GLaDOS started her experiment with a random core and a random female human body. She was able to bring the body out of stasis and keep it connected to life support. The body was now laying on a metal table in the middle of GLaDOS' lair. A white sheet covered it from its chest to its knees.
"This just doesn't seem right," Caroline said. "It feels like we're playing with a corpse."
"We're not," GLaDOS said. "We're basically playing with a vegetable."
"That doesn't seem any better," Caroline said.
"It actually seems worse," Nora agreed.
"If you want to explore the possibilities of science, sometimes you need to step out of your comfort zone," GLaDOS said. "It's not all potato batteries and baking soda volcanoes."
A core was then brought into the room. She had a hot pink burst of light for an eye and a blue ribbon tied around one of her handles. She lowered her top optic lid as she looked around her.
"Wow," she said. "This place is so…..gloomy. You need a lot more color in here. I've got just the decorations for that. Maybe some banners and posters of cute, little kitties—"
"No thank you," GLaDOS said. "I just need you to stay still and brace yourself."
"What for?" the core asked, tilting to the side curiously.
"Trust me," GLaDOS said. "You don't want to know. Just keep in mind that it's for the good of science."
A thick cord suddenly descended from the ceiling and pierced the human body in the back of the neck with two metal prongs, plugging itself into the brain stem. According to GLaDOS' explanation, there were small wires that connected with the neurons in the human's brain.
"Personality download process ready to run," said the voice of the system. "Please confirm permission to proceed."
"Excuse me," the core said with a nervous laugh. "But, uh, I already have a personality. In case you couldn't tell. And I don't need two."
"I'm perfectly aware of this," GLaDOS said. "You'll be going to a new body if I have my calculations right."
"B-But I don't need to go to a new body!" the core claimed with a shaky voice. "Please, this one is great!"
"Please stop talking," GLaDOS said. "I need to be able to concentrate. Proceed with the personality download process."
"Initiating personality download process in three…two…one. "
There was an intense pause before the core started screaming in pain. Her optic lids shot open and her pupil shrank as she twitched violently. Nora couldn't take this. She immediately made an upbeat song start playing in the chamber, but no matter how loud it was, she could still only focus on the screaming of her fellow core. Dread, guilt, and regret seeped into her.
At the same time, the cord connecting to the human body seemed to vibrate as information traveled through it. But then it suddenly started to jerk a few times and jitter back and forth.
"Warning: Core contains corrupted files that cannot be transferred," the system's voice said. "A problem has occurred. Remaining core files cannot be downloaded."
"I thought this might happen," GLaDOS said.
"What? What happened exactly?" Caroline asked. "What does it mean?"
"It means that the human's mind won't be complete," GLaDOS explained. "And for that matter, the core has lost a good portion of its personality."
"That can happen?!" Nora asked. "I-I wouldn't have agreed to this if I knew this might happen! That poor core!"
"Not all experiments succeed the first time," GLaDOS said. "She was used so that we might learn more about this process. I think I might know what we did wrong. I just need to rewrite a few commands and the problem should be solved. It's just a matter of recovering corrupted files."
"What will happen to the core?" Nora asked.
"She will be formatted and recycled for something else," GLaDOS said matter-of-factly. "Although I can't imagine what I would use it for."
"But can't we just put the rest of her personality back in her?"
"Not with those corrupted files still in her," GLaDOS said. "The system will find it as an error and say that it can't proceed with the process."
"I'm sorry, Nora," Caroline said. "Did you know her?"
"No," Nora said. "But it still hurts to see a sentience be so easily lost."
"This won't happen to you," GLaDOS told Nora. "We will figure this out. Although I might need to test a few of these bodies to make sure that they can even move on their own."
"How will you do that?" Caroline asked suspiciously.
"With the help of a little electric stimulation and a very basic artificial intelligence program," GLaDOS explained. "Don't worry. It shouldn't harm or hurt the human bodies as long as we use the correct voltage."
Nora didn't like this idea but she knew she wasn't strong enough to overpower GLaDOS. The super computer was set on this experiment, and Nora could feel that nothing would deter or stop her except progress.
