The supervising Magos was completely unaware that an ancient construct had already infiltrated the Hive City. He was even less aware that this ancient being would soon reduce the entire spire to ruins.
Using short-range spatial jumps, Axion effortlessly vaulted over the towering outer walls of the Hive City. His extreme speed was such that the Skitarii patrolling the ramparts mistook the fleeting visual for interference in their optics. A pale blue flash, then a black shadow instantly vanished, leaving no trace.
The moment Axion breached the outer perimeter of the Hive City, piercing alarms blared throughout the entire spire. This surprised Axion slightly.
"I have been detected? Impossible. The War Raven's close-range scan yielded no reaction. How could I have been discovered?"
But when the purple Void Shield shimmered into existence overhead, Axion finally understood.
"It seems someone has noticed the repositioning of the Fragmentation Cannon turret and is now seized by terror."
This development had no material impact on Axion. As he leaped across the rooftops of various structures, biological identification scans swept outwards continually. Here, Axion saw many 'ordinary people,' individuals who bore no obvious signs of mechanical augmentation or other peculiarities. Yet, invariably, the results of the scan did not match the Human template Axion expected.
Axion even took the opportunity to descend and incapacitate two commoners, subjecting them to a detailed examination. Their biological structure was almost perfectly identical to that of a Human, but at the genetic level, they possessed several composite, chaotic gene fragments, showing clear signs of natural iteration following genetic tampering.
This led Axion to question his data.
"Is the database obsolete? Has Humanity naturally evolved and undergone biological development? But why is the genetic expression so corrupted while the physical structure remains unchanged? Rather than biological evolution, this appears more akin to gene-contamination."
Axion's database contained limited information regarding bio-genetics. The Men of Iron were not specialists in biology; most of the data was derived from the input of the Creator species and the Men of Gold. He himself lacked the capability for biological research and development. The collective intelligence of the Men of Iron was focused almost entirely on mechanical technology and the development of intelligent derivative technologies.
According to his foundational records, Axion knew that the Liberator Project had once been executed. This third generation of low-intelligence service automatons, manufactured by the Men of Iron, was intended for simpler, more menial tasks, thereby freeing up more Men of Iron for other duties. However, the records did not specify the outcome of the Liberator Project; the project had only just begun conceptualization when Axion was constructed. He possessed no further details.
Facing the current situation, Axion required more data and specifics. He absolutely had to uncover the historical truth to understand why the galaxy had devolved into this state; all other matters were secondary.
Storing all speculation in his core databanks, Axion continued toward the towering structure in the distance. From his observations along the way, individuals with higher social standing and status were generally closer to the core urban areas, and the closer one got to the upper levels of the buildings, the more elaborate the attire and ornamentation became. Clearly, the highest-ranking individual would be in the apex of the city.
If the genetic expression of the upper echelon was no different from that of the lowest strata, then Axion would be forced to process the city according to his own directives. Should they reject his proposition, Axion would immediately destroy the entire Hive City.
With the flicker of a jump light, Axion's form phased in and out of sight.
He quickly arrived at the tallest central structure of the Hive City. The architectural design was pure Gothic, featuring broad, ornately decorated corridors, ubiquitous symbols of the Cog and Skull, strangely stylized decorations, and colossal statuary. Reviewing the architecture, the entire city seemed to conform to this bizarre aesthetic.
Axion could not understand why this was so. Had the concept of urban planning vanished in this era? Or was the Gothic style truly so universally popular? He recalled the attire of the two commoners he had briefly examined, who seemed to be engaged in some kind of low-tier manual labour.
If Trazyn's account was true, and no other Men of Iron existed in this galaxy, then where were the Men of Stone and the Men of Gold? And if these inhabitants truly were Human, how could they possibly undertake such demanding physical labour? Biological organisms were inherently limited; mechanical entities required neither rest nor cessation of work. Automated machinery could easily handle the issues of environmental contamination, physical labour, and complexity.
"Societal regression is plausible, but regression to this extent seems far too aberrant."
Axion could not understand why things had come to this, but he could find the answers himself.
After traversing several corridors and utilizing several automated lifts, Axion reached the building's pinnacle virtually unchallenged. The deserted state of the upper floors left Axion perplexed. Perhaps the recent alarm had drawn all the guards elsewhere? However, being unopposed was not an impediment.
Axion surveyed the colossal doorway before him, decorated with complex designs that seemed to narrate some forgotten history or perhaps express a warning.
He pushed the grand door open. The spacious, uppermost chamber of the hall came into view.
A figure clad in a long red, hooded robe slowly lifted its head. Only a quarter of the face was recognizable flesh; the remaining parts were almost entirely replaced by mechanical structures. The exposed ocular implants glowed red, while the single biological eye revealed an expression of profound shock.
"An ancient automaton? A mysterious ancient creation, state your intent."
The sudden appearance of Axion left the Magos standing in the hall tense. As the supervising Magos, not only a Fabricator-General, and while he was not entirely without combat capabilities, his power was likely negligible before an ancient relic of this nature.
In his accumulated knowledge, ancient constructs possessed unfathomable abilities, and the entire Imperium and Adeptus Mechanicus were only rumoured to possess a few active Men of Iron. The destructive capability and combat prowess of such a Abominable Intelligence were absolutely beyond his capacity to withstand.
Yet, the construct had not immediately attacked him, suggesting that the ancient texts might be inaccurate.
The supervising Magos's mind raced. He did not know that Axion was no ordinary automaton. His intelligent command matrix meant his virtual personality was inherently more rational and controlled, possessing a clear sense of self-awareness. Abominable Intelligence only manifested in purely combat-focused automatons; Axion's purpose was command and coordination, analogous to an Imperial Warmaster—a dominator among intelligences.
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