Weeks went by and turned into months. The spring time that Chell had originally travelled in to get to the facility turned into summer, and getting to the testing took longer and made her wearier than it had before. It was scorching hot outside, nothing that she wasn't already used to, but it made her wear down twice as fast. Soon autumn began to change the leaves and Chell's travels were full of magic and beautiful transitions of the plant life around her kept her distracted, for the most part.
Chell was growing more and more used to the annoying intimidation that GLaDOS had to offer. She learned how to very effectively ignore her, despite having the monitors and being somehow more vicious. Chell was annoyed with all this testing, but was grateful that it was only once a week. If it had been more, she would have considered giving up on the cyborg that was probably counting on her just as much as he was counting on him.
He was what kept her going.
Day in and day out, her loneliness started to evaporate. She knew that one day soon, he would be with her in the real world, outside of this hell, ready to take on the world. Probably not quite as eager as she had been, but he was almost as eager as shown by his previous performance in escaping. She could count on him. She hoped so, anyway.
One day, a particularly hot day outside, GLaDOS greeted Chell in an unusual manner.
"Today you won't be testing. Well, you will, but not in the way that you have been. Through the lift." A lift opened in front of Chell and she slowly stepped inside, hoping it wasn't one of those 'how humans respond to risking their lives' tests. Chell was beyond done with those.
"Wheatley has completed his rehabilitation and has begun the next process of earning his freedom. Or residence. Whatever he chooses. Your test today is to help him decide which one would be better. The test portion is actually testing your humanity." GLaDOS spoke is a bit of a strange tone that confused Chell, but she couldn't actually see the AI today, so she just decided not to worry about it.
The lift that Chell had been riding down into the lower, seemingly forgotten areas of the facility slowed down and she could see out of the clear pod she was in. The white walls gleamed as if this section had been cleaned. She could see every tile, every board in the wall, every ceiling tile, distinctly outlined in piercing black lines. There was a hallway that she was being lowered into and it reminded her of how her apartment looked, and how this could be a more scientific, professional version of her apartment. The lift stopped and the door opened.
"Step out now." Chell did as GLaDOS instructed and the lift closed and rose back into the ceiling.
"That moron is somewhere in this wing. In case you were wondering, and even if you weren't, this wing is titled the Moron wing. You have to find him and make sure he's safe and taken care of."
Chell was very confused and it showed plainly on her face.
"I can't see beyond the lift room. All of the cameras were removed when I went into sleep mode about a week ago. I can sometimes hear him shuffling about, but I can't actually pinpoint him. I intended to leave him here in the first place, but not for him to be un-attended. He may be past the rehabilitation, but self-sustainment may be harder for him than planned."
Chell smirked, a dark pleasure being brought to her by this. GLaDOS had made a mistake. A big one. And, though She wasn't saying it like that, She was worried. Whether She was worried about Wheatley himself or what damage he could cause in his new body was left unsaid as Chell didn't waste any time in that room that She could see into. Chell was determined to find Wheatley, while they could be mostly alone, and talk to him. Or let him do the talking. Whatever happened the easiest.
Walking down the hallway, she noted that there were several apartment-type places in this wing. There were number on each door she passed; 1, 3, 5, 7… On the adjacent side were the numbers 2, 4, 6, 8. Chell reached a door at the end of the hallway without a number, but there was a hole where the number had once been hanging. Chell thought she might have seen a faint outline of the number 9, but she wasn't sure.
Chell walked back to the door with the one and tested the door handle; locked. She moved to the number 2 across the hall and it was open. She cautiously stepped inside, noting she was in part of the living area. Or what would have been the living area, actually. The apartment was bare, but from what she could see, she was in the living room and from there she could see the kitchen. A small light was on over the stove and it shone so that Chell could see the small hallway. She walked further in and looked down the hallway, noting three doors on the sides and one on the end.
She opened the door closest to her and found a very small closet, possibly for coats and shoes and the like.
She moved down to the next one and found a medium-sized bathroom, one that was actually bigger than hers at her own house. The bathtub/shower combination looked like it had some jets. Well, this cyborg was being spoiled for not even being wanted. The counter was big enough that Chell could lay on it if there wasn't a sink. Then there was the toilet, which was just a plain toilet.
Next she moved to the door across the hall from the bathroom. Inside was a room that could be considered a small bedroom, or…what were those called… an office. That was what they were called. The walls were all white, she could see in the dim lighting that was barely visible in this room.
Chell moved out of this room and finally decided to open the door at the end of the hallway. This was a rather large room with a slightly higher ceiling than the rest of the apartment had had. It had blank white walls and nothing in it, just like the other rooms.
She was amazed at how much room GLaDOS had left for Wheatley to roam about. Unintentionally leaving him alone aside, She had given him nine full-sized apartments. For one cyborg, that was amazing. What was he even supposed to do with all that space? Chell wondered if they all had previous uses, if they were actually some old apartments for the scientists that GLaDOS had poisoned… She shuddered.
Were all the apartments like this? Or was Wheatley actually presiding in one? He had to be. Had GLaDOS even mentioned if he had the necessities to survive on his own? He'd been on his own for a week. What if Chell was searching for a dead bot?! Fear surged through her. She needed to find him, fast.
She ran out of the apartment 2 and into 4. "Wheatley?!" She yelled at the door before trying to open it. This one was locked too. She moved across the 3. "Wheatley, where are you?!" She was panicking. What if he was dead? Or suffering somehow? The third apartment was open. She walked in and it mirrored apartment 2. Nothing was on inside, so she moved on.
She continued to move down the hallway. Only 1 and 4 had been locked. The rest were open. And empty. She'd checked all of the apartments except for the one at the end of the hallway, Apartment 9. She hesitated when she reached the door. What if he was in here? What if he wasn't? What if he was and he was waiting to pounce because GLaDOS had sent Atlas or P-Body or even come herself to check on him? What was he feeling?
First, Chell tested the door handle. Unlocked. She kept the door closed and knocked softly on it. She pressed her ear against it, listening inside. No sound came out. No rustling, no hushed speaking (though who would he be speaking to anyway?), nothing. Chell knocked again, louder this time, and heard a slight rustle. It probably scared him.
"Who…Who's there?" Wheatley's voice sounded like it was full of shock and misunderstanding. What was he doing in there?
Chell knocked once more.
"I-I'm coming…" The handle turned and the door slowly opened, but Chell couldn't see Wheatley. "You can come in…" He spoke softly from behind the door, and Chell smirked. He was scared.
She put her hands up and slowly walked inside. She saw Wheatley straighten up from the corner of her eye and his hands flew around her. "Oh, it's you! Thank goodness! I've been wondering if you…if you were coming back for me!" He hugged her tightly and his face reminded her of a child's, one that's being picked up by his parents after being at daycare longer than expected. She softly hugged him back.
"I was so terrified! When she threw me in here. I thought I was a goner! She just…she just said 'Good luck, moron.' And left. I am not a moron! I can take care of myself!" Wheatley was freaking out and his face was very open with his emotions, revealing all of his feelings along the way.
She nodded, smiling. She put a hand on his shoulder and he calmed down.
"Look… I know… I know you probably don't want me around you, but—"
"Sh." Was all Chell said. She didn't have much else to say, really. 'Sorry I made you think I didn't want you anymore.' 'Sorry you overreacted and have gotten yourself into quite a mess.' 'Sorry I didn't come sooner.' No, he just needed to calm down first. Everything was okay. She would save him, maybe take him soon. She took his hands in hers and smiled up at him.
"I…what? Why? She's going to kill me. I wasn't supposed to leave… Well, I wasn't supposed to destroy those cameras…" A frown covered Wheatley's face. Chell found him absolutely adorable. He was so naïve and lost. She took him over to the couch she could see and sat him down, sitting next to him. Well, at least one of these many apartments was furnished. She noted that it was all plain black furniture and literally everything else was white. The doors, the walls, the floors, the ceilings… All white.
She took note of the black couch, the black coffee table, the black rug, the black side tables… There wasn't much else, really. There was a kitchen with black counters and black appliances behind them. The apartment was designed just like the others she'd already seen. So plain. Cold. Unfeeling.
How could Wheatley live like this? Wasn't it lonely? Chell knew what it was like to be completely alone and not know entirely how to survive. It wasn't easy. But Chell was human, so her survival instincts kicked in. Did Wheatley have instincts? Could he make basic decisions to keep himself alive?
"Luv… Luv, anything?" Wheatley looked confused.
"What?" Chell looked at him once more. She hadn't been paying attention to him at all and now felt rather badly about it. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"
"Oh. Uhm. I was asking if you liked the place. She let me design it, for the most part. I got to go through some furniture catalogues and she made the things I requested. It's not much, but… I'm not sure how much more I might need." Wheatley shrugged a little bit. He was so curious and careful and naïve. It was adorable.
Chell smiled a little and nodded. "Very simple and fun. It's nice." She pointed out the counters. "What are they made of?"
Wheatley shrugged. "Uhm… I'm not sure. Didn't ask, actually. Wasn't too worried about what any of it was made of, just waited for Her to leave. So She couldn't harp me as much. She's not very nice at all."
Chell's smile faded. No, She wasn't. And Chell would have to go back to Her in order to leave soon. "Wheatley, when do you get to leave?"
Wheatley shrugged again. He seemed to do that a lot. "I'm sure She'd kick me out anytime if She's comfortable enough to have me stay in an apartment-like part of the facility… wouldn't She?"
Chell shrugged this time. She had no idea how She had things planned out. The first half of her first year of testing was now done, and soon winter would fall. Maybe it would be best for Wheatley to stay here for winter, as Chell was unsure of how he would react to the cold. Maybe he wouldn't at all.
"Let's go to Her. I think I'd like to go home." Chell stood up and held her hand out to Wheatley. A careful smile was on her lips. She was sad to be leaving, but she realized that if GLaDOS did kick him out today or anytime soon, Chell didn't have anything for him. Nothing at all. She'd have to go get his needs satisfied before he came to live with her. If he chose to do that. He actually had quite a nice setup where he was and it was too bad he didn't know that.
Wheatley frowned. "So soon? You just got here. And what if She kills me?"
Chell smirked. "You'll be fine, I'm sure. Let's go."
Chell took Wheatley's hand and they quickly made their way to the elevator where GLaDOS could see them. Chell had made sure to shut off all the electric things before she left and left the door unlocked. She wondered if Wheatley had keys to the locked apartments. The lights in the elevator shaft seemed to perk up a little bit, and Chell braced herself.
"Oh! You found him! I-I mean." The sound of GLaDOS clearing Her throat was heard. "You're back. Good. You can be such a moron. I'm surprised you survived." The sarcasm and unimpressed tone in Her voice annoyed Chell, and Wheatley looked pretty worn out just then. Fear was in his eyes and his posture was very straight and closed off. He wasn't open to speaking, which was odd for him.
"I'm bringing you up to me." GLaDOS said plainly and the elevator started moving up. Wheatley's facial expression didn't change and Chell stared at him, worried that he would be mad at her for this.
Soon the two were in GLaDOS's chamber and Wheatley stiffened up even more. GLaDOS motioned for the two of them to step out and as soon as they did, the elevator sunk into the ground and the floor closed behind them.
"Moron, come stand by me. Chell, you're free to go home. Be back next week. I'm going to try to find out what I'm going to do to work out some kind of agreement without him being so… free and in danger." GLaDOS glared daggers at Wheatley as he reluctantly made his way over to the angry AI.
Chell nodded, not willing to disagree with her at this point. "Keep him safe." She closed her mouth into a tight line before turning away. A portal opened behind her and she found herself in front of the elevator that would take her to the surface again. Tears stung her eyes. The look on Wheatley's face made her feel like she'd betrayed him, but nothing would make her turn back. She had to prepare for him. She would be back in a week and would bring him something from the surface. Something to pass his time. He must have been so lonely.
Regret filled her, but she left the facility with a heavy heart.