Once everybody was done eating, they regrouped in Doug's chamber. He provided office chairs for them to sit in. Natalie and Jon couldn't stop swiveling around in them just for fun. Chell subtly stared at the wires going into Doug's back with pity and fear. Amelia tried to sit as far away from Mikey as she could, making him slouch in his seat glumly.

"So," Wheatley said, setting his chair just in front of the rest of the group. "Any news about Nora?"

"Actually, yes," Doug said with a proud smile. Something about having them all back in the chamber made him unusually happy. "I was able to find out that she got taken to the Core Rehabilitation Center."

"The what?" Wheatley asked.

"Uh, it's a relatively new part of the facility," Doug explained. "GLaDOS created it for cores connected to the mainframe that are more than 60% corrupt. Well, with her as an exception, of course."

"But why would Nora be taken there?" Wheatley asked. "When has she ever…Oh. Oh, no. No no no. Don't tell me that she was connected to GLaDOS. My poor Nora! Why would she ever be connected to that monstrous mainframe?!"

"GLaDOS was interested in the humanity that Nora displayed," Doug explained. "And she could also keep Caroline happy."

"But how could Nora possibly be more than 60% corrupt?" Wheatley demanded. "She's such a sweet core. It doesn't make any sense! It's mad! The system must be broken!"

"Something happened that made her try to kill a human," Doug said awkwardly. "Her human body that was being preserved was destroyed. She thought it was her last chance out of here."

"Oh, god," Wheatley said, covering his face with his hands. "My poor, sweet Nora. Is she alright?"

"Hold on," Arin cut it. "So are we not looking for a human? Is Nora a construct like Wheatley was?"

"Of course she's a construct!" Wheatley snapped. "You didn't know that we've been looking for a construct this whole time?!"

"You guys never really said that she was a construct," Jon pointed out. "What makes her so different from all of the other constructs around here?"

"Because Nora is my friend!" Wheatley shouted. "That's what makes her different! That's why we're searching for her!"

"Wheatley, calm down," Doug said. "I hope this doesn't discourage the rest of you to help us search for her. She may not be human, but she thinks and feels like a human. She's scared and alone right now. That's why we're here to help her get out."

"Of course we'll stay and help," Amelia said in a strained voice. "We don't discriminate between humans and machines that think like humans."

"But is she safe right now, Doug?" Wheatley demanded impatiently.

"Well, as far as I can tell, she's still online," Doug assured him. "And she's still in one piece. But that's all the information I can get right now."

"Then let's go find her!" Wheatley said, quickly standing up from his chair and causing it to roll backwards a bit. "We'll go to this 'Rehabilitation Center' and pick her up!"

"Yeah, I can set up signs to let you know where it is," Doug said. "I have something I need to attend to while you guys are gone so I might not be a little too distracted to clear a path. Chell, you're experienced in finding your way around obstacles. I'm sure you can assist the others."

Chell tore her gaze from the wires to give Doug a weak smile.

"I'll stay with you, Doug," Valentine reminded him. "Good luck to everyone else, though."

"But before you go," Doug said, "does anyone have any questions about anything?"

"Yeah, I've got a question," Arin said. "You mentioned obstacles. What should we be expecting?"

"Mostly caved in walls or girders," Doug said. "Maybe some lasers or turrets but I can disable those easily."

"I guess that doesn't sound too bad," Arin said.

"Oh, and there are occasional pits with a toxic-looking sludge," Doug added. "Try not to come in contact with the sludge at all. It's just as deadly as it looks."

"Fair enough," Arin said.

"Any other questions?" Doug asked.

"About how far away is this Rehab Center?" Jon asked.

"Not taking into account any of the detours you might need to take," Doug said, "I'd say about a mile and a half away from this chamber. Maybe two miles."

"Ugh," Jon groaned. "So much walking."

"Oh, come on, Jon," Natalie said. "It's not so bad. We'll probably see a whole bunch of cool stuff along the way."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Anybody else have questions?" Doug asked.

The room was silent for a few moments.

"Okay, cool!" Valentine said. "Now go find that core while we work on locating GLaDOS."

"Why do you need her?" Wheatley asked suspiciously.

"She could give me answers on who could take over the facility for me," Doug said. "Don't worry, there's no way I'm reconnecting her to the mainframe."

"Oh," Wheatley said. "Well, good. You had me worried there for a second. I thought we be taking a step backwards."

"Let's go now!" Natalie said excitedly. "I want to see lasers!"


The rescue team followed Doug's signs as they went through hallway after hallway. Eventually, they came to a door that indicated there were test chambers just ahead.

"Ha! I knew it!" Wheatley exclaimed. "He is going to make us test! I knew that the mainframe would corrupt him like it did me!"

"Wheatley, come on," Amelia said. "You're overreacting. I don't think he's going to make us test. This is probably just the quickest way to the Rehabilitation Center."

"Okay, then you open the door first, lady," Wheatley said, gesturing toward the door.

"I will," Amelia said, starting to push it open. "And I'll show you that—Holy shit! What is that?!"

Amelia quickly backed up into Arin who immediately tried to shield his leader with himself. Chell flinched away when she saw the red turret-like eye and white cased machine. Wheatley, though, started to laugh heartily.

"You really got scared from that!" he laughed. "You thought he was a turret!"

The construct glared up at Wheatley disdainfully, narrowing his eye with his optic lids. He stood on three legs like a turret but his body was a perfect sphere just like that of a personality core.

"That voice," he said. "I remember that condescendin' voice. What are you doing in a human body?" The core spoke in a southern accent not unlike Nate's.

"Wheatley, you know him?" Chell asked. "He's not a turret?"

"Not at all!" Wheatley said, still amused. "He's an early design for a construct. Although, now I'm confused why he isn't a turret. Didn't I leave you in a turret body?"

"Whoever is runnin' this place was kind enough to put me back into one of the empty shells of my version," the core said. Then he turned to Chell politely and said, "By the way, Miss, my name is Kurt. My friend Nora and I would watch you go through those tests. She was awfully impressed with you."

Chell smiled, her cheeks turning a little pink. "Really?" she asked. "Um, thank you."

"Hey, er, sorry for trying to stuff you into a cube," Wheatley said awkwardly.

"What're you doin' back here?" Kurt asked. "I thought you were gone fer good."

"For your information, you ancient, outdated core, we're here to find Nora!" Wheatley said with annoyance.

"Nora? She's alright?" Kurt asked. "I'm surprised you didn't end up smashing her to pieces."

Wheatley moved to kick Kurt right in his optic, but Nate suddenly picked him up with his strong arms. "Whoa, now!" he said. "Let's not get carried away, Wheatley! Kurt might be able to help us."

"How could he possibly help us?!" Wheatley demanded. "He'll just weigh us down!"

"I want to find Nora just as much as you do!" Kurt said, taking a not-so-intimidating step towards them.

"Then we'll bring you along," Amelia cut in. She walked past everybody and knelt down in front of the core. "The more the merrier. And you might be able to give us tips on changes in the facility. Even Wheatley didn't know about the Rehabilitation Center."

"That?" Kurt said. "I know about that! Word gets around quick between the turrets. They gossip a lot more than you would expect."

"See, Wheatley?" Amelia said, turning around. "Kurt has information that we might need."

Wheatley didn't answer. He just crossed his arms defiantly and looked away.

"Come on, Kurt," Amelia said. "You can walk alongside me." She briefly glanced back at Mikey before leading the team forward. Mikey could feel his heart gradually breaking more with each hateful look she gave him.