5 Days Prior: Dead Batteries
Chell was waiting for her father to arrive in the cafeteria. She wanted to know why he never showed up yesterday for dinner, and what exactly happened at his latest experiment.
She looked over at the other 'robot' engineers. They were still sitting in their correct spots, at the correct time, yet… they weren't eating or writing. They still weren't talking, but they were usually continuing their projects through their lunch break instead of looking… afraid.
Chell wondered if their batteries were dead.
Dead batteries. That must be it.
She went back to staring at the door, waiting for her father. As strange as he was, she didn't want to lose him. He was one of the few people who would talk to her.
After her mother died, her father had to take double shifts to replace hers. He said that there were two options: the family would be separated, or she could volunteer at Aperture.
She had already spent a good deal of her childhood at Aperture, and either way, she would have refused to let her family be separated.
Dr. Blaise, you are needed in the biology lab, Dr. Blaise, please report to the biology lab.
Chell heard a shuddering gasp to her right. Even without turning, she could see one of the robot engineers hunch over and make odd whimpering noises. All of the other engineers looked at him with ill-suppressed fear.
"I-I g-guess this is it, th-then…" the shuddering engineer said. He stumbled to his feet, and the rest followed suit.
None of them even glanced at Chell.
Chell blinked and tried not to think what this new development meant for her father.
She glared over her untouched food at the door, as if sheer willpower could fix the situation.