"I'm sending you the first core!"

Chell ran across the room toward the core dangling from the ceiling but stopped halfway there when she realized Wheatley was unconscious, just hanging there. She carefully went closer till she was under him. He hung just within her reach.

He came back online at a sudden pull on the wires that connected him to the chassis, sending sparks through the wires. He opened his eye and saw Chell under him with a determined glare. He glanced from side to side at her hands held tightly on either side of him. “What… what are you doing?!”

She gave a quick pull.

“You did it!” GLaDOS sounded surprised, “without a core transfer or using the core I sent you. How did you do it?”

She smiled, looking slightly nervous.

“And where did that moron go?” she scanned the room, her gaze falling on the small companion cube in Chell’s arms.

She took a step back, hooking a thumb over her shoulder.

“Oh yes, I said you could go.”

The elevator came up behind Chell and she walked towards it, pausing as she remembered how horribly this worked last time.

“I see you decided to take your faithful companion with you, you know, the one you threw down an incinerator?”

She rolled her eyes and continued to the lift.

“It’s funny though because it’s not dead after all. See?” a hole opened in the floor, she sent an arm down and it came back with a large companion cube covered in ashes. “It’s right here.”

She stopped right in front of the elevator and glanced over her shoulder, her eyes widening at the sight of the cube.

“So why don’t you take this cube and leave that one here?”

She looked down at the one in her hands and hurried into the elevator.

“That one means nothing to you, this is the one that promised to be your friend. That didn’t end well for it… but it can.”

Chell lifted the box as she held it tighter, trying to hide her scared face behind it.

“You are obviously confused. Here, let me help you.” Another arm came from the ceiling and reached into the elevator.

She stepped to the back but the arm could still reach it. Her boots scooted across the floor and out of the lift as she was pulled behind her cube. The arm suddenly ripped it from her arms, throwing her forward onto her knees. She stared after the box panicked.

GLaDOS sent another arm to grab it, pulling it open.

A core tumbled out and landed on the floor. “Ow!” He began shaking when he saw GLaDOS hovering over him. “H-Hullo!” he stuttered nervously.

“I knew it,” her voice deepened. The arms dropped the cube and picked up Wheatley.

“Not again!”

Chell sprung to her feet and ran for him, jumping to catch him as he was pulled out of her reach.

She pulled him in front of her blazing eye. “Oh the things I have planned for you,” she said in a low angry tone. A metal clang rung out and she looked down to see Chell slamming her fist into the chassis.

Her fist grew red as she punched again and again. Eventually she fell to her knees staring down into her lap and holding her throbbing hand.

GLaDOS found herself turning so she could see Chell’s face and was even more surprised at the sparks that went off in her brain when she saw that Chell was crying.

Through everything that had happened to her she hadn’t cried to win and cry over him.

She was shocked at the surge of emotion that went through her processor.

Chell shook, startled, as something landed in front of her.

“Ow!” Wheatley said again.

She gaped up at GLaDOS.

“Here,” she turned away from them, a sad undertone bleeding through her angry voice “just go.”

Chell pulled Wheatley into her arms as she stood and stared surprised at GLaDOS.

“What are you waiting for?” he whispered. “She said we could go the lift will work now. …Unless she’s taking it to our deaths, that’s possible.”

She carefully walked towards her and smiled, leaving a quick kiss on the side of her head before running for the elevator.

“Did I say sorry yet?” he asked as they stepped inside, the glass doors closing. “Because I am, sincerely. I didn’t mean to be all bossy and monstrous I don’t know what came over me! Well, yeah I do it was all that power and man did I have a lot of it!” he laughed. “Don’t look at me like that it would’ve happened to you too.”

GLaDOS turned just enough to see them in the corner of her vision, watching Chell beam at him as he wittered on. As the elevator rose they faded from her sight and hearing. She swiveled in the chassis away from the lift and listened to the only voice left echo through the room.

“Caroline deleted.”