Flo

"To all residents. We have achieved our goal. Burgstadt will stay near Village 1 for a day before our magnificent city will move again. Please follow the instructions of the city guard. Don't leave Burgstadt", the mechanical voice echoed through the corridors of the iron city. Every now and then it made a strange noise so that the well-known announcement sounded more scary than informative. "If you wish to visit the village and can show the appropriate permit, please go to the guard post on each level. Civilians please keep in mind that they are only allowed to stay in the village for one hour. Wear a protective mask. I announce Security Level 2. Removing the mask is prohibited. Follow the instructions of the guards. Do not enter the city. There is a danger to life there."

Flo rolled his eyes. By now he knew the announcement by heart. It was always the same.

Almost always.

He did not often experience Security Level 2 being declared. If security Level 3 was declared, this meant that no one was allowed to enter the village. Apart from the military.

Level 2. That wasn’t good news.

How broken is the dome?

He packed his exit permit in his old backpack, then reached for his respirator and goggles. A bronze-colored iron frame with red glasses. The beak-shaped respirator was also made of this metal. When he wore both, he looked like a bird. He also wore his white gloves. To be on the safe side. Flo did not want to come into contact with radioactively contaminated sand under any circumstances. And if the dome was damaged, it was possible that it had made it to the village. But the simple cloth gloves would offer him little protection.

Sighing, Flo shook his head. Apart from the mask and glasses, he had no reliable protective clothing. And these were heirlooms of his predecessor. The only mother figure he had ever known. Mother, employer, friend.

Village 1 was the oldest village in the district, no, in the entire country. This was the place where it all began. This village was considered the origin of clones. A small village next to one of the largest cities. A village with a long history.  The other villages were also numbered. Based on these, it was easy to distinguish the oldest village from the youngest.

Flo threw on his coat, a brown patchwork coat with white ruffles on the sleeves, and put on his best shoes. These were reinforced on the outside with metal caps, which were now slightly rusty. He had to replace the insole. When he bought the shoes, they were broken. Otherwise, he would never have been able to afford it.

 As material for the new insole, he used old, holey wool socks and cotton wool. Now it was very pleasant to walk in the shoes. At least for his standards, which were never very high. Flo couldn't afford that. The inner leather of the shoes was also old and cracked, which is why he had to mend it. But from the outside, you couldn't tell at first glance that they had been provisionally repaired. He was proud of that.

A glance at his pocket watch, however, told him that he had only ten minutes left to reach the guard post and leave the city. Cursing, he ran off. The time window to enter the 'outside world' was always quite short and Flo had taken too much time.

He left his shop, almost forgot to lock the shop, and hurried to the guard post on Level 3. This was no larger than a chamber. A single guard checked the certificates of the few who were allowed to leave Burgstadt. As always, the line was short. A handful of traders, two families who wanted to visit relatives.

Flo appeared last and at the last second. The security guard was about to lock the door when he heard Flo calling. "Wait. Please!"

The guard, an elderly man who was missing his nose and who suffered from a chronic cough, snorted. He stopped closing the already half-closed door and raised his eyebrows. "Too late!"

"No!" Flo stopped in front of him and held the old pocket watch in front of his nose. "I have 30 seconds left! So I came in time."

The security guard snorted again. "Twenty seconds to show me their papers... 15 seconds..."

"Yes, yes! But you know me! I always come! And I'm the only one with purple curls who wants to pass you!" Flo deftly took the paper out of his pocket and held it out to the guard. "Here. My permission."

"Good. Luckyboy!" The guard hadn't even looked at the paper. Of course, he knew Flo. But the grump just didn't like him, because he considered the prices in Flo's shop too high. Although these were appropriate and usually as cheap as possible. "One hour. If you're late again, you'll stay behind in the village!" The security guard opened the door to Flo, coughing. "You know the way? Boy?"

"Of course!" Flo pushed past the old man and hurried through the guard post to an iron door with a large twist lock. It was already locked, but it didn't take Flo long to open it. Slowly and creaking, the thick metal door moved. A warm wind blew towards him. The door was directly on the outer wall of the city. There was a railing in front of him to step out of the door safely. And then he went down a long, iron external staircase.

Flo was at a dizzying height. He saw one of the outdoor elevators go down. These were available for the soldiers and residents of the two better Levels. Only the residents of Level 3 had to make do with the stairs.

Carefully Flo descended. He could already see the old glass dome of the village. Behind it were the ruins of the city. High-rise buildings stubbornly stretched towards the sky. Somewhere a bird was screaming. Flo looked around but found none. Relieved, he walked on until he reached the bottom of the stairs.

From there, he went through a glass corridor to a security door, which he could open with the chip in his wrist. Behind it stood two fierce village guards. A boy who was no older than 14 and a pretty, young woman with light blue curls. They didn't look nearly as nice as Burgstadt's city guards. Even on Level 3! Their light brown uniforms were tattered and stained. Neither was wearing a respirator. "Papers? Reason for stay?" the woman grumbled slightly incomprehensibly. She was missing her teeth.

Except for the scanner on the door, there was little technology in the poor villages. Just enough for people to be able to pay with the digital currency. Otherwise, documents made of paper or parchment were used for everything. Handwritten. And for this reason, Flo's exit permit was also on paper and not digital.

"Of course." Again, Flo showed his residence permit, although, without it, people would not have been able to enter the stairs or open the door with their chip. It was just one of the many (unnecessary) security measures. "I'm here to buy goods."

"Ah. A merchant!" The boy read through the paper. Although he was so young, his skin was full of wrinkles and scars. "Good luck then! We wish you a pleasant visit to our village. Don't leave it. There are predators in the city right now! And don't take off your mask. Our air is currently contaminated."

Flo nodded. "Thank you."

The two guards let him through. Behind them, the large market square of the village already was visible. Few villagers wore adequate protective masks, if any. Some had only a cloth in front of their mouth and nose. Others wore nothing for protection. Many coughed, but there was still a cheerful hustle and bustle between the small market stalls made of scrap. Everything here was old, even the houses. But since this was the oldest village, they still looked similar to the houses in the cities. Houses made of stone. Some even looked very magnificent if you ignored the dirt and the broken walls. On one of the houses, there was a beautiful, slightly faded mural of a dreamlike garden and dancing people. In the younger villages, many inhabitants lived in makeshift houses made of all kinds of different materials or even just in tents.

Flo looked around until he discovered one of the stalls selling old technology, spare parts, and tools. Three traders from Level 4 were already standing at this stand. They were easily recognizable by their better clothing. Unmistakably better clothes. One of them looked at an old charger and a few batteries. He seemed to be negotiating with the salesman, while another merchant was examining a cordless screwdriver. Sighing, Flo set off.