GLaDOS and Me

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

GLaDOS was decidedly quiet and morose for the next several days, barely at all responsive and only doing so when she absolutely needed to. He did his best to help her, being as positive and cheerful as he could, and it seemed to improve her mood if only a little. Every day he made her come next to him so he could hold her, and though she always argued that it wasn't Friday she always acquiesced. He stayed with her every night until she'd slept a little, with him holding her like that, and after a few days he decided to ask her why she was so tired. She was a supercomputer; how did she manage that?

"If I'm caught up in thought about something, fewer of my personal thought processes go into suspension," she explained. "When I go into sleep mode, my maintenance programs come online to clean up the bad outputs or other random code generations that would slow me down or negatively affect me. They don't work properly when I'm thinking too hard in my sleep. The system assumes I'm online in some way, such as safe mode, and only runs certain cleanups. It's a combination of buildup and the fact that I feel as though I'm not getting a break that makes me feel tired."

Wheatley had been listening carefully as she'd spoken, and took a minute to absorb the information. "So it's sort of like a... an emotional tiredness?"

"Sometimes. Other times it has to do with my brain merely needing a rest. I'm made of a lot of moving parts, which the engineers placed sensors in so I can warn them if a part seems close to failure. It's easier than running a diagnostic, you see, and far more accurate. However, they designed the feedback so that it would register in my brain as pain. I'm not sure why that is, but they did it for every part I have. What all of that means is, if I'm not in a resting state for a certain amount of time, the sensors erroneously assume something's about to fail and sends me the feedback. So if feels to me as I would imagine an ache feels to you."

"Your brain hurts when you don't get enough sleep?" he asked softly, stroking her in what he hoped was a reassuring sort of way.

"That's right."

"Why don't you tell them the sensors don't work properly?"

Her voice was quiet and resigned. "Would they care?"

He knew they wouldn't and decided not to answer. After a few seconds she remarked offhand, "I get a little bit of relief lately so it's not too bad. I was having more trouble before."

"Before what?"

She shifted suddenly, core escaping his stretched fingertips for a moment, and in irritation he tapped her with his other hand. Instantly she moved back within range, and Wheatley realised somewhat guiltily that he'd trained her to do that and it must've really stuck. "It's nothing," she hedged.

"C'mon, luv."

"Well... before you... started sitting with me."

Wheatley's heart melted then and there, and he wrapped his free arm around the front of her core and held her tight. He let go after a few seconds and murmured, "I c'n stay the whole night, if you like."

"No," she answered, starting a bit, "it's already a risk – "

"I don't like that you're not getting enough rest! If I c'n help even a little – "

"You do," she interrupted softly. "I can handle things with the amount of time you stay."

He laid the side of his face against her, closing his eyes and enjoying the subtle whirring and the comforting warmth. "Well... if you ever change your mind."

"I know."

He wasn't sure why, but her mood picked up considerably over the next few days; after a week or so she insulted him for the first time in too long, and he responded with an uncontrollable grin and a prolonged hug.