His enemy quickly followed, and was already upon the initiate when he hit the ground. Falling hard on the stone floor, Gideon rolled backwards and stuck out with his right foot at the same time. Catching the marine in his gut, Gideon gained momentum and swung his left heel around, slamming the veteran in the face. Spitting dark blood, the Deathwing veteran charged Gideon. Blow after blow landed on his stomach. An elbow blew across his face, forcing blood from his nose. Jumping strait into the air, the veteran kneed Gideon in the mouth, then twirled, launched backwards off the stone wall, and kicked the back of the initiates head. The rookie lurched forward rolling a few feet as he hit the stone ground. Gideon coughed and blood splattered on the floor. Ignoring the pain in his head, he stood and returned to his fighting stance, bringing his right arm next to his hip, and his stretched in front. The other marine stood firm. Long brown hair blew slightly as he glared at Gideon. "Your fight is lost brother. Look at your men, at how they fight now." The Deathwing veteran said. Turning around, he saw Michael laying against the wall, blood running in streams down his face. Terphyli was next to him, eyes closed and slump. Demitri, the most experienced of all the initiates, was yelling in pain. His arm twisted backward, and lay on his back, bending to fit the contour. "Then I shall join them." Gideon said. "Rash words, are you sure?" Charging was how Gideon answered. Twisting sideways to dodge the rookies kick, the veteran knocked Gideon's support leg from underneath him. The world went black around the initiate as a foot slammed him into the stone floor. "That was a stupid stunt." Gideon heard "You again." He said. "Get used to it. We need to work on your melee skills, don't we?" "I'm fine." "What if he was not a Dark Angel? You would be dead." "That is why I'm here, to die." "Never underestimate the value of your life. Give it only when absolutely necessary." "Get out of my head." "Soon enough. But first, what have you learned?" "That guns work better than fists." "Wrong. Where are your men." "My men?" "Where is Michael? Where is Demitri? Where is Terphyli? Where are you? In being vengeful, you put your emotions before their lives. Do not forget this." The light was blinding. Shielding his eyes with his hands, Gideon asked out loud. "Where am I?" He opened his eyes again. This time they adjusted and he looked around the room. Sergai was typing on the computer terminal at his desk. "what happened, why are the lights on so high?" Gideon asked. "They haven't changed." Sergai told him. In the twenty-four hours you have been unconscious, your body has made its final adjustments. Light amplification always happens at the last stage." He smiled. "That means you have physically completed your growth. Now we can finish training you mentally." Gideon slid off the bunk. Dizziness filled his head, and he stumbled forward. "You need to check in at the infirmary." Sergai said. "Now." Gideon nodded his head while he set the coordinates on his bracelets. He jogged down the hall as quickly as he could without causing the knot in his stomach to grow any larger. The beds here were a little softer than in the living quarters. Nathaniel was inspecting a large bruise on Gideon's back. Green light bounced around the room, illuminated by the x-ray sheet the Apothecary was looking through. A veteran was talking to Nethanial, telling him what to look for as Gideon's white knuckles gripped a hand bracer. "His Sternum Plate is cracked in three places, you can tell by the darker patches that run along here." The Master Apothecary was saying. "Acetomorphine will not correct this, but it will heal in the length of three days." Gideon stood and put his robe back on. Grabbing his shoulder, Nethanial stopped him from leaving. "You need to slow down. Even though you have matured, your enhancements still are not strong. A damaged organ may not repair itself for weeks." "I will consider that." Gideon said, then left the room. He didn't need a lecture, he needed to find the rest of his squad. The hall was illuminated in flowing white. On brown rock wall were cracks, glowing bright green. Gideon stumbled down the hallway with his head still spinning. The pain in his back was excruciating, biting into the flesh and pulsing. Looking at his watch as it pointed in the direction of Michael's quarters, he bounced of a metal object. Gritting his teeth at the tide of pain that surged over him, Gideon glanced up. A large hand was held out to him. He grabbed it, and stood. "Are you alright brother?" The armored figure asked. "Sir, yes sir." Gideon said. It was then he noticed the Blades of Reason attached to the marine's side. Blue and silver lines ran across the finely honed edge as the marine moved. "Excuse me Chaplain. I am in haste." Gideon told the Interrogator-Chaplain. "A little patience saves a lot of pain." Came the response. Gideon knew better than to question a chaplain's advice. "I will remember that, Chaplain." He stepped aside and continued down the hall, not wanting to continue the conversation. The Chaplain may question my faith, but battle will prove my ability. This is why he must push himself. Arriving at Michael's door, he slammed it with his fist. After a short wait it opened, sliding sideways into the wall. Michael was sitting at his desk, text filled the computer's screen. His face was patched though it now had several nasty scars. "Welcome back." Michael said. "You don't look too hot yourself Mike." Gideon came back. "What are you looking at?" "Home work, as our loving sergeant called it. Just tactics and flight formations. He has been waiting for you to wake up." "Thanks, I will see if he is around." Gideon said the last words, then turned on his heels and walked away. Asmond was in his quarters writing on a glowing pad. Without looking at Gideon he pulled open a drawer. The sergeant tossed a crystal to the initiate. Gideon caught it with his right hand. "Study that, you are going to have performance and faith tests tomorrow. I am giving you and your squad and extra 24 hours because of your condition." Asmond said. "Sir, we will be ready in five hours, sir." Gideon challenged. Without changing his cold, penetrating stare Asmond replied. |
OUTSIDE INFLUENCE VOLUME I By Brother Gideon |
TOMES OF VALOUR |
This story has been reproduced with permission from the author. Many terms used in this story (such as Space Marine, Eldar, and others) are Trademarks of Games Workshop, Inc. Their use here is not intended as a challenge to said trademarks. |
