Kai slumped heavily against the door to his apartment, soaking wet and dry heaving. The card was taking too long to fit through the slot, his hands were shaking furiously from the toxic combination of fear, panic, and pain.

Once the card managed to get in, the door clicked open and Kai nearly fell over.

The apartment was quiet. Too quiet.

Kai prayed to every God and Goddess he knew in his head that he wasn't too late.

"Hurk?"

No reponse.

The living room was empty.

So was the kitchen.

Kai edged into the bedroom and eyed the blanket-covered slump on one side of the bed with trepidation. There were no signs of blood or foul play, but…

Kai lifted the edge of the blanket and the peaceful face of his Replicant lover greeted him. He was still and unmoving… could he be…?

He pressed of his fingers against the pulse point on the bared neck and nearly collapsed when he felt the slow and steady beats of a working synthetic heart.

"Where will we go?" Hurk stood in his customary place by the window, fully dressed and holding a duffel bag full of necessities.

"Anywhere but here. Maybe off-world." Replicants weren't illegal in the colonies, so maybe they could sneak on one of the transports. It'd be better than running until they didn't have any time left…

…Not that they had much time left, anyways. The clock was ticking, for both of them.

"Let's go." Kai took a glance back at the shitty apartment he had lived in for a decade. He wouldn't miss this place, to be honest.

Hurk went through the door first and went to buzz the elevator. Kai locked the door behind him and turned.

He took a step, and something crunched underneath his shoe.

What…

Kai moved his foot aside.

A toothpick had been snapped and bent to form the crude figure of a fish.

Gallagher's calling card... it was a warning, he had been here, but he didn't…

"Sir?"

Kai looked up to see Hurk waiting for him, half-hidden within the deep shadows of the elevator.

He left the crushed remains of the toothpick-fish where it was and walked into the elevator.

Neither could afford to look back, so they didn't.