Icy

  "Soldier?"

  Number 100 nodded. "Yes? Sir?"

  He was standing in the doorway to the rge office of his second superior. A shadow, but a woman. Number 70. ‘Second Supervisor’ was even her official title. She invited him in with a simple nod of the head. Number 100 followed. There he remained standing in the room while the higher-ranking soldier sat down on her magnificent desk chair. "I'm waiting for your report."

  She never wore a red mask and rarely left Level 2. Known for her strictness and fairness, the 'human' soldiers regarded this mysterious person as their protection from the cruelty of the Shadows. And that was rgely her task. She kept order, kept track of all the Shadows' maintenance, checked every system update...

  "Of course." Icy stroked his red mask, which he fastened to his weapon belt with a ribbon."

  “Well?"

  "The vilge was attacked by wolfcats. Therefore, I could not meet our informant."

  "Hm." Number 70 frowned. "This is an awkward situation."

  "Positive."

  "Yes... I heard you saved a civilian?"

  Number 100 nodded.

  "The boy again?"

  Number 100 nodded again.

  "How much does he know?"

  "Nothing. He needed help, so I helped. Nothing more." And he has brought a wolfcat to the city... But Number 100 kept this to himself. For the time being. Why the animal did not kill the boy immediately, even though it was still so young, was a mystery to him. That was the only reason why he had let the boy bring the animal. Number 100 wanted to monitor the situation. Maybe wolfcats were useful for their cause?

  The Shadows had already tried to make mutated animals docile. Without success. No matter how young they were. These beings sought only one thing: blood. And many showed themselves to be extremely intelligent. More intelligent than some people. It was therefore impossible to keep them in the city.

  After one of their test animals almost escaped and caused a bloodbath, this research, this series of experiments, was stopped. And forbidden.

  "Nothing?" Number 70 put her hands on top of each other and looked sternly at Number 100. Her hair was grey, but unlike 'normal' shadows, the ends of her hair were not bck, but old pink. Nobody knew why, and the Shadows didn't question it either.

  A bluish hologram flickered in front of her. The young man's file. "I asked Minnie for his information. Everything that has ever been recorded."

  "Did anything come out of it?"

  "No. The boy is smart, he asks many questions, but he is not guilty of any crime. His file is almost too perfect! Flo Whitebloom. Degree of mutation: 40%. Size 1, 68 meters. 19 years old. Grew up in an orphanage. He now sells scrap and spare parts. No schooling. Citizen of Level 3. Born on Level 5. Talks a lot with Minnie. However, there is no evidence of risk issues. Everything is in the green zone."

  "But?"

  "There is no data about his biological parents or family members." Number 70 enrged one of the documents and sent it to Icy. The hologram floated through the room and stopped right in front of him.

  Origin: Level 5

  Parents:/

  Family:/

  Risk reports and anomalies: /

  Public Offence:/

  School education:/

  Mutation: 40% No risk mutation.

  Affected areas: hair and eye color. Size: 1, 68 m

  Occupation: Scrap Dealer

  Location: Orphanage Level 3, Residential unit with workshop and shop Level 3

  Health data: Inconspicuous

  Personality traits/character: Unobtrusive

  Citizen without risks.

  A very rge green tick was next to the boy's picture. If there were abnormalities, the tick would be smaller or gray, in the case of a criminal even red.

  "Everything in the green zone?" Number 100 had never heard of that. "That can't be. Every citizen says something that the government cssifies as a risk. And there MUST be data about his family."

  "Right."

  "Sir? Do you think someone has changed his data? Counterfeit? Hidden? Deleted?"

  "Yes." Number 70 stood up, walked around her desk, and put a hand on Number 100's shoulder. "And I'd like to know who. And why. This person could be useful to us. I want to know who this boy is. And I want to know who is protecting him. And why! Number 1 agrees with me. You get new orders."

  Number 100 did not make a face when he heard this. He stared straight ahead and waited.

  Number 1. The first superior of the Shadows. Meeting him in person was almost exclusively reserved for number 70. Icy had only spoken to him once in person when he was initiated into their cause.

  "Someone else will now take care of our contacts", Number 70 expined. “Plus your other duties. I will station you on Level 3. Our Mayor demands that Shadows keep order there next to the normal guard. Recently, the crime rate there has doubled. The normal soldiers, on the other hand, cannot cope with it. They need support. You won't say anything to your comrades who will be stationed there with you. And one more thing... Stay away from the boy. Just watch him. You will receive more orders there."

  "Yes, sir!" Number 100 saluted. "When do I take up the post?"

  "Immediately. Head to the ndfill on Level 3. Three more shadows are already waiting in the technical room there. Number 12, Number 5, and Number 20. You have a direct connection to Mina there. So be careful."

  They were all higher-ranking shadows. "Mina? Are we...?"

  "Discovered? Not yet." Number 70 shook her head. "So you have to be extra careful. Especially you! Only Number 5 knows about our cause. But our little espionage remains among us. The less people know, the better. We don't know why the boy is being protected. Number 12 and Number 20 are shadows of the government isnd."

  "Oh. They're here to check us?", asked Number 100.

  "Right. Someone got suspicious. They were trained by Mina, not here. They have been with us since the st meeting of the Clones. Directly connected to Mina. They signed up for Level 3 monitoring by themself. I don't know what they're trying to do. And they asked for you and Number 5. You have to prove yourself to be extremely faithful. And one more thing! Two more Shadows are on the isnd. Number 3 and Number 99. The bodyguards of the ruler. Ferry Goldbird. Also trained by Mina and connected to her. If we are exposed, the Clone knows immediately. All clones."

  "Impossible." If Number 100 could have been shaken or frightened, he would be now. "All shadows act autonomously!"

  "That's a lie. We are also monitored. Our autonomy is only an illusion. And we will break through it! Proceed carefully."

  "Yes, sir."

  sasi