ExperimentalYou examine the pulsating mass of flesh. The creature in the cage seems to be composed of several bodies joined together. You see no sutures or any other means by which the separate parts could have been connected. Among the layers of meat, you can discern large knots of muscle, various limbs, exposed bones, parts of faces, and entire heads... Only warp sorcery is capable of creating such an abomination while preserving its ability to live on.
YOU[Study the mutants closely]
YOU"What is this?"
HeinrixHeinrix takes in his surroundings and once again fixes his attention on the contents of the nearest cage. "I'm beginning to have some idea. The Lexmechanic mentioned the inhabitants of the lower levels who had been imprisoned in their homes. He said some of them were brought here. The cultists did something to those poor people... in their own home... and now they are studying the result."
YOU"Why are they hooked up to cogitators?"
HeinrixHeinrix carefully studies the screens of the computing machines. "Lingua-Technis — corrupted by the scrap-code, I'm sure. It's unlikely we will be able to extract anything of value from their data-crypts." Thinking, Heinrix clenches his fist and bites down on a knuckle — and then recoils when the mutant from the nearest cage reaches a hand out to him through the bars.
Experimental"You..." A female face watches you from within the gloom of the cage. Even though half of her head has been turned into a mess of bones and lumpen growths, her single eye looks at you with a surprising amount of intelligence. "You promised! You promised us!" Her words are echoed by other voices in the depths of the cages.
HeinrixHeinrix leans toward the cage, but at sufficient distance to ensure that the mutant cannot reach him. "Who are you talking to? What did they promise you? Who are they?"
Experimental"You! You took us from the inferno! You promised us a reward! You..." Her face contorts in a grimace, and the creature's lips stick together like melted wax.
Heinrix"I'll be damned! They can still speak! They remember the people who did this to them!" Heinrix balls his fists in powerless rage. Then he frowns in thought. "Perhaps a little biomancy will allow us to draw the fragments of knowledge out of them. Or it will trigger further... changes."
YOU"What do you want to do?"
Heinrix"My psyker abilities allow me to affect the human body. It is one of the most effective tools to use against individuals who resist questioning. But if you're suggesting that I 'want' to use it — I think you are getting a little ahead of yourself."
Heinrix"The effect of warp energy will likely lead to an explosive reaction. I do not know the precise mechanism of this mutation — the result could be even more monstrous than its current state."
YOU"What do you want to do?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Heinrix, let this go. You are only prolonging their suffering."
HeinrixHeinrix nods. "I am... inclined to relieve their suffering. Every moment of existence in such a state is pure torture for the people locked in these sheaths..."
YOU"I'm not going to argue with you. It seems to me your mind is already made up."
HeinrixHeinrix hesitates for a moment, then closes his eyes and raises one hand. You are enveloped by an otherworldly chill. The mass of flesh in the cage suddenly rears up: the mutant wrenches open its glued-together lips and begins wailing frantically. The shrieking is echoed by a chorus of howls and tortured moans coming from the neighbouring cages.
ExperimentalThe mutant changes before your eyes: the tumours recede like an ebbing tide, revealing an emaciated female face twisted in agony. The woman gasps for air, stretches her now mobile neck, and exclaims, "LIAR! You promised to kill me! You promised me deliverance! Every one of you, everyone told me to have hope and the pain would go! Accept the Truth, for that is hope! My only hope is to be freed from this pain! Please make it so! MAKE IT S—" A lump of flesh behind her head shudders and sends out smooth, fat tentacles that cover her wailing face and drag it into itself. You feel the pressure in your ears: from the cage you hear a steady, almost imperceptible sound that fills you with despair and horror.
Experimental(sequence)
Jae"Groxseed..." Jae barely breathes the word, not sounding at all like herself.
end of branch
HeinrixWith a sigh, Heinrix lowers his hand and looks at what the creature within the cage has become. A wetly gleaming mass of meat and gristle that no longer bears any hint of its human origins, it pulses vigorously. "And that's it? The lamentations of dying people? No. Not just that. What it said about hope sounds like a lie of Chaos, which it uses to take root in weak minds. I believe the corrupted Tech-Priests repeated this phrase like an echo of what had been instilled in them... Whatever the Cult of the Final Dawn is planning, false hope is a key component of their plan. It's a lead. A small one, but still a lead."
Heinrix"That's that, then. But do you know what bothers me, Rogue Trader? The number of people here — there are too few. The lower levels of similar manufactorums are inhabited by millions — what happened to the rest of them?" Heinrix shakes his head. "I know I won't like the answer. Let's go. We still haven't done what we came here to do."
end of branch
YOU"What are you going to achieve by prolonging their suffering? Just release them from this nightmare!"
HeinrixHeinrix wavers for another moment, and then leans over the cogitators. "Each mutant has cables attached. I may not know the nature of these machines, but it isn't too difficult to increase the voltage... Ah, this switch here..."
ExperimentalYou hear the crackle of electricity. The wires glow with blue sparks — and the creatures locked in the cages drop lifelessly to the floor. The sharp tang of burned meat hangs in the air.
Heinrix"That's that, then. But do you know what bothers me, Rogue Trader? The number of people here — there are too few. The lower levels of similar manufactorums are inhabited by millions — what happened to the rest of them?" Heinrix shakes his head. "I know I won't like the answer. Let's go. We still haven't done what we came here to do."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"It seems to me your mind is already made up. These people need deliverance from their suffering."
HeinrixHeinrix wavers for another moment, and then leans over the cogitators. "Each mutant has cables attached. I may not know the nature of these machines, but it isn't too difficult to increase the voltage... Ah, this switch here..."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"These people can still serve the Imperium. Anyone would deem their suffering a fair price to pay."
HeinrixHeinrix hesitates for a moment, then closes his eyes and raises one hand. You are enveloped by an otherworldly chill. The mass of flesh in the cage suddenly rears up: the mutant wrenches open its glued-together lips and begins wailing frantically. The shrieking is echoed by a chorus of howls and tortured moans coming from the neighbouring cages.continues where this line first appears above
Heinrix"You're wrong — this is our chance to find out more. Extracting some good from suffering is the only thing that will justify the torment of these unfortunate people. It is how they can serve the Throne one last time."
YOU"I'm not going to argue with you. It seems to me your mind is already made up."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What are you going to achieve by prolonging their suffering? Just release them from this nightmare!"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"It seems to me your mind is already made up. These people need deliverance from their suffering."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"These people can still serve the Imperium. Anyone would deem their suffering a fair price to pay."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"If there is something that will make them talk, we must use it."
Heinrix"You think so? Tiny fragments of data that could prove worthless and even harmful to us... in exchange for participating in this torture?"
YOU"I'm not going to argue with you. It seems to me your mind is already made up."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What are you going to achieve by prolonging their suffering? Just release them from this nightmare!"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"It seems to me your mind is already made up. These people need deliverance from their suffering."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"These people can still serve the Imperium. Anyone would deem their suffering a fair price to pay."continues where this line first appears above
HeinrixHeinrix nods. "Yes. It's possible another person would refuse to make such a choice. But we can use this situation to help the investigation."
YOU"I'm not going to argue with you. It seems to me your mind is already made up."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What are you going to achieve by prolonging their suffering? Just release them from this nightmare!"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"It seems to me your mind is already made up. These people need deliverance from their suffering."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"These people can still serve the Imperium. Anyone would deem their suffering a fair price to pay."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Heinrix, let this go. You are only prolonging their suffering."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"If there is something that will make them talk, we must use it."continues where this line first appears above
Experimental(sequence)
IdiraIdira curses furiously. "'A little biomancy'... This is a tangle of flesh and bone that, by some freakish miracle, still happens to have a soul and a mind! Come on, iceman, let them die in peace already!"
IdiraHeinrix turns to Idira. You do not see his face, but you do see Idira suddenly shrink and cast her eyes down.
end of branch
AbelardNot missing Pasqal's sober interest in proceedings, which he is dutifully recording in a data-slate, Abelard raises a brow: "Esteemed Magos, these are your comrades. If I may ask — do you feel any compassion for them? Or, at the very least, regret? Regret for the losses that these poor people represent to the Adeptus Mechanicus?"
Pasqal"Negative. What I am currently observing is not my tech-comrades, but merely their biologically functioning remains fashioned into a specimen of an unnatural perversion of Technology. I am under no directives to feel any affinity for such specimens."
end of branch
KibellahKibellah stares at the pile of fused flesh without blinking. "I do not hear their names in the Undying One's whispers. They have become... too twisted, and He no longer remembers them."
Idira"These people are suffering, more so than anyone, anywhere — and you're refusing them deliverance? What is wrong with you?"
Kibellah"They are not people anymore. It does not matter what happens to them." Kibellah turns away from the cage.
end of branch
YOU"They're people. Monstrously mutated, but still people."
HeinrixHeinrix nods grimly. "Yes, this is what warp sorcery has done to them, to be precise. I have seen many mutants whose features have been distorted under the effects of the Archenemy... but this is something beyond all imagining."
YOU"Why are they hooked up to cogitators?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"They're people. Monstrously mutated, but still people."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"The Lexmechanic talked about some kind of slag waste disposal and Chaos symbols on machines... What are the Archenemy's minions doing to the people of the lower levels?"
Heinrix"To know the workings of dark sorcery means allowing corruption into oneself." Heinrix scowls. "These are warp mutations, no doubt. Perhaps there was some side effect, and that is why they were brought here, to be connected to sensors and cogitators. Even fallen Tech-Priests who have rejected the Omnissiah are driven by a perverted hunger for Knowledge."
YOU"Why are they hooked up to cogitators?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"They're people. Monstrously mutated, but still people."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"The Lexmechanic talked about some kind of slag waste disposal and Chaos symbols on machines... What are the Archenemy's minions doing to the people of the lower levels?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Have you ever seen anything like this before?"
Heinrix"I have seen a great deal, Rogue Trader. That includes mutations caused by the sorcery of Chaos. But what frightens me most is not their repulsive form, but what is hiding beneath it." Heinrix frowns. "A human soul in torment. Chaos never forgets to ensure its victims retain the ability to suffer."
YOU"Why are they hooked up to cogitators?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"They're people. Monstrously mutated, but still people."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"The Lexmechanic talked about some kind of slag waste disposal and Chaos symbols on machines... What are the Archenemy's minions doing to the people of the lower levels?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Have you ever seen anything like this before?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Have you ever seen anything like this before?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"The Lexmechanic talked about some kind of slag waste disposal and Chaos symbols on machines... What are the Archenemy's minions doing to the people of the lower levels?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Have you ever seen anything like this before?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Who are you?"
Experimental"Foreman... from sector... sector... Hurts... Mercy..." The mutant falls silent for a few moments, but then his voice comes back stronger. "Foreman from Boiler 3... We're... from the lower... levels..." The final words are drowned out by a moan.
HeinrixHeinrix takes in his surroundings and once again fixes his attention on the contents of the nearest cage. "I'm beginning to have some idea. The Lexmechanic mentioned the inhabitants of the lower levels who had been imprisoned in their homes. He said some of them were brought here. The cultists did something to those poor people... in their own home... and now they are studying the result."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Shoot him in the head]
ExperimentalThe flesh explodes in a fountain of lumps, stinking spray, and bone shards. The gaping wound closes in an instant, and a different face emerges from the fleshy depths in place of the lost head. The mutant's body is pulsing faster, harder, as though the abomination's heart rate has spiked with fear. A many-voiced moan rises up from all the other cages at once — the pain was felt by all who share the mutant's horrific fate.
YOU[Study the mutants closely]continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What is this?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Who are you?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Shoot him in the head]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Move away]
HeinrixHeinrix takes in his surroundings and once again fixes his attention on the contents of the nearest cage. "I'm beginning to have some idea. The Lexmechanic mentioned the inhabitants of the lower levels who had been imprisoned in their homes. He said some of them were brought here. The cultists did something to those poor people... in their own home... and now they are studying the result."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Move away]continues where this line first appears above
Entry point 2 of 3
ExperimentalYou peer at the pulsating mass of flesh. Beneath the thin film coating the skin of this monstrous creation, you can see the throbbing veins that snake through the flesh and the flowing yellow ichor. The creature looks like a conglomeration of several people, squeezed together by brutal hands into a single whole.
YOU[Study the mutants closely]continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What is this?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Who are you?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Shoot him in the head]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Move away]continues where this line first appears above
Entry point 3 of 3
ExperimentalNumerous wires and pipes run to the filthy cages, which are filled with what looks like a conglomeration of human bodies. You cannot make out who is in the cage, but bright blue sparks flash intermittently in the darkness, while the mass of flesh twitches and shudders.
HeinrixHeinrix casts a scrutinising eye over one of the cages, before withdrawing his weapon and approaching to examine what lies inside.
YOU"Careful, Heinrix."
Heinrix"Look at it!" Heinrix gestures toward the cage closest to you.
ExperimentalThrough the metal bars, you see it truly is a pile of human bodies — or something that used to be. The monstrously deformed bodies have fused together in places, while others were severed using saws and knives, leaving wounds seeping pus and slime, wounds that are agglutinating and sprouting tendons. Rods connected to wires that run to a nearby cogitator bristle across the flesh. One of the human heads turns to you. "Mercy..."
ExperimentalEven attempting to speak causes the mutant pain, but he bears the agony and forces out the words: "Mercy... Make... make it stop..."
YOU[Study the mutants closely]continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What is this?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Who are you?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Shoot him in the head]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Move away]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Look at the cage closest to you]
ExperimentalThrough the metal bars, you see it truly is a pile of human bodies — or something that used to be. The monstrously deformed bodies have fused together in places, while others were severed using saws and knives, leaving wounds seeping pus and slime, wounds that are agglutinating and sprouting tendons. Rods connected to wires that run to a nearby cogitator bristle across the flesh. One of the human heads turns to you. "Mercy..."continues where this line first appears above