A/N: And now, a word from two of our sponsors- I mean, characters!

GLaDOS: *sigh* Well, these are the chapters where the author plays through both games to be more accurate.

Hello! These are the chapters where I play through both games to be more accurate!

Caroline: Chapter 9 to I-don't-know: The Chapters Where-

GLaDOS: Caroline, we get it! And speaking of chapters, go now until it's your turn in them!

Caroline: ... Fine.

... Okay, okay, I'll cut that out, I just couldn't resist making the Valve repetition joke considering it happens to be Chapter 9! Well, look where we are, starting up Portal! These chapters are going to be pretty interesting to write (and hopefully to read), considering the whole game is played from Chell's perspective. So, it's time for us to take a perspective spin with GLaDOS! As for the timer count when GLaDOS starts her speech - that's the exact number I got when I paused it right before her speech, so it's roughly the exact time she started it, or as close as I could get to it, at least! Now that that's squared away, the chapter will start in 3... 2... 1...

-0-0-0-

Chapter 9: Introductory Testing

Test fast, fail fast, adjust fast.

-Tom Peters

With her camera gaze trained on the test subject slumbering in the stasis pod, GLaDOS activated the contraption and set a timer for one minute to open the portal that would allow the testing to commence. This was going to be interesting - first test subject of the lineup.

The test subject - Chell - slowly got up from her stasis pod and looked around, her gray eyes surveying the area. GLaDOS noted that the young woman didn't seem too unsteady upon awakening. It was almost too bad - the human falling over would have been amusing. Though, if she had hit her head on the table with that lively little radio playing and fallen unconscious, that would be of no use to the testing whatsoever. Especially if she had died from blood loss due to a head concussion. Pitiable loss of a valuable test subject, but it would be interesting to note "Perished from head injury after falling into a table" in the files.

Chell didn't really look scared, much to the AI's intrigue - more confused than anything else. Like she was silently asking, "Where am I?" and not "Someone help me and get me out of here right now". Her situation would be clarified soon enough. At least she didn't seem the type to be crushed flat by a cube in the first testing area.

With about 00:40:36:76 left on the clock, the intercom switched on as GLaDOS started up her speech, keeping a monotone to her voice in order to simulate a pre-recorded message:

"Hello, and again, welcome to the Aperture Science Computer-Aided Enrichment Center. We hope your brief detention in the Relaxation Vault has been a pleasant one. Your specimen has been processed, and we are now ready to begin the test proper."

The human didn't seem too pleased with this development.

"Before we start however, keep in mind that although fun and learning are the primary goals of all Enrichment Center activities, serious injuries may occur." GLaDOS resisted letting a bit of gleeful inflection seep into her tone upon the "serious injuries" part of her speech. "For your own safety, and the safety of others, please refrain from-"

The human glanced upward as the light above her flickered and nearly shorted out, a look of surprise evident on her face. The computer inwardly chuckled as she made her voice warp on purpose, in order to authenticate the idea that everything she said was pre-recorded. "Por favor bórdon de fallar. Muchas gracias de fallar gracias." GLaDOS said the Spanish phrase very fast, roughly meaning "Please fail. Thank you very much for failing."

From the look on Chell's face, she had been unable to comprehend what GLaDOS had said. It was such fun confusing humans. Especially before throwing them into a series of testing courses which would lead to their inevitable demise.

"Stand back," she announced as she let the light in the Relaxation Vault resume its normal glow. "The portal will open in 3... 2... 1... "

With that, an orange portal appeared in front of Chell, giving off a slight blue glow from the outside as the aura of one portal revealed fragments of the other one. Chell looked at the portal, for a moment, as if analyzing it for any potential death traps, before stepping through.

The AI watched with interest from her camera eye as the orange-clad woman entered the next room. She shut the door behind the human as a Weighted Storage Cube was dispensed from the room's Vital Apparatus Vent.

At least the test subject didn't foolishly race toward the Vent and thus cause the Cube to hit her on the head. So she wasn't exactly stupid, on human terms. A test subject being mortally wounded before they even obtained the portal device would be an absolute low for science.

As the human dropped the large metal cube onto the now-glowing super-button, GLaDOS opened the door to allow the test subject to continue onward. "Excellent. Please proceed into the chamberlock after completing each test. First, however, note the incandescent particle field across the exit. This Aperture Science Material Emancipation Grill will vaporize any unauthorized equipment that passes through it. For instance, the Aperture Science Weighted Storage Cube."

GLaDOS turned off the intercom and watched the test subject go on through the door. "Well, she said to herself, "one test chamber down, 19 to go. Then I'll get to enjoy seeing her burn in a fire pit. That is, if she's intelligent enough to get that far." Likely though, the test subject would fall into acid. Or get shot by turrets. Or get vaporized. Either way, the test subject was going to meet her end in this place.

She turned her focus toward the camera overseeing the next test chamber as Chell leapt down from the ledge into her view. "Please place the Weighted Storage Cube on the 1500 Megawatt Aperture Science Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super-Button."

Was GLaDOS' camera vision going faulty for a second, or did she see the young woman actually roll her eyes? Hmm, perhaps cube-and-button based testing was considered too easy for her. Like she thought it was a big joke as she waited for the portals to correspond so she could lift the Storage Cube over to the Super-Button.

"Perfect. Please move quickly to the chamberlock, as the effects of prolonged exposure to the Button are not part of this test."

As she cut the intercom off, the AI couldn't help but laugh at the startled look on Chell's face. What did she think the button would do? Radiation poisoning? Something even more outlandish? The AI would have loved to see what was going through the human's head right now - who knew what kind of crazy side-effects she might be conjuring in her head if she were the imaginative type?

Well, if Miss Having-the-Audacity-to-Roll-Her-Eyes-at-Testing thought that lifting Weighted Storage Cubes over to Super-Buttons was so mundane, it was time for that to change upon entering Test Chamber 02.

Now there'd be some thinking with portals.

"You're doing very well!" GLaDOS found that simulated praise would likely encourage the human that the voice had a friendly demeanor to it. "Please be advised that a noticeable taste of blood is not part of any test protocol, but is an unintended side effect of the Aperture Science Material Emancipation Grill, which may, in semi-rare cases, emancipate dental fillings, crowns, tooth enamel, and teeth."

She watched as the human descended the stairs and stepped through the portal on the wall, overlooking the gun on the rotating platform. Chell looked warily at the gun for a moment, as if deciding whether or not it was a good idea to use it. As if it were a snake whose species she couldn't analyze rather than a testing device. A few seconds later, however, she picked it up, and the platform descended into the ground, the gun now under human control.

"Very good! You are now in possession of the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device. With it, you can create your own portals."

Chell fired the portal gun a few times to test it out, releasing a bright blue beam of portal energy every time the button was pressed.

It worked, of course, just as it was supposed to. Now it was time for a little fun toying with the human.

"These intra dimensional gates have proven to be completely safe. The Device, however, has not."

GLaDOS delighted at the flicker of unease in the test subject's eyes as she went on with the "Do-Not's" of the portal device protocol. "Do not touch the operational end of The Device. Do not look directly at the operational end of The Device. Do not submerge The Device in liquid, even partially. Most importantly, under no circumstances should you-"

Aperture's ruler cut herself off on purpose, leaving Chell alone to wonder what the "most important" thing was. It really was "Do not remove The Device from the testing area." And that was the only one of those rules that would result in danger. The other three would just result in earning herself a laugh.

Oh well, onward to the third test chamber. "Please proceed to the chamberlock. Mind the gap."

As expected, Chell had no problem with that simple test of the portal device. One blue portal on the wall nearby, another by the door, and presto, already taken care of. Not bad.

"Well done! Remember: the Aperture Science Bring Your Daughter to Work Day is the perfect time to have her tested."

That got a noticeable reaction out of the woman. Her body seemed to freeze for a moment and she whirled her head up at the camera. She didn't say a word, but her expression told GLaDOS all she needed: "I remember that."

Of course - this must have been one of the daughters from all that time ago. One of the few that had decided to come work at Aperture and hadn't been completely traumatized by the computer's actions. At least that was something to commend Chell for. Deciding to pursue science even after past experience. For a human, that took resolve. She'd have to suffer through cube-and-button based testing a bit longer though. Then it would be time for the more, well... deadly tests.

"Welcome to Test Chamber Four. You're doing quite well."

Upon releasing the Cube from the Vital Apparatus Vent, this test was solved pretty fast too - portal under the cube, carry cube to button - simple.

"Once again, excellent work." Now, time for some fabrications... "As part of a required test protocol, we will not monitor the next test chamber. You will be entirely on your own. Good luck."

GLaDOS watched in interest as the subject entered Test Chamber 5, noticing the suspicious gaze toward the camera which was, indeed, watching her. Though it took Chell a minute or so to find where the cubes were and subsequently solve the test, she didn't give up. With the test subject's silence, even in this "unobserved" test chamber, there seemed to be a certain tension hanging in the air.

That is, until the chamber door closed and the silence was broken.

"As part of a previously mentioned required test protocol, our previous statement that we would not monitor this chamber was an outright fabrication.

The human scowled, her expression basically saying, "I had a feeling you were lying."

"Good job!" GLaDOS continued to keep up her pre-recorded facade. "As part of a required test protocol, we will stop enhancing the truth in 3... 2..."

She cut off again.

"Technically," GLaDOS chuckled to herself, "I never finished the countdown. So I can enhance the truth all I like. The humans aren't around anymore, in any case. I can do whatever I want."

And if the test subject wanted test chambers that weren't just cube-and-button based... here, in Test Chamber 06, would be where the dangers would begin to be incorporated. "While safety is one of many Enrichment Center goals, the Aperture Science High Energy Pellet, seen to the left of the chamber, can and has caused permanent disabilities, such as vaporization. Please be careful."

Though GLaDOS was unable to really see where Chell was in the layout, due to lack of a camera installed in the room, she knew the layout and could feel it like a spider knows its web. Still, with a single shot of the blue portal on the lighted area of the ceiling, the computer could tell that the Energy Pellet was guided into its Containment Pod.

"Unbelievable! You, [subject name here] must be the pride of [subject hometown here]."

GLaDOS would of at least liked to hear some indication that the human reacted to it. Even just saying her name would suffice. But the woman kept her silence. Either that our she was muttering things under her breath that the AI was unable to hear.

The next test was much the same - another Energy Pellet test in a room that she couldn't observe due to the properties of the brown metal walls. Still, it would be a shame if the test subject were to die before obtaining the dual portal device. Although, it would be interesting to see the last look on her face as every molecule in her body broke apart... or at least hear her last breath. Even so, the young woman still solved the test, without getting vaporized. Oh well. There were plenty of opportunities for her to die, and Chell hadn't obtained the dual portal device yet, anyway. And if all those failed, there was always the inescapable fire pit.

"Good. Now use the Aperture Science Unstationary Scaffold to reach the chamberlock."

Test Chamber 08 was also a test that was to be unobserved by GLaDOS' camera eyes. However, she knew there was a new threat along with the Energy Pellets - toxic acid. "Please note that we have added a consequence for failure. Any contact with the chamber floor will result in an 'unsatisfactory' mark on your official testing record, followed by death. Good luck!"

It didn't take long for Chell to solve that test as well. The computer almost expected to hear the human fall into the acid, her body splashing into the corrosive liquid, never to be seen again. No dice.

She spoke again when she sensed the human arrive at the elevator. "Very impressive. Please note that any appearance of danger is merely a device to enhance your testing experience." Or, rather, to enhance my own viewing experience.

While Test Chamber 09 didn't have a camera she could observe from either, GLaDOS hoped that she'd at least be able to hear a shout of frustration produced by this next test. "The Enrichment Center regrets to inform you that this next test is impossible. Make no attempt to solve it."

She carefully detected the human's movements. Alright, so she was getting the cube. Now she'd have to find a way to get it to the button when there was an Emancipation Grill blocking the way. "The Enrichment Center apologizes for this clearly broken test chamber." Really, that wasn't true. This wasn't so much a survival test of the body, the real challenges of those would come later - more so one of the mind. They'd need to think about how to get around this new obstacle. It wasn't that hard, really... unless of course one had already been hiding their mental breakdown in the past chambers. Saying a test like this was impossible would test that resolve.

"Once again, the Enrichment Center apologizes on the occasion of this unsolvable test environment."

And if the test subject really was breaking down mentally, if she did solve it she might go into such an insane mental state that she'd make a stupid mistake that would be quickly followed by death. And the test subjects didn't have control over panels like that elusive Doug Rattmann had, so the subjects would have their broken mentality be only a hinderance, rather than a help.

"Maybe now she'll give up," the AI mused from within her chamber. "Or maybe she'll just go insane from frustration and start throwing the cubes wildly into the Grill with all hope lost... it would be nice to hear some despairing human laughter from the breaking down of a fragile human mind."

However, GLaDOS never got to hear a kind of mental breakdown as she was hoping. She did, however, sense the cube being properly placed on the button.

"Fantastic! You remained resolute and resourceful in an atmosphere of extreme pessimism." Secretly though, GLaDOS wished she could of at least gotten some reaction. Oh well. She'd surely get one when the test subject was to fall to her death.

Now with regained view through her cameras, she looked down the elevated stairs as Chell made her entryway. It was nice to actually see the test subject in her view once again.

"Hello again. To reiterate... previous warning: This test... momentum." GLaDOS garbled her voice just enough to get the message through, but not enough to give the entire message. She only told what she deemed necessary.

On through the next room, this one made of walls that had the computer be plunged into darkness again for that testing area. Though GLaDOS figured that it would be best to have both variants of input and output available to her, only being able to hear and sense the rooms made for interesting types of observation on occasion. And she could tell from her ability to sense the facility that Chell was indeed good with using the properties of momentum through portal technology. "Spectacular. You appear to understand how a portal effects forward momentum, or to be more precise, how it does not."

The next section of the chamber proved much the same - unobservable, yet still able to sense the portal use and motion of the test subject sailing through them. "Momentum, a function of mass and velocity, is conserved between portals. In laymen's terms, speedy thing goes in, speedy thing comes out." GLaDOS could sense Chell moving from the unportalable ground into the familiar metal elevator.

"Alright," GLaDOS said, addressing Chell though the words only could be heard within the AI's central chamber itself. "You've gotten through the little tests. Now we'll be able to see your true talents... providing, of course, you have any."

Though, GLaDOS new full well that the dual portal device would be able to be acquired in the next area. Then the serious testing could begin. The AI would have smiled, thinking about all the potential death threats that lay ahead - as soon as the human got her hands on the dual portal device upgrade, there would be plenty of obstacles that could kill her. The test subject had passed through so far, but it was only the beginning.

"Let's see how long you can succeed before you fail... Chell."

-0-0-0-

A/N: Well, gotten through the first part of Portal - well, right up to before we get the dual portal device, anyway! This was interesting for me to write, because I got to really look at these test chambers in a way I didn't before - like the lack of cameras in some of them. I think I'll be able to get through most of the remaining test chambers within the next chapter (with hopefully more action involved since there's more stuff in those chambers), so stay tuned! Remember to review!