Chapter 3: The Tale of Twilight Scott
It was her luck that saved her that fateful day. That, and a Wheatley Core.
Twilight Scott liked her name, it was cool. Twilight was cool then, and so was My Little Pony. And she liked both. She was only 5 when her father got a job at the coolest place around. Ape Science! It may have had a much bigger name, but the 5-year-old could only pronounce the first 3 letters.
Her father, Dr. Steven Scott, was one of the scientists, and was paid handsomely for his knowledge. He had a Doctorate in Robotics Engineering, a relatively new field that he was a natural at. This was after the GLaDOS program had been announced, and it was precisely what he was working on.
He was in charge of building the Personality Cores, round spheres that would allow his boss, Mr. Cave Johnson, to divert his attention and still leave things running. He had personally worked on the Adventure Core, and the Fact Core, and a few others he had forgotten, but he left a personal mark on each of them. A tiny SWS, hidden on the inside of their shell. He often was in talks with Mr. Johnson as the man wanted a different core each day it seemed! Dr. Scott thought his boss insane, greedy, and more despicable words that he dared not say in front of him. But the paychecks were rather large, and it'd be nearly impossible to get a job elsewhere. He needed money So, he kept working, day after day.
Twilight was 13 when 'Bring your Daughter to Work Day' was announced, and she was clearly excited. She had been taught all manner of electrical things by her daddy, the smart guy. She was obviously very smart when it came to robotics, and her intellect was untested, maybe greater than her father's.
"Daddy, what kind of science experiment should we do?" She asked, as they looked through a book called 'Junior Science Experiments; For ages 3-300!'
"Well, honey, you pick. It's your day, after all!" The soft voice of the lightly bearded man chuckled, letting her flip through pages expectantly. Scott smiled as he watched her excitement. He had been raising his daughter alone for nearly 10 years. 8 of them working here.
Twilight kept flipping through the book. "I think we should... do a potato battery!" She said, pointing a young finger at a picture of a potato with wires strung every which way.
She had such an excited smile on her sweet young face, Scott couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, honey. Potatoes... are a great choice!" He forced. Potatoes were in fact not a great choice; they were dull, starchy, and only made about 5 volts of electricity when boiled. But it was her project, so who was he to complain?
He must not have been hiding it very well, however, because Twilight's face instantly soured. "You're just saying that, aren't you? You think it's a dumb idea," she mumbled, looking back down to the book with a glum mood.
"No, no!" Scott backpedaled quickly, kneeling down in front of his daughter and casting a loving smile at her. She wasn't even looking at him. "No, potatoes are a great idea, sweetie! Just..." He showed how good he was with children, as his mind hunted for something to distract her with.
"LEMONS!" He shouted, plastering a big grin on his face. He was unsure of how his mind had come to the citrus, but he had an inkling it was a far-off memory of something Cave Johnson had ranted about... "A Lemon battery! Now that's a great idea! Nobody knows how much power lemons make, so you'd be contributing to science!" He was standing, his hands high up in the air, already celebrating her achievement.
To his relief, the frown was replaced with a weak smile. "*sniff* Like you, daddy? Like your contributions to science?" She asked, her voice wobbling as she calmed down.
Dad nodded vigorously, same big grin still on his face, even as his hands returned to his sides. "Yes, sweetie. Just like your daddy."
Twilight bounced out of the chair and into his arms, puling the scientist into a hug. "Thanks, daddy!" Scott chuckled as he returned the hug silently.
The day came, and many pictures were taken, of girls next to their fathers, and their experiments. Twilight won a prize; 'Most Creative'. Another flash, of her with the Prize, Experiment, and Scott. Although, Scott could not have been any prouder. Most of the pictures taken of Twilight that day were from his camera.
It was a perfect Day for Twilight. She got to show off her unique science project, impress her father's bosses, and she got to see some of the Cores her father had been working on! Her favorite was Wheatley, who was very kind to her, and really funny.
However, it took a darker turn when they were preparing to show off the GLaDOS startup procedure. With Twilight safely in the care of another worker's family, Scott and his co-workers went into the control room, visible from the viewing box via a tv screen. And they pressed a few buttons, flicked some switches, and watched as the GLaDOS mainframe chassis started up.
The TV was silent, an issue with the sound that had somewhat problematically appeared only hours before. But at least Twi couldn't hear the screams from her father and the other scientists as they gasped for breaths. A strange scent tickled her nose, and she heard the screams of the adults in the room with her.
Fearing for her life, Twilight ran out from the room, into the hall, her ears now attuning to some sort of nearly-silent hissing from the vents. She was nearly out of breath when she reached her father's office, where the Wheatley Core sat, waiting for the same person.
"Oh! Hullo, Twilight! Good to see you again, aye?" He winked, apparently not at all affected by the gas that was hurting her. She motioned, trying to get him to know that she can't breathe. "Ooh, Charades, I love that game! Okay, uhm, 3 words! Face, Mouth, Eye, I! Alright, 'I'. What's next?"
More motioning, from the quick-thinking girl. "Trash, Rubbish, Can. Can... Can!" Wheatley's eye widened as he realized what she meant. "'I Can', alright, last word!"
Twilight's final motion, trying to explain that she can't breathe, was probably futile. The core just wasn't smart enough to figure it out. Except he was. "Chest, Uhm... umumumum, heart. Lungs, breathe... 'I... Can't... Breathe...' OMIGOSH YOU CAN'T BREATHE!"
Twilight was sure her last moments were going to be playing charades with her father's invention. But she suddenly could breathe. The door was closed, and the vents were shut. No more gas.
"Whew," Wheatley sighed, although he didn't have lungs to sigh with. "That was close, huh? You okay, Twilight?" He asked, genuinely concerned for his friend.
Twilight nodded, gasping for breath. Once she had her rhythm back, and was breathing normally, she asked him, "My father! Dr. Scott, is he alright? Can you find him?"
Wheatley shook his head. "Sorry Luv, he hasn't come in here for a while. I'm only connected to his office here, nowhere else. But if you brave the neurotoxin out there, I'm sure we can reach a safe connection port I can use to plug into the system. And then I can find Dr. Scott."
With a breath, a core, and a prayer, Twilight stepped out into the corridor. Directed by Wheatley, she found a connection point, and plopped Wheatley on it. "Oh, well, that. . . Oh." He said, eye wide open as he saw what had happened. "Twi... We should get going."
She would have argued with him, but something in his tone was not to be trifled with. She picked him up, asking, "Where to?"
"Make a left. We're heading for somewhere safe," Wheatley said somberly. "Somewhere you'll be safe."
Twilight knew that left was in the direction of the test chambers, the direction she was told not to go by her father. Her hesitation in her mind showed as her feet slowed, looking down at Wheatley. She had a confused look on her face.
"Go!" Wheatley roared, quite unlike him. But it got Twilight moving, and she ran, faster than ever, for the Relaxation chambers.
It was a fair distance away, and while the gas was not as thick over here, Twilight had to take breaks to set Wheatley down. Until she noticed a rail and set him upon it, letting him float above like a miniature GLaDOS.
As Wheatley rolled along his rail, and Twilight walked beneath him in silence, she finally asked, "Wheatley, why? What happened? Why won't you tell me anything?"
Wheatley hesitated before answering, "GLaDOS. She flooded the facility with Neurotoxin, pretty deadly stuff. Everyone... is dead. You father, my other creators, all the families. Either dead or... Asleep."
The pause garnered the return of the silence, so thick you could cut it. "That's why I'm taking you this route. I'll keep watch over you, Twilight. You'll be safe, here."
They came upon a door, which slid open when Twilight approached it. It opened into a cheap 70's motel room, and Wheatley followed her inside. "Just... lie down on that bed. I'll wake you up when... When it's safe. Okay?" His voice was weak, hesitant.
Twilight nodded, tears in her eyes. "Wheatley... thank you." She said, as she crawled into the bed.
"Oh, you don't need to say that, Luv," Wheatley said, turning away. "It... Your father programmed me with these tendencies. I'm supposed to care for people like you, I can feel it."
Before she snuggled in for the long sleep, four more words were whispered from Twilght's mouth, although she was already unconscious. "I love you, daddy."
The door was already closed.
"-e door down! We've got to get inside!" Twilight woke to a loud banging, and someone shouting.
"I'm up, daddy, I'm up," She groaned, as a general confusion clouded her vision. This wasn't her room... That wasn't even her voice!
Outside the door, Captain Crush and a few other people were banging on the door with the butts of their guns. Crush tried to get them all in sync, but nobody was. A scream from inside suddenly changed that, and on the count of 3, the door was subjected to the largest synchronized bang it had ever withheld. But it didn't budge.
Someone pulled out a grenade. One of the EMPs the survivors had found lying around. With a sigh, the captain beckoned everyone away from the door. While the grenades worked wonders on the cyborgs, it didn't have much explosive potential. A slight zapping could be heard as the EMP was primed and thrown at the foot of the door. When that didn't move the door, Crush cracked his knuckles.
And promptly kicked the door. It flew open with a bang, hitting the wall. Revealing a 20-odd year-old woman, dressed in an Aperture Science jumpsuit, hiding behind the bed. "I'd come out, Ms. Scott." He tossed in a marker. "Mark up your clothes so we know you're one of us. Don't want anyone shooting a live person accidentally."
Twilight stepped out a few minutes later, dress painted over in camouflage patterns. "You're not Wheatley," she muttered, looking to the ceiling for something.
Crush snorted. "Wheatley? That moron? He's the one who guided us to you. Said he couldn't open up your chamber, but that you were still human." Crush looked over her, nodding. "Which you are."
He was pleasantly surprised when she slapped him. "Don't you dare call him a 'moron' again! He saved my life!" She yelled, putting her hands on her hips. "Now where is Wheatley?"
It wasn't what he said next, but rather his body language, that told her what had happened. "Wheatley is dead. He woke up a few other chambers, so you would have friends, then took the fight to GLaDOS." He waved his hand around to reference all the people standing behind him. "I found him freeing subjects, and he directed me to you. He expresses his regrets that he couldn't see you wake, but said that GLaDOS knew he was doing this, and he went to her chamber. To distract or destroy, I don't know. But he was certainly one tough Core. Brave, too."
Twilight couldn't hold the tears back. Wheatley was her last living memory of her father, and now he was gone too. "Oh, Wheatley..."
Crush put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I'm not saying it's not right to cry, but this is not the time. We're trying to get you people out of here, escape the facility. Follow Wheatley's example, and take the fight to Her. Join us, Twilight Scott."