AN: Author has no excuses for why this story was on hiatus/accidentally abandoned. :( I know full well that it's been... Christ, three fecking years since the last update. I have only a minor grasp on why it's taken so long, why I seemed to have abandoned A Touch of Humanity. Dealing with my Bipolar Disorder isn't exactly a picnic, and I went completely off the rails over the last few years. I felt invincible, convinced myself I was 'cured' and no longer needed medication to manage my BPD, and promptly went off said meds.
Cue rapid slide into psychosis, volatile mood swings, paranoia, hypomania, lethargy and occasional bouts of binging on whatever caught my attention for longer than a couple of nanoseconds. Most powerful moment of hypomania: breaking the jaw of a blind-drunk jerk who smacked me on the arse for no apparent reason other than that I'm female and me wearing close-fitting jeans somehow equates to permission to be treated like meat fresh from the abattoir. Longest stretch of depressive mania: some 50 hours of staring blearily at my computer screen, without sleep, inspiration or adequate nourishment given the cramps in my body from holding that seated position and the knotty sensation of my stomach seemingly trying to digest itself. I know that I re-clocked Borderlands and Borderlands 2 in that time (my Siren toons are so boss), and re-clocked Portal and Portal 2, but I only know I did this because the games have the hours and achievements recorded, and my pc's Task Manager registered over 50 hours of continuous use. I don't actually recall any of it.
That said, I highly recommend a site called 'Black Dog Institute' for anyone curious about BPD. There's some very accurate information to be found. Google it. If you're wondering why I don't describe any 'depressive' slumps, it's because I don't get them as powerfully as I do the mania. I'm more prone to mania, hypomania, hyperactivity, etc, etc. I get lethargy, yes, but only rarely do I get slugged with feelings of hopelessness, suicidal tendancies or raging fits of misery over seemingly nothing. I consider myself lucky in that respect.
Erm... I'm rambling about it. :( Sorry. Taking way too long to get you to the main point of this AN. Cue numerous facepalms.
Main point of this AN: I'm back! I'm slowly gaining control over my BPD and determined to keep it this way, and that means resurrecting A Touch of Humanity! Yay! Cheer! This chapter has, by rights, been fully written and post-ready since about a month after chapter 10 was posted, but as noted above, I was in a hardcore downwards spiral at the time and it hasn't seen the light of day until now. As of posting this, too, exr and I will be hard at work on chapter 12 once more, and I'm keen to see it posted in the best quality we're capable of, as soon as possible. I'll make no promises, but I'm very sure it won't take as long as this chapter did to find its' way to your eager eyes, readers.
Shoutouts at the end of the chapter to as many reviews as I can cram in, as I've come to prefer doing. The chapter is pretty long for the sake of it, but given the enormous gap in time between my last update and this one, and the sheer volume of reviews, faves and alert notices which poured in over that time regardless, you're all worth it. But -spoiler alert- I kid you not, I cried when I read some of them. With joy, that is. I remembered why I love to write. Because I love pouring my passion into the world via the written word. Thank you. -Vitalani
And now, a short commentary from the one who deserves the most credit for this chapter ever taking shape: exr: After I'd given up any hope for a continuation of ToH, after I let go of all ideas and emotions, let go of all the characters and great scenes I kept developing in mind for so long, Vitalani sent me a mail and said she was back and wanted to finish ToH. That was three days ago. Now I'm trying to regain and revive all those things, hoping to be able to get back to work and to come up with enough free time to help in creating the next chapters. There are great plans and turnabouts ahead. I'm really looking forward to the tasks ahead! -exr
Finally, on with the chapter!
~!~
"I swear, you aren't listening to me at all!" Emma exclaimed, steam practically whistling from the frustrated girl's ears. "I'm not saying Chell's a liar, I'm saying exactly the opposite of that, jeez!" She bit out.
Josh ground his teeth, resisting the temptation to join in the conversation. He kept his eyes locked rigidly on the road ahead, his right hand on the steering wheel, the left on his knee. Beside him, Sarah was all-but backwards in her seat, having twisted her upper body around to glare at Emma and more effectively argue with her.
A huff from Toby was the entirety of his input, having drawn the short straw and ended up beside the irate girl, while his twin had claimed the far-right seat in the back of the car early on and seemed to be having quite a bit of success in pretending he wasn't even there. That, or he actually had drifted off in thought and missed everything that was said since they'd left the take-away shop with their lunch.
"She's not lying as far as the definition of the word is concerned." Emma continued after Sarah didn't manage to voice any new statements. "Because she doesn't think she's lying!" Emma exclaimed triumphantly. "See, whatever really did happen to her must have been so traumatic and so horrible that she convinced herself all that stuff really happened. She couldn't live with it anymore. So her subconscious made up a fantasy story about talking robots and other assorted rubbish," -another noisy sigh from Toby caused Emma to raise her voice as if that would make her argument more convincing- "to protect her from any further damage. It's a classic act the brain takes in order to look after the sanity of the human in question. Chell believes she's telling us the truth."
In the silence that followed that statement, Sarah managed only to gape in bewilderment at the shorter girl, while Emma retained a wide-eyed, tight-lipped stare that just might have lasered a hole through the windscreen if it had been any fiercer.
"Oh... Okay, you made your point." Sarah finally replied.
"We got it the first time, already!" Toby whinged, stuck next to the glaring woman.
"But you're still not answering the question." Sarah continued seamlessly, drowning him out as if he wasn't there in the first place and earning a combination sob/groan from him in response. "What I asked you was why you're dead-set on this? Why can't you believe what she said? Why does it have to be a big, fantastic story? There's too many solid details, Emma."
"If she made it up," Toby put in before Emma could answer that, "then can you imagine what the heck she really must have gone through? No way is there anything so terrible that she made that story up to cover it. It's... Like Sarah said. Way too fantastic."
An audible growling noise seemed to escape Emma, preceding a very slow breath in that one might easily have pictured a harried mother collecting in order to deal with unruly children that refused to eat their greens.
"I never said she covered up something even more unbelievable." Emma ground out. "What I'm saying is that she personally finds this new story easier to deal with than whatever did happen. You can't not question the fact that, if she really did have to go through all those... What were they? Test rooms? Anyway-"
"Chambers. Test Chambers." Theo corrected her, then made a face when he realised he'd just blown his cover.
"-thanks! Chambers. If she'd really had to do all those test chambers, then how come she isn't missing a limb or something? If there were bullets and goo and lasers that cut through concrete, why isn't she a disfigured cripple?" Emma exclaimed. "Plus, she said loads of other people died there too, how come she's the only one who got out alive? In near-perfect condition, I might add."
"Near-perfect? Have you not seen the scar on her hand?" Toby demanded heatedly. Emma visibly backed down, cowed by the reminder, and Sarah faced forwards again with something of a frustrated groan. Silence reigned for several long, awkward minutes, though Emma fidgeted occasionally, proof she was unable to let the issue rest. For the sake of their friendship, however, she was holding her tongue the best she could.
The University Residential campus came into sight, nestled amongst the greenery surrounding it at the far end of the misleadingly long road. Everyone inside the car glanced out to the right as they passed by the spot where they'd finally rounded Chell up that morning.
"Wouldn't it be awesome to run like that?" Toby commented absently, his tone hushed in awe. "I can't believe she was actually pacing the car, that's like something out of a movie!"
"I wish I had seen that for myself." Sarah added, looking over her shoulder at him. He grinned widely.
"I reckon we could talk her into showing off. Or maybe she'd let someone try those boots on? I'm the same shoe-size as Chell is." Toby chuckled, eyes alight.
"Hey, you'd be about my height if I wore them, too." Sarah replied with a wink. "Ask her!" she insisted as the car pulled up and went silent, blindly reaching for her seatbelt, and she hurriedly climbed out.
"I'm so going to-"
"Are you seriously kidding me?!" Emma exploded suddenly. The steaming-hot parcels of food were shoved into Toby's lap, then she was out of the car and stomping down the gravel footpath to the girls' res house. The others stared after her in utter bewilderment.
"Em?" Sarah called warily. Emma didn't answer, stopping only because she'd reached the wire-screen door and hadn't yet managed to retrieve her keys from her handbag.
~!~
Chell opened her eyes, unsure at first as to why. The sunlight peeking through the curtains was warm and quite bright, and for a precious moment her mind enjoyed the peace and quiet. Then her memory returned, reminding her of the clash with Lexi and her pathetic attempt to explain all of her past to her friends.
She had considered telling Lexi before, of course. Visualised how it might go if she explained where she really came from. But even then, with a deliberate decision to reveal her past beforehand and the preparation this would have offered her, never had such an imagined discussion ended well. Too weird, too foreign, too fantastic were all the things that had happened to her. Sometimes she barely believed it herself, and if not for the scars and the Long Fall Boots, maybe she could have talked herself into the idea that it had all been some kind of hideous nightmare.
When she started to explain herself, she hadn't really thought anyone would believe her story. And from what she could tell, her assumptions were fairly accurate. The doubts in her friends' faces, the confusion in their eyes, the suppressed anger brought on by the suspicion she was spinning them a web of lies, all that wasn't nice to watch. But the openly shown compassion, their pitiful looks like seeing someone mentally ill and in desperate need of medical treatment, that really had hurt. The only thing she had been longing for was trust and loyalty. Even a hint of acceptance.
She had not spotted anything like that. And she wasn't sure if she could take any more of the skepticism and disbelief and shock.
The others would return any time now, Chell thought, her gaze drifting over to the clock on the wall. Almost half past one in the afternoon. So she'd finally gotten a little bit of sleep, despite her fruitless attempts all morning. Every time she'd closed her eyes, she'd seen the chambers and the deadly goo, and GLaDOS' glaring optic, scarlet with digital rage. All the things she tried to leave behind had caught up with her again. And for a moment she seriously considered running away, once more leaving her life behind, trying to escape her so-called friends like she'd escaped GlaDOS.
But where could she go? She'd fled from her life as test subject, going back to Aperture was not an option. This was her new life, with people she considered her friends. After leaving Aperture, after all the disappointments that came along as she wandered through a new and unknown world, she had finally found a place where she fit in. She didn't want to abandon all that hard work to start over from nothing.
A sigh caught her attention and her grey eyes turned towards Lexi, the smaller girl still sleeping next to her. Her long auburn hair was spread over the back part of the sofa, dragged behind when Lexi had leaned over. Now she was resting her head on Chell's shoulder, locking the haunted girl in place.
Chell made her decision. She wouldn't go away, she wouldn't leave Lexi behind, not before she gave their friendship a chance. After all, she owed the brunette that much, regardless of their friends' reaction. And if anyone would accept her story in even the smallest way, then Lexi was that person.
Still in thought, Chell carded her fingers through Lexi's hair, mentally apologising yet again for striking the other girl. When she heard the brakes on Josh's car squeak, announcing the return of their friends, she lifted her gaze to the unopened front door.
Counting the seconds it took her friends to walk from the parking lot to the house, Chell composed herself, calming her mind in preparation for their arrival. At least they would bring food -delicious food- and maybe that would be enough of a distraction to grant her a little peace before a new wave of questions came hurtling her way. An audible groan echoing from her stomach reminded her about her early activities with just a small sandwich to fuel her body, except for the sole slice of bread she'd managed to force down for breakfast upon returning to the house. Thoughts of the take-out food they'd decided to splurge on made her mouth water and eased her tension. Her anxiety faded in the face of anticipation, and Chell squirmed excitedly when she heard footsteps and then jangling keys.
Emma stomped in, expression thunderous. That melted away to something unreadable when she looked over at the pair, while Chell managed to notice only that she was empty-handed. Then, without a word, Emma stormed up the hallway and vanished into her room, banging the door shut. The noise woke Lexi, who grumbled sleepily about the disturbance.
"The hell...?"
The others followed, arms laden with tasty-smelling packages. Lexi sat up, helped somewhat by Chell, as the much-anticipated food was deposited on the coffee table and the bags were opened up.
"Oh, good stuff." Lexi continued to mumble to herself, leaning forward to claim a share of their lunch. The others found seats and the meal was doled out in generous quantities, though for Chell, the silence - rather, the lack of conversation - was a little awkward.
"We did good?" Sarah asked at length, her smile thin. Chell gave a nod, while Lexi was too busy shoveling noodles into her mouth to respond.
"Great." Chell mumbled around her own mouthful. "I'm starved." She added, trying to prompt some conversation. Sure, talking wasn't her own favourite pastime, but the silence from the usually-chatty group was deafening.
"Are you really sure that this computer woman was all that bad?" Sarah blurted suddenly. "You mentioned that she saved you and let you go in the end."
Chell blinked, taken by surprise at the idea of GLaDOS being friendly. Of course, the last moments were quite... Out of character, at least... But considering the whole story... "Yes, she is all that bad!" Chell finally got out. "I have no idea why she saved me in the end, really, but she tried to kill me often enough!" The raven girl added before falling silent, fighting off memories and images she wished she could forget, and feeling marginally resentful of her momentary desire for conversation. This was not what she'd had in-mind.
"What do you think she gathered from all those experiments?" Toby interrupted her inner struggle. "You said you solved weird... puzzles of some sort. What was the point of them?"
"Honestly, I don't know. It could be... no, I've got no idea. Maybe how humans solve problems. There were chemicals in the air, adrenal vapour for instance, to keep the test subjects awake and vigorous. Maybe she tested drugs or... I don't know, really. She never mentioned or explained it." Chell's voice became faint, almost reduced to a mumble. "Does a lab rat know what the scientists are looking for while they run through tubes, searching for a piece of cheese?" She asked quietly, speaking more to herself. Her gaze was focused on her dish. She didn't dare to look at her friends, afraid of what she would see in their faces.
Silence flooded the room once more, drowning any noise and choking the conversation once again. Chell felt more and more uncomfortable, being stared at, exposed like a weird and rare exhibit. As before, this emotion was something she couldn't handle, something she had no idea how to deal with, how to shake it off or work through it.
In an aparrent attempt to revive the dying conversation again, Josh quietly cleared his throat.
"I'm still a bit confused with this 'portal' idea. Somehow you shot a gun at the wall, and then a bloody great hole just appeared? Wait, how's that different to firing a shotgun at the wall and making holes? Why's it gotta be a special gun?"
A smile came to Chell's lips, though her face was hidden behind her hair. She was grateful for his effort to keep up the conversation. Josh always had trouble understanding new concepts, but she liked to think he'd asked the question just to fill in the silence, not because he didn't understand. With some new confidence from his interest, she thought back at her first contact with the ASHPD and tried to think of a way to explain its function in a figurative way.
"The most important thing to understand is the basic concept of the ASHPD. Do you remember those cartoons where they paint black circles on the ground, then someone else steps on it and falls into it? It's a bit like that. But instead of making just endless holes where someone falls in, imagine there's got to be a tube connecting two holes, otherwise they're useless. The holes are different colours. One orange and one blue. You paint one circle with blue, then some other place you paint an orange one. Where the black circle in the cartoon became a hole, the orange and blue circle are like a door to walk through. You walk into the blue, and come out of the orange one, or vice versa. A portal. That's how it works. But that's just for starters. In the test chambers, you have to use it in so many different ways..."
Chell cut herself off, realising she was rambling a bit, and she glanced over at her friends. Sarah and Toby beamed at her in rapturous fascination, while Josh and Lexi's faces were creased in concentration, as if they were trying to play imagined cartoons with orange and blue circles. But Theo looked at her with a mix of impatience and annoyance. Her new confidence was shaken, but she managed to meet his gaze and hold it. He was about to say something when Emma arrived suddenly in their midst, stopping in front of Chell.
"I know you really think that all those things are real, that they actually happened. But you've gotta come to your senses, Chell!" Emma exclaimed. "I don't know what happened to you, or why you covered it all up with that tale. But you can trust us, and we'll listen to you! We understand if you don't want to get professional help, really, but you can tell us the truth. We'll listen, and we'll help you. Just telling us what happened will help you, it'll make you feel better. That's the first step towards coming to terms with your real past. Sticking to those fibs won't do you any good! Please, at least consider it!"
Chell just gawked at her, eyes wide and mouth slack. Somehow, gravity had vanished during the last few seconds. Her body felt oddly weightless, somehow detached from her spinning mind. Then she felt rage, starting in her belly, a heavy pain as though her gut was full of molten rock. It spread outwards from that point, quickly flooding throughout her entire body like a searing flame. Her heartbeat became a strong thud in her throat, something she had to swallow hard to dislodge, and her lips pressed into a thin line as the rage contorted every muscle into a trembling knot. She glared at Emma, oblivious of the openly shown outrage in her grimace. Neither did she feel the pain in her hands, clenched tightly into fists so that her nails dug into the skin of her palms.
"How dare you! You arrogant bitch! Do you even think about what you're saying before words leave your mouth?" Lexi erupted before Chell could vent her own rage.
Suddenly, Chell could breathe. It was as though the raw fury coursing through her was being channelled through Lexi for release. Lexi was on her side, defending her, as fierce as any wildcat and as reliable as dawn and dusk. Cold air hissed its' way into Chell's lungs, soothing the burn of her furious migraine and leaving her head fractionally clearer with every breath.
"Just because you took some psychology classes, you assume you know everything? You think you can see into people's mind as if you're reading one of those damned textbooks?"
"Oh, come on, Alexis." Emma retorted, rolling her eyes up at the ceiling. "We all know that you two are like sisters, but I really thought you were smarter than that. How can you swallow the rubbish she keeps spouting?" The girl sneered, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she drawled Lexi's full-and-loathed first name. Theo stood up as Emma finished her tirade, clearing his throat noisily for attention.
"Guys, Emma does have a point. It's really too much. Maybe the story isn't completely imagined. Maybe Chell was in some kind of... lab... or clinic. Granted, she's got those boots, and they can't have popped into existence from nowhere. But from all the things I've learned, a sophisticated and self-aware artificial intelligence simply isn't possible." The quiet young man stated to the room at large. "I don't doubt Chell lived through something incredibly stressful." He continued before he could be interrupted, one hand raised to halt any protest to his logic. "But there is no way an AI like the one Chell described could possibly exist. I'm more inclined to think that whoever ran or runs that place just used a fancy-looking machine, dressed it up with some plastic, added a few speakers and a microphone, and hid behind a curtain while they terrorised their test subjects. That's much more likely than building a computer capable of running an artificial mind, in order to play housekeeper in a facility like the one Chell described. Let alone the idea that this computer was small and efficient enough to fit into -and be powered by- a potato." Theo finished, even rolling his eyes at his closing point. The room was painfully silent for a few moments after his speech, and Theo started to gain an expression that displayed an undisguised level of self-satisfaction in his own percieved intellectual sueriority.
"Wait, just because you can't imagine that being real, how does that make Chell a nut-job?" Toby demanded, standing to meet his twin's challenge.
"It's not about what I can imagine, it's about what is possible and what not." Theo answered primly. "Maybe you've been running on sports courts for too long, so your brain finally suffered from oxygen-deprivation. But unlike you, I'm quite familiar with electronics, semi-conductors and programming. I'm about to get my degree in that. And it. Is. Not. Possible." Theo sneered, though somehow with grace compared to Emma's frantic blustering. "No matter how cool you think it is. And I haven't even commented on this download-the-secretary-to-disk idea." He drawled, again rolling his eyes in a way that made Chell want to launch herself across the room and punch the expression off his face.
"Guys, please. This isn't getting us anywhere. Can we just step back for a minute and calm down before someone gets hurt... again?" Sarah intervened firmly, sparing a glance at Lexi. Faces set with anger and arms crossed over their chests, the occupants of the room merely glared at each other while their food was going cold.
"I didn't really expect anyone to believe my story. That's why I never told anyone about it. Not even Lexi." Chell finally spoke up, her voice quiet and strained from suppressing her rage. "It's hard to believe, and I know it. That's why I kept it to myself. If nothing else, I answered your questions today because I really thought you'd at least support me. Instead you're saying I'm brain-damaged." She went on with a sigh. "Believe it or not, you're not the first ones to blame me with that." Chell added, more to herself, hanging her head so the tears welling in her eyes wouldn't be visible to them.
"It is a lot to swallow. But I know I saw those boots in action, so I'll believe there's some truth in what Chell's told us. What more do you need?" Josh asked, looking straight at Theo and Emma, who had somehow migrated to stand closer together. Before Emma or Theo could answer, Toby threw in a comment.
"Maybe they'd need to take a swim in one of those acid pools..."
"That might be a bit much, but... how about searching the facility? If Chell's told the truth, then there should be some buildings, structures or an entry somewhere on the surface. We could drive there, take some pictures, and have a poke around. That'd be a nice trip and prove that the facility exists. Some pictures should even convince Theo and Emma." Sarah offered with a pointed glance at the pair.
"Lexi, didn't you say your uncle picked Chell up somewhere in the wild, wandering along the road? Maybe he still remembers where that was. That'd be a good place to start searching. You could call him!" Toby was instantly fond of Sarah's idea.
"I don't have to call him for that, I know where he..." Lexi cut him off, stopping herself when she noticed the stunned gape on Chell's face. "Wait, this is insane! What's to say that GlaDOS woman -machine, thing, whatever she is-"
"Are you afraid to find out it doesn't exist?" Theo interjected with a smug grin.
Chell glared. Her thoughts wrestled around in her head, muddled by the turmoil of anger, hurt and indignation crashing amongst her better judgement and rationality, and she rose stiffly to her feet.
"I'll show you it exists, then." She snarled, very nearly spitting the words at him. Then, afraid she'd raise a hand yet again to her so-called 'friends', Chell turned on her heel and stalked from the room.
~!~
AN: Shoutouts... So many shoutouts, so many brilliant reviews, where to start? Ah, screw it! Most recent first -minimum headaches that way- working my way backwards, responding to each one individually. Ahead we forge! (someone please shoot me, I'm waxing lyrical O_O )
Also, I have imaginary plushies of GLaDOS, Top-Hat-Wheatley and Chibi-Chell floating around in my head, they will be thrown in random directions! The squee makes me dizzy... :3
nanadagreat: Thank you, I'm trying! (so very trying! Haha)
werd me: Yep, sure is, but once you hit bottom you can only go up, right? Of course... She's gotta hit bottom first... ;)
TTP: No! Not dead! Wait, come back! -wails plaintively- I has combustible plushie lemons!
Shadowmanji: Continuing! By all means, certainly continuing! Hope you didn't trip on my unintentional hiatus-cliffie, was only supposed to be a tease-cliffie! D:
iammemyself: I am certainly continuing! My knowledge of PC mechanics is average at best, tbh, most of the credit for that should go to exr. Fantastic beta, and a damn good friend. He really deserves it. That said, thank you so much for your comments about my handling of GLaDOS' character, I was so scared I wouldn't do her justice! She's fun to write, but it's easy for my grasp of her to get out of hand. If she ended up OOC, well... It'd probably break my heart. Plushie GLaDOS at you!
Aorta Heartless: I had never intended to abandon this, I'm so sorry you were disappointed by the lack of continuation on my part. :( I have every intention of finishing this story, even if it drives me up the frickin' wall. I hate finding unfinished/abandoned stories too, so I will endeavour to see A Touch of Humanity to the end.
shtoops: Don't go! I'm stunned you consider this one of your faves, please stay! Um... Uh... -flails- Please?!
AnimaDefensor: Update at you!
imnotraven16: Thank you! :D
Chozomechanic: Thank you. :) I have every intention of finishing A Touch of Humanity, please bear with me! Else I'll sic a plushie chibi-Chell at you! Rawr?
Guest: Thank you, I'd forgotten how much I loved it when I originally began writing. Continuation impending!
woodcutterw: I'm glad you're enjoying it. Don't feel pressure to type super-long reviews, though! I certainly agree that typing on a tablet or phone is difficult. A Touch of Humanity was originally born on my iPhone 4. I started drafting sections of chapters 1 and 2 in the 'notes' function, and after barely five minutes my hands would be cramped and aching, and I'd have to stop despite the plotbunnies ravaging the pastures of my brain. Also, there's only so long you can hide in the dunnies before your boss realises you're skiving off work instead of using them for their intended purpose... 0:-)
Lollardo: Yep, she sure did! It was fun to write, too, but as for GLaDOS swallowing her pride... -dangles plushie GLaDOS from marionette frame- these strings are pretty fun to tug on... I might hang on a bit longer... Hehehe... ;)
AnAncientBard: Plenty more to come, Don't go too far away! Please?
GLaDHal: Don't be scared, she'll be just fine... -evil smirk-
: Given that she's taking a leaf or two from the great book of Tenacity: Chell Edition, as well as your encouragement, she just might have a chance! I haven't decided yet... Muahahaha!
Nargus: Dost this chapter answer thine question? :P
Basstyle1: Update is served!
Jennifer: Glad you love it so far, hope this was worth waiting for.
compa16: Interesting? That's encouraging! Hope you were interested enough to read up to chapter 10, and this one, so you can read this shoutout. :) If you've got any constructive criticism to offer it'd be appreciated. There's always room for improvement, I say. :D
Basstyle1: So happy you consider this one of your top five faves. :D I got a lot of inspiration for GLaDOS' android forms from , partucularly an artist by the name of TwinklePowderySnow. Absolutely nailed android!GLaDOS in my opinion. One piece, named 'Trinity', is my pick of the bunch. As for P-Body and ATLAS, I'm deliberately not including them because I want to focus on Chell and GLaDOS. Even Wheatley only gets a bit part, really. (it's this bit, where I fling plushie Top-Hat-Wheatley at you, raargh! :P ) I have no intentions of killing this story, however, I've just been on a (very)long and unintentional hiatus. Hope you like this chapter as much as you liked the rest. :)
London Moniker: Read and re-read your review multiple times, trying to appreciate as deeply as possible, and you brought tears to my eyes every time. Teh yaoiz aside (love 'em, love 'em, LOVE 'EM too! Currently shipping Borderlands 2 Jack/Axton like it's nobody's business...), however. I'm not a fan of romance in the Portal-verse either. It just doesn't sit right with me; the Portal-verse is an intense, psychologically demanding and occasionally twisted place. Squee mush and gooey lovey-dovey-ness feel out of place from my point of view. Though I'm not typically a fan of that anyway, I prefer raw emotion and blunt, no-holds-barred content. Re; the number of chapters: Brace yourself. There's plenty more to be had. I'm incredibly pleased to have impressed you so much! I had a lot of fun technobabbling, then surprisingly even more in trying to trim it down to a reasonable quantity so as not to lose sight of the chapter's pace and emotion. Speaking of emotions, I'm really glad I reached you with my writing. I pour a great deal of passion into what I write. As mentioned in earlier chapters, I really do my best to put myself in the position of the characters when I'm writing them. Chell's PTSD was, for me, a no-brainer of sorts. There are going to be long-lasting effects of the hell GLaDOS put her through, end of (figurative)story. The concept of 'normal' might be overrated as far as I'm concerned, but still, 'normal' people don't suffer mental torment of that magnitude and simply bounce back as though they'd only stubbed a toe. GLaDOS tried to kill her, for goodness' sake! Sure, the player can re-load a saved game if they screw things up, but someone confronted with their mortality on a minute-by-minute basis in real life can't. There are so many unknown variables, too: Portal has the player running, jumping and flinging themselves at incredible speeds, to incredible heights, under extreme conditions. What if Chell was afraid of heights? We don't know that, and forcibly overcoming a phobia under life-or-death circumstances will leave a mark on anyone, no matter how psychologically strong they might believe themselves to be. That's just one example, and I'm getting carried away. Hehe. I also wanted to note your mention of GLaDOS' 'inner Chell', as it were. A lot of the credit for that should go to exr, he had a big hand in making that possible. My original portrayal was clumsy, exr was responsible for the fine-tuning. Again, I'd like to thank you for the detail and effort you put into reviewing A Touch of Humanity. I take it to heart that you took the time out of your day (and your yaoi-hunting) to post such a review to my story, a story I never thought would exceed 8 chapters or 10k words, whichever came first. Think I might go read it again, actually, every syllable is pure inspiration. Thank you.