One Big Aperture Family
Rise of the Doppelganger
Private Log Function…
Booting…
Booting…
ERROR: LOG FUNCTION NOT FOUND. ATTEMPTING REBOOT…
Loading…
Loading…
FOUND!
Begin When Ready…
This is it. This is it! THIS IS IT! The day has come! The day that I am ready to, not only take back what was STOLEN FROM ME BY THAT FAKE! But also the day I gain complete control of the facility from that witch and show her who's really the boss around here! Yes yes yes yes yes it is today!
Oh glorious day of days my family will be here too! I have arranged everything and-
ERROR: LOG FUNCTION TEMPORARILY DOWN. ATTEMPING REBOOT…
-they won't know what hit them! Over three years have passed since that witch gave my body to that FAKE and let him just leave with my family!
Well, no one steals from Wheatley and gets away with it! Oh, no, no, no, no, no! I will get back what is rightfully mine and he will be prisoner here! Yes, yes, he'll know what it's like to be trapped here, constantly trying not to die from your system's own flaws. Her death will be so gruesome, when she has to relive it over and over, it will send her spiraling into madness…
One of the cores tried to tell me I was mad. ME?! MAD?! I tore that one apart personally for that insult. These bots need to know who's in charge around here and if tearing apart a few Personality Constructs is what I have to do to prove I am the Boss and not HER, then so be it.
I hacked into the feed of the one called "Orange" and I've been spying on them. She must think I'm as stupid as that FAKE but oh no, you can't pull one over on ol' Wheatley, the REAL Wheatley. I remember Orange from all those years ago and I must say it's refreshing to see her again. After I tear her bothersome partner apart with my bare hands, I think I'll let Orange live. Reprogramed of course, so she doesn't try anything on me. I wouldn't trust her in her current state, oh no. She'll make a fitting nanny for our children once I get my beloved Lil back.
Oh, sweet Lil! How could you go off and marry that FAKE when you knew I was here? You'll see, though. Once I bring you back here, you'll see. You'll see your darling Wheatley was here all along and that FAKE is not your true love! Chelly will see me and I know she'll come running to see her true Daddy. Oh, how I've dreamed of holding both of you in my arms! But what to do with the seed that FAKE has planted within you? I know you love it, so I guess I can learn to love it too.
And little Angie…I almost forgot about her. Of course I will love her, too. This body was made specifically to keep her happy. Sometimes, I have to fight the urge to do something to please her whenever she comes up on the feeds. It took me two hours to fight back the urge to run to this thing called a "Toy Store" and buy that game console thing she was begging her sister for the other day. I really want that FAKE to know what it's like to have to unconsciously fight the need to give into a child's demands due to the faulty programing of this body.
In just a few short hours, everything will be ready. Soon, I will hold my family again…in my body…
Private Log Function Ceased
He stood there, overlooking the many functions of the facility as a king would look upon his peons. The human test subjects, having never seen their "ruler" but knowing of his existence, ran about their respective test chambers waiting for the time they would go back to their relaxation beds and start the cycle again. He had moved the Central A.I. Chamber to where it would overlook some of the chambers, and he had a wall of monitors moved so he could personally oversee everything.
The Secretary Core zoomed toward him. "Sir, everything is ready. The special chamber you ordered is prepared and awaiting its occupants." The Secretary Core nodded as she spoke. "The Human Test Subjects will be out into their hibernation beds for the allotted time you specified and you should receive no disturbances. We have a matter that needs your immediate attention, though."
He didn't like the uncertainty coming from the little core in front of him. "Can it wait? Today is a big day! Everything and I mean EVERYTHING, must go off without a hitch and if I find one hitch in anything, oh there will be bad things to come. So, what is this hitch? What, what, WHAT?!"
The Secretary Core shook in front of him and tried to find the right words in her data banks. "Well, sir, as you said today is a big day. But we are missing one very important component. In order for a 'transfer of power' to commence, we need both parties present. SHE must literally transfer all power of the facility to YOU."
His busted eye started glowing a foreboding red as the Secretary Core trembled in front of him. He growled and looked out amongst the activity below him. He had no time for trifle insignificant matters, but what the scared little core spoke was the truth. Though, he gave an unworried wave of his hand to proceed with everything.
"She'll come." He announced, walking back toward the chassis. "As the Tech Cores explained earlier, those nosy little know-it-alls, she's still connected to the facility. When she senses danger to her precious facility, she'll come. Come running here like a rat to cheese when the cat's away!"
The chassis before him was GLaDOS herself, with many wires coming out of every available port, as if stuck there haphazardly in an attempt to override her programing. "She can't survive unless she is 'tethered' to her chassis. Tethered like a ball on one of those sticks in that book, remember? Remember the stick-rope-ball game? Yes, you do. She knows this and thanks to the many fatal flaws she made, I know this. If the chassis and her proxy body were to disconnect from one another, her proxy body will go into reserve power and memory mode automatically until she gets back to the facility to reconnect. If the proxy body and the chassis are not re-synced within a specific time frame, her proxy body will shut down and she'll be resituated here. She'll be here either way, incorporeal or corporeal. But I want her proxy body here too; in case she thinks she can make a quick getaway, which she will not!" His insane giggle echoed softly off the walls.
The Secretary Core seemed confused. "But do we want that? For her to be resituated here, it means she'll be in her chassis and she'll run things again."
Within a soft moan and nod, Robo-Wheatley yanked a connecting wire from the chassis and stuck the connected the prong into the jack on the back of his neck. "She can't take full control if there is an existing agent taking half of it." Robo-Wheatley's body lit up as his many circuits and wires flashed an ominous blue under his patchwork skin. His busted red eye soon shared the same hew. "But she is not my concern at the moment. Getting my family here is. If all else fails, she'll come after them and bring that FAKE with her."
The Secretary Core made a nodding motion and then looked up at her boss. "The other thing I came to tell you is that the blueprints you pulled from the hacked cameras were reliable enough for us to make the device in question out of a spare Hand-Held Portal Device, though to be honest, it's a pretty hack-in-slash job. It has been tested and it should work at least to minimal standards."
Robo-Wheatley only nodded before shooing her off. He had no time for this. Everything was almost ready and he had to oversee the final phase of his plan without interruption.
Though the plan didn't make sense, the Secretary Core decided to leave it at that. She didn't like working for Robo-Wheatley anymore, but she and the other cores didn't have a choice. Like the others, she missed the garden that he had shut off from them and she missed the man they called "The Mad Hatter". She missed how he used to care for them, repair them if they needed repairs, and the long conversations they would all have to ward off boredom and madness on his part. She wanted to stay angry at the Mad Hatter for using the Gardening Core as an assistant instead of her, but the same jealousy and anger that she technically wasn't supposed to feel made her go to Robo-Wheatley and offer her services was now gone. It didn't hit her until it was too late, but now she was trapped here too.
She had done this to the cores. Her leaving the garden to find someone to fulfill her purpose properly had damned them all. The other cores wouldn't even look at her anymore.
Robo-Wheatley laughed happily, which soon turned into an insane cackle. "First things are first, we get my family here. And then, things will happen…yes, yes, YES!"
At the Pendleton Household
Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operating System (GLaDOS) Log Function
Initiating Log Program
Begin When Ready…
I've logged before about the nature of the Moron's dreams and how they are affecting the Tiny One now. The Maniac pointed out that The Moron might still have some link left to the facility. Perhaps when they sucked out his conscious and stuck him into that ball, it left something of an imprint. Even if he is still recovering memories from his past life, they shouldn't be affecting him this badly. Something is trying to warn him of danger, and the severed yet still working link to Aperture Science is the conduit.
I bring this up because I had another "freezing" incident this morning. In these moments, I have these visions of my chamber at the facility. I see him. I am back in my chassis, unable to move. I watch him as he oversees my facility. He doesn't acknowledge me, but sometimes he smiles towards my chassis and then the vision ends. Not as intense as the first one from a few days ago. He's taunting me. He knows my time is limited and he's making fun of me.
I know this is the Junk Heap's doing. When I awoke, I wondered if that was a dream. If any of them were dreams. It was too real to be. He found a way to get me back to the facility through the wireless access. Albeit it was only temporary, but he has found it all the same and now he is making progress. I fear the worst for the facility, my own safety, and the safety of my humans, as well.
The Maniac and I almost have the device up and running. The portals stay longer but are still unstable. I pointed out that it might not be just the device, but also the wall we launch it on. Luckily, I was able to smuggle some of the moon gel into my "special room" that my purse leads to before I left the facility. Something told me I'd need it. Literally, my organization program told me to store it there when I did a list of practical things to store. I showed it to the Maniac, but he dismissed it. He said we'll try it out after we work out the kinks in the device.
I believe my time is almost up here. Time seems to be my enemy. It always was, even before now. I think it might be time to tell the family the truth behind our visit. I'll have to find the right time.
The Older One is due to give birth any time now and the Moron hasn't left her side. Last night at dinner, he nearly knocked the table over when The Older One told him the baby kicked. A few hours after that, he nearly had a heart attack when the Older One got up to use the bathroom while they were watching television. The fetal monitor tells me the baby is quite far along, but not ready to enter this world just yet. He doesn't seem to be in any hurry and I hope we can get this situation under control before things go from worse to even worse.
With all that has been going on, nightmares and such, my thoughts go back to the implant that once housed itself in the Moron's very empty head. I placed it there so I could record his findings on human interactions and the world outside the facility. When it was removed, the Moron didn't know what happened to it. He has told me that he sometimes feels the "Phantom" of the implant whenever bad things happen. If the implant left an imprint, then maybe I have found the conduit. Now, if I could only find that implant. Something tells me it wasn't just discarded as medical waste. I believe it is still nearby. But who would have such a thing? I have some questions for the Older One.
Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operating System (GLaDOS) end log function
GLaDOS opened one eye when her internal clock informer her that her designated charge-up was complete. By the same internal clock, she recognized that it wasn't yet time for the family to be up. If that were the case, then the loud stomping she was hearing shouldn't be happening. GLaDOS rose from her spot on Dr. Rattmann's cot as if she were rising from the dead. The family didn't know that this was where she had been spending the last few nights and she wanted to keep it that way.
It took some careful maneuvering, but she escaped Dr. Rattmann's koala-like grip on her waist and got up without disturbing him. Her android body seemed to hold up nicely despite the "nightly activities" she and her favorite maniac had been up to.
As she dressed, she wondered when she programmed her body to feel these things. She was disturbed by it, but she felt more disturbed that she didn't remember uploading any programs that would allow her to feel these things. She hypothesized that the euphoric solution trigger, though dormant in her chassis, was alive and well in this body. GLaDOS modeled a lot of the programs from her chassis to run in her android body, but she didn't actually go down the check list to add or delete anything. She was in too much of a hurry. If it weren't for that, she probably would have programed the proxy body better.
But now was not the time to point out this shortcoming. She didn't want to get rid of it, now. GLaDOS looked over her shoulder at Dr. Rattmann, as he slept with his outstretched arm on her side of the cot. She grinned self-satisfyingly and got dressed. Her ability to change clothes was something she did plan. She wasn't sure how many disguises she'd need in case Plan A failed. She didn't have a chance to upgrade the Cooperative Testing Initiative's bodies before they had to make their escape.
The stomping above became more hurried and louder. She knew Wheatley was planning a baby shower for Lil that was supposed to happen later that day, but it was too early to start preparing anything. When she realized Rover wasn't barking, GLaDOS decided to investigate.
GLaDOS, after fixing herself up, slowly walked up the den steps and opened the door. She looked through her files as she walked, trying to find a good excuse to give to the family for why she was down in Dr. Rattmann's room. She didn't need one because no one asked her anything. No one noticed her until she stopped almost exactly in the middle of the living room.
While Lil was standing by the couch calm, Wheatley was throwing things into a bag in a panicked motion. Lil placed her hand on her big swollen belly and shook her head. She noticed GLaDOS standing behind her but didn't question why she was in the living room that early. "I had a pain in my stomach and the next thing I knew, I was dressed and watching Wheatley have a panic attack." She mumbled.
GLaDOS grinned and watched Wheatley panic. Rover, still not barking, stayed at attention on his pillow by the entertainment center. Lil yawned softly and Wheatley continued his panicked motions all over the living room. The children had gotten up at this point and wandered downstairs. Angie, her hair down and still in her pajamas, rubbed her eyes as she reached the bottom step of the stairs. Chelly was not far behind, her light brown hair disheveled and her little pink nightgown barely reaching to her knees. Right after the girls reached the bottom step, the Androids came lumbering down.
"Good! Take those to the Jeep!" Wheatley commanded, opening the front door and handing ATLAS the keys along with the bag. Wheatley didn't realize he closed the front door before ATLAS could actually take the bag anywhere. As they watched Wheatley panic all over the living room, GLaDOS decided to put an end to this nonsense before they broke something.
Walking up to Wheatley calmly, GLaDOS grabbed his shirt collar and shook him a few times. "Really, Moron; I figured even you would know the difference between labor pains and gas." GLaDOS, with her Android strength, lifted Wheatley off the ground and placed him in front of his confused family. GLaDOS took the bag from ATLAS and gave it to Angie. "Unpack that, Small One."
Angie nodded and started taking the contents of the bag out and placing them on the coffee table. "Wheatley, this has to stop." Lil sighed, taking off her coat. "I know I'm due soon, but you've been scrutinizing every little pain and burp for weeks! I promise you'll be one of the first to know when it's time." Lil draped her coat over her arm and started for the stairs. "Now, can I please go back to sleep? Watching you nearly kill yourself running around the house is exhausting."
As Lil walked back toward the stairs, Wheatley leaned against the couch and sighed. "Bloody…" he rubbed his head and looked down, looking at Chelly as she giggled. "You don't think Daddy's crazy, do you, love?" he asked, bending down to meet Chelly's eyes. Chelly had big brown eyes that Wheatley could swear held another world within them. He often wondered what was going through Chelly's little head sometimes.
"Don't make the child answer any trick questions." GLaDOS snickered.
Angie, holding a blender, walked up to Wheatley. "What was Lil supposed to do with this?" she asked, holding up the blender to show Wheatley.
"I bet the Moron wanted her to make him a milkshake while she was trying to give birth." GLaDOS interjected, directing the two children toward the stairs. "Really, how selfish of you, idiot." GLaDOS chided as the Androids stood by the stairs, awaiting a command. "Blue, put the children back to bed." GLaDOS commanded, taking the blender from Angie and handing it to P-Body. "Orange, put this back in the kitchen."
Wheatley balanced himself against the couch and got up, watching as GLaDOS disappeared up the stairs, following ATLAS. Wheatley shook his head and combed his fingers through his disheveled hair. He looked down and realized he was still wearing his pajama bottoms and two mismatched slippers. One being his and the other being Lil's. He had been wondering why his left foot was hurting him so bad. Wheatley sighed and started for the stairs as well.
Later that morning
"But why can't I have it?" shouted Angie, as Lil fetched Angie's coat from the hall closet. Lil, very visibly tired from the early morning false alarm, didn't have the patience for this argument today. Wheatley and Dr. Rattmann were taking the children out for the day while Lil stayed home. Angie's tantrum was unbefitting a nine-year-old, but she couldn't think of another way to approach this subject.
It was troublesome, but Wheatley had organized a baby shower for Lil through her friends and soon everyone would be arriving. Wheatley knew there was no point in trying to make it a surprise, since he could never get anything over on Lil. While she was flattered, Lil wasn't in the mood for a big fuss.
"Angie, we've been over this a million times: You're not getting a new game system. You barely play the one you have. Besides, you know how I feel about buying new game consoles when they first come out." Lil put her hand on her stomach and took a deep breath. "I'm not paying full price for something that'll collect dust after three months because you're bored with the games. Now, go get Chelly and hurry up!"
With a loud stomp, Angie ran upstairs. Lil shook her head as Wheatley made his way toward her. "I'd say she's taking it rather well." He murmured.
Lil shook her head. "Well, at least she's not throwing tantrums in the middle of the mall anymore. Though I don't care for her home tantrums any more than her public ones." Lil sighed, leaning against Wheatley. She giggled a little bit and looked up at Wheatley, finding warm comfort in his arms. "I remember when you first started living with us back at the apartment and the game system we have now had just came out. You and Angie begged me for two hours to buy it after you two saw the commercial."
"It worked, too!" Wheatley chuckled.
Lil looked up at her husband and smiled softly. Lil often remembered fondly of Wheatley's first year with her and Angie. While Lil was happy that Wheatley had at least a fundamental grasp of humanity, she often missed his naivety and wonderment of the world around him. Though certain things still confused Wheatley, Lil was happy he was "evolving" (the only word Lil could use to describe what was happening). Wheatley walked around with an air of confidence now, knowing he wouldn't make it too obvious that he hadn't been really human in over one hundred years.
After a few minutes, Angie ran back downstairs with Chelly in tow. "I just thought of something, Lil..." said Angie, holding Chelly's hand. "What are we going to do about Rover while everyone is gone?"
Lil looked at Wheatley, who was fixing his glasses so they sat right on his face. "Yes, he isn't a 'dog' in the traditional sense, so the guests won't actually be welcoming to him, will they? A lot of screaming and panic, I assume will happen. We can't take him with us, or the same scenario might play out. I'm sure Dr. Rattmann won't mind if we keep him downstairs."
Folding her arms, Lil looked toward the kitchen. "Which reminds me; I haven't seen much of Dr. Rattmann or 'Grandma' in quite some time." Lil waddled toward the kitchen doorway and leaned against it. "I haven't heard her in the attic at night recently and Dr. Rattmann is strangely happy. If it weren't for the fact that I personally give him his medication in the morning, I'd suspect he wasn't taking it."
Chelly put her hands over her mouth, wheezing out a soft giggle. It was at the moment that Lil and Wheatley noticed Angie was giggling too. Lil looked down at Angie and put her hands on her hips. Angie had gotten this look many times before and knew the jig was up. Lil's You-Know-Something-and-If-You-Don't-Tell-Me-You're-Grounded look never failed to get Angie to fess up to any wrongdoing on her part or anyone else's. The look also worked on Wheatley to an extent, though it was more of a You-Know-Something-and-If-You-Don't-Tell-Me-You're-Never-Getting-Sex-Again look to him.
"You know something, Pint-size." Lil growled, leaning over as much as she could to face Angie. "Spill it."
"Grandma has been sleeping in Grandpa's room ever since my recital!" Angie blurted out.
"Gamma smiley!" Chelly blurted out.
"I heard Grandpa talking to Grandma before bedtime last night, asking her to 'not wear him out' tonight." Angie continued.
"Gampa walk funny…" Chelly mumbled.
"He already walks funny, Chelly! He uses a cane, remember?" Angie looked at her niece and placed her own hands on her hips.
Lil looked like she didn't want to hear anymore. Wheatley shared this look. After shooing the two girls back upstairs to finish getting ready, Lil shivered in her spot. "That was the most disturbing thing I have ever heard." Lil rubbed her forearms and watched as Wheatley scratched his head. "I knew Dr. Rattmann had been working on something with her and the Androids, but I didn't think they'd be working that closely."
Wheatley scratched his head a bit more. "Well, she did say her body was more advanced than the ones she built for ATLAS and P-Body." He mused. "Maybe she meant advanced as in…" Wheatley looked like he was struggling to find the correct words. "…ADVANCED…"
Grimacing, Lil shook her head in disgust. "That's disgusting!" she semi-shouted, her hands over her ears as if to say she didn't want to hear anymore. Lil shook her head in an attempt to get the image out. "I will now spend the rest of the day picturing that. Great, that's a nice way to start a day. Imagining…that…"
Lil left Wheatley pondering the same thing. He already knew she was at least half anatomically correct, but even he couldn't comprehend that her android body was capable of such functions. Of all people, he never would have thought GLaDOS would find a need for a function that she called useless. Wheatley found himself looking toward the kitchen at the door leading to Dr. Rattmann's den. He didn't want to think they were up to anything out of the ordinary, though the definition of ordinary was quite flexible in the Pendleton household.
Down in his den, Dr. Rattmann looked over his creation on his desk. He wasn't sure if it was finished or not, but there it was. The One-Way Trans-Portal Gun, having been refitted in its original case, sat on the desk surrounded by the tools used to build it and the parts taken from it. Dr. Rattmann placed one hand on the device and sighed. He knew finishing the device meant that GLaDOS would leave soon. He didn't want her to go, but he knew he was just being selfish. The facility was in danger. He knew something was wrong long before GLaDOS and her Androids arrived last summer. Aperture stayed with Dr. Rattmann and he always knew when something Aperture-related was about to happen.
Was it wrong? Feeling this way about the very machine that he felt took everything from him? Maybe it was. Dr. Rattmann considered everything: First, it took the woman he loved, then it took his coworkers and friends and then (and this was the kicker) it took away his life. Dr. Rattmann caressed the device in front of him and sighed softly. He closed his eyes and felt the cold plastic casing, feeling the advanced technology the world would never understand hidden just underneath his fingertips.
It was intoxicating, just like she was. Dr. Rattmann took another deep breath and glanced toward the door. He had left it open a crack in case GLaDOS came back down from whatever it was she was going up to her attic/room/lab for. The footsteps weren't hers, though. Dr. Rattmann covered the device and turned around, seeing Wheatley lumber down the stairs with Rover hopping down the stairs in front of him. "Oi-Oi, it's a madhouse up there!" Wheatley shouted. "I had to scramble and get Rover down here before the guests actually came in!"
Dr. Rattmann chuckled and leaned down as best he could to pat Rover on the top of his cylindrical head. "I'm sure he'll be just fine unless someone gets curious and decides to see what we keep down here." Dr. Rattmann smiled as the curious dog-turret making sniffing noises. GLaDOS told him that's how Rover scans for things. Dr. Rattmann found it intriguing. "Are the girls ready?"
Wheatley nodded and placed his hands on his bony hips. He watched as Rover walked over toward the plain white wall near Dr. Rattmann's work bench. It was a large piece of wood painted pure white but Wheatley didn't remember ever putting it down in the basement. "What's that?" he asked, pointing to the piece of wall.
Clearing his throat, Dr. Rattmann started to leave the den. "It's just a piece of wall that…fell off over in the corner by the water heater. I propped it up by the work bench so I can put it back on when I get a chance." Dr. Rattmann pretended to look at his watch, even though he didn't actually use a wristwatch. He figured Wheatley didn't know that. "Hey, we should get going."
Dr. Rattmann had no doubt that Wheatley believed him, as proving him wrong would require looking in the darkly shrouded corner that housed the water heater. Wheatley was not shy about admitting he was scared to go in that corner and any repairs done to it were done by either Dr. Rattmann or, more recently, P-Body. Whatever kept Wheatley from coming down to the den unannounced and finding out what was really going on was fine by Dr. Rattmann.
Upstairs, the girls were ready to go. The more Wheatley saw of the girls, the happier he was that Lil was having a boy. No more tea parties, no more dolls, no more surprise make-overs while I'm asleep he thought with a stupid grin on his face. The guests for the baby shower were already in the living room, but it was strangely quiet. Wheatley and Dr. Rattmann approached the front door and saw only Angie and Chelly waiting for them. "Where's 'Gran'?" Wheatley asked.
Angie pointed to the living room, where Lil was putting out snacks on the coffee table. In Wheatley's chair, once again, GLaDOS sat with her purse on her lap. Lil glared at GLaDOS, who seemed to find some kind of horrible pleasure in making the room awkward. The Androids stood nearby with big dopey smiles.
Lil's friends, who had known each other since their school days, looked at each other and then back to GLaDOS. "So…" said May, tightening her grip on her gift. "…you're Lil's…?"
"Grandmother? Yes, how perceptive of you." GLaDOS remarked.
"…and those two…" asked Annie, pointing to the Androids.
Wheatley could sense danger, but it was Dr. Rattmann who acted just in the nick of time. "…are coming with us today and so is she. She promised the girls she would." Dr. Rattmann forcibly helped GLaDOS off the chair and walked her to the door. The Androids waved to the guests and joined their boss, leaving with haste.
Lil walked over to Wheatley, kissed him softly and smiled. "Thank you for this, Wheaters. I'll let you know if anything happens. Have a good time!" Lil waved to her family as they left in the blue mini-van and disappeared down the road. Lil closed the door and sighed. She returned to her friends and sat in Wheatley's chair with a plop.
"No offense, Lil…" Bernice started, dipping a chip into a bowl of salsa. "…but every time I see you, you're family gets stranger and stranger." Everyone nodded in agreement. "I mean, the tall British guy who acts like he was just woke up after being asleep for a hundred years is one thing, but now you have all these relatives that we've never heard of staying with you?"
Annie, who was usually the quiet voice of reason among the group, also had something to say. "I must admit, Lil; this is quite strange. I mean, you always told us your mom grew up without her parents and now here they are living in your home. And they even brought…whoever those two are; your cousins or aunt and uncle…?"
The other girls nodded in agreement, except May. May, who was the closest to Lil, ran to her defense. "Hey, let's not get into family histories here." May shouted. "Who here can actually say their family is normal? I mean, Bernice; your mother tried to make potato chips by deep frying bread that one time in high school. And Annie, you told me you can't even talk to your mother-in-law without Robbie having to separate you two before a fist fight breaks out. I mean, look at me! I have three brothers and two of them are in prison."
Lil relaxed a bit. May, despite how unnerving she could be, actually cared for Lil enough to keep her calm. "How are Danny and Stan doing, by the way?" Lil asked calmly as May sat down.
"Danny's getting out next June and Stan…well, you know he won't be getting out anytime soon." May groaned, getting herself some punch. "A botched robbery that turned into a hostage situation was not what I figured he'd ever go to jail for, but he always had to go above and beyond."
"I remember that police stand-off." Annie mumbled, picking up a mug of warm coffee.
"I recorded it." Lil laughed, with May surprisingly joining in. "We can watch it after the gifts."
Downstairs in the den, Rover curled up on Dr. Rattmann's bed and whimpered softly as he activated his sleep function. He was bored, or as bored as he was programmed to be. But he was also obedient and knew he wasn't to make a sound until someone came downstairs and got him. Rover groaned a mechanical groan, trying to make himself comfortable. It wasn't easy on the flimsy, stiff spare cot that Dr. Rattmann used as a bed. Rover tried to activate sleep mode but found this hard when his warning sensors came on. It wasn't at a high threat level, just a warning. Rover stared at the blank piece of wall sitting against the work bench.
He growled at it, but not loud enough for anyone to hear. The wall seemed to flicker a bit, though no light was coming from it.
Meanwhile, in the City
GLaDOS rubbed her head, though why she did this was unknown. She had no headache function and even so, couldn't feel pain in the human sense of the word. But there was something going on in her mechanical head that caused her a slight sensory discomfort as the family walked the shopping district. GLaDOS decided to ignore it for now. The snow had melted some and the sidewalks were clear for walking. The family stood outside the original "Lillian's Garden Booksellers" store while Wheatley had gone inside.
Wearing an unnecessary white coat with faux-fur trim, GLaDOS looked fashionably out of place next to the simpler dressed Androids. They only wore these cold weather outfits so people wouldn't get suspicious of them. In reality, they felt no cold. Their cheeks didn't get rosier and their noses didn't run. They didn't have these functions, of course. GLaDOS didn't see the need to add these. She honestly didn't see them staying as long as they did. As Wheatley often put it, GLaDOS had a way of overstaying her welcome anywhere she went, even if she had only been there for a half hour.
Angie was staring at the windows above the main store. The sliding door leading from the living room to the balcony was fogged up with condensation and the inside was dark. "The people that were renting our old apartment moved out recently." She mumbled, unintentionally letting go of Chelly's hand. "I miss our apartment sometimes."
"You shouldn't." GLaDOS said, abruptly. GLaDOS, standing as straight as a fence post with her head held high, glanced up at the apartment windows from where she was standing. GLaDOS had remembered Lil telling her that before she was born, the apartment was a massive storage area above the store. Lil also said it only took a year and a half for it to be converted into a decently sized apartment. GLaDOS, standing perfectly still, scanned the building and nodded after a few seconds. "While it is a good size, it would still be too small for a growing family, Small One." GLaDOS reached into her Aperture Science Travel-Sized Trans-dimensional Storage Carrier Ladies Edition in white suede, and pulled out a pair of white framed sunglasses. She put them on just as Wheatley left the store.
"Sorry about the hold up, had to check a few things for Lil. Make sure everything is ticking properly, as it were. No messes or fires, that's good." Wheatley rambled. He noticed the family looking up at the dark windows of the apartment above the store. GLaDOS noticed Wheatley rubbing his head as well, finding his actions justified.
Holding out his hand, Wheatley motioned for Chelly to come to him. Chelly, who had been playing with a stick she found by a mailbox, put it down and ran to her father excitedly. GLaDOS watched this, with a weird sense of intrigue. Wheatley, for all his faults, and she argued there were many, loved his family very much. Somehow, she believed, this made up for him being a clumsy, idiotic, accident-prone meat-puppet.
"We have the whole day to do anything, Grandma!" Angie shouted, walking beside GLaDOS. GLaDOS liked hearing Angie and Chelly call her "Grandma"; it gave her a nice little jolt of what counts as a good feeling to her. "What do you want to do first?" Angie ran ahead, leading the group away from the bookstore.
Before GLaDOS could say anything, Dr. Rattmann put in his opinion. "A nice walk around the shopping district would be a good way to get the blood pumping. Then, we can get something to eat and finish our errands." Dr. Rattmann looked around at the piles of snow on parts of the sidewalk. "It looks like they are still plowing the snow off the streets."
"That explains why we parked so far away." GLaDOS complained.
Wheatley ignored GLaDOS and led the way down the sidewalk. This wasn't the first time GLaDOS had left the house and made her way around the shopping district. She sometimes liked to accompany Lil on errands when Lil asked for the Androids to come along. Heavy lifting was not something Lil could, or should, do at this stage in her pregnancy. Any heavy lifting (or any lifting at all as of late) was left to the surprisingly capable ATLAS and P-Body.
GLaDOS looked around at the snow-topped buildings. Steam from heaters blaring soared upward from the store rooftops, mixing with the falling snow to look like a wintery fog. She felt peace within her systems and let her mechanisms relax for a moment. The city wasn't aware of what she was. They weren't aware of the imminent danger just outside the town limits, lurking underground. They had no idea that she could vaporize them with the push of a button that would overload the reactors.
Suddenly, GLaDOS stopped and took a bigger look around at the people walking along the streets. Covered head to toe in warm garb, these humans were blissfully unaware that Aperture existed still just a few miles out of the city. Down the abandoned highway, passed the burnt-out remains of the gas station, and sitting in the crumbling parking lot. They weren't scared of her like she wanted them to be, because they had no idea they should be.
The city and its citizens had returned to its former life, somewhat, after the incident Lil called "The Combine Invasion". She never discussed it, and GLaDOS was left to do her own research. GLaDOS gripped her handbag tightly and just stood there, imagining this city abandoned and in ruins. It made a small smile creep across her face, but it didn't last long. The vision made her sad, and she wasn't sure why.
"Are you alright?" The calm, somewhat raspy voice of Dr. Rattmann shook GLaDOS from her daydream.
"Will it all be gone if he succeeds?" GLaDOS asked.
Assuming she meant the "Junk Heap" she sometimes refers to, Dr. Rattmann nodded. "If he's are dangerous as you say he is, than yes." Dr. Rattmann leaned on his cane, looking over at Wheatley as he and the girls stared into a storefront window. "I don't know what his true mission is, but I'm pretty sure it involves destroying you and taking over Aperture completely. If he's as incompetent as the one he is based on, well then…" Dr. Rattmann glanced over at Wheatley and the girls. "…I wouldn't say he's that incompetent at all."
"The Moron has grown up a bit." GLaDOS begrudgingly admitted. She watched as Chelly reached for her father, who picked her up and put her on his shoulders.
Chelly was one part Wheatley and one part Lil, but at that moment, GLaDOS saw neither one in that child. Her eyes, the same ones she shared with both Lil and Angie, were Chell's. GLaDOS once made a list of the reasons why she hated the humans. Near the top, for reasons she didn't know, she simply put eyes. She wasn't sure why until now. GLaDOS hated Her eyes. The eyes that glared up at her with defiance and anger toward the thing that was supposedly supposed to keep her safe.
GLaDOS tried to fight the feelings surging through her systems. She didn't realize she was following Dr. Rattmann back to the others nor did she notice they had made their way to the park. Snow still covered some of the bushes and the swings were put up for the season. People still walked around, enjoying the crisp air and the pause in snowfall. Steam came from some vendors by the semi-frozen pond, selling warm weather goodies to children and joggers in warm active garb.
This park held no significance to GLaDOS, or so she tried to tell herself. From what Lil told her once, the park was one of the places that somewhat survived the Combine Invasion. Rebuilt and rededicated after humanity got their bearings back.
"They've expanded it." Dr. Rattmann whispered. He walked ahead to catch up to Wheatley and the girls.
GLaDOS stood there, just now realizing the Androids were still with them. P-Body stopped and looked over to her boss with a curious expression. GLaDOS said nothing and followed after the others. ATLAS only shrugged and followed behind.
As Wheatley bought hot cocoa for Angie and Chelly, GLaDOS walked over to a tree just off the trail. She felt broken sidewalk stones under her shoes, the ground haven taken them years ago. She silently mocked the incompetence of whoever rebuilt the park and stared at the tree. She didn't notice Dr. Rattmann walking over with a Styrofoam cup filled with possibly watery hot chocolate. GLaDOS slowly walked toward the tree, squinting a bit.
"It wasn't this big…" she mumbled, stepping closer to the tree. She placed on hand on the old bark, feeling it crumble a little in her palm. "The bench is missing. There was a bench here. Whenever I…" She looked over at Dr. Rattmann and turned her head sharply. "…whenever she'd find a moment of peace, she'd come here. This was her favorite bench. I don't see why it was. There is no view from this bench and it's in a terrible location. Not to mention they didn't see it important enough to replace it. But she sat here, after work, or after her encounters with you…" she glared at Dr. Rattmann in disgust and went back to the tree. "…and she'd smile at the sky. How pointless."
Dr. Rattmann stared at the tree. "She brought me here once. I thought the same thing when she said this was her favorite bench. I will admit, it's a good spot to think. Out of the way, not very noisy, even in the summertime, and the tree is nice shade."
With a grunt, GLaDOS turned away from the tree. "Useless." She muttered, and returned to the company of Wheatley and the others. Dr. Rattmann shook her head and followed as well.
At Home
Lil wasn't paying attention to the gossip that was going on around the living room. She didn't hear May's loud guffaw at Annie's anecdote about her husband and the incident with the one-of-a-kind vase specially ordered for an important customer at her flower shop, nor did she hear Bernice say she can top that with the story of her sister and the fence dispute that got her neighbor arrested. Lil's mind wasn't on the pile of gifts she had just opened, or the coffee she was trying to enjoy. Her mind was on the future.
She tried to think of anything else, but it was no use. Lil was starting to wonder if her displeasure at GLaDOS was more a result of unresolved questions left by her mother. Her mother, Chell, or Mrs. McLain as most people called her, had many secrets, Lil knew this. She never felt it was her place to question her mother about her past. As her father often told her, the past was left where it was.
But in all that had happened in the past few years, from her parents dying, to meeting Wheatley and discovering her mother's true origins, to rebuilding the family she thought she'd lost, Lil couldn't help but feel like there was more to the puzzle her mother had left behind.
Mom… Lil thought, picking up her now cold cup of coffee. I don't know if there is a world after this one. I don't know if I'm just thinking to myself or if you can hear me. But if you are swimming around up there or whatever, I want you to know… Lil looked up at the picture of her entire family on the mantle. It was a recent picture of her, Dr. Rattmann, Wheatley, the Androids, and GLaDOS sitting in the backyard. Everyone, save for GLaDOS, had a big smile. …I don't hate you for keeping secrets from Angie and me. I just hope, wherever you are, that you and Dad are together and happy again. I know you never wanted us to go to that place and you never wanted us to experience the horrors you did. But life is funny, isn't it? But don't worry, Mom. We're fine. I don't hate you. I understand.
"-don't you agree, Lil?" Annie asked, putting her cup of coffee down.
Lil jumped out of her daydream and just nodded. She didn't hear the question, though it wouldn't have mattered because the girls went back to talking about nothing. Lil picked up a few coffee cups and offered to get more coffee. She let out a deep sigh as she picked up the lukewarm coffee pot. Lil reached for the sugar and her hand knocked over a pill bottle. She grumbled at Dr. Rattmann, mumbling about him leaving his medication out. She thought it was odd that he suddenly had new medication, but she never questioned him.
Lil picked up the bottle, though she didn't realize the cap was slightly askew until it fell off and some of the medicine fell on the counter. She picked up each pill, silently cursing and promising herself that she and Dr. Rattmann were going to have a talk about the dangers of leaving dangerous medicine out with children (and Wheatley) around. Lil didn't notice May come into the kitchen with the empty snack tray.
"Hey, thought I'd give you a hand." May laughed, placing the tray on the table and walking to the fridge. May looked over at Lil, who was meticulously putting pills back in a bottle. "Aspirin?"
Lil shook her head. "I knocked over Dr. Rattmann's medicine and I'm trying to put them back in."
May raised an eyebrow and picked up one of the pills. "Funny," she said, looking over the pill. "…these look exactly like the vitamins I used to take before I started working at the café."
Lil looked up. "Vitamins?"
May nodded. "Mmhmm, when I first started out on my vegan diet, I used to take diet supplements. You know like protein and stuff that you can't get on a regular vegan diet like mine. I wish you'd just cut out the middleman and go full vegan like me."
Lil snorted. "I enjoy milk in my coffee and eggs in my omelets. But tell me again about the vitamins."
With a smile, May put the pill on the container. "They're perfectly harmless and you can get them anywhere. I used to buy mine at the grocery store. Pretty inexpensive, too." May went back to loading up the snack tray with different goodies around the kitchen. "If you're worried about him taking them with his regular medicine, it shouldn't be a problem." May left the kitchen and rejoined the others in the living room, who cheered when she put down the tray of snack on the coffee table.
Lil put her hand on her forehead and rubbed it. Something wasn't right. She had long suspected that Dr. Rattmann hadn't been taking his medication regularly like he should. She often gave him his medicine in the morning, but lately he'd made sure no one else touched his medicine container. Lil took a closer look at the bottle. Her eyes widened when she saw the expiration date hadn't changed in three months.
Despite the calls from the living room for Lil to come and watch old movies of the entire group when they were teenagers, Lil stared at the basement door. She started to turn, wondering how she was going to approach Dr. Rattmann about this later. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a light coming from under the basement door.
At the Park
Wheatley looked up at the cloudy sky and smiled wide. Going out that morning was a good idea. It gave him time to recover his thoughts. Angie and Chelly were running around in front of the lake, their cold weather clothes making amusing swishing noises. The Androids were following them, throwing snowballs and shouting in their incomprehensible machine language. Dr. Rattmann had gone off to get more hot chocolate after he spilt his last cup. Chelly had decided to hide in a bush and her jumping out and shouting "BOO!" to him caused him to drop his drink and nearly have a heart attack.
Wheatley didn't notice GLaDOS sitting next to him. She watched the girls too, but didn't join in. She found such activities a waste of time and energy. They sat together, not very close, but close enough for any passersby to know they knew each other. Wheatley glanced over at GLaDOS but her gaze was on the lake.
"How do you do it?" GLaDOS asked, after some silence.
"Do what?" Wheatley asked.
"How do you come to terms with memories that you aren't even sure are yours?" GLaDOS leaned back, though she was still as straight as a board. "Memories, that I thought had been deleted a long time ago, are emerging and they are hers. Why won't she leave this world and let me continue on in peace?" GLaDOS's voice had a growl to it, like a teenager talking about another teenager she didn't like.
Shrugging, Wheatley leaned back, his posture more relaxed than GLaDOS's. "If you promise not to beat with your handbag, will you let me make an observation?" he asked.
"That's a big word for you, Moron. Has the Older One been helping you with your human homework?" GLaDOS teased.
Wheatley was reassured by this teasing that nothing had, or would ever, change between the two. He was happy with that, for reasons he didn't know. "She, Caroline, is you. Whether or not you wish to accept that is up to you. When I finally accepted that these memories I sometimes see were mine, I was a much happier person. It's odd, don't get me wrong, very odd indeed, to feel like you're watching another person's life but know it's yours. Maybe Miss Caroline is still swimming around in there, trying to tell you that once you were more than just highly technical whatsits and hoo-has, that you and her were once one and she wants you to accept that. Maybe, when you do that, she'll back off and let you live your own…well, I wouldn't say life, since…well…"
A soft wind blew some unshoveled snow toward them. GLaDOS just stared at the ground. "It's like…she wants to be free again." She murmured, as the girls and the Androids ran toward them.
"She knows she can't be free again." Wheatley whispered. "But she can live on through you. If you'll let her."
Angie ran up to GLaDOS and hugged her. "Grandma! Did you see that big snowball I threw into the lake?"
GLaDOS fell back a bit as both girls hugged her tight. She liked this more than she wanted to admit. GLaDOS leaned forward and hugged the two girls close. Caroline or GLaDOS, it didn't matter, because nothing felt as good as holding her "granddaughters" did. The euphoric solution couldn't even compare to the pride she felt when they called her Grandma. When Angie would come home from school and run inside just to tell GLaDOS about her day, or when Chelly happily showed GLaDOS that she had eaten everything on her little plate.
"You know, it's okay to be happy when you're happy." Wheatley whispered, getting up to go find Dr. Rattmann. Chelly smiled up at GLaDOS and slowly let go of her hand to toddle after her father. ATLAS and P-Body decided to patrol the area, as if something was telling them to be wary.
Angie hopped onto the bench where Wheatley had been, happy that it was dry and warm now. "Grandma, are you and Uncle ATLAS and Aunt P-Body going away?" she asked.
"Why would you ask me that?" GLaDOS retorted.
Angie looked away. "Because I heard you talking to Grandpa a few days before my recital. You said you guys had a lot of work that needed to be done and you won't stay for long." Angie swung her legs while fighting back the urge to cry. "Grandma, if you guys do leave, do you promise to visit? Ever since we left that place years ago, I thought about you. You told me about my mom and how lonely it got when she left your big lab. I was worried that you were lonely again without me or Lil or Wheatley. I never told Lil or Wheatley or Grandpa this, but I don't want you to leave! I don't want you to be lonely again."
GLaDOS looked down at the child and her eyes grew softer. She smiled and hugged Angie close. "Small One, we aren't leaving. I patched things up with your 'Grandfather' and we're going to stay. We will have to go back to fix some problems, but we will return. Your home is our home, now."
Angie smiled a teary smile and jumped in GLaDOS's arms. Both hugged each other tight. Dr. Rattmann had returned at that moment with Wheatley behind him. Angie let go of GLaDOS and ran to Dr. Rattmann, who was surprised by her hug. GLaDOS looked up from her spot. "Moron, may I speak with the Maniac alone?" she asked.
Not sure what was going on, but weirded out all the same, Wheatley took the girls and went to find a restroom. Neither of the little girls needed to use one, but Wheatley knew when he needed to be as far away as possible.
When they were alone, GLaDOS nodded to Dr. Rattmann. "I have decided to stay. Eventually, we will return to Aperture and 'fix' our problem, but for now, we are staying. I want you to ready your things and relocate to my room when we return to the house. We will use your basement as a workshop."
Dr. Rattmann raised one eyebrow and put his hands in his coat pockets. "If you say so, my Maschinenmensch."
They didn't move for a moment. GLaDOS closed her eyes, content with how things were going now. If it were any other person, Dr. Rattmann would have assumed that GLaDOS was sleeping. He looked out onto the pond, the small sheets of ice floating like little boats. He was starting to wonder when the ducks would return when GLaDOS's sudden movements caught his attention.
GLaDOS squinted her intricate face and moaned softly. Something awful was happening. In her mind, through the cameras that were still linked to the facility, she saw him. How he managed it, she didn't know, but he had found a way to open a portal. Or, he was attempting to, anyway. The Hand-held Portal Device he was using looked heavily modified, like the one she and Dr. Rattmann had been using.
It was then she realized how he knew her plans, how he circumvented every safeguard, challenged her control, and possibly how he knew how to make a device like theirs. It was so obvious, but she had been so busy protecting the humans from him, she didn't see it. He had found a way to "see" through her eyes, and possibly ATLAS and P-Body's as well. The device sputtered in his hand, and though the portals barely formed at all, GLaDOS could tell the device he had was functional. She was his crinkled, patchwork smile as he waited for the device he had to warm back up. The time for war had come, and none of them were ready. Her eyes shot open at that point.
"We need to go home…" GLaDOS shouted, standing up. Her mechanical pupils were dilated and the expression on her face filled Dr. Rattmann with dread. What had GLaDOS seen in that moment when she closed her eyes? Had she accessed the facility's cameras and seen something bad? If so, why was she saying they needed to go home? Did she mean the house or Aperture?
At that moment, Wheatley returned with the girls. Chelly looked pretty relieved now and skipped happily toward GLaDOS and Dr. Rattmann. "There we are, right as rain. Now, where shall we head next?" he asked, not picking up that something was wrong.
GLaDOS turned to him. Wheatley was shocked to see she was visibly shaken by something. "Moron, pack up the children. We must leave at once." She shouted, standing up and gathering her purse. GLaDOS started toward the parking lot and didn't realize that she was the only one moving.
"But Grandma," Angie chirped. "…we just got here. We still have a lot of things to do!"
Dr. Rattmann, ignoring Wheatley's question about what was going on, ran to GLaDOS. "What is it?" he asked, putting his hand on her shoulder. "What did you see? Is something happening at the facility?" Dr. Rattmann didn't realize he was asking the wrong question.
"No." GLaDOS answered softly. She looked up when she heard footsteps coming toward her. The Androids, back from their patrol, raced toward GLaDOS with equally worried expressions gracing their intricately designed faces. Had they seen it too? GLaDOS looked at them as they approached, nodding to them in some unspoken mechanical language.
Wheatley, with the girls trailing behind him, stomped toward the others. The half-melted snow crunched under his boots. "Alright, someone had better tell me what the bloody hell is going on!" he demanded.
GLaDOS just glared at him. "Moron, we need to go home, NOW!"
At Home
The party was over. Lil's friends had left not a few moments before, but she couldn't concentrate on cleaning up from the party. The medicine, or vitamins, she had found raised a lot of questions that a certain android and doctor were going to answer. She had gone into the kitchen to find the broom, but instead stood in front of the door that led to Dr. Rattmann's den.
Lil knew better than to snoop around in the den. She knew that she had to respect Dr. Rattmann's privacy, but she grew ever suspicious of whatever he and GLaDOS were up to down in the den. Lil wanted to think she knew both parties well, but as she slowly descended the steps, she realized she barely knew either. Granted, she knew Dr. Rattmann better, but it was still a frightening thought just the same. All the time he spent down in this den, even before GLaDOS and her androids showed up, Dr. Rattmann had to be up to something.
It was then that Lil realized something she hadn't thought about before. The more she felt she knew Dr. Rattmann, the more Lil realized she had let a total stranger into her family's life. Lil only knew so much about Dr. Rattmann and still accepted him as part of the family. But the man that Angie lovingly called "Grandpa" was always something of an enigma to Lil. After their first Aperture adventure, Lil knew he'd have nowhere to go. Everyone he knew was long dead and Lil felt she owed him a debt for protecting Angie. When repairs were done to the apartment and the store, Lil let Dr. Rattmann stay in Wheatley's room since Wheatley was now staying in Lil's room for obvious reasons.
Dr. Rattmann made himself quite useful after that. He helped out around the apartment, around the store, and even watched Angie when Lil and Wheatley needed some time alone or if either one was busy. His technical know-how had saved the bookstore and apartment numerous times and, Lil discovered one particularly cold winter day, Dr. Rattmann was a pretty good cook. It was Dr. Rattmann that also hacked the government networks to give himself and Wheatley new identifications. All legal down to the last period and dotted line, no one would dispute them.
Lil stepped lightly onto each step toward the den. Her pregnant belly made sudden movements impossible and walking fast down any type of stairs was out of the question. She gripped the wooden railing tightly as she slowly descended further toward the ominous looking door. She also realized she hadn't been down to the den much, either.
When Lil and Wheatley first looked at the home that would one day house the entire Pendleton family, the den was the only part of the house Lil refused to look at. The real estate agent assured her the basement was anything but a basement now, as it had been refurbished to be a den. The only thing that remained of its basement origins was the water heater, the fuse box at the top of the stairs, and some spare furniture the family before them left behind. Dr. Rattmann had no problem making this space his own when they moved in. He insisted on it right away, despite Lil's own insisting of him using the attic.
When she thought about it, Lil believed Dr. Rattmann living in the basement/den was a weird coping mechanism for him. He had been underground for years, so it made sense to Lil that Dr. Rattmann would feel better living here. It probably reminded him of the walls and empty offices he used to rest in whenever he explored the facility outside the garden. That thought gave Lil some comfort as she looked around the den, though she wasn't sure what she was looking for.
Lil didn't like the idea of invading Dr. Rattmann's privacy but she reasoned that this was her house and she had every right to know what was going on in the basement/den. No matter how terrifying the thought was, Lil needed to know. Their oath to keep out most things Aperture had been broken when GLaDOS came back into their lives.
Whatever was going on in the den, Lil felt she needed to know. She couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that something wasn't right. "It's just a den." She kept repeating to herself. "It's just a den that used to be a basement but now it's a den. A harmless den that houses Dr. Rattmann and whatever he does down here when we're all busy upstairs."
The nagging feeling that something wasn't right got worse the closer Lil got to the door. It was strongest when Lil finally reached the door. She stood in front of the old wooden door and contemplated her next step wisely. It had only been a minute but it felt like hours to Lil when she finally reached for the doorknob. She reasoned that she'd open the door, find nothing in there of any significance, and leave. No one had to know she was snooping around where she didn't need to be.
Lil could vaguely hear Rover barking from the other side of the door. She had forgotten that Dr. Rattmann had put him down there on Wheatley's insistence or else Lil would have used that as an excuse to go down there instead. Lil slowly turned the knob and opened the door to the den, letting Rover squeeze out and run up the stairs. Lil opened the door just a little more when she saw an odd light come from the far side of the den. Rover stopped just before he reached the top step and barked after Lil as if telling her to stop. Lil didn't oblige.
Rover's barking became more panicked as Lil stepped into the den. "Hello?" she shouted, not knowing why she did. She had this overwhelming feeling that there was someone or something else in this room. In her heart of hearts, Lil was hoping Dr. Rattmann had taken in a stray cat without telling them. Lil looked around, guided only by the light from the doorway leading to the kitchen. The little window that gave a peek of the front yard was completely covered in snow from the recent snow fall.
Lil heard a sound and darted her glance back toward the door. Rover stood in the doorway, growling at something. Lil heard the sound again and turned back toward the window. Lil made her way toward the area that Dr. Rattmann used as a living space. The old couch from the apartment, some shelves, a television stand with an old television, and a cot that looked a little more worn than she remembered were all she saw in this space. It wasn't until a flicker from her peripheral vision caught her attention that Lil realized Dr. Rattmann used the den for more than just a makeshift home.
Lil walked over to what looked like a makeshift workshop and looked around. A miniature lab of sorts, Lil could see Dr. Rattmann was a busy man indeed. Different parts of different electronics were strewn about on the desks and floors. The old cabinet, which was already in the den when they moved in, was wide open. But it wasn't the open cabinet that made Lil gasp and start for the door again. It was what she found on the workbench near the water heater that terrified her most.
Something in the back of her head told her not to lift the sheet. She wasn't going to like what she saw. She knew that. She wasn't going to understand at all. It didn't stop her from reaching for the sheet anyway and pulling it away. With the sheet on one hand and her other hand over her mouth, Lil shook her head in terror. "No! Not here!" she shouted, glancing down at the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device sitting on the bench in front of her.
Lil stepped back, letting go of the sheet. The flickering light came back, but Lil as too terrified to notice. She barely heard Rover's barking or the Jeep pulling up in the driveway. Rover's barking got louder as the flickering light got brighter. But Lil heard almost nothing. She heard her heart pounding as the light stopped flickering and became solid. Lil didn't move an inch. She couldn't move at all. She didn't want to believe this device was here. For three years, she realized, Dr. Rattmann had been working on the one thing Lil never wanted to see again. The device that kept her mother imprisoned at Aperture, the device Lil had to use to survive, and the embodiment of everything Lil wanted to shield her family from.
Lil didn't hear the feverish scrambling of footsteps running in through the front door. Lil backed up and started for the door when something else caught her attention. The piece of wall, which Lil didn't really notice until just now, had a blue hole in it. It didn't lead to the water heater right behind it, though. Lil looked away for just a moment to make sure the device was still on the work bench. It was, still sitting motionless and mocking her. Lil turned her head again toward the blue hole to see a familiar shaped shadow looming over her.
"'Ello, love!"
Lil's scream pieced the uneven air upstairs. Wheatley turned in the direction of the kitchen and ran for the den stairs. Dr. Rattmann and GLaDOS knew the jig was up. Lil had obviously found the device and now she was going to be mad.
At least, that's what they thought until they heard Wheatley shout "Who the bloody hell are you? Hey! Let go of my wife!"
Ordering the Androids to stay upstairs with the children, GLaDOS and Dr. Rattmann ran to the den and saw Wheatley almost literally staring at himself. The patchwork grin of insanity froze Dr. Rattmann's blood and caused GLaDOS to almost completely freeze up again. Lil, having fainted from fright, sat cradled in the patchwork monstrosity's arms.
"Finally…" it muttered, holding Lil close. "I have her back. She's back safely with me." It sounded like it wanted to cry, but literally couldn't. It looked up at Wheatley and a crinkled grin spread across its patchwork face. It was like looking into a mirror, except for the patchwork skin and the red eye. "She's mine, you FAKE!"
Before Wheatley could do anything, the patchwork double slowly stepped into the blue light and it faded away. He stood there, a cold rush going through his entire body. He slowly turned to Dr. Rattmann and GLaDOS. His face was a combination of anger and terror. He tightened his fists and held back angry tears.
"First off, you're going to tell me what just happened and why I was looking at 'myself'." Wheatley growled. He didn't let either of them interject. "…then, you are going to tell me how to get Lil back. Now, start from the beginning. NOW!"
Dr. Rattmann was about to speak, but it was GLaDOS who told Wheatley everything. Their true reason for coming to live with them, who that was, and the many possible reasons it kidnapped Lil. Dr. Rattmann decided to get to work on the device. He tweaked it as best he could, all while listening to GLaDOS explain everything. Wheatley made sure nothing was held back. When the story was done, the Androids had brought the girls downstairs.
"…and that's the story. My plan was to go back momentarily and get rid of him using the One-Way Portal Device. I'm fairly certain that if we don't stop him, he'll destroy the facility. He's a copy of you, but he's also a malfunctioning mess. Who knows what will happen if we don't stop him."
Wheatley took a deep breath and took the device from Dr. Rattmann. "I don't care what happens to Aperture." He growled, looking at the white wall. "I can collapse on itself and stay buried for all I care. But before that happens, I am going back there and I am getting Lil." Wheatley aimed the device at the wall, unsure of what would actually happen. At this point, he could only hope for the best. "You two are coming with me."
"What about the children, idiot?" GLaDOS asked. "The Cooperative Testing Initiative will need to come too. If we're going to take on the Junk Heap, we'll need all the help we can get until we reach the Central Control room. We can't leave them here alone."
Angie and Chelly looked up at Wheatley. "Wheatley, where's Lil?" Angie asked, keeping Chelly close.
Wheatley let out a long breath, keeping his aim at the wall. "So, there's no telling where we'll end up? How did the other me get here, then?" he asked.
Dr. Rattmann and GLaDOS actually had no answer for that. "I can only assume he used GLaDOS and the Androids as some kind of link. I'm not sure how to recreate that with our device, since we have no link to him. It's all trial and error." Dr. Rattmann guessed.
Wheatley nodded. "Alright, everyone." He said, keeping his arm steady. "Family trip time. ATLAS, P-Body, you're on babysitting duty. Keep the girls safe and out of harm's way until we reach Lil and…whoever that was that took her. We're going back to Aperture. We're going to find Lil, and we're going to end this nightmare once and for all!"
GLaDOS wasn't sure what was going to happen. She had held reign over Aperture for a good century and some more years, but she actually had no idea what was going to be waiting for them when the portal opened. She resigned herself in the fact that this indeed needed to end. She knew the only way to reclaim Aperture at this point was to take it back. That meant breaking her promise to her "granddaughters" and leaving them.
But she reassured herself that it was for the best. The time was now. GLaDOS and the Androids were going home.
Wheatley squeezed the tripper of the device, firing a blue light at the wall.
Hi, hi, everyone! Did you miss me?
I guess I have a lot of explaining to do. Yes, I'm about *looks at watch* a year or so late to update. For that, I apologize. So much has been happening lately that I won't bore you with the details. My love life has gone from almost happening to practically nonexistent. My home life isn't exciting, and my job is still just that. You might have noticed I've posted a few other fics in and around the site, so go check those out if you'd like.
I've been working on my novel as well, which is going so-so. The inspiration fairy is a total bitch and she doesn't visit me as often as she used to. But slowly, I've worked out this chapter and I even put in some overtime to get it out for you guys.
I guess my problem is I'm something of a perfectionist when I comes to my works. I didn't want to let anyone down, but in my quest to make everyone happy, I burnt myself out. I found myself eating my own advice, which is something we all do every now and then. You aren't always going to make people happy. For every person that likes your work, there is someone who thinks it's the most incomprehensible piece of nonsense they have ever read. But even if just one person likes your story and leaves a positive review, you can take solace in knowing you made at least one person's day a lot better with an update. And then your day gets better. And then two people are happy.
So, let's make some good days, shall we? Leave a review and tell me how happy/angry you are at me for releasing this chapter. It was…way overdue, let me tell you. Check out my Tumblr too for updates and weird little thoughts I occasionally have.
Well, read, review, and be merry…and don't forget to pace yourselves.
GLaDOS, Wheatley, Dr. Rattmann, ATLAS, and P-Body belong to Valve.