A week passed, but the tension inside Refinement HQ hadn't eased. Three androids were still unaccounted for—Units 103, 104, and 201's unknown successor model. Each one was more dangerous than the last.
Leonte returned to work that morning, still sore but determined. The masked man's visit, the attacks on families, the escalating pattern—it all weighed on him. But he walked into the meeting room with the same resolve he always carried.
Edward, Mark, and Jamal were already seated, files spread across the table.
Edward stood when Leonte entered. "Good to have you back."
Leonte nodded. "Good to be back. Now tell me everything."
Mark clicked a remote, bringing up a holographic display of the city map. "Sightings of the masked man have increased. Twenty families. Eighty individuals marked or judged. And the androids are moving in patterns we can't predict."
Jamal added, "We think the masked man and the remaining androids might be connected. Not directly—but philosophically. Like they're following the same… doctrine."
Leonte frowned. "Androids don't follow doctrine."
Edward exhaled. "These ones might."
Before Leonte could respond—
A sharp crack split the air.
The ceiling above them shattered.
Glass and metal rained down as a white android dropped straight into the center of the room, landing in a crouch. Its eyes glowed a violent red.
Unit 103.
"Move!" Edward shouted.
Everyone drew their weapons—electric rods humming, stun guns charging.
The android lunged first.
It grabbed Edward by the chest and hurled him across the room. He slammed into a desk, splintering it on impact.
"Edward!" Jamal yelled.
Leonte rushed forward, but the android caught him mid‑stride and shoved him hard into the wall. The impact knocked the air from his lungs.
Mark and Jamal moved in fast.
"Overheat protocol!" Mark barked.
Jamal nodded, raising his electric rod. "On your mark!"
The android turned toward them, its movements jerky and aggressive. It swung at Mark, who ducked and jabbed the rod into its side. Sparks erupted.
Jamal struck next, hitting the android's spine. The two electric currents collided inside its system.
The android convulsed violently.
"Again!" Mark shouted.
They struck in unison—one to the chest, one to the neck.
The android's internal temperature spiked. Its white shell began to glow faintly, cracks forming along its arms and torso.
Leonte, still catching his breath, pushed off the wall. "Get back! It's going to blow!"
Mark and Jamal dove behind the conference table just as the android let out a distorted mechanical screech.
Then—
A blinding flash.
A burst of heat.
The android self‑destructed, its body collapsing into molten fragments that hissed against the floor.
Silence fell.
Smoke drifted through the shattered room. Papers fluttered down like snow. The lights flickered overhead.
Edward groaned from the broken desk. "I'm… fine. Mostly."
Jamal stood, shaking out his injured arm. "That was one of the last three."
Mark wiped sweat from his brow. "Which means the remaining two are going to be worse."
Leonte stepped forward, staring at the melted remains of Unit 103.
His voice was low, steady, and cold.
"Then we end this. All of it."