Chapter 3- Test Subject 7028
With the past few days of training exercises, I couldn't help but feel like these Portal Games were beginning to become a sham. Why would it take about a week for the eight of us to train? Maybe some of the test subjects haven't laid hands on a portal gun since their awakening? After passing the last test, I walked into the small elevator. I pressed my finger to the screen icon. Videos of other test subjects appeared. I pressed on the white search bar and a key pad appeared below it.
Typing in 2-0-1-3 had made my thoughts on this game more confusing. 2013 was pretty good with the portal gun and the mazes weren't in any way downgraded because of her looks. If anything, it looked like GLaDOS wanted her dead as much as I did. As far as people needing additional training, 2013 was not on that list.
I erased the four digits and typed in 2-7-0-3-6. I was astonished by the little girl's manoeuvringthrough her mazes. Her size made it possible for her to pass the puzzles through tight crannies. It also made my brain wonder again why we were to practice more. Maybe it wasn't the girls who needed improvement, perhaps the gentlemen needed the practice time? Well, whatever reason, it didn't make sense to me.
After making it past another labyrinth of white panels, I quickly entered my restoration chamber. As soon as I did, I saw a boy standing at the other end of the room. I pointed the portal gun toward his head in reaction. The boy simply raised his arms in the air as a gesture to not pull the trigger and blind him. It was a matter of time before GLaDOS' voice was heard through the speakers.
"There has been a change in the practice system. Each selected participant will now be partnered with another tribute." At first I imagine it a joke. Surely She must have killed off the other tributes in this fashion. For a second I am thinking that we are the last two who have survived.
"Test subject 577, meet your partner, test subject 7028. Test subject 2078, this young woman is test subject 577, your partner." Once her introduction was over, we took the time to study the other's appearance before the training began. He was slim, but fairly built. An auburn color in his hair and his hazel eyes seemed to want to pull me in a trance.
A door slid out from the wall and led to the next maze. The floor and walls were completely brownwhich would prevent the both of us from being able to manifest any portals and the exit was blocked by a giant gap descending into a pool of toxic substances. The only other thing in the room was a suspended tube of white gel which would reverse the effects of the brown colored panels and a button that releases the gel.
"Press the button, I think I know what to do", I directed to my partner. The boy wanted to oppose but gladly pushed the orange button that released the white gel. I waited for the gel to spread to both sides of the parted floor. I aimed my gun directly under the flow of gel. The portal was in place and I placed another near the edge where the wall was met.
The white gel covered a good portion of the wall. I made another portal to that wall which then began to shoot white gel across the room and into its across the street neighbor. Slowly but surely, I managed to to repaint the room white and got us across the splattery mess and to the exit. Once we got to the restoration chamber, two beds appeared from the underside of the panels. "Make sure to get your rest, the real challenge begins son." the robotic voice said as we slept in our individual beds.