The Disappearance of Oracle Turret

A/N: … No reviews?

Oh well…

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"-urret? Turret?" The same voice that Helena once worked for was now hardened and uncaring. Caroline was right to worry about the procedure…that turned her into a monster.

"Sorry, Mrs. GLaDOS," She shook herself out of reminisce. "Just remembering better times when things didn't go completely wrong before blowing up in your face." The AI was seemingly satisfied with the answer, and actually made noises of agreement, before going on how all she used to do was test, and then that 'dangerous, mute lunatic' came along.

The turret made noises that could signify that she was paying attention to the machine, but in reality….

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"Helena… I don't think I can do this." Caroline looked stricken as she was strapped down to the lab table, clutching the hand of the younger scientist desperately.

Helena smiled soothingly, before saying, "Then why don't I do this first?" Caroline looked horrified, but the other scientists looked intrigued.

"But miss, we don't have any other bodies prepared….." The young woman chuckled at that.

"But of course you do. The GLaDOS body has bodyguards, doesn't it?"

"A PROTECTOR?" They were incredulous, "But they are prototypes!"

She chuckled a little. "I'll be the first Turret, then won't I?"

"Turret… I like it," Caroline spoke up from her still tied down position. Helena noted this, giving a glare to the lab assistant who had not moved to help Mrs. Johnson up, and made her way to help her herself.

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"Hmmm…." GLaDOS' voice broke through the memory, and she mentally squirmed underneath the gaze. "It would seem Chell has come to defeat the next test, and I have to go set up the next one. You also have to go…. But I am afraid you are going to the redemption line, Turret."

"Right, Mrs. GLaDOS. You just go along with that…." Helena focused her unwavering red light on the robotic face of the once Caroline. "I will never blame you…." If she still had possessed a mouth, she would be smiling at the woman she respected so- when she was human, of course. GLaDOS was similar to Caroline in many ways, but so much had changed since then…

Two robotic hands came down and picked up her feeble body. She mentally smiled when she heard the tone of GLaDOS' voice change from confidence to uncertainty.

"I was never married…. I wasn't even human, and yet….." She felt the once-human AI stare at her back. "She seems so…. Familiar, so sure of what she knows….." She felt hope swell in her chest- well, it would have had she a chest. "No, she-it- is merely defective."

… The hope died a sudden death.

And she was placed onto the Turret Redemption line.

Which, as an interesting side note, was something she created in the first place-fate's funny that way.

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"Miss Helena, you do realize if we go through with this…. You are going to die, because the Turret body can't live forever, right?" At young Craig's concern, Helena smiled. Concern did not look that good on his devilish features, he was meant to be pessimistic and egoistic, not concerned at all with the well-being of a woman such as Helena.

"Craig, I don't want to live forever." Craig was confused, even as she was taking her vitals. "I intend to die eventually. What kind of a woman would I be if I had to watch the girl I gave birth to die? That is a fate no mother should have."

"You have a little girl?" Craig smiled. "Kathryn and I have a little one too. What's her name?"

"She is technically the child of Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. I just was the carrier, but her name is Chell." She was taking her blood pressure now, and wrote the results. "Caroline wanted her to know I had a place with her."

Craig took the results, and grinned, "You should be good to go, Helena."

"By the way, Craig," Helena inquired, "What is your daughter's name?"

"Katie. She's about to turn three." Helena could see plainly that the young scientist was elated with the fact he and his wife, who was deemed 'sterile' at a young age because of a cancer had a healthy child, and she giggled at the sight of big, bad serious Craig being so happy.

"Chelly is four." Craig nodded thoughtfully as he strapped her down to the surgical table. "You can meet her, someday."

"Kathryn will love that, Helena." Suddenly, Helena's face grew serious.

"Craig, if I don't make it…. Take care of Caroline for me." He looked shocked, but nodded in agreement. "She's been through enough already, and if I die…." Sad green eyes looked away. "She might forget that Chell would grow up alone if she died….."

"Alright, Miss Helena, I'll do it for you. You just make sure I don't have to." He smirked, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Of course, Craig- I'll see you on the other side." He rolled his eyes, and rolled her into the room where her human body was to be separated from her conscious mind.

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It was rather funny what had ended up happening to Craig in the end. She did, in fact, have all of his memories backed up on her mainframe. Her mechanical heart clenched at the thought. She was the only conscious being in this whole building that knew the truth behind the project. The scientist's here were crazy to beat Black Mesa, since they had destroyed everything Aperture had stood for.

They hadn't cared who had been caught in the crossfire.

They hadn't cared whose lives they ruined forever.

It was only a year after GLaDOS was turned on for the first time that Katie was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She would never have a chance to go to school with other children her age, so her father taught the young girl at the facility. She was a genius- a promising young scientist who was very curious of the world she would never be a part of, because she was destined to die very, very young.

Her father learned everything he could, random facts that the young girl loved to hear, cheering her up every time she cursed her sickly body for being unable to run and jump and play.

It was when Katie turned seven that Helena was found, and was turned on for the first time in years.

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It was a rather weird feeling, almost akin to waking up from a coma, she could feel mechanisms struggling to work, and suddenly, she was greeted with the sight of a sickly pale girl with strawberry-blonde hair.

"Who are you?" Helena tried to move her arms, only to remember they no longer existed. She was frustrated already, as her tired mind tried to piece together what happened. The young girl raised an eyebrow.

"Katie. You aren't shooting me. Are you defective, turret?"

"No…. And don't call me Turret. My name's Helena." The young girl, obviously no older than six, made a face that reminded Helena of someone that was once close to her.

"Helena, then- Why were you shut off? What happened to you? Why do you have a name?" During the onslaught of questions, Helena finally recognized the high cheek bones and nose of Craig.

"KATIE?" Her soft voice blared out of her speakers, causing them to spark in protest, "As in the daughter of Craig Young?" Soft hazel eyes widened, and she nodded eagerly. "You were three when it happened… when I was turned into…." She paused, saddened at the thought, "This."

The look on the young girls' face was almost comical. "You were human?" Her voice was total awe. "How do you do it?" Her voice was a near shout, and the young girl was sent into a fit of coughing, reminding her once more of the illness she was cursed with. After it passed, Katie smiled sadly and spoke. "I was diagnosed with cancer three years ago- and I'll probably die soon. How can I change myself? Into a machine, that is."

"I don't think you want to go through with this, Katie. I'm not going to help you ruin your life." Helena's voice was full of caution, but Katie did not pay attention to it in the slightest. She was simply too excited with the prospect of being able to go for longer times without being put on the ventilator.

"If you aren't going to tell me….." her eyes lit up, as she realized who would help her. "The scientists!" She proclaimed happily, knowing they would help her. "Thank you, Miss Helena!" She took off in a fast jog, to the scientists who would make her immortal.

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Review! The next chapter's done~