Chapter 1
Darkness. All he could see was darkness. Doug Rattman didn't know how long he had been asleep in that relaxation chamber, or even how badly injured he would still be. All he knew was that numbness had given way to a shooting pain in his leg and a ghastly brown scab was forming around the bullet wound the turret had so mercilessly delivered when he went to turn on the reserve grid.
That grid went to about 10,000 relaxation chambers, including both Chell's room and the one he was in. There were over 200,000 vaults in total if one included the relaxation vaults, temporary stasis vaults, and rejuvenation vaults; which were little more than jars with formerly injured people inside of them.
Doug had considered placing himself in one of those instead of this cheap white room where his wound would fester, but they were on the other side of the facility. Besides, he needed to be able to set the wake-up time.
How long did he set it for again? He couldn't remember anymore.
As he turned to get up, his foot hit something hard and metallic. It made a hollow sound, and he grabbed his sore foot immediately!
He looked down and saw the offending object was none other than Cube, his most trusted friend in the world. It was a miracle! Cube really had waited all this time for him!
Doug… Cube spoke. I'm so glad you're awake. We have to get out of here! This place isn't the same as it was. We have to leave now!
Doug nodded and went for his bindle. He carefully placed Cube inside and hoisted it onto his back. This time there would be no variables. They would find an escape route, go back to wake up the other test subjects, and then make their way to freedom!
And of course, his lady, his angel…Chell would lead them out.
When he went outside the vault he couldn't believe his eyes! The whole place was falling apart! It was overgrown and barren, and he was sure he saw a black bird flying in the halls!
The bird was probably watching him. They did that. They watched people, just waiting for you to let your guard down.
Watching…wait!
"Where is she?" Doug asked out loud; his voice barely above a whisper.
No, this facility wasn't really turning into a jungle! It all made sense now! She was using this as another test! She knew he was awake, and she was going to kill him! She was waiting for him to show himself, and then she would kill them both! She would rip Cube to pieces and make him watch! She would taunt him, insult him, and blame Doug for everything she did to him! She was a monster that had eyes in the walls and would see everything he did or said and she would kill him!
He slunk beside the wall and slid along as quickly and silently as he could. It was no easy feat with a companion cube strapped to his back, but he was sure he had managed it.
He soon found an open panel in the wall and leapt inside before anything could see him! The turrets, the party escort bots, the cameras in the walls…there was no safe place! He rarely returned to the dens he had been to before. It was too risky, but he was running out of fresh places to hide, and now he wasn't even sure if he could find food anymore! Were there any cans of beans left? Ugh, it made him gag just thinking about having to eat beans again for the hundredth time in a row!
He took out a black marker and an orange pastel and began to mindlessly paint the wall. A little creative work always took his mind off his troubles. Sometimes he wondered why he was a scientist at all when art was his real passion.
Of course he knew why. He thought back to his parents. His father was a nuclear physicist and his mother was one of the first women ever hired by Black Mesa as an engineer. They were both academics, and expected great things from him.
Doug was an only child, so his parents focused a lot of attention on him. They pushed him to pursue a career in science. He graduated 3rd in his class, and soon was being courted by both Black Mesa and Aperture Science Innovators. His mom insisted he work for Black Mesa, but by that point in his life he was tired of his family controlling his life, so he joined Aperture out of spite.
That, in retrospect, was a bad idea.
He also remembered when he started hearing the voices. He was still in high school when it started, and at first his parents ignored it by saying it was stress. It took them several months to admit there was a problem. They admitted it after Doug cornered a random man in the street and accused the poor guy of trying to shoot him! The screaming led to fighting, and Doug nearly beat the man senseless with a trash can lid!
He was admitted to a psychiatric hospital after that, and ever since then he knew he didn't want to go back. Those people all lived in their own little world without noticing what was going on around them. Doug never thought of himself like that.
He finished his mural and turned away without looking at it. He didn't seem to notice his own work the way one would expect an artist to. No, he had no time for things like that. He needed to find food, and he needed it now.
He grabbed Cube and decided to make a run for the nearest break room. They would have to be quick. She was watching; he was sure of it!
The path to the break room was blocked by a stream of vines growing out of the doorway; making it impossible to open. She had done this on purpose, he just knew it!
They were in a room with ankle deep water and portal surfaces all around in a haphazard fashion. There was a staircase, but it didn't look safe to climb, so he just stood there staring at the vines covering the door and the portal walls littered with green moss.
Doug, Cube said, Look at those vines! I think there are potatoes growing out of them!
Potatoes? Out of vines? It seemed silly, but then again this was Aperture. There was no telling what insanity could come from this place. Also, if Cube said it, then it must be so. Doug had heard many voices in his life. Most of them bullied and mocked him. His voices would insult his intelligence, his ideas, his appearance, and anything else he was insecure about. Not Cube though. Cube was helpful and kind. Cube was truly his best friend.