Chapter 06: Web of Pressure

Metromania Police HQ. The Chief's Office. 11:13 PM.

Alfred Kane had just left the meeting with the big heads—and it had gone badly. The Mayor and the CEO had unloaded responsibility onto him like stones, pressing him to do whatever it took to stop E-UNIT.

Alfred sat at his desk, opened the curtains for the first time in days, and stared at the city skyline. He had a long list of things to fix.

First: Calm the E-UNITs down. Not by force; he wouldn’t last two seconds against those metal fists. No, he needed a leash—praise, orders, something public that kept them useful but contained.

Second: Manage the factions. By agreeing to help the CEO and the Mayor, he’d stepped between rival powers. On one side, the police brass pushing E-UNIT as a solution. On the other, Metro Robotics, demanding blood for their destroyed factory.

“It’s necessary,” Alfred muttered to himself. “I can’t let a kid and his little metal girls destroy twenty years of work. I refuse to go to prison.”

His oldest friend, Officer Gus, watched him from the doorway. Gus could read Alfred’s fatigue like an open file. “You’re overthinking it, Alfred.”

Alfred turned from the window. “Stop messing around, Gus. I’m in the worst spot in this cobweb.”

“Not necessarily,” Gus replied. “You’ve got ideas.”

“You have bright ideas?” Alfred asked, hope and sarcasm mixed.

“Yes. But they need perfecting.”

“Then I’ll be your perfectionist, friend.” Alfred took Gus’s hand and squeezed it.

Gus smiled. “The only thing you need to focus on now is making sure E-UNIT doesn’t get to you. What they did to that factory is a side mission. Make sure the public remembers why we hired them.”

“Because crime overwhelmed the existing force…” Alfred finished.

“Exactly.” Gus’s voice was cool. “More crime means the public will clamor for more E-UNITs in the streets. Public safety becomes the priority—and fewer investigators digging into our little secrets.”

“And I have another solution in hand in case our little job here doesn’t go well…” Alfred laughed softly. “Gus, let’s get a beer after the press release tomorrow. Like the old days.”

“You know me well, Alfred. Consider me there.”

The Interrogation Room. 10:00 AM.

The next morning, 02 and 05 had delivered the suspects—the drivers from the truck—to the interrogation rooms. The Captain leaned close and whispered into 05’s comms before slipping into the adjacent room.

05 pushed the door open and entered like someone terrified. The door slammed loud enough to rattle the building.

She planted herself opposite two young men at a plain wooden table. She sat, hands trembling on purpose, eyes wide as if about to break.

“You need to listen to me!” she snapped.

BAAAM! The wall behind her shook. A heavy impact from the next room.

“Please—there’s no time! I need you to lay out everything you know! For your own safety!” she pleaded, her voice cracking.

The two men swallowed hard. “What do you mean?” one stammered.

BOOM! Another slam made the fluorescent lights flicker. Dust fell from the ceiling.

“Please listen—she’s crazy! These walls are soundproof; they should stop any noise! But that didn’t stop her!” 05 cried.

The second man whispered, “I know that—then what’s that noise?”

“It’s her!” 05 hissed.

“WHO?” they demanded.

She leaned in and whispered, “The… Captain.”

“The who?”

“She’s crazy. Do you know what she is hitting right now? Your colleagues,” 05 said, her voice small but fierce.

“That’s illegal!” one scoffed weakly.

“You think she cares? She’s a monster!” 05’s tone rose.

CRASH! Another brutal impact, as if someone were battering the corridor with a wrecking ball.

“She doesn’t care about how she gets information. She gets it. And if someone resists—” BOOM! The walls shuddered again.

“Why aren’t you stopping her?!”

“I’m scared, okay!? She destroyed my sister when she didn’t follow orders!” 05 blurted out.

The memory flashed in the criminal's mind—the news footage of the broken android on the highway. “That was your sister? It was your Captain who did that to her? Wasn’t it the mech?!”

“That mech was nothing,” 05 managed, fake tears forming in her eyes. “She—on the other hand—”

SMASH! The sound made the reinforced glass tremble.

“Please—she’s getting angrier! I beg you, give us information!” 05 cried.

“I don’t know!” the first wailed.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM! The hits increased in ferocity.

05 fell into raw panic. “PLEASE! I DON’T WANT US TO DIE HERE!”

“Please,” one whispered, breaking down. “we’ll tell you anything. Just stop her.”

The pounding stopped. For a moment, there was only heavy silence. Then, a hissing sound from the vent.

05’s eyes went wide with dread. “Oh no…”

“WHAT?!” one of the men screamed.

She rose as if pulled by a string, her voice a terrified whisper. “She’s coming.”

“Please stop! OKAY! We’ll tell anything we know! Just stop her!” they pleaded.

CRASH! The door exploded inward.

02 slammed through the frame, sending metal shelving and files scattering across the floor. She stood there. Red eyes glowing. A deadly calm stare. She turned slowly toward the table.

“No—stop her, please! I’ll tell everything!” the men screamed, huddling in the corner. “Stop that monster—I beg you!”

02 paused. She pivoted back into the other room and slammed a filing cabinet into the wall. BANG! One suspect fainted. The other was hyperventilating.

05 sagged with relief. “Thank you... We survived today.”

“Today?” the conscious criminal asked nervously.

05 looked him dead in the eye. “You survived today. But if she checks that info and finds a lie...” She glanced at the hole in the wall. “Pray she doesn't come back.”

05 grabbed the confession tablet and walked into the next room, where her Captain was destroying the wall.

02 looked at the dented doorframe. “Am I that scary? The guy fainted.”

05 swallowed. “I guess 01 was right…”

“Right about what?” 02 asked, wiping debris off her shoulder.

05 blinked, then forced a tight smile. “Nothing, Captain. We got the data.”

She held up the tablet. “And... it’s worse than we thought.”

E-UNIT CHARGING BAY. 02:45 PM.

The E-UNIT began extracting information from the eleven men who survived both factory and truck attacks.
But it wasn’t easy — the CEO had covered his tracks perfectly.

Metro Robotics Corp was built like a maze — a multilayered fortress of secrecy. Each division only knew the layer directly above or below them.
The energy-source team never met the transport division.
The transport crew had no clue where the assembly parts came from.
And the factory E-UNIT destroyed? It was only responsible for external body frames.

The survivors they captured were nothing more than janitors and maintenance staff. The two guards 01 brought in were simple hires from a third-party security firm. They knew nothing about the core operations, except one important suspect.

Inside the charging bay — the only room secure enough for private talk — the captain stood before the others. Her voice was calm but sharp:

“Metro Robotics is massive… but not every city accepted their presence. No mayor wanted military-grade mech factories near civilians. Every single city council refused them — all except this one.”

She paused. The blue HUD light reflected in her eyes.

“The mayor accepted, under two conditions: first, the company would pay him personally to operate here. Second, they’d build their factories far away from the city. Why? We still don’t know.”

05 crossed her arms.

“And the Chief knew about all this. They bought his silence — stocks, piles of cash, maybe even retirement promises. He shared the profits with old veterans in the department. But there’s one big problem.”

02 nodded, serious.

“No hard evidence. One — all the money is in cash, no digital trail. Two — the stocks are registered under fake names. Even the company documents are clean. But if we ignore the bribes for a second… how is this company manufacturing illegal military weapons under his radar?”

05 raised her hand slightly.

“Technically, we could bring them down legally — but the mayor and the chief would walk away rich before that happens.”

02: “Exactly. But now we’ve got a lead. We know some of their sites. If we dig deep enough, we’ll find something that ties that grey-haired snake to the corporation. He’ll probably try to twist things in the press conference today, but this time—”

Her red eyes glowed faintly.

“We’ll take the case from his hands. As an independent emergency protocol unit.”

01 sighed, arms behind her head.

“Crime’s been insane these last two days. Even small stuff. With just me and 04 out there, it’s too much. Something fishy is happening behind the curtains.”

02’s tone softened slightly.

“You two have done enough. We’ll redistribute tasks after Father’s video call with Mikael.”

04 blinked.

“Captain, you said getting info was impossible since no department knows the other. How did you even get all this?”

02 smirked.

“Because we caught one of their oldest workers. The security company they use — it’s not just for protection. It handles their money, their resources, their transport, everything. That’s why the factory was empty — they evacuated all engineers through that network. And still, the info we got aren’t the scraping the surface yet, what we got is just mere talking between co-workers.”

01 clenched her fist.

“Then that’s our ticket. We cut down their legs one by one.”

04 leaned forward, eyes sharp. “One more question — why can’t we just go and beat the CEO by force? I’m sure he’d confess immediately.”

02’s gaze didn’t waver. “This system is too rotten. The CEO is a pawn — remove him and someone else with deeper power simply takes his place. They’re selling illegal weapons; they’ve got hands in government. We need to burn the company to the ground and leave no trail for anyone else to continue their work.”

05 added, measured. “Taking the corp case from the Chief will be a problem. We’ll need heavy backing from the Police Head to officially transfer the case.”

02 nodded once. “Since Metro Robotics attacked us and we took down one of their factories, we have jurisdictional leverage. But yes — get the Chief out of it as fast as possible.”

04 exhaled. “This is complicated…”

02 gave a small, confident smile. “Don’t worry. The Police Head and the Minister of Internal Affairs are on our side. The problem is we don’t yet know who’s pulling the strings on the other side.”

And then silence filled the room, knowing they need to act perfectly from now on.

The others dispersed to prep their gear, leaving 02 and 05 alone by the main console.

05’s eyes flickered rapidly, processing the terabytes of stolen data.

“Captain,” 05 said, her voice dropping to a private frequency. “I ran the simulations. If we engage Metro Robotics directly... the probability of a city-wide fallout is 94%.”

02 didn't look at the screen. She looked at her own metallic hand, clenching it slowly.

“I know. They supply the military. They own the politicians. If we strike them, we aren't just fighting a company. We are declaring war on the country's economy.”

“Is it worth it?” 05 asked, pausing her calculations. She turned to 02, her blue eyes searching. "03 was almost destroyed by a single prototype. If they mass-produce those...”

02 stared at the reflection in shining chair charging pod.

‘She's right. A war doesn't determine who is right - only who is left. If I lead my sisters into a grinder against unlimited money and steel... am I really protecting them?’

But then, the image of Father’s tired face flashed in her mind. The way he looked at the rotting city with disdain.

“It's not about being worth it, 05,” 02 replied, her voice hardening into steel. “It's about necessity. A tumor doesn't stop growing because you ask it nicely. You have to cut it out.”

She looked at 05, her gaze burning with cold resolve.

“We won't just enter a war. We will end it before they realize it started. That is the only way to keep the city—and 03—safe.”

05 stared for a second, then a small, chilling smile touched her lips. “Understood. Then it’s time we break their legs.”

Metro Robotics HQ. The CEO’s Office. 03:12 PM.

The CEO returned to his luxurious, glass-walled office. He was visibly tense, almost trembling. Not from fear of the E-UNITs. But from someone much more terrifying.

Someone who could end his career—and his life—with a single call. Metro Robotics wasn’t just a company; it was an empire feeding on chaos, selling weapons to both sides, igniting wars only to profit from the smoke.

Shikimori sat down, his chair hugging him with synthetic leather comfort. The room was futuristic—holo-screens danced around him, graphs glowing green with billions earned.

A thunderous knock shook the massive door.

“Mr. Shikimori! The Owner is asking for you!”

“What?! Tell him I’m not available!” he snapped.

“I can’t, sir. He already knows.”

Shikimori sighed, rubbing his forehead. The graphs on the screen seemed to mock him. “This will be a long call.”

Metromania Press Center. 04:40 PM.

Meanwhile, miles below the skyline… Chief Alfred Kane adjusted his brown suit and fixed his tie.

Today wasn’t just a press conference—it was a battle. The first since E-UNIT came online. And the first since his superior, Mikael Wilson, had publicly questioned his department’s competence.

This was his chance to prove the human force still had value.

He stepped onto the podium. Cameras flashed like lightning. The room fell quiet as the city’s top journalists leaned forward, ready to feed.

“Thank you all for coming,” Kane began calmly. “This is a standard press conference following recent events involving the E-UNIT and the Metromania Police Department.”

He could feel the tension boiling. They all wanted the same answer: Why were robots doing the job of humans?

A reporter from Metro Morning raised his hand. “Sir, why did Police Head Mikael Wilson create a new android unit to do what your force was already doing? Does he no longer trust your leadership?”

Kane’s eye twitched, but he forced a polite smile. “Mr. Wilson’s decision came after a rise in organized crime. The E-UNIT was meant to assist, not replace. We still work hand-in-hand—they follow our orders.”

A journalist from Sunny Magazine interrupted. “Then why did he limit your emergency authority and move high-risk cases directly under E-UNIT control? Sounds like he’s testing who’s better—robots or men.”

Kane’s voice grew heavier. “Because the E-UNIT is equipped to handle large-scale threats. That doesn’t mean the human force is obsolete. They are a tool. We are the decision-makers.”

Another hand shot up—MM News, live on air. “Chief, the E-UNIT’s performance videos are going viral. People are calling them the ‘Real Protectors of Metromania.’ Some say they’ve solved cases your department ignored. Are we seeing a transition to android-led law enforcement?”

That one hit deep. Kane hesitated, gripping the lectern until his knuckles turned white.

“They’re efficient, yes. But machines can’t feel fear, doubt, or mercy—things that make us human. We don’t destroy threats blindly; we use judgment, empathy, law. That’s something no code can replicate.”

The questions came faster. “They caught bank robbers!” “They ran faster than any car!” “If trained more, will they replace you, Mr. Kane?”

Alfred’s jaw tightened. “They will never replace us.” He scanned the room, fighting an irritation that tasted like fear. “We’ve built courts and laws over millennia. These machines lack the—”

The murmuring grew until one journalist shouted: “—But the people trust them more than you!”

The air froze.

Then—the sound of chaos at the entrance. “Hey, you can’t come in here—!”

Cameras turned. She walked through the guards like a silent storm. Captain 02.

Her cold, unreadable eyes locked onto Kane. She stepped up to the podium and stood beside him, hands behind her back. Every movement was precise.

Flash-Flash-Flash! The photography went wild.

Alfred’s face tightened into a mask. The cameras framed them together: The Old Guard and The New God.

One reporter found the courage to speak. “Captain—your opinion on the human force? You’re a robot—what do you think?”

She listened to the question like she was tasting something bitter. Then, she answered cleanly.

“As we observed their responses,” she said, her voice cool and precise, “we detected systemic flaws in how emergencies are handled. The local authorities show incompetence, negligence... and deep corruption that costs lives.”

Silence hit the room like a freight train. Even the microphones seemed to hold their breath. Alfred stared at her as if she had announced a coup.

She pointed to another reporter, calling her out by badge number. “You asked about the form of corruption?”

A flurry of pens. She didn’t blink.

“Many cases get delayed without reason. Evidence is trashed or altered. Powerful people evade justice while funding is mysteriously diverted. We are treating these cases carefully. If we resolve them, many in human authority will face layoffs—and some will see prison for the first time.”

She looked dead at the camera. “That’s not a warning. It’s a fact.”

Murmurs swelled into noise. Another reporter shot up a question about duties. At that instant, an emergency call crackled through the E-UNIT network.

“A gang fight at main city Metro Park! Units nearby, intervene immediately!”

01’s voice came through the comms: “On our way.”

05 followed: “Engaging in 3 minutes.”

The Captain turned to Alfred with an unblinking stare. “Public safety,” she said quietly, almost conversational. “We’ll show you how it’s done.”

She turned to the cameras. “Excuse me. We have work.”

She walked out. The room exploded in noise—reporters yelling, flashes blinding.

Chief Kane stood frozen in place. His entire attempt to restore human pride had just been dismantled in front of every lens in Metromania.

He could already imagine Mikael Wilson watching the broadcast—smiling.