Author's Note: Here be some lightly naughty ChellDOS stuff in this chapter (which I'm sure was a long-time coming considering the messages received, hahah). But it will carry on into the next chapter. Don't say I didn't warn you. LOL.
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14
Her test subject was avoiding her.
- Well, you DID scare her a little -
GLaDOS smirked at that. She hardly looked terrified at all from what she had seen.
- When in intimate situations they hardly experience, humans tend to avoid each other. -
The voice didn't help. GLaDOS knew the behaviors of humans having lived with their pestilence for a long time. But she failed to see how her actions could have scared anyone. If she really wanted to scare her, Chell would most certainly be scared.
Avoiding GLaDOS was quite a challenge in and of itself considering that she could see practically every inch of the facility from her chamber. She had Orange and Blue testing for most of the day, but found that her mind was distracted and she couldn't focus too much on the task at hand. It wasn't until Orange and Blue uncovered something in Old Aperture's prototype chassis room that her attention was temporarily diverted. She hadn't expected to see her old nemesis there again.
It was back.
Those cold avian eyes.
Those talons.
That razor sharp beak.
It was gestating a clone army.
Well, that wouldn't do. She was just about to issue a command for her two testing cores to destroy the eggs when a thought crossed her central processor. She remembered the corrupted file of that bird from her long-forgotten past. The one who had been overtaken by his enemies, the disgusting humans. These eggs not only carried new life within them, but new possibilities. A smirk slithered onto the AI's lips and she chuckled softly before addressing her testing cores over the PA system.
"Wait...I have a better idea."
Meanwhile, Chell had tried to keep her mind off of the strange event that had happened yesterday by hiding away in an old cafeteria. True to what the AI had said, her foot had immediately healed after resting it - though Wheatley had spent many hours after the fact trying to apologize and beg her not to tell GLaDOS. Chell hadn't seen a point in it as it seemed like it had been an accident. She just warned Wheatley that there wouldn't be a repeat performance unless he "valued his face".
The sounds of the cores playing poker at one of the tables didn't exactly ease her mind at all from the fact that she had found GLaDOS' actions strange as all forms of hell. She never knew her to do anything simply for the sake of doing it. Rick was playing with Wheatley while Space Core spent his time drawing stars and planets on the wall with some chalk she'd found in the Employee Daycare Centers. Fact Core continued to chatter uselessly about ridiculous "facts" and no one appeared to be listening. Well, except for Rick.
"Say one useful thing. One. I dare you," Rick snapped at him, "I will give you a hundred dollars if you say one thing remotely applicable to anything at all."
"You don't HAVE a hundred dollars, mate." Wheatley argued.
Rick pointed a finger at him. "Now don't you start with me."
Chell rubbed her face with one hand, tuning out the chatter. She didn't like how vulnerable she was feeling right now. Chell wasn't used to it having always been in control over her emotions. But ever since GLaDOS had started making her feel...well, weird... Well, that was ridiculous! She shouldn't have to feel this way! Whatever GLaDOS was doing, Chell wasn't going to fall for it.
She stood up and left the room, moving to confront the AI. She found her in her chamber, talking to someone with her back to her. Chell frowned.
"GLaDOS?" she said.
The supercomputer whirled and smiled with slightly wide eyes, speaking rather hastily. "Oh. It's you." Her eyes landed on Chell's legs. "I see that mammoth foot of yours has healed nicely."
Chell glared at her. "I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but I - "
A small chirp suddenly halted her in mid rant. Chell blinked, the anger draining from her face. She looked around the chamber in confusion. "Was that a bird?"
"No." GLaDOS quickly answered, stepping in front of her when Chell started to move.
Chell arched her brows expectantly and the AI exhaled. "Fine, it is."
She stepped aside and Chell was amazed to see an incubator behind the supercomputer that housed three baby birds. A grin touched her lips and she looked at GLaDOS, who rolled her eyes as the dopey look. "Don't give me that look," she snapped. "I found these little monsters in the prototype chassis room below. They were abandoned, well...just like you, in fact. Yes. That's me. Taking in abandoned strays and breeding them to become hardened killing machines."
Chell couldn't resist a giggle. "You're going to make little animals into killing machines?"
"Why not?" GLaDOS countered with a shrug. "It worked with you."
Aha. Another jab at her. Real funny. Chell simply murmured a partially amused sound and studied the bald, chirping birds in the machine. They looked so helpless and small, she couldn't imagine birds being used as hardened killing machines. One of them suddenly pecked at the glass so hard, it cracked and both GLaDOS and Chell jumped back with a simultaneous "oh" of shock. They glanced at each other briefly before GLaDOS grinned.
"I called that one Mr. Chubby Beak." she said, with pride on her face.
It was difficult remembering why Chell was a little angry when GLaDOS cooed to the animals softly, giving them promises from their "mommy" that she had big plans for them. It was a little weird to see her do that, but then again, the AI was pretty strange herself.
Still, Chell couldn't resist the smile nonetheless.
O
How did one find worms in a place like this?
Chell had been sent to dig around for proper nutrition for the baby birds (she suspected that GLaDOS did it on purpose for whatever real reason since Atlas and P-Body were more than capable of doing the job), but GLaDOS reminded her that she was to work whenever she commanded it. Wheatley decided to offer help as well, but he suspected that something was off with the human and wanted to find out. So while they rooted around for proper food for the birds in the facility, he inquired about her condition.
"Are you all right?" he asked, digging through kitchen cabinets.
Chell sighed, picking through the vast refrigerator. "Yes. I was just thinking."
"What about?" Wheatley asked, poking his head into the fridge.
Chell gave him an impatient look. "Can't I think in private around here?"
Wheatley looked thoughtful for a moment before chuckling and shaking his head. "Privacy's a bit lacking in this place," he pointed out. "Especially if she's watching our every move." Then, he looked mildly unsettled by that fact and looked around warily. "There are cameras in here, right?"
"Yes, Wheatley, there are." Chell sounded tired already.
"Oh!" The former core jumped slightly and started resuming his search. Chell could hear him dropping things all over the floor and simply rolled her eyes.
Then, her mind went to GLaDOS again and she thought about those hands that had spent a while massaging her sore foot. She shied away from the thought of those long fingers doing other things and immediately wanted to smack herself on the forehead for it. When did she come to the conclusion that it was okay to become the slightest bit infatuated with a computer? Was she actually as brain damaged as Wheatley and GLaDOS had said? And since when did she start having thoughts like that to begin with?
Oh yeah, it was when GLaDOS had been on top of her. She hadn't realized just how warm the AI was; pressed so tightly to her -
Okay, stop it body. Stop right now.
It wasn't like Chell had ever experienced anything remotely sexual with another in a LONG TIME and it hadn't been a pleasant one. He didn't know what he was doing, she had no idea... Yeah, she'd masturbated when the time came for it, duh - because the life of a test subject was quite a lonely one, particularly for her. Her whole life had been spent as such and she hadn't had the thought to try and seek a companion since. Besides, when Aperture was still full of living people, they all thought she was some kind of freak anyway, so what was the point? She hadn't needed anyone. She STILL didn't need anyone. But apparently, her body was being The Head Bitch in Charge right now. The Horny Head Bitch in Charge.
And even if GLaDOS had the suspicion that she had those feelings - those particular ones of yearning - she would NEVER hear the end of it.
Oh God. What if she already realized it?
Who was she kidding anyway? Of course she did. That's probably why she was acting so weird around her. It must have been a game. That's all it was.
Duh. No shit, she thought bitterly.
"Hey! Did you find anything?" Wheatley called.
Chell blinked rapidly and snapped out of her thoughts, feeling her flesh prickle when her mind went to particularly naughty ones. "N-No, let's go look somewhere else."
Wheatley watched her quickly rush passed him. "Are you all right?" he asked, "You're pretty red in the face there."
"I'm fine!"
But GLaDOS had seen the way her test subject had gone red in the face over her monitors. She had seen the way she'd experienced a somewhat heightened "itch" in her euphoric parameters. The only thing the AI was puzzled about was the noise Chell had made which seemed to create a strange positive feedback through her circuits.
Well, science was about many things, and that was exploration.
Perhaps she had to find out more about this. To understand why the noise had stirred such a reaction at all from her.
O
It was good that GLaDOS had managed to find some food for her birds because Chell felt that the search had been a complete waste of time. Frustrated and rather itchy across her skin, she decided to take a cold shower while the AI fed them. It had helped quite a bit and after dressing back into her jumpsuit and singlet, she returned to her room to listen to some music. It wasn't a song, but the soft, gentle sounds of smooth Jazz. It wasn't exactly the same as what had played over the PA system when she first awoke from her extended sleep. Before GLaDOS had reawakened.
Chell smiled to herself, feeling quite relaxed.
Not long after she had closed her eyes, a shadow loomed over her and she opened one eye, unsettled when she found GLaDOS leering down at her, her face close to her own. She took a moment to realize that the AI was crouched near her bedside, dressed in the same labcoat, black turtleneck and skirt that she had chosen during their time in trying on clothes; she was watching Chell with a strange, predatory stare in those yellow eyes. Chell frowned up at her, but the intense heat in that stare made her feel as if she was being stripped down. She felt her tongue stick to the roof of her mouth when GLaDOS slipped an arm across her body, leaning over her so that she was partially on the bed with the human.
Chell couldn't speak.
W-What's going on...?
But again, she couldn't formulate the words, couldn't find the strength to even consider fighting the AI who brought a long finger over her lower lip, lightly smoothing it across the length of it. It sent a current through her blood. The human shuddered and GLaDOS smiled at the reaction, though it wasn't easy to tell if it was mocking or not at the moment. She leaned down and followed the path of her finger with a brush of her own lips. Chell trembled under her and let out a startled gasp.
"What the fuck are you doing?" she cried, scrambling out from under the AI's body, stumbling backwards.
GLaDOS had a smile in her voice. "It's all for science [Subject Name Here], or did you forget that you're still my test subject?"
"Science?" Chell exclaimed, glaring at her, "What kind of science calls for trying to smother me in my sleep?"
"We both know I wasn't doing that," GLaDOS' chuckle was darker, but much more smooth and it made Chell's hair prickle. "And if I wanted to perform any means of asphyxiation on you, I'd bring out your old friend, deadly neurotoxin."
Chell's face was bright red, her slightly damp hair sticking to the sides of her cheeks. It made her look like a wild, untamed animal with those furious blue-gray eyes glaring daggers at the AI. "Then what the fuck were you trying to do to me?"
GLaDOS' smile returned to that intense seductiveness that almost made Chell dizzy. "I told you, I was performing science." She leaned forward, bringing her face close to the human's and dropping her voice lower into a tone that Chell was ashamed to admit made her lower body clench with heat. "And I intend to perform...very thoroughly."
Shivering, Chell suddenly looked rather weak when GLaDOS reached up, lightly pushing one of the clumps of her hair back. "W-Why?" she stammered, "I don't get it. First you wanted to kill me, now you want to - " She cut herself off, unable to imagine what the AI wanted to do.
"Don't get confused about my wishes, [Subject Name Here]," GLaDOS continued, studying every twitch in her body, the release in hormones and blush in her cheeks, "because I want answers with all intents in receiving them whether you like it or not. For one thing, your dreaming voice seems to have stimulated a bit of my sensors in a manner I find most inappropriate. I simply wish to learn the reason as to why. No human has ever done that before with obvious reasons."
Wait. What? What the hell did that mean?
"Now, back to testing." GLaDOS said.
Chell shook her head rapidly when the AI moved closer, those hands beginning to roam over her body in a way that wasn't proper. Probably because this was GLaDOS doing these things, regardless of whether or not it was for science. Chell closed her eyes tight, making herself completely stiff to the AI's touch. It became mortifying when GLaDOS leaned forward and traced her neck with one long finger and it sent a shudder through her body that was painfully obvious.
GLaDOS smirked at her with rapt attentiveness, but said nothing as she continued her search in the name of science. She couldn't really experience pleasure in the manner that Chell obviously was - though tried desperately to hide - given her resistance to the testing euphoria. However, that strange sound Chell had emitted had lightly stroked the circuits inside of her in a manner that hadn't been done in quite some time. She wanted to have the sound repeated to see if there would be similar results.
However, unknown to Chell, Wheatley was watching the sight from the window of the room. GLaDOS knew it though and watched the former sphere beyond Chell's shoulder. She smirked at him, seeing a look of shock cross his face, followed by horror, confusion and then a twinge of something that resembled jealousy. Internally, GLaDOS was delighted to see this. Who would have thought that the little moron could ever feel jealous because she had her hands on the human?
Oh yes, this definitely required more study.
Continuing to make sure Wheatley watched everything, GLaDOS moved her lips down the length of her test subject's neck, noting with much amusement that Chell was trying with every ounce of her strength to keep silent. So, she was going to sit there and not perform her test properly? Well, that was okay with her. It meant she had the opportunity to be creative and voiced this to the defiant human.
"You know, my research in human anatomy has allowed me to understand where your many euphoric sensors are located," she crooned in her ear. "For instance, your mammary glands."
GLaDOS' left hand moved up around the human and gently cupped one of her breasts.
Chell couldn't help it.
She arched up and let out a shaken gasp, feeling warmth pooling in her lower regions. GLaDOS could feel her nipple grow hard against her hand and smirked up at Wheatley, watching as he shifted where he stood; he was obviously unable to fathom the human he'd known to make those sounds. What a fool. He'd been around humans before and couldn't even understand that they did these sorts of things with each other. Of course, had someone suggested she perform this sort of task with a human being, she probably would have been killing them in the worst manner possible. However, this new revelation required attention.
All for science.
That's all.
Yes.
When she dared to squeeze that nipple between her fingers, that was when Chell came alive with a poor attempt at a restrained moan that sent a wash of heat through her sensors. There it was again! Why was that happening? In the small, dark part of GLaDOS' mind, she had to consider how wrong this was, but she wanted to understand. Every processor in her shifted to make this her priority. Like all forms of science, there had to be testing involved and she still remained unfulfilled in that area.
So the testing would continue.
O
Chell didn't know what to make of this.
It felt wrong. VERY wrong.
But a part of her brain-damaged mind rebuked this, saying it was her lack of physical intimacy that was the problem. Well, not just that, but this was GLaDOS. She shouldn't have been considering letting her do this, regardless of whether or not she required "suitable data". But the more she thought about it, the more her body rejected the idea of stopping. It was those hands. Those horribly skilled, delicious hands of hers that made her body betray her. She couldn't help the hesitant mewl that escaped her lips, no matter how much she fought to suppress it. She felt GLaDOS squirm behind her in response.
Wait, did she...like this?
Chell wanted to find the suggestion utterly ridiculous, but that gesture definitely did put the thought in her mind, which was beginning to fog with pleasure. A pleasure she didn't even know she wanted. But it felt...wonderful. Her mind screamed at her not to try and stop what was happening. It had been so long since she felt this...good. She wanted to give in and deal with whatever consequences came later. But the part of her who argued this didn't want to give in and surrender. Didn't want to -
Chell was stunned when GLaDOS took her chin in the other hand, making her look into her yellow gaze. She didn't know what she was looking at exactly because GLaDOS' brow wrinkled somewhat in thought before a smile lit her lips. She seemed fascinated by something.
"I should have tried this method years ago." the AI purred, "You seem much more complaisant now."
Chell glared weakly up at her. Her eyes were heavy and face flushed. "No, I'm not..."
"No?" GLaDOS' lips were merely a light breath away from the human's.
Chell gritted her teeth and hissed out. "No."
GLaDOS interpreted exactly what was going on with her. The test subject obviously felt uncomfortable with her approach and it must have had something to do with many factors, despite the fact that her biological euphoric protocols were being stimulated. It wasn't just the fact that they had been mortal enemies either.
"Then why do you resist me now?" GLaDOS questioned, as if speaking to a petulant child. "I thought our agreement was that you would do as I commanded when I wanted testing to be done, so long as I allowed you residence in my facility."
Dear God, GLaDOS wasn't grasping it. Chell groaned frustratingly. "It's not that. You know - "
"No, I'm afraid that I don't."
Oh geez, don't make me say it, please... "It's the fact that - " Chell tried.
GLaDOS ran through every possibility as to why Chell resisted. "Do not tell me it is because I am considered by your human standards as similar to your gender." she haughtily sneered. "Human homosexuality is a foolish concept in and of itself. If your euphoria protocols are being satisfied, then why should the separation of gender prevent you from receiving it? I assure you that other than simulated appearance and programming, I am still not considered biologically female by human consideration."
Chell bit down on her cheek with a glare. "That's not it either. I can't just allow myself to - AH!"
She suddenly cried out when GLaDOS pressed her synthetic teeth into her exposed shoulder. "It's a test," GLaDOS reminded her. "And you ARE my test subject now and forevermore. You could have left, but you decided to stay here. With me. While I have yet to comprehend what went through your brain-damaged mind when you came to that decision, rest assured, I will find out sooner or later. Now then...where were we? Oh yes, that's right. I remember now."
While the AI continued to physically molest the human in her arms, she struggled to comprehend why her processors felt as if they were running faster than they usually did - which was considerably fast in comparison to every machine here in the facility and perhaps in all of scientific history. She had initiated this test to understand why Chell's vocal harmonics had caused such a reaction in her, but nothing seemed to grant her logical answers. No human being in her entire awakening had ever done such.
What else did humans do anyway? Oh yes, they kissed. Since she hadn't been one to go around kissing people, this was something that required learning, but she learned quite fast since she had spent time performing research as necessary. It wasn't like she had gone SEARCHING for the techniques of kissing, it was just her research had led up to that and she felt she needed to learn every little thing anyway. Just as a scientist would, of course. Science took no shortcuts.
"GLaDOS, I am not going to - "
GLaDOS saw the perfect opening and pressed her artificial lips against Chell's. She was amused when the human's defiance seemed to melt away at the heat of the kiss. Technique was important in the art of kissing and there were MANY ways to choose from. It was rather warm too and though she had no saliva, the synthetic tongue in her mouth was obviously satisfactory enough given the way Chell shuddered in her arms and let out a whine that reminded the AI of a little dog in need.
Hm. Who would have thought that a kiss was all it took?
And who would have thought that it made her spinal relay flood with confusing, yet delightful warmth she hadn't felt in a long, LONG time?
And who would have thought that their lips would mold together so perfectly, despite Chell's somewhat clumsy response?
GLaDOS felt those hands against her arm and Chell wriggled a little, turning so that she faced her properly, their mouths still connected. She raised her hands toward the AI's neck and GLaDOS was prepared to be throttled, but it didn't happen. Instead, Chell rested her hands on her shoulders, clutching her lab coat tightly and swaying against her.
Hmm. Much better... GLaDOS thought, with a deep chuckle.