Chapter Text
“Good morning.
You have been in suspension for-- Nine-- Nine-- Nine-- Nine-- Nine--”
And to those blaring sirens, Gordon awoke.
His vision blurred and foggy, he stared up at the empty ceiling. The room was decomposing, and smelled of chemicals and burnt coffee. The wallpaper was peeling and the light pouring in through the shades somehow felt even more fake than it had the last time he awoke for one of these routine checks. His entire body burned like he’d just ran a marathon. Had he? How long had it been since he’d fought that monster? The broken, buzzing voice box wasn’t giving him any clues.
Reluctantly, he pushed himself into a sitting position, wincing as he felt his hand glide over the human-shaped indent in the mattress. So, that’s one question answered. He’d been sleeping for a long time. He felt like he should be more troubled than he was, but right now he was still so tired. Not a thought was processed fully in his mind. For a man who slept for decades, it still felt like he hadn’t gotten a single night's rest.
Three sharp knocks pumped the adrenaline back into his heart, eyes widening as he looked towards the door. The voice that spoke was human-- eerily so. It wasn’t the harsh, blade-like voice of their GLaDOS, or the high, sweet little voice of the turrets.
“Hello? Is someone alive in there?”
Gordon stared, blankly, the words processing in his mind. Again, it sounded so human that it almost felt surreal. He hadn’t heard a human’s voice, not even his own, in so long he couldn’t remember the last time. Cryosleep will do that to you. Was he being saved? When his thoughts were interrupted by another voice and line of dialogue, he realized he should probably answer them.
“I swear I heard the speaker go off...Hellooo? Are you awake, Mr., uhh…”
The man scrambled to the door, taking a hurried moment to claw the jumpsuit he was wearing down to his waist, like it was suffocating him. It felt much more comfortable tied at his hips. With that, he shakily fumbled for the handle, tugged open the door…
...And was eye-to-eye with something that most certainly was not human.
Both Gordon and the spherical robot jumped, neither expecting to see what they were seeing now. The human could feel the hope draining from his skin once again, his face falling as he looked over his not-savior. So a rescue team hadn’t been called. Did any of his friends or family worry about him being stuck in here for god knows how long? Did he ever even have any? Finally, again, the robot spoke, fully confirming he was the source of the knocking.
“So there is someone alive in here. Thank god! It’s great to see ya, pal!” He said, his deep blue eye sparkling with relief. Upon closer inspection, there was a small target shape in the center of it. Gordon recognized these little robot guys. They were the personality cores attached to the GLaDOS. This one, though, looked a lot more old fashioned.
“The white coats woulda had my head for letting this place get so bad. Good thing I’m only a head. And that they’re gone by now.”
The core slid into the room, past Gordon’s head, who belatedly turned around to watch him.
“Jeez, this place is a wreck.” He huffed, spinning in a circle. When his eye landed on the human again, he must have realized he should introduce himself.
“Oh, right! Probably scared ya when I woke you up and invited myself into your house. Sorry, my bad. I’m the Security Core. I guard this place.” He explained, tilting his head slightly at the human, who was doing it subconsciously.
“‘Calhoun’ was the formal name they used for me. But my friends called me Barney.”
Gordon didn’t say anything. ‘Barney’ prompted a question for him.
“I tried to read the name on the side of your box, but it was all smudged. Can ya fill me in?”
Again, Gordon paused, looking down at his hands. The core let him think it over for a few seconds. Just when he was about to assure him it was okay if he forgot, the human answered him with his hands. He spoke in sign language.
‘G-O-R-D-O-N.’
“...Gordon?” Barney guessed, his pupil pulsing with a gentle light. When Gordon nodded, he looked proud of himself.
“Oh, great! Hah, sorry ‘bout that. Been a while since I’ve seen anyone use sign. It’s been a while since I’ve seen anyone with hands.” He joked, although it obviously fell flat to the one that’d been sleeping for several decades. The core cleared his throat and continued.
“Uh, right. So, I'm sure you want some fresh air, right? Well, me too. I’ve been lookin’ for survivors for ages now, and you seem like the perfect candidate! You help me, and I’ll help you. Whattia say?”
For the first time in as long as he remembered...Gordon smiled. And, somehow, despite the lack of mouth, the core seemed to smile back.
‘Yes.’
“Yes! Great, okay! Thank you!” Barney rode the rails, sinking into a panel above the bed.
“Glad we’re on the same page. But if I were you, I’d hold onto somethin’ for this next part.”