Chapter 26: As Usual.

Reynold Bridge. 10:05 AM.

03 stood on top of Reynolds Bridge, the wind pushing through her blue, majestic hair. Her dark clothes contrasted perfectly with the bright sky and the smooth white surface of the bridge.

The view from up there was incredible. The structure was newly built, connecting the mainland to an uninhabited island far off the shore, an island chosen for the first fully automatic E-UNIT factory. After two years of nonstop success from the team, the new mayor, Jason Guard, approved the project with a smile. Construction had already started, hoping to expand the E-UNIT program and earn the city revenue from the neighboring regions who would pay for protection.

'Get ready, 03. We're coming to your location.'
02's voice echoed through her comms.

"Roger that, Cap." 03 dropped down, aiming straight toward the incoming traffic. "What a nice view…"

The bridge hovered over the Meridian Tides Sea, offering a clear look at the city skyline and the distant shore.

She adjusted her sight. "03 here. Ready whenever you are."
Through her scope, they appeared.

A white semi-truck speeding at full force, with 02 and 05 sprinting along each of its sides. The driver refused to slow down, clear enough sign that this was the suspicious vehicle from their intel.

24 and 25 spoke over comms:
"Captain, we arrived at the location."
"Give us the orders."

02 responded immediately. "Join 08 and 04 at the entrance. Build the wall."

"Roger!" both answered together.

The setup was perfect.
04, 08, 24, and 25 blocked the road with their heavy shields.
03 watched from above with her sniper ready.
02 and 05 guided the truck toward the bridge.
E-UNIT 11 kept the area clear and stayed airborne in case of emergencies.

Inside the truck were two men holding explosive devices, dangerous ones. Any mistake could blow half the island.

"Kyle!! They blocked the road!"
"I know, I'm not blind!"
"Do something!!"
"OKAY STOP YELLING!"

Kyle slammed the brakes harder than he meant to. The truck swerved violently left and right.

02 shouted, "Break the wall! Join us up front! We need to stop this truck!"

02 and 05 braced against the front bumper, heels digging into the asphalt, ripping long trails through the road. 24, 25, and the others quickly moved to help. 11 stayed airborne; the squad was already heavy enough.

Finally, the truck screeched to a halt. Their legs were slightly red, friction was both their power and their enemy.

02 didn't wait. She ripped the truck door off its hinges and stepped inside with a cold fury. She grabbed the first man and threw him upward so high he reached E-UNIT 11.

Crack.

Without hesitation, 11 kicked him midair, her heel smashing into his face. Before he could fall to his death, she caught him casually.

"I guess you're useless if the captain sent you here."
She let go. He fell like a rock, with no parachute.

02 walked to the second man and tossed him toward 03's position. The man landed at her feet. He looked up and froze at the sight of her wild grin. He tried crawling backward until—

PING.

His head struck 05's leg.

"Where are they?" 05 asked quietly.
The rest surrounded him like a pack.

He trembled. "W-W-What do you—"

05 lifted him by the collar and forced him to face 02. Her red eyes, glowing with cold calculation, nearly made him faint.

"She asked you something you already know, right? ANSWER HER."

"O-Okay—sorry—!!"

"SPEAK!"

"THE NORTH STAR TOWER! PLEASE, I GIVE UP!!"

03 groaned. "Ugh, you bastard, why did you give up so easily?"

02 smirked. "Next one will be yours. 05, inform the IB agency."

They headed to the back of the truck, unlocked the cargo, and opened the doors.
Inside was enough explosive power to level the entire island.

"What the fuck!"
"Why this much?!"
"What even…wow!"
03 leaned against her captain's shoulder. "That's… beautiful."

"That would be fun to blow up."
Everyone looked at 02 with excited puppy eyes.

05 yelled, "Really?!"
24 already had her phone out. "I'm recording this."
11 descended. "Let me kick it!"

02 crossed her arms. "No. That's mine. Lift it!"

All of them grabbed the truck's back container, detached it completely, and flew it above the empty shore with 02 positioned slightly below.

"Ready, Captain?"
"Yes. Release it! 24, start recording."

The cargo dropped in free fall, heading straight toward 02.

SLAM!
She unleashed a devastating kick, sending the massive container flying across the sea like a bullet. The speed didn't match its size, it was absurdly fast.

"03, now!"

03 aimed at the open hatch.

Click.
BOOOOM.

A single bullet detonated the entire cargo mid-air. A huge mushroom cloud burst above the water, followed by a shockwave that sent violent tides crashing in all directions.

"WOOOOOW!"
"YEEEES!!"
"NOW we're talking!"

The girls cheered as 24 proudly announced, "And… cut! Captain, we have twelve thousand viewers on the livestream!"

"Good. We move now. Next location: the North Star Building. Call every available E-UNIT."


North Star Tower. 10:15 AM.

The circular North Star Tower was completely surrounded by IB agents. Crowds packed behind police barriers, shoulder-to-shoulder, phones raised, waiting for Meridian's icons to arrive.
News vans lined the street. Cameras pointed at the entrance, hoping to catch the exact moment the counter-attack began. E-MEDICs lined up waiting for order.

Inside, the atmosphere was suffocating.
More than 80 heavily armed terrorists, faces covered, calling themselves Anti-Robot Control, held the entire building hostage from top to bottom. Forty floors seized. Workers forced into corners. Guns aimed at trembling heads.

But their control wouldn't last.

CLANG. CLANG. CLANK.

Thirty E-UNITS dropped from the sky like meteors, shattering the road beneath them. From 01 to 30, the formation was perfect.
The crowd exploded into screams.

Some fans lifted giant plaques with names on them.
Others wore E-UNIT shirts.
Most just screamed their lungs out.

They weren't afraid. They were proud.

An IB agent rushed to 02, almost tripping over excitement.
"Thank you for coming, Chief! And your intel was right, these guys took the building four hours ago. Nobody even noticed!"

"No problem, sir," 02 saluted calmly. "They jammed internal comms. That's why the workers couldn't call for help."

"Exactly! And now they're trying to blackmail us, counting on the confusion—"

"We'll handle it."
She turned to her platoon.

"Team A, Units 21 to 30, take the top floors and clear everything.
Team B, 11 to 20, head to the middle and shoot on sight. No hostages there.
The rest, with me. Move out."

The formation split instantly.

Team C approached the glass entrance. Before they could act, an IB officer shouted.
"Be careful! They have lethal weapons!"

02 didn't even turn fully. "With all due respect, sir… we ARE lethal weapons."

She faced the glass again.
Blades extended.
Voices synchronized.

"E-UNIT. CODE RED. INITIATED."

CRASH!

Team C launched through the glass, shards exploding like fireworks.
Camera flashes didn't stop.

Terrorists inside froze.
They never expected a direct assault.

02 sprinted toward them, blades pointed forward. Behind her, 01 and 03 blurred into motion, Then, they vanished.

Gunmen blinked.
"Where did the robots—"

Sleek. Sleek.

Heads fell before their bodies understood they were dead.

One terrorist turned to call out, to see what his captain order. But…

"AAAH—!"

Sleek.

His voice cut off, throat opened.

03 dropped from above, blade punching through a man's top of his skull until it exited the chin. Blood splattered the desk beneath him.

01 slid across the floor, sweeping two men off their feet. 04 rushed behind her—

SLEEK.

Their legs were gone before they hit the ground.
01 stabbed both through the back in one clean motion, blades coming out their guts.

And just like that… silence.

The hostages broke. They ran, crying and laughing, hugging the androids like heroes.

02 gently removed a worker from her arm.
"There are more upstairs. Stay here."

"E-UNITs," she ordered, "switch to ARs. Hunt them down."

Click.
03 checked her magazine.

They split again into two smaller groups. One took the east and the other the west side of the building.

02 led her squad through the cubicles of Floor 2, rifle steady, steps silent.
She aimed at every corner like a predator.

A terrorist lunged out,
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three shots in the forehead from 02 and 03.

Another appeared on the mezzanine,
BANG! BANG!
Two in the chest. Dead. From 04 with love.

The floors went quiet. Too quiet. They continued clearing the building. But none were met again.

On Floor 8, Team B regrouped.

"Captain, all areas clear," 11 reported.
"Only one room left."

24 spoke through comms. 'Top floors cleared, Captain.'

"Good. Then we finish this. 05, check the feed."

05 hacked the remaining camera. Her expression tensed.

"It's a trap. The CEO and board members are surrounded. One hostage down, state unknown."

02 clenched her fist.
"Then we do DROP-DOWN."

The girls grinned. Months of training for this moment.

They moved to Floor 9.
Broke the windows.
Stood at the edge, wind whipping their hair, eyes glowing red.

02 raised her hand.

"On my mark…"
Their bodies leaned forward.

"MOVE OUT!"

The E-UNITS, from 01 to 20 flipped from the edge, enough to reach the floor 8. As soon as their body aligned with the floor, thrusters went on, launching them into the glass. Breaking the windows in a surprise attack.

RTTTTTTTT!!!

Gunfire erupted instantly.
The terrorists didn't even turn before bullets tore through them.

Bodies fell like dominoes.

02's rifle clicked empty. She didn't hesitate.
Blades out. She dove straight into the remaining group.

RTTT. SLEEK. SCHLK.

A whirlwind of metal and blood.
05 caught the falling hostage, leaping out the window and delivering him safely to the E-MEDICS waiting below.

Then,
Silence.

The last criminal hit the ground.
Not a twitch left.

02 slowly retracted her blades.
Sssst.
"Area secured."

Team A joined them.
All thirty units stepped out of the tower in formation, 02 leading.

The crowd went insane.
Flashlights everywhere.
News reporters begging for a statement.
People taking selfies from twenty meters away.

The E-UNITS formed three arrow formations, marching down the cleared road.
IB agents saluted them with pride, knowing these girls did all this work.

These girls saved lives since they existed.
These girls are THE E-UNIT.