Portal: Love as a Construct

Part Sixty-Nine. The First Contact

Part Sixty-Nine. The First Contact

GLaDOS then turned Wheatley's attention to a monitor filled with coloured dots, in front of which was a thin orange line that GLaDOS said marked the perimeter of the Enrichment Centre. "After this last meeting," she told him, "we go to war."

"War, luv?" Wheatley asked her quietly. Well, he'd known they were about to start battling a whole lot of bad guys, but war?

"Mm," was all she answered.

When the humans came in, she used the monitor she'd been showing Wheatley to explain to them where they were going to go. She organised them quickly into teams based on their abilities, and they were happy to go along with her for the most part. Many of the humans trusted her based on the sheer ability she had shown them as of late. One of them asked her how she knew where best to place them, though not in any way that suggested he was going to cause trouble. GLaDOS looked at him for a moment, gauging him to be sure.

"The... training you went through. I've been through all of the data. I know all of your strengths and weaknesses. Each and every one of you. If you would prefer a different placement, I would consider it, but I assure you I have analysed the data extensively and I believe I've developed the optimal configurations."

The man shrugged and did not look upset at all by this news. "You know what you're doing. I was just wondering."

GLaDOS was taken a little aback by this, stunned into a few seconds of silence. Then she gathered herself again and went back to outlining her instructions.

That whole operation took about an hour or so and when it had concluded, Wheatley realised there was an hour left on GLaDOS's clock. When he mentioned it, she nodded a little heavily.

"Hopefully an hour is enough time for the humans to sort themselves out."

"And... and if it isn't?" Wheatley asked, immediately regretting doing so. Of all the stupid things to ask...

She gave him a glance. "Then I'll have to... hurry them up, I suppose."

Hurrying the humans up did not usually involve benevolence from her, and he couldn't help but ask, "And... how would you be uh, be encouraging them to do that?" If it involved her usual brand of 'persuasion', he might have to come up with a plan dissuading her from that sort of action.

"I don't know. Offer them cake, maybe."

"Cake?" Wheatley asked, frowning, and when he realised the joke he had to laugh. She did too, a little, and he felt a little better to hear it.

"We'll be alright," she said, though not with much energy. "I estimate we can clear this up within seventy-two hours and then they can get the hell out of here."

"Seventy-two hours is... it's... two days?" he tried, forgetting quite where his calculator was at the moment.