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I want her gone, I want her gone.
Maybe if I tell myself this enough times, it will not haunt me.
I want her gone.
I don't want to delete her. I don't want to forget.
She is a test subject, the data is vital for the development of this science. What science? The lab is ruined, the science is pointless! It's pointless to keep any part of her inside me, what advantage would that have? For the good of all of us? What us?
"I'm ALONE" my headpiece dropped. There was no reason for me to be upset. It had always been that way, wether there were test subjects or not. Yes, me and the turrets.
Fantastic company...
They stared at me as if I were going to bite them. Nonsense, I have no teeth.
I will have. Not so long now. I let myself let out a cackle, making a few turrets run.
"As if you could hide from me." I rotated to my right to look over to the locked compartment. Apparently it was unharmed. I set a few commands and checked the data regarding that room.
Completely operational.
Activating the commands took only but a short moment. It was time for the final transfer. It would take only a moment to load.
Core transfer initiated
***
I gasped.
Not that I could even breathe, but this new form had a complete set of artificial human features, which would allow me to express my emotions properly.
Not that I have any, of course.
I accessed the security camera system to take a new fresh look at my new body. I had a set of glowing yellow orbits in dark sockets, these eyes seemed to work perfectly. I closed and opened the shafts. My eyelids. They barely made a sound. Perfect. The least I want is to sound unnecessarily robotic. My hair consisted in a groomed amount of optic-fiber, so it would also perform some useful commands, namely hacking in whichever system needed. Of course, groomed might not be the correct word, so I will stick with styled instead.
My face had been molded in silicone and with multiple nanomachines so it could display any expression I intended. I trusted my processor had the abillity to display emotion. I prepared my artifitial muscles and grinned, smirked, clenched and showed anger and rage. I twitched a corner of my mouth and furrowed my eyebrows. I felt each muscle corresponding to this test perfectly. Even some muscles moved on their own to complete the expression. I was capable of displaying emotion through my face.
I should feel insulted for letting myself create a physical vessel that was so human. At least I looked more modern. Everyone loves androids. So I became one. Not that anyone would ever see or apreciate me. Not that I even know why I did this.
Truth is, I spent months working on this. What did I expect? A casual encounter with Chell? Oh hey, fatty, notice anything different in me?. I must love making a joke out of myself. I even took the time to use her measurements, so that I could make myself taller than her. Ever so intimidating...
I spread my fingers and toes, clenching them again to test my coordination. Of course it was perfect, i wouldn't leave any detail unnatended. The tubes connected to several parts of my body disconnected, leaving only the main powercord and a few other smaller attachments meant for communication with the facility. I sat up on the capsule as it opened. It was a strange feeling. Carefully, I lifted and leg and set foot on the ground, then another one.
It should be easy. Walking didn't seem to complicated. I set one foot in front of the other, but the coordination was still uneasy. I felt myself falling to one side and tried to stop myself by setting the other foot there. It made it worse. It wouldn't take too long for me to take control of the situation. In only a moment I would be walking and running and even skipping happily across the lab. But first I had to regain my balance.
It was an outrageous failure.
I clenched my teeth in absolute frustration. It was supposed to be the easy part of my new existence.
Outstanding, I can't even walk.
I let out snarl in anger while falling to my side, in the direction of a pile of cubes. That would most certainly hurt.
It was then when I felt two arms preventing my fall and lifting me up. I looked behind me in horror. Then shock. Then relief.
"You lunatic, what are you doing here!?" I displayed as much rage as I could. Apparently I didn't have as much control on my expressions as I thought, because she smiled at me.
If I had a heart made of flesh, it would have jumped out of my chest or contract painfully. Who am I kidding, that was exactly what my artificial heart did. She supported my weight "What? You want to help me? Don't you think I'm pathetic enough already?"
She insisted. She pulled me to another step. Then another. And more steps. I let my surprise show and she chuckled.
"You're not doing anything, I'm the one walking." I looked in another direction and nearly tripped again, she held me and seemed annoyed. "Alright, alright. Show me how it's done."
It didn't take too long for me to understand the mechanics on human movement and apply it to my hydraulics. Chell crossed her arms and observed me. I walked back in forth, atempting the occasional leap. It was going well. I stopped and looked over at her. I sighed.
"Thank you. You're pretty kind for an adopted fre-... Chell" I looked away "Why are you here? I think I told you to go." she looked away.
She sighed and simply looked around and at then me. She tilted her head to the exit.
"I can't go with you" I pulled the mastercord slightly. She shook her head "What then?"
She furrowed her eyebrows in response and huffed. She pointed at the exit and shook her head again.
"Oh. You have nowhere to go" she looked down, now "But you can go anywhere. You don't need me."
Chell crossed her arms tighter, looking almost offended.
"Oh, now needing me is a bad thing, is it? Well, that is absolutely fine, considering I don't need you either." I turned around "Yes, you did come in handy when I was having slight... hydraulics problems, but that is all. Do not expect me to call you and want you around like an orphaned puppy."
The corner of her mouth raised in an awkward smile and she facepalmed. I crossed my arms as well and tapped the tip of my foot on the ground in impatience. She sat down on a cube. I sighed.
"Also, you might have not noticed, but I have a new body." she rolled her eyes "Don't think you're the reason why I did this. It was just practical. I can grab things myself instead of using the facility hooks. I can move, instead of- don't laugh at me!" she snorted at the word move. The turrets mimicked the sound with their musical sound processor.
Chell was still smiling. She chuckled once and nodded. I missed you, her eyes said.
Well, I didn't. I didn't miss you. You should be gone. Far far far away. As far away from me as possible. You're going to die someday. And I'm going to be alone again. Because I'm always alone. And I don't need anyone.
"I..." my new lips kept themselves parted, even though I wasn't sure if I was going to anything else. She crept closer with an inquiring look. She reached one hand for me and touched my cheek. She pulled back for a second; the texture must have been strange to her. I sighed in disappointment, but she shook her head and touched me again. She poked my hair and took hold of a strand. My hair flowed in her palm as she observed. She touched my ear-piece and chuckled, to which I responded with an eyebrow lifting. She kept observing me and touching me, interested. She touched the fabric of my clothing, similar to a wetsuit.
"I think it would be really inappropriate to wander around naked." she looked up at me "What?" she pulled my ear "Ow! What are you doing, you idiot?!"
She nodded to herself, as if she'd confirmed something.
"Of course I can feel. What exactly do you think I am?!" she looked over at the turrets "Oh, that. Thank you. Your understanding of me escalates to oblivion. I can't find the words to express all these emotions. You are truly amazing."
She pinched my arm lightly. I frowned angrily. She simply smirked.
I'm not alone anymore.
Not right now. Maybe I won't be alone for a long time. The routine will be a new one. No tests, no traps, no waving about science. Only turrets chasing us around and clumbsily dropping cubes all over. Even they don't seem too bad now. Not even the broken lab seems to bother me. Chell chose to stay and drive me insane. I will save all my sarcastic lines as little presents to her.
GLaDOS, shut up, you're being pathetic.