WARNING – in this chapter, there may be some implicit/indirect references to…things that basically amount to suicide. They're pretty brief, but I figured I'd give you a heads-up just in case.


Summary: Few things can be more soul-rending than the truth.

Aura exited the vents and went ahead, entering the generator section. The place was largely flooded, but she was on dry land for now. Not that swimming was a problem for her.

She crossed the bridge and the subsequent body of water. Once on the shore, she took a look at the three doors she could choose from. She wasn't too familiar with the layout of this place. Where could Lin have gone…? As far as she knew, the only way for him to get from Charlie's home to here was through the vents, so chances were he'd been in this very spot. She'd already scoured the vents and the greenhouse for him and came up empty.

She opted to go right. Dead end, but there was a shark present. Asking him about the human had him sharing what he'd heard—that Lin had allegedly made his way through the opposite door, towards squid dog territory.

She made her way over there. Not a dead end, this time; in fact, it almost looked promising, with sharks and squid dogs alike chatting and messing around the way she'd seen during her few visits to this section.

She asked around more, mostly to confirm that Lin had been here. By their reports, he had, and he hadn't stayed hidden either.

She continued on, keeping small talk to a minimum. She had a human to chase. She couldn't let him choose, because she knew he'd make the wrong choice.

Yet at the same time, I won't even tell him the truth, she thought to herself. The truth he deserves to know, the truth that could prove my point to him…

The truth that could cause him to go mad.

No. No, she couldn't tell him yet. Doing so was as bad as letting him go. She'd tell him, in time…but not now. Not while he was still vulnerable. Now she needed to focus on other things.


Puro went ahead, disturbed at his own decision. He was sure, he'd said. Everything was fine, he'd said. He'd lied to them…

He crossed a shallow pool, drawing some attention from the locals. He paid them no heed. What had he done? He could've alerted them to what Aura had said, if only to be safe. Why hadn't he?!

He stopped to lean against the wall for a moment. Why hadn't he? Why had he kept it quiet?

Because Aura was right.

The answer hit him like a slap to the face. Aura…was right. Aura was right; if Lin made the choice Puro feared he would, the human would face grave consequences. It would demand a cost he shouldn't have to pay. Forcing Lin into a choice would make him hate them…but it might be necessary.

Puro straightened his back with a grimace. Aura was right and the Protocol was wrong, and he had to act on that knowledge…but how? He'd asked Aura the same question, and her response had been vague.

With renewed determination, Puro stepped ahead. He hadn't made up his mind as to what to do yet, or what extremes to go to. Maybe letting Lin choose was the right decision…but at the very least, Puro would try his hardest to change the human's mind.

He hurried ahead. Soon he found Lin's unmistakable figure wading through the water.

"Human!" Puro called out, immediately jumping into the shallow pool and sprinting forward. The human in question turned around and blinked. Was that a slight flinch? Had Puro scared him?! He slowed his pace. "Don't worry, Human! I've got your back."

Lin paused, then gave a nod. "Thanks, Puro," he said in his usual soft voice. He didn't seem scared, which was good.

Puro hesitated. If Lin knew that Aura might try to convince or manipulate him into staying, he wouldn't trust anything she said or did anymore, and he'd be more likely to leave. That couldn't happen; the only right way to do this was by making him feel welcome. Feel home

Puro looked around nervously. Some sharks and dogs looked on. They were good at making people feel welcome, right? But if Puro tried to get Lin to interact with them, the human would only see it as a distraction from his goal. How could he change Lin's mind without slowing him down?! He was running out of time. If Lin happened to go the right way, he'd reach the building's exit before long, and by then it'd be too late…

Puro realized he'd clenched his teeth. He had to act. Quickly. But how…?


Aura stepped through the door and was met with more water. She passed sharks and squid dogs, many of which were lounging or sleeping.

Her eye fell on one squid dog sitting on the shore, holding a fishing rod of all things.

She approached him. He noticed her with a droopy, half-closed eye. "Hm," he said lazily. "Not many felids come to visit here."

"What about the sharks?" She was fairly sure they had feline DNA.

"They live here," he said, reigning in his fishing rod. "They're not exactly visiting…" He slowly rose to his feet and gave a tired smile. "What brings you here to our little water world?"

"I'm looking for someone," Aura said. "He's got the kind of face that's hard to forget around here…"

"The human?" The dog hummed. "And why are you looking for him, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I'm a friend."

He hummed again, examining her up and down. "That's easy to say… But I don't think it matters if you knew where he was anyway. You'll have a hard time getting to him."

She started "Why?"

"Because last I saw him, he was headed to the Mother Yeen."

"The Moth—" Aura froze up. She'd heard about the infamous Yanida in the vents near the generator section. No deaths so far—Aura wasn't sure if anyone was capable of killing latexes—but she sure didn't mess around.

Problem was, Lin wasn't a latex; he was human. And an unprepared one at that…! What if she transfurred him?! What had possessed him to go there? Did one of the latexes trick him in order to play some stupid prank?

"That was a while ago though," the dog mused. "Not sure if he's still there. He might've passed this place while I dozed off, or gone some other way around."

So he had no idea where Lin was, or whether Yanida got to him. Either way, Aura had to go back.

Lin, she thought as she turned to leave. You better be okay.


Lin stepped inside a room—and for once, it held a lot of latexes and was quiet. Sharks and dogs lay down on boxes or floated in the water, relaxing. A glance up revealed a hammock on the ceiling holding several pups, fast asleep. Lin felt a smile creeping up as he looked at them, but he refocused.

With Puro following closely, he carefully stepped inside the water, trying not to make too much noise so as to not wake anyone up—

"HUMAN!"

He jumped. Two latexes, one shark and one dog, raced towards him through the water from different angles. Lin stumbled back. "Ah!"

Puro grabbed him under his armpits from behind, lifted him up and set him on the shore.

The two aquatic latexes collided before they could get too close.

Then they began wrestling.

"I saw him first!"

"No I did!"

"No I did!"

"Let go of me—!"

"You two!" another shark off to the side hollered. Its white hair cast a shadow over its red eyes. "Some of us are trying to sleep!"

"But…there's a human!" the cub said.

The shark sighed. "Yeah, there's a human. Great, real fascinating."

"But…it is great!"

"Yeah," the pup agreed. "What if he wants to be our host? We'll ask nicely!"

The sleeping shark grunted. "I don't need hosts, I need sleep. Go to sleep, you two."

"He's right," a squid dog near him said. "We can't just flag the human down whenever we want, kids. That's not nice."

"B-but…"

"It's alright," the dog said. "Come here, and I'll tell you a story. Quietly."

The shark sighed. "Ugh." He got up and waded through the water to the other end of the room, where he lay down again and closed his eyes.

The two juveniles gave Lin one last hesitant look, then swam over to join the bigger dog. Lin sighed in relief.

Puro turned to him. "Are you alright, Human?!"

"I'm fine. Let's keep going."

They continued through the water. Lin kept his pace slow and careful to prevent noise; better not to wake anyone up, or draw other kinds of unwanted attention. Once passing the center of the room, he realized there were multiple doors to pass through. He sighed. He'd have to find his way through here, somehow…

He made his way onto dry land and glanced around at the nearest doors. They had small signs next to them. At least there was that.

The sound of one such door slamming open a small distance away caught his attention. A figure wandered through. With its brownish coat of fur and seemingly no aquatic traits, it didn't look like it belonged here.

The creature spotted him and tilted its head. It didn't approach, instead opting to stare at him from a distance.

Lin glanced at Puro questioningly, but the wolf looked just as confused as he did.

"Hrg," the grumpy shark said. "This guy again…"

"Who is he?" asked Lin.

"What's it look like?" He sighed. "Hyena cub. We've been waiting for his mom to come find him."

Lin glanced at him. "… Why doesn't anyone bring him to her?"

"'Cause no one here has a death wish."

"Ah…" Puro said. "Yes, Yanida is, erm…protective…of her cubs. She can get kind of aggressive."

"Understatement," the shark added.

"Even if you brought one back…?" Lin questioned.

"I'm not risking that." The shark cracked a red eye. "If you want to get transfurred though, go ahead."

Lin swallowed, looking at the cub. It looked back with curiosity. It didn't look afraid at all, just a little cautious. Lin hesitated. He really didn't feel like backtracking, least of all to meet an overprotective mom…

"Human?"

He gave Puro a glance.

"I'm…a little afraid of Yanida," Puro confessed. "But it wouldn't feel right to just leave her cub here like this."

Lin observed the cub in question a little longer. Part of him reasoned that if he just left now, Yanida would eventually find the cub by herself…and probably terrorize the entire aquatic section while she was at it. He wasn't sure how far away from the facility's exit he was; if he ran into her at any point, he'd be at risk. Maybe at a greater risk than if he were accompanied by her cub. The youngster would essentially serve as a shield…

That didn't mean he wanted it following him around everywhere. As he'd noticed with the squids, children didn't always have the greatest degree of self-control. Besides, he reckoned that the farther he took the cub from its nest, the greater Yanida's wrath would be if he did cross paths with her.

"I'll bring the cub back," Puro said. "You go ahead, Human."

"No," Lin found himself saying. If Yanida respected the Protocol, him being human might protect him—and by extension Puro—from her wrath, if only to some degree. He certainly wasn't going to let Puro do this alone. "Where is this Yanida?"


Aura nimbly made her way onto the shore. She barely bothered to shake the water out of her fur before she hurried straight into the vent entrance.

She felt at the metal wall panels. Soon she found what she was looking for; a slight gap between one panel and another. This had to be the secret entrance she'd always heard about.

She dug her fingers under it and pushed with all of her strength.

The panels slid to the side more easily than expected. Beyond it awaited a narrow passage.

Hesitation made her slow down; she couldn't just barge in here. She doubted Yanida would tolerate that.

With slow, careful steps, she entered the opening, keeping her eyes and ears peeled.

She was met with a platform of wooden tiles, decorated with some vegetation here and there. The entire platform was surrounded by water, like a small moat.

On the platform sat a giant latex in a crouched position. With red eyes, the female humanoid hyena glared down at her. Aura made sure to stay back, keeping her movements slow.

"Yanida, right…?" Aura said uneasily.

Yanida growled. "Who are you?"

"I'm…looking for someone who was here earlier."

Her eyes narrowed. "The human."

So he had been here.

"What happened?" Aura asked.

Yanida looked down at her skeptically.

"I'm a friend of his," Aura whispered. "I need to find him…"

"And you think I know where he is?"

"Please, just tell me what happened…"

Yanida glowered at her for a moment longer. Then finally she said, "He was here…but that was a while ago. He's long gone now."

"Gone where?"


Lin returned to the area where the doors met, passing a couple of familiar faces along the way. Chip seemed delighted to see him again and waved eagerly; the pup would probably rush him, were it not for a nearby adult squid dog telling him to sit back down at the long table and resume eating.

The hyena cub, still keeping some distance, curiously followed him and Puro through the various different rooms. It didn't seem to mind the water at all. With it trailing behind, they returned to the vents. Puro's gaze turned to the metal panels on the wall.

He gave Lin a nervous glance. "Human… This is it."

Lin nodded, suddenly anxious again. Hearing about the vent latexes' mischief streak had unnerved him, but this felt more like stepping into the lion's den and poking it with a stick.

Puro dug his claws in-between two panels and slid them aside. A hidden door.

A small opening lay beyond.

Puro took a breath. "Um… Ms. Yanida?"

No response.

They shared a glance.

Then the cub approached the entrance. Puro made way for it, and it wandered inside.

Its entrance was met with a sudden bunch of growls and squeaks.

Lin raised an eyebrow at Puro, who hesitantly looked to the entrance. Gathering his courage, Lin carefully made his way over and peeked inside.

He was surprised by what he saw. The area reminded him a lot of the greenhouse, its wood, water and vegetation contrasting the vents' cold metal environment. The cub from before seemed to be in deep 'conversation' with two other young hyenas, chattering with squeaks, grunts, yips and hugs.

Lin shared another glance with Puro, who had also been peeking inside.

"… I suppose she's not home," Puro guessed.

The cub from before turned to them, gesturing. It stepped forward and grabbed Lin's wrist. Mildly surprised, Lin allowed himself to be guided into the small, warm area. He glanced around, noting the giant leaves that overcast it, hiding the ceiling.

Then he found himself swarmed by the trio of cubs, sniffing him and touching his head and chest curiously. He awkwardly looked at them.

You'd think I'd get used to this, he thought.

"This place is so nice!" Puro said as he entered. "Almost like the greenhouse."

"Yeah, yeah," Lin said, carefully trying to put some distance between him and the cubs. "But we should go. Now." He didn't want to stay here longer than—

The leaves above rustled, and something dropped down, blocking the exit.

Lin scrambled back as a giant latex glared down at him and Puro. Even kneeling down, the creature towered over everyone in the room.

Lin backed away slowly, still surrounded by the cubs.

The giantess's red eyes suddenly widened. "… Sid?"

One of the cubs—the one who'd accompanied Lin—looked up at her.

"Sid!" she cried. With surprisingly quick and nimble movements, she made her way over. Lin flinched when she reached out, but the matriarch took Sid in her hands and gently lifted him to her eye level.

"Where have you been?!" the giantess—who Lin assumed was Yanida—cried. "I've been looking all over for you! Do you have any idea how worried I was?!"

Lin glanced past Yanida's leg to Puro. Their gazes crossed, and Puro beckoned, placing a finger in front of his lips in a hushing gesture. Lin nodded.

As Yanida continued her tirade, Lin slowly started towards Puro.

Once he reached him, Puro placed a protective arm on his back and guided him towards the entrance. Lin didn't dare glance back; it was best to focus on—

"You two," Yanida suddenly said. "Stay here."

They tensed. Lin eyed the door.

"Don't," Yanida insisted. "I've had one runaway already."

Lin winced lightly. She didn't exactly sound threatening or angry, but something about her commanding tone made him feel inclined to comply nonetheless.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you."

He shared a glance with Puro. Then they both slowly turned around.

Yanida scowled at them. "Look at this!" she scolded. With another burst of swiftness, she made her way over to them. Lin swallowed as her disapproving red eyes glowered down at him. "Just where have you been rolling around, huh?"

Lin hesitated. "Er… I…"

She abruptly reached out. Lin flinched, but she only ran her fingers through his hair, as if to fix it. "Your hair's all dirty," she said. "You're soaked from the waist down and you look exhausted. When did you last sleep?"

"Erm… A few hours ago?"

She huffed. "I don't mean those ridiculous 'life pods.' I mean real, natural sleep."

"I… I've been, um…going around the facility…a lot…"

"You've been walking around all day! And you haven't even bothered to rest?"

"I did rest…"

"Not well enough, clearly. Your hair's a mess, and you look all tense. You should be taking better care of yourself, young man."

"I…" Lin began, but he found himself wilting under those uncompromising red eyes of hers. "Yes, Mom— ma'am."

"Good." She removed her hands from his head, then turned to Puro. "And you! You've been keeping him out of trouble, I hope?"

Puro squeaked. "Yes, Ms. Yanida!"

"And what about yourself, hm? Have you been keeping yourself out of trouble too while you were at it?"

"Yes! Yes, Ms. Yanida!"

She looked at him skeptically and turned to Lin. Lin quickly nodded. He didn't want to get Puro in trouble.

Yanida abruptly reached out. Puro flinched.

She pet him on the head.

Puro looked surprised for a moment, then melted into the gesture, his eyes drooping. He let out something akin to a slight whine.

Before Lin knew it, Yanida was petting him on the head as well. He blinked up at her to see a warm smile on her face.

"You're good boys," she softly said. "For bringing my cub back. I wish I had a way to thank you…"

"Ah…that's okay, Ms. Yanida" Puro said, seemingly not noticing that his tail was wagging. "We're happy to help."

She hummed. "You're free to stay and rest for a while."

"Thanks…" Lin said a little numbly. Those head pats of hers were oddly pleasant. "But we really need to get going."

"Hm, alright. But promise me one thing, boys." She ceased her petting and lowered her head a little, looking serious again. "Take. Care. Of yourselves. If I find you lying on the floor, sweating and bleeding, you will be back here to take a rest, got it?"

"Yes, Ms. Yanida," they said in tandem.

"Ask Prince Varan and Admiral Maverick to have their people watch over you, alright? Oh, and human, don't stay in the water for too long; I don't want you catching a cold."

"No, Ms. Yanida," Lin said quietly.

"Good. Now, off you go."

They nodded. Lin followed Puro to the entrance. When the wolf passed through, Yanida spoke up again. "Wait, human. You were in the generator section just now, weren't you?"

"How did you…?"

"I told you, you're soaked from the waist down."

Right. She did mention that.

"You brought my cub to me…" she said softly. "Even though you're so determined to get to the exit, you went back?"

"Um… I… It wasn't just me…"

"No…but Puro lives here. You're headed to the exit, I'm assuming."

Lin wasn't sure what to say to that. Eventually he just settled for a shrug.

Yanida gave him a long look. Then she approached, placed her hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eye.

"Listen," she said softly. "I want you to keep in mind that you'll always be welcome in my den, here. Should you feel…burdened…I want you to visit me, understand?"

Lin hesitated. "What do you mean…?"

"Do you understand?" she said gently.

"Um… Yes. Yes, I understand."

"Good." She removed her hands from his shoulders. "Now, then… If you feel strong enough to move on, I think you have somewhere to be right about now."

Lin nodded.

He bid her goodbye and made his way outside. Puro slid the door shut behind him. Lin glanced to the wolf, then left the vents and started towards the intersection.

Puro placed an arm around his shoulders and matched his pace.

Lin frowned. Something about Puro's behavior felt off. Why was he so quiet all of a sudden?

They retreaded their steps. Soon they reached a more populated section, with sharks and dogs drifting about. The air was relaxed; most were resting. Chow time was probably over for them.

Only then did Puro speak. "Human."

Lin looked at him.

Puro looked hesitant for a moment. "Actually, it's… It's nothing, Human. Just…"

Lin looked at him expectantly. Puro kept looking on ahead. He gave Lin a brief glance, his dark eyes turning hesitant.

"Human," Puro said finally. "I need to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Um, you're…trying to reach the exit, right?"

"Yes…?"

"Of course. And, erm, when you do, you're planning to go outside?"

Lin opened his mouth to respond, but for some reason decided to just nod.

"Okay, yes, of course you will…" The wolf paused for a moment, as if in thought. "But, y-you know what happened, don't you? The virus?"

Lin tensed at the mention of that. "There are people out there," he finally said. "I have to find them."

"But-but Human…" Puro stopped walking and took Lin's shoulders in his hands. "What if the virus is still out there, too? What if you get infected?"

Lin sighed. The thought had crossed his mind, but those other humans had survived somehow. Maybe they had a cure. He might even let himself be transfurred for a while before leaving; the files he came across did say that it cured people.

"I'll be fine, Puro," he softly said.

"No, no, you won't be fine, Human!" Puro pleaded. "You're safe here! And-and you can make friends here! We'll be…your pack! Yeah! We'll be like your pack!"

Lin looked at him, feeling a pit in his stomach. There was a time when a dark latex wolf's gaze was frightening to him, but Puro looked…desperate. Vulnerable.

"Puro…" Lin finally spoke. "Remember when you told me about your pack?"

The wolf tensed. Then his ears drooped. "Yes…"

Lin looked at him softly. "Nothing could replace it. Friends couldn't replace it. And…you were alone."

"Yes…"

"I know that feeling…" Lin said. "Because I have it now. I've made friends here, and I can make more, but…" He took a breath. "Humanity…is my pack."

Puro looked down. "But…but even then…"

Lin said nothing.

Puro looked at him. The look in his eyes could only be described as betrayed. "Human… By stepping outside, you'll abandon us. Forever."

Lin started. "No… That's-that's not…"

"But it is, Human! Humanity… I need to tell you… You need to know that…" Puro squeezed his eyes shut. He was trembling. "They're… They're…"

Some dark latex leaked from his eyes. Were those…tears?

Puro exclaimed something between a whine and a growl. Then he turned and started away, his pace brisk.

Lin watched him go, suddenly at a loss of words. His heart felt heavy. It cried out to him to follow, to comfort his friend before they parted ways forever…

But he didn't. What could he say? He was leaving, and that was the truth.

He couldn't stay here.

He noticed some nearby latexes looking at him. With a stone in his stomach, he started towards one of the doors. His pace was slow, even for someone who was walking through water.

He suddenly felt tired.


Yanida didn't respond to the question.

Aura looked at her uncertainly. What could she do to make the Yeen talk? Her only weakness, as far as Aura knew, were her cubs…

Finally Aura left the den and shut the slide door behind her, her teeth lightly clenched. She'd wasted time by coming here. She'd been a fool to expect answers. She was lucky Yanida hadn't attacked her.

Aura started back to the aquatic area. Lin had to have gone there, right? She had to hurry. If Lin found the correct way, he could be getting dangerously close to the exit.

She couldn't allow that.


Puro looked at the dark, deep water. He was alone at the moment, not in the company of sharks or dogs…or humans.

Lin hadn't come after him. Puro was thankful for that. He wasn't sure if he could face him again, not after…that. He was pained by Lin's words, pained by his determination to leave, even though he understood where the human was coming from.

But most of all, he was pained by his own stupidity. He'd been foolish to ever hope that he and Lin could be like a pack. Like family. Part of him had always understood that one lone human couldn't be the key to solving his problems, but for years he'd hoped…

It was all he'd been able to do back then. Hope. But now…

Why didn't I tell him?

That was the question he'd been mulling over for minutes now. Lin really seemed to believe what he said he believed, and Puro had come that close to telling him the truth…only to fail. He failed Lin. And in so doing, he only caused more damage.

He sighed. He'd already acknowledged that Aura had a point, and now he was considering going further than even her—further than just bending the rules of the Protocol…but could he do what was necessary? Could he take the first step?

Could he bring himself to assimilate Lin?

He looked down at his hands. A monster's hands…because that's what he was. That's what they all were: artificial creatures, designed to save humanity at all costs.

He was meant for this…wasn't he?

His hand limped.

Too weak.

Too weak…


Aura sped through the water, remembering the way she'd gone before. She asked the locals where to go, where they'd seen Lin go—and by the looks of it, she wasn't going to find him in the aquatic area. He was likely long gone. He had to be. It was a race now.

She skipped through a flooded corridor. Only one way to go, here. Good—that meant she didn't have to spend extra time asking for directions.

And, from what she'd gathered, Lin was walking pretty slowly. She'd catch up with him yet.

As she continued, she found less and less water areas. More dry land. This was where Lin had gone.

She was getting closer, now.


Lin passed room after room, reading the signs, trying to ignore the lingering weight in his gut. Sharks and dogs watched him curiously as he waded through their territory. He tried to avoid direct interactions with them, only asking for directions when he needed to. Those stares made him a little skittish.

Another thing I should've gotten used to by now… he thought to himself.

He went ahead. Pups and cubs ceased their playfights to look at him. Conversations paused when he entered rooms. Gazes gravitated his way. He didn't want to meet them, so he focused on what was ahead—or, sometimes, on the ground.

Finally he made his way to a somewhat dry area. Signs of flooding decreased further as he continued on, as did the amount of latexes he came across.

Finally, he found dry, unpopulated land.


Aura rushed through the corridors. This was it; she'd practically left the aquatic area. Now she had to go straight for the entrance. She'd surely run into Lin at some point. And if not that, she'd meet him at the front door.

She knew this area vaguely—it connected the aquatic area to the balcony near the white latex nests. It also held the main generator—the one some of the more…educated latexes had been messing around with in some of their attempts to free Lin.

As she approached a door before her, she smelled a faint odor in the air. She frowned, slowing her pace slightly. Was that normal here…?

The automatic gate opened as she approached.

A vile stench attacked her sensitive nostrils. She grimaced as she went inside, trying her best to ignore the smell. A device loomed over her, a terminal with a screen embedded in the side. This must be the main generator. But surely, that couldn't be the source of the stink…

She spotted a puddle of…something…on the ground nearby. She hesitantly approached it. Within the stink, she vaguely detected the smell of oranges.

She realized what it was: it was vomit. She'd seen humans vomit before. Apparently it was common when they were very, very stressed…or sick.

Sick!

She froze. Lin…was infected?! She looked around the room frantically, as if to find him there. As if there was a place where he could hide. Her eyes landed on the blue terminal screen in the generator.

White text was displayed on it. She frowned. Was that terminal supposed to be on?

She approached and read the words.


The power system was manually shut off *6* hour(s) ago. Please reactivate it as soon as possible.

The power system has been in service for 1794 day(s), 1 time(s).

Five years?

Lin stood frozen, staring at that final line of text, rereading it over and over. 1794 days. Five years.

For five years, the building had been running on internal power. Its own power. Its own generators had kept it sustained all this time, had kept him asleep.

All this time.

There was no external power plant that had kept this building running. There was no need for it.

Lin slowly stumbled back, eyes still glued to the screen. The power cable… It hadn't been cut, had it? No…it's just that there was no one to maintain it. It had been left. Abandoned.

Abandoned.

His legs felt weak. He'd assumed there was no way the building could sustain itself like that, not for long. He'd seen the damaged city below, and he knew the virus had caused chaos, but he'd assumed that someone still had to be out there in order to keep the building's power supply steady.

But he was wrong. Turned out the building's own supply was more powerful than he thought.

More than ever before, he became aware of the silence around him. He felt dizzy. Sick.

Something warm rose up his chest, choking him. He heaved. Fell onto all fours, vomited half-digested oranges. This wasn't… This couldn't be…

But it was. Everything was gone.

Everything…except him.

Never had he felt so alone, so surrounded by nothingness.

He dropped and lay down next to his vomit, eyes to the ceiling. Nothing left…outside…

No point… No point! What was the point?! What was the point of leaving this place if he didn't have a home to go back to?! What was the point of surviving the virus outbreak if there was nothing to survive for?! What was the point if it only left him wanting to…

To share humanity's fate?

He lay there for a while, motionless, looking at nothing. Feeling nothing. He expected the urge to cry by now, or scream, or thrash…but nothing came. All was just…quiet. Completely still. He didn't even register the smell of his own vomit that spread through the room, or the sterile white light that burned his eyes.

It felt as if he was shutting down. Nothing. There was…nothing.

Finally he found the strength to move his arms. Then his legs. Then, slowly, he managed to stand. His body felt heavy.

With slow steps, he started to the door ahead. The automatic gate slammed open at his proximity, breaking the silence, but the sound felt muted to his ears.

He limped into the room beyond. He looked at the way ahead. More generators, flanking narrow corridors, and at the end he spotted another door. More road to cover. More journeys to take before he made his pointless escape.

He backed against a metal box and slid down. Its surface was cold on his skin.

He wound his arms around his knees, as if to make himself as small as possible. To hide.

He sat there. He didn't know for how long. He didn't care. It wasn't like he was missing anything happening outside.

The door slammed. He didn't hear it.

Someone came in. He didn't look to see who.

Someone said his name. He didn't recognize the voice, didn't bother to respond even as they kneeled down next to him.

"Lin…?" Aura's voice said again. He slowly became aware of her soft hands carefully caressing his shoulders, as if he were made of glass. "Linnie…? Can you hear me? Are you okay?"

Lin said nothing.

"I've been looking for you all over. Are you sick?" She placed a hand at his forehead. She even felt at his neck and chest, as if to check his pulse.

Lin said nothing.

She gently took his head in her hands and turned his gaze to her.

"Say something…" she pleaded softly.

Lin looked at her.

He felt his eyes sting.

He clenched his jaw in anger. No, not now. He had a chance to cry earlier, alone, yet the tears only came now. It wasn't fair! He couldn't cry in front of her!

But the tears blurred his vision all the same.

"Lin…" Aura said.

Lin squeezed his eyes shut. He tried to say something, but all that came out was a sob.

"Oh, Linnie," she whispered. He felt her arms wrap around him. "I'm so sorry."

The final pieces of his will crumbled. Lin broke down in her hug, crying on her shoulder. The tears finally flowed free. The void was replaced by a knife in his chest. All he'd ever known was gone, replaced by an endless wasteland.

He screamed out in pain and anger and bitterness. Why?! Why him?! Why couldn't the virus just have taken him, too?!

The little strength he had failed him, and he would've fallen over if it weren't for Aura keeping him somewhat upright. He felt her hand running over his face, drying the falling tears. Yet more fell. He couldn't stop them. He couldn't…

He didn't have the strength.

He cried in her shoulder for a while. Then, slowly, his wails lessened. They died down to quiet sobs, then whimpers, then shaky breaths. Half-open eyes, still watery, stared into space.

He felt tired, but he didn't want to sleep. He wouldn't be able to. If he tried, he'd fail.

He sat up slowly. Aura's grip loosened a little bit, but she stayed close.

"Aura…"

She looked at him with soft, compassionate eyes.

"Can I…ask you a favor?"

She remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

Finally he shook his head. "No, it's…never mind."

"It's okay, Lin," she said softly. "Just tell me…"

Lin hesitated…but what did he have to lose, anyway? He might as well.

"I, um…" he croaked. He tried to look up at her, but couldn't meet her gaze. "Could you…?"

She didn't respond at first. Then her eyes suddenly grew wide. "Lin…"

"I…" he whispered. "I…can't…"

She looked at him, mildly disturbed.

"Are you sure?" she whispered.

He nodded.

"Okay," she said softly. "Alright. I'll do it. Just…relax."

She leaned in closer and carefully placed her head on his shoulder. She wound her arms around him again in a gentle hug. Lin felt a weak stab of hesitation, but he felt too weak to humor it. It sunk away.

He felt her touch growing. From a glance he saw her grey and white fur liquifying, slowly spreading over him from her head and arms. Again, that sense of hesitation, bordering on fear. He ignored it. It was replaced by something else.

Aura's embrace became warmer and warmer as she quite literally melted into him. Liquid latex spread over his skin, covered his ears, nose and mouth, changing them, replacing them with its own versions…and something else he couldn't quite place merged with him. Something that made him feel…better. Still heavy-hearted, but better. More distanced from his troubles.

Lin closed his eyes as they, too, were covered in latex. He breathed in, waiting for the transformation to complete itself. He felt new ears grow, felt a muzzle forming on his face. The latex that had felt like an intrusion into his airways moments ago became one with him, became him.

And a new name for himself popped up in his head.

Aura.

She kept her eyes closed for a moment longer, letting Aura and Lin fully become one, reconciling their minds into one whole. Finally she looked at her paws. They were the same as usual. In fact, there was nothing really different about her body. Yet, she felt…stronger. And that feeling of strength persisted—grew, even, as she settled.

She hoped her host, her friend and former self could get some rest now. He'd need it.

She moved to get up. She felt something was still off. Why? She'd been prepared, albeit reluctantly, to get forceful with Lin if he wouldn't listen to her—maybe not immediately resorting to assimilation, but forceful nonetheless. For some reason, his asking her to transfur him had stung.

She straightened her back. Then she started to the door ahead. She passed through it and stepped onto the balcony, letting the wind blow in her face. Her gaze flashed to the tree she'd sat at earlier, and she remembered the vow she made.

She sighed and sat down against it once more, remembering the feeling of Lin's embrace… Lin feeling her embrace… Even though they'd merged, she couldn't imagine what he was going through right now. The pain he must've felt… To her, it felt more like a muted, very distant memory at the moment. Or something a friend mentioned to her once—which, well, it was—or even just her imagination. It was something very, very faint, and she couldn't dig it up if she tried. Probably because it wasn't hers to dig up.

As she leaned back, overlooking the balcony and what little of the city she could see, she realized there was one thing still haunting her.

Now that Lin knew that humanity was dead, he shouldn't have a reason to leave.

Key word being shouldn't.

If he did still want to go out there, where there was nothing but the pale virus waiting for him.

She wasn't going to let that happen. Nothing was going to stop her anymore—not the Protocol, and not Lin's fear. If she had to lock him in some basement until he changed his mind, she would. She wasn't going to let history repeat itself.

Lin was going to live, whether he wanted to or not.

She owed him at least that, after her and the others' initial failure.