"John-please! Open your eyes-please!" Lin begged as he rocked him in his arms. His vision kept blurring. His throat kept hitching. His chest felt tight, even though he didn't need to breathe. His shoulders shuddered as he let out quiet sobs. Saline splashed John's pale cheek. Lin reached up and dried his eyes as best he could, but that didn't stop fresh tears from spilling. He could barely focus on anything besides John. His skin was still warm. His vitals were still there, but low. So very low. His heart was slowing. He was dying. He'd lost too much blood. He wasn't going to last. It hurt. Lin wanted to turn it off. If he could stop the ache rising in his chest, he would. He'd carve the pain out. "John…" he murmured again, but he remained unresponsive. His vitals were dropping quickly. Lin raised his head. There was only one option left.

There was an almost eerie silence surrounding them. The humans were silent. The androids were silent. The only noise came from the thrumming news helicopters and drone cameras. Lin blinked as one of the small drones swooped in close and hovered barely a foot from his face. Of course…They'd want to get a closeup of this tragic moment. Lin's jaw tightened at that. His grief and pain was nothing but five minutes of television to the humans watching. They wouldn't understand how he felt. What he was about to lose. John needed help. Help that Lin and his side couldn't provide.

None of the androids behind tried to stop him as he slipped to the icy ground outside the safety of the barricade. His breath was shaking with sobs as he gently tugged John's body into his arms. The slide left a thick trail of red smeared across the dark surface. He cradled him like a princess. He was light. His blonde head leaned against his shoulder securely. Like he was sleeping. Like he had the many nights Lin had carried him to bed. The difference this time was the sickening warmth seeping through Lin's shirt where John was bleeding out. Lin fixed his eyes on the armoured humans, who remained at their posts as he slowly stumbled closer. They hesitated, unsure whether to raise their guns or keep them lowered. Lin kept his eyes on them the whole way, trying to ignore the dripping sound of John's blood splattering the ground in steady drips with each step.

"Please! Help him!" Lin cried as he stopped halfway, falling to his knees as he got no response. How could they just stand there? John was still a child in the eyes of most human adults. Was his life really so unimportant? No one had been authorised to move yet it seemed. The masked humans all looked back and forth between their group to see if there were instructions. "He's human! He's like you! You can't just let him die!" Lin shouted tearfully, lowering John's lower body to the ground. John was starting to feel cooler, though he was still breathing for now. Lin lowered his head in defeat, keeping John's head resting in the crook of his arm while running his fingers lovingly through his ruffled locks. His stained fingers were leaving purple trails in the strands where their blood had mixed.

He barely focused on the world around him, closing himself off as he realised they didn't consider John important enough to save. He choked on another sob. This human, this sweet, kind, and gentle human, wasn't important enough. He felt a rush of bitterness. They didn't view John as important enough to save because they hadn't discovered his identity yet. Had they realised he was the heir to Cyberlife, Lin had no doubt they would have helped. Perhaps it was because he was a sympathiser. Did such a standing suddenly make his life worth less than a regular human? The news drones were buzzing around him again now that he'd stopped moving. He looked up at one of them, giving it a wordless plea before it zoomed off.

John wasn't even shivering as he slept. He was likely too far gone to feel. Lin felt a strange sense of peace as he examined John's sleeping face. Traces of his last gentle smile remained on his reddened lips. He looked peaceful. Content. Lin swallowed the lump in his throat as he ran his thumb over John's bottom lip. It was all chewed up and bitten. Marks and dried blood remained fresh. I always told you to stop doing that…Lin thought as he smiled, lowering himself to kiss those lips. They were dry. They were also a little cooler than before. John didn't even stir at the contact.

"You gave me so much…saved me when no one else would have…" Lin murmured, knowing John couldn't hear him in his sleep. There was also the surrounding noise of the helicopters and drones. He almost swore he could hear a deeper thrumming somewhere. A larger helicopter. John's skin was getting pale. The blood soaking through his shirt was starting to feel cold and sticky. Lin reached up to his shirt collar, staining the white material red and blue. He tugged hard. The buttons popped and scattered until it was open. "You saw my life as important…when no one else did." The flesh across Lin's chest rippled and retreated to reveal his white casing. Lin closed his eyes, releasing a shuddering breath as he reached for his power core.

The edges were smooth and round against his fingertips. He gritted his teeth as he pushed and twisted. The core popped free in his hand, glowing like a star. Thirium began trickling from the open cavity. It wasn't supposed to be opened while sitting upright. He breathed out slowly. He didn't enjoy the sliding sensation in the port as the warm, glowing core was removed. Errors and warnings filled his vision, demanding he return the core. A three-minute countdown had begun. His senses dulled a little as his body tried to conserve energy by lowering his sensitivity. Lin felt his movements becoming sluggish. His head jerked a little as he focused on John.

"This…always belonged to you…" Lin said softly, trying to ignore the sensation of fresh thirium trickling down his torso. He slowly lowered his core against John's chest before repositioning his arms. He moved him so that he was holding the blue light with his smaller hands. "Together…always…" Lin added as he looked down. John looked peaceful in his arms. His hands cradled the warm, glowing core. Lin lowered his head and closed his eyes. He had less than two minutes, but it didn't matter this time. He wasn't afraid of shutting down anymore. John was with him. He wasn't alone. "I love you." Were the last words he said before waiting in silence.

His HUD was filled with blaring red warnings about the empty slot in his chest. His thirium levels were dropping. He'd left his central port open. His body was frantically trying to alert him to the danger. He had a countdown for the final minute. Alarms were ringing in his ears. His deactivation was imminent. Lin held John a little tighter as he set a stasis cycle to see him through to the end. He didn't need to be conscious and aware of his death. His internal systems screamed at him. He received a final request, asking if he was sure he wanted to enter stasis. He clicked yes. John…