Once they returned to the shop, a man had just arrived with the damaged AY500. She was inactive, but probably fixable. The owner was dressed in pale jeans and a brightly coloured shirt that John found distasteful. He was middle-aged and a little overweight, with somewhat greasy grey hair tied in a ponytail. He looked like the type of man who would run a seedy place like the Eden Club. John tried to hide his dislike for the man, reminding himself what would happen to the android if he refused the job.

"Ah! You must be Mr Brown," the man greeted jovially as he walked up to Lin and held out his hand with an oily smile. Lin raised an eyebrow before looking over his shoulder at John. If David had been there, John knew he would have been snickering. It was to be expected. Despite being nineteen, John barely looked like he could pass for seventeen. It was little wonder that he was often mistaken as the part-time staff. John put on his most patient smile before stepping forward to correct the mistake politely.

"I'm John Brown. I believe you said it was an AY500?" John interjected, ignoring the mistake as he often did. He knew what the man would be thinking. He looked so sweet and innocent; surely he would be easy to manipulate for a discount. John was well versed in handling such customers at this point. The man looked pleasantly surprised as he turned his attention to John, who was already heading into the workshop, where the GT300 had laid out the female model on the work bench ready for inspection.

"Yes, sorry…I didn't expect you to be so young!" the man apologised sheepishly as he followed. John smiled and insisted that it was understandable and quite common. Older models of androids were akin to classic cars. It was usually older men who fawned over them. After brushing off the apology, John motioned towards the damaged android, which had fresh thirium stains on its lips and nose, but few other outward signs of damage. He didn't even clean her up first…The lack of any care or decency got under his skin. He could at least have wrapped her in a blanket or put on proper clothing.

"Could you tell me what happened? Do you know any of the issues?" John asked clinically as he leaned over the body, bending the various joints to see if anything was out of alignment. He couldn't help the swell of sympathy as he examined the android, unable to remain impartial. She was certainly attractive. Her features were Asian, likely modelled on a Japanese woman. She had deep red locks and painted red lips. She had an idealised figure with generous breasts and a slim waist. Just the type you'd expect to find in a sex club. Since she was inactive, her tanned skin was cool to the touch, but still soft. Eden Club models usually had a glittering program active to make their skin sparkle, but at the moment that setting had been deactivated along with the android.

"Ah, just a client blowing off steam. I think most of the damage will be in the torso," he added as he indicated the pelvic area. So, he was punching her abdomen…I bet she didn't even fight back, John thought sympathetically as he examined her gently sloping cheekbones. Nothing in her face seemed to be damaged, but he wouldn't know until he removed her skin to look. "Just tell me how much it'll cost once you've had a look…Maybe you could check down there too, you know? Make it nice and tight. I'll give you a discount whenever you drop by," the man added in a lecherous tone that made John's spine prickle as he laid a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll see what I can do," John insisted politely as he slipped out of the hold, quietly waving the GT300 over to escort the man back into the shop where he could be offered coffee and a magazine. John didn't try to veil his distaste once the man was gone. His lips pursed into a grimace and his blue eyes sharpened slightly before dropping to the android on the table. His skin prickled at the thought of what he was fixing this android for. Lin tugged his coat off, examining John as he stroked and pressed the inactive android's skin. He couldn't feel any cracks, but there could easily be internal damage from the repetitive impacts to the softer abdomen area.

"Are you going to fix her for him? He'll just use her as a sex doll until she breaks again," Lin said almost reproachfully as he approached the bench, part of him tempted to brush John's shoulder to remove any trace of the owner's touch. John almost glared as he looked up at Lin. He was well aware of what that man would do, but at the same time, he didn't see that he had much choice. He could fix her and she could go back to the club, or he could refuse and she would be thrown out or hacked up for parts.

"It's better than the scrap yard," John replied stiffly as he opened her up, though Lin's expression suggested he disagreed. Once he'd checked the internal wiring, he'd be able to turn her on and ask for a diagnostic. Lin watched as John worked, unsure whether he approved or disapproved of his methods. Was working as a sex slave until deactivation really better than simply being deactivated? As a deviant with freewill, he wasn't sure what he would choose if given the choice. Neither were appealing options. John yelped and stepped back as the android activated with a sudden jerk.

"Please!" the woman whimpered as she flailed her arms and struggled against John's stunned hold. John tried to keep her steady on the padded table, but it was hard as she flapped her arms and kicked her legs, twisting this way and that. John pushed the hot tools away with his foot and grabbed her slim arms in a firm but gentle grip, making hushing sounds as he moved with her. She was clearly terrified, brown eyes wide as saline pooled at the edges and her red lips trembled.

"Hey-hey-hey! It's okay, you're okay…I'm John, I'm a mechanic…Can you tell me what happened? Where are you hurt?" John asked calmly as he leaned down to her eye level, his hands remaining on her biceps. Her eyes were a deep brown, which complemented her lightly tanned skin and deep red hair. The LED on her temple was still flashing red, which put John on edge. That was never a good sign. It signalled either intense stress or physical damage. He rubbed his thumbs in soothing motions, trying to calm her. "Run a diagnostic for me," he added gently, watching as she complied.

"My secondary processor is damaged…and my…" she trailed off, looking away from John shamefully as she pressed her thighs together. She's deviant, he quickly realised as her eyes darted back to him fearfully. She grabbed his arms, giving him a pleading look as she tried to hold back tears. "Please don't send me back! I don't want to go back there!" she begged desperately. John was getting flustered as he wondered what he could do. I can't do it…I can't put another sentient being through that, he thought in resignation as he eased the redhead back and looked across at Lin.

"If I'm right, then that man is an idiot, but a sly one…Lie down. I'm going to need to deactivate you for a while. I need to remove some of your internal components, but I promise I'll put you back together again," John swore as he held her soft hands, watching as she looked at Lin fearfully. Lin approached and held up his hand, retracting the skin over his right hand to show her what was beneath. She looked hopeful as he met her gaze. As an android, she trusted him more than the human.

"You can trust this human," Lin confirmed sincerely, his mismatched eyes showing nothing but honesty. With Lin's assurance, the AY500 lay back on the table and closed her eyes. It took less than a minute for her systems to shift to low-power mode, the LED on her temple cooling to faded grey. John took a shaky breath as he deactivated the skin on her head and opened the cranial plate. Lin watched closely as John removed her motherboard and secondary processor.

"What happened to it being better than the scarp yard?" Lin pressed as he followed John into the back room, where there was a box of broken components waiting to either be fixed or sent to the recycling plant. He pulled out Lin's broken circuits and searched through them for the most damaged looking ones. He was quite certain that the man out front had no idea which components the AY500 needed. He turned to Lin as he did so, still distractedly turning over the burned out circuits and working out what he was going to say.

"It's different now. She's sentient, and she asked for my help," he replied, doing his best to seem sure of himself. He took a breath before heading into the main shop. Lin followed behind and stood at the counter with the GT300. The GT300 pretended to continue his work on the computer, but his attention was completely fixated on the two humans. John was nervous, and he was a notoriously bad liar. On the plus side, this human wasn't all that knowledgeable about androids. The GT300 could tell by the way he flicked through the magazines. He looked at the pictures, but never took the time to read any of the articles. This would give John a high advantage during their exchange.

"Well? Can you fix her?" the man asked eagerly as John stepped out.

"I'm afraid not…This is her primary processor, the one she needs for higher brain functions. As you can see, it's totally burned out. When she suffered the internal damage, it must have built up an overload…To be honest, it would be more expensive to fix this old unit than it would be to buy a more updated model. This component alone is almost six hundred dollars. I haven't even counted the damage to the secondary processor and internal bio-components," John explained as he handed the chip to the man confidently. He looked at the burned out chip worriedly, his expression dropping with each new item that needed to be replaced. Lin was impressed. He would never have guessed that John was lying.

"I really need her. She's one of the few girls I have left!" the man said forlornly, and John did a good job of keeping the distaste from his face. Instead, he looked thoughtful. He didn't want to risk the man taking the unit elsewhere or taking her to the scrap yard. The only way to keep her safe was to keep her there, and the only way to keep her there was to make it worth the man's while to leave without her.

"She's quite an old model. You're lucky she worked as long as she did…I know these old units, and let me tell you, you won't get a good price on her parts at a scrap yard. I'm willing to make you an offer though. I'll pay you a fair price on all the working parts and the material worth of the scrap," John offered generously, wondering if he'd gone in too soon. It probably made little sense for him to offer to buy a broken android. The man looked at him almost suspiciously as he weighed up the offer. John schooled his expression, hoping the man couldn't see through him.

"I see how it is. You just want her for yourself!" the man accused, and John couldn't hide the look of distaste as he held his hands up insistently.

"Believe me, I want no part of that," he replied firmly, with a little more honesty than he'd intended. "I'm just giving you a fair deal. As a dealer of older models, I'm always looking for workable parts, and I'm sure you'll be more than happy with the price. It will be more than enough for a better, updated model," he added, letting the man think it over as he walked over to the GT300. The GT300 got to work as John had him look up the current market value of the AY500. He was surprised how little the unit was worth. He could easily afford the full retail price of the unit without even dipping into his savings, but he wouldn't pay that much if he didn't have to. The GT300 worked out the price of the undamaged parts John listed, plus the scrap value of the left over components. That came to about half the price. "I'll offer you fourteen thousand dollars for it," John stated as he turned away from the screen. The man looked outraged, as John had expected.

"I wouldn't accept a penny less than eighteen!" he countered indignantly, watching John sigh and place his hands on his hips. He was used to dealing with customers who thought he didn't know his stuff. He knew the man would also try to get a better deal because he was so young.

"I work with these units every day. Trust me, it isn't worth any more than fourteen-five," John insisted with a wave of his hand, watching the older man's eye twitch. He definitely didn't like losing to a youngster. He folded his arms stubbornly.

"Seventeen," he offered grudgingly.

"Fourteen-seven-fifty," John countered in a professional business tone.

"Sixteen, or I'll take it elsewhere," the older man insisted. John bit the inside of his mouth, but he was pretty sure he had him on the ropes. They both knew the unit's parts weren't worth that much, and John was being more than fair.

"Fifteen," John gambled cautiously.

"Fifteen-five?" the man said almost questioningly. John paused, pretending to think it over.

"Aright, fifteen-five," he agreed, accepting the burned out chip as the man handed it back. John pulled up the paperwork and had the GT300 go over it and authorise payment. The man was jovial enough, but John hurried him out at the suggestion that John may have another android he could buy as a replacement. John would never willingly sell an android into that life, sentient or not. He tried not to look too disgusted as the man handed him a card with his number on it. If John wanted to drop by, he was always welcome. Not even if hell freezes over, John thought with an amicable smile plastered on his face as the man left. "GT, close the shop. I have work to do," John said finally as he headed out back.

"Do you need help?" Lin asked somewhat hopefully as he watched John get to work. John smiled and nodded, using Lin as a sort of assistant nurse. Lin watched his slender hands work, marvelling at how skilled he was. He barely missed a beat between tasks, and he didn't slip once. He was working with the precision of an android as he fixed the damaged circuitry. The only difference was that John slowed down as he got tired. It took him five hours to complete the repairs and maintenance that the AY500 needed after so long.

"I'm finished," John murmured with a tired sigh as he sat on his rolling stool and allowed his head to droop. Lin took the tools and turned off the various electrical drills and the soldering iron. He listened to John's tired breathing slow as he rolled the tools aside and gathered the broken components that would be sent for recycling.

"You should eat something before…" Lin trailed off as he returned and saw John's head lolling against his chest. He didn't even need to see his face to know he was sleeping. He sighed as he circled the stool and stood at John's side. He was careful as he leaned down and hooked his arms beneath his knees and shoulders, barely missing a beat as he hefted him and headed for the stairs. John didn't stir as he was carried, or as Lin eased his door open. Lin laid him down and tugged his shoes off, taking his time as he examined John's peaceful, sleeping face. He idly stroked his pale cheek, amused as John leaned into his touch with a small hum. "Good night," Lin murmured before retreating, leaving the light off as he headed through to the living room to continue his reading from the night before.