AN: Thanks so much for the reviews and favorites. As always, here's the other chapter for you guys! Also, in this chapter, please mention if Wheatley is out of character or you couldn't read any of the quotes in his voice. I need to spend more time on that. Again, as I said before, don't be shy to give me some supportive criticism!
Chapter 2 (The Fearful)
Oh God, He didn't know how to fix this! Wheatley wasn't a human expert, or a doctor, or anything close to that. He wasn't programmed with that type of stuff. He couldn't even tell the dead from the alive when he took care of all of those test subjects, way back then. So, if he had a bad experience back then, taking care of all of the subjects, how will he ever even be able to help her in this situation? Heck, he didn't even know what was wrong with the woman for her to be lying on the ground like that. It wasn't a good sign, that's for sure. Whenever someone is on the ground and is not sleeping or resting, it's always a bad sign, for he learned that a while ago. He thought for a moment and an eye-opening realization hit him hard. Oh no… She didn't go far. It was only around a 30 minute walk from this point back to the labs. It was depressing thinking about that. She went this far to enjoy her freedom for 30 minutes until she couldn't go any farther, and she's dying here. That was an extremely horrible thought and it was UNFAIR, she deserved her freedom, without injuries, and he now realized how vulnerable she was, lying here on the dirty and muddy ground. Who knows what is happening inside or outside of her right now. Right at this instant, when the thought occurred inside his artificial brain, he wanted to help her. He wanted to help her, but at the same time, he didn't know how and wanted to leave her as much as he wanted to help. He would most likely make things worse or get in her way or possibly even kill her with him trying to assist her. However, that would be nasty, and selfish act after all he's done to her, to leave her like this. To leave her, being so delicate, and almost to the point of death, was not an option. No, he couldn't live thinking that the strongest woman in the facility died outside the laboratory, and he could have helped her. It wasn't a just a 'want' anymore, he needed to help her. It was a very strong need, and no one is going to stop him…Not even Her, that is if she finds out.
Finally, he realized what is maybe holding her down was her right leg. It was bruised badly and crooked at an uncomfortable and undoubtedly painful angle. He has seen this before, when subjects forgot their long fall boots (mostly from brain damage) although, the sad, brutal fact is they didn't live long right after that. That was what his old companion had, currently. She had a broken leg. What a shame that humans were such fragile things and they could die from so many common injuries. She was still breathing so that was a start. And she still looked very much alive, maybe not a healthy and painless woman, but she was alive. Oh, but why did she get her long fall boots off the moment she needed them the most? She was too smart and too clever to ever do a thing like that.
Golly, she was living here all this time when he walked outside. He was so oblivious that she was outside that he didn't even realize that she was here all along. She was here all along. It was like destiny and luck combined when he saw her, and it surprised him like an unexpected shock out of nowhere. It was then he wondered how long it was since she was stuck here. Without help. Without comfort, or any other form of humanity. He's wondering if she's either full of rage on how unfair the world has been to her, or if she was now going into insanity.
Her eyes were still glaring at him, he noted silently to himself. She didn't have to speak. She didn't even have to utter one single word to express every last drop of emotion inside of her. He saw the face of pure hatred, anger, fear and betrayal all inside of her eyes. The message was clear enough for anyone to see, it wrote, "Stay away from me," on every square inch of her body language. It was a defense stance and he would bet that she didn't want him at any close distance where he could hurt her, so he backed up a few feet. She didn't trust him, not one bit, and it was understandable. However, all of her defenses were down, that's probably why for the first time in a long time; Wheatley saw her panic mixed with her anger. She couldn't run, her leg will slow her down and there's no doubt that it would be painful walking on that thing. She didn't have her portal gun, probably somewhere up in space, and there really aren't any portal surfaces out here anyway. So, she was out of options. What can she do? Nothing. Although that didn't let him go of the feeling that she could split him to shreds with nothing but her bare hands if he got too close to her.
Wow, he just realized that this is his chance, and probably the only chance he'll ever get, to show that he is sorry. He backed up a few more feet to see if her expression softened a little bit, but it never did change. So, he just started with, one drawn out sigh [of course, he couldn't breathe, it was just his vocal processors that made the sound] before he started, "Right,…I—…Well, this going to be much harder than anyone thought it would be, huh?" He nervously laughed, despite the simulated emotions of guilt running through him, "Anyway, I know what you might be thinking, and it's possibly on the lines of, 'Oh, that moron came back here and he's going to bloody kill me for the fun of it, isn't he?' Well, I'm not going to do that to you…" He honestly didn't know what else to say for a few seconds before he remembered and took a vocally processed breath, "Look, my point is, that I'm… sorry. I'm sincerely sorry for trying to kill you and betraying you, and pushing you into that pit, and everything else I forgot to mention that was monstrous. I was much worse than Her, really, and I'm not just sayin' that, love. I know, I know, sorry is just one word and it wouldn't heal everything right away. Although, if I could go back, back on that decision on pushing that button and putting me into control, the good old days when we were…were partners in crime, do you know what would I say? I'll tell you to not push that button. Worse mistake ever. Well… I'm sorry. That's all I was thinking back in space and I recited it over and over and over again. I'm so sorry for everything back there. I deserve any punishment you bring to me, honestly. Ah, as long as it doesn't hurt too much, though. I would appreciate that greatly…" He finished, but her expression never changed, and he gave out a sad look before he continued on, "Could you, er, possibly forgive me? I'll absolutely understand if you don't, it would just make me feel much better in this situation. Gets the all that weight of my shoulders."
The woman shook her head violently, and Wheatley could have sworn ten thousands of compact, negative emotions shot through him like a bullet. As he said before, she didn't have to speak to voice out her opinion, because her reply to his apology was clear. It read, "No, I'll never forgive you. Not today or in another a million years. Never."
"Understandable, understandable," Wheatley muttered. However, he was getting the need to apologize again, but he held his tongue.
"Um, I know you don't forgive me and there's a probable chance that you will never forgive me ever again, with that response. But, there's seems to be a problem. Do you, uh need help? It looks like you do, because I'm stating the obvious, right now: you're on the ground. Completely on the floor…Uh…immobile, it seems," Wheatley was lost in the train of thought for a few seconds and thought and thought of an idea to help her, "Oh! I got an idea. It's brilliant! So, I can help you. Of course, only if you want me to. I mean, I'm no doctor but some of the old scientists were! If I can find something that can help that leg of yours, maybe we can get you up and walking again, huh? You know what? Maybe I should ask this first: Can you walk? To be a hundred percent honest, you don't look good. I mean, everything else looks fine, but your leg doesn't look at all good, now does it? I'm rambling again, aren't I? …Sorry. Alright, so here's the first option: I can go back into the labs, while She isn't looking, get you some medicine, and you'll be walking in no time! That is, if I can find any medicine for that type of wound you have. Which, I'm going to lay the cards on the table, I'm not a hundred percent sure that that will happen. Or, second option: I can just leave, and you don't have to ever see me again. No more being scared of old Wheatley walking back here. Although, I don't want to be Mr. Bad News here, but there's a minor chance that you will die if I leave you here. I don't want you to die here, to be honest. So, do you want me to help, lady?" Wheatley finished and to his surprise, she nodded a yes. It was a desperate yes. It was if she was pleading him to help, even thought she didn't trust him one bit.
"Oh, I wasn't really expecting that to work…um, hmmm…." Wheatley trailed off. He thought about what people needed to survive. Well, they needed water, but she was lucky enough to break her leg near a stream. It was…slightly muddy, but it could suffice right now, could it? It may not be healthy to drink that, but it's all they can afford (time-wise) right now and it would be so much healthier to drink from that stream than any other water provided in the labs. So, she has water. What else would she need to survive here? Hmm… Food! Of course! However, it didn't look like there was any source of food nearby. Well, maybe the apple tree would work. Last time he checked there were some left over. Humans eat that type of stuff, right? Oh, he'll just give it a guess.
"Say, lady. Are you hungry? You must have not eaten in ages! Er, you know what? Don't listen to that. I honestly don't know the last time you ate. Just a guess, if you don't mind me." Wheatley questioned his old 'frienemy'. He watched her response. For a start, the angry expression softened a little bit but he was sure if he stepped any farther to the twenty-foot boundary she placed in between them, it would come back in a heartbeat. In no time but a heartbeat. She looked away from him, but in the corner of her eyes she was alert for any sneak attack planned. After about a few seconds, she nodded a yes, and that proved that she trusted him at least a little bit to let him feed her. He felt accomplished already, even though they were separated from a long distance. [He wasn't complaining or anything, it was understandable…]
"Well, okay… I think there's an apple tree a small distance from here. I'll be right back. I promise!" He reassured her gently and walked away. Of course, he's looking every now and then at his virtual clock the old engineers and scientists equipped him all those years ago. He doesn't have too much time. It was 2:53 in the afternoon and he still needed to walk back. The 'not-sure-if-she-is-bluffing-or-not' death deadline was getting pretty close.
He fetched her an apple [which he forgot to mention, that he thought it was amusing that out of all of the types of food, it had to be an apple. Because their first conversation was when he asked her to say apple, to see if she was okay…] He could've sworn that he would have to use twenty-foot pole just to give to her without a threatening or frightened expression. Of course she gave out a threatened and fearful look before he handed it to her. It was quite humorous because as soon as she grabbed the apple, Wheatley went back to that twenty-foot boundary to make her at least a little more comfortable in his presence. [Who would actually feel comfortable in the presence of a murder? Honestly?] To his surprise, she gobbled it up quick, and seemed to calm down a little bit. It was kind of weird to watch, frankly. It just… disappeared. Ugh, humans were freaky. The eyes were probably the only thing he was able to handle. Although, any other features on the face, plain out gave him the creeps. The nose was either too big or too small on humans. Ears were freaky, just the way they looked. And long hair sprouted from their head, and (for males) sometimes on their face. Seriously, who came up with that? Ugh. However, there was one thing he couldn't stand and that was the mouth. Teeth creeped him out, but the tongue was the worse part. Ugh, just put that-put that tongue back in your mouth, where it is supposed to be. To say the truth, he hated it when people spoke, because he got to see their teeth and their tongue swaying on the sides of their mouth at every word they uttered a word. Just disgusting… And there was the slobbery stuff in their mouth, and, ugh he preferred not to talk about that now. That was probably the reason why Wheatley didn't mind the lady's muteness, as long as she listened. That was the best quality in her, besides her cleverness and button-pushing skills.
"Right… I need to go, lady. But, erm… I'll be back with some medicine tomorrow! If, on the off chance I don't get caught by Her. Well, see you around." Wheatley stated, and he waved at her, a common human goodbye/greeting gesture. Her expression was still alert and angry but she managed to soften it up a little, in her way to tell him goodbye.
…There's one thing for sure, and that is that he is never going to let her down. Not this time. Never again.
AN: Yes! Tomorrow is the last day of school for me! Celebration! I'm free, I'm free! Anyway, yeah, cheers for reading! I'll get the next chapter up here soon, whenever I get bored again. Might even be tomorrow, no promises on that though.