A/N: Kite here! This is my first story published here on Fanfiction, so please go easy on me. I write stories like this in my free time, so I have quite a bit of experience, but in some places I'm still learning. I promise nothing is misspelled and that all grammar is correct. Feel free to review if you want!
All characters belong to Valve!
It was his only his second day on the surface when it happened. Wheatley had already spent all night walking away from the rusty shed where he'd escaped from, still attempting to get used to his new android body. His steps were awkward and slow, and he often tripped over small things on the ground. The robot could feel his energy falling with every step; his android body had been left in disrepair for so long that it began to lose its charging capacity. Wheatley figured he would have about a couple of weeks on his current charge before he completely shut down. With an insane amount of luck, he would find the Lady and apologize to her before his time was up. He didn't have the faintest idea where to find her, but he kept walking on in blind optimism, hoping to find her somewhere nearby.
A few hours later, a sharp explosion of thunder awoke Wheatley from what should have been a short nap in sleep mode. Night had fallen while he had been asleep. He turned his glowing blue eyes skyward to see flashes of lightning throughout the clouds overhead, as well as gallons of water that could short circuit him falling in earnest. He screamed in alarm, but then discovered that the water was sliding right off his synthetic skin, just as it would on a human. Still unnerved by the rain, he stood up from his small nest of wheat and began to walk briskly on in an attempt to find shelter. The core on his chest provided little light to go by, and the storm seemed to get worse as time went on.
The wind picked up, sending the rain into an almost horizontal pattern. Scared out of his mind, Wheatley continued to walk on. His usually optimistic morale was dropping quickly. He could barely see through the maelstrom, and he was already beginning to feel tired from all the stress he was under. Then, through the curtains of rain, he caught sight of a small light on the horizon. Whatever it was, he didn't care; it was a possibility for shelter. He began to run full tilt towards the spot, barely managing to keep himself upright in the slippery and muddy wheat field.
Half an hour later, Wheatley was not a mile away from the light he'd seen, now revealed to be a small house. His face lit up in relief. He was going to make it! The robot stopped for a second to catch his breath, but as soon as he did, a great flash of light and a loud, shuddering boom surrounded him, followed by pain not unlike when he'd been in the core transfer. The electricity surged throughout his circuits, hitting every nook and cranny it could find. Wheatley's shrill screams filled the air as he fell to the ground, his whole body paralyzed with intense pain. He thought he could vaguely smell something burning, but he was in too much pain to care. His vision blacked out in places, and he could feel his energy dropping quickly. It was a miracle he was still online.
The sound of running footsteps alerted him to the presence of a human. He was too weak to see clearly or care who it was. When the human reached him, he heard a sharp gasp. He half opened one eye.
"H-help... m-me... pl-please," he said weakly.
Immediately afterwards, he blacked out.
Carrying a tall, wet, and heavily damaged 200-pound robot back to the house was not how Chell had imagined her evening. Discovering that this robot was undeniably Wheatley, back from his exile in space, was an added bonus. Walking into the house, both soaking wet and exhausted, she placed the android on the small living room couch, his long legs overshooting the end by about a foot. Removing his square-framed glasses and placing them on the table, she eyed him carefully. He hadn't made any movements since he fell unconscious outside. However, Chell could hear that his inner workings were hard at work, struggling to repair themselves after the harsh and unexpected lightning strike. Things whirred and clicked and hummed inside him.
His normally messy but managed dirty blonde hair was now a singed and muddy flyaway tangle. The clothes he wore were also in a similar state, and his core flickered in a dull blue and seemed to be in danger of sputtering out completely. Despite all the pain he'd been in earlier, Wheatley's face held an expression of peace. It was almost as if he was simply asleep. Chell surmised that there was no immediate threat in front of her. She wasn't about to let her guard down so easily either way; she took a seat on the floor and just watched him, waiting for any movement he might make.
Chell's mind was racing. Half of her urged on the notion that Wheatley was a dangerous threat to her safety, and that as soon as he made any sign of waking up, she should toss him out to fend for himself. The other half was more forgiving; wait and see how he reacts. She weighed both carefully. Yes, he'd been horrible and deserved to be punished for all it was worth, but at the same time, he'd been the first thing in That Place that didn't immediately try to kill her. Wheatley had been a friend to her, something that was alien to her after all her tenure in Aperture.
Looking back over to the unconscious android on the couch, she contemplated her options. Throw out the object of her recurring nightmares, or give him a second chance. She stood up after a few minutes, turned off the small lamp at the head of the couch, and made her way to her bedroom. After a quick change of clothes and settling in to bed, Chell made a decision. For now, Wheatley was far too weak to be much of a threat. She still didn't trust him, and opted to give him a couple of weeks to prove himself.
She would give him a second chance.