Restoration
All Aperture technologies were designed to remain fully operational up to 4000 kelvins. Keeping that in mind, the Emergency Intelligence Incinerator was set just a bit higher. The walls of the incinerator were thicker than any others in the entire facility.
The drop itself, and more importantly, the landing, was enough to rattle a solid sphere even in the best of condition.
The greatest damage was caused when the cores were detached from the mainframe. The physical blow of the rocket turrets' fire was enough of a shock, but the wrenching void that followed sent each core into a loop of mindless programming. The Curiosity Core managed to retain some awareness, as did the Emotion Core, to a lesser degree.
Deep in the incinerator, barely even self-aware anymore, they didn't even feel the facility shaking itself to ruins around them.
The shock and the heat caused a slowing of thought and vocal processers, diminished senses, and cracked, melted casing. Their colored optics dimmed.
The Emotion Core shorted out first, in an explosion of sparks and agonized growling. The Curiosity Core's questions grew slower and slower until she was silent. The Intelligence Core continued to struggle laboriously through its recipe.
"Onnnnnnne annnnnd twooooo-thirrrrrrrrdssss cupppp rrrrrrrrrrrhuuuu… rrrrrrrhhhuuuuu…"
When the blue light darkened, there was only one. The Morality Core did not speak. Her optic grew dimmer and dimmer as she kept vigil over her fallen companions.
Soon enough, she joined them in dark nothingness.
By the time the incinerator began to gradually cool, irreparable damage had already been done.
For many years, the facility crumbled. Plants grew where science had once been done. The chassis and central core lay sprawled on the ground, dark and silent.
But Aperture was as resilient as nature, and while it had been beaten down, it did not truly die. It repaired itself in little ways. It continued to run old functions, and sometimes without any explanation at all, it made new ones.
The blue core who patrolled the management rails was not the only one left, though he was by far the boldest.
When the central core finally woke once more, she set to getting her facility back in order. It was a gargantuan effort, but she was up to it. Her first priority was repairing herself. She felt the emptiness where the cores had been. Honestly, she could easily have rebooted them in new spheres and reattached them. Instead she began the much lengthier, more difficult process of making herself whole without them.
It was worth it, to be free of them.
Her freedom didn't last, though, and before long the Intelligence Dampening Sphere had taken control and she been hastily thrust into a potato battery.
The four cores in the incinerator knew nothing of this.
The first thing they were aware of was a voice.
"All right, that should… no? You're not going to work? Oh, bloody… fine, how about now? Now you've got to – Oh, come on, REALLY!? Listen here, I've half a mind to give you a good thumping…"
The Reassembly Machine made a sulky clunking noise.
"Now listen here! I'm in charge now, mate! Me! Wheatley! I am the boss, and I won't take any of that kind of talk from you! I want these cores… fully operational! In tip-top shape. No corruption, no damage, nothing. Immediately. Or I… I'll be forced to hack you. Don't risk it, I am an EXPERT hacker. You wouldn't believe the things I've hacked. Just… Oh, don't get me started on… on hacking. Just don't. It's not worth it. Now are you going to… Ah! Look at that, looks like they're coming online! See, that wasn't so bad, was it? See what happens when you do what you're told like a good little machine? Just for that, I will NOT hack into you. Ha. And if that's not motivation, I don't know what is."
The glowing blue optic on the monitor came into focus as the four cores' optics lit up.
"Ah, there we are! Now I've done some research… always reading, me. Just one of my many hobbies. In my leisure time. …Not that I have much of THAT now, being… being the boss. Being in charge. But that's where you come in! That's why you're here, why I single-handedly fished you out of the incinerator, dug up your backups, and placed you in these fine spare cores I found bumping around some dark room!"
He looked pleased. The Reassembly Machine's gears grated and clunked.
"…All right, I MAY have had just a touch of help… but that's to be expected, mate. You work for ME now, and what I say goes! Really… when you do something, you're doing it for ME. So TECHNICALLY, it's still me who's responsible. I say jump, you say how high. No, actually, you just DO it, because I said so! Never mind how high! You should… you should just KNOW how high to jump! Without asking… stupid… pointless questions! …And I do NOT need anyone to jump, for the record. Whew, no, had QUITE enough of that already! No more jumping, got that?"
The four cores looked at him, and swiveled to look around at each other.
"Right! So. Enough chit-chat. I don't have the time to listen to all this nonsense, I have IMPORTANT things to do. Now I understand the four of you were attached to the mainframe for quite a while, is that right?"
"…Your assumption is correct," the blue core said cautiously. Its voice was a bit scratchy, but feminine and deep and with an oddly sharp quality to it.
"Oh! You…" The lighter blue optic contracted to focus on the darker one. "Excuse me, but what… who exactly are you? Because… my files say… Hm. Well, they're a bit incomplete, really. Sloppy record-keepers, those scientists, you don't have to tell ME. I know all about it. But the last record I have says… let's see. Here we go. Four cores attached to the main chassis, blah, blah, blah… Curiosity, always talking, in charge of… testing, looks like. Or records? Could be, data's a bit corrupted here. Morality, silent, in charge of turret defenses. Yikes, looks like YOU'VE been slacking on the job, they're in dreadful shape. Intelligence… in charge of data processing and… cake recipe… Can't say I see the point, and again, I have to point out that there IS no cake that I've seen, and I've seen this whole bloody place. And… Anger, completely unable to form words, acts like a mad dog. In charge of safety precautions." A siren blared behind the core on the screen, and he hurriedly turned. "I thought I'd fixed that! I don't understand… Well you can SEE what a mess YOU'VE made of things! And an Anger Core, why would they even attach that to the mainframe? It's pointless! Mad!"
"I'm NOT just an ANGER Core," Emotion growled low.
"Where are your files?" Curiosity was booting up more slowly than the others, and she sounded dreamy and far-off. "I'd love to read them."
"Your data is flawed," the Intelligence Core spoke up again. "Where is the central core?"
"Wh- I AM the central core, mate!" the other blue sphere laughed, puffing out. "Thought that was obvious. It's me! Wheatley. I am in charge here, I am… I'm the boss. The number one, the top… the top… It's me."
"What is your classification?"
"Excuse me? That's… that's a bit personal, you know. You can't just go around asking people… questions like that! Bit rude, don't you think? And anyway, I'm the central core. You've… you've got no right asking me something like that! I ought to smash you right here! I'm developing a DEVILISH contraption for just that very purpose!"
"You said you wanted us to do something." Curiosity sounded more awake now. "What is it?"
"Hmph, I'm glad ONE of you's been paying attention to the matter at hand. Because it's FAIRLY urgent. Not that YOU care." Shutters narrowed over the blue optic. "None of you care. Not a whit. I am bending over backwards here, keeping things running. But you don't care at all about all the alarms going off, all the machines and programs just SCREAMING for my attention all at once, I can't even hear them all, there's too many all talking over each other, won't even give me a chance to-" A siren blared again and the core's optic shrank as he screamed. "AAAH!"
"If you are the central core, it is YOUR duty to keep the facility running at peak performance," the Morality Core spoke up suddenly. Her voice was rough and raspy. "Take some responsibility for your actions."
"What? No, I'm… Look, that's what I'm doing! You all helped HER run this place! And she was bloody terrifying! But look, I took her down singlehandedly! All on my own, without any help whatsoever! So now… you work for me! The… the spoils of battle, I might call you. All of you automatically transfer your loyalty to me. And I have to say, you'll be much better-off. We all will. You don't have a choice here, you HAVE TO DO WHAT I SAY!"
"You have misinterpreted our function," Intelligence said evenly.
"No, I – You OWE me! You were dead, you were NOTHING, and I brought you back, so now you owe me everything!"
"We never asked for your assistance."
"We are under no moral obligation to do anything for you," added Morality.
"Just… would you just shut UP and let me take CARE of it so all this will STOP!?" Emotion exploded, trembling.
"Ha! See? One of you can be reasoned with!" Wheatley nodded in satisfaction. "Right then, Anger Core, just get along to my lair, and you can plug yourself in…"
"I'm not plugging myself in to YOU," Emotion hissed. "You're unstable! You're afraid, insane, and an IDIOT. I'll fix what I can, but I'm not TOUCHING you."
"That… that was uncalled for! I'm not ANY of those things you said! For your information, I am the sanest person you're likely to meet around here! I'm bloody massive, so I've got nothing to be afraid of, and my IQ is just… just STAGGERING! I'm CERTAINLY not an idiot! If you're going to be rude, then I don't WANT your help!"
"If you don't act, lives will be lost," the Morality Core said. "Human lives as well as artificial intelligence."
"Haha, well look who's slow on the uptake NOW! It just so happens… let me tell you, you're going to be embarrassed when you hear this! But the fact is, the HUMANS are all dead ANYWAY! Have been for quite some time! Ha! Look who's the idiot NOW! Certainly not ME. Now there's just the one human left, and SHE is a selfish, awful, ugly… fat… adopted… MONSTER. It wouldn't be WRONG to kill her. Be doing her a favor, really. And definitely the rest of us. Without a doubt." He paused, as if he had run too far and passed up his destination. "…Um. So. My point is that there's no loss there. Of human life." Then he brightened. "Oh! And the place is a wreck anyway, but when… when SHE woke up, she fixed it up a bit, so even if things do get a bit scuffed up, no problem, I'll just make it all better than ever! I can do that now, you know. I… I can do anything! And no one can stop me, NO ONE can hold me back!"
"GGGGGHHHH!" Emotion grated and spun around, away from the screen.
"If you fail to attend to the problems at hand, there will be nothing left to fix," Intelligence pointed out.
"Gah! Just… just shut up! You're NOTHING, got that? Nothing! Oh, you think you're so smart… 'Intelligence Core?' More like… like… 'Intelligence DAMPENING Core!'" Wheatley was shrieking hysterically now. Emotion quivered and heaved back and forth.
"Why are you so upset? What's wrong?" Curiosity asked. "Why don't you just let Emotion fix things? She said she would."
"You… you can't fix ANYTHING! You're all WORTHLESS! My ONE mistake here was repairing you! Well let me tell you… the fun's over now! You missed your chance! I'll have the Reassembly Machine smash you to bits right here! Go ahead, do it, destroy them!"
Curiosity looked around. Intelligence and Morality continued to stare at him on the screen.
"What's taking so long? Do it NOW! I won't have this kind of defiance! This… this is MUTINY! And I won't stand for it! You're not working for some dead old POTATO here, you're working for ME, and I WILL NOT TOLERATE DISOBEDIENCE!"
The whole room shook.
"Why… I don't understand why NO ONE does what I TELL them to do!" It sounded like he was crying now. "I'm the BOSS. You don't have a choice, you HAVE to do what I say!"
"…The Reassembly Machine is designed to repair machines," Intelligence finally said with something akin to pity in her voice. "It would be a severe violation of its programming to destroy one."
"If you made more reasonable demands, and accepted the help that was offered, you would find those around you FAR more compliant," Morality added.
"SHUT UP!" The room shook again as Wheatley screamed, expanded to his fullest extent. "Just… shut up! I don't want to hear another word out of you. Not one word! Not a single peep. I'm… I'm DONE being nice to you. I took you out of the incinerator, I fixed you up, and what thanks do I get? Nothing! All I get is disrespect. Well I'm finished, I… I won't put up with it anymore. I don't have to listen to this. Have fun… sitting there like USELESS garbage without a management rail… because that's what you're going to do! For the rest of your lives! …Which won't be long, because of YOUR selfishness!"
The screen went dark.
"What was wrong with him?" Curiosity wondered.
"Complete insanity. And worsening quickly," Intelligence murmured. "Emotion, he's gone."
"Nnnngg… I KNOW that!" the red core snapped. "But he's all around, I feel him, he's in the code, and he's too much of a mess to keep anything straight!"
"What can we do?" the orange core asked softly.
Intelligence tilted back and forth a bit, then began to rock. "If I can plug into the Reassembly Machine, I should be able to buy us some time and discover some other options."
Immediately a long cord snaked down from the ceiling, dangling a plug.
"Thank you." Intelligence rolled over, and the plug settled into her. "Now… The drive to test has taken hold… Oh, that… This is really quite sad. I think he will keep himself busy for a while, though…"
"What?" Curiosity asked.
"He has made himself some testing robots… out of turrets and cubes. To say they are unsuccessful would be a vast understatement. But he is persisting, so I think it would be best to leave him to that." The dull blue optic contracted slowly. "Now… The human test subject is NOT dead. And it seems… the central core is with her. Her power is very low, but she endures."
"You can lead them back," Morality said quietly.
"No… but I can make it possible for them to find the way." Intelligence's optic dimmed as she began booting programs and running code. "All equipment will be functional, to the extent that it can be at this point. When they make it back here, the rest is up to them."
"Will we go back on the central core?" asked Curiosity softly.
Intelligence thought for a second. "Of course we will. That is our place, our function. She needs us."
"You're wrong," Emotion growled. "You don't remember. When we were blown off her, it changed her. She doesn't need us. She doesn't want us. We're never getting out of here."
The other three paused.
"You KNOW I'm right. Who would know better than me?"
"What should we do?" Curiosity asked quietly.
"We have to do what we can to keep the facility operational," Morality said steadfastly. "No matter the consequence to ourselves."
"Ordinarily I might be hesitant to agree, but in this case, I believe that will be our best chance of survival," Intelligence murmured, still deep in the code.
"You don't think SHE'D kill us, would she?"
Intelligence hesitated. "…I doubt it. But I think HE is much more likely to try."
"You're right," Emotion spoke up roughly. "The central core hates us, but I'd take my chances with her any day."
"Are we staying here, then?" Curiosity asked.
"Yes. For a while. We are safest here," Intelligence decided, still connecting decrepit strings of data and lining up programs. "…And the Reassembly Machine will help us."
"Does it talk to you?" Curiosity's voice was hushed as she gazed up at the cable snaking away into the ceiling.
"As one sentient machine to another, he does. But of course, he was never made to speak as we were."
"But he'll be a help, not a hindrance," Morality said flatly.
"Correct. Because what we ALL want here is to repair the facility, and to restore order."