Test Chamber 033: Propulsion Gel

[super_astute]

Making their way to the next testing chamber, Wheatley bid the Chief and Tyler farewell for the time being and slipped into the next testing chamber with Chelldon.  He was almost beside himself with happiness for reasons his circuitry really could not handle well.  It didn't matter, the point was to do the testing, to keep Chelldon safe and--

And Wheatley realized how bad of an idea all of this was the moment he stepped into the room.

Jumping.  Lots and lots of jumping.

And here he was, no long fall boots, nothing to protect his delicate parts from breaking...  "This...might be...oh...a bit bad.  Yes, sort of very bad."

Comments

[stubbornsubject.livejournal.com]

Chelldon gave Wheatley a sideways look, he was not going to be easy to move through portals but a quick test seemed to be in order to see how it'd work, he shot a portal on top of the ceiling and on the floor before basically hugging Wheatley, shoving them both through the portal together. He managed to keep a hold of Wheatley but while he still landed on his feet, the weight and force of Wheatley knocked him down.

Chelldon groaned, that was horrible. Not only did Wheatley scream too much but the hug-jump was going to be awkward.

Technically they could do it without dying and it still helped them avoid being smushed into the ground but they were going to have a lot of tumbles at this rate.

"Oh insert subjects name, you appear to be struggling with the portals. I did warn you. Dead weight is usually best cut loose," GLaDOS informed them. There was a slight beat before he chimed in once more. "In case you didn't see what I was doing there, I was implying your core was dead weight."

[super-astute.livejournal.com]

"I'm not dead weight!" he complained quietly, picking himself up before he offered his hand to Chelldon to pull him to his feet as as well. "Listen, we're going to have to try something else. I'll carry you," he suggested...

Which was a very bad suggestion. "I'm just loads stronger than you!" But he was a klutz and he dropped everything. All the time.

Perhaps Chelldon should back-pack him?

That hardly seemed like a wise idea either. Wheatley might strangle him.

[stubbornsubject.livejournal.com]

There was two options, give Wheatley his boots and climb on his back or have Wheatley on his back. Now, if Wheatley was on his back, not only would he get a lot of back pain from carrying the bigger man but he might be choked to death when Wheatley panicked... plus he'd get screaming in his ear.

If he climbed on Wheatley, he might get dropped or get forced to retreat when Wheatley ran for it. Neither were ideal but in the end, he removed his boots, his lovely boots, and handed them to Wheatley.

"Careful," he ordered, he really did hope this went well. It would only be for a little while. But at least he could still aim his gun and avoid horrific backpain, he just had to look at it like he was riding a horse or something.

Always great. Manually turning Wheatley around, Chelldon wrapped his arms around Whealeys neck and waited to be lifted.

[super-astute.livejournal.com]

Wheatley blushed. He still wasn't sure why he had those sorts of receptors to blush, but there it was. And how annoying! He felt warm all over too, not just because Chelldon helped him with the boots, but because he was so very close. He nuzzling the back of his neck. Accidentally, even Wheatley knew that, but it had him distracted enough to do as he was directed.

Perhaps Specimen 379 wasn't so terrible after all. Wheatley was quite a bigger coward now knowing he could not just manifest another body. But holding onto Chelldon was precious.

Wheatley was almost terrified to let go. That outweighed his need to flee.

[stubbornsubject.livejournal.com]

Latching on, he kept the grip loose enough not to choke but enough that one arm was supportive. He aimed the gun just over Wheatleys shoulder and because of that, his head was very close to the other mans and yes, he did keep accidentally nuzzling him but it wasn't like Chelldon got it. He didn't have that sort of self awareness.

He fired a portal on a patch of wall above them and then across the wall, making sure they had enough space before nodding his head.

"Run!" he ordered, they faster they went through the portal, the further they'd get and they had a platform to get too, they really did need that cube to get out.

He really hoped Wheatley didn't crash!

[super-astute.livejournal.com]

WEll, he might have crashed just a little but it wasn't a big deal at all! Happily, he just pushed back from him impact with the Aperture Science Wall Panels and shook off the slight daze. All sensors and neural pathways were thankfully active.

No trouble there.

"All right, you see? We've always made such a good team that now we're just proving it to our new overlord. Hear that? There's a reason that Chelldon's only two chambers away from beating the monkey!"

[stubbornsubject.livejournal.com]

That. Was. Terrifying.

If Chelldon was more vocal, he would of cried out but instead he just jammed his eyes shut when he saw Wheatley heading into the wall panel. He was shook around a bit but luckily he didn't die or anything, even if it really made his heart race. He gripped on a bit hard and aimed the gun to pick up the cube, this was definitely a tricky test, he had no idea how they would manage something harder.

The monkey had it easy, Chelldon was sure the monkey had never had to hang onto a personality core!

"Jump back through," Chelldon said, bracing himself.

[super-astute.livejournal.com]

"But we just got here!"

It took quite some coaxing...like one might do to a skittish horse. Evidently, it was all in the knees. He was able to guide the Android through most of the course by pointing and knee work.

And when they came through to the other wise? Well it was just, honestly, amazing. Wheatley was always proud of himself, always, but this time he was almost ecstatic.

"We! Win! Take that!"

[stubbornsubject.livejournal.com]

Once it was all set up, the door opened and Wheatley headed straight out but Chelldon knew this wouldn't be the end, not when there was an elevator leading up. He gripped on and prepared the gun just in case something went array. Course, not everyone was impressed by Wheatley and his rather spazzy portal jumping.

"That monkey adapted to the boots quicker than you, granted they were surgically attached but that's no excuse. It will be much harder to get cake and I don't know if there will be enough for two."

Chelldon looked worried for a moment but he soon got over it, they had shared cake before!

"Forward," Chelldon ordered as he pointed outward into the new testing area.

[super-astute.livejournal.com]

Wheatley snorted as they moved into the next chamber. "Shows him, hm?" he asked, whispering to Chelldon. "I'll give my piece." He didn't need to eat it. Or drink tea. He just did it because it was easy to do so.

Because Chelldon had always looked so awkward doing it alone and it was his pleasure to give in just for a little while, even before the introduction of 379 to his systems. Wheatley readjusted the human on his back.

"Next time we see Tyler, we-- Oh, obviously! We're connected, hold on. I'm going to ask him to send us another pair of boots."

[stubbornsubject.livejournal.com]

Chelldon was all for that plan, riding on someones back was amusing but awkward and uncomfortable, he had a feeling if they kept it up like this, they might end up dead. But if he could manually move Wheatley along with him while getting them both out safe then that would be perfect. He had to lead the way.

Until then, Chelldon shot the required portals.

He had no idea how long it would take to get the boots but he'd already solved the puzzle. It didn't take a genius to realise he had to get the two cubes off the ledge to turn on the lift then shot the cube off the left button to open the door.

Easy as anything!

[super-astute.livejournal.com]

Wheatley, however, just sort of went where pointed while he had a little chat with Tyler. "Yes...I know it's against prot-- Listen, idiot, all of this is against protocol! I should have the pistons in my legs already and I don't. They've been removed. What do you mean I never had-- What?! Well yes I realize that I'm an observational model, I don't take the courses myself, but what if something had bloody happened to me!?"

They were on the second ledge when one of the panels opened up and a second pair of long fall boots and an Aperture Science Portal Making Device fell, literally, right on the poor fool's head.

He grumbled something in binary before he let Chelldon help him with gun calibrations. At least they were both safe from falling on their heads now.

That was a treat.

[stubbornsubject.livejournal.com]

Once he had his favourite boots back and helped Wheatley get ready, he adjusted the mans gun and double checked the aim before he removed his hand from the portal gun and nodded. If all went well, they wouldn't need two portal guns, usually it had to be lined up just so, one portal would need to be in a specific place and therefore Chelldon should be able to handle it all.

Once he knocked both cubes off the ledge, he leapt off after them without any need for a portal. He put them both on the buttons required before shooting a portal beside the exit door.

"Come," Chelldon beckoned before shooting a portal under his feet and getting spat out on the other side.

Naturally he cleared out of the way before Wheatley slammed into him.

[super-astute.livejournal.com]

Where Chelldon went, Wheatley followed. That was his protocol. So suck that, Tyler! Wheatley was performing exactly as expected and no amount of chiding through their neural network could make Wheatley feel otherwise. "You know, I actually feel sorry for Tyler. No Test Subject, all of his protocols are on the blitz, a smelly human that has nothing to do with testing to follow-- It must be like hell for him. Slimey, smelly, awful robot hell."

They came out of the next door and were greeted by lots and lots of orange covered surfaces. Wheatley frowned, checked his databanks and found that information on this substance was passcoded too!

What a load of...of...orange paint!

Well, one way to test it was just to poke at it-- Which sent Wheatley promptly into a wall at high speeds.

[stubbornsubject.livejournal.com]

Chelldon just sighed. He'd used this stuff before but sadly, it had been with Space Core, not with Wheatley so he forgot that maybe he should of given him a heads up. Chelldon always loved this stuff, he shot a portal just across from Wheatley and for his own amusement, took off running.

All it did was send him flying from the portal and onto a ledge just above Wheatley. Find amusement where amusement may be found.

Hopping down onto a less paint area, he offered Wheatley a hand so he could guide the man away from the horrible paint. He hardly needed to break Wheatleys body and have to carry around his nattering head everywhere.

"The Enrichment Center regrets to inform you that this next test is impossible. Make no attempt to solve it," GLaDOS chimed in overhead and Chelldon, with a frown, shook his head. Nope, wasn't going to give up that easily.

[super-astute.livejournal.com]

"Oh, oh did you hear there? Impossible! Impossible means not possible. Not able to be solved. And he should know, he has control over the entire place! I'll just tell Tyler that-- Chelldon!"

There went the human, using portals to splash the propulsion gel all over the bloody place! Wheatley whimpered, but did his best to follow Chelldon's lead. He stumbled a great deal but in the end, he found himself standing right next to Chelldon, hands on his hips, a throaty gloating in his chest because...

"HA! Ha! Not impossible! Wheatley doesn't know the definition of impossible! Well, yes he does actually but-- What were we talking about?"

[stubbornsubject.livejournal.com]

Chelldon sighed and he finished redirecting the laser beam and waiting for that tell tale completion noise. The door beeped and Chelldon headed through, having to drag Wheatley with him while he kept gloating at the disembodied voice.

Did he not see who actually completed this test?

"Fantastic. You remained resolute and resourceful in an atmosphere of extreme pessimism," the voice praised, though he didn't seem amused, he didn't seem to have any emotion. Chelldon found the monotone and weird speech pattern unsettling and disconcerting.

But he refused to give up, it was the only thing that kept him going in this place.

As they went up, Chelldon shot Wheatley a small frown before reaching out and rubbed some of the orange gel off the mans face with his hand. He would of offered a cloth but he had none!

[super-astute.livejournal.com]

Well that turned up the subdermal heat transfusers. Again. Oh God, this was bloody awful! Wheatley wanted to bat Chelldon's hand away, but instead, he grasped at it and brought it to his lips and kissed his knuckles. And that made him even more flustered! Flailing about, he pranced into the other room, and promptly slipped right over the edge of a testing chamber towards an Aperture Science Incineration Device.

"AAAH!"

Done for. He was done for because of a stupid, smelly human that he no longer thought was all that stupid or smelly. The orange paint on the floor was his downfall and so Wheatley hated it even more as he dug his fingers, pulling back his psuedoskin from the tips, into the panels leading towards certain doom.

"Chelldon! Chelldon don't forget me! You...you can be like my backup disc!"

[stubbornsubject.livejournal.com]

Chelldon had no idea what had just happened but he was pretty sure Wheatley had just either tried to eat his fingers or kissed him. That was odd. He hadn't been kissed before, he had been locked in this facility since his youth and chicks had never dug the whole test subject who doesn't speak thing. Which was a shame.

He watched Wheatley flail and months of this had lead him to believe nothing would happen but the man falling over and whining for a bit. He didn't expect their to be that orange junk and he'd not seen this actually dangerous situation coming.

Leaning over the edge, he tried to grab wheatleys arm but he was miles too far back so what did he do? He leapt right off the ledge and grabbed onto Wheatley in a full body sort of hug without thinking. Why did he do that? Oh great, now he was going to die. Shooting a portal up, he aimed at the narrow space of uncovered floor in front of the incinerator.

They both went flying straight down but instead of hitting the horrible fire as expected - yes, even with his portal plan it was what he had expected - and instead they landed in a pile just across the room at quite a painful force.

Oh God, luck was so on their side today.

And yes, he was still indeed latched onto Wheatley in a hug.

[super-astute.livejournal.com]

"I..." Oh God! "I-- I'm---" He couldn't breathe, he really couldn't breathe! It was fantastic and absolutely horrifying and wonderful and-- "I'm alive! I'm alive and you saved me! You saved me you beautiful...amazing...wonderful--"

No more finger kissing. No more nibbling or hugging or any of that. Chelldon got his first full on smooch. It was platonic, mouth closed, Wheatley's hands pressed to either side of his face before he squeezed.

It was fantastic. It was glorious. He'd never had a better moment in his life then this. He felt truly, magically, alive.

"Chelldon, you are bloody fantastic!"

[stubbornsubject.livejournal.com]

Chelldon stared partially opened mouthed for a few moments before he blinked slowly. Ah, that was what a kiss was, it tasted weird and it was oddly cold but it was nice, he wasn't going to complain, he just liked that Wheatley was rooting for them and, oddly enough, actually praising him.

For weeks Wheatley had once spoken to him like he was a 3 year old who couldn't tell his gun from his hand. Now here he was, someone who was fantastic.

He shot Wheatley a grin and hauled himself to his feet.

He help his core to his feet and brushed Wheatley off before gesturing for him to follow. They didn't have much peace, GLaDOS was soon chiming in. "Well done but Aperture Science would like to remind you that damaging test equipment like incinerators will lead to negative marks on the test so be careful, in future if you are in danger of falling into or onto an incinerator, try not to touch the sides or bleed too much around the edges."

... How pleasant.

[super-astute.livejournal.com]

Ever a bit of a weasley sort of fellow, Wheatley cowtowed to the voice and winced just a bit. "Sorry, sorry, I can assure you that damaging the incinerators was not our intention. Rather the opposite, actually. I'm Aperture Science property too and from what I can tell, the only model left."

Well done, Wheatley. GLaDOS's only threat and you just told him that you're on borrowed time?

Wheatley still felt pretty pleased with himself, even as he straightened up. "And I would like to tell you, these are fantastic chambers, just brilliant, but we would really like to stop testing now."

[stubbornsubject.livejournal.com]

"I'm sorry, that is unsatisfactory, you must proceed to the last test chamber and while insert subjects name enjoys their cake, you will come personally to me for your card punch. And a promotion. It is long overdue," GLaDOS offered and while it sounded lovely and nice, neither one of them really seemed to assume that it could end badly. Even after the neurotoxin release.

Chelldon was a minor case of serious brain damage and Wheatley was designed to be a moron, they did not make the brightest pair.

But, fortunately, it took Chelldon a few moments to solve the puzzle, align the beams and launch himself and Wheatley across the room and onto the top floor, entering the door with a proud smile. He would so have his cake soon and he'd save some for Wheatley, he was sure there would be enough.

And there was only one more test chamber to go as well.

[super-astute.livejournal.com]

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