Checking over the portal device one last time, and laying her handbag carefully across Colin's desk, Chell shot a nervous glance at the clock on the wall above.
It had taken her longer than she'd expected to find the office, and even longer to fumble the key into the lock with trembling hands. She couldn't explain the sudden case of nerves she'd found herself gripped by, now that things were finally in motion. Or perhaps that was just it. Gray was the first opponent since the mainframe herself that she'd really had to struggle to match wits with, and if the AI hadn't been able to best him…
Banishing the thought, she glanced up at the clock again.
Ten minutes past the hour. Her time was up.
Shouldering the device and creeping across to the door, she peered anxiously around the frame for a moment before setting off into the darkened hallway.
According to Colin, the top half of the building was mostly offices and cubicles, and the labs and conference rooms on the lower floors were nowhere near large enough to house and power a forty-foot robot. The outbuildings were her best bet.
The only problem would be getting to them.
The elevator was a good way to get herself killed. Nowhere to run, or hide, and just one place to enter or exit. Similarly, the glass of the windows hampered the safest method of firing a portal to the ground below, and the transparent barrier would likely be too time-consuming to smash through, not to mention loud.
That left the stairs, then, and even that idea made her uneasy. Stairwells were choke points, narrow and restricted, and the stairs themselves could easily become a hazard if things got too rough. If the walls took portals, life would be a whole lot easier. There was only one way to figure out if that were possible, though.
Easing through the door as quietly as she could, she peered carefully over the edge of the landing. The closest wall, some ways down, was barely visible between the bars of the railing. Still, she'd made harder shots before, and under more pressure. Resting the device against her shoulder, and sighting carefully along the muzzle, she squeezed the trigger, watching in satisfaction as a ball of orangey light burst from the end of the gun, splattering into a glowing circle against the wall below. A second shot onto the wall behind her, and she was emerging onto the lower landing, turning to squint at the number stenciled onto the door.
Floor Nineteen. So she could skip about five flights from her vantage point on the landing. Four shots, then, and she'd be on the ground floor. It wasn't terrible, but then, she'd hoped to get straight to the bottom in one go. Another shot took her down to Fourteen, and then to Nine. Just two more, and she'd be out. She raised the device once more, and took aim.
Somewhere below, a door clicked open, and the pounding of footsteps and shouting voices drifted lazily into the stairwell. Hastily dropping the portal gun back to waist level, she turned, bolting through the doorway and onto the floor beyond, and immediately cursing the decision as the door slammed shut behind her. With the stairwells filling up with security personnel, and the elevators out of the question, she'd essentially trapped herself. And it would only be a matter of time before said security personnel reached her position.
Setting off again, she forced herself to remain calm, turning the situation over and over in her mind. From what she could remember of her allies' description of the building's layout, the ninth floor was comprised mostly of conference rooms. Some of those would have windows that could swing open a bit to let in fresh air, or even balconies, if she was lucky. If she weren't, then at least the closed door would slightly muffle the sound of shattering window glass.
Another stairwell door appeared out of the gloom just ahead, and she threw herself flat against the wall, stomach twisting into a panicked knot, as a group of guards raced past the landing, shouting to one another as they climbed. After what seemed like an eternity, their voices finally vanished from hearing, cutting off completely with a slam from one of the higher doors. Carefully unpeeling herself from the plaster and darting a quick glance around the corner, she took off again, trying to calm the rising flood of questions in her mind.
Why hadn't they stopped on this floor? Did they know where she was? Was she just lucky? Or had the stairs been a trap, right from the start?
The answer became apparent all too quickly.
The bearlike figure of a man loomed out of the dark hall ahead, and she skittered to a halt, just missing running into him by a hair's breadth, and quickly backing away. His brows were knit in a fierce scowl, teeth bared in an expression somewhere between snarl and devilish grin.
"Well, well. We meet again, little girl. Remember me?"
His face was instantly familiar, and sent a jolt of alarm racing down her spine. Still, she tilted her head to the side, throwing him a puzzled glance, and rubbing her chin thoughtfully with her free hand.
"Mmm… no, you don't look familiar…"
The man's scowl darkened.
"You broke my nose back at Aperture."
She chewed meditatively on her lip for a moment longer before widening her eyes and beaming in mock-realization.
"Oh, of course! You're the one who tossed me into that pit, aren't you? Sorry. I didn't recognize you without the shiner."
Nearly grinding his teeth in frustration, he lunged forward, stretching a hand toward her throat.
"Bitch."
Chell sidestepped neatly, wriggling past him into the hall beyond and taking off at a sprint, resisting the urge to return the taunt. She'd probably pushed him enough as it was, and the last time they'd met, well… things hadn't ended so well for her when she'd made him angry.
She had to find a place to shoot from, and quickly. If he were able to catch up, and get a solid hit in on her, their scuffle would probably be over before she was even aware of what had happened. And she had a feeling that his method of disposing of her would likely be a lot more thorough this time around than just heaving her down an elevator shaft, and assuming that his work was done.
Almost as if summoned by her thoughts, her opponent stepped abruptly around the corner ahead, and she put on the brakes again, fighting to hold back a shriek of terror. How had he known…?
"What I don't get is how you've managed to survive this long. No formal training, no experience in espionage, or combat, and still, you've managed to beat us again and again. What's your secret, little girl?"
Struggling to keep the fear out of her expression, she shrugged and grinned weakly, taking a half step back.
"Lunatic's luck? It never ceases to amaze me, either."
The man sneered again, flexing his fingers, and candidly watching the motion ripple up his arm.
"Hah. Well, then. Let's see if your crazy luck holds."
Almost faster than she could follow, his fingers had curled into a fist, and she was staring down the end of it as it flew toward her. Hastily swearing under her breath, she twisted aside, and out of the way.
But not quite far enough out of the way.
A few seconds later, she reflected dizzily that, while the marble of the floor was nice and cool against her throbbing cheek, she wasn't quite sure how she'd ended up with her face pressed against it in the first place. Raising herself to her elbows with what felt like a monumental effort, and shaking her head in a feeble attempt to clear it, she glanced upward just in time to dodge her opponent's descending heel, flopping ungracefully away to the side, and reeling to her feet as it smashed into the floor in the exact spot her head had occupied just seconds before.
Even mired in haze as it was, her brain registered the threat, and her fight-or-flight instinct kicked in, choosing flight as the better of the two options. Stumbling at first, but quickly regaining her feet as clarity returned, she whirled on her heel, racing back the way she'd come. Her opponent let out a derisive laugh before falling frighteningly silent, and she felt her heart leap into her throat. She had to get out of here. Or at the very least, to find somewhere to hide, and throw him off her trail long enough to find a good vantage point.
A door groaned open somewhere behind her, and before she realized quite what she was doing, she had thrown herself flat against the wall again, panting and clutching the device to her chest as if it were the last solid thing in the world. Taking a moment to both regain her composure and chide herself for her behavior, she peered anxiously back over her shoulder. As she turned toward the hallway ahead, something framed in the tiny slit of a window on the left side of the door across the way caught her eye, and she came to a halt, barely daring to believe her luck.
A balcony?
Crossing the hall in a few quick strides and flinging the door open, she bolted into the room, and across to the slider leading out onto the little terrace. To her infinite relief, it glided open without a hitch, and she darted out into the chill night air, surveying the area briefly before her gaze fell on one of the larger warehouses out toward the perimeter of the compound.
Hastily laying the device across the railing, she fired off a portal, laughing breathlessly as it took on the rooftop beyond. Perfect.
The door creaked behind her, and she whirled, allowing her mouth to drop open in horror as the heavy shouldered his way into the room, shark like grin still in place.
"Nowhere to run now, little girl."
He lumbered forward, stretching his hand out again to grasp her by the throat, and she blanched, backing almost to the edge of the balcony. As the cold metal of the railing bumped up against her back, a sudden notion struck her, and she felt a crocodilian smile creep across her face.
"Oh, was I running? I kind of considered it more of a strategic relocation."
Dropping onto all fours, she flung out a leg, tangling it between his. He went down hard, letting out a pained grunt as the railing slammed into his midsection, and he sprawled forward over it. Withdrawing her leg as quickly as she could and scrambling to her feet, she seized the back of his belt, letting the portal gun clatter unceremoniously to the floor, and shoved forward with all of her might. Agonizingly slowly, the balance shifted. And then abruptly, the belt ripped roughly out of her hands as the man tipped over the railing and off the ninth floor altogether, letting out a yell of shock as he dropped away into the darkness below.
Falling back and leaning wearily against the wall, she allowed herself a moment to catch her breath, wiping her brow and glaring sidelong at the balcony's edge.
"Yeah, falling sucks, doesn't it? Watch your step next time, you bastard."
Taking one last deep breath, she heaved herself away from the wall, retrieving the device, and turning her attention to the rooftop across the way. She could just barely make out the silhouettes of what she assumed were security personnel swarming between the buildings and along some of the perimeters below.
Her mouth twisted up in displeasure. No doubt they'd be well armed, and judging by Gray's earlier warning, the use of lethal force was much more than just a possibility. On the rooftop, she'd be an easy target. But there was no other way across. Hopefully, her luck would hold, and she'd end up somewhere near the building she was looking for before too many of them reached her position. She'd have to move quickly; across the roof, portal to the ground, and then into the building. One, two, three. Simple enough. And dragging things out was only going to complicate them.
Steeling herself, she fired off another portal, watching it glow to life on the wall inside, and taking one last fleeting look at her target over the balcony's rail, she charged through, springing out onto the rooftop with practiced ease and racing on toward the edge. A round clipped the concrete just in front of her feet, and she almost skittered to a stop, forcing herself to change directions and circle around instead as more bullets bored noisy holes into the night around her. Not much further, now…
She felt the punch of the shot before the pain, a cold explosion of force against her upper arm, which threw her clean off her feet, and sent her rolling across the rooftop before a wave of scarlet agony bloomed in its place.
She fetched up abruptly against a vent, coming to a halt and gasping with equal parts surprise and distress before a combination of instinct and sheer force of will raised her to her feet, and pushed her onward. The edge of the roof finally came into view, and she sprawled forward across it, haphazardly propping the device along the brink to steady her shaking grip, and firing a portal onto the wall of the neighboring building below. The second portal blossomed to life on the rooftop beside her, and she all but fell through, skidding to a halt on the concrete on the other side, and curling into a trembling ball around the injured limb. She'd been shot by turrets before during testing, yes, but this...
Somewhere in the back of her mind, a tiny voice shouted frantically.
Get up. Get up, and keep going. You're not done here. Dammit, get up! Keep going!
For a moment longer, she lay still, struggling to force her unwilling body to obey her brain's command. Eventually, though, mind won out over matter, and she swayed wearily to her feet again, taking stock of her surroundings.
She'd managed to land herself in a short alley between two of the warehouses. A fence blocked the way into the rest of the compound, and a wall of crates, draped loosely with a tattered tarp of some sort, closed off the other end. The wall behind her was blank save for her portal, but the wall ahead was fitted with a stark metal door, and a small window, nearly opaque with dirt and dust. She stumbled across to the door, trying the handle halfheartedly.
Locked. Of course. She'd expected as much. Fortunately, the alternative was not hard to figure out.
Tearing a piece of the tarp away, and wrapping the cloth around her good hand, she peered briefly through the grimy glass before drawing back her fist, and smashing through it. She didn't stop to examine her handiwork, letting the fabric unwind itself as she withdrew her hand, and turning instead to locate the portal gun.
Scooping up the device and taking careful aim, she fired a portal through the jagged hole, nearly laughing in triumph as the wall beyond accepted it, and the glowing gate blazed to life inside.
The massive doors leading into the main complex took up the wall closest to her entry point, flanked by a small control panel in the corner. Raising the device as she slipped out of the portal, she whirled, slamming it sidelong into the little console. The panel broke apart with a satisfying crunch, spewing a cluster of sparks across the floor. With one last smug glance at her handiwork, she turned to examine the interior of the space… and froze.
"Oh my god…"
Her luck had held.
Suspended by the broken remains of her body's main cables, the mainframe hung from the ceiling before her, silent and still. Thick nylon straps, bolted into the ground on either side of the chassis, and ratcheted to their tightest setting, looped across the various wires and components, binding them securely in place. Similar straps constrained her neck and head, forcing them to remain low to the ground, and a dark sheet of opaque film completely covered the optic's glow, stretched across the black inset surrounding it.
Letting out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, she darted across to the slack form, seizing the massive head, and giving it a vigorous shake.
"Hey. Hey! Wake up!"
The chassis jerked, ripping free of her grasp, and abruptly began to pitch back and forth, straining uselessly against the bindings. Choking back a startled gasp at the sudden movement and stumbling back, she reached out to steady the AI's tossing head, but ended up batting uselessly at it, instead, as it jerked in and out of range.
"No, it's all right, it's OK! It's just me!"
Finally managing to seize the inset again with one hand, she scrabbled briefly at the edges of the film before finally succeeding in prying up one of the corners, and then ripped the whole sheet away, flinging it over her shoulder and gently turning the inset as far toward her as the straps would allow.
"See?"
The optic cast around wildly for a moment before finally focusing in on her face, shrinking to a pinprick in what she could only assume was shock. She held almost painfully still, feeling the customary lopsided half-smile creep onto her face as the aperture dilated again and the yellow glow swept up and down, examining her carefully.
"I probably should have specified, right? I forgot that you've never heard my voice, before."
Releasing her hold, she hesitantly laid a hand on either side of the inset. When the head didn't pull away, she leaned forward, resting her forehead against its cool plastic and sighing with equal parts relief and exhaustion.
For a fraction of a second, the AI didn't move. Then abruptly, she wriggled as far backward as she could manage, narrowing her optic and shooting Chell a disgusted glare. The woman smiled sheepishly, shrugging widely.
"Sorry. Don't know what came over me."
Clearing her throat and struggling to regain her composure, she continued, fumbling with the closest set of restraints as she spoke.
"Anyway, are you all right? Everything working OK?"
The straps clattered to the floor, and the mainframe stretched her neck to its fullest extent, rolling it from side to side before finally shaking her head.
"No? What's broken?"
The inset popped forward, and she could have sworn that the optic rolled upward within it before the entire head tilted back, toward the underside of the chassis. Chell frowned in confusion.
"What are- you're… awfully quiet."
Tossing her head straight up in exasperation, she nodded.
"Oh. Is everything else OK, though?"
Another nod.
"Well, let's get the rest of these things off and get you out of here. We can figure out how to fix that later."
She set to work, snapping the ratchets open and feeding the straps through as the AI bobbed and pitched, flinging the loosened lines off in every direction. As the last one slipped away over her head, she reared up, almost scraping the rafters, before dropping quickly back to eye level, and shaking out the kinks in her cables and components. Despite herself, Chell felt the smile return, quickly throwing up a hand to hide it.
"OK, great. What's next?"
Turning toward the massive double doors on the far wall, the mainframe inclined her head.
"Out there?"
Once again, she nodded, and the woman grimaced, giving the egress a look of dread.
"Well, alright, then."
Crossing to the control panel, and squinting at the tiny buttons, she hammered at them a few times, until the doors slid open with an oiled smoothness that didn't quite seem to match their size and state of disrepair. Cautiously, she shouldered the portal gun, pressing her back to the wall beside the opening and peering carefully around it before setting off into the yard beyond.
Much to her surprise, the back lot was nearly deserted, thanks in large part to a massive box truck, sides unmarked, which was currently parked nearly across the entrance. The shouts and sweeping flashlight beams of the security personnel still drifted through the area, occasionally lancing in between the buildings and over the rooftops. A single guard, standing at the tiny remaining entrance to the yard, turned as she stepped out into the moonlight and gave her a wave and a knowing grin, before dashing off to join his fellows, calling something about movement on the rooftops of the opposite perimeter. Chuckling lightly to herself, and reflecting that she apparently had more allies at Cycnus than even she'd been aware of, she turned her attention to the vehicle.
"Perfect."
She scanned the area again before darting across to the vehicle, and laying a hand on the door. Surprisingly, it swung open without complaint. The keys dangled from the ignition, glinting faintly. Frowning, she glanced quickly over her shoulder before scrambling into the cab.
"Too perfect?"
She had inspected nearly the entire compartment for any obvious signs of tampering before the tiny slip of paper, lying on the passenger seat beside a wicked looking pair of bolt cutters, caught her attention. Scooping it up and unfolding it carefully, she held it up to the windshield, allowing the swollen moon to illuminate the precise lettering.
Colin said you might need this. Threw some basic supplies and a couple of extra batteries in the back for good measure. Green button opens and closes the top.
Best of luck to you both.
–M
Nearly laughing with relief, she favored the slip of paper with a warm smile.
"Thanks, Maria. Best of luck to you, too."
Setting the note aside, she reached for the key, firing up the engine and peering cautiously into the side mirror before slowly easing the vehicle backward toward the open door. The mainframe whirled around to watch, tilting her head to the right after a moment or two, and Chell snorted with laughter, obligingly turning the wheel, and backing slowly through the opening and into the building. Parking advice from a supercomputer. Even for her, that was a new one.
Something rapped sharply against the roof, and she brought the truck to a halt, slamming her hand down on the green button and scooping up the clippers as she slithered out of the seat and onto the ground. Taking a few steps back and craning her neck toward the ceiling, she studied the cables above for a moment before turning back to the waiting AI, gnawing at her bottom lip and choosing her words carefully.
"Alright, look, there's only one way I can see to go from here…"
The mainframe stared pointedly at the shears before flicking her optic briefly up at the cables overhead. Tightening her mouth, Chell nodded, hanging the clippers over her shoulder.
"Yeah. Sorry. Can you give me a boost?"
The optic narrowed in annoyance, but she complied, dipping her head almost to the floor, and turning it toward her former test subject. The woman wrapped her arms around it, tightening her grip and flinching slightly as her feet left the floor. The AI folded nearly in half upon herself, straining to reach her uppermost components.
Carefully bracing her feet against the chassis and snagging the wires with her free hand Chell scrambled onto the upper half of the massive structure, carefully maneuvering herself into place. She turned briefly to glance back down at the AI, giving her a halfhearted wave.
"Thanks. I'll see you later."
The main power cord had already been spliced to an adaptor of some sort and fitted into a port in the ceiling. She wrestled briefly with it before finally managing to yank it out, letting it drop away, and hastily wrapping a hand around one of the supports as the chassis went limp beneath her feet. So far so good. She turned her shears to the first of the support wires, clipping through it with ease, and carefully scrambling across to chop through the diagonal cord, evening the balance somewhat. Just two more left, and they'd be mobile. Smiling hesitantly to herself, she sheared through the third support.
The entire rig shifted forward abruptly, and she clutched wildly at the last cable, barely managing to catch it, and biting back a cry at the pain the motion caused. As she glanced down the sloping curve of the AI's body at the floor, meters below, it occurred to her for the first time that she might not have thought this part of the plan through entirely before she'd launched into action.
There was only one option left, now. Cut the cable, and hope for the best. Frowning and pulling herself up to perch on the remaining bit of chassis, she studied her target carefully, craning her neck and futilely attempting to follow it back down into the darkness below. Snip it too high, and the fall would probably kill her. Too low, and she might damage something important. Maybe if she cut carefully, and let it snap on its own…?
Shaking her head, she concluded that there really wasn't a good way to do this. She'd just have to try, and accept the consequences. Raising the shears, she snipped slowly into the cable, watching carefully as the blades bit through each individual strand of the braided mass of wires, one by one.
When the first strand snapped without being cut, she hastily flung the clippers aside, wrapping her hands around the dangling section of the cable, and snapping her feet fiercely together to catch herself as her slippery grip faltered, and she slid a good few feet down its length. For a moment, she paused to catch her breath, until another crack from the mass above, and a light drop startled her back into motion.
Abruptly, the cable parted with a sharp snap, and the remnants of the rig plunged into the hold of the truck, taking her with them. She landed with a jarring bump amongst the tangle, fighting her way out of the pile of cables and components, and gasping as her ankle collapsed under her, sending a bolt of pain racing up her leg. To her infinite relief, the other held, and she leaned against the wall to steady herself before trying again.
This time, the injured limb held, even as the motion produced a fresh surge of agony. She drew in a sharp breath, but continued, limping steadily toward the doors at the end of the truck, and dropping out onto her good leg. Hauling herself up and into the driver's seat proved to be a harrowing experience, but as she laid her foot on the gas pedal, and the wheels began to roll forward, she found herself gripped by a surge of elation, letting out a whoop and pounding cheerily on the wheel as the wildly swinging flashlight beams of security personnel scattered out of their path.
They had done it. Really done it. They were getting out of here, and woe to the next fool who tried to stop them.
The laughter died on the tip of her tongue as the final obstacle flashed into view in the headlights' glare.
The gate was closing, twin halves gliding slowly across the exit to block their way.
Clenching her teeth, and tightening her hands on the steering wheel, she slammed the gas pedal as far down as it would go, eyes flashing.
"No. I did not come this far just to get stopped by a goddamned metal waffle."
The impact was not as terrible as she'd anticipated.
The right half of the gate flew free entirely, spinning away into the darkness and vanishing quickly from sight. The left half clung stubbornly to the side of the grill for a few meters, sending up a shower of sparks as it scraped along the asphalt, before finally ceding and falling away.
Letting out a burst of exhilarated laughter and yanking the wheel as far to the right as it would go, she sent the vehicle careening down the winding service road to the main grid of the city's roadway system, braking just in time to ease gently onto the thoroughfare, into the flow of late-night traffic and the noisy anonymity of the crowded streets.
She didn't look back. Not even when the last set of wheels clattered safely over the mainland side of the bridge, and the lights of the city vanished behind them into the night.