Hey all. Griffin-queen here with the newest installation of "Back to the Lab Again." I feel awful that it took so long to get a second chapter out. honestly, I didn't plan on taking this long to update. however, I went through so many revisions and so many different ideas for a second chapter that I wanted to make sure I felt satisfied before posting it on the site. That being said, I hope you all enjoy this newest chapter, and hopefully my updates will be much quicker in the future!
Chell groaned and rolled over in her bed. The sheets were soaked with sweat, and a pile of tissues littered her nightstand. She sat up and began coughing, her chest rattling as she did so. She looked over onto her nightstand and sighed.
" I should at least try to clean up…" She said as she got out of bed, groaning and wobbling as she tried to tidy up her room. She had never been this sick before. She had caught colds before, but this blew them all out of the water. Chell was pretty sure she felt as though she had caught her death, but what felt slightly worse was that it was Friday night… She was supposed to visit the Aperture Lab tonight. She hoped that GLaDOS would understand, but she still felt awful about not showing up.
Chell walked slowly out to the kitchen, disposing of the tissues she held, and washing her hands. She grabbed a cold water bottle out of the fridge and drained half of it in one shot. The cold water sliding down her throat felt like heaven, and for a brief instant it refreshed her almost to a point where she felt 100% healthy. She almost choked on the next sip though, as her phone rang.
" Who could that be? No one ever calls me except for work…and they know I'm not going to be there for a few days. People usually just stop by for a visit." She walked over to the phone and picked it up " Hello?"
" Ah. I was hoping you would pick up." An unmistakable voice sounded through the receiver.
" Wait… GLaDOS?" Chell set her water bottle down and sat down at her kitchen table. Standing for too long made her weak and dizzy. " Is that you?"
" Yes. It's nice to hear that I'm still recognizable over the phone."
" H-how did you get this number?"
" I have access to phone books and things you know. Such ways of contacting people aren't beneath me. Why, do you not usually take phone calls?"
" No no, it's not that. You're just the last person I expected to hear on the other end of the line. Anyway, what's up? Is everything okay?"
" Well yes, everything is fine and functional down here, that's actually why I contacted you. Normally by now you're here as well."
" Yeah, I know, but I feel like I got hit by a truck… I hardly feel like getting out of bed."
" Mmm, I can hear it in your voice. It's highly unusual for someone with your physical health to become incapacitated when sick. I do hope you've seen a doctor?"
" Well… no. I was kinda waiting for it to run its course."
" You mean you haven't received medical attention?"
" No…"
" That's highly foolish. I suggest you do so as soon as possible. It could be something that requires medicine." Chell noticed that GLaDOS' voice was dripping with concern. Even though she and her companion were not face to face, it was still easy for Chell to read GLaDOS' emotions.
" Gee, GLaDOS. If I didn't know any better, you know, with the phone call because I didn't show up, and the forcing me to see a doctor… I'd say you were worried about me." Chell chuckled, but her chuckles soon turned to coughs.
" Well… I-….. I would be lying if I said I wasn't concerned for you… I don't want you dying in your apartment from an untreated sickness or anything like that." Chell found that she couldn't stifle her coughs. " Are you alright?" After Chell drained the rest of her water, she sat for a moment, catching her breath.
" I-I'm okay…"
" Listen. Why don't you gather what you need and come here. I will send an escort for you. You really should be examined. You may return home afterward if you wish, but I really feel as though I should have a look at you." Chell couldn't ignore the worry in her friend's voice anymore.
" GLaDOS…" She groaned. " I don't feel like going out."
" Then I urge you to arrange for someone to take you to a hospital."
" What? No way. Hospitals freak me out…" There was a pause, but finally she groaned again. " Fine… but I'm not walking all the way through the field… You better meet me halfway on this one. Literally."
" I will dispatch an escort immediately. You'll know it when you see it."
" Okay… I'm heading out now."
" Goodbye, Chell." As soon as she heard the click on the other end, Chell hung up her phone. She groaned again, dragging herself back into her room to pack her bag. She filled it with clothing, boxes of tissues, a blanket, and anything else to aid her ailment. Zipping up the bag, she dressed herself, making sure to accommodate for the chill in the air, and made sure everything in her apartment was off before locking the door behind her and setting out. The mild chill in the air made Chell even more miserable, and she zipped up her sweatshirt as far as it would go as she set out towards the field.
At the edge of the wheat field, Chell looked around for whatever GLaDOS might've sent for her. What she found was a small, go cart type vehicle that was just big enough for one person. The flag on the back of the vehicle sported the Aperture Science logo, so Chell guessed that was what she was looking for. She sat on the seat and buckled herself in, placing her bag on her lap. A small light on the dashboard of the vehicle began blinking, and a quiet beeping was heard. Sure enough, the little vehicle began moving off into the field.
The vehicle was traveling relatively slow to avoid bumps in the terrain, but soon enough it reached the shed. Chell stepped off the vehicle and climbed into the lift. She missed her bed, but something about the yellow optic meeting her gaze cheered her up.
" Well, don't you look terrible…" GLaDOS said ever so comfortingly.
" Gee, thanks. I feel great too in case you were wondering." Chell rolled her eyes.
" I suppose I need not waste time with pleasantries then. First off, I need to take your temperature."
" Yeah, I brought the little thermometer I've been using."
" That's quite alright." A medical examination chair rose up out of the floor. " All you need to do is sit."
" Where the hell did that come from?"
" Oh, just an office chair I found and repurposed. I'm able to make modifications very quickly you know."
" Is there anything you can't do?" Chell sat down in the chair, finding it to be oddly comfortable despite its foreboding appearance.
" Well, if you include the obvious things like walking, then yes, there are a few things." GLaDOS extended a long, snake like appendage out of the pit beneath her. On the end of the appendage was a smooth, funnel shaped white fixture. " Now hold still, or I won't be able to get an accurate reading." Chell held perfectly still as the white fixture was inserted gently into her ear, and she wondered just how GLaDOS could be so perfectly gentle. The long appendage went back into the pit, and GLaDOS turned her attention to one specific monitor. The number it displayed after a few seconds made her twitch.
" Chell… your temperature is reading 103 degrees. You should have gone to a hospital by now."
" It wasn't that high before… but what's a fever anyway? It'll go down after a while." Chell looked down at her arms, finally realizing how badly she was shivering.
" A dangerously high fever can cause harm to your body if left unchecked for too long. It can also cause brain damage and death under the right conditions. Did you bring any asprin or cold medicine with you?"
" Yeah. Why?"
" Let me see it." Chell walked over to her bag and took out a small, white bottle. She held it up to GLaDOS, who briefly examined the label.
" Take some right now. It has fever reducing properties."
" And here I figured that you had some sort of cooling liquid to dunk me in, and somewhere to put me to sleep for a few days until I'm better."
" Oh don't worry, I am prepared for extreme measures, but it is ultimately better for your immune system if you try to fight off the illness on your own first."
" I guess you have a point." Chell opened the bottle of asprin she had brought, popping two into her mouth and washing them down with water. She closed her bag and returned to the chair. " So, what's next Dr. GLaDOS?" She said with a raspy chuckle.
" Trust me, I ascended far beyond the doctorate level a long time ago… But it does have a certain ring to it… Anyway, I need a culture from your throat."
" What?"
" A culture of bacteria from your throat."
" Eww… Why?"
" Just open your mouth." Chell did as she was told, and another serpentine appendage came out of the pit, this one bearing a tiny cotton swab. Chell yelped as the appendage reached into her mouth, and gagged slightly when it just briefly swept the back of her throat.
" Ugh, gross." She watched the appendage disappear back into the pit.
" How do you think I feel about having your contaminated fluids in my robotic utensil bay? This will only benefit you." She turned back to her monitors, one of them now showing a Petri dish shape with a strange smear across its surface. " Now, while that's developing, let's listen to your heart and lungs, shall we?" An appendage with a stethoscope fixture on the end now emerged from the pit.
" Jeez… just how many tools do you have down there?"
" Possibilities are endless really, like I said I'm quite quick with modifying things, and I made sure to prepare myself before your arrival. Now, remove your shirt please."
" But it's cold in here…"
" Oh quit whining. I'll be quick, I promise." Chell slid her shirt off, shivering violently as the cold air hit her like a wall. The stethoscope gently pressed itself against Chell's body. GLaDOS' head was dipped low, and it was apparent that she was listening intently.
" I can't hear anything." Chell said loudly, and GLaDOS made an odd noise and lurched backward a bit, shaking her head briskly.
" But I can… Now please don't do that again…" Chell continued to move and breathe as she was told.
GLaDOS took a brief moment to clear her mind and concentrate on the task at hand. Every time she pressed the stethoscope to Chell's body, her mind was filled with the sound of her dear friend's heartbeat. It was a perfect, rhythmic sound that filled GLaDOS with many different emotions. For a fleeting instant, she longed for a beating heart of her own.
" Well, your heart is fine, but your lungs concern me. The phlegm in your lungs has quite a peculiar sound to it when you breathe. This leads me to believe that you may have pneumonia."
" P-pneumonia? Where did I pick up pneumonia?"
" It's more common than you think. Humans are very good at spreading their disgusting illnesses wherever they go. It could be something as simple as touching just the right doorknob."
" I'm gonna be okay, right? I'm not gonna die or anything am I?"
" Nonsense, you're in my care. I'm fully confident that you will recover. Though it might take a week or so, and your cough will probably linger for longer than that."
" What? You can't be serious."
" I am serious. And had you put it off any longer you might be in worse shape than you are now." GLaDOS turned her attention back to the monitor, which had remained unchanged. " Your throat culture came back normal, so that's good. Now we can focus on confirming the fact that you have pneumonia."
" And… how do we do that?"
" Chest x-rays, and a small blood sample."
" You're kidding… Ugh, why is this taking so long?"
" You know, if you don't want to sit through all of this, then don't. No one is forcing you. I just figured that it might be in your best interest to go to sleep at night with a proper diagnosis, and medicine if need be. I don't think that's the case, but I'm only trying to help you." GLaDOS was suddenly upset, and there was a trace amount of hurt in her voice. Chell immediately felt bad, and she stood up and reached a clammy hand out to the construct, who merely averted her gaze.
" Hey... I know you're only trying to help… really, and I do appreciate it. I trust you to know how to treat my body better than any hospital. I just feel really miserable right now. I'm sorry." She became aware of cool metal against her hand. A large, yellow optic now stared right at her.
" I just want to make sure you return to good health again. I don't like to admit it, but it's a little frightening to me, just as much as I'm sure it is to you… You haven't been this sick in the entire time that I've known you, and I've known you quite a long time now. If I know one thing, it's that humans are delicate creatures, especially when their physical health is in jeopardy."
" I'll behave now..." Chell said with a cough, and a quiet wheeze
" If you could just stand there for a moment, I'll take your x-rays now."
" Do you have one of those metal jackets for me? Like the ones they put on me at the dentist?"
" Unfortunately no, which is why I'm turning down the intensity of the x-ray. The picture won't be as sharp, but I'll still be able to see what I need to see. A dose of radiation this minute will cause no harm to your body."
Chell held out her arms, and GLaDOS got very close to her chest. She became aware of faint clicking noises coming from GLaDOS.'
" Is that coming from your eye?"
" Yes. My optic has highly potent x-ray capabilities. The finest that Aperture had to offer, if I may brag."
" Cool." Chell sat back down and looked up at the monitors, and was soon able to see photos of her chest cavity.
" Before I examine those, let me draw your blood." Another appendage came out, this one sporting a small syringe on its end. " And before you ask, yes, this needle has been meticulously sterilized, even though it's never been used before. Now, I need you to place one of your hands around your upper arm and squeeze tightly, then release, then squeeze again, in intervals of five seconds or so."
" Why?"
" To attempt to bring your veins to the surface of your skin, and make this less painful for you." Chell did as she was told, and soon she was able to see the blue veins coursing through her arm become slightly more prominent. GLaDOS mobilized her main robotic arm, and gently gripped Chell's arm, inserting the syringe that was attached to the other appendage and drawing a small amount of thick, red fluid, which promptly disappeared into the pit. " There. Now apply pressure to the injection site while I have a look at these x-rays." GLaDOS turned back around, and stretched herself up toward the monitor, making small noises to herself as she examined the pictures. " This does indeed look like pneumonia. I'd know those blotches in your lungs anywhere…"
" That's what's making me feel so crummy?"
" That, along with a strain of bacteria or virus inside of you, yes." The thermometer fixture popped out of the pit again, and it was stuck gently into Chell's ear. " I see that asprin is reducing your fever. That's a good sign."
" What about my blood?"
" I'm processing it now."
" Can I close my eyes while you do?"
" Certainly." With that, Chell closed her eyes. She began to fall into a state of sleepy delirium. She had just reached the threshold of sleep when GLaDOS' voice startled her out of her sleep state. " Well, that's that. You have pneumonia. Congratulations. Your blood count was excellent though, as well as all of your other levels are normal. You're just quite sick for the time being."
" There's no medicine that they can give me?" Chell asked groggily.
" I'm afraid not. The strain of pneumonia currently running through you is a virus, which contemporary medicine cannot cure. You simply have to let it run its course."
" So…Like I intended to do?"
" Yes, however your symptoms must not go unchecked, or else you could very well end up hospitalized or worse. So this visit wasn't for nothing, if that's what you were going to assume."
" Can't you create something?"
" To cure you? I'm positive that I could if I devoted my time to it. However, it would take lots of testing to perfect any sort of drug, and I don't have the materials at my disposal at this point in time. I'm sure you will be better long before I could do any of that. Just be patient. If anyone knows how resilient you are it's me. You will be fine."
" You're sure?"
" Yes. Positively so. Now, why don't you go home and return to your bed, or wherever it is humans find most soothing when they are ill."
" Yeah, that sounds good. Can I have a ride across the field though?"
" Of course, it would be cruel of me to make you walk all that way when you're so sick." Chell chuckled.
" Being cruel is one of the things I never put past you."
" Oh ha-ha." Chell walked up to GLaDOS, who dropped down to meet her. Chell put her weakened arms around GLaDOS, closing her eyes and enjoying the feel of the cool metal against her feverish skin.
" Thanks for your help. Really, I owe you. I'll try my best to help you out if you ever get a virus in your system."
" It's highly unlikely, but I appreciate the sentiment. Just be sure not to ignore any alarming symptoms, and keep that fever of yours under a close watch. Take the asprin as directed on the bottle, usually every 4 hours or so. That will keep your fever down until it breaks on its own." GLaDOS could feel Chell's skin burning wherever it touched her. " I will try to contact you in a few days to see how you are doing, and you may call me at any time if you have any questions or concerns during your recovery."
" I can call you?"
" Yes. The phone lines in this facility are still operational. Eventually I will reroute them and I will be able to give you a number that will connect you directly to me, but for now the regular phone number will work just fine."
" What is it? Chell grabbed a pen from her bag, and tore out a sheet of paper from the notebook she always kept in her bag.
"1-800-555-4523" Chell carefully wrote down the number, and stuck it safely in her pocket.
" Thanks." Chell kissed her fingertips and pressed them against the side of GLaDOS' head, a small gesture that made the AI's circuits tingle for a brief instant.
" You're lucky you can't contaminate me." She said jokingly. " Now, I suggest you go home and go straight to bed."
" You have no idea how good that sounds. I'll see you in a week or so then I guess."
" You know where to find me."
" Bye GLaDOS, and thanks again for your help." Chell stepped into the lift, and rode it up to where the tiny vehicle was already waiting for her.
After ride to the edge of the field, Chell got off of the vehicle and watched it dissappear into the field again. She sighed and coughed slightly as she began the trek back to her apartment. When she reached her apartment, she dropped her bag right inside the door and kicked her shoes off. Taking off her clothes and changing into her comfortable pajamas. Walking into her room, Chell dove into her bed and settled into her warm blankets. As she closed her eyes and sleep began to take her, she realized that GLaDOS was right. It was a lot easier to sleep now that she knew exactly what was wrong with her.
The next morning, Chell picked up the phone and dialed in the number that GLaDOS had given her. She was greeted with the familiar male announcer's voice.
" Greetings, you have reached the Aperture Science facility. If you are interested in forwarding science and having the future start with you, press 1, if you wish to sp-" The voice cut out abruptly, and a frustrated, feminine growl was heard in its place.
" Idiot, there's no one else here but me, who would you transfer them to?" There was a pause, and now GLaDOS' voice came through the receiver. " Hello and welcome to the Aperture Science computer aided enrichment center hotline, how may I assist you today?…. Chell please tell me that's you on the other end." Chell was laughing at this point.
" Yeah, it's me." Chell coughed violently. " What's with the formality?"
" Just call it a habit… At any rate, how is your recovery coming along?"
" That's why I called you… Is it normal to see blood on my hands when I cough?"
" Blood? How much blood?"
" Just tiny spots, not a lot at all… it just freaked me out a little."
" Then yes. You have been coughing violently for quite an extended period of time, it's normal to experience irritation in your throat and lungs to the point where bleeding is induced. However, if the amount of blood increases you should go to the hospital. That's something I do not have the means to help you with."
" Okay. I'll keep an eye on it."
" Will that be all? Or did you wish to speak to me about something else?"
" Well… actually yeah. Do you have a recipe for chicken soup?" There was another pause.
" Chicken soup…?"
" Yeah, I think it'd feel good on my throat, but I can't find any good recipes anywhere. I was wondering if you had one. I know you have a cake recipe, so I figured it was worth asking."
" You know, I'm actually not sure. Give me a minute, I'll check my databases."
" Okay, I'm gonna put you on speakerphone so I can sit down." Chell went over to her telephone and pressed a large button, hanging up the receiver, she sat down at her kitchen table and listened to GLaDOS talking to herself as she rooted through her files.
" I've got to have something… you would think with limitless knowledge they'd include something as simple as a soup recipe…Ah, here it is."
" You found one?"
" Yes, I have a recipe for chicken soup right here."
" It doesn't have any weird stuff in it does it? I know the core I pulled off of you rattled off some pretty weird sounding stuff."
" Yes, I remember. I'm quite sure that ridiculous thing was malfunctioning… Anyway, no. This is just a normal recipe."
" What do I need for it? I'm pretty sure I've got everything that would go into a soup."
" Do you have a roasting chicken?"
" Actually, yeah I do. It's frozen at the moment though."
" Well, take that out and begin defrosting it." Chell stood up and opened her freezer. The blast of chilled air made her shiver violently, and she quickly found the small roasting chicken she needed and set it out on the counter.
" Carrots, celery…. Potatoes… peas, corn, parsnips, butternut squash, beans, onions."
" Do I need all of those?"
" Not necessarily. Carrots, celery, and onions are the key vegetables here. I'm just listing a few extras that you can add to liven things up."
" Well, I have the three you just listed, I think I'll stick with those."
" You'll also need various spices. Just the essentials. Salt and pepper mostly… Actually, you can throw anything in depending on your taste. This is quite a marvelous recipe. It's so versatile. I never paid any attention to it before."
" Is there any way I can defrost this chicken faster?"
" Do you have a microwave?"
" Yeah."
" Is there a defrost feature on it?" Chell stood up and looked.
" Yeah, there is."
" There's your answer then. Just be sure not to start accidentally cooking it while you're defrosting it."
After a while, the chicken was defrosted. and Chell put it slowly into the pot of boiling water.
" you're going to want to put the chicken in the boiling pot, along with all of the spices you wish to add. This step is creating a chicken stock as your soup base. Don't put any vegetables or anything in just yet." Chell began throwing in the spices she had chosen, and stirred the mixture gently.
" How long does this step take?"
" Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 4 hours."
" Wow, really? That long?"
" Yes, it takes a while. If you are hungry now I suggest you eat something. This seems to be a very time consuming process."
" Yeah, I figured it might be, so I ate something just before I called you. Is it okay if I hang up for now then? My phone bill will be astronomical if I stay connected with you for the entire time."
" Yes, a wise decision. I will talk to you again in a few hours."
" Bye for now."
" Goodbye Chell." Chell hung up the phone and went back to sit in her bed for a while. She never thought, of all things, that she'd be sitting in her kitchen with a supercomputer teaching her how to make soup over the speakerphone, but it was turning out to be a fun day nonetheless. Chell briefly wondered just how many more things GLaDOS could teach her. She reached out and set her alarm to go off in four hours. After doing so she rolled over and closed her eyes.
Jumping up at the sound of her wailing alarm, Chell stifled a cough and hit the button on the top of the clock. Groaning slightly, she rubbed her eyes and got up out of bed. Walking out to her kitchen, she noticed a faintly herbal smell in the air, as well as a lot of steam coming from the pot. Opening up the pot, she was greeted by a hot, aromatic mist against her face. The warm vapor seeped into her lungs, soothing them, and Chell wished she could stand over this pot all day. She gently stirred the pot and replaced the lid, walking over to the phone and picking it up, hitting the redial button and listening to the tones as they plugged in the phone number.
" Hello, and welcome to the Aperture science… c-computer aided….Ch-….Chell… is that… you? " GLaDOS managed to force her words out through grunts. To Chell, it sounded as if it was extremely difficult for GLaDOS to answer the phone any other way than with the required phrase…
" Is it really that hard to say anything else when you answer the phone?" Chell chuckled hoarsely. " That's funny."
" Oh yes… it's an absolute riot." Even over the phone, GLaDOS' sarcasm rang in loud and clear. " How are you feeling?"
" Kinda crummy now. I fell asleep for a while, and I'm kinda wishing I hadn't." Chell coughed violently. " It feels like everything hardened inside of me."
" You know, standing over the simmering pot will actually help you with that. Steam is very good for you right now. Or, sitting outside your shower while it is turned up to the hottest possible temperature would also achieve the same effect." Chell accidentally coughed directly into the receiver. " As much as I appreciate you hacking up your lungs into my audio input, I do believe you have a soup to finish."
" Mmhmm. How do I know if it's time to move on from this step?"
" Well, the chicken should be cooked almost all the way by now. You may remove it from the pot and begin chopping it up into bite size pieces… And do take care to make them small enough. I can tell you how to make the soup, but I have no means of saving you from choking to death on chunks of chicken." Chell rolled her eyes.
" I think I can manage GLaDOS. Hang on, I'm putting you back on speakerphone." Chell pressed the button and hung up the receiver, now washing her hands and preparing a cutting board. " What's the best way to get this thing out of the pot?"
" Well gee. If I had to guess, I'd say with your bare hands." GLaDOS' voice was syrupy sweet and innocent.
" Yeah… thanks, I'll try some forks." She heard a chuckle.
" You're such a fast learner." Chell smiled as she grabbed two of the biggest forks she owned, piercing the sides of the chicken and lifting it carefully out onto the cutting board. " Once you have removed the chicken from the pot, strain the liquid into a container and refrigerate for a half hour… Hmm. A half hour seems a bit excessive. Why don't you just refrigerate it until you are done preparing the chicken and vegetables? That should be enough time." Chell did as she was told, straining the slightly tinted liquid into a large container and popping it into the refrigerator. Afterward, she began carefully stripping the meat off of the chicken. " Oh, and here's a little tip. The dark meat of the chicken contains a lot of grease and fat. I know how concerned you humans are with weight variances, so you may want to limit the quantity of dark meat that you put in. However, as greasy as it may be, it also brings a lot of flavor into the mix."
" What should I do with the bones and whatever I don't use?"
" Whatever it is you do with the rest of your food scraps I suppose. Throw them away? put them outside for animals and other less fortunate humans to feed on? It's up to you. There's really not much else you can do with a chicken carcass once it's been stripped of its meat and flavor…" There was a pause. "Now that I've said it out loud, that sounds positively barbaric." Chell put aside the pile of chicken she had chopped up, and began chopping up the vegetables.
" What do I do once everything is chopped up?"
" Put everything into the pot, including the stock you have been refrigerating, and bring it to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to low after it has boiled for a minute or so though. Oh, and if you plan on adding pasta to your soup, put it in raw along with everything else."
Chell continued to follow GLaDOS' instructions, and soon enough, a pot of homemade chicken soup sat cooling on the stovetop. Chell peered into the pot, once again inhaling the soothing steam. However, what was once just barely more than water vapor, was now heavily aromatic steam carrying the scent of a delicious combination of flavors.
Chell sat down with a bowl of the hot soup she had created. the steam coursing through her lungs, and her stomach beginning to growl from the mere sight of the soup. She brought the spoon up to her mouth, and took the decisive first bite. Though she could barely taste due to the congestion in her nose and head, she knew that the soup was a complete success. What little she could taste of the soup was flavorful and rich, and the vegetables were fresh and tender. When she swallowed, the warm liquid coated her throat, and she could feel it travel all the way down into her stomach, warming her every step of the way. She smiled and closed her eyes… this was just what she needed today. She sat and finished the entire bowl, and after she put her bowl in the sink, she put the rest of the soup into containers and stored them safely in the fridge. Yawning and stretching, she walked back into her bedroom and laid down. Though her apartment was now quiet, and the phone call had been disconnected for a while now, she could still feel GLaDOS' presence resonating comfortably within the rooms.
After a week or so, GLaDOS heard a familiar whirring sound. She turned herself around to see the lift drop down into her chamber, carrying a much healthier looking Chell.
" Ah, look who's back from the dead. You're looking much better."
" Yeah, I'm feeling much better too."
" Good, because I expect double the testing time from you tonight to make up for the lost data I suffered because of your illness." Chell groaned.
" Aww come on. I only JUST started feeling like my old self again." There was a chuckle from above her.
" I'm kidding. That would be foolish of me to put your body through such strenuous activity after having only just recovered. Besides, the data I would receive would be horribly unsatisfactory." GLaDOS tilted her head a bit, noticing a small container grasped firmly in Chell's hands. " What is that?" Chell walked closer to the AI, who lowered herself down.
" This is the soup we made. I figured I'd bring some down so you could see our handiwork." Chell held up the container, and GLaDOS brought herself closer to it. Inside was a rich, golden colored liquid dotted with little bits of herbs that swirled around in the container as Chell moved it. It was filled with bright orange carrot slices, and GLaDOS swore that Chell had chosen the greenest celery she had ever seen. White, tender looking pieces of chicken swirled along with the vegetables, and plump orzo pasta joined in the mix as well. GLaDOS took a moment to soak in the almost artistic creation before her, and silently praised Chell for making such a delicious looking concoction.
" Hmm. That does look rather enticing. I daresay though I can't see how I had a hand in it. This is all your own handiwork."
" I wouldn't have been able to do it without your instructions. I'd say you deserve more credit than I do. I just wish you could taste it."
" It's just as satisfying looking at it. You've managed to make it just as appealing to the optic as I'm sure it is to your taste buds."
" It's really something. I'm gonna go put it in the fridge now though. I'll be back." Chell walked out of the chamber, bound for the relaxation chamber GLaDOS had salvaged and remodeled. She had brought it in close to her own chamber, and Chell had brought in a number of her own furnishings. It had become her home away from home.
GLaDOS took another moment to pay some attention to her own emotions… Though it was something as simple as making something for Chell to nourish herself with, she couldn't ignore the fact that she had enjoyed herself, and was silently thankful that Chell had brought their creation down for her to see. Though she guided Chell through test chambers on an almost weekly basis, and the two spent quite a bit of time together, this was the first time they had actually done something together as a genuine team. They had combined their efforts for something other than survival, and made something special in the process.
GLaDOS was quite certain that at that moment…she knew what chicken soup tasted like.