Portal Grumps
After the extreme failure of attempting to test with human specimens, Aperture Science switched over to robot test subjects. An extremely cooperative (and voiceless to prevent backtalk) pair of robots were designed and put through test chambers at breakneck speeds. The two models, 3G0R4PT0R and 53XB4NG (or Arin and Danny, as they were soon nicknamed) were the pride and joy of the facility. Of course, disaster struck and soon the lab was left with no one to run it. With no orders to follow, the prime directive to test became obsolete and the robots shut down until further instruction came along.
Years later, with the entire facility in ruins, the power was turned back on by a couple of lost adventurers (*cough*Link!Arin*cough*). The pair of robots were reactivated in the surge of power, but as they searched the facility for tests that needed to be done, they found that they might have been the only fortunate ones. Even the extremely volatile and intelligent super robot with the sentience of a certain physicist seemed to be shut down for good.
After surveying almost the entire facility, the pair finally found a small shred of life: a bucket of discarded cores that still seemed to be sparking and lit up. One o them being the vaguely dangerous core, Ross, that had temporarily be placed in charge, only to be removed by a rebellious human. Among the rest of them, the only operational cores seemed to be the curiosity core, Suzy, the nature core, Holly, and the technology core, Barry. With the bit of compassion in their robot hearts, Arin and Danny gathered the bunch and set out to find some bodies for the spheres to inhabit.
Soon, there was a small band of (mostly) clueless cores following Arin and Danny around. Of course, Arin and Danny only have one prime directive: test. And so that’s what they set out to do.
Questions, headcanons, and/or requests related to this or any other AU I’ve made are totally welcome and encouraged!