[Atlas Tower – Central Command Room]
At that moment, all remaining Atlesian units change the color of their lights from blue to a bright yellow, eerily similar to GLaDOS's. A second later, they all straighten up simultaneously, standing firm and in formation.
"No. I said… I already have control," GLaDOS repeats once more, calmly.
Daniel blinks, looks at the Atlesian units, then at GLaDOS… and then back at the units. It takes him a moment to process it. For a few seconds, his two brain cells wage war until, finally, he understands what's happening.
"Oh my God!" he shouts, pointing at her in horror. "Are you pulling a Skynet on me?! Are you betraying me?!"
He raises an accusatory finger as he starts pacing back and forth, visibly outraged.
"I—" GLaDOS tries to say.
"You lousy, trashy piece of junk!" he cuts her off, glaring at her. "No wonder I never liked you!"
"If you'd just let me speak—"
"I knew I should've put a bomb inside you when I had the chance!" he growls, grinding his teeth in frustration. "And I would have, you know? But I didn't have the money. Because life is just that unfair!"
As he says this, he turns to face her directly.
"But you know what? Since you're betraying me, I can finally say it."
He clears his throat dramatically to make sure she hears him loud and clear.
"Remember when I accidentally came on you?"
As he says it, he raises both hands and makes air quotes with his fingers.
"Well guess what! I knew you were there! Ha ha ha! I did it on purpose!" he says, bursting into a fit of manic laughter.
"I did it because I thought it was funny! And I didn't forget to clean you up after, oh no! I left you dirty on purpose!"
As he says this, he turns and violently kicks a nearby table, sending it flying across the room.
"WHO'S THE IDIOT NOW, HUH?!"
As soon as he finishes yelling, a heavy, almost painful silence follows. No one speaks, no one moves, the only sound is his ragged breathing.
"…I'm not betraying you," GLaDOS finally responds in a dry, emotionless voice, followed by another silence even more awkward than the last.
"…Huh?" Daniel wipes his ear and tilts his head. "Sorry, could you repeat that? I don't think I heard you right. I had… something in my ear. Could you say that again?"
"I said I'm not betraying you. Taking control of the Atlesian units is part of the plan."
"…Oh." He clears his throat, lowering his voice a bit. "I see. Ahem."
*Cricket sounds*
"Well… this is a little awkward," he says, trying to break the silence as he carefully considers his next words.
"You know… I think we got carried away. I think we both said… hurtful things. Things we might both regret. And… honestly, I think if we learn from this, we could become better people. Or machines. Or whatever."
As he rambles, trying to salvage something from the situation, one of the Atlesian units steps out from the group and begins walking toward him.
Daniel watches it approach. He doesn't move, though his body tenses slightly. He's not afraid: he knows he has his automatic defense system, called Aegis, which will help him if anything happens.
The Atlesian unit stops in front of him, but he keeps talking.
"I'm sure that in the future we'll look back on this and laugh—"
He doesn't get to finish, because Aegis's relaxed voice cuts in.
"Dodge."
"What—?"
SLAP!
A clean smack hits him across the jaw, making it tremble. He stands frozen, trying to comprehend what just happened, as he brings a hand to his cheek with a pained grimace.
"That was for what happened on the Bullhead," says GLaDOS in her usual neutral tone, though there's a subtle hint of irritation.
Daniel blinks, still dazed.
"Well… I guess that was fair…"
"Dodge," Aegis repeats.
"Huh—?"
SLAP!
The second slap hits the other side of his face, even harder than the first. His head is now facing the opposite direction.
"That was for the warehouse incident."
"DODGE!" says Aegis again, this time with a clearly annoyed tone. Daniel finally reacts, jerking his head back, ready to avoid the next slap…
…but it never comes.
Instead, the Atlesian unit's hand grabs him directly by the testicles.
"AHH!"
He screams without holding back, barely staying on his feet as he feels his most delicate parts being crushed.
"I really need to teach him how to dodge," Aegis comments, sounding more disappointed than concerned.
"Why didn't you help me…?" Daniel murmurs, his voice breaking, a single tear running down his cheek.
Pfff. Aegis just scoffs.
"Don't drag me into your personal problems," he says, settling casually atop Daniel's head like nothing's happening, ready to enjoy the show.
Daniel tries to think fast. Something, anything. The robot's got him by the balls, and for a second he considers using brute force to pry it off… but hesitation stops him.
What if I'm not fast enough? What if it crushes them? No, he can't take that risk.
Haki! That's it. He can use Haki. He quickly tries to activate it, forcing the energy out with everything he's got.
"Please… turn on. Please, turn on…"
He clenches his teeth, focusing everything on one single area, trying to concentrate his will on a very specific point. But nothing happens. Nothing at all. He doesn't have enough control to channel it with such precision, and the pain isn't helping either.
"Did you know Atlesian units have hidden blades in their palms?"
GLaDOS's mocking voice echoes through the room, sounding almost excited. Daniel gulps, feeling cold sweat slide down the back of his neck.
"Fascinating! Very fascinating!" he replies through gritted teeth, smiling like a man on death row.
The robot tilts its head, clearly under GLaDOS's control, as if it's confused.
"Why so scared? I'm fairly certain that if they get cut off… they'll grow back."
GLaDOS sounds so genuinely amused that Daniel's stomach churns. He looks up at the ceiling, praying for a miracle.
God… save me… he thinks desperately, and right then, his interface activates. A window opens up in his field of vision, floating in front of his eyes. The message is clear, simple, and direct:
[No]
"FUCK!"
Any thought he might've had vanishes instantly as the grip tightens.
"Mhmm!"
The scream catches in his throat as the pain consumes him, barely able to stay standing.
"Listen. And I want you to listen carefully to what I'm about to say," GLaDOS says in a low voice, cold, sharp, and threatening.
Daniel nods rapidly, unable to speak.
"I want you to remember this. Stay out of my way. In all the years to come… in your most private moments… you'll remember that I was the only one who ever truly dominated you. That I beat you."
He doesn't move. He just breathes heavily, enduring the pain, the shame, and the fear crawling all over his body.
"And I want you to remember it well… if you ever get the idea to have another 'accident' with me… understand?"
The grip on his testicles tightens even more, it feels like his body is about to collapse. He nods again, quickly, desperately.
"Good," GLaDOS says.
At that moment, the Atlesian unit lets go of him. Daniel drops to his knees with a groan, gasping for air. He covers himself with both hands, hunched over, biting his lip to keep from screaming.
"Thank you…" he mutters in a trembling voice, his face twisted in pain.
"There's no time for self-pity. Get up. We're running out of time."
Daniel doesn't reply. He just breathes deeply, forces himself to move, and with sheer willpower, manages to get back on his feet, swaying. He walks toward GLaDOS, step by slow step.
"You know," he mutters through clenched teeth, still hunched over, "if you'd told me the whole plan from the start—and not just the parts that benefit you—you wouldn't be in this situation," he adds, his tone slightly annoyed.
"I don't trust you not to mess it up or refuse if I tell you everything," GLaDOS replies, completely unfazed by his condition.
"Just say it," Daniel demands, his patience gone.
Immediately, several screens around him flicker on. They light up one after another, filling the room with live footage from various locations: Mantle, Atlas, even the Academy. Every feed shows chaos unfolding.
"What am I looking at?" he asks, frowning as he keeps his eyes on the screens.
"The current situation in Atlas," GLaDOS answers calmly.
"I introduced a virus into the central tower. It spreads rapidly through the tower's signal, infecting everything within range—Mantle and Atlas. Every machine, robot, or ship that receives the signal is compromised."
Daniel says nothing. He simply watches in silence.
The screens zoom in, showing more detail: Atlesian units running through the streets of Atlas. They're smashing display windows, looting shops, and loading all kinds of devices and goods into Bullheads. As soon as the ships are full, they take off and disappear into the distance.
But it's not limited to Atlas.
In Mantle, the situation is even worse. There, the units are focused almost entirely on Dust refineries and storage facilities. Everything they find, they take without hesitation.
Daniel straightens up fully, his body still sore but his mind sharper now. He watches the footage without blinking.
"I'm sure there's a good reason for all this… right?" he asks, eyes locked on the screens.
"Several, actually," GLaDOS replies. "But mainly, I'm accelerating the plan for kingdom domination through energy control."
The screens change again. Now they show groups of robots transporting massive amounts of Dust, perfectly organized.
"Even if the Atlas council refuses to admit it, they're already facing an energy shortage. Mantle is suffering even more. Currently, only 60% of the city has functional heating. Another 20% is barely holding on… and the rest has been completely abandoned."
Daniel nods. He already knew that, though not with such exact numbers. The warehouse he's currently staying in is located in one of those abandoned zones, and he knows full well that a normal person couldn't survive there.
"This is only going to make things worse," GLaDOS continues without pause. "I estimate we'll be able to steal around 30% of Atlas and Mantle's energy resources."
The screens change once more. This time, Bullheads dive like missiles, crashing into buildings and refineries. The explosions shake entire structures.
"And I estimate another 20% will be destroyed in the process. With that, they'll be operating well below their already limited capacity."
Daniel understands her intentions, but one doubt still lingers in his mind. He frowns slightly, uncertain.
"Don't you think they'll be able to get more Dust?" he asks cautiously, fully aware that Atlas is the continent's main Dust extraction point.
"I'm confident they'll try," GLaDOS replies, completely unconcerned.
The screens now show direct attacks on factories and transport trucks bearing the Schnee family logo. Explosions, fires, collapsing buildings. The blue and white emblem vanishes beneath flames and smoke.
"I'm sure Jacques Schnee will demand substantial compensation for the damages caused by Atlas' machines. And knowing his track record, he'll use it as an excuse to drastically raise the price of Dust."
GLaDOS falls silent for a few seconds, giving him time to process.
"And when he does, that's when we step in with the solution to their energy crisis." Her voice now carries a hint of excitement. "We'll offer them an alternative contract. More affordable. More efficient. A deal Jacques won't be able to match."
"We'll steal from them, and then they'll hand over what we couldn't take... willingly," she adds in a more playful tone. "And they'll be grateful for it."
The Atlesian unit GLaDOS is controlling turns to face him.
"I hope you don't have a problem with the plan," she says, her tone more scrutinizing now, as if bracing for resistance.
Daniel shrugs with little emotion.
"Not particularly, but…" he begins, though he never finishes the sentence.
"You're wondering why I don't just kill everyone and take over, like I did with Aperture Science," she cuts in bluntly. There's no anger in her voice, just certainty.
He doesn't flinch. He simply watches her, calmly. Truth is, the thought had crossed his mind. She already controls Atlas. And Mantle. The question is inevitable: why not take the final step?
"Maybe," he replies coolly.
"Oh, my predictable little test ape," she continues. "The answer is simple: because I can't."
"Unlike Aperture Science, Atlas doesn't have a neurotoxin generator I can use to efficiently wipe everyone out. And besides… we have another small problem called Hunters."
The screens change. Now they show General Ironwood's office. He's trapped inside, fighting with intense focus. Several Atlesian units attack in coordinated waves, but he takes them down one by one without much trouble.
Other screens light up, showing various parts of Mantle and Atlas. Hunters are everywhere, moving fast, efficient. The Atlesian units are being overwhelmed with ease. Far from being a threat, they've become more of a nuisance to them.
"The massacre caused by Rosella was an excellent distraction," GLaDOS continues. "It forced them to deploy a large number of troops in Mantle. Stranding them there was easy."
The screens shift again, now focusing on the resistance in Atlas.
"The looting in Atlas is keeping many Hunters occupied… but unfortunately, we still have an entire academy full of young Hunters right next to us."
Another transition. The cameras focus on the academy dorms. The hallways are empty, the doors to the rooms sealed shut.
"I've cut their communications. I've also locked the exits to keep them uninformed for as long as possible," she explains, as the screen shows one of the steel doors beginning to deform from the inside. The pressure builds until, finally, a student breaks through by force.
"But as you can see… they're starting to catch on. In no time, the entire tower will be swarming with Hunters. And not even all the Atlesian units inside will be enough to stop them."
Daniel is about to respond, but one of the screens catches his attention. Penny appears, flying at full speed, headed straight for the tower.
"Penny isn't infected?" he asks, clearly surprised.
"She is," GLaDOS replies casually. "But she's resisting. Her programming turned out to be stronger than expected."
Daniel watches her approach on the screen. She's closing in fast, too fast. Headed straight for them.
"Don't worry," says GLaDOS, calm as ever.
Several auto-cannons activate around the tower. The turrets swivel, lock on, and open fire instantly. A storm of projectiles flies toward Penny, but she dodges them with surgical precision. She weaves through the air, twisting and turning between the bullets. For a moment, it looks like she's going to make it…
But then something happens.
She stops for just a second. A brief glitch mid-flight. The virus, probably.
And that second is enough.
A projectile hits her squarely. The impact knocks her out of the air. Her body plummets and crashes violently into the ground.
"Is she dead?" Daniel asks, stunned by how fast it all happened.
"She's not. I have her specs. She's only immobilized for now," GLaDOS answers, pausing briefly. "So I suggest you disconnect me and we get out of here as soon as possible."
Daniel nods without hesitation. He approaches the terminal and disconnects her quickly, picks her up, and shifts his appearance—abandoning the image of the scientist he had been imitating this whole time, and activates his invisibility mode. He immediately opens the door and rushes into the hallway…only to find it completely overrun by Atlesian units.
He doesn't stop to look at them. He ignores the robots, moving between them unseen, slipping out through the same hole he used to get in.
Outside now, pressed against the wall of the tower, he can't help but ask:
"What happened to the robots after I disconnected you?"
"I left them with a set of protocols they'll follow even after disconnection. Protocols that no one will be able to rewrite," GLaDOS answers confidently. "Except me, of course."
Daniel nods silently as he starts running up the exterior wall, climbing without pause. His objective is still the same: reach the top. He hasn't forgotten his mission. And truthfully, it doesn't take him long.
As soon as he arrives, an alert pops up in his system:
[Congratulations. You've completed the optional mission.]
[Optional Mission: Scale the Atlas Tower]
[Retrieving reward…]
[Item obtained: Web-Lance Blueprints]
"Cool," he mutters when he sees the reward.
Turns out he was right. The rewards for climbing the towers are Spider-Man-inspired tech or abilities. As much as he'd like to stop and imagine what the next ones could be, this isn't the time for that.
And yet, he can't help but fix his gaze on the city below.
Atlas. Mantle… the chaos is absolute.
He can see fires in the distance, multiple explosions, columns of smoke rising and blotting out the horizon… and dozens of Bullhead ships speeding away in the same direction.
"Where are all those ships going?" he asks, pointing as he watches them fade into the distance.
"Near the mines you mentioned earlier," GLaDOS replies. "They're carrying tech, materials, robots… everything needed to start building a new lab."
"You don't think they'll be able to track them?" Daniel presses, eyes still on the sky.
"No," she responds firmly. "Once they pass the tower's coverage zone, tracking becomes useless. They'll also shut down communications and switch to inversion mode upon arrival. They'll remain that way until I decide to reactivate them."
Daniel nods slowly, taking a moment to absorb the view from above. The destruction. Smoke pillars, fire, chaos… all of it caused by him. He knows it. And yet, he doesn't feel guilty.
He tries to understand why. He remembers his original plan: to build a refuge, to hide from the world, stay out of it. When did it all become this? Controlling kingdoms. Hoarding power. Building a network from the shadows.
But he doesn't have time to dwell on it. GLaDOS interrupts his thoughts.
"If you're done disassociating, I suggest you hurry and get down from the tower. It's time to begin the next phase of the plan."
Daniel sighs, annoyed at having his moment of reflection cut short, but says nothing. He just takes a deep breath and runs toward the edge. This time, there's no fear. Maybe because he's done it before… or because now he has an ability that will protect him from the fall.
"And what's the next part?" he asks calmly, just before throwing himself into the void.
"Now we gain reputation by saving Atlas from this horrible terrorist attack," GLaDOS exclaims, with a mix of enthusiasm and shameless sarcasm.
Daniel bursts out laughing. "Hahahaha!" he laughs uncontrollably as he falls straight toward the Atlas Academy, a grin on his face.
As he descends, he can't help but wonder what Weiss is doing in the middle of all this.
[Atlas Academy]
Several glyphs form beneath a group of robots. The moment they activate, pressure crushes them instantly. They're reduced to scrap before they can even move.
Weiss storms through the hallways with quick steps, visibly irritated.
"WHERE THE HELL DID DANIEL GO!?" she thinks furiously, destroying every Atlesian unit in her path without missing a beat.
It took her quite a while to reach Daniel's room… only to find out he wasn't there. Since then, she's been scouring the academy top to bottom, dismantling robots as she goes.
"WHERE DID THAT IDIOT GO!?" she shouts this time, unable to hold it in, as if expecting him to actually answer.
She keeps moving forward, determined to find him… or destroy everything that gets in her way.
-//-
[Image]
Author's Note:
I didn't feel like writing anything… I'm super sick :( … BUT! That's no excuse not to write!
So I wrote this. I don't really have anything to say. It's an exposition chapter.
Next one: Saving Atlas from the terrorists! — Surely it was the faunus, whatever.
Kisses and hugs. 💋
["Do you see any mistakes? Tell me, and I'll fix them when I can."]