After everyone had rendezvoused with him, Hector led the team round the patrol approaching them. As he said, there were eight of them. But after some careful, quiet manoeuvring, they managed to get behind the enemy without being seen.
"Right, the way I see it," Hector began, "Me and Cassie and take out the three on the left, Todd, you can take out this guy closest to us, Garius, pretend they're horn berserkers, go nuts, so to speak, sir, you get the two on the right. After that it's anybody's game."
"Ok," Grade said, "Launch on ten, enough time to get into position … good, go."
Hector ran off, Todd, Garius and Grade fanned out a little while Cassie ran in the opposite direction to Hector. 4 seconds to go. Everyone gripped their weapons tightly.
2 seconds to go. They all took careful aim. 1 second to go.
"NOW!" Grade shouted. Almost immediately weapons fire poured into the enemies' rear. Four of the patrol died immediately, and another soon after. Garius was among them before they'd even realised that they were under attack. He sliced, stabbed and beheaded the three remaining men in that order. The whole thing was over in less than a minute.
"Quick, lets get going," Grade said, already moving off at a fast pace, everyone following behind.
"Fire," Reynolds whispered.
Knoff squeezed the trigger and the multi-melta rattled as a beam of super heated energy spat from the multi-melta. It impacted on the flimsy armour of its target, and boiled a huge hole straight through the body, before it landed from being flung into the air by the impact. Reynolds had already fired three beams of plasma, melting through two of the soldiers. Ephassus ventured quickly into the warp, not wanting to draw the watching enemy psyker's attention, and crushed three of the enemies' minds, causing them to collapse instantly. Then Nova and Tempest appeared from almost out of nowhere and levelled each of the remaining seven enemies by themselves, without receiving a return blow.
"Good one," Adams said, trying to help disassemble the multi-melta. Since Knoff's silence by Reynolds, Adams had started to look happier and talked more often. Knoff was simply petrified every time Reynolds looked in his direction.
"ARRGHH!" Ephassus cried out.
"What is it?" Reynolds shouted, running to his side.
"The psyker … it's … looking … for me … its' close," Ephassus said between groans.
"Can we do anything," Reynolds asked, his hand lightly going to his plasma pistol.
"Yes," Ephassus said, "You ungh … are correct … if the psyker argh … finds me, I will … become ehh … a liability … you must ngh … shoot me."
"What?" Reynolds was surprised.
"It will be the only … aghuh … way," Ephassus' breathing became laboured and shallow.
Everyone could only watch as an unkown psyker battle occurred before there very eyes, and yet, they could see nothing.
Then Ephassus was quiet, his eyes closed, he was surrounded by the tell tale signs of a psyker in the warp, the surrounding air temperature dropped several degrees and everyone involuntarily shivered. An inhuman sound came from Ephassus lips, then his eyes opened, a blazing red issuing from them.
Reynolds unholstered his plasma pistol in a flash and held it up to Ephassus' face …