A girl was waiting for her next partner in a co-op test, her first just died though she didn't care. "How long do I have to wait GLaDOS?" the girl, Alicia, asked to the empty room, knowing that GLaDOS was listening to her and the other thousands of test subjects that now walked Aperture Science. "Unfortunately most of the replacement partners I had decided to have for you are either dead or testing." GLaDOS said. "Oh." Alicia said as she looked down at her wrist, there was a yellow Aperture symbol on it, a mark that told others that she was of the group that loved GLaDOS. "Oh, a partner has been found lurking in the observation room, I'll just let him in." GLaDOS said. Alicia snapped her head to the only observation room in the chamber and watched as the glass slid aside. Another escapee, that sucks. Alicia thought as the figure jumped out and landed in front of her. He had black hair, eyes that seemed to constantly be running computer data, and no portal gun. "Shade." Alicia said with a sigh, Shade was different from any subject and he was certainly no runaway. "Hey Alicia, haven't tested with you in almost a year, I think." Shade said. "Gee even with your cybernetic background you still can't tell time." Alicia commented. "It's Aperture, I don't think even GLaDOS knows the time." Shade said. "I do." Protested GLaDOS over the intercom. "We should stop talking and start testing." Alicia said as she picked up her portal gun. "Very well." Shade said as he stepped back a bit.
Alicia watched with satisfaction as Shade activated his testing equipment. The disk that Alicia knew was on Shade's back started glowing as metallic wires spread down Shade's arms before forming circles on his hands. The circle that was now on Shade's right hand closed with orange energy, the left closed with blue energy. Though she couldn't see it, Alicia knew that metallic wires had also spread down Shade's legs to form a hidden set of long fall bracers, which were like the advanced knee replacements. "Shall we test?" Shade asked. Alicia held her portalgun in her usual way, with the barrel pointing a little to the side, and said "Let's." Shade nodded. "So how did your last partner die?" Shade asked. Alicia pointed towards a vat of neurotoxin. "The idiot decided to go for a swim." Alicia said. "So what all had you two accomplished in this chamber before that?" Shade asked. "Well we had a cube, but he lost it somewhere in a rattman den I think. Other than that, we've found the button, took out half of the turrets that were in here, encountered some repulsion and propulsion gels, and learned that some of the tiles trigger crushers in different areas." Alicia said. "This sounds like a fun test then." Shade said as he headed off to the a rattman den, he knew a lot about the facility. "Found the cube, and it's a companion cube to boot." Shade said a few seconds later before leaving the den, the companion cube held a few feet away by a magnetic field that Shade had generated. "That explains why he 'lost' it, though I didn't notice that it was a companion cube." Alicia said. "You, me, and I think like four others are the only ones that don't care." Shade said as Alicia led him to where the button was. "We'll need to set up a ramp that will also bounce us up there after we've placed the cube." Shade said as he set the cube on a button. "I hope you don't think it'll be that easy." GLaDOS said. "I don't, so what should I expect? The neurotoxin vents suddenly opening, some of the floor caving in, turrets, crushers, death fields, or mini earthquakes in the chamber?" Shade asked. "All of the above." GLaDOS said as all of that started. "As always it is life or death." Alicia said as she started firing portals to remove the turrets, while they ran through the test. Shade stopped her before throwing a portal sphere through the death field they had been approaching and another at a nearby wall.
After clearing the death field and a lot of floating bits of test chamber floor, Alicia and Shade found the gels. Alicia quickly fired a portal under the propulsion gel and another on a high up wall to get the gel across the chamber. "Just like last time." Alicia commented as Shade repeated her moves with the repulsion gel. "Nope, last time we were being chased by military androids and hovering laser turrets." Shade said. "Yeah, but I mean that it's still like the last time we tested together." Alicia said as her and Shade headed back through the chamber to the ramp they would need to exit. "How you feeling Alicia?" Shade asked. "Sick, it's the neurotoxin. I'm not half machine like you so it affects me with more than a simple cough." Alicia said. "Yeah." Shade said before coughing slightly. "I'll go first." Alicia said as she took to the propulsion gel and sped to the exit, Shade behind her. "Thanks for the excitement GLaDOS." Alicia said, she almost worshiped GLaDOS, though Shade liked GLaDOS as well. "You're welcome, and good news, that was the end of the testing track." GLaDOS said. "Okay, then we'll return to the main lobby." Shade said as the elevator started up. "Exactly, if you make it." GLaDOS said darkly, as the elevator slowed down. Shade and Alicia didn't even flinch as they burst through the elevator and landed on the roof of the main lobby. "How do we get down from here?" Alicia asked, looked towards Shade since he could get out easily. "This way, there's an old hatch that leads into some maintenance areas from which we can get to the main lobby." Shade said, he had done it before. "Okay." Alicia said before she followed Shade and the two quickly got to the main lobby.
"Hey Alicia and Shade." a test subject yelled out when he spotted Shade and Alicia. "Hi Els." Alicia said. "So where did you two just come from?" Els asked. "Test track nine test chamber fourteen." Shade said. "Only the shadow in the darkness would know that without a second thought, so how close did GLaDOS come to killing you this time?" Els asked. "Almost, but not close enough." Alicia said as she noticed the same Aperture symbol on Els' wrist. "So you're one of GLaDOS' worshipers." Shade said. "We don't worship her, we love her like she was our adopted mother." Els protested. "I know that." Shade said. "Then why call us worshipers, I don't see the mark on you so what's your affiliation?" Els asked. "I have my own mark, certainly you've heard enough to know that I'm Aperture property." Shade said angrily. "What do you mean by that?" Els asked. "This." Shade said before turning around and lifting off the back of his shirt to reveal the disk embedded into his upper back. The disk was the same Aperture metal and color as a turret, with a light-blue Aperture symbol on it, and four glowing quarter circles around the rim. "What the-" began Els, but he was cut short by Shade spinning around and putting him against a wall. "Let's not finish that sentence." Shade said. "Okay." Els said fearfully, most feared Sade almost as much as some feared GLaDOS.
A/N: Sorry if this chapter wasn't all that good. It was written in third person and I just returned from fictiopress where I've written five stories in a row that were all in first person.