Opinion

 

“That jumpsuit you’re wearing looks stupid.”

 

Chell rolled her eyes and continued up the metal staircase, trying to ignore the tyrant’s continuing tirade. However, GLaDOS would not unlock the door until her barrage of insults had run its course.

 

“That’s not me talking. It’s right here in your file.” GLaDOS went on. Medical degree in fashion. From France. Blah blah blah. As far as Chell was concerned, there hadn’t been a choice on her wardrobe. GLaDOS’s opinion was invalid by default.

 

The door finally opened, and Chell gave an impatient grunt as she stepped into the dark antechamber. The door slid shut behind her, and the lights went out. There was a sound of scraping metal, as though the wall panels were moving. As soon as the lights came on, she jumped back in surprise, eliciting a weak cry.

 

There was another woman in the antechamber.

 



 

The woman stood, arms folded, a devious grin spread across her narrow and unnaturally pale face. Her dark hair was extremely long, spreading out over her shoulders and spilling onto the ground. Golden eyes glimmered with intelligence and triumph. Long, thin cables came from somewhere on her back, reaching up into an open space in the ceiling.

 

“Personally,” she began, and Chell started as she realized it was GLaDOS’s voice coming from the woman, “I’m inclined to agree. That jumpsuit does look stupid on you.”

 

Chell swallowed her panic, keeping a tight grip on the portal gun. Even if the room was sealed, the portals could allow her an extra second or so of time to avoid anything GLaDOS might throw at her. Chell’s effort was in vain, however, as the two last wall panels slid into the bowels of the facility, replaced with walls of beveled metal.

 

GLaDOS started toward her. The test subject stepped back as the AI began to edge on her personal space. Her back hit the door, and Chell tensed as GLaDOS drew closer. GLaDOS put her hands against the wall, pinning down her target. Chell, steeling her glare, balled her free hand into a fist and prepared the other to smash the portal device right against GLaDOS’s head..

 

Defenses were completely disarmed as GLaDOS pressed her lips to Chell’s. Terror, confusion, repulsion, and complacency – a whirlwind of emotions spun through Chell’s addled mind at once. She barely noticed the portal gun gently taken out of her hand and dropped cautiously to the floor. A tug at her hips brought her around, and she found herself looking into the AI’s shining eyes.



The construct’s delicate fingers, as though they’d suddenly gained a titan’s strength, tore aggressively at the arms of Chell’s jumpsuit, which had been knotted at her waist. A surge of blood rushed to Chell’s face. As the knot began to unravel, Chell drew in a breath, unaware she’d stopped breathing at all.



GLaDOS kissed her again, full on, rough, and deep. Pressed between the hard wall and the surprising strength of the construct, Chell let out a small whimper. She became lost in the dance of the cold but soft lips upon hers, the pressure of GLaDOS’s body, and the ripping that echoed through the antechamber as her jumpsuit was torn to shreds.



Was this really happening? The vengeful construct who, minutes prior, had once again tried to end Chell’s life was now kissing her with passionate fervor. Chell wondered if she should put a stop to this before it got out of hand. She realized it was too late as the last scrap of orange fabric was torn away.



“Much better,” GLaDOS purred, the sultry voice a startling reminder that the AI no longer had a conscience to hold back her inhibitions.



Chell shivered in spite of the heated flare felt throughout her body. Her knees buckled, and as she leaned against the door for support, she realized she was wearing only the Aperture Science tank top and a standard-issue flesh-toned pair of spandex boxers. She glanced almost shyly at GLaDOS, feeling completely unprepared but somehow accepting of whatever could happen next. Icy prickles landed in her stomach, spreading through her from the inside out. Just one more touch, one more kiss, and she would be lost. A million possibilities danced through her mind, all of them somehow appealing, somehow dangerous, somehow appalling.



There was one possibility she hadn’t considered and certainly should have. Perhaps it really was brain damage. Perhaps it was wanting to finally trust in someone. Either way, Chell was genuinely surprised when GLaDOS stepped back to the center of the chamber. The AI once again crossed her arms and grinned like a demon as a large cable wrapped itself around her waist.



Chell knit her brows, taking the first step without realizing it. She wasn’t about to let GLaDOS get away with just a tease. The look of surprise on GLaDOS’s humanoid face was deeply satisfying as the AI was tackled to the floor. The large cable, dislodged, whipped back up to the ceiling.



“What-” was the only syllable GLaDOS was able to utter before Chell kissed her.



It was meant as a ruse, a trick to break down the test subject’s guard before humiliating her. Now, pinned under Chell’s weight, GLaDOS was beginning to think the trick had been a bad idea. The body she’d built had been a temporary puppet, not meant for anything more than her intended goal. Therefore, she did not ‘feel’ Chell’s kiss nor the heat of the subject’s body against her fake one. Still, she did not like being pressed down, and she struggled to sit up.



Chell grabbed the AI’s shoulders, nearly slamming her to the ground. She glared down at GLaDOS as she straddled her, and her frown and ice-blue eyes sent a clear message.



GLaDOS was no longer in charge.



As Chell grabbed GLaDOS’s hand, a spark of fear started to spread through the construct. She had pushed Chell too far this time. She had failed to anticipate the exaggerated nature of human emotions, or at least the emotions of this one human. Perhaps it had been a mistake to appear as another human. Knowing how limited Chell’s intelligence was, it could be a possibility that the brain-damaged mute mistook her as an actual human and not a…



GLaDOS’s thoughts were interrupted as she suddenly realized where Chell had positioned her hand.  Somewhere along the way, Chell had pulled the spandex boxers down to her thighs, revealing thin, white panties.  She’d slid GLaDOS’s cold - but slowly warming - hand just under the hem.  The hard glare on the test subject’s face communicated without words what was expected, and before GLaDOS could properly analyze the situation, she found herself candidly exploring Chell’s anatomy.



The test subject gave a slight jump as the construct’s fingers touched the right spot, and the iciness of her glare melted away. GLaDOS once again tried to sit up and was again pushed roughly down. Chell pressed her body against GLaDOS’s hand, leaning over to once again kiss her.



Let me up! GLaDOS thought in frustration, unable to vocalize under the force of the woman’s mouth. GLaDOS noticed with some mild annoyance that she was not actively resisting Chell’s actions. Indeed, she was pressing her mouth to Chell’s, sliding Chell’s tongue against her own with decidedly more passion than the earlier teasing kiss. It further annoyed the construct to consider that there might have been some legitimate emotion behind the tease.



Working on some instinct she wasn’t aware she possessed, GLaDOS pressed two slender fingers into the silkiness of Chell’s body. Her thumb brushed against the sensitive spot again, and Chell breathed a very rewarding whimper into their kiss. GLaDOS repeated the touch, and a song of moans erupted from Chell’s throat. The test subject’s arms curled around the back of GLaDOS’s neck.



To her surprise, Chell pulled GLaDOS up so they were both sitting upright. Chell began to press her hips rhythmically against GLaDOS’s hand. GLaDOS mimicked the rhythm, and Chell gave a satisfying moan. GLaDOS urged the weight of her artificial body against Chell’s, trying to push her over. In an instant, the construct found herself flat on her back with cold, blue eyes staring angrily down.



It was an illogical game, GLaDOS decided, though the rules were slowly clarifying. If she tried to coax Chell into submission, she was instantly punished, and the construct found herself slammed to the ground more than once. However, if she touched Chell in the right spots – especially the ones that made her twitch and give those pleasant, strangely rewarding moans – GLaDOS was allowed to sit up in an equal position.



GLaDOS was slammed down for the sixth time. Chell pressed her weight down again, pinning the construct and sending her the message: you are no longer in charge. This time, however, the construct was grinning. Where Chell was expecting a trick, she found an increase in the speed of GLaDOS’s touch. Her legs tightened around the construct’s body, and she let out a loud cry.



“I think I’m starting to like this game,” GLaDOS whispered. Had Chell not been at the mercy of her body’s impulses, she would have smiled.



GLaDOS propped herself up on one elbow, neither sitting up nor lying on her back. Abandoning the futile effort of mounting her target, her focus now shifted to Chell’s reward spots.  When GLaDOS curled her fingers inside of Chell’s body…oh, she liked that.  That wonderful squeal when GLaDOS had raised up the human’s tank top and applied her tongue to the rigid tip of Chell’s breast - delightful!  With the test subject’s every moan and cry, GLaDOS noticed some new sensation within herself that she had thought long dead.



It was true that her love of science, merged with a severe hatred for ignorance and an intense love for human pain, was enough to keep GLaDOS’s mind on testing. She’d had little use for the testing euphoria, even in her early days. She considered it a hindrance, actually, since it distracted from the science of testing. For whatever reason, bits, shades, shadows, hints of the euphoria had begun to seep into her processors. It sent a nice electric tremble down her body, mixed with some sort of far-off memory of a similar reaction. She could only assume that the same feeling was happening within Chell.



Leaning up, she kissed Chell hungrily, and sparks of euphoria shot all around her mind. It was a strange test, with the human setting all the rules and her euphoria somehow binding to them. It didn’t matter, GLaDOS thought. Science was science.



The rules changed again as Chell grabbed GLaDOS’s arm, stopping the rhythmic movement. She pulled the construct’s hand away, and GLaDOS gave her a hurt and somewhat frustrated look. They weren’t finished, so why-?



Chell pushed GLaDOS on her back again, this time a gentle coaxing instead of a harsh shove. It was a little disappointing; GLaDOS had begun to like Chell’s roughness. However, the test subject had another trick. She positioned her body over GLaDOS’s so their hips locked together and began to grind against the construct’s artificial body.



A large surge of euphoria hit, and GLaDOS surprised herself by vocalizing her pleasure. Chell looked a little confused, not expecting that sort of reaction. GLaDOS raised her hips, giving Chell a gentle coax, and they began to move against each other in rhythm.



This body wasn’t designed to feel! There were no synthetic nerves, no bundles of data-collecting sensors. She wasn’t even anatomically detailed! So why…why was the euphoria…why…did it…feel…so….



Her fingertips dragged across Chell’s back, eager to explore every inch of the human’s body. She felt heat, suddenly, but wasn’t sure if it was her own overworked processors or otherwise. Their rhythm…Chell’s rapid breath…her loud…moans, the…euphoria…oh…please…dont…stop…



Chell’s body tightened, every muscle surging with power and pleasure, and a massive rush of euphoria almost blew GLaDOS’s circuits to oblivion. After a passing moment, Chell collapsed, breathing heavily. The construct’s arms fell around the human in a sort of awkward hug, and she felt Chell’s body twitch and pulse under the influence of her own euphoria.



GLaDOS was able to recover from the euphoric jolt much sooner than Chell, though in the process of recovery she realized that she had blown one or two circuits and would have to wait for their reboot before she could move. Aware of an odd pressure on her shoulder and neck, she glanced over to see Chell kissing, biting, and nipping at the artificial skin. The human’s eyes were glazed over, as if she wasn’t quite aware of what she was doing.



“I can’t feel that, you know,” GLaDOS huffed, her arrogance slowly returning. “You’ve made a mess all over the place, too. Now I’ll have to clean and disinfect the entire antechamber. You don’t even care, do you?”



Chell gave a half-hearted shrug. Her breathing started to slow, and her body became heavier. She felt GLaDOS’s arms tighten around her, and she gave a comfortable sigh before her vision faded to darkness. She barely heard GLaDOS’s whisper.



“You monster…”



She woke up in the corner of the antechamber, fully dressed and, if her still-damp hair was any indication, bathed. The ASHPD was at her side, and she clumsily grasped it.



Her eyes shot open, and she immediately looked for GLaDOS. The construct was nowhere to be seen, but as Chell slowly got to her feet, a familiar voice echoed through the chamber:



“All right, so even I have moments of weakness. Like too much sympathy for you humans. Don’t worry; that part of me has been deleted. So let’s just continue testing and never speak of this again.”



Chell gave a triumphant, knowing grin to the wall-mounted camera, which, to her surprise, turned shyly away from her. The door to the test slid open.



****



Another successful test completed. Chell holstered the portal device over her shoulder, still bemused by the evasive redirection of the cameras. In fact, she had purposely tried to step in front of one, only to have it turn all the way up and look into the ceiling.



It must have been some job she’d done on GLaDOS to get this type of reaction. The AI was even quiet when the elevator arrived, and she stayed quiet when the elevator stopped on the next test. However, as she entered Test Chamber 16, a familiar pop on the loudspeaker presented her agitated captor again:



“I have a surprise waiting for you after this next test. Telling you would spoil the surprise, so I’ll give you a hint: the device has been modified.”



Something about GLaDOS’s tone brought a flush to Chell’s cheeks. Surely she didn’t mean…



“Oh, yes,” GLaDOS continued, her voice eerily happy. “I believe we’re both going to enjoy the surprise.”