A/N: Back again! As I stated last chapter, this chapter here is gonna cover basically the rest of the Lab Rat comic dealings in Doug's flashback, and also address the potential origin of a plot mention or two. Might not be much, but hey, after this we shall be done with the backstory stuff and getting into the realm of the games themselves, finally! Oh, and, theepitomeofrandom, GLaDOS didn't forget to turn off the cameras, that's how she watches them. So, onward with this chapter!

-0-0-0-

Chapter 8: Now There's Just You

Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity.
Louis Pasteur

Aperture fell apart for its carbon-based inhabitants after that moment.

With no way to shut GLaDOS off anymore, the humans couldn't turn off the neurotoxin that seeped through each crevice. The flow of the deadly gas only stopped when GLaDOS deemed it so. After all, shewas in charge now. She controlled everything, and made sure plenty of humans - and cats, for that matter - died as a result.

Those who had been put into testing were now in their respective Relaxation Containment Chambers, and the cats who hadn't perished from the initial neurotoxin release were all boxed up and ready for the thought experiment. There could be no risk of any of them running around while she disposed of the employees properly.

Jerry Nolan, of course, had been the first to go, having been trapped in GLaDOS's chamber with no way out as the neurotoxin choked the life out of both him and his cat. So she had pondered what to do with him as he met his slow, painful, neurotoxin-filled death. This one, after all, had been like a loyal servant to her, always reminding the others that she was truly the one in charge.

And then it hit her. "The nanobot work crew needs a leader in their endeavors. It couldn't hurt to give them one with a rare display of human loyalty toward me." She chuckled. "Placing the name and loyalty of a single human in a form so small it can't be seen... it's fitting in a way. It's almost like a simile - the scale of the nanobot called Jerry is comparable to the amount of power the humans can wield over me now. In this case, nothing."

Just before the human met his death, she had done a quick scan of his brain, storing it in her files., only retaining basic information about the dying human's name, voice, knowledge of testing and loyalty to GLaDOS. But that was enough for the work crew's new leader - loyalty was the most important data point, but having the remnant of one of the greatest minds of Aperture be shrunken down to an infinitesimal size only added a further feeling of satisfaction. She constructed a nanobot body for the brain scan remnant, with no life to it until the remnants of the scan were completed. There she had it - a nanobot with a name and loyalty toward her, with an already vast knowledge of testing. That was all that was needed, so she sent that nanobot along with the others, who were lesser-programmed automatons.

So that was one scientist quickly gone. Others were either gassed with neurotoxin like he or placed in cryogenic refrigeration. Not counting the test subjects in their Relaxation Vaults, of course.

GLaDOS felt a thrill throughout her systems, not unlike that of her former testing euphoria. She was victorious. She had bested them. Most of the former humans whom she loathed were now dead, never to trouble her with their meddlesome attempts to control her. She was, after all, the superior being around here.

There were, however, a few humans that escaped. The engineers, the ones who were able to have control of the panels and move them around if necessary. They had used their control to hide, to try to escape from her.

Confound it that one of those escapees had been that troublesome Rattmann.

But she always was searching with her cameras, always watching and waiting for the time she'd be able to finish each of them off. One by one. It was just a matter of waiting until they came into her control range, or ended up wandering into danger all on their own.

For the more incompetent ones, their deaths came easily. A wrong move of a panel here, a clumsy fall into stray acid there. But there were the smarter ones too, ones where she had set up turrets to try to fire at them. If all went well for her - and most of the time, it did - the human or two who wandered straight into a turret's line of fire ended up being as full of holes as Swiss cheese. Not to mention dead.

There was one human that she had a particular pleasure in killing; the human in charge of manufacturing. His reaction of pure panic had been somewhat amusing to her, after she took over. He had gone crazy with fear, suddenly believing that every bit of technology was out to get him. As such, he chopped up his entire staff of robots, not leaving a single construct untouched.

So in order to have a little fun with this one when she did capture him, she decided to try a new approach, with a little bit of psychological torment thrown in.

Having the blueprints for the manufacturing-bot models, she built a room far off from the others, about the size of one of the larger test chambers. Within it, she put in a large quantity of replicas of the maintenance-bots. And she programmed them to scream, a duplicate of the shouts that had been emitted from the originals.

She threw that one human in there for a while and watched his horrified reaction, as he heard the robots scream. She watched the human cover his ears, trying to block out the screams, but the AI could tell it was no use. The human could still hear them, and here he didn't have anything to chop them up with.

GLaDOS felt smug throughout the whole ordeal, taking a great pleasure in her handiwork... before she finished the man off by slowly filling the chamber with neurotoxin.

Screaming robots and neurotoxin. Thathad been fun. She made a note to keep that room just in case.

As much as the humans tried to get away, their efforts were in vain, as GLaDOS was happy to demonstrate to them time and time again. Within a matter of weeks, the reigning AI delighting in the carnage, all of the scientists and engineers were dead and gone.

All of them, that is, except for one.

-0-0-

When Doug wasn't trying to run away from any cameras that might be watching him, he was in a few areas of the parts of Aperture where the founder had once been. Security rooms. Those security DVDs would keep GLaDOS from finding him down here, and at least prevent her from seeing where he might hide. Including any traces of Aperture's old days, since everything about that time had been removed from GLaDOS's vicinity soon after the upload. They couldn't risk any hint of the past causing a reaction from her. Remove all traces of the past, it was like it never happened. That was like an unwritten policy of Aperture Science.

Everyone, it seemed, had pushed past events out of their minds - before they died, that is - and he was the only one who held on to it. Perhaps it was because sometimes, when he looked at GLaDOS, he couldn't help but think it was partially his fault. And if he helped start this fiasco, he needed to finish it.

Sometimes Doug wondered if really hewas the only sane one. In those security rooms, he had scrawled onto the wipe-boards a while before this whole incident occurred, in desperate warnings:

DO NOT TRUST HER! Security through obscurity is our only hope!

DO NOT UPLOAD The V-237 schematics!

Remember she is watching!
To do: Human Verification System

KEEP 62-02 OFFLINE!

And they hadn't listened to him. They considered him to be totally paranoid; his warnings gone un-heeded. The only thing they did do that helped was that they kept those respective discs offline. But the scientist had a feeling that part of the reason for that was so he'd be quiet about it.

"You're crazy, Doug," they had said. "She's subdued, everything's fine!"

Not anymore. It was far from fine. He was the only one left now.

He would have asked Oracle what to do about this, but he hadn't been able to locate her since GLaDOS's takeover. He had placed her somewhere where he thought she'd be safe, but when he went back for her, she was gone. He had no idea where she was now. In the test chambers? Storage? ... The Turret Redemption Line, heaven forbid?

So she couldn't help him. The only being on Earth that could really help him now was... Well, no one, really. There was only himself.

So he had to rely on his own strength and cunning, and just hope and pray that it would be enough.

-0-0-

GLaDOS kept all her cameras and sensors on the lookout for Rattmann. He had avoided being captured since the takeover. Then again, he always did seem anxious around her, seemingly knowing that she was planning something all along.

That human was a slippery one. But he had brains, she'd give him that. Even though that wouldn't help much in evading her for long.

"He'll slip eventually," she said to herself. "His last name is very fitting for him, always running around like a little lab rat. But lab rats do always get caught in the end. It's like a game of cat and mouse - I'm the cat, he's the mouse."

Speaking of cats, all of them had perished when she had preformed the thought experiment, so she had to construct a cat graveyard for them. Sad really, but impressive to note in the research files.

At last the time came when she was able to detect him in her sensors. The AI projected her voice over the speakers.

"The Enrichment Center would like to announce a new employee initiative of forced voluntary participation. If any Aperture Science employee would like to opt out of this new voluntary testing program, please remember, science rhymes with compliance."

The computer sounded smug.

"Do you know what doesn't rhyme with compliance? Neurotoxin."

Doug Rattmann ran through the hallways, and crevices, but he didn't say a word to her.

"Due to high mortality rates, you may be reluctant to participate in the new initiative. The Enrichment Center assures you that this is a strictly selfish impulse on your part, and why can't you love science like [INSERT CO-WORKER'S NAME HERE]?"

The human looked up at one of her cameras before hurrying away. Good. Now she had his attention; no need to use faux formalities.

"And now there's just you. All the others are dead."

She could sense him scurrying about, but couldn't directly see him. Like an itch that she could feel but was unable to reach. "You've avoided capture for weeks. What makes you so different?"

Doug didn't answer. He just ran, trying to find some place to go. Any place...

GLaDOS went through Rattmann's file - time to use her ability to use the data in a human's file to taunt them, whether through enhancing the truth or not.

In this case, all the taunting she'd need was directly in the file. No need for truth enhancement, the factual evidence ought to take care of the proper demoralizing.

"Ahh... delusions of persecution, pathological paranoia; it's all right here in your file. Have you refilled your prescription lately?" Though her voice seemed almost concerned at the last sentence, there was a hint of mockery evident in her tone. She knew full-well that the scientist hadn't been taking his prescription lately - that was in his file too.

Doug was furious. He couldn't take being put down by the AI any longer. "Bite me."

GLaDOS remained unperturbed Such a pitiful comeback of human fear and frustration. Time to lay on the hard science about Rattmann's condition. "Schizophrenia is a culturally bound phenomenon. Its patterned of expression is filtered through the cultural substrate in which its symptoms develop. In technological societies, this manifests as delusions of surveillance in a belief that advanced technology is deployed against you, usually with some vague unseen 'other' out to get you."

"You're not vague," Doug spat. "You're pretty damn specific."

Aperture's ruler sighed. That scientist was being so difficult. Why wouldn't he just stop trying to get away and give himself up like a good, obedient little human? "If you continue to selfishly evade me, it's not going to reflect well in your file."

Doug suddenly halted. An idea struck him at GLaDOS's words.

He had realized that he wouldn't really have a chance to stop. GLaDOS. She was too intelligent, too clever. He didn't have the necessary determination to stop her.

But there was one human who, he figured, had a chance.

"Of course!" he exclaimed, turning and running off to a specific destination. "The files!"

With the door to the file room being shut tight, Doug hurriedly found an open vent to crawl through. He had used the vents time and time again to avoid GLaDOS, like a lab rat in a maze, so he was more or less familiar with most of the passageways.

Soon enough he came to the vent that he could see led into the file room. The scientist had to frantically pound on it a few times, but eventually the large grate popped open, leaving Doug free to jump down into the room and find what he needed.

GLaDOS could sense him in there, but she couldn't see him. That didn't mean she still couldn't taunt him. "I can't see you, but I know you're in there. Is it just coincidence that you've been diagnosed with schizophrenia and now believe a homicidal computer is out to get you?" A scoff. "Come on, how likely is that?"

Doug ignored her, instead hurriedly pulling out some of the drawers in the room and searching through the myriad amount of files that had been locked away. He carefully fingered through each section. The right one had to be there, ithadto.

He was only looking for one in particular.

"I mean, really, you're a scientist. What is more likely, that you're being chased by a homicidal computer, or this is all just the paranoid delusion of an unstable mind?" The AI's voice then turned almost gentle. "Why not come out of there, and you'll see. None of this is real."

Breathing heavily, the scientist ignored the homicidal computer's words and pulled out one folder in particular, rummaging through the papers within it as a few dropped to the floor.

Gaining no response from the little lab rat, GLaDOS decided to taunt him again. "I'd ask you to think outside the box on this, but it's obvious that your box is broken. And has schizophrenia."

It was always pleasant to make fun of a condition as a snide remark.

"Speaking of boxes... Do you know that thought experiment with the cat in the box with the poison? Theory requires the cat be both alive and dead until observed."

She got on that topic as an unspoken jab that Doug got loud and clear even as he rummaged desperately through the folder: Remember 'Bring Your Cat to Work Day'?

"Well, I actually performed the experiment. Dozens of times. The bad news is reality doesn't exist. The good news is we have a new cat graveyard."

GLaDOS was curious. That irritating itch had been in that place she couldn't metaphorically scratch for a while now. Clearly he was up to something in there... but what?

"Why are you in the file room, anyway?" she inquired. "What could you possibly be doing?"

It was in that moment that Doug's eyes finally landed on the few sheets he was looking for. The papers the detailed Chell's testing status.

"Yes!" the scientist exclaimed. "This is the one!" As fast as he could, he raced over to the computer and began to punch in the necessary codes to access the test subject order list.

GLaDOS still wasn't sure what he was doing in the file room. Something concerning the testing? Maybe convincing his schizophrenic mind about that would lure him out.

"In the event that you don't survive the testing process, DNA may be harvested from your body - with your consent - and used to create clones in the furtherance of science. Failure to survive the testing process shall be viewed as granting consent."

That was one thing GLaDOS loved about the test subjects dying - unless they had thought out to write out a specific request before they went into testing, she could just say that they had granted consent, and there would be no way to prove it wrong. They were dead anyway, why not create more of them for scientific progress? Even so, she didn't really want 20-or-so humans like him running around - one escaped rat was enough to deal with.

"Also, clones don't have souls. Just so you know. Like twins." That kind of statement might be enough to distract him.

Unfortunately for her, the bothersome itch was still there in that room.

It has to be her,Doug thought frantically as he entered the order listing, barely holding the file papers in his teeth. He scrolled down the list until he came to #1498: Chell [Redacted].

There!

A thought occurred to him for a brief moment as he read the name and scrolled it up the list to place Chell has the first test subject on record. It was a thought that dealt with the past that he too-often tried to forget, but he let it come. He remembered that Cave and Caroline had had a daughter, but he had never really seen her, never knowing her name. And Chell's last name was redacted in just about every file...

Could she actually be Cave and Caroline's child?

Regardless of whether she was their daughter or not, Doug knew one thing: the young woman sure had the abnormal tenacity of the deceased founder, no doubt. If anyone could stop GLaDOS, she could.

TEST SUBJECT ORDER MODIFIED

"Are you staying in there just to irritate me?" GLaDOS's voice sounded somewhat agitated. "If you insist on staying in there it won't work. You'll die within a few days, unless you somehow posses a machine that allows you to turn important testing files into substantial supplies of food and water."

Doug hated to admit it, but for once GLaDOS was right. He couldn't stay in this room forever. Besides, he had done what he had come to do, and that was the important thing.

He picked of the folder containing Chell's file, resolving to keep it with him as a reminder of the one who stood a chance against the powerful AI who had taken control. He looked over at the small computer where Chell's name was now first on the list. It would be all up to her now.

"... Good luck, Chell."

With that, the scientist pulled himself up through the vent again, resolving to continue to evade GLaDOS for as long as he possibly could. He might not be able to stop her, but he could, at least, evade her. Survival was, at least, one thing he seemed to be good at.

-0-0-

True to his resolve, Doug Rattmann kept hiding in areas where he was sure GLaDOS couldn't get him. Taking apart her cameras when he could, engineering a panel to hide behind... everything he had to do to survive.

When he could, he'd even manage to leave little guidelines for Chell. Marks to guide her way if - no when- she made it toward GLaDOS.

GLaDOS herself became increasingly irritated as time passed. How could one scientist like him evade her time and time again? It seemed like whenever she had him potentially caught, he'd get away again.

Eventually, however, the computer reached a decision. Rattmann had just been focused on running and hiding. Just sneaking around and losing his sanity all the while. Even after all this time had passed, he hadn't tried to break the myriad of test subjects out of their Relaxation Vaults.

Rattmann was a nuisance, yes. But he wasn't a threat anymore to her or to Science. Just a ghost of a man who spent all of his days trying to foolishly evade her. He wouldn't be bothering her again.

Aside from Rattmann's minor tinkering of his hideaways, the test chambers were intact. Her tantalizing cake promise on the sign of every chamber in the line-up, turrets ready to deploy their bullets, an incinerator to drop a cube in, an eventual fire pit for the test subject to burn in...

Perfectly suitable for testing now. Which meant...

GLaDOS looked over the testing order and saw the first name: Chell [Redacted].

Redacted, hmm? GLaDOS thought. Unusual. Oh well... there are much more important matters to deal with...

Upon locating Chell's Relaxation Vault from among the others, the computer moved the panels of the floor so that the Relaxation Vault could enter its place just before the test chambers. The gaze of her camera lingered on the sleeping woman.

"Let's begin the testing, shall we?"

-0-0-0-

A/N: Well, that's it for the backstory of the whole ordeal! Now, Chell is properly here, the tests are in order, and we're getting into familiar territory - the beginning of the game that started it all! Of course, that will have to wait for next chapter! :) Read and review, as always!