Metromania Police Department – Meeting Room – 09:00 AM.
The next morning was cold, even though the sun was shining bright. November had already settled in. The trees were almost empty of leaves, and everyone in Metromania wore heavy clothes. It wasn't snowing yet, but the rain had fallen for days, leaving every corner of the city damp and shining.
Inside the Metromania Police Department, specifically in the new meeting room Dr. Nick had established, the activity never stopped. Not even today. All the metallic girls stood in formation with their creator, waiting for his announcement. Dr. Nick clapped his hands.
"Alright! I've been working nonstop these past weeks, but still, some work needs to be done. The bad state that 04 and 01 were in affected the progress on the new E-UNITS. Sadly, the bots will not join you in the HQ raid. 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14; they're still in training and manufacturing."
He continued, lifting a small tablet. "As you see, 08 and 01 are in an excellent condition now. Our team of engineers under me now are working really fast. That doesn't mean going crazy destroying yourself…" He looked at 07. "And 07's… data… from her misbehavior, disobedience, and life-endangering decisions was valuable."
Everyone turned toward her. 06 folded her arms. 05 sighed. "Honestly… that was too much. The orders were simple."
08 shook her head quickly. "I swear the new E-UNITs are not like her!"
07 stepped forward. "Before we… chat about what happened"
But 02 snapped. Her voice exploded, sharp and furious. "Chat, huh? You're an absolute disgrace to the E-UNIT!"
07 flinched. "You said be flexible"
"Flexible means adapting without THROWING THE PLAN AWAY and putting everyone's life in DANGER!!" 02's eyes burned bright red.
07 raised a hand nervously. "Captain, wait"
02 cut her off with a shout that echoed across the department. "Why is following SIMPLE tasks from your superior SO HARD FOR YOU!? WHY do you need to change things we ALL agreed on!?"
07's voice shrank. "I didn't mean"
"You left your partner ALONE in the battlefield just so you could go cowboy mode and play the hero, risking both your lives! How can you do something even reckless humans don't do!? How can you be this cold-blooded; leaving your own sister behind just to enjoy slicing heads!?" 02's voice dropped to a terrifying whisper. "Don't you know how BAD it would feel to lose her?"
Then she smirked coldly. "Oh… I get it. Maybe you need to experience it." She aimed a pistol at 05. 05 didn't even blink.
07 panicked. "No, Captain! You proved your point! Please!"
But 02 stayed locked in. "You're the one who doesn't get it, 07. You have zero faith in your team. ZERO. Your actions showed it. You didn't trust 06 with anything; you thought your… cannibalism method… was more effective."
She lowered the pistol. 05 stepped in calmly. "Your lack of trust is dangerous on the battlefield. Our duos are a strength equal to our super speed. Giving that up is fatal."
02 walked right up to 07, only one centimeter from her face. Her voice became ice cold. "Never. Ever. Disrespect direct orders." With her eyes glowing red, she looked like a strict father scolding a disobedient child.
07 trembled. "O-o-okay… c-c-captain…"
02 stepped back. Father continued, "… as I said, the data was valuable. We used it to teach new units what not to do."
07 groaned. "Hey! I said I'm sorry! I really"
02 slowly turned toward her, eyes glowing a bright cold red. 07 froze. "Uhm, I mean… it was very valuable also for me to learn from too. I will follow training correctly from now on."
02's eyes shifted back to blue. Nick smiled. "Great resolve, 07! Didn't know you could learn that fast! Anyway, I think you've already seen 08 and 06 in action. They delivered amazing results in their first days of work."
05 blinked. "We on the other hand almost crashed civilians under one-ton machines."
Nick nodded. "Your mission was apparently the hardest; it was too close to a heavily populated area. And I have more to announce." He looked at 02. "02, you're coming with me and Minister Redwood in three to four days to the national TV station. We have an interview. Don't prepare anything, just answer honestly. Just avoid… 'graphic' details about how you slice people open. Not that it's bad, but maybe some underage viewers will watch. Everyone wants to hear about your life as robots living among humans. Even the… bad ones."
02 stood straight and saluted. "Roger that, Father!"
Nick squinted. "You don't have to be on edge with me, you know…"
"No problem, Father!"
Nick sighed. "Okay… and secondly, good news. We got a huge budget increase!"
All the girls cheered. 03 threw her hands up. "Finally!!"
04 nodded. "It took a whole month of heavy work!"
02 crossed her arms. "It wasn't our performance that made them increase the budget…"
Nick smiled lightly. "Exactly, 02."
Silence filled the room. 01 spoke quietly. "That means… we're going to war, huh?"
Nick didn't hesitate. "I believe it won't matter to you. With more E-UNITs coming, you will take the HQ no matter what their trump card is."
03 spoke in a cold, eerie tone. "I want to see more human fireworks… hehe."
Everyone stared at her. 07 joined with a grin. "You mean ninja human fruits, right? Hehe."
03 switched instantly to a cheery voice. "That would be fun, 07!"
05 sighed. "Uhm… sisters, maybe tone down the… whatever that was."
Nick clapped loudly. "ANYWAY. I'm developing better weapons for you based on the M16, since you're used to it. And finally, since there are many of you now, you have free time. Explore the world, use the internet! But don't go into weird stuff, okay?"
08 tilted her head innocently. "What weird stuff?"
The entire E-UNIT squad turned toward Nick, extremely curious. Nick panicked. "Oh, nothing! Nothing at all! Ahem. Anyway, that's all. The new schedule is posted on the tablet hanging at the entrance. I'll be in my lab with my subordinates. The training room is open all day. E-UNIT… dismiss!"
He whispered to himself, smiling. "I always wanted to say that… wait, I didn't ask them why they did delete a whole factory, did they take my orders to the letter? I need to fix this problem in the next update."
Metro Robotics HQ – 10:24 AM.
Shikimori stood inside the HQ's core building with Ethan Wallmore, the company's brilliant chief engineer. The CEO had been deteriorating day by day; more wrinkles, more gray hair, more stress gnawing at his posture. Every three hours he stormed into the development lab, checking on their "E-UNIT-counter," as if staring at it long enough would make it finish itself.
The team looked exhausted. Wallmore had mobilized every senior engineer, every programmer, and every intern with enough fingers to hold a wrench. They were stitching together the prototype piece by piece; the design was complete, the materials prepared, and the schematics polished to perfection. Now it was just about bringing it to life. Watching the machine take shape day after day eased Shikimori's anxiety, but not enough.
Shikimori stood in his vast office, overlooking Metromania. People below had no idea what happened last night. Neither did he. There was a hard knock on his door, and his assistant burst in with a tablet in his hand. "Nothing left!!"
Shikimori turned slowly to his assistant, like he expected the news. "What about the facilities?" he asked in a calm deep voice.
The assistant rushed in, as the room was bigger than a basketball court, and handed him the tablet. "The Assembly line survived, but the mechs on it… Resource storage survived, but damaged. The problem is the core development facility."
"What about it?" Shikimori asked, already fearing the answer.
"It got deleted from the face of this earth. Nothing left except a flat, empty lot."
Shikimori dropped into his chair, replaying E-UNIT battle footage. Every explosion tightened his jaw. Every slash made his fingers tremble. "Those monsters destroyed years of work… years of planning, investment, political positioning… I swear I will crush your dreams, Nick. I will bury your ambitions. You think you're the smartest man in the room? Fine. Fighting a big brain like you is a risk, but I'll take it. Even if it lands me in jail. Or a"
Three knocks snapped him out of it. "Who is it!?"
A calm voice replied, "It's Wallmore."
Shikimori's face lit up, an expression it hadn't produced in a very long time. "Finally! Come in."
Wallmore entered with his usual confident stride. And behind him walked the newly-assembled prototype. "RP.01 is ready, Mr. Shikimori. Our latest… and brightest invention."
Shikimori's grin was almost unhinged. He walked around the machine like a child circling a new toy at Christmas. "I can't believe this! HAHAHA! I only asked for functionality, but this finish, this polish, this is art!"
Wallmore allowed himself a proud smile. "Your satisfaction is more than enough, sir."
"This thing will erase those annoying blue bugs from existence!"
Wallmore's tone shifted into business mode. "It would be 250 percent more effective if we had access to that new crystal foundry, but for now, this miniature nuclear core will do."
"Those crystals ended up in government hands way too quickly," Shikimori muttered. "And honestly, while our branches were being torn apart, I had no time to chase rare minerals."
"Understandable," Wallmore said. "But… after we dismantle the E-UNITs… how do we operate? Every case is stacked against us."
Shikimori smirked. "You underestimate the power of the owner, Mr. Brightson. That man is far scarier than anything Nick produces."
Wallmore chuckled. "I trust RP.01 more than any man alive."
"Good," Shikimori replied. "If the mission succeeds, I'll get you every crystal you want. A massive pay increase. And if everything follows the plan" he leaned closer "Dr. Nick will be your subordinate."
Wallmore's smile stretched from ear to ear. "That last part is especially satisfying"
Shikimori's phone rang. His personal line. He answered instantly. "Is it ready?" he barked.
A voice replied, "Yes, sir. Do you want to see it?"
"I'll be there immediately." He hung up and turned to Wallmore. "While you were buried in work, I prepared… additional measures. In case the situation escalates beyond normal."
Wallmore straightened. "Show me."
They left the office, entering the bustling HQ corridor. Engineers sprinted from room to room, clutching paperwork, spare robot limbs, and malfunction logs. Phones rang nonstop. Keyboards clacked like machine-gun fire. The hallway itself clashed with the chaos; sleek glass walls, polished grey floors, minimalist white décor, and a sweeping view of western Metromania.
At the far end stood an elevator. Shikimori pressed the button. As it opened, several scientists inside jumped in panic.
"G-Good morning, Mr. Shikimori!" "You look great today!" "Your presence is… inspiring, sir!"
He nodded politely. "Good morning to you all. May I use the elevator?"
"Of course!" "Right away!" "Safe trip, sir!"
The two stepped inside in silence. The doors closed. After a moment, Wallmore spoke quietly. "The E-UNIT pushed us to innovate. We needed the challenge."
"As much as I hate admitting it… you're right," Shikimori said. "This prototype would still be collecting dust otherwise."
"And honestly," Wallmore sighed, "we should not have underestimated them in the first place."
"Their childish design was intentional," Shikimori muttered.
The elevator reached the ground floor with a soft chime. They stepped into a colossal underground hangar, a metal cavern stretching farther than the eye could see. Rows and rows of mechs, various sizes and weapon configurations, all powered down but ready for deployment.
Wallmore's jaw dropped. "Holy… Is that our entire inventory?! How… Oh. You moved them through the city…"
"Exactly," Shikimori said. "Magnificent sight, isn't it? Look at them, Wallmore. This is what 'quantity over quality' looks like when you have unlimited budget."
"…and horrifying sight," Wallmore whispered. "I almost feel bad for Nick's creations."
Shikimori chuckled, hands behind his back. "Don't. They're dangerous… and so are we."
Fredric Mil's Mansion – Afternoon.
Mil had been pacing circles around his living room ever since the meeting with Redwood. The more he replayed it, the more his blood boiled. The way he was spoken to, the way he was dismissed; it crawled under his skin like poison. It's not like he was a terrible mayor. Well, except for allowing a 500-billion-dollar corporation to manufacture illegal, globally banned, war-crime-level weapons inside his city… but aside from that tiny detail, he considered himself an excellent mayor.
He stopped pacing and stared at his cat. "If that small dark dot on my record can force me to resign, then surely I can fight back in court. Unreasonable firing… forged papers… it can all work. That Mikael will never know what's coming for him."
He said all this to his cat. Naturally. Either losing power made him lose his sanity, or maybe he never had much of it to begin with. Going after the E-UNIT was like fighting ghosts; you can't touch them, but they can erase you anytime they want. Fredric was about to learn that firsthand.
CRACK!
A window exploded inward; sharp glass flying like ice shards. Fredric screamed and stumbled backward. For a moment he thought it was the police responding to the ankle-bracelet they strapped to him. He rushed toward the kitchen, the source of the noise.
A man landed smoothly through the broken window. Leather brown jacket. Black shades. Black leather gloves. Faded jeans. Classic shoes. He looked like some nostalgic 90's fashion icon. But Fredric knew what this outfit meant: only the ultra-rich used people dressed like that.
He collapsed onto his back, scrambling away as the man advanced. Every slow step over broken glass shaved a month off Fredric's lifespan. Fredric froze. Not from an idea or a plan, his brain simply shut down. His face turned white as a sheet while he tried to speak.
"W-wait, D-David! P-please! I can still be useful to him! J-just give me another chance! I did everything he told me!"
David calmly drew a suppressed pistol and pointed it at Fredric's oversized forehead. "I'm sorry, Fred. Orders are orders. He trusted you. Turns out, he was wrong."
Fredric gasped, breathing erratically. "M-money! Whatever he paid you, I'll double it! Triple, anything! You'll never need money again!"
David clicked his tongue. "Tch tch tch… now I'm disappointed. You should know you can't rival him in money. Not even close."
"Please, I'm begging yo"
Pew.
The silenced shot ended not just the sentence, but Fredric Mil's entire existence.