This was an objectively bad idea.
If their positions were reversed, Chell didn't think he would come for her.
Still, she found herself driving in Aperture's direction, her cube in the passenger seat next to her.
She stopped at a hotel, the last sign of civilization before humans grew too afraid of the dangers beneath the surface to settle there.
The moon shone through the glass door, casting silvery light onto the stained, moldy carpet. The room smelled of smoke.
Chell slid her card across the greasy counter, noting the moth-eaten curtains. They hadn't changed since she'd first stumbled in here two years ago, exhausted and overwhelmed.
Her room was small, barely enough space for her to walk around the one twin bed. She sank into the mattress with a tired sigh as she undid her ponytail, electing not to think about how long it'd likely been since the sheets were properly cleaned. It was better than sleeping in her car, if only due to the bathroom.
She rolled on her side and rested a hand on the cube. It hummed comfortingly, as if to say that she was making the right decision.
It wasn't too late to turn back. She could drive back to her apartment the next morning, forget he'd ever called her. She could return to her fragile, carefully crafted life.
But she wouldn't forget, would she? She would be left with a loose end, one that would unravel until she was a frayed mess.
She wouldn't be able to let go of him, even as he floated thousands of miles above her.
Chell turned the light off and closed her eyes. Whether she slept or not she couldn't say, but at some point she opened them again to view the sun rising, shafts of light peeking through the worn curtains.
She pulled her hair back and removed the band from around her wrist. She hated the feeling of it on her neck, weighing her down, but something stopped her from cutting it. Perhaps memories of her childhood before Aperture, when she ran around, getting into messes and needing her hair out of her face.
Chell gave a curt nod to the bored-looking teenager at the register and paused at her car door. This was her last chance. The moment she drove on top of the sprawling mass lurking a few miles away, it would be known.
She turned the keys and continued on her way, not allowing herself another moment to think.
An ocean of yellow grains greeted her, waving gently. She rolled the windows down and they seemed to whisper.
The sky was nearly cloudless, a brilliant blue so bright and cheerful it nearly hurt to look. It was warm, with just enough of a breeze to tickle her arms.
The lone one-way road didn't suggest in any way how busy this area must have been decades ago. Then again, the shed she'd exited likely hadn't been a well-used entrance either. The main entrance she'd seen the first time she left must have been miles away, maybe even on the opposite side of the facility. It wasn't as though the internal chambers couldn't be moved around at any moment, after all.
She frowned at nothing, wondering whether she should come up with some sort of plan. She'd never had one before, too unfamiliar with her surroundings and unable to trust anything to be able to do so. Even when he'd attempted to create one she hadn't expected everything to happen as it was supposed to, and when freedom was ripped from her grasp, she adapted.
But it might be useful to have a plan now.
Chell tapped her fingers against the wheel, drumming out a rhythm absentmindedly. She couldn't just waltz in and ask for him to be brought back. First, she had no guarantee that the shed would open for her, or that the elevator would take her where she wanted to go. Second, GLaDOS likely wouldn't be happy to see her. She couldn't expect her to bring him back for nostalgia's sake. Even if it were possible, it would be difficult, and she wouldn't have much to gain from it.
And even if despite all of that she managed to persuade GLaDOS to bring him back, what then? Would she bring him back with her, find a way to integrate him into her life? She still had nightmares that left her waking shivering, fight or flight kicking in. She was cold, distant. Strange. There were few people she knew who didn't think her insane and even fewer who she was close enough with to call friends. She didn't trust anyone, even now, far away from jumpsuits and lasers.
She wasn't even sure she would be able to forgive him, even if everything that happened wasn't entirely his fault.
She didn't know what had possessed her to come after him in the first place.
Chell refocused her gaze on the road ahead, tapping out a new beat. She would deal with those problems if- no, when she made it there. She was nothing if not stubborn.
She briefly considered turning on the radio, but there was only static.
She rarely spoke now, but singing had always been a favorite. As a child she was quiet, but that was more to do with how introverted she was than a dislike of talking. Then she'd woken up in Aperture and decided refusing to speak would be her act of defiance. They could take everything except her voice, which she intended to keep for herself and the few she cared about.
When she escaped, she hadn't found speaking necessary often. Silence remained a defense mechanism, a shell for her to retreat into.
Her voice was slightly rough from disuse, but she could carry a tune well enough.
The words from an old song came to mind and she sang quietly, allowing the cube a moment to get a grasp on the melody.
It hummed along as she continued driving. A blurry, dark shape had appeared. As it grew gradually closer she attempted to slow her accelerating heartbeat, counting the seconds between each breath.
Chell hadn't told anyone where she was going- only that she couldn't come in to work for a few days. Would they think to look for her if she didn't come back?
She parked the car, taking her backpack from the trunk. Granola bars, jerky, and dried fruit filled the bottom, the outer pockets taken up by water bottles, a pocket knife, and sleeping bag. She'd barely given herself time to throw it together before leaving.
She pulled her old boots on and jumped experimentally.
Chell patted the cube, knowing it was too heavy for her to bring any further.
She knocked on the door and tried the handle. It pushed open, revealing the elevator. The glass door opened for her and she stepped inside.
The gentle whirring of machinery grew louder as she descended.
The chamber was the same.
"Well. You can't just leave me alone, can you." It was less a question than a statement, one tinged with annoyance.
She took out a notepad and pencil.
Bring him back.
"Why should I do that? You tried to kill me. Twice."
She tapped the paper, glaring.
"You're not very convincing."
Would you rather someone else got their hands on him? Like him or not he's Aperture tech.
GLaDOS was silent for a moment, likely weighing the pros and cons of her options.
"Fine. Go...do whatever it is you do when you're not destroying my facility."
She called for two robots and outfitted them with some sort of grappling hook and spacesuit. The tall one, Orange, waved at Chell.
She sat on a chair and drew in her notepad, sketching the chamber where GLaDOS had nearly burned her alive. Her therapist had recommended art therapy as a way of dealing with trauma. Being reminded that she was safe by someone who had no idea what she'd been through hadn't helped, but the art idea was useful enough.
Chell wondered for a moment if that was the motivation behind the scribbles on the walls, a way of dealing with the horror forever lurking there.
She pulled a bag of beef jerky from her backpack, ignoring GLaDOS's silent judgments. Eating was a human thing, far too natural for such a mechanical environment. The AI probably thought she was tainting the perfection she'd created just by being there.
She moved on to drawing the spheres below, the ones that housed the original test chambers.
The therapist had diagnosed her with several conditions. She didn't care enough to remember the names of all of them. She'd been offered medication to help, to reduce the paralyzing fear that kept her constantly on edge. She refused.
It both felt like forever and was far too short a time before the robots returned, two personality cores in tow. Both cores were inactive, normally bright optics dark.
Flashes of memories raced through her mind. She forced herself to stay seated, stay calm.
Chell watched as the cores were taken to another room where they'd likely be brought back online.
"I suppose you'll want to take him with you."
She hesitated. Nothing would stop her from bringing him, as long as he wanted to go. But her mental state was more fragile than she'd like already, and she couldn't imagine that he'd help.
She nodded. Worst-case scenario she could just bring him back here. GLaDOS would find something to do with him.
Chell continued drawing as they were repaired. The robots brought them back out and flipped a switch. Blue and yellow lights turned on as they came online.
She smiled at the yellow one, waving hello. Despite being corrupted, his enthusiasm for space was endearing.
Her smile vanished as she turned her head slightly, meeting Wheatley's gaze.
Chell forced herself to take a deep breath in, fighting the urge to hyperventilate. She felt her hands squeeze as if to grip a portal device. Her legs tensed, unconsciously preparing to run.
He wasn't a threat.
He said something, babbling on and on. She thought she caught an apology or two in there but couldn't be sure. It sounded like she was underwater.
"Shut up," GLaDOS snapped, silencing him.
She found herself tracing the lines on her arms, scars from the various times he'd tried to kill her.
"Well? Are you taking him or not?"
Chell nodded, forcing herself to turn to her notepad.
Thank you.
"Just go," GLaDOS muttered.
She pulled her backpack on and inched closer. She had nothing to be afraid of. Nothing.
She took Wheatley from Orange and made her way to the elevator. He remained silent.
"Don't come back."
As they rose, she wondered how long it'd been. Time seemed to stand still in Aperture.
She left the shed. The sun was rising and she became aware of how exhausted she was, not having slept since the hotel.
Chell placed him in the passenger seat, moving the cube to the back. Given the circumstances, she didn't think it'd mind.
"Um...I'm sorry. I, uh, already said that, but it's one of those things that needs repeating, y'know? And anyway, I was in space last time, and it was just over the phone, and, well. I'm really, truly sorry."
The sun was above the horizon now, shining in their direction. The cube began humming in the backseat.
"Thanks for, well, rescuing me from space. I, er...wasn't expecting that." Wheatley attempted to backtrack, stuttering. "N-not that I don't think you're the kind of person to do that or anything! It's just, well, I would've understood if you'd rather I'd stayed up there. Dead and all that. But I'm glad you did."
She stayed silent, unwilling to say anything.
He seemed to finally notice that they were on the surface.
"Is that the sun? It looks a lot nicer here than from space, let me tell you. Oh! The sky really is blue. I'd thought the scientists were lying about that if I'm honest- it doesn't make sense for it to be clear from space. I never understood all that stuff about light reflecting, or was it refracting? No, that can't be right. Hey, is that wheat?"
Chell glanced out the window. She didn't know much about the different types of grains but it looked like it.
She nodded.
"That's what bread's made of, right? The scientists didn't give me a name, but this one fellow said I could pick one if I wanted. I didn't know what kind of name I'd like, since the only people I ever saw were the scientists, but he said I could be called Wheatley, cause there was wheat near the part of the facility where they made me."
He continued rambling as she drove.
She had no idea what she would do with him. Aperture had become a name in legend only, and not many believed the facility still existed. If it got out that he was from there, she didn't want to know what would happen. She'd have to keep it quiet, then.
How would Wheatley adjust to being around humans? From the sounds of things he used to interact with them regularly, but those were scientists working on him for the GLaDOS Project. What about regular people, who had spent their whole lives on the surface and knew nothing of the facility?
Then there was the matter of how she would adjust. Not only was she gaining a robotic roommate, but one who had tried to murder her on numerous occasions. She wasn't hopeful about what that would mean for her already frequent panic attacks.
Chell decided to stop worrying about it. She'd deal with that when she needed to. For now all she had to focus on was getting them home.