Wordcount: 2,692
startup initiated...
The former test subject felt herself waking from a deep sleep. As she became conscious, she was vaguely aware of a feeling of restraint melting away. But when she tried to move, she found she couldn't. She attempted to open her eyes, only to find they wouldn't. She stayed calm at first, trying to think of a logical explanation as to what was happening. After all, she was a puzzle solver. It was in her nature.
booting up Personality Construct #999999999#^$&!$&L%# dot exe...
What's going on? She abandoned any notions of staying calm in favour of panicking. She tried moving a finger. She could feel the sensations of movement, but at the same time was consciously aware that it didn't move. Hello! Is anyone there? She tried to yell, but nothing came out. Her vocal cords refused to make a sound after not being used for so long.
She still tried, but it was useless. Nothing came out. Only echoed in her mind, in an unfamiliar voice.
"I hope you know this is all for the best." She froze. Who was that? Was that her voice? Did she just not know what it sounded like after not hearing it for so long? But she didn't say that... she knew she didn't say it.
But then with your brain-damaged mind, you wouldn't know, would you? She swallowed, feeling her stomach twist. Maybe.
"You're as good as dead right now anyway." Her heart skipped a beat. What did that voice mean 'as good as dead'? Now she knew something was up. Who are you? She shouted inside her head. What do you want with me?
"And you know what? Because of you... I failed someone today." The voice sighed. "I tried to hold up my end of the deal, and, well..." The voice sounded so tired. I know that voice... I'm sure I do...
"The rest is history." The voice continued.
A sigh. "Look at me..." It chuckled. "Talking to a dead thing." As if it was the final word she'd hear on the subject. Was that it? Was she dead? Is that what the voice was saying? She shook her head. No. If she was dead, she wouldn't be able to hear all this... right?
"Well, I might as well put you out of your misery." There was a whirring sound, and then the sound of hot flames licking at the air. How she could feel this she didn't know, but wasn't focused on at the moment. She was more focused on the fact that she was about to be incinerated.
"It's the least I can do."
No! No, don't drop me! Don't burn me alive, for God's sake! She practically howled, thrashing around like a maniac. She knew she hadn't moved at all, but she could feel her limbs flailing all the same. For God's sake, don't drop me!
powerup complete...
Her eyes finally opened, and all sensation of limb movement evaporated. All things she knew in the moments prior disappeared. Then, once more, everything went dark again.
As the core's ocular aperture locked with the yellow optic of the supercomputer, it finally spoke. There was a sensation of the word rising up, and then forcing its way out, escaping into the air. "Hello."
The AI was completely lost for words.
"Chell?" GLaDOS asked. The core did not respond. Its optic swivelled, surveying the room.
"Chell? Are you there?" She said, her voice lower than before. The core was confused. Core transfer? What was she talking about? All she knew was that she was Personality Construct #999999999#^$&!$&L%#, and she was in charge of overseeing test subjects on Testing Track Beta C-36, and she was currently talking to GLaDOS, the central core of Aperture Science.
Then her synthesised voice whispered. "I couldn't save you."
The core stared at her, confusion evident in its face. "Boss..." It said tentatively. The central core turned to her, her ocular lens trained on her. "Yes?"
"I... I don't know what you're talking about." The AI looked taken aback by this statement. She looked calm, but her voice was strained. "What do you mean?"
The core leaned forward slightly. "I mean I don't know what you mean by core transfer." It said.
GLaDOS's core lowered a little. "So you don't remember anything." She said. "You don't remember testing, you don't remember who you are, you don't remember what you looked like, or even what you did to yourself that landed you here in the first place?" Her voice rising near the end.
The core chuckled nervously. "N-now hold on there. Of course I remember testing. I oversee test subjects on Testing Track Beta C-36. I'm Personality Construct-" The dull orange optic went dark as an automated voice rambled "#999999999#^$&!$&L%#." As the colour brightened, its regular voice returned. "I'm just a core, nothing more, nothing less. And, to answer your last question, I don't know what you're talking about. I just... woke up. One day. The scientists just... turned me on, I guess. They asked me a few questions, and I answered them, and then they told me I'd be perfect for the job." The way the core explained it, it was almost like it had been embedded deep in its memory chip.
GLaDOS sighed in frustration. The main programming was getting in the way. The core Chell used was not empty. It already had an AI living on it. So she was speaking not to Chell, but to a Personality Construct that was designed to oversee test subjects. She wondered if there was a way to get around the base programming, and then if Chell even made it onto the damn thing in the first place.
"No. Your name is Chell, you were one of my test subjects. You tried to live forever by transferring your mind onto a core, but-"
The core shook its head, cutting her off. "No, I think you're mistaken. My name's not Chell. And I oversee test subjects, I'm not a test subject."
GLaDOS's internal fan spun faster, trying to cool her servers. She tried to think of something that would trigger even one of her memories. She looked through some of her memories that involved the test subject. Waking up in a Relaxation Vault, getting to the final test, accidentally waking her with that moron in tow-
Yes, that'll do.
"Does the name Wheatley ring a bell, by any chance?" She asked triumphantly.
The core stared thoughtfully off into the distance for a minute. "Hmm... No, I don't think so." GLaDOS's expression did not change, but it was evident she was disappointed. "Did I work with him, or something?"
"In a way. That is all."
She raised the claw, attaching the core to the Management Rail that ran through her chamber. The core glanced one last time at her. "Are you feeling alright, boss?" It asked tentatively.
GLaDOS sighed. "Yes. I'm absolutely fine."
It stared at her for a few more seconds, before shaking its head and travelling down the rail, and out of sight.
She waited until she was absolutely sure the core was gone, then breathed a frustrated sigh. Why wouldn't that damned lunatic remember? Even though she knew it was the construct's fault, she still felt a natural desire to blame Chell. The main programming was in the way, and since she had only just been activated, it would probably be a while until she'd be able to even get past the original AI designed to inhabit the core. That meant two conflicting AIs were stuck in the same Personality Construct. So how to get around it?
She first considered just shutting the core off and going through its memories. But immediately rejected it. If she was right, and she knew she was right, that core was activated years and years ago, so it'd have accumulated quite the stack of memories. She'd have to dig incredibly deep in the files to find Chell. And if she went that deep, she might damage the memory chip, negating all her work.
Next, she thought of a slower process. She just had to show her memories from her time as a test subject. Then maybe, over time, she might start to remember who she was. She hated the thought of it becoming a long-term thing, but was prepared to do it if push came to shove.
Actually, no. She was not prepared to be some kind of psychiatrist to a psychotic, immortality-obsessed test subject.
She groaned. Why did she always get stuck with that damn lunatic?
The core travelled down the rail, examining the test chambers. The tiles were cracked, vines sneaking through the gaps. In some places, the ceiling had caved in, allowing the sun's rays to shine into the chamber. Vegetation had taken hold of the once pristine room, and honestly, it hurt. The core actually remembered this one. A laser hissed in the corner, a Discouragement Redirection Cube lying on the floor opposite. The laser's receptacle was only a few feet away.
It looked away. It couldn't stand it.
The once beautifully-constructed room was currently falling to pieces. The core didn't know why it felt this way. Tests could always be built again, and with the boss's attention to detail, she could recreate the room to the exact measurements. But the original could never be beat. Maybe it was just... in its programming.
All cores had base programming. Whenever they felt something akin to a human emotion, they simply put it down to "It's in my programming." It was their equivalent of the human expression, "It's just in my nature."
The core sighed. It wondered what was troubling the boss today. She had been disappointed by its answer, despite not showing it. The core had known her for quite long. The scientists had introduced the two, explaining that GLaDOS was essentially its boss. The core was set to work on a specific testing track. It was never allowed off the testing track, unless it was to go to GLaDOS's chamber to receive a new task.
GLaDOS never showed much emotion. The core believed she wasn't supposed to because it would interfere with her work. One emotion she never showed was disappointment. Which was why her showing said emotion, albeit in a less noticeable way, was strange.
Maybe she's just having a bad day. This was all the core needed. The moment it thought of this, it left the entire issue alone. Another thing cores tended to do. Whenever they thought of the most logical explanation, they completely forgot the issue. Then never mentioned it again, unless it was brought up.
The core continued down the rail, not giving the destroyed test chambers a second glance.
She had become quite used to the darkness now.
Sitting upright, Chell stretched her legs a little. She was becoming incredibly tired of... whatever the hell this was. Some sort of mechanical limbo? Hell?
She had heard everything. GLaDOS talking, the voice of a Personality Core replying to her every question. Its constant stream of thought was driving her insane. At least... more insane then she was already. Was this how GLaDOS had felt with all those cores attached to her? Constantly feeding crap into her system, slowing her down, leaving the scientists free to control her however they wanted to.
When GLaDOS had asked the core all those questions, she kept trying to respond. But that core just shut her out. The moment the words rose up in her throat like bile, the core started babbling out that stupid voice box the engineers had given it. Nobody heard her voice, even though she had managed to jump-start her vocal cords by testing different words.
If this was what being a core was like, she definitely would've reconsidered this decision.
She coughed, testing if her voice was still audible. The dry, rough sound resonated in the dark area. She had explored it, but there didn't seem to be any end to the space she was in.
She decided to try one last time. Not like it mattered how many times she tried. As loudly as she possibly could:
"Listen."
The word hung in the air for a moment. Then nothing.
ERROR
The head that was hung in disappointment just a second ago shot up. What the-?
scanning for substitute AI...
What's going on? She thought, standing. Some feeling was coming back to her limbs. She wiggled a finger. This time she could actually feel the finger's movements.
substitute AI found: chell [REDACTED] dot exe
Her breathing hitched. What's happening? Is it trying to flush me out or something?
chell [REDACTED] dot exe installing...
25%...50%...75%...99%...
Seriously, would somebody tell me what the hell is going-
...chell [REDACTED] dot exe installed...
Okay, no escape now. I'm screwed.
powerup complete
There was a burst of light. Then, she opened her eyes. Or... eye, as it now was. Her metal sphere body couldn't touch upon the feelings of what she was lying on, but she knew she was on the floor of a ruined test chamber. She was a little woozy, but nonetheless okay. She spun her optic around, enjoying the sight more than the dark area she had been trapped in for what felt like an eternity.
Now, the business of movement.
Since she was lying on the ground, she was defenceless and couldn't move. She tried to think of a solution to this puzzle, but in all honesty, without a human body, there almost certainly wasn't one.
Except...
She hated the idea of anyone but herself hearing her voice. It was the one thing she had control over. Whenever GLaDOS tried to elicit a response via some kind of mockery, she was met with silence. She wouldn't give her the satisfaction.
But in this case, she had no other options. She wasn't on a Management Rail, and was therefore incapable of movement. She felt the voice beginning to rise, her voice box buzzing as the words formed, before releasing.
"Hello?"
She waited. Nothing. She tried again. Nothing. And again. Nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing! If GLaDOS cared so much, how come she wasn't watching her? One of her top motifs was to monitor everything that went on in the Enrichment Center. If you even coughed, GLaDOS knew about it. In fact, she was sure she was watching even outside of Aperture.
"Hello?"
She gave up. She decided to try again soon. She allowed herself to relax, assuring herself she was safe. GLaDOS wasn't going to try to kill her. She'd already quit. She said it herself. And the turrets wouldn't fire at a Personality Construct, not there even were any in this test chamber.
She closed her eye-shields, drifting into sleep mode. For now.
"And, well..."
"Oh, brilliant! You DID find a portal gun!"
"The rest is history."
"You really are doing great..."
"Chell."
The core snapped out of sleep mode, gasping. She glanced around the test chamber. It was early morning, although she wasn't completely sure. What an awful dream that'd been... She didn't exactly know what the dream had been about, but she knew for sure it wasn't about cake. Although she vaguely remembered a sincere voice uttering her name. Now she found herself wondering if the dream had any significance... No, she thought, shaking her core. Just a dream. Just a crazy, stupid dream.
She glanced around. Same old same old. Broken-down test chamber, she was lying in the middle of it, a laser humming a good distance away.
She tried calling out again. She was met with silence.
Hello! First, to clear a few things up. Yes, I am continuing this story. It has either one more chapter left to run, and then that'll be it.
Now, a few facts about this chapter:
1. The reason Chell was unable to communicate with GLaDOS is because when a human's mind is transferred onto a core that already has an AI living on it, the system prioritises the main AI over the new one. Because of Chell's high levels of tenacity, she was able to overcome the original AI, even though she didn't even notice. As usual, no evidence to prove this.
2. Chell was right about one thing: where she was is basically mechanical limbo, because she has nowhere else to go. She can't be booted from the system, since there is no host for her to inhabit.
3. GLaDOS's strange behaviour will be explained in the final chapter...
4. The reason for the "meanwhile" transition after Chell realises the voice is GLaDOS, is because the original AI obviously has activated, and that's why you don't hear from Chell until later.
Well, thanks for reading. The third chapter will be out soon.
- offbrandbiscuit