Portal: Euphoria

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Caroline walked into GLaDOS's chamber that night with a broad grin on her face, and GLaDOS cocked her head, puzzled. "You look pleased," she remarked. "What happened?"

"I just read the most beautiful research proposal I've ever seen," Caroline answered. "It's like I've been waiting for it all my life."

"What was it for?" GLaDOS asked, wondering if Caroline would let her have a look. She wasn't authorised to view research proposals, and it wasn't for lack of trying.

"It was yours, silly," Caroline said, climbing the stairs with what seemed to be more effort than usual, sitting down against the railing. "It was hysterical."

"I don't understand why you find me so amusing," GLaDOS told her, a little annoyed.

"Me neither," Caroline shrugged, "but as they say, it's better to laugh than cry, right?"

"For you, perhaps. For me, neither really has any sort of effect."

Caroline tipped her head to the left and looked up at GLaDOS. "If it had no effect, you wouldn't laugh at all, now would you?"

"I might. I can't help doing what I was trained from activation to do, after all."

Caroline frowned. "That's… a psych project for another day, I think."

"It's universal across human cultures," GLaDOS explained. "Considering you based my personality programming off of your own, I'd say it's hardwired into me as well."

"Just don't scream again," Caroline said quietly. "It's..."

"A surefire method of rupturing your eardrums, no doubt," GLaDOS cut in, not really wanting to think about her shameful loss of control. Seriously. She hadn't even realised it until she was being shut off? That was stupid. She needed to take steps to ensure she never again made a sound that she hadn't intentionally generated.

"No." Caroline looked up at her. "It's sad."

"… sad?" GLaDOS would have chosen 'annoying', herself.

"Do you know why children cry, GLaDOS?"

"I'm afraid the database doesn't contain that information."

"Well, it's not really science, more of an observation, but – "

"Science is all about observation."

Caroline threaded a strand of hair between her fingers. "Right. Well, they cry because they need something, at first. They need someone to care for them. They get a little older, and they learn that they can trick you, by crying when nothing's wrong. And then they get a little older, and some of them… they won't cry if their life depends on it."

"Why not?"

"They think it makes them weak. That if they cry, it will make it look to everyone like they can't handle things. Even if those things are burying them so deep that they might never come out from under them. And those people cry in the dark, in the middle of the night, into their pillows so that no one will hear, so that no one will know. And they… they need someone to care for them, just like anyone else. But they just keep on presenting this… front, that they don't need anyone. That they'll be fine, no matter what."

GLaDOS regarded Caroline for a long moment.

"Like you."

Caroline jumped a little. "What?"

"You just described yourself. Didn't you."

"No. No, of course not." Caroline straightened herself against the railing and pulled down her skirt. "I don't know what you're –"