guilliman's frown deepened. He'd have to give the boy the Drug Talk soon.

Scout's voice called out from within. "Yeah, what is it, dad?"

"Vox for you, son."

"Who is it?"

"Hm, a young lady. She says she knows you from school and needs to talk to you about the prom."

The door was opened in a flash, and the Vox snatched out of his power fist. With a muffled "Thanks, dad," the door was closed in his face.

Roboute Guilliman muttered to himself as he stumped back to his chair. The Drug Talk soon, definitely.

Scout leaned against the door. He paused for a minute to steady his breathing, then raised the Vox.

"Hey cutie, looking forward to the dance?"

His face froze as he heard the voice on the other end. "Um. Good morning, Scout. It's Macha. I...uh...thought you weren't going."

Scout flinched. "Oh, Emp, I thought you were...um, no, no, I'm definitely going. But I thought..."

She interrupted him. "But you said...wait. Ahem. Let's start this over."

"OK. Good morning, Macha."

"Very funny. Scout, you have to come to the prom. It's mandatory for student government members."

"OK, got it, Macha. I was planning on coming anyway, I...wait, what about the budget?

"I talked to Principle Tzeench about it and he said he'd take care of paying the band, so I allocated the rest of the funds to refreshments and decorations."

"That's great news! Nice work, Machs!" Scout smiled. "Kind of a corny theme, though. Grim Darkness, same as last year."

Macha sighed at him over the Vox channel. "No, Scout, last year was Dark Grimness. Do you EVER pay attention? Anyway, you'll need to be there two hours early to help with final preparations. This prom has to go just as planned."

Scout bit his lip. "Um, Macha, that's kind of a problem, I have to go pick up..."

Distant voices echoed through the Vox. "Macha, finish it up, I have to call your sister and that Mon-keigh of hers."

Macha's voice was muffled. "Daaaaad, I know you like Liivi, I wish you wouldn't talk about him like that."

Scout rolled his eyes. "Macha? You still there?"

"Yes, I'm here. I have to go now, though. My dad...I'll see you before the dance, OK? Dad, this wouldn't happen if you got me my own..." The signal cut off.

Scout stared at the Vox in his hand with some consternation. That damn Macha...a snaggle-toothed grin flashed in his mind's eye, and he smiled. Not the time to be thinking about that. Oh, Emperor, he had to rent an armortux!

----

"I FUCKING HATE THIS GODDAMN ARMORTUX."

Scout sprawled in his metal folding chair and gave Angry Marine a look. "Angry...you wear power armor all the time. You wore it to the beach. How is this worse?"

"FUCKING ITCHES."

"Huh. Fair enough. Do you have to keep your regular helmet on, though?

"FUCK YES. FUCKING ACNE."

"Um. Yeah. Kind of a bitch, breaking out now, huh. But hey, Angry? Thanks for coming to help set up, man. You didn't have to do that."

"DON'T GET ALL FUCKING GAY ABOUT IT. YOU GET ANY FUCKING GAYER AND I'M GONNA RIP YOUR COCK OFF AND STUFF IT UP YOUR ASS, FAGGOT."

Scout smiled. "Yeah, same to you, man." He looked around the room, which was gradually filling up. They'd worked hard, and, stupid as the whole thing was, he had to admit it looked pretty good. Skulls hanging from the ceiling on metal cables. More skulls and cables on the walls. Skulls on the table. Big punch bowls made out of cable and skulls. Flustered Macha walking toward him.

"Hey Macha. Nice dress."

She blushed, took a deep breath, and nervously patted her hair. "Thank you, Scout. Yes. Um, thank you both for your hard work. Scout, I..."

A mechanical tendril tapped her on the shoulder. She spun around. "WHAT?"

The Techpriest stared at her in shock through his thick glasses, then wheezed, "Um, Macha, the band is on the Vox, they say they're lost, and I have to finish beseeching the spirits of the PA system..."

Macha took another deep breath. Scout noted that it did interesting things to the profile of her dress. She took the Vox and stomped off, inasmuch as she could stomp in her heels.

Arms wrapped around Scout's neck from behind. He instantly readied to throw his opponent across the room, then froze as he recognized the scent.

"Hwee captyoored hyooo!" She giggled in his ear, and he grinned. He shook her off, and stood up, turning to get a look at her.

"Wow, Cultist-chan...you look..." She looked like she was wearing a ripped-up black bridesmaid's dress with striped red and black stockings. And that star thing on her back. And her hair was messy and...slightly damp?

She gave him a nervous, snaggle-toothed smile. He grinned widely. "You're the best-looking girl here."

"Hyoo say seelee theengs..." She giggled.

Scout took her hands. "No, I mean it. You..."

"Do you like her hair? I did her hair!" Plaguebearer-chan came up behind her friend and patted her still-damp head.

Scout smiled nervously. The one-horned daemon was, as usual, wearing nothing and smelling awful. "Um, it looks good, Plaguebearer-chan. You really brought out her cuteness."

"Yeah, I did her hair with fluids from my... owwww, Cultist-chan, you're standing on my foot."

"Hwee are sorree. Ohh, look there!" Cultist-chan pointed excitedly to the stage, where Coach Kharn and a couple of members of the Bloodbowl team had just finished setting up amps. Noise marines in twisted pink armor tuned their bizarre sonic implements. A strange figure in power armor, his head a flaming skull, stumbled through the doors and onto the stage. He was blinking like he's just woken up, holding his skeletal nose, and making sniffing noises. He said something to the noise marines, then to Coach Kharn, who nodded and stepped up to the mike.

"Ladies and gentlemen, xenos, mutants, and heretics, let's give a big 40K High welcome to DOOMRIDER AND THE EMPEROR'S CHILDREN!"

He stepped back, clapping, as the room erupted in applause and whistling. The man with the flaming head stepped up and grabbed the mike from the stand. He looked around the room and waved in Scout's direction. Scout was confused for a moment, and looked around. Just to his left one of the Daemonettes was screaming and flashing two of her three breasts. He sighed, and looked back toward the stage.

Doomrider turned to his band, nodded, and turned back to his audience, grinning. He threw his head back, threw the horns with both hands, and screamed "WRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

And the room was filled with rock.

As the music rattled the teeth in the skull decorations, the crowd in the middle of the room began to move. Cultist-chan grabbed Scout's arm and pulled him toward the dance floor, throwing a happy grin back at Plaguebearer-chan.

The room whirled around him.

He glimpsed Vice-Principal Eldrad smugly settling his earmuffs more firmly on his head.

He caught a snatch of conversation as they pushed past three girls.

"I still say the Sisters Repentia would have been better."

"Pfff, no one likes Emp rock, square. Come on, 'Nette, let's get go get heretical in front of the Orks."

The Tau kids were doing some kind of coordinated dance. He vaguely thought he recognized it from some TV show.

They were in the middle of the heaving mass.

Cultist-chan was smiling at him.

He had to dance now. He had no idea how.

She threw her arms up and began flailing and jumping spastically in time with the music.

"Emperor," He thought, his mind awash with panic. "I can't do that. I'd look ridiculous. But I can't let her do it alone. Then she looks ridiculous."

She spun around, cackling, and grabbed his hands.

"But...not as ridiculous as I look being the only one not dancing. Fuck it."

The music washed over them as they danced in the crowd, together.

The music changed from shrieking fast to slow and heavy. They passed the Wytch and Daemonette, rubbing against one another and moaning, as a crowd of Orks from Greenville High looked on, hooting and yelling for them to stop mucking about. Scout pulled Cultist-chan close, and she snuggled up to him, burying her face in his chest. Then she grinned and grabbed his butt. He gasped, she giggled. He pulled her close and kissed her.

The crowd parted. Macha was there, staring at them. There were tears in her eyes.

[[Image:promdark.jpg|right|thumb|450px|]]

Scout stared at her. "Um...hey, Macha. What's wrong?"

Macha walked slowly toward them. Raising her voice over the music, she glared at Cultist-chan. "Who is this, Scout?"

"This is Cultist-chan. My girlfriend." Cultist-chan took his hand and squeezed.

Tears began rolling down her cheeks, but Macha's voice above the noise was still steady. "I...I see. I was mistaken."

"What? What's the matter, Macha, what the hell is this about?"

"I...thought you loved me. Rather, that my love for you was reciprocated. I thought the love letter you sent me..."

"I what? Macha, I never sent you any letters, the only love letter I ever wrote was when I had a crush last year on Karskin-chan."

"Whose locker was adjacent to mine. I see." Her voice cracked, a sob breaking through. "Once again your lack of attention to detail causes me trouble. You...idiot."

Plaguebearer-chan pushed through the crowd behind Scout and Cultist-chan. "Hey guys, I got punch! Whoa, what's going on here?"

"But...Empra, I'm sorry, Macha, but how could you even think...I've always teased you, I've always been such a jerk!"

Macha's painstakingly applied makeup was streaming down her face. "I thought it was your stupid way of expressing affection. I thought you joined Student Government because of me. I thought you came to prom because of me. Because you loved me. But all this time...you weren't complaining to make a stupid joke, you actually hated me for ordering you around. I'm...I'm sorry! I was mistaken!

Scout tried to take Macha's hand, but she flinched away. "Immortal God-Emperor on the Golden Throne, Macha, I'm so sorry, I'm an asshole! I've been such a huge cock!"

Plaguebearer-chan, watching in fascination, sipped her punch. The Orks, tired of watching the girls mucking about, surged forward in a mob and pulled them apart, as they shrieked happily at the attention. On stage, the coke-addled Doomrider stumbled backwards, singing at the top of his voice.

Macha's face was a picture of misery, her delicate hands balled into fists as she screamed. "I don't care! I love you anyway, I love you BECAUSE you're such a jerk! I love huge cocks!"

Doomrider fell backwards into the Noise Marines, stepping on their amp cable. The music cut off as they shoved him forward, and he careened into the crowd, mike thrust forward toward Macha. The Orks, laughing raucously, pitched the witch headlong over the crowd.

In the sudden quiet, Macha found herself screaming into a microphone. As the words "I LOVE HUGE COCKS" echoed around the room, the Wytch landed on her heavily. Macha shoved her away, but the Dark Eldar's spikes caught in her dress and ripped her top to shreds. Plaguebearer-chan did a spit-take, covering her with punch and less savory fluids. The entire room turned toward her, as she stood there half-naked, soaked, and sobbing open mouthed.

There was a flash of light from behind Scout. He turned to see Vice-Principle Eldrad fiddling with a camera.

Scout stared at him in astonishment. "You...she's your daughter. You total dick."

The Noise Marines pushed through the crowd toward the group. From his position on the floor, Doomrider tugged at the hem of Macha's ruined dress. "Hey...hey baby, we're on break. We wanna get paid now."

Macha stared down at him, sniffling. "What are you talking about?"

The singer staggered to his feet, his bandmates flanking him. "Heh...baby, the big eye dude said we'd get an Eldar as payment. That's you, yeah? Come on, baby, don't be shy."

Macha looked around wildly for an escape. Her gaze finally settled on the stage door...only to see it blocked by a swirling void, the eye of Principle Tzeench.

Eldar teenager and Chaos god stared at one another for a long moment. The great eye narrowed. Its cosmic voice sought her ears.

"DO IT."

Macha turned, and took a deep breath. Scout had grabbed Eldrad, who was sneering at him. She slowly raised a hand and pointed at her father.

"You are mistaken, gentlemen," she said, her voice calm. "That one is your payment."

"Fuck yeah, we ain't picky." Doomrider cackled as his Noise Marines pulled the concerned-looking Eldar away from scout. "Get him in the van and break out the stuff, let's fuckin do this!"

As Eldrad was dragged shrieking out of the room, the voice of Tzeench rolled over the gathering.

"JUST. AS. PLANNED."

The room went wild with laughter and argument. Scout, stunned, found himself being dragged outside by Cultist-chan.

They lay together in the back of her uncle's truck, "borrowed" from the parking lot and driven to the top of the hill. Scout looked up at the stars, thinking.

"It was...nice, I guess, of Principle Tzeench. Helping Macha, I mean."

Cultist-chan wiggled closer to him. "She leeves een hope. Shee ees hiis."

"I guess that makes sense. For Chaos, any way." He smiled, and wrapped an arm around her.

She nibbled his ear, and whispered.

He turned toward her. "Huh? Sorry, I couldn't hear you."

Her snaggle-toothed grin shined in the starlight. "Hwee said...purge mee."

He hesitated before responding. "Cultist-chan...are you sure?"

"Hwee have been verrry wicked." She climbed on top of him. Her hair tickled his face as she looked down at him. He could feel her stroking his bolt pistol with one hand. "Hwee have consorted with thee ruinouuus poweers. Whee have made pacts with thee dark gods. Hwee have falleen to heresyy... Hwee need a beeg, strong, mehreen to geef us thee Emperor's mercyy..."

Scout Marine felt his multiple hearts quicken his pulse as she wriggled on top of him. He slid one hand up to her chest, and squeezed gently. The other, he reached down and began to hike up her dress.

He stammered, then steadied his voice. "Know...know this, heretic! Tonight the judgment of the Emperor is come upon you! You have turned from his light, and you must be purged."

"Hyesss...hyess!"

The old truck rocked back and forth on its springs. The crickets went silent as the voices of the young lovers filled the air.

"Oh...oh God-Emperor..."

"Purge mee...purge meeeheehee!"

"For...for..."

"Hyess...hyess! Ay feel thee Warp overtaking meee!"

"FOR THE EMPEROR!"

+++FIN+++

[[Category:Stories]]
[[Category:Stories/Warhammer 40,000]]
[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]]