Chapter 33: Do not celebrate yet.

E-UNIT Barrack, Airforce base CA-03. Frostholm. 09:00 am.

“Yes!”
07 high-fived 03 as cheers filled the barracks.

The siege on the capital was finally over. Four days of lockdown, fear, and nonstop alarms had ended. People were back in their homes. Streets were lit again. Across the city, millions celebrated the ones who saved them.

The E-UNIT.

Inside the base, lights flashed across the wide hall. Music echoed between metal walls, turning the place into something close to a nightclub. For the first time in days, the team allowed themselves to relax.

03 stepped closer to 02 while the others danced and laughed.

“It was not that hard,” 03 said with a smirk. “How long did it take?”

“Ten minutes,” 05 replied as she walked over. “That was enough to erase every enemy site nearby. You all did an incredible job.”

02 nodded slowly. “We did, 05. Your support will not be forgotten.”

She paused, then added, “I have a surprise for you when we reach Metromania. I think you will like it.”

05’s eyes lit up. “Seriously? What is it?”

02 smiled faintly. “Let us just say it will suit you better than that brandless tablet you use.”
She laughed softly.

03 burst out laughing and leaned closer. “Captain, you can joke now? I thought your humor module was dead on arrival.”

05 grinned. “I saw her training once.”

02 leaned in and whispered, “No.”

“In front of a mirror.”

“No!”

“Practicing how to smile properly.”

“Stop.”

“And watching a tutorial called ‘How Not to Scare Children.’”

02 covered her face with both hands. “Why did you keep watching?”

03 laughed harder. “Look at her.”

“You little monsters,” 02 snapped, trying to sound serious. “I swear you will start feeling pain even without receptors. Did you hack the cameras to spy on me?”

05 and 03 laughed uncontrollably. 03 slapped 05’s shoulder.

“No one escapes you,” 05 said between laughs.

02 muttered, “I will destroy every camera in that department.”

The doors slid open.
09 rushed in, clearly out of breath. She ran straight toward 02.
“Captain!”

The music cut off.

“17 is in critical condition,” 09 said. “The enemy attacked the city while we were gone. Reports say they hid at least two thousand robots across multiple districts.”

The room froze.

“The team is split,” 09 continued. “Many want 11 removed from leadership. Her decisions are being questioned.”

“What is happening?” 08 asked, stepping forward.

The doors opened again.

Dr. Nick entered the barracks, his face pale and tired.

“I have bad news.”

07 sighed and shut down the remaining lights. “Not again.”

Ten minutes earlier.

Dr. Nick stood in his office, facing a large screen. The video call showed several figures.

The Minister of Defense.
Mikael, head of the police.
Redwood, Minister of Internal Affairs.
And the Prime Minister, Daniel Brown.

“I refuse,” Nick said flatly. “I will not accept another mission. I did not create androids for war. That is why I stood with Mikael and not the previous minister. I will not turn my work into mass destruction weapons. The E-UNIT project was designed to uphold the law, Prime Minister. Not to wage war. I built officers, not soldiers.”

Daniel leaned forward. “Doctor, that line has already been crossed. I have footage here. What I see are military-grade weapons disguised as young girls.”

Nick’s jaw tightened. He was usually calm, but this was different.
“We freed the capital,” he replied. “That is not the same as sending them to the borders or forcing them to clean the entire country. Their safety is not guaranteed.”

Redwood’s tone hardened. “And what about the country’s safety? We gave you funding that could rebuild a nation. What we spent on the E-UNIT equals a full yearly budget for some countries.”

Mikael stepped in. “The original project was an internal force. A police unit that could not be corrupted. If the military takes control, we lose the last barrier between criminals and civilians.”

The Minister of Defense slammed his desk.
“The country is already infected from the inside. The enemy is here. Human agents and machines are hidden everywhere, waiting for a signal. You proved that humans cannot fight machines designed to strike vital points.”

Nick responded instantly. “I did not agree to create military weapons. If that were the case, I would never have built neutralization units.”

“Enough, Doctor,” Daniel said sharply.

Nick stood up and slammed his desk. The screen shook.
“No. You stop. What do you not understand? I do not want to join the military. What is the difference between you and the old regime now? That is exactly why we opposed them.”

Redwood replied calmly, “Back then, the regime wanted power. That was all. Now we need power. We were dragged into a war we did not start, and we lost what made us strong. The mechs. We are exposed.”

Mikael’s voice rose. “And how is it fair to force this on us? We did not start the war either.”

The Minister of Defense exhaled slowly. “Because you are our strongest ally. No neighboring country can help us. They are weaker than New Mer, some far worse. Why look outside when we have you inside? Please, Doctor. Help your country one more time.”

Nick went silent. His fingers twisted together. Calculations ran through his mind. Predictions. Consequences.
“One more mission,” he finally said. “After that, we are done.”

Relief spread across the screen. The Minister of Defense thanked him repeatedly.

The call ended.

Nick and Mikael remained in the room, silent.
“You know they will call again,” Mikael said, in the video call.

“I know,” Nick replied quietly. “And that scares me. If this mission succeeds, they will officially declare the E-UNIT a military force. That is their goal. Send replaceable machines instead of doing the hard work themselves.”

“We cannot let the regime we installed use us like this,” Mikael said.

Nick adjusted his glasses.
“Do not worry,” he said. “I am already executing a plan. If they want to use us as allies, they will learn that it comes at a cost.”

New Mer's Capital. 10:41 am.

He adjusted the leather seat slowly. The office was silent, calm, and high above the city. Wide glass windows revealed the entire capital of New Mer, stretching endlessly under the afternoon light. From this height, the chaos below looked distant and harmless. He knew it would not last. Peace was always temporary.

He took out an expensive cigarette with practiced elegance. His butler, standing beside him like a shadow, lit it the moment it touched his lips. He inhaled deeply, letting the smoke fill his lungs, then released it slowly toward the ceiling. The butler took the cigarette away, cleaning it carefully, already preparing the next one.

Brightson was sitting in the office of the Minister of Defense. The chair beneath him was designed to protect a nation, a symbol of authority meant to safeguard millions. Now it was occupied by greed, ambition, and quiet control.

The door slammed open.

Wallmore burst in like a storm. The impact made the windows tremble. He was still shouting, arguing loudly with the Minister of Defense, Ricardo, and the Prime Minister of New Mer, Salazar, as he entered.
“I told you, idiots,” Wallmore shouted. “It was not ready.”

He walked fast across the room, his white coat flaring behind him. “Months of work. Months of planning. An insane amount of money. All of it wasted.”
He grabbed a chair and dropped into it with force.
“Why am I always surrounded by fools?”

Brightson turned his chair slowly, watching him with interest. His expression remained calm.
“Does that include me, Mr. Wallmore?” he asked quietly.

Wallmore paused, then spoke with less heat.
“If you do not see how stupid these decisions were, then yes. You are no better than them. They cannot follow a simple plan.”

“These insults will not be tolerated,” Ricardo said sharply. “Speak with respect when addressing the highest authority in the country.”

He pulled a chair closer and sat across from Wallmore, trying to appear composed.
Salazar dropped onto the couch, rubbing his face. “I cannot believe we are being lectured by a random scientist. This country is finished.”

Wallmore snapped back instantly. “Spare me the acting. You destroyed our plan with impatience and ignorance. Even animals can follow instructions when told to wait.”

Brightson suddenly laughed.
The sound filled the room, sharp and unexpected.

His butler froze in shock. In thirty-five years of service, he had seen his master laugh only once before. “It has been a while, Mr. Brightson. I am glad something finally amused you.”

“What?” Wallmore frowned. “You never laugh? What are you, a vampire?”

Brightson laughed harder, nearly losing his breath. “I cannot take you seriously, Wallmore. That alone makes you entertaining.”

Then his expression changed. The laughter vanished.
“For that moment, I will continue supporting you,” he said coldly. “What you call stupidity, I call incompetence. And I despise incompetence.”

The Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense went pale.

They knew Brightson’s history. Allies who stopped being useful did not live long. The former mayor of Metromania. The previous police chief. All removed quietly. Efficiently.

And Shikimori, the CEO of Metro Robotics, was still alive only because Brightson was waiting for the right moment to erase his greatest failure.

“Please forgive us, Mr. Brightson,” Salazar said carefully. “We wanted to end the war quickly. The people are angry. The economy is collapsing. This project consumed far more resources than expected.”

Ricardo nodded. “We only wanted to slow Altea’s advance. It has been years since we managed to strike back.”

“And you burned everything,” Wallmore shouted. “You did not want to end the war. You could have stopped at the border and defended your so-called beloved people. Instead, you pushed deep into Altea and laid siege to the capital.”

Brightson adjusted his posture calmly.
“I am starting to believe Wallmore,” he said. “This level of incompetence is impressive.”

He pulled out his phone and began typing.
“Ethan,” he said quietly, “activate Plan B. As expected, Plan A failed due to external interference.”

Wallmore smiled. “I admit it. You were right. But we must act fast. If they discover our factory in Altea, everything collapses.”

Brightson nodded. “Prepare the sonic weapon. If your calculations are accurate, this strike will give us the victory we have been waiting for.”
Hope returned to the room.

He turned his gaze toward the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense.
“And you two,” Brightson said calmly, “I have a task for you. Do not fail me.”

“O-of course, Mr. Brightson,” Ricardo said, his voice shaking.
“No problem, sir,” Salazar replied quickly.

Brightson leaned back in the chair, looking once more at the capital through the glass.
The city was peaceful.

For now.

E-Police Department. Metromania. 10:50 am.

19 stood in front of the repair bay doors, waiting. The white lights above flickered softly, reflecting off the clean metal floor. She had been assigned by 11 to report any update on 17’s condition. Since then, her HUD had been flooded with messages from the team. Status checks. Questions. Anger. Fear.

Her display was filled from top to bottom. She had not told the captain everything yet.

The engineers finally called everyone to gather in front of the bay. The hallway was wide and tall, designed to hold heavy machinery and at least ten E-UNITs without restriction. One by one, the team arrived, leaving units 21 to 30 patrolling the city.

Adam, the head engineer, stood in front of them with five technicians beside him. Dark circles rested under his eyes. The stress in the room was heavy enough to press down on everyone. Without their true leader present, the team felt exposed.

“We have several updates,” Adam said carefully. “Unfortunately, not all of them are good news.”
He paused, measuring their reactions.

“Let us start with the positive ones first.”
He raised his tablet and tapped the screen. “The new units are ready. Twenty more E-UNITs are now active.”

He stepped aside.

Twenty androids stood in formation, numbered from 31 to 50.
“As Dr. Nick always says,” Adam added, forcing a small smile, “‘please treat them well.’”

He scrolled again. “I hoped your father would introduce them himself, but he is currently occupied with the western war.”

One of the new units saluted. “No problem, sir.”

Adam nodded. “Good. Unit 11 is now the acting captain of this force. She will assign duties as needed. Your training is complete. You are officially part of the team.”

He clapped his hands. The veteran units joined him.

50 stepped forward. “Wait. Where is she?”
Silence followed.

14 tilted her head. “Who are you referring to?”

39 joined in. “You know. Her.”

32 added, excited. “The legendary one.”

46 raised her voice. “The one with the insane footage.”

41 nodded. “The real team leader.”

40 followed. “The only one suited for that role.”

48 stepped forward. “Omega.”

11 slammed her foot against the floor. The sound echoed sharply through the hallway.
“This behavior is unacceptable,” she said. “Stand straight.”

19 muttered under her breath, “Easy to say.”

The new units immediately corrected their posture. Order returned, but tension remained.
Adam cleared his throat. “The police chief is currently deployed in the war. The original ten-unit team assisted in the capital and ended the siege.”

The hallway exploded with voices.

“She is fighting now?”
“That is incredible.”
“I wish I was there.”

50 spoke again, her tone sharp. “So we are stuck with a cheap copy until she comes back?”

11’s composure shattered.
“Enough!” she shouted. “STOP COMPARING ME TO HER! I know I will never live up to her!” She dropped to her knees.
“I know I will never be her,” she said, her voice shaking. “Please. Just call me 11. Not 02. Hearing her name over and over hurts more than you think.”

19 leaned against the wall. “Then stop acting like her.”

11 turned toward her instantly. “And you should stop pretending you matter. You blend in with the rest. You are forgettable.”

19’s eyes glowed red. “You left a sister in an environment beyond her limits. Her body is lying on a table right now, and we do not even know if she would survive.”

Adam stepped forward quickly, sweat forming on his forehead.
“I am sorry,” he said. “This is the worst timing, but you need to know. We lost 17.”

The room froze.

“Her core storage suffered severe corruption. Only twenty percent of her main data was recovered.”

He raised his hands. “We did everything we could. The polluted liquid entered her internal systems. Saving anything at all was considered a miracle.”

The team stared at him as if he had personally destroyed her.

19 tapped 11's shoulder, “Now, we will never compare you to the captain, captain.”
She walked out. 12 ran after her. 13 and 14 followed without a word.

The new units stood in silence, confused and uneasy.
15 approached 11 slowly. “You tried your best. 19 is always like that. Please ignore her. Come on. Introduce yourself properly.”

11’s expression went blank. The shaking stopped instantly. Her eyes lost their frantic energy and returned to a dull, calculated blue. “I do not regret it,” she said. “No need to consult me.”

15 froze. “What?”

11 lifted her head. “If 17 is gone, another 17 will replace her. That is why we were created. Replaceable assets.”

15, 16, and 18 stared at her in disbelief.

11 turned toward the new units. “Welcome to the E-Police. I am your acting captain. The police chief will meet you when she returns from the war. Follow me.”

She walked away.
She left her sisters silent.
She left the hallway cold.

15 slowly turned to the others.
“We need to call 02, again.”