Flo

"Minnie?"

"Yes?" The little metal fairy sat on Flo's lap. He had made himself comfortable on his bed and placed the projector in the shape of a jewelry box next to him.

Strictly speaking, Flo's bed consisted only of an old mattress that lay on a slightly raised platform. In addition, he had a pillow and a woolen blanket. Opposite him hung an old, slightly tarnished mirror on the wall. Above the mirror hung a yellowed, holey rainbow flag. Both were relics of the past world.

Flo didn't know the meaning of the flag, but he liked it. Colourful. Life in the past world must have been exciting. There was not much information about the people at that time. Too much had been destroyed. And what else still existed was strictly regulated. Not everyone had access to it.

It was said that the old knowledge was dangerous. It brought disaster upon humanity. But when Flo saw the flag, he couldn't imagine it. Had everything really been bad?

He looked at his reflection. Purple curls, ugly yellowish skin, one violet eye, the other dark blue... "Minnie?"

"Yes? I'm still waiting for your question."

"On a scale of 1 to 10, how ugly am I?" He couldn't forget the customer who had bought a battery from him. The young man was good-looking. With a strand of green hair and skin like bronze. But he had looked at Flo as if he were the ugliest object he had ever seen.

"Hm..." Minnie tilted her head. "1 is particularly ugly?"

"Sure?"

"According to the standard of the upper social class, you are at a 3. You don't have any deformities, otherwise you'd be between 2 and minus 10. According to the standard of the people of Level 4... Hm... An eight, I think. Your face is too round and your complexion too unhealthy. I suspect a vitamin deficiency. By the standards of the lower class, on the other hand, you're a good catch."

"Am I?" Flo asked and frowned.

"You have a job. That's what makes you attractive", Minnie added.

"Thank you. That's too much praise. I always knew I was pretty!" he grumbled. "A job makes you attractive. I'm saved."

Minnie blinked. "I think you're pretty."

"Thank you." Flo sighed. He had sold little in the last few days. His income was barely enough to buy new products in the villages. He needed most of it to pay for food, electricity, and water. And even there it could be tight. So why did he worry about his appearance?

"Flo?"

"Yes?"

"Am I pretty?" Minnie spun like a little ballerina.

"Of course you are!" he confirmed with a smile. "If not you, then who?"

Minnie curtsied. "Thank you. And now you should leave the house and go out among the people. Crouching around and sulking doesn't make you prettier. It will only give you wrinkles! Go and have some fun. You humans need fun, otherwise you'll get sick! And you could get some vitamin tablets at the pharmacy."

"I don't feel like it... I prefer to stay in bed. I don’t have enough money left for vitamin tablets."

But the fairy ignored his objection. "You'd better put on something smart!" she announced, pointing to the narrow metal cabinet in which all his rags hung. "How about the Veste? The polka dot shirt with the ruffles? And the brown cloth trousers? That looks good on you! I know your budget. You have enough for a small pack of tablets."

"You don't take 'no', do you?" grumbled Flo. He didn't want to get out of bed. He just didn't feel like it.

"Get out!" Minnie beeped in her high-pitched voice. "As your friend, I announce that you should move your butt out of your store!"

"Where did you hear this choice of words?" Amused, he rolled his eyes.

Half an hour later, Flo was strolling through the alleys of Level 3, as the AI hadn't given in until he did what it wanted. Here everything was as usual. Neon lights, old light bulbs, squeaky hinges, the smell of old oil, and all the stalls where you could buy food. A few girls looked at Flo with interest, but he paid no attention to them. Girls weren't really his thing.

Flo liked strong men with attractive faces. And there were some things that Flo found attractive. Narrow noses, or round noses, full lips, thin lips, thick eyelashes, and the ability to protect him. Why he had a strong need to be protected, however, was a mystery to him. His childhood had not been a happy one, but at least he hadn't starved to death. And he didn't grow up outside the safe city.

Flo was grateful for that. Life expectancy in the villages was considered particularly short. Many did not live past forty. They lived too close to the toxic cities that were often their workplace. The villages themselves were protected from radiation and poison by a protective dome, but as soon as they left it, they breathed the poisonous air unless they had a (good) breathing mask. Good breathing masks were expensive and scarce in the villages.

The inhabitants of the villages searched for mineral resources, such as oil, or entered the old cities in search of usable. A laborious, dangerous job. Outside the city, everything wanted to kill you. Whether animal or plant.

Many cities had to be 'reconquered' first. There were people in some villages for this as well. Flo had even heard of nomads who moved from village to village for exactly this purpose. But here in Burgstadt, many lived unimpressed by the problems of the outside world.

They had problems of their own. Especially here, on Level 3.

One figure caught Flo's attention when he was buying blue cotton candy at one of the stalls. Well, he couldn't afford to spend extra, but Flo loved cotton candy. The salesman just told him the price for the delicacy, half a silver, but Flo just nodded distractedly at him. The figure had grayish skin. He was one of the special soldiers that were rarely seen on Level 3.

There were more rumors about them than things people actually knew.

Curious, he did not let the person out of his sight. He paid the salesman at the stall almost casually, then followed the soldier as inconspicuously as possible. Flo pushed his way through the many passers-by. Some of his cotton candy stuck to the clothes of an unsuspecting woman. Flo didn't notice it. Where does he want to go? Did something happen? What is he doing here?

The figure had long gray-black hair and wore a black uniform. He was fast. Twice Flo almost lost sight of him.