Chapter 29: Thunder Without Clouds.

Frostholm's Sky. 03:55 pm.

The aircraft finally crossed into the capital's airspace.
From above, everything looked peaceful. Calm. Beautiful.
Nothing in the skyline showed that this massive city was under siege.

The capital held more than 35 million people, making it one of the largest cities in the world.
Altea itself was an industrial and touristic giant, which led to nearly 90% of its population living inside many metropolises.

Across the entire country, Alteans were mostly concentrated in 12 major cities, with the remaining few spread across the enormous land. This imbalance created a massive agricultural problem, Altea had been short on farmers for years.

Because of that, neighboring nations like the Union of Kasparia in the east became leading producers of crops, feeding half the region. Even Veridian Coast began shaping its economy to complement Altea's, knowing that investing beside a superpower guaranteed profit.

And then… there was New Mer, the so-called enemy.
An enemy created by Alexander, the former Minister of Defense, purely to inflate his ministry's budget. New Mer had never been an enemy. No sane leader would willingly challenge Altea. The Altean generals pushed them into conflict without the people's consent.

That was why New Mer's president carried a deep grudge.
And that grudge pushed him to spend 75% of the national budget on the war, destabilizing his country's economy for five straight years. That alone could cost him his presidency.

Inside the aircraft, 04 stared through the small window.
The capital was four times larger than Metromania. That alone would complicate their mission, especially since the city lacked the Light Lane™ system between major roads. It wouldn't slow them immediately, but the long-term effect could hurt their operations.

BEEEEP.

"This is the pilot speaking! We are being attacked by multiple missile shots! Flares will be launched, but brace for impact just in case!"

02 nodded at 03.
03 answered with a creepy smile only she could pull off. She grabbed LIBERTA, already ready to become the flare.

The sub-captain stood in front of the cargo door. It opened slowly, letting violent wind blast into the cabin. 03 slung the sniper onto her back, turned to the team, flashed a peace sign, and grinned.

05 sighed. "They're going to regret this."

03 jumped out like a battle royale player dropping hot. Immediately she spotted ten missiles streaking toward the AC-130 at high speed. She faced them head-on, descending in freefall. Her visor flashed red as it locked onto each incoming missile, predicting their exact trajectories.

Yellow squares snapped into place around every target.
LIBERTA began to glow blue, her energy pouring straight into the sniper.

Click. Bang!

The first shot connected instantly.
It wasn't normal ammunition, it was a condensed high-energy round capable of turning a vehicle into dust.

BOOM!

The missile detonated mid-air, shocking the soldiers on the ground.
The shot worked.

So, 03 continued.
Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.

Her aim leaped from missile to missile, each lock instant. The visor cut her calculation time to zero.
Then the sky lit up.

BOOOM! BOOM!

A twenty-million-dollar firework show in broad daylight.
Explosions filled the sky in quick flashes, echoing across the outskirts. Enemy soldiers panicked, how were their newest missiles getting shredded in two seconds.

But 03 didn't stop.
She turned her aim toward the source: the Missile Range Facility.
They couldn't see her from that distance, but she saw them perfectly.

She flipped a switch on LIBERTA, charge shot mode.
A blue aura wrapped her body as she poured far more energy into a single devastating blast. Now they could see her.
LIBERTA glowed brighter, challenging the sun.

Click.

The sniper hummed, then,
VEOM. BOOM!

A massive laser-like projectile launched, pushing her backward mid-air. It streaked toward the facility at high speed. The soldiers didn't see it. They didn't hear it.
They only felt it.

A colossal explosion tore through the facility, shaking the ground for kilometers. Within seconds, the entire complex vanished under a half-blue, half-red mushroom-cloud aftermath, swallowing everything nearby.

The AC-130 door opened again.

Her back thrusters roared, burning blue as she fought gravity, launching herself back up toward the ramp, smoke drifting from LIBERTA's barrel.
CLANG.

All the E-UNITs rushed to her.
"HOW WAS IT?!"

03 shrugged. "Disappointing. Weak. This war won't last long, sadly."
Everyone smiled, a spark of hope igniting in the tense cabin.

Dr. Nick approached proudly.
"I guess I accidentally made war weapons. Just wait until you see the latest ones."

All eyes in the aircraft slowly turned toward him.
01 whispered with excitement, "New weapons…?"


The Military Airbase CA-04, 04:10 pm.

The aircraft reached CA-04, the national military airbase, only minutes after 03's attack.
Things were far from calm. Chaos filled the enormous runway as soldiers rushed around, preparing to welcome the newly-arrived heroes.

The AC-130's ramp lowered with a loud metallic groan, revealing ten unnatural silhouettes,
ten female androids, wearing dark tactical outfits with roughly painted grey streaks meant to hide the blue glow beneath their armor.

They looked completely out of place in a military base.
Every soldier froze, standing straight and saluting the saviors of the capital. But shock spread across their faces. This was their first time seeing E-UNITs up close. Phone screens never captured the details, the precision, the presence, the uncanny perfection.

Some soldiers looked uneasy.
How could petite girls be thrown into a war this serious? In their minds, the E-UNITs had only fought low-level criminals until now.

Until they saw this.

The E-UNITs stepped forward and effortlessly lifted 800-kilogram cargo crates, each girl carrying one with a single hand. The crates were massive, dwarfing them and making the androids look almost toy-sized in comparison.

One lift was enough to show the difference.
The soldiers' jaws dropped. These young-looking girls handled weight that usually required a forklift to move a few centimeters. Now they understood why the E-UNITs had been called in.

Salutes erupted as the team carried the cargo to a giant military truck. The disbelief was normal, outside Metromania, almost no one had ever seen an E-UNIT up close. They simply didn't grasp how powerful these androids truly were.

Once they finished unloading, someone unexpected arrived.
The Minister of Defense himself stepped forward.

The soldiers gasped.
He rarely welcomed even the most important figures, yet he came personally for them.

He saluted first.
"Welcome to the battleground, Captain."

02 and the team saluted back, with 02 standing closest to him.
"Thank you, Sir Vegas."

For the first time in a year, he smiled. The war had erased almost all reasons to smile.
"We saw what you did to the enemy's Missile Range Facility," he said, still in disbelief. "I'm… impressed. You erased it from existence."

"That was them?!"

"No way!"

"How the hell, it looked like a giant laser!"

02 gave a small proud smile. "That was just a test run, sir."

02 and Dr. Nick followed the minister into his office.
The interior screamed wealth, deep red carpet, polished furniture, faint green walls that made every object stand out elegantly.

He sat down slowly. At 49, he was considered quite young for such a high military rank. His first year in office had been spent cleaning the ministry of old, corrupt leadership, leaving the western front suffering during the transition.

"Thank you for answering your country's call for help," he said. "Dr. Nick. Captain."

Nick leaned back slightly.
"No problem, sir. I was answering your call first. Never leave a friend cornered. And we helped put you in this office, supporting you was the right thing to do."

02 stepped directly to the point.
"One question, sir. How did the enemy manage to build an entire missile launcher site near the capital without anyone noticing?"

Dr. Nick frowned. She was absolutely right.

Sir Vegas's face darkened.
"I see… The sharpness of a machine really is unmatched."

He pulled out a set of documents and placed them on the desk.
"Cleaning the ministry caused problems everywhere. We managed to bring 25 generals to the Supreme Court for corruption and crimes against national security. All except one."

He slid a photograph forward.
"He escaped to enemy territory. He's feeding them information and providing cover for their activities. That's how they smuggled war robots and missiles into position."

"That's… problematic," Dr. Nick muttered. "Which is why we're under your direct supervision. No one else can be trusted."

02 crossed her arms.
"Understood. So now we're facing an enemy with deep knowledge about our country. Using us makes more sense by the minute."

"No one outside your unit can leak information," the minister said firmly. "My trust in your team is higher than anyone in this ministry. Until we catch the leakers, keep all mission details in your internal circle."

02 smirked.
"No problem, sir. We weren't planning on cooperating with humans anyway."


E-UNIT Bunker, 09:00 pm.

The team was gathered inside their assigned room. a fully customized chamber built specifically for the E-UNITs.
Charging stations lined the walls, a large round metal table stood at the center, and every corner was filled with PCs, screens, and tools. The anti-sound walls made the room feel isolated, like a metallic bunker floating outside reality.

They were waiting for Father to arrive with their newest weapons.

06 and 07 sat together, browsing weapon prototypes on the internet.
03 was polishing her sniper, hoping for an upgrade.
01 and 09 were quietly 02ring in the corner, holding candles with a holy seriousness.
05 and 04 whispered about possible threats.
10 and 08 walked around inspecting the room, analyzing what could be used for combat advantage.

"What about a Vector with high-frequency laser beams?" 07 asked, her mouth practically watering.

"That's too good to be true," 06 replied. "What about energy throwing knives like 03's, but with a return feature?"

"Yooo! And they shoot laser beams too!"

"What is your obsession with laser beams?!"

05 and 04 approached. "They're the only thing fast enough to match our aiming speed," 05 explained.

04 drifted into her own daydream. "That would solve our slow weapon-reaction problem. Father can be awesome sometimes."

05 nodded. "Honestly, if he wasn't busy developing the high-efficiency Omega prototype, we would've gotten better weapons long ago. All we got were stolen-tech blades and that weird sniper."

03 glared at her.
"What's your problem?"

"Nothing. I'm stating facts."

"If you had a specialty other than reading stolen books, he would've made a special weapon for you."

"Oh really? So the captain isn't special either?"

"He gave her a new body as a weapon. Don't talk about her like that, bookworm."

"Okay, freak. Go slice some heads elsewhere. Maybe that will help control your bloodlust."

"Good idea."
03 smiled happily, then dropped cold.
"Let's start with yours."

04 quickly stepped between them.
"GIRLS! Competing like this for the captain's attention will only make her avoid you both! Just listen to yourselves!"

01 and 09 walked over slowly, still holding candles.
"You are absolutely right, my daughter," 01 said in a holy tone.

04 blinked. "What."

01 continued, "Come 02ring with us. It will help you appreciate the captain even more."

"02ring?!" everyone shouted.

05 rolled her eyes. "Great. Another freak."

09 tried holding her calm priestess vibe.
"I sense someone who desperately needs 02 in their life. Come receive holy fists from me. They will cleanse your stupidity."

05 clenched a fist.
"What did you just say?"

The door opened.
02 and Dr. Nick walked in, each carrying boxes.
"What's going on here?" 02 asked, lifting an eyebrow while holding her crate.

01 and 09 instantly snapped out of their ritual, the candles vanished, the 02 icons faded.
05 froze. "When did you—"

Dr. Nick clapped his hands.
"Alright! Promise time."

The E-UNITs rushed in, forming a tight circle. The air felt electric.

Nick began.
"Let's start with our sniper. 03, here's a module upgrade for LIBERTA. You can now switch between laser shots, bullets, or hybrid mode, just think about it."

03 smirked proudly.
05 whispered, "Freak."

Nick continued.
"01, your precision and power control are unmatched."
He handed her a modified lightning blade.
"This one can extend up to three meters. Controlled by thought."

"Thank you!" 01 lit up. "No one will pass a swing now."

"04 and 08," Nick said. "Our tanks. I'm sending you a shield upgrade. You'll be able to project up to three shields at once. The third one can expand into a fifty-meter radius around you. It can't pass walls, though."

08 and 04 fist-bumped happily.

"10, 09, and 06. Close-combat warriors. These—" he handed each a set of energy knives "—can explode, extend into blades, and return to your hand. I wanted to add laser launchers, but it made the design unstable."

07 fell to her knees.
"Nooooo!"

Nick laughed and tossed her a pair of energy gloves.
"These enhance your punches by 150%. Some walls won't matter to you. Tanks will feel like soda cans. I also added a laser shot function, but it drains energy like crazy. Use it carefully."

She put them on immediately.
"Now we're talking."

Nick turned to 05.
"And finally, 05. Here's… a tablet."

05 held it up. "What's its specialty?"

"Nothing. You always wanted a second screen."
03 whispered, "Talentless."

Nick continued, "I gave 02 direct access to all military files, as she requested. She doesn't need an upgrade."

Everyone nodded.
Giving 02 an upgrade almost felt like disrespect at this point.

"With that done," Nick said, "go charge. Tomorrow, we test your new weapons. On real targets."

04 gasped. "Already?!"

02 grinned.
"Yes. And we already have one."