Author's Note: Well Koona (Guest), there isn't going to be one of those "bad" endings, but I can't say there won't be a share of angst along the way. But no, it won't end on a sad note, I promise. Although, I'm not going to say that Wheatley will be stuck in space forever... Just a little spoiler. LOL.
~~0~~
05
"[Subject Name Here]."
Chell was surprised when she heard the voice of GLaDOS over the speaker system while she had been spending time working on going through boxes. It had taken a few weeks of going through some files in Old Aperture and she had only barely scratched the surface. She was spending time in her new chosen room - an employee lounge located in the modern halls of Aperture's upper facility - gathering food and whatever else she could find.
She had managed to gather up a bed she'd made from couch cushions pilfered from Old Aperture, a blanket consisting of various lab-coats, curtains and various other articles of clothing. Aperture didn't have much in the ways of simple stray fabric for living arrangements since Wheatley had all but destroyed most of the Relaxation Vaults when he awoke her. The AI had advised not entering them until she had been certain they were safe enough.
GLaDOS had mostly left her alone, but insisted that the cores, P-Body and Atlas remain with her when they weren't performing tests specifically for the AI. It wasn't easy trusting Chell and the human could understood why. Even after what they'd done together, GLaDOS wasn't one to simply trust any human being, especially one who'd made every attempt to kill her twice. Yet she still gave Chell the benefit of the doubt and was letting her stay here.
GLaDOS' face appeared on a monitor that was placed near the ceiling. "Did you hear me?" she asked, with impatient irritation.
Chell held up a stack of papers expectantly, hoping the AI would understand.
"Yes, yes, I know you're working on those, but this supersedes any menial paperwork," GLaDOS argued. "Come to my chamber immediately."
Chell sat there with an irritated pout. The AI had been working her rather extensively on various little tasks that could have been finished if she'd simply LET her finish them instead of starting on something else. Rick patted her back.
"You heard the boss, pretty lady," he told her, "Time to move."
Chell stood up and followed the cores out of the room. It was strange how GLaDOS had allowed the spheres to keep their arms and legs, even after Wheatley had long since been defeated. Maybe she thought they could serve a better purpose instead of taking up space in the dusty storage chamber. Actually, Chell was surprised with herself when her mind went to Wheatley. How long would GLaDOS leave him in space with the other core?
When she entered the main AI chamber, she found GLaDOS studying one of her monitors. She had formatted her entire chamber in just a short time so that she was surrounded with computer screens and monitors that hung from the ceiling, distinctly similar to her chamber the first time Chell had fought her.
GLaDOS' angular features furrowed in an emotion of confusion. Chell curiously approached and GLaDOS looked up, her features smoothing out.
"Oh, hi," she said, "I was simply going through some older data files, trying to understand this body I'm squatting in and its purpose."
Chell shrugged her shoulders in response and GLaDOS rolled her eyes. "I don't know either. That is what I'm attempting to figure out. There isn't anything in Aperture's database that should be beyond my reach, but I'm having difficulty accessing this particular bit of information." She stared down at her monitor. "The earliest known record of humanoid robotics dates back to the 1980's; they were meant to replace some human workers in Enrichment Center. We saw them on the various posters in Test Shaft 9."
Chell looked mildly interested and moved to GLaDOS' side so she could see the monitor. GLaDOS glanced at her briefly before returning her attention to the screen. She had a blueprint readout of a humanoid robotic design. Most of the information might as well have been the equivalent of three-dimensional chicken scratch to her. It didn't make much sense to Chell and she glanced at the AI for some sort of explanation.
"Yes, I know how utterly horrible they appear to be," GLaDOS said, rolling her eyes. "But my design is clearly more advanced. At least I'd hope it is. I will not spend my existence in a form that is well passed its expiration date. That's worse than being put in a potato."
Chell smiled at that.
"Don't laugh, it's not funny," GLaDOS snapped.
Unfortunately for GLaDOS, it...kind of was. Chell imagined GLaDOS being put into a battery, like the potato ones she had seen in her journey with Wheatley and could only visualize that rich voice coming out of a tiny speaker, ranting and raving. It brought a grin on her face that GLaDOS didn't like and knew the test subject was visualizing her trapped inside of a spud. How was that even funny in the slightest?
"Stop imagining me!" she ordered.
Chell finally stopped smiling and shrugged her shoulders expectantly.
"I want you to go to the Aperture Science Robotics Laboratory below," GLaDOS explained. "I want you to find any information on engineered humanoid robotics dating any time after the year 1990. It can even be an employee manuscript pertaining to it. All of the information you see or gather, I want."
Chell considered this with an uncertain look before finally nodding her head.
"Good." GLaDOS smiled and waved her away. "Now shoo. I have important science that I must attend to."
O
Chell wandered into Old Aperture with Rick and the Fact Core tailing behind her. Rick attempted to figure out where they were going, but didn't have much of an idea given the fact he hadn't been down here before. She was pretty much running on memory and instinct.
"Fact: You are lost like a puppy," Fact Core stated with a disgusted sound and began rambling a particular "fact" once more. "Puppies were outlawed as a consumable source of food in Florida after a politician by the name of Ted Bush choked on a vertebrate belonging to a one month old Labrador Puppy."
Chell grimaced at him.
After searching through the Enrichment Shafts, Chell gathered a map in the Main Lobby from behind the desk. Rick decided to sit down on one of the chairs and crossed his legs like a human would. The Fact Core shook his sphere body with dismay in a gesture that imitated a human.
"Fact: You disgust me." he said, "pretending to be human."
Rick let out a deep chuckle in amusement. "Well that don't bother me one bit. Especially if humans are as pretty as the lady over there."
He gestured to Chell while she searched the map and the human glanced up at him wearily for a moment. She studied the immensely convoluted map in front of her, ignoring the conversation between Rick and the Fact Core. Why did Aperture have to make things so ridiculously difficult anyway? Not that it was a challenge for her, but when she thought about how difficult it was for their employees, it just seemed like there was no real reason for it to be.
Then, she found it; Aperture Science Robotics Laboratory right near Test Shaft...
Eleven?
That was odd because the map posted out in the entrance of the Enrichment Shaft only went up to nine. In fact, the map displayed many more shafts that she hadn't even thought of looking for. Of course, this mine had to have more than just a few buildings in it, but she couldn't imagine just how far and deep it truly went. She hadn't had much time to really explore anyway when Wheatley had taken control. Maybe she would have to give it a chance sometime.
She beckoned for the two cores to follow her and they journeyed deeper into Old Aperture, passing a set of railways that could have only been for transportation into a deeper part of the mine. Chell stared down the dark tunnel where the facility seemed to have been truly abandoned - sure, she didn't have to go that way, but something about it felt...strange. Chell didn't realize the two cores were trying to get her attention as she continued staring down that dark tunnel.
Is someone there? she thought.
"Hey, are you okay?" Rick asked.
Chell finally snapped out of it and looked down at him. She managed a smile and waved him off before walking ahead.
They found the laboratory that GLaDOS had referred to and wandered inside. It was pristine as much as it could be and contained various rooms and testing chambers - there was dust and papers scattered about, so Chell decided to start her search as soon as possible.
Chell ran a hand through her hair. How did GLaDOS expect her to find information regarding humanoid robotics in this place? There was a door labeled RESEARCH AND TESTING STORAGE. Well, that sounded right.
She wandered into the room, finding various filing cabinets and desks stuffed with papers, boxes piled up with machine parts and rolled up posters. Chell groaned and rolled her eyes.
This would require a few trips.
O
GLaDOS didn't expect there to be so much.
Of course, she was downloaded with all the wisdom of the world, but she wasn't able to predict certain truths - she'd have to find a way to rectify that later.
Chell pulled out a box filled with papers and offered it to GLaDOS. She took the box and quickly pulled them out, murmuring "no" over and over again with more speed than Chell thought was ever possible, even for a machine. It didn't even seem as if GLaDOS had looked at the papers at all. So, while GLaDOS took a box, Chell decided to go through another. She found a few spare parts, including various nuts and bolts, some metal sheets and even a box of music cassettes sealed up with tape labeled "DO NOT PLAY". She found that a little odd, but it didn't seem important enough for GLaDOS, so she pushed the box aside. It was nice to have found music anyway. At least the radio she found a few days ago would have something for her to listen to.
"You would think a company who constructed me - the greatest, empirically fantastic work of science ever devised - would learn to organize their files with a little more dexterity," GLaDOS muttered with dismay. "Oh! This even has 50 year old mustard stains on it..."
Chell stared down at the paper in question that GLaDOS held - an older list of shipping forms - and the AI arched a single brow at the look. "No, you're not eating it."
The human made an annoyed face before returning attention to the box she'd put into her lap. She pulled out a small, rectangular-shaped case that seemed to be locked with some sort of number code. Chell held it out to the AI who took it with an interested murmur.
"Hm, I wonder what this could be," GLaDOS said, "and why they'd need to keep it hidden from me."
Chell hardly thought that EVERYTHING was hidden from the AI - it was probably just some collection of porno magazines since Chell had found a lot of vintage ones in the old facility. The scientists who spent most of their lives out of sight and touch from other human beings had to vent their frustrations somehow, she rationalized. Of course, she didn't realize how badly GLaDOS hated anything kept from her, regardless of how small and insignificant it was.
GLaDOS took the case to the opposite side of her chamber and a small door opened up, revealing several tiny claws that began to dismantle the case. Inside were several CD's and a few disk drives, much to the amusement of the AI.
"Interesting." she pondered, "I suppose that's ONE way to hide something from me, albeit pathetic as it is."
Chell walked over to her and picked up one of the CD's. She turned it in her hands for study, noticing that it was labeled "HUMANOID ROBOTICS V2". The date was labeled, but scratched out to the point that it wasn't legible and GLaDOS took it into her hand.
"Well, let's see what we have here..." she murmured thoughtfully.
She inserted the disk into a monitor beside her and brought up the image onto a large monitor above them. A black screen appeared filled with a small bit of information.
BEGIN RECORD: 0100023451114541
APERTURE SCIENCE HUMANOID ROBOTICS RESEARCH AND CORE TRANSFER
HEAD RESEARCHER: ALBERT LAZARUS
TEST SUBJECT: #123911
Finally, the message cleared and a video began of an old man with long white hair and a thick beard sitting in front of a camera, watching it gravely. He looked like he hadn't slept in days and his labcoat was wrinkled around the collar. He glanced over his shoulder briefly before rubbing his eyes with a sigh of exhaustion.
"Well...here I am," he sighed, "We've completed the project. We can transfer core systems into humanoid robotic elements. Johnson's been up my ass about making a model specifically for the Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System. Says this new body might mellow her out a bit if she can identify with us a little more. I told him it's a crazy procedure, but Johnson's been going a bit mad these days anyway..."
GLaDOS let out a snort, but Chell looked genuinely interested.
"They call it the Prometheus Program," the scientist continued. He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "They think it might save the company if we could transfer human bodies into these. Johnson's hoping it works. The guy isn't looking too good." The camera suddenly turned, revealing a laboratory filled with doctors who stood over a humanoid body that was all silver and had bright red eyes. It reminded Chell of the Anger Core she'd removed from GLaDOS.
"They tried using it on the Anger Core we put on GLaDOS to regulate her emotions," the scientist continued. "As you can see, it works..."
In the lab, the humanoid construct snarled and grunted, glaring up at the doctors who had obviously contained it with restraints. They seemed pleased with the results, but the scientist who had spoken did not. Something obviously troubled him.
"They weren't meant to look and sound like us," he said. "Something is going to go wrong."
"Lazarus! Get down here!"
The scientist glanced off camera briefly before looking back at it. He ignored the call of his name. "The test results are perfect and we will go ahead with the upgrade once everything is cleared with Johnson; but I can't help but feel that this particular upgrade might interfere with numerous parts of their programming such as logic, sensation...maybe even emotion. We've tested short term effects, but don't have the time to go ahead and wait any longer."
Chell reacted with an arch of her eyebrows and glanced sidelong to GLaDOS. The AI watched the screen with rapt attentiveness, but her eyes had narrowed and her lips were pursed tight. She shut off the video before looking calmly at Chell now.
"I have quite a bit of work to do," she said. "Go back to your room and continue what you were doing."
That was odd. The way the AI spoke, it sounded like she was minutes from exploding so Chell didn't want to be in the same room when she did. Besides, she thought that going through the music cassettes would be interesting to go through.
She returned to her room and opened the case, taking out one of the cassette tapes. She walked over to a table where she kept various trinkets uncovered during her search through the facility and came up to an older radio model, dusting the tape deck out a bit with a puff of air. She set the tape inside and pushed play. There was a moment of static and broken notes before the music played a soft, gentle melody that Chell recognized; song called "Secret Lovers" by Atlantic Starr. This earned an amused snort from her lips.
She couldn't imagine why no one would want to play any music. Sure, it was old and recorded on obsolete devices, but the music wasn't all that bad. So she kept it playing while she went back to work. Most of the songs were love tracks and she had to pause a bit in her work to chuckle inwardly to herself and study the case that the tapes were sealed in. It was an amusing thought to think that big bad Aperture had love songs in their possession in any regard.
Oh well. She had too much work to do anyway to worry about it. The music just added a nice little touch to the silence in her room.
O
GLaDOS' worked at her computers until she stopped long enough to glance over her shoulder with a frown.
"What is that?" she wondered.
Was it...music? Did that little menace find a way to access something she shouldn't have? GLaDOS brought up the camera in Chell's room, finding her test subject busy at work as usual, but she had the radio playing music. An obviously obsolete device picked up in Old Aperture. GLaDOS found it amusing that she had any need to feel occupied with anything other than her work. Though GLaDOS found their devices particularly annoying at times, music was something she actually enjoyed, whether it be the song of a suffering human or written verse.
The tes subject was unaware of her watching; she wouldn't notice that most of Aperture's facilities were programmed with security footage in every room, not just the test chambers. If GLaDOS wanted her to be aware of her presence, she only communicated with her through the monitor.
That song was...well...quite interesting. According to her internal database, it was known as "Hard to Say I'm Sorry", written by Peter Cetera for the band Chicago. Though the name itself meant absolutely nothing to her, the song itself was what drew her attention.
GLaDOS had every available bit of information at her disposal, so a simple song wouldn't mean anything to her.
But she could swear she had heard it before.
It wasn't impossible; most of the scientists enjoyed listening to music outside her older chamber lobby and she would sometimes hear it playing through the window.
It wasn't important anyway. She had work to do.
And so did her little test subject.
But the song still lingered in the back of her central processor, as if it should have been important.