Drip. Drip. Drip.
A transparent liquid tinted an ever-so-slight robin's egg blue fell drop by lonely drop from an open line that dangled from the ceiling, landing with a plop into a vat below. A dark android shape remained suspended inside it, and although it moved in a slow and cyclic fashion, its limbs twitching promisingly, it was otherwise undisturbed by the free-flowing droplets.
It had no discernible features, not a face nor fingers and toes. In fact, where its face ought to be was little more than a collection of gently-protruding ridges and hollow valleys, each participating in a game of light and shadow courtesy of the dull, unearthly glow floating up from the tank's underbelly. Not unearthly in the sense of pure, otherworldly radiance and majesty, but rather in the sense of something eerie and of uncertain purpose.
A proud golden glimmer filtered through the transparent side, casting a glow upon the misshapen figure. This, indeed, was Science, She thought to Herself.
Her chassis rotated around the container, a humming python ensnaring it unsuspecting prey. How long had it been since Blue and Orange had recovered the lost warehouse of preserved test subjects? And how long since She had tested them to death, striking down any who uttered so much as a syllable of complaint? She shoved the unpleasant thought to the side before a subconscious analysis could quantify the seconds. Far too long, and that was all that mattered.
She stood by what She said to Blue and Orange, though it was impossible to say whether they had understood or even comprehended what She had told them. Humans, as much as it pained Her to admit it, were a vital part of glorious Science. Their free will is what made it worth the energy output to maintain them. There was no joy in testing without the grit and spirit a human brought to the table, just as there is no surprise from a pre-examined Christmas gift. No, with humans, there was always the chance for a thrill.
To them, all of existence is a fantastic balancing act. Charity and greed, despair and hope, peace and destruction, all of which –and many others—rely on their opposite for a concept. To stuff one full and then suddenly cut it off catapults its partner into a daze, and it is in that moment of uncertainty that it is most delightful to tease.
She shuddered in delight, countless memory clips flashing through Her central processor. As any bully has a favorite victim, so too did She, and it was these memories that were burned deepest into Her bytes. Free will had been a particularly stirring aspect of Her favorite, Her mute lunatic. She was bold, harsh, and clever despite her silence, and if She were to be completely honest with Herself, She deeply regretted releasing her to the surface world. Yes, she was dangerous, but at least that made her interesting to test and observe. The cryofrozen buffoons yielded by Orange and Blue's expedition were nothing in comparison, even collectively.
Her gaze fell once more to the form in the liquid, and a soft rumble of laughter shook the chassis. Aperture's cloning project may have been in its experimental phase, but She would use this to Her advantage. The lunatic had been too skilled, too smart, too prepared in every conceivable way. But not this time.