he hadn’t even spoken to her yet, and he was already terrified. the engineers, of course, had assured him that everything would be fine - that all he had to do was give her ‘his best ideas’. when he’d asked for clarification, they evaded his questions or outright ignored him, and the way she’d glance in his direction every now and then didn’t help his terror. she already hated him - and for what, he didn’t know.
“ a - are you sure she even needs help with...ideas? because i’d bet that she’s got that all under control. haven’t spoken to her yet, but ah, i’m already getting that impression... ” the INTELLIGENCE DAMPENING SPHERE continued to ramble to the nearest engineer - the one called ‘wheatley’ by the others -, though he paid him no mind. usually, he was kinder than the others - answering all of the core’s questions rather than scolding him for his ignorance. but his most recent ones - ( who is SHE? what’s my job, anyway? can’t someone else help HER? ) went unanswered.
“ maybe i could get another job? if i’m honest, i don’t think this one’s cut out for me. and - i’m telling you right now that i don’t think she’ll like me very much. which is fine with me - i’d rather stay far away from her, actually. ” the core’s voice was beginning to tremble as he was lifted up and brought into the main room; he could FEEL her optic focusing on him long before he could see it, and his mechanical body began to shake in some sort of response to the fear.
“ i could do another job! really - a-any other job you have here...” he pleaded, and for a moment, the man seemed to hesitate. but it was fleeting, as another voice in the background told him to ‘hurry up and plug in the ‘moron core’!’ “ what does that mean? i don’t feel like you’re listening to me, i really DON’T want to do this. is it going to hurt?! what if she doesn’t like me?! what am i supposed to -”
his sentence was cut short as ‘wheatley’ connected him to HER mainframe, and several other voices bled into his mind all at once. enthusiastic, angry, somber, and - HER’S. her’s was even louder than the snarling voice; sharp, spiteful, and cruel. MORONMORONMORONMORON-- he couldn’t even bring himself to respond, much less answer that he didn’t know that word - but he wasn’t enjoying it. the way the scientists used it, it was a title of some sort - she wielded it like an insult.
“ GETMEOUTIDON’TLIKETHISPLEASEHELPPLEASE- ”
he was quickly ejected from the mainframe - but the engineers were far more frantic than he was. before he was abruptly deactivated, the last thing the core registered was the realization that SHE was trying to kill them all.