They walked through the twisted corridors hand in hand, their footsteps echoing in the eerie silence.
Lilith kept her right eye moving constantly, scanning for threats, for movement, for anything that might still be dangerous. But all she saw were bodies.
Or what had been bodies.
The servitors were the most recognizable—their augmetics had fused with their remaining organic parts in ways that defied anatomy. Metal cables burrowed through flesh. Limbs bent at impossible angles. Others collapsed into heaps of twisted biomechanical horror.
Lilith tried not to look too closely, but it was hard to avoid. They'd died instantly, their bodies warped into shapes that made her stomach churn. She recognized one figure by the tattered red robes—the Magos. His augmetics had turned on him, mechadendrites coiled through his torso like steel serpents, his mechanical limbs fused into a single mass of metal and meat.
I did this.
The thought kept circling back, no matter how hard she tried to push it away.
I killed all of them.
Eve squeezed her hand gently, and Lilith squeezed back, grateful for the grounding presence.
As they walked, something else nagged at Lilith's awareness. Something off about her vision that she couldn't quite place.
She kept turning her head more than usual, compensating for something, adjusting angles to see things that should have been in her peripheral vision but weren't.
And then it clicked.
My left eye.
She'd known it was blind—had felt the absence when she first woke up—but she hadn't fully processed what that meant until now. Half her field of vision was just... gone. She couldn't judge distances as well. Couldn't see things approaching from her left side without turning her whole head.
It was disorienting. Frustrating.
Good thing Eve's here, she thought, glancing at her twin. At least I'm not alone.
A memory surfaced, unbidden and unwelcome. The examination table. The Magos's emotionless voice. The sensation of—
"Eve," Lilith said suddenly, her voice tight. "When... when the Magos was experimenting on me. He cut off my arm."
Eve nodded once, her expression unchanging.
"It grew back," Lilith continued, the words feeling surreal even as she spoke them. "The Magos said you have the same regeneration. Is that true?"
"Yes."
Lilith swallowed. "How... how does it work? I mean, how fast—"
"Slow," Eve interrupted, her words coming out in that same measured, one-at-a-time cadence. "Hours... for big things. Minutes... for small."
"And it always heals back to normal? Like... completely?"
Eve nodded. "Always... same. No scars. No change."
That's what the Magos said. Regeneration that returns to baseline. We can't improve through training, can't build muscle or toughen skin. Just... reset.
It should have been reassuring. Immortality, in a way. But something about it made Lilith's skin crawl.
Eve continued, her voice softer now. "Handy... when hungry."
Lilith blinked. "What?"
"Sometimes..." Eve's gaze drifted slightly, unfocused. "No food. Very hungry. So I... eat."
It took a moment for the implication to sink in.
When it did, Lilith's stomach lurched violently.
"You—you ate yourself?"
Eve nodded, as if this were the most normal thing in the world. "Finger... usually. Grows back."
Oh god. Oh god, she's just a kid and they starved her so badly that she—
Lilith felt bile rise in her throat. She forced it down, her hand tightening around Eve's.
I hope I never have to do that. Please, please let me never be that desperate.
They turned a corner, and something caught Lilith's attention. A doorway, slightly ajar, with the faint glow of active terminals visible inside.
"Eve," she said, stopping. "I need to check something. Can you go ahead and look for food? I'll catch up."
Eve's grip on her hand tightened immediately. Her red eyes locked onto Lilith's face, and there was something almost frantic in them.
"No."
"It'll just be a minute," Lilith said gently. "I promise I won't leave you. I just need to look at something real quick."
Eve didn't move. Didn't blink.
Lilith reached up with her free hand and carefully patted Eve's head, running her fingers through the short black hair. The gesture felt awkward—she'd never been good with physical affection, even before all this—but Eve seemed to respond to it, leaning slightly into the touch.
"I promise," Lilith repeated, meeting her twin's eyes. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here when you get back."
For a long moment, Eve just stared at her.
Then, finally, she nodded.
"Find... food. Fast. Bring... to you."
"Thank you."
Eve released her hand reluctantly, then turned and ran.
Lilith barely had time to register the movement before her twin was gone, a blur of motion that disappeared around the corner faster than anything human-sized should have been able to move.
Jesus. She's fast.
Lilith turned back to the doorway and carefully made her way inside, her reduced field of vision making her extra cautious.
The room was small, dominated by a bank of cogitator terminals and data-slate displays. Most were dark, but a few were still active, their screens flickering with scrolling text and corrupted data.
Come on, Maverick. You've used computers before. You can figure this out.
She approached the nearest active terminal and squinted at the interface.
It was... familiar, but also completely alien. The iconography was wrong, the layout was nonsensical, and half the text was in what looked like binary cant mixed with High Gothic.
But the basic principles were there. Input. Output. File directories.
She reached out and started navigating, her fingers clumsy on the unfamiliar controls. Her left eye's blindness made it harder—she kept misjudging distances, missing buttons, having to compensate.
Focus. You can do this.
After several minutes of fumbling, she found what she was looking for.
PROJECT OMEGA MINUS
PROJECT ALPHA PLUS
Her heart rate picked up.
She opened Eve's file first.
SUBJECT DESIGNATION: EVE
PROJECT CLASSIFICATION: OMEGA MINUS
GENE-SEED TYPE: EXPERIMENTAL PARIAH VARIANT
STATUS: VIABLE
Lilith's eyes scanned through the wall of text, absorbing information faster than she thought possible. Enhanced learning and memory capacity, maybe? Even in this body?
PHYSIOLOGICAL ENHANCEMENTS:
Regenerative Factor (Omega-Class): Complete cellular restoration. Severed limbs regrow within 43 minutes (average). All damage resets to baseline genetic template. Note: Subject cannot improve physiology through training. Aging proceeds normally until cessation point (estimated age: physical maturity, approx. 20-25 standard years).
Enhanced Physical Parameters: Strength, durability, and stamina exceed baseline human norms by factor of 8-12. Comparative analysis suggests parity with fully equipped Eversor Assassin (unconfirmed, pending field testing). Subject demonstrates capacity to exceed physiological limits temporarily (estimated 150-200% of baseline strength) at risk of catastrophic tissue damage. Regeneration compensates.
Darkvision: Complete low-light adaptation. No adjustment period required.
Enhanced Memory Capacity: Perfect recall. Eidetic memory confirmed across all testing parameters.
Pariah Gene Expression: Subject exhibits Blank properties of unprecedented magnitude. Psychic null-field extends approximately 15 meters (testing limited due to containment requirements). All psykers within range experience severe discomfort, disorientation, and in extreme cases, psychic death. Field strength classified as Omega-Minus on Pariah Scale.
SPECIAL NOTES:
Subject requires isolation due to uncontrolled Blank field. Standard personnel experience psychological distress within proximity. Servitor units function normally. Subject has been isolated since activation.
Behavioral observations: Subject demonstrates extreme obedience and minimal emotional response. Suspected result of Blank nature suppressing natural emotional development. Subject rarely vocalizes. Communication limited to single-word responses.
CONCLUSION: Project Omega Minus successful. Subject Eve viable for deployment as anti-psyker combat unit.
Lilith stared at the screen, her breathing shallow.
Eve is a weapon. They made her to kill psykers.
Everything about her design made sense now. The overwhelming strength. The regeneration. The Blank field that made her anathema to anything connected to the Warp.
And they kept her alone. Isolated. Because her own nature made her unbearable to be around.
Lilith's hands clenched into fists.
She's just a kid. And they did this to her.
She forced herself to continue, opening the second file.
SUBJECT DESIGNATION: LILITH
PROJECT CLASSIFICATION: ALPHA PLUS
GENE-SEED TYPE: EXPERIMENTAL PSYKER VARIANT
STATUS: NON-VIABLE
The word "non-viable" felt like a punch to the gut.
PHYSIOLOGICAL ENHANCEMENTS:
Enhanced Learning and Memory Capacity: Accelerated information processing. Enhanced recall. (UNTESTED - Subject remains in deep sleep state)
Darkvision: Complete low-light adaptation. No adjustment period required.
Navigator's Eye (Modified): Experimental third-eye analogue implanted in left ocular cavity. Standard Navigator genetics combined with experimental psychic enhancement gene-sequence. Modifications include: (1) Auric stabilization matrix, (2) Warp-resonance amplification, (3) Forced mutation suppression via regenerative factor.
Theoretical function: Direct Warp observation and manipulation. Enhanced psychic potential. Possible applications in Warp navigation, psychic combat, and Immaterium research.
Regenerative Factor (Omega-Class): Identical to Subject Eve. Complete cellular restoration to baseline template. CRITICAL NOTE: Regeneration prevents Navigator's Eye from undergoing standard mutation. Eye structure remains fixed. Potential complications: Eye may remain non-functional without active Warp connection.
Psyker Gene-Seed: Experimental sequence derived from [DATA REDACTED]. Intended to amplify latent psychic potential and integrate with Navigator's Eye.
STATUS: FAILURE. Subject has not awakened since gene-seed implantation five years ago. No psychic activity detected. Navigator's Eye remains dormant. Subject maintained in suspension pending disposal decision.
RECENT UPDATE - [TIMESTAMP: 47 MINUTES AGO]:
Subject Lilith awakened spontaneously. Immediate observation: Subject Eve's Blank field suppressed to negligible levels. Subject Lilith demonstrates linguistic capability (unexpected). Subject Eve demonstrates vocal communication and emotional responsiveness (unprecedented).
Conclusion: Unknown interaction between Subjects. Further study required.
Secondary Conclusion: Subject Lilith remains psykically inert. Navigator's Eye non-functional. Project Alpha Plus failure confirmed.
DISPOSAL AUTHORIZATION: APPROVED
Lilith's hands were shaking by the time she finished reading.
Her breathing came in short, rapid bursts.
They were trying to make me a psyker. A weapon to complement Eve. And I failed.
She unconsciously reached up and touched her left eye—the blind one—feeling the smooth surface of the eyelid.
Underneath, gold. She didn't know how she knew, but she did. The eye was gold, modified, broken.
The Navigator's Eye was supposed to mutate over time, the way all Navigator genetics did. Third eyes becoming strange, inhuman, adapted to see the Warp directly.
But her regeneration wouldn't let it change. It kept resetting the eye to its baseline state.
Which meant it couldn't function.
Which meant she couldn't see the Warp.
Except I did. I saw it. When I was dying, when I was panicking, I opened that door—
Her thoughts raced, connections forming faster than she could process them.
Why did it work then? And why did it stop when Eve touched me?
And another question, more pressing:
Eve's Blank field. It should make me feel sick, right? Make me want to get away from her. But I feel comfortable around her. Safe.
She stared at the screen, at the note about Eve's field being "suppressed to negligible levels" after Lilith woke up.
Is that why? Did something about me waking up suppress her? Or...
Too many questions. Not enough answers.
Her head was starting to hurt, a dull throb building behind her eyes.
Even my basic knowledge of Warhammer 40k isn't helping. I know what Blanks are, what psykers are, the basic stuff. But this—this is different. Modified. Experimental.
Footsteps.
Fast footsteps.
Lilith turned just as Eve burst through the doorway, moving with that same inhuman speed.
She was carrying an armful of ration bars—standard Imperial Guard fare, sealed in drab packaging marked with the Aquila and supply codes. There were also a few nutrient paste tubes and what looked like a canteen of water.
Eve skidded to a halt in front of Lilith, her red eyes bright with something that might have been excitement.
"Found... food."
Lilith managed a weak smile. "Thank you, Eve."
She gestured at the screen. "I found information about us. About the projects."
Eve glanced at the terminal, then back at Lilith. Her expression didn't change.
"Don't... care."
Right. She's still a kid. Data files aren't exactly exciting.
Lilith felt a pang of something—sadness? Guilt? Eve had been treated like an object her whole life, measured and catalogued and tested. Of course she wouldn't be interested in reading about it.
Eve held out the ration bars, and Lilith reached for them.
Her hand missed.
She blinked, recalculated, reached again—and her fingers closed around air an inch to the left of the bar.
Shit. The depth perception. I keep forgetting.
She tried a third time, moving more carefully, and finally managed to grab one of the bars.
Eve watched her struggle, her head tilting slightly. There was something in her eyes—concern, maybe? Confusion?
She didn't say anything, though. Just held the food steady and waited.
Lilith took a ration bar and a nutrient tube, then settled down on the floor, her back against the wall. Eve immediately sat beside her, close enough that their shoulders touched.
That now-familiar warmth spread through the contact, and Lilith found herself relaxing despite everything.
They ate in silence.
The ration bar was exactly as unappetizing as Lilith had expected—dense, flavorless, with a texture somewhere between cardboard and chalk. The nutrient paste was worse, a gray sludge that tasted like nothing and felt like eating congealed sadness.
But it was food. And her stomach stopped growling.
She watched Eve as they ate.
Her twin ate mechanically, efficiently, without any sign of enjoyment or displeasure. Just consuming fuel, the way a machine might.
But she was also... cute.
The thought came unbidden, and Lilith felt her face heat slightly.
She's a kid. You're a kid now too, technically, but mentally you're still twenty-three. Don't be weird.
But it was hard not to notice. Eve's delicate features, the way her short black hair framed her face, those glowing red eyes that should have been frightening but somehow weren't.
And beneath the cuteness, danger.
Enhanced strength that rivals an Eversor Assassin. Regeneration. A Blank field that can kill psykers just by existing near them.
Eve looked like a doll. Acted like a child. And she knew nothing why she was made.
But she was a weapon.
And she's also the only reason I'm still alive.
Lilith finished her ration bar and leaned back, staring up at the ceiling.
The immediate crisis was over. They had food. They weren't being actively pursued or experimented on.
But that just left room for the bigger question.
What do I do now?
She was in Warhammer 40k. In the body of a failed psyker experiment. On a ship full of corpses, drifting through... where? The Warp? Real space? She didn't even know where they were.
And she had Eve. A twin who barely spoke, who'd been engineered as an anti-psyker weapon, who'd killed everyone and everything to save her.
What am I supposed to do with this?
Survive, obviously. That was step one.
But beyond that?
She didn't know how to pilot a ship. Didn't know where they were. Didn't know if there were other survivors, other threats, other—
Eve leaned against her shoulder, interrupting her spiraling thoughts.
Lilith glanced down. Her twin had finished eating and was now just... resting. Content, in her own quiet way.
One step at a time, Lilith told herself. Figure out where we are. Figure out if this ship is functional. Figure out if we can survive.
And try very, very hard not to think about the fact that I apparently killed dozens of people just by panicking.
She closed her eyes—well, her right eye, at least—and let the warmth of Eve's presence wash over her.
For now, they had food.
They had each other.
And maybe for now, that was enough.