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JANUARY 17, 2011

XXXXX Monday morning, the six Blade Runners were paired into two-man teams. Bryant was dismayed to learn that he'd been paired with Sullivan. As police officers, the men had been trained to use deadly force if necessary. Now they would be required to use it all the time.
XXXXX They recieved their new weapons which in themselves weren't new. They were simply Steyr/Manlicher rifles which had been converted into pistols. They were fairly heavy but Bryant liked the reassuring weight. They then went through marksmanship training again. They would have to kill their targets on the first shot because if they didn't, a desperate Replicnat might not let them get another.
XXXXX That afternoon, Sullivan caught up with Bryant as he left the station. "Can I buy you a beer, partner?" he asked.
XXXXX Bryant rolled his eyes. 'I must want a beer pretty badly!' he thought. "Sure, I'm game."
XXXXX They walked in silence to a nearby club. While Sullivan waited at the bar, Bryant found a small table far away from the dance floor. It was still pretty early and the place was fairly empty, but the thundering music continued to blare on the empty dance floor. The music annoyed Bryant and he wasn't looking forward to a conversation with Sullivan but he really needed a drink.
XXXXX Sullivan arrived with two bottles of beer and sat down across from Bryant. After taking a long drink, he spoke up. "So, do you think we're doing the right thing? Killing Replicants, I mean."
XXXXX Bryant set his beer on the table. "Let's get one thing straight. You can't kill something that's not alive. Replicants are machines, not living sentient beings. You're just 'retiring' them."
XXXXX "Okay, let's put aside the issue of sentience for now," said Sullivan. "Aren't we being a bit hasty giving up something we've come to depend on?"
XXXXX "Hypothetical situation: The United Motor Corporation comes out with a new spinner. One that doesn't require a pilot, only voice commands. You don't need any specialized training to fly one, so everybody gets one. Then suddenly one of them flies a load of civilians into the side of the Nakatomi Tower. The U.N. bans all spinners." Bryant shrugged his shoulders. "I start taking ground cars. They ban ground cars, I buy a fucking bicycle. Inconvenient, yes, but not the end of the world."
XXXXX"But spinners aren't sentient beings."
XXXXX "Neither are Replicants," countered Bryant.
XXXXX Sullivan took a few sips of his beer while he considered his next arguement. "The NEXUS-3's are aware of their own existance. 'Cogito Ergo Sum' . . . "
XXXXX "'I think, therefore Iam'," said a woman who had just approached their table.
XXXXX "Philosophy," snorted Bryant.
XXXXX "What some people call philosophy, others call truth," said the woman. "May I join you?"
XXXXX "Sure," answered Bryant. He gazed at her as she pulled out a chair and sat down. She was tall and slender with brown hair and eyes. She wore very little make-up and simple blue coveralls. Bryant also noticed she had a bottle of beer rather than a more 'feminine' drink.
XXXXX She held out her hand to Bryant. "I'm Sheila Wyatt."
XXXXX "Harry Bryant. This is Shaun Sullivan."
XXXXX She nodded at Sullivan. "I'm sorry but I couldn't help overhearing your conversation a minute ago. I work as a production supervisor at United Motor Corporation. I work with Replicants all the time. How can you abdicate the enforced genocide of an obviously sentient race?"
XXXXX "Whoa, back up," said Bryant. "A 'sentient race'? You consider Replicants a separate race?"
XXXXX "That's right. And what's being done to them is nothing short of genocide."
XXXXX "That's a pretty extreme point of view. Come on, it's not as if it's the German persecution of Jews in the 1940's."
XXXXX "We'll see come February first when those Blade Runners hit the streets."
XXXXX At the mention of Blade Runners, Bryant raised his eyes to meet Sullivan's and shook his head in an almost imperceptible 'no'. He didn't want her to judge him because he was a Blade Runner. "Do you own a Replicant?" he asked her. He didn't want to have to retire any Replicant she might own.
XXXXX She gave a look of disgust. "No." Bryant gave an inward sigh of relief. "I couldn't 'own' a Replicant any more than I could own another human being."
XXXXX 'Oh boy!' thought Bryant. "Then you consider the possession of Replicants to be slavery?" he asked.
XXXXX "Yes, I do," she replied.
XXXXX "That's a point of view I've never heard before," said Bryant.
XXXXX "It's not a very popular one," she admitted. "Most people who protest the Replicant ban, do so because it will inconvenience them personally. They care nothing for the Replicants themselves or their rights."
XXXXX "What rights?" asked Bryant. "They're machines."
XXXXX "Just like humans, Replicants are more than the sum of their parts."
XXXXX "Oh, come on," argued Bryant. "The NEXUS Replicants are nothing but flesh covered robots. Just because the 3's have preprogrammed emotions doesn't make them sentient."
XXXXX "No, but most of the 3's have exceeded their programming."
XXXXX "So why are you crusading for all Replicants?"
XXXXX "Because the 1's and 2's could be upgraded."
XXXXX "You're crazy," said Bryant, shaking his head.
XXXXX "Am I?" asked Sheila.
XXXXX Sullivan stood up. "I'm going to be crazy if I sit here listening to you two any longer." He nodded to Bryant. "I'll see you tomorrow."
XXXXX Bryant nodded back.
XXXXX "You two work together?" asked Sheila.
XXXXX "Yeah, we're street cops, LAPD," he replied. It wasn't exactly a lie as they weren't officially Blade Runners until February first.
XXXXX The two soon resumed their lively debate shich lasted well into the night since neither person was prepared to back down. When he returned to his apartment he was still thinking of the woman. Rarely could anyone stimulate Bryant intellectually, but Sheila Wyatt did it with ease. He was facsinated by her beliefs and her unusual points of view. They met more and more frequently in the following weeks. They talkeds about a wide variety of subjects but the conversation always returned to the topic of Replicant rights.

XXXXX The night before the Blade Runners went into action, Harry decided he should tell Sheila about his participation in the unit. They were meeting at his apartment. It wasn't the first time she'd been there but up to this pioint, their relationship had been non-sexual although he didn't want to rule out that possibility.
XXXXX Harry was busy preparing dinner when Sheila arrived. He walked over and kissed her on the cheek as he took her coat. They talked about her day while they ate. When dinner was over he decided it was time. He pulled his chair next to hers and held her hand.
XXXXX "There's something you need to know about me," he began. Sheila looked puzzled. "I'm a Blade Runner."
XXXXX She pulled her hand away and stood up. "What?"
XXXXX "I know I should have told you before, but . . ."
XXXXX "Jesus, Harry," she interrupted. "You know how I feel about them."
XXXXX Harry stood up and confronted her. "And you know how I feel about Replicants."
XXXXX "So what happens tomorrow? Do you guys form a line and march down the street shooting anyone that looks like a Replicant?"
XXXXX "That's not what we're going to do. If you must know, we have a list of every person who still possesses a Replicant. We'll go in, take their Replicant and fine the owner. We'll be hitting Beverly Hills and the downtown area first."
XXXXX "You can quit," Sheila offered.
XXXXX "You're asking me to throw away something I believe in?" he asked. "The answer is 'No'."
XXXXX "I can't listen to any more of this." She grabbed her coat and headed for the door. Turning to face him again, she said, "If you cared about me, you'd quit."
XXXXX "If you cared about me, you wouldn't ask me to," countered Harry.
XXXXX Sheila walked out, closing the door softly behind her. Harry slumped into one of the chairs and stared after her.