Chapter Fifty – Parting Ways

"Human, your hands…" The RG600 said with some sympathy. John's hands were shaking, barely able to grip the screwdriver he held. His fingers were numb in the cold, his teeth chattering endlessly. They'd been in the warehouse for a couple hours now, and John was badly needed. Androids littered the floor suffering from everything. Failing components. Damaged systems. Broken limbs. Loss of blue-blood. There was only so much he could do with emergency tools and no thirium, and he'd been doing it tirelessly.

"I-I can managed." John chattered out, swapping hands to shake some blood back into his freezing limb. His other hand was no better. He was pleased to see the RG600 units again. He'd known straight away, even before they'd spoken. The shuffled steps of one had given them away. Lin was somewhere else in the room, also helping as much as he could. He'd learned a lot from John and his books, and was able to patch up his people admirably. Unfortunately they didn't have blue-blood or replacement parts. They had to do what they could with the deactivated units available.

"Human needs rest. Human needs food. Human need warmth." The worried unit reported, scanning John's vitals. John smiled tiredly and rubbed his hands together in a useless attempt to warm them up. He was touched by the unit's concern. He was also glad he'd gained its trust after their previous encounters.

"They need me more." John replied simply as he nodded to the collapsed androids littering the floor. The RG600 went to object, but couldn't. It was true, many of the units wouldn't have lasted much longer without John's intervention. John shivered and blew on his hands, clapping and trying to warm them still. He was frustrated. It was too cold. He envied Katie and Lin. Lin didn't feel the cold, and Lin had kindly helped Katie turn off her physical senses, so she no longer felt the cold either.

"How long will you remain? Human cannot last in this climate. Too cold. Too harsh." The unit pressed, watching John's jaw tighten in response. He had no intention of leaving. Whatever happened, he wanted to be there. He wanted to help. The RG600 tilted its head before caressing John's cheek intimately, something he had seen Lin do on numerous occasions in his memories. "You are…a good human. A kind human…I do not want you to die." The blonde unit stated, watching John's blue eyes widen slightly. It was too close to what the GT300 had said. Too close to what Lin would say. He shivered.

"And I don't want any of you to die either." John replied as he reached up and touched the hand on his cheek, surprised by how warm it felt. "Save your thirium…You don't need your heat systems this high." He added softly, though he was grateful for the kind gesture. The unit was trying to provide some warmth. The unit looked as if it were about to say something more when footsteps drew his attention upwards and he suddenly looked worried.

"How are things over here?" Lin's voice interrupted, the blonde unit removing its hands immediately. John tried to hide the shaking in his limbs as he turned and smiled up at Lin. The android let him pretend for now, but he'd been keeping his eye on John since they'd arrived. Despite the small amount of cover the warehouse provided this was no place for a human. Especially since John was only wearing sneakers, sweats, a t-shirt and Takigawa's oversized jacket.

"We're fine. How did things go on your end?" John asked as he looked across the warehouse.

"As well as expected without replacement parts and thirium." Lin sighed as he crouched beside John. "There's a protest building in Detroit…The android base was destroyed, and they're planning some form of demonstration. The androids here want to stage our own…I agree with them." The Asian said finally as he crouched at John's side. John bit his lip as he returned to work on the android beneath him. Throwing himself into work allowed him to avoid answering right away. Lin allowed it for now. His heartrate increased nervously.

"A violent protest? Or a sit-in?" John murmured eventually.

"The androids here are primarily carers and maintenance units, not built for aggression…We'd prefer to keep it peaceful." Lin said, and John nodded his agreement. They'd be mowed down by SWAT within seconds if they ran in recklessly, especially without weapons. It may be suicide anyway though. From what John could tell public opinion was on their side, just about. Many people hated androids, but there was a lot of sympathy for their plight. Markus was a charismatic leader.

"Well…I suppose we should plan…I can be on hand to help with any injuries caused by." John cut off as Lin's lips claimed his own. The screwdriver slipped from his grasp, the unit he was working on and the RG600 exchanging an almost embarrassed look at the amount of passion in that connection. It was like watching their own kind link. John was breathless and warm by the time Lin drew back. John bit his lip, shaking his head in denial as Lin gave him a serious look. "Lin, I." He cut off as Lin's finger pressed to his trembling lips.

"You're not coming." The android stated, trying not to feel guilty as tears pricked John's eyes. "This is not your war to fight…and I wouldn't be able to keep you safe…It's too dangerous. You can barely function here as it is." Lin reasoned, trying to be soft and reasonable. He couldn't help the pang of guilt he felt as the tears dripped from John's eyes. The RG600 unit shuffled anxiously, clearly alarmed as John's vitals shifted all over the place.

"Human is leaking! Human is leaking!" He exclaimed, confused as a small smile reached John's lips in response.

"I'm not leaking." John replied, wiping uselessly with the worn coat sleeve. He shook it off and returned to work, bottom lip quivering despite his attempts to bite it in place. Lin touched his lip firmly, the blonde's teeth nipping his finger instead. "I don't want to leave you." The human confessed, though it wasn't anything Lin didn't already know, or feel in return. He didn't want to be separated from John either.

"I would stay with you forever…You know that…but this…The freedom of my people rests on these demonstrations getting through. Detroit isn't enough. The message needs to be everywhere, and these people need help." Lin excused, and John nodded his agreement. He knew Lin was right, and he knew the android wouldn't be a good leader if he was constantly distracted by John's safety. John just wished he knew a way to help. A way that didn't put him in the line of fire. He felt useless, like he was holding Lin back.

"I want to stay…I want to help…" John cried, unable to stop the warm tears trickling down his cheeks. Again, the two androids observing looked at each other uncomfortably. Lin could only think of one way to stop John's tears. He gave John no choice as he gripped the human's neck and claimed his mouth. John made a small sound of objection at first, squirming against Lin's firm hold before slowly falling into it. The RG600 blinked, watching with rapt attention as John looped his arms around Lin's neck and tugged him closer. It was confusing, the push and pull suggesting the human was conflicted.

"Perhaps there is something you can do on the human side…Think about it. I'll call a taxi to take you back to town." Lin decided, noting the way John's eyes filled with pain at the suggestion. "Finish what you can." The tall android added as it got to its feet and headed further into the crowd. John took a breath, wiping his eyes furiously before returning to work. The RG600 shuffled, clearly anxious to make John feel better.

"Tall one is right. Human must be safe, safe! Human can help. Human can tell people. People see, people watch…" He suggested, John's eyes creasing slightly. He wasn't sure, but it sounded like the RG600 was suggesting media attention. He's right…If the local news stations are tuned in then the protest has a higher chance of remaining bloodless…SWAT won't want to look bad by gunning down unarms androids…

"You're right, but…It won't be enough…Something needs to happen, but…I need help." John thought worriedly, finally finishing his patch job on the android beneath him. As his chest panel clicked into place the android touched his hand, the skin peeling back to shock his skin. It was a sign of affection and gratitude. Unfortunately this android's vocal processor was beyond repair without a replacement. John smiled and nodded, resting a hand on the unit's shoulder. He understood.

"The little one. You should take the little one. Too small, too fragile." The RG600 added as he scanned the room for Katie, who was happily talking to one of the PL600s. They were basically nanny robots, similar to Donald. She looked like she was enjoying herself. They were playing patter cake. John nodded his agreement. Katie didn't belong in the middle of a war ground. None of these units do…