Chapter Ten

This is ridiculous, Luxord thought rubbing his temples in one hand, the other holding up the portal gun. These tests were insane, and pointless in his opinion. What part of science was all this pointless testing, was it for the portal gun? Because that thing worked just bloody brilliant on it's own. As did the Turrets that had left a few marks on his legs, and the Discouragement lasers that had left singe marks on his cloak.

Even Vexen didn't perform this many tests on things. He was sure Maryx didn't even do this many tests, he was sure she used a computer to calculate the results.

"Exactly what," Luxord didn't very well care about the interaction between him and whatever it was that ran these damn tests was to be kept at a minimum and he was bloody sure neither did the voice, "is the point of all these tests?"

"For Science" the voice said simply, almost cheerfully.

Luxord sighed, and started to complete the test put before him. He was sure that was all he was going to get out of the thing.

Where the hell was Maryx and that Damn sphere!

. . .

"Oh this is absolutely Brilliant" Wheatley sat on the counter of a break room they managed to find, Maryx was busily searching around the place, munching on a few odd pieces of silverware here and there. He got off it and walked around and jumped a few times.

Walking came a little easy to him thanks to some simple programing Maryx had been kind enough to share with him. Granted of course data and examples would never compare to experience, so when he did actually stand for the first time to walk he stumbled a few times, ending up with a smashed in nose -repaired easily- and a set of glasses lost to the abyss due to a unfortunate trip on the cat walk over his own feet. But in the end he was walking as though he'd been doing it the whole time.

"Look!" he marveled as he held up a fork, "I can pick these things up! What is this?"

Maryx laughed at him, turning around letting her tail rest on the floor, "It's a fork Wheatley, the organics use it to eat with. I'm so glad you're enjoying my work. It pleases me so."

Wheatley sniggered to himself with glee as he jumped on a table top and fell over on to the floor on his back. Maryx repressed a snicker and helped him back on his feet again using her tail like a third hand.

"How come you didn't give me a tail?" he asked, curiously holding on to the plug that made up Maryx's tail end.

Maryx bit down on her lower lip, parts of the plug were touch sensitive being used as a second hand gave it that nature she fought off the urge to smack his hand away with the plug,

"Because, It would have complicated the way you walk." She said, gently taking it out of his hands and out of his reach. She turned around and started out having found everything useful to herself in the breakroom [ teabags and bottled water for Luxord, bits of metal for herself, and oddly enough a stray Potion] Wheatley held on to her tail holding one of the plug prongs Which in all honesty to her species was rather rude as he wasn't trying to date her. But logic dictated to her that he was just trying to tease her, there would be time to explain Sanskrit etiquette to him later. Instead she took it out of his hand again.

"How would it complicate the way I walk?" he jumped up trying to reach the end. Despite the generous height Maryx had granted him [taller than Luxord smaller than Lexaeus, although she just made him bigger than Luxord just to spite with the Gambler when he saw Wheatley again] She pulled it out of his reach or to another side.

"My tail, although originally formed like that of earth's Lions, helps balance me, it's like having extra weight to throw around to help with climb on things, and to run. You never grew up with having a tail. And I'ven't any programs to share with you that would allow you to walk with one"

"But you have ones that will let me walk without one?" he darted in front of her. Looking down on her curiously, she looked up at him with a smile and a cheerful glint in her optics as she walked, "How does that happen?" he noticed that she didn't put her foot entirely down on the ground, only the toes, and she was wearing boots. How strange.

"Most of my programing is made up of my memories of when I was organic, and just building the original body -mind you I've had to replace this one a few times, updates, massive damage, upgrades- I had to create new ones for new bots. A lot of my original data is nontransferable because it's old data, the data of an organic."

Wheatley paused letting her ahead of him, "What?" he made a few strides to get a head of her again, "Actually you know what never mind, why no ears?"

"You're ears are just fine the way I designed them." she smiled. Wheatley leaned down and gave her ears a bit of a tweak. She cleared her throat at him to let go, and he did. He still walked backwards,

"but you can put them at all sorts of little angles,"

"you can hear just the same as I." She smiled shaking her head, "People find human looking bots to be more companionable and relateable. They see me and they inch a-w-" Maryx stopped walking seeing something large behind Wheatley

"You make it sound like your a freak of nature urk- Oh I'm-" Wheatley bumped into whatever it was Maryx saw. "uh Oh dear. What is that..." it was huge, round, it had yellow eyes, and a crooked smile. It just stood there, like it hadden't noticed him.

"Maryx...what is it!" Wheatley froze and slowly backed up to Maryx who looked ready to put up a fight.

"It's a heartless...Large body to be specific/" she whispered. "but it's not attacking..."

"uh...why not?" Wheatley hid behind her,

"I would guess because neither of us has a heart for it to steal." she stood upright as the brute looked around curiously. "Still it's in our way."

"Bit of a fatty isn't it?" Wheatley watched her summon Admeen the Bahn hammer.

Maryx cauiously went up to the large body. Who still had yet to take notice of them "They say Large bodies are the heartless of fat slobs." she snickered, and smacked it off the cat walk with a swift blow from Admeen. Only to have several other kinds of Heartless appear on the walk.

"More?" Wheatley sputtered,

"Oh hell." Maryx sighed, remembering she didn't give Wheatley any combat programing at all.