"Oh, no, no, he failed to dodge bullets properly," Wheatley said. "No backfiring-- Wait, why didn't I--" He fell silent, reading reports he'd not had time to earlier. "Oooh. Right, yes, labelled 'read immediately to prevent gun backfiring.' Clever title, really ought to have a tip off." He hummed lightly, being sure to commit it to memory when Chelldon spoke.

He'd learned long ago to listen to the man when he opened his mouth -- and then promptly dismiss him too because mostly it was nonsense. This time around, Chelldon's words made him smile.

"Twenty-five is a brilliant, fantastic number, Chelldon. You should be proud. And all of this despite the brain damage."