Flo

The special soldiers. The Dark Unity. The Shadows. Deathbringer. Grim Reapers. It was said that there were only men among them. Vampires. Metal soldiers. The unit down at the bottom Level. Below. Level 2.

There were many nicknames for these figures that were rarely seen.

An entity whose 'manufacturing process' was thoroughly secret. Their base was located on level 2 and was called 'Military 3', which caused confusion from time to time. They were somewhere under the old houses and alleys of Flo's home plane. Close to the heart of Burgstadt.

'Military 2' was on Level 4, and 'Military 1' was on Level 5, with the rich and famous. Those who were part of the number 1 military base mostly came from the better circles. It was rumored that they were more the decoration of the rulers with purely representative tasks. All others were stationed at Military Base 2. Many of them were assigned as normal city guards. But they were always on standby should the city be attacked. Attacked by the horrors of the outside world.

But those who were stationed on Level 2 were a completely different class of soldiers. Genetically modified machines. Cyborgs. No one knew how much was human about them. These gray-skinned people with their blood-red eyes and gray-black hair were feared. Rumor has it that they were more machine than human.

Bloodthirsty, callous weapons. There to protect the city from the monsters of the outside world. There were spiders, the size of a skyscraper, that could tear metal with sharp claws and teeth. Huge carnivorous plants with long tongues and other things that could cause endless nightmares. Some of these creatures were too strong for normal soldiers. Like the big spiders. Flo had only seen pictures of them. And he was grateful for that.

If Flo feared anything, it was spiders.

And these soldiers? They were created to eliminate such monsters. How scary did they have to be themselves?

Most of them wore a mask on their faces, through which only their eyes could be seen. These glowed cruelly and insensitively. The masks always reminded Flo of the masks of past people. Red, monster-like faces, grim with bared teeth. In addition, they wore chain mail under sturdy leather clothing. And it is said that they are heavily armed.

Flo didn't know why he was rushing after this person. Was it curiosity? Or stupidity? But something moved him to follow the person. Surely it is stupidity! Flo grumbled in his thoughts.

The soldier walked very quickly. Flo tried to go unnoticed, but he stumbled rather than sneaked after the soldier. Once he even ran into one of the stalls. All the goods fell to the floor. Flo almost lost the rest of his cotton candy. The salesman scolded, Flo hastily apologized and then hurried on. Therefore, it was no wonder that the soldier suddenly stopped.

Flo fled behind the stall of another vendor who sold homemade bracelets. The old man looked at Flo angrily and pointed to the mess Flo had left behind only a few meters away. The salesman was just opening his mouth, presumably insulting Flo wildly, when the soldier stepped behind the stall, grabbed Flo by the arm, and pulled him out from behind the stall.

The grip of this person was iron and painful, but Flo didn't notice it in shock. He only staggered after this dark figure. The soldier, the shadow, pulled him into one of the many, stinking side streets of Level 3. Here it smelled of old oil, urine, and garbage. The city's landfill was located not far from this alley. Flo gripped the stem of his cotton candy so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Why are you following me?" The soldier's voice was melodious and velvety, pleasant, not very deep, but not as high as a woman's voice, but without any trace of feeling. "And... Why with..." Stunned, he looked at Flo's snack.

"Eh." Flo blinked. His own voice, on the other hand, sounded scratchy, hoarse and frightened. "Do you want something?" He held out the little sugary happiness to him.

"No."

"Okay." During his chase maneuver, some of the candy had gotten stuck on the clothes of passers-by. Now only a delicate fluff covered the stem. "It was once more."

"Why?" the soldier repeated.

"Uh?"

"Why. Did. You. Follow. Me?"

The smell of leather and metal penetrated through the stench of the alley. And there was still another smell. One that Flo hadn't expected. But out of fear, he gave little thought to it.

"Well... Eh..." Flo would have run away if one of the soldier's hands hadn't still held him. Uncertainly, he looked at the black glove under which the hand was hidden. Black leather with iron rings on the fingers. "Well."

" Why? Following a soldier from the 3rd military base is already a violation of the law. Give me a good reason, or I'll be obliged to arrest you." The soldier did not blink as he spoke.

"I don't know?" whispered Flo. If there was one thing Flo really didn't want, it was to rot in a cell. It was said that those who were taken away by the military 3 never returned. These were just rumors, but Flo didn't want to check them for their truthfulness. "Just because?"

"You don't know?" There was still no form of emotion to be seen in the soldier's voice. The mask, on the other hand, bared its pointed teeth. "You... Are you stupid?"

"Yes? Wait, no! But that was stupid." Flo nodded. "I... Sorry."

"Ah." Then the soldier let go of Flo, turned around, and marched away. Wordless.

Flo watched him go in confusion. What was that?

It took him a few minutes before he dared to come out of the stinking alley. He plucked off some of the remaining cotton candy and shoved the sweet fluff of clouds into his mouth. Had he been lucky?

Never again would he be so stupid as to follow a soldier. He remembered the young man who had come into his shop. He was wearing civilian clothes, but Flo was sure that he had once seen him in a soldier's uniform. This soldier was handsome and also had a pleasant voice... Nevertheless...

Flo had never heard a voice like the cyborg's. And those eyes. The bloody red couldn't get out of his mind as he returned to his shop with its tiny living unit.

A cyborg. He hadn't seen much of this man. He was covered from head to toe in leather and metal. Only on the soldier's neck was something of the sickly, no, dead-looking skin of the man visible. An ashen gray. But this soldier did not smell dead. He smelled of leather, metal, and something flowery. Does he use perfumes?

Why?

If these soldiers are really more machine than human, why should they use perfumes?