Lena

  Burgstadt's metal sang. She heard it cracking, creaking.

  The shelter was small and narrow, but furnished like the most magnificent living room. There was fresh water and also some nuts and dried fruit. The nuts came from one of the vilges in the 3rd New State, which specialized in the preservation and recovery of old foods.

  Lena reached for a sugary roasted almond while she waited. The sweet cinnamon fvor reminded her of her childhood. Of Christmas parties with her many uncles. She reached for the next almond, while she listened to the conversation of her father and Mr. Wang.

  Lena had not only thrown her arms around her father's neck when she arrived in the safe room but also around him. Grandfather Wang had stroked her back. "We are safe, my dear!" he had whispered to her. "Shall I tell you a fairy tale?"

  "Maybe ter", was Lena's answer to the offer. She was too afraid to be interested in fairy tales. And she was no longer five years old.

  The old servant who had fetched them was also sitting with them. Next to Samuel. The old man had fallen asleep. From exhaustion.

  "Father?", Lena finally turned to her father.

  "Yes, dear?"

  "Will we have to leave Burgstadt?" She pointed to the escape capsule that was adjacent to the room.

  "Only if the damage cannot be repaired." Her adoptive father sighed. "It would be a shame for the city if we had to leave it to the water. But if this is the case, a new one will be built. Until then, we would be accommodated in the seat of government. At your uncle's. What luck that we are almost there and don't have to wait to be picked up by another city. Or have to seek shelter in one of the vilges."

  "Hm." Lena very much hoped that it didn't come to that. She didn't want to leave any of lives behind if they had to leave the city. She snorted angrily. I ask for the safety protocol, and THIS happens! It can't get any more ironic. How lucky I am!

  The room swayed slightly to the left. Alrmed Lena pressed herself against the wall. Are we sinking? Is it really happening?

  "Miss?" Samuel looked at her worriedly. "Is something wrong? Do you need something? Are you not feeling well?"

  "What?" She immediately shook her head. "No. I'm fine."

  Flo

  As soon as the elevator arrived on Level 4, it came to an abrupt stop there.

  "Oh." The shadow nodded.

  "What?" Flo blinked. The walls carted and vibrated. "What's going on?"

  "The elevator has failed. Change of pn. We take an escape pod on Level 4." Almost casually, the gray man grabbed the iron doors and pulled them open. The elevator had only reached half of the next Level. "Can you climb?"

  "No." Flo was the epitome of unsporty.

  "Good."

  "AAAH!" Startled, Flo looked for support. The shadow had lifted him up, together with the whining wolf cat, and carried him to the next level with a mixture of throwing and lifting. The impact hurt, and Flo clung to the open elevator door to avoid falling backward back into the elevator. The shadow followed effortlessly. Then he first pulled Flo to his feet and then the shadow pulled Flo along with him until they hid behind several gears.

  Flo has never been to Level 4 before. As if enchanted, he looked around now. There wasn't much to see in their hideout, but the light was brighter than on Level 3. Here, too, the red arm lights were lit, but everything around him seemed less threatening. He heard the soft chirping of birds whenever the metal of the city did not roar under the pressure of the water.

  "Are we sinking?" he asked quietly.

  "Maybe. If the pumps cannot be activated and the leak is not closed. Hush!" the shadow answered.

  "And then?"

  "Hush!"

  Flo sighed as he hugged his bag. The wolf cat had stuck its head out and looked around in fright. He stroked her fur.

  As soon as the shadow saw the animal, he shook his head. Behind the mask, Flo couldn't see his facial expression. "What else do you have with you?" the stranger grumbled.

  "The Minniebox, she wanted me to take it with me. And some of my goods!" whispered Flo. Strictly speaking, the soldier's order. Flo didn't want to miss out on this deal. Now that my shop is probably underwater, I'm going to need the money! If he still wants the goods...

  "Minnie wanted to come along?"

  "Yes. She wanted..."

  "Quiet now!"

  Flo snorted. You started the conversation!

  "Get ready for a possible evacuation!" the mechanical voice bawled here. The city leaned to the side for a moment, but then swayed back again. "Evacuation," Flo repeated. On level 3 he had not heard this.

  The shadow nodded.

  "And Level 3?"

  The shadow shook his head.

  "But!"

  "Hush!"

  They heard voices. People hurried past the gears. They heard a child compining. Apperently, the kid had been torn out of it’s game. Flo would have liked to look at them, these privileged inhabitants, but he had no pce on Level 4. His tattered clothes, wouldn't they betray him immediately? And if not, why were they hiding?

  And there was the matter of his wolf cat.

  He had illegally smuggled it into the city. With the help of a shadow. Was this man the same?

  "Mom! I forgot my cuddly duck. We have to go back!" he heard the child demand. "And Tommy doesn't have his cuddly bnket!"

  "No, honey", answered an adult.

  When the group of people was gone, Flo breathed a sigh of relief.

  "If necessary, follow me into one of the escape pods!" the shadow whispered to him.

  "What?"

  "You will follow me. There are some capsules here, especially for soldiers."

  "My kitten?"

  "Kitten?"

  "Silverpaw."

  "Silver?"

  Once again, the metal of the city sang a song of destruction.

  "The wolf cat!", Flo expined insistently and slightly panicked. "My kitten's name is Silverpaw." Nervously, he started chatting. It was either that or he would go crazy. "Minnie insists on fluffball! Well... Because of Minnie... I..."

  "Keep her hidden. Quiet now."

  "How many escape pods are there?", Flo asked further. "There are none on Level 3. I've never heard of any either!"

  "Hush."

  "But!"

  The shadow turned his head towards him. The eerie mask grinned scornfully at Flo. "Not enough to evacuate Level 3. The capsules are located on the Levels 4, 5, and also 6. In addition, there are capsules for the military. On the Levels 4 and 2. We can't go to those on Level 2. The water blocks the path. In addition, it probably has long been evacuated."

  Flo stared at him stunned. "Why are you helping me?"

  He got no answer. "Is that you?" The voice of the shadow seemed increasingly familiar to him. Now, he was pretty sure. "It's you, isn't it? Yes, it’s you. Silverpaw didn’t surprise you. You also helped me in the vilge."

  On Level 2

  The boratory had already been evacuated. Some of the shadows had also left the city. Their task was to wait for the mayor's escape capsule and to accompany it in an emergency.

  There was also a leak here. A few shadows had remained on the pin. They tried to activate the pumps to get the penetrating water under control. Others tried to cover the leak with metal.

  Number 5 swam through the steadily rising water.

  Burgstadt had been pressed against one of the rocks that rose out of the sea around the seat of government. In addition, the floating city had attracted some sea monsters. Once, these creatures were whales and octopuses. Strong enough to tear the city apart and devour the inhabitants, they posed a greater threat than the water and the storm.

  Without a doubt, there was a fight outside the city and at the leak.

  A thick arm full of suction cups and sharp teeth felt its way through the pin. One of the octopuses was looking for food. Number 5 skillfully avoided the arm and swam on. The shadows in the escape pods and in the water itself would take care of this danger. Their capsules were armed, and cyborgs could also go without oxygen for a period of time.

  Number 5 cursed softly as the Kraken's arm grazed his leg. Immediately the arm shot out and csped the shadow. But Number 5 was prepared. His body was equipped with explosive devices, which he now shot from his legs and arms. The Kraken's arm was torn, as was the Shadow's clothing and skin. Under them was a gruesome figure made of metal, cables, and gears, which encircled organs. A terrible, grotesque sight.

  Viscous blood now colored the water an oily bck, red, and purple.

  Number 5 swam on until he came to the half-open door of the boratory. Close to the ceiling. The computers there were still running, their screens flickered under water and the sockets energized the water. The shadow was unfazed by the lightning and sparks.

  He swam inside. To the computers that had already disappeared into the masses of water. Number 5 went without oxygen for about an hour. But, as one of the first Shadows, the technology was not mature. Defective. Which is why it was no longer used in the next models. If the water pressure was too high, his systems failed.

  The water pressure here was already problematic. But he continued to dive until he reached the computer. He opened the case effortlessly as if he were cracking a raw egg. Then he took a USB stick, which had been hidden next to the hard drive, and shoved it behind his visible cables.

  In the meantime, Level 2 was completely underwater. Number 5 had to leave the city and swim to the surface. But first, he destroyed all computers. Everything exploded, to cover his tracks.

  Now it looked as if the power supply had caused the damage, as explosions occurred. That this had not happened, he considered pure luck. Number 5 feared the USB stick was lost before he entered the b.

  He turned to the open door and swam to the hallway. He could see little in the murky, dark water. The light was extinguished. Number 5 turned on the night vision function of his eyes. At the same moment, there was a bang. The water pressure rose briefly, and an arm-window appeared in his field of vision... Everything went bck. Number 5 saw, heard, and felt nothing. His systems rebooted.

  Unconscious, the shadow drifted in the water, which gradually became less. It took a while for Number 5 to open his eyes again. 'Touch failed', 'System restart successfully', and 'No danger' was written in red letters in his field of vision. Smiling, Number 5 swam out of the b.

  Burgstadt would not perish.

  sasi