Chapter 11
"Hey-hey hold on now," you started, walking in front of Chell.
"We just wanted to go home, that's all." She turns a bit and tilts her head to the side while facing you.
"What did you do with that metal ball anyway?
If you wanted him properly disposed, you should have given him to me."
You narrowed your eyes as you pointed, "He's not your property! What happened to him is none of your business!"
GLaDOS jerked to the left and narrowed her eye, stating firmly, "I'm afraid to inform you that he is, in fact, my business, and you have no say in that matter."
You must protect him. "Listen, robot," you stated, stomping your foot.
GLaDOS eyed you dangerously as she said lowly, "You're treading on thin ice, Human. And believe me, I'll turn up the heat to ensure you fall through."
She proceeds to rock side to side, anticipating you next choice of words.
You take a deep breath and finally said carefully, "I don't know how things work down here, but he's only a danger if he's with me right?
Well he's gone, and chances are he is too cowardly to enter your chamber willingly, so he poses no threat. Just leave him alone and deal with me."
She stops rocking as she turns to face Chell.
You turn to see her signing, 'Who's 'he'? Who are you talking about?'
She looked a mix of hopeful and surprised. "A round robot ball," you try your best to describe Wheatley. "His name is―" you were cut off by GLaDOS.
"There's still the matter of dealing with her too." She was referring to Chell.
"I meant it when I say 'deal' with me," you clarified.
She turns to face you. "I'm listening," she replied.
"I know you don't like us and don't want us here, but hear me out.
One: I fell down here and you know that, not my fault. Well, sort of.
Okay, it's totally my fault but bear with me, I'll explain later. I just want to get out of here.
Two: she's down here," and you point to Chell "because she's looking for me.
Not her fault, it is my fault she's here. She only wanted me to return home safely, not endanger you.
In exchange for letting us leave, alive, no tricks from anyone, I'll do one last test. I swear on my life."
"Hmm," she responded thoughtfully. "That's an interesting thing to swear on.
How about this instead: you complete one more test for both of your freedom, and I hold on to your silent friend here for collateral damage.
Try anything funny, and she goes to an all-expense paid vacation into a pit of goo.
Since you so volunteered your own life as well, you will be joining her for a deadly swim right after her.
Do we have a deal?"
"And you don't harm Wheatley?" you say at last.
Chell's eyes lit up. 'Wait, he's here? How?' you see her sign.
Before you could answer, you hear an emulated sigh.
"Fine. It's a deal," GLaDOS says reluctantly.
"I won't actively hunt him if that's what you mean.
If he irritates me on a separate matter, I will kill him."
"Fine, then it's settled then.
No tricks, GLaDOS."
A claw comes down and grabs Chell to lift her high. "I'm holding her in case she does something to void your agreement.
No tricks. Although, you are in for quite a treat," she said plainly.
You narrowed your eyes and said, "What does that mean?"
She said, "You'll see soon enough. Step inside the elevator for your final test."
You do as you're told, and the elevators descends to the testing track.
This testing track is a bit different in set up from what you were accustomed to. (This is Test Chamber 19 from Portal 1)
You walk towards the energy ball thing and stared in awe.
"Oh cool!" you exclaimed.
"Did you ever hear from the test subject who touched an Aperture Science High Energy Pellet?" asked GLaDOS over the intercom.
"No," you said slowly, a tad worried.
"That's because they died after touching it."
"Oh," you said warily. You portal where the pellet hits the raised platform and once it's about to hit downwards, you portal the other ramp so that the pellet hit the device in the ceiling and activates something.
"All right!" you projected. You look around to see what that did, and lo and behold, platform over the goo pit were moving.
You stepped on the next available one and rode it to where there was a little area for you to step off to on the left.
You pressed the button to see the door go up, then go down after a second.
You keep trying to time it, but it seems to go down so fast. It will crush you if you're not fast enough.
"Hey GLaDOS, how can get past this? This is impossible," you shout towards the closest camera you see.
"It is against protocol to help test subjects solve the testing chambers," she stated.
"And besides, even if I could, that wouldn't be part of the deal, remember?"
"Oh crap, you right," you said in defeat. You stood there and thought for several minutes on how to get past there without dying.
Maybe if the platform was halfway under the door, and as soon as you press it, you run like hell to the platform and crouch.
You waited and held your breath. Once the platform was nearly halfway under, you pressed the button and ran screaming.
You barely made it before the door came down.
You then realized, as you were catching your breath, that you could have just placed a portal on the wall past the door when it opened.
Ah well.
You see the same kind of pellet up ahead bouncing back and forth.
"Uh, uh, uh! What do I do?! HAAHH!" you hollered. "You didn't tell me this test chamber has timed events!"
You portal blue where it hit the wall, and it left. Then it came back as you portal orange above and you freaked out because you were afraid of getting hit.
"AHH! OH HELL NAW!" You made it in time as you placed the blue portal up high in front of you once the pellet went back through.
You sighed with relief as the worse is over. You thought.
Then as the platform changed direction, there was a wall in front of you and it cannot move.
"Aw no-no-no-no!" you portal blue just as the pellet came back through you screamed as you dodged out the way as much as the platform could, portal orange to the wall, and looked back.
You dodged the pellet again as it went back into the portal, and again you dodged when it came back out.
You made it through the blue portal and portal blue up to stop the pellet from chasing you, all while screaming.
You finally stopped screaming once the danger was over.
There was an image of a cake icon seen on the wall ahead.
"Hey GLaDOS, what's with this cake image?
Is this the treat you're talking about?" after a moment, you heard the intercom click on.
"Congratulations! The test is now over," said GLaDOS, though she sounds like how she was when you first met her.
"Uuh, GLaDOS? You okay? 'Cause you sound different.
Do I get cake or something?" you called out between breaths.
"All Aperture technologies remain safely operational up to 4000 degrees Kelvin." The platform pulled into view of an incinerator to your left, and you're being pulled towards it.
"Woah, woah, hey GLaDOS, what the hell?! HELLO?!"
"Rest assured that there is absolutely no chance of a dangerous equipment malfunction prior to your victory candescence.
Thank you for participating in this Aperture Science computer-aided enrichment activity." After all this time, she will still kill you it seems.
You look around the room for any portal surfaces, and sadly there were none.
Is this really it? "GLaDOS!"
"Goodbye."
THE END? Turn to page 13 to find out...
