{"id":5076,"date":"2018-10-16T12:42:10","date_gmt":"2018-10-16T12:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.benjamincheah.com\/?p=5076"},"modified":"2018-10-16T12:42:10","modified_gmt":"2018-10-16T12:42:10","slug":"the-one-law-part-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/?p=5076","title":{"rendered":"The One Law Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

\"image.png\"<\/p>\n

Kowloon Edge Cafe was the most distinctive building on the block. Against a row of faded reds and greys, it was the only patch painted in black and saffron. The block stood in the shadow of the Kowloon Arcology, a strange amalgamation of concrete and metal blocks fused into an oddly coherent whole.<\/p>\n

Thick dark clouds gathered overhead. A message from the Hong Kong Observatory appeared in his eyes: a thunderstorm was expected within the hour.<\/p>\n

He parked his motortrike in front of the cafe. As he pulled off his helmet a trace of ash graced his nostrils. The signs on the doors and windows promised cheap rates, fast Internet speeds and \u2018secure browsing\u2019. The last was an underworld promise to breach the Great Firewall. The price of access was just thirty Hong Kong dollars an hour, and a payload of malware to capture your online and cybernetic data for the highest bidder. Bobby\u2019s first job was to refresh and randomise the viral cocktail every couple of hours, and Vincent\u2019s first task was to pass on the compromised data to Cybercrime.<\/p>\n

The door sign said \u2018closed\u2019, the smarttint windows were set to maximum opacity, but strips of light peeked through the gaps around the door. Bobby pushed the door open.<\/p>\n

\u201cBobby!\u201d Max said. \u201cCome, come!\u201d<\/p>\n

Max was nestled in the lounge at the far end of the cafe. The gangster stood, grinning, spreading his arms in welcome. His bionic eyes were glassy, his cheeks flushed. Max had a bootleg version of Vincent\u2019s medical implants, which Max regularly overrode at will. The undercover cop wondered what the hell Max had snorted this time.<\/p>\n

Bobby Song approached Max, looking around. \u201cWhere\u2019s everyone?\u201d Bobby asked. Then he noticed a green metal crate behind a coffee table. \u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Max grinned like a wolf. \u201cIt\u2019s the surprise. Come, sit. We have something very important to talk about.\u201d<\/p>\n

They sat, Max on a large sofa, Bobby on the couch next to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow,\u00a0siewdai<\/em>,\u201d Max said, calling Bobby \u2018little brother\u2019. \u201cYou\u2019re a very hard worker. You\u2019ve done a lot for the crew and we all respect you for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bobby smiled slightly, shaking his head. \u201cAiyah,\u00a0gweijeung lah<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0You praise me too much.<\/em><\/p>\n

Max waved his words away. \u201cNo, you deserve it. And tonight, your hard work is going to pay off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bobby\u2019s face lit up. \u201cReally? How?\u201d<\/p>\n

Max chuckled. \u201cHey, relax. I\u2019ll tell you when the crew gets here.\u201d<\/p>\n

There were about forty people in Max\u2019s gang. But most of them were errand boys, associates, and other small fry. Only eight of them were in his crew, his inner circle.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right,\u201d Bobby said, trying and failing to hide his disappointment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish Fish Head Chow were here,\u201d Max said. \u201cHe would have wanted in on this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bobby nodded. Three weeks ago, Chow went to an underground surgeon to install an illegal American implant, encrypting the contents of his neural memory chips. Then Chow developed an exotic brain infection. Bobby told Max he broke the surgeon\u2019s hands and warned him never to work in Kowloon again. In reality the surgeon was languishing in a prison cell. Chow was still in hospital though. An aboveworld hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cEh, Bobby, how\u2019s Amy? Your girlfriend?\u201d Max asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cEx.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally? What happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe said she couldn\u2019t stand being with a \u2018big shot triad gangster\u2019. She said she\u2019d call the police if I ever saw her again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Actually, Amy said she couldn\u2019t deal with the stress of dating a cop. Especially an undercover. Max didn\u2019t need to know that.<\/p>\n

Max shook his head. \u201cShit. Sorry man. But don\u2019t worry. You\u2019re our brother. We\u2019ll always be here for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. I have your back too,\u00a0dailo<\/em>,\u201d Vincent lied.<\/p>\n

The men bumped fists. Traded small talk for lies until the rest of the crew streamed in.<\/p>\n

Vincent clenched his jaw three times. The same rolodex appeared, and Vincent flipped it to Loke\u2019s page. A small text box appeared at the bottom of Vincent\u2019s view.<\/p>\n

The crew is all here<\/em>, Vincent thought.\u00a0Looks like Max is going to brief us.<\/em><\/p>\n

The app transcribed his thoughts into the box. Vincent clenched his jaw once. A tick appeared next to the box.<\/p>\n

The box scrolled up, showing Loke\u2019s reply:\u00a0Give me a live feed.<\/em><\/p>\n

Max stood up to address the crew. Vincent blinked hard, twice. \u2018REC\u2019 appeared in green at the top left corner of his sight. He blinked once more, focused a thought, and the word turned to \u2018REC\/F: Eugene Loke\u2019. He looked up at Max.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of you know what happened earlier tonight at Uncle Poh\u2019s place,\u201d Max said. \u201cI know who did it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is backup coming?<\/em>\u00a0Vincent asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho?\u201d one of the gangsters asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cBig Nose Jiang,\u201d Max said.<\/p>\n

On the way<\/em>, Loke replied.\u00a0Give us more intel.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHow did you know?\u201d Vincent asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cSimple,\u201d Max replied, grinning. \u201cOne of the shooters forgot to update his firewalls. I hacked his wetware, grabbed his memory, and placed an interceptor app in his eyes and ears. That\u2019s how I saw Big Nose Jiang.\u201d<\/p>\n

The crew cheered. So did Bobby, slapping Max on the back.<\/p>\n

\u201cJiang lives in an apartment inside the Arcology,\u201d Max continued. \u201cHis crew is having a party there. They\u2019ve got blow, they\u2019ve got girls, they won\u2019t expect us coming. You all know Jiang\u2019s been on our asses since we started moving open-access printers and wetware. It\u2019s time for some payback, boys!\u201d<\/p>\n

The other gangsters shouted in approval. Bobby went along. When things quietened, Bobby spoke up.<\/p>\n

\u201cJiang and his crew have automatics, right? How are we going to fight them?\u201d<\/p>\n

Max grinned. \u201cDon\u2019t worry. Once they\u2019re high on drugs and ass, they\u2019ll be slow. Too slow to react to\u00a0this.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

Max reached down and heaved the crate onto the table. With a theatrical flourish, he snapped the locks open and lifted the lid.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoly shit,\u201d Bobby said.<\/p>\n

The crate had two compartments. The first held guns. Eight pistols, held in place by custom-designed built-in holsters. The other stored magazines and bullets in clear plastic boxes. Blank flesh masks lay atop the boxes.<\/p>\n

I need the Special Duties Unit<\/em>, Vincent sent.\u00a0This is going to get ugly.<\/em><\/p>\n

The gangsters stared at the guns in awe. Max chortled. \u201cWe have guns of our own. Uncle Poh printed all of this for us. The guns, the bullets, the masks, everything. They\u2019re totally untraceable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vincent fought back a grimace. Open-access printers could create damn near anything with the right feedstock and schematics. It was only a matter of time before every gang in Hong Kong had guns.<\/p>\n

Acknowledged. Try to stall Max until SDU arrives<\/em>, Loke said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew we could count on you, boss!\u201d Bobby said.<\/p>\n

\u201cShit\u2019s going down!\u201d another gangster said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of you, take one gun, two magazines, one mask and one box of bullets each,\u201d Max ordered.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s all. Don\u2019t do anything more until I say so.\u201d<\/p>\n

They lined up to get their gear. Vincent inspected his gun. It was a SIG P3850, Hong Kong Police Force standard issue. Bobby played with it, ignoring Vincent\u2019s screams to watch the muzzle and the trigger.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know some of you have never used a gun before,\u201d Max said. \u201cThat\u2019s why I have a HKPF training program for all of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The program floated along Hong Kong\u2019s ubiquitous wireless signals and knocked at the door of Vincent\u2019s firewalls. Vincent ran the program before during training. It couldn\u2019t replace actual training. It couldn\u2019t teach tactics and muscle memory. All it did was teach weapon safety and handling. Marksmanship, according to HKPF policy, was taught solely on the range.<\/p>\n

Bobby accepted the program. And this time, he was much more careful with the muzzle and trigger. As were the others.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, now load your guns,\u201d Max said.<\/p>\n

Bobby did. His hands moved fluidly, easily, inserting one bullet after the other into the magazines. He\u2019d done this countless times before in the Police College. He slid one magazine into the pistol, and the other into his pants pocket. He chambered a round, flipped the safety on and shoved the gun into his waistband.<\/p>\n

Where\u2019s the SDU?<\/em>\u00a0Vincent asked.<\/p>\n

15 minutes away.<\/em><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t have 5.<\/em><\/p>\n

Improvise.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the plan, boss?\u201d Bobby asked.<\/p>\n

Max spun to address everyone. \u201cListen up. Soon as we\u2019re done here, we\u2019ll split up and go to the Arcology separately. Put your masks on before you get there. Jiang lives in Golden Crown Apartments. It\u2019s on the ground floor of Building C, in the North Wing. We\u2019ll meet outside the entrance and go in together. There are two guards at a desk in front of the door. The lift is keycard locked, so we\u2019ll take one from the security guards. We go up to the tenth floor, to apartment 1032. Then we kick down the door and get to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vincent phrased his next question very carefully, for the prosecutor, the defence lawyer, the judge and the jury.<\/p>\n

\u201cHold on. What do you mean by \u2018get to work\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll kill them,\u201d Max said simply.<\/p>\n

Vincent believed him. Max had three suspected murders to his name. At least.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sure about that?\u201d Bobby asked.<\/p>\n

Max\u2019s voice chilled. \u201cYou questioning me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Bobby shook his head. \u201cNo, what I mean is, word on the street says Jiang and his crew are signing up with 22H. If we kill them, 22H might think it\u2019s an act of war.\u201d<\/p>\n

The excitement in the room died.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere did you hear that from?\u201d Max asked.<\/p>\n

Vincent heard it from Eugene Loke. Bobby shrugged, keeping his expression neutral. \u201cFrom Willy Leung and his friends. You know how they like to suck up to 22H.\u201d<\/p>\n

Max froze. Vincent noticed that everyone in the room had a loaded gun…but he was the only one whose gun was in his pants. Bobby kept his face studiously neutral.<\/p>\n

Max laughed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWilly Leung?\u00a0Aiyah,<\/em>\u00a0don\u2019t worry, that\u00a0mohlan<\/em>\u00a0just likes to talk big. Besides, we\u2019re operating in Peng Seng Hui turf and pay our taxes to Chairman Kong. If 22H moves against us, Peng Seng Hui will back us up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay…\u201d Bobby said, his face unconvinced.<\/p>\n

Max slapped Bobby\u2019s shoulder. \u201cSiewdai<\/em>, don\u2019t worry. We\u2019re all brothers here. If trouble comes, we\u2019ll all stick together, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u00a0dailo<\/em>,\u201d Bobby said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, speaking of brotherhood, one more thing,\u201d Max said, keeping his hand on Bobby. \u201cIn our business, there is only one law. The law of blood. There is only one law a rat or undercover cop can\u2019t break. They can\u2019t murder someone. To be one of us, you need to kill someone. Tonight is Bobby\u2019s initiation. Tonight, Bobby is going to be one of us!\u201d<\/p>\n

Can\u2019t stall them any longer. Where is the SDU?<\/em><\/p>\n

The killers cheered. Bobby nodded. \u201cThank you\u00a0dailo<\/em>. It\u2019s a great honour.\u201d<\/p>\n

The SDU team leader wants to take them down at Jiang\u2019s apartment.<\/em><\/p>\n

Vincent almost lost control. Almost.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s insane! People are going to die!<\/em><\/p>\n

Max released Bobby. \u201cAll right boys. Time to hit the road. See you in ten minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not my call. SDU is moving to the complex. You have to be there too.<\/em><\/p>\n

Vincent clenched his fists. Tensed his jaw. Finally, he sent,\u00a0Roger.<\/em><\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

\"image.png\"<\/p>\n

Want more long form fiction with science fiction and urban fantasy elements? Check out my latest novel\u00a0HAMMER OF THE WITCHES<\/a>!<\/p>\n

To stay updated on writing news and promotions, sign up for my mailing list\u00a0here<\/a>!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kowloon Edge Cafe was the most distinctive building on the block. Against a row of faded reds and greys, it was the only patch painted in black and saffron. The block stood in the shadow of the Kowloon Arcology, a strange amalgamation of concrete and metal blocks fused into an oddly coherent whole. Thick dark […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[97,106,138,224,253,278,306,320],"class_list":["post-5076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fiction","tag-crime","tag-cyberpunk","tag-fiction","tag-noir","tag-pulprev","tag-science-fiction","tag-steempulp","tag-the-one-law"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5076"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5076"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5076\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}