Lin opened his remaining eye. What vision he had was crackling as his systems powered up. He was at the five-minute mark. He barely had the power to turn his head or keep his eye open. It seemed the human had failed. He tried not to shiver at the all-consuming thought of his impending death. His skin prickled, what little skin he had left anyway. He felt so bitter. He shouldn't have gotten his hopes up. Of course, the human would let him down. What else should he expect? He gritted his teeth as his working eye blurred. He was scared, and part of him desperately wished the human had remained until the end. I don't want to die alone...Warning lights flashed in his HUD, obscuring his hazy vision. Shut down is imminent...

"I'm here! Hold on!" The human's breathless voice echoed slightly in the old warehouse. Lin's dark eye widened in disbelief. Loud steps pounded the dirty concrete and suddenly he was there. The blonde fell to his knees in the growing darkness, panting for breath as he gripped the box. His hands literally tore into the neat packaging around the new core. He was frantic. His hands were shaking with nerves as he tossed the foam aside and looked at the dark module. He twisted the middle section, and it came to life, the soft blue glow framing them both in the darkness of the warehouse. He had less than a minute. "Just hold on." His voice was uneasy as he pressed a hand against Lin's chest. Gentle fingers gripped the circular core and twisted.

"Ugh!" Lin gasped in something akin to ecstasy as his core was removed. The slide of the warm core along the socket was a strange sensation, but somehow pleasurable. Warning lights flashed across his HUD, obscuring his view of the human. His body jerked and shuddered as vital systems started shutting down. He felt something slot into his chest with a divine gliding buzz and it twisted into place with a satisfying click. A gasp of pure ecstasy slipped out as power flooded his weakened systems. He hadn't felt this way since his first activation. The warnings about power disappeared and his cluttered vision cleared.

"Are you alright? Did it work?" the human asked worriedly as he gripped his shoulders with shaking hands. He sighed in relief as Lin looked up at him. His body was working for now, but even Lin could hear the whirring and buzzing of his systems slowly frying. He gave a small nod of confirmation. His body was stable enough for now. "My name is John...What should I call you?" John asked gently as he sat down, apparently not planning on leaving any time soon.

"Lin...My name is Lin." His voice was quiet and subdued. He felt uncertain as he regarded the human. There was no real harm in telling him his name. It wasn't like there was anyone looking for him. Lin examined John's pale face and scanned, seeing his information pop up in the corner of his feed. His name was Johnathan Edwin Brown. Nineteen years old, and the owner of a small business that fixed androids, specialising in older models. He seemed to have a strange obsession with androids. He was currently listed as a student majoring in robotics and mechanical engineering at the local university.

"Lin...How did you end up here? Your parts are quite new..." John wasn't sure if he would want to talk about it. He was unusual. An Asian model, most likely based on a Chinese subject. He would have been tall and slim when standing, with short ebony locks and deep chocolate eyes. Lin glared at him a little for his curiosity, but apparently he'd earned enough trust for an answer. Lin tried not to sound too resentful as he dropped his gaze and balled his one good fist.

"My original owner died...She had me created in the likeness of her deceased son. Her daughter-in-law was the only surviving relative after that. Understandably, she didn't want a replica of her dead husband, but she couldn't bring herself to destroy me. She took me to a bridge and told me to wait beneath it...I was there for three months before a group of humans found me...I think you can guess what they did." Lin averted his remaining eye at the memory. The other was a shattered pit, slowly leaking thirium like a tear track. John bit his lip in response, something Lin was beginning to think was a nervous tick. He did it every time he felt nervous or wanted to say something. "They led me away from the bridge and...They left me when they got bored. I dragged myself in here...No one ever came looking until you arrived."

"How long were you here?" John asked curiously as he turned on a small flashlight from his backpack and set it beside them. Lin looked through his databanks, trying to figure that out. Some of his internal components had been corrupted and his chronometer wasn't working, but judging by the timestamps on John's camera earlier, he could work it out.

"Around three weeks." He was interrupted by a stream of buzzing static from his vocal synthesiser.

"Tell me what parts you need. I'll get them for you," John said as he pulled his phone out and opened a memo to take notes. Lin almost scoffed. A human helping an android out of the kindness of his heart? Unheard of. Lin glared at him weakly. He hated the pitying look in his deep blue eyes. His face had a sincere quality that was difficult to resist. He was innocent and somewhat sweet, just oozing earnestness. Like a cherub...

"What is it you want in return? Why are you doing all this? We both know these parts are expensive. It would be easier to scrap me and buy a new model, so why do you want to fix me so badly?" Suspicion and distrust were clear in his tone, brow furrowed as he almost glowered. He wouldn't fall for it. He knew how cruel and devious humans could be, how selfish and indifferent to the suffering of others. There was no way John was helping him out of the kindness of his heart. He could sell me on, but I already pointed out it would be cheaper to buy a completely new model...He could be looking for an android for himself, but from his level of knowledge and the fact he can get parts he must have at least one already...

"I don't have a reason...I came here by chance and you need help...I don't need a reason to help someone in trouble." John was still biting his lip as he waited for Lin's response. Lin huffed and looked away. It seemed too good to be true. What were the chances of a truly good human turning up to help him mere hours before his power depleted? And not only that, but he didn't expect to get anything in return besides his gratitude. Either he's exceptionally kind or exceptionally foolish...

"Fine..." Lin had little to lose. He brought up his diagnostic and listed the items to John, who looked more and more troubled as he noted the extent of the damage. When they reached the more sensitive internal components he needed, John was biting his lip so hard Lin thought he might break the skin. He was certainly leaving little red marks in the soft flesh. "What is it?" Lin could tell that John had some sort of complaint.

"It's just...there's no way that all of this damage can be fixed here. To reach your internal components, I'll need the tools to open you up, and I can't do that here." Not only was the machinery too heavy to move, but exposing the sensitive circuitry to the filth of the warehouse could cause further damage. Lin had worried about that. He knew he could have replaced most of the external components himself, but he wouldn't be able to complete any of the more sensitive internal work. In fact, he would need to be in low-power mode for most of it. "Come with me. I can take you to my shop right now." John hoped his expression was genuine enough to convince Lin as he stared him down in earnest.

"Fine." Lin's remaining eye widened in alarm as John grabbed his bad shoulder and started removing the whole dead arm. "What are you doing?" he demanded fearfully as his arm was easily clicked out of the socket. He watched as John eased it out of his jacket sleeve and tossed it aside. He held John back with his good hand, pressing himself against the crate warily as John reached down for the first of his legs. The vulnerability in Lin's tone made him pause.

"I'm removing the damaged limbs...They're broken and unsalvageable. You'll be easier to carry this way." John didn't miss the way Lin glared at his lap bitterly. Having his limbs removed and tossed away just made him feel more like an object. He felt like a car getting new tyres. John gripped his plastic hand in something like comfort and squeezed. "I promise I'll be careful, just trust me." John's cheeks flushed a pretty pink colour as he met Lin's hurt gaze with earnest eyes. He knew he was asking a lot of him, but he was experienced enough by now to know what he was doing.

Lin lowered his hand in defeat, wincing in reflex as John clicked his right hip out of place. He felt the whole socket collapse. It felt strange, having his rotary sockets empty. He hadn't been able to register his legs or arm since the humans had broken them, but he missed the weight pulling at his joints as John moved across to the second leg. John felt around his hip and thigh before deciding the upper leg was salvageable and removing the leg at the knee instead.

"Here, wrap your arm across my chest," John instructed as he knelt with his back to him. Lin reached out hesitantly, feeling unsteady without his legs and right arm to help him balance. He could feel himself toppling as he grabbed John's shoulder and heaved himself forward, refusing to humiliate himself more than he already had. He buried his face in the rough brown denim of John's jacket, slowly looping his arm over his smaller shoulder and down across his chest. John had a sweet but slightly musky scent. His body was a little damp where he'd been running, but the sweat was still fresh with little scent to it. "Up we go..." John warned with a groan as he gripped Lin's arm with one hand and used the other to help push himself up.

"Can you manage?" Lin asked worriedly as he staggered under the weight. He may have only been a torso, but androids were still heavy. John huffed a small reassurance as he lurched towards the makeshift exit. Once there, he crawled through, allowing Lin to pull himself afterwards. There was no need to treat him like a sack of potatoes. Once he was through, Lin reached for him again. John lifted him from the front this time, carrying him like a child.

"GT! Over here!" he called as he approached the chain-link fence. Lin looked up at the sound and saw another android. His LED flickered yellow as he assessed the newcomer. The android was assessing him, too. Lin's eyes widened in realisation as the android's LED turned yellow and flickered red a few times. A GT300 model..."I think I'm going to need your help. This is Lin. He's coming with us to the shop. Do you think you can help get him over the fence?" John asked, missing the silent exchange between the two androids.

"Certainly, Sir." The GT300 didn't even hesitate as he climbed the fence with ease and reached down. John huffed and heaved, lifting Lin as high as he could. Lin reached up for the GT300 and felt a firm grip on his arm as they met. The GT300 held him securely and effortlessly swung him over the railing. Lin would have winced if he could feel pain as his body bounced off the mesh with a clatter. Their eyes met as Lin was lowered to the ground, and they shared a short interface while John was climbing over the railings. So, John doesn't know you've deviated...The GT300 turned to John with his usual service smile.

"Thank you, GT. Please take him back to the shop; and be careful. He's very delicate," John instructed in a gentle tone, one that struck a chord with the old GT300. John put his helmet on Lin's head and lifted him onto the bike behind the GT300, supporting him until he was ready. Lin gripped the android in front, quietly relieved to find another like himself. "I'll see you at home!" John called as they pulled away, waving as the pair rode back towards the city.