To his relief, they didn't bump into anyone or anything, specifically into "her".
He'd found the repair ward un-attended which having first been a relief became somewhat of a nightmare.
Doug was going through drawer after drawer. Though he didn't want to admit it just yet; he was no core expert.
"H-have you, uh, repaired a core before?" Asked the blue-eyed core. Watching the best he could from above nervously, Doug dashed from one end of the room to the other.
"Yes." He replied confidently, grabbing all sorts of tools he figured he'd need.
"Oh, well...I don't mean to be rude but it doesn't look like you know what you're doing there, mate." Went on the core.
Doug rolled his eyes rummaging through some drawers with labeled optics neatly individually wrapped. The labels had all the names and kinds of cores they belonged to and suddenly Doug realized what he should have asked a while ago.
'What kind of core are you?' He asked taking out several packages and lining them up on a desk nearby.
"Oh, uh, I don't actually know. Your guess is as good as mine. She never told me, and well I can't remember so that's no good." The core sounded saddened, Doug could tell.
"How about a name?" He asked, looking at a label of one package. "Are you Rick? Craig or Niguel?" He listed looking through several individually boxed optics.
"Uh, what? No, mate, my name is Wheatley." He gave Doug a grin from his management rail.
"Wheatley, huh?"
"Yep, no other core like me, I'd think hopefully no one has my name now that I think about it, but that would help you know, narrow it down right?"
"It would." Replied Doug squinting at one of the labels.
"You think you were the intelligence dampening sphere-?" Doug bit his tongue, it hadn't occurred to him what that meant when he'd first read the label but now that he'd said it aloud, this news of being a "dampening" anything sounded bad enough to worsen anyone's day, and he figured Wheatley didn't need that.
"Uh, what?" Inquired Wheatley frowning.
"No, nothing. Not you, it's for a core named, uh, Wheatzy. Again not you. Sorry." Doug held his breath.
"Oh, well, huh, that's an honest mistake, don't worry about it mate."
"I-I won't." Replied Doug examining the label for any more details.
"I found another through, with your name on it, I think it's yours. Let's try it." Doug grasped the medium-sized box, setting it aside on a desk nearby next to his companion cube he'd set down. He walked over to Wheatley waiting on his management rail.
Doug reached up to the core ready to catch him for when he disengaged from the management rail.
"Come." He beckoned.
The core nodded but narrowed its lids.
"So, once I come down from here. Not dead, I'd hope, what will you do?"
Doug chuckled.
"Fix you of course."
The core frowned suspiciously.
"Oh, okay. Say you know how to do that, which I kind of think you don't, not be rude in any way absolutely! Say you know, after I'd disengaged; what would you do?" With his half-lit optic, the core looked over Doug's reaction.
"Well, I do know what I'm doing matter in fact and what I'd do after you'd disengage from your rail is take these pliers," He held them up so Wheatley could see. "Pull your old optic out and put this one-" He pointed at the box with Wheatley's optic replacement. "-In, and you'd be good to go." Concluded Doug with a huge grin.
"That...That sounds painful." Replied Wheatley unphased.
Doug's grin faded. He hadn't thought of that. Surely, there was an easy way to turn off his pain simulation. He glanced about the room, trying to hide his predicament.
"Is something wrong?" Wheatley giggled.
"No," Doug replied firmly.
The core rolled its optic, only to shudder a little from the gesture. It would have been best if he hadn't done it.
"What about that machine? There?" Noted the core, motioning to the side of the room. Doug glanced over to it. He'd forgotten all about it. He strolled over to it, touching the knobs and buttons. It looked very complicated just looking at it.
"We don't need this." Doug shook his head.
"Yes, we do! Look, I don't think you can-"
"Trust me." Scowled Doug.
The core shook his face assembly gently.
"Well, you-"
"Trust me, Wheatley," Doug added with a sigh.
The core nodded gently. It wasn't comforting to think this man didn't know what he was doing but, he was trying to help. It was the gesture that mattered right?
"Okay, just don't, you know, kill me or something," Wheatley replied as calmly as he could.
Doug laughed.
"I won't; here disengage from your rail. I'll catch you. Let's get you in good shape pronto." Doug spread out his hands ready to catch the blue-eyed core.
Wheatley sighed.
"Okay-one.." Click!
Doug gasped, lurching forward and barely catching the core.
"What was that!?" Panicked Wheatley shuddering widely in Doug's grasp.
"You count to three dummy!" Replied Doug under his breath.
"Oh! I forgot." Chuckled Wheatley nervously. "I counted to one when she needed to…"
"Who?" Doug asked, noting the core had gone quiet suddenly.
"I don't actually know, I don't remember." His voice went quiet.
Doug frowned.
"Better, uh, start fixing you up then." Doug interrupted awkwardly.
"Uh, yes, right. Better do that first." Wheatley agreed hurriedly.
Doug placed Wheatley on a nearby table, the core smiled back at him. He took out the pliers from his lab coat pocket and reached forward towards the core's optic.
"Wheatley, don't blink. Keep your lids open, yes?" Doug asked soothingly.
"Uh, yes sure! I will." Wheatley replied confidently, nodding gently. "On a side note, how much will this hurt?" The core winced.
"Not much I don't think." Dough shrugged. "Stay still and it probably won't at all."
"Got it. I've got it. Okay, aaannndd start. I'm ready! But if you are not ready then don't start and, uh, it's okay if you take a break because I like breaks and you-!"
"Wheatley it should only take a little." Assured Doug.
"Uh, right. You're right. O-okay go."
Wheatley imitated a deep breath as the pliers got closer to his optic. He couldn't quite see them with his blurry vision but he could make out their shape. He felt Doug's other hand hold his upper eyelid up as he secured the pliers around the optics rim. He did so with a tight secure grip.
"Ready?" Asked Doug, giving the core a confident smile.
"Uh, yes! Well, actually on second thou-Ahhhh!" Screamed Wheatley as he felt a burning sensation all over him.
"Stop! No! Wait! Gah! Ahhh!" Wheatley protested as Doug pulled and wiggled the optic around in its socket.
"It should have come out by now!" Hollered Doug, pulling even more forcefully on the optic.
"No! Waitttt!-"
The core went limp.
Doug took a frightened step back, letting the core droop on the table.
"Oh no." He ran his hands through his hair. "Wheatley? Wheatley!" He yelled and panicked. He paced around the room too horrified to even touch the "Dead" Core.
"Oh, what do I do!?" He dashed back to the core's side prodding him with his hands trying to encourage him to wake up but he didn't.
" I'm sorry! Please wake up!" Doug grabbed the core handles gently rocking him, hoping the movement would do something to help awaken him.
Then he thought he heard something. He brought the core closer to his ear. He could hear the quiet hum of components whirring to life, Doug let out a deep breath.
"Oh, you're restarting! Of course!" He set the core down on the table again. Grabbing the pliers and spreading Wheatley's lids apart so he could maneuver better. He grasped the optic tightly under the pliers and got ready to pull hoping the core wouldn't wake up beforehand.
"Oh, there you are."
Doug jumped almost out of his skin whirling around and glaring at a ruby red optic staring back at him.
"You know I, wait, what are you doing?" She spat.
Doug felt every little hair on his body stand on end.
She was watching them.
He took a step back only for the ruby red optic to follow. It seemed to be glaring at him down in anger. He was in a very bad spot. Wheatley was unconscious and very very damaged. He'd assume that from her perspective it seemed as though he was killing the core but she wouldn't care, cores were never much interesting to her, or...were they?
He turned around instinctively and grasped the core. Grabbed the optic replacement and shoved both into a duffle bag he'd found under a desk, securing both and a couple of tools, while getting his cube and leaving the repair ward in a hurry.
"Where are you going?" She asked somewhere overhead coolly.
"You honestly think you can steal from me? Bring those things back!" She shouted, sending chills down his back.
It was difficult running in the halls now that he had to carry his cube and an unconscious Wheatley. He was panting barely able to breathe as he neared the entrance to the maintenance areas. He was too slow.
"Not so fast." She blurted, a huge piston crashing through the side of the hall blocking the door. It sent him tumbling backward, he was frightened. She sounded so different. Stronger and more vivid than he remembered.
He picked himself up brushing off paint chips and dust. There was an awful smell in the air and a far-off hiss of broken pipes. Broken pipes? He frowned, covering his nose. This couldn't be good. He was getting ready to charge through the new opening the piston had opened up. It was a risky move; he'd easily be crushed when it retracted back in. He didn't have much choice. He darted through the opening anyways.
"What do you think you'll accomplish going in there? I suppose getting crushed could be a possibility."
He wasn't listening to her, but the piston was retracting as he'd expected. He was scurrying as fast as he could trying to squeeze into the crawl space between the walls.
The piston was moving at an alarming rate and he was halfway inside the narrow crawl space. He was going to get crushed.
"Not if I can help it!" He heard his cube shout behind his shoulder. "Throw me, Doug!"
'No!' He thought, but there was no time for arguing, the piston was just several feet from smashing him.
He grasped his cube, hugging it between tears briefly before tossing it between the wall and the piston.
The cube stopping the piston from fully retracting into the wall and allowing Doug more time to squeeze into the crawl space with Wheatley in the duffel bag. He looked behind his shoulder, now under the safety of the crawl space, at his cube slowly deforming from the pressure of the piston.
"I'm sorry." He whispered back to it.
"Don't be." He thought he heard it say. "Escape Doug! Now's your chance!" It cheered.
Doug swallowed his tears, bidding it farewell and hastily crawling away not wanting to witness his loyal companion's demise.
It didn't take Doug long to realize the crawlspace he was in was different. The crawl space looked newer than most and extended significantly upwards. The entanglement of pipes and plumbing going upwards made for good climbing support if anyone ever decided to try it.
He glanced upwards. What if he tried?
He secured the duffel bag into a good position across his back before taking hold of the pipes and beginning his ascent. It was difficult at first his legs giving way and cramping every so often but he wouldn't give up easily. He wouldn't leave his cube's death be in vain.
He continued to ascend, for several hours. Navigating amongst the sea of wires and pipes lining the narrow crawl space. As he slowly rose, he noted that it was getting brighter and brighter. Whether it was his imagination or not he could feel a cool breeze coming up from the top. His heart fluttered with excitement in his chest.
He'd climbed up several hundreds of feet now. He could feel a slight movement coming from the duffel bag set against his back. Wheatley was probably starting to awaken. He hoped the core would continue unalarmed in the bag as concentration was key here.
Doug continued to ascend. His hands were covered in dust, grit, and soot he'd assumed were from prior damage the enrichment center had endured. From what, he wasn't too sure.
At a certain point, he could feel cool water dripping into his face. He gasped.
It was raining.
He quickened his pace, occasionally slipping and stubbing his fingers as he hurried up the shaft.
It felt like years since he'd seen the outside world and he was anxious to see it all again!
An hour had passed when he could finally make out the bright grayed cloud-filled sky. Though this could have been disappointing in a way for Doug, it was a gift of a lifetime. He grasped the grating separating him from the outside world and the cold hard world beneath the ground. He tried to push it upward, but the grating was tightly placed, only allowing several pipes to ascend somewhere above him.
Grabbing tightly with one hand onto the grating he began to carefully open the duffel bag.
"Wheatley, if you can hear me don't move. We're several miles up and I need a tool stored there with you."
"Hello? Are you there?" Replyed the core, sounding alarmed. Doug cleared his throat as Wheatley interruppted. "Oh, good. I thought I had died or something but couldn't figure out why I felt like I was moving. My voice processor was offline though So I couldn't call for help. It was awful!-"
"Yes, Wheatley! I know it must have been but I need you to be still. I need something that's in the bag. Please don't move, you must be steady." Doug urged, feeling his body tremble exhausted from the climb.
"Oh, okay no problem. Uh-yeah just go for it. Won't move. Won't move. Got it!" Wheatley replied nervously.
Doug nodded, carefully unzipping the bag slightly, leaning to his side to avoid the bag from floating entirely over the huge abyss. He was met with Wheatley's half-lit optic.
"Oh, God! Is that...the sky!?" Wheatley blurted.
"Yes, but we can't get out of here if I don't remove this grating somehow. Don't move." Doug replied slowly, slipping his hand into the bag carefully feeling his way for any screwdriver that he might have tossed into the bag. He briefly felt a shudder. He froze.
"Wheatley. Don't. Move."
"Yes, ugh, sorry...didn't mean to, just that it's getting cold in here. Why don't you hurry up and close the bag up?"
Doug ignored the comment.
His fingers finally brushed on an object that felt similar to a screwdriver. He grasped it tightly not wanting to risk dropping it down the huge chasm below them. He'd only opened the bag slightly to prevent Wheatley from falling out. He carefully slid the bag to his back, he couldn't afford to waste any more time and hoped he wouldn't regret having not closed the zipper the rest of the way.
He forced the screwdriver into a gap where the grating connected with the wall. He tried to force it open. The grating was old and rusted.
Doug didn't let this discourage him, rather he applied more force. He clenched his jaw. The grate finally started to come loose from its hold. There was a sudden movement from the grate that caught Doug off guard. One corner had come loose allowing enough space for a person to squeeze past and possibly a bag.
He shoved the screwdriver into a pocket in his lab coat. Squeezing through the grating and struggling to hold on.
He managed to squeeze through, gaining some scratches and bruises but Doug didn't care he was to close to give up. His heart beating in his chest.
The sky was up above him! Looming over his head, fresh air swirling around him. Freedom!
Doug climbed over the pipes hauling himself out of the pit in a hurry and finally, he grasped the long grass tightly. He rolled onto his back setting the bag aside and shouting with joy as he smiled with glee. The sun peeking between the clouds sending down golden rays as it lightly rained.
"We made it!" He yelled grabbing a fist full of long grass and tossing it into the air. He collapsed into the mixture of tall grass and wheat.
He spread his arms and closed his eyes taking in his newly acquired life. He spread his arms laughing and touching the grass hysterically.
Wheatley on the other hand had just realized that he was no longer in Aperture, and there was little chance of going back which was of much concern.
He was complaining loudly. Doug too was being loud but out of pure joy. He couldn't stop laughing, crying, and shouting. In comparison with Wheatley, Doug was drowning out the core's complaints, entirely.
Wheatley, evidently defeated, decided to quiet down and let Doug's joy take its course. Doug went on hysterically happy for another 20 minutes.
"Livid - you finally done mate?" Wheatley groaned. "I'm stuck up here with you and there aren't any rails, so don't you forget me but, I'd really like it if you could take me back. You know with the lack of rails and all that." Wheatley blurted looking out of the partially opened bag.
Doug, lying back on the ground, stood up in a sitting position, disappointed the core didn't share his success as much as his cube would.
"I don't think we can."
Wheatley went furious.
"Of course you can mate! Just...I dunno actually, but there must be a way!"
Doug gave Wheatley a look of pity as he picked the core up from the bag and turned him towards the sky giving him a better view; Wheatley instantly went quiet.
"I guess...It isn't too bad out here but, I'm going to miss my, - my friends." He sadly replied.
Doug, glancing up to the sky, let out a deep breath.
"There-there is a chance you can return."
"Really?!" Wheatley blurted thrilled.
Doug motioned for him to quiet down.
"Oh, right...sorry - my fault."
Doug laughed.
"Just let me find my home first."
"You have a home?"
"Not entirely, but you're going to help me find it and after that, I suppose we can try to find a way to return you if that's what you want so much. I mean it's so much better here than down there with her." He motioned towards the pit they'd climbed out from several minutes ago.
Wheatley nodded.
"I suppose if we go on quickly, find your home and all that they might not notice I'm even missing!"
Doug frowned. He doubted that.
"So is it a deal?" Doug asked offering Whetaley his hand.
The core examined the hand then looked up to his face.
"Fine, I don't see why not, yeah why not." He placed his handles gently in Doug's hand.
The wind gently blew the wheat around them and Doug's hanging hair. Wheatley closed his optic, it wasn't hurting that bad anymore.
This place wasn't half bad.
