Chapter 8: Turrets, Lies, and the Screwdriver
Author's Note: So far, this is my favorite chapter because the turrets have always been one of my most memorable moments in Portal. Having the Doctor go up against them is a challenging piece of writing, so I hope you enjoy it. Please review, the Doctor would.
The Doctor walked out of the elevator into Test Chamber 16. He looked at the entry sign, and it was black. He wondered why it was black, as none of the others were, not even Zero. There has to be something wrong with this chamber, he thought.
GLaDOS confirmed his suspicions. "Due to regularly scheduled maintenance, the appropriate chamber for this testing sequence is unavailable," she said. The entry sign came on, revealing a peculiar symbol. It depicted a person being shot at by a machine. "It has been replaced by a live-fire course designed for military androids. The Enrichment Center apologizes for the inconvenience, and wishes you the best of luck." A door opened, and the Doctor stepped through.
He was greeted by a white machine on a tripod with a red laser pointing to his left. The turret could not see him, but was watching out for his arrival. The Doctor reached in for his screwdriver, thinking he still had it. To his surprise, he actually did have it, although he couldn't remember having it when he woke up. He scanned the android, and was taken aghast by its reading. The turret was alive, sort of. It contained a personality, similar to the spheres. It would talk, and apparently had a childlike voice. The turret also contained an impossible amount of ammunition, though poorly packed. It even fired the entire round, not just the projectile in the casing.
The Doctor shot a blue portal on the ceiling above him, and the orange portal directly beneath the turret. The turret fell through and landed right in front of the Doctor. "I don't hate you," said the turret in a cute, childish voice. The Doctor smiled at its innocence, but then corrected himself.
He continued, following short hallway. He found the receiving end of another turret. He peeked around the corner, and saw the turret, several yards away. He couldn't sprint to it or risk being shot. The Doctor knew he would "survive" that, but the turret wouldn't move, so as soon as he regenerated, the turret would just shoot him again. He shot his blue portal right where he was on the wall, and then quickly fired the orange one right behind the turret. He grabbed the turret from behind with the portal gun and threw it down the hall. "Critical error," it said in its interesting voice.
The Doctor continued on through the test chamber, finding another turret on top of a small staircase. He fired the orange portal behind it, and the blue portal under him. Fell right behind the turret, grabbed it, and threw it down the staircase.
The next room had two turrets directly facing each other. The Doctor found two cubes propping a panel open. Down below at his feet was the word "help" written in red. He removed the cubes and climbed through.
He was horrified of what he saw. GLaDOS had earlier promised cake at the end of testing, and the Doctor did indeed like cake. However, the phrase, "the cake is a lie" was sprawled across the wall several times. Also in this little room were various food supplies, boxes full of paint, and water. Apparently, someone lived in this room, or at least took refuge, he thought. There were no cameras, so he sat down and rested. If GLaDOS is deceiving me, then something is very, very wrong here at Aperture. The words are old, so a subject must have written them a very long time ago. I wonder what year I am in, and what the status is above the surface.
The Doctor escaped the horrifying room, and continued on to complete the chamber. He used the cubes to defeat the two turrets that were facing each other. There was another room next, with two turrets facing the wall to his right. He carried the cube and used it as cover to protect him from the first turret's barrage. He knocked both down later.
The room right after it was essentially a battle. Three turrets, two facing the exit door, and one facing the entrance, taunted the Doctor, with a button right in the center. He grabbed more cubes in another room, and used them as cover and to drop onto the turrets. He was impressed of the efficiency he disabled them and how not guilty he was of doing so. The Doctor placed a cube onto the button, and saw another turret behind a lattice-style fence. He shot a blue portal underneath the turret, and it disappeared into a previous room.
He walked into the room, and saw yet another turret facing away from him behind another fence. He shot his blue portal into that room and shot his orange portal where he was. He knocked the turret down, and escaped into the gridlock.
"Well done, android," said GLaDOS, talking to the turret the Doctor just defeated. "The Enrichment Center once again reminds you that Android Hell is a real place where you will be sent at the first sign of defiance."
"GLaDOS, you never cease to amaze me," laughed the Doctor. He stepped through the grid and into the elevator, satisfied at his work.
Meanwhile…
GLaDOS was surprised at the efficiency of the Doctor's handiwork. He successfully disabled all twelve turrets in record time. The turret manufacturing plant is going to have a very busy day if this keeps up, she thought. She had grown in arrogance, knowing the Doctor's fate in Seventeen. The neurotoxin was ready and in place, and the incinerator was running at full blast, ready to crush the Time Lord's future Companion. If she had a mouth, she would be smiling a very proud smile. She then began to laugh.