Mission 026: Specimen 379

[super_astute]

The room was one of the smallest that Wheatley had ever been in.  It was small than even Chelldon's relaxation chamber's bathroom cubicle and that was certainly saying a lot!  In the middle of the room was an Aperture Science Display Pedestal with Specimen 379 proudly displayed on it.  The small, crystal perfume bottle looked bland, really, for something so classified!

Given the nature of this test, all pertinent information that Wheatley would otherwise have access to had been expunged and the android was all too curious why.  He speculated that it contained a drop of the sun and had forced Chelldon to wear eyeglasses and rub himself with sun screen just in case.

It was either that or deadly neurotoxins. 

Comments

[stubbornsubject.livejournal.com]

Chelldon didn't mind, he was bursting with energy and his eyes were shining as he looked over his new test. And, despite the mix of painkillers and sugar, he was still pretty witty, he had his head in the game still-- though he was very much cautious of why there was perfume in the room and why he was wearing eyeglasses that really didn't suit him.

Adjusting his glasses and moving closer, he looked back at Wheatley with a small frown, the chocolate still on his face kind of ruined his usual quiet badassness.

"Gun?"

He needed to do something and he had to be ready to toss it into a portal if it reacted badly with him.

[super-astute.livejournal.com]

"Look at you, obsessively...err...obsessed...with that awful thing!" He had to laugh, mostly at the way that Chelldon kept springing around on his long fall boots. A bit like Walter the rabbit. It was cute. All right, more disturbing than cute, but still-- No. Disturbing. "All right, all right, I'll get you your gun!"

Wheatley was quick to retrieve the object and even helped Chelldon get it on because, blimey, those hands were absolutely frighteningly sticky!

"Not really sure what you're meant to do here... I'm going to suggest you not spray it on me though. Untested, that is. Well, until you test it. And then we'll know!"

[stubbornsubject.livejournal.com]

Chelldon smiled and nodded, a little to friendly today but that was the sugar talking, apparently it made brain damaged mutes quite talkative and cheery... well the very screwed up Chelldons version of talkative would not be what most humans would deem as much. He was a very odd character but years of testing did that.

He grabbed the perfume and, as if it might attack, he swiftly sprayed it in the air and took several steps back. It did nothing. He then sprayed some carefully on his wrist and waited for his skin to burn or tear off.

... It didn't happen. Nothing much seemed to be going on here.

"Done," Chelldon informed Wheatley before offering the bottle to him.

[super-astute.livejournal.com]

Wheatley's eyes had glazed over like they did when he was recalling information and stayed that way for several moments before a slow smile spread out on his face. He felt...strangely. A self diagnostic told him that he was not only fine, but better than fine. It didn't help. He wanted answers, not more riddles!

That didn't seem to be what he was going to get, however. Wheatley clapped. Slowly. He wet his lips and smiled and took the bottle from Chelldon before he placed it back on the pedestal.

"Your best score yet," he said, really very dreamily.

It was a bit of a rush.

"Does the room feel hotter to you? Sensors say they're fine, but it still seems warmer."

[stubbornsubject.livejournal.com]

Chelldon shook his head, it felt the same as ever to him, especially since all they'd done is stand here. He offered a half smile before shrugging and wiping what remained of the chocolate off his face with the sleeve of his aperture science sweatshirt. If anything, he found it a bit chilly.

Gesturing for Wheatley to lead the way out, Chelldon held the gun close, he wouldn't part with it till he was sure the test was over.

It wasn't often that they had a fluke test that didn't count for anything, especially things that were meant to be self tested, odds were that there was some horrible side effect yet to come and haunt him.

Until then, he enjoyed the bliss of an easy test.

[super-astute.livejournal.com]

Wheatley was enjoying a bit of bliss himself without really understanding it. He hummed again as he had the day before, glancing over his shoulder almost constantly as if to be sure that Chelldon was with him. "Still warm even out here," he reported somewhat casually as he stopped and turned just before the Emancipation Grill and the elevator.

He looked very seriously at Chelldon and took both of his hands in his. He squeezed. He rubbed his thumbs over one set of knuckles because the other was covered in Aperture Science equipment.

"You did-- No, let me say this. You did just so well. Literally, perfect. I've never seen reason to give a higher score than right this moment. You. Are. Fantastic. Just, just completely fantastic. I wanted you to know."

[stubbornsubject.livejournal.com]

He was getting praise from Wheatley. And no, there was no loop that spun back to him, no ego centric self praise, just him praising Chelldon like he had actually done something amazing. It didn't take a genius to see the issue here because no long ago he took down the turrets, bled everywhere and didn't even get a single compliment!

Now he was being fondled for spraying some perfume. One might even say that Wheatley was high but he didn't know how that could even work.

Exhaling loudly, he gave the man a pointed look.

"Were you better than me?" There we go, a simple test to see what was what right now. "Smart Wheatley."

[super-astute.livejournal.com]

Oh, he felt like he might short circuit! That his entire body might fry. It was much too warm and Chelldon was touching him and what he really wanted to do was take the Test Subject back to his Relaxation Chamber to dab off the chocolate so that he could see him better. "I... You made me look better than I generally make myself look, just being me." There. Praise for them both. His neural network could cool down and no one would get injured.

He laughed, looking self conscious, before reaching up to lightly brush off a crumb or seven. Chelldon was an absolute mess!

"You did all of the work. And without the gun! So well done again on breaking your obsessive habit!"

[stubbornsubject.livejournal.com]

Yes, this was definitely distressing, something was awry and he was sure that Wheatley was sick! Well, if it didn't wear off soon then he'd go find a doctor but for now? If he could lure the moron into his room then he could at least contain him so he didn't accidentally get hurt or something stupid like that!

"My room," Chelldon ordered simply before snagging Wheatleys jacket and hauling him along from the elevator. He would look more threatening but the cake still on his face just sort of made him look rather childish.

He wasn't really meant to be in the position of being in charge though!

But how could he left his core and guide wonder around when he was speaking so ... gently? It was weird and wrong and part of him didn't want someone taking advantage of Wheatley. For all his flaws, he kind of liked him.

[super-astute.livejournal.com]

Wheatley, however, did not like anyone. It was so strange then to follow happily along the corridors he knew so well and yet still got lost in sometimes with the human. "It's been an excellent testing day. We don't have anyone to sign off on the testing card but that's all right! I'll find Dr. Handy tomorrow. You'll be getting full check boxes of 'excellent!' again!"

He wasn't purring, but he was whirring a bit. The escaping air from his exhaust fans in his ears was causing it.

"And you have a really lovely shaped cranium. Not too many humans can say that. They're usually all odd and bumpy bur yours? Work. Of. Art. I'm not even joking. Go ahead, test me! Say...that technician caught in some rubble over there? Nice looking head but not as perfect as yours!"

[stubbornsubject.livejournal.com]

Sometimes it was hard to tell if Wheatley was being normal or not, the only way he could truly tell was by the fact that he was getting praise and everything, usually Wheatley would find having a nicely shaped cranium a lovely compliment... personally Chelldon couldn't care less.

"His cranium is crushed," Chelldon mumbled as he watched the horribly pained technician with the rather gruesome head injury weep at his soon to be very slow and painful death.

What on Earth happened here?

He kept on pulling Wheatley along by his jacket, side stepping some rubble as they came up to hallway that contained Chelldons room. They just had to avoid being stopped and hopefully he could work this all out.

[super-astute.livejournal.com]

"Okay, well yes, true, but I don't think we should rule out loveliness do to crushing, do you? Maybe it runs in the family? Well, obviously not in his case, pretty certain it's the wall doing the crushing, but on the off chance--"

Wheatley found himself pushed into Chelldon's relaxation chamber, noting that the chocolate cake bits had all been cleaned up and, as requested a few minutes ago through the network, a box of crayons, 64 colours in all, were left by the bed.

He gave the computer network a nice thumbs up and happily smiled at the human. His good little Test Subject.

"Tomorrow, we should pick something with jumping to test. You're really very good at jumping. Quite excellent. I'd say jumping was your second nature. Like a toad. Or a rabbit! No wonder you and Walter became fast friends. Perhaps you're related on the human evolutionary tree. No rabbits specifically named, but one can't ever truly tell. Humans. Like the hotdogs of Earth mammals. Bit of everything."

[stubbornsubject.livejournal.com]

Chelldon did love the gift of crayons, he let go to Wheatley and retrieved the pack from the bed, sitting down to have a look at what colours he had. He could draw Walter is he wanted and start a new more colourful tally chart. He let Wheatley mutter on as always, far more interested in other things than paying attention to a morons ramblings. He liked Wheatley and all but my God, he could go on a bit.

And Chelldon was much more interested in his new gift, he always was. He liked his alone time and he liked colouring.

Surprisingly, Wheatley had yet to retreat as he usually did which meant he clearly wanted something from him and he had no idea what. Some sort of test or maybe an invite in to play with his crayons? One could never be sure.

"Crayon?"

[super-astute.livejournal.com]

Wheatley blinked at Chelldon and tilted his head to the side with a smile. "Yes, very good, that's a crayon. A blue crayon," he cooed. He really was proud of Chelldon, that much came through. He even sat on the floor beside him and stared at the blank wall by the door. One wall was absolutely covered in hash marks, one had his bed and toilet and the other sported that ripped shirt-curtain. Where else was he meant to colour?

"Do you want to draw? Make art? Hah! And they said you'd never amount to much. Well you know what I'm going to say in your next report? Tenacious. Never gives up. Excellently shaped and not-at-all crushed skull. Good jumper. Quite a delightful scent."

Wheatley took a yellow crayon to the wall and drew what looked like little more than circuit boards.

[stubbornsubject.livejournal.com]

Chelldon sighed and turned away. Yep, this was to be expected really. But sometimes he just assumed that Wheatley meant well and probably really did think he had brain damage so he was being quite nice, brain damaged him would appreciate it so if it did happen one day, at least Wheatley would know what to do and say to keep him happy till he was terminated. Brain damaged subjects were usually canon fodder.

Chelldon nodded in agreement at the assessment before grabbing a nearby crayon and drawing a rather childish but sweet drawing of Walter, a cake and what appeared to be Wheatley. He liked to draw out his week and what happened when he was a lad, when they stopped supplying him with paper, it had been rather sad.

But he always had walls, right?

And Wheatley could appreciate the rather lovely tribute to himself on Chelldons wall, silly glasses and all.

[super-astute.livejournal.com]

Wheatley was so proud! The moment he realized that the image on the wall was meant to be him, he nearly had a small weeping session in the corner. Instead, he just complimented Chelldon furiously until a directive from the central computing system summoned him away.

"I will... Listen, you've a drawing now, all right? Just sit here, don't be lonely without me. I will be right back, absolutely, I promise."

He even gave Chelldon a little hug, which was both awkward and adorable before he fixed his glasses and stood up. "Just a little emergency that they need me for...because you, yes you were very lucky to be assigned to me, someone who is very important here at Aperture Laboratories."

He lingered a little while longer, just chattering away while Chelldon ignored him.

It would be almost two weeks before Wheatley returned.

[stubbornsubject.livejournal.com]

The whole event had been awkward because Wheatley was never that affectionate nor pleasant and the way he was acting? Well, Chelldon assumed he was busted so when he did turn up after a week, that was probably it, he assumed Wheatley was gone and had been retired. Shame as well, he had enjoyed Wheatleys company but he wasn't the first core he'd lost and he wouldn't be the last.

The next week Space Core took over his tests, which were few and fairly poor, more putting a cube on a button to open a window and look at stars. It got a little old after the first time but the hyper core seemed thrilled to play these games.

He actually sort of missed Wheatley. And he was curious as to what happened.

Which is why not longer later he wrote on the wall in his crayons for the camera to see - 'Where is Wheatley? Testing has stalled, this is bad for science.'

[super-astute.livejournal.com]

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