Metromania General Hospital – 10:12 PM
Alfred Kane reached the hospital in a storm.
The top floor was on lockdown. Officers guarded the corridor. Doctors moved like precise machines. Alfred pushed through the crowds. His breath was heavy. Sweat beaded on his brow.
He slapped his badge on the reception counter. The young woman at the desk smiled and waved it away.
"No need for a badge, Mr. Kane. Welcome back. Questioning prisoners?"
He gave a stiff smile. "Just questioning. I need to get to the bottom of this case."
"You won't need guards," she said, looking bored. "They can't blink without feeling pain. Those robots didn't hold back."
"Which rooms?"
"3005 to 3010."
"Weren't there eight total?"
"The last two were crushed in the van. Pulling them out was..." she shivered, "...a nightmare."
"Are the others stable?"
"Four are stable. One hit the wall at two hundred kilometers per hour. He is under heavy guard."
He moved down the hallway. At Room 3005, he stopped and stepped in.
A man lay wrapped in bandages from head to toe. A mummy in a hospital bed. Alfred crouched by his side.
"Can you talk?"
The reply was raw and furious. "You traitor! You sent us to our death! You said it was light work. Just a quick job on some toy girls!"
Alfred tried a sharp, apologetic tone. "I didn't know how strong they were." It felt weak even as it left his mouth.
"Shut up!" the man spat. His voice cracked. "I swear to God I heard my bones break. Those red eyes... they are the scariest thing I've ever seen."
Alfred felt his old arrogance leak away. Fear crept in.
The wounded man forced his head away. Pain and paranoia were written across his face.
"Don't move," Alfred said, lowering his voice. "The Doctor said you're a bag of broken bones. Thanks for not ratting me out."
"It wasn't for free," the criminal muttered.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure the hospital bills are covered." Alfred tried to sound in control. "It's on the government now. Just wait."
Alfred left the room slowly. Each step felt heavier than the last. The corridors smelled of antiseptic and quiet defeat.
His plan had always been control. Quiet manipulations. Files deleted. Favors called in. Now, a bright blue light had cut across his city and burned down his map.
Outside the ward door, he paused. A bitter, sharp thought crossed his mind. They don't know how dangerous a symbol can be. I'll remind the city why humans still matter.
He had a plan.
The Southern Highway – 11:46 PM
Alfred Kane ran the police system like his private clockwork. At sixty-five, he knew where the gears rusted. When the E-UNIT project first appeared, he laughed. A cute toy police force?
He figured Mikael Wilson had finally lost it. So he let the experiment run. He didn't interfere. How foolish.
He got into his car. The night had fully taken over. Alfred gritted his teeth. At an intersection, he jerked the wheel too fast. He didn't care. He floored it. Traffic blurred. Horns screamed.
"Damn it!" he cursed calmly into the night. Why didn't they wait until I was out of the department? If I can't delete them, then let's add more.
He started thinking out loud. "How can humans beat machines made to surpass them?" He sighed. "No problem. That old CEO will take care of them... even if I hate being in debt to him." He drove a 90s classic with leather seats. The look said 'Respect me.'
But before going home, he took a detour. To the Police Department. He needed to see David. The manager of local files. A good old friend. Complicit in the corruption.
Kane reached the archive office. David, the 62-year-old manager, sat behind his desk. Kane walked in, acting classy and almighty. "David! You still here!"
David smiled. "Where do you want me to be, Kane?"
"In the retirement home, Dave."
"You're closer to that stage than me, Al."
Kane smiled. "You bastard. I will never win an argument against you."
David's face went serious. "So, a night visit means one thing, right?"
Kane nodded slowly. "Exactly right, Dave..."
He wasn't there to delete files. He was there to add one. He planted evidence in the local police database. A file exposing the specific location of a factory owned by Shikimori, the CEO of Metro Robotics.
If Kane was going down, he would make sure the E-UNITs broke their teeth on something harder than street thugs. Shikimori wasn't a joke they could simply punch.
The Next Morning – E-UNIT Wing – 8:20 AM
The charging stations were alive. Five white figures stood in their bays. Dr. Nick sat in front of them with a laptop.
The room looked alien. White plates on the walls resembled circuit veins. Nick smiled, excited and exhausted. He had spent the entire night fixing 01 and 04.
"Alright, girls," Dr. Nick said. "Before we move on, I announce the newest additions to E-UNIT: 01 and 04."
He tapped the laptop proudly. "They don't have fixed roles yet. But for now: 01 handles prisoner transport and station processing. 04 is our heavy lifter. Weapons, machines, anything that needs brute force. That's her."
They snapped to attention. They answered in unity with a military salute. "Roger that, Father."
Nick frowned and laughed at the same time. "Where did you learn that salute? I didn't code it!"
Then, he got serious. "Okay. The Police Head granted us access to the National Database. City case files, camera feeds, transaction logs, everything. Sit and connect."
The E-UNITs slid into the stations. Nick plugged his laptop in.
The connection crawled like a spinal cable into metal flesh. The E-UNITs' eyes flooded blue. The feed hit them like a waterfall.
For a human, it would be chaos. Numbers and faces blurring past. But their faces were blue screens of concentration. They weren't just reading the files. They were living the city's history in milliseconds.
They stood up together. Nick waited for the verdict.
02 spoke first. Her voice was low. "Father... things are way deeper than anyone expected."
"This city isn't drowning in corruption. It's distributing it across the country," 03 added.
"Fixing those broken cords will take time," 05 noted.
Then 04 cut in. "Don't worry, sisters. I already spotted one of the main threat points."
Nick blinked. "Girls, spell it out."
01 stepped forward. "Analysis summary: Internal PD siphons funds into multiple abandoned facilities. Those sites are production points. Weapons. Heavy arms. Military-grade mechs. Ownership funnels back to one megacorporation. The common node in these activities is the PD's Chief, Alfred Kane."
Nick's jaw dropped. Even machines could make a human look small.
Then, 02 allowed a genuine smile. Quick. Proud.
Nick exhaled. "If that's true, walking into this is dangerous. Those mega corps have infinite money and manpower."
02 cut him off. "We need to act, Father. We can't let crimes happen in our city and do nothing."
The whole squad nodded.
Nick tried for caution. "Are you sure?"
03 grinned. "You told us to follow the Captain. Now we follow."
Nick laughed. Part worry, part pride. "Okay. Do as you please, but be careful. I'm begging you."
02 tilted her head. "Say that to whoever stands in our way, Father."
Metromania Police Department – Main Parking – 9:47 AM
Five E-UNITs stood outside the PD building. The weather was perfect. A bright blue sky and a city too busy to notice the storm brewing above it.
The Captain took five steps forward and turned around.
"Alright, team. This is what we're made for. Cleaning the streets. Taking down everything that stands in our way. We know who they are. Now, it's up to us to decide if they're going to jail, the hospital, or straight to hell. Don't be shy to pick the third option."
A few of the girls chuckled, adjusting their weapons.
"It's time. E-UNIT, move out!"
Engines hummed. Thrusters glowed blue. In perfect formation, they lifted into the air. They flew above the city like a formation of steel birds heading to war.
"Hard to believe, huh?" said 03 over the comms. "How can a peaceful city like this be the caretaker of a war-hungry corporation?"
"Simple," replied 05. "It's all a cover."
"Can't believe Father didn't see that coming," 04 muttered.
"Give him a break," 02 said. "He sleeps on the floor next to our charging docks. He's scared something might happen to us."
"When I first saw him do that, I almost... felt something," 04 admitted.
"That's called care," 02 corrected.
"Yup," 03 laughed. "You're definitely a father now, Captain."
The chatter faded as the facility came into view. An abandoned factory on the edge of the city. Old paint peeled off metal walls. Rusted cars sat half-sunk in the ground.
"E-UNIT, into position," ordered 02.
They landed hard.
05 hacked into the internal systems. "Security network is active. Targets near the entrance."
"Excellent," said 02. "Any mechs?"
"No," replied 05. "But several under construction. Wait..."
03 questioned. "What?"
05 frowned. "No engineers. No scientists. It's empty."
02 gritted her teeth. "They're ready for us. We've got rats in HQ." She gripped her weapon tighter. "Doesn't matter. That just means they'll last two more minutes."
Everyone chuckled lightly. Then their eyes turned red.
"E-UNIT, formation!"
The steel doors shattered open. Chaos erupted.
More than twenty armed men lined the corridor, weapons blazing. 01 and 04 took cover positions. 02 and 05 charged forward. 03 stayed behind with her sniper, picking off LMG users with perfect precision.
The hallway was an inferno. Bullets, smoke, shouts. But to the E-UNIT, it was a dance. Those black-market armored suits could stop a human's bullet, but not a machine's precision.
One by one, they fell. In seconds, every hostile was down. Not a single scratch on the girls.
They advanced through the corridor. At the end, double doors.
02 fought the urge to kick them. 04 beat her to it. The doors flew open.
Behind them stood fifty more. Heavy armor. Military-grade exo-suits.
Bullets flew again. Shields flared bright red. The E-UNIT fired in synchronized bursts.
"Don't shoot the computers!" 02 yelled. "We need that data!"
Seconds later, silence. The floor was painted in red and metal.
"Collect everything," ordered 02. "All data. All files."
They moved quickly. USB cables, hard drives, server cores.
Then 05 froze. "Captain... something's off. The space. From the outside, this place looked way smaller."
02 paused. "Now that you mention it..."
A low rumble shook the floor. Metal grinding against metal. A wall slid open like a massive garage door.
Then, silhouettes. Three. Massive.
03's voice trembled: "What the hell is that!?"
Smoke poured out. Three giant mechs stepped forward. Each one towered above them, jet-black armor with yellow highlights, dual turrets for arms.
One pilot sneered over the speaker: "Weren't there five of them?"
"Probably one down already. This'll be easy."
Then the world exploded.
Turrets fired nonstop. Thunderous. Deafening. The E-UNIT shields barely held.
"Captain!" 04 shouted. "We can't hold much longer!"
"We need to move!" cried 05.
02 clenched her jaw. She took a step forward to test their aim. Bullets rained around her.
"Big means slow."
She vanished. She reappeared behind one mech and kicked it off balance. The steel giant collapsed.
05 took flight, strafing around the others, shooting weak points. Sparks flew. The pilots panicked, firing wildly.
Then, from the shadows, a soldier with a rocket launcher took aim. He waited for the perfect moment.
02 stopped moving, deep in thought. Perfect. He fired.
"CAPTAIN! MOVE!" screamed 03.
She dashed forward. Faster than instinct. She pushed the captain aside while flying up. The rocket locked onto her heat signal.
03 realized too late. "Of course... heat-guided..."
The explosion swallowed her.
02 froze. Her mind blanked.
03 fell. Broken. Burning. Unmoving.
Time stopped. It was the first real pain 02 ever felt.
She turned to the soldier. Her systems went blank.
The man trembled. He tried to reload, his hands shaking.
She walked toward him. Slow. Silent. No words. No emotion.
He stumbled back. He fell. He screamed.
"Shut up." Her voice was colder than death. "Die."
She jumped on him, and didn't stop hitting.
Metal fists. Again. And again. And again.
He was gone in seconds. She didn't care. Her anger was a fuel.
When she stood, blood dripped from her hands. She took the rocket launcher. Loaded it. Rose into the air.
Without a word, she flew straight into the battlefield.
05, 04, and 01 were still fighting. "WHERE'S THE CAPTAIN?!" shouted 04.
She fired.
A blinding flash. The explosion shook the ground. Metal, smoke, and fire erupted as one of the mechs fell like a collapsing tower.
The other two turned around. Too slow.
Second rocket. Another mech went down in a storm of fire.
The third pilot screamed, "What the..."
He didn't even finish.
02 slammed into the cockpit glass like a bullet. Through the thick smoke, he saw her face. Cold. Soulless. Her red eyes glowed like molten steel.
She started punching the glass. Crack. Crack. CRASH.
The pilot panicked, shaking the mech to throw her off. She didn't move. Her fingers dug inside the breaking glass, ripping chunks out until he was exposed.
Then came the rage.
She didn't scream. She didn't speak. She just struck.
Each punch crushed the cockpit. Blood splattered. Systems sparked. Alarms screamed. But she didn't stop until the cockpit fell silent.
Her sisters stood still. They watched their captain delete the enemy.
Her sisters fell silent. "Captain..." whispered 01.
02 spoke in a voice that could freeze time.
"How is 03?"
They ran to her body. 05 scanned her immediately. "Very bad. Internal damage everywhere."
02's voice cracked over the comms. "Father!"
Nick's voice came through, stressed. "What?! You scared the hell out of..."
"Allow super speed!" she shouted.
"What?! We didn't finish safety revisions yet! It'll fry your..."
"FATHER! 03 IS DYING!"
Silence. Then: "Authorized."
02 turned to the others. "05, collect evidence. 01, take survivors. 04, clear the road before me."
All in unison: "Roger that, Captain!"
02 lifted 03 gently. "Hold on, sister..."
04 sped ahead. "All clear, Captain!"
02 leaned forward. No lag. No hesitation. She launched.
Speed one. Wind screaming.
Speed two. Vision blurring.
Speed three. Lightning.
Her eyes glowed electric blue. Trails of plasma sparked behind her as she broken the sound barrier. People below saw only a streak of light, then heard the thunder seconds later.
She held 03 tighter. HUD flashing. Route locked.
At the 10th intersection, 04 warned. "Blocked road ahead!"
02 didn't slow down. She jumped. High enough to touch the clouds. The city watched in awe as she crossed half of Metromania in one impossible leap.
She landed, shattering the road, and accelerated again.
Two minutes later, she was at HQ.
She stormed into Dr. Nick's lab, handing him 03 without a word.
Nick connected her to his terminal. Silence. Then a green light blinked. Her SSD was intact.
"She survived," Nick whispered. "I'll give her a new body."
He rushed to the reconstruction chamber.
02 dropped to her knees. Her metal fingers shook. For the first time, her systems didn't know what to process.
She looked at her hands. Still dripping red.
She felt something no code could define.
Trauma.