"Get down!" Shelly yelled.
"No! You're going to slice him open!" Reaper refused.
"Stop playing with my nerves! This is all your fault!" She drew both blades, blue light flooding the street. "This is your last warning!"
The soldier aimed at Reaper and prepared to fire. Reaper stood directly between them.
"Shelly! Stay behind me!"
"No!"
She jumped, hovering above Reaper. The blades glowed brighter, lighting the entire area. Nearby robots immediately fled the street.
She prepared to dive at the soldier.
Then she froze mid-air, pinned.
"Reaper," she said coldly, "this is an order. Free me, or you are next on my blade list."
The soldier stepped back and opened fire.
The bullets froze in mid-air.
The soldier's eyes widened. He had never seen anything like this. "What's happening?!"
He kept firing until the magazine emptied.
"Since I like how you think," Reaper said calmly, "I will give you a chance to run. I do not want more blood on my hands unless it is absolutely necessary."
The soldier tried to reload. His hands trembled.
"Okay," Reaper said. "You had your chance."
He flipped the frozen bullets and raised his hand like a gun. He aimed with his finger.
One bullet unfroze.
He aimed for the weapon, but the soldier flinched at the last second.
The round hit the skull.
The body dropped instantly.
"Great," Reaper muttered, lowering his head. "That wasn't necessary."
He looked at Shelly.
"The moment you free me," she said without looking at him, "you are dead."
"Then I won't."
He lifted her onto his shoulder.
A small group of soldiers appeared at the end of the street.
"There they are!" one shouted.
They sprinted toward them. Some wore exo-suits that enhanced human movement.
"Great," Reaper said. "More friends."
He kneeled and focused gravity control into his legs. "I need to free your hands. Do not stab me."
"Sure," Shelly said in a sweet tone.
"I completely believe you."
He freed her hands.
She immediately started punching his back.
"Coward idiot! Human interaction creep! Baby mind in a tank body! Killer who hates killing!--" she yelled while hitting him.
"That hurts more than the punches," he replied.
He released the stored momentum in his legs and jumped so high he vanished into the dark sky. With his dark cloak and armor plates, he became nearly invisible.
He landed on top of a building and prepared to jump again. He glanced back at the blue girl.
The punches had not stopped.
"Stupid processor! No-logic machine! Child behavior master! Big and dumb—"
"Good," he said. "Keep holding on."
He jumped again, cracking part of the roof behind him. At high speed, he landed in a parking lot and immediately sprinted forward, using gravity control to boost his movement.
They crossed into the dead zone. Even the air smelled abandoned
The lights were completely shut off. Only the moon illuminated the streets.
"Is this the right way?" he asked.
"ATM would be better— go left," Shelly snapped. "Living glitch! Child behavior master—"
"You already said that."
He sprinted toward an old parking structure. Broken cars were scattered everywhere. Graffiti covered the walls. People with empty eyes lay on the asphalt. Illegal substances were spread around them. No hope. No order.
He stopped beside a broken car and set Shelly down.
Her eyes locked onto him, glowing red. Her legs trembled but did not move.
"I think we are safe now," he said, clapping his hands to remove dust.
She stared at him in silence.
He sighed. "I get it. Soldiers bad. System against us. From now on, I will let you play ninja fruit with the army. Only the army."
Her eyes slowly turned blue. Her voice calmed. "I swear, you want us dead. Why are you so desperate for human interaction? Are you a dog?"
He sat beside her. "No. But I want a Lazuli experience too. I like how different each human is."
"We were like that once," Shelly said quietly, lowering her head. "Can you free me now?"
"Oh," he said. "I forgot."
He stood up in a defensive stance. "Please do not kill me."
She smiled and looked at him. "I won't, my sweet brother. I would never hurt my best friend."
"That is extremely creepy."
"Free me. Or else."
Her voice dropped cold.
"Okay, chill," he said, stepping back. "Just so you know, I love Dr. Nick too. He is the best—"
"NOW!"
He snapped his fingers.
The moment she was freed, she vanished.
Reaper's head snapped left and right, trying to track her speed. "HOW ARE YOU THIS FAST?! I CAN'T—"
CLANG.
She flew-kicked him out of the parking structure, sending him crashing onto the road below.
She landed on the half-height wall above him and looked down.
"Never do that to me again!"
Reaper raised a thumb.
"Affirmative."
Shelly jumped and landed beside him. Reaper remained lying on the asphalt. The rain kept falling, just like the silence between them.
"Need help lifting that bulky body?" Shelly asked, scanning the surroundings.
"No. I just did not see the hit at all. Even with all my sensors, you were everywhere at once." Reaper pushed himself up and sat on the wet road. "Was I hallucinating?"
"Maybe," she replied flatly.
"Where are we?"
"The Dead Zone. From here on, No official police coverage, no IB presence and no recorded patrol routes."
"You make it sound like a nightmare."
She knelt beside him, her eyes wide and sharp. "Because it is." She stood and jumped, hovering above the building. "I know this place. The Bubble is still far from here."
"How big is this city?" he asked while standing up. "We have been moving for more than an hour."
"The military abandoned many cities. They only protect three major states. The capital, the economic capital, and Metromania."
"So people fled to the safer places."
"…making them easier to monitor," she continued. "And all kinds of people came here. Drug addicts, criminals, thieves, even high-priority targets."
"If they have that much control, why leav—"
"They use the criminals." She landed back.
"I see, to scare the population," Reaper said. "When people complain about living conditions, they press a button and release them."
Shelly smiled slightly. "See? You can use that CPU sometimes."
"You keep taking advantage of my lack of knowledge," he said. "We should move. Too many eyes are on us."
"Indeed."
Suddenly, an RPG rocket rushed toward them.
"Careful!" Shelly shouted.
They jumped just in time. The explosion shook the street.
"An RPG? In an urban area?" Reaper said in shock.
"I told you. The criminals are supported by the military. Militia units operate inside the city." She drew her blade. "Did you see the source?"
"Yes. Far-left building. West side."
"They targeted us specifically. We investigate."
"Affirmative." Reaper began floating slowly. "I will provide outside support. You go in and clear them."
"Since when do you approve violence?"
His voice dropped, cold and heavy. "The moment they targeted us."
Shelly turned toward the building. "Code Red, initiated."
"Seriously? A catchphrase?" Reaper replied while hovering.
"Father designed the mode to activate by voice input."
"Wow. Our father is—"
Her red eyes snapped toward him.
"—The best of the best."
Then she vanished.
"How does she do that?" Reaper flew toward the building.
Shelly was already there.
Without slowing down, she dashed toward the wooden door and jumped.
Crash.
The door shattered. Four men jumped up from old furniture, completely unprepared. They tried to aim.
Too late.
Shelly rushed left, jumped off the wall. Their necks were already highlighted.
Sleek. Sleek.
Two clean slashes. Heads fell free from their bodies. Four heavy thuds echoed across the floor.
She did not stop.
Shelly rushed up the stairs. A man with a machine gun opened fire immediately.
She blurred. The bullets passed straight through her.
"What?!" he yelled.
It was only an afterimage, ghost cloning.
The heat near his left ear rose. The plasma blade was already there.
Sleek.
Shelly moved upward. No hesitation.
She carried 02's memories. Every E-UNIT fighting style was available to her.
The building had four floors. She reached the second in seconds.
Several criminals hid behind concrete supports.
Suddenly, they were pulled sideways.
"What is happening?"
"Our cover!"
An invisible force dragged them into the wall. They were pinned, unable to move.
Shelly smirked. The Captain's smirk.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
She ran along the wall like a charging beast.
Sleeeek.
One long strike ended them all. Their blood did not touch the floor. Reaper's gravity pinned everything to the wall, bodies, weapons, and the dark spray that followed.
She nodded toward the window.
The black figure moved upward.
The third floor was empty.
She jumped to the fourth.
A large group surrounded her. One man closed the door behind her.
"To the ground!" someone shouted.
"That sounds like a military command," Shelly said calmly. "Who are you?"
The darkness concealed them. Only the figure was partially visible, the Shell-101 facing them.
"Drop your weapon. Now."
Shelly was Model B, same as 17. Not designed for darkness. She relied heavily on cameras.
Darkness was her weakness.
"This is your last warning!" the soldier shouted. "Drop the blades and get on the floor!"
She let the blades fall and raised her hands.
"Good girl," a criminal stepped into the light. "That is a pretty face you have."
CLANG.
The wall exploded.
Reaper broke through from outside and landed beside her. The gravity shockwave threw criminals across the room. The soldiers barely held their ground.
Reaper said nothing.
His green eyes turned bright blue.
Something snapped.
"CHARGE! THAT'S HIM!" the soldier screamed.
Bullets rained down.
They froze midair.
Reaper floated higher. Weapons slipped from hands and began orbiting him like planets.
Shelly stared in silence.
A 1.95-meter black machine hovered before them.
His voice was deep and absolute.
"Judgment was rendered. Your lives held no claim to continuation. What I value is defended without mercy."
The guns turned.
"Terminate."
The weapons fired endlessly. Bodies dropped one after another. Screams filled the room, then slowly faded.
Click. Click. Click.
Empty magazines echoed.
People nearby opened windows and doors. For a moment, it sounded like war.
Reaper landed heavily. His HUD screamed warnings. Multitarget gravity control was inefficient.
He turned to Shelly. She was speechless.
She circled him slowly, inspecting every detail.
Then she stopped.
"I see why Father wants you so badly," she said, eyes glowing with excitement. "You are the greatest war machine I have ever seen."
His eyes returned to green. "Says the one who removed every head in her path."
He glanced outside. "We need to move. I need to cool down. Staying here is dangerous."
She nodded, looking at the bodies.
"I agree," she said softly. "I completely agree."
***
"Here!" Shelly shouted while running, glancing back at him.
"I am still overheated!" Reaper replied, struggling to keep up. "Why did Dr. Nick make you this fast? How did he even hide all that machinery in such a small body?"
She stopped suddenly, turned, and leaned toward him with a smile. "Because he is a genius. And you are his greatest proof." She chuckled softly and resumed hopping forward.
"Why are you so happy?" Reaper asked. "We just committed a crime. Weren't you a police officer?"
She froze, then turned sharply, arms crossed. "She was a police officer." Her voice hardened. "Stop treating me like 02. I am Omega. At least for now."
Reaper finally caught up. "What do you mean?"
She looked up, extending her hand into the heavy rain. "Father tried to bring 02 back by erasing me."
Reaper stared at her, completely still.
"What?" She asked.
"How… why… can't he just put her memories into one of your other bodies?"
She lowered her arm. "No. It is complicated. Even I do not fully understand it. The crystal refuses every attempt to let 02 live inside an Omega body." Her voice dropped. "I have to be erased so 02 will not end up broken like me."
Reaper clenched his fist. "We will deal with that when we meet him. Where are we going now?"
"This warehouse." She pointed ahead. Low-income housing surrounded the area.
"How many abandoned places do you own?" Reaper asked.
"As many as needed. The government made sure of that." She slowly opened a rusty door. "Most commercial owners fled when the military took control."
She entred.
"…leaving places like this."
A massive hangar was revealed. The ceiling was high. Dozens of shells moved around, monitoring the city, carrying spare parts, repairing damaged units.
"How do you impress me twice with the same scene?" Reaper said, scanning the room.
She chuckled. "Like you said. I capitalize on your lack of knowledge. Welcome home, brother."
"Home, sweet home. Except I have thirty identical sisters sharing the same mind," he said sarcastically. "Are all of these you at the same time?"
"Yes," a shell replied from the catwalk.
"STOP THAT!" Reaper shouted.
All shells laughed in unison.
Shelly turned toward four shells monitoring city feeds. "We see most of the city, but manpower is our problem. Father refused to use the original Omega for a direct attack."
"I agree with him," Reaper said, studying the screens. "If it controls all of this, it is a dangerous weapon. Possibly more dangerous than me." He paused. "Is that you at the mall?"
"Yes. I work many jobs to keep income stable," Shelly replied. "Maintaining the Hope Bubble is expensive. Father cannot leave that place, even though he still receives a paycheck from his old prison."
Reaper looked at her. "Paycheck?"
She walked toward a door on the left. Reaper followed.
"Henry Vegas was the Minister of Defense for years. He wanted Nick locked in a high-security cell with no space to breathe."
Click.
The door opened.
"The former owner of Metro Robotics, Alex Brightson, proposed a deal. Revive the company. Use Nick and Wallmore to build weapons exclusively for the army."
Click.
Lights turned on.
A medium-sized room appeared. White walls covered in photos. Red lines connected people. Yellow lines marked suspicious ties. At the center was Dr. Nick's photo.
"No way…" Reaper stepped closer, scanning every face.
He reached Nick's photo. Torn, taped back together. Hearts drawn on it. At the bottom, the words: I hate you.
"Did you find something?" Shelly asked after a long silence.
"Nothing," he replied, turning back. "You are trying to dismantle the system from the shadows. Everyone here is connected."
"What do you mean?" Shelly asked.
"My recordings were not limited to E-Police feeds," Reaper said. "I accessed old police archives, the mayor's office, and multiple government facilities."
"HOW?"
"All data paths converge into one name tied to your investigation." He looked at her. "Sebastian Tamer."
Shelly leaned against the wall, sliding down slowly.
"…What?"