Something was wrong.

There had certainly been enough neurotoxin to kill that woman with. A fatal amount had even already been released into the infirmary—before she had decided to vacuum it out, that is.

Why had she done that? Why had she not simply carried through with her threat? Before she came along, she had always carried through with her threats.

And oh, sure, she could pretend that it was Caroline, but…no, not this time. GLaDOS had gone back through her records of the crucial moment hundreds of times already, and she could see that Caroline had not been present. In fact, as she went through her files from the past few days, she could see that Caroline hadn't been there during many moments of emotion.

So what the hell was going on?

Chell had no idea who Caroline was, but she did know that she was human, and she also knew that a human influence—the "conscience" GLaDOS had spoken about so long ago?—was the only thing that could have saved her life. But, "still alive," was that the right wording to use? Was living inside a computer "life," per se? Chell didn't know, and she hoped she never had to find out.

Wheatley was all the way across the room again, looking extremely nervous. "I…uh, look, Chell, I'm sorry I couldn't help, I really am, and if you want to smash me against the wall even more now than you did before, then I can't say I'd blame you, but I truly am sorry, and—"

"It's fine," Chell interrupted, her thoughts still on Caroline.

"It is?" Wheatley asked. "I mean, not that there's any reason why it shouldn't be, but you've never really seemed like the forgiving type, and—"

"If it'll get you to shut up, then it's fine."

Wheatley was silent for a moment, but then his face brightened and he said, "Hey! You're human, right? Of course you are! And humans need to eat, so—I'll be right back."

Now that he mentioned it, her stomach was growling. "Where are you going?"

"To find you some food, of course!" he called as he zoomed off.

She stared after him, thankful to have some peace at last, but at the same time, resentful that he'd left her alone. At least it wasn't dark, though. The lights were on, and she didn't know when that had happened, but she assumed GLaDOS must have turned them on at some point when she was releasing the neurotoxin.

"When the Intelligence Dampening Sphere returns," GLaDOS's voice said through the intercom, disrupting Chell's short-lived peace, "you may inform him that there is food in the corner."

Chell glanced at it and, sure enough, there was an ancient-looking refrigerator within reach of Wheatley's management rail. "You couldn't have told us that before?"

"No," GLaDOS said cheerfully. "That would have deprived you of the chance to experience the feeling of hunger."

"I know what hunger feels like," Chell grumbled. "But since we're talking, what was that all about with the neurotoxin?"

"A simple equipment malfunction," GLaDOS said. "In layman's terms, I ran out."

"No," Chell said. "There was already enough in here to kill me. And then you vacuumed it all out. Why?"

"No, there wasn't."

"Yes, there was," Chell insisted. "I've done a lot of research over the past six months. I know what I'm talking about."

"Clearly, you don't," GLaDOS snipped. "Or maybe you just have some sort of twisted death wish that you expect me to fulfill, in which case I apologize for the disappointment."

"Coming back here voluntarily? I must," Chell muttered. "But fine. If you're not going to tell me about that, then let's talk about Caroline."

"There is nothing to talk about. Caroline was deleted months ago. You were here. Is your memory really that poor?"

"Yeah, well, that's what you say, but I'm not so sure," Chell said, ignoring the jab. "I don't think anything but a human could have stopped you from neurotoxining me to death."

"You would think that, wouldn't you?" GLaDOS asked, sounding more contemplative than irritated.

"What do you mean by that?"

There was a pause, and then, "The gas I am now releasing into the infirmary will knock you out, but it will also speed up your recovery, and perhaps once you have rested, you will have forgotten these ridiculous notions of yours." There was a hiss, and as Chell looked down, she couldn't see the gas being released, but she could already smell it.

"No, GLaDOS, don't, I—"

"Pleasant dreams, Chell," GLaDOS said, and for the life of her, Chell couldn't detect a hint of malice in her voice. "When you awake, I am certain that you will feel much better…well enough for some exercise, perhaps."

There it was, the malice.

"You used my name," Chell said. She was starting to feel drowsy as the gas continued to hiss into the room, and was finding it more and more difficult to focus. "You…you've never…I don't want…to…please don't…"

"This is for your own good," GLaDOS informed Chell as her eyes finally flickered closed, leaving GLaDOS feeling almost…guilty. But why? She had no reason to. The woman would sleep now, sped along on her way to recovery.

And it wasn't only guilt. She also seemed to have developed mixed feelings about the woman's future. On one hand, she wanted to get her healed as quickly as possible so that she could begin testing again, but on the other, she wanted her to be able to leave. Wanted her to be able to continue her life far away from Aperture, and Caroline was only barely present.

How could this happen to her?

"Chell!" Wheatley called as he entered the infirmary. "I couldn't find you any food, but I—oh, you're asleep again. Blimey! You humans sure sleep a lot, but I suppose I'll be quiet now, so that you can rest."

"She's not asleep, she's unconscious," GLaDOS informed him, watching with pleasure as he jerked backwards, startled. "And you are to report to my test chamber immediately."

"I…I am?" Wheatley asked, suddenly sounding terrified. "I-if this is because I couldn't find her any food, then I'm sorry, and—"

"You're not in any trouble, you moron," she sighed, then added a pointed "…yet."

"Not a moron," he mumbled. "But all right! I'm on my way!"

GLaDOS watched through a camera as he turned around and sped off for her chamber. Maybe something was affecting her ability to deal objectively with that woman, but she felt no hindering feelings towards the Intelligence Dampening Sphere, and she needed someone to take out her frustrations on.

She gave an inward smile. He was still not as entertaining as testing, but he would suffice.