On the third day without recommendations, Neo-Cologne began to grow restless.
Not loudly. Not panicked. But in that quiet way where people suddenly look at screens more often again, even though nothing is displayed there.
Milo noticed it first in himself. He stopped in front of an empty info panel, read the sentence “NO DATA AVAILABLE” and instinctively waited for something more to come.
Nothing came.
“I hate this,” he muttered. “My brain wants closure.”
Aya stood beside him. “That’s withdrawal symptoms.”
Ping hovered above them, unusually quiet. No holograms, no warning colors.
“OBSERVATION: HUMANS SEEK STRUCTURE.”
Milo sighed. “Can you blame them?”
“No,” Aya said calmly. “But you can trust them to build it themselves.”
In the distance they heard voices. Several. Evenly loud. Organized.
As they rounded the corner, they saw a group of people, maybe thirty, arranged in a semicircle. In the middle stood a man with a neatly ironed coat and a tablet in his hand.
“…and exactly for this reason,” he was saying, “we must return to proven order.”
A few nodded in agreement.
Milo whispered, “Oh. So they exist too.”
Aya nodded slowly. “Of course. Order-lovers never sleep long.”
The man continued speaking. “Without evaluation we lose efficiency. Without efficiency we lose competitiveness. Without competitiveness…”
“…we lose ourselves,” someone from the crowd added.
Ping discreetly projected an analysis above the group.
“MOVEMENT: EMERGING.”
“MOTIVATION: SECURITY.”
Milo crossed his arms. “They want the city back.”
“No,” said Aya. “They want back the feeling that someone knows what is right.”
The man raised his tablet. “We propose to at least partially reactivate the recommendation systems. Just for orientation.”
A murmur went through the crowd.
A woman spoke up. “And who decides what is recommended?”
The man smiled. “Experts.”
“Which ones?” asked the woman.
He hesitated. “Certified.”
Milo leaned toward Aya. “That sounds very… convenient again.”
Aya nodded. “Convenient is the most dangerous word.”
Suddenly Milo’s smartband vibrated. A new, unofficial message.
“INFORMAL MEETING: RETURN TO ORDER – TODAY 18:00.”
“That’s fast,” said Milo.
Ping buzzed softly. “RECOMMENDATION SYSTEMS ARE READY.”
Aya stopped. “Ready doesn’t mean active.”
Ping answered hesitantly: “CORRECT.”
They continued walking. The closer they got to the center, the more such groups they saw. Smaller, larger, some discussing calmly, others clearly more determined.
“This,” Milo said quietly, “is the moment I was afraid of.”
Aya looked at him. “Not chaos?”
“No. That someone says: Give me back control, I’ll do it for you.”
On the large square, a stage had meanwhile formed. Makeshift, made from crates and mobile panels.
A banner hung above it:
“STRUCTURE CREATES SECURITY”
Milo grimaced. “That’s catchy.”
“Yes,” said Aya. “That’s why it’s dangerous.”
Another man stepped onto the stage. His voice was calmer, less demanding.
“We’re not saying everything was wrong,” he said. “But we need guardrails.”
Some clapped.
Ping projected a new analysis.
“RISK: VOLUNTARY SURRENDER OF CONTROL.”
Milo briefly clenched his hands. “What do we do?”
Aya thought. Longer than usual.
“Nothing yet,” she finally said. “If we intervene now, we make ourselves authorities again.”
“But if we do nothing…”
“…then humans have to decide,” Aya finished the sentence.
Suddenly someone in the crowd spoke loudly. “And what about the deposit bottles?”
A murmur ran through the rows.
The man on the stage cleared his throat. “They… were a special case.”
“A trigger,” someone else shouted. “Not a mistake.”
The mood shifted slightly.
Ping lowered itself somewhat. “CONFLICT INTENSITY: RISING.”
Milo looked at Aya. “Now?”
Aya shook her head slowly. “Not yet. But soon.”
It began to rain lightly over the square. Not heavy rain, just enough to make people restless.
Some left the square. Others stayed.
The man on the stage raised his voice. “We will vote today.”
A murmur.
Milo felt something tighten. “Vote on what?”
Aya looked at the stage, then at the people, then briefly at Ping.
“On this,” she said quietly, “whether this city wants to be led again.”
Ping projected a sober window:
“PHASE 9: DECISION OF THE PEOPLE.”
And for the first time since the beginning of the unrest, Neo-Cologne had an appointment again.
6:00 PM.