Reconstructing Humanity
Big City Blues
Hey Wheaters,
I had an important errand to run, so you'll have to take Angie to school. I'm closing the bookstore for today so don't worry about work. Angie knows the way to her school and she has my public bus pass, so getting to and from there shouldn't be a problem. I should be done in time to pick her up and to make dinner. Please, please, PLEASE stay out of trouble today. Drop her off and take the bus straight home.
Angie will let you use her key to get back into the apartment. Don't "hack" any doors like last time. I'm still paying for that broken window. Angie has show and tell today at school, so make sure she was everything ready to go before you two leave. The first bus towards her school leaves at 8:30am, so you should arrive at her school just in time for the morning bell. There are pop tarts in the cabinet, so have those for breakfast.
~Lil
P.S. - That orange juice in the bunny cup on the counter is for Angie, it has her vitamins in it. Make sure she drinks it.
Wheatley put the note back down on the counter and took a quick swig of orange juice from the small cup with bunnies on it. "Hey GLaDOS?" whispered Wheatley. "What's a public bus pass? And a public bus?" he asked, putting the cup to his lips. He heard beeping and clicking sounds coming from his implant.
"Well, this is interesting. Public transportation; it's what people use to get to other places in the city. People use passes so they don't have to pay a fee for it. It runs on a schedule, a very strict schedule according to the information I just pulled up." answered GLaDOS. "I always knew humans were lazy, but I must admit, the benefits of public transportation make up for it. It saves money, it's good for the environment, and in some cases is a lot faster than driving somewhere yourself. Not that Subject Lil would ever let you drive her vehicle. According to this, they have special shuttles for tourists and funerals. Funerals sound fun."
Wheatley looked at the clock on the cable box in the living room.
8:19 am.
Wheatley nearly choked on his orange juice and ran toward the hallway. He knocked loudly on Angie's door. "Tiny Human! Wake up! We're running late!" he shouted, as he ran to his bedroom to get dressed. Angie was already up, unbeknownst to him and already ready. Wheatley yanked his clothes on and grabbed his wallet just before dashing out his bedroom door. "Hurry, hurry!" he shouted, as Angie left her bedroom.
She didn't want to laugh at Wheatley, but he was making too easy. She packed up everything she needed slowly as Wheatley wrestled with his shoes. "I can't believe I almost slept through getting you on the bus to this school place!" he shouted, finally getting his shoes on. "We'd better hurry, we don't have long!" He then dashed out the door, leaving Angie standing in there, scratching her head.
"Aren't we forgetting something?" asked GLaDOS.
"What could I be forgetting?" asked Wheatley, shuffling through his pockets. "I have my wallet, I have pants on this time, and…" Wheatley was almost halfway down the outside stairs when he realized Angie wasn't behind him. He turned around and went back up, arriving at the apartment door just as Angie was closing the door and locking it. He smiled nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about that…" he said, as Angie took his hand.
Angie led Wheatley to the bus stop, just as the city bus was arriving. "This is a city bus, Mr. Wheatley." She said, as the doors opened. "People who don't have cars or don't like to drive take the bus to get to places." Wheatley looked astounded as they boarded. Angie showed the bus driver their pass and he nodded with a smile. "The morning bus driver is pretty friendly. The lady in the afternoon is mean, though." Angie led Wheatley to a middle seat and let him have the window. "The middle row is the best. The front is too noisy and the back is too crowded, so the middle is just right." She said, happily.
As the rest of the passengers sat down, the bus doors closed and the bus took off. Wheatley started to panic, not sure what was happening. "Calm down, Mr. Wheatley! The bus is just moving." Angie whispered. Wheatley took deep breaths and smiled nervously. "The best part about the bus is the windows. You can see everything in the city from the windows." Angie pointed out the window at the people of the city's shopping district going about their morning errands.
The bus then came to a stop. Wheatley started to get up but Angie made him sit back down. "This isn't our stop, Mr. Wheatley. The bus is just stopping to pick up more people."
Angie held her back pack close as people boarded. Wheatley looked out the window at a flower shop across the street from them. The shop keeper was a young lady with long orange hair; she wore a pink dress and a yellow apron. Wheatley watched as she hung up a sign and walked back into the store. "Today only…sunflowers seven dollars a dozen." He read, as Angie turned to him.
"Lil's favorite flower! That's awesome. I'll tell her about it later." said Angie as the bus started going again.
"That lady looked like one of the girls in that picture Miss Lil keeps on the counter." said Wheatley, remembering a framed photograph of Lil and three other girls at the beach.
Angie peered over Wheatley and jumped happily. "Oh, that's Miss Annie! She's one of Lil's best friends. Lil told me she's getting married soon! Her family owns that flower shop and she's usually working the register while her brother works in the back."
Wheatley remembered Lil telling him about an upcoming wedding that she was attending and playing guitar at. He wasn't sure what a wedding was, but when the subject was brought up, Lil would get depressed. Wheatley didn't like seeing her sad, so he'd usually drop the subject and go find something else to do. "Tiny Human, what's a wedding?" he asked, turning his attention from the window.
Angie smiled wide. "A wedding is a big party where two people get married." She said. Wheatley blinked. Angie giggled, knowing what he was about to ask. "Getting married means two people become husband and wife. They invite all their loved ones, and the first part is boring, but after the two kiss, everyone goes to a big party and dance and eat yummy foods!" Angie bounced in her seat from excitement. "Lil and I went to our aunt's wedding before our parents died. Mom was kind of weak, but she didn't want to miss the wedding. I think Mom was an only child, because she didn't have any siblings."
The bus made a few more stops and finally made it to Angie's school. Wheatley got off with Angie and walked her up to the front of the school. "Do you need me to walk in with you to your classroom?" he asked, kneeling down.
"No thank you, Mr. Wheatley. You might hit your head on the doorway again." She giggled. Wheatley smiled and stood up. He did slightly tower over most of the parents there.
"Alright, do you have everything? Your books, your show and tell project, your lunch? Miss Lil will be very cross if you forget anything, and I'd rather her not yell at me or you. But she'll yell at me first." he asked. Angie opened her backpack and searched around. She nodded happily and waved while running off. Wheatley waved to Angie as she ran to meet up with some friends.
As Wheatley turned around, he was stopped suddenly by a crowd of women. "Hi, are you little Angie's caretaker?" asked the woman in front. Wheatley nodded. "I'm Miss Jennings, I'm Angie's teacher. You must be the famous Mr. Wheatley! She talks about you all the time." The group of women blushed softly. "She told me you live with her and her sister, and that you work at the bookstore her sister owns. That's impressive." Wheatley backed up and tried to keep his eye on the bus, which was already loading passengers. Wheatley smiled and nodded politely to the crowd of women, who were asking a lot of embarrassing questions.
"Well, this has been nice, but I have to go…" Wheatley pulled himself away from the crowd and ran toward the bus. He almost leapt on as the door was closing. He sighed in relief and went to find a seat. Luckily, the bus wasn't too full, so getting a middle seat wasn't a problem. He sighed happily and stared out the window.
"What is it with you and women? Women practically throw themselves at you and you ignore them like a bumbling oaf…or an even bigger bumbling oaf." scolded GLaDOS. "I don't think you realize how beneficial talking to people is to your mission."
Wheatley sighed and made sure no one was near him. "It would probably be more beneficial if they weren't gawking at me." He whispered. "Besides, I much rather enjoy talking to Miss Lil. At least her inane babbling actually forms words. Most of it is loud and directed towards something I broke, but at least she makes sense." Wheatley leaned against the window and sighed softly.
"You shouldn't make it sound like anyone screaming at you is a good thing. She tolerates you, for reasons I don't even know." said GLaDOS.
"Miss Lil does have a lot of patience. I mean, she's a wonderful woman. Patient, caring, and underneath that rough exterior is just this familiar feeling…something about her that is familiar and gives me a real sense of home; I haven't felt that since being at the facility. That feeling…like even though we've only known each other for a little while, it feels like we're life-long friends…" Wheatley yawned softly and leaned back in his seat. He grumbled softly and closed his eyes. "That feeling…" he started snoring softly as the bus kept going.
Wheatley ran as fast as he could, a to-go coffee cup in one hand, his work bag in the other, and his I.D. badge in his mouth, toward the entrance of the Aperture Science facility. The lady at the front desk saw him running and pushed the button for the automatic door just as he flew by. She shook her head and watched Wheatley guzzle down his now cold coffee and get himself organized. When he left the apartment, Pam was still asleep, so he didn't get a chance to hear her yell at him for staying up all night working and how she found him asleep on his keyboard.
He arrived in the locker room as the other interns were just leaving. "Hey, Pendleton! We were starting to wonder if you were even coming in today." said Harvey, as Wheatley ran to his locker.
"I was up all night with that damn program. I think I cracked it, but I fell asleep. Pam must have put me to bed." Wheatley yawned. "I'm going to hear it from her when I get home, that's for sure."
Before the interns could leave the locker room, a tall woman in a beige dress stopped them. She had long black hair and wore a silk scarf around her neck. They knew who she was. This was Caroline, Mr. Johnson's personal assistant (and there were rumors she was also his wife). "Hold tight, you guys." She said, in her usual cheery tone. For a woman who was constantly buried under paperwork, she was always unusually happy and looked well younger than her actual age. "Your instructor won't be coming in today. There was an accident involving today's lesson, so you all have the day off. He wanted anyone who was done with whatever project he gave you to take home to give it to me." Caroline held out her manicured hand and opened it. The interns looked at each other and looked around nervously.
Caroline smiled softly and retracted her hand. "Well, he didn't exactly expect anyone to…"
"Miss Caroline!" Wheatley pulled a jewel disk case out of his locker and rushed it to Caroline. "I worked on it all night, and I know I'm going to get it from my girlfriend when I get home, but I finished it last night." said Wheatley, handing the disk to Caroline. "Before you ask, yes I ran it and everything works perfectly. Ran it several different times, and did a virus check. It took hours, but it should run."
She looked genuinely impressed. Usually, whenever Caroline dealt with Wheatley it was helping him fill out accident reports (most of which he caused in some way/shape/form). The other interns (save for Harvey) weren't as impressed. "Well, how punctual and very professional of you, Mr. Pendleton; we need more people like you on our staff. I'll see to it that your instructor gets this right away. He should be back by tomorrow. Everyone else, don't fret. He'll look over everyone's when he gets back." Caroline waved to the interns and left the locker room, her high heels clicking as they went.
Wheatley felt pretty good about his accomplishment and enjoyed Caroline's praise, the other interns (save for Harvey) just glared at him as they walked towards the lockers. "That was pretty awesome, Pendleton." said Harvey, as he opened his locker and put his lab coat up. "I haven't even started on mine." Wheatley smiled and went to open his locker, only to have it slammed closed by one of the other interns.
"Are you purposely trying to make us look bad, Pendleton?" asked Smith, his hand still on Wheatley's locker. Wheatley may have been the tallest person in the room, but Smith was by far the most intimidating. "You must think you're hot stuff finishing before the rest of us, don't you?" Smith just stared at Wheatley. Wheatley had done everything he could to get along with Smith, but no matter what the situation, Smith always had a bone to pick with poor Wheatley, so Wheatley had learned to just stay out of Smith's way. "You may be computer smart, but as far as the rest of us are concerned, you're an idiot who's got just enough common sense to know how to tie his shoes, and that's being generous. If not for your little girlfriend, you wouldn't know left from right."
"Hey, lay off, Smith!" shouted Harvey, as he closed his locker. "You're just mad because he got it done first. Pendleton's got a lot to work for. He didn't just sashay his way through college like you did." Wheatley was happy to have a friend like Harvey.
Smith just glared at Wheatley and started to speak again, but he just stormed out of the locker room. The other interns (who wisely decided not to get involved) picked up their personal belongings and left. "I don't know what I did to piss him off so bad." said Wheatley, opening his locker.
"Ahh, ignore Smith. He's just going through some stuff right now and just needed a punching bag. He'll get over it." said Harvey, putting his jacket on. "So, Saturday's the big day, ehh?" Harvey softly jabbed Wheatley in his side with his elbow.
Wheatley chuckled and took the ring out of his locker and into his pocket. "Yeah, I can't wait. She'll love it to death." Wheatley sighed happily as he walked out of the locker room with Harvey. "This year has been tough for her. Pam loved that job but when her illness got worse, she was forced to quit. She's still depressed about it. But no matter what, I'll take care of her."
Harvey smiled and patted Wheatley's shoulder as they walked the hallway. As they walked, Wheatley glanced over at a windowed doorway leading down a hallway. According to the sign, it was the employee daycare. "When did we put a daycare in?" Wheatley asked.
Harvey shrugged. "I remember some of the full-time employees complaining about not being able to find child care nearby, so I think the higher ups had one put in. It's mostly girls in there, maybe one or two boys. I hear to increase moral, they are planning some kind of 'Bring Your Kid to Work' day or something. It'd be the kids wondering around the labs, basically."
Wheatley watched as a group of little girls were being led into the daycare. One of the older ones caught his attention. She wore an orange dress and kept her straight black hair in a high ponytail. She looked like she was old enough to go to regular school. But then again, because of his height, Wheatley was often mistaken for being older than he was as a child, so he really wasn't one to judge. Why she stuck out to him, he didn't know. Something in his gut told him she was destined for something big.
"Hey, Mister?" said a college kid with pink hair, as she poked Wheatley awake. Wheatley woke up with a jolt. "Hey Mister, the bus driver says this is the last stop. You have to get off." Wheatley stared at the girl as she put her ear buds back in her ears and left the bus. Wheatley made sure he had everything and got off the bus. As soon as he disembarked, the bus closed its doors tightly and drove off. He looked around and noticed this wasn't his stop. He looked around again and noted where he was had a lot of young adults walking around with backpacks.
Wheatley looked over and saw the girl again, fiddling with her music player. He tapped her on the shoulder and politely asked where he was. "Oh, you must have missed your stop. Well, you're at the community college." She responded, as she took her ear buds out. Wheatley looked confused.
"Community college?" Wheatley asked.
The girl cocked an eyebrow. "Yeah, the community college. It's for us folks who can't afford or don't have to grades to go to the big universities yet. It's a simple place. Good people just trying to better themselves." The girl said, matter-of-factly.
Wheatley looked panicked. "That's fascinating…listen, when does the next public bus come around, do you know, love?" he asked. The girl looked behind him at the sign.
"Well, the next bus doesn't come until about five, when most of the classes get out. You have a pretty good while to wait, Mister." said the girl again.
"Alright, new plan…which way is the shopping district?" Wheatley asked.
"About a few miles that way, just follow the signs." She girl pointed to a long stretch of road. "But you have a pretty far walk ahead of you. You might want to get some bottled water at the student center." With that, the girl put her ear buds back in her ears and walked away.
"Congratulations, moron; you're lost in an unfamiliar part of the city." scolded GLaDOS.
Wheatley looked around and tried to get his bearings straight. "Alright, that girl with the funny colored hair said to get some bottled water from the student center. Where would that be?" Wheatley asked, as he looked around. Wheatley found a sign and walked over to a big brick building with picnic tables in front of it. He tried not to notice all the eyes on him as he walked past everyone. Wheatley smiled at everyone and waved softly as he made his way into the building.
The soda machines were in the lobby, which made things slightly easier for Wheatley. "I've seen Miss Lil use these things before but truth be told, I wasn't quite paying attention. How does it work?" Wheatley asked when he made sure no one was around.
"You put a green piece of paper into the little slot and press a button. That's how the vending machines they used to have here worked." said GLaDOS.
Wheatley took out his wallet and reached in. He pulled out a dollar and stuck it into the slot. He looked at each button and pressed the one that said water. He listened in amazement as the machine made odd sounds and finally dispensed it's product in the hatch at the bottom of the machine. "Oh, wow! Brilliant!" he shouted, taking his water. Wheatley noticed a college student walking by with a can of the fizzy drink. "He has a fizzy drink." said Wheatley, pointing to the passing student.
"I really wish you'd stop calling it that. It's called a soda. It's a carbonated beverage that isn't good for you. Too much caffeine can overload your system." said GLaDOS, as Wheatley left the building. He started walking away from the campus as a group of professors left a nearby building. Lil was among them.
"Well we appreciate you sharing your father's research with us." said one of the instructors. "His contributions to this college and the university are missed, but we are happy to see his adventurous spirit lives on in his eldest daughter."
Lil blushed and handed over a folder to the head instructor. "Well, I know his old research would be better fitted to help out the students he left behind than collecting dust in my storage area." Lil laughed, as the instructors escorted her to her car.
"You know, he was on an assignment with some students when he met your mother. He said it was a happy accident." laughed another instructor.
Lil smiled and took her keys out of her pocket. "Well, if I find anything else, I'll give you guys a call." Lil started up her jeep and drove off. She stopped briefly at a stop light and noticed a man walking in the opposite direction. "That guy looks like Wheatley." She said to herself. She shook the thought out of her head and drove on. "No, even he isn't stupid enough to get himself lost. I mean, how hard is 'get on the bus then get off the bus' to follow?"
Wheatley walked along the houses on the street toward the shopping district. "Such nice houses. I wonder why Miss Lil doesn't own one. Her bookstore certainly makes enough for her to afford a home, even a modestly sized one." He pondered, admiring the homes as they passed by. He stopped at one house in particular that was obviously abandoned. He stopped in front of the gate and turned his head. The sign in the front yard was big and yellow saying "CONDEMNED! DO NOT PASS YELLOW TAPE OR ENTER DWELLING". Wheatley felt himself get dizzy and leaned against the fence.
Holding Pam's hand, Wheatley admired the houses in this new neighborhood. There were only a few houses at the moment, but the development showed good signs. Some plots of land were already bought up while some still had their little "FOR SALE" signs up. Pam looked to be in better spirits, considering how mad she was earlier at Wheatley for working all night. Wheatley figured she was just glad to have him home today. "Oh, look at that house, Wheatley!" Pam shouted anxiously, tugging him toward a house.
The house looked like it had just been finished, with a lovely manicured yard and fresh paint on the fence. The "FOR SALE" sign looked lonely with nothing but an azalea bush standing next to it. "What a lovely home!" Pam said excitedly. "Whoever buys up that house will be the luckiest people in the world." She sighed. On top of the sign was a tube with flyers in it. Wheatley reached over and grabbed one. The price seemed reasonable for a brand new house and it was certainly big enough (three bedrooms two baths, nicely sized living room and a legume shaped pool in the backyard).
He desperately wished he could afford a home, but that wouldn't be an option for a good long while. "Ahh, don't worry, love; I'll buy us a house someday." Wheatley chuckled, putting his arm around Pam.
"Don't tease me." Pam giggled. Wheatley held Pam tightly as they continued their walk.
Wheatley shook himself out of his trance and continued to walk. The memories had become more frequent lately and it was scaring him. "I'm scared…" he whispered softly. He looked up at another sign and smiled, as it told him where the shopping district was. The sign above it told him he was heading toward the business district, meaning he had to walk through whatever that was to get home.
Wheatley kept walking, finding himself amongst the blaring horns of passing cars and the giant buildings. He had never felt so small in his time as a human. "Don't be alarmed. These are buildings. Corporate offices and what not. Just keep to yourself and you should be fine." said GLaDOS.
Wheatley nodded and kept going, trying not to make eye contact with anyone passing him. He noted that everyone was wearing suits of some kind, feeling pretty out of place in simple jeans and a shirt. "I stick out like a sore thumb here, love." Wheatley whispered, passing people.
He wasn't sure why, but Wheatley was compelled to walk down a side street, which he obeyed his instinct this time. "Where are you going? The signs say the shopping district is the other way" GLaDOS scolded. Wheatley didn't listen, as it felt like an unknown force was guiding him down this deserted street.
A little more walking and Wheatley soon found himself outside of a large fenced area. The signs on the fence said "DO NOT PASS" and Wheatley did just that. He felt himself compelled to look within the fence and at the street. From what he could make out, this area of the city looked like a warzone. Broken down buildings and crumbled road adorned the landscape. He pressed himself against the fence and sighed. "This place doesn't look like it's been occupied in years. This isn't your home."
"Home…" Wheatley said, mournfully as he glanced over at a fallen street sign. It said Cobblestone Drive. "Cobblestone Drive…why does that sound so familiar?" he asked himself as he started walking away. "That must be the old part of the city that Miss Lil was talking about. The so called 'Memorial' to that incident and invasion she talked about." Wheatley ignored his urgings to cross the perimeter and just kept walking. He looked up at his wristwatch and noted it was about lunchtime now. He was starting to get hungry.
After a little more walking, Wheatley finally made it back to the shopping district. He looked around and tried to find a familiar landmark. In retrospect, all the buildings looked about the same. "Well, it took you a good while, but you're back." said GLaDOS, who had been silent for a while.
"You were out for a while. What are you working on that has you so occupied?" asked Wheatley.
"It doesn't concern you, well not yet at least. Just try and find your way back."
Wheatley found something familiar; the flower shop. The sign was still out front advertising the sunflowers. He sighed as he read the sign. "Excuse me?" chirped a voice behind him. Wheatley turned around slowly and saw the girl Angie identified as Annie, standing in front of him. "I'm sorry to bother you, but is your name by chance Wheatley?" she asked. Wheatley nodded and watched Annie pounce up and down happily. "Oh good! Lil told me you'd be at her apartment but I was scared when I went over there and no one was home. She told me to go check on you."
Annie invited him into her store after she introduced herself and directed him to sit down at a table near the backroom door. "Would you like something to drink?" she asked, as she put a pot of tea on.
"Do you have any soda? Particularly the ones in the purple cans? That stuff is magical!" asked Wheatley, in an excited tone.
Annie giggled. "No, but I'm making some tea if you'd like some."
Something about tea made Wheatley sit up. It sounded familiar and the thought of a cup of tea made him happy. He watched as she approached with an adorable little tea cup. "Lil told me your work for her now. That's wonderful, she's been trying to find someone to replace her ex-boyfriend for a while now." said Annie, as she placed a bowl of sugar down. "You seem like a pretty friendly guy. She told me her store has been doing a lot better now that you're on." Wheatley wasn't sure why, but he instinctively put two spoonful's of sugar in his tea.
"It's fun working there. Occasionally, a large group of women come in and just watch me stock books. Miss Lil has to shoo them off with a broom if they don't buy anything. And sometimes this really nice man named Austin comes in and we talk philosophy. He's really friendly, too. The other day, he patted my bum as he left the store. Miss Lil started laughing and said he was just being friendly. It's a little too friendly for my tastes, but he buys a lot of books every time he comes in so I tolerate it." Wheatley lifted up his cup of tea and took a small snip. The warmth of the tea made his cheeks flush with joy.
"I don't know if she's told you, but I'm getting married in a month or so." said Annie. "I gave her an invitation for her and a guest. I know she'll want to bring her sister, but I think it might be a bit too late in the evening for little Angie to be out. Besides, she gets bored easily. Maybe I can talk Lil into bringing you." Annie sipped her tea softly. "You know, since you came to work for her, Lil has been in much better spirits." Wheatley looked up and watched Annie. "Before you came along, she was always depressed and didn't really do much. I know it mostly comes from her parents being gone and having to take care of little Angie all by herself. But then you suddenly showed up and for the first time in a while, Lil is singing, she's not as grumpy, and she's started playing the guitar again. I hear her cooking has gotten better, too."
Wheatley chuckled softly. He always liked Lil's cooking and wasn't sure why everyone called her a bad cook. Annie finished her tea and got up to tend to some flowers. "Every time I bring you up, she gets defensive. If I didn't know any better, Mr. Wheatley, I'd say she has a little crush on you."
Wheatley heard GLaDOS chuckle and murmur something. "Miss Lil, fancy me? I've never heard such an outrageous thing. She's always yelling at me and chasing me with the fly swatter for eating her candy and all sorts of other things that I do just make her yell at me." Wheatley finished his tea and placed the cup down.
"It's not that outrageous. She's always talking about you. 'Wheatley this' and 'Wheatley that' and 'I can't believe Wheatley walked out of the shower without clothes on again' seems to be a favorite of hers. Positive or negative, you're always on her mind. But how do you feel about her?" Annie asked, taking his cup.
Somewhat taken aback by the question, Wheatley thought for a moment about Lil. "I do like Miss Lil, very much. She took me in when she could have just left me to the elements. She's been more than patient with me and she's been helping me with my human problems." Annie didn't know what he meant by "Human Problems" but smiled anyway. "It's only been about a little while, but I feel like I've known her all my life. Something about her seems familiar but I can't put my finger on it."
Annie giggled and sat down across from him. "Well, there is an old saying that everyone has a twin. Maybe you knew each other in a former life." Wheatley wasn't sure what she meant by that. He stood up and looked around at all the flowers.
"How could I have known her in a former life? I barely know who I was…." He murmured, softly feeling the bud of a sunflower. "Besides, Miss Lil probably doesn't fancy me as much as you think she does. I bet she has beaus lined up just to ask her out. She'd never go for a guy like me."
Annie smiled and looked at a vase with sunflowers in it. "Oh, Mr. Wheatley…Cupid is mysterious…"
Wheatley left the flower shop with a big smile on his face. If he didn't look out of place before, he sure did now. A block or so later, he was standing in front of the bookstore. "Finally, you made your way back." said GLaDOS, as Wheatley approached the bookstore. He didn't see Lil's Jeep, so he safely assumed she wasn't home yet. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the key Angie had given him and opened the door. This would be the first time since living there that he would be alone in the apartment. Just as he was getting comfortable, he heard the door open again. In ran Angie and Lil.
"Mr. Wheatley!" Angie ran to him and gave him a big hug.
"Well, hello, Tiny Human! How was your day?" he asked, standing up. Angie went on and on about her day as Wheatley walked to greet Lil. "How did your errand go, Miss Lil?" he asked, as Angie ran to get herself a can of soda.
"It went fine. Weirdest thing, I was driving back from one of my errands, and I saw a guy that looked exactly like you walking around the college campus." Lil scratched her head as Wheatley looked at her nervously. "Well, they say everyone has a twin." Lil shrugged and made her way to the kitchen. Before she could turn on the stove, a knock at the door came. Wheatley was taking plates out of the cabinet when he felt a pair of arms hug his waist. He blushed and placed the plates on the counter. "They're lovely, thank you."
Wheatley turned around and saw a big vase full of sunflowers on the table. He picked up the card and read it to himself. To Lil, thank you for everything. Love, Wheatley
"But I didn't…" he was interrupted by a kiss on the cheek from Lil. "…well, you know me, Mr. Surprises…" he gushed, as Lil fawned over the flowers. Angie walked with Lil as she took the flowers to the balcony.
"You have no idea where they came from, do you?" asked GLaDOS.
"Haven't the foggiest…" said Wheatley, through his grin.
That Evening
Wheatley buttoned up his pajamas and sighed softly. "You actually did well today. I must admit, seeing the city was very beneficial. You should go out more and see the city again. Maybe make some friends outside of the bookstore." said GLaDOS, who seemed preoccupied. "I must wonder though…who sent her those flowers and signed your name?"
Wheatley shrugged. "Maybe someone is trying to play Cupid…" he suggested, as he climbed into bed.
"Doubtful, why would anyone want Subject Lillian to procreate with you?" asked GLaDOS.
"At least call her by her name. It's Lil." scolded Wheatley, as he laid his head down on the pillow. Wheatley took off his glasses and placed them on the nightstand. "Is that what this Cupid was aiming for? He wants me to procreate with Miss Lil? How does one go about doing that?"
GLaDOS sat silent for a moment. "No…I don't care how crucial it is to the mission, I am not giving you the birds and bees speech."
"Who said anything about birds and bees? How do humans procreate? Do they make more humans out of spare parts, like the turrets and cores at the facility?" asked Wheatley. He heard a clicking noise and assumed GLaDOS turned off the implant. "Maybe it was that Annie lady. She seemed like she wanted me and Miss Lil to be an item." Wheatley decided it was probably best to leave that subject for another day as he yawned and closed his eyes.
At the facility, GLaDOS decided it was time to check in on the upgrades she was giving to her two robot assistants. Their old bodies discarded, GLaDOS felt these new robot bodies would be better fitting for what she has planned. She decided a long time ago that Wheatley was probably too stupid to find her missing favorite test subject while doing his mission (which he was barely doing as it was).
While the nanobots working on the two said they weren't ready yet, GLaDOS seemed hopeful. "How much longer until they are operational again?" she asked the Party Escort supervisor through the P.A. system. The bot chattered something and went back to what it was doing. "Excellent. Alert me the moment they are ready."
GLaDOS went back to watching the monitors. She pulled up Wheatley's again and made a shuttering sound; the very thought of a horde of little Wheatley's running around made her scared.
"I fear for humanity…"
N'cha, you guys!
Long chapter is long lol. I wanted to get into what would happen if someone dropped Wheatley in the middle of the city and wished him the best of luck. Well, the first part happened, anyway lol. Ever fallen asleep on the school bus? Yeah, don't ever do that; just wait to go nappy nap when you get home. It angers the bus driver who has to take you back.
So, I got a surprise for you guys in the next chapter. A real surprise, with hilarious consequences, and real confetti! The good stuff!
My original concept was going to be Wheatley roaming around the city having random flashbacks, but I didn't think it fit well with the rest of the story, so I'll use that for a future chapter.
So, I spent the last few days playing Portal 2 with my boyfriend. He just sat back and watched me play, and he was amazed at my awesome Portal prowess. I must admit, it was fun to play co-op with him, watching him fumbling around trying not to get himself killed. Ahh…romance. Which reminds me; there is some romance coming up, and since you guys are uber smart, you pretty much know what's going to happen. But the key is how to get to that pivotal part. You guys will love it!
Once again, thank you all for your generous reviews and your continued patronage. I appreciate it all. Keep the reviews coming and I'll keep the insanity going.
GLaDOS and Wheatley belong to Valve.
