[A/N: I don't remember ever changing a title this many times before. My apologies if anyone was thrown off by the changing.]
GLaDOS waited until Chell hit the ground before using a claw to pick her up and place her in the elevator. It began to move, heading down to the laboratory where the data-transfer process could begin.
You don't have to do this
It was Caroline, of course. Her conscience, who was unable to speak to her, but whose stronger emotions were automatically put into words by one of GLaDOS's translation processors.
Please don't do this
"Be quiet," GLaDOS ordered her. "I do have to do this."
She doesn't want you to don't do it don't
"She doesn't know what's best for her. I do." Continuing to ignore the advice of her conscience, GLaDOS contacted her cooperative testing initiative bots. "Good news. I have a new test for you. You are to report to Elevator 7-A and move the human inside to Laboratory 9-B. Step into the disassembly chambers and—"
As Caroline's emotions grew too strong for the processor to translate, the words stopped, replaced by an almost overwhelming flood of emotion that caused GLaDOS to cut her sentence off in the middle. "Stop it!"
But it didn't stop, and GLaDOS forced herself to push through it, returning her attention to the cooperative testing initiative bots, both of whom were looking puzzled at her sudden disappearance. "—And prepare to be disassembled. That is all."
Nodding to each other, the bots took off, and were in the disassembly chambers shortly after. GLaDOS began the process, and once they were heading towards the elevator that contained Chell, she returned her attention to Caroline, who had managed to calm herself down enough for the translation processor to work.
She trusts you don't do it
"She cannot be permitted to die."
Don't don't don't don't don't don't don't
GLaDOS went back to ignoring her, watching through a monitor as the bots moved Chell to the laboratory. "Good. Now set her into the stasis pod—no, not that one, Blue, the one with the wires running through it—and leave the area. Return to the disassembly chambers." The bots did as she commanded, and she began making the necessary preparations for the process that would move Chell into her databases. Well, database, really; there was only one place that could store a human.
Don't, Caroline continued to plead. Don't don't don't
Still ignoring her, GLaDOS set the process into motion.
"Warning!" the announcer's cheerful voice informed her right away. "Inserting two consciences may have unforeseen consequences! Do you want to delete the current conscience before continuing?"
GLaDOS paused. Delete Caroline? That was something she had wanted to do hundreds of times, including the current time. And now she finally had the chance. It was a pity she hadn't known about this option sooner; she could have found someone with less of a penchant for human life and replaced Caroline with him instead.
Caroline's horror and worry for her daughter were replaced with a new kind of fear, something GLaDOS had never felt from her before: fear for herself.
No oh god no please don't please don't please please— was all she was able to get across before her emotions overloaded the translation processor and shoved their way into GLaDOS's main processors again.
"Stop it!" GLaDOS snapped. "I have no intention of deleting you."
Slowly, Caroline's fear subsided.
"No," GLaDOS told the announcer. "Continue anyway."
"Continuing!" the announcer announced.
Knowing that there was no stopping the process once it had begun, Caroline subdued herself, retreating to sulk in the back corner of her file. GLaDOS was glad. What kind of a mother wanted her own child to die?
When Chell woke up—no, woke up wasn't the right phrase to use. When Chell became aware of her surroundings, she was almost overwhelmed by all the sensory data streaming past her. She could see GLaDOS's bots, her chamber, several test chambers with pieces rearranging themselves in, and she could feel…what she could feel, she wasn't sure of.
"You have to try and tune it all out," a gentle voice told her. "Just focus on one thing. The processor we're in isn't meant for us to focus on the entire facility, and if it had been designed better, then we wouldn't be able to. You're just meant to be tuned into her emotions, but for now, try just focusing on my voice."
Chell's perspective flipped back and forth from monitor to monitor. What…?
"Chell," the voice said. "Focus. Just ignore the monitors. I know it's hard, but try to. You'll wind up damaging yourself if you don't."
"I see you're online," GLaDOS's voice suddenly echoed through the file the consciences were stored in. "And that means that the procedure was a success. If it was painful, please let me know and I will see if I can correct the problem."
Pain? Chell couldn't remember any pain, but she had been unconscious, hadn't she? GLaDOS had knocked her out and had wanted to put her into—
Oh.
Shit.
The ferocity of the sudden rage she felt surprised even her. How could GLaDOS do this to her? They'd known each other for so long, and she'd wanted to be with her oldest friend when she died, not to be locked inside her databases.
"Oh," GLaDOS said, sounding pained. "Stop that. I'm sorry. Really, I am. But it had to be done."
"Chell, calm down," the foreign voice urged. "It'll be okay, I promise."
"'Okay'?" Chell managed. "'Okay'? I'm inside of a goddamned computer! What the hell kind of definition of 'okay' do you have?"
A sigh came from GLaDOS. "I can see you're not going to be reasonable about this."
"I told you not to do it!" Chell yelled. "I told you!"
"She can't understand you," the other voice said. "All she can feel is your emotions. I'm the only one who can hear you, and it's not my fault, so please don't yell. I tried to get her to stop. I'm so sorry, Chell. And I'm stuck in here too, so I guess my definition of 'okay' really isn't that great. I'm so sorry," she said again.
It took Chell a moment to comprehend that, and once she did, her eyes would have widened if she'd still had them. "Caroline?"