Severance from the tainted chassis was so sudden and refreshing that the microsecond he was free, Wheatley was his old self again. Right as rain, save for the microsecond later of realization that he was being sucked into the vacuum of space just off the surface of the moon. It was in this moment that his growling demands for the test subject to let him go became a desperate plea for his dear companion Chell to hold to him tighter. Amazingly, she did just that, her fingers wrapped so firmly around his handles that her knuckles shone white through her skin.
"What are you doing?" GLaDOS interrupted, a metal claw holding to Chell's ankle and keeping them both in place. "Let go of that moron. He is not coming back here."
Chell defiantly pulled the trembling core against her chest. Wheatley turned his optic to gaze at her, his pupil just a dot as terror-true terror-sparked across his circuits. How had things come down to this? He had just been so lonely, had just wanted to leave that Hell-bound facility and see the world…and now he was on the bloody moon, barely tethered to Earth by the grip of the poor human woman and at the mercy of the facility's proper AI. Everything had gone to hell…and it was all his fault. Every last bit of it.
"If you do not let go of him, I will let go of you," GLaDOS threatened, interrupting his thoughts. "And unlike him, you cannot survive in space."
"Humans can survive in a vacuum for up to, but not exceeding, two minutes. Approximately," the Fact Core offered as it was yanked free and flew by to join the Space Core.
"Hey, I thought you said there wasn't such a thing as space!" snapped Rick, whipping past them and collided with the pink-eyed Core. "I knew you were lyin'!"
"The Fact Core is always right."
"You are all morons," was GLaDOS' summation before addressing Chell again. "Now, I will repeat my previous request. Let. Him. Go."
If he'd had a throat, there might have been a lump in it. While saving him momentarily from joining his fellow Cores now lazily orbiting the Moon , he knew that if Chell didn't listen, GLaDOS really would let go and cast them both adrift. While the prospect of being trapped in space forever chilled him, far worse was the understanding that his human companion would not survive for long without air. He tried to chuckle, the sound coming across sad and awkward.
"Hey, you know, you should listen to her, luv. We don't need silly things like air out here, we'll be fine! So just…you know, go ahead and let me go. I-I know I said to hold me tighter, but ah…she's not gonna let me back in there with you."
Chell showed no sign of releasing Wheatley, however, surprising him. GLaDOS sighed and would have shaken her optic's casing from side to side if it had been placed back where it belonged. However, lacking ability for this physical gesture, she voiced her displeasure.
"Despite any brief flickers of partial intelligence, it seems you really are brain damaged. At least in all the parts that don't involve solving puzzles…and making poor decisions. Well, fine. You win. You wanted your freedom? Here, take it."
Despite Caroline's shrill protesting in the back of her expanded mind and the annoying pleading of the Intelligence Dampening Core the human was clinging to, GLaDOS released her metallic claw and watched passively for a moment before turning her attention back to her facility; there was much work to do to repair the extensive damage the collection of space-bound idiots had caused.
After the initial, violent tumble away from the portal, Chell found herself floating peacefully enough and with little threat of the Core being torn from her grasp. Relaxing, she held him at arm's length and looked up into his optic. Though she seemed well enough for the moment, she had instinctively taken one last deep breath of air and now held it firmly behind clenched teeth. But it was a good moment…this was the old Wheatley, the one she cared for, the one who'd freed her; the one who betrayed her and tried to kill her was as gone as the facility itself.
"Oh no, ohnononononono!" he whined, his lower panel raised up in a look of horror. "What did you do that for?!"
Chell only smiled a bit, briefly turning to watch the other Cores exploring their new home.
"You're gonna die out here!" he protested, puffing out a bit. "Like really die! Not like my stupid attempts to kill you back there!"
Despite this to-him terrifying revelation, her expression showed a clear acceptance of her fate. Wheatley hated it.
"So you're just gonna die, then, huh?! And leave me here with these…these…" he snapped, though his voice broke. "You can't die, I don't want you to die, I never did! Not really, it was that place, that thing…it makes you go mad with all that bigness and power! I didn't mean it! I swear it!"
Chell crinkled her nose a bit as her lungs began to burn: it wouldn't be long until the natural reflex to draw in air won out. But she would hold on as long as she could, wanting desperately to let him finish whatever it was he had to say.
"You weren't the bossy, monstrous one," Wheatley prattled on, looking to her frantically. "I was! I wish…AUGH, I wish I could take it all back! I honestly do! And not just because I'm stranded here in space ("SPAAAAAAAAAACE!" echoed the Space Core gleefully as he zoomed by)…I-I just…I just want you to know…"
She watched him intently, her chest aching not just for the air leaking from her lungs. At this point she could also feel her exposed skin burning, wishing in passing that the top of her suit wasn't tied around her waist. It was so odd to feel so cold, yet her skin was reddening and burning hot…
"I'm so sorry," he finally managed, his gaze casting downward to show his shame. "I'm genuinely, truly sorry…"
That was it. She could tell by the way he gestured, still finding small wonder in how well the Core could express his emotions just with how his panels shifted. While she desperately wished she could hear his heart-felt words, she could only guess that it was an apology of some sort…after all, sound doesn't carry in the vacuum of space.
When a few droplets of liquid splashed against his optic, Wheatley blinked and turned to look back at Chell, his circuits erupting with the strongest sensation of sadness and pain he had ever had the misfortune of experiencing. She was crying, a serene smile playing across her lips as the delicate beads of water floated away from the corners of her eyes. He had never once seen her cry, no matter how much GLaDOS-and himself-had put her through.
"Why are…why are you crying? Did I upset you? I-I sorry, I didn't mean-" he began, but she pulled him against her chest again, lightly kissing his optic before closing her eyes.
In the softest, single-most tragically sweet whisper, she spoke to him for the first and last time:
"I forgive you."
Wheatley's heart-or what he assumed was the closest thing he had to one-broke as he felt the brief flutter of vibration of her words against his optic, but he couldn't hear her. He couldn't…she'd spoken and he couldn't hear her. He could hear the other Cores' voices through their linked transmitters, but that was something that Chell lacked.
He would never know what her voice sounded like.
She was gone.
Still held in her grasp, drifting lazily around the Moon, Wheatley closed his optic and wished for God-for any god, really-to silence him forever and spare him the pain boring its way deep within his every circuit.