Want You Gone

[Chapter Twenty: Four-Part Plan]

"Well, well, well..." Wheatley's voice boomed as we slowly ascended into the mainframe chamber. "Welcome... To my lair!" The core's voice dropped a few octaves. I crouched down a bit, trying not to be intimidated. 

He had made a mess of the place. The walls were stripped down, fire was spouting from inside them, and unfinished platforms were building up around him. 

"Lemme just flag something up-- According to the control panel light up there, the entire building's going to self destruct in about six minutes." He said with a sense of urgency. "I'm PRETTY SURE that it's a problem with the light. I think, the light's to blame." 

I shook my head. "No, Wheatley, this place is going down..." 

"Well, then I am actually going to have to kill you... Um, as discussed earlier. So, let's call that, three minutes, and then a minute break, which should leave a leisurely two minutes to shut down whatever's starting all the fires. So anyways, that's the itinerary." 

I went to open my mouth, but he jolted forward and cut me off. "Also, I took the liberty of watching the tapes of you killing her, and I'm not going to make the same mistakes." I blinked rapidly, then narrowed my eyes at him. 

"My four-part plan, is this: One. No portal surfaces." He growled. I looked around and took note of the fact that there were no walls for me to portal onto, rendering my gun useless. "Two. Start the neurotoxin immediately." A faint green gas began to flood into the room from a few battered tubes. "Three. Bomb-proof shields for me, leading directly into number four. Bombs, for throwing at you." A few panels came down and surrounded him like a forcefield, and a machine that he had hooked up to the mainframe began to sputter and power up. 

"You know what, this plan is so good, that I'm gonna give you a sporting chance, and turn off the neurotoxin!" Wheatley chimed. "I'm joking, of course, goodbye." 

"Neurotoxin level at capacity in: 5 minutes." The announcer spoke. 

As he spoke, the machine attached to Wheatley began spouting bombs in my direction. I gasped and ran, dodging out of the way, but I could only run in circles as she shouted down at me. "Where are you going? Don't run, don't run!" He commanded. "I'll tell you why you shouldn't run: The harder you breathe, the more neurotoxin you'll inhale! It's bloody clever, this stuff, seriously. It's devilish."

I stopped running for a moment to catch my breath. He had a point. I needed to spare my lungs, so exerting myself may not have been a great idea. Although, I did take the time to dodge his bombs when needed. 

"This would go a lot faster if you'd just stay still!" Wheatley growled. "Then, I'd actually have time to fix the facility! So one of us, at least, would live. No need to be selfish, love, you're gonna die!" 

I dove underneath a pipe for shelter, shaking slightly. For the first time in a long time, I genuinely didn't know what I was going to do. Wheatley, however, was generous with the bombs and launched them my way, breaking the pipe and spilling it's contents. Luckily for me, those contents happened to be my old friend, conversion gel. 

"NO! No, no! AGGGGH!" He cried out when he realized what he'd done. He turned to glare at me as I held my portal gun firmly. He glanced between me and the gun. "Remember when I first told you how to find that little portal thing that you love so much? Well, I though't you'd die on the way, if I'm honest." He muttered darkly. "All the others did."

My eyes widened as it occurred to me that he may have never been my friend in the first place, and that he roped other people into his trap. He must have just been trying to escape.  "Oh, you didn't think you were the first, did you? Hahaha, nonono, fifth, no- I lied, sixth."