The room appeared to be perfectly sealed.
After several minutes Chell's limbs had grown a bit more cooperative, and she'd gotten to her feet. The next short while was spent going over the small room, looking for any door or window, but the walls appeared to be utterly smooth and seamless. There was not even a crease where they joined with the floor or ceiling, just a delicate curve.
It was rather like being inside a giant egg.
How she had gotten into the egg she didn't know, but clearly she'd been put in somehow. And it stood to reason that if there was a way in, there was also a way out. Still, she was unable to find it.
As her careful examinations reached the sink and mirror, she paused for a while in surprise, regarding her own reflection. Though she knew she'd seen her face before, thousands of times, for some reason it felt like new- as though it was a stranger looking back at her.
Part of the memory loss. When whatever drug she gave me wears off, I'll remember everything. I have to.
Leaning closer to her reflection, she carefully regarded the person looking back.
Dark chestnut hair was pulled back into an efficiently tied tail. Muddy eyes were an unremarkable feature in an otherwise fairly attractive face. She tried to remember how old she was, failed, and made a guess.
Young. No older than early twenties. Maybe I was in college? High School?
She fought to remember what school she might have attended and, once again, failed.
She pressed her hands into her cheeks, squinting a bit. She couldn't have been here very long. She was a healthy weight, didn't look sick or malnourished. She had a faintly bronze tone to her skin, which meant she'd recently been outdoors, gotten some sun.
She grinned, baring her teeth. They were remarkably white. Opening wide she carefully checked, but saw no fillings.
I must be a damn stickler for dental hygiene, she thought, then smiled again. Good for me.
She turned her attention to her clothing. She was wearing some kind of an orange jumpsuit that zipped up the front. It had a symbol stitched over the left breast- what looked like the opening of a camera lens, birthing the word 'Aperture'. There was a slight collar to the suit, and she saw what looked like some white thread stuck to it. Leaning closer to the mirror and running her fingers over it, she realized there were tiny letters sewn into the fabric. A bit more squinting and she managed to make them out, slowly mouthing them as she fought to read the backwards reflection.
The wearer of this Aperture Science Multi-Utili-Suit is the legal property of Aperture Science. By donning this suit the wearer surrenders all independent identity, including religious, moral, academic, and autonomous thought…except where it furthers the cause of Science. All Rights Reserved.
Chell blinked, straightening. She's got to be fucking kidding, she thought.
Unzipping the suit, she saw she was wearing a white tank top with the same logo beneath it, as well as a pair of thin, gray cloth shorts. Zipping it back up, she looked at her feet.
Heavy, utilitarian, brown combat boots. Suitable for a dozen different activities from a casual stroll to a hardcore hike, to running through a no-man's land whilst dodging exploding grenades and sniper fire.
Chell really hoped that, whatever her captor had in mind, it didn't involve exploding grenades and sniper fire.
Just as she looked back up at the mirror the voice suddenly returned, making her jump in surprise.
"Aperture Sciences once again thanks you for volunteering for testing. There will be a short survey at the completion of your tests, to ensure that future experiences by other test subjects will be as efficient, comfortable, and safe as possible. Your tests will begin shortly. To ensure the maximum amount of energy and condition for our testing course, I have made you lunch."
She seemed rather pleased with herself about that fact, but Chell was trying to absorb the rest of what she'd said. Volunteering for testing? She hadn't volunteered!...wait. Had she? She couldn't remember anything, after all. Was it possible she hadn't remembered volunteering?
No. No, she'd said something about rebooting my brain, about the condition I was in before-
"If you will please step out of the habitat unit, your meal is waiting."
Chell sighed, then glanced around the room and folded her arms. After a moment, the voice spoke again.
"Are you not hungry?"
Chell flapped her hands in frustration, then pointed at the wall.
"It really is a very lovely meal. Piping hot. I spent a great deal of time on it. It would be rude if you didn't at least try it."
Growling, Chell walked over and kicked the wall, hard. A pause.
"Aperture Science would like to remind test subjects that attempted destruction or vandalism of property is not allowed while on the testing course. Please refrain from primitive acts of violence- the poor wall did nothing to you. It is simply and quite admirably serving its function of-…oh. I see. Egress portal opening in- three, two, one."
A circle of blue suddenly appeared on the wall in front of Chell, making her step back in surprise, then gape. Part of the wall had vanished in a perfect oval, the edges of which were shimmering with sapphire light. Dumbfounded and more than a little awed, she crept up to the opening and peered at the light, before lightly touching it.
A faint electric sensation, like the snap of static energy, zapped her fingers. She jerked it back, then looked at her hand. There was no mark, but the tips of her fingers felt a little tingly. As she rubbed them, the sensation faded.
"Caution: contact with the edges of the portals may result in a slight, unpleasant sensation that is completely harmless. Still, they are quite pretty. Also, shiny. We understand. All sorts of creatures are attracted to shiny colors. Crows, raccoons, weasels, packrats. You are in good company."
Chell scowled darkly at having been compared to weasels and packrats, and at the idea that she'd looked at the light just because it was shiny.
Couldn't possibly have anything to do with a hole just appearing like magic in the wall…oh no. It's because it's shiny.
Determined not to let this lunatic woman- whoever she was-get the best of her, Chell carefully stepped out through the opening, finding herself in a large, airy room made of concrete. At the far end, there was what appeared to be a rather large white egg, and she realized it was another room, similar to the one she'd just exited.
Turning around her jaw dropped again. The egg she'd stepped out of wasn't there. Instead, there was simply the mysterious hole, edged in orange from this vantage, and not blue. It was set in one of the concrete walls, a blank gray expanse the only thing she could see.
Confused, she backed away from the now orange hole, and took a better look around.
Besides the other egg- or, the only egg that was visible to her- there was a small metal table and chair. Sitting on the table there appeared to be a tray of some kind. Though feeling she had little appetite, she wandered over to it and peered at the food.
Most of it was formless slop, all of it was some shade of gray or another, and none looked appetizing in the slightest. Beyond the tray, there was a container filled with what looked like pink milk.
Turning away from the food she moved off to find a door, only to be nearly instantly interrupted.
"You really should eat. I spent quite a while on that food. You will need your energy and…it's rather rude not to eat when you are offered something."
Ignoring her, Chell continued to look around, swiftly spotting what looked like a strange sort of camera in one corner.
"You are really not going to eat that. You are simply going to let it go to waste. Well, perhaps that is for the best. Given your more than ample frame missing a few meals may not be unwise."
Chell, still poking about, suddenly whirled and glared at the camera. Ample frame? Did she…just call me fat?
"Never mind that there are starving children in China, just ignore the food. You are too good for it anyway. We understand."
Chell looked from the camera to the tray of food, and shook her head- an action more of disbelief than negation, before she walked over and sat down. The gray food looked utterly unappetizing, and she grimaced a bit before sighing. Snapping off a plastic spork that was attached to the tray, she scooped up a bite of the yellow-gray portion of the edible Jackson Pollock painting, and tentatively tasted it.
It was bland- but bland was better than what she'd expected.
Despite its non-flavor, taking that one bite seemed to open the floodgates of her appetite. She quickly finished off the rest of the food, washing it down with the pink milk. The milk disturbed her the most, leaving a faint aftertaste that was a bit disturbingly close to how she imagined a toilet cleaning product would taste.
Finishing with the tray and finding no way to dispose of it, she left it on the table and got to her feet, looking expectantly at the camera. She felt oddly calmer about the whole situation. She still couldn't remember anything that had happened before, and she was unsure what this 'testing' was, but the idea that she'd volunteered wouldn't leave her alone.
She looked like she could be in college, after all. Perhaps she'd needed the extra money? Perhaps going into all of this with the idea that somehow it was sinister or she was a prisoner was the wrong approach. Maybe a more neutral stance was called for, a wiser choice until she could find more information. If she'd been kidnapped, then her captor might become hostile at a slight provocation. If she were truly a volunteer, than being difficult and paranoid would help no one.
"Aperture Science would once again like to thank you for volunteering for our course of tests," the voice said, as if she'd read Chell's mind and wanted to reassure her. "Your contribution is essential toward furthering the cause of Science and pioneering the cause of mankind worldwide. Before we begin, I would like to instruct you on the specifics of the high-tech clothing you are currently wearing."
High-tech? Chell thought, looking down at herself in surprise. An orange jumpsuit is high-tech?
"The Aperture Science Multi-Utili-Suit is a cutting edge blend of cotton and polyfiber threads. It is designed specifically for ease of movement. Please be sure to wear your Aperture Science Multi-Utili-Suit at all times. Failure to do so may result in nudity, which may adversely affect the outcome of the testing protocols and which subjects the test courses and assorted equipment to an extra hosing-down at the completion of each test. Note- wearing the Aperture Science Multi-Utili-Suit provides no protection to open flame, gunfire, drowning, freezing, falling, toxins, poisons, or impact trauma. The Aperture Science Multi-Utili-Suit may have the following negative side-effects: mild itching, chafing, tackiness, loss of personal identity, and being denied entry to fancy dress clubs. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please report to the nearest Aperture Science personnel if you experience any of these side-effects for mild sympathy and possibly an encouraging shoulder pat."
Chell couldn't tell if this person was fucking with her deliberately or if she were serious. In particular, the 'open flame, gunfire, drowning, freezing, falling, toxins, poisons' and 'impact trauma' portion of the disclaimer left her feeling rather alarmed.
What the hell kind of tests are these?
"Your Aperture Science Long-Fall boots are both comfortable and practical. Within each boot is a specialized brace that will automatically negate any impact met with the feet, no matter the amount of force applied. This will allow you to survive falls without injury that would otherwise be fatal, so long as you are careful to land on your feet and not so ungraceful as to land on your face. We take no responsibility for your lack of grace, and injury sustained by landing on body parts other than those covered by your long-fall boots are solely your clumsy fault. Now, let us test them to make sure they are working properly."
Chell had looked curiously down at her boots as the woman was speaking. Now, suddenly and without warning, the ground under her feet vanished. She caught a brief glimpse of that same shining circle of blue light beneath her before she was plummeting through it.
She dropped about fifteen feet, flailing dramatically in surprise, but somehow still managing to catch the hard concrete with the soles of her boots as she landed. Every fiber of her body cringed, expecting to feel her ankles and knees snapping at the impact, but in truth she hit about as hard as she would if she had just hopped off a two foot ledge. Still off balance, she wobbled, swinging her arms in wide circles as she attempted to keep her balance and not fall flat on her ass.
Wide-eyed with what had just happened, she looked around.
I'm in the exact same room, she thought, startled. The same egg-thing was in the corner, the same concrete walls surrounded her, the same empty food tray bearing smears of bland glop sat on the same table just a few feet away. How…how did I fall all that way and not move out of the same room? I'm even standing in the same spot!
"Congratulations, you have successfully completed your first test. If you will please proceed to the next chamber, we can begin the remainder of your tests. We would like to once again thank you for your time and cooperation."
Ahead of her on the wall, yet another blue oval appeared silently, revealing a short hallway and a distant door. Chell walked up to it, her knees still a bit wobbly from the drop. As she walked, she gave a little bounce…but the boots felt and reacted the same as any other normal boots would have.
Peering through the portal, she saw a sign on the wall that read TEST CHAMBER ONE, with an arrow pointing at the distant door.
Licking her lips nervously, she took a deep breath.
May as well get this over with, she thought, and stepped through.
