[Mines of Moria – Aperture Science Facilities]
The construction of GLaDOS's new laboratories didn't take long to get underway, beginning practically the very moment the group left the mine. The robots worked fast, moving with efficiency and making use of every resource at their disposal.
They didn't just rely on the cargo the ships had brought. They also started using the ships themselves as raw material, going as far as dismantling more than half the fleet, finding them far more useful that way than as transport or war vessels.
To allow the robots to work without issues, all surviving orcs were relocated to the forges and mining areas, returning to their former duties. They went back to mining, but this time extracting everything they came across, not just mithril, since any material was useful for the laboratories' expansion.
Of course, the orcs weren't nearly as good at mining as the robots, that much was obvious. But with the robots occupied with construction, they had no choice but to serve as replacements.
Fortunately, none of them complained.
Despite having no rest hours, no pay, and receiving only the bare minimum food needed to stay alive, they kept working.
This could be explained by the strong devotion they had toward Daniel, their great leader, master, and benevolent god… and, to a lesser extent, thanks to the Balrog "Val," who constantly kept watch over them, keeping them in line with her oppressive aura of fear as she waited for any of them to rebel or stop working so she could eat them.
Even so, despite all that free labor, obviously "voluntary," and the materials they had brought with them, they were starting to run out of raw resources. The facilities were expanding too quickly, and at that pace, it would only be a matter of days before construction would have to come to a halt.
This wasn't something GLaDOS was unaware of.
She already knew, and in fact, she had a solution in mind.
The problem wasn't that they couldn't obtain raw materials. The mines were still full of minerals. The issue was the time it took to mine and process everything, which was far too slow for what they needed.
To speed things up, the most obvious solution was to import materials from Atlas, the nearest city, which they already had under their control.
The problem was transportation.
Moving all the necessary materials would be far too conspicuous and, on top of that, dangerous due to the number of Grimms still roaming the area. It wasn't exactly a discreet operation.
With few options left, and for the sake of the laboratories, GLaDOS retrieved archived blueprints from her memory for a device that would prove useful.
GLaDOS, who was in her still-under-construction laboratory, stood up from her chair with a plan already forming in her mind. But to carry it out, she would need some help.
More specifically, from her favorite test subject.
She left her lab and began walking through the half-finished corridors, moving past incomplete structures and already functional sections. She passed several rooms, some already finished, making it clear that certain areas had been prioritized over others.
Among them were her own laboratory, as well as Rosella's and Entrapta's, all necessary so they could continue with their experiments. There were also a couple of rooms assigned to Sadako and Aegis, mostly to keep them from wandering around.
As she moved forward, observing the progress without stopping for too long, a faint smile appeared on her face.
And no, she hadn't forgotten about Daniel.
—/—
In a filthy corner, lying on an equally filthy cot, Daniel was fast asleep. After yelling at the group for a while and realizing he wasn't getting anywhere, he had simply given up, deciding that the best thing to do was rest.
But before he could, his wolf side demanded to be fed.
It wasn't a suggestion. It was a necessity. His regeneration depended on it, and it was already running on his energy reserves, which were quickly running out. So, without thinking too much about it, he ended up giving in to the impulse, raiding the ship's storage and eating an absurd amount of food.
He kept going until he felt full.
Only then, with his weight practically doubled, did he return to his room, expecting to drop onto his bed… except there was a small problem with that.
It was gone.
In its place was an old, dirty cot.
He stared at it for a few seconds, clearly unwilling to accept it, refusing to sleep there. He got up and started checking other rooms, looking for something better, but with very little luck.
It didn't take him long to realize what had happened.
The robots had taken the beds.
"Damn GLaDOS," he thought, annoyed, sure that this was some kind of plan to mess with him. Even so, the anger didn't last long.
He was too tired.
With little choice, he went back to the cot, let himself fall onto it, and closed his eyes almost instantly. Physically, he was fine, even better than before, but the exhaustion was mental.
It didn't take long for him to fall asleep… or maybe into a coma, since for the next two days he didn't move from that spot.
He might have remained like that even longer if GLaDOS hadn't decided to intervene. She entered the room with firm steps, making as much noise as possible as she approached until she stood right beside him.
She observed him for a moment, calmly evaluating him, almost appreciating what she saw.
When she was done, she simply acted and delivered the hardest kick she could.
BAM!
Daniel, strong as he was, wasn't exactly heavy. His body, along with the cot, was sent flying until it slammed into the wall, both crashing down onto the floor.
He opened his eyes slowly.
"Ouch…" he complained flatly.
He had felt it, sure, but it didn't really hurt. Absorbing part of Val's stats had done wonders for his body… or maybe he had just gotten used to pain.
He didn't bother getting up, remaining on his back on the floor as he focused his gaze on GLaDOS, who was looking at him with clear displeasure.
"You've got a problem, you know that, right?"
GLaDOS rolled her eyes.
"Time to get up, freeloader," she said, giving him another kick to the side.
Daniel didn't react. "Freeloader?" he asked, clearly confused.
"Yes, it's time you start paying for your luxuries," she replied, delivering another kick just because it was fun.
Daniel turned his head, glancing at the destroyed cot. "And you call that luxury?" he said, pointing at it with his thumb.
GLaDOS narrowed her gaze. "If you don't like it, you could ask the human girl to build you a bed." She lifted her foot to kick him again, but to her surprise, this time it didn't land.
Just before impact, Daniel, still on the floor, caught her foot with one hand.
GLaDOS pulled her leg, trying to free herself, but couldn't. When she realized he had a firm grip on her, she frowned.
"What are you—?"
She didn't finish the sentence.
With a quick motion, Daniel yanked her leg, throwing her off balance and bringing her down to the floor. Before she could react or try to get up, he dragged her toward him.
Their bodies collided hard. GLaDOS's back ended up pressed against Daniel's firm chest. He reacted quickly, wrapping his arms around her from behind. One hand slid down to her waist, gliding over her flat stomach, while the other moved up along her torso until his fingers closed around one of her well-defined breasts.
GLaDOS didn't react immediately. She only turned her head slightly to look at him over her shoulder, her expression cold.
"What do you think you're doing?" she asked, her tone serious and controlled.
The answer wasn't verbal.
The hand resting on her stomach began to move with deliberate slowness, stroking the soft fabric covering her, tracing gentle circles. Meanwhile, the other hand squeezed and released her breast, kneading it firmly, noting how it fit perfectly in his palm and how her nipple began to harden beneath his fingers.
"I figured you were a little jealous…" Daniel murmured near her ear, letting his breath brush against her neck. "So I thought it'd be a good idea to show you how much I appreciate you…"
GLaDOS's body reacted with a faint shiver, barely noticeable, but enough for Daniel to realize his words had an effect.
"And this is how you show it…?" she replied, her voice coming out slightly unsteady, mixing a soft gasp with a mocking tone.
She visibly shuddered when she felt Daniel's lips press against her neck, kissing in short but insistent motions, leaving behind a trail of damp heat.
"Mhmm~"
Her hands moved down to find his, resting over them. She didn't push them away. On the contrary, she pressed them more firmly against her own body, seeking more contact, encouraging him without saying a word.
"You're nothing but a horny monkey…" she mocked, though her breathing was beginning to quicken as she felt his kisses slowly climb up her neck, moving toward her chin.
They stopped when their gazes met. Their lips were only inches apart.
"You're really disgusting…" GLaDOS complained, though there was no real rejection in her voice.
And she closed the distance.
Their lips met in a soft kiss at first, slow and exploratory, but it didn't take long for it to deepen. GLaDOS leaned further back against him, pressing her body with clear need, while her tongue brushed against Daniel's lower lip, demanding entry with impatience.
Daniel didn't hesitate to open his mouth.
Their tongues met, sliding against each other in a wet, obscene dance.
"Hmmm~~"
GLaDOS let out a muffled moan against Daniel's lips as he began to play with her breast, finding her hardened nipple and pressing it between his fingers, pinching it gently.
The reaction was immediate.
Already aroused, GLaDOS lightly bit down on Daniel's lower lip, tugging at it with intent before plunging her tongue back into his mouth. The kiss changed completely, turning more intense, more passionate, and desperate.
One of her hands left his and moved up to his cheek, caressing it with a touch that felt almost anxious.
The moment stretched on for several minutes, filled with increasingly heavy breaths, low moans, and movements that grew less restrained, until they finally pulled apart.
A thin, glistening strand of saliva stretched between their mouths before snapping.
Neither of them looked away.
Daniel watched her closely, noticing the faint blush coloring her cheeks, feeling more confident. His hand, the one that had been on her stomach, began to move slowly downward across her abdomen, tracing its path.
GLaDOS's eyes widened slightly as she noticed the movement.
She felt his hand moving lower… traveling along her body… until it reached her mound… And just before he could touch her pussy, her body broke apart.
She turned into a mass of nanobots that scattered for an instant before quickly reassembling in front of him, already standing.
GLaDOS stared at him in silence for a second.
Then she kicked him again, much harder than before.
BAM!
This time Daniel didn't react in time to catch it. His body was sent flying into the same wall, hitting it hard enough to leave cracks before falling to the ground… again.
GLaDOS wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, her expression showing clear disgust.
"This doesn't mean anything!" she shouted, turning her back on him so she wouldn't have to look at him.
Daniel, still on the floor, clearly confused and with an erection, stayed there for a few seconds, processing what had just happened.
"And come to the meeting room, you have a mission," she continued.
Daniel turned his head to look at her, surprised, momentarily forgetting the unfair treatment he had just received. "Since when do I run missions for you?" he asked, frowning.
"Starting now!" she shouted back, already heading toward the nearest door. "And bring Aegis with you. He should be in his room."
A vein throbbed on Daniel's forehead.
"Why the fuck does he get a room and I…" he pointed at the destroyed cot nearby. "…get this piece of shit?"
He growled, clearly annoyed, but GLaDOS didn't respond. She walked off down the corridor, completely ignoring him, with no intention of giving him an answer.
Resigned, Daniel let out a heavy sigh.
"I'll get my payback later…" he thought, getting up with some reluctance before heading out to find Aegis.
It didn't take him long to find him, who was indeed in a fairly well-equipped room, complete with a large aquarium.
—/—
[Meeting Room]
The door opened, and Daniel walked in with Aegis slung over his shoulder. The room was still half-built; a few robots were still working, welding panels onto the walls without paying them much attention.
As expected, GLaDOS was already there.
"You're late…" she said, narrowing her eyes.
Daniel let out a dry chuckle.
"You're lucky I showed up," he replied as he took Aegis off his shoulder and dropped him onto one of the chairs before taking a seat himself. "Get to the point, what do you need?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the lights in the room dimmed. A hologram appeared at the center, displaying a device that looked very familiar to him.
[Image]
"I assume you know what this is, right?" GLaDOS asked, her tone laced with superiority.
Daniel nodded. He had already mentioned before that he knew her world, so denying it now would be pointless.
"It's a portal gun…" though, if he was being honest with himself, he had no idea it carried something like a miniature black hole inside.
"Correct…" GLaDOS continued as part of her nanobots shifted into a pointer, forming a rod about a meter long, which she used to indicate the hologram.
"It is, in crude terms, as you say: a portal gun, also known as a Quantum Tunneling Device. One of Aperture Science's greatest achievements…" She paused briefly. "After me, of course."
She pointed at herself with pride before turning back to the hologram.
"It is capable of creating linked portals regardless of the distance between them."
The image shifted, now showing white rocks.
"I already have most of the required materials, but there's still one missing." She pointed at the rocks with the rod. "Moon rocks. Or more specifically, the dust obtained from grinding them down. It is the best conductor and stabilizer for keeping portals open."
Daniel leaned back in his chair, lifting his feet and resting them on the table.
"And you want me to go to the moon to grab some rocks?" he asked, half-joking.
GLaDOS didn't take it well.
She stepped closer and smacked him on the head with the pointer, knocking his feet off the table.
"No, you don't need to go to the moon to get them…"
The hologram shifted again, now showing a destroyed moon.
"Because, as you may have noticed… or at least I hope you have… the moon exploded."
The hologram displayed a short animation of the moon blowing apart, with fragments scattering and falling toward the planet like meteorites.
"Ohhh…" Daniel let out, nodding several times as he got the idea. "You want us to find one of those fragmen—"
"Ah!"
He winced when GLaDOS hit him again with the pointer, clearly annoyed by the interruption and the fact that he kept jumping ahead.
"You don't need to find them," she said flatly. "The humans already took care of collecting them for us."
The hologram shifted once more, now displaying a building.
"This is the Argus Museum. It houses the largest collection of moon rocks in Remnant." She pressed the tip of the pointer against his chest. "I am ordering you to go there and bring me every single moon rock they have."
As soon as she finished, the hologram vanished and the room's lights returned to normal.
"Any questions?"
Daniel raised his hand, not taking it too seriously, though he did have something to say.
GLaDOS ignored him completely. Instead, she pointed at Aegis, who had raised one of his claws.
"Why not send machines?" Aegis asked.
It was a reasonable question.
GLaDOS gave a slight nod, acknowledging it.
"I want this to be a quiet job. Daniel is the best option since he has a set of skills that make this kind of task easier."
Aegis nodded several times, accepting the logic without issue. "And why send me?"
"Because I have no doubt Daniel would mess it up if he went alone."
Daniel felt personally attacked, but he didn't show it, sure that would only make her happy.
"Well, no more questions," GLaDOS said, bringing the meeting to a close. "Now go, Team 2."
Daniel looked at her, curious, unable to stop himself from asking. "Who's Team 1?"
GLaDOS waved her hand dismissively. "That doesn't matter anymore. They're gone. You aren't."
With a flick of her hand, the door opened, clearly expecting them to get out.
"There's a ship waiting outside. Now go… and don't you dare fail me."
Daniel wasn't particularly eager to listen to her. And he was even less thrilled about traveling to another city just to pick up some rocks.
But the idea of seeing a portal gun in action outweighed everything else. So, after thinking it over for a moment, he stood up, grabbed Aegis, and headed out.
—/—
Outside, it didn't take him long to find the ship. It was one of the few that hadn't been dismantled, smaller than the others, with a large engine mounted at the back.
Near it stood Entrapta and Rosella, both covered in oil and grease.
When Entrapta saw him, she raised her hand enthusiastically.
"Right on time!" She turned and pointed at the ship. "Let me introduce you to the Turbo-Nova Nr. 2!"
Her hair moved on its own, lifting her slightly as she moved around the ship, pointing at different parts.
"Seating for two, with an automatic navigation system…" She shifted toward the rear.
"Overloaded reactor engines with controlled output and a turbo mode connected to a thermal core!..." She paused briefly, remembering something important. "…which you should not activate, because we're still in the testing phase."
Several questions crossed Daniel's mind as he looked at the ship, but he decided to start with the most obvious one. "What happened to the Turbo-Nova Nr. 1?"
Entrapta dropped down beside him with a wide smile.
"It exploded along with Team 1, of course!"
Daniel decided it would be best to stop thinking about who Team 1 had been. He was pretty sure he wouldn't like the answer.
"When did you even have time to build this?" he asked, trying to change the subject.
"It wasn't difficult," Rosella replied, stepping closer as she wiped oil off her hands. "We just combined the best technology each of us knew, adapted it to what we could replicate quickly… and stuck it all together. The machines handled most of the physical work."
Rosella kept talking, but Daniel stopped paying attention after hearing that they had glued together a bunch of dangerous components and were just hoping it wouldn't explode… again.
His suspicious expression didn't go unnoticed by Rosella, who rolled her eyes. With a smile, she stepped closer, stopping right in front of him.
"Relax, this one won't explode…" she said, rising onto her tiptoes to give him a small kiss on the cheek for good luck. "…Probably."
She pulled back with a laugh, putting some distance between them just in case.
Entrapta did something similar. She walked up to the ship, hugged it, and gave it a kiss for good luck.
"Don't explode, Nr. 2, I believe in you…" She whispered, giving it a few gentle pats before stepping back and positioning herself next to Rosella behind a reinforced glass panel.
Daniel watched them in silence for a few seconds.
"Whatever…" he thought, giving up.
He boarded the ship with Aegis. The interior was exactly as they had described: two seats, nothing more. No bathroom, no beds, no extras. Clearly designed for quick trips without stops… or they just hadn't had time to add anything else.
As soon as they sat down, the ship sealed itself and began powering up.
"Starting takeoff test!" Entrapta shouted from outside.
The engines began to activate, slowly lifting the ship.
It looked like they were collecting data, so they wouldn't take off immediately. Daniel used the time, pulling out his Scroll and starting to type messages.
With no CCT tower, nothing was being sent. Everything stayed queued, piling up until the signal returned.
Even so, he kept typing.
At one point, he lifted his pants slightly and took a picture, chuckling under his breath.
Aegis noticed out of the corner of his eye but chose to ignore it completely, keeping his focus forward.
"You're not gonna ask what I'm doing?" Daniel asked, amused.
Aegis shook his head. "No."
Daniel leaned back in his seat. "Well, since you're so curious… I'm sending a ridiculously cheesy message to Ruby and a dick pic to Weiss. I'm sure she'll love it, hahaha."
Aegis let out a long, tired sigh, lowering his gaze toward the control panel, more specifically at a red button with a skull on it labeled "Turbo," with a strip of tape that clearly read: "Do not touch."
"Well… dying right now doesn't sound so bad," he thought.
The next moment, he jumped out of his seat straight to the panel and pressed the button.
The instant he did, the ship let out a low hum and then shot forward in a flash. Both Daniel and Aegis were slammed back into their seats by the force of the acceleration, unable to do anything but endure it.
Down below, on the ground, Entrapta and Rosella stared in genuine surprise.
"Well, I'll be…" Entrapta murmured, her expression shifting into amazement. "It didn't explode!"
She jumped excitedly, throwing her arms into the air. "This is a victory for science!"
They stayed there for a few more seconds, enjoying the moment, watching the trail the ship had left behind. With nothing else to do, they headed back inside the mine, each returning to their respective laboratories.
Though later on, all of them, GLaDOS included, would end up gathering again to play god and bend the laws of life.
—//—
Author's Note:
Quick chapter—I'm traveling, so I hope it's not too badly edited… nothing else to say.
Any ideas or something you'd like to see? Leave a comment.
Hugs and kisses!