More Human Than Human

It was raining, always raining. The incessant drops poured from a sky that had not seen even a sliver of blue in many a year, a morbid testament to the pollution that had built up over the centuries. The darkness of the night was only fractionally more dismal than that of the day. Neon flashed, the light reflecting off the wet pavement; off the slow moving hovercars; off the shiny plastic raincoats and umbrellas and high above, the ever- present blimp sang its song of freedom. The Off-World Colonies... a chance to begin again... a golden land of opportunity. I wondered if this same message played across Europe back when the 'New World' of America was discovered. The chatter of humanity as people bustled along the crowded footpaths; the humming of engines crawling along the roadway, bumper to bumper; the ringing of cycle bells zigzagging between both vehicles and pedestrians, and the constant, never-ending drumming of the rain assailed my ears but was ignored as a background to the dark, depressing thoughts that echoed around my brain.

I placed the copy of the Washington Post over my head as a makeshift umbrella as I dashed across the small gap between the waiting area and my favourite Chinese stall, answering the scrawny, beckoning finger of the ancient Chinaman who served the Customers. My hair was plastered to my face, the cold droplets of rainwater running beneath the collar of my trenchcoat, soaking into my skin. I couldn't truly fathom my reasoning for leaving the comparative warmth of my apartment on this cold night. I had the makings of a meal in the small refrigerator. I had entertainment coming through the cable... and I had my memories. Memories of a time when I believed in myself, when I was certain what I was doing was right.

The old man dragged me from my thoughts with a series of sharp words which roughly translated as 'I haven't got all night' but *I* had. I pointed at what I wanted, holding up two fingers to illustrate the quantity rather than try to shout above the noise of the city. I grimaced when he would only let me have the one but it had been worth a try. More and more seemed to be rationed these days. Eventually I had a hot meal placed in front of me. King Po Chicken and special fried rice. Same as I had last night... and the night before that. I flicked open the paper and began to digest both the words and the food.

I saw him first out of the corner of my eye, a sad, pathetic sight. Cardinale was gunning for a place in the Blade Runner squad, bucking for the position I had recently vacated. His dark, Hispanic features contorted into the parody of a smile as he drew deeply on the cheroot in his hand, his eyes almost fevered, glittering with contempt as he sat down by my side. I had to admit I did look a poor sight, with my dirty trenchcoat, muddied boots, hair plastered to my face and the evidence of two days worth of beard stubble. All this hunched up over a cheap Chinese meal. I tried to ignore him but the little shit wouldn't take the hint... and then he dropped the bombshell. Blevins wanted to see me. The audible sigh was out before I could prevent it but then, there was no one here to care. I picked up my carton of food and followed him out into the rain to where he had a Police Hovercar waiting.

I gazed out of the front screen as the car swept its way across the darkly forbidding city, my eyes attracted to the sudden flares of heated gas from some of the many industrial plants. Only the Police were allowed to hover this high, giving them a panoramic view of the desolation that was once a proud monument to Democracy. The White House looked grey, tainted by years of pollution and corruption. Gradually we floated down, spiralling slowly towards the landing bay on top of the Police Headquarters. I followed Cardinale through the maze of corridors that made up this grimy building, ignoring the decay that was in evidence. Blevins' office was no different, plaster, bubbled with age, hung from one corner of the ceiling. Out of the cold rain the room seemed too hot, almost stifling and I deftly flicked the buttons to let my coat fall open. Blevins sat behind the desk, his cold, pale blue eyes smiled almost psychotically as he wiped a rivulet of sweat from his forehead.

"Six skinjobs are loose in the city. Two days ago one tried to break into the Tyrell Corporation's main complex. Got fried in the security net. Another infiltrated the company but was flushed out during a routine scan. He escaped but not before injuring one of my best men."

I looked around the office, pretending boredom and indifference. In past centuries Blevins would have been the kind of racist pig who called non-whites niggers. He was an anachronism; a survivor of a bygone age. I could imagine him back in the 1950's as some superior-acting Sheriff in one of the Deep South states.

"What's this got to do with me."

"I need my best man on the job... I need your profiling skills..."

"You forget. I quit."

"I need you, Mulder. I need your expertise." Blevins changed tack, an evil glint lighting up his eyes. "Of course, if you're not a Blade Runner then you're Little People...."

The thinly disguised threat hung between us. I was under no illusion what Blevins meant by 'Little People'. He could make my life very difficult if he chose.

Half an hour later I was back in the Police Flyer, seated beside Cardinale, heading towards the Tyrell Corporation and the head of that 'prestigious' group... CBG Spender. In my head I reviewed what I had leant about the Nexus-6 androids still at large. All but one had been identified; two males, two females. The leader of the group was Skinner; a soldier built to fight mankind's battles. He was intelligent, resourceful and well acquainted with all the skills needed for modern warfare. The second male was a labourer, Leon. My eidetic memory replayed the surveillance film of Leon taking out my fellow Blade Runner during the routine scan. Not a pretty sight. The first of the female androids was Fowley; a bitch to the nth degree. Built as part of an offworld assassination squad, she was beauty and the beast in one package. The final known Nexus-6 was Dana; a pleasure model. Beautiful red hair cascading around an ivory complexion. Cerulean blue eyes and a luscious mouth that just begged to be kissed. I wondered how this diverse group had come together.

Arriving at the Tyrell headquarters I waited for what seemed like an eternity in a large, beautifully furnished room. Its opulence was astounding considering that I had spent most of my life in the seamier parts of Washington. The walls were dark marble and a single window stretched across the full forty feet of the room where an insipid sunrise was doing its best to break through the ever-present layers of dust and cloud. This high above the ground the light was almost dazzling compared to what I was used to but I knew, far below, the never-ending night remained. Eventually I was met by CBG Spender himself. An imposing man whose rheumy blue eyes were deceptively quick to notice and judge. I watched him take in my scruffy appearance, his eyes narrowing as he noticed the uncombed hair and beard growth. A haze of blue-grey smoke concealed his features as he questioned me about the Voigt-Kampff scale. I was getting impatient.

"I don't have time for all these questions..."

The thin, cruel mouth rose slightly in a smile.

"Indulge me, Mr Mulder. I want to see a negative before I give you a positive to test."

With that he pressed a small control on the desk. I saw a door open at the far end and heard the quick footsteps echo about the cavernous room. I wonder now at what an image I must have presented to this new arrival. My mouth agape, my eyes widened in lust... the warm sensation swirling from the pit of my stomach, creeping along my nerve endings, that stirred life into my groin. He was beautiful. Tall, well-built with broad, muscular shoulders narrowing to a trim waist and hips. The dark suit a perfect fit, accentuating every sinew, every muscle... every line of that beautiful body. As he drew closer I discovered his looks were as complimentary as his figure. Locks of raven-hair fell across a tall forehead. His skin was pale and smooth but it was the face that captivated me. Wide-spaced, startling green eyes that held mine momentarily. A luscious mouth, full and ripe glistening in the pale reflected light. I watched entranced as a pink tongue ran seductively across the cupids bow.

"Ahh... Alexei. Mr Mulder... my nephew, Alexei. I want you to use your... 'thing' on him."

Alexei raised one perfectly sculptured eyebrow in response to the surprised raising of both of mine. I saw a small smirk play about those sensuous lips and felt heat rise into my face. He'd obviously encountered such a reaction as mine before but I could tell that he liked what he saw despite my unkempt appearance. I concealed my embarrassment by turning to the task at hand... setting up the equipment, laying my notes before me. Eventually I was ready. I beckoned him to sit across the table from me and positioned the lens so I could focus on one of those incredible eyes. The green iris filled the screen but I noticed the pupil had already dilated. Had I caused that reaction? I frowned. It was a little too bright so I turned to my 'host' only to see my needs anticipated. A filter slowly dropped across the window to cut out the weak light of the new day.

"Can I smoke?"

I glanced up into those stunning eyes and cleared my throat before attempting to respond.

"It won't affect the test."

I watched as he lit up, those strong fingers gently cradling the cigarette. Smoke curled up slightly obscuring the magnified image of that oh-so green iris. The small beam of light shone steadily on that eye as I began the series of questions, making notes every once in awhile although that was more for show. One of the reasons why I was so good at this job was my eidetic memory.

"... You have a little boy and he shows you his butterfly collection, including the killing jar..."

"I'd take him to the doctor." The voice was firm but with an undertone of abhorrence. Many more questions followed and I noted the responses, gearing my next question towards them.

"Your wife comes across a full page colour picture of a nude man" I paused waiting to see his reaction but saw only the slightest dilation... barely anything at all yet his angry words and tone indicated far more emotion.

"Is this a test of whether I'm an android... or a homosexual?"

I continued, searching around my head for the next question. This was the important one. This would confirm what I was beginning to suspect.

"Your wife likes the picture. The beautiful man is lying face up on a tiger skin rug." No reaction... not a flicker. A typical android response. Alexei was concentrating so intently on the idea of this nude male that he... *it*... had not noticed the dead animal pelt. I carried on just to be certain. "She hangs it on the wall in your bedroom..."

"I wouldn't let her."

A reaction... strong this time. Several questions later I was totally convinced that this beautiful male was in fact a Nexus-6. I folded up the equipment and stared deep into those alluring eyes, trying to understand why I was so deeply disappointed to learn he was not human.

"I've finished."

I watched as a cute line deepened across the bridge of his nose; confusion? His mouth opened as the question I was dreading formed in his brain ready to tumble from those pink lips. Spender saved me from making the announcement.

"That's all, Alexei."

A dismissal. Clean, simple... and obviously Alexei had learnt to obey it without question. I watched as the handsome figure walked back across the floor and close the double doors behind him with only a single backward glance in my direction.

"Well, Mr Mulder?"

"He's an android... but you knew that already."

"What gave him away?" I ignored the question. "Tell me, Mr Mulder. How many questions does it normally take? How many cross- references?"

He had a point. It had taken far more than normal to reach my conclusion and then it struck me. "He doesn't know. He doesn't know he's an android."

The creepy smile that curved up the thin, cruel, seamed lips was answer enough. Spender took another long drag from the cigarette that seemed a permanent fixture, all the while waiting for me to reach the logical answer.

"Memories! You've given him memories."

It was later that night. I had returned after checking out several possible leads, including Leon's bedsit. What I found had confused me for a moment. Photos. Not just one but several photos. Why would an android collect photos? I was tired. Dead tired. I thought I had managed to get out of the Blade Running game. Thought I had put all the killing behind me and the realisation that I was expected to hunt down and 'retire' this group tugged at my soul. 'More Human Than Human' was the Tyrell Corporation's motto. Was this why I felt so guilty? I poured myself a drink, swirling the amber liquid around the chunky glass before downing the contents. I poured another. The sound of the door bell threw me. No-one had come to my apartment in years... not since... I pulled away from that thought, not wanting to dwell on the dead and moved to the door. Checking the entry camera I was surprised to see the beautiful Alexei. I opened the door, taking a step back and motioned for him to enter.

He breezed into the room, his movements so fluid, like a panther stalking his prey. The long sable coat matched the colour of his hair to perfection, the darkness making his eyes all the more striking.

"Would you like a drink?"

I indicated to the glass still held in my hand. He frowned, that cute line across the bridge so appealing that I wanted to caress it with my fingers... with my tongue.

"You think I'm an android."

I sighed as he came straight to the point of his visit. He'd come to ask the question I dreaded. The question Spender had not allowed him to ask. I watched as he dug into the deep pocket of his coat and brought out a crumpled photo. He held it up so I could see it.

"Look. That's me as a boy... with my father. I can remember him picking me up, carrying me on his shoulders... I can..."

"Do you remember when you were six and you woke up one day and looked out of your window and there was a spider sitting in the middle of a large silky ball... and when you touched it..."

"Hundreds of little spiders came out.. and they ate the mother spider."

"Those aren't your memories. They're somebody else's... Spender's nephew...." I felt terrible watching the innocent young face crumple in shock and horror and felt the compassion rise. "I'm sorry. Bad joke. You're not an android. Go home."

I was still standing by the open door. I sighed as he continued to stare at me in bewilderment. This was so stupid but I felt something for this young 'man', some emotion at a time when I thought I had no emotions left inside me. Again I had felt that stirring, that warm sensation in the pit of my stomach that radiated outward... downward. He made no move to leave.

"I think we both need a drink."

I moved into the small kitchenette and grabbed another glass from the shelf, filling it quite generously with the deep amber liquid. But, as I turned to go back into the lounge I saw the photo flutter from lifeless fingers and, in one swift motion, he turned and strode out of the door, closing it behind him. I sighed again and dropped onto the couch, quickly knocking back the drink I had prepared for him. The bulge at my crotch was uncomfortable and I adjusted the material of my pants, all the time feeling ashamed of the way my body had betrayed me. I leant back and closed my eyes, not surprised to find an image of Alexei hiding there but I didn't want to dwell on what I couldn't have... shouldn't want.

The photos. I remembered Leon's photos and set to work.

My hunt for Fowley led me to one of the arty clubhouses that employed 'exotic' acts. Another dead end. The manager denied having anyone like her on his books and with yet another drink under my belt I found my mind drifting back to Alexei. My fingers itched to caress that firm flesh, to stroke across the strong back and well-shaped rear. He was perfection. I could visualise his ivory skin displayed before me as those incredible eyes beckoned me to take advantage... to take him. I was surprise when, moments later I found myself watching his sleepy face answer my call.

"I don't think so, Mr Mulder."

He broke the connection after refusing my invitation to come down here and join me in this seedy club. Hardly surprising really. It was not the sort of place you should invite such a beauty. He deserved better than this... better than I could offer. As it turned out, I was thankful that he had said 'no' for moments later I saw her. Her long, dark tresses cascading down across her shoulders, her muscular yet lithe body covered in sparkling sequins and little else as she danced sensuously for the drunken, applauding crowd. I followed her back to her dressing room using some lame excuse and nearly died of strangulation for my trouble... only the return of several other dancers saved me from being found dead with my own tie tight around my throat. The adrenaline kick of the chase was as good as I remembered, the hunt was on but I had the edge. I was on my home turf. Watching her bloodied body crash through the panes of glass in the department store gave me a strange sense of blood lust fever but, as the last breaths left her body, the lust and adrenaline left mine leaving me both bereaved and full of guilt. She was beautiful... most of the androids were in some way or another. I suppose there was little point creating an ugly android. Who would buy it? I wandered off and was not surprised to find Cardinale at my heels.

"One down, four to go."

"Three. Three to go."

He shook his head, his eyes still dancing with the blood lust of seeing Fowley retired.

"That tempting piece of android ass at Tyrell has been reported missing."

He gave me that psychotic grin that he did so well and moved off, leaving me staring at his retreating back, wondering where Alexei had gone. I didn't have time to ponder further. Cardinale was not the only person to see Fowley die. The large fist that grabbed hold of the fabric of my trenchcoat had inhuman strength. He dragged me between two parked vehicles and slammed me up against the cold metal. I felt a jarring as bones moved unnaturally but, fortunately not beyond their endurance point. I pulled my gun out but he swiped at it with his large hand and I saw it skitter away across the crowded street.

"Leon."

"How long do I live?"

I was confused by his question. Was he unaware of his own inception date? Was he asking me how long he had left? All androids were built with a four year life span. Long enough to be of use but short enough that rebellion could never be a problem.

"Four years."

"How long have I left?"

I knew Leon could count the number of months remaining of his lifespan on the fingers of one hand but I pretended ignorance.

"I don't know."

He smiled malevolently as his fingers began to press into my eyes, his forearm choking the life out of my body.

"Longer than you."

For a stunned moment I thought the third eye he had 'grown' was a product of oxygen depravation but then Leon slumped, taking me down with him. I looked across the street and saw *him* standing there in his sable coat with my gun still levelled. I pulled myself out from underneath Leon's not inconsiderable weight and slowly, dodging the traffic, made my way to his side. Alexei didn't protest when I took the gun from his hand and led him back to my vehicle but his eyes showed his shock. So large, almost luminous.

The trip back to my apartment was carried out in silence and he waited on my couch, still in shock, watching me as I rinsed the blood out of my mouth with a shot of bourbon. Eventually I came and sat beside him. I closed my eyes, just for a second - or so it seemed. The wondrous notes sent tendrils through my mind, enfolding me, caressing my senses and bringing colour and magic to my dreams. Gradually, I floated back up through the soft haze. My eyes seem to flutter open as if unwilling to face reality. I turned to look at him but he was no longer by my side, instead he had taken a seat at the old, worn piano. The music stopped as I hauled myself upright, grunting with the exertion of my abused body. I slowly made my way across the room and sat beside him.

"I heard music..."

He looked sideways at me, his green eyes softening in the pleasure of the moment, a small smile lifting those sweet lips and then he turned back, agile fingers stroking the ivory keys. The haunting melody returned. He stopped.

"I didn't know if I could play... I remember lessons but..."

"*You* play beautifully."

The gentle, appreciative smile deepened and then faded. His eyes became first thoughtful and then questioning.

"What if I run away... far away. Would you come after me? Hunt me down?" His voice lowered until it was barely more than a whisper. "Kill me?"

My eyes misted over as I gazed into his young, innocent, angelic face. I reached out and stroked my fingers down his cheek to the corner of his mouth.

"No. I owe you." The smile returned, slowly creeping upwards and I hated to slap that away with my next words. "But someone would."

He stood up abruptly and made for the door, pulling on his coat on the way but I was quicker. I slammed the door shut. I was angry with him but I didn't know why... and then I did. He made me feel. He made me *want* to feel. I reached out tentatively and brushed his cheek with the back of my hand. The desire blazed in his eyes, a fire that mirrored my own. I grabbed the back of his head and drew his mouth towards mine, forcing my tongue into him, duelling with his for a moment before I pulled away abruptly until our lips were only just touching.

"Say 'kiss me'."

"Kiss me."

His soft, shaky words sent a thrill through me. He was mine for the taking. Our lips met in an almost chaste kiss.

"Say 'I want you'."

"I... I want you. Touch me."

I needed no more words. The deep, husky voice sent tremors down my spine and I took his lips once again, savouring the rich warmth of bourbon mixed with his own unique taste as I plundered his mouth, our tongues caressing before I felt that sweet surrender. I pushed the plush coat from his shoulders, running my hands across the soft shirt. My fingers found a small nipple and I teased it slowly until it stood erect, its outline visible through the thin material. My mouth travelled down the length of his throat, sucking and biting gently, raising small red marks. Suddenly I felt his hands upon my shoulders, pushing me back. It was hard to pull back into myself, hard to prevent myself from ignoring his unspoken request until I heard his husky voice utter a single pleading word.

"Please."

I stepped back far enough to see his face clearly but not enough to break contact with his body. My fear, that he wanted to stop, faded with one look at his flushed face. He reached out tentatively, his hand brushing my lips. I captured his fingers and sucked them one by one while he watched, mesmerised, the tip of his tongue peeking out to wetten those incredibly soft, pink lips.

I remember pushing the thin shirt from his body, revealing the taut, muscular yet almost hairless chest. My hands roaming across the soft flawless skin, stroking across one dusky pink nipple, feeling the bud tighten even further. His musician's fingers danced upon my own torso, playing me like a finely tuned instrument, plucking at the sparse splattering of chest hair as my tongue greedily mapped his face and neck. I pulled him into a stronger embrace, chest to chest, groin to groin, loving the feel of his silky skin against mine. The evidence of his desire was hard and hot, trapped between our close-pressed abdomens... trapped against the evidence of my own desire. He moaned softly as my teeth grazed his neck, his husky voice sending a lick of energy surging through me.

Somehow I manoeuvred him to the bed and we fell together, our landing cushioned by the firm mattress and soft pillows. I rolled on top of him, placing my elbows either side of his flushed face, and looked deeply into those sea-green eyes. I knew what I wanted. The moment seemed to stretch into forever but then I saw it. The glazed look faded as he read my face like an open book, to be replaced by a... softening. His breathing slowed, his eyelids lowered and I knew he was submitting, knew he was mine for the taking. I kissed him slowly, passionately, my tongue sliding into his hot mouth, stroking across his perfect teeth before plunging deeper to glide against his own tongue. I could feel his hands smooth a path down my back from shoulder blades to hips where they rested, holding me firmly as my legs slowly forced his apart until my own were nestled between them. I pulled back until I was kneeling above him, gazing down upon his perfection. He smiled at me then and in that moment I knew this was more than a passing fancy. Somehow he had managed to wrap himself around me, body and soul.

I prepared him gently, my body trembling with barely constrained lust as I pushed first one, then another saliva-coated finger deep into his willing flesh. He arched back, exposing the long column of his throat as my fingers glided against the delicate interior, searching for and finding that special place that had brought so much pleasure to *me* with past lovers. At his gasp I knew I had found it and I found myself grinning, pleasure coursing through me that the creators of this miracle of technology had copied a man down to the smallest detail. I withdrew my fingers, my heart beating wildly at the cries of protest. He wanted this... wanted me. I pulled his hips up the plane of my thighs and positioned the head of my throbbing erection against the loosened muscle. I could feel cool sweat trickling down my face, and watched fascinated as a droplet spilled onto his burning flesh. Then, then enthralled, pressed forward... slowly... aware that, no matter what memories of past experience floated around his head, this may be the first time his body had been penetrated and I wanted it to be glorious... for both of us.

At the first push he hissed, muscles clenching against this most intimate invasion. I took deep breaths, forcing myself to hold still, resisting the screaming urge to thrust deeper into his delectable ass. Gradually he relaxed and I could move again until eventually I was fully sheathed in his tight heat. Slowly we began to rock together, the tiniest of movements sending the most incredibly intense sensations through every cell of my body. His own moans increased in volume and tempo as our movements grew wilder until I was thrusting hard, pulling out almost to the tip before plunging back in to the hilt.

Somewhere along the line my brain switched off and I become nothing more than a bundle of overloading nerve endings spiralling out of control.

The journey from door, to bed... to this moment in time seems but a hazy memory to me now as I lie here with him cradled in my arms. My throat is sore from the screams I cannot remember making, my legs are still trembling as if I had just run a marathon... my breathing still coming in ragged gasps. The stickiness across my belly is testament to his own release and I have vague memories of watching his face as he came; vague recollection of the sudden clenching of muscles that toppled me over the edge. I stroke back a lock of sweat-slickened hair from his tall forehead and kiss those sweet, sleep-softened lips.

The beeping of the televid calls me back from the edge of sleep and I tenderly kiss his cheek as I leave the bed.

CBG Spender was dead, his head crushed like an over-ripe watermelon. Not far from his body lay another man. It didn't take long to get an ID. While I waited for more information I replayed the surveillance tape.

Walter Sergei Skinner had gained access to Spender's private chambers by convincing one of Spender's top designers, a small man named Frohike, to take him to the powerful head of the Tyrell Corporation on the pretext of merely wanting information. Unfortunately, for both Spender and Frohike, the answers Skinner received were not what he wanted to hear. Spender's delusion of Godhood, patronising his 'creation', was his undoing.

By announcing Skinner's death sentence, Spender had signed his own death warrant. Melvin Frohike had been luckier. The blow that should have killed him had left him unconscious with a fractured skull. He would live.

It seemed to me that the best place to start searching for the two missing Nexus-6's would be Frohike's apartment. He lived alone in an old dilapidated building in the eastern section of the metropolis rather than in one of the more modern monstrosities that rose hundreds of storeys high near the centre of the old Washington DC. I parked my hovercar outside and, on an impulse, I placed a call to Frohike's televid number.

The features that filled the small screen in my car were instantly recognisable; the beautiful Dana. Her pert lips were glossy with a deep red lipcolour, her flawless white-painted skin a brilliant contrast to those lips and to the flaming locks of auburn hair that cascaded around her elfin face. Her eyes shone like sapphires within the blue band of paint striped across her face from temple to temple. I could tell from her voice that she was regretting her decision to answer the call, realising that her curiosity may have left her vulnerable.

My own self-confidence was nearly my undoing. Her small frame was deceptively strong and agile and she very nearly succeeded where Fowley and Leon had failed. As I gazed down at her lifeless body, watching the spread of pseudo-blood from the massive hole in her tiny abdomen I felt sick. She looked so much like a child. Hell, she was a child... barely two years old. The sound of the ancient elevator brought me back to my senses. I could think of only one other 'person' who would come to this place; Skinner.

The rain poured down upon me, plastering my hair to my head, drenching my clothes yet I could not move. Instead I sat there in the cold downpour, my legs sprawled in front of me, the wall at my back being the only thing keeping me seated upright... and I stared. I stared at the half-naked figure sitting cross-legged a few feet in front of me. His head slumped onto his chest, the rivulets of water cascading down his face.

He had saved my life.

The words he spoke during those last few moments of his own existence would haunt me forever. It was all gone just as he said, like 'tears in the rain'. His tears... and mine. I don't know why he chose to save me, why he reached down and pulled me to safety as the last of my strength ebbed away. I can only believe that, in those last minutes, life had become so precious that he valued even *my* life.

A voice pulled me back from my introspection; Cardinale.

"You did a man's job, Mulder."

I looked at him, no longer feeling any annoyance with the small man. In these last few days I had found something within myself. A reason to go on. A reason to leave it *all* behind. More importantly, I had found someone who gave that reason meaning.

"He won't live..."

Fear tightened its grip upon me, wrapping its icy fingers around my chest and squeezing until I could barely breath. I made my way back to my apartment and entered, gun in hand.

The interior was still warm but dark. I flicked on the lamp, its glow casting long shadows about the darkened room. Stealthily I made my way across to the bed where I could make out the still shape bundled beneath the covers. With the barrel of my gun I pulled the cover aside and leant down. The soft expulsion of air against my cheek brought a sob rising from the depth of my soul.

Alexei moved, luxuriating in the warmth, stretching like a well contented cat. His eyes opened and the most beautiful smile lit his features, overwhelming me with the love and lust that was meant *only* for me. Those eyes seemed to reach deep into my soul and I knew why I couldn't stomach the killing any more. 'More Human Than Human'. Yes. *He* was more human than human... they all were. They had been given life, maybe not from a woman's womb but life nonetheless. No-one had the right to take it away.

I kissed his sweet lips gently and whispered to him.

"We have to go."

The smile fell at the seriousness of my tone. Ten minutes later we were by the front door. I held him back as I quickly surveyed the corridor leading to the elevator. As we quickly walked across the open corridor something caught my eye. I stopped and reached down. The cheroot was still warm. Cardinale had been there and had let Alexei live.

//He won't live.//

Those words re-echoed in my mind. I smiled as I realised an alternative reason for his statement. Cardinale was letting us go. He knew Alexei could not remain on Earth, for here he would be hunted down... and killed. Cardinale knew that any life I made with Alexei would have to take place offworld leaving my former position in the Blade Runner squad vacant. Yet still he had made a small effort to make me consider my options.

//He won't live.//

It did not matter... four decades, four years or four seconds. I would take what was given and give both of our lives meaning. What Cardinale did not know was that Spender had told me Alexei had no expiration date. The four year life span did not apply yet Alexei would be prone to the same ageing process as the Human race. 'More Human Than Human'. In time his manufactured cells would give out but until then, unlike us mere Humans, he would remain as beautiful as he is now.

I pulled Alexei into my arms as we waited in the boarding area for the next offworld flight. Only a Voigt-Kampff would reveal him as a Nexus... and there was no-one here who cared less. We were leaving Earth and that was all that mattered. He turned in my embrace, his arms wrapping themselves around my torso under my coat. I looked back from where my sight was focussed on the ship that would take us to freedom and my eyes locked with his. So much innocence in that gaze, so much vulnerability. In time he would come to terms with his inception, he would have memories of his own making... of *our* making. In time he would lose the fear that governed him. He would grow stronger, more self-reliant.

We stood up, still holding onto each other as the 'boarding' announcement echoed through the terminal. I took a deep breath. He was not the only one feeling vulnerable at this moment. I had burnt all my bridges behind me. I gave him a tentative smile and was rewarded with a gentle kiss.

No-one knew how much time either of us would have but I hoped that we would spend what time remained together and with his hand held tightly in mine we stepped through the doorway into our future.