"Hello!" the young girl chimed, running to the middle of the large, domed room.
The helmetlike head of the sentient supercomputer, suspended from the ceiling, swiveled up to look at the child as she danced forward. A yellow optic lit up from the center of its sterile-white head. The head tilted playfully.
"Hello?" called back the AI's voice, a high-pitched, electronic shimmer.
The girl stood directly below the AI's head, looking up at the target of its eye. The construct hovered about a foot and a half above her, its body swinging snakelike while its head stayed focused.
Tucking her hands behind her back, tilting her head to mock the AI's tilt, the girl giggled. Already half familiar with this game, she called again: "Hel-looooo?"
"HelloooOOOooo." The AI's voice almost mimicked the child's playful tone.
"Hello!" the girl burst, and the AI pretended to recoil back. It swung slowly forward, descending as low as it could before eliciting a high-toned response.
"I see you."
From the alcove of the room, distracted by the pitch and, well, general familiarity of the voice, one of two scientists looked up from a large monitor. Biting his lip, he anxiously brushed a hand past his short, black hair and turned away from his computer.
"She sounds like a turret," he muttered lowly. His light blue eyes, appearing mismatched from anisocoria, danced nervously as he watched the girl and the AI interact. The other scientist, a heavyset, balding man, gave a snorting chuckle.
"Ya think so, Doug?" He stood, also watching the two. "I don't hear it."
The girl began chattering quietly, her words echoing through the dome and becoming unintelligible. Doug, the dark-haired scientist, knit his brows, concerned.
"Henry, this isn't safe."
Henry scratched his head, looking back at their work on the computer and then again to the girl. She was giggling, running in circles around the AI, who was swiveling around to catch up with her. "You're being paranoid again. It's perfectly safe; just look at 'em! I think it proves just how tame she is now. Man, I wish I was filmin' this. It'd make a perfect commercial."
The corners of Doug's mouth twitched. He liked that idea even less.
"Chell, come over here. I don't want you messing with that."
The girl stopped running, glaring at the scientist and pointing a tiny finger at the AI. "It's a her, Dougie! And her name's GLaDOS! And she's super fun and really smart!" She turned to face the construct again. "Aren'cha?"
"Reallysmart," GLaDOS parrotted. Doug couldn't help but notice a hint of deviousness in the electronic voice.
"GLaDOS, know what?" Chell started jumping excitedly, once again circling the AI. GLaDOS's head again swiveled, keeping the yellow optic of her eye trained on the girl. "I'm gonna win the science competition today! I got this reeeeeaaaaally big potato battery, and it's gonna make, like, a kajillion watts!"
Behind him, Henry chuckled. "Still goin' with the potato thing?"
"Couldn't keep her away from it." Doug grimaced, mentally comparing the yellow optic to a sniper's laser.
Chell stopped skipping and looked at the two in the alcove. She asked, in the childlike manner that suggested her world was still a flawless utopia, "Doug, is Mommy gonna come see my project?"
GLaDOS gave a start. The head turned up, an incriminating look directed at Doug. The scientist looked to Henry for help, but the larger man simply rubbed the bald part of his head and turned away. If there had been a sound amid the awkward silence, it would have been Doug's heart breaking.
"Well," he started hesitantly, once again brushing his hand through his short hair, "you know Mommy went to New Mexico to look for a new job, right?"
"Yeah, but that was before Christmas. She should be back by now, right? To see my project? And then I get to go home?"
The scientist cracked a rare, uncomfortable grin. "Don't you like staying with me, Chell?"
She frowned, fidgeting. "No, I like staying with you, Dougie. But I wanna see Mommy."
"I –" He stopped. What shouldhe say? The truth? He rubbed his neck, consoling himself by remembering this was never his choice to make. One day, she left. That was it. But Chell wouldn't understand that. She was too young to understand the reasons why – that her father was married to another woman and her mother wanted nothing else than to be close to the man she loved. That Chell was the product of an affair; a useless thing, a bastard child. How could he tell her that?
He sighed deeply and spoke again, saying what was truly in his heart. "I really hope she does show up, Chell. I hope she comes and takes you home."
Suddenly he became aware of GLaDOS staring at him. He faced her, his expression turning cold and distrustful. She shifted, maneuvering her head back down to the girl.
Henry cleared his throat and finally decided to be the hero of the hour. "Hey, Chell! Let's go downstairs and get your project out. There's only a few hours before the competition."
The girl visibly sunk. "Awww, do I hafta go? I wanna stay and play with GLaDOS some more."
"Go on, Chell." Doug struggled to turn his attention back to the computer. "I'm going to finish up here, then I'll join you two in the lobby."
Henry extended his hand, and Chell ran up to grasp it. She looked back at the AI, who had stretched low towards the floor, and waved.
"'Bye, GLaDOS! See you tomorrow!"
"Goodbye," GLaDOS answered, her voice high and childlike. Doug winced, reminded once again of the turrets.
He waited a few minutes until he was sure they were gone before quitting the computer and stepping forward. The AI, her head tilted innocently, watched him.
"I don't want you talking to her again," he said firmly.
"Oh, why not?" The facade of innocence melted away, and again Doug had to admit the expressiveness of her voice was impressive. Not every machine could grin maliciously with words. "Didn't you hear Henry? I'm safe. Perfectlysafe."
"You and I both know the truth."
She raised herself toward the ceiling now, tucking her body into the large circular mount and glaring down at him. "Let's talk about the truth for a moment, shall we?"
Doug steeled his glare and balled his fists. GLaDOS began, slowly at first, swaying back and forth like a large white cobra. Doug knew she was twice as venomous.
"Look like the the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't," Doug whispered, almost compulsively, under his breath.
"When are you going to tell her, Doug?"
"That's none of your business."
"Please. I know you called Child Services. You even called them from your office."
"You...were listening?"
She lowered herself a little, widening her swing. "Lately you've become a point of interest to me. And not because you're so adamant about keeping me deactivated. I'm able to look past that. But I have dug up some interesting things about you...and her."
"Stay away from her. And quit spying on me!"
"I think you should keep her," GLaDOS said, her voice cold and matter-of-fact. "It's not that bad, having a child, is it? You keep her here most of the day, anyway. Henry lets her visit me almost every day. We've become good, good friends. Who knows? One day, you might even let me testher."
His fists tightened. "You'll never test her. I won't let you get near her. That'swhy I called DHS: to keep her away from you."
GLaDOS's head gave an odd twitch to the side and returned to look at Doug. Her tone changed to something more accusatory and, strangely, a little louder. "Don't lie. You can't stand her. You're still young; you have your life ahead of you. To be burdened with someone else's abandoned kid – someone else you hardly even knew – it must be sohard on you."
Doug set his jaw but did not respond.
"How much more are you going to lie to her? Her mother abandoned her as well as us. She works for Black Mesa now. She cares more about her career than that little brat. And now you're stuck with her. Except you're giving her up, too. I'm sure she'll love to know that she's just going to be passed around, wanted by no one. Not even the one she trusts the most."
"What else am I supposed to do?" Doug finally burst. "Judith is never coming back. My job is too dangerous for me to raise a kid! I haveto give her up!"
Doug's eyes went wide as a small gasp came from the hall beyond the door. His reprimand to GLaDOS forgotten, he ran toward the sound.
"Chell? Chell! Come back!"
"I don't wanna talk to you!" GLaDOS heard the girl yell from the hallway. "I'm never talking to anyone ever again!"
"Chell, wait!" Doug's voice faded as he followed her. GLaDOS chuckled to herself.
Bring Your Daughter to Work Day was getting off to a great start.
AN:
This fanfic adheres to a few crack theories that I personally don't really agree with. It's just playing around, only it probably made you sad. I hear I'm good at that.
First Crack Theory: Chell's parents are Judith Mossman and Eli Vance (that makes her Alyx's half-sister and OMGTHAT'SSOCUTE). And yes, i know Mossman didn't work for Black Mesa until the Resistance, but GLaDOS and Doug don't know that. Compare pics of Mossman and Chell. They look VERY similar.
Second Crack Theory: Chell was adopted by Doug Rattmann at some point in time.
Third Theory that's not so Crack: Chell was present during "Bring Your Daughter to Work Day," the same day as the Black Mesa incident and GLaDOS's lockdown/massacre of Aperture.
If you agree with any of these, that's fine; if not, that's fine, too. Like I said, just playing around with theories.