After Chell had left and Adrian chased after her, Alyx instantly began pacing again. "How can she not help us? Doesn't she realize what's at stake here?"
"Take it easy, Alyx," Barney said. "From what she's told us, I'm not surprised she doesn't want to help."
That was the wrong thing to say as Alyx turned on her feet to glare daggers at Barney.
"So, you are taking her side?" Alyx shouted.
"I'm not taking anyone's side!"
While those two argued, Gordon was left on the couch with his hands resting between his knees, shoulders hunched, and an expression like a kicked puppy or a kid watching their parent's fight.
And on top of that, he still had GlaDOS talking in his ear.
"Do they always do this?" she asked Gordon.
He shook his head slowly.
GLaDOS hummed in thought before continuing. "Grief has always been fascinating. So unpredictable at times, but always easy to exploit."
Gordon frowned at that.
"But her? She's going through the stages of denial. It seems she's stuck on anger at the moment. Trying to blame all of her problems on other people."
He rubbed at his ears, wanting nothing more than to turn the voice off.
"When in reality, she can't come to terms with herself. There is no one she blames more than herself, and all that self-loathing is being projected onto other people who won't fit into her train of thought."
Gordon grunted, his jaw tightening in anger.
"As for my lunatic… I suppose I hold some blame for her refusal. I did tell her to not come back after all… It's funny that this is the one time she follows my instructions."
He did his best to block her out, but GLaDOS was persistent in being heard.
"Did you know she was the most tenacious test subject ever recorded within Aperture? I've gone back over her file, and she was never actually supposed to be a test subject. Isn't that funny? A woman who was too stubborn to die when may be the key you need for survival. And by funny, I mean tragic."
"Shut up," Gordon mumbled.
He meant to say it to only GLaDOS, but he managed to catch the attention of Barney and Alyx as well. They were still at each other's throats, and they looked to him as if they were only noticing him for the first time.
Seeing the opportunity and the buildup of emotions inside him came out all at once. Like a Molotov being thrown, the words flowed from Gordon.
"Just shut up! Everyone shut up!" He cried out.
It was the first time Alyx had heard him yell like that. Barney had heard it only once before, and even then, it surprised him how angry Gordon could be.
Gordon was supposed to be the soft-spoken nerd. Not the loud and angry man that sat on a derelict couch.
"Stop yelling! That's all I hear lately, and I can't take it. No one ever stops anymore, and I can't take it!" Gordon huffed. It was the loudest he spoke, and somehow he didn't stutter once.
"We are going to Aperture no matter what. With or without her help. We are going because its what Eli would have wanted, and he would not want us to force people into submission," he continued. Somehow he was able to go on his rant without stuttering once. "Isn't that what we are fighting for? Freedom? So, we are going to give her the freedom to choose what she wants. And Barney? You can't decide what's best for others when it's obvious you are neglecting yourself! I've been your friend long enough to know! So stop being a hypocrite and do something for yourself for a change."
Gordon had stood up in the middle of his speech and placed himself directly between the two quarreling people.
"And I heard you were the quiet one," the voice from the doorway called.
Standing halfway in and out of the room stood Chell with Adrian right behind her. In her arms was a strange, sleek, white device that looked like a handheld cannon.
Out the corner of his eye, he could see how Alyx was glaring at Chell, but the latter made no motion of acknowledgment towards the former. She had all her attention on Gordon. "I'll help you with Aperture. Get everything you might need ready," she said, her voice flat but barely holding back the anger she still harbored.
Gordon knew something must have happened to make her change her mind, but what could have done so in such a short amount of time was beyond him.
"And Freeman? I need to speak with you and her alone." Chell then turns on her feet and walks further down the hall. Gordon scrambled off the couch as fast as he could, wanting to get away from the tense atmosphere. Shephard nodded at Gordon as he passed through the door, but then stepped in the way to prevent Barney or Alyx intruding on Chell and Gordon.
Chell only stood thirty feet down the hall, holding the device angled upwards so that it rested on her shoulder. The other hand on her hip that was cocked out to the side. When she saw Gordon, she set her expression into one of determination.
As he approached, he noticed how her eyes scanned every inch of his suit.
"Can the volume on that suit be raised for me to hear?" Chell finally asked.
Gordon shook his head the same time GLaDOS said, "No. Believe me, I've tried. Your friend with the anger issues seemed better conversationalist than you. It's a shame. I've been told I am an excellent therapist."
Chell sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. It almost made him laugh as he'd seen Magnusson do that multiple times back in Black Mesa.
"Alright… I'm going to need you to mediate for her…" Chell then schooled her expression back to the less annoyed and more determined. Her eyes taking on that ice-cold glare but, at the same time, hot iron quality to them.
"GLaDOS…" Chell said it as if trying it out on her tongue for the first time. Had she ever said the AI's name before now?
"GLaDOS," she said again. "If we come to Aperture, there will be conditions."
"I'm sure…" GLaDOS said to Gordon.
"She says okay-"
"Say it right," Chell said.
"Say it right," GLaDOS said at the exact same time as Chell.
Funny how Chell could tell when it wasn't GLaDOS's words.
Gordon repeats his answer, being sure to use the exact words he was given. After that, the conversation went smoothly between Chell and GLaDOS, much to Gordon's frustration of the AI's word choice. He just wasn't a fan of being overly sarcastic to people.
"You have to keep your word," Chell stated. The way her voice carried, it left no room for argument. At least from Gordon. "No tricks, no lies, no loopholes. You let us all go once we deal with this."
"Is that all?"
"For now."
"For now? So the demands are conditional? Can I expect more in the future?"
"Possibly."
"Hmm… And if I don't follow these conditions? What could you possibly do to me?"
A positively devious smile crossed Chell's features as she continued to look at Gordon. "I'll put you back into a potato and feed you to the birds."
A strange threat, Gordon thought. So strange, it caused him to chuckle. Although, for some reason unknown to Gordon, GLaDOS remained silent.
When she did finally respond, it was to yell in Gordon's ear to shut up. He promptly did.
"Tell her I accept her conditions."
With her answer, Chell reaches out her free hand to Gordon to shake. A few pumps of the hand and the deal was finalized.
An hour later, the group was gathered around a series of monitors and computers in one of the more massive silos. It provided privacy for what they were doing while at the same time, allowed everyone room to gather. Crow and Apollo stood like sentries next to Dog. The three acting as protectors of the group while they worked.
"Have you got that communication relay up yet, Arne?" Chell said as she typed line after line of code in quick succession.
"Don't rush me," Magnusson snapped. He was currently messing with a mess of wires and an old longwave radio. "We could barely reach you off the coast of Portugal, and now you expect us to reach the Michigan Peninsula?"
Gordon frowned at the irony of the situation. Magnusson was famous for rushing people around, and yet he couldn't take it himself.
It was made all the worse when GLaDOS said, "I like him… Now tell him to adjust the angle of the communication antenna by two point eight-five degrees south."
It took nearly an hour of work between Chell, Arne, and instruction from GLaDOS to get everything set up. When the ping finally came through, the room sagged in relief, but Chell remained tense.
Her entire body was tense when her voice filtered through the speakers. "It says I'm transmitting. Finally, you can all hear me, but first… Hello, my lunatic. You have been busy, I see."
Chell's only response was to glare at the speakers.
"If you want to glare at me, then I'd say you should look at the orange-clad idiot who caused this whole mess to begin with. I sadly don't have visual at the moment," GLaDOS said with a slightly bored tone to her voice.
Gordon frowned at her choice of words. He was tired of being blamed for things that were outside of his control. Yes, the Borealis was his fault. That's something he will accept because he didn't fully understand what would happen to the ship, but everything else? He had just been following orders.
That could be addressed later. More important things were happening.
Magnusson looked to Chell in shock. The full weight of what happened to her was coming down on him, and he could only see how much it affected her. Even in Black Mesa, Chell has never shown such a response to someone's voice.
"Alright, we have communication up for Aperture Science, but how is that going to help us? You can't honestly think about going back, Chell," Arne said as he crossed his arms over his chest.
The woman in question shot a look to Arne. He'd seen that look only a few times before but never directed at him. Taking a deep breath, he squared his shoulders. "This is foolish, Chell. You almost died there. You said it yourself! You can't trust that thing!"
"And to think I was starting to like you. I am much more than a simple thing as you put it," GLaDOS added before Chell could retort to Arne's comments.
"I am the single greatest creation that has ever existed. I'm the most massive collection of wisdom and raw computational power that has ever existed, and I am-
"Incredible!"
The new voice somehow managed to defuse all the tension in the room. GLaDOS was silent, Magnusson's shoulders relaxed, and Chell's face softened. Then everyone's eyes went to look at Dr. Kleiner, who was listening with rapt attention.
"Absolutely incredible. A true artificial intelligence without restrictions. You are easily the most fascinating creature I have ever spoken with," Kleiner said while looking towards Gordon.
All in all, this wasn't helping Gordon's nerves due to people looking at him while speaking. It felt weird to hear such praise come from Kleiner.
GLaDOS remained quiet for several seconds before her voice came back through the speakers. Although less annoyed than before. She sounded almost… proud. "Yes. I am impressive, but we have more important things to discuss."
Magnusson shot a quick glance to Kleiner, who sported a smile that could almost be a smirk. It made Arne furrow his brow. Had the man known that would be the way to calm everyone down? Clever man…
"What exactly do you plan on doing about the rip in reality that your silent friend caused?" GLaDOS continued.
Gordon grumbled as Alyx spoke up. "I don't know what you expect us to do. It took her over a week to get here. By the time we even get to you, it could be too late."
And like that, GLaDOS's annoyance returns. "And here I thought Black Mesa might have one competent person, but it seems I was wrong. You do have the dual portal device, correct?"
Chell pursed her lips as she shifted the gun to be held in both hands. It suddenly felt a lot heavier in her hands.
"And? I can't shoot a portal to Aperture from here," Chell snapped back.
She didn't miss how Magnusson smirked at her reply.
"Must I walk you through everything?" GLaDOS said dryly.
GLaDOS then went on to explain what to do and what supplies they would need. When they didn't have what was needed, they managed to compensate with things they had lying around. That came with a few snide remarks from GLaDOS about not having the appropriate supplies for a science facility.
The first step was removing the outer casing of the portal gun. It required more force than initially thought, but with some wiggling, prying, and wedging Chell's ichthyosaur tooth into the gap, they were able to remove the outer casing. It revealed a small panel that was held in place by a few tiny screws.
After the screws were removed, two small sticks reminiscent of WWII german stick grenades were nestled into a small slot inside. Those were carefully set aside while internal wires were snipped, crossed, and rerouted into the White Forest power grid.
It didn't go unnoticed how the lights seemed to glow a little steadier and that the constant whine of the generators lessened.
Magnusson looked at the gun in awe and fear at what it could do. It made him want to keep it for a power source, yet destroy it at the same time. Nothing that small should be powerful enough to power the entirety of White Forest. He couldn't help but look at Chell as she continued to work alongside him.
"I'm sending you another file. I need you to run."
There was a ping, and Kleiner was the one to open up the file for Chell and Magnusson. "I've done it," Kleiner said.
What followed was a series of beeps from GLaDOS's end of the connection before she spoke again. "Alright, now shoot the portal gun on any usable surface."
Being careful to not dislodge any of the wires, Chell pointed the gun at a nearby wall without obstructions and watched the blue swirl of energy stick. With whatever GLaDOS was doing on the other side, the blue linked up to its orange counterpart, and a doorway was formed for the group.
Only a thirty-foot walk and they'd be five thousand miles away.
Chell watched as Magnusson and Kleiner approached the Portal with Gordon. All three examined the gateway with interest, but whereas Magnusson and Kleiner were thinking of the science behind it, Gordon walked on through without pausing.
Alyx quickly followed behind him. Dog approached the portal and, with great difficulty, managed to squeeze his large body through the gateway.
Adrian looked at Chell before following Barney through the gate, two large duffel bags strapped to his back.
Crow and Apollo looked to Chell, a silent question of what she plans to do. Not like she had a choice in the matter with the ultimatum over her head. She refused to die on someone else's terms.
Before she could walk through the portal, Arne reached out and grabbed Chell by the arm.
"Are you sure about this?" He asked.
"I have to."
"No, you don't! You nearly died there once, and you are going back like nothing happened?"
"They could die without me."
"And you might die with them!"
Chell narrowed her eyes at Magnusson in silent anger, and he returned one in time. "I don't have a choice here, Arne. I can either die here or fight to survive there, but I don't have a choice."
"There is always a choice!" He yelled, effectively startling Chell, Kleiner, and the vortigaunts. "You may not think it, but you always have a choice. It's not a black and white argument as there are shades of gray. In that gray, you will find your third option!"
"Arne-"
"And I am not letting my best friend throw her life away like this again just because she is too stubborn!" With that, he pushed past Chell and disappeared into the portal.
Crow and Apollo followed close behind along with Chell. She didn't want him to be in Aperture as it was too dangerous. She couldn't risk losing the one piece of her past due to his stubborn nature.
Just as she caught up to him, snagging his shoulder by the lab coat, she heard the shifting of panels and the fizzle of a portal closing.
A quick look over her shoulder revealed the portal was closed, and they had been closed off from White Forest. Six humans, two vortigaunts, and one robotic guardian all gathered close to take in the giant cylindrical chamber.
"Hello, and welcome to the Aperture Science Central Chamber," GLaDOS said as she swiveled her massive body around to look at the group. "Now, let's get to work."