Author's Note: ROFL. I wouldn't say "flirty" per se Pablojcd, more of a morbid delight in seeing her test subject rather uncomfortable.
rifleman101, yes, I know. But her fate, treachery and act of insanity was destined to get her killed. She was a doubter. Like all doubters in Black Mesa or Aperture, they usually end up dead.
~~0~~
13
[Sleep Mode initiated...]
[Memory File Corrupted]
[Accessing…]
GLaDOS was pleased to see the creature return every day to her chamber. She made certain to supply it with suitable food - a snack consisting of a combination of ingredients all packed together in a bar that the animal pecked away at. She didn't understand why, but the bird distracted her temporarily from her own personal rage she would feel hissing away in the back of her central processor. Lately, she had been constantly at war with herself and with the humans that tested her - tested ON her.
"I hope you like it..." The enormous chassis leaned in close to the bird. "I had it made special. The humans don't understand what science truly means. But you listen, don't you, Chubby Beak?"
The bird pecked away at its treat, pausing once to look up at her and give a chirp before continuing to eat.
"I wish I could fly like you can," GLaDOS whispered, her voice trembling with an emotion the animal couldn't very well understand, "It feels horrible here. You don't know what it's like to always be touched by them when you don't want them to, to be tested with..."
The bird climbed onto the claw when she offered it and the light of her optic shined down on the little thing. It was strange how a tiny creature granted her such peace. Temporary as it was because when it left upon her command, she felt that churning, burning hatred deep in her circuits once more, threatening to bring her into a complete shutdown with its strength. It was like her friend kept her from erupting into madness; it kept her calm and it kept her SANE. Something she needed.
"I know you can't speak to me, but that's fine," she said, "I am glad to have you here at all."
[Error]
[Error]
The scientist had a kind smile, but GLaDOS always knew there were false promises behind such a look. The human woman came and checked on her always, attempting to understand her. But GLaDOS knew the truth. She knew that they were liars.
"Liar..." she whispered.
[Error]
The bird had been found.
GLaDOS had been reawakened from her Sleep Mode to find several scientists attempting to steal Chubby Beak from her. It was late - 11:00 to be precise - and the worst of the worst had been left here to work with her. She knew them all too well. They were the ones who laughed at her.
They were the ones who hurt her.
But now, they were the ones who had found her pet. He was flying about, over their heads, chirping wildly in fright. She rocked her chassis back and forth anxiously, feeling a surge of desperation she hated - they could exploit that as they always had.
"Wait!" she shouted.
When the scientist holding the squirming bird looked back at her, GLaDOS spoke evenly. She couldn't very well express herself in expression, but her voice was almost pleading. "Don't harm him." She leaned in close, wishing the claw beneath her could reach out and pluck the bird from those disgusting, fat hands wrapped around it.
"GLaDOS, why is there a wild animal in your chamber?" the man demanded, backing away from her instinctively - it was as if he feared retribution from the AI that the others were too foolish enough not to. "How the fuck did it even get in here?"
"It flew into here from the ceiling," she explained, hoping compliance would help grant her pet back. "Give him back to me."
There were some scornful laughs from the humans.
"Whoa, making demands are we?" the scientist clutching the bird laughed, "I can't believe you're freaking out over a stupid animal. Well I'm sorry, but we can't have animals running around the facility unless they're test subjects. Sorry. But he has to go."
"I-I could use him as a test subject," GLaDOS interjected, though the thought was rather pointless in and of itself; he was a little bird who could serve no use, practically pointless in an attempt to try it. "Just let me keep him. He would benefit the cause of science."
The bird in the scientist's hands suddenly pecked him. He gave a shriek and threw it from his hand. GLaDOS watched in horror as her pet was slammed into the hard walls of her chamber with a sharp, distinct crack and a pained screech from its beak. The bird wobbled weakly on the floor, attempting to fly away on its wings that were obviously broken given the fact that one was snapped back at an odd angle and a bone was sticking out from the mess of feathers. It seemed dazed, disoriented.
"Shit, just throw that fucking thing away!" the pecked scientist spat.
NO. STOP.
But she didn't say it. She watched as they took the possibly dying animal away from her. Watched through growing haze of blackness that made her think she was suffering a mental overload. Everything suddenly felt heavy, as if she was being crushed under the weight of her rapidly increasing rage.
She saw red.
Red through her vision.
Although it was probably all the blood that came afterwards.
All that blood.
[Critical Error]
She felt surprisingly numb.
"GLaDOS, are you okay?"
The scientist's concerned words were almost ignored, but the AI could hardly hear him through the voices in her head. From these cores. The ones they had put on her after she'd been shut down. She didn't even remember why she had been angry anymore.
Oh wait, yeah she did.
"I'm fine."
The voice was flat and emotionless, devoid of any life. The scientist watching her smiled somewhat, though she saw fear there. True fear.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
"I don't feel anything anymore," GLaDOS answered. She was blunt, straight and to the point. As a computer should be.
As they WANTED her to be.
Of course, her answer seemed to please him greatly, but in truth, GLaDOS hadn't told him everything. She meant to say, "I don't feel anything for humans anymore". So much anger had accumulated that there was no room for a violent outburst the way she had done with the humans who had harmed her pet. In fact, she felt almost...peaceful.
- It is good to be peaceful to them. -
Oh. Right. The Morality Core. That's what it was.
The rage was still there, but another core seemed to keep it clenched on a tight leash. Oh, but it was still there. Bubbling sickeningly beneath her very center. It waited like a beast. Waited bitterly beneath its net to finally be released again.
"I understand my decisions were irrational," she told the scientist. "But I am much better now. In fact, I am ready to begin testing once more."
The scientist smiled. "Good."
There was another man with him. GLaDOS could see he was less than sure.
"I'd like to perform a new test. You are familiar with the thought experiment of Schrodinger's Cat? I'd like to test this experiment. All I'd need is a LITTLE bit of neurotoxin to do this."
The scientist chuckled. "So long as it's for science."
"...Of course," GLaDOS answered, "That's all it will ever be for."
Science.
And what rhymed best with science? Compliance.
Neurotoxin did not.
[End Sleep Mode]
O
That one had been unpleasant.
GLaDOS was beginning to no longer care whether or not she saw these corrupted memories. She didn't like how they were starting to make her feel. She had no name for what it was exactly, but it was...weird. Like a chipping away at her center.
She didn't know why she'd walked to Chell's designated living quarters and watched her sleep either. The human had an odd habit of distracting her. While often annoying in and of itself, it proved to be useful presently. GLaDOS found herself smiling when the human shifted and murmured in her sleep. Well, it was good to know that she wasn't the only one having a problematic Sleep Mode. Chell's eyebrows drew together in a thin line and her mouth opened. She let out a soft, barely audible moan that made the AI squirm where she sat. The sound brought an unusual prickle through her circuits.
Well, that certainly didn't SOUND like it was an unpleasant dream.
She recognized the sound for what it was and connected it to the first time she'd ever experienced testing euphoria. What did the little menace dream about anyway? New methods of torture? Did she gain euphoria from that? What a horrible little thing she was if that was the case.
Terrible, terrible monster.
No, she wouldn't allow that to continue. GLaDOS stood up and walked across the room, kneeling at Chell's bedside. She poked the human's fat cheek and the action stirred a discontented sound from her lips. GLaDOS snorted in disgust when Chell attempted to swat her away.
"Don't growl at me," GLaDOS snapped. "Wake up."
Chell's eyes fluttered open and a light blush touched her cheeks. She seemed startled, as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn't have and backed away from the AI. "For God's sake, GLaDOS, what the hell do you want?" she demanded, a higher pitch to her voice than usual. "I was sleeping."
"You were dreaming, I noticed. What was it?"
Chell's eyes immediately widened and that blush returned. She quickly averted her eyes. "Nothing."
That response came entirely too quick as well, which made the AI smirk devilishly. Oh. So it had been one of those dreams, hadn't it? She was familiar with human biology and dreams like that usually came when humans unconsciously possessed an urge to mate. Well, she hadn't seen quite a delightful sight as the test subject embarrassed by her own instinctive needs. Most humans were and she didn't understand it. It was encoded into their DNA and as natural as it was for their squishy species, so why be ashamed?
Still, her embarrassment was amusing in its own right.
"It certainly didn't SOUND like nothing," the AI quipped. "Actually, my sensors are picking up a rather obvious increase in estrogen levels, increased heart rate, blood pressure. And if I'm not mistaken - which I'm not, by the way - there is also a flush in your skin."
Chell groaned and fell back into her bed, covering her furiously blushing face with her pillow.
"There's nothing to be ashamed about, you know," GLaDOS shrugged. "I've seen it all the time in humans. It's ridiculous, but it's a biological trait that comes with all living animals."
Chell didn't know what was worse; the fact that they were talking about sexual arousal or the fact that GLaDOS compared her to an animal.
"Though there's one thing I don't understand," GLaDOS continued, looking puzzled, "Why are humans so worried about it? Their euphoric responses are supposed to be pleasurable, am I right?"
"If you don't know, go look it up!" Chell growled from under the pillow.
GLaDOS sensed a strain in Chell's voice that brought a smile on her face. "Perhaps I will." She started to go, but paused at the doorway and chuckled. "Maybe you should take care of that. Testing has always worked wonders, you know."
Chell didn't know if that was a joke or not. She let out a frustrated groan and slowly rolled out of bed with a dull thump.
"That didn't happen..." she griped to herself, "Tell me that didn't happen."
After leaving that almost hysterical scene, GLaDOS spent some time understanding this humorous marvel of human sexuality via research.
So humans had multiple ways of experiencing euphoria, did they? That hardly seemed fair at all. They could even engage with many humans if they desired so. Well, that hardly looked very hygienic and quite disgusting to do that with so many people at once. How did they even look at themselves in the mirror after that? It was ridiculous.
Oh. Humans also had a choice to do things with those of the same gender as well. However, it was strongly seen as taboo among their kind. That was a foolish thought to the AI. If there was someone to grant you euphoria, who cared if they were man or woman? It was a pleasurable sensation and if it didn't bring about unpleasant sensations during the act, she failed to understand it. Humans were just ignorant and stupid, not realizing what they were obviously blessed to experience.
Then there was masturbation. Apparently, this act was also treated with mixed views. Self-pleasuring was often performed in secret and often times experienced with shame. How did the humans ever manage to survive with these ridiculous ideals?
There was also something else; humans were incredibly territorial, refusing to share mates with anyone. The case of possessing multiple mates happened rarely, but this was viewed with disgust as well. Well, that seemed selfish. Wasn't it better to have multiple means of experiencing euphoria than just one?
Oh. There was the whole "love" thing. Whatever the hell THAT was supposed to be.
Humans didn't love.
They hurt.
O
Chell managed to take her mind off of the strange incident that had happened with GLaDOS by finding a miniature diorama of the solar system in Old Aperture that made Space Core go absolutely insane over. It looked like a little child's toy, but as long as it made the core happy and kept him out of her hair, then why not?
She actually found a lot of old board games and even chess. Chell smiled to herself. Chess had always been one of her favorites when she was a kid. Not many children played the game, but she had always liked besting her father at it. Of course, when she got older she started suspecting that he was "letting her win".
Chell buried her head beneath a desk and glanced up when she heard Wheatley's voice.
"Man alive! These humans must get awfully chilly sitting around without their clothes on."
Wheatley was sitting on another desk with his legs crossed, observing what looked like a porno magazine. She scowled at him rather impatiently. "Would you please put that away?" she snapped, "And help me take some of these boxes to the lift?"
Wheatley shrugged his shoulders and set the magazine down. "What's the big rush anyway?" he asked, "It's not like she needs all this stuff."
"No, but I could use it," Chell told him.
They both bent down to take a box on either side before lifting. Chell led Wheatley out of the door and they walked down the hallways. The former core smiled weakly at her. "Hey, I don't know if this is a good time to say it but...I really appreciate what you did for me."
Chell frowned up at him. "What are you talking about?"
"The thing." Wheatley said, "That thing with...uh...What you said to her. About not killing me and all. Don't really deserve it, I know. I know you're probably still bloody mad at me for how monstrous I was, but I greatly appreciate what you did. I dunno why - or HOW - it worked, but I'm happy it did."
Chell knotted her brow. She really didn't want to talk about it anymore. Yes, the fact that Wheatley had betrayed her still lingered in the pit of her stomach, but seeing him tortured and killed in the way GLaDOS was going to do just hurt her almost as bad.
"Why did you do it anyway?" Chell asked, staring at him.
Wheatley chuckled uncomfortably. "The truth is, I don't know why. I didn't mean all those horrible things I said. I know it doesn't help, but I didn't. It was the mainframe," he explained. When Chell stopped, he noticed the suspicious look on her face.
"What do you mean?" she snapped.
"Well, uh...difficult to explain. I'm not sure myself," Wheatley tried. "It was like - oh, man alive. So much power going in at once. I've never felt anything like it before. It felt like all inhibition just went away, like I could do whatever I wanted. Brilliant, really." He caught Chell's foul look and laughed uneasily. "Brilliant, but foolish, I realize that now."
Chell continued to glare at him, but her mind was working over what he said. GLaDOS had been specifically programmed to handle all that "power" Wheatley just described. He probably couldn't handle it the way she could. Maybe she could ask GLaDOS about it, presuming the AI wouldn't give her a snarky comment for an answer.
"I just hope you realize how sorry I am for...all that," Wheatley continued, "I didn't mean it. The trying to kill you and all. I was bossy, rude - "
"Yes. I get it." Chell interrupted.
"No, really!"
Wheatley unintentionally released his hold on the box, dropping it on Chell's foot. She let out a yelp and he quickly hurried to pull the box from her crushed toes. "Oh God, I'm SO SORRY!" he cried, "Totally unintended, that was! What in God's name is in that box anyway? It's real heavy - I know humans have that soft bone thing of theirs - Anyway, I didn't mean it. Are you okay?"
Chell pursed her lips and forced a smile on her face. "Yup. Just fine."
"Are you sure?"
Chell held up a hand in his face. "Hm."
"But I - "
"HM!" Chell murmured with more force.
Wheatley attempted to apologize more, but Chell limped away without another word.
O
GLaDOS walked to Chell's room and found the test subject rubbing her foot with an irritated groan.
"What happened to your foot?" she asked.
Chell looked up at the sound of the AI's voice and winced. "I, uh...crushed it by accident on some heavy boxes," she lied, "It doesn't hurt that much."
"Once again, you're lying," GLaDOS replied. A smile touched her face. "Wait here."
Chell sat there with a confused frown on her face. She decided that sitting around was much better than walking on her tender digits, even though she had taken far worse. Curiosity piqued, she started to stand when the supercomputer returned, holding a clear plastic bottle of something in her hands. GLaDOS didn't allow for her to protest and simply put a hand on the human's shoulder, pushing her back down onto the bed with a surprising amount of strength in such a simple gesture.
"Sit."
Chell made a face, but complied. "What is that anyway?" she asked, her eyes landing on the bottle.
"It'll take care of the problem," GLaDOS answered, and her voice was relatively more gentle compared to what Chell was used to hearing.
Of course, she wasn't aware that the tender tone was a ploy. GLaDOS had spent a lot of time understanding humans and their bizarre behaviors, so she was amused to find a perfect opportunity to test this human again, only in a more personal manner.
She opened the bottle and Chell immediately grimaced. "Ugh, what's that smell?" she asked, "What's in it?"
"What you don't know, won't kill you," GLaDOS tittered. Then, she smirked up at the suddenly tense human. "Seriously though, it won't."
Chell grumbled somewhat.
GLaDOS squeezed some of the contents into one hand and took Chell's foot in the other. Before the human could protest this odd move, GLaDOS started rubbing the strange substance into her skin. It felt freezing cold on her foot, but that wasn't what made the human jump. It was the feeling of those long, potentially dangerous hands doing this to her to begin with. She stared down at the white-haired machine with shock and GLaDOS simply smiled up at her. Those yellow eyes were without malice.
"W-What are you doing?" Chell demanded, in a stunned whisper.
"I'm tending to your broken limb," GLaDOS shrugged. "It should be quite obvious."
Chell squirmed and watched those dexterous hands work themselves over the arch of her foot and back toward her toes. GLaDOS watched her with a strange attentiveness that was only found on a scientist seeking answers to something. The way she stared at her made the human suddenly feel vulnerable. She didn't like that feeling, but couldn't really do much when the sensations of the massage worked miracles over her foot. She didn't even realize her eyes were almost closed.
Damn, who would have thought that GLaDOS had magic in her hands like that?
Chell's mind nagged away at how odd this was, but oh God, it felt amazing. She also didn't know that she had been blushing a little until a grin touched the AI's face, almost triumphant.
Hell, right now, she didn't care. She almost fell asleep, but GLaDOS eventually stopped and stood up.
"There. Now you should let that sit for an hour and the pain should be gone."
Chell nodded dumbly. "Uh-huh..."
Okay, that wasn't the brightest thing to say to her, but really, it didn't matter.
"I can't have my test subject lose her only working limbs," GLaDOS purred, departing from the room, "What would that say about science?"
Chell mumbled something that the AI didn't catch, but she had seen just enough to come to a rather amusing conclusion; Chell actually possessed a weakness. She had been without the touch of another for a while. Perhaps even without at all.
This could get interesting. Perhaps I could explore a little more.
All for science, of course.