Mind Games

Chapter 2

"Hey. Mute lunatic. Wake up." Chell groaned quietly and opened her eyes, looking around. She jolted up when she saw she was back in a relaxation chamber. "Oh good. You can hear me," a familiar voice said, "You need to wake up. Something isn't right and you need to get out." Chell looked around, confused. How did she get back into Aperture? Oh, she was going to get out of here again. "No, Chell…" GLaDOS said, pulling Chell through a portal to her chamber. Chell blinked. There's no way portals can be placed on a bed. Chell looked up at GLaDOS, who turned to her. "You need to wake up," the AI said. Chell looked at her in confusion.
"Chell… wake up. Wake up. Wake up…"

Chell opened her eyes and looked around. She sat up slowly and surveyed the room. The room she was in reminded her of a whitewashed version of her relaxation chamber. There was a desk, bolted to the floor, but no chair. There was no TV or refrigerator. There was a small, no door wardrobe, again bolted to the floor, and a nightstand next to the bed. She got out of bed and flinched, feeling her bare feet come in contact with the cold floor. "My boots…" She stood up and looked around the room. She stopped in front of a mirror and looked at herself. Her hair was down; her tank top and jumpsuit were replaced with a pale green hospital gown. "…." She stepped back as the door opened.
"Good morning, Chell," Dr. Gladys said, stepping in with Pauline behind her. Chell turned and glared, "Where are my clothes?!" Pauline stepped forward, "Your clothes were in violation of our facility and are being held until you leave. Until then, we've provided you with several appropriate outfits." Chell frowned, "I want to leave." Dr. Gladys laughed a bit, "Sadly, you're not allowed to until I see fit. And as of now, you are here to be treated. Be sure to get dressed. We'll be serving breakfast soon and you have group therapy afterwards." The two turned and left, closing the door. Chell sighed, noticing the pile of clothes in the wardrobe. "…Looks like I have to play along with her…"

She stepped out her room, wearing a pale orange shirt, denim shorts, and pair white slippers. Chell walked down the hall, seeing several other doors that led to other rooms. Ahead, she saw the nurse's station with Pauline typing on a computer and a man sitting next to her dressed in blue and white scrubs. His hair was slicked back, but somewhat messy; he was much shorter than Pauline and much wider.
"So, Pauline. What do you want to do for lunch today?" he asked. Pauline looked at him, "Adel, you know we can't leave for lunch. Dr. Gladys would be furious if we- Oh, good morning Chell. They'll be bringing breakfast up soon." Chell nodded. Adel looked at her and smiled, "You're new here, aren't you? The day room with the others is right across the hall."
"Others?" Chell asked, turning to look. In the large room were several tables with chairs, a large window looking out towards the wheat field. She noticed 7 people inside the room already and decided to go on in. A young woman with short curly blonde hair looked up at her, "Who are you? Eww. What's wrong with your legs? Is that contagious? Are we going to get sick?" Chell looked at her legs, seeing bruises on her legs where the straps of her long fall boots had dug into her skin.
"No, it's not contagious. It's just some bruises from my old shoes," she said, smiling. "I'm Chell." The woman nodded, "I-I'm Ashley. Nice to meet you…" Chell moved to sit with her, "Do you mind telling me more about everyone else?" Ashley's pupils shrunk and she shook, "W-Why do you want to know? What do you want with them? You're not going to hurt them, are you?" Chell blinked, "N-no. I won't hurt them. I just want to know more about them." Ashley shook her head as a young man with dark brown hair walked over to them, his green eyes looking over Chell.
"Hello, gorgeous. The name's Rick. What's your name?" He waggled his eyebrows at her. Chell looked at him; how he introduced himself reminded her of a certain core. "I'm Chell," she said, turning away from him, "Nice to meet you." He sat next to Chell as Adel cleared his throat. "Alright, everyone," he said, "Breakfast is here." Chell looked over at Adel and sighed. Even though she wanted to leave, she couldn't pass up her first real meal in ages.