9.Macabre Effect 1

'In the darkness a blind man is the best guide. In the age of madness, look to the madman to show the way....'

~Roboute Guilliman

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"Pathetic display of dominance." Lady Shiva scoffed already tired of the wait they were enduring .

Talia on the other hand was more occupied observing the long brick walls that seemed to stretch into the horizon, a testament of the sheer size of the property that even rivaled the Wayne manor. Strangely enough she found the prison like austhetic strangely appropriate with the dark background of Gothams city skyline.

*BZZZZZ*

Heavy duty metal bars slid open allowing the gate to swing open allowing the six car convoy to pass through .

"Impressive landscaping." remarked Lady Shiva taken a back by the uniformity of it all seemingly forgetting her earlier annoyance of been made to wait by the same person she praised.

As they rounded a corner up a slight incline a imposing gothic manor stood imposing its beauty enhanced by the sunrise that gave it an ethereal picture leaving all those seeing it for the first time impressed and there stood a figure flanked by well dressed battlers and maids and from that distance Talia could feel a cold gaze set on her that made her shiver in fear or excitement she herself wasn't sure.

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~Ignatius pov~

~a while before the convoy entrance~

After walking out of his study, Ignatius sent out an alert to finally let his guests in the grounds. Walking towards the entrance of the manor he made sure to retest every contingency plan he had , computing out various scenarios in his head of possible outcomes. He was always a paranoid person by nature and he believed things always went wrong before they went right.

Every servant in the Manor was a heavily augmented servitor or clone, essentially a loyal Skitarii cohort in all but name. He also housed his version of the Assasinorum agents , but what made them unique was that he basically stripped them of their mortality blessing them in the steel of the Omnissiah with an augmented cerebral that acted basically better than what even he had installed , their skills honed to rival any sanctioned Assassinorum from mounds of combat data downloaded and assimilated directly by his virtual AI assistant that ran combat logs as efficiently as possible and as a last resort if they ever went rogue ,remote thermo nuclear bombs he could activate from anywhere thanks to the satellite network he managed to launch and put up over the past months.

The manor itself was devoid of any blind spot with hidden camera and pseudo melts bolter turrents with hidden tunnels and a deep underground complex that was basically a glorified mini version manifactorium.

Stepping out of the imposing doors, Ignatius stood still joined later by two butlers who stood by him as his cold gaze observed the approaching convoy.

A group of four stepped out of their vehicles wearing stern gazes but nothing Ignatius hadn't seen before, people always tried to look indifferent to hold a sense that everything was of no issue to them.

Ignatius gaze wondered on the whole team profiling each and everyone only taking note of those who at least looked like they mattered and at the moment his gaze was fixated on two figures that he immediately new were out of the norm.

***

"Master Bruce why don't you just go visit him." Alfred asked, serving tea , giving one to Bruce and another to Barbra who was sat doing her schoolwork by the bat car.

"Or is it because Lady Talia is there." teased Alfred as he got a closer look at the individual's on the monitor.

This playful banter seemed to get a reaction not only from the stoic batman who simply switched the feed focusing on Ignatius but also from Barbra who stifled a laugh trying and failing to pretend like she was focused on what she was doing.

"If she's involved, I have every right to be cautious." Said Bruce as he watched the group enter Ignatius Manor.

***

Ignatius led the CIA party deeper into his manor passing by paintings he had painted in his off time. The masterclass work done on them gave them elegance and otherworldly beauty that even rivaled the works of Vincent Van Gohh but he still had respect for the artist who painted the starry night over Rhône which he saw at the scholar when he was still an adept apprentice .

"If I may ask,Mr Zephyrus I believe{That is his pseudo name in this body for those who forgot}…" timidly spoke up one of the agents but a simple glance shut him up.

"Only talk when addressed,you being here is already privilege enough." came a stern and curt reply.

To say the party was shocked by the rude display would be an understatement but they simply followed their host into the room which was a well decorated ball room that now served as the dining room.

A long oak table dominated the center of the room with its size capable of hosting over sixty guests.

"Since you graced me so early, I'll be pleased if you join me for breakfast ." Ignatius stated as he took his seat by the head of the table.

He had taken great care to calibrate his current body to mimic all functions possible, he was meticulous in everything he did and he saw it fit to add a meaningless function that allowed allow him pseudo digestion but all it did was allow the nano bots in the body to breakdown the food as efficiently as possible only to provide energy to the already endless reserves.

Everyone took their seats shortly after as Talia took the initiative of seating to the right of Ignatius .

"I hope you don't mind, a guest would be joining us." Ignatius said as he gestured to the door which swang open almost on que.

****

~Gharrok POV~

After his old friend left him, the maid who he noticed had a lifeless look to her, bowed and gestured towards an elevator whose doorway opened up from one of the side walls.

He walked in and moments later was joined by the maid who extended several cognitors from her hand as the elevator panel flashed.

*AUTHERIZATION CLEAR*

The elevator doors closed and it groans could be heard as it started it descent that lasted for over 2 minutes showing how deep the complex was.

"This way …"

Walking deeper into the underground complex they came by a walkway that wrapped round a build site. The skeletal frame work of a god machine was slowly taking shape and due to the sheer endless bottom he was sure it was a Warbringer Nemesis class battle titan. The sheer sight ignited a primal fire within Ghorock that demanded destruction through war.

"I see now, my task is not yet done." Ghorocc deep voice echoed throughout as he held his battle spear tighter with a manic grin he only allowed himself when he was heading to battle.

~present moment by the doorway~

Gharrok walked through the doorway a imposing figure who garnered stares from the guests. He was clad in simple attire,  a stark contrast to his previous armored form. Yet, the aura of a warrior clung to him, and his augmentations only added to his fierce look .

'Hand me the fire of war ,and I'll mold victory from it.' thought the old war master remembering an old phrasing he once heard from his fellow astarties .

Observing the room he ignored the shocked looks of those seated apart from 2 females who only observed him in what he could discern as curiosity. The look in their eyes disgusted him as it reminded him of the scheming eldery scum.

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