"I will not leave my men," Said the wolf loudly as rounds sparked on his terminator armor. He pointed to his fallen comrades and spoke again. "I will not leave my men. Tell my brothers that I will see Russ soon, and will wait by his side." Gideon nodded. "I will make sure your men die with honor," he said. "Thank you, son of Johnson." The cultists had regrouped and were charging once more. Chaos marines followed closely behind the rebels. "Were getting out of here!" Gideon shouted over his headset. The space wolf said something into his radio set, and his men looked at him. Slowly they backed away and formed up by the land raider. "You angels, you aren't as week as I once thought you were! I'll tell Leman Russ to forgive you!" the old wolf yelled as Gideon boarded the Angel of Wrath. The transport was crowded, but bearable. The blood claws were restless and angered about leaving their commander behind. Gideon didn't blame them. He quickly took the commander's seat again and backed the vehicle up. Cultists had already overwhelmed the wolf and their weapons were streaming blood. "Michael, where are you?" Gideon said over his radio. "At your side," came Michaels reply. Gideon turned the tank around and accelerated from the area. Two explosions rocked the Angel of Wrath, throwing Gideon to the floor. The machine made several crunching sounds before sliding to a stop. The main doors opened, letting ash inside. "Everyone out!" yelled Malachai. The group scrambled to exit the machine, stumbling over other occupants. From the outside, Gideon could see part of the land raider's hull had been blown apart. The track was spread down the street and the machine itself was in a large ditch. Gideon began scanning the rooftops for activity. A large cracking noise under his feet drew his attention away. A spider web of cracks was spreading out beneath Gideon's feet. He motioned to the others to stay where they were, then the world went black. Gideon could feel himself falling for what seemed like minutes before landing hard on his back. Alarms sounded in his helmet and the familiar voice kicked in. "Warning, external oxygen supply dangerously low. Switching to internal oxygen supply." Slowly, Gideon strained to his feet. He felt as if he was lighter somehow, but the room was pitch black. The marine activated his light amplification system. Debris floated past him in the air. His vision was still drastically reduced, but he could see a few feet ahead. Cautiously, Gideon made his way forward, keeping his pistol drawn. A ladder appeared a short ways away and he moved towards it. Putting his hand on it, he pulled down to test it. The metal held in place firmly. One hand at a time, Gideon climbed the ladder, then the "light" feeling was lost. His vision increased, and he released he had been inside a large pool of some sort. A small white hole sparkled in the ceiling above, but it was no larger than a bolt shell. "Well! Look who was thrown out with the garbage," said a voice behind him. Gideon turned to identify the speaker. A figure in black armor and green cloak leaned against the wall. Images ran through Gideon's head as he tried to identify the man. Then his eyes locked on a large, golden sword that the figure carried. Anger flashed through Gideon as he drew the Foil. It sizzled and sparked, making the room flash with light. Gideon clenched his teeth hard. He could feel one of his molars splitting  down the center, but ignored the pain. With a roar, the Grandmaster charged, drawing the sword back and preparing to strike. Something halted him in his tracks. The traitor was no more than three feet in front of him, but he couldn't move. Blood drained from Gideon's mouth and madness consumed his thoughts. The traitor turned and walked away. Gideon strained to move, to run to crawl if he must. "Not yet." Gideon collapsed onto the ground and spat a mouthful of blood to the concrete. "What the hell is going on?" shouted Gideon. He felt a hand on his back and was slowly raised to his feet. Michael and Nethaniel helped Gideon to his feet while Malachai and Asmond kept a watch out. "Sir, the chaos forces are withdrawing. We've been ordered to join the black Wolf in orbit. Something has the inner circle spooked," said Michael. "You tore muscles in both your legs. Nothing seems broken though," Nethaniel said curiously. The squad as aboard a small imperial transport vessel. Gideon's strike force had already been picked up and was waiting on the Black Wolf. The command squad would have to circle the planet to catch up with the cruiser. The small craft shuddered, then started to change direction. "Malachai, what's wrong?" asked Gideon. "The ship has stopped responding," answered the techmarine. The ship was jolted again and the marines stumbled to keep their balance. The hatch flew open, and two small disks bounced into the room. "Get down!" yelled Asmond. The disks exploded into a blinding flash. Gideon felt himself knocked over and fought to maintain conciseness while Marines in black armor poured through the hatch, and begun to grab Gideon's squad. The Grandmaster noticed the same marine he'd seen earlier giving commands. The man turned to Gideon and spoke aloud. "Take them to the interrogation chambers." Gideon felt a sharp pain on the back of his head, and then the world went black "So it begins."

OUTSIDE INFLUENCE VOLUME II - OF ANGELS & WOLVES 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.

TO BE CONTINUED ............

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