Chell woke up in the glass chamber. Again. This was getting old. She woke up, she tested for what could be a few hours or a few days, and then she was put back to sleep. She had never yet encountered another human being, and Her condescending voice wasn't cutting it in terms of interaction.

"I'm glad you're awake, Chell," said the Voice. "Today's a long haul. You'd better get ready. I'd suggest using the bathroom, having a sip of coffee, and tightening your boots. Oh, and a new hairtie will be dispensed in 3... 2... 1..." Chell sighed as she caught the small ring of elastic. She didn't usually like listening to Her, but if she was doing another long-term testing run, she'd better do as she said.

She picked up the gray-white mug, opened the drawer on the stand it had been on, and held it under a tiny tap. Brownish, thick liquid dispensed into the mug and filled it exactly halfway. She raised it to her mouth, plugged her nose with one hand, and gulped it all at once. The bitter, foul taste still plagued her senses but it was not as potent. She leaned down and checked the tightness on her strange boots. The one command she ignored was to use the bathroom. She never ate, and the coffee provided nothing but energy that went straight to her system. She did replace her old, frayed hairtie with the new one.

While she still had time, she leaned down and switched on the small, dome-shaped radio on the stand.

"No, no, none of this. Not this again. This just makes it more difficult for both of us." Chell ignored Her, and began waving her arms and kicking her legs in a strange kind of dance.

"Really, Chell. This is just childish. Come along now, it's time to start the tests. We've got a lot of tests ahead of us. You can only delay the inevitable.

Chell continued dancing as the staticky music poured out of the tiny radio.

"Chell. Chell, don't make me force you. I know you don't like it when I force you." the Voice sighed. Chell put her hands on her hips and wiggled them stubbornly.

"Oh, this is just vulgar, do you know that? It's hard for me to watch. It really is. I have it right here in your file, too: you're a terrible dancer."

Chell looked at the security camera in the corner of the glass room and stuck out her tongue. She put her hands above her head and wiggled, then put them back on her hips and kicked up her legs.

"Chell, we have tests to do. Now is most definitely not the time to... to dance. Chell, we have tests to do. You can dance when you complete sixteen tests, how about that? We'll bring you to a rest room and you can have a five-minute dance break. How does that sound?"

Chell crossed her arms and tossed her head, still swaying to the music. The Voice always promised her something. She had to wait until it was real.

"Alright, we're resorting to brute force. I warned you, Chell. I really did. But I've told you the rules before: No dancing before testing. Do I have to print a sign to put into your enclosure? A rules sign? Anyways. Let's get you out into the test chamber."

The nightstand raised slowly up from the floor and moved to the side, allowing a huge robotic claw to raise from the floor, seize her around the waist, and lift her through the blue portal that had opened on the white panel in the wall next to her bed.

"There we go. See, that was easy, wasn't it? Yes, so easy. Now let's start testing." the Voice cooed. The round door in the wall opened, the portal gun was placed in her hands, and she was ushered through with the help of the claw.

It was a day like many others that she'd had in her life. She'd almost lost count, but she'd begun shattering her mug when she got back from testing and adding a long scratch to the collection on the white panels next to her 'bed.'