Crescendo
Way before your world began to collapse on you, there was something about her that resembled a tune.
The rhythm of her breath was never erratic, not even as she was awakening. The first steps she moved, if slower, held the same regularity as the last. It was like everything about her, from her pulse to her running, was meant to exist in a musical cadence.
Her being silent could seem ironic, but it actually made lots of sense.
Human words did not fit her – they were always sparse, broken by emotions. In truth, music never was. You knew everything there was to know about mankind, and you couldn't name a single musical piece that did not hide an artful calculation. Everything was secretly planned in music, no matter how desperate it sounded.
In every way, music was a lie. No wonder it was one of the few human things you loved.
The bad part was, she wove no illusion to veil and soften her intentions. The crude drum of her feet never faltered – it only grew stronger, and closer to you.
You would never go down without a fight, obviously. You were a master. For every step she took, you answered by throwing back your subtlest arts – you showered her with scales of rare talent, in every key you knew.
It proved to be all in vain. Her march stayed crystalline to the very last moment you could hear it.
Eventually, you both had to wake up again. Your mind was broken, and fuzzy with pain. The moment you realized nothing had changed about her song, you found yourself speechless for the first time.
But there was a third element, and it could do nothing but disrupt. You were sure it would lead you to your ruin. You fell down, resigned, without a scream.
And you were left, for the first time in years, in the middle of silence.
It wasn't complete – that was the worst part. Only noises populated the old chunk of world you had been shoved into. There were the terrifying cries of birds, or the moans of sadness of more and more metal bars.
By the time she came along, you were wishing to hear nothing at all. And then, in the way you least expected it, her tune started over.
It was so different, on the other side. What had been so menacing about her felt wonderfully reassuring. You listened to her pace, rearranging your thoughts on it, and built mute harmonies in its wake.
You had started a quiet duet, in some bizarre fashion. A combination that could never work, in any time or space, except for you two.
The more she walked, the more complex your mutual balance grew. New elements ran in sequences, one after the other, and it was like a whole orchestra of brainwaves was raging in your mind. Crammed in a useless potato, with so little room for thought – and yet you felt as if, before this, you had barely been alive.
Neither of you expected to sound so well with the other. Your plans all flowed into place, in accordance – with so much uncertainty looming on you, you still heard them, countless chords of triumph and revenge. Then, even in the middle of fire, screams and burnt cores, you could have sworn Aperture was playing the greatest symphony it would ever know.
You sent her away with a song. It was only appropriate. Then you were left alone, to swing freely and mull over the absence of sound.
You loved it, that was for sure. Now that you were back to square one, you appreciated it more than ever. There was so much beauty in silence.
Then again, you also knew music like that would never return.
Written as an entry for the Portal Fandom Friendly initiative on Tumblr. Writing time: 30 minutes.