Author's Note: It's been a while since I last played Portal/Portal 2, so this is me testing (no pun intended) the waters, so to speak. I already have the whole storyline and concept outlined, so it's just a matter of fleshing them out and finding a way to put them into words, hopefully without butchering the respective fandoms and inciting readers' unholy wrath.

I thought I'd skip this, but just in case: for those of you who are unfamiliar with the game, do let me know if you'd like me to put up a short explanation on the background in future notes (in the event that people actually want to read more of this thing). Otherwise, I'll assume that you're perfectly fine with doing some independent research about the Portal universe on your own if you're interested/confused. With that said, you can also shoot me questions if you have any and I'll do my best to answer them here.

Right then, here goes nothing.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians, How to Train Your Dragon or Portal/Portal 2.


Hypothesis

Chapter 1: Initializing

The first thing his slowly awakening mind began to register was that stupid music.

It was muffled at first, but still no less irritating to his ears especially since it was all he could focus on in the midst of all the darkness. He groaned in annoyance and opened his eyes, allowing light to flood his vision before his pupils adjusted to the brightness of his surroundings. Something slid open above him and the air suddenly smelled a little fresher as he was released from whatever he had been sleeping in. Pushing himself upright, he shook his head, trying to clear the feeling of grogginess from his mind before taking a moment to observe his surroundings.

He was sitting in a pod of sorts, which was placed in a corner of a white cube-like containment unit with translucent walls. There was a waste receptacle and a small table just across the tiny room at the side. Squinting, he tried to make out what was beyond the walls which held him, seeing a few security cameras and a giant red button on the ground in the distance. To his left, on one of the sides of the cube, there was a sealed door with a timer above it, the numbers running down from just under a minute.

The blasted music was still playing. It sounded like something from a bad TV commercial and it was really starting to get on his nerves. Identifying its source as the semi-circular radio resting on the table, he hopped out of the pod and made his way over, stumbling slightly on wobbly, unused legs as he snatched up the device and turned it around, looking for an off switch. From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a brown cup and a clipboard which were also placed on the table. Suddenly feeling thirsty, he tossed the radio carelessly over his shoulder and picked up the cup, frowning in disappointment to find it as dry as his parched throat.

Setting it down with a sigh, he reached for the clipboard instead, hoping to glean some useful information from it, like what was going on, who he was, where he was, and maybe why there didn't seem to be anyone else around. The writing on the paper was smudged and blurred, but he could still make out a few words…

JACK-N OV-L-D FROST

"Jack… Frost," he murmured to himself, testing his salvaged name. At the top right corner of the page, there was a picture of a mischievous-looking boy with snow white hair and ice blue eyes, a hint of a smirk splashed across his lips. Curious to find out more about himself, he read on.

- - …exposure to cryogenic conditions… - - …heightened sensitivity to –

:: Hello and, again, welcome to the Aperture Science computer-aided enrichment center. ::

He jumped at the loud voice, causing the clipboard to clatter to the ground as he dropped it in shock.

:: We hope your brief detention in the relaxation vault has been a pleasant one. ::

Whirling around, his wide eyes scanned the room frantically for the speaker. There was no one around, so who was talking to him?

:: Your specimen has been processed and we are now ready to begin the test proper. ::

The voice was flat and robotic, but it definitely sounded female. He could not pinpoint the exact location from which she was speaking. Her words seemed to come from all around him, echoing throughout the empty room. And what was that about tests?

:: Before we start, however, keep in mind that although fun and learning are the primary goals of all enrichment center activities, serious injuries may occur. ::

His confused mind latched on to several keywords as he tried to process the stream of information being fed to him. Fun was good, he thought. Serious injuries? Not so much. What was happening?

:: For your own safety and the safety of others, please refrain from – [bzzzzzt] – stand back. The portal will open in three, two, one. ::

An orange hole suddenly opened up in the middle of the sealed door and he jerked back in surprise, faintly noticing the timer above it sitting at zero. He looked around, waiting to see if the mysterious voice would tell him more, but there was no other noise except for that stupid music still blaring from the radio. To his right, outside the cube, he spotted a similar blue hole in one of the grey walls. The voice said that the holes were portals, but portals to where? Curious, he peeked into the orange hole, hoping to get a glimpse of the destination.

His heart nearly leapt out of his throat when he saw himself on the other side, dressed in a light blue jumpsuit with some sort of strange contraption strapped to the bottom half of his legs from the knee down. His doppelganger was standing inside a room which looked eerily like the one he was in now. He whipped his head to the right and the same sight greeted him through the blue portal. Understanding began to dawn in his mind and he cautiously reached forward to put a hand through the orange hole, confirming his theory when he saw that same hand sticking out of the blue one.

With an excited grin, he hopped into the orange portal, eager to get out and explore.

On the other side, he took a moment to appreciate the now empty containment unit in front of him, noting the large sign on his right displaying the numbers "00" along with a few square diagrams below it. There was really only one way to go, he thought as he looked around and tried to figure out which direction he should be heading towards. He wandered over to the adjacent room where he had seen the big red button on the floor. Across the room, there was another sealed door with a picture of a cross in a blue square next to it and a trail of blue dots leading from the button to the picture. There was also a cube-like object inside a large cylinder that was sticking out of the ceiling in the left corner next to the door.

Not seeing anywhere else to go, he gingerly stepped on the button, jumping slightly when the sealed door opened with a hiss. He started to run for the exit, but the doors slammed shut the moment his feet left the button. It was then that the cylinder's lower end opened up to release the cube, dropping it to the ground with a metallic clang before closing again.

The answer to the puzzle clicked in his mind and he made his way over to retrieve the cube. The grey object was about twice the size of his head, but its weight suggested that it was composed of certain alloys which made it light enough to carry, yet heavy enough to provide sufficient weight. He picked up the cube and deposited it on the button. As he had expected, the doors whooshed open and the picture next to it changed into a check in an orange square.

:: Excellent. Please proceed into the chamberlock after completing each test. ::

He beamed at the unexpected praise, glad to hear the robotic voice again. It meant that he wasn't alone in the room after all, someone was watching out for him. And if this had been a test, it was a pretty easy one, he thought smugly as he stepped through the door and walked towards the open lift at the end of the hallway.

:: First, however, note the incandescent particle field across the exit. This Aperture Science Material Emancipation Grill will vaporize any unauthorized equipment that passes through it – for instance, the Aperture Science Weighted Storage Cube. ::

Don't take anything out, got it. The particle field sent a shiver running through his body as he walked through it, giving him the sensation of a harmlessly mild electric shock. He shook it off easily and stepped into the lift. The doors swiftly slid shut and the platform began to shake violently, causing him to stumble slightly before the ride smoothed out and the lights darkened. He could not tell whether he was being taken up or down, the only indication of the lift's motion being the irregular flashes of light seeping through the sealed metallic doors.


Author's Note: I hope I wasn't being overly descriptive in this chapter, though it will definitely tone down as we get into the plot (or something that attempts to resemble one). I'm sort of experimenting (testing!) with a different style of writing here, so please bear with me.

Shall I continue, or…?