Author's Note: And onwards. I do not own Portal.
~o0o~
The Courtesy Call Pt. 2
TEST 01 –1/19
NO WARNINGS
"If you feel liquid running down your neck, relax, lie on your back, and apply pressure to your temples. You are simply experiencing a rare reaction in which the Material Emancipation Grid may have emancipated the ear tubes inside your head."
Chell pressed a palm to her neck. Sighing faintly with relief at the lack of liquid, Chell experimented with the landing dock the elevator brought her too. That was another change of Aperture Science. Unlike last time, when Chell would be brought immediately into the test, the elevator now felt like wasting time in a particular room boarded with screens before sending the subject up a flight of stairs, through a door and into the actual test chamber. The worst part? The screens were out so there was nothing to watch anyway.
A minor change in the test chamber had Chell press switch that activated a blue portal in each of the switch's allocated section. So, once again, the woman was forced through a tedious task of delivery. Chell was certain the postal business was not for her. "Good. Because of the technical difficulties we are currently experiencing, your test environment is in unsupervised. Before entering a relaxation vault at the conclusion of a test, please take a moment to write down the results of your test. An Aperture Science Reintegration Associate will revive you for an interview when society has been rebuilt."
If Chell actually did do such a meaningless thing, she'd simply write: Didn't die.
~o0o~
TEST 2 –2/19
NO WARNINGS
In this docking station, the screens were alive and kicking, unlike some certain test subjects. Four thin screens would make up one image that was cloned across the room. In a simple work-friendly style, the image on the screens depicted a theatre. A screen above the stage had the less-than-famous Aperture Science logo. Little stick figures occupied the numerous chairs; some were standing near the stage. 6 nation flags were beside the screen. And then, an enormous (for the stick people) turret smashed down onto the screen. Rather than white, the turret had a leopard-print coat. A gold crown was perched on top of its head.
A confused expression slowly grew on Chell's face, much like the plants in the chambers.
"If the Earth is currently governed by a manner of animal-king, sentient cloud, or other governing bodies that either refuses to or is incapable of listening to reason, the –" the announcement died.
She had been hoping this whole 'apocalypse' business had just seen some stupid joke for those stupid scientists but now Chell was really beginning to question its constant mentioning. The demonic artificial intelligent she had fought had mentioned that the world outside was different than Chell remembered. But Chell's memory was hazier than a student's stuck in a difficult exam. So, either way, the woman was hoping that Aperture Science was just showing off its terrible sense of humour.
As Chell turned a corner to move into the chamber, a voice called out, "Hey! Hey! You made it!"
Never had a robot made Chell feel this thankful. She allowed a small smile at the personality core that was hanging on by the ceiling rails, beyond the chamber walls. Parts of it had broken off over time due to plant infestation. From the looks of it, Chell would not be able to exploit this since nothing but eternal darkness was outside. "There should be a portal device on that podium over there. I can't see it though...maybe it fell off. Do you want to go and have a quick look?"
Chell nodded and neared for the podium in the middle of the overgrown garden. Brushing aside a handful of sticky vines, Chell finally laid eyes on…a podium. With no portal gun. She stepped forward to give it a good kick in dissatisfaction. And the ground collapsed on her.
Chell's yelling was cut short when her feet slammed down onto the ground. Water sprung up from its peaceful lifestyle and sprayed the young woman in protest. Wiping off wandering droplets on her face, Chell craned her neck up to see the ceiling of test chamber 2. The boots had kept her feet dry but the bottom parts of her jumpsuit were dripping wet. "Hello!? Can you see the portal gun?"
Once again, Chell was lost on how to converse with Wheatley with her voicelessness. "…Also, are you alive? That's important, should have asked that first. Um…I'm –do you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to work on the assumption that you're still alive a-and I'm just going to wait for you up ahead."
From the looks of it, Chell had fallen into a basement of sorts; possibly exposed eventually when the centre was left unattended. There was a hill of rubbish at the centre and a curve in its formation that gave Chell the ability to climb up it. But what snagged the young woman's attention were the drawings on the walls. No writing accompanied them but Chell could only guess that the artist was the same possible insane person that aided in her rebellion last time.
"I'll wait –I'll wait an hour. Then I'll come back and assuming I can locate your dead body, I'll bury you. Alright? Brilliant! Go team! See in you in an hour, hopefully. If you're not…dead." Wheatley sounded more socially awkward than upset over Chell's possible ill fate.
Each artwork was a chapter in a story. The first showed her, GLaDOS, surrounded by scientists. All were keeping a close eye on her. The second was an ordinary stick figure, except that orange lines were erratically squiggled on the head. It was bowing down to the Weighted Companion Cube. Behind it, were now crazy-looking scientists around GLaDOS. One particular scientist was a woman whose mouth looked like a tapeworm. Chell frowned at such grotesque depictions of human beings and moved on to the following chapter.
Breathlessly, Chell examined the artwork of GLaDOS and her. Yes, she was part of this artist's story. GLaDOS was offering a piece of cake towards the painted Chell, whose portal gun was pointed directly at the sweet food, as though offended by its sugary goodness…or its lies. Red paint was smudges around GLaDOS' main body. And the stick figure was back again, with the orange lines replaced by a love heart. It was holding a Companion Cube.
Next was the stick figure again, his head swirling with orange. He was holding his arms up to a thick black cloud raging and twisting downwards to him. Keeping in line with the story, Chell saw it as the great tirade of machinery that defied gravity and rose to the destroyed ceiling after she had defeated GLaDOS. Perhaps this person had somehow gotten caught up in the tornado as well. And lastly, and most confronting, there was Chell.
Fast asleep.
Torso up, the painted Chell was lying on her back, her arms outstretched like an angel. Her hair was framed neatly around her head, quite the opposite of its messy bed-hair now. The expression on her face was peaceful. But the way the orange of her jumpsuit dripped down like blood wasn't, nor was the hand marks collected at the bottom of Chell's torso. Overall, Chell would give the body of work 7 out of 10: good uses of style and imagery but you lose a few points for centralising the audience member without asking for permission.
With Chell's excursion through the art museum finished, she climbed up the rubbish mountain in hopes of finding a way out. What she found instead made everything so much simpler: a portal gun. Just from the looks of it Chell was able to determine it as a single-portal device. It would do for now. Seeing a blank wall besides the last painting, Chell activated a portal and strolled through. She emerged onto a balcony of sorts (if you include protruding tiles as a balcony) and overlooked the art gallery.
Climbing up a rail, Chell had moved on into a series of corridors, flooded and sticky with moss and dangling plants. She caressed the walls, feeling its rough yet slimy surface. The corridors eventually led the woman to a collection of offices. All as abandoned as Chell's first exploration. While there were computers, no electricity powered the machines so another attempt at connecting to the outside world ended in failure. Frustrated, Chell looked to Wheatley as her helper.
He was hardly a 'saviour.'
When Chell jumped down a ledge she knew she was in a test chamber. "Some emergency testing may require prolonged interaction with lethal military androids. Rest assured that all lethal military androids have been taught to read and have been provided with one copy of the Laws of Robotics. To share."
Of course.
Spotting the orange portal past a ditch, Chell travelled to its location. Then, did the same thing again, attaching a blue portal beside the exit and moved through the orange. As she exited the chamber, the male voice congratulated her, "Good. If you feel that a lethal military android has not respected your rights as detailed in the Laws of Robotic, please note it on your self-reporting form. A future Aperture Science Entitlement Associate will initiate the appropriate grievance-filing paperwork."
The elevator tube was filled to the brim with junk: Storage Cubes and corpses of turrets. But, at the sound of whirling machinery, the junk was sucked up the pipe and the elevator was revealed. Chell stepped into the elevator, her palm resting on her old wound. Her eyes narrowed hatefully at the reminder of the turrets; the damned robots.
~o0o~
TEST 04 –4/19
VITAL APPARATUS VENT PRESENT
MIND THE APERTURE SCIENCE WEIGHTED STORAGE CUBE
Chell remembered this test quite clearly in her mind, unlike some memories, so it was odd when the announcer said, "This next test is very dangerous. To help you remain tranquil in the face of almost certain death, smooth jazz will be deployed in three…two…one…" Ears perked and body ready for any sudden movement, Chell steadily did the task required. All the while, 'smooth jazz' was melting away the tense mood into an almost romantic atmosphere. However, as Chell placed the Storage Cube on the wide red button, the music slowed to snail-pace until it died on her. There was no recording to apologise for the inconvenience, which just came off as rude in Chell's opinion. So, the woman scornfully marched into the next test chamber…which turned out to be the original test chamber 5 but was now an extension to 4. Perfect.
It did not take long for Chell to master this section. By the time she walked through the exit and into the glass room, expecting it unlike last time, she decided to title herself a master (never mind the fact she was just redoing the same tests). When Chell used a portal to land on top of the room, the glass couldn't hold her weight after so many of neglect. The woman shrieked when she slipped and slammed painfully onto the ground. The only pain present was that of the bruising kind, not sliced, thank goodness.
"Good work. Because this message is pre-recorded, any observations related to your performance are pure speculation on our part. Please disregard any undeserved compliments." Chell ignored them; so sure that she was a master of the portal gun.
As Chell processed further through this cave of an enrichment centre, she took a short break upon noticing a small annex. Stepping inside and up a creaky flight of stairs, Chell had found an office, however, painted on the wall, was another story. The crazy artist had gone wild again, centring the Companion Cube and surrounding it with mathematical equations. There was a stretched down whacky cat to the top left. Over all of this, in orange crayon, was: UNREASON.
Whatever that meant.
~o0o~
TEST 05 –5/19
VITAL APPARATUS VENT PRESENT
MIND THE APERTURE SCIENCE WEIGHTED STORAGE CUBE
MIND THE HAZARD LIQUID –INSTANT DEATH
DO NOT DRINK TEST CHAMBER LIQUID
The screens around the elevator depicted a group of stick figures running on their allocated spots. In correlation to the image, the pre-recording provided the much-needed information, "If the Enrichment Centre is currently being bombarded with fireballs, meteorites, or other objects from space, please avoid unsheltered testing areas wherever a lack of shelter from space-debris DOES NOT appear to be a deliberate part of a test."
Chell decided that life was unfair, extremely so in her case. For test chamber 5 had had a renovation while she was fast asleep. It was barely recognisable, beyond the miniature forest. Hazardous liquid frothed below to the right and the exit was too high up for Chell to climb. At least there were switches to rely on –goody. The chamber wasn't doing much to make up for its change either. There was garbage blocking the way in, to which Chell had to create a portal at her feet in order to get in.
She then proceeded to smash through this damn test. Pressing the first switch, a Storage Cube dropped from its vent on a platform on the other side of river of dangerous goo. Chell used a portal to send the cube over to the orange portal, with which she was standing next to. She then placed the cube onto a super-button. This activated a staircase. Tiles were pushed up from the ground, set at different heights so Chell was able to make it to the exit, only to have the closed door tease her. There was another super-button and two more switches joining her.
Experimentally, Chell pressed the first (or rather second) switch, which lifted up a large panel, a few feet in front of the orange portal and before the liquid, to a 90 degree angle. It stayed up only for two seconds. The second (third, take your pick) did the same as the first. When Chell tried it, a different Vital Apparatus Vent, from a taller height, released a cube. It hit a single platform, rolled off and dissolved in the liquid. So Chell placed a blue portal on the platform and tried again. This time, the cube shot from the orange, then continued to stumble too far into the liquid. Growling, Chell pressed both switches, leaving the third cube protected.
After Chell played the matchmaker for two couples, the announcer spoke, "Well done. The Enrichment Centre reminds you that although circumstances may appear bleak, you are not alone. All Apeture Science personality constructs will remain functional in apocalyptic, low power environments of as few as 1.1 volts."
~o0o~
TEST 6 –6/19
PREPARE TO JUMP FROM HIGH LEDGES
PREPARE TO FLING FROM HIGH LEDGES
Yippee, Chell sarcastically thought. Because she had been missing 'jumping from high ledges' and 'flinging from high ledges.' Chell always appreciated it when people listened to her. It's almost as though Aperture Science cared about her! She pressed her back against the cold wall and eased down to the ground. A bathroom break would be nice; so would food and water. Chell did not desire a bed at all, especially after her previous excessive nap. Funny that.
"This next test applies the principles of momentum to movement through portals. If the laws of physics no longer apply in the future, God help you."
When Chell picked up her strength and begrudgingly started the test, she swore she heard birds chirping outside the chamber. The woman refused to allow too much optimism to shine; knowing this science facility, it was probably some robot designed with a bird-sounding noise. Stepping through a blue portal, Chell emerged to overlook the entire chamber. It was entirely new as well and completely lacking in portal-usable walls. Once again, the exit was on a raised level and there was a ditch as well, to help in the 'jumping from high ledges' aspect of the test.
To the left was a Storage Cube sealed inside a glass box. Chell wondered if she could smash it open. A minute later, she found out, she could not. So, she stood at the pit and peeked inside. There was portal-conductive surface at the bottom. Using the power of momentum, Chell shot through portals and made it to the exit. She was able to find a hole in the glass box, to which she could free the cube via portal. She then jumped back down, activated a portal in the pit and dropped the cube. It flung to the exit and Chell followed after it, feeling like a champ.
"If you are a non-employee who has discovered this facility amid the ruins of civilisation, welcome! And remember: testing is the future, and the future starts with you!" Chell pitied any poor sucker who happened to stumble across this dump.
In the following section, Chell realised that the current new chambers were designed to adequately fit with the answers of the tests. This was going to make Chell's life much easier. She supposed that the angled platforms that oh-so happened to be portal-conductive and oh-so conveniently placed on a metal wall were of some use, correct? A blue portal bloomed on the platform. Then, Chell leapt into the pit where an orange portal snuggled below. When Chell flung across the room, her vision was skewed and she had to lay down for a bit to nestle her stomach.
But, once that episode passed, Chell collected the Storage Cube next to her. Next, after placing a blue portal close to the ceiling and on the other side of the raised platform, Chell and her buddy, the cube, flung towards the exit…which was a few metres above her. Finding the super-button behind shattered glass, panels creaked up and formed a landing port for Chell to fling onto to the exit. So that is exactly what the young woman did.
"Good work getting this far, future-starter! That said if you are simple-minded, old and irradiated in such a way that the future should not start with you, please return to your primitive tribe and send back someone better qualified for testing."
Oh. Ha. Ha. 'Return' they say. As though it was that easy. Chell eyes could roll so far they'd fall out of their sockets.
~o0o~
TEST 7 –7/19
NO WARNINGS
Well, that's surprising. When Chell emerged from the elevator, she took note of the screens and their upside down images. Unimpressed was down-playing Chell's reply. "To ensure sufficient power remains for core testing protocols, all safety devices have been disabled. The Enrichment Centre respects your right to have questions or concerns about this policy."
Taking it in, Chell had no idea how she was going to complete an utterly destroyed chamber. She was, by no means, exaggerating. There was nothing to hurl, grab or activate, just walls, cracked, holed and garbage littered about the place. Exploration was in order, that's for sure. Just as the woman stepped ahead, a voice called out, "Hey! Oi! Oi! I'm up here!"
Spinning to the source, Chell relaxed at the sight of Wheatley hanging on a rail. He was between the current room and another, obtainable only because of the damage. By this, portals were required, especially since there was an active orange portal on an angled platform, sitting on the ground. But the woman was paying more attention to Wheatley. The personality core waved its round body, its big blue eye glowing brighter, "Oh, brilliant! You did find a portal gun! Oh, y-you know what? It just goes to show: people with brain damage are the real heroes in the end, aren't they? At the end of the day. Brave!"
Chell halted for a second, processing what Wheatley just implied.
"Pop a portal, on that wall behind me there, and I'll meet you on the other side of the room."
"Sure," Chell murmured, her voice feeling so much more alive. Her sore finger clicked the trigger.
As she crossed over she heard Wheatley mutter to himself, "Oh, she does speak. I would have appreciated that knowledge a little earlier." There had been so many times, as of late, where Chell was tempted to never look at a piece of technology again.
When Wheatley's cheerful demeanour lowered to a mixture of nerves and fear, the change was immediately noticeable, despite the lack of, well...a human face, to form expressions. Wheatley's eye blinked multiple times and often looked to the floor, unable to meet Chell as he said, "O-okay, listen, let me lay something on you here. It's pretty heavy…"
Chell waited, desperate to understand what was going on outside. "They told me NEVER NEVER EVER to disengage myself from my management rail." The disappointment was like a slap in the face but Chell paid attention anyway, nothing better to do after all, "Or I would DIE! But we're out of options here. So…get ready to catch me, alright, on the off chance that I'm not dead the moment I pop off this thing."
"…yeah," Chell answered. She was going to answer 'sure' but she didn't want the robot to think that was the only word she knew. The woman got close to the hanging robot. She was not going to stand directly underneath on the off chance that the core would land on her head.
"Okay. On the count of three," Wheatley waved his handles. Chell held up her hands. "One…two…three –that's high! It's TOO high! Isn't really, that's…" Why wasn't the woman surprised the robot had chickened out at the last second? "Alright, going on three gives you too much time to think about it. Let's uh, go on one this time. Okay, ready? One –catchmecatchmecatchmecatchme!"
Not matter what the situation or mood, Chell will always insist that it was Wheatley's fault his body crashed onto the ground. The robot did not give the woman enough time to process what he was suggesting. Not to mention, it was hard to concentrate and gather your wits when a robot with a distinct and fine British accent was yelling at you to catch it. Wheatley rolled around as the robot groaned, "Ow," as though it could feel pain.
Chell grabbed Wheatley's top handle. Bringing him to eye level, Chell was about to lecture him before the robot gasped in amazement, "I…am not dead! I am not dead!" He gave a good jolly laugh before flicking his eye upwards, "Plug me into that stick on the wall over there, yeah? And I'll show you something. You'll be impressed by this."
What Wheatley was referring to was something attached to a wall: an Aperture Science Core Input Receptacle, as it was titled on the device itself. In more understandable language it was a computer data port. Chell felt like she had plugging in a USB. Wheatley fiddled with a few things before noticing the woman staring at him. His eye narrowed sheepishly, "Um…yeah, I can't do it if you're watching. S-seriously, I'm not joking. Could you turn around for a second?"
Containing her frustration, Chell crossly turned the other way, swinging the portal gun absent-mindedly as she waited. After a few beeps, Wheatley called for her. Thanks to Wheatley a tile on the wall projected outwards, giving Chell access to the innards of Aperture Science. Recalling how she escaped last time, Chell grinned impishly. "BAM! Secret tunnel that I opened. While your back was turned. Pick me up and let's get out of here. The portal gun, it can –"
Chell didn't need to be informed of her portal gun's powers. The two hooks at the end of the gun shared a line of bolts between them that picked up the robot and carried it, without the need of the human's help, beyond holding the portal gun. "And off we go."
The inside had a make-over as well. It was dark and cold, like the depths of an ancient cave. Metal constructed everything, including the walkways, which were the only ways to navigate through. A look over the rails gave hints of the probable size of Aperture Science: MASSIVE. Chell could not see the bottom and a sickening feeling told her it wasn't because of the lack of lighting. Her anxious musings were disrupted by Wheatley, spinning himself around.
"Look at this! No rail to tell us where to go! Oh, this is brilliant! We can go where we want!" the woman gave the robot a simple nod and proceeded to the left. "Hold on, though, where are we going? Seriously. Hang on, let me just get my bearings….just…follow the rail actually." Wheatley's voice trailed off in embarrassment.
Pushing through the thick darkness, Chell and Wheatley followed the yellow brick road (or more like grey metal walkway) through the eerie places. Tubes twist and turned all over the place, amongst the machinery behind the tests, blocked by leftover Storage cubes and other bits of garbage. Chell found herself searching for a love heart on a cube then dismissed that thought in a hurry. Wheatley hummed to himself, careful to ensure he and his partner was going the right way. At one point, they spotted a line of red light blinking through the darkness.
The owner of the light was a turret, caught on a spike from a hole in a tube. It did not shoot. Its eye did not flicker to Chell. All it did was call out innocently, "Hello?"
"Oh no…" Wheatley rolled his eye while Chell frowned. She cautiously eased closer.
"H-hello? Excuse me?"
"Yes! Hello! No, we're not stopping…" Wheatley sounded like he was trying to avoid an awkward teller-marketer. He uncomfortably chuckled and muttered to Chell, "Don't make eye contact, whatever you do."
"Hello?"
"No, thanks, we're good!" Wheatley and Chell moved past the odd turret.
"Thanks anyway…"
"Keep moving, keep moving…" the personality core frantically begged.
Chell picked up the pace and left the turret stuck in its fantasy world. Just as the pair stepped past a door she heard the turret call out, "I'm different!"