"Hey, Rattmann, you're needed in Human Resources again."

Doug glanced up at the head that had stuck itself around his lab door, not bothering to hide his disgruntled expression.

"I'm actually quite busy…"

"Something about sign language?" the visitor said, shrugging. She was clearly not happy at being used as a messenger.

Right, the mute test subject.

He'd almost forgotten about her. Almost.

"Fine, I'll be right there."

The reluctant messenger disappeared, and Doug sighed heavily, tidying his notes and blueprints into a pile before departing. It was a seven minute walk to Human Resources. In the elevator he took the opportunity to check his phone, although he wasn't expecting anything. It unlocked, revealing Chell's latest message at the bottom of the thread.

Chell 8:35am
Going to be quiet today, I have a Thing

Her phrasing drew a smile to his lips, and he wondered what she was up to. Most likely something work related, since it was a Friday.

Ever since the day he'd had to take the bus, he'd found himself looking at people's faces much more than he normally did. Generally speaking, he preferred to keep his gaze firmly on the sidewalk, but now he couldn't help looking up. Every young woman who crossed his path came under his subtle scrutiny as he wondered whether they were her.

They hadn't broached the subject of what had been implied on that day either. He wanted to, but hadn't quite dared. He didn't want there to be any misunderstandings, and there was always a risk of that with texts. Perhaps one day he'd feel confident enough to call, and actually speak this time.

The elevator doors slid open, and he returned his phone to his pocket. The offices were all empty on the Human Resources corridor. Biting back his irritation at being interrupted for the sake of an empty corridor, Doug managed to find a lone secretary.

"Excuse me, I thought I was needed for a test subject debriefing?"

"For 1498?" the secretary asked, clicking his pen in a way that made Doug want to snatch it out of his hand. "She's just finishing up. Do you want to see? She's got one more chamber left."

He almost snapped a negative, but something stopped him. He had to admit, he was a little curious about the silent young woman. Her testing scores had been unique.

"Sure, why not."

The secretary directed him to an observation office, and he stepped in behind the group of gathered scientists, seeking a place at the window through to the test chamber.

"Oh, hi, Dr. Rattmann. You're early," one of the women – he couldn't remember her name – greeted him.

"Mind if I watch?" he said, not feeling up to being drawn into conversation.

"Of course not. She's incredible!"

He shuffled closer to the glass, peering down into the brightly-tiled room and immediately spotting the orange-clad figure. She was holding the portal device as if she'd been using it her entire life, and he couldn't help but gape as she placed portals faster than anyone he'd ever seen, flinging herself across the room with momentum techniques without a single trace of fear. The test was designed to challenge her mentally and physically, and judging by her determined expression, it was doing just that. But she didn't let it stop her. Even when she misjudged and failed to take out a turret, she merely knocked it over with the portal gun instead.

Doug inwardly laughed at her audacity, even as he winced slightly for the device.

"Oh my god, she can't do that!" one of the scientists complained.

"It worked, didn't it?" he countered.

"Yes, but it's against the rules. She needs to follow them if she wants to keep testing for us. Make sure you tell her that, Rattmann."

He turned back to the window, saying nothing.

The test subject was contemplating the drop that would give her enough momentum to reach the exit. There was a turret blocking her path to the door that she would have to deal with immediately upon exiting her second portal. It would require very precise timing. She hesitated, but only for a brief moment. Taking a short run up, she dived head-first into the pit. Doug's stomach flipped just watching her. She shot out of the portal high up on the wall, taking one hand off the portal device to bodily grab the turret by one of its legs. It opened its side panels to fire at her, and Doug thought his heart would stop. There were collective gasps around him. But before the turret could dispense a single shot, she'd reached the narrow platform and darted through the exit door. The turret dissolved as it hit the security field.

Doug found himself grinning, not least because the complainer from before was harping on about the rules once more.

"That's not how you're supposed to solve it! There's a way to get rid of the turret before making the jump."

"She got through it in her own way, Barry," the woman who'd greeted him said calmly. "It's not her fault that there's a loophole in your test design."

Doug bit his lip against another smile. "Well, I'd best go and debrief her," he spoke up neutrally, leaving them to their argument.

He waited in the corridor until one of the test subject handlers brought her along. Someone had given her a water bottle, he was pleased to see. They needed to treat her better this time around.

"Hi," he greeted her, smiling. "Nice to see you again."

'Thanks,' she signed, tucking the bottle under her arm. 'You too.'

He gestured her into an office, then turned to the handler. "Do you have her file?"

The woman looked at him, wide-eyed. "Um…no, sorry, Dr. Rattmann. I think Dr. Clements still has it."

Doug inhaled slowly through his nose. "I see. Thank you."

Thank you once again, Clements, for making me look so unprofessional.

The woman – he refused to call her 1498, even in his own thoughts – glanced up at him as he sat down, her expression curious. He'd forgotten how intimidatingly stunning she was. He wasn't sure of her ethnic background, (and had no file to look for clues), but compared to him she was exotic. Her milky-coffee skin, pert nose and full lips made him think she probably could have made it as a model. Her dark ponytail had grown dishevelled, and she pulled it out of its hair tie, combing through with her fingers while her gaze rested on him. Her eyes were her most fascinating feature: almond-shaped and clear grey, almost silver. Eyes that could have been as cold as steel had her smile not been so warm.

"I was watching your last test," he said conversationally.

She raised her eyebrows, as if to say Oh?

"Impressive performance."

She grinned at him.

"Although I've been told by one of the team to remind you about the rules, otherwise they might not ask you back." He shifted a little in his chair, adding, "Personally, I think you did great. You solved it, who cares how."

'Thanks,' she signed. 'I wasn't happy about the turret. It wasn't actually going to shoot me, was it?'

"Not with real bullets, no," he assured her. "But I'm told it would have hurt."

She wrinkled her nose.

"Which is exactly why I think you should be allowed to dispatch it however you want, but…that's just me." He shrugged. "So…tell me how this round of testing went."

He scribbled her answers as she signed them, wrapping everything up within half an hour. He was guiding her back to the locker room in no time at all.

"I'm sure someone from Human Resources will be in touch," he told her with a polite smile. He held out his hand – free from ink this time – and she studied it for a beat before shaking it, her slight smirk indicating that she remembered his mishap from before.

"Have a good day," he told her, watching her sign, 'You too'.

As he turned to walk away, he spotted Henry approaching, and silently groaned. He liked the man, he really did, but he was endlessly frustrating. Warily, Doug hoped the test subject had already entered the locker room. The last thing he needed was a repeat of last time. That had been a public relations headache.

"Doug!" Henry boomed, his volume unnecessary for the amount of distance between them. "Coming for lunch?"

"It's 4pm, Henry."

"So? Oh, there's your friend again. She's not still mad at me, is she?"

Frowning at the words, he glanced back towards the locker room. The test subject was still there, her eyes wide, expression seemingly frozen in a look of shock that he couldn't decipher. Surely Henry's arrival hadn't caused that?

She caught his eye and seemed to snap out of it, biting her lip in worried thought before spinning and pushing the locker room door. Doug's brow furrowed, and he looked at the place where she'd been standing.

What was that about?

It wasn't until later that he began to understand.

Chell 4:53pm
Does the number 1498 mean anything to you?

A/N: I'm sorry it's such a short chapter, but that seemed the perfect place to end!