Dave's Workshop. 08:13 PM.

  “Oh my god,” Dave said while inspecting Reaper’s body. “What is this level of perfection?”

  “I cannot believe humans can create something this beautiful, this strong, and this powerful,” Sami said as he wiped tears of joy from his eyes. “Where did you find this masterpiece, heaven?”

  “No,” the group chief replied coldly. “It was thrown in a dark alley. From your excitement, I assume it will bring us a fortune.”

  Dave hugged Reaper’s shining body. The machine was sitting on a white table under loud neon lights. The room itself was old, dusty, and filled with random mechanical parts. This was Dave’s Workshop, a place where any robot could be fixed for the right price.

  “That is a marvelous piece of technology,” Dave said, finally turning serious. “I will buy it from you, whatever it takes.”

  “One million dollars,” the chief said, his eyes shining.

  “What?” Sami replied.

  “What?” Dave joined him.

  “What? Did I say something strange?” the chief answered, mimicking their earlier tone. “This is a high level of perfection. A technology humans cannot recreate. It is a masterpiece.”

  “Seriously?” Dave rolled his eyes. “You are talking about seven digits, my friend. I know the Metromania Resistance needs funding, but this is unreasonable.”

  “Well,” the chief said while looking at Dave, “maybe bringing such expensive technology to a poor street was a mistake. Can you inspect it? I want a full technical file before selling it to someone better.”

  “Sure,” Dave replied, clearly excited to open the robot. “Two hundred dollars for an official file. Fifty for a prefabricated one.”

  One of the men raised his fist. “Are you kidding me? Are you trying to—”

  The chief raised his hand. “It does not matter. The selling price of this robot will cover every expense for the next year.” He turned to Dave. “Do it officially.”

  Dave smirked. “Alright. Let’s start now.” He gestured to his assistant. “Sami, bring the inspection tools. And the high-resolution camera. We need a full report.”

  “Consider it done,” Sami said before leaving to fetch the tools.

  Dave sat at his office desk, lit a cigarette, and looked at the rebellion team. “How are operations these days? The streets are unusually crowded with soldiers.”

  The chief sighed and sat on a nearby chair, taking Dave’s cigarette. “I do not understand what is happening. Reports are coming from many sources, including my men. They all confirm the existence of a third group in the city.”

  Dave’s face twisted. “A third group? Who are they?”

  “We do not know,” the chief said. “But they all share two traits. They are non-human, and they wear cloaks. The problem is their power. They erased the old prison used as a torture chamber. It vanished completely.”

  Dave’s jaw dropped. “Erased? That is impossible.”

  “Not only that,” the chief continued. “Three days ago, the army sent three squads of helicopters and exo-suit drivers after them.”

  “No way. So the army already engaged them.”

  The chief let out a short laugh. “They evaporated the entire squad using some strange technology. It generated an orange cloud so bright that the whole north side of the city saw it. People even filmed it.”

  “That sounds like a compaction field.” Dave leaned back in his chair and grabbed his holographic tablet, scrolling rapidly. “You are kidding me. What the hell…”

  “If this group decides we are their enemy, we are finished,” the chief said. “Even the army could not stop them. Their goal is unclear. I just hope they are not planning to place another dictator at the top again.”

  He continued, “Some reports say their headquarters might be in the Dead Zone. That is slightly calming, but not enough. Until we know more, be careful with every robot that enters your shop.”

  “Of course,” Dave nodded. “And you should be careful too. You are our last hope in this city. Many people believe they will see light again because of you.”

  “That is both an honor and a responsibility,” the chief said, glancing at his team. “We will take Metromania back. Then our country. Nobody decides for us. We fight for a better future for humanity. Anyone who stands against that goal is an enemy.”

  “You remind me of someone,” Dave said with a faint smile. “Anyway—”

  Sami returned, carrying tools while the robot Z10 assisted with the heavier equipment. “Delivery for Dave.”

  Dave looked at Reaper’s body one last time.

  “Let’s get into it.”

  Hope Bubble. 09:00 PM.

  The place was deep underground. There was no sound except the low humming of machines. The air was too clean to be natural. It was artificial. The white floors were spotless, and greenery spread everywhere, mixed with white plated walls. Each plate was separated by a thin black line, making the entire place feel unreal.

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  He was sitting there, stressed, aged, scared, angry, and uncomfortable.

  Dr. Nick sat alone in his office, watching the news and the leaked videos of his creations. The footage of Reaper activating the Black Hole Protocol was expected, but not this early.

  Original Omega and E-Medic M03 entered the room to see their troubled father. Since his imprisonment, he had never smiled. Even now, his confident and upbeat personality was gone. His life had never taken a more devastating hit than this.

  “Father?” Omega asked in a calm, almost holy tone. “What troubles you this time? I told you I will save your creation, Reaper. Your worry is unnecessary. I care about my brother as much as you do.”

  “Seeing you twitching in pain earlier this week was a warning,” Nick said, his voice worn, deeper due to age. “Even here, far from the world, we can still be hurt. Them taking Reaper is not the real problem. I know he will never submit to anyone. I know what I created.”

  He turned to Omega. “There are two possible outcomes. Both end the same way. Either they tear him apart and sell him for scraps, or the military finds him and destroys him out of fear of his power.”

  Omega’s calm expression twisted. She always appeared serene, but her true self was sharp and unstable beneath the surface. Reaper was the only one who had seen that side of her. The side that did not care about appearances. The side that spoke freely.

  “I will save him,” Omega said. Her voice hardened.

  Nick replied, “Thank you. We need to—”

  “Why can I not interfere myself?” Omega interrupted. “With the power I possess, those weak beings would be crushed in seconds.”

  It was the first time Omega had ever questioned Nick’s decisions.

  “Not yet,” Nick said firmly. “You cannot control the scale of your attacks. I saw you erase an army in minutes. We cannot risk that with civilians involved. Metromania is home to twenty five million people. One mistake would be catastrophic.”

  Omega frowned and rolled her eyes. “As you wish, father.”

  Nick stepped closer, studying her. He was smiling. “What is this? You have never shown this much humanity before. Have you finally evolved?”

  “WHAT DO YOU MEAN EVOLVED? I AM NOT A CAVE HUMAN!” Omega snapped, breaking the holy image she tried to maintain. She paused, then cleared her throat. “I mean… yes. I understand why you would ask that, father.”

  M03’s medic protocols flagged Omega’s emotional spike.

  Nick’s smile widened. “And here I thought I made a mistake in your programming. You were hiding your emotions just to please me.”

  “Wait…” Omega froze.

  “Oh my god, yes!” Nick said excitedly. “I told that old Hank I never made such an error. 02 would be proud of you now.” He quickly began typing on his console.

  Omega raised her hands. “Wait. Did you hate me for not being 02?”

  “What?” Nick turned to her immediately. “Never. I have never hated anything I created. I was disappointed that you lacked human expression like the others. But now I see it. You were hiding it all along.” He placed his hands on her shoulders. “I never hated you, and I never will. Come with me.”

  He walked quickly through the facility. Omega and E-Medic M03 followed, confused. Nick reached an elevator and pressed the lowest button as they entered.

  Ding.

  The doors opened.

  The room beyond was dark, illuminated only by soft colored lights coming from the far wall. Six figures stood motionless. Each bore a Greek letter on its chest, each glowing with a different color.

  Click.

  The lights turned on.

  Nick stepped forward. The figures were identical in form, differing only in color, symbol and size. Each was sealed inside a glass containment tube.

  “What is this?” M03 asked, shocked.

  Nick stood tall for the first time in years. “I present to you the Greek Bots. And Omega, you are one of them.” His pride was unmistakable. “You were the prototype. But you were needed in the field before your sisters were ready. The issue was never your design. It was your restraint. The angel mask you chose to wear, I thought they would have the same problem as you.”

  Omega covered her face with her palms, overwhelmed by shame and regret.

  “It is alright,” Nick said gently. “When uploading 02’s mind failed, you tried to become perfect to replace her. You carry her memories. You know how others saw her.” He stepped closer and looked directly into Omega’s eyes. “You do not need to be 02. You do not need to be perfect. I will never place my own failure onto you.”

  Omega’s legs gave out. She collapsed to her knees.

  “What…”

  Dave's Workshop. 10:38 PM.

  Dave stepped out of the inspection room. His face was tense, twisted with disappointment.

  “Well,” Dave said while cleaning his hands, “the inspection is done. I have good news and bad news.”

  The chief stood up. “Judging by that face, the bad news outweighs the good.”

  “Correct.” Dave sat slowly at his desk. The team gathered around him like children waiting for candy. “The bad news is that this robot is useless. It is nothing more than a pile of metal shaped like a human.”

  “WHAT!” the chief shouted.

  “Before you explode, let me explain,” Dave said calmly. “This machine is an absolute masterpiece. But whoever built it cheapened out on the CPU. It overheated and shut down completely. That is why you found it lying in the street.”

  “So why would anyone do that?” the chief asked.

  “Based on its condition and the fact that we have never seen anything like it before, it is likely a prototype,” Dave explained. “Probably made by a shady company trying to scam rich buyers. The CPU is far too weak to support a body like this.”

  The chief nodded slowly. “I see. Then why not sell it for parts?”

  “As I said, it is custom made,” Dave replied. “No public model, no compatibility. Selling it would raise questions.”

  “Damn it!” The chief slammed his fist and knocked a robot part off the shelf. “So that is why you called it a pile of metal. Then what is the good news?”

  Dave leaned back. “Since I have been planning to build a new helper for myself…” He glanced at the robot assisting him. “No offense, Z10. You are doing great.”

  Z10 raised a thumb proudly.

  Dave continued. “This body contains several rare materials. Not expensive, but extremely hard to obtain. So I would like to make you an offer. Consider it a contribution to the movement, and a personal favor to an old friend.”

  The chief dropped back into his chair. “So now I need your mercy.”

  “No,” Dave said firmly. “I am helping a friend who once helped me. You are not a failure. You are a failure who helps other failures.”

  The chief burst out laughing. “You are an idiot. What kind of speech was that?”

  “It worked, did it not?” Dave smiled. “So. How much do you want for it?”

  “I do not want to burden you,” the chief replied. “Your workshop is small, and you serve the poor. How about five thousand?”

  “Fair.” Dave extended his hand. “Deal. Just do not waste it all at once.”

  The chief shook his hand. “Thank you, Dave. You are the only person I trust in this city. The world grows darker every day. A light like you still matters.”

  “No problem,” Dave smirked. “Anything for our knights. Even if they are broke, dirty, and accept donations from the poor.”

  “You bastard,” the chief laughed. “I will—”

  CRASH.

  The glass door exploded inward. Shell 101 burst into the workshop, followed by seventy-nine other other shells. They entered in less than a second.

  “YOU IDIOT!” Dave screamed. “WHY DID YOU NOT OPEN THE DOOR!”

  “This is not about the door,” the chief said quietly. “It is the third group. The cloaked non human force.”

  Dave collapsed into his chair, the shock stealing his voice.

  “Where is he?” Shelly asked.

  “W-Who?” Dave stammered.

  “Where is he,” Shelly repeated, her voice colder than steel. “I will not ask again.”

  Hssssst.

  One hundred and sixty blades ignited at once. Energy filled the room with blinding light. The Metromania Resistance immediately raised their weapons.

  “WAIT!” Dave shouted.

  “I am sorry, Dave,” the chief said. “We are borrowing the lobby for a moment, Try not to bleed on the carpet.”