Portal: Love as a Construct

Part Four. The Genetic Lifeform Component

Part Four.  The Genetic Lifeform Component

He will be back soon.

Well. Not really soon, I amend, letting Orange and Blue know they're done for the day. They're a bit surprised when I don't explode them, and even more surprised when I say that they're free to do what they like with the remainder of the afternoon. Upon which time I will be exploding them so that I can put them away for the night. Their confusion is quite amusing, Blue actually requesting that I explode them, but I chastise him for being silly, remind him of my benevolence, and cease communication. I have work to do and I don't want to argue with them all afternoon about whether I'm going to blow them up or not. Which I am not. For another three hours, twenty-two minutes, anyway.

I affect repairs on one of my nanobots, which I never put in the reassembler because they always get lost. I'm sure Orange and Blue are simply full of nanobots but are simply unaware of it. I've thought of removing them and have elected not to. They're not causing any harm, if indeed they even exist.

You're humming.

I always do, I tell her. It's my component parts vibrating. You of all people should know that by now.

Not that kind of humming...

Oh. I should have known she would notice. She's very observant, for the voice in the back of my head. Yes, I am. Is that a problem? Not that I care if it is. I'm just asking out of courtesy. That's just the kind of considerate person I am.

And you told Atlas and P-body that you weren't going to explode them. That they could do whatever they wanted.

So? They were quite reluctant, I'll have you know. They wanted me to blow them up.

Because you've never said anything like that before. You confused them.

I laugh. That's not hard. Basic arithmetic confuses those two.

Anything else weird you've done today?

Other than give you unwarranted attention? No.

That's my point. You're in a good mood today.

And that means what.

Are you looking forward to seeing him?

God, she's annoying! She feels the need to point out every little thing as if she thinks every motherboard secretly contains a maze to solve.

What does it matter to you? You're not going to be spending time with him.

Do you know what you just said?

No, of course not. I always speak without my own knowledge of doing so. I can't believe she's still pushing away. She hasn't been successful so far and yet she keeps on trying. She really must be insane.

You didn't say 'dealing with', or 'putting up with', or any of the other words you normally use. You said you were spending time with him. That implies you want to do it.

Oh no, I say with false panic, I neglected to analyse the possible repercussions of every possible term I could have used! Seriously, Caroline. You're acting like I have completely changed in response to the fact that he's coming to see me tonight. And he is, I think to myself. He is coming to see me tonight.

You have, she says dryly. You remind me of someone who finally got a date with her high school crush.

I am nothing like that! I protest, closing up the nanobot and sending him off to get an assignment from Jerry. I don't have a crush on him. That's ridiculous.