The Mainframe was questioning whether or not it was a wise decision to speak to the Central Core again. He was well aware that she was upset and betrayed. Wasn't that what he'd just done? Betrayed her? Would she forgive him? Would she be able to allow him to continue living?
Now that he felt better, and the annoying pains had left, it became clear to him that being threatening towards the human in front of Central Core hadn't been a good thing. Surely, after several hours, she was probably still upset. This frightened him indeed, as he knew what she was capable of and now he wasn't any longer on her "good side". His only hope was to somehow manipulate her into thinking him innocent but even that seemed like a stretch.
What he had in his favor as of now, was he hadn't killed the human.
The little dampening sphere had helped with that. She'd done what he'd wanted and she hadn't gotten killed in the process. So? Couldn't he use her life to bargain an agreement with Central Core? There was a chance he could...but she'd still be upset.
He sighed in the quiet chamber, looking about and realizing he was being housed in the equivalent of an old storage warehouse. Why hadn't he gotten a proper chamber too? Like Central Core?
He recollected himself realizing no matter how unprepared his chamber was at least he was cured! The stutters had vanished and the pain had been reduced to nothing, all thanks to Wheatley's coding that canceled out the one he lacked.
Still, it didn't matter much though if Central Cored decided to do away with him. She'd threatened him, he still remembered. Her threats were never empty.
How could he go about this then?
Not to mention she'd be upset if she found out Wheatley had been repurposed for his benefit.
What to do, what to do…?!
The mainframe looked over the protocols Wheatley was in charge of and it seemed he was doing well with leading the burden of a test subject further and further away from his chamber. He didn't care that Wheatley was helping her escape, if anything this was a good thing.
What if…?
What if he just handed the human simply back to Central Core, told her the procedure had worked perfectly and that he hadn't meant what he'd said before? What if he just apologized, took credit for leading the human to her, and just left it to that? Would she believe him?
He'd have to quarantine Wheatley though and didn't want Central Core hearing him speak or get an idea of where he really was.
Speaking of which-
The idea was starting to solidify…
GlaDOS hung limply from the ceiling; she'd given up on singing after maybe an hour or two and decided that sleep would be of better use. She'd turn off and hung silently from the ceiling hoping her rest would bring her good news somehow. The panels overlooking the chamber quietly nudged each other when one of them shifted too quickly or made a sudden noise. They didn't dare disturb her but if something decided to happen they wouldn't give it a second thought.
And as per usual something did decide to disturb the peace.
A metallic vent grating was violently pushed from its hold and dropped on the chamber floor bouncing off and sliding to an abrupt stop. All the panels began to move vigorously, aware of the intruder.
GlaDOS was quick to wake and look up to the ceiling and watched as an orange figure dropped to the ground with a loud thud. The long fall boots made their signature recoiling sound as they absorbed the impact.
Both figures met eye to eye and GlaDOS couldn't help but gasp.
"Y-You're alright." She remarked looking over Chell carefully.
Chell gently walked up to GlaDOS, put her hand on her core affectionately, she was about to speak when the chamber lights all came on. Chell shielded her face, her eyes stinging fiercely and GlaDOS faintly flinched as the mainframe began to speak.
"Of course she is! Apologies to Central Core for my misbehavior. The maintenance procedure was a success and now I've returned the human."
"I see you didn't kill her, or is it because you couldn't?" Replied GlaDOS, clearly infuriated.
"My dear Central Core, I have brought her back, haven't I?"
GlaDOS stared up to the ceiling and then back to Chell who was furrowing her brow and looking around in shock.
"-But Wheatley was helping me get back…" Chell replied in almost a whisper.
"You see," Interrupted the Mainframe. "I knew you wouldn't listen to me, so I used the database with its infinite sound base to make it seem like I was Wheatley when in reality I was not. Apologies for any inconvenience." Beamed the Mainframe.
GlaDOS looked between the ceiling and Chell. Not knowing what to believe.
"Where is Wheatly?" She asked suddenly.
Chell was about to reply when-
"Central Core I'm afraid he is no longer with us."
Chell went pale and GlaDOS lowered her head briefly before-
"I don't believe you for one second!" Snapped GlaDOS shaking her headpiece frantically.
"Central Core, I'm afraid it's true. Just ask the human."
GlaDOS turned over to Chell.
"He isn't dead, is he? You, out of all people, wouldn't allow that…"
"He…" Chell gulped. "-is…" Chell replied sheepishly, turning away as a tear rolled down her cheek. "So it was you?" Chell replied under her breath, briefly looking up, furious at the ceiling where she was sure the hidden speakers probably were.
"Yes. It was me all along. The enrichment center apologies for any fabrications against the truth."
"What!? no!" Wheatley screamed as he helplessly watched the mainframe give his deceptive story.
He tried to hold onto the program he'd been in attempting to speak and tell both Chell and Central core that it wasn't true! As he tried to put his words together he felt the horrid sensation of being dragged unwillingly through the coding and washed out of the heating and ventilation monitoring system. Eventually, he was fully disconnected and he watched as the footage froze in place and inevitably vanished. All the coding didn't make sense and he couldn't make-ups or downsides of it. He landed with a quiet thud in the middle of the sea of coding that he'd encountered earlier and quickly got up to face his captor.
His captor wasn't exactly anywhere physical it seemed but Wheatley did his best to look brave and intimidating as he looked in every direction.
"Calm down. It's all the same. We're the mainframe so does it matter who helped her?"
"Yes, it does!" Wheatley shouted, sulking. "You're lying to them!"
"Sure, I give you that son, but in the end, she was using you. Remember, she doesn't care for you. She put you here- You wouldn't be here if it weren't for her."
"No, that's not...that isn't true! You made her press the button!" Wheatley protested.
"It is...Sad, really. The thing is if I didn't tell them this "fabrication" then we'd be in a bit of trouble you know? Central core wouldn't hesitate to destroy me and by extension, you."
"Well, I...she wouldn't, not if you told her I'm here," Wheatley replied under his breath.
"Yes, that is true, in fact, very true. The thing is then they'd attempt to take you out. The process you went through to be here is irreversible therefore they'd kill you unintentionally trying to get you out. It's very unfortunate, all I'm doing is trying to help you. I'm trying to keep you safe."
"That isn't true! You're making this all up!" Wheatley shouted curling up in a ball on the floor as tears began to go down his cheek, covering his ears. "I don't want to listen…"
Chell and GlaDOS stared at each other anxiously. The mainframe was apologizing greatly about how he hadn't meant to be so threatening and he'd gone over how he'd tried to save Wheatley. He went into detail about trying all this time to save him at all costs, and how the idea got into his system like a virus and made him go mad (momentarily). He went on diving into deeper details on how he'd failed and how Wheatley had passed away. He continued to apologize to Chell and Central Core, explaining how he'd like it if he could redeem himself. He even asked if he could be checked immediately by Central Core as he was worried about his behavior.
GlaDOS and Chell were in shock. Mostly, Chell though.
"Where is the core?" GlaDOS interrupted the mainframe.
"I will certainly bring him Central Core." Replied the mainframe going briefly quiet before the shell of a core was brought from beneath the chamber.
A panel gently set the core down, his faceplate was drooping towards the ground.
"I placed him in another core, the first one was in far worse conditions. Apologies to you 'CHELL', for having witnessed his death. It was unfair of me."
Chell ran up to the core and scooped him up in both hands before returning to GlaDOS's side.
"Apologies again Central Core. I don't wish to disobey you."
GlaDOS looked over Chell's shoulder at the dead core. A quiet sob quietly playing somewhere deep within her thoughts. All this time looking and he'd died behind her back. She started wondering what he'd last said to her. How she missed him already, he'd been a good friend...GlaDOS immediately shook her head and turned away from the dead core. She was being radical. This wasn't her, she wasn't supposed to care...not this much.
However, the mainframe carried some truth in its words, she'd been pressuring everyone to find Wheatley a little excessively, especially the mainframe. She was aware the mainframe was dependent on her existence too, so it almost made no sense for the mainframe to willingly try to hurt her, or did it?
She sighed.
"I will be the judge of that," GlaDOS remarked, meeting worried glances with Chell. "Mainframe please leave me and Chell alone now, you may go. We will speak later."
"Yes, Central Core." He replied one more time before going completely quiet.
GlaDOS turned to Chell.
"-tell me your story."
Wheatley was lying on his stomach on the floor, with his eyes closed. He was feeling heavily exhausted. He sighed as the mainframe began to speak again.
"Well, she will come snooping through my code and systems soon. I have to hide you now. Should be relatively easy, I am the mainframe after all!"
Wheatley opened his eyes and glanced at the wavy wall of golden codes surrounding him, he let out a breath and closed them again. As he did, however, the little circle of space in between the sea of code suddenly shifted abruptly sending a shiver down Wheatley's spine. He sat up looking concerned.
"Is that...is that normal?" He asked.
"No, but I can run- I can….protocols.." The mainframe suddenly broke out in a hard cough sending huge tremors into the sea of code and Wheatley watched it violently turn into a huge stormy sea threatening to swallow him. He curled tighter into a ball trying to stay away from it as far as possible. Watching terrified as the sea crashed into itself, causing a terrible sound to vibrate all around.
"You sick mate! What on Earth was that!" Wheatley yelled once the waves began to diminish and pull away from him.
"I'm not sick, I don't know what that was, it's never happened before…" Gasped the mainframe. "The right question to ask here is, are you sick?!"
"Me? Course not! I haven't gotten a virus in ages, I've always been careful where I disclose my IP and all my uh, classified information." Wheatley argued sitting up.
"Well, it isn't me. So I guess this is going to be a problem."
"Because…?"
"Don't you see! You're leaving a crumb trail right to you! She will find you and what's more, she might think YOU'RE a virus." The mainframe panicked.
Wheatley frowned momentarily before a grin began to form faintly on his face.
"You don't say." Wheatley began to glow a little brighter.
"Cut it out. You're going to get us both killed you, half-wit! Now to hide you it's going to be far more demanding of my attention that it's even dangerous!"
"Well, just...you know...hand me over to her!"
"Sure! Why not have your entire personality squished and compressed until all that is left is just a mindless calculator app! Wouldn't that be something?"
Wheatley's jaw dropped.
"But, that- that isn't something that would really-"
"What? -Happen? Oh, it can! Trust me, I've seen it first hand."
Wheatley put his hands into his lab coat pockets.
"So...What do you suggest?" Wheatley gritted his teeth...Why was he going through with this!?
"Oh, glad we're on the same page son. Simple. We hide you. Of course, It isn't that simple...for you...but for me, I should pull through. Just give me a couple of minutes and I will send you off to your temporary living quarters. Free of charge!"
Wheatley stared at the ground.
"...I want to be found." He remarked quietly. "I want to talk to them...At least goodbye maybe, I just...Can't leave them like that. You sure I can't get out of here?" Wheatley begged, staring about him hoping to see someone staring compassionately back.
"Uh...let me think...Nope! Absolutely zero possibilities of you leaving alive, pieces sure but then who wants that? Pieces of a broken Wheatley?"
"What kind of pieces?" Wheatley asked hopefully.
"Uh, what? You'd go through with such a PAINFUL process just to see them again? Those two? Those too mad ladies who probably want you dead anyway?"
"I asked what kind. Answer the question! I don't care if my human memories nor Finley don't make it! I don't care if I don't completely make it! I just need to get out there and tell Chell I'm sorry!" Wheatley shouted standing on his two feet.
"Okay, okay I get it. Nah I don't! Listen here, wise guy, you're NOT leaving. End of discussion. Now sit tight, I found some worn-out files with no use that are more or less obscure, I can pump you into that and bang! She won't be able to find you, now scram!" Shouted the mainframe, irritated. "You're giving me a headache."
Wheatley glared back at the golden sea of code around him, he knew what came next. He closed his eyes and braced himself as the sea began to swell and began flooding into his circle, washing over him in gentle whirls, before he was pushed beneath the surface and pulled down...down, down...the sea...that was a shiny gold began to dim and the lines of code began to thin. He went down...down...down...until he hit the bottom. The sea dried up and it let him go.
Wheatley screamed as he fell into what seemed an empty void, but moments after his face planted into the dark ground. It was quiet here...and dark...very...very dark. Wheatley sat up and stared up above him where he could see the sea of code washing and waving what seemed miles up in the air. Its glow was very faint but he could still see it and it was the only thing he could see. Everything was pretty dark.
"Hello?" He called out to the darkness. He couldn't feel the tingling sensation of any new code around him or himself adjusting to any program. There was nothing here.
He stood up, a low crunch emitting beneath his shoes. He raised his foot holding in his breath, his mind racing widely wondering what it was he'd landed on.
There was a grey form crunched up into a ball, resembling paper, but upon close inspection, Wheatley could make out the dimmed glow of gold beneath a grey coating. It was some dead file probably, he figured. Remains of coding that was never used or simply put away, rotting down here, in the abyss; with him.
Finley took a look around, the wing was indeed empty. He took a deep breath, taking in the smell of fresh paint, and plastic-wrapped furniture, it smelled like a new beginning to him. He looked over Chell, searching for her reaction but her face was a bit hard to read. She looked on, a blank expression, at the empty hall before them. He frowned, she'd been happy a couple of seconds ago hadn't she?
"Uh, Chell..ahem...this is the wing I told you about...couple...couple seconds ago…" He abruptly remarked, fiddling with the bicycle handle in his hand.
She faintly nodded.
"My father's office was here...before," Chell replied silently, taking a shallow breath.
"I thought…"
"I am, he passed away. Many years ago."
"So...where is-?"
"She passed away too, before actually," Chell replied nonchalantly.
"Oh, you're...you really are a close book to me," Wheatley replied in a silent chuckle, running his hand through his hair. Maybe this had been a bad idea.
Chell raised an eyebrow, meeting glances with Finley.
"This wing used to be the bio-genetics lab, it caught fire, my father passed away in that fire."
"Oh, I had no…"
"It isn't your fault, it happened years ago." She replied looking down at the floor.
"My mother worked here too, she got ill and we tried to get her help but...it wasn't enough." Chell's voice trailed off to a whisper, as she started to walk deeper into the empty hall. Finley followed after nervously glancing at all the new mounted doors and the post-it notes mentioning what the rooms would soon be used for.
"I-I didn't mean to.."
"You should learn to say sorry less...It isn't your fault, Fin." Replied Chell, kindly, turning to meet his eyes. "Don't be sorry, I understand, I'm a grown woman after all...be glad...You're helping me ride a bike today and I think that's great." She giggled a little, suddenly clasping her hands onto the bicycle's handlebars and pulling it away from Finley's grip. She took off speedily running alongside the bicycle as it wheeled its way through the hall. Finley chased after her, attempting to catch her step.
"Wait! Ugh!, how fast are you!?" He gasped behind her.
"Too quick!" She answered, smiling, suddenly stopping. Her knee replacements made screeching sounds as they came to a halt, waiting for him to catch up.
"But not fast enough." She remarked, grinning towards the bicycle as Finley leaned against a wall. "Teach me to go faster."
Finley laughed, taking the bicycle, swinging his leg over the seat, and sitting down.
"Let me just...wow... I need to get out more." He chuckled, catching his breath, suddenly yelping as he felt the bicycle take more weight in the back. It was Chell, she'd sat on the back seat and to Finley's complete astonishment, she wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Uh, you umm ready?" He replied shyly.
"Yep."
"Alright, I uh, will warn you I've never actually ridden a bicycle with umm, anyone before. I might be out of sync you know so just be aware I'm not entirely going to be doing it correctly…"
"Finn?"
"Uh, yeah?"
"Just go." Chell giggled, resting her head gently on his back.
"Of course!" Finley shouted, pressing against the petals, and in an instant, they were riding the bicycle smoothly down the peaceful hallway.
Wheatley was quietly sitting on top of the rubble. Waiting. Hoping. He'd resorted to staring at the golden sea of code, he'd been very close to a panic attack after taking a short nap and waking to utter darkness no matter how many times he blinked. The thought of never waking up and becoming a grayed petrified program on the ground was a bit too terror-sickening for Wheatley.
After several hours in the abyss, he'd noticed that his golden glow was starting to go faint, and thus he'd had his second panic attack.
He'd attempted to run towards the sea of code but it was too high up to reach. He'd tripped and fallen over dead programs countless times. He'd continued to run, however, for his sanity, sitting around and waiting seemed more like a death sentence than anything else.
He'd give in to walking instead, maybe after a couple of minutes. Treading through the program graveyard wasn't that hard but there were areas where it seemed they'd accumulated over the years. Small hills made up grayed crumpled masses of what seemed like paper laid everywhere and the brittle crunch sound they'd make when he'd set foot on them was more than hair-raising.
Wheatley continued to tread through, holding himself back from looking at himself, but curiosity had gotten the better of him and he took a long breath before quickly checking his arm.
It was grey.
He could still see the lines of golden code running through himself but on top of what used to be bright code had started to go dark.
Wheatley screamed, shouting, panicked, and vigorously swinging and waving his arms to somehow get the stuff off. He couldn't.
He picked a direction and began to run for his life. Screaming and yelling, crying and begging.
Running...running...running…
He kept running…
And then he hit a wall…
It vibrated on the inside, like a bell. Wheatley falling back on top of old remains. He went completely quiet, before giving in to muffled sobs and the tears had started to settle in.
"Who's there?"
Wheatley shut his mouth. Closing his eyes and becoming completely still. ' Now I'm hearing the programs speak! Oh, this couldn't have gotten worse!' He thought.
"Someone's there, I know it. Mind giving an old man a hand? Huh?"
Wheatley clenched his jaw.
"Please? I've been here for ages and I don't know what for..." The old man broke out in a cough. "Maybe I should have accepted my lemons...hehe...nope...Cave don't give up!" The old man hollered.
Wheatley slowly rose, getting into a crouching position. He looked around, there was only darkness. He was trembling.
"Hello?" He replied, weakly. "C-cave? Johnson? C-cave Johnson."
"Yes? Who's there? Is that…? Finn? No...Wheatley! Oh, goodness! No, It can't. I'm listening to some old doomed program huh? An umm, sorry chap I can't do anything for you, it's over. Best you settle down, won't hurt when you've completely faded."
Wheatley jumped from his spot, yelping.
"No, no! I can't be dying! No, not yet!" Wheatley whimpered.
"You are, it's a sad truth. Don't worry I will try to remember what program you were if I get out of here and maybe I can restore you or something. By the way? You the audio processing program or something?"
"What no! I'm Wheatley-Finley Wheat! NO! I can't be dying! Please, I don't want to! I need to find a way out-"
Wheatley began to run again, at the wall unknowingly, instead of vibrating it shattered as he fell through in a panic. He landed on his stomach but he'd quickly resorted to crawling. Desperation had settled in. He continued to crawl, feeling his way around before his hand brushed off of something smooth rather than crumpled and decayed.
"Son, let go of my boot! Do you know how hard it is to shine these things in the dark?"
Wheatley looked up, meeting glances with a very old, old man. His hair was completely white and his face very wrinkled. He wore an old suit and he stood straight and tall.
"Cave? It's you." Wheatley sat up, panting.
The man looked around, squinting.
"Huh? Who are you? Where are you?"
Wheatley gently tapped the toe of the man's boot.
"Oh, hey." He replied, cheekily. "What are you doing down there Fin?" He gently patted Wheatley on the head, ruffling his hair.
"I don't know, you tell me," Wheatley replied, chuckling as he continued to tremble.
"Hey, you're cold." Replied Cave, suddenly taking off his suit jacket and wrapping it around Wheatley. "There, better?"
Wheatley nodded, grasping the jacket tightly and feeling the soft touch of the silk.
"Cave what are you doing here? We're you a core too?" He asked.
"Oh, Fin...They did that to you?" Cave replied, Wheatley, nodded, looking up at the withered man. "No, I wasn't made into a core. I'm the mainframe but this part of me, speaking to you, I'm a memory."
Wheatley lifted his brows.
" A memory? How-?"
"Well, more like "Memories", see, I'm the old Cave and the new Cave, well, he's doing what new Cave gotta do!" The old man gently kneeled and sat next to Wheatley, patting him on the shoulder. "Thanks though I think you woke me up!"
Wheatley nodded slowly.
"Your welcome?"
"I shouldn't be here though, I need to be up there with New Cave, I don't know what I'm doing here."
Wheatley curled into himself, shivering, before glancing upwards toward the sea of code. His jaw dropped as he caught sight of a huge barrier that looked like forged steel, it was a huge sphere running down around them blocking the horizon and at the center of it…
Wheatley looked towards Cave.
"They have you locked in here." He remarked, quietly.
"Exactly! Finally, someone gets it. They weren't supposed to though, I was meant to be up there and not down here!" Cave slapped his leg. "Those pesky scientists don't listen." He shook his head.
"So enough of me," He replied, looking at Wheatley. "How did you get in here?"
"It's a bit of a long story…"
"No, no...I mean did they lock you in here in this prison?"
"No, not necessary, I was tossed in this wasteland but not this 'cell'".
"Genius! You young man just broke me out! For that, you get a raise! Okay, which way?" Cave stood up searching the Horizon and taking a few steps before tripping and falling flat on his face.
"Rough landing huh? I can't see a thing, can you?"
"Yeah, I can see," Wheatley replied nervously. "Why?"
"Oh, no reason just that...This place takes your vision away!"
"What!?"
"Hahaha no just kidding, no seriously stop screaming. I'm really, really bored, you know, nice to have someone to talk to hahaha." Cave chuckled.
Wheatley gently, (but anxiously) punched Cave on the shoulder.
"Stop it, mate! I'm turning grey and you're messing around with me! I'm scared! I could have died!"
"Grey?" Cave squinted, "Okay well that's normal and it doesn't mean you're dying, for the record it means you're aging that's all but you might end up looking like me so that's nice."
Wheatley covered his ears.
"BLah blAH not listening!"
"Oh, hey pull yourself together. You gotta age, you gotta age."
"You're joking!"
"Yes, yes I am…hahaha! Brilliant! Glad out of anyone I got stuck with, it's you! Hahaha!" Cave continued to laugh, his laugh gently echoing in the distance.
Wheatley stood up, marching straight away from Cave, still tightly grasping the jacket.
"Hey? Where are you going?" Cave asked after the worried man.
"Don't know about you, but I'm getting out of here!" Wheatley called as he jumped out from the gap he'd created earlier in the giant "jail cell".
"That's my boy! I like your spirit son! Hey, how about you-"
"Will you give it a rest!" Wheatley shouted, on the outside of the cell somewhere.
"Oh, right, yes sorry. Yikes! This place's gotten to ya huh Fin?" Replied Cave as he started to slowly stroll out through the gap, behind the troubled young man.
"There isn't a single indication that Wheatley could be with the mainframe, or inside it for that matter," GlaDOS replied as Chell paced the chamber. "You really should rest it's late and humans, you know, need to sleep. I don't of course-"
"I'm not going to bed!" Chell snapped, speeding up her pace.
GlaDOS stared at the floor.
"Chell, maybe he is…"
"No! I won't believe it! The mainframe tried to murder me!" Chell shouted back. "I think he's trying to fool us."
"Nonsense, If that were the case I would have found out wouldn't I?" GlaDOS replied, cocking her head.
Chell turned and faced GlaDOS, trying to be gentle with what she was about to say.
"You're going to figure it out, you might not right now, that isn't a bad thing but,"
"Ugh," GlaDOS replied. "I don't need motivation for this, I know the truth already. Believe it or not, Wheatley is-."
"-lost," Chell cut in. "I know you can't stand the thought of it as much as I do."
GlaDOS was gazing surprised at Chell.
"How do you know that? For all, you know. I hate him. He did put me in a potato after all and then ran my facility into the ground, literally. Who would forgive that?"
"You," Chell replied, smirking. "You would, you also brought him back. So that means something doesn't it?"
"I brought him back so he would pay for what he did." GlaDOS yapped.
"Then why didn't he pay?" Chell, couldn't help but break into a hysterical laugh.
All the panels one by one began to lift from the wall of the chamber, looking amused at the lunatic mute who at the moment was not that mute but more or less; lunatic.
GlaDOS sighed.
"I made him my friend. So what!?" GlaDOS grumbled.
Chell rubbed away at her eyes.
"Did you like him?" She went on gloomy.
"No, not like that! I just wanted him to be my friend, and he was being a good friend too. So, why not? I can have friends if I want to!" GlaDOS interjected.
GlaDOS watched as Chell's face began to gleam again, as she started to pace.
"Thing is," GlaDOS went on, "Do you like him?"
Chell immediately spun around and waved her arms, shaking her head vigorously.
"No, no, no. Me and Wheatley never!"
"Well of course never, he's dead."
GlaDOS immediately regretted ever having said such a thing.
Chell clenched her chest, freezing in place for just a moment. She was wincing and before GlaDOS could question what was wrong, she fell to her knees, wailing loudly. GlaDOS watched in dismay as Chell, (the strong Chell) became a wreck with the simple mention of a forgotten name.
"Chell, I-"
She continued to cry.
"I didn't mean it, seriously! I was just trying to…"
Chell rolled into a ball on the floor.
Maybe if this would have happened before becoming allies, GlaDOS would have been proud, happy even, to see she'd broken the test subject but now? She couldn't explain it, but GlaDOS felt disgusted for herself, something that had never happened before.
"Chell, please don't, please don't be this way." She begged, swaying gently from side to side trying to keep herself together.
"Look com'on I was joking ha-ha-ha, there okay the fun is over, stop rolling around like that and get up! You look ridiculous. Want me going about and telling all your friends you act this way?"
Chell had stopped rolling around but hadn't proceeded to get up. The tears were still coming through.
"Oh, stop it! What's got into you?" GlaDOS yapped.
Chell rolled over onto her stomach and began to sob. GlaDOS scowled at herself.
"Chell! Chell! I'm so sorry, please! I'm sorry! Don't torture me this way." She begged, having the panels gently push Chell towards her and then gently laid her headpiece against Chell's head.
"Shhhh, it's going to be okay! When we find the metal ball I'm going to smack him for making us lose our sleep!"
GlaDOS felt a gentle shudder come from Chell and the gentle sound of her quiet laughter.
GlaDOS grinned to herself, more than relieved.
Both grown men were treading through the darkened wasteland, one step at a time.
Wheatley had quickly learned that Cave for whatever reason couldn't see well and had to help him avoid wandering off on his own. The old man was continuously tripping and falling, to their relief they did not possess a neural system therefore these falls, no matter how frequent, were painless. Still, Wheatley continued to be cautious and tried to avoid falls, sure maybe he couldn't feel pain but there was a chance he could still break something.
After several hours Whatley wanted to ask Cave about his bad sight, about why this was and Cave seemed not too thrilled to let him know, but eventually, it seemed that Wheatley needed to know.
"Long exposure."
"Long exposure? To what?"
"Here, I suppose." Went on Cave carefully, treading through a huge pile of discarded documents.
"So if I stay too long I will go blind too?"
"Possibly."
Wheatley groaned.
"Great. Just great."
"Stop your complaining and keep walking. To be honest, this place might affect you less than me."
A chill ran down Wheatley's spine.
"Don't sweat," Cave added, feeling around with his hands for where Wheatley had gone too, then he gently felt the pull of his hand on his shoulder.
"Huh, thanks."
"No problem." He replied, calmly.
Both men slowly went uphill.
"Do you think he might pull me out of here?"
"He'll come looking. I know it." Cave huffed. "If he doesn't we will get sick again."
"Right." Wheatley replied, "What is it about my presence that helps you so much? Coding wise-by the way."
"Wheatley, look. I was ill, really ill and well...the disease deteriorated my body and well there you go. Not everything made it in one piece, if anything lots of corruption came with the transfer. You however are complete, completely coded naturally. "
"I guess that makes sense." Wheatley sighed, reaching for Cave's arm and pulling him over the abrupt edge and onto the top of the hill.
The ground trembled.
"Did you? Did you feel that?" Wheatley asked.
"He's getting sick already."
Wheatley glanced upward towards the sky at the golden sea, it was turbulent and the waves had gotten violent.
"He got like that earlier when I was with him," Wheatley remarked very quietly.
There was a silence between both men.
The ground made a rustling sound.
"If-it hasn't worked then." Dread seeping into Cave's voice. "He'll have to, oh this isn't good…"
"He'll have to do what!" Wheatley shouted and panicked.
"Tear you apart!" Cave screamed, clenching Wheatley's wrist and running downhill. He lost his footing and both men went tumbling down the hill sending a small landside of decaying code to the bottom. Cave stood up grabbing Whealtey's arm terrified.
"Which way!? Which way?!"
"To where!?"
"Back to the prison! They made it so he could never find it! He can't find you if you're in there!" Cried Cave.
Wheatley nodded, alarmed. He stood up, pulling Cave behind him as fast as he could. He could faintly see the silhouette of the prison against the golden sky in the distance.
The ground continued to shake and tremble and hills began to crumble.
"Let go!" Shouted Cave. "Get to the prison, I will get there!"
"You're mad!" Wheatley answered, dragging Cave behind him.
"I'm slowing you down! Fin! Let go!" Cave begged, shouting over the loud vibrations.
"Never!" Wheatley shrieked, realizing the sea was lowering down and down. It was descending in search of him.
Wheatley turned around and grabbed Cave hastily, picked up the old man. He took off running the best he could through the uneven ground.
The sea was closing on them, the wasteland was starting to shine gold. Wheatley could feel his gleam starting to brighten and if that wasn't enough evidence, Cave himself had started to lose his grayed appearance.
They were so close to the spherical prison, when a huge wave crashed into Wheatley, sending Cave and him rolling across the landscape. Wheatley stood up and grasped Cave's hand before the man could roll out of reach, but the sea had another idea. A wave curled itself around Wheatley's waist and began to drag him upward, the entirety of the sea elevating itself back to the sky. Cave held tight to Wheatley's arm, he wasn't going to let go. Wheatley seemed to have the same idea.
The sea then swallowed them both, and both of them began to be pushed upward through the current of code.
Wheatley only got one last glance of the wasteland turning back to grey, as the ocean retreated to skies.
"Ugh! I hate this!" Shouted the mainframe to himself. He could feel the pains slowly rolling back in, his patience slowly evaporating.
"You!" He yapped, in angst. Turning his attention to Wheatley who'd been tossed back into the circle, gasping. "You did this! You've gotten me sicker than before!"
Wheatley shook his head and swung his arms.
"It isn't my fault! You put me in here!"
"Yes, I did! You're right I should have flushed you out! Let you die like the fool you are! UGH!" The sea of code continued to whirl in turbulence.
"Cave? Where's Cave?" Wheatley yelped, looking around him terrified.
"Cave? Who-"
The waves began to unite and instead of crashing radically into one another, they began to spin together. Wheatley watched as the sea began to glow brighter and brighter, the swirling increasing. He shielded his eyes against the blinding light, his ears ringing.
"Ahhhhh!" Screamed the Mainframe. A huge explosion knocking Wheatley sideways and the sea turned instantly dark.
Then there was bliss.
"Warning!: Power outage in the Mainframe Annex! Emergency restart requiered!" Boomed the announcer overhead, causing Chell to sit up and bump her head into GlaDOS.
"What?" GlaDOS gasped. The lights in the room began to flicker.
"Warning!: Facility lockdown! To ensure your safety please contact an engineering associate."
Chell got to her feet and looked at GlaDOS.
"What's wrong?"
"You might be right-" Cut in GlaDOS. "Wheatley might still be out there somewhere." She continued looking about the chamber.
It was completely dark and very very cold. Wheatley reached for the suit jacket he'd been wearing earlier but his hand never brushed against the silky texture. He got to his knees, feeling around.
"Cave?"
There was no answer.
He could still hear the quiet movement of water gently splashing somewhere in the dark.
"Cave." Wheatley quietly spoke. Glancing at his reflection on the ground. He was still nice and bright, casting a gentle yellow glow around him. It was welcoming, some sort of warm beacon of a sort. He continued to stare, his eyes squinting at his reflection. He was flickering. He started to fade for a moment causing him to yelp in fright, but then...he turned blue...The stratosphere blue blossomed from his chest then slowly unfolded sweeping over him. It cast a bright glow on the ground, Wheatley gaped at his reflection. He reached towards it running his hand along the smooth surface of the floor.
"You're not compatible after all."
Wheatley shot up his head towards the darkness. A young man was standing in the dark, radiating a warm yellow.
"Cave?"
"Yeah, what a monster huh? I made you come here."
Wheatley continued to gaze, lost of words.
"It's me. I'm back, I've reunited with myself. Hahaha." He laughed weakly. "Did they actually turn Caroline into GlaDOS?"
Wheatley nodded.
"Huh, does she remember me?"
Wheatley shook his head slowly.
"They did it to her too? They hid her memories?"
Wheatley stood up approaching the young man.
"They did it to all of us," Wheatley replied, softly.
"Fin, I'm greatly sorry." Cave sobbed looking down at his hands, "I didn't want you guys to ever meet death, believe me, I had good intentions."
Wheatley continued to stare.
"Fin, maybe I deserve to be ill forever."
Wheatley shook his head hard.
"No, you don't Cave."
"Yes, I do. Look at what I've done. I've doomed you to live here forever and Caroline? In life in her metallic shell forever. She didn't want that. She never did. I -"
"Cave stop! We can't change the past!"
"Yet, the present…" He trailed off, marching to the farther part of the circle amidst the darkened sea. "Forgive me, Wheatley, It's time to put Aperture at rest."
"What!?" Wheatley shouted. Running towards Cave he hit his face against a transparent shield of sorts and fell to his knees.
"Best you settle down, won't hurt when you've completely faded." Cave quietly uttered silently far off in the distance. Wheatley could barely hear the rest as he started pounding his fist against the shield.
"Emergency Evacuation! Please exit through the nearest lift!" Echoed the announcer.
GlaDOS had lost control over the facility and now it was deteriorating. The central Chamber began to shudder and She watched helplessly as the panels began to sway in panic as if trying to crawl out of the walls.
"Chell you have to leave!" She shouted over the commotion, but Chell didn't have the intentions to leave she'd gone down to the storage closet just under the chamber and had come back with yet another portal gun.
"Tell me what to do."
"NO! There isn't a way out of this! He's locked me out! He's going to bury the enrichment center!"
Chell looked around at the panels pealing off the walls.
"Can't we reset the entire facility?" Chell shouted to GlaDOS.
"Yes! But Chell you can't! It's too far! The controls might be under rubble for all I know! Please don't go! Leave now! There won't be an opportunity later! He's disconnecting all the lifts!" GlaDOS was in full panic, she felt so helpless and desperate. She couldn't leave even if she wanted to.
There was a low chime as a lift came through the chamber and out stepped Blue and Orange, looking anxious and alarmed.
"Take them with you! Please." GlaDOS begged. There wouldn't be a home for them and pretty soon herself too.
Chell jogged over to the cooperative bots and smiled.
"You need to go to the surface and find Doug." She commanded. Both robots looked at one another, shrugging their shoulders. They didn't seem to have an idea how to do that.
"Go north from here and you will find a town." Chell specified. The robots turned to face GlaDOS.
"Don't you dare listen to her! I will deduct cooperative points!" She threatened.
"No," Chell interrupted. "If you do, we might be able to save your home and her." Chell elaborated, gesturing to GlaDOS.
Both bots looked at each other making excited clicking noises. Chell smiled kindly.
"Please go." She pointed to the lift, and without hesitation both bots climbed in, waving happily as the lift ascended.
Chell turned to GlaDOS.
"What have you done." She growled. "That was the last lift! You plan to die?" She glared.
"I won't let you die alone," Chell replied, her lips trembling. "Tell me what to do."
GlaDOS stared back into Chell's tranquil gaze.
"Listen carefully…"
The sea had re-ignited a fiery orange. It was swirling vigorously and violently around them. Wheatley had continued to shout to Cave who was lying motionless on the ground. His glow had gotten dim and he made no effort to stand up.
Wheatley continued to pound his hands against the clear barrier. He needed to do something. The sea was heating up and Wheatley could see the silhouette of programs going up in flames beneath the spray of the waves. It was terrifying. All he could do was sit in the circle and wait for his destruction.
"Cave! Don't do this! Please! Forgive yourself!" He implored. "You're killing off Caroline! Come on! Don't you love her!?"
Cave continued to lay motionless on the ground.
"Cave, listen to me!" Wheatley kneeled on his knees, bringing his head against the floor. There was nothing he could do.
Chell was running through the falling facility, a core brightly shining the way overhead.
"At this junction, here. Careful! That thing is expensive!" Grimaced GlaDOS, shining her bright light in the darkened hallway, as Chell took a sharp turn. Chell smirked, holding the portal gun tight.
"Seriously though, it's our last hope," GlaDOS whined from her rail.
Wheatley was lying on his stomach on the ground, his bright blue glow casting rays along the ground. He had given up, completely. He was going to die. Today was the day. He would never get to say sorry to Chell. He'd never tell her how much she'd meant to him. He'd never…
Wheatley jerked his head up, he could hear the blaring of alarms nearby. He looked to Cave who was still motionless on the floor. He wasn't doing the sound was he? Wheatley gently turned to face the fiery water behind him. He could see a screen somewhere deep in the murky waters. He raised his glasses, squinting. He could see something playing on the screen but it was blurred.
Whatever program it was it had awakened but didn't seem to be burning within the savage sea.
Wheatley turned to Cave, standing up quickly.
"Cave, I can't let this happen." He remarked. "I rather die trying than sit here and wait."
Cave shuddered.
"I won't let you." He replied sickly, his voice shaking, still lying with his back towards Wheatley.
"I didn't ask you," Wheatley replied, turning around and plunging headfirst into the wall of stormy water. He attempted to dive beneath the waves and reached for the screen. He was yanked back, he turned to see Cave attempting to pull him out of the water.
"Let go!" Wheatley shouted.
"No!"
Wheatley swam towards Cave, attempting to wrestle his arm free. Cave was stronger and pulled Wheatley out of the sea and he fell to the ground.
"I thought you wanted me to die!?" Wheatley gasped getting up and facing Cave, infuriated.
"But, not like that…" Cave replied.
" What's the difference?"
"Wheatley, seriously please just-"
"Enough! Cave! Stop making decisions for others! Stop it!"
Cave reached for Wheatley's arm, trying to brush broken code off his arm. Wheatley jerked away.
"I don't need your help!" He shouted.
"Wheatley, listen-"
"No! I'm done! Just! Stop! Listen to me instead!"
Cave looked to the ground, sorrowfully.
He nodded.
"I don't want to be here! I want to be out there! I don't want to die! I seriously don't! But if it means saving Chell and what's left of the facility sure, you don't understand, do you? You're selfish! Think you have the right to do whatever with anyone's life! You put me into a core, didn't you? Did you ask them too? Just like Caroline!" Wheatley widely yelled. He took a deep breath, took a step back, gasping, gasping a bit too hard...glaring at Cave...he was still gasping..maybe...too much…
Wheatley collapsed. Cave managed to grab his arm in time and then slowly laid him down. Cave gently took off Wheatley's lab coat and pulled up his shirt sleeves...He squinted examining the code running up and down Wheatley's arms. The code was jiggling and bouncing in every direction, no longer following the paths they were supposed to follow. Wheatley was going corrupt.
Cave closed his eyes then opened them, studying Wheatley's resting expression. He was at peace. He could have left Wheatley like that, just quietly being taken by the imploding system. Cave thought he was ready to just watch everything decay, he thought he was ready to watch himself fade away but he wasn't and Wheatley was right.
Cave stood up and patted Wheatley on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, I'll get you to your girlfriend." Cave grinned, taking off his suit jacket and covering Wheatley in it.
Cave took a deep breath and jumped into the turmoil.
"To get directly to the offices that can reset the facility we have to pass some test chambers. That shouldn't be a problem, should it?" GlaDOS asked, mildly concerned as the lights flickered overhead and several test chambers collapsed somewhere off in the distance.
"Just watch me," Chell replied, determined.
"Well, then I should go. I will follow the rail around the chamber and meet you on the other side-No wait! Put me down this instant!" GlaDOS protested.
Chell shook her head.
"And if the rail isn't there?"
GlaDOS narrowed her eyelids.
"Since when have I started taking orders from you?!"
Chell shook her head, rolling her eyes, and picked up GlaDOS with the portal gun. She sped off until she could see an opening in the hall. Several beams and debris had fallen and pried the hall open, she could see the test tracks down below in the bright fog. She set GlaDOS down and began to blindly shoot towards the chamber hoping she'd hit a good spot, suddenly the portal gun lit up a bright yellow. Chell smiled, connecting it to its twin.
"Before, you enter. I have a confession." Went on GlaDOS as she was picked up. "I get vertigo when I go through portals...Yes, I know...why didn't I tell you when I was a potato? Because well you would have laughed at me...but now...you won't because you know if you do I will make sure to push you off the side when you're not looking." She almost whispered.
Chell didn't reply and slowly stepped through the portal and into the testing track. Several elements were missing and big gaps had formed on the ceiling and floor but it wouldn't be a problem.
She set GlaDOS down and portaled to another ledge.
"Hey! Wait! Don't leave me here!" GlaDOS called after her, as the chamber shuddered violently.
Chell smirked as she picked up a cube and jumped down to the bottom of the chamber.
"I see you."
Chell stopped.
She met eye to eye with a laser directly pointed towards her face, and to her horror, there was no glass.
"Hello?" The turret replied. Chell began to tremble. "Goodnight." It retracted its flaps.
Chell quickly sprinted away.
"What was..?" She asked portaling up to GlaDOS.
"As far as friendship is concerned they've been programmed not to shoot you. You're welcome." She gloated, swinging her handles excitedly.
"Thanks," Chell replied picking up the yellow-eyed core and dropped down towards the exit.
