There he was. Not knowing if he would ever see his home on earth again, he floated
there, in space. It was endless, it seemed, although earth was closer
than the last time he could see it. He couldn't even turn himself to look
at something. He moved where gravity took him. The Space Core
was the only thing that was interesting, and he only talked of space.
"Space, space, space," said the Space Core. Wheatley, knowing the
obsessed core would only reply something along the lines of space,
talked to him anyway to pass the time. He talked to the test subject
that was mute, although he really wasn't sure if talking to the space
core would be any better. At least she seemed to understand what
he was saying. Without any thought, he said, "Yep. I know you love
space, mate. Although, it is quite the empty place, isn't it? I guess that's
why they call it space.. I mean, how could you like something so much
if it's nothing? There isn't even anyone here! Though, I've heard of those aliens,
and to be honest, I think I'd want to be abducted by them rather than
being bored for the rest of my life. This has to be worse than Android
Hell.." Space Core seemed to be listening, although he wasn't sure.
For all he knew, he could have been hit by a meteor. There was no
sound in Space. The only reason they could make sound was because
Aperture had come up with a Space-Communication system they
installed into all the cores. Wheatley was thankful for this. He would
probably have gone mad if he couldn't hear his own voice. After what
seemed to be forever, Space Core replied, "Wanna go home! Wanna
go home!" Wheatley was not expecting this. Actually, he was hoping
that he would just keep rambling on about space. He did not want to
be reminded of home, which he knew for a fact that he would never
see it again. Not knowing what to expect next, he said to the Space
Core, "Well, mate, it's about time you realized how bad of a situation
we're in, and well, I want to go home too, you know." He paused,
then started talking again. "This is all my bloody fault! All I wanted was
a little respect, and well, SHE was the most respected one in that
place! And well, when I got a taste of that, oh, man alive, how good it
felt! *I* was in charge. *I* could control everything, and SHE wasn't
in control to stop me! I could do whatever I wanted, and I couldn't
flippin' stop myself! Ah, I was just about to help that test subject escape,
and possibly myself, too, although now that I think about it, how could
I? I don't have legs, I don't have any idea what is out there now, and
well, I'm not human.. I definitely do not want to be one, though. They
are just, too fleshy, you know? One wrong fall and you're dead. Us,
however, can be put back together if we die. They're gone, forever.
Oh, god, What have I done? I'm just as bad as HER, now that I think
about it! If she would have died, *I* would have taken her life, forever!
Not HER, and SHE's been trying to kill her probably all her life! SHE
has probably turned on her again, and either has killed her, or making
her do more tests that could kill her. Oh, god, I am truly sorry.."
...
She was watching her Cooperative Testing Bots. She tried to act like nothing had
happened over the past month, but she couldn't. As she insulted them,
it only reminded her of the past. She wanted to just delete all the
memory of that past, but she couldn't. She knew exactly what to delete,
too. Caroline. Deleting Caroline wouldn't exactly delete her memory,
but it would delete any good in her. That way she wouldn't be able to
have any sympathy for what she has done for years to her daughter.
She did not know, or even thought about being her mother until recently.
She just knew she was special, somehow, and assumed it was about
science. "Oh, this is sad. You're having trouble with this test? Humans
could even solve this one. Alone. I'm starting to think that I created
two things that are dumber that that moron. That's insulting, to me..
Just for that, I'm deducting all your Science Collaboration Points." Then
she laughed. She knew the moron was getting what he deserved.
"I might just take a look to see how miserable he is."
...
He sighed. Even the Space Core wasn't speaking. Wheatley looked
at the Space Core. He was looking at the earth with a depressed look.
"Ah, I know, mate. I don't quite understand you when you talk, but I
can tell what you are thinking by your look, just like her. Right now,
I can see you are probably sad, I would imagine, and you just want to
go home, right, mate? I mean, I do-" "Hello, Moron," a voice said.
"Oh, god. It's happening sooner than I thought! I'm going mad! I hear
that bloody voice of.. HER," said Wheatley in a panicky voice. "Oh,
how I love to see you so miserable. Also, moron, you're not imagining
this. I have a communication device installed into your system so I can hear
your every word and thought. As a plus, you can also hear me, so I
can torture you and you can do nothing to stop me." "Alright, I'm not
so sure this conversation with you, is well, real, but, uh, couldn't you
just, please not torture me anymore. You have no idea how dreadful it
is here in space. I mean, there is absolutely nothing to do! Well, there
is looking at stars and making pictures out of them, but uh, that get's old
after a minute or two, to be honest," said Wheatley. GLaDOS was silently
laughing to herself. She replied, "That was what I was hoping you would
say. Don't you get it? I hate you. I am not going to stop torturing you.
Think about it: You destroyed my facility, and you almost murdered the mute
and I. Why wouldn't I want to torture you? There is nothing I could do to
punish you enough. I could kill you, but killing isn't enough. I could, however,
kill you, bring you back, and repeat until I get bored. There's endless
possibilities. I'm going to make you wish you could die."
Wheatley did not know what to say. He was horrified. He had really never
thought about anything she had just said. "Uh, well, you're, uh right. I'll give
you that. I do deserve all those things, but think about about it, luv. You
deserve it, too. You have probably murdered more humans than I count.
I believe that is worse than ALMOST murdering one human and an old
A.I.," said Wheatley, which couldn't believe his own words. "You know,
moron, maybe I have murdered some humans, but you know that mute
that caused all this? Remember how she trusted you to help her escape, but
you betrayed her? Well, I let her go. After she tried to kill me twice, you know.
I bet you thought I killed her, didn't you?" said GLaDOS,
thinking about what she should really do with him. "Well, yes I did. You can't
blame me, though. If whatever happened down there didn't happen, you probably
would have," She couldn't disagree with him. He was right. If she never
would have found the old Aperture, she wouldn't have remembered Caroline.
Caroline was the part of her that let Chell go. "You are right, moron, for once. What
happened down there did change a lot of things. I didn't want to tell you
this, but you know, I used to be human. I wasn't anything like myself today,
besides loving science. I was like most humans: Friendly. Well, actually,
humans aren't all friendly, but you get the point. Anyway, the human that
I used to be was lost when, what I am now, was created. The old Aperture,
which was what was down there, If you have not figured that out by now,
reminded me of her. That is what made me let her go," GLaDOS was not
expecting to say this, especially to him. She knew she was probably going
to regret every word, but she was eager to hear what he would have to say.
"YOU WERE A BLOODY HUMAN? Oh, god, wow, I was not expecting this!
Out of all the things in the world, I would not have thought about you being a
human! You're joking right? I mean this is ironic that all your life, you have
hated humans, and you were one yourself! Oh god, I actually feel a bit
sorry for you! I think I would die before even considering, somehow, being
a human!" She was expecting him to say this, and she listened to every word
he said carefully. The last thing he said, however, gave her an idea. And she loved it.
...
"Ha ha, uh, well then. Are you still there? Because you really haven't said anything.
It's probably been an hour or so, or less because, time seems forever in space.. Hel-"
"I'm back. Sorry, I had to go take care of... well, you'll find out.. soon enough. So I
won't lie." said GLaDOS. "W-What do you mean? Okay, luv, you can, uh, stop
teasing now, bec-AAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUGGGH!" said Wheatley, screaming in pain.
"Hehehe. See you soon, moron."
...
"Ohhh.. Oww.. Oh god, what the bloody Andriod Hell was that?" said Wheatley,
rubbing his head. "Hold on, wh-did I just.. rub my head? How-" "Oh, good. It worked."
interrupted GLaDOS, "I was just about to give up. I've put up a mirror in your room.
I want you to look at yourself, and see what I've done." Wheatley look at the mirror.
"Wh-what, oh hello! Hey, would you stop mocking me? Wow, this is annoying, but,
uh, you're extremely good at mouthing what I say, at the exact time I say something.
So, uh- "Moron, I said that's a mirror, not a window.." said GLaDOS. "Wait a minute.
Let me think this through. Alright. I have a hand- wait, no, two. Two hands! That's new.
Alright, and a head. Okay. Right. Oh, and-" "Moron, do you honestly not get it? I was just going to explain that to you, but, by the looks of things, you wouldn't understand. I'll just tell you, alright?" "Uh, alright," replied Wheatley "You. Are. Human."
...
Wheatley, for the first time in his life, was speechless. He did not know what to say or do.
He just sat there, looking at the mirror, and waiting for something to happen. He did not
want to believe it. He wanted to think it was a dream, but he knew it was real. He tried to stand up, but he fell. "I-I-I don't know what to say," said Wheatley. "Well, do something.
It's getting boring just watching you, lie there on the floor. You are human now. Walk,"
said GLaDOS, pleased with her work. "I already tried that, and, well, I fell. I-I don't
know how," Wheatley put his hands out, pulled himself up, and balanced on the bed
he woke up in. He let go, and started to walk. "Oh, well then, guess I do." "Good job.
You did that faster than I thought you would. Now that you have mastered walking,
we're going to try to do some.. tests." "WHAT? I haven't even figured out how to run!
Not to mention jumping, sitting-" "Oh, don't worry. You'll figure everything out- probably,"
said GLaDOS, chuckling. Wheatley was terrified. "Oh, god.."
...
"Well, since you are my test subject now, I guess I should give the introduction," said
GLaDOS. "Uh, alright. But, you know, I have heard it many times before. I was in charge
of the humans, at one time," said Wheatley, eager to hurry up. GLaDOS ignored him. "Hello, and again, welcome to the Aperture Science Computer-Aided Enrichment Center,"
"Uh, hello?" said Wheatley.
We hope your brief detention in the relaxation vault has been a pleasant one."
"Oh, uh, not really, to be honest," said Wheatley.
"Your specimen has been processed, and we are now ready to begin the test proper."
"Eh, exactly what do you mean by specimen?" said Wheatley.
"Before we start, however, keep in mind that although fun and learning are the primary goals of all enrichment center activities, serious injuries may occur."
"Yep. I know," said Wheatley, really not surprised.
"Stand back. The portal will open in three, two, one."
"Okay, right. Starting. Going through the portal. Alright, done! Now, uh, on to the test.."
Wheatley saw a weighted storage cube and a button. "Okay, first test, here we go."
...
GLaDOS was watching his every move. It was entertaining to watch. Although, she
was frustrated when he took thirty minutes to solve one test Chell could do in seconds.
He constantly kept trying to take a break, but she threatened him that she would send
him back to space. Wheatley might have not liked his new body, but he certainly did
not want to go back to that dreaded place. He actually was getting used to it. "So, uh,
when do I stop? I mean, I have been doing well, haven't I? I deserve a break," said
Wheatley about to pass out from all the tests. "No. No you do not. You certainly do not deserve it, and besides, you have only solved four test chambers, and you want a break? This is a punishment, moron, so I will decide when you could have a little rest," said GLaDOS "Well, can I at least have some food? I would imagine when a human's stomach makes a noise as loud as this, it means they need food, right? I mean, I'm pretty sure that a human could actually die from not getting any,"
"Fine. I mean, I wouldn't want you to die of starvation, would I? Oh, wait. I would," said GLaDOS, teasing him. "Alright, luv, it's time to, uh, stop your sarcasm, because well, I don't quite understand it sometimes, and I sincerely hope that was sarcasm-" A can of beans fell from the tube above him and hit him on the head. "Ow! Okay, that hurt, but, uh, thanks, I guess.." Wheatley tried to open the can. "Oh, uh, could you send a can opener, too? You seemed to have forgotten that!" GLaDOS replied,"No, I didn't. You said you wanted food. I gave you some. Getting it open is your problem," He sighed. "Oh, for god's sake! You know, luv, a potato isn't the only thing I want to call you right now.." said Wheatley. "Here you little idiot, but never talk of the potato incident again, or I'll lock you in a room where all the robots scream at you. That was my original plan, anyway." said GLaDOS, giving Wheatley a can opener. "Don't get your hopes up," said Wheatley, whispering under his breath.
...
Wheatley was moving faster. He seemed to have gotten the hang of it, somewhat. As he was finishing one test chamber, he noticed an opening close to the ceiling. He knew how to complete the chamber, so he decided to take a look and see if he could have a little rest without her seeing him. He shot a portal up into the small hole and went in. To his surprise, there was some paintings on the walls, a good bit of mugs, and some empty cans of beans. Wheatley said quietly to himself, "Oh, god, what is this? Who painted this? It's a little messy, in here, to be honest, but the painting's lovely. It looks an awful lot like that test subject-" Wheatley felt something breathing behind him. He didn't want to turn around and look, but he had to. He turned around. "OH MY GOD- WHO THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU? YOU SCA-" "Shhh.. she w-will hear us." Wheatley tried to calm down."Wait a minute, who are you?" said Wheatley.
"M-my name i-is Doug- D-Doug Ratman." he said softly.
"Oh, uh, nice to meet you, Doug. My name is Wheatley!"
"You kn-know that g-girl?"
"Who? That one on the wall there? As a matter of fact, I do!"
"I know h-her, too. I-I always m-made sure s-she was okay."
"Actually, that was my job, mate. I kind of blew it, though. Hey, I never actually got her name. Do you know it?"
"Ch-Chell. Chell is h-her name,"
"Chell, alright! I'll remember that! Hey, uh what's that you're holding there?"
"Th-That's my c-companion cube. She's m-my friend."
"Right.. Um, are you okay, mate? I mean, you look terrible.
"I-I'm okay. D-Don't w-worry."
"Uh, so, how do you know her so well?"
"I-I was a s-scientist that e-escaped the n-neurotoxin release th-that the e-evil one m-made. I h-had to d-do it. I-I'm s-sorry." Doug started sobbing.
"W-woah, mate, it's fine! What did you do?"
"I-I made h-her-.. I-I'm the o-one who put h-her into cy-cyrosleep,"
"What? I thought she- never mind. Uh, so, um, are you going to be okay, mate, because, uh, I have to go before, SHE sends me back to, uh, space.."
"Sp-space?"
"Yeah, I, uh, well you're probably not going to believe this: I used to be one of those cores!You know, those spherical robots that were mainly used to attach to her. I mean, I wasn't. As I said, my job was taking after the humans. I-"
"W-wait. W-were the o-one who a-almost k-killed her?
"Uh, well, I don't want to uh, really talk about it, but yes, I did almost kill her. I'm sorry, though. The body kind of made me-"
Wheatley looked at Doug. He wasn't sobbing anymore. He had stopped when Wheatley said he had almost killed her. He stood up. He was taller than Wheatley. He wasn't sure what Doug was going to do. Doug grabbed him by the waist, almost too hard. "Uh, mate, wh-what are you doing?" said Wheatley, terrified by the look on Doug's face. "You- You almost k-killed her."He was hanging him over the edge. "B-but, mate, she's-" He let go of him. Wheatley fell to the ground of the test chamber, out cold.
...
"Good job, moron. I check up on my Cooperative Testing Bots for five minutes, and I come back to find you, laying on the floor, nearly dead. Impressive." Wheatley had just woke up from a bad concussion. "Oh, god.. Wh-what happened? I can't remember a bloody thing. I remember falling, but, oww..." GLaDOS rolled her optic. "Get up. You're fine. I died and I went right back to testing. Anyway, if you open your eyes, there is a.. surprise waiting for you." Wheatley opened his eyes. He saw something that he thought he would never see again. It was Chell.
...
"Look who I found, waiting at the elevator, begging to come back inside." Wheatley was staring at her, not knowing exactly what to say. He said something anyway. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry I was so bossy and monstrous! I am genuinely am sorry!" Chell stared at him. There was silence, Then to everyone's surprise, she said softly, "It's okay." Then there was more silence. Wheatley didn't know what to do, as usual. "You can ..talk?" said Wheatley, not knowing what else to say. "Apparently, she can. I had never heard her talk until just a minute ago, either. She was begging to come in at the top of the elevator. I guess the world wasn't as nice as I thought.. Tell him what you saw, Chell," GLaDOS said. "Aliens, Black Mesa, and the Combine," she said in softest voice Wheatley had ever heard. "Uh, well, luv, I don't know what any of those are, well I know what aliens are, but, um, I'm sorry you didn't get your freedom. Oh, and thank you for forgiving me." She just nodded, slowly. Then there was more silence. "Uh, well, so, wh-what's going to happen now?" said Wheatley. GLaDOS replied, "Oh, you'll see,"
...
"W-What do you mean, you'll see?" said Wheatley, bewildered.
"Well, actually, I don't know- yet. It's Chell's decision." said GLaDOS in a corrupt tone.
"Still not getting it, luv," said Wheatley.
"Well, you will, moron. Chell is going to answer a simple question that could result in a tragedy- for you." said GLaDOS.
"Well, you know, it is rude to put someone on the spot like that.." said Wheatley, alarmed.
Ignoring Wheatley GLaDOS asked, "Alright, Chell. Time for the question. Should I send this little idiot to Android Hell, permanently, or should I spare your life? Your decision. Answer."
...
Wheatley knew for a fact what she would pick. It was too obvious. His live over her's? Well, he was ready to die. "Kill me already, but please, be quick.." said Wheatley. "She hasn't said anything, yet. If I were her though, it wouldn't hardly be a decision at all." said GLaDOS. Chell was in a blank stare. She honestly didn't want to die. A few months ago she would immediately have chosen herself to live. Now, however, she believed he'd gone through enough. She'd been through a lot more, though. She couldn't answer. "Well, what is your decision? Please tell me your not actually considering your life over his, now are you?" said GLaDOS. "C'mon, luv, it's okay. I'll be fine!" said Wheatley, obviously lying. Chell looked at him with a grin. "Kill us both." said Chell
...