Wheatley's Story: Part B
Chapter Three


I didn't have to do any resetting for the next test; it was just a hallway that only required portals. The only real work I ever did for that chamber was maintenance work. And that chamber wasn't due for maintenance for quite a while. So I waited at the next test chamber for the test subject.


She made it there quickly enough. I had watched all of the previous 258 test subjects going through this test chamber, and they all had a difficult time grasping the concept of using the force field generator to pick up objects. It was somewhat humourous to watch them struggling, and they only figured out how to operate it after accidentally activating it.

This test subject was no exception; after accidentally throwing the Cube back into the pit, she was able to retrace her actions and figure out what she did to activate the force field. She was one of the lucky ones; she was one of only 111 test subjects to leave the test chamber knowing how to operate the force field on the portal gun.

She got the Cube onto the Button, and then she headed off to the lift to solve the next test, leaving me to reset the test chamber. I got in through a secret panel, removed the Cube from the Button, and put it into the Pipe Network.


The test in the next chamber was already partially completed by the time I arrived. Instead of waiting outside the test chamber to reset it, I snuck into the entrance hall and hid in there, secretly watching for the test subject to get through the exit.

This test involved two Buttons operating the same door, meaning both Buttons had to be activated simultaneously to open it. The test itself was easy to complete, provided that you knew how to recover the two Cubes; one from a pit, the other from a platform.

It was possible for a test subject to trap themselves in this test chamber by getting a Cube stuck behind a closed exit door. At least 23 test subjects managed to accomplish that, forcing Her to wind the door open Herself to allow the test subject to progress. Five of those testers then got one or both of the Cubes to the Emancipation Grill, necessitating replacement Cubes.

I had my chance to study Emancipation Grills during my work on the Borealis. They only affected non-sentient material, so humans, animals, and genetic lifeforms could pass through safely (or nearly so), as could anything installed in the Grill's exemption drive. It had been crafted as a means of simplifying airport security screenings, but the idea never took off with the public.

Aperture's use of Grills was questioned by many of the Cores, myself included, citing that a lot of material was being wasted. But I had only recently discovered that Aperture employed an air filter system that collected particles of emancipated material, which was then sorted out by composition and remade into usable material for use in other testing apparatus.

As soon as I saw the test subject enter the opened door, I sprinted tiptoed over to the nearest Button and grabbed the Cube off of it, shutting the door behind the test subject. I could hear Her voice through the wall, but it was difficult to make out what She was saying.

In lieu of test subjects not trusting their ankle braces for their intended purpose, the hallway of this test chamber had been redesigned to create a long fall to demonstrate their function. But that wasn't a concern of mine in resetting the test chamber. I got the Cubes in their proper place, the first one on the raised platform and the second in the pit, and got ready to reset some more interesting tests.

As I ran out, I tripped over an extension cord, pulling it from its socket. There was a burst of static audible from the adjacent room, and I put the plug back in the outlet before heading off.