AN: Flashbacks are italized.
"Lady! Are you ready for another day of work?"
I pulled up my pants and slid on my tank top. It was hot around the machinery, so my jacket hung around my waist. "Wheatley," I called. "How many times have I told you to refer to me by my name?"
The metal ball flew into my room, his bright blue eye-light glowing with excitement. His enthusiasm was contagious. "Oh, sorry, Alix," Wheatley apologized.
Lastly, I pulled my hair back into a half-braided ponytail. Twisting the band til it could no longer stretch, I tightened my hair out of my face. "It's alright, Wheatley. Let's just get going."
We exited my room and began the trek down the long hallway into our work station. "You think we should take care of the subjects first?"
"Most likely," Wheatley replied. "There aren't many, so it should be quick."
Right. I'm one of the last remaining humans. The robots here took a liking to me and kept me out of harm's way. 'Just don't let her know,' Wheatley would remind me. 'She'd place you into a test chamber before you could say... supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. It would take some time for her to find you so you could say a long word.' The memory slapped a smile on my face. No matter how scary GLaDOS sounded, Wheatley was by my side to laugh away the fears.
"You alright?" Wheatley asked, breaking my moment.
"Oh, I'm good. I was just remembering some of the fun times we've had," I replied.
"Do we have enough to remember?" Wheatley questioned. The inquiry alone dampened my mood. He doesn't have any friends, not any that I've met. The other robots usually bully him. Especially Jerry.
"Of course we do! Why would you ask such a question?"
Wheatley grew quiet; quite unusual for his character. He gave a robotic sigh. "It's nothing, really. Let's just go on with work. Here's our first human!"
"Wheatley, you're not a moron," I blurted out. He stopped in his tracks. I knew then that I had his attention. "Don't listen to those mean nanobot workers."
"But then what am I?" he asked sincerely.
I smiled and replied, "You're my best friend!"
His eye brightened. "Really?" I confirmed his question with a nod. His spirits lifted, Wheatley bounded into the room without even knocking.
"Wheatley!" I exclaimed. "You shouldn't just barge-" Before I could finish my sentence, my hazel eyes met with a younger pair of baby blues. A silent girl in an orange suit similar to mine stared intensely at me. "Hi Chell, how are you feeling today?"
She didn't answer me; she never does. Not since the day we met. "Hey, Alix?"
Wheatley's voice once again interrupted my inward thoughts. "Hmm?" I replied. But before our conversation could continue, he motioned for me to follow him out of the room. I couldn't leave though; work had to be done. "Would you like turkey or ham on your sandwich? Hold up one finger for turkey and two for ham."
***
"Alright, Chell, I'll be back with your breakfast," I said with a cemented smile. I needed to serve with joy, no matter how fake it was. Silently, I closed the door. Wheatley was waiting impatiently. "Wheatley! What was that all about?"
"You can't get too close to the test subjects!" he exclaimed without hesitation. "What if you start to care for them and then they die! What good would that do you, mate?"
