Vestigial Memories, Session 7: Down Time

Scene setup

Downtime Event Table check:
(D12): (6) => You catch sight of a device or person surveilling your home.
Stats change: +1 resolve for resting

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Scene 7: The Ghost at the Gate

Back at my apartment on Retirement Row, I pour a glass of Blackout Reserve. The amber liquid burns in the best way. Greta, my pet animoid cat, is napping on the sofa next to me. I let the low hum of synthwave wash over the room, feeling the knots in my shoulders begin to loosen.

I stand by the window, staring out at the familiar decay of the abandoned subway station. I know every shadow out there, every low-life and gang-member who calls this stretch of the Row home. But there’s a new shape in the fog.

A man is standing near the station entrance, his eyes fixed on my building.

Q: Does he look dangerous/menacing?
Question check roll:
(D10): (3) => No

He isn’t reaching for a piece, and his posture is relaxed. He’s not here to hit me; he’s here to be seen.

I set my glass down, grab my coat, and head out into the rain.

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The Encounter: Kael

As I approach, the neon from a nearby hoarding catches his face.

Q: Who is it?
Cipher table check:
(D6 + D12): (1 + 11) => Conspire + Guilt

My heart skips a beat. It’s him. The Kasper duplicate. The ghost from the Fish Ladies. He doesn’t bolt; he just watches me come.

Locke: “Hello there.”

Kael: [Silent nod]

Locke: “I’ve seen your face somewhere, haven’t I?”

Kael: “You have.”

Locke: “What’s your name?”

Kael: “Kael.”

Locke: “Kael with a ‘K’? Do they name you all with the same letter, like pedigree cats?”

Kael: “They do, actually.”

Locke: “Well… fuck them.”

A faint, sad smile touches his lips.

Locke: “Whoever ‘they’ are.”

Kael: “Vestige. But you already know that.”

He’s talking. More than that, he’s confessing.

Locke: “Any particular reason you’re standing in front of a Blade Runner’s home? Not afraid of being retired?”

Kael: “Why? I haven’t broken any laws.”

Locke: “Technically true. So, why are you here?”

Kael: “The woman… Zhao. She doesn’t deserve a cell. She’s the only good one among them.”

Locke: “Them? You mean Vestige?”

Kael: “Can you imagine it, Locke? Finding out you aren’t human? That you’re just a copy of a copy? No real memories. No family. Maybe not even a soul. Even my name is just a derivative of a dead man’s serial number.”

Locke: “Can’t say that I do.”

Kael: “Well, she did. She helped us when no one else would. For that, she shouldn’t be punished.”

Locke: “You risked a lot to come here just to tell me she’s a saint.”

Kael: “She’s worth it. Just know that if you keep her in that cage, a lot of people like me are going to be… displeased.”

Locke: “Is that a threat?”

Kael: “It’s a statement. That’s all I have for you.”

Before I can reach for my cuffs, he turns. With the unnatural grace of a Nexus-6, he vaults onto the roof of a low building and vanishes into the darkness. I’m too tired, and he’s too fast.

Hypothesis (D8 => D10): A group of replicant sympathizers has been building replicant bootlegs. Kael existance confirms it.