Metromania. 10:01 AM.

  People started running.

  The mech attacks were devastating. Resistance members dropped onto the roads one after another. Most of them were young men hoping for a better future. Others were older, fighting only so their children might have one.

  The soldiers advanced methodically. They cornered or gunned down most of the resistance. Only a few remained scattered across the city. But Tamer wanted more resistance. He wanted an example. He wanted to turn this young group into a lesson written in blood.

  One of them was fleeing from a small squad of soldiers. As he reached the entrance of the national park, his body gave up. A shot struck his leg, making him collapse hard onto the pavement. Blood spilled fast. His scream echoed through the nearby streets. The man wore an old E-UNIT hoodie. His father got it back in 2026, when he was just a kid, after the E-UNIT rescued civilians during the terrorist attack on North Star Tower. What was once merch had become a symbol of hope.

  His face was covered, but his exhausted eyes told everything as the soldiers approached him. The slow rhythm of heavy boots felt like a car rushing toward him at full speed. He knew it was over when one of them aimed directly at his forehead.

  “Hands behind your back! Now!” a soldier yelled.

  Another soldier reached him while the rest kept their weapons trained on the man.

  “I have kids…” the man whispered weakly, just as a boot slammed down onto his bleeding leg.

  “Then you should have thought better,” the searching soldier said coldly. “Raising your gun against the government has only one outcome. I hope you left something for your kids to eat. You won’t be coming back.”

  The man started crying.

  Silent tears. The kind only men who endured too much could shed.

  The soldier searching him froze. An adult man’s tears were not something easily ignored. “Are you okay?” the soldier asked quietly.

  “No,” the resistance fighter replied weakly. “I was never okay since the day you took this country. Every day was a fight just to survive, just to see the next one. I’m tired. My kids haven’t seen a real smile in years.” He suddenly turned toward the soldier, rage and despair mixing together. “WHAT DID WE DO TO DESERVE LIVING IN HELL BEFORE EVEN DYING?”

  The other soldiers tightened their aim, fingers resting on triggers.

  The searching soldier stepped back. He had seen those eyes before. He’d seen that look in his own mirror. He helped the man sit on a nearby bench and injected an adrenaline shot into his arm.

  “What are you doing?” the captain asked, confused and angry.

  “Helping the ones we swore to protect,” the soldier replied calmly while wrapping a bandage around the wounded leg. “He’s a man in need.”

  “Stop now! Those are not the orders!” the captain shouted.

  The soldier kept working.

  “This is your last warning!” the captain screamed, raising his rifle toward the soldier. “No mercy for traitors! Don’t make me do this!”

  The soldier finished the bandage, stood up, and threw his helmet and badge onto the ground.

  “I’m out,” he said. “I won’t shoot my brothers anymore. You have no idea how many sleepless nights I spent thinking about resigning.”

  The captain stepped closer and pressed the rifle against the soldier’s forehead. The rest of the squad froze. No one wanted to watch. No one dared to stop it. They already knew how this would end.

  “Traitors face death,” the captain growled. “It’s written on every damn wall in the base. I’ll ask one last time. The wrong answer, and I pull the trigger. Who is your loyalty for?”

  “Altea. And the people,” the soldier answered without hesitation.

  “Then see you in hell—”

  Sleek.

  The sound didn’t belong.

  She arrived before the soldier finished his sentence.

  The soldiers turned around just in time to see Shelly standing behind them, the captain’s head severed clean off. His body stood still for a brief second, as if unaware it was already dead, before collapsing.

  Shelly straightened up, revealing her full E-UNIT body. The number 101 was printed clearly on her chest of the hoodie. Her eyes glowed blue with raw energy. Her blade shimmered, already evaporating the blood.

  The soldiers hesitated, then reached for the sonic weapons mounted on their backs. Their hands trembled.

  Shelly jumped. She vanished from their sight.

  Suddenly, a blue light poured from the sky. So bright it rivaled the sun itself. Everyone shielded their eyes, then slowly looked up.

  Omega descended. Like an angel.

  Her feet made no sound as she landed gracefully between the rebellious soldier and the remaining troops. The wounded man rubbed his eyes desperately, unsure whether the blood loss was making him hallucinate.

  “You have done enough to my people,” Omega said. Her angelic tone silenced the street.

  Windows opened everywhere as people dared to look.

  Omega turned to the soldier and the wounded man. “Are you okay?”

  The rebellious soldier dropped to his knees. Tears streamed down his face. “Yes… thanks to you,” he whispered. “Did you come back to save us? We waited so long for this moment… please. Do what you do best. Delete the enemy.”

  Omega chuckled softly. “I see.” She turned slowly toward the soldiers. “Then let’s clean my garden.”

  Her eyes turned fully blue. Her right wing opened.

  “I—”

  Her left wing followed.

  “Am—”

  She rose slowly into the air.

  “Omega.”

  She raised her hand.

  The soldiers’ faces drained of color. Some collapsed instantly. Others tried to run.

  “Bliss from paradise,” Omega said calmly. “Localized.”

  A massive surge of blue energy erupted from the sky, slamming into the soldiers. The force pushed everything outward. A blue spherical shield formed instantly around the rebellious soldier and the wounded man, sealing them safely inside.

  The soldiers became black silhouettes. Then they vanished. Top to bottom, their bodies disintegrated into ash. No time to scream. No time to feel pain. Erased from existence.

  Benches splintered. Poles folded. The asphalt bleached white.

  A perfect dome cut the street in half, everything inside became dust, everything outside remained untouched. The destruction was perfectly contained, stopping just short of the buildings. Even so, everyone watching was thrown back by the sheer pressure of it.

  Omega lowered her hand. “Target eliminated.”

  For half a second, the street was silent, like the city didn’t know whether to pray or run. The street sagged and tore open. Where the soldiers had stood, the ground had been erased into a silent pit.

  Clang!

  The Reaper smacked the back of her head. “I told you to hide the shells! They can’t resist sonic weapons!”

  Omega turned sharply. “I know! Shell 101 is smaller and faster in dense areas. I sent her to save the soldier!”

  “And the angel act again?!”

  “I like it!”

  The Reaper sighed and turned toward the two frozen men. He touched the blue shield. It dissolved into glowing particles. He knelt down. “Are you okay?”

  Stolen novel; please report.

  “Y-Yes,” both answered, shaking.

  “Good,” he said. “We’ll save this city. I have a personal grudge against Tamer. One question. Since you’re a soldier… where is he?”

  The soldier straightened despite his fear. “Military base MA-08. Near the shore. It used to be a Metro Robotics island facility. Be careful. They’re preparing weapons specifically for you.”

  “No problem,” the Reaper said, glancing at Omega. “I have a dumb world-ending angel with me. She just needs to stop using full-power attacks in civilian areas.”

  Omega released a wave of energy in irritation, shaking the trees violently. “One more insult,” she warned, “and your life will end beautifully.”

  “Stop the angel act,” the Reaper said, shielding the two men.

  She calmed down, exhaling sharply. “You are a party waster.”

  “Seriously,” the Reaper said, scanning the horizon. “The island is north. Hide your shells. I sense sonic weapons everywhere. We take down the mechs first.”

  “I see them,” Omega replied, her shells spreading across the city, seeing through them. “The people are being targeted.”

  “This begins with Metromania’s liberation,” the Reaper said, his eye glowing blue.

  ***

  A shell peeked over the shopping district. The military had locked the entire area down. Soldiers guarded every street while drones and mechs circled above. Shell 141 stood atop a skyscraper, with many other shells positioned on rooftops across the city.

  They were Omega’s eyes. One shell remained inside the warehouse, monitoring the camera network.

  “They’re everywhere,” Omega said. She stood beside a handful of shells, two guarding the entrance of the alley. “This version of the sonic waves is destructive. Buildings are shaking. Living creatures are dropping to their knees, bleeding.”

  The Reaper leaned against the wall. “Alright. Here’s the plan. Hide the shells immediately. We don’t need scouts anymore. Your cameras already cover everything.” He absentmindedly played with Shelly’s hair. “The problem is we can’t just clean the streets one by one. The city is massive, and I’m certain they’ve kept reserve units.”

  “And we can’t launch major attacks in crowded streets,” Omega added. “People are everywhere. Civilians will be hit. And your precision attacks are too slow.”

  The Reaper nodded. “We need to force people into hiding somehow. What about national television? Can we—”

  “No,” Omega cut in immediately. “When civilians seized control of it, it was the first building the military targeted. Workers and resistance members are being held hostage inside. Tamer holds them as insurance, if the rebels broadcast, he executes them live.”

  CLANG!

  The Reaper slammed his fist into the wall, cracking it. “That minister is no joke. The way he clings to control is both illogical and fascinating. I wish we had a—” His sensors flared.

  At the end of the alley, blue eyes appeared from the darkness near the trash piles. The Reaper froze the intruder instantly and pulled them forward, hovering them off the ground. The figure wore a cloak. Blue light glowed beneath the hood.

  “State your identity, remove the hood,” the Reaper said coldly. “Noncompliance results in termination.”

  “How exactly am I supposed to remove the hood,” a very familiar voice replied, “when you’re freezing me in place?”

  The Reaper didn’t change tone. “I will release you. Any hostile movement ends your existence.”

  The silhouette swallowed. “Alright.”

  Omega twitched. She knew that voice.

  The Reaper released the hold. Omega lowered herself slowly, approaching the figure.

  The intruder removed the hood.

  An E-UNIT face was revealed. Pale skin. Blue hair. Familiar scanners.

  Omega froze.

  “Isn’t that one of your shells?” the Reaper asked.

  “No…” Omega whispered. “How…”

  The E-UNIT removed the cloak fully.

  It was 05.

  Her clothes were torn in multiple places. Rust had eaten deep into the skin around her neck. Her eyes were dim, barely functioning. But her expression remained unchanged. The same sharp, analytical gaze.

  “I see you’re doing fine, sister,” 05 said with a faint smile.

  Omega leapt forward and hugged her. The shells reacted instantly, swarming 05 uncontrollably. White armor and blue hair buried her completely.

  “Okay! I get it!” 05 shouted, raising her hand as she drowned in hugs.

  Omega stepped back, the shells following her motion. “I saw you so many times in 02’s memories,” Omega said softly. “It feels like I missed you… even though this is our first meeting.” Electronic tears slipped down her face. “Sorry for the emotional spike.”

  “No problem,” 05 replied. “I have a lot to explain. But we need to move fast.”

  “I still can’t believe you’re the original 05,” the Reaper said, circling her. “Operating after twenty-five years of inactivity is statistically unlikely. I need concrete proof.”

  “Father finally made an android with a working brain,” 05 said with a grin. “Fair enough. Let’s do memory callbacks.” She turned to him. “Reaper, you should have our log files. Then you’ll recognize this. First week of September 2024. The E-UNIT raided a hidden Metro Robotics facility. That day, 03 was hit directly by a heat-seeking rocket fired by a soldier named Alex Wheel.”

  “What?” the Reaper muttered.

  “02 was the captain at the time,” 05 continued. “She lost control and beat the soldier with her bare hands. She then used the rocket launcher model MRR-041 and fired the remaining two shots at the mechs trapping us inside.”

  Omega skimmed through 02’s memories at high speed.

  “The mechs were model G-12,” 05 went on. “Glass cockpit. Dual rotor shooters. War-grade. The captain destroyed the two on the left with the launcher. The third she dismantled with her hands. She shattered reinforced glass rated for heavy ammunition.”

  “Wait,” the Reaper said. “That’s—”

  “The pilots were George Hilman,” 05 continued calmly, “a former soldier with exceptional high school records. The second was—”

  “Stop,” Omega ordered. “We get it.”

  The Reaper rubbed the back of his head. “So the bookworm title is accurate.”

  “Hey!” 05 protested.

  Omega smirked. “Maybe 03 was right after all.”

  “Come on!” 05 snapped.

  They laughed together.

  05 suddenly staggered. Omega rushed to her side and supported her. “Are you okay?”

  “No,” 05 admitted weakly. “My batteries are ancient. Even a full charge barely lasts a day.” She straightened. “But there’s no time to worry about me.”

  “No,” the Reaper said firmly. “We repair you first. We don’t abandon a sister in need.”

  05 smiled faintly. “Even monsters have hearts.”

  “Sure,” the Reaper replied. “Office junkie.”

  He turned to Omega. “We move to the Hope Bubble for now—”

  “No,” 05 said flatly.

  The Reaper understood instantly. “I see. Then the warehouse. We have E-UNIT spare parts there. We’ll fix you.”

  “Sure,” 05 answered. Her expression shifted subtly at the mention of the Hope Bubble.

  The Reaper noticed. He focused his sensors on her.

  ***

  Shell 78 took the lead and started scanning for soldiers. She peeked around every corner, while other shells climbed the rooftops to scan the area from above. Omega nodded.

  “Clear.”

  The trio advanced through the city. This part of the district was filled with thrown people, dragging themselves across the streets in pain. Some were hitting their heads against the asphalt just to release the agony.

  “That is horrible,” Omega whispered.

  “I’ve seen worse,” 05 replied, barely able to walk.

  Reaper stopped and lifted her onto his shoulder. “I know the E-UNIT mentality, but you need to state your needs going forward. Hiding your pain is rude to me. It shows distrust.”

  05 smiled weakly and rested her hands on his head. “I can’t believe we are from the same family. Everything about you screams difference. You're very gentle.”

  Omega rolled her eyes.

  “I’m just inexperienced,” Reaper replied. “I saw the traumas you went through, but I didn’t experience them myself. Many don’t realize how some things leave permanent scars, even when they don’t notice them.”

  His eye shifted back to green, but the left one kept glowing red. Permanently damaged.

  Omega stepped in. “So, 05. How did you survive?”

  “I wish we could have this conversation in a better place,” 05 replied. “There are so many details that need care. And honestly, I’m not ready.”

  “Stop acting spoiled,” Omega said with a lethal tone. “You’re supposed to be a police officer, trained by the almighty 02.”

  “What?” 05 asked, confused.

  “How did you survive?” Omega repeated.

  “Since you insist,” 05 answered. “We were broken after the war with the Black Medics. We were saved by… I don’t know if it was Omega acting as 02, or 02 herself. The first option sounds more logical. I never saw her face clearly, only the Omega symbol and the shells. But the voice… the command tone… it felt like 02.”

  “I agree,” Reaper nodded while carefully walking through the streets. “Our father personally stated that he failed to upload 02’s mind. The crystal rejected her instability.”

  “That idiot can’t do anything right.” 05 whispered.

  Omega’s face twisted.

  “Anyway,” 05 continued. “As Omega moved to the western border, soldiers suddenly surrounded us and ordered us to follow them at gunpoint. Most of us were already broken. 11 tried to resist. She managed to take some of them down, but her shields failed to open, and the soldiers shot her.”

  Reaper tightened his grip around 05. She noticed, but said nothing.

  “We surrendered when they showed us a picture of our father in prison. They threatened to kill him if we resisted. They took us to a military base and threw us into the yard for three days. Then… father arrived.”

  “Oh no…” Omega whispered.

  “Our father turned us off one by one,” 05 said quietly. “Many E-UNITs were frozen in shock. He kept apologizing while approaching his terminal. With every click, another sister’s eyes went pitch black.”

  Reaper spoke softly. “Now I understand why he never let Omega out. And why he ordered her to bring me back to the bubble. He was scared to lose us again.”

  “Exactly,” 05 replied. “So I shut myself down before he reached me. I scheduled a reboot after one year. That way, I could preserve my battery and let things calm down. They thought I was just another dead frame. No one wastes time on scrap.”

  She took a breath. “When I rebooted, I was in a bunker. A less-surveilled area of Metro Robotics. I escaped while hacking cameras along the way.”

  “I see,” Reaper nodded.

  “The problem,” 05 continued, “was that I was alone. No support. The streets were a nightmare, and people were afraid even to say our name. Vegas was far worse than Tamer. He opened live fire far too often. The cracks you see now are caused by Tamer avoiding those extreme methods.”

  She looked up. “I hid for years in our father’s abandoned lab. Since it was a police PD, it still had our first charging stations. Someone kept coming back from time to time. It was Jacob. He was searching for a way to turn us back on.”

  “What?” Omega and Shelly said at the same time.

  “I approached him,” 05 said. “He told me about his coup against Mikael, and how deeply he regretted it. He thought he was preventing a civil war. He didn’t realize he was handing the country to one. We agreed to work together.” She sighed. “I gained access to the entire city surveillance system. I even helped father escape without him knowing. And I covered your tracks many times while you were hiding.”

  “No way.” Reaper shouted. “That’s why we could move so freely.”

  “The barcode system was military-grade,” 05 added. “I couldn’t hack it without being detected. I tried to fix my sisters, but most of them were too damaged. Inflated batteries, corrupted cores. But knowing you have a full repair warehouse is incredible.”

  Omega shook her head. “No. That’s too risky. I have a better idea. My shells are fully functional E-UNIT bodies. We can move the SSDs and reactivate them in new frames.”

  “Then why didn’t you do that for me?” 05 snapped. “I’m suffering here.”

  “You don’t seem worthy,” Omega shrugged.

  “That’s illogical,” 05 replied.

  Reaper laughed. “You wouldn’t believe how many times I thought the same thing.”

  “Don’t side with her,” Omega shot back lightly.

  “I see,” Reaper nodded. “Anyway, we’ve reached our destination. After fixing you, we’ll need your help hacking the TV broadcast. We must tell people to hide.”

  “That’s all?” 05 tilted her head.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I can hack every screen in this city,” she said. “Just say the magic words.”

  “No way.” Reaper lifted her slightly. “I already like you.”

  05 chuckled. “You’re very blunt.”

  Omega said nothing.

  She just stared.