Wheatley sat in the wheat field for what must have been hours staring up at the vast blue sky. The air was... fresh? The sun hot on his skin. The clouds were... pretty.
He knew what the outside world looked like, of course. He had landed on Earth with Space Core, stuck in a forest nearby before they had been dragged back to Aperture by the retrieval bot.
It wasn't the same.
He tore his eyes away from the clouds and watched GLaDOS as she continued to sleep. Sometime between their escape from AEGIS and rise to the surface she had passed out. She'd been sleeping ever since.
Maybe she was dying. It's not as if he could tell.
As much as he wanted to feel apathetic about that idea, he also didn't want to be left alone on the surface. He hated to admit it, but he needed her. She was still the boss.
But oh boy, was she going to be mad when she woke up. He was dreading it.
As if on cue, she stirred with a soft groan. He braced himself.
Her eye flickered open, the left one still swollen shut, and she stared up at the blue abyss above them. Wheatley held his breath, waiting for her to notice him. Waiting for the inevitable blowup.
She blinked, then looked at the wheat surrounding her. The little shack leading to Aperture just within her sight range.
Then she noticed him and their eyes met.
He could not read hers.
"So..." he began, breaking the ice, "We're alive."
She didn't respond. She merely pulled herself up by her elbows and looked around, taking in their surroundings. He was getting more nervous by the second.
"GLaDOS?" he squeaked.
She looked back at him, confusion on her face. "Who?"
She has brain damage! Wheatley began to internally panic, every horrible scenario flashing through his mind. Wait, maybe this is a good thing! Yes, she won't want to kill you anymore and you can convince her she's a normal, regular human and we can-
Then she hunched forward, clutching her head as her face scrunched with discomfort. "Hrgh, what the...? Where are we?" she asked through gritted teeth.
He continued to watch her, concerned by her behavior and unsure what to do.
"I asked you where we were, idiot," she demanded, still holding her head.
"Oh, it is you," he said, slightly disappointed.
"Who else?"
"We're alive. That's what's most important, right?" he grinned.
"That wasn't my question," she retorted.
"We're... I had to make a quick decision, y'know. It wasn't easy. I could have left you down there. I mean, AEGIS was about to snap your neck, so technically I saved your life and you did promise to let me go-"
"What did you do?" she looked up, taking in her surroundings as if seeing them for the first time. "We're outside. We're up there."
"It's not so bad," he shrugged. "Smells nice."
She let out a noise that sounded like a mix of a laugh and a cry. "We were so close... We were so close. How could you do this to me?"
"I saved your life. You're welcome, by the way," he folded his arms. She couldn't be grateful for anything, could she?
GLaDOS didn't respond. She just curled up, shoving her face between her knees and running her hands through her hair. "Oh God... Not the outside. Anything but the outside..."
"But it's really not that bad!" Wheatley was dumbfounded by this display. How was he the sane one here? "It could be worse. We could be in lower Aperture instead."
She stopped fidgeting. "You're right. That is worse." She started to shake and Wheatley was growing more concerned by the second. Maybe she really did have brain damage.
Then he realized.
"Are you laughing?" his mouth dropped open.
She finally looked at him, shaking with pained laughter. "This is absurd. Yesterday, I was minding my own business. Testing my bots without a care in the world. And then you showed up again."
He swallowed.
"You're just one measly personality core. How do you manage to destroy everything you touch?" She wiped away a tear. "It's my own fault. I've gotten too soft. I should've crushed you to pieces the moment you returned."
He rubbed his arms. Well, I'm glad you didn't.
"What do we do now?" he asked.
She got to her feet and brushed the dirt from her jumpsuit. "We find shelter, food, get our energy back, and then..."
She looked at the shack with renewed fire in her eye. "I'm taking what's rightfully mine. I will be back."
They had been walking for hours.
GLaDOS had to admit she felt a little better after getting proper sleep, but the sun was exacerbating the burns on her face and it was becoming increasingly uncomfortable the longer they walked. She was probably supposed to do something about it, but it wasn't as if they had easy access to water or medical supplies. She could toughen it out.
"I wonder if she is out here somewhere. We could use her help right about now," Wheatley spoke up, his voice dry from lack of water. He didn't use her name, but GLaDOS knew exactly who he was talking about.
"You must be joking. If she's alive, she's on the other side of the planet as far away from here as possible," GLaDOS was annoyed. She didn't like to think of the former test subject and didn't appreciate the way the moron kept trying to bring her up in conversation.
"She's really good at bringing down maniacal AIs though," he said.
"Please be quiet," GLaDOS groaned. "I don't want to hear you mention her again."
"What's the matter? Weren't you guys best buddies in the end?"
Her shoulders tensed. "That's enough."
"You two worked together to bring me down, so I don't see what the problem is-"
She whirled around, "I said that's enough!"
Instead of flinching, he squared up as if trying to study her. She was losing her grip on him and would need to do something about that.
GLaDOS changed the subject. "I see a tree line ahead, which indicates a water source nearby. We can test our luck up there," she said. "Just save your energy and stop talking until we find some water."
He shrugged, "Fine."
And they continued onward in silence.
Not only did they find water, but after another day's hike, the water formed a river that led them straight to some sort of ramshackle town.
Wheatley swallowed, intimidated by the idea of walking into a place full of very much alive humans. Sleeping test subjects were so much different than this and he was not prepared in the slightest.
GLaDOS didn't seem too fond of the idea of going into the town either, which made him feel better, but she insisted they would have to put up with it. They needed supplies badly.
"Take off your boots," GLaDOS instructed.
"What? Why?"
"The humans cannot be allowed to see our Aperture equipment," she said, stripping off her Aperture shirt and turning it inside out so the logo was no longer visible. "We don't want to risk anyone recognizing it."
"Why not?"
She glared at him, "Because, you moron, the facility has been untouched by humans for centuries and I like it that way. I shudder to imagine what they would do if they found us down there."
"But... we aren't there right now," he handed her his boots and followed her lead in adjusting his clothes.
"It belongs to me and I will not let them touch it again," she looked him over and shook her head, "We still look like escaped test subjects. Take the orange jumpsuit off."
He blanched, "No way! I'm not walking in there naked!"
GLaDOS rolled her eyes, "You're a core. Since when do you care about decency?"
"If you don't care, then you take your pants off."
She folded her arms, "I am a woman. Do you even know what humans are like?"
"Why are you a woman but I'm just a core?" he sniffed. "I happen to enjoy wearing pants, thank you very much."
She sighed, "You have shorts on underneath the jumpsuit. We'll get new pants in town."
"Then you wear your shorts."
"I don't have shorts," she turned red. "Stop arguing and do as I say before I rip them off myself."
"You aren't wearing shorts?"
"Wheatley!"
"Fine, fine! Sheesh," he pulled off the jumpsuit with a pout and examined his bare legs with disdain. "Now we look like homeless freaks."
"Which is good. If you look pathetic enough maybe they'll give you free clothes," she pushed past him and started to dig a hole at the base of the tree. He joined her and they buried their things, portal guns and all. Then GLaDOS marched straight toward the town.
He took a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders, ready to follow her.
Here we go.