Author's Note: Well, there will be a lot of things explained later Koona (Guest), LOL.
And Mark 793 no worries, I can understand you fine. :)
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07
"Oh [Subject Name Here], could you come to my chamber immediately?"
Chell awoke and realized that she was back in her bed. She frowned and looked around, wondering how she'd made it back here. She furrowed her brow when she noticed the power back on and everything running properly.
Had it been a dream?
Well, that was a weird dream if she'd ever had one similar to it, but GLaDOS was calling and she figured it was best to go see what she wanted before she sent the vice squad of robots after her. So she wandered out of her room and toward the AI's chamber.
GLaDOS seemed unusually happy when she walked inside and it immediately made Chell suspicious. Happiness like that only came from when GLaDOS was testing, doing something untoward that resulted in attempted murder, or anything else unpleasant.
"Oh, hi," she greeted, "Did you sleep well?"
Chell frowned at her, put off by the pleasant manner in which GLaDOS greeted her. The AI gleefully gestured to the monitors. "I've discovered the transfer program!" she explained, "Now I could transfer any core or computing system I wish into a form such as myself - not nearly as empirically fantastic, mind you - but the point is, I control it!"
The human managed a weak smile. Well, at least she knew why GLaDOS was so cheerful.
"Also, another thing..." GLaDOS approached her and Chell felt herself backing away a bit when she leaned forward, bringing her lips close to her ear. Chell almost shivered at the sultry manner in which she spoke her next words. "I knew you weren't really a mute."
Chell blinked and her eyes widened, watching as GLaDOS pulled away, grinning triumphantly. "Go ahead and say something, it's okay," the AI said, chuckling. "You don't have to pretend anymore now that I know. I'm only disappointed that the cause of your speaking was due to my...unfortunate condition, but there won't be a repeat performance."
Chell felt warmth touch her cheeks and she pursed her lips, embarrassed.
GLaDOS smiled at the embarrassed grimace on the test subject's face. "Oh! One more thing," she said, leaning forward once more. She sniffed the area around Chell and watched the test subject stare at her strangely as she did. "Before you use your own biological neurotoxin to peel the paint from my walls, I want you to clean yourself up. I won't allow any Aperture Science property to sit around basting in its own filth."
Chell gave her a dirty look in response, but lifted her arm and sniffed beneath it anyway. She shuddered and made a disgusted face.
Oh yeah, she was right.
O
Rick and Fact Core stood outside the shower room, shifting uncomfortably.
"Human bodies are about 60 percent water," Fact Core said, attempting to ease the silence, "Water regulates throughout body temperature, moves nutrients through cells, keeps mucous membranes moist and flushes waste from bodies. Human lungs are 90 percent water, their brains are 70 percent water and blood more than 80 percent water."
Rick laughed. "Wow. Humans are pretty much walking water balloons, huh?"
"The inventor of the rubber balloon, was Michael Faraday in 1824, with various gasses and liquids," Fact Core said, "The first commercially marketed water balloon was produced by Edgar Ellington in 1950, while trying to invent a waterproof sock to solve the disease known as trench foot. He accidentally dropped the balloon on - "
"Okay, son; we get it..." Rick murmured.
Chell didn't hear the conversation going on over the rush of water running down her body. She leaned against the tiled walls of the shower room, savoring the sensation of having the first hot shower in - God, she couldn't remember the last time she had a shower. She wasn't taking it for granted every again, that was for sure. And clean soap - obviously something of Aperture design - that smelled distinctly lemony.
She remembered Cave Johnson's lemon rant and chuckled to herself.
Of course, Chell was unaware of a set of yellow eyes watching her from a well-placed camera in the shower.
GLaDOS studied the naked test subject with the faintest intrigue. Humans had a problem with being observed in private moments, but GLaDOS didn't have the same sort of abashment in any regard. If anything, she wanted to see how the test subject behaved when she felt no one could see her at her most vulnerable.
There were wicked scars along her back, some of which GLaDOS couldn't remember giving her. Burns from Thermal Discouragement Beams that had long since healed, scars from slashes and rips from falls, turret shell-fire and possibly every single manner of injury through her tests. As far as physique was concerned, Chell was anything but fat; she had a shapely figure, trimmed from excessive testing that the AI had run her through.
GLaDOS' mind wandered from the showering test subject for a moment, thinking about how she'd observed the security feed where Chell had decided to remain with her during her moment of weakness as well. It had made her speak and her voice - though weak and dry as it sounded, like a choking animal - wasn't entirely unpleasant to listen to. GLaDOS found herself reviewing the footage of Chell speaking simple words over and over.
She was only a little disgusted with herself for letting the human see her like that, but other than the security footage showing it, GLaDOS had no memory of ever saying the things she did.
Humans were easily twisted and manipulated given the right circumstances, but Chell was not. She had stayed of her own choice.
But why?
On the screen, Chell turned somewhat beneath the spray of water, a smile touching her face. GLaDOS leaned forward, fascinated by the sight. It wasn't a simple smirk or triumphant leer that the human had during her success in tests or when she was committing various acts of murder. No, she actually looked quite content and the AI found this amusing a little.
I'm not even angry...she thought, with an amused chuckle. Even though you've broken my heart. Well, along with every other piece of me. Hm. You don't even care...do you?
Well, that wasn't entirely true either. She still held the memory of Chell destroying her in her database, but it almost - ALMOST - felt null and void given the fact that the test subject had actually gone through the trouble of returning her back to her rightful place and spending time helping her. And in that, life returned to normal in Aperture, or at least as normal as it could in a place inhabited by a psychotic ape such as her little test subject.
Maybe the human was actually brain damaged and sought companionship in all the wrong ways. Lonely, as it were. The thought brought a predatory grin on GLaDOS' face.
Oh, that was adorable.
And a little pathetic all at the same time.
Once Chell was finished, Rick stepped inside with his eye averted, holding out a clean jumpsuit for her to wear. Chell took it and felt a blessing that she was in clean clothing for once in so long. Once she was dressed, she tapped Rick on top of his sphere so that he knew it was okay to look. Chell smiled at him and he flashed a thumbs up.
"Looking as good as ever, pretty lady!" he said.
Fact Core stepped inside with an irritated mumble about how Chell was wasting water and time before slipping over the watery surface and colliding into Rick with a metallic clang that resonated throughout the shower room. Chell watched with a broad grin of amusement as the two cores attempted to stand and right themselves, only to slip and fall all over again and become entangled in their thin, spindly limbs. She couldn't help it; she started laughing and the sound caused the cores to look back at her.
It was a dry sound from lack of usage, but Chell's laugh was actually pretty pleasant.
And not just to them.
But to GLaDOS, who had watched the entire scene, was baffled at how anyone could find amusement in such inane, childish clumsiness.
Leave it to a human...
O
After a nice long shower, Chell was getting hungry, so she opened a can of beans and cooked them over a miniature heater she'd found. She didn't have utensils, so had to scoop them out with her hands. Once she was finished eating, she took a comfortable spot in a chair and started going through boxes of files and various other items. She pulled out a bottle of perfume and made a face. Why was there a bottle of perfume in there?
She accidentally sprayed herself in the eyes and recoiled with a yelp of pain, clasping two hands over her face to rid her eyes of the agonizing sensation. After that irritating moment of pain, Chell let her burning eyes take a break while laying in bed and closing them. She hadn't intended to fall asleep the way she did, but she didn't realize just how tired she still was.
"Chell?"
There was the dream again. A dream of wheat and stars this time.
Such beautiful stars.
She was being carried by someone.
But who?
"Our beautiful little Chell..."
Who was that? Who spoke these strange, personal things to her? Chell knew she had to know who the voice was, but nothing came to mind. It was as if the familiarity of just a voice was all she'd ever hope to know. The shadows of that face were nothing.
She'd never come to know these people.
O
"Wake up! End Sleep Mode!"
Wow. GLaDOS' voice sounded awfully close to her right now.
Chell blinked slowly and found herself looking up at the white, yellow-eyed features of the AI. When she slowly came into focus, GLaDOS was smirking at her. Chell frowned sleepily and tilted her head somewhat. When had she fallen asleep in the AI's central chamber? That was a little embarrassing and GLaDOS was probably going to insult her about it. She didn't remember actually - wait, she hadn't fallen asleep in the chamber at all. So how was - ?
GLaDOS' eyes practically glowed with pride and amusement. "The Enrichment Center would like to remind you that sleeping on the job is prohibited and a repeat performance will not be tolerated." she told the sleepy human.
It took Chell a good few seconds to realize that GLaDOS was actually now standing in her room with her, uninhibited by her cables.
Oh shit. Chell's mind suddenly screamed.
She stumbled out of the bed, backing away from GLaDOS as much as she could. The AI merely grinned at her, but showed no signs of hostile intent. She tilted her head at Chell's frantic movements and put a hand on her hip.
"Really, that's how you're going to greet your host when you wake up?" she quipped.
Chell still watched her with unease and GLaDOS immediately suspected why the test subject faced her like a deer in the headlights - she must have known that she would probably approach her about what had happened last night. GLaDOS suddenly felt a little uncomfortable, but wouldn't allow the test subject to see that.
"Whatever you saw or heard last night was NOT the real me." she told her firmly. "So don't act so smug. It won't happen again."
Chell's fear melted from her face somewhat and she looked a little bit baffled. Then, a small smile lit her face when she realized what GLaDOS was trying to say. The AI must not have been very thrilled with having her see her in a moment of weakness, even if it was something that she couldn't control. When GLaDOS glared at her, she quickly wiped the grin off of her face and simply shrugged, like it was no big deal. Better to make it seem that way instead of angering the AI. After all, she wasn't positive if she could take her on physically.
"Anyway," GLaDOS resumed a professional manner of speech and expression, "The program necessary to transfer robotics into humanoid form is ready. I just require a few possible test - " She cut herself off when Chell took quite a large step back from her and she laughed, though it was even and devoid of mockery this time. "You're not a candidate for the test, so don't lubricate yourself all over my floor. I'm looking for something...a little more impressive."
The human rolled her eyes, but was relieved that GLaDOS wasn't planning on using her to forward the cause of science in that area.
"Now come on! Get yourself ready!" GLaDOS ordered, moving behind the human and pushing her to walk. "Science marches on!"
They returned to the main chamber and GLaDOS had P-Body, Atlas, Fact Core and Rick lined up. Chell arched her brows at GLaDOS and the AI smiled brightly at her, like a child at Christmas would. Well, she did seem to get pretty delighted whenever any form of testing was involved, so that made sense. Then, GLaDOS addressed her mechanical audience.
"We have a perfect opportunity to test the Prometheus Program," she told them, "Do you know what I'm talking about? The very same program that created this new body for me. Now, we're going to put one of you inside a new body as well. It won't hurt - well, it might...but really, have I ever lied to you before?" She paused briefly and gave the human a smile when she saw that Chell looked at her skeptically. "I mean, in this room?"
"Any volunteers?" the AI continued, looking at the machines.
Immediately, the robots backed away with unease and GLaDOS" grin widened. She clasped her hands together and chuckled wickedly.
"Oh good, then that means I get to pick..."
She leaned forward, studying each and every core before starting to point to Rick, but a beeping noise filled the air. GLaDOS paused and frowned, looking up at one of the screens displaying a map of Earth that moved to the far corner of the screen. There was a signal being relayed to Earth from space. Chell squinted at it and gave GLaDOS a curious look. The AI met her stare briefly before the announcer spoke up.
"Attention, the Aperture Science Telecommunication's Satellite - Unit Number 12 has received minimal damages," the announcer spoke in his pleasant voice.
GLaDOS frowned. "From what source?"
"One moment." There was a brief pause. "The cause of the damage is from Aperture-related technology."
GLaDOS' grin was suddenly predatory. "I see."
Chell stared at her questionably before she began to understand exactly what was going through the AI's mind right now. GLaDOS turned and started for one of her monitors. "Good news. It seems like we have ourselves a very unwilling volunteer for my test."
O
Wheatley wasn't sure how long he'd been attached to the satellite with Space Core beside him. He also wasn't sure just how long he'd been listening to the other core's ridiculous rambling about space and everything in it. Space's mechanical arms had been bent and twisted in the satellite and coiled around Wheatley's sphere body.
"You know, I don't particularly find this position comfortable!" Wheatley snapped.
"Ooh! I saw a comet!" Space Core cried, not even paying attention to him.
Wheatley sighed, giving up on the whole idea of talking to him. He thought about the human he'd betrayed, the horrible things he had said to her. The look of betrayal and hurt on her face as she fought to go through his test chambers and eventually to him.
But that wasn't him! Well, no; technically it was him. Who else could it have been doing all that anyway. It really had been him saying those things, but it was the mainframe. She didn't understand how...addictive the power had been to him. It was a moment of weakness, that's all. He only wished he had a way to apologize to the human. Somehow.
"I wish I could take it all back, I really do..." he murmured, "And not just because I'm trapped here in space, with you - " He glanced back at the Space Core as he said this. " - twisted up in some ungodly manner. But because I am genuinely sorry. I was horrible to her when all she did was trust and look up to me. Well, okay, maybe she didn't REALLY look up to me; but she did trust me and I went and ruined it."
"Space...Space..." Space Core chanted, "Sorry space. Space is sad. Space, space, space..."
Wheatley sighed and closed his optic. There was no point. She wasn't going to hear him anyway.
Just then, the satellite they were latched on began to move. Wheatley's eye opened and looked around frantically. Space Core began to get excited as well, his optic dancing around in his body. The satellite was beginning to make its way into Earth's atmosphere and Wheatley could feel the intense heat.
"Help me, space cops. Space cops, help!" Space Core cried.
"Oh no!" Wheatley yelled. "We're moving! We're moving! Why are we mo - " His optic pupil narrowed in fright when he began to realize just what was happening. He didn't want it to happen, but it looked like someone wanted to bring him back.
And that someone was definitely someone who he didn't want to look in the eyes again.
"Oh no. No! Nononononono!" Wheatley shrieked.
It made no difference how many times he begged the satellite to see reason - if it was even sentient anyway - because they were already making their way toward Earth.
Toward Aperture Science.
Toward the vengeful Queen.