Chapter 41, everyone! In which we encounter a familiar face….And we also operate upon my opinion that there should have been something down there (although let's be honest, nothing was plenty scary *~*).
Don't Starve © 2013 Klei Entertainment
Portal © 2007 Valve
The next couple of recordings she encountered had Charlie notably absent.
A few times after that, she was there, but with a notable difference—like the tapes were out of order.
But what was definitely noticeable was that Max was decidedly different throughout. Sulky at times, caustic at others—very much like someone else she knew.
Couple that with the echoed screeches she heard occasionally, and the rotting dilapidation surrounding her, and she was beginning to feel very, very depressed.
"I hate this!" Willow stormed finally as she navigated through what used to be a passageway but had now fallen into ruin when another testing track had fallen on it. "I hate this place, I hate this junk, I hate that stupid Maxwell!"
"Hey!"
"That's it—if it wasn't for him, I'd never be down here—"
"Hey!"
"Because I'd never have been on those stupid tests to begin with—"
"Hey! Down here!"
"And Wilson wouldn't be—"
"Will you shut up for five minutes already!?"
Willow juddered to a halt. She thought—wasn't Max a recording?
She paused, listening.
"Thank you. Say, you're good at murder—you think you could murder these rabbits for me?"
That—was way out in left field. "What?" she asked. "Is that part of the test?"
"No, it's not part of some test."
"Wait a minute!" That was a direct answer! "I thought you were a recording!"
"Oh for the love of—down here, moron!"
She jumped, crossed over to the ledge and looked down—
Plastered against the side of the wall, facing into the murk, was none other than—
"You," she spat, with all the venom she could muster. "I think I'll kill you."
"Ta," Maxwell noised. "You've already done that once already, remember?"
Uh-huh. Wait a minute—"How did you survive that fall?" Willow asked. "Shouldn't that have killed you?"
"I'm not sure if you've noticed, but that doesn't stick too well." He glanced off nervously at some noise. "Uh—but that's not to say that it wouldn't if—listen. Just get me out of here."
"And why should I?" she asked, noting his desperation—what was down there with him? "Last I checked, you're unhelpful at best and murderous at worst. Leaving you down here might actually be a good thing."
Maxwell looked very much like he wanted to start yelling at her, but another noise—closer, she noted—prompted him to swallow that. "I'm the central processing unit, remember? I've forgotten more about this place than you'll ever know. You want to get out of here?"
"Duh," she noised. "And I'll have you know I'm doing just fine without you."
"Yeah, right up until you starve to death. Listen, I'll make you a deal: you get me out of here and I'll let you walk out of this facility scot-free."
"Somehow, I don't believe you."
"Aw, come on!" Ah, was that desperation she was noting in his voice? "Listen! I just got forcibly ripped from the facility, dropped down a pit, and was manhandled by killer rabbits! I'm running on a battery here—I literally don't have the energy to lie to you!"
"Aw, is poor Maxie having trouble with wittle bunnies?"
"SHUT UP!" he roared, face distorted in anger and fists balled up—ah, there was the Maxwell she knew and loathed. "Don't call me that! You of all people aren't allowed to call me that!"
Huh?
And then there was a muted thump.
"Oh," she noised, seeing the cause of his distress. "When you said killer rabbits, you might have mentioned they were bigger than you are." And bipedal, she noticed.
"I'd really like not to be here," Maxwell said quickly, flattening himself against the wall again.
"I'm sure."
"Listen, you have to help me—that yutz doesn't know how to run this place. We'll be blown up in a few hours—and I doubt you even have that long. Come on, don't tell me you're daft enough to shoot yourself in the foot!"
"I'm also not daft enough to trust a murdering liar."
Unless….
She had an idea.
Which unfortunately involved getting Maxwell back to the main facility.
"I'll help you on one condition."
"Fine, fine, name it. Quickly."
"Actually, a few conditions. First, you let me and Wilson out of the facility, no tricks, no killing us first."
"Fine. Get me out of here."
"Second, upon getting me out of this place and back to the facility, you help me rescue Wilson."
"I guess I could do that—they're getting closer—"
"And third," she said, narrowing her eyes as she finished ticking the terms off on her fingers. "And this is the one you have to do right away: apologize."
"What!?"
"Apologize to me right now. You can apologize to Wilson later."
"What do I have to apologize for!?"
"Let's see, murder, insults, being you. For starters, at least."
"I'm not—"
"Those rabbits look hungry—think they think you're a carrot?"
"You can't—"
"Bye, Maxwell."
"All right, fine!" he yelled, somewhere between an angry holler and a distressed wail. "I'm sorry! All right?"
Ah, success. "Be specific."
"I'm sorry for being me! Happy!?"
"I suppose so," she sighed as Maxwell screamed in alarm—the rabbits had launched themselves at him.
But with a few quick portals, Maxwell had fallen through a portal onto her level and the rabbits had fallen into acid further away.
Maxwell groaned as he righted himself into a kneeling position, struggling to get upright. "Took you long enough," he spat.
And then she roundhoused him.
"That's for Wilson," she declared over his yelp of pained alarm. "And this—" punctuated by a kick to his stomach as he rolled on the ground. "Is for everything else."
And with that, she stepped over him lying there in the fetal position and continued down the passageway. "Come on then," she called. "Before I change my mind and leave you here."