"Okay. No, no, no. This is not working." Wheatley sighed, the core's optic looking down at the ground. Currently, he and the former test subject Chell were attempting to travel, but quickly found that Chell didn't have the strength to carry both Wheatley and the companion cube. Not to mention Wheatley was otherwise useless without limbs. The sphere was currently being awkwardly held underneath Chell's arm, the other arm preoccupied with trying to pull to the companion cube with them. Chell sighed and blew a piece of hair out of her face, clearly exhausted.
"Even if we do leave the cube behind, you're rather heavy." Chell mumbled, not used to talking. Tired, she plopped down on the companion cube and held Wheatley firm in her hands.
"Lovely. I have an idea...but it's bloody dangerous." he exhaled, mimicking the same sentence he said the first time her derailed. Chell ushered for him to continue.
"As you know, having arms and legs and other human appendages is very helpful. And I think we know somebody who can give me arms and legs and stuff." Wheatley said, making Chell's eyes widen.
"We can't go back there! Are you kidding me? It took me like twenty freaking years just to get out of there, and now you want to go back in!" Chell exploded.
"I know, I know! Which is why I said it was bloody dangerous. Remember? I literally just said that." Wheatley replied, now sidetracking.
"I remember. It's just...what's your plan?" Wheatley inhaled.
"Can I get back to you on that one?" Wheatley said, making Chell sigh.
"Look, all we gotta do is get me a body and escape. We pretty much know where all the exits are now anyway. Well, I do. Because, well...you know why." Wheatley countered. As dangerous as the plan sounded, they pretty much had no choice, unless Chell was to leave Wheatley, maybe her only companion on the whole entire planet, behind. Which obviously wasn't going to happen.
"Fine...I guess we're going back to Aperture." Chell said hoarsely.
1011001110
Chell stood in front of the old rusted shed from which she originally emerged from, Wheatley in her arms.
"Well. This is it. Knowing her, she's probably got about a hundred turrents ready to shoot us down." Wheatley said, half jokingly. Chell gulped.
"Right. Not helping. Sorry, carry on with the door opening." Wheatley said nervously, as Chell gripped the handles. She half expected to find a swarm of red eyed turrents in front of her as she opened the door, but to her surprise, found absolutely nothing but a pristine elevator.
"Someone's been renovating." Wheatley muttered as they trekked to the elevator, finding the area around it completely clean and polished. Inhaling, Chell stepped into the elevator, the doors swishing closed behind her.
"Oh. Wow. Brilliant. Hadn't expected us to get this far." Wheatley said, a hint of nervousness in his voice.
"What? We're going to face her without a plan?" Chell hissed, her eyes now widened. Wheatley squirmed around in Chell's hands.
"Oh, what's that? A door? Interesting!" Wheatley stammered, as the elevator stopped in front of a blue door. Chell rolled her eyes and tip toed toward the door, her heart racing.
"Okay! Here it goes!" the core said as the door opened. It was too dark to make out anything, a first. Then, slowly, the lights turned on one by one. And finally, a big spotlight shined down at Chell and Wheatley, as GLaDOS emerged from the darkness, her yellow eye glowing brightly.
"Welcome back. I've been expecting you." GLaDOS' cold, computerized voice said.
"Expecting us? What? You've planned this entire thing?" Wheatley suddenly said, his blue optic lighting up the area. GLaDOS leaned in close and glared at Wheatley.
"I was expecting her not you. And I thought we left you behind in space?" GLaDOS hissed. The personality core quivered and Chell shifted him so he wasn't facing the the looming robot.
"Riiight. Well, it turns out, the Earth likes me! I was just sittin' around, listening to the Space Core ramble on an on, and all ofa sudden, I'm bein pulled back to Earth! Amazing really." Wheatley rambled, his optic shifting around.
"Well, you obviously came back for a reason. So, what do you want?" Chell inhaled and looked up at the robot, trying not to be intimidated.
"How would you say...I you had two new test subjects? Voluntarily of course, no resistance." Chell mumbled, adding the last part on quickly. GLaDOS hung limply, stunned at the sounds that had just escaped the woman's mouth. Words? After all these years she was...talking?
"So. It talks."
"Look, do we have a deal or not?"
"I hate to break it to your primitive little brain, but that moron you're currently holding isn't a human." GLaDOS said coldly.
"Not a moron!" Wheatley hissed. Chell glared at him before returning her attention to GLaDOS.
"He can be a human though...he didn't kill all of the humans. Perhaps you could...do a core transplant on him?" Chell said, closing her eyes, ready to choked with neurotoxin. Instead, she received a 'hmm'.
"It does sound interesting to study. Hmm. Fine. I will do a core transplant...for science." A claw emerged from the ceiling and picked Wheatley up easily.
"Woah! Uh, is this gonna hurt? If it is, can I opt out?" Wheatley said nervously as he was swung through the air.
"It will and I can't. See you in a couple of hours, Intelligence Dampening Core." GLaDOS said as he disappeared through the ceiling. GLaDOS turned her attention to Chell, who was standing quietly in front of her.
"Seeing as you so carelessly left the Aperture Science Hand-held Portal Device on the moon, I have created another one. You friend though, will have to do without one." GLaDOS said, the a portal gun emerging from the floor. Without another word, Chell hopped over to the gun and picked it up, finding no blood splatters and no dirt. Very nice.
"We still have 58 minutes before that little idiot's core transplant is done, so I might as well give you another present. Ha. I'm being rather generous. Much like your weight." GLaDOS sneered. Chell curled her lip at the last comment. A hole in the floor opened up underneath Chell and she found herself falling down a narrow chute. Did her encounters always end that way with GLaDOS somehow or another? Getting flung or falling somewhere? A few minutes of falling later, Chell fell into a gray walled room; no buttons, no tubes, just a sealed off door. Following lose behind her was a clean jumpsuit and shirt. She glanced nervously at the camera and blushed.
"Really? If it makes you feel any better, I'll close my eyes." GLaDOS said happily. Chell rolled her eyes; the super computer was obviously bluffing. But...unless she put that suit on, GLaDOS would probably just keep tormenting her. That being said, she quickly changed into the jumpsuit, pleased at the fact that GLaDOS hadn't made a comment the entire time. Until of course, one she was all changed, the super computer started to laugh.
"Despite the lack of food you consume, you seem to gain weight every day." GLaDOS snickered. Chell glared at the camera in the room and blushed, tying the top portion of the jumpsuit around her waist.
"Oh. Look at that. The moron seems to be done. I guess there really wasn't much information to be transferred." the robot said somewhat coldly. The doors to the room slid open and Chell passed through them, still sliding on her boots. Chell stepped into the elevator, it traveling upwards.
"Great. The idiot doesn't even seem to know how to walk yet." GLaDOS growled as the doors to the elevator opened. Chell smiled to herself and walked through the door. The first thing she saw when she entered, was a lanky man with ginger hair and black framed glasses. He wore a gray jumpsuit with darker boots and a blue optic looking thing on his back. Chell nearly scoffed at the sight.
"Chell! This is bloody brilliant! I have legs! Well, granted, I'm a smelly human, but check it out: legs!" Wheatley said, upon spotting Chell. The test subject gave the core a weak smile and nodded.
"Oh! Oh! Watch this!" Wheatley said. With that, he wiggled his fingers, entranced at the fact that his fingers were moving.
"Are you idiots done playing a done? We have testing to do, after all, and we only have 60 years." GLaDOS said, interrupting Wheatley.
"'She always this pushy?" Wheatley whispered to Chell.
"It gets worse." Chell whispered back.
"I can hear every word you two say. Now, if you would precede through the door, we can begin testing." GLaDOS said. Chell stepped forward easily, but Wheatley found himself tumbling over his on feet. The sound of GLaDOS sighing could be heard over the P.A system.
"Assist him." Chell rolled her eyes and walked back to give him her shoulder. Wheatley gratuitous slung his arm around her neck, weighing the poor woman down.
"Cute. Congratulations, you've finally found someone of a more generous weight than you." GLaDOS said snidely as they struggled to the door. Chell glared daggers at the camera and passed through the emancipation grill and into the elevator.
"Your rather strong for someone you size." Wheatley said as the elevator dropped down.
"Your just taller than me." Chell said, rolling her eyes.
"Huh. Really?" Chell slapped her forehead and pinched the bridge of her nose. The doors to the elevator slid open and Wheatley wrapped an arm around Chell's neck. She narrowed her eyes at him.
"What are you doing?" She growled, being weighed down by Wheatley.
"Walking is hard." he complained as Chell took a step forward.
"Leaning on me isn't going to help you walk. Now, get off of me." Chell said, pushing him off of her shoulder. Her result however, was him still clinging on to her next, and knocking herself down in the process.
"Great job, Intelligence Dampening Core. Do I need to introduce a friend called neurotoxin to you?" GLaDOS snapped, as Chell pulled herself up. Wheatley quickly scrambled to stand up, grabbing Chell's hand for support.
"Hurry up." Chell muttered, walking well ahead of him. Instead of saying something stupid, he snapped up from the ground and stumbled through the door and into the test. It was simple; the room split in half by toxic acid, a button on the other ledge and a button too.
"If your wondering why the test is so simple, turn your head 45 degrees." GLaDOS said, referring to Wheatley, who was still watching in amazement at his fingers moved around. Chell sighed and rolled her eyes. This was not going to be easy; after all, he wasn't called an Intelligence Dampening Core for nothing. She shot a portal on the other side of the room and one behind her, Wheatley staring at the portals curiously.
"Can I try?"
"NO!" GLaDOS and Chell said in unison. God knows what would happen if he was in possession of a portal gun. Chell stepped through, appearing on the other side while Wheatley stared through the portal.
"So do I just step through? Bit confused on how these thingys work." Wheatley asked.
"What do you think?" Chell said. Noticing the peeved off look in her face, Wheatley nodded and smiled nervously.
"Walk on through it is then! Come on, wouldn't want to hold up dear GLaDOS." he said pleasantly, strutting through the portal and appearing on the other side of the room. Chell pressed the red button, sending a weighed companion cube hurtling down a tube. Picking it up, she placed the cube on the red button, therefor opening the door.
"Fabulous. You both deserve cake." GLaDOS' voice cackled over the P.A system, making Chell frown.
"Cake? Really! I've never had cake! Well, obviously, because I was a core, but cake! Sounds so exciting!" Wheatley said in excitement. The brunette woman slapped her forehead in annoyance and passed through the emancipation grill. This was evidently going to take a while. The core followed closely behind her, fearing being sealed behind the door by GLaDOS.
"What's the plan?" Chell said quickly as the boarded the elevator. GLaDOS wouldn't be able to hear them; it was the perfect area to discuss anything they didn't want her to hear.
"Uhh...would it be safe to say I don't have a plan yet?" Wheatley said after a moment, readjusting his glasses.
"Bloody things." he muttered, squinting at Chell. The woman's eye twitched one or two times before something finally came out of her mouth.
"Pure moron."
101000101001
"It recently occurred to me that since you so willing handed yourselves over to me, I might as well give you proper living conditions." GLaDOS' voice said as Chell slid down the wall of the elevator. She perked up at the though of a nice, non decaying bed and a meal that wasn't dehydrated.
"Lovely." Wheatley mumbled, half asleep on the floor of the elevator. The doors swished open, sending a blast of cool air at the two. Exhausted, she peeled herself off of the ground, using to only savoring a few moments of relaxation.
"Get up." Chell muttered, yanking him up by the arm.
"I'm tired. Your human bodies suck, getting tired and all." Wheatley complained as Chell dragged him through a door.
"Great. You made it. There are two bedrooms with adequate living conditions. The basics, basically. A living area down there and a kitchen across from it. You'll have the chance to spend the next five hours as you wish." GLaDOS said.
"One question; what's a kitchen?" Wheatley asked innocently. Chell said nothing, for, she was getting quite tired of explaining everything to him.
"Food. A place where food is prepared and served. Good evening." GLaDOS answered.
"What is it you humans do when your tired?" Wheatley asked as Chell entered one bedroom. GLaDOS wasn't lying about the adequate living conditions part. The room looked exactly like a relaxation chamber, except with a real bed and shades on the glass walls. It was almost as if the robot had jammed the relaxation chambers into a different area, decorated it slightly differently and called it a day. Chell collapsed on the bed, smiling as her eyes closed and took in the softness of the comfy bed. Another body plopped down next to her. Eye arched, she stared at Wheatley, who was know collapsed on her bed. Standing up, a a cold glare directed at him, she yanked him up from her bed, jolting him up from his sleep.
"Wha? What are you doing?" He asked as Chell tried shoving him out of the door.
"People don't sleep together." Chell mumbled, closing the door and locking it.
"Oh." was all that came from Wheatley as Chell collapsed on the bed.
"Well, see you tomorrow then!"
Oh yes. This was going to take a while.