SONS OF WAR HQ- SECURE OPERATIONS ROOM – NIGHT
Cox, John, Midas, Sakarah, and Feline gather around a circular console, surrounded by holo-displays projecting visuals and files. Each screen displays horrific footage and reports of the recent train massacre—where only one girl survived.
"Three accidents," Cox muttered. "Seven if we count the scientists and Baflin's wife as John has mentioned, the four, I see a connection but no real motive . Still no solid connection."
"The retributors had nothing in common," John added. "Except one thing—they all went to the moon."
"Dr. Ara Honami confirmed that," Midas said, flipping through a digital file. "Same symptoms—violent outbursts, unpredictable behavior. But it's not lining up. Something's missing."
Cox nodded grimly. "The surviving witness said the suspect just... snapped. Normal one minute, deranged the next."
"Doesn't it feel like we're missing a big part of the picture?" Midas asked.
"You think Bineth's hiding something?" John shot him a look.
"You think they aren't?" Cox replied dryly. "It's gone public now, so they're scrambling. No wonder they're all over me."
Midas chuckled. Cox didn't. He cleared his throat and went quiet.
Sakarah scrolled through a series of medical files. Feline leaned over, eyes narrowing as she pointed to a compound listed repeatedly.
"There is something here, Dr. Ara Honami stated prescribing drugs and sedatives for these retributors, I checked through, and I found this, Adnorm," she said. "It's in all prescriptions,"
"Adnorm, is a strong antipsychotic drug for retributors under going extreme trauma , not your usual recommend" Cox said thoughtfully.
"Except this version's different," Sakarah added, tapping the screen. "There's a new unknown compound detected in it, I found a bottle in the latest victims possession—. I ran it through Bineth's internal pharm logs. No matches."
"Feline, get on it, I need to know what we are dealing with there," Cox said.
"This new formulation started showing up right when the first Retributor went rogue, strange, I have found nothing in Adnorm production data that suggests the introduction of this compound, my data investigation goes as far as five years back," Feline noted.
Cox blinked slowly, processing. "So... what are we dealing with then?"
"This new compound, it is quite a strange one, I am cross analyzing it with various dated drug samples listed right now," Feline added. Flipping, scanning and observing various files.
John hesitated, then continued. "The scientists who were killed—the ones connected to Darius, the retributor? They were working on something big but Bineth cleared them out suddenly. They may have known something about this secret compound. I think this is bigger than just a cover-up."
Before Cox could respond, a sharp chime interrupted. Feline's screen lit up.
"Public broadcast," she said. "From Imagawa."
Every display in the room shifted to the holographic form of Chairman Imagawa, his face aged but resolute. The entire space fell silent.
"I've served for over two decades—watched this city-state rise and nearly fall. But my time is done," Imagawa said. "Effective immediately, I resign as Chairman of the Board of Retributor Oversight. My successor is one of the brightest minds I've known. Deputy Chairman Cox will now serve as your new Chair."
Gasps filled the room.
Cox froze. "He finally did it," Midas murmured. Then, a quiet round of applause followed.
"Congratulations, boss," Midas grinned. "Don't spend all your boss-tokens on us at once."
A soft chime echoed—Cox's ID shifted before her eyes, glowing STATUS CHANGE: CHAIRMAN – AUTHORIZATION DELTA.
Imagawa's hologram flickered and appeared near her directly. His voice dropped.
"Thank you... for carrying this forward," he said warmly.
As the others turned away, John stepped close. He whispered:
"Remember what I told you. When the rain comes, find shelter."
Cox blinked. The cryptic message made her uneasy.
INT. BINETH GLOBALS MOON BASE – NIGHT
Inside a sleek, shadow-lit chamber, Director Hein Spade stood fuming.
Imagawa's resignation played on a muted screen.
"He finally did it," he spat. "That old man's heart was gone long ago, but this move… he's handing the Retributors away before the elections?"
Spade knew what it meant. Less control. More questions. And potential collapse.
His console buzzed. A voice crackled through.
"What's this I hear, Spade?"
"Nothing serious," Spade said quickly. "Imagawa was just a bandage. I'm going down to fix it."
"No," the voice commanded. "Send someone else. I need you for something more... delicate."
Spade's eyes narrowed. "Understood, sir."
The door behind him hissed open. At first, nothing appeared.
Then, the shimmering outline of a man emerged—his invisibility suit phasing off.
A tall Australian in black combat wear. The same man who'd shadowed Plukett.
Spade motioned toward a chair. "Take a seat. Let's talk."