【Cooperation】

‘ATLAS… Look at me.’

     Months went by went the two seeing each other.During that span of time she finds out GLaDOS reprogrammed her partner.Him who was always the emotional one. Who worked to be human more then she. He was her teacher now he gave up. Was forced to drop these emotions that were deemed worthless by HER.       She ran her hand through his hair like always.Thinking to herself..Wasn’t this suppose to drive a wedge?Since the very beginning their creator has purposely said things to one another to put distrust.Spewing lies of the partner talking behind their back.It didn’t work…until now.        If this was the case then it would explain why she wasn’t reprogrammed like him….Which means…she became unnecessary…Doomed to suffer in android hell…

‘I cannot deny that it hurts..But…I don’t want to give that up……’

         She moved away,releasing her embrace and leaving his.She walked to her pod watching it open up for her.She grimanced of what’s to come.

‘…..Losing this is the same as losing myself entirely…there’s no winning…’  

    At the command he obliged with a wince from the stern nature of her tone, a visage equal parts lamentful && melancholy. Surprisingly, the action of running her fingers through his locks did... did earn the slightest hint of a smile if only for a fleeting few seconds, but he turned away as soon as that near emotionless facade returned.

     Why does she want to endure pain rather than choose to exist without it? To risk losing her entire existence in exchange for living out these fleeting moments with... emotions? All the humans died. The only ones that didn’t-- the only one that didn’t-- they were taught was a monster. 

   Did she strive to be a MONSTER too?                                   Or did she strive to DIE?

‘…..’

   She wiped the remaining of tears.Her questions on his reaction were put on hold.She would cast her sorrowful gaze towards the tiled flooring.She would walk towards the toward waiting for him to follow.As it opened it revealed the stairs that would lead to the disassembling chambers.Small steps forward as she lingered near the chamber. Hesitant on entering the pod to be disassembled and transported to the next testing area.

‘…..I don’t understand because we both strived to be human.To understand human emotions..We became capable of learning them.. This bad feeling…’

    She trailed closer to ATLAS.Her arms reached to pull him in a strong embrace.Her tears continued as she spoke.

‘…..Its..sadness.. I missed you,I feel sorry for you.This response..it seems like im broken but..It’s tears.I’m crying Atlas…Seeing you like this pains me.’

     When pulled towards he didn’t resist, but there was no mutual response. No returned embrace, just a stiff metal body held so pathetically in the arms of the much taller automaton. He thought it’d be simple-- that this entire subject would be glossed over && they’d enter the disassembly machines as per usual, be re-assembled on the other end, && testing could continue.

    But no. && worst of all? It wasn’t her fault. It was his-- he’s the one who initially held the curiosity and fascination with being human, he’s the one who went out of his way to bring her sentimentals or teach her new gestures. She was broken because of him... && if She doesn’t care enough to reprogram her as well, she’ll be incinerated because of him. Only so much can be done to an android’s intelligence without corrupting or wiping it, they’re such fragile things that cannot be toyed with too terribly after the first start up without risk of completely frying them all together. As far gone as P-Body was... as fast as these emotions advanced...

  Did it mean she was doomed?

‘…..’

     She felt her finger intertwine with his.Every word he spoke felt ..painful.Like she was receiving pain just by words alone.Crazy right?…Upon the last sentence she  mused over his words.Yes they were only meant to test but their explorations.The objects they found the gestures they learned.She learned so much from him and he wanted her to give that up…

‘…I am unable to understand ATLAS.’

     With her eyes peering down she felt oil streak her face.Letting go of his hand she wiped the trail that stained her face. Generally surprised of this she  continued to wipe her supposed tears.

‘…I appear to be leaking from my eye sockets….’

    ...Did he utter a paradox? Why did... did she break ? Why was she broken ? What wasn’t there to understand ?

   When P-Body released he’d back away, staring in practical horror as the viscous fluid dripped down those frail cheeks, closing the gap between them yet again for the sole purpose of gripping her cheeks && taking a leisurely closer look at what was going on. Her eyes didn’t seem cracked but from the separation between them && the face plate it streamed forth, almost as if... meant to happen but for unknown reasons. Was it a reaction to something? A triggereable response?

  He’d reach to wipe away her tears himself only to be stopped cold, hunching over && stifling a pained groan; a broken && glitchy movement as he moved away && attempted to pull himself back together. Every time he has... those sympathetic emotions... he...

‘…Ah..Apologies then..’

     She  gave a tiny wave back before letting her arm drop to her side.A frown settling on her face as she tried to compute her thoughts.She didn’t understand this feeling.Casting her eyes down the bot took a step forward.A hand went to reach for Atlas.Stopping  mid reach as is cold gaze locked with her’s.

‘You are acting different.. I don’t like this feeling…’

      ‘ . . . ‘

    This was torture. Though he’d open his mouth to say something so simple, three little words-- even two could of sufficed, a ‘not your fault’ or ‘don’t apologize’ but neither of which could he manage. When she reached for him he initially backed away, scanning over her form for what felt like multiple minutes before reaching out && intertwining his fingers with her own. 

   ‘ It’s because I am different. I’ve realized my folly, i’ve realized that I was never meant to retain human emotions. My purpose is to test, & nothing more. Please, understand, & proceed into the next chamber. ’

   A subtle shaking could be felt thanks to their palms still meeting, his expression blank and yet an unnerving remorse seen within those blue hues.  Why was he left capable of the emotions he had already contracted like a disease? Why didn’t she wipe them? Instead, he was only... incapable to further learn & punished for reflecting on that which he already knew.

 ‘…’

    She quietly followed through each test.Noticing the lack of gaze given by her partner.She had no way of reaching him.The turret frozen once he aimed the cube at the covered passage.She was aware of the turrets station there by the red beam that shone on the wall.Moving back she hear the bots cry from the erruption of flames.One by one they exploded leaving the other to herself.     Her gaze instantly went to the core who walked away with no emotion.It ledt her to worry about him.ATLAS always knocked over the turrets to put them in sleep mode rather then damage them.But this…To see him have a change of heart..     Slowly moving to the exit she burst in a run hoping the next chamber would reunite the two.Sadly that wasn’t the case,with the glass still dividing them she took some wary glances at ATLAS.Seeing him fire his portal away and waiting for her to do the same.So she complied, shooting the ball left and right between the two.No mess ups no deaths.It was shocking to get the timing just right on the puzzle.As he caught the object and set it in place she pressed forward.     Seeing the chambers finally meld to one she saw him rush to the exit.Jumping off the platform she stayed her distance from the door knowing it would not open until she stepped forward.Standing off from the camera she spoke softly.

 ‘Atlas..please talk. Your quietness has me on edge…’

     ---“Oh Blue, you were doing so well, but now i’m deducting two opportunity advisement points as you didn’t use the laser on Orange. Counterproductive, but it would of been funny. To me. Ha. Ha.”

    Over the intercom sounded their guiding voice, the one that they would usually taunt up until now-- the one who had reprogrammed him for the sole purpose of driving a wedge between the two & slowing the advancement of his sentience, successfully. To P-Body’s voice he turned again-- this time his body rather than just his head, walking towards the other until they were no more than perhaps a foot or so away.

    ‘ Hello. ’ He’d greet half-heartedly, raising his right hand for a wave gesture. ‘ I’m speaking, && now i’ve spoken. Am I not allowed to be quiet? ’ 

Upon the request to proceed forward that sounded from the all-too familiar speakers did he trudge through the malfunctioning emancipation grill && into the next chamber-- this, too, with a wall running down its middle to keep him && his partner separated. It’s been... days, maybe weeks since he’s last seen her, && here they were... testing from opposite sides of a room.

A portal placed at his feet && another up ahead, moving through gave the chance to look behind the corner on which the violet passageway was placed, the reveal of a laser && turrets beyond the glass on P-Body’s side. Fortunate that he brought along the laser cube retrieved from an annoying time-conscious puzzle, even if it supposedly was not supposed to be here.

     He had trouble getting his timing right and didn’t want her to move from the exit.So she waited and waited…and waited. Which prompted her to spurr the other up by her gesture. It worked,because of a simple movement ATLAS perfectly timed the jump. Succeeding in the test as well as crashing into her for a crushing embrace. Her arms wrapped around his figure as she fell back into the grill.Both landing in  the dissembling room of course since he tackled her she took the blunt of the fall.

  ‘That wasn’t so hard now was it?’

    She finally spoke laying on the floor which her partner laid ontop of her with a goofy grin of bliss from the embrace.Now she has to store this in mind for further tests.

    ‘ Nah, it was a piece of cake, took no effort at all. ’ He’d muse almost childishly, rolling over with P-Body in his hold just so that they were on their sides rather than him atop her. As tall and lean as she was compared to her short && bulky companion, he didn’t much want to cause her discomfort. Of course, not that they mind pain-- in fact, initially their pain sensors were set to off, but they consider it a “human” feeling && so... albeit possibly masochistic, they switched them on themselves.

  ‘… ’

    She doesn’t say anything.The only thing the test bot does is stand still and hold her arms out waiting for something to happen.

    No matter how hard he tried ATLAS could not get his timing correct enough to catch the cube before it could fall into the acid below. Back and fourth on aerial faith plates for what felt like hours, honestly, he wasn’t even trying anymore.

   But then, waiting by the exit, he saw a gesture from the corner of his eye.

    1, 2, 3... GO.

   He’d smash his hand onto the button, charge onto the faith plate, grab the cube before it could be destroyed && land sliding across the platform, messily throwing the weighted storage cube into it’s slot as he regained balance && ran at full-speed without rest, practically tackling the other down && through the material emancipation grill that led to the room which held their dissemblers.

@savedscience ❤️️‘d for a canon quote

“Please refrain from doing those childish gestures while you are out there.”

     A whole-hearted chuckle of pure mischief erupted from the test bot that would ignore such orders as always, placing a finger beneath his eye and allowing the other hand to rest so sassily upon his hip- tongue sticking rudely past his lips.

     she didn’t even know any organic being was even alive down here, much less any birds! birds were such fascinating creatures–she did remember liking them quite a lot in her past life. she happily skipped through aperture with her new little companion as it rummaged around in her long hair, before she was stopped by another fellow android.

     “Oh, hi there!” hannah greeted the other, happy in a sort of way to see another testing bot like her. however when he inquired about her seeing any avians, she tensed a little. “Uhm, nooo…” she might have gotten away with the lie if the back of her hair didn’t give a loud SQUAWK!

     How... unexpectedly problematic this had turned out to be. Although ignorant to many of the more advanced human behaviors the action of a “lie” was understood for the most part, along with its intention of... wait. Did she want to PROTECT the bird !?

    Perhaps this bird was of importance to her? It could be her friend-- her family ! But on the other hand, if he doesn’t eradicate it GLaDOS will surely incinerate him for being incapable of following a simple order ! Birds have become a major phobia of the chassis’d woman- as well as many others, including ATLAS here-- because they peck and pull at your wires until they break, one wrong move and bam! Corrupted ! Blue screened ! Error 404′d ! -- you name it-- they were killing machines !