Chell's Story: Part C
Chapter Seventeen

I had quite a meal for a third grader at lunch. By the end of it all, I was having difficulty getting out of my seat. I had no idea that crab could taste so good, and that I wouldn't be able to control myself with how much of it I ate.

The girls were having fun with their dads, but mine was busy talking to another scientist, leaving me with nothing to do except listen to them talk and finger the vial of growth accelerator snuck from Dad's office and hidden in my pocket.

"I'm telling you, there's nothing that'll get this project to work."

"We've already told you there's nothing to worry about, Doug."

"What's not to worry about when the building starts to flood with neurotoxin every time it gets turned on? And that there's a planned start-up after the science fair while the girls are still here?"

"We have it under control; we've added new hardware to make sure it operates the way it should."

"You've said that the last 27 times, and every time, it doesn't work."

"Not this time; this time, we know it's going to work."

"Again, that's what you said the last 27 times."

"And that's why we have the Red Phone, so we can call the start-up station to shut it down if things do go wrong."

"You can't rely on the Red Phone forever. And now that I think about it, why isn't the start-up station located in the chamber itself?"

"Why are you asking me? I didn't write up the blueprints or design the facility layout."

The PA system came online to address the people in the cafeteria. "Attention: this is a reminder that the Aperture Science Bring Your Daughter to Work Day Science Fair will start in 30 minutes. All personnel and visitors partaking in the event are advised to start heading down so as to prepare for the science fair. Thank you."

All the girls finished their meals and headed to the lobby where the science fair stations were waiting.

The science fair was unremarkable. As I explained, all the girls did potato batteries for their projects, except Heather, who made a baking soda volcano, so there really wasn't anything special about anyone's projects.

Except mine.

I used the growth accelerator formula on my potato battery, and it was the only thing that proved eventful at the science fair.

Unfortunately, it also punched a hole in the ceiling with its rapid growth.

The scientists chased me down the hall seeking retribution for the damage I had caused.

I lost them by locking myself in a broom closet and then making my way into an air duct before they could unlock it.

I found my way to the Central Core chamber, where I chewed out the receiver cord on the Red Phone to cut off communications to the control room.

Then I slipped to the control room, where I found the objective of my revenge plot against the girls.

They wouldn't let up on their stories that my parents were dead and that I was adopted. They convinced my teachers to have me subjected to the fall for their actions and defended their stories about me. They made fun of my friendship with Pedro. They ripped my only friend out of my life.

I was fed up with the world, not wanting to go on in a world where everyone went out of the way to make me miserable, and those girls had to pay for what they did to me.

I hit the startup button, knowing that the big project would lock the place up and wipe out the place. And with me locking the control room before leaving, there would be no way to turn it off.

The plan worked like a charm. Neurotoxin billowing into the corridors ushered all of us to the stasis chambers, any attempt at resistance proving itself to equal instant death.

There was just enough time to seal ourselves in the stasis pods before neurotoxin filled the building to capacity.