Author's Note: Hello again! I would just like to say thank you for reading this if you read my other story or if you are new, welcome! I would also like to say that I was inspired to write this story from another user, MySilentLullaby and their Portal story, To Die By Your Side. I advise you to check it out! It is on my favorite storys on my profile. I hope you enjoy this story!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Portal, Portal 2, or any of its related items. This is purely a work of fiction.
The door to the small aluminum shack slammed shut as the white (very dirty now) companion cube was dropped in front of Chell.
Chell stared at the cube with shock at first, wondering how, of all things, this stupid cube was given back to her. She distinctly remembered destroying it in her first go through of tests with the twisted, evil robot AI known as GLaDOS. However, she then remembered that this was Aperture.
Aperture had probably MILLIONS of companion cubes at their disposal along with turrets, personality cores, and just the normal looking cubes (Ones without the hearts).
The cube was just sitting there. Not that it should be doing anything else for that matter but it made Chell feel like it was out of place in the sea of amber colored wheat surrounding the small, worn out aluminum shack. She grabbed for her portal gun out of instinct to launch the cube out of her site but then remembered she didn't have it anymore due to her resent encounter with Wheatley and GLaDOS.
Chell was still in shock over what had just happened before she passed out. She had been to the moon and back in a matter of seconds, while her former potato companion was hooked back up to the system she worked so hard to destroy. She really was genuinely surprised when GLaDOS just told her to leave. Chell couldn't even work up the courage to speak for once in her entire time at Aperture to thank the sadistic robot for letting her go.
Now she was standing in the blazing sun, in the middle of some wheat field with a randomly placed aluminum shack.
Oh yeah and the cube. Wouldn't think of forgetting that.
Chell looked around everywhere to see if she could just find something, anything that shows a sign of civilization. However, there was nothing but the golden, amber colored wheat in the Earth beneath her.
"Haha, wheat. The irony"
Chell didn't dare speak this out loud in fear of the her robot overseer hearing her.
She then had a realization
She wasn't in Aperture anymore. She wasn't being controlled anymore. She wasn't being told what to do and where to go anymore.
She was herself
She could control her own destiny for the first time in what felt like forever. She didn't remember the time when she could think or do something, anything on her own rules. Her own agenda. Her own destiny.
Chell broke down and cried.
Not like the times when she was cold and lonely in Aperture, but for once, tears of joy, happiness, freedom. Emotions that Chell thought she would never experience again.
She stood there crying a little longer but then reality began to set in as beads of sweat ran down her face and her stomach began to growl with hunger. Her new found freedom would not be squandered by her coming all this way just to die of heat exhaustion and hunger.
"Water" Chell spoke her first word out loud in what was most likely years and immediately regretted it. Her throat began searing in pain as it felt like knives stabbing the inside of her throat. Her dry throat only made her verbal request more apparent as she now needed water more than she ever.
After clutching her throat from the pain, Chell began walking through the seemingly endless wheat field. She took about five steps before realizing the companion cube was still there. She considered taking it with her. It had been her only friend in the hell hole. Well, sort of a friend. It was the only thing that hadn't tried to kill her.
"What does that thing matter anymore? Its a fucking cube. All it will bring back is nightmares." Chell thought this to herself as she quickly turned back around towards the endless wheat field.
Chell had been walking for what felt to her as a few hours. The sun was now starting to set and the temperature was quickly declining. For all of that walking, all she found was wheat. Nothing else. The only thing she is wearing is her ugly, worn down orange jumpsuit, white tank-top and her long fall boots. Her greasy, jet black hair was still tied in a ponytail. She was afraid of what it might look like if she ever undid it. She didn't know why she cared though. It wasn't like she was trying to look good in front of anyone. It was getting very cold outside and knowing from past experiences, her jumpsuit wasn't very warm.
Chell wasn't feeling very optimistic at this point. The sun had now completely set and it was dark outside. The only light now was the full moon showering the wheat field with white light. Chell held her arms together in order to preserve some warmth, but it wasn't helping.
"I need to find some kind of shelter to stay in. I WILL NOT die out here."
Chell continued to walk for a few more minutes going over a small wheat covered hill. At this point, her feet were completely sore and from all the walking done today. She was tired, thirsty, hungry, cold, and even a little scared. Nothing she hadn't faced before, especially in recent past, but now it was more apparent than ever.
She reached the top of the small hill and began to look over the horizon to see if she could spot anything. Her eyes darted everywhere hoping to spot anything but stupid wheat and they were quickly able to spot a dirt road.
Chell practically sprinted towards the road as she was excited she finally found something. Where would the road go? Which way should she go? She didn't care about the answers to those questions. All that was on her mind was the road. Running down the hill was sort of a challenge for Chell as she almost tripped several times due to the clunkiness of her long-fall boots. Running on solid ground was just a strange new experience to her in general.
She reached the road to grinding halt and looked both ways. Both ways looked identical, wheat covered hills and plains on both sides. No signs of anything else in sight. Chell shrugged her shoulders and just went one way down the road. She didn't care. She knew roads always lead to somewhere.
Hopefully that somewhere was a town.
Full of people.
Actual living, breathing people.
Chell started sprinting down the road.
Please tell me what you think by reviewing! It really means a lot to me! By the way, I will only do the disclaimer in this chapter in case you were wondering
