Life of a Turret

A circular red light flickered in the darkness. White metal was placed around it, while three gray legs were attached at the bottom. Finally, the Aperture Science Turret was boxed up and sent downwards to the Unboxer. There, the lightweight yet deadly machine was unpackaged and was placed into a pneumatic vent and sent into a testchamber.

"Where am I?" thought the turret. Sensors indicated that he was in a narrow, black tiled corridor. His orders: to kill any generic life form that he sees. So the turret waited. And waited. And waited. Eventually, he got a chance to prove his worth. A test subject peeked around the corner, then leapt back at the sight of the turret. The turret went into search mode. "Are you still there?" he asked. The test subject made a run for it down the corridor, trying to pick up the death machine. The turret exclaimed, "There you are!" and opened fire. Red splotches appeared on the man's jumpsuit, and he fell to the ground. "Gotcha ya!" the exicted turret said.

This same pattern continued for a long time. Days, weeks, or years, the turret didn't care. His primary objective was to kill, so he had no sense of time. It would have been a waste of programming. But he did notice the panels shifting. Every once in a while the panels of the walls and ceiling shifted, which created various types of hallways and rooms. Every time, though, the turret scored his kill.

A woman peered around the corner and quickly jumped back. "Are you still there?" Same old routine. But suddenly the woman turned the corner again and shot a portal under the turret. The turret's world turned upside down. SHUT DOWN! SHUT DOWN! was what his programming told him to do. "I don't hate you," he said. And he didn't, because while his life would be short and happy, he knew her life would be burdened with sadness and hardships.

"Turret Redemption Lines active," the turret heard the announcer say. He couldn't see anymore because he was lying face down. He knew where he was headed: Android Hell. But he was peaceful. He had fulfilled his duty and was about to pay for his mistake. He heard footsteps and then a small voice behind him say, "I'm different…" He felt an incredible heat and then…silence. At last