I knew I couldn’t live among you,

They arrived on the outskirts of the Holy City after almost three days of traveling. Their speed had quickened on the second day after 5 spotted a vehicle in the distance and used his superhuman speed and strength to catch up with it and kill the driver.

As they stood in the light of the stars, gazing into the shadows of the empty streets, the programmed citizens of the city fast asleep, Trigger looked at Omega and asked, “so exactly what are we doing here?”

Omega answered as sincerely as possible. “I don’t know.”

“Well, while you think of an answer, I’m going to the Capitol. A little sightseeing I’ve been meaning to do.” He and 5 laughed as they began to walk toward the light upon a distant hill, the residence of the Holy Family.

Omega ran after them, with Switch and Kernel close behind. “We should stick together,” he said quietly. “This is a dangerous place.”

92A-005 laughed. “But no one’s actually lived here for a century, Omega. Don’t be so paranoid. We’re here to exact revenge, remember?”

Omega merely glanced behind him as a response. Something began to dawn on Trigger’s usually-unperceptive brain. “What the... You’re looking for her, aren’t you? She’s not here, you know that don’t you? No one’s here except the dead. Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Madonna, Johnny Rotten — they’re all here, but if you’re looking for that girl here, in these streets, you’ll have to die just to be with her. And I won’t let you do that. I’ll save you from this pathetic reality, even if I have to kill a few people to do it.”

Omega looked at his friend and smiled as they continued their way toward the Capitol in silence.

When they did arrive, it seemed that their walk had been in vain, for the house was surrounded by an impulse-wire fence and guarded by infamous 90-series robots. “The ultimate protection,” Switch whispered. “The best killing machines ever created.”

Despair began to quickly overwhelm Trigger. He did not come all this way for nothing. Omega could see it in his eyes. This was not a good sign. They would all be killed if he allowed his mechanical rage—

“Fuck—” screamed Trigger as he bolted right through the wire and ripped the first 90 he saw apart, using its head as a club for the next guard. 5 was right behind him, misquoting Shakespeare as he held a metallic skull up to the sky. The grounds suddenly lit up and guards flooded from the sides of the building around them.

Omega, Switch, and Kernel followed quickly, simultaneously deciding that a fight was preferable to running. They would be caught anyway and might as well cause some damage before being deactivated.

But then something absolutely unpredictable happened. Instead of mounting an attack against the intruders as the five expected, the guards formed a circle around them instead. Trigger ran up to the one closest to him, noticing that they were surrounded by a circle of over a hundred, and smashed through one’s face in frustration. But the guard didn’t even move; none of them did. They were waiting for something. Trigger, fearing the worst, began battering every guard in sight. 92A-005 joined him. But any enjoyment the two might have had was negated by the lack of energy in their opponents.

Suddenly the circle shifted and an opening appeared behind them. From within the mass of identical 90s, appeared another identical guard, whose uniform was not blue like the rest, but red. He was obviously 90-000, the chief guard and protector of the Royal Family. His existence was contrary to rumour, but there he was nonetheless.

Flawed, programmed, and mortal.

They were led, blindfolded, through the building to a dark room. From the number of steps, turns, and stairs, Omega guessed that they were about fifty feet below the ground, in a complex that was at least as wide as it was deep. One by one, they were pushed through a narrow door onto a cold floor.

“In a hundred and fifty years, no one has disturbed the peace of the Holy City,” the protector boomed at them as they removed their blindfolds. Switch observed that the retinue that had originally accompanied them had already dispersed, leaving them with only 90-000. Obviously, they were not regarded as a threat. And for a good reason, too...

“I came to find a girl,” Omega started but was quickly cut off by a snort from Trigger.

“And for revenge against the tyranny of the Family,” he added.

“Really?” this seemed a new concept to the chief 90. "And what makes you think anyone could harm them?”

“He is the Omega,” Switch responded quietly as the four turned to him in surprise.

“So, you are the one,” their inquisitor gazed reflectively at Omega. “I thought you were to be reprogrammed.”

“We escaped,” Omega answered.

“Good,” 90 said as he looked to Switch, who quickly turned his eyes away from him to the floor. “Then all is well.”

“I told you he was a traitor,” Trigger said to Omega.

“I think I’ll leave you all here for a little while. There are some things I have to attend to. But before I go—” he pulled out a disrupter and aimed it at 5, whose chest spontaneously exploded. Circuits and fluids were scattered everywhere as his body slumped to the ground.

“Oh,” he turned before closing the door. “Dinner is in two hours. I do hope you’ll eat and be refreshed when I bring you to see the Lord Xavier.”

Omega and Trigger quickly turned, desperately trying to put out the fire that had begun to consume their cybernetic friend. When they were confident that the leftovers of 92A-005 would not combust, they turned to Switch, who was still staring at the floor.

Trigger picked up the cyborg and held him against the wall. “You son of a bitch,” he screamed, “I’ll destroy your worthless body for this.” He looked at Omega, wondering what to do, probably because Switch wasn’t struggling as he expected. Instead he was merely looking deep into Trigger’s eyes, paying no attention to the fact that his neck was already half-crushed.

“One question,” Omega said, “and if I don’t like your answer, Trigger will break your neck. Why should we let you live?”

Trigger grinned at Switch, expecting the word from Omega any second. But instead he found himself quickly turned over, his hand held behind his back and his face against the same wall.

“Good answer,” Omega smiled. “Now tell me what happened, Switch. I trusted you and I think you understand that. Why am I so important? Why would you allow us to be brought here?”

Switch merely motioned at Kernel. “I think you’d better ask him that. I didn’t bring us here. He did. It was he who first brought my attention to you.”

“But how can that be? He can’t even speak.”

“Remember anything from your psychic education classes?” to which Omega and Trigger both chuckled. That had been one of their best classes together.

Switch continued, “Kernel was originally a first base communication drone for the Holy Family. During his early education he experienced a bug that was common among the early models. It was a typical malfunction, having something to do with the way his neural net implants interacted with his higher brain functions. But his reaction is the most extreme case ever recorded.”

They all turned to look at Kernel as he bent over 5 and began sorting through wires in an attempt to repair the damage.

Switch continued, “First, his emotion and judgment functions shorted out, causing him to destroy his teacher and the entire class — all of which were built with the same set of circuits that were never used again. Then, according to what I can gather, the malfunction spread to his speech and memory. He remembers so little that what he does retain in that head of his becomes a part of him. He recognizes the two of you as friends and knows that he can communicate with me. He also knows that he is virtually invisible to the Holy Family, but knows everything possible about them.

“What he has told me about you, Omega, is most fascinating. You are the Family’s only threat. And because of that, you are also their greatest asset. I’m not sure why but they need you. And I am here to make sure you stay alive long enough to find out why. And somehow the girl fits into all of this.”