Escape

Gotta get out, gotta get out, gotta get the hell out of here. Alexia's mind was focused on two tasks walking out this lift and staying alive. As the elevator slid down the inside of the building, Alexia watched the numbers dropping.

44…43…42…41.

She was in trouble. What was she going to do?

35…34…33…32.

She'd get the hell out of town. Away from the people who had tried to kill her once already.

27…26… 25…24…23.

She could get a car and just drive on and on.

18…17…16…15…14

Nobody would ever find her.

10…9…8…7…6

It would be hard but anything could be done with determination

3…

2…

1

The doors slid open, and she hurried into the lobby, she made it halfway to the entrance before the blast hit her in the chest. The figure had stepped out into the doorway and fired once, there was a bright light outside and she couldn't make out its face. The pain was unimaginable but Alexia found the strength to pull out her own more powerful off-world weapon and fire in the figure's direction. It missed badly flying off into the corner. The figure took aim once more for a headshot. A tear ran down Alexia's cheek. It was just pulling the trigger when it looked outside and quickly fled. Alexia finally collapsed on the floor, her thick padding had helped block the shot some but she was still wounded. Lying on the marble, Alexia started crying, this was not her time to die, not now, not here.

Alexia's heart was lifted when she heard a familiar voice.

"Jesus girl what happened to you? Hey Tony stop chasing him and get in here!"

"The…The, out there!" Alexia mumbled.

"It's okay he's gone, I went round the back of your building while Tony took the front, he scared him off. I came back round as soon as I heard the shots."

"Hey Alan, I looked around I can't find a damn thing, this guy was good he just disappeared. Shit is this her?"

"Yeah this is her, Alexia I'd like you to meet my old partner, Officer Tony Peters, Rep-Detect"

"Alan, she's fucking dying, stop wasting time with the introductions and give her some help"

"She's not dying but he's right Alexia, you need help"

Alexia breathed a sigh of relief as Alan picked her up in his arms.

She lay on her couch, her stomach wrapped in bandages. She had questions for her rescuers.

"What are you doing here Thorne?" she winced " Shouldn't you be taking out your other two targets, you were pretty quick at getting Lee I can tell you."

"That wasn't me Alexia, Michael killed himself. And I have no intention of taking out those other targets at this point in time."

"What are you talking about Alan? We had an agreement. If you don't kill those replicants, you won't get paid. It's business as usual."

"Cut the bullshit Alexia. Just cut it right now. You know damn well that those targets you gave me were human."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

It was at that point that Alexia noticed that the man called Tony hadn't said a thing and had been skulking near the window. He stormed towards her and took out his guns from under his black coat. He placed one on her temple and pointed the other at her leg.

"Listen bitch! We haven't got time! You will tell us what you know! I'm a Blade Runner, Thorne used to be my partner and you're in deep shit. I know that you went to the Tyrell company, that you got hold of confidential files on some reps, that these reps were made exactly the same as the human targets you sent Thorne on and that you told him that they were the skin jobs. I also know how you deleted all traces of the reps from Michael Lee's computer so there wouldn't be any evidence. I got to Thorne before he could perform your task. Now we are both very tired and extremely pissed off and more importantly we want to know why. Why the fuck are you setting us on these people? Who the fuck are you working for? Tell us or by God I will blast your kneecap off and then maybe I'll pull my other trigger."

Alexia was starting to worry. This guy was a nutjob. She looked towards Alan for help. He nodded.

"The company I work for is just a front to give me access to damn near anything in this city. I don't even know what the real company is. All I have is a controller who communicates with me by phone. He tells me what my jobs are and I find the info on the targets. He tells me exactly where to go to get the information I want. Sometimes he tells me to delete certain files when I go info hunting as a precaution. I never knew what the data I delete is, I was just given folders to search and the file names I was to delete if they were found."

"How did you get into Snake?"

"What…Snake?"

"A secret database only Tyrell and his cronies know about. Those files you gave Thorne were hidden in there. Without top clearance you couldn't have got them."

"What the hell do you mean? Those files I got weren't secret! They were in an open directory I was just given the address for. Why would they be in the Snake database? There's nothing special about these targets!"

"Nothing special? They haven't got a four-year life span! If I didn't know better I'd guess they're damn immortal! And you don't find that special?"

"What?"

Thorne spoke. "It's true Alexia. Those files you gave me were tampered with Tony's worked hard to find this out."

"But I promise I had no idea, I was just told to pick up the stuff and give it to you. I didn't know about this."

Tony holstered his guns. "Who's trying to kill you?"

"The people who hired me. The same people who were going to kill Alan after the job was over. I was supposed to meet him for payment downtown and he was going to get it. They obviously wanted to dispose of me too. Look."

She pulled up her sleeve to reveal the needle mark.

"While I was asleep I was given this. If I hadn't take the time to train my body to resist a hundred and twenty variations of poisons used by assassins I'd be dead."

Tony was surprised. "Fuck, how did you do that?"

"I'm not going to go into that but let's just say it was fucking painful. Now if you don't mind Mr. Peters I've been shot and I think I deserve some vodka."

"I think I do too Miss Ruebyk" Tony walked over to the liquor cabinet."

Alexia looked at Thorne who was sitting in the chair across the room. He was staring straight at her, a sad look in his eyes.

"Look Alan. It wasn't personal, they said that this was their last contract and they couldn't do with loose ends. I couldn't argue and now I've suffered from it myself. I'm sorry, but now we're both in danger."

"You were my friend. And you didn't give a shit about whether I died or not, that's cold."

"I'm sorry! But this isn't the time Alan; our associates want us dead as well as some innocent people. The bastards were in my house; they poked me with a fucking needle. It's a fucking miracle I'm alive, will you please forgive me for now?"

Tony walked back with a bottle and three glasses. "She's right Alan, you're all in deep shit and it's my job to scoop you out. It's important we stay together. In a minute we'll go and make sure those other employees are safe, by now your friends will have got new people to eliminate them. But right now we're going to have a drink."

"I thought you said you didn't drink much now?" Thorne asked.

"Alan, even though I still consider you scum for leaving the force I still consider you my friend, and in every friendship there are times when the two people involved must just say, fuck it, I'm having a drink."

"Amen", Alexia chimed in as she unscrewed the bottle.

They drank down the glasses in silence.

Date: 2003-02-23 14:35