Prompt Post Round 1
Prompts go here! This will be closed and a new post made at 3000 comments. Please link all fills to the Round 1 Fill Post.
This post is closed to new prompts! Post prompts at Round 2! Fills and comments can still be posted here.
This post is closed to new prompts! Post prompts at Round 2! Fills and comments can still be posted here.
“Right! Well, let’s get you all hooked up. I bet this is a dream come true for you, isn’t it? Your very own satellite. Well, with me, but just for now, until I enact stage two of my plan. Or think it up. Both, I need to do both, but I’m on it, I’m already on it. I just need to see what we’re working with here as far as this satellite goes. Yes. Anyway. Arm controls--” Wheatley’s iris narrowed in concentration as he started to push back against the primitive computer inside the satellite, investigating its functions. “Okay, so, now I have the arms, and--” The manipulator arm released the sphere. “No! Oh, no!”
A quick snatch saved the sphere from drifting off. His moment of lucidity had apparently now fully lapsed, because he was babbling again. “Okay. Good. One thing’s for sure, you’re happy to be here, at least. Okay, so we don’t have another little, another little mix-up like that, I’m just going to move you over here and--wait, I need to turn--okay, wrong way, I’ve got this. These controls are. See, there. Now. Just a little push--” With a click, the little sphere attached himself to the docking port.
Immediately Wheatley sensed a flurry of activity from the simple intelligence inside the satellite. It was doing something, but he couldn’t tell what, and without warning he felt something like another presence in his mind. “Uh. Well. I guess that’s tha--what the--oh. That’s you.”
The satellite that Wheatley had attached them to was an observation satellite. It was designed to observe and record the vast cosmic sprawl around them, as well as send photographs back to the laboratories. Not only was it useful for some fantastic snapshots, but, in true money-saving multi-tasking fashion, Aperture laboratories had decided to give it an additional function: it would run on a committee of separate personality spheres.
The spheres’ minds would be linked so that, while still distinct, they were subject to one another’s thoughts, impulses, and reactions. Purposefully, some of the spheres had been designed to give a positive reaction to the same stimuli that some spheres received a negative reaction to. This was supposed to test the limits of compromise and teamwork among a group that could literally never make all of its members happy at once.
It had lasted a grand total of three hours. When the satellite had sent them their first query (Central command has pinged us, respond Y/N?), they had bickered and argued until they literally drove one another mad in absolute record time. In the end, all of the spheres had ejected in frustration, preferring instead to brave the cold dark reaches of space or to chance a trip through the atmosphere.
The rudimentary intelligence was doggedly pursing its original intended function, linking Wheatley and the astronaut together. Wheatley had been suddenly flooded by the little sphere’s “thoughts,” which were basically all along the lines of “space space look at the space.” Hmm.
“A little distracting, but I can work with it,” Wheatley concluded. “Weird sort of satellite.”
“Look! Look at the space!” The astonaut urged.
“Yes, It’s very lovely isn’t it? Just as lovely as it was when we first got here. Which is to say, still quite lovely.” Wheatley obliged his comrade by scanning the immediate area of absolute nothingness around them, as they were facing away from the earth.
The rudimentary intelligence in the satellite wasn’t sophisticated enough to feel the range of emotions that personality spheres were, but even it was capable of surprise. The two spheres had just compromised. Immediately. It had never had to use the protocols designed to give the group its subsequent punishment/reward.
The blue sphere did not have a pre-programmed response to the function “Look at space,” but the yellow one was experiencing a constant low-level positive response to it. They’d both be rewarded, then. With something approaching a sense of accomplishment, it got to work, linking their pleasure/pain response centers to its own punishment/reward initiative protocols. With a surge of power, it began.
Reply
The little astronaut did not reply--his iris-shutters had closed to a mere slit, and he was twitching gently, clearly subject to the same forces Wheatley was. For some reason the knowledge that they were both feeling the same thing, that they were in accord, just made it that much better.
“Okay, we… we need to… we…” His words dissolved into an unintelligible moan. It wasn’t the same as the rush he’d gotten while he was in control of the old lab, but after so long of feeling nothing, any stimulus was welcome. It filled every mechanism of perception like a buzzing ball of pure electricity, rattling the core from the inside out.
The response raced back and forth between the two of them, each wave of pleasure feeding off the next in an ebb and flow of euphoria. Part of him was afraid of being trapped in this feedback loop forever, but part of him wanted to because it was fucking incredible. He could feel the strain on his pleasure centers, which were threatening to burn out, but he didn’t care at that point, it was too good, he never wanted it to stop. Distantly, he was aware that the other sphere was making soft sounds of bewildered approval.
At some point he’d closed his iris-shutters and, desperate for another surge, another push, he opened them and joined his friend. Yes. Looking at space sounded like a great idea right about now.
The sensations seemed to explode then, blossoming and snowballing until every last bit of processing power within the spheres’ simulated brains dedicated itself to the task of handling the sudden surge of pure stimulus. For a moment, thought utterly ceased, and there was nothing but pleasure, and the white-hot intensity of it made the rush that testing had brought Wheatley seem half-formed and weak by comparison.
Then it was over, and they both sagged in their docking cradles.
The rudimentary computer gave a small, rather sad-sounding chime and rewarded them both with a quick message. Well done.
Wheatley was still reeling from the sudden strange flow of pleasure. Several moments passed in silence. Then, softly, “Spaaace.”
“Uh, well, I… have absolutely no idea what that was, but it was rather nice, wasn’t it?” The sphere did not respond, but was starting to look frantically around again. “Er, well, anyway, uh, lovely experience, and I’m glad we shared it, and, er, well, I hope this doesn’t effect our, er, our friendship in, oh there is no help for it, this is rather awkward, isn’t it?”
The sphere glanced to him briefly and said, “We’re in space!”
Wheatley paused, and then did the closest thing he could to a nod. It was nice to know that some things never changed. “Yes. Yes we are.”
“Look at the space!”
“I’ve seen…” Wheatley paused. Something in his mind went click. He might not have been the brightest crayon in the box, but even he realized what must have triggered the satellite to… to reward them like that. When he had finally humored his companion, when they had mutually agreed to do something…
He paused for an impressive .48 seconds. “Yes, that sounds like a good idea.”
And the second round was just as sweet.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Also, OH MY GOD I JUST REALIZED THAT I FORGOT HOW TO COUNT. H-HOW DID I DO THAT. HOW.
Also, in response to the last comment--you know, it's up in the air whether or Space realized that their agreeing to do something would result in the reward, or whether he just wanted to look at space.
I say it's up to you to decide. :]
Reply
also, I love how you write Wheatley. It's perfect.
Reply
Also, I'm going to blame "getting in-character" for my apparent inability to count to five. Yep. That's what it was.
Reply
Reply
Reply
8D Wheatley and I can have magical space adventures with Space core for the rest of eternity~
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment