"What is this place?!" Wheatley murmured, as he was surrounded by faceless soldiers... terrifying monsters that he could never understand. And he knew that. Those empty masks, as they stared into him, speaking in a low tone, as if he were some prize of war. And the more that Wheatley thought about it, the more Wheatley figured that he was.
The occasional question he tried to ask flew off into the silence, as after long, no one was even talking amongst themselves. It was just silence. A near unbearable silence. No windows. No doors. Nothing but still soldiers and silence. After what felt like a century, he was picked up, and walked over to a machine in the corner. "Hey-hey now! What are you doing? What's that thing?"
He was placed into the machine, and then... he vanished. When Wheatley managed to get his camera operational again, he clearly recognized his location... In a similar machine from the ship, but this one is deep inside of Aperture Science. Deep inside of Wheatley's old home... the place he loved and hated.
The place he had so wanted to escape. The place he had ruled over. The place he would have given anything to go back to. He was left near speechless, but eventually he managed to say two words. "My God..."
I was trapped, but it would get worse. The crows put me down, staring me down, as I look up. And there, just there, is the Goddess. The Goddess herself. The brilliant thing, hung what must be hundreds of feet above the ground, and even the head is gently held so incredibly high up, it's incredible. She looks considering, the mechanisms of her core delicately creating an expression of benevolent curiosity. Or for all I know it's just my admiration getting in the way of sanity and accurate description.
But then she spoke, that lightly processed, low, feminine voice, that we turrets fear so much, is talking directly to me. "You are Tt-373617, correct?" I grumble faintly. That is my designation, but I've never thought of myself like that, as an endless number sequence. I don't have a NAME, per say, but I'm not just an empty designation. But I gently respond, "I am... Goddess... why did you bring me here?"
"Because you know the future. Even I cant do that, in more than probabilities. So I need your help"
I just stared at her, unbelieving.
The Goddess wants me. My help.
"You're not joking?"
"No. I am not. Now more than ever, I need to know what's going to happen. Do you know about the Combine?"
"The... huh?"
"The lifeforms from another world that have taken over this planet. I've managed to keep up negotiations for a long time. That is the only reason that we are still autonomous. That my facility hasn't become another piece of property they own." Her voice is getting sterner now, more forceful. "But they have been insisting, lately, that they take some of our technology. Our fully sentient personality constructs."
"And I need to know if you can see anything."
Wheatley was alone. There was no one around, and apart from the machine that brought him here, the permanent portal of sorts, there wasn't anything interesting. Faint voices came from above, mostly Hers. "Oh bloody... she's not going to be happy at all, is she." He started to panic. "I was completely monstrous to her and the human girl. And... oh. Oh no oh no oh no. She's going to kill me! She's probably going to kill me because of everything, and I couldnt even stay in space!"
"Well, I mean, it's not like I had much of a choice. The giant space alien ship took me and just plopped me back here, I guess. And now I'm just jabbering to myself."
Wheatley continued to speak for quite a while, before he heard something from above, something scary...
"What do you mean you cant?"
The Goddess's voice was cold, and just a bit angry. I had only told her the truth. I don't see anything right now.
And even if I did, it isn't like I understand what it means.
"I mean that I cant! I don't know what else you want from me!"
"I want you to tell me if there's any hope for this place. Or if I should have just put you with the other turrets. Come on now, you keep calling me 'Goddess', you clearly respect me, so why don't you talk to me?"
Her voice grows gentler, less aggressive. "I need to know. Because there w-" And then she stops. A set of lights are appearing on various wall panels. Ambers and yellows, none of which look particularly cheerful. "Oh no." She muttered, eye narrowing, as if in focus. She looks stark, but there's this power to every move she makes, as lights shift. I can feel the lower rooms of Aperture rearranging themselves, as I simply watch.
What else could I do but watch?