Wheatley was watching over the panel production line like he did every day. He would have been very pleased doing so if Katydid [Pronunced Kādēdid] hadn't been called out to the turret production line. Things had gotten dicey as of late and they needed all the help they could get.
He was rather bored, which made him unhappy. If Katydid was still about to talk too then he wouldn't be feeling this way. He sighed. If anything, he needed to feel proud or honored or anything other than bored. Katydid had left him in charge of the production line, something he didn't take lightly.
Being left in charge of the production line meant Wheatley was trustworthy and reliable. He liked those things but they didn't exactly help keep him from going bored.
He glanced over to the mechanical claws looming over the line awaiting instruction.
"Err, so any pretty claw ladies you fellas got your, uh, eyes on?" Wheatley asked the claws.
"No." They replied wirelessly, in a monotone voice.
"Uh, oh well, that's okay, uh, me neither. Not much lady cores, to begin with, but someday maybe." Wheatley smiled.
"Someday." Echoed the claws.
"Well, yes, someday I'd hope. You know thinking about it there is a lady core lurking down here in manufacturing! Haven't got her name but maybe I should ask, see what she's all about." He beamed to the claws.
"Serial#78910" Replied the claws cooly.
Wheatley laughed.
"Oh, well that works too, I'd suppose. Could look her up on the, uh, mighty database and get her name. I could call, matter in fact, just with that number there that you gave me. Call her up for a chat. Oh, here's an idea! Maybe I should do that! Katydid won't probably come back for several hours and the lady core could help me watch over the line! Yes, brilliant! She'd be a good talker too, I'd assume. Ladies always have a great deal to talk about. That be nice." He mumbled excitedly.
"Affirmative?" Replied the claws a little dazed.
Before Wheatley could press on, he heard static crackle over the loudspeaker overhead. It hitched in various spots but eventually, the voice became clear.
"Hello, metal ball." It greeted.
His expression went gleeful.
"Oi! It's you! Thought I wouldn't hear from you, lady!" Replied Wheatley cheerfully.
"Why not?" She replied puzzled.
"Uh, well, you're the Central Core, I heard. They told me you have this big'ol job around here. I didn't know that, so now, I assumed you were busy?" He added trying not to sound too wary.
She chuckled, her laugh gentle and bright for once.
"I have been busy, no thanks to you." She added cooly. "But, I have been thinking about you."
"You - you have?" Wheatley asked wide-eyed.
He heard fumblings of static and some crashing on her end. He frowned.
"Uh, you okay lady?" He replied, looking up to the circular speaker on the ceiling.
"Yes!" She replied angrily, a little too loudly. "I've got a job for you. That's why I dropped by. I need you to be...whatever you usually are and help me-"
"Oh, I…" Wheatley interrupted pleased with the praise.
"Not! Help me! - do something for me...I don't need your help by the way. It's a terrible job that I don't have time for, so you're going to do it for me."
"Okay, I guess I could go on and help you," He turned his attention back down to the production line. "But, Katydid left me in charge at the moment, so my hands are full; metaphorically speaking." He chuckled.
"Oh, I see." She replied unamused. "I'll get someone else to attend to whatever it is your doing, which by the looks of it doesn't seem like much. Attending to this matter is of importance for the better of science. I don't need to go on waiting for grasshoppers to return." She chimed.
He frowned.
"What's the matter?" He inquired.
"I just need to get rid of someone." She blurted dully, more than she would have liked.
"Oh?!" Wheatley shouted lurching backward on his rail, away from the speaker, as if tentacles were about to burst out and strangle him.
"Not you!" She scowled.
He imitated letting out a breath of relief.
"Oh, really had me there lady!" He coughed.
She sighed.
"I need you to visit an old friend of mine. Help him go home. He's hopelessly 'confused' and I'd like it if you could convince him to leave for the better of my health. Tell him not to bother in coming back. We're not friends." She explained roughly.
"Oh." Replied Wheatley, rather confused with the odd explanation. "Sure, uh, consider it done! Solved, uh, completed." He beamed.
"Excellent, I'll send you the locations soon. Don't disappoint me." With that comment, the intercom switched off and faded into silence.
"Uh, yes. I'll do that, uh, Lady?" He turned over to the maintenance claws for guidance.
"You shouldn't have agreed." They remarked.
"Why?" He asked curiously.
They didn't reply.
