New Characters
Sandor Kadalyi: a Soviet cop from the W.P.O.

Mr. Ackers: personnel manager at the Bay Area Scavengers Company.

Luba Luft: an android posing as an opera singer with the San Francisco Opera.

Summary
After returning from his mission at the Rosen Association headquarters in Seattle, Deckard parks his hovercar on the roof of the San Francisco Hall of Justice and heads directly for Bryant’s office. Bryant gives Deckard the details on the whereabouts of Deckard’s first Nexus-6 target, Polokov, who is apparently mimicking a special and working for the Bay Area Scavengers Company. Bryant informs Deckard that Sandor Kadalyi, a Soviet cop sent by the Russian W.P.O., will be accompanying him on his mission to retire his second target, Miss Luba Luft. Deckard questions the involvement of the W.P.O. in San Francisco police matters, but Bryant eases Deckard’s concerns by explaining that the W.P.O. has an intense interest in the Nexus-6 android, and that Deckard is not expected to share the bounty money earned for the retirement of the android.

Deckard unsuccessfully attempts to locate Polokov, first at the Scavenger’s Company, where Polokov has not shown up for work, then at Polokov’s apartment, which is run-down and completely abandoned.

From his hovercar on the roof of Polokov’s apartment building, Deckard places a call to Bryant back at the San Francisco Hall of Justice. They discuss Polokov’s disappearance and agree that Kadalyi will meet Deckard at his current location so they can go together on Deckard’s next mission to locate Miss Luba Luft, an opera singer with the San Francisco Opera Company.

While waiting for Kadalyi to arrive, Deckard receives a call from Rachel Rosen who offers to help Deckard in his mission to retire the remaining escaped Nexus-6 androids. After ending the call, Deckard ponders the absurdity of an android is offering to help retire androids.

Kadalyi arrives in a hovercar taxi. Deckard notices that Kadalyi is wearing an unusual model of handgun, one that Deckard hasn’t seen before. When he asks about it, Kadalyi responds that his gun is from Mars. Deckard realizes that Kadalyi is actually Polokov. A scuffle ensues and Deckard fires his old-fashioned .38 magnum into Polokov’s head. Deckard then phones Bryant and notifies him that he has just retired Polokov.

Shaken, Deckard places a call to his wife, Iran. She is visibly tired, having set her mood organ to a depressive state, and begins muttering about her feelings of hopelessness. Deckard tries to grab her attention to discuss his encounter with Polokov when he realizes that it’s of no use; Iran is lost in her own depression and is incapable of hearing anything Deckard is trying to say. He angrily hangs up and turns his thoughts towards Rachel Rosen. He considers the potential legitimacy of her offer to assist him in his mission, then considers whether or not he actually finds her attractive.

Analysis
Falsification of identity is one way that the irony involved in the theme of authenticity is presented in Chapter Eight. Polokov, the first android on Deckard’s list, is reported to be mimicking a special working for a sanitation company. Deckard does not find Polokov at the sanitation company, nor is he able to find any trace that Polokov ever lived at his reported address. When Deckard meets Polokov, who has disguised himself as a soviet police agent, Deckard’s guard is down, and he almost falters before finally retiring the android. The ability for androids to maintain false identities and assume human personas without detection highlights the irony involved in the standards by which androids are considered to be inauthentic...