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Time to Start Over - AO3 link

Officer K & female OC

Summary: Niander Wallace got desperate to find a solution for the reproduction problem for his Replicants, and his actions inadvertently save K's life. Now, not only is K curious about his rescuer, but he's wondering who he is now and if he really can start over. (Part 1 of ??) Prompt: Officer K, one bed trope, time travelling Word Count: 10,075

Decided to try my hand at Officer K. I've had this idea in my pocket for a while, and no better time to test it all out than for Goose Groupie Challenges: Summer Edition @goosegroupiechallenges The main theme is time traveler, and I even threw in the one bed trope, because I couldn't resist. Enjoy!

January 2049

Birth. Reproduction. Descendants succeeding descendants. These were the thoughts constantly rotating in Niander Wallace’s mind. There must be a way to give his creations this ability. There must be. If the decades-old rumors of Tyrell’s greatest triumph were true, then Wallace had much to learn. He didn’t like being the one to still learn. After all, as the ancient saying went, knowledge is power, and Wallace could not hold all the power if there were things related to his Replicant angels he had yet to learn.

Who without omniscience could rule the angels in this kingdom of heaven?

What angered him second to the great failure of being unable to provide this ability for his creation was the latest failure under his guidance. The Replicants from Tyrell’s time lived under less extreme conditions than his Replicants - although not by much - but perhaps to study a human specimen of the past who lived under vastly different conditions could provide some new information to apply. Someone before the Blackout. Then his perfect creation could truly hold that title. If only the secret of reproduction could be unlocked.

The device was simple in features but complicated in science, far more complicated than what it took to bring his Replicants into the world, and the price to build it was of great cost. Precious resources too few and too far in between were required to make it functional, but the test of bringing the almost extinct apple from a time long past into the year 2049 was a triumph. The implications of what this device could do for this desolate age were monumental, and they would make Wallace Corporation far more rich than it was now. But such plans required more hands for the harvest, and Wallace was behind on orders as it was. Natural reproduction would certainly be cheaper. Therefore, there was only one path for the time being.

“Deliver to me a Moses from the Nile of Time, and perhaps this human will lead my angels to their Promised Land.”

And behold, the device successfully brought forth a human female who appeared to be in her thirties, wide-eyed and at a loss for words. The mental and physical whiplash of being pulled from a time forgotten to a world unlike any she had known was too much for Wallace’s Moses to speak.

What Wallace wasn’t prepared for was the device to have disappeared, leaving the woman in its place. A great price to build it and an even greater price to use it.

What Wallace also wasn’t prepared for was the female escaping and running in her fear and discombobulation, seeking anything familiar to soothe her panic. In hindsight, he should have foreseen that and had better precautions in place. Perhaps he was too used to the easy obedience of his creation. Desperation had made him sloppy. He would not make that mistake again.

Wallace released a long-suffering sigh. “It seems our Moses has fled to the desert.” He looked to his favorite angel and commanded, “Make sure she is returned to us, Luv. Whatever it takes. Moses cannot wander for years and return on her own timetable.”

July 2049

It took some effort, but he managed to sit on the snow-covered steps with an almost inaudible grunt. The new position sent a sharp jolt through his side as his wounded muscles spasmed at the strain. Being impaled was one of the worst physical pains he’s ever felt, and he had been through a lot. A lot . It still wasn’t the worst pain he had experienced, but it seemed to be the one that would kill him.

He could feel his life force draining from him…if that’s what it could be called. What is life for a Replicant anyway? Was it the same that propelled humans? If the hearts weren’t created the same way, would they still beat the same way?

He sighed. There was no point in letting his mind run circles over a topic that didn’t matter anymore. He held out his hand and watched snowflakes fall on it and melt against the warmth of his skin. He loved snow. He’d never admit it to anyone, but he loved it. He watched human kids make a snow angel once, and they fascinated him in their simplicity and beauty.

He should have made a snow angel when he had the chance.

Fatigue was catching up with him, and he slowly laid back on the steps. He wanted to keep his eyes open and watch the snow swirl above his head, but his eyes felt so heavy. So very heavy. He took one last glance before his eyelids fluttered closed.

He was barely aware of hands that carefully but swiftly poked and prodded his side, inspecting him. He wanted to open his eyes to see who it was, but at the same time he didn’t. It was expected of him to check, so in a moment of little rebellion, he kept his eyes shut.

It was probably Deckard anyway.

He didn’t remember anything else after that thought.

--------

Summer Drake looked up at the snow-freckled sky with longing, a sigh escaping her lips. Six months. It’s been just over six months since she had been plucked from her home, from baby blue skies and fresh air and quiet suburbs full of life and serenity, from the family and friends who surely were worried sick over her sudden vanishing. Sudden and rather violent if she was being honest. The bruises from the episode finally dissipated a month after the fact. Getting her ass kicked while trying to escape a kidnapping was traumatic enough, though that was far from her greatest concern.

For one thing, the people who took her from her home in the most bizarre way were still looking for her, and for the life of her, she couldn’t imagine what she could know or possess to be worth taking to begin with. It was a miracle she managed to escape them. It was a miracle she was still alive. Yet there was a price to pay for running for her freedom, and that price was she was still running, looking over her shoulder and making sure she kept her head down. It was better to stay out of the way.

Being homeless here did have that one singular perk: there was no place her kidnappers could lie in wait to take her again. As long as she stayed on the move, they couldn’t find her. They’ve yet to do that, and it was the only consolation. Being homeless was better than being in their hands, but even then, that still wasn’t her greatest concern.

This world in which she had found herself was a nightmare. A sci-fi society on the verge of a collapse, a world choking on a self-inflicted cancer, and it made her want to cry. This is what the generations she involuntarily left behind were working towards. Yes, she knew now when she was, though she still couldn’t believe it. 2049. Fifty-nine years disappeared when a circle of lightning crackled in her living room and a fist reached out from it and pulled her through before she could think to scream.

She was not in the world she once knew.

Seeing snow in July in Los Angeles further confirmed this fact which only depressed her more. Six months was a long time to be depressed, constantly swirling between fighting to survive and not caring if she saw the next sunrise. Her birthday came three days after she was pulled into this time. The first birthday of her existence that passed without so much as a “Happy birthday” spoken to her, not even from herself. The first birthday where she felt too lonely and heartbroken to celebrate except pray to be returned home. Her only birthday wish was for one more miracle.

Summer dropped her head and wiped her eyes when she heard a distressed whine by her hip. The Estrela Mountain dog she named Linus was one of the first kind beings she came across a month after escaping Wallace Corporation, and the dog took to her rather easily and quickly. She had the sinking suspicion she was one of the more recent kind beings he came across too. Either that or he recognized she was also a stray and decided they needed to stick together. For whatever reason the dog remained with her, she was thankful.

“I’m alright, pal,” she assured Linus, reaching down to scratch behind his ear, “I’m alright.” But the dog was not appeased, and his whines only increased as his behavior grew frantic. Something had the dog on edge, and Summer learned quickly that he had really good instincts.

Suddenly he bounded off through the snow, and Summer gave chase, calling out his name. “Linus! Linus, wait!” She didn’t have to follow for very long to see what had made the dog so agitated. A man lay on the steps of the building, letting snow fall on him, but there was something about how he lay that made Summer understand Linus’ unease. “Oh no…”

The dog looked between the man and Summer so quickly and so often, she couldn’t help but wonder if he would get dizzy. She ran over to the man and dropped to her knees on the stone steps, ignoring the cold wetness that started seeping into her clothes. “Sir? Can you hear me?” she asked as she searched for something to fix. “Sir?” His eyes were closed, and his breath was too slow and shallow for her comfort. And that’s when she saw it. On his right side, just above his hip, was a large, dark stain in his shirt. “Oh shit.”

Linus licked the man’s temple in a comforting gesture as Summer inspected the wound. It looked nasty. Infected and dirty and deep. Maybe all the way through to his other side. “Oh shit shit shit,” she muttered as she dug through the pack she stole some time ago, anxious to find something, anything , that would help. “I don’t know if we can help him, Linus, but we’re gonna try.”

She found some peroxide from a half empty first aid kit in her pack and undid a bundle of clean socks for something to clean the wound with, and when she applied the peroxide, the man’s breath hitched at the sting, though his eyes remained closed. “Good,” she nodded. He wasn’t gone yet. “Sorry, dude. I know it hurts, but if you live, I hope you’ll think it’s worth it.” She spent a lot of time cleaning the wound and applying peroxide to eat away whatever infection resided within. The unconscious man rewarded her with periodic groans and growls, albeit almost inaudible ones, while Linus laid on the man’s other side to keep him warm.

This guy’s lost a lot of blood, it looked like. He needed these wounds to be stitched up, and he probably needed a blood transfusion. She looked up at the building’s sign, read “Stelline Laboratory,” and grimaced. A lab might have what was needed, but she didn’t trust the place like she would a hospital. Especially after finding a dying man on their steps.

Why was this man lying on the steps of a laboratory anyway?

She pulled out of her pocket one of the best assets she had yet to steal and activated it. The square screen with a handle was old and definitely showing wear and tear, but it was the best GPS device she’d ever held in her hands. Considering GPS had only been released to the public only mere years before in the time she came from, the piece of technology in her hands was too unbelievable. Rather like everything else in this time. “Okay,” she mumbled as she awkwardly poked at the screen, trying to tap the correct sequence to get what she wanted. So much to learn , she thought. “Where is the nearest hospital,” she mumbled in time with her tapping. “I gotta get this guy to safety and fast .”

While Summer waited for the GPS to upload the results, she checked the man’s pulse. He was barely hanging on now. He looked strong, so he must have been through more than she could imagine to now lay here dying. “C’mon, stay with me. Please please please please please.”

The GPS beeped and buzzed its announcement of the results, and Summer anxiously scanned the screen. She tapped the screen for a pixilated map with the fast route outlined. “Close but not close enough to walk,” she huffed out.

Summer sighed as she turned her head to the car parked a few yards away. “Okay well…” She was at a loss. Cars could fly now, and the last time she drove anything, it was a stick shift. Definitely not the same thing as a flying car, which still blew her mind. “Hopefully cars are easier to drive than they were fifty-nine years ago.” As she dragged the man to the car, she muttered, “If I kill us in a crash, you have my permission to kick my ass.”

---------

Former Officer KD 6-3.7 woke up with a start. The fact he woke up at all was a surprise to him. His first thought was Do Replicants get an afterlife? But a sharp pain in his right side, punishing him for his sudden movement, told him that perhaps this was not the afterlife. He was alive. How?

A quick glance told him he was in a hospital room, a really nice hospital room. Most hospitals either had a small and often rundown wing reserved for Replicants, or they didn’t serve Replicants at all. This room was reserved for humans.

Before K’s mind could question that further, his eyes adjusted and caught sight of a woman curled up in a nearby recliner, fast asleep, with a large, shaggy dog at the foot of the recliner, also asleep. He’d never seen either of them before, although the dog looked similar to the one Deckard had in Las Vegas. They must be his rescuers, he decided. It was a curious thing for someone to rescue him when most wouldn’t have paid a Replicant any mind, even a dying one. Was she one too and recognized him for what he was? Even then, was that enough to render him worth saving?

The dog raised its head and looked up at him with a slight head tilt. K just stared back, expressionless and waiting to see what it would do. It was a handsome dog, despite looking a little worse for wear. Its muzzle and ears were black, and the rest of its body was a collage of black, red, and gold fur. After a moment, the dog stood and gingerly walked over to him; it gave his hand a lick and wagged its tail, grinning at him. The barest hint of a smile crossed K’s features at the gesture, and he reciprocated by gently scratching behind the dog’s ears, which earned him a faster tail wag. K couldn’t help but wonder if it was real.

The dog turned from him at that point and hurried to its sleeping companion. It sat up on its hind legs, placed its forelegs on the armrest for support, and leaned forward to lick her face. Her face scrunched in sleep at the intrusion. “Linuuuussss,” she mumbled as she lazily pushed the dog away from her face, but her canine friend was persistent.

And despite himself, K couldn’t help but find the scene a little comical, making that tiny grin grow a bit more.

Linus eagerly whined as a warning before barking once, making her jerk and sit straight up. “Alright, alright, I’m awake,” she exclaimed as she wiped her face with one of her sleeves and pet the now-satisfied dog’s head with her free hand. That’s when she noticed K was awake, and he could see relief wash over her face and brighten her eyes. “Oh! So are you! Good. I’m glad to see you are,” she said before covering her mouth to yawn.

It was then that K took a moment to study his rescuer. She was a curvy woman, though based on how her dirty, worn clothes fit, she looked like she had recently lost some weight from malnutrition more than anything else. Despite the fact she was curled up on the recliner, he determined she was five and a half feet tall. Dark auburn curls were held back in a loose braid, and freckles peppered her face and hands. Sea green eyes showed her smile was genuine as she added, “I was gettin’ awfully worried.”

What a peculiar manner of speech. The dialect wasn’t thick but still rather prominent, and it wasn’t one K had heard before, and he had heard quite a few. He knew of it, of course; he had to know it because of his job, but he had never actually heard what was considered a United States Southern dialect before. “Where are you from?”

She looked surprised but amused, as if that wasn’t the first thing she expected him to say but was still used to being asked such a question. Instead of answering, she asked, “Where do you think I’m from?”

It wasn’t asked sarcastically or even with a hint of hubris. It was simple curiosity. It was intriguing for some reason he couldn’t place. “You sound like you’re from the southern part of the United States, but that part has been supposedly uninhabitable since the Blackout. It was thought that dialect died out.”

He wasn’t expecting her to look so staggered by his statement, especially since it was blended with horror, and the reaction confused him. She didn’t know that? That was common knowledge. “I guess not,” she answered quietly. “My mom’s father came from that part of the country before the Blackout, and the dialect stuck. It was just me and my mom for a long time, and that’s all I really heard growing up even though I’m from here. But c’mon,” she shrugged, “I can’t be the first person you’ve encountered sounding like this.”

“You are.”

His blunt answer and expressionless face left no room for doubt, and after a few seconds to recover from her surprise, she shrugged, ducked her head a bit, and said, “Happy to be your first.”

There was something about her story that didn’t sit well with K. He couldn’t place why yet, but she was lying. But not wanting to turn his ally into an enemy, he changed the subject and asked, “What’s your name?”

She relaxed and smiled genially. “Summer. Summer Drake. And you?”

K hesitated. He technically wasn’t a blade runner anymore, so what was he now? Who was he now? He almost answered with “Joe,” but he couldn’t bring himself to use that either. He settled for telling the truth to gauge her reaction to it. “KD 6-3.7.”

Summer chuckled and gave him another amused look. “Funny. Okay, 007, seriously though. What’s your name?”

It was enough to make K raise an eyebrow. The reference to the old franchise was an interesting choice. He’d only heard someone reference it once, and that gentleman was on his deathbed and reminiscing about a time forgotten. He repeated himself a little slower this time, voice even. “KD 6-3.7.”

Her brows furrowed as she frowned, which was the response he expected. He didn’t expect the genuine confusion behind it however. “That’s…your name?”

That’s not a name. That’s a serial number .

K sighed as the memory of the gruff voice chastising him faded. “I’m a Replicant.”

The blank stare he received actually startled him. That term meant absolutely nothing to her. As if reading his thoughts, she confirmed it by nodding once slowly as her brows furrowed, mind clearly racing to determine if that meant something to her. Or at least if was supposed to. “Okay…”

He blinked. There was no way she didn’t know what a Replicant was. There couldn’t be any way she didn’t know. Everyone knew what a Replicant was. Then why would she acquire a room for a human here at the hospital? But that was assuming she could recognize what he was. Though it seemed she had no earthly idea what he was. He pointed to Linus. “Is he real?”

That question seemed to have been the magic one to ask, and it showed, her facade of normalcy falling quickly in frustration. “What do you mean ‘Is he real?’ Why does everyone who actually talks to me ask me that? Of course he’s real!”

K looked back at Linus who looked back at him and tilted his head. K exhaled slowly through his nose, wondering what kind of person didn’t know what a Replicant was or if their dog was real or not. “Where did you get him?”

“He’s a stray,” she answered with a shrug. “Found him almost five months ago, and we’ve kinda been a package deal ever since.”

He was about to ask another question when the door opened without a preamble, and a nurse walked in, grinning when she saw her patient was awake. “Hello, Mr. Walker,” she greeted K, “it’s good to see you awake. Your vitals are holding steady,” she continued as she studied the holographic readouts by his bed, “a good sign. It looked rather worrisome for a little while there. It’s a good thing your girlfriend could get you here.” The nurse’s grin grew soft and romantic. “How brave of you to rescue her from those robbers! That must have been terrifying!”

K’s eyes cut to Summer while the nurse was turned away for a moment to make note of more of K’s data, and she shrugged helplessly and mouthed, Just go with it.

“Yes,” he quietly replied to the nurse as she was turning back to him. “I have never done anything like that before.” This was a surprising twist. However Summer convinced the staff here a room for humans was required, they seemed to have taken her word for it. Otherwise, a more detailed look into his vitals would have made their systems blare alarms and wave red flags.

“I’m glad you pulled through. You’re a lucky man.” The nurse looked at Summer to add, “And you’re a lucky woman.”

“Aren’t I,” Summer agrees with a sweet grin and a giggle.

“Is there anything I can do or get for you both?”

K jumped in and asked, “How long do I need to stay here?”

“Your recovery is going very smoothly, Mr. Walker. We expect you to be released tomorrow with some instructions on how to best care for your wound. We want to make sure the infection that set in won’t return before we release you. Strange how it took so long for you both to get here,” she commented as she turned to Summer. “It takes time for infection like that to set in.”

Summer wasn’t fazed by the unspoken question however. “We’re not from this area, and it was dark when it happened. We couldn’t find a good, safe place to go, and it took us a long time just to find this place. Frankly, there weren’t very many who were kind of enough to help us.”

“Oh I see,” the nurse commented with a single nod before checking a readout that beeped for her attention. “It’s just our procedure to check and make sure everything is alright in that regard. You understand.”

“Yes, of course, and that is appreciated,” Summer politely told the nurse, “thank you. I was wondering if you knew a good place for me to collect some clothes for the two of us. As I said, we’re not from this area, and I don’t want to leave him any longer than necessary.”

“Completely understandable. I believe there is a shop three blocks down and two blocks over that should satisfy your needs. And then your room has the private bathroom with a shower included, so if you want to grab some toiletries while you’re out, I would advise that.”

“Good to know. Thank you for that information,” Summer grinned warmly at that, looking excited over the prospect of a shower, and K determined then that Linus wasn’t the only stray in the room. At this point though, wasn’t he too?

“You’re welcome. I will be in and out periodically to check on everything, but if you need anything in the meantime, just ask for Rachel.”

An unexpected pain sliced through K’s chest at the name, but it was no mystery as to why. A reminder of what might have been and for a very short time in his mind what was. The name that started everything that led him to this room in the first place.

Summer offered an appreciative head bow. “Thank you, Rachel. You’ve been so helpful.”

After the nurse left, Summer hopped out of her chair as K questioned, “Mr. Walker?”

She shrugged dismissively as she walked over to the private bath to poke her head in and inspect it. “I had to tell them something when I brought you here, and that whole story was what I came up with on the way over. Especially to explain how you and I don’t have ID on us and whatnot. It was the best I could do for the time I had and the panic I was feeling. It all worked.”

“And by the way, Mr. KD Six Dash Three Point Seven,” she opened the door to the private bath completely so she could inspect herself in the mirror, “if anyone refers to you as Jake or Jacob while we’re here, that would be you. Although, come to think of it,” she scratched the back of her head as she closed the door again, turned and walked back to him, one eyebrow raised. “You don’t really look like a Jacob; I just came up with that off top of my head. I don’t know what name would exactly fit you, but where I come from, your current name wouldn’t really fly. So I suggest you take up one of the best rights one can have and choose a better name for yourself. Something that’s more you .” She shrugged. “Food for thought if you decided you wanted something… shorter than KD Six Dash Three Point Seven.”

Where I come from, your current name wouldn’t really fly. K could tell that was a slip of the tongue on her part, one that went unnoticed by her, but it certainly was not lost on him. Not to mention the statement of a name ‘not flying’ was a very strange choice of words as well. He raised an eyebrow at this development as Linus walked over to Summer and looked up at her expectantly. She scratched his head and shook her own. “Sorry, buddy, it’ll be faster if I go do this alone, but I’ll bring you a treat if I find one.”

“Do what alone?”

“Get a change of clothes for the both of us. Since I kept your coat and personal effects with me,” she gestured to the opposite side of the room, “I doubt your clothes were kept and washed, and I don’t want to put these back on after I take advantage of a private shower. I’m going to grab clothes for us and hopefully some other necessities. If I’m not back in an hour, you can start getting concerned.”

“Because?”

“Because I might have gotten caught. If I’m not back in two, I’ve definitely gotten caught and will need someone to bail me out.”

K’s eyebrows shot straight up. “You plan on stealing these things?”

“It’s not like I want to go that route, but it’s the only one available to us unless you have funds hidden in that coat of yours because I have none.”

“Because you’re a stray too,” K ventured as he looked between her and Linus. When his statement was only met with silence and sadness, he pointed to his coat. “Will you hand that to me? I have a little bit of funds stashed away for emergencies, but please don’t spend it all. I don’t have that much to begin with.” Then he added as she handed him his coat, “The more we converse, the more questions I have about you.”

She gave him a small smirk. “That makes two of us. You may not believe all the answers I have to give, but it would be nice to get some answers of my own. The most important for the time being is what size do you wear?”

“42 regular.”

-----------

An hour and a half passed before Summer returned in triumph, and K was getting very concerned once the 80th minute mark had come and gone. After showing off her findings, which weren’t anything spectacular but he preferred it that way, she eagerly and quickly ducked into the private bath. Her excitement was palpable, and K suspected things had been rough for her. A sentiment to which he could relate.

Linus whined and pawed at the door before looking over at K pitifully. Sensing the dog was expecting an answer from him, K said, “It’s alright, Linus, she’ll be right back out. It shouldn’t take her long to–”

A frustrated shriek emanated from the private bath, cutting off K mid-sentence. “This one’s like that too!” A groan followed that, and K’s enhanced hearing caught a muttered swear word or two as well.

Linus looked from the bathroom door to K and let out a soft whine. “She’ll be back out soon,” K told the dog again.

Not long after, an aggravated looking Summer wearing new clothes and sporting wet, curly locks walked out of the bathroom. She glared at K as if the one second downpour of water from the shower was his fault and asked, “Are all showers here like that?”

“Detoxicated water is a scarcity,” he explained, “and rations to preserve it are mandatory for those who can’t afford to store and detoxify any for themselves.” Common knowledge, he wanted to add, but he knew the less he said, the more she would eventually reveal.

She huffed in frustration as she combed her curls with her fingers. “Even if it takes longer than one second to properly wash oneself? That’s a load of garbage.”

K raised an eyebrow. What he had to say could either stir her anger or calm it, and he didn’t know which option would occur. If he was going to learn more about his rescuer, he would have to put her in observable situations. “Better than no shower at all,” he pointed out.

She stared at him for a moment, clearly forcing herself to go mentally from complaints to gratitude, before she sighed through her nose and nodded. “Yeah, that’s true,” she muttered softly. “I do feel clean again, so…” She nodded again before returning to her bag of goods she brought back. “Are you hungry? Normally, hospital food sucks, and I wasn’t going to leave things to chance.”

When Summer pulled out two containers of food from her bag, K’s stomach growled in desperate protest for it. He didn’t need as much food as a typical human by design, but it had been too long since his last meal. The growl in his stomach proved that. “What do you have?”

“I got lucky and managed to swipe some actual food,” she said with a triumphant grin. “Real protein that’s not bugs! That’s a very big deal in my book. I mean, Hakuna Matata I guess, but please .” She offered him a container as well as some utensils. “I’ve missed meat.”

What does Hakuna Matata mean? K wondered as he accepted the container. His stomach dismissed the question for him once he peeked inside and was hit by a swirl of heat and scents that made his mouth water. Summer wasn’t kidding. These were foods not so easily accessible to the common public. “Where did you get this?”

“From people who won’t miss it,” Summer answered casually as she sat on the edge of his bed to face him.

“You stole this food?”

She looked up at him as her chopsticks paused halfway down into the container and tilted her head some at his tone. “Look, K - can I call you K? - I don’t like going this route. I don’t. I wasn’t raised this way, but I’ve been a homeless stray for six months, alright? I have nothing except what you see in this room, and for months, I didn’t know when or from where my next meal would come. I do what I gotta do to get by because in this hellhole, that seems to be the best anyone can do.” She shook her head and scoffed. “Still blows my mind this is what the future holds,” she muttered to herself.

K asked in that gentle but even way he reserved for people he interrogated on the job when he was after information, “What does that mean?”

Her chopsticks stopped halfway to her mouth for a brief second when it registered what she said, and she quickly shoveled the food into her mouth before her entire body relaxed. Eyes closed, she hummed like this was the best meal she had ever had. He also noticed this bought Summer time to think instead of immediately answering him.

Instead of answering him though, she casually asked, “What, you don’t think this place is a hellhole?”

“I do, but that’s not what I meant.” Before he ate another bite, he repeated himself. “What does it mean?”

Summer quickly shook her head, eyes boring into her container of food. Even though she wouldn’t look at him, she couldn’t hide the internal war she was dealing with. It was all over her body language, and he picked up every clue. Whatever she was hiding, it was big enough she struggled with keeping it to herself. “You wouldn’t believe me,” she said at last, still not looking at him. “Let’s put it this way: if you think I’m crazy for not knowing what a Replicant is, you’re going to think I should be like…locked away and examined after I tell you about me.”

K took his time chewing his food, partly to consider her words and partly because he’s surprised how satisfying this meal tasted. Whether it was because he escaped death or there were notes of flavor he’d never experienced before or his body was just in that much need for sustenance, he wasn’t sure what brought this on. Finally, he paused his eating to say, “I worked as a blade runner - a cop,” he clarified, “for the majority of my existence. I’ve seen and heard a lot of strange things. Surely what you have to say can’t be as strange as what I’ve already encountered.”

“Yeah,” Summer elongated the word before she lifted her eyes to look into his. Hesitant. Scared to death. “Hold that thought...I do have one quick question though.” When he didn’t answer but merely waited for her question, she gave it to him. “You’re not affiliated with Wallace Corp., are you?”

-----------

The moment K was released from the hospital, he led an apprehensive Summer Drake back to Stelline Laboratory, ignoring her questions until she gave up and silently followed. He couldn’t believe her story. It was too bizarre for it to be real. Despite everything he had seen, despite everything he knew had been accomplished by people with the funds and the means to get it done, this was exceptionally hard to believe. There was only one way he could think of to prove if her story was legitimate and she wasn’t just some Replicant without a serial number.

They approached the steps, and K stopped suddenly and stared down at them. He almost died on these steps. A fresh layer of snow covered any sign he once was there, but he could practically see himself laying there with his eyes closed. Which reminded him he wanted to make a snow angel sometime now that he had the chance to.

“K?”

Summer’s quiet, concerned voice broke through his thoughts, and he straightened his back and released a quiet sigh through his nose. “Come on. We have business inside.”

Linus whined at being left outside, but he curled up by the door to wait for their return. “Sorry, buddy,” Summer mumbled as K led her in.

He willed his mind to focus on the task at hand versus letting it run rampant with the memories and the what-ifs connected to this place. This was not the time nor the place to grieve what could have been for him. He was just a Replicant as he always had been. There was no reason to let himself mourn over the simple yet painful fact he had been made. He was lucky to be alive.

That was the only kind of luck afforded to his kind.

The doorbell chimed, announcing their entrance once they walked into a large open area with a dome ceiling. K’s eyes cut to Summer as she looked around to take in their surroundings; her brows were furrowed in confusion, trying to make sense of what she saw. A woman their age turned her head from her meal and greeted them with a little smile. “Ah,” she said as she stood from the lone table sitting on the right side of the open space near the wall and walked towards the glass curtain between them. “Welcome back, Officer KD 6-3.7. And friend.”

“Sorry for interrupting your meal, Doctor,” K said in lieu of greeting, “but this is a bit of an emergency.”

Summer gave him a sideways glance, full of wary curiosity as Dr. Ana Stelline cocked her head, clearly intrigued but whatever situation he brought to her this time. “An emergency,” she repeated with a slow nod. “Related to your case, Officer?”

“Not exactly.” Instead of getting right to the point like he wanted, he asked, “What do you know about Wallace Corporation’s serial number system?”

Stelline shrugged. “From what I can tell, it is imperative to his work. Serial numbers keep track of everything. Serial numbers are as good as a fingerprint, individualized and traceable. And for a man who earns profit on such things, they’re vital to his company. As far as how he creates each one, I do not know what system he uses, but I suspect algorithms would be used for such purposes.”

“Would there be any benefit at all to him creating Replicants without serial numbers?”

That made Stelline raise an eyebrow before looking concerned. “No. I think considering the position he is in, it would be foolish of him to do so, especially since humans tend to be so wary of Replicants anyway. If word got around such Replicants existed, it would be suicidal to his company. Assuming such existed,” she added as she gave a quick glance to Summer. “Do you think–”

“I need you to check the validity of her memories,” K instructed, a note of authority in his tone.

Summer quickly looked between K and Stelline repeatedly after hearing K’s instructions, and then she dropped her head and shook it in disbelief. “Wait, that’s a thing? You can do that here? How ? How is that possible?”

“I am a memory maker,” Stelline explained. “I have a subcontract with Wallace Corporation to create and implant memories for Replicants.”

Summer’s jaw dropped, and under different circumstances, K might have found her expression amusing. “You…you create memories?” Then her expression turned to panic. “You w–” K knew what question was coming next, and he cleared his throat to send a message. It was received, and Summer reluctantly didn’t finish the question, though it was evident she wanted to. The look she gave him was a question of crumbling trust, but the soft, calm one he gave her in return made her drop her gaze from his.

Stelline’s grin grew as she departed from the glass barrier to retrieve a cylinder shaped device with a thick lanyard attached. As she slid the lanyard over her head, she asked Summer, “What kind of environment would you like to see? Anything in nature.”

Before K could wonder what she would ask for, Summer almost pleaded, “A forest. In autumn please. Sunlight poking through the leaves.”

The doctor hummed her approval as she spun a few dials on her device and pressed a few buttons. Within seconds, the space surrounding her erupted with trees, bushes, grass, limbs, nuts, pinecones, and leaves of every beautiful warm color. A bird flew over her head and landed on a nearby branch, chirping his pleasure as he looked directly at K and Summer.

The change was so sudden, so intense, and so… lifelike that it made Summer flinch and take a step back, overwhelmed. K reached out his hand and grabbed her arm above the elbow to steady her. “It’s okay,” he told her softly. “It’s okay.”

She stepped closer to him, wide eyes still on the scene that came to life before her. She whispered, “What am I seeing?”

“Holograms,” he explained quietly.

Her voice turned from anxious to intrigued and her volume matched his as she asked, “Like in Star Wars ? Except better?”

“Much better.”

Stelline heard the exchange and added, “No blue tint unless you desire it.” She studied Summer’s unblinking, amazed gaze and asked, “Have you ever seen this before?”

Her eyes pulled away from the trees and looked at the doctor. “Not the holograms, but I’ve seen trees before.”

Now it was Stelline’s turn to look confused, considering that wasn’t what she meant, but before she could ask anything, K took control of the situation again. “Dr. Stelline, with my companion’s permission, I need you to verify if her memories are real or not.”

“May I ask why?”

Summer answered for him, “Because he thinks some memories are too bizarre to be real.”

Stelline’s curiosity kept her from delaying any longer, and she asked Summer, “Do you give your consent then?”

She hesitated, warily eyeing the doctor for a moment before she glanced back up to the trees as a shadow of longing darkened her expression. “Will it hurt?”

“Not at all,” Stelline answered as she gestured to a chair to the left of her guests. “All you need to do is visualize the memory you want me to see. Just picture it and let it play out.”

Summer looked to K, for confirmation or assurance, he wasn’t completely sure, but he nodded once in answer to her questioning look. She sighed and gingerly took the chair. “But how do you know? How can you tell my memories will be real?”

“As I told your companion the last time he was here, we recall memories with emotion. Anything real should be a mess. Now, relax, clear your mind except for the memory you want me to see,” Stelline instructed as she looked into the viewport of her machine.

K watched Summer take a slow breath as her eyes grew distant, mentally returning to the moment he wanted to know for certain was real. It took no time though for that slow breath Summer took to turn shaky and the rest to follow just as shaky. Stelline pulled away from the machine enough to stare at Summer, eyes wide in horror.

K had his answer, and it was still hard to believe.

Stelline returned her gaze to the memories. “Keep going, let it play.” Summer stiffened as she continued to recall the memory, and her eyes started to glisten with unshed tears. K was about to have them quit the process when Stelline did it for him. “Stop,” she pulled away quickly. “I’ve seen enough of that one. Play one from childhood please. A good one.”

Summer wiped her eyes and took long slow breaths, turning her head away from the others for a moment as she composed herself, and K wondered what happened beyond what he knew to have rendered such a reaction from both of them. She turned back towards Stelline and let herself disappear into another memory, a soft and small smile on her face. “Another one,” Stelline suggested. After a moment, “Another one.” Then once more, “Another one.”

After reviewing yet another memory, Summer’s sigh was tired as she massaged her eyes before hugging herself. “How many more do you actually need to see?”

“I’ve seen all I need to see now,” Stelline assured her as she pulled away and looked at K before verbally confirming what she nonverbally confirmed moments ago. “These are all real. She lived every one of these. Including the strangest thing I’ve ever seen.” She turned to Summer and asked, “How is that even possible? When are you from?”

“1990. And as far as how, I have no idea. And before you ask, I have no idea why either.”

“ Incredible ,” Stelline muttered as she stood and began to pace incredibly slowly, more focused on the thoughts than the walking. “How long have you been here?”

“About six months.”

Stelline paused her pacing and hummed. “How are you healing up?”

The other woman shrugged. “It took about a month for the bruises to go away, so you can imagine how long it took the rest of me. I’m okay now as far as all of that goes.”

K’s eyes grew wide at this new information. Bruises? She was assaulted? Why? And why didn’t she include that in her story? You didn’t give her a chance to finish . As a blade runner, he was a better interrogator than that; he would get all the facts he could from a source before acting. To be fair though, learning she was born over 90 years prior and pulled from a home with blue skies and clean water and forests of living trees were perplexing things to learn.

The others missed K’s reaction to the news of Summer’s injuries and continued their conversation. “What have you been doing since you escaped Wallace?”

Summer raised an eyebrow. “Surviving. Physically and mentally. And barely, I might add. There’s really not much else to do for someone so out of place as I am.”

“That’s not true,” the memory maker shook her head. “We all can find purposes here, no matter how bleak things may appear. The challenge for you is to discover what those purposes are, big or small.”

“The challenge for me right now is to survive and stay away from Wallace Corp.,” Summer sighed before standing from the chair. “For whatever reason they brought me here, they’re still looking for me, and I would rather just not go back unless they can send me home. Which my gut tells me they can’t, so I’m steering clear from them as best as I can. Beyond that, purpose will have to wait until basic necessities are taken care of.”

“And what would you look for?”

Summer looked between Stelline and K, who was content to observe the exchange in silence, before giving an answer. “I suppose that will be something that stirs my passions, something that makes life worth living again.”

The statement stirred a recent memory in K, and he found himself asking, “Something to believe in?”

Stelline tilted her head in a curious, thoughtful manner while Summer simply hummed. “You mean like a cause? Because I already have a good idea of what I believe in.”

K shrugged and slightly bowed his head. “I was told the most human thing we can do is to die for a cause we believe in.”

“Fascinating,” Stelline commented quietly.

Summer bobbed her head some. “Indeed. And I’m inclined to…partially agree.”

The Replicant’s brows furrowed as he frowned and looked back up at her. “What do you mean?”

She smiled softly. “As noble as dying for a cause can be, I’ve been taught there’s something more we can do, something that encompasses what you’ve been told. Frankly, what you’ve been told just isn’t quite big enough.”

Now Stelline was just as confused as K. “What could be bigger than that?”

“The simplest and most difficult choice one could make. To choose to love.”

“How does that encompass what I said?”

“Because,” Summer explained, “love is more than duty or devotion or loyalty whether to a person or an idea or a cause. Love is all of those things and then some. And of course, as the old saying goes, there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

-----------

After K and Summer left Stelline Laboratory, he insisted they stick together and find a safe place to hide. Summer almost insisted they part ways for his own safety, but he spoke with enough quiet authority that she didn’t question him. Long after the sun had set somewhere beyond the overcast sky, they ended up finding people who had helped K in the recent past. They were Replicants belonging to some kind of resistance to better the lives of other Replicants, and Summer was very interested in what they stood for. She contemplated asking how she could help, but it wasn’t until the Replicants learned she saved K’s life that they allowed them both to stay.

The problem was the current hiding place of the Resistance was so small that places to call your own were few and far between. Which meant K and Summer had to share. To call it a room felt gracious. One bed, one chest, one bedside table with one lamp, and in another, even smaller room was a bathroom, shower, a sink, and a mirror. To be fair, the rest of the rooms were the same way, but it was a wonder one person had enough room to turn around in it, never mind two.

They both studied the room from the door, unsure what to do next. K was so quiet, Summer wasn’t sure he was even breathing, though his eyes were a bit more wide than normal. And his cheeks are pinker , she observed as well.

She couldn’t blame him; she could feel the heat in her own as the situation settled on her.

They had very little to actually put in the chest. Both only had the clothes on their backs and what little effects they carried, but thankfully, there were some extra clothes and hygiene items for them in the Resistance’s storehouse. Summer released a sigh and decided they’d stood in the doorway long enough. “So,” she cleared her throat and walked towards the chest, “you want top drawer or bottom drawer?”

K blinked once before answering, “I’ll take the bottom drawer.”

She nodded and slid her borrowed belongings into the top drawer before stepping out of the way so K could do the same. Then they both stared at the bed for a moment while Linus alternated between looking up at his two friends. Summer stifled a yawn as best as she could, but of course, K picked it up. “You can take the bed, and I will–”

“Please don’t say the floor or the shower,” Summer interrupted him quietly. K fell silent instead, and Summer swallowed. “Look, we can handle this for one night, right? The bed’s big enough for both of us.”

K raised an eyebrow at that as he studied the dimensions of the bed again. They would fit, but that would be all that would fit. “Barely.”

“You got any better ideas?” He opened his mouth, and she quickly added, “Besides the floor and the shower?”

It took him a moment, but he said evenly, “No.”

“Alright then.” She cleared her throat again. “Are we agreed?”

K nodded, and they began silently preparing for sleep while Linus settled down in a corner he found fitting and went right to sleep. Meanwhile, it didn’t take as long as either K or Summer hoped or expected, and before long, they climbed in and turned off the lights. In the end, they both had to turn on their sides for space between them, but even then it wasn’t that much.

After a few moments of awkward silence, K said softly, “I didn’t actually tell you, but thank you for saving me.”

“You’re welcome, K,” Summer answered in equal softness.

Before he could stop himself, he asked, “Why did you do it?”

“Because it was the right thing to do,” she answered without hesitation. “If you could be saved, you deserve someone to try.”

“But I’m –” How was he supposed to finish that statement? A Replicant? Past his usefulness? Not worth saving? He finally settled for the first. “I’m a Replicant.”

“So?”

He heard the confusion in her tone, and he said, “Replicants are property essentially. We’re assets, produced and designed for human use.”

Summer’s quiet for a long moment, and in the darkness, he could just make out the look of disgust and anger on her face. She turned her gaze toward him and answered with conviction, “You’re a person. Not property. You have value; you have choice.”

That was true; he did have choice. Now. He chose to save Deckard and reunite father and daughter. Dying for the right cause is the most human thing we can do . But he didn’t die. Did it still count? Did he have value outside of his intended blade runner purpose now? K wasn’t used to not knowing and not understanding, and he didn’t like feeling lost. “I…” he faltered, “I don’t know.”

“Know what?”

“What I am now. Who I am now. I…the last few days have been extreme to say the least.” She hummed a note of acknowledgement and let him continue. So he did. He filled her in on everything. He’s not sure why he’s telling her these things, but there’s something about her attitude towards him and Replicants in general, as well as her overall demeanor, that made it easy to tell her so. For the first time in his life, he unburdened himself to someone who wasn’t designed to listen. She was listening by choice. Why?

What could be bigger than that?

The simplest and most difficult choice one could make. To choose to love.

Was that what was going on here? She was choosing to show some love and kindness? Whatever it was, it felt…really nice.

Once he was finally finished, he heard her sniff, and it was then he realized she was crying. Someone was shedding tears on K’s behalf? “I’m sorry,” he said automatically, like he had done something wrong.

“No,” she sniffed again, wiped her eyes, and shook her head. “Don’t apologize. You have nothing to apologize for.”

“I just…I’ve never,” he said slowly, as if testing this out, “I’ve never done anything like this before. I’ve never experienced this before.”

“Oh yeah? Well,” she sniffed again, “I feel honored. How do you feel?”

When was the last time K was asked that? Joi must have at some point, but he couldn’t remember when. “Oddly pained yet relieved.”

Summer chuckled. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

“I don’t know what to do now though.”

She sighed slowly as she thought it over. “Tonight, there’s nothing to do. Tonight, maybe you can just rest knowing that you are alive, you have freedom, and tomorrow you can start fresh.”

“I don’t know how to do that.”

“Which part?”

He thought it over and settled with, “Starting over.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I don’t really know how either. Starting over in a strange new world, a strange new time, and fearing for my life from a corporation who finds me valuable for some reason.” Her voice dropped as if she was confessing a terrible secret, “I haven’t wanted to try starting over.”

He digested that knowledge for a moment before asking, “And now?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. I don’t,” she stopped herself and shook her head a bit.

But K wasn’t going to let it go. “You don’t what?”

Summer sighed heavily, wearily. He heard grief and sorrow in that sigh. “K, I have no one. I have nothing. Save for Linus, I’ve never been more alone in my life.” She sniffed again and her voice cracked a bit, “I need a reason to try. Otherwise, I might as well turn myself into Wallace Corp or...” But she didn’t let herself finish that sentence.

“Don’t turn yourself in, Summer,” K said quickly, his voice a smidge higher than typical.

“Relax, K,” he could hear the gentle smile and the resignation in her tone, “I’m not going to turn myself in. I’m just saying.”

“What would it take to want to try?”

“I don’t know,” her voice grew frustrated and with good reason. “I’m tired of being alone and feeling too adrift to want to care. You ever felt so lonely that you’d do anything to just feel ?”

That made K pause, and that place inside he wished would go away began aching again, that old, lifelong ache that was more of a constant companion than Joi was. “Yes.”

“Oh,” she shrunk a bit into herself. “I’m sorry.”

“No,” he repeated her words as gently as he could. “Don’t apologize. You have nothing to apologize for.”

“Thanks,” she said softly. “So what do we do now?”

The answer he gave was not something she was prepared for, and it showed on her features. “I think it would be in our best interests if we stick together.”

“What? You sure?”

He nodded. “I’m sure.”

“You actually want to?”

“Yes.”

“Even though Wallace Corp. may still be after me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“We both will receive company and purpose. We’ll both have a reason to try.”

Despite the darkness, he could see the confusion all over her face. “You hardly know me. How can you make a kind of choice after knowing me for such a short time?”

He paused for a moment before he answered, “I’m practicing the simplest and most difficult choice to make.” He smiled faintly at her astonishment. “This is how that works, right?”

“One way, yes,” she said at last. “It’s…” Whatever she was going to say, she decided against it and said, “Yeah, this is one way to do that. We may be hunted, you know.”

“I’m not afraid of that. I can protect us both.”

“I know very little about this time.”

“You’ve survived alone for months. You know more than you think.”

“Linus comes with us.”

“I like Linus.”

“Are you okay with having a human as a,” she verbally paused as she tried to determine the best word choice, but not being able to do so, she came up with a list, “friend, companion, person you’re sticking with of your own volition?”

K released a soft, short exhale of a chuckle before shrugging. “It will be an adjustment, but I’ll manage.” Then he asked, “Are you okay with having a Replicant as one or all of the descriptions you mentioned?”

Summer didn’t answer but instead asked, “Can I put my hand on your chest for a second?”

He blinked in surprise. “Why?”

“I want to check something. It will be really quick and painless, I promise,” she gently told him. “You’re free to say no, you know. It really is okay.”

K experienced a long mental debate before he finally nodded, but he stiffened as Summer slowly, carefully placed a hand on his chest. She waited until she detected the steady, strong thump thump under her hand before pulling it away. K relaxed once her hand was pulled away, and something about that broke her heart.

“Just as I suspected. Your heart beats just like mine. As far as I’m concerned, we’re one in the same, so I have no qualms with having you as my friend and companion and person I hang out with and whatever else gets added to that list, K.”

The next morning, K found himself and Summer wrapped around each other. What little distance they had between them was lost in them finding each other in their sleep. And it surprised K how the contact didn’t wake him from the start simply because he wasn’t used to it. Especially considering how he stiffened at her soft touch the night before.

But truth be told? It was the best sleep he’s had in his entire life.

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