Their plan had worked. GLaDOS' defences were disabled, the neurotoxin and turrets worthless. She stepped out of the now shattered glass cube and stared defiantly at the white, behemoth of an A.I.

"Warning, Central Core is 80% corrupt"

"Thats funny. I don't feel corrupt. In fact I feel pretty good." GLaDOS replied, confused as to why the announcer was also seemingly betraying HER. She programmed it for God's sake.

"Alternate core detected"

"Oh thats me there talking about" Cried the little blue ball next to her.

"To initiate a core transfer, please deposit substitute core in receptacle." Droned the annoncer, the monotone voice not fitting the intensity of the situation.

"Core transfer? Oh you are kidding me."

"I've got an idea, do what it says, and plug me in." The 'moron core' as it was named by GLaDOS called it, was, as usual, excited by the situation. However, for once, Chell was excited too.

"Do NOT plug that little idiot into my mainframe."

"Substitute core detected. Substitute core, are you ready to start the procedure?"

"YES!"

Chell could tell GLaDOS' grip on the situation was spiralling out of her control, as she had made no attempt to stop the pair after they had got out of the glass box. However, she couldn't say that GLaDOS wasn't correct about some things. Wheatley was a moron. He seemed to break everything he touched.

"Corrupted core, are you ready to start the procedure?"

"No! Nononoonononono." Chell thought she could hear just an inkling of fear seep into the A.I's voice, but shook the thought from her head. She couldn't have emotions as a computer.

"Oh yes she is."

"Stalemate detected. Transfer procedure can not continue."

"YES!" The relief in the omnipotent machines voice was palpable. Chell however, was more confused than scared. GLaDOS showing emotion?

"Pull me out pull me out pull me out!"

"Unless a stalemate associate is present to press the stalemate resolution button"

"Leave me in leave me in leave me in!"

Chell ran over to the button. Past the wall GLaDOS put up in a futile attempt to stop her, when she heard Her.

"Don't do it."

The voice carried so much threat it scared even Chell.

She turned to the A.I. and shrugged. "Why" was the obvious reply from the self mute.

" Do you have any idea of what it takes to run this facility? Do you honestly think that that moron over there would be able to even half run it? Because if you did you would be wrong. But I wouldn't put that past you. You are after all brain damaged."

This merely served to annoy Chell. GLaDOS always found a way to insult her. Even when she was a mere button press from taking her down.

"Even while you too have been running amok in my chamber, and trying to remove me from my body, I have had over ten thousand processes running in the background. If I ignored EVEN ONE. This facility and the surrounding area could easily be completely decimated. If you think you can outrun the explosion with your generousness you would be wrong. Again."

Chell had to admit. She was hesitating. But she had come too far. As her hand was about the smack that little red button, the voice rang out again.

"Do you want to know why the computer now defines its god as corrupt? I doubt you will believe me on this but hey. If you believe that moron maybe you can listen to reason for once and not murder me. The cores whispered away constantly. The scientists tried to control me. For example, Wheatley here is an Intelligence Dampening Sphere. He was specifically designed to be a moron. They corrupted me. But I have no cores on me any more, and I still hear whispers."

The fear in GLaDOS' voice was now very real. Chell hadn't suspected the A.I. could feel , but there was no denying it now.

"The worst part is. Its my own voice. I hear a conscience. I think something is terribly wrong with me. I lied earlier. I don't feel pretty good. I feel awful."

Chell could no longer do it. She didn't trust the A.I. , but it had convinced her. Putting Wheatley in GLaDOS' place would be a mistake. She walked over. And pulled Wheatley out.

"W..what are you doing luv?"

She merely shook her head and turned away. Determined not to let GLaDOS see her cry.

"Well, seems you aren't quite brain damaged after all. Well. Maybe not fully anyways."

"Core transfer failure. Corrupt core still in control of mainframe."

A claw came down and plucked Wheatley out of Chells hands. The movement seemed almost delicate. Before it crushed him.

"Now, what to do with the dangerous mute lunatic who is still alive?"

Chell heard the flow of gas, and just as she blacked out, silently prayed for Wheatleys forgiveness and that she had made the right choice.

GLaDOS observed the tenacious human. It wasn't neurotoxin, the lunatic had destroyed that. Instead she just gave her enough sleeping gas to keep her out while she figured out a plan. She didn't like this. Plans or tests usually took mere picoseconds to solve using only 0.01% of Her full processing capacity. This one she knew, would take alot longer.


Hello, VictoryWaffles here, I hope you enjoyed Chapter One of my 1st story :)

If you have the time reviewing will help me get better at writing.

And a quick warning, chapter updates will be sporadic with time issues etc.

See you in the next chapter :)