Eighth Entry
Experimentation
After seeing what she did with existing technology, it was time to see what Gilda could do as far as creating new technology. As such, it was time to see what she could do in Chemistry. The results - while promising as far as her outlook - did not suggest any innate capacity towards creation, although it did indicate excellent reflexes and self preservation skills.
Video below...
"And this is the chemistry lab you will be experimenting in," Glados explained from the screen as Gilda entered the lab, Different waiting outside. "Given chemistry is one of the more explosive sciences, the lab is large and with a high ceiling, and all the equipment is in the center. This is to reduce damage any explosions might do to the lab structure, and to give you plenty of room to run if need be."
"Chemistry...that sounds like nerd stuff," Gilda complained. "Though I like the sound of explosions."
"Everyone does, Gilda," Glados purred. "Now, there are quite a few bottles of various substances laid out on the central table, along with Bunsen burners to heat them over, and cooling tanks to reduce temperature in. Experiment. I'll let you know if you did something you should run from."
Gilda promptly grabbed one of the beakers filled with a bubbling chemical - one that was bubbling when not heated - turned on a Bunsen burner, and dumped the contents of the beaker onto the flame. She then spread her wings and rode the shockwave of the explosion to the edge of the room.
"...and this is why Different is waiting outside," Glados chided. "Oh, and you managed to scorch the roof with that flame plume. Congratulations."
"Now let's make a cold explosion!" Gilda proclaimed eagerly as she grabbed another bottle and dumped its contents into a cooling unit.
Glados sighed as she watched Gilda ski across the floor away from that explosion. "At least tell me you're reading the labels?"
"Oh yeah!" Gilda proclaimed eagerly. "I wanna do all this again! Now what happens when I do this?" With that, she grabbed two vials, opened portals at opposite ends of the room, and chucked the two bottles so they crashed while passing through the linked portal. She then proceeded to unload her machine gun into the tentacled monstrosity that crawled out of the dimensional rupture thus created.
"...keeping a record of that," Glados observed calmly. "You never know when you want to rip open a dimensional rift to unleash horrors out of Lovecraftian tomes and hentai. Perhaps a way can be developed to do so with a handheld device?"
"What happens if these collide at high speeds after bouncing?" Gilda asked eagerly, grabbing two more bottles, coating the room in propulsion and repulsion gel, and sending the bottles sliding along the orange paths until they hit the blue, ricocheting rapidly around the room until they crashed together.
Glados quickly extended a grapple arm to drag Gilda out of the room before sealing it to contain the sudden quantum singularity. "It looks like a bit of propulsion and repulsion gel got mixed in as well, creating an intense gravimetric reaction. Definitely something to weaponize...just as soon as it is certain it stops. For now, we must adjourn to a new Chemistry lab. You have effectively rendered this one unusable for the time being."
"Gnarly!" Gilda screeched happily, holding her talons up in a facsimile of 'devil horns'.
"...perhaps something other than chemistry," Glados murmured softly. "I would prefer to keep the structure in one piece."
After chemistry, I considered what other subjects I could instruct her in that could not be more efficiently learned through Test Chambers. Physics was out as a result, as was basic math. She had already gone as far as she was willing when it came to reading and writing, and that didn't leave much. An...attempt was made at art. The results were...mixed.
Video below...
Glados continued to narrate the slideshow of various famous painters of human history, reading strictly from the records rather than voicing her own opinions...mostly because she had no real opinions of her own when it came to art. To her, a canvas with pigments applied to it was less enjoyable to observe than a well detailed schematic, and her only interest in the so-called 'Modern Art' was in how well it could be made to explode. Still, this was the lesson as far as instilling 'art appreciation', and so she stuck to it.
As she reached the end of the slideshow, she disengaged her optic projector. "And that was the history of art. Tell me, have you developed an appreciation for the arts, Gilda?"
Gilda tilted her head. "I'm...not sure I get it."
"Very well," Glados allowed. "Tell me what you don't get."
"Well, I understand the realism, and the portraits and landscapes," Gilda elaborated. "I mean, they didn't have cameras back then, and what they did didn't work well. And I guess the 're-interpretive reality' styles make sense if you want to look at reality in a different way...and cartoons make sense. But the rest? I mean, what's the point of painting something just to paint?"
"According to records, humans found art a medium of self expression," Glados explained. "They would draw - or paint - something they felt strongly about, in an attempt to show how they felt about it."
"...I guess that makes sense..." Gilda allowed, plainly not really getting it.
"...perhaps an exercise will work better," Glados concluded, providing an easel and paints. "Paint something you feel strongly about, making sure to paint how you feel about it, rather than its intrinsic reality. Let me know when you are finished."
Nodding, Gilda looked at her canvas for a time, then dipped her talon into the paint.
A few hours later, Glados turned her attention back to the 'art room'. Gilda had apparently fallen asleep after completing her painting. She lowered her optic to examine the painting.
It showed Gilda as a Fledgling, with a glowing blue egg beside her and a nest coated in a fluffy coat. Standing protectively over the nest was a mother griffon made of living metal, with Glados' core unit in place of a head, leaning over Gilda protectively as Gilda lifted her head with beak open.
Glados readjusted her optic, wondering why she received the error message 'Tear Ducts Not Found'.