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It had been another long, arduous day of cube and button based testing- and today you really felt it. The soft mechanical hiss of the testing elevator closing its doors and shooting back down into the depths of the testing floors reminded you to release the breath you didn't realize you'd been holding. You wince as you exhale, the pressure on your back and chest worsening as you draw in a breath before stepping forward into the central AI chamber. A panel flips over in front of you, rising to reveal the pedestal you were required to place your handheld portal device onto after each testing session. GLaDOS didn't trust you enough to allow you to have it outside of designated testing areas after your ...history. The portal gun clicks into place on the pedestal, and before you can even take your hands off of it, it's on its way down into whatever storage GLaDOS has beneath her chamber.
Now empty-handed, exhausted, and encumbered with pain, you impatiently put your weight onto one foot, focusing on the way the heel spring moved to accommodate your weight. Finally, pretending she had only just noticed you, the central core swiveled to face you. "Oh, it's you." Her bright, yellow optic squinting and re-enlarging like a camera lens as she performed a quick full-body scan. "Congratulations. You managed to waddle your way back into my chamber without your..." Her optic narrows and she quickly looks you up and down "...generousness... causing the elevator to plummet to its doom." You roll your eyes, involuntarily sighing at her "joke". As you turn to walk away a jolt of pain snakes through your ribs and mid back, causing your breath to hitch slightly mid-sigh. Great. There's no way she didn't notice that. And there's no way she's not going to use it as further ammunition to berate you and tell you how weak and inferior you are. Though the two of you had a truce, the details of said arrangement never barred her from verbally harming you. A fact that she reveled in. A wry chuckle emanates from the chassis at the center of the chamber. "Oh, did I work you too hard today?" Her voice was low, but had a hint of amusement that she just couldn't hide . The AI swiveled once again, turning her back to you and swaying side to side in amusement. You had no idea why she found the limitations of the human body so funny, but it was getting old. You don't bother turning back around to face her. She can see you no matter where you are, there's no need for pretending.
There's one thing that GLaDOS can't stand, and thankfully for you, it's something that comes quite naturally. You continue walking, straightening your back despite the worsening pain. Putting everything out of your mind, you focus on the rhythmic clank of your long-fall boots on the chamber floor as you stride over to the exit, her voice fading into the back of your mind. You reach the door to the chamber, "finally." You th- clank- What? You stumble back slightly from the shock, rubbing the shoulder you'd hit. Your eyes finally focus on the door in front of you, and your heart sinks. She'd locked the door in your face. Great. You try prying at the sides of the door, not wanting to interact with her any more than strictly necessary- but your suspicions proved to be true. There was no opening that door. You inhaled deeply, the pain radiating through your torso and up the back of your neck as you turned to face her. "It's rude to walk away from a conversation." Her silky, monotone voice poured from her chassis as she loomed to look at you. "I wasn't done talking to you." You meet her optic with your eyes, a steely glare crossing your face as you put a hand on your hip, hoping to non-verbally communicate "I'm not in the mood". Ignoring your demeanor, the AI began to speak again, her tone staying clinical and disinterested. "As I was trying to say, in lieu of your..." She paused briefly, her optic narrowing in a judgemental glare. "...underwhelming testing performance today, I did a full musculoskeletal scan to make sure your disgusting meat sack of a body wasn't disintegrating all over my clean floors." She sways to the side, seemingly analyzing the results of said scan while she continues talking. "Anyways, it seems that the used chewing gum your body seems to contain rather than muscular tissue is inflamed from overuse." You raise an eyebrow. What does she want you to do about that? As if it's your fault in the first place, she should provide you with more time to exercise, maybe then you wouldn't be 'too weak'. Your bitter line of thinking is cut short as she begins to speak again. "Normally, I would simply put any injured test subject down like a horse with a broken leg, but unfortunately you would probably make horrible glue, so that's off the table." Her optic focuses on your face as she continues. "I guess my point here is that you- however deeply unfortunate this may be- are my only remaining test subject, meaning I have to keep your body test-ready."
A panel shoots out behind you, beginning to lift you up into a sitting position as it brings you towards GLaDOS. A brief jolt of panic surges through your body, but you're able to choke it down. You know she wouldn't kill you like this. It wouldn't be scientific. "Now then. The recommended treatment for chronic muscle pain is over-the-counter pain medication and applied heat on the affected areas. However, the closest you are going to get to that is incredibly small doses of Aperture Science Patented Narcotic Cocktail™ and exposure to warm mechanical parts." Great. Just how you like your medical care, probably carcinogenic and most certainly not intended for human use or consumption. The platform reaches a stop in front of her mainframe, jolting slightly as it locked into place. You shudder slightly. You always forget how huge she is. It's easy to ignore when you're across the room from her, avoiding eye contact, but when you're less than 6 feet away from her faceplate... It's kind of terrifying. Memories of the first time you were this close to her start to push at the edge of your mind, the crunch of Wheatley's body being crushed in her claw echoing in your head as you squeeze your eyes shut. You're snapped out of the flashback by the feeling of a cold mechanical claw gently tugging at your jumpsuit. Mortified, you whip your arm out to grab the claw, but you're intercepted by a warm mass of wires snaking around your wrist. "Stop that. I'm not going to harm you." Her voice was all-encompassing at this distance, it was like nothing else existed, only the sound of her mechanical drawl and the feeling of cold, hard metal and warm, sturdy rubber wiring against your skin. You look up towards her optic, a look of confusion and apprehension on your face. For a moment, you're distracted by the gentle warmth her optic emits, however, she begins to speak again, her voice gaining a noticable softness to it. "I am only attempting to apply heat to your back. Please relax." Perplexed by the sudden change in GLaDOS' demeanor, you nod, slowly placing your arms back by your sides. The claw began to resume its task of pulling your jumpsuit off of your shoulders, leaving it pooled around your hips. You quickly grab the sleeves and tie them around your waist in hopes you can avoid it falling any further.
With the thick fabric of your jumpsuit out of the way, you're left in the thin, breathable material of your Aperture Science branded Athletic Tank Top. The warm mass of wires began to snake around your shoulders and down your back, causing you to involuntarily shiver at the odd sensation. "Stop squirming, you moron." There's the GLaDOS I know. You relax slightly at the familiar jab at your intelligence. The wires now cover your back, neck, and shoulders, the warm mass gently pressing into your muscles. You exhale in relief, your eyes fluttering closed as you sink into the sensation. The wires begin to carefully, yet firmly press into your shoulders, moving back and forth in motions that somewhat resembled the skilled fingers of a master masseuse. The thick rubber casing rubbing against your bare shoulders caused a hum of contentment to escape your throat. A disgusted sigh snapped you out of the comfortable nothing your mind was sinking into. "Ugh, believe me, I wouldn't be doing this myself if I didn't have to. I'd much rather force orange or blue to do this, but I'm the only piece of technology in this facility that has the required precision to do this without maiming you." Suddenly something clicks in your head. GLaDOS was touching you. And you liked it. Heat rose to your face as you realized she had most certainly noticed how much you were enjoying this.