She'd slept twice since he'd broken her out, and she was beginning to get really worried. It wasn't that they were lost, because she was used to that. It was sort of what one came to expect after spending some time inside Aperture; the place was a maze (a maze that kept rearranging itself). No, she was getting worried about her partner. Over the last few "days," he'd gotten consistently more flustered, and she was fairly sure he snuck off to charge when she was sleeping. From what she'd seen, not to mention what he'd told her, just walking around shouldn't drain his battery anywhere near as fast as it was. His responses to her comments had gotten increasingly disjointed and vague, not to mention short. There'd been several periods of time where he'd just stopped talking, lapsing into total silence. Those scared her the most.

He was doing it again now. She leaned forward and grabbed his hand, trying to get his attention. She dropped it again immediately.

It was scorching hot.

He took another half-step before the touch sensors in his shell told him what had happened.

He should've known immediately.

He turned, smiling at her. "What is it, luv? Something the matter?" Had his face always been that blue?

"Yes, as a matter of fact." She gave him a light push, just enough to force him to sit, and shoved up his sleeve.

His temperature reading is red!

He blinked at her, the neon-blue spots that were his pupils pinpricks in the black background of his eyes. "Oh, that. It's just a little bug, luv, really. Just have to let my system, you know, fight it off."

She stared, shocked. "You get sick?"

"W-well not in quite the same sense you do." The already unusually blue tone of his face went a few shades darker. "It's, um, a computer virus, y'see. Slows down my processor a bit, confuses my sensors, maybe I start to overheat a little. Even Aperture machines glitch sometimes, y'know."

"And…the blue?"

"What?" She raised her fingers and indicated her own cheekbones. "Oh. Th-that's just my coolant system, luv. Y'know how your blood's job is to keep you warm, everywhere that's important? Well, my coolant s'posed to keep me from getting too warm, see?"

Chell considered it. "So…it's like having a flushed face?"

He nodded, happily. "Yes, exactly!"

"And you don't feel cold, or anything?"

"It's not like a human fever, luv. I feel exactly the temperature I am: just a little too warm for normal functions."

"Oh." She considered this for a moment or two. "Then…shouldn't we be finding a way to cool you off?"

"Not much we can do, luv. It's not like you can run cold water over me." He raised his eyebrows his endearing That was a joke. You know that, right, luv? way of his.

Chell groaned to herself as she realized the one practical route to helping her friend. "Fine. Clothes: off."

The eyebrows shot practically to his hairline, every inch of exposed shell blushing ocean-blue. "E-excuse me?"

"Clothes trap heat. Therefore, you'll cool off more effectively if you lose the suit."

"I-I can't do that, luv! I kn-know I'm just a android, but y'have to understand! I've g-got modesty and all, y'know!"

"Fine. Just the jacket and shirt, then."

"B-b-b-but…"

"Wheatley…" She gave him her best look. He gulped, and took a deep interest in the floor as he slowly followed her instructions.

His chest was covered with various monitors and counters. The parts that weren't hidden behind a display of some kind were as blue as his face. She was mildly surprised that, despite the fact that it was normally hidden beneath his suit, someone had taken the time to put some slight definition into the surface.

Chell lifted his wrist and watched the readout on his thermostat drop a few degrees. "There. Now was that so hard?"

"D-do I r-really have to a-answer that?"

She smiled at him. "Not if you don't want to. Now, we are going to rest for a day or so, until you're ready to go again."

"I'm ready now!" he sprang to his feet, a slightly panicked look on his face. "R-really, luv, I'm fine. We should get–"

"Sit," she ordered, dragging him back down. "Really, Wheatley. Do I have to watch you all the time?"

"No. I'm not a moron, I can–"

"Then stop trying to fry your circuits." She leaned forward on impulse and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. "I'd rather not lose my only friend right when I need him."

The bot stared at her, completely shocked. After a little while, he managed to find his voice again. "…Ah. A-alright then. I guess a small break wouldn't hurt."

...I had to. Just...had to.