A/N: Disclaimer – This isn't exactly a Portal and Maximum Ride crossover. Most of the idea and components come from Maximum Ride, but you don't have to completely read or understand the series. You do, however, have to understand Portal 2. It just had too much Maximum Ride stuff in it to make it a plain Portal story.

"There's just one small thing we need to take care of first," GLaDOS's voice echoed as the mechanical arm let go and I fell into Aperture Science Emergency Intelligence Incinerator. Man, she was really pissed off. Then again, I did kill her, but then again again, she did try to kill me. It's a give and take.

I fell for at least a minute before the shaft let out into a large room. Luckily, I fell onto the floor rather than the fires.

"Here we are. The Incinerator Room," GLaDOS said as I slowly stood up, "Be careful not to trip over any parts of me that didn't get completely burned when you threw them down here."

I began to slowly pick my way across the room as the AI proceeded to tell me the dual portal device was down here, and that once it's found testing would begin. Testing… Not exactly looking forward to that.

Finally, I was clear of the fire and spotted the portal gun underneath some loose panels.

"There it is," GLaDOS commented as I approached it, "Hold on…" The panels, half broken and barely functioning, slowly managed to lift themselves off of it. "Good. You have a dual portal device," GLaDOS said in her cheerful yet sadistic voice, "There should be a way back to the testing area up ahead."

As I proceeded through the dilapidated hallways of the facility, GLaDOS continued to ramble on about how she has a black box quick save feature, how I will test for the rest of my life, yadda, yadda, yadda. I mostly tuned her out unless what she said could actually help me, which wasn't often.

Finally, I reached the elevator that led to testing.

"Sorry about the mess," GLaDOS said as I stepped out of the elevator, "I've really let this place go since you killed me. By the way, thanks for that."

"Sarcasm self test complete," the announcer, err, announced.

"Oh good, that's back online. I'll start getting everything else working while you preform this first simple test," she said as I entered the chamber.

Get on the platform; use portals to direct a laser at a thingy on the floor. Child's play.

"Not bad. I forgot how good you are at this. You should pace yourself though, we have a LOT of tests to do," the AI announced. I silently groaned as I stepped into the elevator.

Here we go again.

Two more relatively simple tests involving lasers passed. As I headed toward the elevator, GLaDOS spoke up again.

"I was looking through some old files and found something interesting," she announced. I sighed and leaned up against the closed elevator shaft, curious at what the AI would find important enough to delay testing. "Now, where did I put that file," she said, obviously stalling to build the suspense, "Ah, here it is. You see, the reason you were able to escape before was because you were simply placed in the wrong testing course." What? "Before I gained control of this facility, the scientists had surgically enhanced the physical abilities of certain test subjects, one of them apparently being you. However, there was a mix up, and you were placed in a course designed for regular humans. So, if you thought you were special, you're wrong," she concluded as the shaft finally opened.

I paused for a moment, taking this in. I had been… surgically enhanced? What did they do to me? Do I even want to know? Feeling sick, I proceeded to the next chamber.

Several test chambers went by. Finally, I completed the first test that involved turrets. As I headed to the next chamber, GLaDOS commented that yesterday was my birthday. Not that it mattered. What mattered was what she said after test.

"I've been working on a belated birthday present for you," she announced happily, "Weeeeell, more of a belated birthday medical procedure. Well, technically, it's a medical EXPERIMENT. But what's important is it's a present."

My blood began to run cold as I approached the elevator, which didn't appear.

"Did you know that one of Aperture's scientists studied DNA rather than what most of the others studied?" GLaDOS asked casually, "He thought that rather than enhancing subjects surgically, which could have negative side effects, what about instead changing their DNA?" The computer paused, waiting to see my reaction. I tried to not react, but my pale face was probably the only reaction she needed. "He was transported to a different science company, though. But, I do have all of his research. Tell you what. Instead of putting off the procedure until after more test chambers, as I was planning, why don't we do it now?"

I immediately began to search the room for an escape. However, GLaDOS had already locked the door and reinforced the walls. There was no way out. A gas began to seep into the room. However, it didn't have the greenish tint that neurotoxin had, and it didn't make my throat sting. It did, however, make me feel… a bit… yawn… drowsy…