Chap. 2
P-body and Atlas stared in horror at the lifeless beings in front of them, their eyes as big as tennis balls.
P-body's hand gripped tighter, and Atlas winced, partly out of pain, partly of of shock. They scooted closer to each other, terrified of what they saw, even though they knew the bodies hadn't moved in years and years. The only sound in the room was the unsteady breathing of them both, echoing across the stained, cracked walls.
Blue dared to speak first. "What horrible thing has happened here?" He said quietly, barely moving his frozen lips.
"You know what happened here," P-body growled coldly. "You know."
"But who are these?" Blue asked. But knew the answer to that too.
"You know that as well."
"These…" Atlas tried to gulp his fears down. "Are - at least were - test subjects. GLaDOS's human test subjects… all… gone… dead…"
Their eyes started to water, not because of the sight, but the smell. It was a mix of blood, rotting flesh, and acid all in one.
Suddenly, they saw something scurry in the back of the room.
"What was that?!"
"Um…" she looked worriedly towards Blue. "Probably just rats or something. Don't worry," she said trying to reassure them both, "We should go."
But they both knew the door had closed. They both knew that it definitely was not a rat they had heard. They both knew they were stuck in a dark room full of bodies with something much larger than them running around.
They heard something scuttle behind them. "Let's g-,"Atlas started. He paused, hearing soft footsteps.
"Run…" He said quietly, taking off. Suddenly, they both stopped, squirming, trying to free themselves; something had grabbed them by their necks with huge, cold, clammy hands.
GLaDOS was pacing back and forth.
Those two cyborgs. Were trapped in… that room… All that hard work to make them was, basically gone now, all because of that stupid door. And her.
She continued to try and have her voice be heard over the loudspeaker in that room. She kept on slamming her hand on the open button. Nothing worked.
"Uuughh! I. Am. Such. An. Idiot!" She groaned, slamming her head on the hard surface of the table.
She turned to face sideways, and noticed the override button next to her head. It was gleaming red. The words OVERRIDE covered half of the button in a color as dark and mysterious as the night sky. A protective cover lay over it, and the harder she stared at the button, the harder her own vile reflection stared right back at her.
She regretted what she thought earlier, about wanting them dead rather than knowing about the secret and spilling it. Who could they tell anyways? She thought to herself.
"Im disgusting." She snarled, "Sorry, guys… It's for the best…"
She slowly peeled open the cover, and placed a shaking finger on the button. A single drop of sweat dripped off her brow.
An automated announcer's voice rang out. "Facility- Aperture Science Computer Aided Cooperative Testing Initiative Chambers: State: Active."
GLaDOS pressed it.
"State: Inactive. All Aperture Science Computer Aided Cooperative Testing Initiative Chambers are now disfunctional. Please close monitors manually." The announcer's voice simply stated.
She sighed and pushed herself up and out of her chair. Now… All she would have to do is turn off all the cameras in the courses. It seemed easy enough. She walked down some stairs and through a hallway. I know all the camera positions. She walked down some more stairs and placed her hand on a scanner. A door opened. Her breathing became labored. Maybe I can pry open the door by force? GLaDOS thought in an attempt to reassure herself. She slipped through the door and into a dysfunctional suction tube. Yes. I will do that. And I will find them MYSELF. She started to crawl down it. Finally, she plopped down on a flat surface. Then we can test again. And I'll try not to make any mistakes... She ran towards a bonus course she had created just for them. She stood on a button, and pressed the other one with her hand, getting sucked up in the tube, bonking her head on the way up. ...Again…
Atlas and P-body pried at the hands holding them.
"Let! Us! Go!" Atlas yelled, trying to take a blow at whoever was behind them. His fist came in contact with something hard, then he heard the sound of metal scraping against cement. Seconds later he groped around, but found nothing except thin air.
Whoever it was behind them only tightened their grip, and P-body let out a cough. "Ack! Ugh, just please!" She begged.
"Shush!" The voice was a gust of wind blowing through the trees, silent as a mouse, loud as a firework. The voice was that wind when you forget your umbrella, standing out in the rain, wetness dripping down your back. The voice was the wind as it becomes a roar blowing in from everywhere which way, sending your clothes billowing in its breadth, attacking every part of your body, along with everything you're holding. It was low and harsh, rasping, but in the clearest way possible. It spoke as slowly as Winter storms come and go. Choosing his wording with precision, "I haven't heard anyone's voice in a looong time… But when I do, it's annoyed, scared, angry. You finally found some more life in this wretched place. Why can't you give me some gratitude." He picked the two cyborgs off the ground, turned them to face him, and then loosened his grip on their windpipes.
He was pale as a vampire, for he had been sitting in the darkness for years on end. He was gruff, scabby, and old. He was a human, but had strange wires protruding from his head and neck. His face held a yellow sort of parlor, and his hair and eyebrows were overgrown. He had he had a strange glow to his eyes, and, quite literally, he was, glowing. He stood at seven feet flat, but his knotted hair and heeled boots added a couple of inches.
P-body gazed up at him. She flinched; the man was not a pretty sight. "We didn't mean to upset you mister… mister… um…"
He threw them to the floor, scratching their faces along the cold, rough ground. "Don't say that. My name is not important. You shall just call me whatever you like. As long as you are prepared for what's coming for you." He frowned, then growled. In one fluid movement he picked up P-body by her collar, pulled out a dagger from his torn and stained lab suit, and held it inches from her neck. She emitted a small whimper-like gasp.
"Don't hurt her!" Atlas cried softly. The man sneered at him. He threw the dagger next to Atlas. Atlas flinched and curled up slightly, but coming to his senses, scrambled to grasp the dagger. It felt warm in his hand, and a mixture of dried blood and fresh sweat gave it an odor that almost matched that of the room.
The man just scowled at Atlas as though he were a child with nothing but a mere blow-up sword to defend himself. He straightened his clothing and, as though Atlas stealing his dagger was all part of the plan, swiftly pulled out a gun. "I'm not going to kill you. You are not going to die because of me. But be warned: Do anything wrong. And you'll come very close." He smiled grimly and pointed his new weapon at them. "You are going to get me out of here. I didn't expect GLaDOS to start testing wimps like you... But, with any luck, you'll know the way out." the man sneered.
"Yeah!" Blue said, trying to laugh. "You don't want us! We're no good!" He dragged Orange away from the man. "So… We're just going to go."
The man punched him in the stomach, "Not so fast."
Atlas doubled over, and P-body gasped. Atlas tried to smile. "He's strong for an old man…"
"Listen to me: The only reason I want to use you two weaklings is because YOU know the facility! YOU can get us out!" There was almost a hint of hope in his voice, almost determination. Almost…. A weakness. But no. It couldn't be.
P-body reluctantly walked away from Atlas and back to the man. "Why do you think that we know the entire Aperture facility map?" She looked at him with huge eyes. "If anyone did, it would be GLaDOS! Just please let us go?"
"You expect me to believe that?! You've been androids under GLaDOS's command, OF COURSE YOU KNOW THE FACILITIES!" He yelled, keeping the gun's barrel level to Blue and Orange's faces, all the time encircling them like a vulture, stalking his prey, "I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR ELEVEN YEARS! ELEVEN YEARS FOR TEST SUBJECTS TO COME! TO RESCUE ME! Eleven years."
P-body buried her face in her hands, part from fear, part from pity, and the rest from exasperation. "We're just… Modified, but... Ordinary test subjects… We don't know anything! PLEASE! Let us go!" She sobbed into her palms.
He growled again, not believing a word. "Why do you two have antenna?!"
"Mr…? Whatever your name is!" She shrieked, tears streaming down her face.
"AGH!" He screamed back at her. "JUST CALL ME LUCIFER!"
P-body's spirits lifted a little, she wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, "That's your name?"
"Lucifer Leo." He said, unwillingly, rolling his eyes.
P-body took a step back and giggled a little, "Can I call you Lucy?"
He bellowed again. He tried to pounce back on her, but was held back. A chain was attached to his skin on his right ankle. It pulled as the stepped forward cutting a gash into his pale skin. He howled in pain and dropped to his knees. He let the chain tug him back.
P-body flinched and took the moment of his vulnerability to talk. She was feeling a little braver. She bent over his head, "Okay, Lucifer. Get this. We are not coming with you. If you need anyone to find the way out, you need GLaDOS. Not us. It's not like we were programmed with the map in our heads."
The wires connected on Lucifer's neck and head sparked. He shuddered, only for a second. A red glow was emitted from his pupils, he rolled his head around on his shoulders then began, "She's sending me action…" He said with a smile that revealed his yellow teeth, "Yes…"
"Who, GLaDOS?" Atlas asked finally, getting up. "Why should she…"
"It's not her." P-body realized. "It's an it! GLaDOS must have overridden the co-op course and left it to manually deactivate all watch systems… She isn't in control, it's her servers! Now her control center servers are in complete control of the co-op facility! It has no mind, it can't make decisions, it doesn't do anything… We're going to be stuck in here forever."
She pretty much had super hearing. And 'super-all' senses for that matter.
She heard voices, but she couldn't make out the words. It sounded like someone was saying her name, mixed with a bunch of muttering…
"Mumble mumble mumble mumble..."
"Mumble Mumble GLaDOS mumble -
"No it's not mumble motherboard mumble mumble!"
GLaDOS exhaled and disabled another camera, flipping each switch and entering the code. The process was gave off a repetitive vibe, much like the one that testing gave off. She was programmed to test, but she found some days she just… Didn't want to. She let out a long and low sigh… Placing her hand on the cold surface of the wall, she thought about P-Body and Atlas. Orange and Blue. She knew the actual room was right behind that wall. The room they were in. After all, she knew the entire map of the facility by memory.
"They're going to go mad in there eventually," she said to herself. She heard a soft thud from the room and winced, tugging her hair into a high ponytail.
She edged along the room, disabling cameras along the way, until she arrived at the door. She wedged her fingers in the gap, and pulled at the door. It moved slightly, not even enough to fit a mouse, but other than that, didn't budge.
Tactic number two.
She screamed as loud as she could down the hallway, "COME BACK!"
Nothing happened.
"No." She ran back past the bonus course, past the tube, past the pipes. The scanner, the door, it all whizzed past her. And she thought: Why do I feel the need to even try at all?
The lights in the room dimmed even more to match the night and day cycle. They all tried to stay awake, but to no prevail. As each of their minds drifted into darkness, only one had a dream.
'It was really dark,' He thought. He felt a stabbing pain at - well, everywhere. He couldn't think properly. A voice rang.
"GLaDOS?" he asked softly.
"They left you." She said. "She left you."
GLaDOS never said any names, but he knew who it was. "She killed you and left."
"I'm dead?" He asked, without hesitation. His voice was calm and uncaring about the subject.
"Almost," Replied GLaDOS in a voice exactly same. "Close enough to it that we can assume what will happen next."
He nodded. "Don't worry. I'm ready." He talked about this as if going on a mission.
There was a splintering pain in his stomach area.
Then… it was all over.
Atlas groaned. P-body was bent over him, tears in her eyes. "Come on… I know you can make it… we have to get out of here!"
Atlas's eyes flew open. It was all a dream. But it still hurt. He curled in pain. "Ah!" His hand flew to his stomach automatically, and his muscles clenched, and maybe if he hoped enough, it'll all stop… now…
P-body put a hand on his shoulder. "We need to figure out how to get out of here."
Atlas pushed her hand away. "What happened?"
P-body's face became a riverbed, and her tears the river. "I don't know!" She looked at the new addition Atlas was adding to the collection of bloodstains on the floor, and closed her eyes, sickened. "I was asleep… and… I heard footsteps and I thought it was a dream and I didn't do anything to stop it it was all my fault!" She said quickly.
"Where's Lucy?" Atlas asked, trying to get her to laugh. It didn't work. "Lucifer Leo…" she growled, tears still streaming out of her eyes. "I know that he did this to you… it was him. He gone. He's a shapeshifter."
"That's crazy, that can't be true. Shapeshifters don't exist. Did you even see it?"
"Well… no, but-"
Atlas sat up a little more. "You can't prove it." There was a sharp gasp, and Atlas winced.
"What else could have happened?"
"A lot of things…" he started. But he didn't have the effort to argue.
P-body helped him stand and cobble over to the doorway, but he ripped his arm away.
P-body saw that he could stand, but… he seemed so crippled, fragile. But he could be strong, and P-body knew it.
"Maybe yelling would work," she said sarcastically. But then her eyes lit up. "If GLaDOS is out there, she'll hear us!"
She ran through the no longer endless maze, and Atlas limped behind.
GLaDOS was back in the control center. She couldn't take it. She hated the feeling that she was in a blackout. If they were to die in there, at least she could create more robots. She was never going to build another cyborg again. Maybe. She turned to the transmit code, and switched the facilities back on.
"State: Active."
Atlas and P-body heard it- the electronic whirring of the facilities. It was back up. P-body beat on the door, shouting.
A faint noise reached GLaDOS's ears. She listened hard; she had learned not to ignore small warnings like this. She zoomed in a camera from where she thought the noise was coming from.
The door was slightly shaking, and voices came from the other side. "They're alive?" She said. But there was nothing that could kill, them… Right?
"This is the last time…" She whispered quietly. She shoved down on the button with her fist with the force of something jumping on it. The door gave in, and moved two feet. Just enough to squeeze out.
She was watching the team squeeze out of the door, when she heard breathing behind her.
She didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
~Thanks to my best friend, Atlas 3~ (Atlasblue)