Code of Ethics: Part 04.

The uniform driving the Spinner was young and, as it turned out, quite adept at the controls of the vehicle. No sooner had Jacobsen closed his door than the Spinner had pivoted and leaped back into the sky in a flurry of light and sound. Now, they were racing back across town as Jacobsen fought the distraction of the lights and siren to look at the surveillance video the Assault Team had taken of Katja.

Different clothes and the dirt had been washed away but it was her. There was no doubt about it.

" Roger." said the officer into his headset. "ETA ten minutes." He turned for a moment to Jacobsen to get his attention. " Lots of activity in the warehouse." He said. " The Sarge wants to make his move before anyone leaves. Told me to expedite so hang on."

Jacobsen shifted his attention to the scenery blowing past him at high speed and managed a brief smile. He'd loved this part of conventional police work as a uniform and he loved it now. After a few moments the officer, Thompson said his nametag, shut down the siren and then the emergency lights. They were close now and Chris checked for the reassuring weight of the blaster riding under his coat.

" Holy shit!" Said Thompson suddenly. Jacobsen sensed what was going on and slipped a headset on.

" Say again status?" said the voice of the dispatcher in his ear.

" Alpha three six. Shots fired, officer needs help. We're taking fire from our target building. Heavy weapons. I've got two men down. Give me some backup."

Jacobsen strained to look out the windshield and could make out the flickering lights of gunfire zooming closer as Thompson pushed the Spinner to its limit.

" Alpha three nine. I've got 3 suspects fleeing the scene headed east from my location. Two males and a female. I'm down and unable to pursue. Alpha three six, I need backup."

Jacobsen picked out three nine's position from the graphic display on his console and tapped the screen. " Take the next left. Go down a hundred yards and make a quick right. Get ready to hit the lights when I tell you." He tapped his headset, vaguely aware that the headache that had dogged him for the better part of two days was gone. Hallelujah, he thought.

" Central, BR six eight eight is code six at the scene."

" All units, all units. Use caution on Bellingham Avenue. Plainclothes officer on the scene."

Jacobsen saw them on the infrared display first as the Spinner stood on its side into a right turn. Three people running for all they were worth and one of them was clearly carrying a weapon. " Okay, light them up."

Instantly, the Spinner's warning lights came on and its spotlight jabbed an accusing finger at the three running figures. He didn't need to look at the camera display on the dash to know that he'd found Katja and by touch he found the switch he wanted." Police officers." said a mechanical voice sternly over the PA. " Stop where you are and put your hands over your head." They responded by not even breaking stride and angling towards a narrow alleyway. Jacobsen knew the Spinner wouldn't fit and pointed down.

" Just like the old days Thompson." he said. " Put me down there and come around the block to cut them off."

Jacobsen pushed his door up and out of the way as the Spinner came to a hover by the alley. A bullet pinged off the Poly armor on the driver's side and Jacobsen clenched his teeth. " So much for them giving up."

He jumped the four feet to the pavement and drew his sidearm while seeking some immediate cover behind a garbage bin with Thompson's voice in his ear as the Spinner pushed off from the ground. " Five Lincoln thirty two, BR 688 is in foot pursuit. Alleyway between Bellingham and Simpson. Possible two nineteen suspect."

Jacobsen knew that any Blade Runner monitoring the circuit had just perked up. It wasn't all that unusual for someone from Rep Detect to assist officers in a situation like this. But Thompson had just put the code for an unlawful Replicant out over the air and that had certainly raised the stakes a little. He wondered who might have heard the call.

The Spinner was gone and Jacobsen was left alone in the dark with the occasional boom of gunfire behind him. The alley was narrow and cluttered with crates and trash. Somewhere in the gloom ahead of him, noises echoed back of the people making their way to the other end. Jacobsen took a deep breath and moved forward on smooth steps with his blaster at the ready in front of him. He'd gotten about 30 yards when movement caught his eye and he froze.

One, and then two heads appeared. Stooped over the pavement and struggling with something on the ground. A manhole? Jacobsen cursed to himself. If any or all of the suspects got down into the sewers, it was going to be bad news. The place was filled with specials and other life forms as of yet unnamed and the general rule of thumb was to discontinue any pursuit that went subterranean. He took a breath and was starting to move forward when a belated thought came into his head.

Where was the third... Jacobsen was lifted off his feet by the force of the man launching into him like a missile. They landed in a heap against the far wall of the alley and Jacobsen heard rather than felt his blaster clatter away further up the alley and out of his reach. The man was short but compact and the detective balled up his fist.

The look of surprise and pain on the man's face told Jacobsen that he wasn't a Rep. The reprieve was short lived though as they resumed their struggle. Through the blur of activity, he saw the lights of Jacobsen's Spinner settle in position. A shadow moved and then a crackle of gunfire erupted. The picture only lasted for a moment as he and his assailant both struggled to get to their feet. In the commotion Jacobsen lost his footing and the man pinned him against the wall with both hands locked around his throat. Chris twisted his head and grappled for a hold on the man's hands as air was cut off.

His eyes focused on the figure of a woman disappearing into an open manhole about twenty feet away. " Damn it." Jacobsen's voice was choked and rattled in his throat before coming out. " You bitch."

There was no way over the noise that the woman could have heard him and yet she stopped in mid descent and looked him square in the face. For a moment, Chris Jacobsen was eye to eye with his quarry.

And with that, she disappeared under the street.

With an effort born out of pain and fury, Jacobsen struck the man square in the face and felt something break both on the man and in his hand for the effort. The man faltered for a moment and then swam out of view as two uniformed officers swarmed over him and began giving him the beating of his life. The struggle was short lived and between the 3 of them, the man was manacled in short order.

Jacobsen stood for a second, gasping for breath and collected his weapon from the wet ground. Katja had literally gone to ground. Where was the third one? During his fight with the short man, Jacobsen had heard gunfire from two guns and then a third weapon had joined the fray as one of them had stopped abruptly. He fought the sinking feeling in his stomach and ran toward the other side of the alley and the flashing lights there.

A Patrol Sergeant held Thompson in his arms, trying to stop the bleeding from a relatively minor wound in the younger officer's abdomen. The officer's body armor had at least slowed the bullet as it hit him, giving Thompson a fighting chance until a Medical Unit arrived. " Where's the other suspect?"

The Sergeant looked up as Thompson raised a bloody finger and pointed towards an open door just inside the alley entrance. " Another Blade Runner and one of my men chased him into there. Saved the kid's life."

The sound of a shot inside the building startled Jacobsen and he ran through the door and down a dim hall. He heard voices in the darkness and abruptly, a light flicked on in a room off to the right.

The third suspect sat slumped on a stack of boxes, one arm hanging useless and trying to breathe despite the gaping wound in his chest. A uniformed officer covered him and Kevin King stood to one side with his blaster pointed at the ground. Jacobsen knew in an instant that the suspect was a Replicant. He met King's look with his own and the other Blade Runner nodded.

The Rep choked out something and King stepped forward, placing a hand on the Rep's one good arm in a protective measure. " What?"

The Rep looked at King. " Did I kill that cop?"

King shook his head. " No," he said in a voice empty of emotion. " I killed you."

He stepped back and holstered his weapon as bloody froth started to come from the Rep's mouth. " You people just don't get it." he gasped. " You'll never get all of us."

" Maybe not." Said King. " But you've certainly been crossed off the list." And with that, he spat bloody sputum of his own on the Rep's chest.

As the Rep choked out his last breath, Jacobsen put his hand on the other man's shoulder. " You working this one?" He asked.

King shook his head. " I think he belongs to Schmidt. I was on my way home from a follow up at the clinic when I heard the call. I just got lucky is all. Where's yours?"

Jacobsen shook his head. " Got into the sewers. Manhole in the alley."

King chuckled. " Well, don't lose hope. She's got to come up for air sometime."