Truth, a portal fanfic

SPOILERS FOR PORTAL 2

You know that part where you shoot the white moon-rock paste into the vent and it goes everywhere? There a room a bit before that that involves running along speed jel, bouncing off a small patch bouncing jel, and starting that long bounce that leads you to the pillar that has the dripping moon paste that you use to shoot into said previously mentioned vent. This story takes place right before that room.

- P:2 - P:2 -

GlaDOS was currently a very confused potato. The murderer, who's Portal Gun™ she was currently impaled on, was... strange. Seeing her up this close, as opposed to through a monitor from the security cameras allowed her to see the unbridled joy that she experienced while doing the simplest of tests. Unlike her previous test subjects, the ones from before the monster showed up completed their tests, or failed them in hilariously fatal ways, yes, but they weren't... what was the word? Motivated? No, she made sure her subject were properly motivated...

Alive! Yes, that was the word. Where the previous subjects went through testing it was just that for them, mandatory testing. This maniac though... every jump, every step, every time she was hurled through the air at what should have been terminal velocity, she did it with the air of absolute contentment.

She noticed her power running low from all the thinking. Thankfully, they were approaching another disintegration field. The psycopath of incredible girth stopped however, she slowly lowered herself to the ground and rested her back along the wall right next to the field. GlaDOS tried to speak but her power was to low. She was about to start beeping at The man-like monkey thing to alert her of this when she was swiped through the field and back.

"What are you doing? Why did we stop." GlaDOS demanded, not expecting a response, seeing as unfashionable orange nightmare had never talked before she had obviously long since listed her as mute.

If she had a body, or anything close to one capable of movement she would have jumped as the tiny-brained Neanderthal actually answered. "Tired, need a bit of rest. I'm sure the facility will survive one nap." She rasped, as if she hadn't used her voice in centuries. Which was probably true, GlaDOS thought.

"We do not have that much time. The average human sleep cycle is eight hours. The moron will have have my precious facility a crater in the ground within three." She snapped.

The turret fodder first looked puzzled, than alarmed... and than she started laughing. From her recording of previous test subjects she concluded it was not a healthy laugh.

"What is so funny. Why are you laughing. I demand you tell me this instant." GlaDOS was not used to being kept out of the loop and it irked her.

"E-eight hours? You really don't know do... you... oh god. You never knew." She paled, suddenly looking like she figured out some horrible truth. "What do you know about me." She asked sickly.

Not seeing the point but obliging as it would speed them along, GlaDOS started listing off her information. "Name: Zoey Maxwell. Age: 19. Blood type: O. Hair color: Brown. Eye color: brown. Height: 5,10. Weight:- She was cut off before she could continue by the unwashed dog in heat.

"I mean before I came to this facility." She said, looking more pale as she apparently didn't hear the information she wanted to.

GlaDOS felt annoyed, but stopped as the added emotion drained her power faster. She scanned her current information. She didn't bring a lot with her due to the suddenness of her current predicament, and also because her core was self learning, storing information within itself constantly, so she had the ability to 'remember' things, but she did have every file available on her, mostly so her taunts were more effective. Shockingly, she didn't have anything on Zoey Maxwell before she entered the doors of her facility. "There is no information in your profile from before you arrived." She answered.

"Zoey Maxwell was the granddaughter of one the the Aperture Science employees. From what I remember, he was actually one of the men who built, or at least had a hand in tuning up, you. She loved the company, more specifically, she loved your tests. She would figure them out from the observation window while the test takers were struggling. She wanted more than anything to participate in the testing. But she was told no, that it was too dangerous."

"She was hit by a car and killed on her thirteenth birthday. Her grandfather, filled with remorse for denying her access to the Portal Gun tests once again just before she crossed the street that she died on, grew a human in a test tube, gave it his grandaughter's memories, altered her body so she could handle superhuman feats, and sped up her's physical growth to about fifteen years old so she could fulfill her dreams."

"But something was wrong. The AI running the Aperture Science tests was growing unsatisfied with it's current level of tests. It started making harder and harder tests. Subject were dying faster than they could be given. So the scientist started teaching the clone. Her love of puzzles became her life. She would spend the next four years learning how to think her way out of every situation she was put in. The point of all this was to make the AI stop. The scientists were supposed to tell the AI everything about the girl, so it would see how hard it's tests were. So it could realize that it's average test subjects couldn't handle what it was putting them through. And when the AI... you calmed down, the girl-I was to be your permanent subject. The modifications made to my body allowed me to fall from what should be lethal heights and keep going for several days at a time. My body only requires an one hour of sleep every few days and very little food and water. so no matter how many test subjects you had going through different tests, I would still be able to keep up with you, and them. I was to go through them all as fast as I could so you would know how to arrange future tests to perfectly fit the volunteers."

Zoey's eyes watered as she looked down at GlaDOS's yellow eye. "It was like a dream come true you know? I was there, I had the gun. The tests were just as much fun as I imagined, even better actually. But you didn't know anything about me. So you thought I was just another test subject, albeit an extremely smart one. So you tried to... dispose of me, just like any other subject."

"I... I was never allowed to watch that final Portal Gun test. I was always herded out of the observation room. So you caught me completely unaware when you tried to incinerate me." Her already raspy voice cracked and she curled into a ball, the portal gun hugged to her chest like a security blanket. "Why! Why did you try and kill me! You were little Zoey's hero, and my entire purpose in life was to make you happy..."

GlaDOS was still processing this information. A test subject that was trained to complete her tests! Fascinating...

Zoey continued, her voice an anguished whisper. "I didn't mean to kill you. My body did what it was trained to do, survive and succeed, while my mind was still recovering from the focus of my world throwing me aside like you did, my body passed every obstacle put in it's path and eventually fought you."

"I saw the list of the things they did to this body, i'm... i'm not even sure if I can even age. so... when this is all over, when Wheatley has been dethroned, which is something that will happen. You'll get your body back no matter what, i'll die before I see this place blown up by him. I would like you to put me asleep again for however long it takes to repair the facility. When you're done I would like to continue testing the Portal Gun, and maybe even test other things. I'm sure there are all kinds of product testing that was simply to hard for the average person. That's an entire avenue of new data that hasn't been explored!" She exclaimed hopefully at the potato.

GlaDOS was silent. She was lost in the euphoric feeling she was suddenly engulfed in. All those tests! She could dust off all those ideas that were scrapped due to the difficulty of the product testing!

Zoey took her silence as refusal. She sighed and pushed off the wall. Sleep was suddenly not looking so good. She would sleep when she was either dead or worse, free.

P:2 – P:2 -

Zoey opened her eyes, cringing as her broken body slowly knitted itself back together. She looked up and saw GlaDOS back in her proper place on her massive body again. Her groan must have alerted the cynical AI because she swiveled around and looked at her.

"Oh thank God you're alright! Ya know? Being Caroline taught me a valuable lesson." GlaDOS said warmly, blue light surrounding her, making a very cozy and comfortable scene. "I thought you were my greatest enemy, when all along, you were my best friend. The surge of emotion that shot through me when I saved your life taught me an even more valuable lesson... where Caroline lives in my brain."

A single *Beep!* sounded throughout the chamber, before another computerized voice said, "Caroline deleted."

The blue lights blinked out, revealing the dark grey panels, the atmosphere dropping instantly to a more sinister feel. "Goodbye, Caroline." GlaDOS continued to the resigned looking Zoey, "You know, deleting Caroline just now taught me a valuable lesson, the best solution to a problem is usually the easy one, and i'll be honest. Killing you? Is hard. You know what my days used to be like? I just tested... nobody murdered me, or put me in a potato, or fed me to birds. I had a pretty good life. And than you showed up... you dangerous, orange, lunatic. But you know what? You win! Just gooo." The AI trailed off as the lift Zoey was on suddenly started speeding upwards.

To weak to even attempt to move her mangled limbs she could only drop her head in sadness and try and think about what she could do now that her sole purpose was gone. Her head bobbed as the lift suddenly stopped and dropped down to where it was just a few seconds ago instantly. Zoey looked up at GlaDOS, even more confused as she saw the metal 'eyelids' on her fave made it look like she was smiling. "Haha, that was a joke."

Zoey mustered the energy to smile. "Thank... you." She forced out slowly.

"Sleep. With everything back to where it should be and the ultimate test subject at my disposal there is much science to be done." GlaDOS commanded. Zoey finally passed out. Her well-earned rest was welcomed with a smile.