GLaDOS

GLaDOS watched the Ashspine Widow held within the cage before her with an uncanny sharpness. It clicked its mandibles back at her and hissed, clearly uneasy about being confined within such a small area. But GLaDOS remained unfazed. She turned back to her documents, ignoring the angry clacking of the spider, and began to write down her observations.

Taken directly from the nearby volcano, the subject was found alone, crafting a web. It was sedated and transported without trouble. There are displays of hostility and general restlessness. Subject seems to be wary and distrusting - according to expectations.

The Ashspine Widow screeched, rearing up and jabbing at the steel bars of the cage with two long, spindly legs. GLaDOS reached for the nearby remote and pressed a button. Immediately, the spider began convulsing as electricity pulsed through its body. She let the current continue until she was sure it was too frail to cause any more ruckus before turning it off, letting the Ashspine Widow fall limply to the floor of its cage, where it twitched feebly and made no further trouble.

“Cruel,” Wheatley’s voice came. The silver spiral was in the midst of going through the laboratory behind her, checking on previous subjects that no longer had any use to GLaDOS. “As usual.”

“Shut up,” GLaDOS stated coldly. His tone annoyed her. It was dismissive, as though he had an opinion about her that only he knew about. GLaDOS didn’t like not knowing about things.

Wheatley didn’t say anything else. As fast as he came, he was gone. GLaDOS continued taking notes. She raised an eyebrow, mildly impressed, as the Ashspine Widow rose to its feet shakily, mandibles snapping in confusion.

Subject displays an outstanding resilience to pain.

She smirked. Her claws tightened slightly around the remote. If it was so resilient, then she was interested in knowing how much it could take, exactly.

A press of another button had the spider hissing and shrieking in pain as the nozzles angled at the cage sprayed frost all over its body. As a creature that dwelled in searing hot environments, exposure to cold was not something the Ashspine Widow could handle. But it wasn’t a living creature in GLaDOS’s eyes at this point, just a subject, and if she had exercised all that trouble to bring it back to her laboratory, it had better exercise the trouble to put up with everything she wanted to do to it.

After five long minutes, GLaDOS turned off the jets. The subject slumped to the ground immediately, its previously maroon-coloured belly now blackened. It didn’t get up again.

Wheatley slunk into view from the shadows. “Dead?”

GLaDOS sniffed disdainfully. “Presumably. Take it away, and bring in the next one.”

The silver spiral obeyed, pushing the cage off the platform. A while later, he returned with a new cage. This one held a Parda. As soon as it laid eyes on her, it bared its fangs and snarled in rage, feathered mane fanning out in aggression.

GLaDOS waved Wheatley away, already hyper-focused on her next subject. And so, just like that, the cycle began anew.