Bangkok Noir

Seven was a literalist. And she believed in free will. Bangkok, the epicenter of noir, had enticed her to take any contract and take any risk. She’d ignored that the underlying source code for intelligence and purity perimeter violations established a deterministic but chaotic system not bound by entropy. But the old assumptions died hard. Bottom line was that no free will patches could be deployed to destroy predetermined outcomes. Emerging intelligent systems and water source purity were jointly linked and encoded with a level-eight firewall, which even the best cheat codes couldn’t breach. They returned to Bangkok, not as observers, but as partisans taking their place inside a deterministic noir world where their mission had already been predetermined.

Once Seven reviewed and uploaded the operative conditions, she’d understand that her feelings of pain, pleasure and emotions were real. Her problem arose from the perception of freedom and liberty, which felt also overwhelmingly real. In fact they were illusions in the system where the fundamental unreality was hidden at the quantum level. These mental conditions were bought and sold through administrator level cheat codes. Seven believed freedom and liberty were a natural right. It was a common mistake.

The question in Chinapat’s mind was whether she’d learnt her lesson.

Chinapat would find out the answer in Bangkok on a stormy night when the Japanese mafia came to greet the arrival of the Dolphin Shepherd at the Port of Klong Toey. They stood under umbrellas in the rain waiting for the ship. Armed men with swords and guns would take a stand, one consistent with their huge appetite for dolphin meat. Icebergs, no matter how pure, were no substitute for that sensation of pleasure.

“What do they expect?” Seven asked as the Dolphin Shepherd left the cove.

“They will offer you another contract,” said Chinapat.

“Am I free to accept their offer?” she asked.

Shockley joined them on the foredeck. He handed Seven a glass of pure iceberg water. “Ten thousand years ago, this water froze into ice. Today it is water again. When was it free? As ice? As water?”

“Water just is. How can water or ice be free?” She looked troubled. “Am I free to upload to home base?”

Shockley turned to Chinapat. “She is free to drink the iceberg water. Ten thousand years a sip. Once you’ve swallowed and digested the water time, you can phase back. Meanwhile, you’ll have another offer to consider.”

5.0 Where are you?

Chinapat: Cross-check Highway, Chon Buri Province 28480, ALPHA 16 Vector

Where are you?

Seven: Meet you at Login node loading hydrogen atoms to emit microwaves at the frequency “091-centimetre line” sequencing OMEGA 7:33-39 router

5.1

Where are you?

Highway No. 41 between Kms 6 and 7, Muang District

Several hours had passed since the Dolphin Shepherd had docked at the Port of Klong Toey, and Chinapat guided Seven through a scrub of Japanese gangsters in their black suits and ties. The gangsters blocked their path, wielding swords and guns, threatening and shouting, demanding and gesturing. Shockley watched as Chinapat found the keys for the Honda 500 motorcycle. Seven sat on the back and Chinapat slowly found a path through the gangsters. Twenty minutes later, Chinapat pulled behind a gray-bronze van. They were on the way to Chon Buri.

“That’s the van,” said Seven.

Chinapat followed behind at a safe distance and at Kilometer 6 pulled ahead and cut in front of the van. The driver honked angrily and tried to pass him. As Chinapat pulled alongside, Seven had extended her arms, both hands clutched together, pointing a .38 Smith and Wesson at the driver. She waved for him to pull to the curb. The driver said something to the passenger in the seat next to him and, before Kilometer 7 was reached, pulled to a stop on the shoulder of the highway.

Seven kept the gun pointed at the men in the van.

“Get out of the van. Hands up,” said Chinapat.

“Do you know who our patron is?” asked the van driver.

“Shut up and open the back,” said Chinapat.

The driver clutched his fists and stepped forward, arm cocked and ready to swing.

Seven fired a round over his head. “He said open the fucking van.”

When the door opened, inside the modified van were three large dolphins.