Doug had taken at least ten minutes scrubbing his hair and even longer cleaning the rest of him. He was embarrassed by how filthy he'd become in Aperture. By the time he finished washing up, the water was too dirty to relax in. He didn't want to waste the hot water by running another bath so he pulled the plug and dried himself off with a towel. He studied his face in the mirror over the sink.
"A little better," he criticized. "My hair needs a trim, though. What do you say, Cup?" He looked down at the Companion Cup that was sitting on the counter. It had been carefully cleaned out and now had a bit of a gleam to it.
"Maybe Val could cut your hair," it said. "And you could get rid of that mangy beard."
"I'll trim the beard, but I want to keep some of my facial hair," Doug said. "I'm used to it. I think I'll brush my teeth first, though. My breath could probably kill."
"Don't be ridiculous," the Cup said. "The water supply in Aperture was chock-full of fluoride."
"That only kept my teeth from rotting. It didn't take care of the smell of morning breath and beans."
Doug ran water on the bristles of the toothbrush that Spencer had given him and dabbed a bit of toothpaste on it. He brushed his teeth three times before he was satisfied. Then he got to work on trimming his beard.
"So what do you think of our two hosts?" Doug asked as he used a pair of scissors to snip away at his beard. "Do you believe all that stuff about aliens?"
"They have no reason to lie to you," the Cup said.
"It just seems a bit fishy to me," Doug said. "I mean…aliens? Really?"
"Well, I trust them."
"I want to trust them."
"Would you rather be back in Aperture running for your life?" the Cup asked.
"If it means being by myself again? Maybe."
"Doug."
"What? Their story just sounds too weird. They seem like nice people, though. I'll stay here for at least one night but not for too long. I just need to find some help or special equipment to save Nora."
"Doug, you should really focus more on nourishing yourself and catching up on sleep," the Cup insisted. "You need to regain your health if you're planning on going toe-to-toe with GLaDOS by yourself."
"Hm," Doug said. He was silent as he finished trimming his beard.
When he was done, he studied his reflection in the mirror again as he wiped off any loose hairs with his towel. He'd left an inch of facial hair but he still recognized the face. He smiled at himself. Shallow worry wrinkles etched his face and his eyes had shadows under them, but this was still the young man who had been employed at Aperture.
"Not too shabby," the Cup said. "Now you just need to take care of that hair."
"Maybe later," Doug said. "I need to go for a walk."
"Good idea. We can explore the town."
"I'd rather go alone. I need to think."
Doug walked around the town with his hands in his pockets. Spencer had given him a pair of worn out jeans and a red flannel shirt. The only underwear Spencer had had in his box of clothes, though, were boxers. Doug wasn't fond of boxers but he sure wasn't going to go commando. Despite the loose underwear, it felt great to be wearing clean clothes again. He felt so fresh in the spring air.
His good mood didn't last long, though. He was distracted by the wreckage of the town. Many of the walls had been defaced. Window panes were being replaced by sheets of plastic. Entire buildings were being torn down because they were just so damaged beyond repair. It was eerie to see the aftermath of a battle in such an ordinary town in Michigan.
Maybe there was an alien invasion, Doug thought. At least I don't stand out as much as I thought I would.
He'd been sure that he would have looked like a walking skeleton compared to everyone else, but most of the people around him appeared to be almost as malnourished as he was. Some people were even mumbling under their breath in worried tones. What exactly happened in this town that would leave it so broken? What kind of weapons did the Combine use against these citizens?
As he was looking around at the other people, he spotted her walking on the other side of the street. Her hair wasn't in a ponytail, but it was still long and dark. She was wearing jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt with a blue vest over it. She looked as confident as always. But she was walking in the opposite direction and would soon pass him.
Should I talk to her? Doug contemplated. She won't recognize me. She's only caught one glimpse of me in passing. Man, why did she have to be in this town? I'm going to go for it. What the hell.
He took a deep breath and crossed the street. She didn't notice him until he was suddenly right in front of her. She stared at him curiously but didn't say anything—not that he had expected her to.
"Uh, hello," Doug started quietly. "You…You probably don't recognize me. B-But…I guess I never really showed my face to you. You have seen my drawings, though. In Aperture."
The women's hazel eyes lit up.
"I just….I saw you walking," Doug continued, now looking at the ground. "And I just thought I'd see how you're doing."
Chell suddenly wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Doug's mind went blank from the shock of the embrace.
"I can't believe it!" she said happily. "You're my hero!" She kissed him on the cheek and his face turned red.
"I-I wouldn't use the word hero," he said. "You took good care of yourself without my help."
"Are you kidding?!" Chell said. "You originally planted the seed of doubt in my head about that psychotic computer! You put me on my guard and I was more prepared when I was almost burned alive!"
Doug was taken aback by this. Apparently, he'd had no idea just how much he had helped her. He smiled at her. "Well, um….Glad to be of service to you."
"I'm kind of in a hurry right now," Chell said, "but I would love to sit down and talk with you properly. Are you busy tomorrow morning? There's a diner in town where we could have breakfast."
"Uh, yeah. Sure. What's the diner called?"
"I can't remember, but it's the only open diner in town now. Are you staying with anyone? They might know about it."
"Yeah, I suppose I could just ask them."
"Great." Chell grinned. "Is eight-o-clock alright?"
"Sounds good," Doug said. His stomach growled as he thought of a big stack of pancakes with a well of maple syrup in the middle. "I'll see you then."
"Fantastic!" Chell said happily. "See you then!"
She walked away with a bit of a bounce in her stride. Doug watched her for a moment before his eyes widened. "Hold on," he murmured. "This isn't a date…is it?"
