The Iron Hands gradually eliminate the inherent weakness within their bodies, making them increasingly _ mechanised. This was further | developed to form the principle of | the Iron Hands: the unyielding mind and the unyielding body. aumech kept his eyes fixed on the rwelve inches of needle as it poached through his chest, He semained impuissive as the medial servitor performing the procedure did the work it fad been built for. He knew it would do fs task perfectly and, in any case, whatever trepidation he might have felt was exceeded by excited anticipation Looking past the pallid, dead flesh of the servitor. Gaumech acknowledged the approach of Surlock, The Tron Father was more machioe than mas; | the whole left side of his face, his sight eye, both legs and inevitably his left hind were clearly bionic. Gaumech could barely jimagine the years of service and battle glory that had bought Sarlock such blessings. The Iron Father looked down on | Brother Gaumech, his experienced eye | taking in his injures. from the clamps that sealed his stump of a right arm to the mangled remains of his left leg. Sarlock | raised his Mechapicus Protectiva, the | symbol of his office, and in a cold | monotone voice began the rites. “Brother, Iron Hand, Child of Ferrus and Meduss. Your journey to a purer state | begins now. Transuat Mechanics Purgatus. | Brother Gaumech watched with total cal. as Suelock’s servo-arm swung dows, its pincers opening to precisely enfold the upper thigh of his ruined leg He heard the Iron Father's voice, “Look to me. This shall betray you po more” Brother Gaumech looked into the cold, | machine eyes of the Ito Father as the pincers closed and the pain began. He triggered his Sus-an Membrane and put his mind somewhere else, choosing the battle in the hive city on Gantor Terentes, the battle in which he received his injuries. Indifferent now to the whirring of blades | and the wet sounds of shorn flesh he saw the towcring foundry ahead of him with perfect recall Gaumech followed Sergeant Coureas as he strode directly at the foundry gates, lsfire | and slugs bouncing from his sacred Tactical Dreadnought armour THE FLESH IS WEAK An Iron Hands Space Marine’s evolution “Suppressive fire” ‘The squad halted as Sergeant Courras directed his fire at a gantry high above the gate that was packed with heretic rebels and they fired in unison in support. With minimal cover, the cultists were ripped apart by the murderous fusillde Methodically, the Iron Hands swept the gantry vatil all the enemy were purged. ‘There was no mercy. merely contempt for the foe's weakoess ‘To the right. cowering behind 2 tangle of shattered rockerete and scorched iron beams, were a squad of Gantor PDF. Sergeant Cournss ordered them to stand and attack but they just tried to crawl deeper into the rubble. Gaumech grabbed the nearest and hauled him 10 his fet. “This is your world, held in trust from the Emperor. It is bad enough that you allowed these rebels to build theie strength, but now you fail to put them dows. Will you fight or have you yielded to fest?” In reply the terrified man twisted and squirmed in the grip of Gaumech's bionic left hand, babbling and weeping. The Space Marine hurled him fully five yards onto the jagged rubble, Gaumech looked to Courras for confirmation and the sergeant raised his storm bolter. Quickly and efficiently, using the minimum of ammuritioa, the Iron Hands executed their erstwhile allies. “Weakliogs” rumbled Sergeant Courras, “we ae better without them” Without a second glance, the Tron Hands resumed their advance on the foundry ‘Three servo-skulls flew about Gaumech’s body. each working on 2 separate augmentation: leg, arm and eye. lon Father Sarlock observed their handiwork. paying particular atteation to the arm. It had been fashioned long ago and was essentially irreplaceable. It had survived some twenty previous hosts, and Suslock had no doubt it would survive twenty more. The Space Marine's prodigious powers of hesling were boosted by an array of bulbous, brass life support devices that hung over the operating table, tubes and wires connecting ‘with the nodes on Gavmech's black carapace. The Space Marine would be allowed to remain in self-induced suspended animation vatl his strength had recovered enough to resume full training Gaumech stood on a raised platform at the top of an iron stairway. having beca separated from his squsd in the labyrinthine foundry. With a roar. another wave of cultists rushed at the stars and surged up. two abreast. Gaumech was out of frag gremades but a few well-simed bolter bursts turned the charge into a chaotic climb up blood-sosked. slippery steps. lnevitzhly, though, the seething tide of madness pressed on Gaumech met them as they reached the top step, his bionic hand closing around the throat of the first heretic, He squeezed, snapping the man's spine like a twig before husling him into the press below. The Iron Hand refused to weaken or to relent: his ethos was duty, unyielding and unmerciful One by one the cultists died, clubbed by the bionic fist or ripped asunder by the combat knife in his right hhand. Despite their fervour the cultists. exhausted by the hellish climb, were unable to get any footing at the top and their Keaves, pistols and clubs posed little theest to the Space Marine's ceramite armour, but in their madness they threw themselves at him and died by the dozen. However, while they died, another equally corrupt but more devious mind pursued 3 more cunning course. Gaumech wis using his Lymaa's Ear implat to filter out the cries of the combatants and the roar of weapons fire. At the ceatre of the battle, hee listened to the minimum of sousd that he needed: heartbeats, footflls and the whine of slugs cutting through the air. His foe could be stealthy. though, and it was coly when he heard the charging hum of + plisma weapon behind him that he turned to see 2 skeletally gaunt man, aaked to the waist, his body covered in ritual scars, aiming directly at him. Gaumech hurled his