"Hey! John!" a familiar voice called from somewhere down in the store. It was muffled, both by distance and John's closed bedroom door. David? John thought groggily as he pushed himself up on his bed, blinking his bleary eyes as his foggy mind caught up. He remembered lying down, but he didn't recall falling asleep. He must have been more tired than he'd thought. "John?" David called again, almost inquisitively. It sounded like he was downstairs somewhere, maybe on the staircase.

"Coming!" John replied sleepily as he stumbled to his feet and rubbed his tired eyes. As he walked into the hall, he saw Lin reading in his usual place on the sofa. He followed curiously as John headed towards the stairs. He hadn't met anyone else from the shop before. It was clearly someone John trusted. The GT300 had allowed him out back, and he'd even started climbing the staircase up to the apartment. "What's up?" John asked cheerfully as he looked down and saw David heading up. He ran a hand through his mussed blonde locks, conscious that they were ruffled from sleep. Not that David could say anything; his brunette locks were always a mess.

"I'm heading to the club with Adrian and Joel after work. You should come with us!" David insisted with a lively grin as he met John on the stairs, pausing in surprise as he caught sight of Lin hovering at the top. "Oh, I didn't realise you had company…" he added hesitantly as he examined the clearly older man. He was Asian, so obviously not related to John, and David would know if he was someone from their classes. That left only a few options, but he was sure John would have told him if he'd met someone like that.

"Uh, this…this is Lin," John stammered nervously as he noticed Lin's presence, unsure what more he should say. He didn't want to blow Lin's cover. He looked up at Lin cluelessly, blue eyes wide as he realised he had no idea what to say. Lin smiled softly as he took a few steps down until he was right beside John. He extended his hand to the new human politely.

"Koujo Lin. John and I met online a few weeks ago and finally got around to meeting up," he introduced smoothly without a hint of hesitation, almost amused at the way John's cheeks coloured and his mouth dropped. David took Lin's hand suspiciously, clearly not trusting him around his somewhat naïve friend. Lin couldn't blame him. His design had been based on an adult male of almost thirty years of age. That would put almost a decade between him and John. "We were talking about androids in a Cyberlife forum and John happened to mention he specialises in older models. I have some old models myself, so he offered to teach me a little about maintenance and upkeep. His books are quite fascinating," Lin continued with almost geeky enthusiasm as he held up his current volume, which made David relax somewhat.

"So…you're not…" David trailed off suggestively, looking between the pair almost suspiciously.

"It's not something we've discussed," Lin replied smoothly, though he didn't say he was uninterested. This was a detail that John also seemed to pick up on as his heart rate spiked a little. John seemed hesitant, looking between David and Lin thoughtfully. It had been a while since he'd been out with the others, but at the same time, he didn't want to just leave Lin in the apartment. He felt like it would have been rude. He could always go out another night.

"Well, if you're John's friend, then that's good enough for me! I'm David. John and I study together at the university. You should come meet our other classmates! I'm sure they'll be able to tell you even more about old androids," he insisted excitedly, unable to see both of Lin's eyes due to his long bangs. Getting Lin in a social setting and exposing him to their other friends would surely make his intentions clear. He seemed pretty normal so far though, and David thought he seemed quite stylish. He was wearing black trousers with a long white sleeved top, the sleeves neatly pulled down to his slender wrists. It was casual, like the plain white polo shirt David wore for work, though he'd brought something to change into for later. Something for John too. John never had anything good to wear.

"I'd like that," Lin replied honestly, wondering what sort of people John attracted as companions. David seemed like a lively presence that complemented John's shy and quiet nature. He seemed like an older brother figure who would look out for him. It certainly explained the searching looks Lin was getting. "For now, I'll continue reading those books you loaned me. It was nice meeting you, David," he added with a small bow of habit, heading back up as John nodded. Once he was gone, David shot John an almost sultry look, dropping a low whistle to go with it.

"Well-well-well…" David teased with a smirk and wriggle of his eyebrows as he folded his arms and looked up at John, who was standing a couple steps higher, leaning on the wall. John headed down into the shop with David trailing behind, frowning almost defensively at the insinuation. He had half a mind to slap David's chest in reproach, but that would only give him away.

"Don't read things that aren't there, he's a friend!" he insisted instead, though he couldn't hide the way his cheeks had flushed or the wide eyed dreamy looks he'd been giving Lin on the staircase. David's only concern was whether Lin was too old. He looked like he was in his mid-twenties at least. He wasn't sure an older person would take a relationship with a teenager seriously. He could have been interested just for the thrill of having a naïve toy-boy. He was hard to read. That could have been his strict upbringing though.

"That's an interesting friend you have there," David prodded teasingly, holding his hands up innocently as John shot him a stern look. "Alright! I'll watch the front. Do you have any plans? It's only twelve thirty," David asked as he crouched behind the counter, tidying the spare batteries and papers left underneath. He considered cleaning the whole lot out. He was pretty sure a lot of the papers were out of date or trash at this point. Not to mention his secret stash of candy wrappers from the hours he spend manning the counter on a slow day, though he'd noticed someone regularly cleared them out.

"I might head to the outskirts for a while," John replied thoughtfully as he looked outside. The day seemed crisp. The sky was blue and cloudless. It looked like sweater weather, which was rare for this time of year. Any frost from the night before would be long gone by now. It was good free running weather, and he could probably get some good shots around some of the abandoned houses on the edge of town. With that decided, John hurried up to change into some lighter clothes. He tugged on some grey cargo pants, a matching top and a beige hoodie. He grabbed his backpack with his camera still stowed inside from a few days ago and hurried out into the living room.

"Are you going out?" Lin asked with interest as he looked up from his book. John paused and checked the side pocket to make sure his spare battery was still there. It was. He could feel the small square block.

"Yes, I thought I'd go for a run…Um…do you want to come with me?" he asked hesitantly, almost as an afterthought. It couldn't be easy being cooped up inside, especially since he'd only just regained full mobility. Lin had only tried out his new limbs for a few hours outside so far. They'd enjoyed the trip to town, but Lin was probably a little frustrated about being cooped up indoors. Lin seemed almost eager as he shut his book with a snap.

"You don't mind?" he checked considerately as he got to his feet.

"As long as you can keep up," John challenge offhandedly, not missing the confident smirk Lin was wearing as he headed down to wait in the shop. Lin joined him a minute later, wearing jeans rather than the black slacks from earlier and some sneakers. John pretended not to see David's teasing expression as he left the shop, Lin just behind him. John led the way, starting off at a gentle pace until he figured out which direction he wanted to go in.

Lin kept pace with him, though that didn't surprise him at all. As an android, he expected Lin to be faster and more skilled than he could ever be. The first time he hopped a small wall, Lin was a little thrown off, but as John began hopping more rails and benches, he got the idea. Within half an hour, they'd entered a less populated part of town and John started climbing. He chose an old house with a one-storey garage. Once he'd run up the wall and hauled himself onto the roof, he was able to do the same up onto the sloping rooftop. Lin joined him as he took out his camera.

"You have excellent reflexes…for a human," Lin complimented as he watched John rest on one knee, panting as he pulled out his camera. John gave him a tired smile as he turned on the Nikon and adjusted the zoom. He snapped a shot of the afternoon autumn sun shining on the quiet, abandoned street below. There was a burned out husk sitting just across the street that had clearly once been a family home. John knelt lower to get a closeup of the tragic sight. Lin looked out over the rundown houses that had been marked for demolition. It was a shame, but many of the houses were now uninhabitable after years of neglect.

"Lin," John's voice called after a few moments. Lin turned to answer when he heard a click and noticed the camera had shifted to point up at him. He raised an eyebrow as John snapped another shot and smiled sheepishly as he lowered the camera to check the images, clearly pleased with himself for his work. Lin leaned over curiously to see a portrait shot of his own upper body, a quizzical expression on his face as the wind tossed his ebony locks and the sun shone over his shoulder. "I want to head over to that one next," John announced as he pointed at a slightly taller three-storey house in the distance. This one was in better condition than most others on the street.

"Lead the way," Lin invited, following as John hopped across to the next house and ran up and over the sloping rooftop before dropping into the rear garden. He hopped old wooden fences and ran through a few more overgrown yards before reaching the house he wanted. He slowed to a walk, snapping shots of the overgrown foliage and an almost hidden pond. A dirty grey cherub stood on a pedestal, reeds hanging down from its bow where water had once flowed from the tip. The fountain itself was slimy from lack of use, giving off an almost putrid smell.

"This whole area seems abandoned," Lin observed as he looked around the garden, spotting an old children's swing hanging from a tree. It was a sad sight to see the place so neglected. John hummed his agreement as he headed towards the wooden steps of the patio to try the door. It was probably open. Most of these houses had been broken into at some point over the years, the locks long rusted or kicked through.

"The houses around here are pretty old, and when the area was bought up a few years ago, the residents had to move. I don't know what's slowing them down, but it's supposed to be getting turned into a new housing estate," John replied as he turned the old handle on the door and pushed it open cautiously. Lin noticed the human's adrenaline spike as he stepped into the house, his blue eyes sweeping the dim interior almost anxiously. It wasn't the first time John had been in one of these places, and it also wouldn't be the first time if he got jumped by someone living rough. He was a little reassured as Lin joined him in the murky space.

Lin walked around cautiously as John snapped pictures of the dilapidated kitchen. Nothing was left besides the old oven and counters. Even a couple of the cupboard doors had been ripped off and removed. There was a mess of old food wrappers and even some empty packets of thirium where various people had sheltered there over the years. John moved into the living room, where most furnishings had been removed, but there were a few odd chairs and a broken sofa. People had clearly found old furniture elsewhere and put it there. John snapped a picture of Lin as he stood by the grimy window looking into the deserted street. He looked so human without the flashing LED on his temple.

John watched as he reached out towards the crumbling sill, the synthetic skin on his hand retreating to his wrist with a glowing blue trickle. John snapped another shot as Lin touched the surface with a blue glow, clearly analysing the wood. John wondered what he'd found out. It must have been amazing, seeing the age and type of wood flashing up before his eyes, telling him the exact chemical composition, maybe giving him a warning about how rotten and unsafe it was. John felt a shiver run down his spine as he watched the gentle blue glow shining beneath Lin's smooth, white fingertips. He let out a small gasp as Lin's eyes swivelled towards him like a hawk.

"I'll be upstairs," John stammered as he almost ran into the hall. Lin looked at his revealed plastic shell curiously. The sill was completely rotten and crumbled at the slightest touch. He moved his hand to the wall to see if the same was true for the rest of the house. Perhaps going upstairs wasn't the best idea…he thought warily as his sensors reported the wood wasn't quite as rotten within the plastered walls, but they were still quite fragile. He walked through to the hall and started climbing the stairs when he heard a loud shattering crunch and a small yelp.

"John?" Lin called worriedly as he hopped the last few steps and headed into one of the bedrooms, where he could just see a pale hand grasping the edge of a jagged wooden hole in the floor. He hurried over just as the fingertips started to slip and threw himself down. He leaned over the hole and grabbed John's arm, sapphire eyes looking up at him fearfully. "Hold on to me," Lin instructed calmly, pulling hard as John nodded. He pulled him up with ease, resting a hand on John's shoulder as he tried to calm himself.

"Thank you, I didn't realise the floor was so weak there," he said sheepishly as he snapped a shot of the hole. Lin sighed lightly as he got to his feet and watched him skirt the area cautiously, taking a few shots of the abandoned bedroom. It was a wonder John could make the run down place look so hauntingly photogenic. Each shot made the best use of shadows and dusty sunbeams to make even the plainest room look ghostly.

"It would be wise to leave this place soon. The structure is severely weakened," Lin reported, though he didn't expect it to fall down just yet. John insisted on seeing the attic before they left. Lin followed, keeping a close eye on his human companion as he did so. He was ready to grab John at the first sign of trouble. The attic was a large solid space with a cracked circular window letting in a stream of dusty sunlight. Lin watched as John snapped some pictures. It seemed the room had once been a children's playroom. An old rocking horse stood abandoned and alone, and a dusty wooden dollhouse stood against the far wall. John moved towards the rocking horse and touched its grimy nose, setting it rocking to-and-fro with a dry creak and small puffy cloud of particles.

"I used to have one just like this when I was little…" he murmured, the gentle expression he wore suggesting he was replaying some happy memories. Whatever he was thinking swiftly took a dark turn, and he stepped back solemnly, snapping a few final shots before leading the way back down. Lin followed quietly, wondering if he should ask John to tell him more. John's demeanour suggested he would be unsuccessful, so he let it rest. His mood seemed to improve once they were back in the sunlight. "Are you up for another run? There's an old skate park just up the street."

"Very well…Wait!" Lin said urgently, tugging John back from the wooden steps leading down to the path. John gasped as he was pulled back, falling heavily against Lin's chest. Lin wrapped his strong arms around him in reflex, registering how small he felt nestled in his embrace. John looked up with startled blue eyes, his cheeks dusted pink as their eyes met. Lin leaned down beside his ear, warm artificial breath tickling his sensitive lobe. "These steps have rotted through. It'll be safer to jump," he purred, feeling John's body stiffen before he nodded. Lin found himself almost reluctant to let him go. It felt surprisingly good to cradle the smaller human in his arms. His warmth seemed to seep through to Lin's colder artificial body. He also registered the almost sweet scent that John carried, sweet but musky. Lin found that he liked it, committing it to memory so that he could access it later.

"Thanks," John murmured sheepishly before hopping over the three steep steps to the cracked path below. Lin analysed his body as he did so, watching his muscles flex and bend beneath his clothing. He appreciated the shape of John's slender body, especially the curve of his rump and slope of his waist. "I'll race you!" John called back over his shoulder, and Lin almost missed it. He was so lost in his own task of mapping out the delicate arch of his shoulder blades. He let out a small huff of amusement as he followed, knowing that he could overtake at any time.

He followed John as he led the way at a dead sprint, jumping barriers and dropping onto a subway path. Lin would have had a heart attack if he'd been human. Watching John jump, seemingly blindly, over the edge of the wall and disappear below ground had been terrifying. He couldn't even describe the relief he felt as he looked over the railing to see John straightening up after the drop. He followed him through the echoing tunnel and up the steep slope onto yet another deserted street. John turned off the path into an old park that ran through to a small cement area. He hopped down into a deep cement pit with curved walls, where small slopes and old metal bars stood undisturbed.

"Is this the place?" Lin asked curiously, enjoying the way John's heavy breaths sounded in the echoing pit. John nodded as he snapped some shots of the curved walls, which were coated in a thick layer of spray paint. There were strange symbols everywhere, and as Lin analysed them, he found them to be local gang signs and slogans. John seemed completely unconcerned as he snapped away. Lin scanned the area, but there were no humans close by. An odd design caught his eye, and he stepped away from John to scan the fairly new mural. rA9? Lin thought curiously as he looked at the black paint. The symbols had been painted again and again, hundreds or even thousands of times. Something about the letters reached him on some level. He raised his hand to trace a jagged r on the wall, his synthetic skin peeling back almost instinctively. I've seen this…

"This again…" John murmured as he appeared at Lin's shoulder and snapped a few shots of the wall. "I've been seeing this more and more…Do you know what it means?" he asked curiously as he watched the synthetic skin of Lin's hand shift and change. He watched the almost shiny plastic stroke the rough surface of the wall, blue light gleaming between his joints. He was scanning the mural, likely seeing how old the paint was. Lin seemed so focused that John wasn't sure he'd been heard, and he snapped a few more pictures of his companion. He almost flushed as Lin turned his attention to him.

"I don't know exactly…but it is important…" he replied with certainty, watching John fiddle with his camera. They both started as they heard the scuffle of footsteps approaching. Lin took a step in front of John as he noted the swirling red LED on the newcomer's temple. The android was an RG600, the same model as the one from the park, though he didn't think it was the same one. This one was dirtier, his uniform torn and tattered. He'd clearly been here for some time, perhaps a few weeks.

"Are you alright? Are you functioning properly?" John asked worriedly as he watched the android stagger slightly. His LED blinked red as he registered he was being spoken to directly. He tottered on the spot as he looked at John warily, likely scanning him for identification. He did the same to Lin, but seemed to falter. Lin had no identification like the other humans. The RG600 was still on edge as he looked between the pair. "Is…Is this yours?" John asked curiously as he noticed the black stains on the android's hands.

"Why? Hu-human is here, why?" the RG600 asked in a voice so broken it almost made John's heart break. This android hadn't been maintained in months, if not longer. He felt Lin's hand on his shoulder in a firm grasp as he made to step forward. He could tell the android was scared, and that made it both unpredictable and dangerous. "Why-here? Why?" the RG600 demanded in a synthetic, buzzing voice that sounded like it was close to shutting down. It wasn't. Lin could see its power levels were about half full. It would run for a few more weeks without a recharge.

"It's alright…I'm just taking pictures, see?" John replied in a soothing tone as he snapped a shot of the RG600 and turned the camera for him to see. The android tottered nervously, zooming his blue eyes in to look at the picture. John scrolled back a little way so that he could see some of the older pictures and confirm it was true. "You're damaged…" John pressed gently, watching the android shuffle back fearfully. John held a hand out, making himself smaller as he took a step forward.

"Not-hurt, no! Not at-all!" the RG600 insisted fearfully as he looked around like a cornered animal, perhaps expecting an attack from either side. Lin held John back firmly. This android wasn't like the one in the park or Ayako. This was an unstable android that even he couldn't predict. He ran simulations of how this encounter could go, and many of them ended up with John getting hurt. Or worse. John didn't seem concerned about himself as he prised Lin's hand from his shoulder.

"It's alright. I won't take you anywhere…Can you see what's wrong from over here?" John asked quietly as he looked up at Lin. Lin did as asked and scanned the android. He could see a little outward damage on the right side of his face and skull casing, where he'd been hit with something heavy and blunt. That meant there was likely internal damage, but he wouldn't be able to tell without interfacing with him directly.

"I need to perform an interface to run a full diagnostic," Lin replied quietly, watching John nod his understanding. John pondered for a few moments, watching the nervous android as he looked this way and that. It seemed he was tempted to run away. John didn't want him to do that. He wanted to help. The RG600 series was still actively in circulation, so their parts weren't that hard to come by. He likely had all they'd need at the shop.

"My name is John, and this is Lin…Lin's like you. He's an android, and my friend. Would you let him help you? I promise I'll stay right here…see?" John encouraged as he sat cross-legged on the hard ground. The RG600 seemed surprised and unsettled as John calmly sat with his camera on his lap. Lin waited a few moments before slowly stepping forward, watching the RG600 shuffle on the spot, still thinking about running. John continued to give his best assuring look as he sat and Lin closed in slowly. The RG600 watched in awe as the skin around Lin's hand disappeared to reveal the artificial shell beneath.

"Interface with me," Lin ordered calmly, the RG600 complying hesitantly. John watched as both androids stiffened and went blank in the face as they connected and exchanged data. As they drew back, the RG600 seemed a little less skittish, though he was still nervous as he watched Lin return to John's side. John looked up at him expectantly.

"The internal damage is minimal, but he requires a new vocal processor and a tune-up. As for the outer damage, a simple cranial plate replacement should be enough to allow the synthetic skin layer to heal," Lin reported, watching John nod his understanding. The vocal processor would be no problem for an RG600, and he could bring some tools to perform a tune-up outside. I may have a cranial plate in storage somewhere…He definitely didn't think the RG600 would follow him to the shop. He seemed terrified of human contact. John got to his knees slowly and opened his backpack.

"I'll come back here tomorrow afternoon with the parts you need…I'll wait for you to come. You probably haven't had a refill in quite some time, so I'll leave this here," John said gently as he pulled a packet of thirium from his backpack and held it up for the android to see. The RG600 took a tottering step forward, tempted by the offering, but he quickly remembered the human and stepped back again worriedly. "It's alright! I'm putting it right here…You can come and get it once we're gone…I'll be here tomorrow afternoon, around this time," John said again as he checked his watch to find it was approaching early evening. He put the packet of thirium at the base of the wall behind them before getting to his feet.

Lin watched as John repacked his backpack and tugged it on. He nodded to Lin and slowly backed away from the RG600 toward the high sloping wall that would lead up to the street. John said goodbye to him and took a few more steps back before turning and jogging to the slope. He ran up and hopped onto the edge, looking back to see the android had already tottered over to the mural and was ravenously gulping down the thirium. John almost looked sad as he made a mental note to pack a few more packets for the next day.

"You should be more careful. That unit is mentally unstable," Lin chided lightly as he joined John in watching the RG600 while he finished the packet of thirium before raising an old spray can. The can was almost empty, but the android was relentless as he tried to paint more of the rA9 symbols. "I am quite certain you would have been injured if you'd gotten any closer," Lin added warily, quietly troubled by John's lack of self-preservation. The Rg600's mind was an anguished mess. Upon their connection Lin had gotten mixed images of the park, humans, beating, blood and paint. The sound of wheels grinding on metal and cement was the only constant.

"But I didn't…maybe he'll let me help him tomorrow," John replied softly, pity clear in his eyes as he turned away from the almost lonely sight of the broken maintenance unit. Lin walked beside him as they slowly returned to the shop. Suddenly, John didn't feel like running anymore, and Lin was content to walk at his side.

"If you bring the right bribe, I'm sure he will. His power levels are stable, but your assumption about a refill was correct. He hasn't had thirium in months, and his reserves are almost depleted," Lin replied, knowing himself how unpleasant it was to run on low energy. In human terms, he would be starving. John understood that from the way he'd almost pounced on the small packet of thirium. He'd barely been able to wait until they'd left the area. Lin watched a plan forming in John's mind with a small smile, allowing his hand to stroke his blonde hair gently. He watched a small shiver run down John's spine at the silent praise and the small spike in his heart rate at their closeness.

"Let's hurry back," John excused quickly, increasing his pace. Lin withdrew his hand and took longer steps to keep up with him, quietly enjoying John's flustered state.