Life was a funny thing. One moment you're in a science facility testing some test rooms, then a mad psychotic AI is trying to gas you to death; you wake up hundreds of years later by cryogenic refrigeration by a small personality core you assume to be friendly, it betrays you, the previous mad AI becomes a friend, the new threat is vanquished, you're finally set free, and then the boys in white drag your ass off to another white-walled sterile environment.

That was exactly what Chell had gone through. She currently sat in said white-walled sterile environment. It was known as "a little slice of heaven" to the residents, and a "loony bin" to everyone of normal intelligence. Chell was of normal intelligence. She'd call it a loony bin if she could speak. Only she couldn't, and she was pretty sure that was part of the reason she was there in the first place and why she still remained there.

One of the other patients began to scream rather loudly his opinions on buttered toast, rousing Chell out of her thoughts. Yes, she was in the day room, where they let the other "mentally challenged individuals" have what they called "social time". Chell rolled her eyes. This place was stupid.

A couple of orderlies rushed towards the screaming man and carted him away. No one was fazed by the sudden decrease in numbers. Chell glanced around. Everyone in the building was crazy; even the orderlies and therapists. It reminded her so much of Aperture Science, but with more people and less intelligence. But that was ages ago, and she'd been here for some time now. Her therapist had told her only six months, but Chell felt it was longer than that.

Another Patient burst into tears, crying about a cat with a gun; she promptly fell out of her chair and soiled herself. Chell had no idea what these people smoked, and did not want to try.

Chell stretched her arms on the table in front of her. She usually spent her "social time" to herself, and just thought about things.

Chell remembered her adventures at AS. How could she forget? She rattled history by brining GLaDOS to her knees (if she had any) and took out the other mad AI, Wheatley. She stopped and frowned. Even after all this time she had no idea what to make of his betrayal. A part of her wanted to believe he had been corrupted and driven crazy by the power he had received. The other half hated him for screwing her over like he did.

Letting out a silent yawn, she recalled her first breath of fresh air in years and subsequent capture. She just stepped out of AS and had taken a few steps—glorious steps. It was wonderful to feel the dirt move under her feet, to hear the swishing of the grasses as the wind soared through it. The air was crisp and refreshing; Chell had felt like a child. She had laughed with glee and laid in the grasses, just happy to be out of the nightmare.

When she had her fill, realism hit her like a ton of bricks.

She had been asleep for hundreds of years. That meant no family, no records, no past. According to her current time period, she wouldn't even exist. Even if she could find some semblance of civilization, how was she to start a new life for herself if she had no records of ever existing? However, blind optimism coursed through her veins and told her that everything would be ok. Brimming with confidence, Chell, along with her old companion cube, had set out with a spring in her step and a bounce in her britches.

It was unfortunate for her that the certain town she happened across had had a bit of trouble with crime and general delinquency; everyone was set on high alert for anything suspicious-looking or out of the ordinary. Chell had fit both prerequisites; her strange white boots, unkempt appearance, mysterious foreign clothes, and above all else, her companion cube.

Her companion cube really must have pissed people off, and though Chell would probably never know, it was because they had received bomb threats the previous week with the same designs as the CC. In any case, the fuzz were called in and Chell was taken away.

While Chell had waited in a jail for a couple of days, the authorities inspected her "dangerous package" and found that it really WAS dangerous. Only it was not made of bomb-material, but full of poisons and toxins. (Only Aperture Science would)

Shit hit the fan, and Chell found herself in court, being accused of an attempt to poison the city's water supply. Her lawyer, who reminded her so much of a certain dim-witted personality core, pleaded her case that she was insane; she wasn't even speaking to defend herself, and couldn't even speak at all. He had further pointed out her strange manner of appearance; no sane person would have walked into a town on high alert for criminals dressed in her manner unless they were absolutely crazy.

It was at that point Chell had lost confidence in present human abilities. Clearly the IQ of the average person had dropped some since she had last walked around. It terrified her to think that she was the smartest person in that courtroom at the time.

But she had no time to mourn the losses humanity had suffered; she was sentenced to an insane asylum until "she was less crazy."

So Chell had been, for the next X amount of months, at the insane asylum, rotting away.

It was miserable. The patients with her were dangerous and truly crazy. She had no freedom here, and was constantly being psychoanalyzed by the orderlies or her therapist. She couldn't try and communicate with anyone—she was allowed no sharp objects, which seemed to include every writing tool known to man. Whenever she made an attempt to ask for one, she had no voice and had to mouth the words, her frantic waving only seemed to solidify the idea she was insane.

But the longer she stayed there, the more she felt she was becoming crazy. Every night she would have nightmares about her experiences at Aperture. She would dream she was being suffocated by GLaDOS, shot at by turrets, falling endlessly through her portals, and watching Wheatley betray her over and over again. Sometimes she woke up screaming, only she couldn't; she had no voice to scream with. She had to remind herself that she was sane, and that what she experienced really happened; it wasn't all just a dream, and she wasn't a patient that had been there since time began, creating vivid fantasies that let her escape from the reality that she was crazy. It was odd, but this nuthouse made her feel crazier than what Aperture had ever done to her or made her feel.

Suddenly she missed Aperture Science. Even though she had constantly been the target of certain death, she felt alive and somewhat free. With her portal gun she could go anywhere, her long fall boots protectively guarding her feet, Wheatley and her teaming up to vanquish the evil GLaDOS so they could truly be free…

Chell sighed again. Wheatley… She still couldn't get over how he turned against her. She desperately wanted to know the truth. Was he merely corrupted and just lashing out from the infection? Or had he planned it from the beginning, only using her to gain power for himself? She laid her head on the table in front of her. It killed her to not know. Wheatley was someone who she had deeply trusted and had a certain fondness for. But she probably never would know the truth. She was stuck in a nuthouse; Wheatley was orbiting the earth, lost forever.

Escape from this facility was impossible.

Or was it?

Chell brightened. She was at least ten times smarter than all the people in here, including the orderlies. If she played her cards right, she could outwit the entire staff and free herself.

It was a long shot. But she had to try. Otherwise, she would be stuck in this hell hole for the rest of her life, rotting away and slowly losing her sanity. And that would not do.

Someone grabbed her shoulder, rousing her out of her thoughts. She spun around to find an orderly looking at her.

"Come on dear, Social Time's over."

Chell gave no reply, but got up from her seat at the table and proceeded to be herded out of the break room with her other fellow psycho-ward patients.

"…lobotomy…"

Chell stopped suddenly and whipped her head around. It was her therapist speaking. What about a lobotomy?

"Yeah, I've got this one lady…doesn't say anything, never makes eye contact, textbook example of crazy."

So he was talking about her. She evaded the people pushing by and got closer. He was in his office, talking on the phone.

"Sure, sure. I can sign her up. She's got no family, no records. They made me responsible for her well-being, so I don't really care. …When? In five days? Ok-ok, I'll have her there and ready."

That slimy little-! Chell wanted to barge in and beat the man with his own phone. He was going to lobotomize her? What the hell was this bullshit? Chell was whisked away by an orderly before she could display her strong disagreements.

The orderly chained her to the bed and closed the door as he left.

So that was it. Chell would become a vegetable. She heard Wheatley's voice in the back of her mind: nobody tells ME anything. Noooo. Why should they tell me anything? Why should I be kept informed about the life functions of the ten thousand bloody test subjects I'm supposed to be in charge of?... And whose fault do you think it's going to be when the management comes down here and finds ten thousand flipping vegetables? Chell would have laughed if she wasn't about to become a "flipping vegetable;" Wheatley's quirks always made her want to chuckle. She wondered if Wheatley would have said that about her if he hadn't woken her. She wondered what he would have said it to her right now… But Wheatley wasn't here, not that he could help her this time even if he was.

She had no one but herself. And in three days it wouldn't matter. Nothing would.

So she had to escape. If she could shake two mad powerful AIs in her lifetime, why couldn't she escape from this madhouse? None of the people here could match GLaDOS's incredible mental prowess, and Chell was beginning to think even Wheatley could've outsmarted them.

Resolve formed in her head. She was going to leave. But first, she needed a plan.

Chell lay down on her bed. She wasn't tired just yet. She wouldn't let herself sleep until she was out of this hell hole.

She had five days to escape from this messed up place. Either she would become a vegetable, die from lack of sleep, or be free.

Mind racing, she began to formulate a plan…

A/N: Not my strongest chapter. I know… But it was necessary! I'm not sure how realistic Chell's capture was, but I hope it was at least absurd. This chapter was short as well. It needed to be.

Confession time! I've never played the half-life series. In fact, I never knew Portal took place in the same "reality" as HL until just a few months ago. It wasn't important at the time, so I put it out of my mind. Which is why there's no mention of Black Mesa or the combine. Yeah… AU. Some of the reviewers reminded me of the connections of the two games when they tried to surmise where Chell was, but I had already formed a plot in my head. However, depending on how well I can do stuff good, I may include BM later, as a plot device.

Quick shout-out to Ripred, who guessed Chell's (more or less) correct location. Bravo, good sir, bravo… And another one to x Mostly Harmless x! Just as I was about to submit this I got your review and lol'd. You guys are good… I'll have to step it up…

Right! Thank you very much for your time! And reading this! That too! I look forward to seeing all of yall in the next chapter, where some stuff happens and maybe even more.