"We are who we are," Horus said softly, as though offering comfort, or simply stating a fact.
He kicked aside a twisted metal beam and rummaged through the ruins.
"Aha."
Horus pulled something out of a pile of rubble.
It appeared to be an alloy support column from a large cultivation tank, eight feet long and as thick as the mouth of a bowl. The explosion had snapped it, leaving a jagged, razor-sharp metal edge at the break.
It was heavy, sturdy, and lethal.
"The perfect... crowbar. Or spear."
Horus held the crude "Alloy Spear" and hefted it. It weighed at least several hundred kilograms, but with his Primarch strength, it felt weightless.
"Good. We have clothes, we have a weapon, and now..."
Just as Horus began planning his next move-whether to look for the base's power room or communications station-an abrupt tremor came from the ceiling.
Vrrr-vrrr-
This was no earthquake. It was the roar of enormous engines idling.
Horus's expression changed instantly. He recognized the sound almost at once-it was the telltale noise of a large ship breaking through the atmosphere and hovering at low altitude!
"Fuck!" Horus swore. "It's a Chaos ship!"
He did not hesitate. The main laboratory was too open. It was practically a shooting gallery.
There was only one place he could hide!
"Hold tight!"
With a low growl, Horus burst into a sprint like a hunting cheetah. He did not head for the exit. Instead, he raced back to the place where he had just awakened-the underground Defective Storage Room numbered B-04!
He landed in the little room with a thud, then reached back to pull the heavy, blast-resistant lead door shut.
Rrrumble-!
The instant he closed the door, the main laboratory's immense ceiling groaned under an unbearable weight. Then a ship's landing