Mission 024: Specimen 524

[super_astute]

The hiss of the elevator doors opening left Wheatley re-energized and he grinned back at Chelldon to offer encouragement.  "Go on then, there you go!  I know you're not that quick with those braces but you're doing well!"  Being cheerful and peppy, he'd read, made Test Subjects more compliant and better able to complete tasks.

And oh!  Oh, he really wanted to be the one to get that promotion to assembly duty next month!  The pay was the same -- ha, nothing! -- but he wouldn't have to follow humans around any longer!  He'd get some real world, practical experience!  Chelldon would understand.  Maybe he'd even make him a cake!

"Welcome to Chamber 24--"

"Yes, yes, we know, but thank yaaaooow!  You're kidding me!  A rabbit this time!?  Come on!

Comments

[super-astute.livejournal.com]

This test was a bit boring, but Wheatley knew it was necissary. Would Chelldon keep feeding it? If now, what? Would he give it his clothing? Would he try to feet it bits of the wall? Bits of his robot companion-- HEY!

Wheatley shut partially down in his physical body to complain about the use of the word 'robot' when he was clearly so much better than the maintenance bots on C level. Never mind that he was meant to be collateral damage to the rest if came to that.

Chelldon was allowed to interact with the rabbit for one hour before the test ended. It was suppose to be psychological, to judge how he would react to loss.

"Oh....please...fourteen more minutes of this?!" Wheatley groaned and rolled around on the floor.

[stubbornsubject.livejournal.com]

Only fourteen more minutes? Frowning, he got onto his hands and knees, gun at the ready, and he made the great 'leap'. If it was going to end soon, he didn't want to regret not trying to get close. Stopping in front of it, he carefully set the gun down and with great gentleness and caution, he lifted the rabbit up and held it... and it didn't attack. It didn't even go for his neck and try to eat him.

He moved it closer to his chest and it leaned over, nibbling at his shirt. He didn't mind, it was so warm and he could feel it's heart beat. It was interaction with something alive and real!

His face remained neutral, not wanting to show how amused he was by this little creature in case something went badly. He crossed his legs and sat with the rabbit, peering over it at Wheatley. Yes, he had a patch in his shirt now where the rabbit was eating the fabric but he hardly cared.

Just to test, he held the rabbit at an angle for Wheatley to hold if he so wished it.

[super-astute.livejournal.com]

"No, mate, have at it. It's all yours."

Wheatley was more interested in reading files. Files on files. He was trying to learn classification systems to impress the ladies at the water cooler tomorrow before he was shoo'd off to collect Chelldon.

This would be the last test of the day. Walter would go off to his little bunny home to eat more radioactive material and make rabbit fur night lights for children without allergies to rabbit fur night lights. Chelldon would get some downtime. And Wheatley would go and find Adventure Core to find out about how amazing his day had been with his very lucky Test Subject.

"Now, Chelldon, don't take this the wrong way, but do you think you could be a little less...oh... I don't know...painfully dull? For the next nine point six minutes?"

[stubbornsubject.livejournal.com]

Chelldon turned his head to Wheatley and let the rabbit nibble at him, he really did like the lovely little creature and part of him was tempted to steal it, no one could use a rabbit night-light quite like Chelldon, he had always wanted a pet, even as a boy when he'd first seen the rat. He hadn't been outside since the 'bring your son to work day', his memories of pets were lacking.

"No," Chelldon offered before stroking the top of the rabbits head. He really didn't know what Wheatley wanted from him.

This was fun, he would have more fun if he, you know, held the little fluffy ball of brilliance. He didn't want to join in so what did he honestly expect? For Chelldon to do something and woah him?

He was not a preforming monkey.

[super-astute.livejournal.com]

Wheatley just wanted to be known for something more than the poor android with the brain damaged test subject. Even though Chelldon was approaching the number of tests before termination record set by a rhesus monkey in the 80s, that wasn't good enough for Wheatley.

Though. Well. When put that way? In a sense Chelldon actually was a performing monkey. Or nearly one. Still ten chambers go before he could reach such illustrious levels!

And Wheatley would still need something to brag about! And rabbit stroking was not one of them.

The moment that the buzzer sounded, Wheatley keyed in the code to open the Aperture Science Object Emancipation iris where Walter could be dropped back off to his little home to await sheering. There was grass on the other side, but Chelldon was not to touch it.

"Time for tea!"

[stubbornsubject.livejournal.com]

Oh? Parting time? He didn't want to but he knew how this place work and a moment of happiness was not worth ruining by getting greedy. Standing up, he walked across the room with the rabbit and set it on the floor beside the grass, peering into the lovely green room that he really wanted to reach out and touch. But the moment the rabbit was through the door, it slammed shut on him and that was that.

He wished he could of kept the rabbit but when as Aperture Science ever been that nice?

Looking at Wheatley, he awaited his orders. Was this it today? Because he could sense Wheatley was already fed up with this whole thing. Looking down, he poked his finger through the whole the rabbit had chewed.

He was definitely keeping this shirt as a memento.

[super-astute.livejournal.com]

"Now, now, don't be sad, Chelldon. Shirts are easily mended." Of course he didn't understand that Chelldon might like human interaction, or even additional biological intereactions. He didn't understand lonliness. There were all sorts of humans here, but unless they were staff or scientists or Cave Johnson, it was generally frowned upon for them to fraternize. It built up morale or something truly damaging to the human mind.

Wheatley tried smiling and ushered Chelldon up the stairs and into the elevator once more.

"On a scale of one to infinity plus one, how would you rate your interactions with Walter? One, of course, being 'horrifying' and infinity plus one being 'indescribable even for superior minds like yourself.'"

[stubbornsubject.livejournal.com]

Standing in the elevator beside Wheatley, he sighed and thought over how it was on such a daft scale. It was beyond Wheatleys understanding because the man didn't get it, he wasn't human and he didn't crave that sort of contact. Just like with the pub and other social interactions, Wheatley would not be a part of that world.

And, as much and Chelldon enjoyed the sound of it, he wouldn't either.

"You wouldn't understand," Was all he offered before he adjusted his portal gun and held it by the handle away from the trigger so it didn't accidentally go off and send them tumbling into an infinite loop of horror.

Flashing Wheatley a smile with no humour, he turned his head away. Telling the android he wouldn't understand made him oddly happy, it was nice to have something over him.

[super-astute.livejournal.com]

Wheatley's head was going to explode. Figuratively. It could only actually happen if he was introduced to something explosive, but then everyone's head would explode too. Everyone but probably Specimen 682. Oh, that thing was terrible. Played a very good game of chess, however.

No, he was getting too far off the subject. Wheatley fixated on the back of Chelldon's head before he cleared his throat and closed his eyes and tilted up his chin very arrogantly.

"Oh, I certainly understand but the scale is simply too immense for you to grasp properly. I'll put you down for a ten: still quite horrible." There was a click of confirmation and the elevator doors spread open. "I'd find it horrible to have my shirt eaten too. Well. No, likely not. It's just a shirt. Stop forming attachments over your clothing, Chelldon."