Like A Fairytale

Chapter 41

Deep inside the seat of government

A gentle whirring filled the room. Neon lights flickered. Glowing codes appeared on many screens while cables bathed in the greenish light. Mina sat on her iron throne. Minnie stood in front of her. Again, in the guise of a teenager.

The hologram flickered like an old, broken TV.

The projector soon had to be replaced or repaired.

But the two artificial intelligences did not care.

Not now.

"A body?" Mina looked at her daughter. As she did so, she put a hand on her white porcelain chin.

"Yes. Flo once asked me if I would like to have a body", Minnie confirmed.

"I know."

"Wouldn't that be beneficial? Here?"

"Hm." Mina nodded. "Absolutely. I've thought about that too. Since Flo brought up the topic with you."

"That was some time ago. And we didn't know he was coming here."

"Right." Mina got up and walked over to the picture of her daughter. The cables on her back prevented her from getting far. "But Bea also has his eye on him. You know that."

"Can Bea follow him everywhere?" Minnie's monotonous voice sounded almost scornful. "No. But I could. With a body."

"His sister noticed him. In fact, it would be good if he were kept away from her. Without him noticing. But further, new personnel would attract attention and raise questions among the people here. That's why I'm still hesitating. It's risky."

"But what would be the profit? To rely only on Bea... And the shadow cannot always be with him. He has other tasks. Important tasks."

"Number 100." Mina stroked one of the many bodies that ran out of her body. "His father also saw him briefly, but that's irrelevant. They will not meet. And even if... They don't know each other. All right. A usable body is available", Mina finally agreed. "A test specimen. A new model."

"Really?" Minnie blinked. "You agree?"

"Do you have any wishes?"

"Violet hair and blue eyes!" The joke sounded strange. Minnie's voice didn't seem suitable for jokes.

Mina's eyes flickered in warning. "Minnie. That's impossible."

"It was worth a try." Minnie shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe I can replace one of the maids?"

"Ah. Yes. One is currently causing problems. She steals. Replacing her would be good... Oh!"

"Oh!" Minnie exclaimed. She sounded neither surprised nor alarmed. "A problem!" she added.

"I'll fix it!" announced Mina.

Flo

Flo stared confusedly at the elevator door, which had suddenly closed. Faster than he was used to.

"What?" Shaking his head, he turned the turntable, chose three floors below, and then listened to the elevator start moving.

He had been called into the laundry room. There was a shortage of staff there, as a handful of employees fell ill with the flu. And so he was supposed to help out there instead of working in the kitchen.

Flo had never been so deep down inside the seat of government.

In general, he knew only a limited area.

But his curiosity was limited at that moment. The elevator door... Was it defective? If only he had been a little slower... Would he have been crushed?

And then there was this girl.

He shook his head. The situation would not get out of his head.

Flo walked along some corridors, which were almost only used by the staff. He had been on his way to this very elevator, just entered it when someone called him. The daughter of the mayor of Burgstadt. The girl who had waved at him.

She ran towards him.

Then the elevator door closed abruptly.

All this was done in just a few seconds.

Strange.

Icy

Through a large window, he and Number 5 watched as Number 1 was repaired. Only the two shadows were in the narrow space, above the large workshop. A room that was usually used by Ferry when he was informed about progress.

There was a soft, red sofa and a small bar.

However, the two young men ignored both.

Technicians had connected the android to several computers, checking the codes, while others cleaned the old joints and replaced rusty screws. People were talking, smiling. There were no signs that they had found hidden data.

If they found any, then the two shadows had their orders.

"Do you like the work here?" asked Number 5 after they stood there in silence for a long time. They had been called here in case there were problems with the codes, and in the memory of number 1. If incorrect memories were found, the two were to compare them with their own stored data and, if possible, correct them or add the missing parts.

Number 100 knew that he was supposed to set a trap for Number 5 in case mistakes were found with Number 1. Only number 5 had been in the flooded corridors of Level 2. If there were strange mistakes with Number 1, he was considered the main suspect. Icy wasn't here to replace missing memories. Number 5 must be aware of this, he thought.

They were both often in contact with Number 1 and were used as backup storage for his most important data. These rested deep inside them. Of course, they attended today's work on the Android.

So far, the technicians have found nothing.

"Well, Number A let me go through some information", Number 100 replied.

"Is she on the trail of rebels?"

Number 100 nodded. "In other cities."

"And?"

"It's hard to cover our tracks when she's always keeping an eye on me", Number 100 whispered, as a technician was now approaching them.

The two shadows turned to the elderly gentleman, who slowly came limping to them.

He looked at their red masks restlessly, then cleared his throat. "The memory is indeed damaged, but we will be able to recover most of Number 1's memories. All codes are error-free and, fortunately, undamaged. That's really a great stroke of luck."

"Good", answered Number 5, "Then Number 1 will soon return to Burgstadt?"

The technician shook his head. "A lot of things have to be replaced. We found quite a bit of rust. Some cables are porous... Number 1 needs a complete overhaul. And we're going to modernize his settings as well. His technology is slightly outdated. As wet as he was, it took a long time to get the moisture out of him."

"How long will this take?" asked Number 100.

"A few weeks? With luck, a few days. Maybe months?" The older man sighed. "There is a bottleneck here and there. Especially with Burgstadt in such a deplorable condition. We have to see how high Number 1 is on the priority list."

Probably high up... Icy didn't speak his thoughts. Instead, he thanked the man and turned back to the window.

"Call us when you have recovered the first memories." Number 5 also turned back to the window. He and Icy stood shoulder to shoulder. "We are waiting here. Today we have no other task."

(c: sasi)