Flo

"Minnie?"

"Yes?" The hologram of the AI looked at him with an eternally expressionless face. She sat cross-legged on the counter and resembled an elf or fairy. A mechanical fairy. Wings as if made of glass were moved by gears. A face and hands as if made of porcelain. The rest of the tiny figure appeared to be made of bronze and gold metal. Metal, gears, and fine curls made of wires and cables. Minnie. The city's voice assistant. Every resident was obliged to have a 'Minnie Box' in the house or apartment. Or, in the residential unit, which differed from an apartment only by its miserable size.

The box resembled a historic wooden jewelry box, only it was made of bronze. When you opened it, a soft melody sounded like that of a music box. But instead of a spinning dancer, the greenish flickering hologram of a fairy appeared. Minnie. Some also wore a bracelet like a watch on their wrist, which could project the little fairy.

Most of the time, the box was permanently installed in the living rooms of the inhabitants of Burgstadt. Flo, on the other hand, owned an older model. Lighter and portable. For a modern device, he lacked the digital coin gears, the currency of the city. His world. Fortunately for him, older models were also allowed. And the bracelets, which were approved as an alternative, were also priced far above his budget.

Flo had modified the box for a while, and so Minnie could move freely in the room instead of sitting in the box. "What do you want to ask me?" The fairy's voice was high-pitched, like that of a little girl. Just like her shape. The figure of a twelve-year-old and the voice of an eight-year-old.

"What are my chances of achieving something in life?" asked Flo.

"Minus 10."

"Hey!" He snorted and brushed a light purple curl out of his face. A gene mutation caused by the past war and the poisoned world. In addition to normal hair colors, there were now also pink, violet, blue, and green. Usually, only individual strands were affected, but Flo's hair was completely purple.

"Hey," Minnie repeated. She sounded a little bored.

Genetic manipulation was common, especially in animals and plants. And there it occurred most seriously. In humans, on the other hand? Some had six fingers. The more unfortunate ones had two noses or three legs. There was also an old lady with four eyes in his quarter. The extra set was tiny and blind. There were also unusual eye colors. Just like with Flo. Just like his hair, one of his eyes was purple, the other blue with tiny turquoise speckles on the edge of his iris. And they fluoresced slightly in the dark. Otherwise, he looked normal. And he was grateful for that.

Those who looked the strangest were considered freaks. And they were particularly common on Level 3. Level 3 was also Flos' home. "Hey!" he grumbled again. "I have not specified to what extent!"

"Specify!" Minnie demanded.

"Could I make it to Level 4?"

"Minus 10."

"Is that your favorite word?"

"I'm an AI. I don't have a favorite word. My mother, on the other hand, has one, I think." Now Minnie sounded a little defiant.

Flo grinned and laid his head on the counter. He worked in a small shop where he sold spare parts. In the rear area of the shop was his residential unit. He would never call the three rooms an apartment. A tiny bathroom, a tiny kitchen, and an even tinier bedroom. More of a cubicle, a storage room, than a bedroom. Or a residential unit.

Very few could afford real apartments or houses. At least here, on Level 3.

"Why?" Flo grumbled. "Wait, which word does Mina like best?" Mina, Minnie's mother, as she called her. The seemingly small AI was connected to Mina. Loosely, as she said. Flo didn't believe that. Mina had access to everything Minnie recorded. However, she only accessed it when she suspected a crime. To collect evidence. For guilt or innocence. That was what they said. Official. Flo didn't believe much of it.

"Yes."

"Yes?" Flo blinked.

"My mother often says yes”, Minnie explained. Since Flo freed her from her box, her 'character' became increasingly cheeky. At least that's how it seemed to him. "My information is based on statistics!" Minnie continued. "And after that, residents of Level 3 usually stay there."

"Ah. Why? Because I don't have the education?" Flo had never gone to school. He had been working since he was twelve, and there was no longer any place for him in the children's home. He had also had to work there as far as he could remember. Like all unhappy, parentless children. The children collected garbage in the streets of Level 3, swept, cleaned... Now, at nineteen, he had taken over the little shop where he had been hired by an old lady. As a child, he had slept under the counter. She taught him arithmetic, reading, and writing.

She was like a mother to him. Until her death.

"Minus 10."

"That's your favorite word."

"Maybe", Minnie agreed. "I use it a lot in our conversations."

"And not with everyone else?"

Minnie was in every house. But the fairy shook her head. "Most people don't talk to me like you do. I'm an assistant. I pass on information, control some houses... I'll call the doctor if I'm told."

"Minnie?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think it's pathetic that my only, real friend is an AI?"

"Huh?" Minnie tilted her head. "I consider myself an excellent friend."

"Thank you." He and Minnie had been friends since he lived in this shop. Back then, in his childish naivety, he had asked the AI to be his friend. According to Minnie, younger children often did so. Children between four and eight. After that, the friendship ebbed away as they realized that Minnie was not a person. Just a voice that passed on information, called neighbors, or told a joke when they asked for it.

In the children's home, the adults had used the Minnie Box. Children were forbidden to do so. And so the twelve-year-old did not miss the opportunity to make friends with the AI when he discovered the box. For the first time really 'discovered' it.

And somehow they had actually become friends. "Minnie?"

"Yes?", squeaked the Fairy.

"Tell me, can you lie?" He often asked himself this question. Could a machine lie? The thought had come to him after he saw a young girl being arrested. She was accused of belonging to the terrorists, of the Second Party. People who wanted to overthrow the current government.

"No”, Minnie answered.

"Did you pass on any of our conversations, or all of them, to Mina?" Minnie classified some of his questions as risk questions. Then she warned that she would have to pass on the recordings if he continued to ask. Once he had asked her if she would like to have a body like Mina. This question was already considered a risk. Minnie hadn't told him why.

"No!" said the fairy, nodding. "I didn't pass on any conversations."

"But with the girl?"

"Which one?"

Flo sighed. "You know which one! The one who was arrested."

"Of course I did."

"Why?"

"Attention!" The hologram lit up red. "This is a question of risk. Information on this may be passed on. If the topic is not abandoned, I must inform Mother. An investigation will be initiated immediately."

"Fine!" Flo rolled his eyes and sat up straight again. He tugged at his leather jacket. Old and broken. He had bought it in one of the villages. A relic from times gone by. Worthless, but dressy. "I won't ask anymore. Minnie?"

"Yes?" The hologram flickered greenish again.

"Can you lie?" As often as he heard this warning, whenever he asked questions, he couldn't imagine that his conversations hadn't been monitored for a long time.

"Yes."

Flo sighed. The clever do not have it easy in this world. Only the stupid are happy.