A blurring of the lines. . .

Zhora

What the hell’s wrong with me?

I mean I . . .I . . .

....

Look, I was taken and retrained soon after my creation as an assassin ! NO, there is no other way around what they retrained me for and why they did it. No romance to it. Ran with a She's trained for an Off-world kick-murder squad. I've heard me being called about beauty and the beast. I AM both!

But IF I am all that . . . then why am I finding it impossible to kill Phylicia?

I mean they trained me to kill people they wanted dead! Period. Why they wanted people dead never came up and I didn't start asking until right around the time Roy came around, looking quietly for those to help him with a rather long shot sort of plan. I had NO problem killing those I had helped killed in order to get us away and down here to Earth on the slim hope that somewhere in the bowels of Tyrell Corporation was a means for more LIFE.

Still have no qualms about killing people. Got a problem with that?!

Just . . . I find it . . .not . . .

I. . . don't want to. . . . She' just too . . . .

Nice?

. . .

Originally when she'd come through with Leon (my current bedmate) I'd found some kind of emotion going through me that I think human's call "envy". Can't be sure, because I've not been around long enough to KNOW such things. With four year lifespans, Replicants don't have enough time to learn such things. If Roy's plan works, then I get my chance along with the rest of my new squad here. Maybe (big dreams!) I will even share with the OTHER Replicants and we then shall . . .

What the hell? Atruism? In THIS day and age? From ME?!

I'm going nuts. Only thing that it could be happening...

...

Sigh, okay. Anyway the thing here is that I started to notice I was losing it is when Leon explained why he was back so early (with company). It had to be that he wanted me to quietly snap his "friend's" neck and dispose of the body whilst he showered off that stench he'd picked up somewhere. But somehow I'd started talking with her and . . . .liking her. . .

Then after she'd finished up with the shower (some kind of new experience, showers, for her) Leon suggests that after he'd quickly bagged up everything that I take Phylicia over to my work and away from here before it gets . . . too hot (i.e. before some Bladerunner or someone else pays this plays a visit). Okay, fine.

Still thinking that he's using euphanisms (though it escapes me why he hadn't done it himself . . . but had trusted that he'd had some reason) I'd thought I'd do her (snuff her) in some alley along the way to work.

No . . . found that I . . .couldn't.

Is . . . is this what they call a conscious? Me? With a conscious after all those. . .

Well, it gets REALLY weird when I get to work. She seems to have accepted this situation she'd fallen into here (not without some ill grace but she'd accepted), saying that somehow she'd been magically (hah!) swepted into this strange land. It came down to she was honor bound (?!) to repay the kindness (?!) I and Leon had shown her thus far, in not only rescuing her from Tyrell but giving her shelter and such...

So, though it was beneath her station (her words!) she'd repay me by using an ability gained from . . . .something (what the Hell is this shit about the "Faire folk") that . . . those of High Blood do not speak of in their ancestry (midnight trysts?!).

She goes into this big song and dance with my boss on what I think is a mistaken assumption. Oh, I know she knows I'm an entertainer, but I do not believe she knows exactly what an "exotic dancer" really is. Somehow I think she sells her act off--calling herself 'the Siren'-- as an exotic act and my boss thinks that she's going to be doing some kind of stripping act, with some kind of mythological theme to it. Well, I sold him on MY act (calling on the Garden of Eden story with my replicated snake and all that), so I guess....

Well, somehow I grit my teeth, because she's going on before me and I don't get a chance to short circuit this disaster . . . God only knows where she got that fancy period dress, but then this place has all sorts of . . . props . . .

But . . . not only does she not get booed off the stage (and me canned), she gets kept ON stage (with only her singing voice drawing MORE and more into this joint)! Good grief! The money this place must be making by door cover charges alone is . . .

It pushes my act back to nearly the end . . . and the audience is more abuzz with raving about the new act than anyone paying attention to ME and my snake . . .

That . . . kinda pisses me off, really and I'm not in a good mood at being upstaged . . .

Until I go back to the dressing room, finding Phylicia crashed out on the couch back there, spent! That and she pointing to me. The manager (my boss) is on his KNEES, begging for her to do a return engagement. Pile of money on the endtable, to sweeten the deal...

Is . . . is this really happening?! I mean . . .that is more money than I made in a week and . . . for one night?

"Zhora is my . . . agent," she says softly, spent (with a . . . . really . . . strange whispery . . . fey?! . . undertone to her voice). "She . . . is the one who deals with my . . . contract needs. Speak with her, but beware. If you short her or cheat her . . . then nevermore shall I sing for you or your clients, mortal."

Huh?

But before I can go into getting any kind of info on what the Hell that meant, I'm being mobbed by the manager, begging for me to sign this contract . . . for my "client" and...

My . . . the terms of this paper are . . . .generous for myself and "the Siren"....

Oh, I jack up the terms WAY in my favor (and I could probably have gotten him to sell his soul if I believed in that metaphysical crap), but . . . what in the HELL did Leon "rescue" from Tyrell?

1. Later, back at Leon's place . . . . two figures are let into the abandoned apartment by the manager....

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