You're gonna test, and I'm gonna watch.

[testgasm]

Who: Weetabix. YOU.
What: TIME EATING
When: Who even knows.
Where: APERTURE WHEATLEY LABS
Warnings: Weird time shenanigans. Inappropriate noises.

You walk through the door and find yourself in a room.



You appear to be alone. The room is empty save the door you came from and a door that is obviously the exit--though neither will open. A large, red button sits in the middle of the chamber, surrounded by several cube...things.

There is an oversized TV monitor bolted to the wall but it appears to be off.

In front of you is a pedestal that holds two things--a strange device and a pair of boots. The gun-like apparatus has two triggers, but firing either at any of the walls does nothing. More fiddling, however, and you might realize that the gun can be used for picking things up--and perhaps even used to put things on other things (HINT HINT).

The floor and walls shake gently around you, tremors of some far-off disturbance. You might want to put those boots on, and find a way out of here while you're at it.

Comments

[testgasm]

Though he doesn't quite understand why Cress is so distraught, all the shouting and wailing and carrying on makes him nervous, and the panels come to a halt.

"Hold on, hold on, there's no need to get hysterical. I'm just taking the body off to the incinerator, that's all. It's just company protocol. That glass isn't going to break, it's bulletproof. Lucky for you, really."

Because that's comforting.

[makesitcool]

"Don't you DARE... You... You can't... take Chili away from me... Cress won't... let you..." He can't articulate himself as well as usual. He's far too lost in his convulsive grief. His mind is a neurotic mess. Propping his forehead against the wall, he peers in at his lifeless brother, barely able to see through the fog of tears blinding his eyes.

[testgasm]

Nope. Still doesn't get it.

"Look, look, it's okay! Take a deep breath, everything's going to be fine. Just calm down. These things happen, it's all right. What are you going to do with a dead body, anyway? It's all full of holes, you don't want that."

[makesitcool]

"How could you say those things at a time like this?!" Cress shrieks in a high-pitched manner, giving the glass a finalizing pound. "If he's dead, nothing will ever be fine! It's as though you place no value on human life! How could you be so cruel!!"

Well, him being a robotic core could be one reason.

[testgasm]

"Well, it's not really my fault you lot are so squishy and killable."

A+ tact, right there, robot overlord.

"I mean, anyone should know better than to run out in front of some turrets. Those thermal discouragement beams aren't even deadly, he would have been fine. Just a little burning, probably, but that's better than getting shot at. Tell you what, let's just do some more tests, and I'm sure you'll feel better in no time."

[makesitcool]

Feel better in no time? FEEL BETTER IN NO TIME?!?! The nerve of this robotic asshole! He was never going to understand the trauma he was going through, or how much Chili meant to him! And he even had the audacity to blame it on Chili! For what, being mortal? Getting cornered by a potentially hazardous laser beam? They didn't know any better! "You are so... so DESPICABLE!" sobs Cress as he sinks to a fetal heap on the floor.

"No more tests... Please. No more..."

[testgasm]

"You don't have to be rude," he snaps, shutters narrowing as he sticks his robot eye-face right into the camera. "You're a test subject, and you're going to do what test subjects do. Test subjects...test."

Wheatley spares a quick glance at Chili's body.

"And occasionally die. But mostly test. Now come on--"

With that, a panel on Cress' side of the room unfixes itself from the floor and starts nudging the gym leader from his curled-up position on the ground.

"Up we go. I've even opened the door for you."

[makesitcool]

Cress won't budge. He reacts to the nudge like a rag doll. He wouldn't horribly mind if he could just lie there curled up for the remainder of eternity. The reality hadn't quite sunk in all the way, and for the past few moments he felt as though he were flailing around trying to keep abreast of it just enough so the ugly truth wouldn't pull him under.

Too late. He takes a plunge like a brick. It feels like the second time. Chili really had died. He really had. What's left of Cress once his hysterics had been wrung out is a more feeble state of reflection over the crisis that happened in only a handful of seconds. The future he saw before him was bleak and he didn't want to face it. He couldn't bear breaking the news to Cilan... How could they be a triple act if there were only two of them left? Oh... just thinking about it makes his eyes spill buckets. Everything was ruined. And what about Pansear... It was just enough to smash his broken heart into even tinier pieces.

[testgasm]

Well, that was awkward.

Wheatley...left...