Flaw in My Code (Portal 2)[REWRITE IN PROGRESS]

[Chapter 13: The Coffee Pot]

A silent set of footsteps graced the hallway as Caroline turned swiftly into Cave's office, a stack of papers and a cup of coffee in her hands. "The reports, sir." She whispered, setting the stack and the cup down softly.

Cave nodded with a nasty cough, and waved his hand to shoo her away. She frowned, nodded back, and turned to leave the sick old man in peace. She kept her cold, hard expression all the way down the hall.

Cave wasn't going to be around much longer, she knew that. Every one had come to terms with it at that point. What they didn't know, was what it would mean for Aperture.

Though he wasn't the best man, he was an amazing entrepreneur. He'd brought the company through it's hardest times, but now that his health was waning, so was Aperture. The worst part, was that they hadn't finished the conputer that his magnificent brain was going into, and Caroline feared that they wouldn't get to it on time.

She turned into the lab, picking up a few sheets of paperwork, before catching Henry's eye. Henry turned away from his post, watching over the lab boys put together another core, and went to greet Caroline. She looked up to meet his eyes with a tired wave.

"Good morning. Are you doing alright?" He asked, frowning. She yawned softly and hugged the clipboard and papers to her chest, nodding slowly. "I'm alright. I'm just worried about Mr. Johnson." Henry nodded, understanding.

"And Penn," Caroline added after a long pause. "I've been meaning to ask; Have you seen him anywhere? He's been gone for quite a while."

Henry seemed to break a sweat, smiling at her. "Oh, right," Caroline looked up, tilting her head. "What? What is it?" Henry scratched the back of his neck. "I think Reese needed you. Something about the coffee pot being broken,"

"Henry. You're evading my question." She said with a glare as he looked away. "He really didn't tell you?" Henry whispered, motioning to the papers in her hands.

"Tell me what...?" She pulled them away from her body so that she could read them. When she studied them further, they looked like volunteer applications for the personality sphere project.

Her blood ran cold and her heart seemed to skip a beat as she read the first name that she saw printed neatly on the lines.

Pendleton M. Wheatley.

Caroline looked back up to Henry, her eyes wide in disbelief. "He didn't." Henry simply nodded. "He did. Said he didn't have much in life to worry about leaving behind."

"He talked to you about this?" Caroline practically screeched. He flinched back, pursing his lips. "He did."

"And you let him sign up!?" Her eyes were conveying a million emotions at once, and she hardly felt like the situation was real. "I don't... I can't..." She whispered, at a loss for words. She was angry, confused, and bewildered all at once, and she hardly knew how to deal with the sudden rushof emotion.

"I'll take it you two were closer than you let on?" Henry murmured. "If I'd known it meant anything to you..." He paused. "What's done is done, I guess." He said simply,  before turning around.

Caroline just stood there, staring down in shock, as Henry walked away. "I wasn't lying about the Reese thing, though. You should probably go help him out." He called to her.

"Reese?" Caroline whispered as she stepped into the lounge. The ginger-headed intern stood at the counter, eyeing the coffee pot intently. At his side, resting on the counter, was a Personality Sphere with a bright blue optic.

This one was new; Caroline hadn't seen any with a colored light. Reese and the sphere glanced over at Caroline in unison as she entered the room. The boy flashed his biggest smile and motioned to the sphere.

"Check it out, Miss Dubuk! My new buddy!" The sphere squinted happily with a chipper, "Hallo!"

Caroline halted in the doorway as she stared at the core and frowned deeply. "This one's a special case, they told me. They want to create some of these guys to check the smarter ones, if you know what I mean. He's not the brightest, but he sure is funny. Anyways,"

"The coffee pot." Caroline whispered. "I know. Henry told me." She stepped in and ignored the presence of the blue-eyed core. His voice was all too familiar, and she had a sinking feeling that she knew exactly who they'd used to put him together.

Reese watched her curiously as she fidgeted with the pot, sighing. He and the core glanced at each other, before the core started talking. "Uh, Miss Dubuk, if I may," he begun.

His voice hit Caroline like a shot to the heart, and she had to pause for a moment to glance over at the metal ball. "I've heard from many sources, that you are, um... Very, highly, majorly important to this place, and..." He started to ramble, and Caroline had to bite back tears.

"It really is you..." She sighed, mostly to herself. Reese tilted his head and glanced between them.

"Ah... what? Sorry, anyways, I just wanted to say, it's such an honor to finally meet you, and, I speak for both of us when I say, thank you for fixing the coffee pot." He said, nodding his optic in conclusion.

"Penn." She said firmly, turning back to the pot. "You know me." Reese scratched his head awkwardly aa the core turned to him. "I don't really. I mean, I do, but you know, I know her by word of mouth," He paused. "Name's Wheatley, by the way, that's uh... that's what the lab boys call me."

"I know." Caroline answered softly, before turning away on the brink of tears. "Reese," She whispered. "Yes ma'am?" Was the intern's response. "It's clogged up. Probably by the minerals in the water. Just... give it a good wash." She said, before turning to leave the lounge.

Reese and Wheatley gave each other a look, and Reese shrugged. "And Reese," She said before leaving the room. "Bring your friend by my desk, later."

Reese looked down at Wheatley and nudged him with his elbow. "You think she likes me, mate?" The sphere asked smugly. "I think she likes me."

Reese shook his head slowly. "I don't know... By the way she spoke, I don't think she likes you at all."

__________________________

*yeets phone*

Wheatley Wheatley Wheatley Wheatley Wheatley Wheatley BAM.

Ok ok sorry. But. I just needed more Wheatley in my life and also ive had this planned from the start so don't sue me