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Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing, nor any of its characters or references.
Notes: EEEK… my chapter got erased! Goshdarnbeefwittednoisomepidgeonliverdpratinggoatishbeetleheadedcozeningmoonlings! Now, ummmm, I don't remember if I said something important in my notes, I think I did… Oh well, I'll remember it eventually… maybe… Oh, yes! ^_^ When in doubt look at the title. The meaning of Cogito,Ergo, Sum, Cogito is I think, therefore I am, I think. Sound familiar anyone?
Chapter Fourteen
(Cogito, Ergo Sum, Cogito)
"Went down to Satan's kitchen, for to get me food one mornin', and there I got souls pip'in 'ot. They were on the spit a turnin'. Still I sing bonny boys, bonny mad boys, Bedlam boys are bonny. For they all go bare an they live by the air an they want no drink nor money." Though impressive at first sight the hologram quickly lost its glamour when you heard it speak. When it began to sing it received one of two reactions. People would hurry away looking very disturbed, whispering and searching for a proper authority. Or they would stare, grin and sometimes laugh. Commenting to each other that if someone programmed their Holo to sing you would think that they would give it a better voice. Phineus did not have a terribly good singing voice. It was a rough baritone that often cracked and split in the middle of the verse.
The two companions had stopped for a rest in their long trek through the city. They were on a ledge halfway down an old river trench. The water was running high and fast, full of the melted snows rushing to the sea. The place was made of metal and cement and strangely bare of the graffiti that usually covered such places. A large bridge stretched above them across the gray ditch and they stayed a respectful distance away from the mortar columns that held it up. From where he sat on the workman's ledge Wufei could see the iron symbols nailed onto the columns. Twining lines and old runes blending in and out of each other, proclaiming this place to be in a cult's territory. The city had many cults living in the corners, none of which were to be taken lightly.
Phineus's voice echoed through the trench, the sound bouncing back from the empty walls and under the bridge. The clashing noises of traffic and people chattering, shouting and whining were far above them and did not interfere with the broken melody rebounding through the giant gutter. Phineus stood lookout, methodically turning his attention from north to east to south to west and back again. Wufei sat leaning against the cement wall and looked up at the Holo.
It was dusk and the sky was burning with reds, gold's and purples. The setting sun turned the whole city crimson, and the fiery glow shining through Phineus made the Holo look like a red ghost in the waning light. Wufei's face was very calm, belying how very much the Hologram disturbed him. On its' good days the Holo could seem very human, on others it was more of an automaton, and very mechanical. Yet the more time he was forced to spend with Phineus in his search, the more he suspected there was more to this thing then met the eye, much, much more.
Can a machine actually think? That is the whole premise behind a working artificial intelligence, but can such an intelligence simply appear out of nowhere? Holograms were not designed with attributes of consciousness in mind, so where did this thought come from, if thought it was?
He had seen Phineus use logic and reason, however, the simple act of thinking was not what disturbed him. What worried him was how this phenomenon had come about. He could not deny what his very eyes told him was true. Phineus could, and did think. What plagued his mind every day he spent in the Holo's company, was how it thought. How this mind had come into being and how it worked. Had this mind simply awoken and thrived, or was it specifically created and taught as humans were. The idea that an intelligence could simply, start in some way and then be left on it's own, was a frightening concept. A mind that was left all by it's self to absorb any knowledge it discovered and draw its own conclusions, a mind with no parent or mentor to guide it. Would it think like most, would it think like a moral human? Or would it think in an entirely different way? After all, a madman can still think.
"My, staff 'as murdered giant's, an me pack a long knife carries. For to cut mince pies from children's thighs, for which to feed the fairies." Wufei stared at Phineus's profile; he could see the outlines of the channel through the frock coat and the scarlet light of dusk filtering through the image onto the ledge. The evening was dying, and the fluorescent lights of the city were replacing the natural glow. The song Phineus sang was full of mad things, what made the Holo choose that ditty?
"Still I sing bonny boy, bonny mad boys, bedlam boys are bonny. For they all go bare an they live by the air, an they want no drink nor money."
Society is made up of human ideas and human reasoning. Civilization is built from human dreams. Culture, laws, principles, even the concept of good and evil, right and wrong are all human notions on which we base the world we've made. In order to survive and thrive in our world you must, to a certain degree, think like the majority of the people. You must know that certain things are wrong and certain things are right. One who thinks completely out of the human perspective cannot live in harmony with those in power. The insane do not reason like others, do not live in their prospective and can be dangerous to those around them because of it.
If Phineus did not think from the human viewpoint, then what? Would that make the Holo deranged, and even if it did not, would he be able to trust Phineus? Should he trust the Holo at all? Not knowing whether he should fear he was being led astray or not, he had no basis or reason for trusting this being. The closest things he could compare Phineus too, were the Gundams under the Zero system. Formidable and devastating machines that took hold of your mind and twisted it inside out. He knew Duo at least had thought of Epyon as some sort of demon, and perhaps Zero as well.
Now there was Phineus. What kind of creature was this? More than machine, not less then human, but different. Benevolent most certainly not, more likely out for it's own gain. Something it had learned from humans? Or something more. Phineus was full of shortcomings, not something done among holograms. The image was, of course, perfect. It was once you spent time with the Holo that you began to notice things like a horrible singing voice and bad puns, a spirit that was flawed, a person, and quite a character at that. There was an essence to Phineus, a vitality that, at times, made the Holo seem more alive then the humans around it.
"An when tha' I 'ave murdered the man in the moon to a powder. 'Is staff I'll break an 'is dog I'll shake, an there'll 'owl no demon louder." Wufei brought his fingers to the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes in an attempt to hold a building headache. Thinking on such debatable subjects with out any food did not leave him feeling well. Though he suspected it was more the lack of dinner then the questions running around his head. Phineus's song was not helping either.
"Enough," he snapped. Phineus spun around on a heel and focused a biting stare on him and Wufei was struck by the sudden intensity of the look. The Holo sniffed and hung the cane on its arm while it pretended to brush off invisible dust from the frock coat. Phineus smoothed the goatee on its chin and said,
"Jus thought a li'le might lift our spiri's is all." Wufei pulled his pack up on his shoulder and started up the ladder out of the trench. Phineus simply disappeared, and then reappeared at the top. The sun was now completely below the horizon and the nightlife of the city was emerging from its cesspools, holes and hideaways. Soon there would be a whole new populace roaming the streets. Doing business or out for fun. Thieves, cutthroats, hookers, thugs, gangs and dealers. Of course this dirtier aspect of the city never really slept, but at night they came out in full force. Important politics and battles were fought out nightly.
The two companions said little as they made their way generally north. Phineus had been leading him round about the city for several weeks. Through ground streets and walkways, tunnels and trams. He wasn't even sure if this was the same city that they had started in. Phineus insisted that they were following a trail. Sometimes the Holo would disappear for a few hours or a few days and then reappear and lead him off in a knew direction. Wufei was finding himself more and more reminded of the legend of the questing beast, or the beast glatisant, who was always one step ahead of her pursuers. It seemed his good comrade had either been of a mind much like the questing beast, or he was being led astray by a very clever Hologram. I suppose I am much like old king Pellinore, he thought. There is more to the searching than the finding.
They stopped outside the front of an impressive corporate building. The walkway and vehicle ramp were joined in front of it, so that not only the walkers but also every one in cars and trams would have to see what an important place it was. The building made tasteful use of the most fashionable lights and architecture, but what held Wufei's attention was not any displays of wealth intended to impress. It was the vending machine.
He leapt up the stairs to where the metal box sat beside the doors parading its store of packaged junk food and coffee, all of which looked far more appealing to a hungry stomach then they ever could have before. Phineus made apologies and disappeared, saying there was something that required attention. Wufei nodded and shoved his hands into his pockets, finding nothing but lint he shrugged the sack off his shoulder and searched everything he owned. He explored every pocket and hole there was, yet still came up empty.
He hung his head, dropping the empty sack onto the polished stone and fell out of his crouch. He did not care in what undignified position he landed or that all his worldly possessions were strewn across the top stair of some public building. He sat in a slight straddle with his legs bent and raised, resting his elbows on his knees. He kept his back turned to the machine with the wonderful looking food and concentrated on controlling his headache and cramps, which were getting steadily worse. It had been ten hours since his last meal. He didn't feel that he had the energy to get up or even put his things back in his pack.
A static fizzle announced Phineus's return. The Holo reappeared in the exact spot it had left and took out its pocket watch. Phineus tapped a thumb against the timepiece in step with the passing seconds. Satisfied, the Holo paused in its observation of the time and looked down at Wufei.
"I say there, yeh look a li'le peaked. Yeh could jus' give the box a good kick, I've seen plenty a blokes get a meal out of that," Phineus said. Wufei pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Because I have no money and I am no thief or beggar."
"Well, I suppose, bu' it's be'er than starvin' if yeh ask my opinion. Be'er alive an kickin' than dead an moral."
~~~~~
Tony paid for the two cups of coffee and walked back towards the car. He stopped in front of it and eyed the new dent in the front bumper. It was really more then a dent. The entire corner of the hood looked like a giant's fist had punched it in. A testament to the rough chase they'd had a few nights ago. The paint was pealing off, but at least it wasn't steaming. Tony shook his head and walked up to the driver's side window to hand a coffee to his partner. Gerry took the warm styrophone cup and gulped down a mouthful with out looking up. He was speaking to a prissy looking woman on the vidphone and wearing his official face. The one that said, 'yes mam, we are right on it mam, we are professional police officers mam and will help you in any way we can, even though we have more serious matters on our hands.' Tony chuckled and walked around to slide into the front passenger seat. Gerry nodded politely to the woman in the screen and shut it off, huffing through the new mustache he'd grown over the winter. Tony gave him a questioning look while they pulled out onto a ground street and headed for a higher ramp.
"Apparently there's some kid loitering outside that big commercial building on Serpent 72. They say he looks unsanitary and could we please come and remove him from the premises," Gerry grumbled. Tony rolled his eyes at the stupid things people asked of them. They could tell the kid to clear off by themselves they didn't need an officer. He shook his head and looked out his window.
The buildings down here were all old and crumbling. Paint and other bits of covering were peeling off the walls in large chunks, revealing the bare bricks or metal beams beneath. Down at ground level was were the weeds grew. Plants were strictly controlled higher up. Down here they sprouted where they would, vines and twisted trees helping hold up as many buildings as they split apart.
The farther up and out they went from the center of the city the cleaner it got. Tony watched the scene change from the poor and unruly to the middle class and up on to the wealthy and successful. In the distance he could see the distinguishing shape of the building in question, growing ever larger in their windshield.
~~~~~
"I don't mean to be a nosy parker, but what was prayin' so 'eavily on yor mind this even'in. I don' get people pay'in notice to me often, an when I do it don't usually bode well." Wufei looked up from the front steps of the building to where Phineus stood on his right. The Hologram had its back turned, contemplating the maze of city lights and still holding the pocket watch in one hand. He found it interesting to notice that while he could see through the Hologram he could not see its face through the head, just a semitransparent hat and the back of the neck. So neither could he see the expression of his companion, something that seemed planned in the way it stood. There was a force to the voice of the image that stressed the importance of the question.
"I noticed that you refer to yourself as 'I' and 'me', in the singular, as in an individual. That has…implications." Wufei answered. The Holo tapped a silent cane against the stair. Being no more than an image made of light, neither Phineus nor the cane had any physical body to make sound with. Wufei still found himself looking toward public loud speakers whenever the Holo spoke. The Hologram turned its head to look back at him over its shoulder. Phineus's mouth was pulled up in a mocking smirk and the eye's twinkled with wit.
"S'pose tha' there would cause a few 'eads to, turn." Phineus did not elaborate and Wufei did not press, what a man (or thing in this case) thought up in their head was their private business. He twisted around and reached for the book that lay beside his pack and extra socks. Then Phineus gave a whistle, the type they used to warn of coming people, and said. "Ah, right on time." Wufei glanced over his shoulder to see a police car with a large dent in the front bumper driving up the ramp. The Holo tucked the pocket watch back into its waistcoat pocket, then tipped its top hat to him in a short bow. "This 'ere's yor ride, it's been a pleasure do'in business with yeh young sir." Phineus rose from the formal bow and strolled away. On the very edge of the walkway standing over an unfathomable drop the Hologram stopped. Phineus turned and called back to him. "If yor ever in a pinch, look me up. I'm always lookin' for somat to keep me on me toes. Phineus T. Wile, any computer can point yeh in my direction." Then there was a static sound; a jump in the image and Phineus was gone. Disappeared like always.
BANG! Wufei was instantly flat on the ground with a pocketknife in his hand. The stone of the top stair was cold through his thin clothes and he felt jittery with a sudden rush of adrenaline. He raised his head just enough to look for the source of the gunfire, ready to duck down again at a moment's notice. What met his searching gaze was a battered looking car with a cloud of smoke billowing out of the tail pipe. Wufei dropped his head and relaxed his shoulders, a car backfire, of course. An older, red haired officer was climbing out the car and up the stone stairs.
A small bit of paper lifted in a breeze and floated down the steps. Flipping a loop the loop in the air as it drifted down to rest at the Officers feet. It was one of the things Wufei had dropped; a well-worn paper photo with wrinkles all over. The picture was of a young man about mid teens with dark hair and eyes and a very serious expression. He was in profile, staring out at something beyond the frame and wearing a black spacesuit with a helmet under his arm.
The Red haired officer bent down and picked up the photo, careful not to damage it in any way. The man stared at it, his jaw dropping in a dumbfounded expression. He fingered the edge of the photo with his thumb and looked up at Wufei, who hadn't moved from his prone position. The officer looked at him, then back at the picture. He climbed the rest of the way up the stairs and crouched down by Wufei's head.
"Do you know this boy?" he whispered. Wufei inspected the man before him, who had with five little words become considerably more interesting. To the north a deep tone bell tolled out the hour. The crumbling framework of an abandoned clock tower peeked through the skyscrapers. The giant clock face was dark and the hands did not move. It was a broken timekeeper, yet still they could hear the bell, knelling six resounding gongs. GONG, GONG, GONG, GONG, GONG, GONG.
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