Sewage Tunnels, Metromania. 08:45 am.
The sewage tunnels were wide, tall, and old. Thick concrete walls carried decades of water stains. Pipes ran along the ceiling like veins, dripping slowly into shallow streams that flowed across the floor. The air felt heavy, even to machines. It was dark, with only the blue lights of the E-UNITs reflecting off the wet ground.
"You are an idiot!" 12 yelled. Her voice echoed violently through the dark sewage tunnels.
"Hey! Show some respect," 11 snapped back. "I'm still the captain."
"The captain dies with her ship," 19 replied coldly.
"What does that have to do with leaving 17 alone for a few seconds?" 11 asked, genuinely confused.
12 stopped walking. She was leading the formation. Everyone behind her halted instinctively. She turned sharply, staring straight at 11. "In an environment that directly challenges her hardware limits?"
"I wanted to see if she could improve," 11 answered, doubling down.
18 grabbed 11 by the shoulders and turned her to face her.
"What is wrong with you? Seriously."
"We have to improve," 11 insisted. "If they introduce a technology we can't counter, or worse, something designed to dismantle us, the country will be at risk."
13 shrugged as the team resumed walking.
"Stop acting like you're thinking ten steps ahead. The only one who calculates probabilities like that is the captain."
11 shot back, "I'm not acting. We really need upgrades."
"Not like this!" 12 snapped, turning back while walking. "Girls, we need to fix her."
16 smirked.
"I think we should put her in rice. Maybe the sewage fried her internals."
11's eyebrow twitched.
19 joined in.
"That's outdated. Just turn her off and on again. Clears excess cache."
11 was now visibly angry.
12 raised her phone, shutting them down.
"Come on, girls. She's still our sister."
"12…" 11 muttered.
"I looked it up online," 12 continued seriously. "How to fix a disloyal robot. Got some interesting solutions. Like lightly hitting it until the bad behavior stops. Or stop feeding it. Or kick it out of the house when it misbehaves."
11 snatched the phone out of her hand.
"…HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DOG?! What do you think I am?!"
She scrolled furiously. "This is a two-hundred-page PDF!"
The tunnel exploded with laughter.
Some leaned on the walls. Others wiped fake electronic tears while hitting 11's shoulder.
"Your face! HAHAHA!"
"That setup was perfect!"
"I can't breathe!"
11 rolled her eyes and walked ahead.
12 barely stopped laughing.
"Captain! Wait! We were joking."
13 caught up beside her.
"Think of it as a light punishment for leaving 17 alone."
That did it.
"I AM NOT A DOG!" 11 shouted. "I am still your captain! Show some respect!"
19 stopped.
Her expression changed, calm, sharp, cold.
"Stop copying her."
11 turned slowly.
"What?"
"I said stop copying her," 19 said, stepping closer. "You'll never reach her. She's far ahead."
"What are you talking about—" 11 tried to slow things down.
"Drop the act, cap," 19 interrupted, closing the distance. "You're trying to copy 02's seriousness. Her leadership. But 02 would never abandon a sister."
Silence.
"She overheated her internals to save 03. Nearly melted herself," 19 continued.
"She ignored HUD warnings to save 01, destroying her body frame completely. She circles the whole building asking what everyone needs."
19 leaned in.
"05 told me her HUD constantly replays other E-UNITs' footage. She studies what they miss, just to train them better."
She tapped 11's shoulder and whispered.
"You'll never be her. But don't sabotage others trying. You want her strength, but you ignore what made her strong."
"Okay," 12 stepped in. "That was too far, 19."
19 didn't break eye contact.
"I'm perfectly calm. At least I didn't abandon a sister in need."
The walk resumed.
11 followed behind them now. Head down. Silent. Her system replayed every word 19 said, over and over.
Then. Movement.
A small group of black medics appeared ahead.
11 instantly snapped back into command mode.
"E-UNIT! Take formation!" she yelled.
The robots charged without hesitation.
"Form the wall!"
The E-UNITs moved as one, shoulder to shoulder, M16s raised, barrels glowing faintly.
11's eyes burned red.
"SHOOT!"
Gunfire tore through the tunnels. The flashes lit the darkness in sharp bursts as black medics fell one after another, desperately trying to close the distance.
Seconds later, silence.
The rifles lowered slowly.
11 nodded to 14.
14 jumped forward, scanning every corner, every fallen body.
"Sector clear."
They continued deeper into the tunnels.
Searching.
11 now had a clearer idea where 17 might be.
East-South Gate. Frostholm. 08:20 am.
10 was flying above the eastern side of the city, heading toward the secondary entrance. This entrance had been built far from the center to prevent heavy traffic from piling up in critical areas. Below her, the city was dense and alive. Apartment blocks stacked closely together, balconies filled with people who had been waiting for days to pass through the highway. The tension was visible even from above.
She spotted the enemy adjustments immediately. The previous attacks had forced every checkpoint to raise security to its highest level. Concrete barriers, armored trucks, watchtowers made from stacked containers. Each checkpoint now looked like a small fortress. For ordinary forces, they would be nightmares. For the E-UNITs, they were fragile structures waiting to collapse.
10 landed calmly at the edge of the checkpoint.
The soldiers noticed her at once. The sudden loss of communication with other bases had already put them on edge. Something violent and unnatural was moving through their lines, and what now stood before them confirmed their fear.
One soldier raised his rifle with shaking hands.
"Stop moving immediately. This is a military zone."
To his shock, she stopped.
His mind froze.
"What?" He glanced back at his partner. "Target stopped! I repeat…" then she vanished, "wait. Where did she go? PHIL! EYES UP!"
Phil stepped forward, lowering his stance.
"Where is she?"
The soldier looked around in panic.
"She was right there. A hundred meters ahead."
He slowly raised his head.
So did the others.
Phil began speaking again, unaware.
"Dave, you need rest. All this pressure is getting to you and—"
Dave screamed and ran backward.
"What is wrong with you!" Phil looked up too, to see 10 falling down like a meteor. He had no time to even give an expression to the meteor girl.
She came down like a projectile, shield deployed.
BOOM.
The impact shattered the asphalt beneath her, sending debris outward. When the dust settled, the place where Phil had stood was nothing more than a broken body twisted into the road.
The soldiers opened fire immediately. Fear stripped them of coordination. Bullets hit her shields and stopped, frozen inside dense red energy layers that wrapped around her like invisible walls.
There were no energy blades on her back.
She had replaced them.
The newest addition from her father.
Exo-Knives™.
When the soldiers' magazines ran dry, she deactivated the shields. For a brief second, she stood fully exposed. The soldiers rushed to reload, hands shaking.
They were too slow.
10 pulled eight knives, each resting perfectly between her fingers. Her posture was relaxed. Her eyes were cold and precise.
She threw them.
SEEK.
Six soldiers fell almost instantly, each blade embedded deep into soft flesh before their bodies touched the ground.
The base itself was nothing more than prefabricated plastic rooms placed along the road. A line of armored trucks blocked the highway behind them. Inside, soldiers scrambled in confusion.
Dave stood at the entrance, screaming.
"She is here. She is a little—"
A glowing blade struck his back before the sentence ended.
He collapsed.
The knife returned to its owner, pulled back through the air by a magnetic system. Every soldier inside followed it with their eyes, unable to look away, until they saw a small figure outside the base catching it with ease. The number 10 shone clearly on her clothes.
"What is that?"
"Is she a ghost?"
Before anyone could raise their rifles, she was already among them.
Her eyes moved constantly, scanning, calculating, counting. Civilians in the nearby buildings recorded everything on their phones. Live streams spread across the city within seconds.
Raised her head, the scan finished, weapons aiming at her.
The dance started.
SEEK.
One was dragged from a truck. A knife was planted on his forehead, it returned.
SEEK.
Another dropped on the floor, his chest burned through by focused energy.
The knife still glowing, it returned.
SEEK.
The closest one fell on his knees, his face scorched from the high energy before he could scream. The knife still going deeper, but it returned.
10 changed tactics.
Now she moved with knives in both hands, dashing through the formation. She aimed low. Every strike was deliberate.
SEEK.
Some lost their legs and fell screaming.
SEEK.
Others fell silent, a knife planted directly into their chests.
She never spoke.
She moved like something trained beyond emotion, repeating motions practiced a thousand times, striking only where it mattered.
SEEK.
A scream of one soldier, echoed between the long buildings of the east side of the capital.
Soon, the base was quiet.
Blood covered the road. The smell of metal and smoke hung in the air. From the other side of the highway, civilians began to approach carefully. This was the first time the capital's population had seen an E-UNIT up close.
One man stepped forward.
A child leaned over a balcony above, waving excitedly.
"Papa!"
10 looked up and smiled.
She understood that moment.
The man reached her and hugged her tightly. She froze, unprepared for the contact.
He cried openly.
"Thank you, thank you so much! We were stuck here for four days. We could not reach our families. You saved us. You are a hero. Please keep going!"
10 hesitated, then answered softly.
"You're welcome, sir."
Sewage Tunnels, Metromania. 08:55 am.
The team moved forward between the narrow tunnel walls. Dirty water covered the floor, cold and slippery. The air was thick with rot and chemicals. The ceiling was low, forcing them to stay close together. Water dripped slowly from broken pipes, echoing through the darkness.
It felt like a place made for fear.
But for 12, the real discomfort came from the one walking ahead.
Captain 11.
Her back was straight. Her pace was steady. Too steady. She did not hesitate, did not speak, did not react to the environment at all.
'Maybe 02 made a mistake choosing her as captain.'
'She had no experience leading a unit, and her behavior felt wrong. Cold. Empty. Unnatural for an E-UNIT. Father built her personally. That made it even more disturbing.'
'Is she an experiment?'
Thoughts kept spinning inside 12's system as she followed behind. Her eyes stayed locked on 11's back. Their footsteps echoed against the tunnel walls, metal touching wet concrete again and again.
"We are close," 11 said calmly. "I can sense 17's SOS signal. It is getting stronger."
She kept walking as she spoke, then turned her head slightly toward the team.
"When we find her, do not rush in. 14 and 18, stay back and cover the area. Black Medics could be nearby. We already eliminated twenty of them."
"What."
12's voice was low. Empty. Her body stopped moving.
"What do you mean, what?" 11 replied, irritation slipping into her tone. "The orders were clear."
"What."
This time, 13 and 16 echoed her.
11 stopped walking. She crossed her arms.
"Is this supposed to be a joke?"
No one answered.
Every unit except 11 stared forward in silence.
Slowly, 11 turned around.
17 was lying ahead.
Her body was shattered. Limbs bent at wrong angles. Broken parts scattered across the tunnel floor. Her blue eyes were gone, replaced by dull black lenses. The white alloy of her armor had turned dirty brown and black, corrosion spreading across her frame. Internal systems were exposed, wires and damaged components visible under flickering lights.
If she were human, no one would dare come close.
The team rushed toward her. Scanners activated, sweeping every inch of her damaged body. Data streams flooded their vision.
It was too much.
16 stumbled back, air escaping her systems in short, broken bursts. 14 collapsed, her body hitting the ground hard as her system shut down.
19 turned sharply toward 11. Her fists clenched. She was barely holding herself back.
11 did not react.
12 stood frozen. She did not step closer. She could not.
"I will take command."
11 looked at her as if she had spoken nonsense.
"No."
"For this mission only."
A red glow spread from 12's body. Energy leaked from her armor. Her eyes burned brighter, flooding the tunnel with red light.
"I need to pay them back."
"We do not know if the Black Medics did this," 11 said. Her voice stayed level.
"Then who did?"
12 stepped closer. The distance between them vanished.
"Did you do it?"
11's eyes widened.
"Why would I do that?"
"Then there is no problem," 12 replied. Her voice was calm, but twisted. "I want to finish this mission by dragging their bodies across the city until nothing remains."
For a moment, she looked exactly like 02.
The tone. The posture. The authority.
11 felt something she had never experienced before.
Fear.
She took a step back.
"Fine," she said. "This mission only."
12 smiled. Slow. Unstable.
She turned to the team.
"13, 14, and 15. Take 17 and move her to the repair bay. Do not waste time."
They nodded quickly and lifted 17 with care, then disappeared down the tunnel.
"16, 18, and 19," 12 continued. "You are with me. We end this."
"Roger," they answered together.
11 pointed at herself.
"And me?"
12 glanced at her with open disgust.
"I do not want to see you, I can't stand the sight of you anymore. Go patrol the city. 20 is alone. She cannot be left alone while enemies hide underground. How many targets remain?"
"eighty at most," 11 answered.
12 nodded toward the dark tunnels.
"Then eighty bodies need to disappear."
She turned away. The team followed her, leaving 11 alone in the place where 17 had fallen.
Now she understood what 17 had felt.
12 raised her hand.
"Do not destroy them immediately. Let them feel why we are E-UNITs and they are not. Apply Method 03. The Moving Castle."
"Roger," the team answered.
Their shields expanded, glowing red and blue. The tunnel lit up as energy surged through their frames.
"19," 12 said. "Listen."
They dropped to the ground together, landing in formation with 12 at the center.
"Movement detected," 19 whispered. "Seventy five meters to the left."
Energy flowed into their legs. Speed systems activated. Pressure built.
12's armor leaked energy violently. She was barely holding control.
They launched forward.
The tunnel floor cracked beneath them as they broke through the air. Four streaks of light rushed through the sewage system, tearing through the silence.
They turned left.
Crash.
The first group vanished on impact. Eleven enemy units shattered instantly.
They did not slow down.
"Right. One hundred eighty meters," 19 reported.
They adjusted course.
Crash.
Eighteen more were destroyed. Broken parts scattered across the tunnel walls.
"Seventy meters ahead."
Crash.
"One hundred forty-five to the left."
Crash.
"Ninety meters ahead."
Crash.
Above ground, the city moved on.
A young man stood at a bus stop near the main road. He waited with other students, all tired, all late. He scrolled through his phone without interest.
Bored, he opened his camera and zoomed in randomly. Buildings. Cars. Reflections.
Then the sewer entrance.
For a split second, red and blue light flashed from below.
He froze.
"What…?"
The team finally stopped.
12 lowered her shields and stepped through the wreckage. Broken machines littered the tunnel floor, crushed beyond recognition.
"Pathetic," she said.
She picked up what remained of a half body and lifted it to eye level. Sparks fell from its broken core.
"You belong to me now," she said quietly.
And the tunnel went silent again.