In Los Angeles, in 2048, Sapper Morton is shown weeping hysterically into a mirror. He washes his face in a sink and puts on his glasses. Walking through a crowded street, he is briefly accosted by a group of thugs who he ignores. Greeted by Ella, he gives her the book ''The Power and the Glory'' to read, a book that he enjoyed. Leaving, Sapper goes to a market to sell leeches he has collected, being paid $3,000, which is $1,000 less than Sapper needs. After leaving the market, Sapper sees Ella and her Mother about to be sexually assaulted by the group of thugs he had earlier ignored. Angered, Sapper proceeds to savagely beat the group with seemingly superhuman strength and resilience, inadvertently killing most of them. Sapper leaves the scene, having dropped his identification papers. A spectator, having watched Sapper earlier, calls the LAPD to inform them that he thinks he's found a rogue "Replicant".