Leaving the Memory Lab, Willa receives a message from Merrick, directing her to a location at the Railway Depot. Something feels off; the message didn’t come from Merrick’s LAPD KIA, and attempts to call him back go unanswered. Still, she heads to the depot, drawn by the urgency of finding Leah.
Willa arrives at the warehouse, slipping in through a metal side shutter. The silence is heavy, and as she calls for Merrick, she gets no response. She moves carefully, noting a light in a ground-floor office, when suddenly, a shadow darts in front of her. A strike hits her from behind. Willa fires back, killing one of her attackers with a single shot to the head. A chaotic fight breaks out with shadowy figures and a massive gorilla-like man among her assailants. Injured and shaken, Willa narrowly escapes and contacts LAPD and Wallace Corp, believing Leah may actually be at the Lilith Memory Lab.
Meanwhile, Merrick arrives at the Lilith Memory Lab with two other replicants. He searches for Leah, finding only Lilith Tyrell and her daughter Sarah inside. After an hour of waiting, a figure appears, whom Merrick believes to be Leah. As he calls out to her, she warns him that he can’t stop her from what she’s about to do, insisting it must happen.
At that moment, an explosion shakes the facility - Willa and Wallace Corp soldiers have arrived, blasting their way through reception. Merrick and Leah flee into Lilith’s office, seeking cover. Merrick pleads with Leah to leave the city, urging that her future depends on abandoning her plans, but Leah refuses. As gunfire echoes from down the corridor, Merrick calls for Lilith to open the doors to the Central Memory Lab, hoping for a safe escape.
The Wallace Corp soldiers advance, “retiring” one of the replicants, before securing positions on either side of Lilith’s office door. Merrick, Leah, Lilith, and Sarah retreat into the Central Memory Lab, sealing themselves in. Merrick demands an alternative exit, but Lilith reveals there is only one way out - through the corridor where the soldiers are stationed.
As the soldiers prepare a breach charge, panic sets in. Smoke fills the room as a grenade rolls in, obscuring visibility. The lab’s projectors spark to life, and amidst the chaos, an image from Merrick’s memory begins to play: the penthouse, the party, and the mysterious woman he’d once connected with.
Willa pulls out her KIA device, intending to report to the LAPD Chief Deputy. One of the soldiers orders her to put it away. Ignoring him, Willa continues trying to reach HQ, but the soldier snatches the device, slamming it to the ground and crushing it under his boot. He raises a finger to his mask in a gesture for silence. Distrusting his intentions, Willa draws her pistol and fires, critically injuring him.
Willa, gun drawn, steps into the smoke-filled lab. Disoriented by the projection and the noise, Merrick sees her silhouette and, believing her to be an enemy, fires. The bullet strikes Willa, knocking her down. A soldier retaliates, shooting Merrick. The two meet eyes across the smoky room - an intense exchange of mutual loathing. Each believes they’ve done what was necessary, yet each is driven by a conflicting sense of duty.
Wounded and weakened, Willa manages to steady herself, exiting the room and leaving Merrick and the others behind. Merrick, fading, watches the projection of his cherished memory, holding the stranger’s gaze one last time as gunfire and screams ring out in the distance.
Some time later, Willa recovers in the hospital, visited by her LAPD chief and colleagues who praise her work. The chief states that Leah and Merrick were Nexus-8 models, rogue replicants who had infiltrated the Blade Runner program. Officially, both were "retired" after killing Lilith Tyrell and her daughter. Though unsettling, the chief assures Willa that the threat is gone, congratulating her on a job well done.