Testing With Tails
The Awakening
"Subject: Miles Prower," spoke the loud announcer voice.
This caught GLaDOS' attention. Such a name was odd. Miles Prower. It seemed like someone slurred "miles per hour." GLaDOS was looking through her new test subjects, found in a second vault by ATLAS and P-Body. She required a replacement main subject, long after she left, and just a while after a great replacement was found. The original replacement fell down an unsuspected pit, after all the 564 tests he went through. And the minor subjects from the vaults would die generally after their ninth test. Only very rare ones could make it any further than that. And even only rarer could complete hundreds.
GLaDOS opened up the file of Miles Prower. The background picture... was strikingly odd. It was a yellow fox. GLaDOS could not remember ever in the Aperture records there being tests conducted -or anything else- on a fox. Especially this one.
This fox was indeed very unique. GLaDOS had very quickly noticed the instead of just one tail, she saw two. Two tails.
"Was it possibly a subject in the splicing research, perhaps?" She pondered. "Radiation testing?" She couldn't ask how it was able to have two tails, especially since it wasn't on any records except for the cryogenic stasis. She continued into his file.
"Opening file," spoke the announcer yet again in its same tone.
"Subject Number: 3141592
Name: Miles Prower
Gender: Male
Species: Vulpes vulpes (Red Fox)
Age: 8 (Fox Years)
Nickname(s): Tails
IQ Test: 400
Attributes: Mechanic, Pilot, Technical.
Other: Ability to speak, Opposable thumbs, Stands upright, Has two tails, Can fly, Very Mature, Emotional, Intellectual.
WARNING! DO NOT TEST! Subject does not easily comply, and with such knowledge with tech, would be most likely to escape after being released from stasis!"
Many questions pondered through GLaDOS' mind. A fox... with an IQ of 400? At age 8. And also a fox. Obviously this fox had some bio-enhancements. She read on and saw the words 'subject does not easily comply.' If she had a face, she would have smiled.
"Oh, I will break him..." She said, almost menacingly. She spoke through the facility, so the wherever ATLAS or P-Body were, they could hear her.
"Prepare some tests and a starting room. We have some testing to do..."
The hatch over the bed opened up, and the fox's eyes opened slowly. They were heavy from the stasis, but he finally was able to open them fully. His vision was very blurry and fuzzy. He could make out some objects such as a very small porcelain toilet and desk with a clipboard. Tails sat up, his vision finally coming to. He hopped off the bed and onto the white tiled floor. He rubbed his head. Where was he?
He looked around, seeing as well glass, and beyond that was another pure white room. This all confused Tails. Why was he here? What happened? How did he get here? These thoughts all pondered his mind at the same exact time. He walked up to the glass, and tapped it. It was cold, and very strong. He banged his hands on it. It was made of a very, very strong material.
Tails was starting to get scared. He had no idea of this place, or how he got here. It scared him that someone, or something, had abducted him from his home. He sat in a corner of the boxed room, and wrapped his two fluffy tails around his body. The room was very cold, and his tails provided him warmth and comfort.
After hours, Tails sat there, in the corner, waiting. He was starting to get cold, even with his twin tails. He was on the verge of crying. He found no way out, nothing to use -dis-including a clipboard , and worst of all, nobody. There was nobody. Not a footstep, not a tap, not a voice, nothing. It was the loneliness that scared him. Tails hated to be alone.
He just sat there, for what had felt like an eternity. He just sat there in the same corner. Not long later, a timer started. This frightened Tails more. His mind raced with possibilities of what the timer could mean. A bomb? When we would be released? He had no idea which to believe. The timer counted down some more, and it hit the three mark.
Tails jumped up, frightened, when he heard a feminine and robotic voice speak. He jumped so high he actually hit his head on the ceiling. He rubbed his head.
"Ow." He mumbled.
"Hello and again welcome to the Aperture Science Computer-Aided Enrichment
Center. We hope your brief detention in the relaxation vault has been a
pleasant one. Your specimen has been processed and we are now ready to begin
the test proper. Before we start, however, keep in mind that although fun and
learning are the primary goals of the enrichment center activities, serious
injuries may occu- oh forget it lets just start the testing," the voice said.
"W-What... What's going on?" Tails asked, stuttering slightly. He was scared of many things in this place, and a creepy robotic voice talking to him was not helping. A thought had crossed his mind.
"Are you with Eggman?" Tails inquired. More specifically, was it made by Eggman?
"Eggman? I have no idea of this so-called Eggman. Now let's get on with the tests," the voice was eager to start.
"T-Tests? W-What do you mean... tests?" Tails asked out of great curiosity. Like a math test?
"Today we are testing you with the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device." She was slightly irritated.
"What? Y-You abducted me from my home so I could test a device?"
"I never did anything. Except release you from your stasis."
"Stasis?" Tails questioned. He thought for a second.
"Yes stasis now can we begi-" The voice was interrupted by the fox.
"Wait a minute. Stasis? You mean cryogenic stasis?" He asked, his questions never-ending.
"Yes, now let us b-" The voice was again stopped by Tails.
"You mean... I was frozen?" His heart raced. "How long?" He demanded.
"I will tell you if you comply with these tests..." She was very frustrated.
Tails thought it over. He was afraid of these possible tests, but it would lead to answers. He sighed.
"Fine."
"Great. Now the portal will open in three... two... one..."
Tails cocked an eyebrow as he finally stood from his resting spot. Portal? He walked forward a few steps. His muscles were cold and tightened. It was expected, since he had sat in a single spot for hours in the cold. Suddenly, a strange orange ring opened on the wall. On the outside of the room, was another ring, but of the color blue.
The kitsune looked through the orange ring, and saw himself, looking at the ring. He cocked his head to the right, only to see that through the blue ring Tails could see himself with a turned head. What... What is this? He asked himself.
He stuck his hand through the orange ring, and as he looked over to the blue ring, he saw his hand come out of it. He flinched his hand back out. His eyes widened.
"H-How... How did you make a quantum portal? How is this possible?" He asked. He awaited a reply, but there was none. He sighed. This made no sense, but neither did anything else.
"Maybe I'm in a dream," he though aloud. He shrugged the idea off, and stepped through the portal, and he popped out of the other. He felt... odd. Maybe something about breaking the complete laws of physics set something off in him. He continued through the room, and stepped through a doorway about twice the size of him. As he stepped in the new room, the door shut behind him, making him flinch slightly.
This room was just as cold as the last, if not more. He curled his twin tails mostly over, but still able to walk without them getting at all in the way. Inside the room was another door, this one closed. There was as well a large red button on the floor. Nearby was a cube, about the size of him. Tails stepped onto the button, and his assumption was correct, the door opened just as he applied his weight.
The kitsune started to step towards the exit, but as he released pressure, the door had immediately shut, most likely airtight. Almost as quick as the speed of the door shutting, Tails thought of the solution. He was to place the cube onto the button and walk through the door. It was a very simplistic puzzle. Although, there was one trouble.
How am I going to lift that cube? He asked himself in his mind. The cube was the same size as him, possibly even just a tad larger. He couldn't just push it. Otherwise, it wouldn't be able to get on the elevated button. He couldn't think of anything to lift it with ease, so he would have to just try his best.
The fox stepped over to the giant cube, and grasped it from the side. He bent his knees, and pulled up with all his might. The cube was much lighter than expected, and he had even fell backwards from the force he used to lift the cube. He fell on his back to the ground, and the cube fell on his face. It was light, but it still hurt his face.
"Ow." He mumbled as he stood back up, holding his forehead, which was a little red. He recovered, and re-lifted the cube and walked over to the button with it. The large cube was very light, but still awkward. He placed it onto the button, and the door opened as quick as it closed minutes before. Tails walked over through the doorway, and walked down the dark hallway.
At the end of the hallway was an elevator of sorts. But in front of it was two poles, and small particles floated between them.
"What is that?" He asked, not expecting any response, but received one.
"The Aperture Science Emancipation Grill, it will destroy unauthorized objects, such as the Storage Cube." The voice spoke.
Tails gulped. He knew most likely that he was authorized, but it still frightened him greatly. He reluctantly decided to step through the grille. He stepped further into the round, and large elevator. The elevator started to rise, and it shifted. The elevator rose, making Tails feel uneasy as he felt himself being pulled down slightly by the shift of the elevator. It took some time for it to move much, Tails guessed, since it seemed to be moving very slowly.
A single thought crossed the fox's mind. Are the others here too?
This piece took a little time to finish. Especially since my brother was playing an interesting game and I got distracted. I thought of the idea of Tails being tested in Portal after I was looking around on deviantArt, and found a picture with Tails holding a Portal Device and wearing a jumpsuit and Long Fall Boots. If I'm correct, it is called "Portal Tails." It was drawn by unbreakablebond on Deviantart.
Also, I feel like that Tails may be out of character, so tell me how I can improve. But I as well have something planned for personality wise. I also have many more plot points planned, but many are only for later chapters, if this turns out well. I also really hope that ideas will keep coming in my mind. I have other stories that I have had writers block on, and I haven't updated my best one in almost three months, before that, seven.
Anyway, thanks for reading and please review! I would not prefer flames and instead either feedback, or constructive criticism.
