“We’re taking a Matatu,” Amina announced proudly as she led Lukas out of the airport building. The notorious minibuses of Nairobi lined up before them. But in 2026, they were no longer rickety diesel clunkers – they were rolling cyberpunk artworks. The Matatu they stopped in front of was completely covered with LED panels, on which digital graffiti pulsed, and was powered by a highly efficient electric battery.
“Looks like a moving club,” Lukas marveled as he stowed his suitcase in the back. Wurst floated cautiously behind and scanned the blinking exterior of the bus with visibly heightened sensor activity.
Inside it was crowded, loud, and incredibly lively. Bass-heavy music vibrated through the seats, and passengers tapped on holographic screens or chatted animatedly. Amina and Lukas found two seats in the rear. Kiko immediately zipped along the handrail upwards and projected small, glowing bananas onto the ceiling of the bus, much to the delight of some children in the row in front of them.
“Traffic in Nairobi can be brutal,” Amina explained as the bus started off with a jolt. “The city AI tries to regulate the traffic lights using quantum algorithms, but the human drivers tend to rely more on... creative intuition.”
This became immediately clear when the Matatu turned into the first large roundabout. An autonomous delivery truck blocked the intersection because its orientation system was overwhelmed by the sheer mass of two-wheelers and pedestrians. A honking chaos broke out. The Matatu driver cursed and pounded on the dashboard.
“System analysis of the urban traffic node: deficient,” Wurst suddenly sounded from Lukas’ lap. His OLED eyes flashed in time with the bus’s hazard lights. “I detect a classic deadlock situation in the central server router of the intersection. Creator Lukas, I request clearance for a logistical intervention.”
“Wurst, no! Sit!” Lukas shouted in panic. But Kiko had already opened the interface. The holographic little monkey gave a thumbs-up on Lukas’ screen and linked Wurst’s Bavarian security protocol directly into the local Wi-Fi of the delivery truck.
Seconds later, a jolt went through the blocked delivery truck. Its headlights flickered briefly, and from its large horn speakers sounded – audible to all – a single, loud, digital whip crack, followed by an extremely accelerated Bavarian march music frequency. The sheer frequency overload erased the system error in the truck computer. The truck’s brakes released with a loud hiss, and it rolled properly aside. The way was clear.
The Matatu driver cheered with excitement and hit the gas while the passengers applauded. Amina stared at Lukas with her mouth open before bursting into loud laughter. “Your dachshund just fixed Nairobi’s traffic AI with polka music!”
Lukas felt himself blush, but when Amina laid her hand on his in rhythm with the accelerating bus, the cyber chaos suddenly didn’t matter to him at all. “He... he just does what he can,” he murmured happily.