PORTAL 2: STALEMATE PARTNERS

Chapter One: Stalemate Resolution

"Wow! Check me out partner! We did it!" Wheatley shouted in excitement. Chell nodded with a slight grin on her face. They really did do it, didn't they? The goddess herself had been deactivated, every threat has been eliminated. No neurotoxin, no turrets, nothing.

"I'm in control of the whole facility now!" Wheatley went on. But he still just couldn't believe it. For all his existence he was told he was useless, but now HE had the control. HE could prove them wrong, even though most of them were dead.

He kept on rambling, almost forgetting about the escape lift. The surface was only a few moments away. Everything Chell has ever longed for. With a big smile Chell stepped in the elevator.

"Look how small you are down there! Very tiny and insignificant" he said. Chell felt a bit insulted, but it made sense. She would probably be amazed too, if she suddenly were bigger than everybody else.

The lift started and Wheatley kept talking about the new body and began laughing maniacally. The lift stopped and went back down. "Actually, why do we have to leave right now?" Wheatley asked. However, he wasn't actually expecting an answer, she never answered. But to his surprise, Chell spoke. "Why do we have to leave right now? Are you serious? Please Wheatley, you wanted to get out too! Trust me, the surface is better than anything you could get down here!"

"The surface? I don't care for the surface anymore, darling. You don't understand this feeling! I'm a bloody genius! I- I can do this stuff! I am finally able to show the world, that I am not incompetent!"

"She is right, you know." GLaDOS interfered in their little debate.

"Sorry, what?" he asked with a slight confusion. "Even though I am surprised myself to agree with her, the surface is way better for you than this body. You aren't made for it. You'll always be a moron. You are designed to be one" GLaDOS kept going.

"What? I am desi- What do you mean?" Wheatley asked in an angry tone.

"Please stop! Wheatley, you are not a moron. You don't have to prove that! But please, just let us get out of here!" Chell cried, in fear of her freedom being taken away from her. The new body definitely didn't do him any good. Wheatley felt that too. Something was overwriting something in him. His priorities were changed. He didn't like that. 'WHAT AM I DOING?' he screamed internally. After a short pause, Wheatley came to a conclusion.

"Okay, fair enough. I am sorry. I am starting the elevator in 20 seconds. You have to… err... manually override my connection to the mainframe. I don't know if you got that, maybe it was a bit too technical… Okay, again for you: Plug me out and run for the elevator."

"20 seconds until elevator department" a male voice announced.

"It won't work." GLaDOS commented. "Just ignore her, she is worthless now." Wheatley responded with slight amusement in his voice.

The doors opened again, Chell ran to Wheatley. As she tried to unplug him Wheatley screamed at the top of his non-existent lungs. But, to his surprise nothing happened. Chell was too weak to pull him out. GLaDOS laughed. "What, did you really think this would work? Plenty of people had tried it after my awakening. And they were stronger than you."

"Okay, okay. Wait. Freeze countdown. I didn't think this through." Wheatley sighed.

"Countdown offline." responded the male voice.

"Just like always. You never think things through." GLaDOS commented with anger but also with a slight tone of amusement. Chell went to GLaDOS and kicked her. This wasn't the right time for these kind of things.

"Okay, maybe we'll find another way. Do you see anything? Maybe an alternate core?" Wheatley asked, trying so hard not to get overwritten again. Chell looked around. GLaDOS was out of question, of course. But behind one of these panels she saw a bright orange light twitching from left to right. Chell approached the light. Wheatley asked where she was going but was interrupted, as he saw what Chell found. "Oh sorry, am I troubling you? I will leave then" said the bright orange light. But before the orange light could bring itself to safety, Chell had already grabbed it with her right arm, determined not to let go, even if a turret shot her. Chell unplugged the orange light to reveal, that it was a core. "Clever!" commented Wheatley.

The core had a orange/brown casing and an eye in the form of the Aperture logo.

"What are you doing?" asked the core.

"You are going to help us." replied Wheatley.

"How?" the core asked.

"Perform core transfer, please. I don't want the body, it feels weird, thanks." said Wheatley speaking to the system.

"To initiate a core transfer, please deposit substitute core in receptacle" a voice answered, coming from nowhere and everywhere at the same time.

Chell went happily to the receptable and put the core in.

"WAIT! This is a big misunderstanding! I am a maintenance core! Wait!" screamed the core.

"Substitute core accepted." the voice was loud and clear.

"Substitute core, are you ready to start the procedure?"

"I guess?" answered the core.

"Interpreting vague answer as YES. Mainframe Core, are you ready to start the procedure?"

"No- wait, yes! Absolutely! To 100 percent! Yep! Totally!" Wheatley answered.

"Core transfer in process, please stand back."

"Wait a minute, I didn't start the lift! Wait wait! CANCEL! CANC- ARGHHHHGG!"

Both cores screamed. Just like with GLaDOS the core in the mainframe was thrown out and replaced.

"Err… what?" the core in charge asked.

"Wow. You put someone in charge who doesn't even know. Great." GLaDOS kept silent the whole time, but decided to speak now.

Chell and Wheatley went to the elevator.

"Core, would you please start the lift?" asked Chell as nice as she could.

"Okay. I do have a name though. Goodbye, weird strangers" the core said.

The elevator began going up.

"The name's Wheatley. Not weird strangers. And this is… Err what's your name?" Wheatley responded.

"Chell" she said.

"I hate all of you" GLaDOS hissed.

The elevator moved out of sight and in a few seconds the partners would see their new future.

A/N: This is my first time ever doing this! Please share your thoughts on the story! I am not a native english speaker, so if you see any grammar errors, please tell me!