Chap 2: Retrieval

Disclaimer: I do not own Portal 2

–

GLaDOS set about preparing to bring the moron back from his confinement in space, already going over what she planned to do to him. Oh, was she going to make him suffer for what he had did. In such a short time, he had managed to make an absolute mess of her facility as well as stuff her into a child's toy, reducing her to the torments of a bird and being carried around. He had already suffered being carried around, so it would take a little creativity to make him suffer any more than she had. Stuffing him into a potato and leaving him in the hands of a flock of birds sounded like an option, but she was never one for being a copycat.

Still processing possible revenge plans, she checked on the conditions of the humans still in stasis, still tempted to take one out and drop in the testing lab.

Test...

She had her revenge now. She prepared Atlas and P-body for retrieval, planning to use the same method that sent her new subject into space in the first place, the two robots being secured so they wouldn't suffer the same fate. While that was being handled, she searched for a possible subject from the projects she had tinkered with in the old days, not finding anything remotely useful, except for a few extra parts for the robots that were never built. The parts were built to simulate humans, and while they did work, some of them looked too much like human limbs for her to even consider building something out of them. There was enough limbs there to replace P-body and Atlas for the next few years, but she had something special in mind for some of the limbs. Assembling them together, she created a more human like form. Thick wires were strung together to create muscles to cover the main frame of the body she was building, the super computer building a bipedal robot body. It was more advanced than Atlas and P-body, but in a way, much more simpler.

She only needed the body to be strong enough for testing, making sure that it wouldn't be able to perform any amazing feats, but still strong enough to not break easily. After all, the moron who would soon be wired to this body would most likely screw up every single test she put him through. She looked forward to what could be possibly hours of enjoyment at watching him get repeatedly dismantled by his own stupid decisions.

Next up was waiting for his retrieval.

–

Space Core was excited, floating around in space. There was just so much to see, and everywhere was something new to see! Turning around rapidly, Space Core tried to take in every little last sight while the other core was in sleep mode. He cared little about the other core, there was space to see. Turning around enough to make others dizzy, Space Core spotted something coming from the moon, another one like him. It was tethered to something from inside a glowing hole in the moon and was moving quickly, moving past him and picking up the second core, returning and grabbing Space Core as well, the cosmos-oriented personality core making one hell of a fuss as he was dragged back through the glowing hole in the moon, ending up in the one facility he had left behind for space.

" Space?" he whined, wanting to go back to it, instead gazing up at the giant mainframe computer that would ultimately seal his and the second core's fate.

" Not today." GlaDOS said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

–

GLaDOS waited patiently as she watched P-body aiding Atlas in the retrieval of Wheatley. She had gotten a few extremely strong and thick cables, the kind used to keep astronauts from hurtling into space and had Atlas tethered to them, lest she lose another subject to the endless void. In Atlas's arms were both Cores, though she had specified only the one of them. Closer inspection revealed that both cores were temporarily shut down, one by choice and the other by Atlas, so it was only natural for the robot to have gotten them both, unable to differentiate. Only the unique colors of their lenses could tell all of the cores apart from each other when they weren't running.

Using a claw, GLaDOS lifted Wheatley from the ground and gave him an examination. His outer body was damaged, but most of his main functions were still intact. He was currently in sleep mode, and it looked as if he had set himself to be out for a while. It was perfectly fine for her, she temporarily disabled his start-up procedure and got to work.

The Space Core was left on the ground, the core exhibiting a rare moment of intelligence and was keeping quiet in the face of the large mainframe computer. GlaDOS turned around and looked at the tiny insignificant core in front of her, picking the Space Core up and giving it a look over. Well, since Atlas and P-body were a pair... why not these two? Besides, it would be amusing to see how the moron would handle being the smarter of the pair.

Let the testing commence.

–

Chell held her head high as she helped to carry boxes around, ignoring the occasional whistles from the other co-workers. She knew that she wasn't that desirable, but in a next to all-male environment, a few of them were desperate for attention. Only two of the men weren't interested in her, mainly because one was married, and the other preferred men over women. Setting the box down, she sat on top of the bulky thing, staring at the logo on it's side. It was bound for a clinic on the other side of the makeshift town, but the logo reminded her so much of the laboratories that it sent a shiver down her spine every time she saw it.

Getting off the box, she headed for the back room to get her paycheck for the week, greeting her boss with a tilt of her head, not having much to say. He annoyed her, that man. Always giving her suggestive looks while she worked, offering to help assist her with heavy loads... she was certain he was trying to come onto her. But the money was better than working in the clinic, the only other place hiring at the moment, so she had to bear it, at least until a better job came around.

She was so lost in thought that she failed to notice her boss sneaking up on her, the man setting a hand on her hip. " Got your paycheck for the week, sweetheart. But a working girl like you can make more with a little "Effort" on your part." he purred in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. She knew it all along, but this was definitive proof. Pulling away from him, she gave him her best glare, trying to maneuver around him to reach the door, a snarl crossing her face when he blocked the way.

Rather than give him a chance to do anything, she reacted first, leaping for the open window nearby, her fingers grasping the edges of it and pulling herself up, scrambling out the window. The paycheck be damned, she was not going to stay there and be molested for the sake of a little extra spending money. Besides, she didn't have much luxuries as it was, and had little need of extravagant things. Running away from the building as fast as her legs would allow her, she caught her breath behind the nearby cafe, wiping some sweat from her forehead. She wasn't at all tired, having kept her agility from all of the testing, but it was a hot enough day to where she had to be careful not to dehydrate.

Sighing in disgust, she got up and headed for her small home, wanting to just sleep the day off.

Hell, it was only 10 in the morning.

–

Wheatley whimpered as he tried to wake up, in a hazy painful state, trying to figure out what was going on. First he had been in space... now, as he opened his eyes, he felt disoriented and heavy. Looking down, he saw tile work underneath two metallic robotic hands, modeled after human hands almost perfectly. Wondering for a brief second if he was having what humans would call a dream, he lifted his head to look at himself. He couldn't see what his head looked like, but he could tell that he was either having the world's strangest robotic dream, or he had been somehow brought back to earth and transferred to a more mobile body. His memory failed to give him any clues before the pieces started to connect, lifting the hands and turning them over, his eyes widening as he saw the traces of metal going down his frame. The metal was sleek and more modern compared to some of the things he had seen being built before, a soft faint blue glow pulsing along the wires running down the frame. Wheatley watched the pulses for a few moments, before looking over to the side of him, seeing another robot. This one was had faint yellow traces on it, and was shut down.

" I'm dreaming... I have to be." he tried to reassure himself, reaching over to touch the other robot. " I'm having some sort of dream, and I'll wake up and be back in space, like always. Wait, was I even programmed to have dreams?" he asked to no one in particular. His voice echoed against the walls as he lifted his head, looking around. Reaching over, he initiated the start up for the other robot as the speakers hummed to life.

" It is about time you finally woke up..." an all too familiar voice came from the speakers. " I had been worried that the transfer did not go well... science has made another advancement."

Wheatley made an involuntary squeak, now praying with all his might that what was going on around him was just a bad dream and that he would wake up soon. Getting awkwardly to his feet, he scanned the room, finding nothing but two portal guns in the corner of the room.

" She was excellent in my tests... better than any of the others. I retrieved you two, because after all, who doesn't like revenge. I like it, especially when I can test, and get revenge." GLaDOS continued on. " I let her go, but you're here in her stead. By the time I'm through with you... you will have suffered far more than the time you put me in a potato... I'll make you wish you could die."

Wheatley was wishing he was back in space at the moment, as far away from GLaDOS as he could possibly get. At this point, staying up in space with Space Core seemed like a really, really good idea. GLaDOS's voice came from the speaker again. " The first test will begin momentarily. Counseling will be provided before the second test is to begin."

Wheatley stared in horror. He was trapped in a now mobile body, had limited knowledge of movement, and she expected him to TEST? She was mad if she thought that he would have human-like movement mastered to where he wouldn't get massacred by whatever she had cooked up to tear him apart in gruesome ways. Wait, she was mad already. He started to try and test movement capabilities, awkwardly moving one foot a bit and wobbling, sighing in relief that he hadn't fallen. " Whew... glad that I didn't fall onto my face. Bloody annoying, that." he said, another squeak escaping him when he heard a childish robotic voice behind him.

" Searching..."

In a blind panic, he tried to run, getting his movements horribly tangled and crashing to the ground, falling out of the turret's range of sight, if even only for a moment. He grabbed the other robot in the room with him and moved it back to the other side of the wall, out of the turret's scanning range, stumbling over a switch, temporarily letting go of the other robot. From his weight, it turned on, the door behind the turret opening as the other robot's start up procedure completed.

" Space?"

If Wheatley had been a human, his eyes would have bugged out and his expression become one of frustration as he grabbed Space Core and slid behind the only pillar in the room, out of the turret's sight, the door closing behind the turret. Space core was just as lost as he was, maybe even more so in all the confusion. " Okay, Okay, listen to me." Wheatley said, pointing past the pillars. " When I say now, run to the portal guns, the funny looking objects on the ground there. You see them there? Yes, the ones I'm pointing at. When I say now, run to the guns, pick one up and fire at the turret's feet, okay? I'll handle the rest." he instructed to the Space core.

Space Core's dual yellow eyes zoomed in on Wheatley as if he was trying to either weigh his options, or was thinking of a way to get back to space. Wheatley guessed it was the latter because Space Core's eyes instantly darted up to the ceiling. Groaning, he tried to get Space Core's attention back on the portal guns. " Listen to me! She'll kill us both if we don't do something, and you'll never get back to space then, mate! Never! So help me out, and I promise I'll get you back out there. After I figure out how."

Space Core nodded his head and looked at the portal gun, looking back at Wheatley, who nodded earnestly in return, trying to reassure the other core. " This is amusing, watching the two of you attempt to bond with one another. How does it feel, being the smarter of the two instead of the dumber one, I wonder?" GLaDOS's voice asked, coming from the speakers. " Already, you two are behind schedule for testing."

Wheatley felt like screaming at the speakers, but knew it would do little more than earn him some bullet holes, seeing as how the turret's line of sight extended to that side of the room. He looked back at the body Space Core inhabited, taking in the sight. It definitely looked more human-like than Atlas or P-body, who looked pretty far from human but still had human-like gestures. He could only guess that his body was relatively the same in structure, getting to his feet again, stumbling awkwardly. " Okay, now!"

Wheatley managed to make some semblance of a sprint, trying to reach the portal gun to enact his plan. Less than two seconds later he realized his incredibly huge flaw in the plan: Space Core didn't get what he was saying and was staying put.

Leaving him the only target for the turret.

" Target Acquired."

Wheatley made a series of noises as his legs thankfully moved on their own, propelling him towards the portal guns. Grabbing one in one hand, nearly fumbling it in his haste, he realized yet another flaw. He had seen it being used before, sure, with Chell's numerous moves in videos from his memory banks, but what he had yet to figure out was how to actually fire a portal. A bullet narrowly grazed his leg, the robot practically crashing into the wall in a hurried attempt to escape, doing what could only be described as an odd jig back to the pillar where Space Core sat, staring at him.

" For the love of... please tell me your language center still works." Wheatley groaned, giving the other robot the portal gun. " I mean, I am going to go crazy if I have to be the only one talking here, and I'd rather not, SHE is doing a good job of it already."

Space Core held the portal gun, not having any grasp on the situation at hand, but getting to his feet, looking at the turret. Like a game, but no space level... he would have to play until he reached one. Firing the gun, he placed a portal under the turret before it could react, placing another one on the ceiling and catching it in an infinite loop, firing another portal at the the nearby wall, sending the turret crashing into the wall, broken. " Good night..." the turret said as it shut down, Wheatley's jaw near the floor.

" That was bloody AMAZING!" he cheered, grabbing Space Core's hands and dancing around. " Absolutely brilliant, I tell you, just like how she used to do it in the tests!" He faltered when he mentioned Chell, seeing her betrayed face for a brief moment, shaking the image from his mind temporarily. He felt awful for what he did to her, and he truly wished he could apologize, Space Core looking around for a cube and putting it on the switch, walking through the now open door.

Wheatley looked at the extra portal gun, picking it up and running after the other core. " You know, you're a lot more intelligent than any of us ever gave you credit for... I guess I should say sorry to you as well, for all of the times I called you stupid." he said, halting the conversation when Space Core spotted a few glowing objects that looked like faraway stars.

" Spaaaacccce!" Space Core sang, running towards them.

" I stand corrected, apparently." Wheatley sighed, following after his companion.

–

Chell sighed as she looked up at the sign before her, holding the newspaper ad in her hand. ' Lou's repair shop; if it still turns on, we can make it work!' the sign read, Chell going inside to have a look around. The job had specified that a female apply for the position, and Chell was worried it was going to be another pervert. This time though, she was ready for anything. A small wrench was in her pocket, ready to be used at a moment's notice. It didn't have a long reach, but it was heavier than it looked, and was probably more than enough to clobber a nasty person.

She received a surprise when she met Lou though, the guy was all business. He didn't want anything more than her hands for the job, in fact, he only hired her after an extensive search of her hands. She was worried that he might have a fetish for hands, but after being called in to work on a small piece of machinery that his hands weren't built for, she realized that he had no actual interest in her. He was a fun loving man with a love for all things robotic. Sitting and watching him work, she realized that he was one of the few remaining people in the city who didn't have ulterior motives when speaking to anyone.

Since most people knew her as mute, it had given her the benefit of learning an important lesson; how to read people's faces and words. Having practiced for so long, she could tell when someone was trying to concoct a lie by watching their faces and reactions, learning early on who were the ones she could trust. Now she knew she could add Lou to the list of trusted people, since he was always buried in his work.

Lou was a thin but muscular man, with a height of about 5'9 and messy brown hair, usually caked in some form of oil from his latest work. He worked on everything from a coffee table to a functioning robotic limb that he had made himself. " Pride and joy, that one." he told her. " I want to build a fully working body that works just like a humans, with the ability to blend in to society without no one even knowin'!" he said proudly. Chell silently pointed out that a few functions like the digestive system would be hard to mimic, but Lou was not to be swayed in the slightest.

But she kinda liked that, that carefree determination. It was his dream, and no matter what anyone said about it, he was going to do it and more or less have fun the entire time. Amused, she rolled up her sleeves and got to work, nearly screeching in horror when she found a busted turret, flattening against the wall. " Don't worry about that little thing... I can get it to turn on, but not much else." Lou said, noticing her sudden distress.

Making a soft noise, she bent over and picked the turret up. Turrets... practically a necessary tool in GLaDOS's many attempts to try and kill her, their little childish voices always managing to strike fear in her heart. " Hello?" the turret said weakly, it's eye dim and cracked. Feeling immediately sorry for the turret, she sat it on her lap, opening the exterior shell to see if she could repair it in any way. It was out of ammunition, something she never thought she would see in a turret, and it's personality core was pretty much the only thing that was working properly.

" I'm different." the turret said as she worked. She slightly wondered if it was the same turret she saved from the conveyor belt in the testing areas, but pushed the thought from her mind as she worked, Lou watching her. " Wow, you really know that little one inside and out." he said approvingly. " Since you know it better than I do, apparently, why don't you take it and work on it at home? Consider it your first project?"

Chell's eyes widened and she looked at him. Take it home? Too many bad memories were associated with turrets, but she couldn't help but nod her head slightly and lifted up the turret, planning to take it home. Maybe, with Lou's help, she could make it like a guard for her house that wouldn't shoot her when she walked through the door. Nodding, she set out for home, turret in her arms. Nudging the door of her home open with her hip, she gently slid inside with the turret, setting it in the middle of the living room. Since she first came to town so long ago, companion cube in possession, things were difficult, but not entirely. Now, instead of sleeping next to her cube in an alleyway, she lived in a house. There was many bedrooms, but she slept in the furthest one because it had many windows, perfect for drawing things outside. As a favor to the person who had owned the home but was letting her live in it, she had to make sure the garden and pool remained in working order, as well as pay the bills for it. If things went well with her new job, she might be able to start slowly buying the house from the owner.

Pulling out a toolbox, she started to work on the turret, the glow of it's lens casting a red haze over an area.

" Thank you." the turret said softly.

Chell smiled at the turret, getting back to work.

–