The Easiest Way
As usual, she does not speak a word. This time, however, there is a high chance it is not stubbornness.
It is something so new, so unexpected, that you would tease her till the end of the world before keeping in count the fact that she cannot hear you – you love teasing, you always did. But not now.
"Hey, hey. What's wrong with this chamber? It is so simple, you know you can do it. Don't you try saying you're not smart enough – okay, you may be right. But are you telling me you're too stupid to even stand up? Seriously."
You admit it, there is way too much acid in this place, and old Aperture gels cannot lack of side-effects. Breathing must not be fun here – you are glad you don't have lungs. But she does, and the Portal Gun is stuck on the ground with you, surrounded with the blood she has coughed up for minutes.
Little suspect, more certainties. You would have liked it once; you definitely don't like it here and now.
"Oh, come on! In case you forget, you killed me once. You failed twice, but you got close to it, and it required something like three or four mental associations. This test requires two. And then you marvel when I say you're worthless".
Your voice does not change. Yet, as much as you hate admitting it to yourself, you are genuinely worried now. The yellow lens flickers in impatience.
"My, even I couldn't guess you were so lazy. Centuries of hibernation and you are worn out after two chambers. You are never going to lose weight that way. And haven't you had enough of sleeping yet? Well, I have. In addition to that, I cannot stand this ridiculous voltage anymore. Let's make a move and get out of here."
No sign of reaction in twenty minutes. There is just her lips, painted in blood, and the blot of painful tears in her blue eyes, so unnaturally wide, so shockingly blue, twin portals to go nowhere else.
"Come on, you know it. You cannot sleep forever. It goes against the required testing protocol. You... you just can't."
It is not true, you would like to say, it can't be. But science says it is: dead body with ASHPD and helpless potato, buried in a test-chamber, miles underground. No breathing, no heartbeat for sure.
"Do I have to get formal? As you wish, then. Please stand up, complete the test. In case you still don't get it, we must be out of here in no time. We just have to! We MUST! In this situation- I- how the hell do you think I'm ever going to make it without you?"
A stunned silence fills the world. You have no clue what is going on with you, but you can't take it any more. You need her to stop it – she is the only one who could do it.
"If you just lie down here, we will never make it, you know," you whisper. "Stand up now. Chell."
No answer. No activity, no portals; not even the genius guy talks anymore. She has poisoned everything with her damned silence.
For the third time in your life, you feel completely lost.
Luckily, you are not the one to feel desperate for long – while you will have to rot for centuries on a Portal Gun, you know you can at least keep thinking, and this is science.
The good thing is, you are right. It cannot be true. You know this situation.
It is a paradox – a troublesome thing with no sense and no solution.
The best solution to a problem is usually the easiest one. And I'll be honest. Killing you is hard.
I honestly wanted to try death-fic. And here we go!
Chell is finally destroyed by acid and gels. PotatOS deals with it.
[04-08-2013] Revised as a part of the complete revision work on my whole English production. The task I have taken on is not easy at all; I am trying to preserve the original spirit of my story and, at the same time, make it fluent and enjoyable for anyone. It will be significantly difficult for works that are older than one year.
