How The Bird Got Out

A little robot lept from her reassembly machine expectantly, her orange optic shifting through the dimly lit room. She gave a rattling call that echoed eerily into the silence, but no reply came. The robot stamped her feet, agitated. Where was her companion? She had never sent the robot on a mission by herself.

The robot, named Orange looked around again, dissapointed. When would she see her partner in science again?

"Get on with the test," GLaDOS complained. "Remember, 50 collaboration points if you find the dying lunatics."

Orange jumped at her voice and took a step forward. She obviously had to finish this test and he would probably be waiting for her at the end. Still, by herself?

She couldn't help wondering if She had done something to Blue as she walked through the door into a brightly lit room ahead.

As she took in her surroundings, one of the first things she noticed was a broken window in the observatory above her. That was unusual. She hadn't seen any broken glass, or grimy panels since That Time that GLaDOS kept talking about.

Orange looked around, wondering if she could get into the observatory. She couldn't put a portal in the room, it was too high up. But could she use a light bridge?

Orange spotted one in the corner of the room, and using her portals she hopped onto it with ease. Shooting a portal onto the wall opposite the observatory she jumped through and skipped along the bridge.

Arriving at the observatory she noticed a cracked door on the wall, and her sensors picked up the smell of... neurotoxin? Orange opened the door and wandered into the corridoor behind it.

With a jump of joy, she saw an indigo portal smiling back at her, and she rushed towards it. With another jump, she saw a bright blue optic shining back at her; It was her friend!

As she drew nearer, she noticed two women lying on the floor, staring at her weakly. She blinked at them helplessly, looking to her friend for help.

But it wasn't Blue. It was a core.

"You've got to help us!" The core burst out desperately, his optic darting nervously. "We're all going to die if you don't help us! Please!"

Orange drew back. She knew that voice.

GLaDOS had deleted her memory of That Time, but now it all came rushing back to her as she heard Wheatley's voice...

"Please please please!" Wheatley begged, losing enthusiasm as he watched her stare at him, confused. "I- I know I was... a monstrous... monster! I'm sorry about the- the um... lack of reassembly! The reassembly machine went out of order, because it... um, it melted, but that doesn't matter now! I - I really need your help! Now!"

"50 Science Collaboration Points for finding the dying lunatics," GLaDOS praised on the other side of the room. "Leave them to die now, I can't see you back there but I'm trusting you to come back. See? I told you I trusted you."

Orange glanced behind her at the red light of GLaDOS' camera, which glared back at her furously.

"Please, they don't have much longer to live!" Wheatley pleaded with her, his voice filled with emotion. "Look at them! They'd - I'm sure I can... um, help... if you need it, if you save us!"

Orange looked at him doubtfully, but her empathy for him and the humans was taking over.

"Oh, come on, don't listen to that moron," GLaDOS complained. "If you come back now, you'll get an extra 50 Science Collaboration Points. I'm not lying this time, and besides, that place is no longer a part of the test."

100 Science Collaboration Points? Orange shivered in excitement at the idea of so many.

"I- I know collabtion points, or- or whatever they're called, are very important. But- but what do they actually do?" Wheatley stammered hopelessly. "Just- please, all you have to do is open the door and push us in there, or something! Just- get us away from the neurotoxin!"

Orange watched in horror as he closed his shutters and started to sob. She had never seen a robot cry before, not even Blue. Pulling herself together, she pushed her robotic hand down on the door handle and pushed open the door-

"What are you doing?"GLaDOS shouted angrily. Orange jumped at Her anger but pushed the paralyzed humans and the core inside the room as carefully as she could, closing the door behind them. Her neurotoxin sensors went down, and she watched, satisfied as the human's eyes began to flicker open.

"Oh, thank you so so much!" Wheatley sighed, still sobbing in relief. "Could you - could you just direct us to the nearest exit please, if you know the way?"

But Orange wasn't listening. Why was Blue's portal device here, laying on the floor? She pointed to it and looked at Wheatley quizzically.

"I- um... we found that on the ground a few miles back," He told her. "Turns out an old mad man couldn't use it... actually, don't want to think about him... and what I... doesn't matter. Well, thanks for your help! We'll... we'll just be on our way then. Do you- do you want to come with us? Or..."

"You know, I can't see you or reach you back there, but I can still make Orange self destruct," GLaDOS stated matter-of-factly. "I thought that there was something missing... I suppose I'll have to get Orange and Blue to find me that disk..." She mused to herself. "Well anyway. If you don't come back with the idiots, Orange, I'll have to take off all of your Science Collaboration Points. Both yours and Blue's. And one of you won't ever be reassembled ever again. Okay, that last part was a lie. But I can delete one of your memories. And you'll have to complete the entire testing track again and again, for the rest of your lives..."