Hello, this is Pumpkin Perrier, director to producer GM and perhaps if you
enjoyed this podcast, please make sure to rate and review and head over to
take the story dot tv for our extensive library. Thank you for your support
and enjoy. Goodie you citizens of the Los Angeles and I meet yet to
commend four officers who had semple fighting along the way for dedications of the lad
for a Replicant Prohibition Actor. Than the face of danger, they stood tall,
risking light in the limb to protect our city from the shadows that the
threatren to ng us. The night is a knight trib at night where we
celebrate the unwielding commitment of forest ordinary officers who without hesitation, executed a mission
of paramount of importance in the relentless pursuit of justice. Tonight we honor not
only their courage, but their decisive actions that eliminated this thread at its core.
They faced the embodiment of malice and eradicated it with the solved that finding
spirit of the lav The Replicant Prohibition Act stands as a shield, and these
officers wielded it with unparalleled valor. We must not lose sight of the goal
and move forward with more ferocity than ever. Embrace the clarity that these officers
have provided through their unwavering execution of duty, and let this commendation to be
a beacon a symbol of the Lapeds committed to eradicating the threats that lurk in
the darkness. Together we stand united against those who would seem to disrupt from
peace the old year. Let these officers serve as an inspiration to us all
as we continue to uphold the Repot Prohibition Act and heat our city saving Detective
Holding stares out of the crowd from the podium, a harsh light casting deep
shadows across his face. The commendation ceremony is unfolded beneath the ominous canopy of
a neonlit city scape, and rain as usual descends in a ceaseless drizzle,
casting a glistening sheen on the wet pavement below. The towering buildings adorned with
flickering holographic billboards loom over the rain soaked crowd. Umbrellas dot the landscape,
their outlines moving in unison with the shifting throng, while the dominating shadows of
skyscrapers stretch across their faces. Detective Holden's words resonate against this backdrop is speech
contrasting with the cold, indifferent cityscape that bears witness to the complex dance of
propaganda and doubt. How much longer is this going to go on? Uh?
I mean they'll come over to us and pind something to us and shake
our hand, and that should be it, just as soon as he gets
through this. It just seems so it seems I don't know, I'm sick.
I kind of like it. Get card everywhere in a wheelchair, get
a little metal pin on your chest. Something you guys should have got shot?
Yeah, right next time. Oh, by the way, how's your
gut? It fixed me up pretty good? They actually, uh actually foot
of the bill to give me some some uh I don't know, robot robot
skin something like that. It's some sort of mesh that holds my debts together.
Actually made me, Uh I feel like I could, uh take another
bullet. I'd be fine. Honestly, that's not in the that's it's not
in the policy that we get so no, but I mean, if they're
gonna they're gonna card us up here like heroes, they better treat us like
goddamn heroes, right, you know, good for optics, right, so,
but you're right, it was not covered in our insurance. What kind
of drugs did they give you? I didn't ask. They were good.
But can you feel anything? What do you mean? I mean, can
you still feel it? Does it feel different? Oh? Yeah, it
feels different for sure. It's uh tight. It feels like uh you know,
like when you get a shirt they too shrunk in the wash, k
like that. It feels like it used to fit but now it doesn't.
And there's still some pain like inside, not on the skin, like the
heart where they they put that mession. That's that's gotten no feeling because it's
not me, but where they fixed up my guts, like I can feel
that when I I laugh. Hm. They did they give you antibiotics?
Or is that the stuff that doesn't need it you for your body to adjust
or whatever? Oh? I'm I don't know. I'm sure they did or
they didn't. I didn't much ask, not my expertise. I don't one
of those need to know things. As long as they're doing it, I
don't know what. I don't care what they do as long as they fix
me up, you know, Yeah, yeah, I know I get it.
I'm sure the whiskey is also helping the adjustment. You know, it
is now and then here it comes here, it comes sent up straight.
Okay, so you sit down. Why are you gonna say that? Sorry?
Holden begins pinning the medals on each of the officers. Here the crowd
is cheering. What are the expressions on your faces? Selma's looking straight out
ahead her hands or behind her back, and her posture is super straight,
and she's not looking around, just straightforward. And what are you feeling inside?
Confused? Scared? Like this is premature? It's not my choice.
Who's next time? I would equally I'd be equally standing up, very straight
stock, still looking forward as well. Internally indifference, That's all I got.
I think before Holden gets there, I would be looking very impatient.
And then I kind of last her a smile on my face when he gets
there, sort of half hearted. I'm playing the part of the proud soldier,
chest up, not smiling, just you know, accepting. He gives
each of you a very slight nod, as if to say, you've done
your duty here today very well. He turns, addresses the crowd once more,
and thus begins a small after party with you and the rest of the
people at the LAPD. But we're going to move forward into that scene for
just a moment. What do you do? Do you mingle? Do you
stick with each other? I probably mingle, okay, you know, I'll
find a Mayby cup coffee, something warm coffee tea. Really, probably start
chatting with some folks. There's a lady by the water cooler. I think
her name's Debra. We're just talking about the sale going on it Madgines.
I think they're there's like a bad to get one on shoes. You probably
see me, no, no, you you. You probably see me with
whatever they're servant drink in my hand, and I'm probably trying to convince Natalie
the clerk to uh go for a ride in my wheelchair. Uh. I
actually brought you something. Oh yeah, it's pie, but with the cheese
the way I like it. And it's like a nice little box and it's
got a bow on it, and I hand it to you. I look
like I want to say something, but I don't know if it's if I
have a right to say something, so I'm hesitating a little bit. Is
there a Is there a place you want to share this bye? Or is
it just for me? Oh? Oh, well, we could share it,
but we could share the next one. This one should be just for
you. Uh okay. Should I open it now or wait till I get
home? Uh? Whatever you like, it's yours now. I want to
say thank you, but I'm not sure how to. I'm not sure how
to do that properly. I thank me for what doing your duty, your
job, but more so for or braving the darkness that surrounds the decisions that
you make in the name of justice. You practice that, didn't Natalie,
No, I feel very strongly about it. Well, at the risk of
making it more awkward. Thank you, and uh, I hope from now
on you will address me as your hero sir. You're a hero, sir.
If that would be you know, okay with you, I would prefer
that Moniker. You're a hero, sir. Thank you for your servants.
I'm careful you're going to hurt yourself again. Yeah, yep, yeah,
my guts are they're they're perm million place. Oh you want to see it?
Yeah I do. I do. That's where I am button, one
little button, and I kind of like let her peek at the that's holding
my gut together? What good poke it? I mean, can I it's
not going to hurt it? Oh, I absolutely, Like I'll reach out
to my poket a little bit. It's like a little bit like snake skin,
isn't it It is. It's a little little rougher than than skin skin.
Yeah, it's interesting. I've never seen since skin like that before.
Yeah. Yeah, I mean they fixed me up. But that's that's that's
me now, that's that's not going away. Yeah. Well, so we'll
give you a nickname like they do. You know, iron lung. It's
not behind me, is he? How about snake? Snake sounds good?
Snake that sounds cool. It feels like there's not enough there, like maybe
we should add something to it, like you know, how firm it is,
like you're you're you know, maybe solid Nope, okay, a solid
snake? Yeah, what's wrong with that? It doesn't make any sense.
Oh, I guess you're right unless you're talking about it like it like your
peanuts. You know. I never thought about that, but yeah, I
lung and solid snake. It the works, all right. I will let
you get the back to your mingling, and I'm glad you're okay, brain
checking on that pie absolutely, and I walk away one day. Chill,
come round, Corn, Can I get another one? Please? I'm in
pain here, I'm a hero, Give me another drink. Thank you.
Just kind of wheel and mingle, mingle around. Okay, Now we're going
to take a moment to do something that we didn't do at the end of
last episode, which is some of us hit some critical stress, which means
you have to roll on an injury table for your mind, which all of
us are familiar with. So let's see here. Now, what I've done
is I have allowed the players to choose whichever table. So we're going to
do one role and then they get to choose which table they're grabbing their effect
from. Also, I want to give the players absolute liberty to do something
that's not necessarily on this list, because I feel like this list is like
good guidelines. But if they decide and feel like something is a little bit
more to their character, I trust them implicitly to be able to come up
with something that is that fits. So we have a human and then a
replicant table, and it's a one D. I roll your empathy, Yeah,
you roll your empathy, but it's one through six, but then if
you get anything above six, then you still get one of six options.
Is what's list did here on either human or replicants. So I'm not going
to read those out. I'm just going to have those of you who hit
the hit the tape or hit the stress critical injury to go ahead and roll
and then look and maybe choose your and think about your effect. Now.
I think it would be cool if we don't tell the audience or me which
one you've rolled, and if you just roll play it out in the following
scenes to come. What do you guys think sounds good? Do you want
our roles to be private too? No? Go ahead? Roll? Well,
yeah, it doesn't matter because they don't know what the list is,
but yeah, go for it. We do though, Oh you're correct,
okay, yeah, so you're hiding it from each other too, yes,
yes, yes, yes, private roles then? Oh all right, so
what die for that for? You're rolling your empathy? You can what you
can dopath. I believe you can click roll to GM, but maybe not.
Let me see what your empathy is so you can't roll, I think
just the just the attribute, Okay, you would have to roll like separately.
You can send a roll just to the GM if you want, but
it wouldn't be via the sheet. Yeah, okay, you'd have to like
type that in, which you could do if you don't have dice in front
of you. No, I'm good, okay, And it looks like your
empathy is a D ten. Yeah, so okay, I will send that
to you and your yep, your tables are on page seventy five and seventy
six. Okay, perfect. Now, what we've also decided to do is
roleplay out some of the downtime, which we haven't done before. So we're
gonna do for the rest of this episode. We're gonna do scenes, dialogue
scenes between the characters, and we're gonna be starting with I wrote it down.
Hold on, we're gonna be starting with Selma and Galen. So whenever
you're ready, you wha because I know you just had to roll and pull
up in a critical stress. They just sent the to you. Oh yeah,
okay, I see. So do you want to bank that then?
No? Okay? Cool? Cool? All right, all right, I
sent you mine or all the stuff for it. Okay, perfect, all
right, So we're gonna be starting with Selma and Galen and we decided to
do this over the next two days. Do you guys feel or is this
all happening in one day just various moments of the day of your downtime?
I mean, I think a couple of days is fine. Yep, okay,
all right. Just the only reason I specify is because stuff happens regardless
of whether you guys are working on the case or not. So if you're
taking a few days, then those that pushes those things forwarding what's happened,
I think it would be I think it may be a few days. I
feel like we would also be ordered to take time as well. Yeah,
whenever anything major like this happens, that's generally what happens on a police force.
Yeah, And I don't know how you guys feel about that. Probably
a little frustrated. You probably have other detectives working on some of your case
as well. All right, so we're going to move over we are Would
you like to tell us where we are? Or would you like to just
dive into the scene and let them figure it out from context clues? Oh?
Ah? Can we roll for it? Yeah? Absolutely? All right?
Which should I roll? Roll A two? Will be secret? All
right? Okay, So m hm uh. So we tell them yep,
go for it. Okay. So we uh we pull up and I think
probably a spinner maybe, yeah, both Galen and myself, and uh oh,
I forget the name of this place. I think it's called like,
uh, shooting blanks gallery, and it's it's got like a couple of the
lights are like a neon and they're sort of blinking, and then a couple
of them are just out, so it looks like hooting instead of shooting.
And so Galen and I pull up and I say, all right, well,
I know I know the guy here, and I hope he's working tonight.
What what day is it? Oh? Good? And a good question,
because you guys, all of this happened on a timeline. I'm not
sure what date is. I'd have to look it up here real quick,
but we can say that, your gentleman, is what date is? I
can tell you what day it is. Yeah, that's what I'm looking for
for the date. So you guys did I'm pretty sure the date is the
thirteenth, but that could be either thirteenth or the fourteenth. I'm just gonna
double check real quick, okay, So either Wednesday or Thursday. Yeah,
it's one of those two. Okay, well, I think Terry's working,
And if Terry's working, that means we're gonna have access to the to the
fun stuff. Do you ask fun the fun stuff? So sorry, go
ahead, Oh well, I mean, you know the have you ever seen
the stuff that goes off? It makes a bunch of color. It's not
oh it's not phosphorus. I forget what it is. But magnesium. I
think that's the one on you shooting. If it's magnesium. Yeah, yeah,
maybe it's magnesium then, but oh hell, I don't know, galing.
It's some chemistry. They do some stuff with it. It makes fun
colors, and we get to shoot it, and that's what we're gonna be
doing. You'd like to do this kind of thing in your spare time a
lot? Well, I don't know. I like to do it with friends,
I suppose. I think it's a lot more fun experience that way.
You know, if you light off fireworks by yourself, I feel like it's
kind of the same feeling. Not usually yeah, so it's so it's more
of a more of a show that way. And we come up to like
a set of double doors here. They're real greasy they don't look like they've
been washed. There's a bunch of papers that are like taped on it,
like Friday night fish fry and shoot, and a couple lost dog flyers all
over the door, and I hold the door open for Galen and I think
we probably hut in. And there's a kind of smells like old cigarette.
Uh. There's this really like modeled gray and blue carpet and maybe some stains.
And there's a guy that's hunched over and it looks like he's doing something
on a screen, but you can tell that he hunches over a lock as
his posture is pretty bad. He's got a pair of those glasses that attach
as a necklace receding hairline. He's got some flannel on, some boots that
come up to his knees because he also does a lot of what he likes
to call ice fishing, but it's not actually ice fishing. He just goes
in a puddle and I think he just shoots fish. And I look at
him and say, hey, Terry, oh hey, no, I'm good,
good good, I'm busy at all. I'm busy. It all just
you ton yep, just me and now you two you wanted you wanted a
special room. Rap. Oh yes, yes, please, all right,
take as long as you want. I know it says only two hours,
but you know, okay, all right, nobody else signed up for today,
so go on in. I appreciate that. Yep, I appreciate you.
I saw that, by the way. Sorry, oh, I was
just saying I saw that. I saw the ceremony thing. Oh yeah,
great, yeah, heroes you are yep, yep, you know. Well,
you know what they say, don't don't meet your heroes, right you
already don't mee, Terry, I'm not here. I'm just I'm just doing
my job. Oh that's just you being polite, all right, go on
in, Okay, thank you, all right. I really wish they would
stop mentioning that ceremony. I don't know. I'm glad that it gives people
something, you know, But for me, I don't know what it does.
If it makes me feel like a kind of like I shouldn't be up
there. You know, it's just too soon. Still still got a lot
to work on. And I start taking them. Start taking the first thing
in front of me, first weapon, which looks just like your basic small
firearm here, and start putting some AMMO in it, or how would we
load this this type of type of AMO for the for this weapon narrator does
it automatically? Is it automatically? Or we do we do it? It
depends on what weapon you here have. Yeah, I was just going to
say, like, it depends on what you're trying to use. I believe
you have a compact, but that I'm not sure. I'd have to double
check your sheet. Okay, if you're using a subcompact, it'd probably just
be a it would either be a small magazine or a or a single shot.
For the subcompact it's a revolver, then you might have a quick loader
as the six rounds pomp it in. Okay. If you have the same
kind of weapon that like Decord had, then that would be probably some kind
of mag I would assume. And then if you have the more advanced version,
I think that one's probably like a it would probably be a mag as
well, or you'd like you remove the barrel. It almost looks like and
you would replace the barrel or something. I don't know. Okay, all
right, I have a subcompact, so I'll probably just start loading by hand.
I don't really know if Terry keeps track of the amo here, so
I'll just I'll keep track of it for him and let him know at the
end of the session. Okay, all right, No, where's our target
back there? Oh? There it is, okay, So the blue dots
back there, Galen, those are the ones that I mean, we try
to hit that because that it explodes and does does a cool thing. If
you want, you can go for whatever, you know, whatever's clever,
but here let me show you. And I just kind of aim my gun
and I go for the first blued out that I see, which is kind
of on the left ear, and I fire and I'm not sure if I
make it, but if I do make it, then you see this explosion
of blue and green sparkles just everywhere, and it kind of makes like sound.
It kind of sounds like one of those noise makers, like I don't
know, it's got like a holographic display like when your bat is so cool.
It's yeah, so it's pretty it's pretty neat. I'm not sure how
Terry gets this where where it gets from, but it's it's pretty fun.
So I shoot one of those and say it. Then you know it's your
turn. We can kind of make a game out of it. Sometimes I
try to see which ones I can hit, if I can hit all the
blue spots first. Ever, since you fired, I don't seem to be
paying attention very much to you. I'm looking at the down at the gun,
and then as soon as you say that it's my turn, I pick
up the weapon and I empty the mag in very quick succession, and it's
an extremely tight grouping. Wow did you did you aim for the targets or
were you just shooting one spot in particular? Just aiming for one spot.
I wasn't really aiming for any of the special fireworks type targets. It would
if if it was a person that you would see there on the target,
like if it was if they have a sort of standard kind of gun range
target, it would all be in the head. Oh okay, I got
Yeah, you got them. Good good, good, good, good grouping.
I looked down at the weapon again. I'm still sort of staring at
it. Do you do you mind if I ask you something? Ging?
No, are you comfortable with a weapon in your hands? I never thought
I would be yeah, yeah, same. I only ever thought of what
it could do. I'll ever looked at it. As well. This is
it's a bad thing. It's not something I want. It's amazing how our
perspective can change once we actually utilize it for ourselves. Has your perspective changed
considerably? I don't know if it's so much a level of comfort as it
is a necessity, but sometimes it does feel like relaxing into my favorite chair
and I start loading my gun and I start aiming. I go for the
blue spot on the leg. Oh, Eric goes again. H I love
it. You know, replicants did that. I think it could be a
hell of a lot more fun hunting them. But they don't. They fall.
They fall just like people. That's more part, isn't it. Yeah?
Oh, it smells like it's like sulfur. Kind of excuse me?
Oh all right, I'm gonna go for let's see Middland stomach rat. Here,
let's go for the this skift shot. Oh, I'll miss that one.
It's probably better that I did. Here. Here you go, you
go. I pick up the weapon and there's no hesitation. It doesn't really
match my face as I do so, and again I menter the mag quickly,
just tight grouping again in the exact same spot. It's efficient I you
ever, you ever do shooting range stuff, Galen? Surely you had to
just part of certification. Yeah. M hmm. What's your favorite meal?
Like, if you had to name just one? M I never really thought
much about it. No, what's yours? Oh? I love, I
absolutely love a good grilled salmon with a nice just mountain of mashed potatoes and
cook spinach. Oh so good. A little bit of ham or bacon in
the spinach. You just put some grease in there. None of it's real
anymore. Well, you know, we got a lot of bates around here
about what is real nowadays, don't we. And I mean it gives me
a sense of real comfort. I think that's all that counts at this point.
But you're right, it's not real. I guess it's just a memory
of what it used to be. H It's a comforting memory. M Noodles,
noodles, hmm, what kind of noodles? And spicy? Kind?
Spicy? Spicier the better m hm. I feel like I'm not that great
at tolerating spice, you know. I just feel like I'm maybe maybe a
little softer softer of a palette. There, Oh, got it? There
it goes. I can't tolerate spies that much. M. It's never really
been a problem for me. No, how are you and Bob getting along?
He's my partner? So are you? Now that's true? I just
I noticed. I mean it seems like y'all got a good friendship. We've
all been through a lot. Yeah, yeah, not quite as close as
you'r. How do you do it? How do you do six seven shots
like that all in a row? I feel like my precision is just not
there yet. I just don't really think about it. Just kind of sort
of happens. M. Well, I wish I could get myself into that
mentality just kind of happens. You know, it's been it's been some time
now, we've both been doing this. I guess the reason I really wanted
to bring you to the shooting range was maybe maybe not so much to shoot.
I mean, this is it is part of the fun, you know.
I like the you know, I'm a big fan of of display.
I just feel like we are partners. You make a good point. I
just don't know you, and it's part of my job, you know.
I want to I want to understand people. But what do you want to
know about me? Well? All right, Why you're so damn guarded?
I just I just don't know. I need to know. I want to
trust you. Hm, I don't even know why it is that you just
it's almost like you just do it. You know we're here together, but
you're you're shooting just to shoot. And for me, I want to know
what makes you tick, what gives you a sense of passion or pleasure,
what drives you? I often ask myself that question. It's not an easy
one for me to answer. But frankly, being guarded when you've you've lost
everything, when you trust people and you're betrayed, it's hard to open up
again. And as for what I'm passionate about, I'll let you know when
I find it. Thanks for being honest with me. I just I beg
of the question. We'll put you on the force, pick up the weapon
again and the fire shots are grouped up in the same place. What did
you join the force? A couple of reasons. I think one of the
biggest ones is probably spite. But to protect I like I like knowing things.
I think knowledge is power, and if I can help someone who in
a crisis, or someone who feels like they're alone, that's what that's what
I like doing. Initially, I think it was probably spot for for the
world. That's what led me to start protecting those who those who don't even
know Spot. All they know is sadness and pain. Then I suppose for
me it felt like it was something I had to do. Never really felt
a good choice. I guess, Oh, I got that one. I
think we might be might be out here. Mm hmm. I don't know
if I might an m O. Hang on, let me check. Uh,
hey, Terry, yeah, could I could I get another box?
Oh? Yeah, you can have whenever you want. Just go into the
drawer there. I'm gonna unlock it. Anything for the heroes of l A.
Oh thanks Terry. Yeah, no worries. Thanks again, y'all all
right, not load up? Load up my gun again. H there's a
precision to the way that I re load the mag my weapon. I fire
again, same spot. Now what spot exactly is it? Is it?
The head? The head? They? Okay? Head center? Mm hm.
Well. You know I didn't always used to be in an analyst.
I was only fairly racing. I've been doing this almost almost seventeen years,
and I find that I've new things to be afraid of every day. I
think that's one reason I'm still here and still doing this. What are you
afraid of? Now? You know? I used to think it was just
contrived to think everything but just about everything, just about everyone, And I
think that that can be a damning mentality sometimes, but it has also helped
keep me out of some trouble. Sometimes it leads me to lose myself entirely
and get into trouble anyway. But I think having a fear of fear of
everything, fear of the world. I hate having that. I hate having
it, and I hate having to combat it every single day. But I
do it because those of us who can't stand up to their own mind might
need my help one day. And I guess in that way, I do
also feel called to it. I feel called to help, not just as
a servant, but as someone who understands what it's like to be afraid.
Can I be honest with you, Yeah, I'm afraid all the time.
Mainly I'm afraid of what we're becoming, what I'm becoming, and what is
that. I know what Lorenzo did, it's horrible. I know what the
Replicans have done. It's horrible. But I still feel like murderer. We
shouldn't be getting medals. I hear you, I hear you. I've put
down nine of those things, and it's it's never easy, never, because
again, they fall just like people, and they scream and they wail and
they moan, just like people. And when we're told, well, just
don't look at them like that, gotta remove it. It's a threat.
It's a threat to our society that is disguised as familiar. I had to
turn that off. I had to flip that switch off, that part of
me that said you're killing something, you're killing someone. Not to me,
not anymore. I am simply terminating a program. How do you flip that
switch. It's basically denying a lot of your own impulses, that's it.
It's telling your lizard brain to shut down and do not believe your eyes and
do not believe your ears. And it doesn't get easy. Galen tell you
that the scab will heal in time, but you're going to be angry about
all of it. Pick up the weapon, fire again, same place,
same grouping nine. How did that happen? Spie spie M. I joined
with the intent to save and to serve. And I don't think many people
are aware because I don't mention it. But there was a time when I
was held hostage and it was an instance in which I feel intense fear and
shame and guilt, and I don't think i've ever felt something like that ever.
Again. After you're surrounded by the things that you were told are monsters,
and you hear them chatter, and you hear them talk about you,
it's just the other end of the table, Galen's. It's exactly how we
speak about them. If you look over towards me, you can see that
I'm holding onto my necklace, seem very focused on it. I put down
my gun. Do you you know there's a cafe right down the road,
just an offer, but we can ditch this and go get some coffee instead,
or hell, Galen, I can just leave you alone. When I
look at you, and I'm not saying this out loud, I'm just describing
what it looks like for the audience, this as if I'm sort of looking
past you like I'm seeing something else and I look confused. Tell you what,
let's just forget the whole shooting thing. We can head out, maybe
even grab a bite to eat. I don't say this, but I feel
like I'm picking up a lot of a lot of unsaid things here, and
I don't know what he's thinking, but I'm going to do my best to
try and get him to a more comfortable space where we're not in such a
loud environment. I put my necklace down, seem to not really pay too
much attention to what's going on. But before you know it, my gun
is disassembled and the magazine is separated. You sure are efficient with that food,
you said, Yeah, yeah, sound sound good? Maybe all right?
Yeah, all right, all right, Terry, I think we're gonna
be heading out here. You all right? Great shooting, y'all? Hey,
thank you so much. You know, I think we got all of
them. I can't wait to tell everybody I had the heroes in here today.
It was great. You you stop, you stop. I'll be back
in soon. Okay, all right, all right, have good week too,
by and like a little bell jingles as we head out, I think
there is a cafe down the road. Maybe, oh bye, Do you
guys want to go to the cafe as well? We have time for that
if you'd like, or I can move on to skiff and Bob. I
don't think there's much of a scene there for me at least. All right,
Skiff and Bob, where are we? We should be at the gym
at the precinct. All right, it's pretty robust. There's a lot of
equipment. Some of it's advanced, but there's also just basic weights. There's
a punching bag and some uh not really a ring, but a little area
that's squared off for for that sort of stuff, those combat training. All
right, let's get out of the wheelchair. Yeah, I can't imagine that
was too comfortable. I was all right, I didn't be they you know
again optics, Yeah, well I think look better. And uh, I
gotta say I didn't mind the attention. Oh yeah, you played it up
well, so that's good, I suppose. Or do you want to start
here? I know what I'm wanting to do, But where are you looking
to hit? Well, if you want to get on that heavy bag,
I'll hold it for you. Yeah all right, so let me ask you
how many years you got on the force? Going on eight seven and change
me too, oldest, steady. I started punching into it. My punches
are they're heavy, they follow through each one I'm not putting a lot of
emotion behind them that you can tell. I'm using a good amount of strength.
Why'd you join course? Honestly, it's not a yeah, not a
d seated you know, not because my dad was a cop or anything like
that. It was honestly because my hero was a cop. I used to
read these books with this detective. I always wanted to be like him.
He was so so cool. I always knew right from wrong. And also
I felt like I had a little bit of inside knowledge on the criminal mind,
seeing as I grew up pretty poor and I we had to do what
we had to do to get by. So I put that to use and
I have and it's it's worked out all right so far. You enjoy it?
Well, that's a loaded question. Yeah, Sometimes sometimes I don't.
Most days I feel like I come home and I can sleep. Some days
I can't. Sure you know what I'm talking about being a cop yourself?
Yeah, I do. How about you? What's your story? I was
got into a little bit of trouble as a kid, A little bit,
you know, it is, on the streets, nothing crazy, but I
saw there was a cop right place, right time, just someone there to
protect to help. I guess you could say it wasn't really up until that
point that I recognized that you could do that. You know that you could
think of others. I don't know. No, I understand, man,
when you live a life that's and the mouth, you gotta you gotta focus
on, you know, the food, water, you know that kind of
stuff first that makes a person a certain way. Yeah, I understand that.
You can feel me. I'm hitting the bag a little bit harder at
this point. I've also started going down the bag, and I'm hitting the
bag pretty hard mid level. M m hm. You've got some power behind
those. I mean, yeah, almost wasn't enough. You know. Sorry
you got shot. I'm sorry I wasn't there. You were there, I
wasn't there fast enough. I get what you mean. But just like you
getting down on yourself for you know, not being strong enough. I mean,
you are comparing yourself to a human bulldozer. You know, they can
do things that our human bodies are just not capable of. You know that.
Yes, I know you not being as strong or as quick as something
that is built to be that. No shame in that you did very well
from what I heard. You know, my buttle of blood. It better
than I did at least. No, I don't agree with that at all.
You stopped him right from what I could hear, he could have gotten
away very easily, but you you were the difference in time. Well,
I hope I don't want to do that every time I want to stop a
replican or a criminal. If I have to take a bullet every time,
I'll quit tomorrow. You do you think you could take a punch right there,
right now? Uh? I mean, of course absolutely not from you.
Well no, no, not elementary school down the block. If you
want to grab a kid or something that haven't punch with me, I could
probably take that, all right, that's fine, No, no, no,
Like and I pull up, I let go of the bag, and
I pull up my shirt and I show him like this part of me,
and you can see like it's like a little strip like like cobalt blue,
like metallic, like snake skinish like mesh. This part of me right here
could take it inside there. I'm done healing yet, so skin is fine,
but my guts are still kind of on the men. Hey your guts,
Yeah, I'll tell you what guts. Let's do some weights. Sounds
good. I'll give you a spot. Oh my turn, Oh yeah,
hoping it wouldn't be my turn. Oh no, you don't get out of
this, all right, And I lay down on the bench press. All
right. I haven't done this in a while, so I might be a
little rusty. That's fine, I got my hands underneath. Don't worry.
Just push what you can. All right, There you go. You know
what's interesting, and you know your partner well from what I can tell,
there was a moment I caught Selma's face and it was I don't know.
I have a hard time reading people, you know. It's why Galen and
I work together so well. He's pretty good at it. He can pull
me in a direction I can go. But it wasn't fear necessarily. I
don't know what it was on her face, but come on, now,
you got it? There you go. Yeah, that's all right. She's
been through a lot. I don't even know all of it, to be
honest with you, she's uh, she's deceptively tough, like I don't know
how to describe it. You no, no, no, no no.
She gave me an earful the first time I talked to her. Oh yeah
about what? Well, I wear elbows on the table or something. No,
I was questioning her about where she was going when we were getting ready
to go into this into the bar. You went in first, mm hmm.
Yeah, she chewed me out. Well, what did you do?
I mean, what did you do to get chewed out? I questioned what
she was doing, which I understand now, I get it, I get
it, But you know, at the time it was you know, for
me, there's a target, that's all there is, and you go towards
that target. T get it. Yeah, She's one of those people that
you do whatever it takes to keep them around you for for a few reasons,
but for me, the most of which is you watch how she treats
others, and if you don't have a decent moral compass or you need help
telling what the right thing to do is, it's those rare people that you
find in your life that kind of help you with that. Yeah, she's
m possibly the like if I had to describe a good person, I'd be
Selom. It's weird because we're so different, but we mess so well because
she keeps me on the right side and I help her deal with all the
stuff that she has to deal with. She's got she's got a lot of
stuff going on. Like I said, she's been through it. But I
try to help her with that the best I can. Yeah, you're you
two seem to work well together. I can tell you got her back,
and you don't always see that. I think there's there's a peace miss And
sometimes in these partnerships, they forget that the person that they're they're working with
is also someone they're protecting. There's a trust that doesn't always go both ways.
Galen was Galen has been the best partner I've had, and it was
very easy to sink into it, which I found surprising. I just I
didn't recognize that you could have that with somebody, you know how. The
partner I had before him was pretty good at his job, a bit of
a bit of a cut up, you know. I like to make jokes,
never shut up, couldn't have a silent moment in a stake out,
always had something to say, another type. Yeah, you know. I'd
buy him food just so he'd stop talking. He'd still talk, food in
his mouth. But he was never anyone that I I think I envy what
you have with some I think it's just that Galen's great. He really is,
and I trust him, but I don't necessarily understand him. I wanted
to ask you about that. Actually, I go over and I'm or I
lean over, still sitting on the bench and grab some dumbbelts. I wanted
to ask you about that. Actually, Yeah, I know we're partners,
and like I said, that counts for me. But I want to trust
him, I really do. I want to be able to trust him.
But the way that that first call was handled, with the replicant and the
bomb and all that kind of stuff, it just seemed like he's got another
agenda. That agenda doesn't have much to do with teamwork. Yea, seemed
like that situation could have been diffused. I wasn't there, just calling it
like I see it. But feel free to tell me I'm wrong about that.
Well you are, but okay, only because you're you're looking in the
wrong direction. I uh, Galen was talking to him at his apartment door.
I just got a little impatient with the presumed replicant and sped things on
a little bit more than I should have. Oh that was you. Well
I wouldn't have paid you for someone that impulsive. Uh No, usually no,
but you know, The replicans are dangerous. They're dangerous. They're broken
tools that you can't trust to use, you can't trust to have around.
You don't know how they're going to react. You don't know when they're going
to set off a fucking bomb over a city. I don't want to give
a replicant a chance to do that again. So if I can retire them
faster, all the better. Sounds like you gotta grudge something. No,
no, no, no, nah, They're just I can have a grudge
against a tool. Well, the fact that you're calling them a tool right
there, that says something. Well, that's what they are. I mean,
they're they're created, they're they're designed, they're made for specific purpose.
It's just like a hammer. You get a hammer and the the handle is
broken and you go to use it. It's a useless tool hammer. Maybe
you can fix it, but the hammer doesn't tell you it has the desire
to live? Though, Do they have a desire to live? What is
a desire? And how do we know that's what they're feeling? How do
we know they feel? I mean, I don't want to get too out
in the weeds philosophy wise, but huld say saying about us. So let
me ask you a question. All right, when you retire a replicand what
does it feel like to you? H h you're gonna you're gonna have to
roll for this one. I'll give you an answer, but you're gonna have
to roll for this one. So you're inside two successes. It feels like
nothing, and I'm lying to you. Hm, it's just a job,
all right. What does it feel like to you? Anytime I have the
oh, my weapon, I have to tell myself that I am I'm an
officer of the law. Doesn't matter if it's a replicant, doesn't matter if
it's human. Every time I've shut the part of my brain off that says
this is a a life, khy, even if it isn't kind of kind
of become robotic, I have to and uh, I do my job.
If you're asking if I'm haunted, Oh yeah, you're haunted. I got
demons. Wait wait wait wait by retiring a replicant, is that what you're
saying, or just demons in general? I think we're all haunted by the
things we wish we would have done differently, or the things we felt we
had to do. I didn't I didn't care for Yeah, I don't think
any cop out there doesn't have that, and if they do, there's something
else but wrong with them. Yeah, and uh, that's fair. I
don't I don't want to be partnered with them. I look right at you.
I feel a little angry. That's what that out loud? Or Oh
I say that to you after you say what you said about not wanting to
be partnered someone that doesn't react or feel That's when I look in the eye
and say, I feel a little angry about what I just said. No,
I feel angry when I shoot a replicant. Oh sounds normal. At
least you're feeling something right, all right? Is there a reason that you
can come up with it? You feel angry? Yeah, you'll excuse me
if I don't tell you right now. I'm not going anywhere. When you
feel the time is right, you go ahead. Let me know. One
thing that Selm always said about me was I got big shoulders and even bigger
ears. It took me a second to realize what she meant by that,
but shoulder to cry on, here's to listen. She wasn't just jabbing at
you. No, I don't think she knows how to do that. Honestly,
She's tried, and I just told her to stop trying. She tries
to make jokes and either fall off the mark or they go way too deep.
Yeah, I'm not I'm not good with jokes. I don't know.
Man. See how you dress? God, damn, I just lay off
the goats. Do I dress just fine? Thank you very much? You
do you do? Thank you? If you're doing a discount men's store,
now, listen, I'll stop it. It's easy. I'm you know,
I'm I'm gonna get back in the hospital. I'm gonna punch you in the
guts. You know what. I wouldn't fault you. I deserve that.
Yeah, I just don't want the paperwork. Let me ask you a question.
Now, this is I understand it's personal. You don't have to answer.
I guess I don't expect one. But that girl you knew she was
a replica, but you felt something that as a kid. Now, what
is it? What do you feel? You asked a straight question. I'm
going to try and give you a straight answer. The reason why I say
it like that is because I'm still working through how I feel about it.
I can't I honestly don't know. It's something that I thought I'd never have
to deal with. And now I'm going through my head and I don't know
if I want to just run straight to her and ask her where she's been,
how she's doing. If I'm hey, if you could have her back,
if you could get her back to you, would it matter if they
were a replican. I don't know. I don't know, that's the truth.
Yeah, it's a hypothetical that I can't you when you're when you're stressing
about about talking to someone and you rehearse it, and you rehearse it and
you rehearse in your head and then you go to talk to them and all
that just goes completely out the window. That's where I am right now until
I'm faced with that decision. If I have no idea, but I would
like some answers. Yeah. And the thing with that is whoever that is
that I saw that we saw recently, not the same thing thing I knew
back that it can't be Matthews A line up, right, Oh, I
get that. It's just I'd had to talk with Galen a little while back,
and replicans are what they are. But if you could have someone the
fact that you knew. H How does that not tear you up inside?
Or does it? I mean, how do you not? Because I can't.
I don't think of it that way, the person or thing that I
knew, that's not what I'm looking at. I've been down the whole of
what if been. I've dug my way down to the bottom of that.
And you know what's down there? What more dirt? Just more and more
and more dirt. What if never help anybody? What is is what I
try to focus on. I appreciate you, be honest. I appreciate you
entertaining that. It's odd because I never thought about a replicant as a as
a child. You just might know, Yeah, growing up there there was
a couple of us were, you know, running around the city getting our
hands and things. And I have no idea what happened to any of them.
I assume they all died. I mean, life expectancies already hard,
and when you're on the streets it's just that much worse. But if I
saw one of them, you know, full grown today, I wouldn't go
up and talk to him. It's not like we were really friends, not
really. We're just surviving, you know, making plans to grab this or
snatch that. That's all it was. Don't take this the wrong way.
But besides, Galen, do you have many friends? Sam was probably my
best friend for a long time. His uh, his fiance was also a
really good friend. But no, Noah and Gaitlin and I were I'm not
sure if the friend is the right word. I got his back always,
I'd help him with anything. Really. Yeah, I guess he is a
friend. But yeah, no, I don't. People are people are messy
that they are, But in my experience, it's worth the mess sometimes,
is it. Yah? Yeah, I'm uh, I'm gonna go hit the
showers. Hey, thanks for holding the back anytime? Yeah, watch them
guts. I walk outside, I feel like sweaty from the gym light.
Have a cigarette. So what's your read on him? Yeah, I don't
know if you want me to answer that. When asked, he seems lonely.
Say that again, are you lonely? Sometimes? Well more than that,
he seems angry. I can't tells out why. I think the line
between anger and loneliness blurs a lot. H that is the truth. Can
I trust him as long as he can trust himself? Yeah, you said
it? Well, or are you being honest about if it mattered or not?
She was a replicant when it comes to her man truth am I hard
dinguished the blur a lot too. What do you say if you want to
be honest but you really don't know how you feel? So the answer is
yes, The answer is no. I guess you'll find out, won't you.
What if it's hurt? I hope? So yeah, me too?
And I clicked the cigarette. Go back in the locker room and clean up.
All right, now we are switching scenes again. Uh, Galen,
would you like to tell us where we are? In which one of you
chose this spot? I believe I would have chosen this spot. It is
a bar, there's a lot of sex workers around. It is a place
of ice for sure. From the atmosphere alone, you can tell that there's
a lot of drugs making their way underneath tables, over tables, in people's
veins, in people's noses, and as far as well this place is and
where we are, I imagine that it would probably be in Sector one nightclub
row. It's probably reasonably actually being the Red Light district. Apologies, I
believe that's still in Sector one. So you didn't entirely to speak, is
it. So I'm a little unfamiliar with the locations in the book. The
beauty parlors. Is that where the sex workers are I think in twenty thirty
seven, because the book takes place well before our time or well after our
time that we're role playing in right now. So I do believe so.
But I also believe the beauty bars are places where you can go and get
your cosmetic implants and stuff as well. Okay, so it would be the
Red Light District then, yes, for sure. And I know that Sector
one is a lot of what we see in the first film. So for
those of you trying to like visualize, this is twenty twenty three. The
first film takes place in twenty nineteen, so it's not that much different from
that very first film. So the snakepit bar is featured in that first film
as well, So if you kind of want to get a mood, that's
where we're at. Bright lights, very bright lights, even in the Red
Light District. They're not hiding anything. This is very much the same kind
of vibe you just sort of imagine the snake pit but has a different name
above it. I'm really bad at coming up with these names on the fly.
Oh okay, let me see. Let's do let's do a reference to
a bird. What's the first one that comes to mind? Sunday swallows.
Yep, that's horrific and wonderful. That's perfect. What are you thinking about
while you're waiting for Skiff to arrive. I'm thinking about the different sex workers
that I know, somebody that we'll share some time with us, somebody that
will take the pain away, and somebody that I think Skiff might like.
I know, who do you think Skiff might like? I'm curious to Galen's
read on Skiff. Maybe somebody blonde that it's cruel, don't you think,
is it? I am signaled to the bartender, rum and coke and whiskey
for my friend. There. He is there, he is there, He
is Skiff. I hope you don't mind. I started a little early.
Oh we're inside. Now we put that away and I will take yours,
Thank you very much. It should be pretty decent. Whiskey smells good.
Am I getting notes of vanilla, maybe some ethanol? Yep? How you
feelings like a goddamn hero? How about you? I don't know if heroes
the right word. Yeah, and they were fimmy right. It's always like
a like a bad jacket. But I felt like got handed to me from
someone else. Doesn't fit. That seems like a fair assessment. Yeah,
I could tell your scam was crawling, like did I did? I see
you like flinch when they put that goddamn metal on you? Maybe I put
a smile on my face for Captain Holten. Nice place, by the way,
Yeah, it does the job. I know a lot of people here.
Oh yeah, from work, our pleasure or both both. I heard
this is a good place to get both. Have you been drinking long today?
Well about thirty? Oh today? No? No, I think that
is only my second bottle. I'm good, I'm good. Sorry. You
don't have to apologize. You'll have advices. What's yours? Then we know
what mine is? And pick a direction in the bar. I point to
the bouncer fighting isn't really one of them? No, I point to the
dance for sometimes, but it's usually see who I can go home with.
I point to the person who is the like I can find that is the
most like like peacocky, you know, like really putting themselves out there like
flesh show in probably got some like colors, you know, maybe some spiky
hair or you know, like out anime hair or something like that. I
just point to that person, what about that? Not really? And I
point to another person, someone that looks really reserved, maybe someone that clearly
had just gotten out of work, dressed in like a business outfit, and
it seemed kind of on comfortable on the dance floor. Mm hmmm, like
I'm a little, uh, I don't know, inexperienced or not necessarily hard
to trot the chase. Maybe when a person like that comes to a bar
like this, they're looking to make the pain go away. Good at killing
pain, yeah, I'm very good at it. Well. I was talking
with Bob and we were in the gym and he asked me, and I'm
gonna ask you, why are you police? Why are you Mine's easy?
My hero was a detective in a book, and I wanted to be like
him. He is a good man, was right if I'm wrong, But
he had problems so made him, I don't know, relatable. I suppose
it wasn't perfect. I like that because I'm not perfect either, none of
us. Sorry I didn't excuse me. I noticed that you put the question
on me, and you know, I like talking about yourself. It's fine.
I just noticed I asked you a questions and you asked me a question,
the same same question. I'm it became a cop because it felt like
the only choice I had. You ever feel that way when you make a
decision? Sure? What? Why? Forgive me? What was it like?
It was it be a cop or be jail, be dead? Something?
Oh the above? Maybe I've I've always been good at I've always been
good at understanding what people want. I can be good. Vice kind of
seemed like a natural choice. You got a experience with the other end of
that seems like maybe be a bit. Why didn't you just come out and
say it? What? Uh? What am I trying to say? I'm
trying to ask if you did bad, not bad, if you did things
that a cop would not do before you became a cop. I've done lots
of those things. Yes, you seem very comfortable in place like this.
I'm just wondering if that's the reason why. I mean, not comfortable,
but like more like at home. Is it a different thing that makes sense?
I understand this place makes sense to me. You pointed out some people
around this place the bouncer, for instance, you're gonna look at the bouncer,
point over to them. That's a new bouncer. I haven't seen them
before. But I can tell you that he's just recently broken up with somebody.
It's weighing heavily on him right now. Hold on, hold on,
haun. You know this person and know that, or you looked at him
and know that, you can tell you see the way that he keeps checking
his pockets, he's looking for him message. He's not nervous though, he's
hopeful and sad. That peacock that you pointed out, mm hmm, he's
gonna get somebody killed tonight. May I ask how? Yeah, there's all
kinds of different drugs. Some of them you definitely should not drink with.
You see how she can't stop moving. M she's uh, probably going to
go home with somebody. They're going to get drunk and they're going to do
some drugs. One or both of them. It's probably going to die.
That's while a bit dark, it's pretty amazing. Well, usually I have
to talk to someone before I get a beat on what they are, who
they are. But I lived my life and you live yours so that probably
accounts for why you're so good at this. I've just seen a lot in
a place like this. She's had something bad happen. She's trying to forget.
Did you have some bad happen? Heaven we all that's another deflection.
I'm gonna start riding them on a board too. So far, and listen,
I'm just talking shit. You don't have to answer. I'm just saying
it feels hard to get to know you and I, you know, being
partners. I think we should. I make it hard to get to know
me. I think when people get too close to me, they find out
things that they don't like. It's better not to get too close to people.
I disagree personally. I think anything that's happened to me within a relationship,
there's always going to be pain. There's always going to be frustration and
conflict and anger and all that. Always. But I'll tell you what it's
worth it. It makes up for it, all right. Maybe that's just
me. Maybe the pain is more great for you than it is for me.
We'll never know. Well, why don't we get to know each other
a little bit better? Oh man? What's the plan? Stand? Why
don't you tell me about this woman. Oh and you like like he thunks
his head on the bar. Just that's the deflection. No, no,
I'm just now your head just deflected off the bar. Oh good, one
forget that was good. I will take one point off of the bar.
There you go. Now, that is a very weird thing to talk about.
It's like if you saw a ghost, like a real ass ghosts of
someone that you knew a long time ago, but they're real and they're right
in front of you. And this person way back when was super important to
you, like you love them like as much as a kid can fall in
love with somebody, Like you fell in love with them and then they went
away and then you saw them again. That's not a situation that didn't That's
not a situation that anyone I know has ever had to deal with. And
it is fucking me up inside. I'll be honest, I don't know how
I feel. My job says, find all replicants and retire them, but
my mind says, there was one person in your childhood that saw who you
liked, who you were really and accepted everything about you and even was fascinated
by you, and they wanted to hear everything about your life, and they
wanted to be around you all the time, and they never judged you or
say anything bad about you for being a little pickpocket thief or being poor.
And then they go away, and then you see him again and they're involved
with something that you as your job as a police officer, and your job
as a police offic sir, you probably should rest them or at least bring
them in for questioning or something. One wall you really want to do is
ask where they've been, Ask how they've been, ask why they went away.
Sorry, I'm sorry. I don't know what this is, but it's
doing this doing a job on me. You look over to me. You
can see me holding my necklace, looking down. I even't touched my drink.
What are we talking about? What are we talking about? This person?
Oh yeah, all that dumb shit aside. It's just it's very weird,
and I'm I just I want to find her, to be honest,
I want to find her and I want to ask her things. And I'm
afraid of the answers. I'm afraid I won't understand or I won't like the
answers whatever she has. Are you afraid of what we might have to do?
I try to think about it, but yeah, I suppose. But
every time I think about having to try my weapon or whatever and she's involved,
that I'd stop and I put it out of my head and I stopped
thinking about it because I don't want to. I want her, you know
what, I you know what I wish, you know what I wish.
I wish that when and if I get to talk to her that she says
I got swept up in this is none. I'd had nothing to do with
it. I was a victim and I had I'd say it's okay, I'll
protect you, and then she come with me or something, and i'd learned
all about who she really is, and it would be great. Do you
love her? Maybe I don't know. I don't even know if it's her.
I mean, it's her, but it's not her that I knew.
But maybe it is. Maybe it's something I haven't thought of. Maybe it
is actually her. Maybe she's a goddamn fucking skin job something. Maybe I'm
maybe it'll be okay with me if we talk about it. Something. But
like I said, I'm just fucked up about it. And that's why I
started without you today. Because I talked a little bit about this with Pop
and it was productable ship and I needed that shit to not be so loud.
Now enough slam my glass down. Enough about me, God damn it,
I want to know about you. You said we're going to get to
know each other better. Is this Is it just this talking conversation that we're
having, or we have something else in mind, because at this point right
now, I'm caen or whatever. If if you want to know more about
me, I can give you the long version, of the short version,
whatever you feel best comfortable with. I'm not going anywhere. I was lost
in the system. I never really felt like I had a home. You
asked me about vices. I've done it all. I've done things that I'm
not proud about, people that I'm not proud about. Who I am scared.
I'd love to tell you, but I don't have an easy answer for
you. I think I'm still trying to figure that out. Why Why did
you do the things that you regret so you're not proud of stuff? Why
did you they're not proud things? To see if anything would get better,
see if there is something better. I made a lot of bad choices,
slept with the wrong people, never loved any of them you know or may
have. Are am I interrupting? But I think maybe that's why you and
Bob might get along as well as you do. What do you mean?
You both have a distinct trouble loving or being loved or even liked by people.
And you're not an unlikable guy. Neither of you are unlikable. You
distance yourself, both of you so much from other people. And I'm not
saying it's not justified, but I'm saying I saw that. I asked Galen,
or I'm sorry you're Galen. I asked Bob earlier and I met no
offense, and I hope it didn't take it wrong. If I asked him
if he had any friends, and he took some time and he said,
I mean in essence, not really, and it made me kind of sad
for him. And I'm wondering if you are similar. Thank you? Have
you been hurt and don't want to be hurt anymore? Or something like that.
If you want to know something about me, Skiff, I'm always hurting.
Do you want love in your life? I'll tell you if I find
it. I don't know what it's like. I can't say if I want
it. If I don't know what it's like, well, i'll tell you,
brother, It's like the song says man, there's no feeling like it
in the world to love and be loved by someone, very amazing. I
hope you find it. I really do. We can add that to the
board maybe later. For now, I'm going to finish my drinking one.
Why don't we both find some love for tonight? Lowercase real quick? Is
that legal? I'm jim Okay, that sounds like a great idea, and
you're buy it. H I'm just kidding. I can pay for it.
No, I'll handle it. We're partners, after all, and it likes
it or not, I throw my arm around him like real sloppy, just
like partners. I'll take that. If we can see friends yet partners it
is, I would seem to have no like harsh reaction or anything to it.
No, I'm gonna go and I'm gonna make a guess. Okay,
hold on, and I'm gonna look around. All right, I see the
one I want to see if you match? How do you feel about blondes?
God damn it, you goddamn bastard. Yes, that's the one.
It was either the blonde or the bouncer, one of them with the bond
you got it in one good job. I don't know if she issued working.
I uh sort of like look over out of the corner of my eye
towards you. Yeah. Hm, well let's what about you though? What's
your flavor way? You want to bounce her? Oh? I bet that's
it. I think I'll have a sampler. Oh, good choice, good
choice, a flight of sex. Yeah, whole little taste of four of
them, five of them. Sometimes I respect that. I'm also uh going
to hand you something. I take it and I look around. I go,
I like take it for me, and I go, sh no,
but he's geting to tell on you not here, okay, And I kind
of like look around them and like open my hand just a little bit.
What am I seeing? I don't know if you'd recognize it, but it
is probably a a small red pill. Are you familiar with a lot of
different kinds of drugs? I would say, like, pardon me, like
a like a cursory knowledge. If it's like some designer drug, probably not,
But like if it's a name that gets tossed around the street, then
yes, this is experience. And what does it do? It gives you
an experience, a very pleasurable one, and it's often taken when people have
sex. Okay, why is this sex? B Yeah, I've never had
this? Is it okay for me? I'm like up in your ear,
like whispering. Yeah. A lot of people say that it levels you up.
That sounds good, and I just like pop in my mouth and I
drink cool. We're a rock and roll How do I By the way,
I'm not super experienced. I just walk up and say what do I walk
up and say, I'll introduce you. Okay, put my sloppy hand back
around his back, around his shoulder, like I'm ready, let's party.
Good evening. This is my friend Skiff. All right. That was amazing.
Everything has been amazing so far. Holy shit, Bob, where are
we? I'm I'm currently at a food stall. There's about four of those
round stools, no back to them, h nestled up to a bar.
The place is lit up and a lot of different neon. A lot of
the neon is uh is busted. But if it was lit up properly,
there'd be a sign on the front that said triple in. It's a sushi
bar. A very small. One behind the bar is an older man.
He's Japanese. He's singing to himself. He will not hesitate to tell you
over and over again that he grew up on this block and he will die
on this block. And he's currently working on some food. Why did you
choose this place? I don't want to answer that, Okay, at least
not yet. You don't have to You never have to answer me. I
was just curious. Yeah, it was the right question. How long do
you think you've been waiting here? Oh? Sorry? What were you going
to say? Oh no, no, you're more than fine. I would
have gotten here a solid fifteen minutes before I was supposed to be meeting Selma,
so it's probably been almost that close to it. I'm not sure what
to expect. Well, how punctual Selma's going to be? So I'm keeping
my eyes out down the dark streets, don't know which way she'll be coming
from. What are you thinking about while you wait? I'm actually trying not
to think. I'm yeah, twiddle in my thumbs. I keep turning towards
uh mister utah and saying, how's it coming along? Oh? Good,
good? And you Oh I'm fine I'm fine. No, I'm in,
I'm in the i'mant the food. How you know what? It's fine,
take your time. He's notorious for being very slow. Yeah yeah, yeah,
uh excuse type sorry, Hi, are you all right? I don't
know what it is. It just started sneezing a whole bunch. Hello,
hi, hi, hi, Hi there. Oh mister Utah, good to
meet you. Uh huh, nice to meet you too. Yeah. He's
not gonna turn around and look at you. It's just sort of his way.
Can you can you do? Uh? Two regulars? I mean,
I don't know what you would want. Do you like sushi? I'm sorry,
I don't sure. Yeah, no, I I love sushi, open
that whatever, whatever, you're right, it's just Nigerian Timachia's. You'll get
to us in a minute. Okay. Sure, sure smells good, smells
kind of like soy sauce. Yeah, that's mostly what he uses. All
right, Well, I appreciate you coming out here. Sure. Sure,
we're sitting next to each other or opposite because it's a right Yeah, it's
it's one long bar. I would have been sitting on this. So there's
four seats. So the middle right one is where I sit. Okay,
So wherever you decide to sit from there, that's your choice. Okay.
Yeah, I'll just sit right down next to you. So yeah, no
no problem, happy to happy to make it. It's been a while since
I've had a good sushi, a good sushi meal. Oh well, I
don't know if this is going to be good and you're it doesn't matter.
The reason I I wanted to ask you about the other day, and I'm
sorry to just jump right in like this, but no, no, sorry.
I had a talk with with Skiff. We went to the gym and
just sort of dove into a few things. Speaks very highly of you,
by the way. I mean, I'm I'm sure you probably know that.
He's very very verbal. Sure, sure you can get to talking. He
gave me the impression that you're you're sort of you're very honest. So I
wanted to ask you some questions, and I understand they might be uncomfortable,
all right, but if you'll just indulge me. Sure, I mean,
I love this kind of stuff, you know, I like the conversations like
this, So hit me in with what you got. I don't like that,
but I'm glad you do. When when we were in that club and
the replicant had sort of turned the gun towards you. Yeah, you had
a face. I'm not good at reading people, and I was just wondering
what were you feeling. I think the biggest one wash fear, you know,
I mean for me, fear is is uh, it looks different on
everybody, but my fear is mixed in with a lot of a lot of
spite. You know, there's some vengeance there. It's part of the reason
I joined the Forest is because I believe in justice and I only just recently
started to want justice for my self. So that makes me a little scared,
you know. Is wait, wait, wait, what do you mean
for yourself? Well, I mean my history on the force is it's varied.
You know. I wasn't always an analyst, and you know, Bob,
one of the reasons I really wanted to get into analysts work was to
help people from the background, help people from from behind the scenes where I
didn't have to be out, you know, on the beat. I didn't
have to be thinking about the next person I was going to apprehend, and
I wasn't gonna be thinking about whether or not that person were real. And
now it's my day to day. That's what I do anyway. So I
think our fears have a way of catching up with us one way or another.
And there was a time when I was taken hostage by a few replicants.
Actually it was it was a group of about six or seven people maybe
I think at the time they called themselves the I think it was like the
Red Cricket Alliance or something like that, if you remember it was it was.
It was actually a few years back. So this is back when I
was when I was still working working a beat, and I got caught.
I got caught on the on the mission and I got caught, and it
took a while. It took about thirty six hours for a rescue to help
up, per dispatch to show up actually find out where I was located.
But in that time, there was a lot of and you can see I'm
kind of fiddling with my hands right now, I'm looking around. I'm sort
of not really looking at Bob, but I continue. There was a lot
of there was a lot of torture. There was a lot of and I
sort of stopped. You used to kind of see my eyes go just the
space out just a bit, and then I just kind of snapped back,
and there was there was a little bit of existential confusion as to whether or
not I was actually living this moment, as to whether or not I was
actually there. And sometimes I still feel like I'm there in that space where
I have nothing, I have no weapon, and I was terrified. I
was terrified of continuing doing that work because if it meant that I was going
to be in these situations that I didn't want to do that anymore. But
it made me angry. It made me angry, and I stayed with the
work out of motivation to take these things down. And we see the worst
of ourselves in these things. They're monsters. It's crazy as that I've seen
humans do these very same things. But it's different when it's a machine.
Yeah, it's different. When it's effective and efficient and quick and unpredictable.
It's so different. It's so different because the psychological profile of a replicant and
a human, you really wonder when you're not going to be able to tell
the difference. That's what we're here for, Bob, That's what we're here
for. That's why we do what we do, because we're supposed to be
able to tell the difference. How the hell are you going to be able
to tell the difference between monster and a monster? You know you said a
few years back, right, Oh, yeah, so you're probably about about
fifteen. About fifteen years ago you would have had the in six models.
The thing is going all the way back to when they first started producing these
things. You cut them, they bleed, you know. Yeah, you
could cut to the bone. Its bone, but it's not bone. Nope,
it's not our bone. About this time, you'd see mister Judo would
be slowly making his way over with a plate of questionable looking sushi. He
would put it down next to me, and I would say thank you.
M He just grunts and walks away. And then you see me grab my
necklace. I take it off, and I put it next to the plate,
and then I turned back towards you. When I was talking with Skiff,
I asked him about the little girl that he had been and and then
you know, when he saw her again, how he would How how do
you feel about it? I've been having a hard time and this isn't this
isn't sympathy for replicants. Now, I don't want you to misconstrue it or
anything. I lost somebody. Everybody loses people. And I look over at
the ring, I lost somebody. Uh, And I kept thinking if I
saw if I saw this person again, I wouldn't know that they were a
replicant. I would know, right, I think, Well, I mean,
you don't know they but I would know. But how do you how
do you reconcile that I saw Renzo as a dangerous weapon. Yeah, it's
just what he was mm hmm. But you hear Skiff talk about this other
replicant and there, you know, there's there's this there's this kindness. You
know, there's this this respect. Maybe I love I don't. I don't
know. Killing retiring Lorenzo was necessary, and our job, our job,
We have to do these things. I guess I wanted to know the reason
I asked you here. I just wanted to know that what I saw on
your face was fear. What was our anger? Yeah? Yeah, there's
a fair bit of anger in there as well. Is it is it ridiculous
to be angry at something that's not human? Is that ridiculous? No?
I don't think it's ridiculous at all. Yeah, but shouldn't it be?
I mean, if they're not if they're not really people. I mean,
I could get upset, you know, if I had some sort of pet
that you know, made a mess. You know there's a living creature behind
that, but the they're not living, right, or they're Bob Bob and
Selma, or I kind of lean in just a bit and I look at
him and I say, I can I can tell this has really been eaten
up. And I just want you to know that it's not like these thoughts
have not crossed my mind or really any other mind of anybody on the forest.
I would imagine that anyone who is directed at a moment's notice to retire
something that looks like a human, walks talks like a human. That can
be difficult. I know it can be difficult. But I have to believe
that humanity is precious. I have to believe that we are unique, and
we are special, and we are hurtling on this rock in a dark void.
Nothing else has come close to being human except for this, except for
these things, except for something that we made in our image because we decided
we wanted to play the idea of a deity, we wanted to play the
idea of creation. It's a farce Bob, it's made up. It's just
ideological bullshit in a world of capitalism and cynicism and people who don't know what
they stand for. I can tell you right now that the reason that I
became a Blaye runner was to protect humanity. Sometimes we got to protect humanity
from ourselves or the image of ourselves. Yeah. I'm not disagreeing with that.
I'm not. It's just it doesn't feel as much as a line that
you step over Forenzo, you know, retiring him. I was happy to
do it and angry, But when it comes to a situation like skiffs,
I can't. I mean, what if you have a replicant that can live
a full life and they're a baby and someone raises them and they have every
experience. I mean, I know that. The way I feel about it
is, well, they're sure they're computer of sorts, right, just like
our brains, because that's what Galen kept saying. And then you they have
all these experiences, and then but they have it coded in for how they
process it. But then how is that different than us? And then I
don't know. And then I reach over and I put my hand over the
ring on the table. Can I add on significance of that ring. Yeah,
yeah, it's uh my my partner. Uh he was. He was
a very uh jovial guy. Uh kind of uh. In his words,
took me under his wing. He used to drag me out all over the
place. Uh. Most scenes are not my scene, but he made me
go. He was gonna get married. Uh. She died when that nuke
was blown up in the stratosphere the e MP. She was in a car.
Oh, I'm so sorry. This ring is actually it's it's Sam's ring.
There was nothing left of before a year ago. This was the job.
After that happened. I never wanted more than just retire as many of
them as I could. Didn't even matter if they were ones we were supposed
to be looking for. I wanted it. You know, I'm so twisted
and turned around. I don't even know how to express how I'm supposed to
feel. I don't know. These things are things, but they can make
decisions that get people killed. I so far have not personally met a replicant
that was kind or nice or human. At least that's not how they felt.
They felt like tape recorders, just with a lot of tape. When
I was trapped in this tiny room. They strapped me to a table and
tried to poke around under my eyelids, and there was a woman, an
older woman. She looked like an older woman, but she wasn't. And
as I was screaming and just trying to get out, she kept trying to
hold my hand and tell me that it was going to be okay. It
makes my heart rage just thinking about it, Bob. I don't think she
did that out of any other reason than to say, oh, it's gonna
be okay. Well, she's not a she an it. It was programmed
to do that. It's performing. How in God's name do you explain that
you can't feels like the the kindness is fabricated. It's scientific. It's not
natural. It's not organic, And to me, it certainly never feels like
warmth. And I look down. You know, I questioned this. I
questioned the same stuff, Bob. But as soon as I start digging in,
I remember, I remember that there just machines and they're just operating on
zeros and ones. M I can hear how this is. I can hear
how it's bothering you, And I don't think I would have the same amount
of anger if it were that cut and dry. Because I look at it,
I have to look at it. I have to look at it as
machine. I have to look at it as programming, because humans do these
same things, and I want to separate myself, separate yourself. Yeah,
that's hard to do when you're the one shooting. Yeah. Yeah, I
appreciate you talking to me. I'm not sure how much have really helped,
considering the situation and how we've all been, you didn't help at all,
But I appreciate you listening and talking to me. Good. You're a good
man, Bob. I don't even know what that means. You're a good
man. You care, you care, and you know what else. You're
bringing it up because you care. Maybe, Yeah, don't eat the sushi.
It'll make you sick. Noted, It's fine. He's not even halfway
through your order. H m hmmm. We'll just uh have a bite and
make a noise and that'll be that. Yeah, I got it. I'll
pay for it, okay, Bob, Bob, promise me something if you
can. Whatever happens, go easy on yourself. No, that's how people
get killed. It's fair enough. But thank you for Karen. Hey,
you and and and Galen and Skiff and myself see to work pretty well together.
So far, so good. I just I wanted to apologize for getting
on your case way way back. Oh no, that's that's water under the
bridge. Nah. I know you were. You're also doing your job.
Yeah, you know what, Hell Bob, I respect it. I do
the same reason I respect Skiff and Galen and yourself. You tell it like
it is, and I think you're you have good intent. Yeah all right,
I uh I need to I'm gonna go for a walk. Uh Are
you gonna be all right? I know you can handle yourself, but I'm
just absolutely you know all right, Yeah, take care of yourself and clear
your head if you can. I uh, I pick up, uh my
necklace. I put it back on, I pull the chinon to pay for
the sushi. Ot. I put it on the table, and on top
of that is the metal and I just kind of put it next to the
plate and I get up and I walk away. I inspect the metal.
I pick it up, uh, kind of sigh. I put it in
my pocket, look at mister Uto in a motion, and I kind of
feel the metal in there, and I just think, yeah, me neither
Bob me neither detective. I don't mean to alarm you, but I think
I think someone is following me. So if you could give me a callback
you know right away that puts me great. I need your help. Yeah.
Hello, This is Pumpkin Perrier, director to producer GM and perhaps a
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