Chapter 36, everybody, in which we begin Part II and reach new lows….Again, sorry about the long wait between chapters—demands of a Ph.D.-level exam and a touch of uncertainty with how to proceed kind of slowed work on this for a while. On the positive note, I passed said exam, and also have Portal 2 on my computer instead of my Xbox (so I don't have to wait until the TV's unoccupied to get to it), and I have several chapters ready for the buffer once more. :D On the negative note, I've started my dissertation, so writing will still be touch-and-go and dependent on what's off the top of my head that day—we'll get there, I promise!

Don't Starve © 2013 Klei Entertainment

Portal © 2007 Valve

She supposed the good news was, the elevator was beneath her, so when she ever touched down, it wouldn't crush her.

The bad news was, she had fallen much farther than she had ever attempted before, and she was still falling.

As she did, she reflected on the recent turn of events.

Maxwell was out, Wilson was in, and the only noticeable difference was that the facility was wearing Wilson's face.

That's what it was, she realized: the notion that Maxwell was in charge—had ever been in charge—was pure folly. A potato could have been hooked up with the same results.

And then a horrible thought entered her brain—that Wilson was dead, and the facility was just using his corpse—

And then the tunnel opened up around her—

And she hit the ground—

She wasn't sure how long she was out. Eons, perhaps.

But she did wake up, and she certainly wasn't dead.

At least, she hoped she wasn't dead—otherwise that drop took her someplace she had been fairly certain she wasn't going.

Although she supposed the KVAS setting was appropriate.

She blinked as her mind started operating properly again, saw the grit and grime and rocky walls….

It goes for miles underground—

She carefully sat up and took stock of her situation.

She was in the old part of the KVAS facilities. The part that had been sealed off.

And to escape, she had to find a way back up.

Escape….

Her heart thudded painfully, and before she could stop herself, she started bawling. Angry and upset at the injustice of it all, at KVAS, at the facility for twisting perfectly nice people, at herself for letting it happen, at Wilson—

Wilson—

Was he even aware that she was alive? Did he care? Or had he already found some new poor sap that the facility was making him torment? Was he even aware that the facility was using him? Or was it pumping his brain full of lies? If she made it back up, would he try to kill her on sight?

Was he even alive anymore?

She cried until she didn't have the strength to do so, not aware that she had drifted off to sleep until she woke back up, feeling wrung out, but better.

And now she had a plan.

Keep moving forward.

She stood shakily, scooped up the portal device—which had somehow survived the fall unscathed—and headed into the depths of the old facility.

Once again, in search of a way out.