Appleseed: Ex Machina 2007

Two years have passed since the upheaval at Olympus, the utopian city, and Deunan Knute and Briareos Hecatonchires of the ESWAT counter-terrorism unit surge back into danger, saving a group of European Union officials from a coordinated cyborg assault. After the mission, Briareos is rushed to hospital for recovery, while Deunan returns to the field, keeping the pressure on global threats inside a shifting landscape of politics and tech.

Deunan’s work with ESWAT continues, and she meets her new partner, Tereus, who mirroring Briareos in more ways than one, bears a striking resemblance to the human form Briareos once wore. The pair must learn to work together as a duo with very different roots, and the dynamic between Deunan and her new partner quickly becomes a focal point of the mission. During a routine tour of Olympus’ upgraded Bioroid production facility, Deunan crosses paths with a friend from the past, Hitomi, who is now a minister of political affairs for the city, signaling a broader integration of bioroids into the political machinery of Olympus.

As the tour unfolds, it becomes clear that Tereus is not just another soldier. He is a Bioroid, a prototype built to be an emotionally controlled fighter, designed to optimize battlefield decisions without the friction of human sentiment. Briareos’ DNA has heavily influenced Tereus’ design, and Deunan must reassess how much of the old code she can trust in this new, more emotionally calibrated weapon. Meanwhile, Connexus—an ear-mounted device projecting holographic data over users’ eyes—has become a common sight, signaling a society deeply tethered to a shared stream of information.

A visit to Briareos in the hospital rekindles old questions and new concerns. Lance, the partner in the field, notes that nearly all of the recent terrorist incidents have involved cyborg groups receiving remote commands, suggesting a calculated manipulation of digitally vulnerable machines. Poseidon, a multinational corporation with extensive cyborg-part links, bears the weight of suspicion, even as a Poseidon emissary tries to mollify Olympus and avert international boycotts that could destabilize the world order.

Off the clock, Hitomi hosts a birthday celebration where Deunan finds Briareos attending, now fully recovered. Briareos meets Tereus for the first time, and the initial awkwardness gives way to uneasy coexistence, as Deunan sees in Tereus aspects of Briareos’ own personality. Yet the tension remains palpable—Deunan discovers she has gained a second partner, which unsettles her, and the moment is punctuated by Deunan’s storming off before she’s approached by Tereus, whose demeanor echoes Briareos and leaves her wondering about loyalty and identity.

The next day brings a bold plan: Athena, Olympus’ political leader, and a coalition of world leaders discuss a bold step toward global security—merging satellites into a single, planet-spanning network to deter terrorist activity. ESWAT and Olympus Police cordon the conference hall as a mysterious signal crackles through the air. A cascade of events follows: vehicles and even non-cybernetic humans swarm the building, and an envoy is killed on a transport by a figure who declares, “We will all be one. I am Halcon,” wearing a Land-Mate. Briareos charges to intervene but ends up fatal to the intruder, Aeacus, who has orchestrated the attack. Aeacus dies in the ensuing chaos, and the team works to piece together the source of the signal, traced to a cluster of robotic doves.

The signal fades as the attackers collapse, and a funeral is held for Aeacus. However, Olympus faces a larger, invisible threat: Briareos experiences a violent outburst as satellites come online, forcing Olympus to switch to back-up controls. The cause appears tied to a mysterious signal, and Briareos is hospitalized while doctors suspect his medical care or a hidden control mechanism in his system. Briareos grows suspicious of his cyborg doctor, Dr. Kestner, who previously worked on his injuries. A risky search led by Hitomi uncovers that Kestner’s files were deliberately erased after a past project at Halcon Laboratories—one tied to a broader scheme to erase individuality and unify humanity under a single digital framework.

Kestner reveals more than secrets: he secretly injected Briareos with nanites designed to seize control of his body when adrenaline surges, a chilling attempt to bend him to a hidden master plan. Kestner kills himself before the authorities arrive, and Briareos escapes into the night, only to be cornered by [Tereus]. Deunan arrives with an antidote designed to suppress the nanites, catching a fragile moment where friendship and mission intersect.

The backup network virus takes control of satellites and, through Connexus-linked citizens, incites riot-like behavior across Olympus. Fearing Poseidon’s deeper knowledge of Halcon’s plan, Briareos, Tereus, and Deunan chase a Poseidon convoy to uncover the truth. They uncover a history: Halcon was once a premier scientific lab until mind-control experiments corrupted its purpose. Poseidon halted the project by killing lead researcher Dr. Xander in what was deemed an “accident.” Yet Poseidon’s involvement turns out to be only part of a larger web; the resurrected identity of Xander becomes the key to controlling Connexus.

Deunan manages a rare moment of freeing Xander from Halcon’s influence with the last antidote syringe, buying time before the virus could seize control again. With little margin left, the team frees Xander, only for Xander to unleash a final power as she self-liberates and is subsequently killed by Deunan to prevent further misuse. The trio escapes the collapsing fortress and returns to Olympus, where the city faces the remainder of Halcon’s plan and the need to reckon with the forces that seek to homogenize humanity.

We will all be one. I am Halcon

The aftermath leaves Olympus to confront the ethical maze of mind control, human autonomy, and the complex interplay of cyborg and human identities. Deunan, [Tereus], and Briareos must navigate the lingering threat of mind manipulation while protecting the fragile balance of power between Olympus, Poseidon, and the global community. The story blends high-stakes action with questions about what it means to be human in a world where technology can rewrite thought, memory, and loyalty, and it closes with a resolve to safeguard individual choice even as they push toward a fragile, shared future.