#x █ || ᴛᴇsᴛɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴘʀᴏɢʀᴇss ( ic )

[moroniic]

@perpetualquestions​

       “ hey, wait a second - say that again? ” he hadn’t been listening to her words the first time, and -to be honest- wasn’t going to the second time, either. but her voice sounded familiar somehow, and he frowned a bit - trying to remember where he’d heard or met her before. “ hmmm. wait, don’t tell me! it’s - it’s somewhere in here, i’m sure of it!” he tapped his chin in thought, before letting out a defeated sigh. “...no, actually. can’t remember - it’s gone. thought i had it. who are you again? familiar voice. ”

[moroniic-old]

        x █ || CA EVENT “DREAMSCAPE” DRABBLE

      “THIS PLACE WOULD HAVE BEEN A TRIUMPH IF IT WASN’T FOR YOU!!!”

       the facility is empty. that's nothing new.

     it had been empty for years as he'd watched it deteriorate. the only break in the void had been the test subjects he'd woken up, only to have them die hours later. their screams and pleas for his assistance had never haunted him - he did not care and let them bleed out or be crushed by falling debris. it had never been due to cruelty - he just needed to move onto the next test subject and it was more dangerous to help them. but now he swears that he can hear their screams again - faintly, like a ghost drifting in and out of existence - and wheatley shivers.

        " lady? lady - are you here? also - are you alive? " he sees a glimpse of movement - orange clothing, a dark ponytail disappearing round a corner. " oi! lady, wait - ! " he calls after her; the management only allows him to go so fast, so far - and it's not enough, she's still running away. " hey, it's alright now! look, i'm not going to - i'm different n- " ( 'I'M DIFFERENT!' a turret joins him, speaking in unison, and he does his best to ignore it. ) " look, i'm all better, i'm not going to kill you anymore - honest - but we DO have to get out of here before SHE kills US. that’s - bottom line, that’s the truth here. ” he attempts to reason, chasing after her. he’s moving along the rail so quickly that he fails to realize that it comes to an end rather abruptly, and he’s falling - 

         “ catchmecatchmecatchmeladypleasecatchme! ”

           she doesn’t. she isn’t there. she’s nowhere to be seen, and he only realizes that he’s stopped falling when there’s a large, glaring YELLOW optic directly in front of him. he’s trapped - she’s holding him in a vice-like claw again and he screams. he’s still a core, but he can still feel the hand around his throat. it’s different than her reawakening - there’s scientists crowding around the two of them, studying, refusing to say or do anything while he screams for his life and she plots his demise yet again. ( ‘ like all of those test subjects you left to die, ‘ an unknown voice counters. ) he looks to the emotionless, studious faces of the engineers as anger begins to override his fear.

            ‘ attach the moron core to GLa- ‘

                                       “ I AM NOT. A. MORON! ”

            he’s screaming it at them, and she loses her grip on him; he’s falling again through a sea of black and faint white stars. though the lady is nowhere to be seen, he’s yelling for her to help him yet again. but she doesn’t ( WHY?! WHY DOES THE LADY HELP HER AND NOT HIM?! ) that familiar rage - like a virus - starts boiling up in his mind, blocking out other thought processes and functions as he continues to fall. the lady is supposed to be HIS FRIEND! HIS PARTNER! instead his mind is flooded with the sickeningly familiar paranoia and despair and THAT ITCH AGAIN - ! 

             when the falling finally stops, he recognizes the core transfer chamber; he can feel himself in the chassis again. the entirety of the facility is an extension of him - and why shouldn’t he be in power? he’s been powerless all his life - to the engineers, to HER, to...

             he pauses as he realizes that the chamber is not empty. the lady stands in front of him defiantly ( “ ARROGANT - “ ) - with that damned potato on the end of the portal gun. both the lady and HER are silent ( “SMUGLY QUIET- ” ) it’s only now that he realizes that he’s ceased to be a core, but an android once again. she steps forward, and FEAR rushes through him, but the scowl on his face masks it. his face is wet and he’s crying and bleeding. one of his eyes has stopped functioning, showing everything in a fractured blur. he doesn’t care- he lets himself scream until his voice is hoarse.  

           “ this was all your plan, wasn’t it? you never cared! you never caught me! you could’ve - again! and you didn’t! just let me fall, just let me be crushed and now you’re not even in the city! you could’ve saved me if you were! now she’s just going to keep killing me over and over again! you’re friends with her, aren’t you?! i wanted you to be MY friend! “ the lady gave no reaction, but he swears he can hear HER laughing at him, which only fuels him further. “ i’m not supposed to care about test subjects!” he barely chokes out. ( “AWFUL JUMPSUITED MONSTER OF A WOMAN!”)  

             “ but i DID care about you! you were the first human that never let me down or called me a MORON and now you’re gone and i don’t even know if you’re DEAD - ! ” he’s sobbing; shields instinctively surround him all over again. “ just GO! i don’t even CARE anymore - i wish i didn’t - because CLEARLY you never did for me! you wouldn’t have let go if you did...! ” 

               finally, his mind and the surrounding dream begins to quiet; the facility is no longer shaking. the sound of bombs in the distance is gone. her laugh has faded as have the whispers of ghosts. the shields withdraw and the lady is gone.

                he’s alone. that’s nothing new.

[moroniic]

@nurotoxin​ // sc.

        wheatley had come to realize that, unlike most people upon their arrival here, he was actually quite pleased whenever he found his way back again. granted, it was likely due to the fact that whenever he wasn't here, only the incredibly boring vacuum of space and annoying rambling of the defective core awaited his return. this place felt more alive and like a 'home' than the decaying walls of aperture ever had. the fact that he had a rather unusual but stately home stamped with his "WHEATLEY LABORATORIES" label repeatedly practically emphasized the fact that this place was where he belonged. where he could feel powerful - and hopefully, for spirale's sake, without causing a nuclear meltdown.

        unfortunately, that feeling of power didn't last for very long. wheatley had been attempting to reorient and familiarize himself with cotes ward once more ( even if his home was easy to recognize, it wasn't always easy to find ), when something caught his eye. the symbol of aperture on someone's clothing at a short distance away - something that, unless on his own clothes or the walls of his home, was not common. the figure wearing the logo, however was far too familiar - android or otherwise, and wheatley stifled what was nearly a scream into a startled yelp. it was HER. she looked different now, but even he could recognize her. it was the way she carried herself, and those eyes - and the fact that she very much seemed to have noticed him long before he noticed her.

        “ PLEASEDDON’THURTME- " his voice cracked embarrassingly in his alarm as he jumped, backing away from her. briefly the idea that he should pretend to be someone else presented itself again - but the fact that she’d seen right through his lie in the other city and subsequently killed him for it, even he realized it wasn’t a great idea. ( the large stamp of his name above him on his home also wouldn’t have bode well for that scheme. ) “ i - i  mean....h-hey! hello! it’s you...again! really...really wasn’t expecting to see...you again. EVER, really. would’ve preferred it. ” he dwindled into a nervous mumble, then an even more anxious, forced laugh. “ but, ah, you look busy - i’m sure you’ve got....testing to do. other important things. and i will leave you to it! ” while he spoke, he inched closer and closer to the door - eager to put anything in between himself and her.

[moroniic]

        where the water tastes like wine // accepting!

    ↪ @nurotoxin​ said: “ i hope, in the end, you at least found it fulfilling. ” >:[

        fulfilling. yeah, right! if it had been anyone else, wheatley probably wouldn’t have been able to hold back a bitter comment. no, his time in charge of the facility hadn’t been ultimately satisfying or fulfilling in any meaningful way. it had been enjoyable at first - feeling more power and control over the facility than he’d ever experienced before. for someone who’d lived most of his life feeling small and insignificant compared to the other machines in the facility, it had been an unbelievably freeing feeling to begin with, but it had quickly devolved into paranoia, and feeding an underlying rage and vitriol that he’d been holding onto for longer than he’d realized. 

        rage that had been largely directed at her - especially when she’d brought up things that he’d had no interest in remembering --!

         he grit his teeth together. despite the alarm that she was even talking to him - that her attention was focused on him, which was never a good thing - wheatley couldn’t help feeling a familiar surge of anger. IF HE WERE STILL IN CHARGE, HE WOULDN’T HAVE TO LISTEN TO THIS! it was short-lived, though - giving way to the same cowardice that had usually kept him alive, and he shrunk back a little, as if trying to make himself smaller. “ i - ah - i get the sense that isn’t sincere... ” his usual fidgeting gave way to nervous squirming and backing away. “ but - but the important thing is i’ve learned my lesson! never going to get in your way again. in fact! i’d be happy to make sure i stay away from you. going to do that right now actually--! ” 

[moroniic]

  where the water tastes like wine // no longer accepting.

 ↪ @losingmyjustice​ said: “ what’s freedom to me? some say that when we end, that’s freedom. ” (h.)

       “ ugh. do you have to be so...morbid?  - ” wheatley frowned, crossing his arms; he wasn’t much one for poetry - for more reasons than just his difficulty reading. it was often so...abstract and more often than not, depressing. he had to assume it was some form of poetic metaphor, otherwise the statement became all the more unpleasant to think about. why were humans always so fixated on topics like this? he didn’t really care one way or the other, unless it affected him in some way - which it was at the moment, by making him think about this very ghoulish subject.

        “ it’s - you know you just. die at the end, yeah? that’s what humans do - i’m, sorry to tell it to you, mate but that’s it. i’ve seen humans die and that’s all that happens. you just...end.  “ wheatley made a face of disgust, suddenly recalling the various ways the other test subjects had died. “ or are you talking about freedom from this place? ‘cause...that’s not right, either. i’ve died here and you just come back. can’t really call it dying, then i suppose... ” he muttered the last part like an afterthought. “ well. anyway, wouldn’t recommend it. dying, i mean. ” obviously. 

         “ plus, it’s not so bad here - tons better than dying, if you ask me. ”

[moroniic]

       “ oh, it’s almost that time of year again when we’re all supposed to hand out candy to the tiny humans? er - not only humans, in this city i suppose. still, seems like it’s largely a human thing... does cake count as candy? actually, nevermind - don’t know how to make that, anyway. ”

[moroniic]

@aperturesurvivor​ // sc.

        admittedly, wheatley wasn’t observant in the least - but he was fairly certain that cotes ward had gone through a massive change since he’d been here the last time. he liked this version of it a lot more though - a mix of ‘magical’ nature and plant-life ( massive plant-life, judging by the unfathomably large tree ) interwoven with the aesthetic of the modern. it was almost a peaceful counterpart to how he’d known aperture in its decay; it felt familiar and new all at once. being reminded of the facility wasn’t always pleasant, but this was different - it brought a certain sense of contentment. even if the sheer height of the tree intimidated him while he looked up at it.

       “ this wasn’t here before, was it? pretty...pretty sure i would’ve noticed it. bloody massive tree and everything. ” he mumbled, mostly to himself- as he always tended to do - instead of the people nearby, also admiring ophiuchus. “ still - nice to look at. tourist attraction, i’d imagine. have to wonder how it got here, if it wasn’t here last time i was. actually, i think most of this ward wasn’t here the l- ” here, he’d finally looked at the others - surprised to see, a fair distance away, a familiar face. was that--? “ the lady? ” oh, it absolutely was! instantly, his face lit up in recognition and excitement, derailing his previous train of thought entirely. 

        “ you’re here! i’m - that’s probably a relief for you, yeah? i mean, last time i saw you it was...um... well, you know. ” he trailed off a bit as he approached, rubbing the back of his neck.. as if it had merely been a lightly embarrassing moment on their last terms with one another - and not a life-or-death struggle due to a murderous rampage or accidental nuclear meltdown. “ well. nevermind. seems like forever since i saw you. wasn’t even sure if you were...still...alive. that’s...hm. change of subject, yeah? ” as much as he tried, there really wasn’t any way he could envision to make that a pleasant topic of conversation,and it made him feel...well, guilty - and he didn’t care for that one bit.

         “ you, ah, getting along okay here? so far? when did you get here, actually? “

[moroniic]

       “ alright, i’m really starting to get sick of just - disappearing every now and then. not - ah- not really all that fun getting put back into space when i least expect it! rather’d just stay here, honestly. ” at least he still had his old housing back this time, but the point remained - and he was going to be grumpy about it, regardless.

[moroniic]

       random starters // no longer accepting.

   ↪ @spiderstaff​ said: “ i’ll just live in the forest as a goblin. “

        “ in the forest? you mean - the creepy one here? ” wheatley frowned a bit, crossing his arms. he had no idea what a goblin was, but it sounded like some kind of animal, anyway.

        “ is it that bad at your apartment? ” he assumed that’s why she’d choose to live in the woods - clearly not considering the idea that she might simply have a house in the mistwood. “ it’s the humans, right? probably. i mean, it took me a bit of getting used to - living around them. with them. luckily i have my own lair now. no humans! unless...i wanted them.  ” he scoffed a bit at the very thought, though after a moment it turned into an uncomfortable silence. his lair got lonely - but he wasn’t about to admit that.

        “ can you... afford a house? it - it took a while for me to be able to get one, you know? expensive... ”

[moroniic]

@beyond-use​ // sc.

       “ wow! now YOU’RE a robot! don’t see many taller than me! actually, haven’t seen many other robots at all, now that i think of it... could always use more, if you ask me. ” wheatley gave a slight laugh, looking up at the cybertronian with a mixture of awe and excitement. it was true; he’d hated being so tall when he’d first received this body - nearly seven feet still seemed ridiculous to him - but it seemed like a fair exchange for a body with limbs.

      “ bet you were made for running your own facility or  - or something like that, being as tall as you are - seems to be a theme, i mean. big robots seem to run things- just natural, really. makes sense. do you- uh - do you have a name, mate? that’s - probably should’ve asked that first. ” wheatley didn’t seem particularly embarrassed about launching into conversation, though ( really, when was he ? ) and was already committing another social faux pas by tapping the other robot’s leg, seemingly following his own curiosities without regard for personal space.

[moroniic]

      “ did i hear something about a club for robots a little while ago? sounds like a good idea - not enough robots in this place, honestly. least - i haven’t met them yet. hopefully more will show up next time the sun goes out. ”

[moroniic]

          where the water tastes like wine // accepting!

     ↪ @wasscared​ said:  “ that’s what humans say, anyway. ”

        “ yeah, humans say a lot. most of it, honestly? probably lying. wouldn’t listen to a lot of it if i were you, mate... ” 

        the absolute irony that he - of all people - was saying that went completely over his head. even if he’d known a few exceptions, the majority of humans, he’d decided when he was extremely young and new to the world at large, were liars and tended to look down on him - unfortunately cementing his outlook on humanity for years to come. the years after, in a decaying facility that had only known humans as disposable tools and resources, also hadn’t done very much to improve his viewpoint on them. 

        “ still, you probably know that already, eh? you seem like a smart sort. even, if....” here, he paused to look over the other android for any logos he would have recognized - but there were no identifying symbols of aperture - or black mesa, for that matter. ( surely, they didn’t even make robots - aperture had been very clear about its superiority over the other company. ) “ well. even if you weren’t made in the facility. like me, of course. aperture science. briefly wheatley laboratories, named after myself. ” he didn’t elaborate on that.

[moroniic]

        “ never realized how empty my lair is... always had roommates for the longest time before i got it - even in that other city... ” 

[moroniic]

@perpetualquestions​ // sc.

       “ oh. you’re still here? ” while it wasn’t exactly a friendly statement, it wasn’t as accusatory as it could have been. “ guess it could be worse, though. could have...well, other people from the facility. ” wheatley mumbled, shivering a bit at the idea that she could still arrive any day. “ will - are you still going to be all nasty and rude to me? ”

[moroniic]

       @cephalone​ // sc.

       “ hey, another robot! always could use more of us around here, if i’m being honest. ” he pauses, glancing around as if noticing just that moment that the majority of inhabitants of the city were, in fact, humans. “ not- not that there’s anything wrong with humans. obviously. yeah. that- that sounds right. ” wheatley fumbled over his words but recovered quickly, as he always did. “ ah, anyway - who’re you, mate? ”

[moroniic]

@painsawd​ // sc.

      he wasn’t going to pretend that he wasn’t intimidated by the large figure, but the way they were moving their hands in familiar ways temporarily won out; wheatley’s initial alarm was muted by curiosity and fascination. “ o-oh. wait! you- you’re like the lady then, yeah? that’s - least that’s familiar. kind’ve. unless - yeah, wait a minute here, unless you’re not exactly like her...? ”

       “um... - it’s been a while. also i didn’t have hands back then... or a mouth, for that matter.” he mumbled. a pause as wheatley lifted an uncertain finger near his ear, swiping a small arch gesture towards his mouth, then pointed towards the stranger; ‘ are you deaf? ’