p class="MsoNormal"strongspan style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Chapter 12 – New Partner/span/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;""For the next test, you'll need a buddy. Now, we couldn't find any Mews who weren't afraid of you to participate, so we got one from a nearby universe. You'll meet him in the chamber." Princess spoke up over the intercom. Jeremy was surprised. What could be so complex he needed a partner? "What's his name?" Jeremy asked the ceiling. "He wouldn't say. Also, an additional note: You know the paradox where someone invents an armor that can withstand every bullet, and then a bullet to pierce even the best armor?" Jeremy was confused. "Yes… why?" The speaker was silent. "Well, that's probably a clue," he muttered to himself./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;""So, feel free to enjoy the use of Jeremy's house!" the AI spoke up. "Alrighty then," Brandon said. "Is there cake?" Will asked. "…Yes…" the AI answered. "It's past the row of activated Portal turrets." Abby laughed nervously. "They don't shoot… do they?" The AI seemed to grow agitated. "Well, that's classified information, but… yes. They do. Quite violently, actually. But I taught them some stuff, and they might not shoot you. Just yell out that you're coming so they're not surprised, or… Jeremy will make me clean up." Most of the group's stomachs lurched at the thought./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Jeremy entered the chamber, and stopped. A small chip was lying on a podium in front of him. "Er, what exactly am I supposed to do with this?" he asked. "Plug it in," Princess kindly answered. Jeremy picked it up, and a small arm came out of the watch. He held the chip close to it, and it snatched it out of his hand, causing him to flinch with surprise. It rotated around the watch until it found one of the radial sections that was yellow-gold in color, then inserted the chip into a slot on the outside of the section, which now glowed a full yellow like when he had absorbed the fire. "That was the only chip we could find," Princess said. "It's the Electricity Chip, try it out." Jeremy tentatively held his hand out and snapped his fingers. Immediately, a bolt of lightning shot out from his fingertips and scorched the nearest wall. Jeremy stared at his watch like it was his Christmas present. "Oh dear, it seems he's taking the chip a bit too well," Princess remarked privately to the others. Jeremy was now blasting every wall he could find. "Why is this so fun? I DON'T KNOW!" he yelled./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Jeremy continued through the chamber. It seemed to be mainly a lot of platforms he couldn't reach, and little dynamo-like things on the walls. He zapped one, and it seemed to crackle with life. A moving, floating platform started out from under the one he was standing on, and he ran and jumped onto it, barely making it. Moving on to the next platform, he saw that it was the same deal, except the dynamo was nowhere to be found. Jeremy looked around, until he finally spotted it glinting on the far-off ceiling. He aimed carefully, and hit it dead-on. "Good aim," Princess remarked, probably making a note. "Thanks, I try," Jeremy answered. He ambled on over to the next program, noting a few things about it on the way there. For one, it was white, instead of the normal blackish, metallic gray. What did that mean? He shrugged, and decided to zap it. The entire surface lit up with random arcs of electricity surging through it. Ah, Jeremy noted. White means electrically conductive. Good. He stepped onto the platform, wincing a little as his shoes absorbed the electricity all around them, smoking a little. Jeremy noticed another white platform ahead. But it was separated by a gap. Then he looked behind him, noticing a button. It said "WARNING" on top. "Well, that isn't very specific," Jeremy said. He pressed the button, and the dynamo on the wall appeared to charge up with energy. "No, you weren't supposed to do that yet! Get out of the way!" yelled Princess. She attempted to explain further, but her screams had ravaged her new vocal cords, and she could no longer speak./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Jeremy quickly analyzed the situation. From the shape of the dynamo's 'cannon', it had a very wide blast radius, the size of the entire platform at least. It was circular, so he couldn't duck. "Well, this is the end," Jeremy said. He knew he wouldn't "respawn" like he normally did, because he was on Earth. The light intensified, and Jeremy could no longer stare at his white, shining doom. A patch of shadow appeared, and Jeremy opened his eyes. To his amazement, a lime green Mew was blocking the beam. All of it. /span/p
prespan style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Who are you?" Jeremy asked. /spanspan style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin""I go by many names... Defender, Protector, Friend, Consult, Guardian Angel... But you can call me Alan." He replied in a mellow voice./spanspan style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""I see. So, you're the partner I have for this test." Jeremy replied, still a little shocked at what had just occurred./span span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin""Yeah, they promised me a big slice of cheesecake if I could prevent you from,/span/pre
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:Times New Romanmso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"y'know, dying. Oddly, now that I think of it, I'm pretty sure it is a moot point, what with you being friends with death and all," Alan said thoughtfully. "But I certainly hope that they were NOT lying about the cheesecake." Alan turned away from Jeremy, and formed a Plasma Spear out of thin air, raising it to the camera on the ceiling. "It had better NOT be a/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:Times New Romanmso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"LIE, Blue! If it is, I will shove this spear so far up your-" Jeremy quickly clamped his hand over Alan's mouth. "Whoa there, no need to get too hasty," he said. "Also, I'm not sure about the whole death thing, because this is my world and notMew's."/span/p
prespan class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background: rgb(247, 237, 159);" /span/span/pre
p class="MsoNormal"span class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
background:#E1FFA1""Oh..." He said simply. "Well, at any rate, I guess we should get this over with. And before you ask, No, I do NOT talk about why I am green. It is a rather embarrassing story that not even my Psychiatrist, hell, even my THERAPIST doesn't know about it. I have reasons to keep it quiet, number 1 being the fact that I could never show my face in public again. So," Alan glanced around the room. "Now what are we supposed to do?"/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
background:#F7ED9F"Jeremy looked around. He didn't see anything the dynamo would go to, so he looked elsewhere. He saw a large platform way up high, and hit it with a bolt of electricity. The platform immediately started moving downward, and stopped at the level of the platform they were standing on./span/spanspan class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:#E1FFA1" "Alright! Now let's get the heck outta here... all of this electricity is starting to get rather unsettling in my opinion..." Alan exclaimed, as he floated onto the platform. "It would be far too easy to get hit by a stray bolt-" Alan stopped talking as a small bolt of electricity hit him, and blasted him to the floor./span/spanspan class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:#F7ED9F" "Well, it seems the electricity beat you to the punch line." Jeremy remarked, offering a hand. "But you're right, we had better get going."/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
background:#E1FFA1"Alan took Jeremy's hand, and soon was on his feet (relatively speaking) again. "I'll NEVER get my fur to lie flat..." He whined, as he tried to brush down his still on-end fur. "I don't look too awful, do I?"/span/spanspan class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:#F7ED9F" "Oh, you look fine. I wonder if Princess has a comb, though..." Jeremy offhandedly replied. /span/spanspan class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:#E1FFA1""I look like a freaking green puffball!" Alan moaned as he conjured up a mirror in midair. "I don't even think a brush would help me now! Damn it all, Blue, YOU KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN! You are still mad about that Superglue prank, aren't you?! I'll give you something to REALLY be mad abou-" Alan is cut off once again by another bolt of electricity, and this time, a chuckle is heard from the speaker on the wall./span/spanspan class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:#F7ED9F" Jeremy frowned. He took aim with his hand, and zapped the place where the bolt came from. Electrocution sounds could be heard, and he grinned with satisfaction. "Don't make me come up there, Blue," he said. "I will make you look even worse than this guy," Jeremy remarked, pointing at Alan./span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
background:#F7ED9F"Jeremy grabbed Alan, still limp, and dragged him onto the platform. Thankfully, it took them to the end of the course. "Wake up, sleepyhead," Jeremy said, gently laying Alan on the floor./span/spanspan class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:#E1FFA1" Alan woke up, and he looked at the ceiling, eyes slightly glazed. "What... just happened? Are we done? Do I get my cheesecake now?" Alan's voice had a hopeful tone in it./span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
background:#F7ED9F""Well, does he?" Jeremy stared at the security camera on the adjacent wall. There was a moment of silence, then a disgruntled "Fine," on the other end. An entire cheesecake was brought out of a hole in the floor, sitting on a small podium. "Well, there's your cake," Jeremy replied to Alan. /span/spanspan class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:#E1FFA1""YAY!" Alan ran over to the cheesecake, and devours it quickly, purring all the while. After several minutes, he stopped purring, and looked slightly embarrassed. "Sorry, it's just... Y'know how much Nick loved cookies? I kinda have the same problem with cheesecake, it's rather embarrassing, really..." Alan finished, looking slightly sheepish./span/spanspan class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:#F7ED9F" "No, it's fine," Jeremy replied, smirking a little. "I'm used to my friends having odd cravings."/span/spanspan class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:#E1FFA1" "Yeah, I suppose so. But still..." Alan sighed, slightly saddened. "I really enjoyed hanging out with you, but it kinda looks like the test is over... or is it? Well, at any rate, I think that after this test, I'm liable to need a new job, 'cause I need to let Blue calm down. Perhaps an Elitist Weapons Modification and Manufacturing Facility, or maybe a Berry Farmer... Perhaps both. Who knows, we might just meet again someday." Alan shook his head. "Nah, I'll worry about that later. Let's focus on getting the heck outta here now."/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
background:#F7ED9F""To the door! AWAAAY!" Jeremy shouted in the manner of an overdramatic superhero. Both exited through the door, and came to two separate elevators. One had a picture of a human,the other a question mark. "What, does this tell us which elevator to go to? Because if so, you, good sir, are a question mark," Jeremy pointed out. There was a snicker over the intercom./span/spanspan class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:
12.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
background:#E1FFA1" "Oh, very witty Blue." Alan growled sarcastically. "Just because I like to 'Over-use' Transform, that gives you no right to mock me... Should I remind you of the incident that happened in the portal universe?" Blue quickly stopped laughing. "That got your attention, didn't it? Now, shall I tell Jeremy EXACTLY WHY you were trapped as a power source for GlaDOS, or will you stop making fun of me?" After a few minutes pause, the intercom crackled to life. "You get off easy this time, Alan. Next time there won't be any interfering Heroes to help you." Alan winced at that. "And by the way Alan, yes, you ARE fired." Alan moaned. "NOW what am I gonna do?"/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
background:#F7ED9F"Jeremy thought. "Er... you could sue for malpractice?"/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
background:#E1FFA1""Nah, I Can't. I have no money to hire a lawyer..." Alan Sighed. "Plus, I find stealing, or counterfeiting highly unethical, so that's out of the question." Alan noticed Jeremy looking confused, and continued to explain. "Well, I find that if you could have absolutely anything you want at the clap of your paws, that it's NOT the end that counts, but rather the journey seeking it." Alan stepped up to the question marked elevator. "Well Jeremy, this looks like where we say farewell, but I have the strangest feeling that we will meet again. Fairly quickly, I might add... Oh, wait! Duh, Alan. I forgot to give you this!" Alan handed Jeremy what appeared to be a green glass orb. "If you are in desperate need of help, just smash this. It contains a teleportation matrix that I linked to myself. Consider it my gift to you. Jeremy, I consider you a friend now. You seem to be kind, witty, and willing to stand up for what you believe in. It's really sad that we have to part here..." After Alan floated into the elevator, he turned around and waved farewell to Jeremy, and then he vanished behind the steel doors./span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
background:#F7ED9F""..." Jeremy had a small smile on his face. "Alright, cool." He advanced into the next chamber…/span/span/p
prespan class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; background: rgb(247, 237, 159);" /span/span/pre
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;""For the next test, you'll need a buddy. Now, we couldn't find any Mews who weren't afraid of you to participate, so we got one from a nearby universe. You'll meet him in the chamber." Princess spoke up over the intercom. Jeremy was surprised. What could be so complex he needed a partner? "What's his name?" Jeremy asked the ceiling. "He wouldn't say. Also, an additional note: You know the paradox where someone invents an armor that can withstand every bullet, and then a bullet to pierce even the best armor?" Jeremy was confused. "Yes… why?" The speaker was silent. "Well, that's probably a clue," he muttered to himself./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;""So, feel free to enjoy the use of Jeremy's house!" the AI spoke up. "Alrighty then," Brandon said. "Is there cake?" Will asked. "…Yes…" the AI answered. "It's past the row of activated Portal turrets." Abby laughed nervously. "They don't shoot… do they?" The AI seemed to grow agitated. "Well, that's classified information, but… yes. They do. Quite violently, actually. But I taught them some stuff, and they might not shoot you. Just yell out that you're coming so they're not surprised, or… Jeremy will make me clean up." Most of the group's stomachs lurched at the thought./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Jeremy entered the chamber, and stopped. A small chip was lying on a podium in front of him. "Er, what exactly am I supposed to do with this?" he asked. "Plug it in," Princess kindly answered. Jeremy picked it up, and a small arm came out of the watch. He held the chip close to it, and it snatched it out of his hand, causing him to flinch with surprise. It rotated around the watch until it found one of the radial sections that was yellow-gold in color, then inserted the chip into a slot on the outside of the section, which now glowed a full yellow like when he had absorbed the fire. "That was the only chip we could find," Princess said. "It's the Electricity Chip, try it out." Jeremy tentatively held his hand out and snapped his fingers. Immediately, a bolt of lightning shot out from his fingertips and scorched the nearest wall. Jeremy stared at his watch like it was his Christmas present. "Oh dear, it seems he's taking the chip a bit too well," Princess remarked privately to the others. Jeremy was now blasting every wall he could find. "Why is this so fun? I DON'T KNOW!" he yelled./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Jeremy continued through the chamber. It seemed to be mainly a lot of platforms he couldn't reach, and little dynamo-like things on the walls. He zapped one, and it seemed to crackle with life. A moving, floating platform started out from under the one he was standing on, and he ran and jumped onto it, barely making it. Moving on to the next platform, he saw that it was the same deal, except the dynamo was nowhere to be found. Jeremy looked around, until he finally spotted it glinting on the far-off ceiling. He aimed carefully, and hit it dead-on. "Good aim," Princess remarked, probably making a note. "Thanks, I try," Jeremy answered. He ambled on over to the next program, noting a few things about it on the way there. For one, it was white, instead of the normal blackish, metallic gray. What did that mean? He shrugged, and decided to zap it. The entire surface lit up with random arcs of electricity surging through it. Ah, Jeremy noted. White means electrically conductive. Good. He stepped onto the platform, wincing a little as his shoes absorbed the electricity all around them, smoking a little. Jeremy noticed another white platform ahead. But it was separated by a gap. Then he looked behind him, noticing a button. It said "WARNING" on top. "Well, that isn't very specific," Jeremy said. He pressed the button, and the dynamo on the wall appeared to charge up with energy. "No, you weren't supposed to do that yet! Get out of the way!" yelled Princess. She attempted to explain further, but her screams had ravaged her new vocal cords, and she could no longer speak./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"Jeremy quickly analyzed the situation. From the shape of the dynamo's 'cannon', it had a very wide blast radius, the size of the entire platform at least. It was circular, so he couldn't duck. "Well, this is the end," Jeremy said. He knew he wouldn't "respawn" like he normally did, because he was on Earth. The light intensified, and Jeremy could no longer stare at his white, shining doom. A patch of shadow appeared, and Jeremy opened his eyes. To his amazement, a lime green Mew was blocking the beam. All of it. /span/p
prespan style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""Who are you?" Jeremy asked. /spanspan style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin""I go by many names... Defender, Protector, Friend, Consult, Guardian Angel... But you can call me Alan." He replied in a mellow voice./spanspan style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;""I see. So, you're the partner I have for this test." Jeremy replied, still a little shocked at what had just occurred./span span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin""Yeah, they promised me a big slice of cheesecake if I could prevent you from,/span/pre
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:Times New Romanmso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"y'know, dying. Oddly, now that I think of it, I'm pretty sure it is a moot point, what with you being friends with death and all," Alan said thoughtfully. "But I certainly hope that they were NOT lying about the cheesecake." Alan turned away from Jeremy, and formed a Plasma Spear out of thin air, raising it to the camera on the ceiling. "It had better NOT be a/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:Times New Romanmso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin"LIE, Blue! If it is, I will shove this spear so far up your-" Jeremy quickly clamped his hand over Alan's mouth. "Whoa there, no need to get too hasty," he said. "Also, I'm not sure about the whole death thing, because this is my world and notMew's."/span/p
prespan class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background: rgb(247, 237, 159);" /span/span/pre
p class="MsoNormal"span class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
background:#E1FFA1""Oh..." He said simply. "Well, at any rate, I guess we should get this over with. And before you ask, No, I do NOT talk about why I am green. It is a rather embarrassing story that not even my Psychiatrist, hell, even my THERAPIST doesn't know about it. I have reasons to keep it quiet, number 1 being the fact that I could never show my face in public again. So," Alan glanced around the room. "Now what are we supposed to do?"/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
background:#F7ED9F"Jeremy looked around. He didn't see anything the dynamo would go to, so he looked elsewhere. He saw a large platform way up high, and hit it with a bolt of electricity. The platform immediately started moving downward, and stopped at the level of the platform they were standing on./span/spanspan class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:#E1FFA1" "Alright! Now let's get the heck outta here... all of this electricity is starting to get rather unsettling in my opinion..." Alan exclaimed, as he floated onto the platform. "It would be far too easy to get hit by a stray bolt-" Alan stopped talking as a small bolt of electricity hit him, and blasted him to the floor./span/spanspan class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:#F7ED9F" "Well, it seems the electricity beat you to the punch line." Jeremy remarked, offering a hand. "But you're right, we had better get going."/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
background:#E1FFA1"Alan took Jeremy's hand, and soon was on his feet (relatively speaking) again. "I'll NEVER get my fur to lie flat..." He whined, as he tried to brush down his still on-end fur. "I don't look too awful, do I?"/span/spanspan class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:#F7ED9F" "Oh, you look fine. I wonder if Princess has a comb, though..." Jeremy offhandedly replied. /span/spanspan class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:#E1FFA1""I look like a freaking green puffball!" Alan moaned as he conjured up a mirror in midair. "I don't even think a brush would help me now! Damn it all, Blue, YOU KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN! You are still mad about that Superglue prank, aren't you?! I'll give you something to REALLY be mad abou-" Alan is cut off once again by another bolt of electricity, and this time, a chuckle is heard from the speaker on the wall./span/spanspan class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:#F7ED9F" Jeremy frowned. He took aim with his hand, and zapped the place where the bolt came from. Electrocution sounds could be heard, and he grinned with satisfaction. "Don't make me come up there, Blue," he said. "I will make you look even worse than this guy," Jeremy remarked, pointing at Alan./span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
background:#F7ED9F"Jeremy grabbed Alan, still limp, and dragged him onto the platform. Thankfully, it took them to the end of the course. "Wake up, sleepyhead," Jeremy said, gently laying Alan on the floor./span/spanspan class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;
mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:#E1FFA1" Alan woke up, and he looked at the ceiling, eyes slightly glazed. "What... just happened? Are we done? Do I get my cheesecake now?" Alan's voice had a hopeful tone in it./span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
background:#F7ED9F""Well, does he?" Jeremy stared at the security camera on the adjacent wall. There was a moment of silence, then a disgruntled "Fine," on the other end. An entire cheesecake was brought out of a hole in the floor, sitting on a small podium. "Well, there's your cake," Jeremy replied to Alan. /span/spanspan class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:#E1FFA1""YAY!" Alan ran over to the cheesecake, and devours it quickly, purring all the while. After several minutes, he stopped purring, and looked slightly embarrassed. "Sorry, it's just... Y'know how much Nick loved cookies? I kinda have the same problem with cheesecake, it's rather embarrassing, really..." Alan finished, looking slightly sheepish./span/spanspan class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:#F7ED9F" "No, it's fine," Jeremy replied, smirking a little. "I'm used to my friends having odd cravings."/span/spanspan class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;background:#E1FFA1" "Yeah, I suppose so. But still..." Alan sighed, slightly saddened. "I really enjoyed hanging out with you, but it kinda looks like the test is over... or is it? Well, at any rate, I think that after this test, I'm liable to need a new job, 'cause I need to let Blue calm down. Perhaps an Elitist Weapons Modification and Manufacturing Facility, or maybe a Berry Farmer... Perhaps both. Who knows, we might just meet again someday." Alan shook his head. "Nah, I'll worry about that later. Let's focus on getting the heck outta here now."/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
background:#F7ED9F""To the door! AWAAAY!" Jeremy shouted in the manner of an overdramatic superhero. Both exited through the door, and came to two separate elevators. One had a picture of a human,the other a question mark. "What, does this tell us which elevator to go to? Because if so, you, good sir, are a question mark," Jeremy pointed out. There was a snicker over the intercom./span/spanspan class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:
12.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
background:#E1FFA1" "Oh, very witty Blue." Alan growled sarcastically. "Just because I like to 'Over-use' Transform, that gives you no right to mock me... Should I remind you of the incident that happened in the portal universe?" Blue quickly stopped laughing. "That got your attention, didn't it? Now, shall I tell Jeremy EXACTLY WHY you were trapped as a power source for GlaDOS, or will you stop making fun of me?" After a few minutes pause, the intercom crackled to life. "You get off easy this time, Alan. Next time there won't be any interfering Heroes to help you." Alan winced at that. "And by the way Alan, yes, you ARE fired." Alan moaned. "NOW what am I gonna do?"/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
background:#F7ED9F"Jeremy thought. "Er... you could sue for malpractice?"/span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
background:#E1FFA1""Nah, I Can't. I have no money to hire a lawyer..." Alan Sighed. "Plus, I find stealing, or counterfeiting highly unethical, so that's out of the question." Alan noticed Jeremy looking confused, and continued to explain. "Well, I find that if you could have absolutely anything you want at the clap of your paws, that it's NOT the end that counts, but rather the journey seeking it." Alan stepped up to the question marked elevator. "Well Jeremy, this looks like where we say farewell, but I have the strangest feeling that we will meet again. Fairly quickly, I might add... Oh, wait! Duh, Alan. I forgot to give you this!" Alan handed Jeremy what appeared to be a green glass orb. "If you are in desperate need of help, just smash this. It contains a teleportation matrix that I linked to myself. Consider it my gift to you. Jeremy, I consider you a friend now. You seem to be kind, witty, and willing to stand up for what you believe in. It's really sad that we have to part here..." After Alan floated into the elevator, he turned around and waved farewell to Jeremy, and then he vanished behind the steel doors./span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
background:#F7ED9F""..." Jeremy had a small smile on his face. "Alright, cool." He advanced into the next chamber…/span/span/p
prespan class="apple-style-span"span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; background: rgb(247, 237, 159);" /span/span/pre