Doug felt very much like someone lost in a desert, seeing visions of the one thing they desired most: another person.

The girl had to be real. She just had to be. He'd seen fleeting glimpses of her presence, which were becoming more difficult to attribute to hallucinations. A flash of orange here, a trail of broken turrets in a room he'd never been before, an open portal...Doug wasn't alone anymore. There was still humanity left in the world.

But he didn't dare to hope.

"I'm not crazy," he insisted. "I swear I saw her. You believe me. She's not just a figment of my imagination."

Of course not, the cube readily agreed, not a hint of sarcasm in its voice. I believe you, Doug.

"Unless..." he continued. "Unless my mind is lying to me again, taunting me with these...illusions."

Now why would it do that?

"I don't know," he replied, looking over at the companion cube. "I don't know why."

Maybe it was this damn place. It had a way of playing tricks on him, too, and She wanted him to believe he was crazy.

But the girl changed everything. The very possibility of her existence restored all hope of survival and escape. What if she was the hero he needed? The test subject could be a champion of sorts, an angel, the answer to his delusional prayers.

What he didn't understand though was why she showed no interest in escape. The girl solved Her tests like it was her sole purpose for living. What if she didn't remember? What if she didn't know the truth? GLaDOS probably wouldn't reveal Her true colors unless it was absolutely necessary or She no longer needed the test subject.

Doug had to tell her. But even if he could get close enough, how was he supposed to get her alone? GLaDOS would catch on quickly. And what reason did the girl have to trust him anyway? Why should she listen to a lunatic? No, he would have to show her somehow.

What are you doing? Companion Cube asked curiously as he stood up and began looking around the small alcove that currently served as his home. There were no cameras here, no turrets, and you'd be surprised how many places like this existed within the facility.

It was a dingy hole in the wall, but at least it was safe.

"I need to find something sharp," Doug explained. "Or some paint, ideally."

What are you going to do? The voice sounded more alarmed now.

"You'll see, my friend," he said, smiling. "Just be patient. You told me that once, remember? So I was, and my patience has been rewarded. I just have to make her understand, that's all."

However, patience did not make paint appear. He managed to locate something sharp eventually: a jagged piece of metal that couldn't possibly be clean, but it was the only method he had of showing her.

The cube started to protest, but he was already slicing open his arm with the metal shard. It hurt almost too much for him to cut the other arm, but with the pain came a rush of endorphins. Blood rose to the surface, vivid streaks of red that he proceeded to smear on the walls like ink:

She's watching you.

Tenacious angel dressed in orange.
Graceful even with a portal gun.
Always lands on her feet.
Nothing rhymes with orange.
One day you will see the sun.
If only we could meet.

The cake...is a...lie.
The cake is a lie.
Thecakeisalie

Doug stopped writing when he began to feel dizzy. Too much blood, he scolded himself, and the cube echoed the thought. Hopefully it would be enough. The girl might see it and realize She never told the truth.

Most people learned such a lesson the hard way, including him.