For a few seconds Michael froze, staring at Samantha’s black underwear, and then he looked at her face. He jumped over the bed behind him to have enough distance between them.

‘Okay, that’s enough beer for you. You’re also the worst temptress in the world. Bye… Date is over!’ He said, and he grabbed his coat.

Samantha stood there for a few seconds. ‘Wait, don’t go. I’ll button up again. Sorry if I’ve gone too far. I thought…’

He stopped.

‘Thought? You weren’t thinking at all. Yes, you’re beautiful tonight. That doesn’t mean you have to strip with no warning. It’s not because a woman is attractive that I actually want sex with her. Sorry for breaking all stereotypes about men. But I can’t do this.’

‘Please, don’t leave,’ she said, looking back into his eyes.

He sighed but kept his distance.

‘Let’s go outside. If you promise to not flash me like that again I might reconsider. But it really doesn’t work like that. Maybe with other men, I don’t know, but not with me. And that black bra only brought me back to that horrible ceremony night.’

‘Ceremony night?’ She said, and then ‘Oh… I see. Wow…’

She grabbed her sweater and followed him downstairs, still buttoning her dress. He didn’t take the elevator this time, the more distance the better for now.

When they were outside he continued his story.

‘Try to imagine being me on that night. They’ve forced you to go to a Wife School, all alone. You haven’t talked to a girl before. You know you must come out with a paper of a chosen Wife. And then they let all the girls parade in front of you, in those same black bikinis. Very similar to that bra you’re wearing now too. There’s the light and sweat and the atmosphere is hell.’ ‘I never thought about how that felt for a boy.’

‘Well, first you get a sterile speech, and all the history of Manfred and nonsense about quality wives for every man in The Nation. And then that. And next to me there was a bunch of brainless oversexed Epsilon-baboons who were really drooling over the girls. I’ve never felt so bad in my life.’

‘Oh, Michael.’ She said, but she didn’t touch him this time.

‘And then I looked at the other side of the line, all those girls in black underwear. The last girl was one I vaguely recognised, but she looked at me with eyes full of hate. Next to her was a dark-eyed one whose eyes said ‘help me’. And next to me the other boys were fighting and I had to make a choice. That’s how I got Megan.’

‘And the other one you mentioned?’

‘Oh, a wild-eyed feisty creature that everyone called “the man-hater” and who was deemed unmarriagable. Against all rules she did the talking for Megan that night. And we even recognised each other as the forbidden childhood friends.’

‘So that was Eliza. But what I wonder is why you were at the E-floor, as a Gamma-1 you could have gotten a fine C-Wife, not?’

‘B even, don’t ever tell my dad. I was panicking and reasoned that, like brainie boys who get a low rating because they’re not Real Men enough, there was a chance that the most interesting girl would find no place in the higher levels and would be downgraded to E. Which was a good bet in the end, even if it was completely crazy, and it could have gone horribly wrong too. And the other bet was to try to befriend her instead of being serious about the whole marriage thing. That’s how everything started.’

‘Come, let’s sit. Walking so fast is not good for a conversation,’ Samantha said.

They sat next to each other again on a bench on the central square.

‘You might want to redo half of the buttons, or people will think strange things’ he said, pointing at her dress, which had a mismatch in buttons and button-holes from her belly to her neck.

‘Oops, I had to be fast, okay? I almost had lost you.’ she said, and he looked away while she unbuttoned and buttoned half her dress.

‘I hope no-one sees this.’ He said.

‘You could tell everyone what happened, blame me, and all, you know, horrible temptress and all,’ she said, but he ignored her and just went on with his earlier story.

‘But really, it was horrible on that night: the atmosphere there, and then the expectation that I would like it there. That as a man it would make sense to me to choose a wife just because of how she looked with as few clothes on as possible. As if I would be able to think of sex without even ever having spoken to a girl. Really, I don’t get it. So it’s a really bad memory that you triggered. I suppose the girls can tell you even worse things about their experiences from their side, but I was on the brink of an emotional breakdown myself too. And I didn’t even have to do that twice a month until I was taken.’

She held his hand, completely different from before.

‘I’m sorry that I got caught in that moment. So I completely spoiled your first date experience?’

‘If you can go back to your clean romance fiction mode you might undo some of the damage before the night is over. You know I actually liked being with you like this a lot, much more than I expected. No-one has ever dated me out of free will, and you really did your best with the whole romance thing. That’s why I was so shocked.’

‘You actually like me? The original Loverboy was impressed with me?’

‘Like, like, what is like? Yes, I like being with you tonight. You know that. And in a way you’re enchantingly attractive. But that’s all.I’m not going to fall in love with you and you know I’m not the friends-with-benefits type. And to be honest, do you want to make everything awkward and weird between us from now on? You said to Eric you didn’t, and I will trust you on that. Plus I’m an inexperienced idiot anyway, remember that. Awkward dates are probably the best you could get out of me anyway.’

‘Oh, Michael, what do I do with you?’

She grabbed his hand again and he didn’t protest. The distance was gone again.

They walked back to the fields with the honeysuckle arch. It was a lot darker now, and there were more bats who were dancing in the light of the lantern, eating little moths and mosquitoes. The bigger hawkmoths seemed to have gone. They sat there for a while, holding hands again.

‘I like sitting here under this lantern, and I like the little pipistrelles.’

She giggled. ‘You mean those bats, brainie boy?’

‘Yes, they’re called brown pipistrelles. They were once considered extinct, and then they came back. They eat a lot of mosquitoes.’

‘Yuck. Who would want to do that? Doesn’t sound tasty.’

She shivered.

‘Aren’t you getting cold? You’ve forgotten your coat with your stupid strip act, and that sweater won’t be enough now. Here, take my jacket.’

Before she could protest Michael had put his jacket around her.

‘You really are the perfect gentleman. Do I deserve that?’

‘Come on. You did all that effort to be romantic in the oldschool way. No-one has ever done such a thing for me, or probably for any boy alive in this country, it would be mean to not acknowledge that. I thought only the Ghost Town women could do this, not men. I know it’s not the chemistry you wanted, but I had a lot of fun. And you really are beautiful tonight, attractive even. It’s confusing. Just keep it the opposite of the Ceremony Night please.’

They stopped and sat down on a wooden bench in between the pumpkin field and the farm. He gently put his arm around her to make the night less cold.

‘I want to believe you. But I’ll never be enough, will I?’ She said after a while.

‘Enough for what? You have outdone yourself. You made me feel at ease again. I feel sorry for rejecting you for the more you want. I’d never imagine being you such a female gentleman, whatever it’s called, for most of the time tonight. Really. But it would still be wrong to kiss you.’

‘Oh, you idiot. Don’t ruin it. This night went much better than I ever expected. And it was always clear that it wouldn’t work between us for anything long-term, and you’re not a hook-up type at all. But no-one is going to take the fun I had away from me. And I’m so sorry for the black bra incident. I was impulsive. I see why they invented rule seven…’

‘We’ll never mention that anymore.’ He said, and he hugged her, and then kissed her very softly on the forehead.

‘Thank you. Actually, my little temptress, you were my first actual date that wasn’t enforced by some weird Wife School system or so. To be honest, from the moment that you drop the over-the-top flirty stuff you’re much more attractive. And forgive me if I ever called you unattractive. You’re not. You’re just too aggressive for my sensitive heart. And I don’t mean the asking me out as a wager for a chess game part, the other girls could learn from that probably. We just don’t have the same language of intimacy, or whatever you call it.’

She shrugged. ‘That’s more than clear now. It wasn’t Megan and Eliza’s influence, it’s just you who’s the introverted prude. I wish them luck with you. The one that can catch you surely deserves you. And still…’

She stopped, looked him in the eyes for a while and kissed him full on his lips, and he didn’t protest this time but kissed back, and then held her for a while. ‘…still I deserved that one.’ ‘Maybe you did. And maybe I lied to Eliza when I said that my slutty days were over.’

They looked each other in the eyes again and said nothing for a while, with the little brown pipistrelles flying in strange patterns around the lamp and then she looked at him, incredulously, and started laughing while she stood up.

‘You really don’t understand that word, do you? Don’t flatter yourself, dude. We just re-invented the casual romantic mixed-couple date, which is a historic accomplishment probably, but it was all just clean fiction stuff and it’s going nowhere indeed. You know you’re not at all like how they say men are at all. But still, you’re certainly not aromantic either, whoever came up with that word. To be honest, this was the most romantic night of my life.’

‘I take my words back. You’re not the worst temptress in the world at all. But this was it, I’m not doing the friends with benefits thing. And it’s getting late.’

‘Ah, yes, you still have to walk back all the way to that zeroville dump, so I think we better call it a night, loverboy. Will you be safe?’

He stood up too.

‘I will, I think. Without a girl with me or anything worth stealing on me no-one will notice me now in the dark streets. I’m a boring nobody and a deleted badgeless man, remember. I’m the one the good ranked men are afraid of now. The potentially feral weirdo creep.’

She hugged him again.

‘You’re the cutest and the most harmless man in this whole country. You’re only dangerous for men because you set a standard that no Nation men can live up to. I mean, look at what you did tonight.’

‘I didn’t do anything but mess up…’ Michael said, confused.

‘Wait, is there someone there?’

Someone was calling out. ‘Michael?’ and then ‘Eliza?’

The magic was broken when they were approached by a nervous woman.

‘Michael!’ It was Jenny, who first turned to Samantha. ‘Am I interrupting something? They said Michael was on a date, but I expected someone else with him… So that means Eliza isn’t here at all?’

Samantha’s mood dropped when she saw Jenny’s disapproving look.

‘I don’t see her here, do you? Ah well, the date is over anyway. He can go home to his loving robot now and I’ll probably be manless for the rest of my life. But at least we had fun… What’s the matter, Jenny? And why does everyone want me to be Eliza tonight? Do you outlaws have a relationship police?’

‘Nothing like that. He can date whomever he wants, you’re free adults. But we need Eliza for some technical things. We had contact with Héva again. They’re coming to pick up Jibrilla by plane, Tonight! We need to have a landing strip ready and stuff like that. She’s one of our tech experts, remember?’

Michael looked at her, trying to understand what she had said.

‘I don’t think Eliza is here. She’s at home with Megan tonight, as far as I know, so you’ll have to call the woman house.’ Jenny sighed.

‘Ah, I didn’t want to do that. I hate calling outsiders at this hour. Well, back to my desk then. Come, you two. I suppose you two want to say goodbyes to her too. We have only five hours or so to make a landing strip ready.’

Michael and Samantha followed Jenny back to the Ghost Town centre.

‘She’s really going home tonight? With another one of these aeroplane things?’ Samantha asked.

‘Yes, they will arrive tonight, in a few hours. Much faster than we thought. We’ll need to make a landing strip with lights in the field too, and a beacon that gives specific signs. Lots of work to do, she’s packing her stuff right now. She wanted to see you too by the way. Both of you actually, but I told her you weren’t here, Sam.’

‘Well, I am. And I’m not going away now!’ Samantha said.

*

The rest of the evening was chaotic and confusing. Michael could never remember afterwards how he’d been helping to set up lights for a landing strip in an empty hay field not far from the honeysuckle arch, and couldn’t even say when Eliza had suddenly joined the hardworking party with a strange experimental device that could give light signals. Everything was like a hazy blur. And then the aeroplane arrived. It was a strange metal monster of light and noise, that followed Eliza’s signals and stopped in the landing strip with a strange hissing noise.

Lights went out, and other lights went on, and suddenly a door opened and a person stepped out, followed by more persons. Everything about them was surreal and dreamlike, like something out of an ancient futuristic movie about a future that had never come. Just like he had expected all of them were women, but they didn’t look the same. The woman that he could see wore a uniform and looked cold as ice. She was followed by two other women in other but similar uniforms that looked like they were lower in rank, and then by two others that were not in the same Hévan uniforms.

The woman with the icy eyes walked to Lady Martha and spoke:

‘I am commander Lytha, representing the government of Héva. These sisters are pilot Andira and intelligence inspector Sigrid. Greeting to my Nation sisters who are forced into hiding here.’ When she noticed that the other two women had arrived too she sighed. ‘Oh, and Jella here is the neutral international press, plus we also have Lady Grâceline, international envoy with us. This mission attracted some attention I am afraid.’

The two uniformed women on both sides of her nodded mechanically, when they were joined by a woman in completely different clothes in primary colours waving an exotic-looking screen-camera around, and finally by an older dark-skinned woman in a red suit who looked very serious, powerful and important. It was clear that she was neither a Nationer nor a Hévan, but commander Lytha had no power over her.

‘Welcome in my Ghost Town, sisters. I am Lady Martha, leader of Seventh City Ghost Town, representing the loose federation of Ghost Towns. This is my assistant Jenny and my partner and our priestess Ruth. Eliza here is the engineer who made communication possible, and eh, Samantha is a nurse, and Michael here is our male affairs adviser.’

Commander Lytha flinched when she heard that name and looked at him, but didn’t say a word, at the same moment when Michael chuckled because of the title with which Lady Martha introduced her. Lady Martha introduced the rest of the Ghost Town women, but Commander Lytha seemed rather impatient.

‘We only have half an hour before we have to go, but I think Miss Grâceline wants to have a talk with the Ghost Town representative, and I think Jella probably wants to take some pictures of this place. International press like I said.’ Lytha said with another disapproving look on her face.

It seemed that Michael wasn’t the only one whose presence Lytha didn’t like here. ‘International press? You mean outsider papers? More outsider than Héva?’ Samantha asked to no-one in general.

Jella looked at her. ‘Papers, and electronic publications. NIP brings news from all over the world to all over the world.’

‘Wait, do you want that, Lady Martha?’ Michael said. ‘How will the male world react?’

Lady Martha ignored him. ‘I think Samantha can show her around. I welcome the international press in the name of the Nation Ghost Towns.’

Michael had no time to think of that because the impressive envoy gestured at him.

‘Mister Michaels? You’re the sole representative of the male Nation here? Can I talk to you for a second while the Ghost Town leader is occupied by commander Lytha?’

‘Me? Representing them? Manfred no! They deleted me, and they act like Ghost Towns don’t exist. I only represent myself here.’

‘I see. So you think The Nation would not want diplomatic ties with outsiders as you call it at all?’

‘We’re The Nation for something, not? As in the only nation that matters and exists in our world? I think the Central Computer representatives are rather comfortable in being uncontacted. Unless when you have something interesting to sell them. Our tech is rather outdated and we could do with some resources. We don’t even have intercontinental travel or communication as you know.’

‘I understood so much. But the countries of the Planetary Council only have commerce with countries that uphold basic human rights I’m afraid. Which includes gender equality, from any side. Héva also is subject to that.’

Michael looked at her. The hour was way too late to start understanding a whole new world of geopolitics for him.

‘One of Manfred’s main tenets is non-innovation, and what you would call gender inequality is the core of Nation Doctrine. They’ll be more stubborn than Hévans, even with all the tech of the world. But what if you’d just connect to the Ghost Town federation instead?’

The envoy looked at him. ‘You mean consider the united female outlaws of The Nation as a political entity and take them up in the international world of politics.’

‘It would be a good protection for them if the Nation would turn against them, and at least you could say they’re working at gender equality now. I wouldn’t be here otherwise you know. It used to be a sort of little Héva here.’

She looked at him, calculating.

‘You as a Nation man, and not part of the Ghost Town leadership, propose that? You think they would do it?’

‘Are you willing to pledge allegiance to all friendly people, regardless of sex, rating or identity status with every contact and wear the Free Person badge? If so they will let you in.’

‘You’re saying they would demand their own minimalist human rights proclamation from us? That’s a reversal of roles.’

‘They did the same to me, and little Eric, and Robert when he was here. It’s not a theory, it’s an orientation, a way of life.’

‘I must say that would be a strange move. Chances are small the Council would accept such a thing. But in theory it’s an interesting proposal. We didn’t know there was an organised female society like that here. If they can organise…’

The envoy seemed to think, but Michael was almost falling asleep, and Jibrilla suddenly pulled him by his arm.

‘My time is up. Goodbye, Michael. I never thought I’d like a manperson, I never thought I’d even meet one, especially not from The Nation, but thank you for your friendship. You’ve taught me a lot just by being yourself.’

‘Ah, eh, you too.’ He said, a bit confused in his state of exhaustion so far beyond bedtime, and he gave her a hug.

‘Take care sister, in your sisterland,’ He said, but he was interrupted by the Hévan commander.

‘Are you hugging a Nation man, sister?’

Lytha’s look was one that could have killed again.

‘This man is a sister too, Commander.’ Jibrilla answered fiercely.

Lytha said nothing, it was clear that whatever authority she would have normally had over a citizen like Jibrilla was absent here in another country with the international envoy standing so close. Before he realised what was happening they were interrupted again.

‘Can we take some pictures of you people? This is a historical moment. The whole world will want to see you.’ Jella the reporter said.

She had suddenly appeared from behind with Samantha. Lytha still said nothing, but now her eyes beamed pure hate that reminded Michael of that first night of meeting Eliza at the ceremony of partner choice. He hoped that the story being in the international news would keep Jibrilla safe from possible repercussions from the Sisifor her un-Hévan behaviour and thought tonight.

Everything was a bit hazy because he was so tired. A bit later he stood alone, and noticed that Lytha seemed to be watching the envoy very carefully while she was talking to Lady Martha. Meanwhile Eliza was giving Jibrilla her bagage, and saying something about an sms-machine and antennas that he didn’t quite follow. He was falling half asleep again when the picture was being taken with him, Jibrilla, Sam, Eliza, Lady Martha and Ruth and a few other Ghost Town women, and the pilot and the envoy. The two other Hévans seemed to refuse to be pictured. There probably were reasons for that, but he had had enough outsider politics for one night now to think about that.

After the pictures the outsiders boarded the aeroplane machine, and suddenly they were gone, taking Jibrilla back to the country without men. He looked at Samantha who was still standing next to her and realised that he still needed to get home somehow.

‘Wow, it’s way too late for anything now. And I still have to…’ He began, but he was interrupted.

‘So, maybe the couple of the century wants to sleep a bit now. Let’s go to the guest apartment. There’s three beds ready for us.’ Eliza said, waving a key around, and wrapping herself around the both of them.

‘Eliza, you’re the saving angel!’ He said.

‘And you two had fun?’ she asked with a strange look in her eyes.

‘Weirdly enough we did, mostly, I think,’ he said.

‘We were planning a second date when Jenny interrupted us.’ Samantha said.

‘You what?’ Eliza asked, with a different voice.

‘Dating is fun, dancing and drinking and walking in the moonlight and then finishing the experience with a kiss… It’s your fault that none of you ever thought of asking him out and making yourself beautiful and then enchanting him like in a romance book.’ She said teasingly, and Eliza stopped.

‘Wait, but…’

Samantha took the key and started walking in the direction of the guest apartment.

‘Come, time to sleep indeed. Do you mind me taking him in my bed? It would be a perfect way to end this night of romance.’ Samantha said, wrapping her arm around him when he didn’t move, but he pushed her away and yawned.

‘I mind, I just want to sleep. And you’re making that second date stuff up too.’

Later he would have a lot of holes in his memory about the whole night, and could never remember how they had arrived in the guest apartment, and it seemed like he had hardly slept at all when he woke up in full daylight to the sound of Samantha yelling ‘Eliza, what are you doing? You told me to stay out of his bed and now you do this,’ and seeing her face too close to his again when he opened his eyes. She was lying next to him and watching his sleeping face again.

‘Too close, Eliza.’ He said when he sat up, and yawned again.

Both girls were dressed already.

‘It was time to wake you anyway.’

*

For him it felt like it was still night when they left the guest apartment, but it was actually halfway to noon already. Samantha was still teasing him and clinging to him when they met Tracy just out of the door, on her way to the Ghost Town bar, who stared at the couple.

‘You’ve stayed over for the night after your date? With her?’ she asked him, incredulously.

He yawned.

‘After the departure of Jibrilla with her midnight aeroplane there wasn’t anything else to do?’ He said, clearly still exhausted.

‘She went home? In an outsider aeroplane machine? I must have missed that completely… But you slept together I mean?’ She asked when Samantha grabbed his arm as if she claimed him and nodded.

It was hard to not see a disappointment in Tracy’s eyes now. Suddenly Eliza appeared in the door too and joined them.

‘Yeah, you could say we all slept together last night if you really want, but don’t forget that he sometimes takes things rather literally. And I can add that he’s quite good at sleeping, even if he snores a bit.’

Samantha giggled.

‘Hey, I have a bit of a cold it seems. I gave her my jacket when it became too cold for her in the fields at night.’

‘Such a male lady you’ve been to her.’ Eliza said, suddenly disappearing in the direction of the robot workshop.

‘Did I say something wrong?’ He asked Samantha, who just looked at the place where Eliza had been.

‘No, you haven’t done anything wrong except for being too cute.’ Samantha said and patted him on the head.

‘She looked jealous if you ask me.’ Tracy said. She was still trying to comprehend everything she’d just seen.

‘But, there’s nothing for her to be jealous of,’ he said.

Samantha started laughing.

‘Oh, my dear boy. I just can’t with you. You’re too precious.’

Michael looked at Tracy to see if she could help him understand more, but she just said

‘What in the name of Manfred is going on between you three?’ and he shrugged.

Outlaw girls cussing in the name of the Father of The Nation was a new one for him.

‘How do I know what’s going on? But I have to work in less than an hour, on Square Plaza.’

When Michael had left too Tracy looked at Samantha, who only said.

‘Boys… They’re not what you’d expect them to be…’