I hit the stairway door at speed and sprinted down the steps, taking them three at a time—quite a feat for a Quinlan. My pursuers wouldn’t be able to match that. As I passed the second level down, I heard them come through the door above me. A quick calculation indicated I wouldn’t be able to get the door closed quickly enough to throw them off, which meant it would be a straight chase to the train platform. I was faster, pound for pound, but they would be able to run on all fours, not being burdened with a replicant matrix. In retrospect, maybe the backpack idea wasn’t so bad.