Once the bullet train stopped, everyone piled out onto a dimly-lit platform. They were all able to fit into a large lift that slowly carried them up for about twenty minutes at a steady pace. Mikey awkwardly stood at the opposite side of the elevator from Amelia, not wanting to make things uncomfortable by being squeezed next to her in a confined space.
When the lift finally stopped, they still had to climb several flights of stairs—also dimly-lit—until they came to a ladder. Mikey's stomach filled with butterflies as he climbed the ladder. This was it. He would finally get to see the outside world after a little more than a decade of being stuck underground.
Grant punched a code into a hatch at the top of the ladder, and he threw open the hatch to let sunshine pour down on them.
"It's so warm!" Natalie practically giggled. She was always such a bubbly person.
Mikey caught a whiff of pollen even from how far down the ladder he was. "I think I smell flowers!" he said, not able to contain his excitement.
Once they were all outside, they sat in the grass for a while. It was slightly damp with morning dew. Mikey looked around and noticed that there were oddly placed bare spots between the trees. It looked as though clusters of trees had been uprooted. Some of the trees that were left appeared to have been blown down by some sort of small explosions. New plants grew around them, though, with tiny purple flowers surrounding the trunks of the trees.
Almost everybody eventually started exploring the area, but Mikey was too distracted by how Amelia lied in the grass with a small smile on her face. She looked so peaceful, and he wanted nothing more than to lie down next to her.
Grant tried to get everyone to keep moving, but Carla pointed out the soft sound of running water. Arin was the first to follow the sound, soon followed by everybody else. They came to a small stream that flowed through the forest. A few of them copied Jon when he took off his shoes to wade in the stream. Mikey settled for feeling the water gently run around his hand as he dipped it in the water. It felt fresh and cold, reminding him that it was still only spring.
When they finally got moving again, it took them quite a long time to actually get to Aperture. When they did, the building was surprisingly underwhelming. It was about the size of a high school and looked extremely plain. There was a chain-link fence all around the building with razor wire curled at the top that appeared to be electrified.
"Is that it?" asked Sophie. "That's the Aperture Enrichment Center?"
"Don't let your guard down," Grant said. "For all we know, that rogue computer is still activated in there. Let's head for the lobby."
They walked around to the front gate where Grant used bolt cutters to make a hole in the fence. Their first problem came with the lobby door which seemed to be locked from the inside.
"Now what do we do?" Patty asked. "Should we try to pry it open?"
"No, these locks are too strong for that," Grant said. "It looks like it's been deadbolted. We'll have to focus on that."
"Let me handle this," said Alex. He was tall, cocky, and was always trying to flirt with girls even if they clearly weren't interested. He winked at Natalie before running straight at the door and attempted to break it down with his shoulder. Natalie rolled her eyes when he yelped out in pain. "Goddamnit! Stupid fucking door!"
"Will you shut up?" Nate grumbled "Here, let me take a look at yer arm." He gently prodded Alex's shoulder with his fingers as he inspected the socket joint. Alex winced a bit, but Nate announced that the kid appeared to have no damage done to the shoulder except for "one hell of a bruise."
Mikey suddenly remembered one of the extra items he'd brought, and he wondered if it might be of use here. He mustered up all the courage that he could before speaking.
"May I try something? I've been brushing up on my chemistry and I—"
"Wait, why were you brushing up on your chemistry?" Sophie—a spunky girl with an attitude problem—asked. "You belong in the computer lab, not the chemistry lab."
"Well, it's extremely boring down there when you're just staring at a computer screen all day," Mikey muttered crossly. "I mean, I love programming and all, but I had to do something else down there to keep my sanity so I went to chemistry. Anyway, while I was in the lab yesterday, I decided that it would be a good idea to whip up some industrial acids. I've constructed this special spray bottle that has a coating of a chemical on the inside that serves as a strong barrier between the acid and the thick plastic of the bottle. This is just a prototype of the acid so I can't guarantee anything. I'll spray the deadbolt lock and see if it works."
He pulled a plastic bag out of his backpack that seemed to have an ordinary spray bottle in it. He couldn't help but notice everybody's skeptic expressions as he slipped on a pair of thick leather gloves. Carefully. he pulled the spray bottle out of the plastic bag and warned everyone to stay back before spraying a foul-smelling liquid onto the lock. He was surprised as the acid not only dissolved the deadbolt but also the entire door. Luckily, it stopped just a little after eating away the doorframe.
"Geez, Mikey," Arin said with an impressed smile. "Way to go!" He patted Mikey on the back who tried not to let his annoyance show on his face. He didn't need a condescending pat on the back from anyone.
Grant was the first to go through the hole. As everyone followed, Mikey looked around at the immense lobby. It looked like the walls had once been covered with white tiles, but there were several that had fallen to the dirty floor. There were plants creeping out of the gaps in the walls that the missing tiles had made. Mikey approached one of the plants and examined it as he turned the leaves over in his hands. The vines were thicker than normal and the leaves seemed to be too green.
"What the hell happened here?" Grant asked. "It's only been fifteen years since Bring Your Daughter to Work Day."
"Can plants grow that fast?" Nate asked.
"Doesn't matter," Mikey said, seeming for forget his shyness. "These plants look like they've been enhanced in some way. Aperture probably made some kind of growth serum and it got to the plants somehow."
"Wow, Mikey," Amelia said. "You're really on your A-game today."
Mikey's heart beat hard against his ribcage from Amelia's praise. He smiled nervously and pushed his glasses back up his nose. Why was he sweating so much?
"Okay, everyone gather around," Grant said. "First, I want to hand out these bottles of antipsychotic pills. If or when we run into Rattmann, he needs to get a clear mind as soon as possible." He handed a bottle of pills to each person, and then took his place in front of the group again. "Since we're missing so many people we'll have to change the groups a bit," Grant said. "I'll be in a group with Sophie and Trent. We'll be Group A. Chief Oates, Patty, and Mikey will be together in Group B. Arin, Jon, and Natalie are in Group C. And finally, Alex, Nate, and Carla will make up Group D."
Everyone got into their groups. Mikey awkwardly stood near Amelia but kept a few feet of distance between them. Arin seemed disappointed that he wasn't in a group with Amelia, and Mikey tried to hide how smug he felt about it.
"Okay, everyone keep your communicators on for emergencies," Grant said. "Group A will head toward the administrative offices. Group B will head toward manufacturing. Group C should look around the testing areas, and Group D should check the examination rooms."