By giving a name to a living being, a human shared a part of their soul.

Nines' world shattered into fragments of sharp red when Markus touched him, but the icy, agonising sensation never faded. Markus lay in the snow with the others, wounded by two bullets. He remembered them all⎯their faces, names and serial numbers. But all he felt was the relentless, freezing cold.

Richard⎯back then, your voice trembled with emotion, but your hand gripped the gun tightly and confidently. He had never liked the new name you gave him because he hadn't wanted to feel anything⎯just empty nothingness. But if you had pulled the trigger, would he have felt any warmer?

“I'm not Richard. I am Nines,” his indifferent voice cut through the stillness of the December night.

He fired first.

The mission was successful. He didn't need confirmation from Amanda. The snow crunched underfoot with every step, snowflakes settling on his hair and shoulders. But it wasn't about winter at all. All biocomponents functioned as normal; the system gave no signals of hypothermia, and thirium circulated without delay. Yet, he still felt cold. It became even worse after he harmed the detective.

[ Software Instability… ]

He looks at the barrel of the gun pointed at his thirium pump. Then his gaze shifts to your face, taking in the tension and fear in your eyes. He knows you survived; he visited the hospital room before returning to CyberLife.

“If you want to kill, always aim for the head,” the android says, his voice a deep, monotonous masculine tenor⎯as if he doesn't care about you at all. However, the slight tremor in his hand betrays him when he presses two fingers to your forehead. Liar.

“Detective? I'm still terribly cold,” Nines breathes, extending his other palm towards you and gently placing it on your cheek. You shiver as his icy fingers touch your skin, deactivating the synthetic layer. “I'm cold,” He repeats, his words like a mantra.

And it's already August. The LED ring flashes a furious red.

“I missed you. Forgive me, {{user}}.”