Chapter 3: Fixing Things
Chell's POV
Scrabbling around, I hurriedly grab as much debris as possible. Not the paint flecks, but any shards of metal that are littered around. I stuff as many as I can into my cardigan pockets and tie the item of clothing around my slender waist. I slide the missing handle through one of the belt loops on my jeans and slowly bend down to pick up the smouldering, smashed shell of Wheatley. He feels much lighter than I remember and this adds to my panicked state. Only one thought echoes through the scrambled mess of my mind.
I've got to save him. Somehow.
I run towards the tall buildings of the city as fast as my already tired legs can carry us both. My palms are hurting intensely from contact with areas that I didn't manage to cool with my cardigan. I swear that I can even hear the faint sizzling of my flesh but I convince myself that it is the sounds of Wheatley's circuits. Thinking the first option makes me feel dizzy.
As I dash through the streets full from the rush of those going home from work, I am oblivious to all the funny stares and disapproving looks from those on the pavement. Returning the shortest way I know of, I cut through alleyways, side-streets and past bewildered passers-by to make it to my apartment. Somehow, I manage to juggle Wheatley in one hand and my keys in the other to open the door.
In my apartment, there are three rooms: my kitchen/living space, my bedroom, and my… 'science room'. I have yet to come up with a more inventive name. Flicking the light switch in the science room, I carefully place all of my recovered goods onto the well-worn work bench. I turn Wheatley's barely intact body towards me and sigh heavily as I stare into the shattered, now un-illuminated optic that once burned the most incredible shade of blue.
Forcing myself to turn away and not break down right there proves to be harder than I thought.
You've got to save him, Chell.
Right. Let's start with his casing. Unlocking the case to my tools, I pick out my hammer and screwdriver and grab my welding torch from its hook on the wall. I try to straighten out most of the fragments of metal using the hammer and a vice. There are some parts too small or deformed to be recovered, but I manage to fix most of them. I slice my hands countless times on the sharp edges, but at this point, I'm beyond caring about myself. Prying open the cut already in the framework, to cause the least damage to the core, I keep my trembling hands steady and recover all of the circuits. I make several sketches beforehand to make sure I return everything to its right place. I try not to look at them as they fizz and pop. He can still be fixed. I can still fix him. I slide down my mask and am about to turn on the welding torch when a little voice pops up in the back of my mind.
Are you sure you want to do this?
Of course I do. He's my best friend and I never thought I would see him again.
He tried to kill you.
Well, he wasmy best friend. His space trip might have rationalised him a bit.
He might try to kill you again if you bring him back. If you can even bring him back. Which I doubt.
That's a problem I'll deal with when I come to it. He's not controlling an entire facility this time, so he won't have much power. He can't even walk! And you know what? You sound a lot like GLaDOS at the moment. That's not a good thing.
Maybe I am GLaDOS. Maybe a small chip was planted in your head. Maybe I sent a fake core that looked like the moron to distract you. Or maybe this whole thing is an experiment to see how-
Piss off, I think to myself, rage bubbling over inside of me. If I could shout, I would most certainly be yelling and screaming all kinds of profanities.
I shut out the stupid voice. It's for the best; I might punch something if not.
I work over the metal casing for a long while, pacing back and forth to retrieve bits of metal to secure back onto the core. The sight of the blue flame keeps me going, because it reminds me of the blue of his optic. I end up redoing and starting some parts over, because it just has to be perfect. Finally, all of my work resembles something similar to that enigmatic core. The only thing that remains unfixed is his eye. The glass across the front still has a large crack right down the middle. I suppose it is a part of him now, something that defines him.
Now for the circuitry. This was gonna be the hard part. I'm no professional at changing a light bulb, let alone fixing, rewiring and rebooting all Wheatley's systems. I create make-shift wiring to replace the frazzled and burnt ones, out of copper wiring from a broken lamp. The destroyed wires feel like a mixture between overcooked grass and uncooked spaghetti. Spaghetti. I hadn't realised how hungry I actually am, and my tummy growls in its frustration. Sorry, you'll just have to wait, I think. I've got more important things to deal with. I decide to fix all of the wires just to be sure. After some time, I refer to my shaky sketches and weld the wires back in place. I have to unscrew a few of the make-shift panels I put onto Wheatley to get a clear view. It's after doing this that I hit a bit of a bump.
How do I turn his systems back on? I can only hope that they went into some kind of emergency shutdown when the exterior got too hot and didn't burn out or break. There's no way I'd be able to replace his systems. Not without going back to… there. And I wasn't going to do that.
I reopen Wheatley's body, looking desperately for anything. A manual on "How to Operate a Moron" would be really useful about now. I mentally slap myself for calling him that. He was an idiot, a big one at that, but he wasn't a moron.
Isn't, not wasn't, I say to myself. He's not gone yet.
To my luck, I find a green button about the size of the end of one of my fingers labelled 'System Boot'. I press it without hesitating. A female voice speaks the words I'm desperate to hear: "System Boot in progress."
A smile creeps its way across my face before I can stop it. I lean over the bench and peer into the optic, waiting for it to light up and see me smiling. Though it takes a little while, I am not discouraged.
After five minutes I sigh.
After twenty minutes I stand back up.
After thirty minutes I lean back on the bench, facing away from Wheatley.
When a full hour has passed, I decide maybe it's time to get to sleep. It could take a while, I suppose, as Wheatley did have a lot of different electrical components inside of him. Through the open door, I can see the shadows of moonlight reflecting on the laminated kitchen floor. I am just about to stand up and leave when I hear a small robotic movement behind me. Jumping, I turn around and resume my position. The earlier enthusiasm returns, along with the earlier voice.
"System Boot failed."
Huh?
I couldn't have failed.
I reach inside Wheatley's framework and push the button again. My brow knits and my lips purse as I hear the robot-lady repeating her earlier words. "System Boot in progress."
Since this time around I know it could take a little while, I wander into the kitchen, turn on the light and make that spaghetti. I can't quite remember how to make the sauce but I improvise. Fifteen minutes later I return to the other room, plate in one hand and fork in the other. It takes ten minutes for me to wolf it all down. The sauce isn't that bad, even without the recipe. I drag a chair into the science room and plonk down onto it. Yawning occasionally, I sit in wait for Wheatley to come back.
"System Boot failed."
I stand up with such a force, it sends my chair flying. I place my elbows on the work bench and cradle my head with my hands. I feel like giving up; like grabbing the stupid core and throwing him out of the fourth-storey window of my apartment. But a small niggling feeling stops me. I realise that this time, it only took forty-five minutes. Maybe that meant it was slightly closer to fixing itself this time.
I press the System Boot button again.
Now that I am back to rational thinking, I notice the mess I have made. Fragments of burnt casing blanket the floor and work bench. The wooden chair lies halfway out of the doorway. I return it. Larger panels that wouldn't straighten out lie around me, freshly flung somewhere in frustration. I run my hands over the body I had worked over so laboriously. Some of the panels are still marred from burning. The high temperatures have left their scars in the form of scorch marks coloured in dirty oranges and smoky reds. I want to fix them; fix them all.
I stand that way for many minutes, caressing and inspecting Wheatley's framework. I imagine that with every touch, I am taking the wounds away. Every time our surfaces meet, it erases all the pain and confusion and hurt.
"System Boot failed."
It took just ten minutes that time.
Defiant as ever, I press the button again, and turn away. A hand runs through my messy hair and I yawn from the sleep deprivation.
"System Boot failed."
I turn back around slowly.
What?
I push the button again.
"System Boot failed."
Again.
"System Boot failed."
Again.
"System Boot failed."
The workbench vibrates and echoes hollowly as I slam my fist down onto it. A grunt-like sound escapes from the back of my throat, followed by a strangled, hoarse, "No." that parts my lips.
Surprised, I try to mimic the action again but I can't do it. I spoke!
The ruined object in front of me distracts me from the accomplishment of my entire life, and I sit with my elbows on the table, picking up the lightweight core in my small palms.
Please, Wheatley, fix yourself. Just… somehow… do it. Please, I think to myself.
I place little old Wheatley back down, cross my arms over the table, and lay my head on the bench. I've run out of things that I can do, I can't fix him!
The thought sends sobs through my body and I lay there weeping until the world just fades away. The last things I see are blurs of stars and little blue lights that lead the way.
Thanks for reading! I don't own any of these characters; they belong to the Portal franchise! Please R&R, it's my first fic so be kind :P haha anyway, let me know if I should continue with this and let me know of any mistakes ^_^ Please advise me of any ideas you guys have for future fics or scenes or whatever ^_^
