The man examined at the monitor's screen carefully, eyeing a diagram depicting the basic layout of the body of a certain supernatural creature. He wore an old, ragged lab coat with the Aperture Science Supernatural Division's insignia, which was basically the normal Aperture Science logo except with wings and colored black. He had long, messy black hair and beard and wild, blue eyes that were sunken into his skull. The whir of tiny, mechanical wings made him turn.

A fairy, a creature that resembled a tiny human with insect wings, landed on his shoulder. This one, however, flew with dragonfly wings made out of a thin, transparent membrane stretched over a metal frame that were attached to a motor protruding from her back. Half of her face, the right side, was normal and organic, with skin that had a silverish hue, while the other, the left side, was metal with a small, red optic. Her left arm, as well as the rest of the left side of her upper torso, was mechanical as well.

"I take it she's escaped from the facility," he mused.

"Both of them have left," corrected the fairy.

He narrowed his eyes. "What would she want with the AI?" He muttered to himself.

"What's your plan on getting her back?" the fairy asked.

The man chuckled. "In reality, nothing at all."

"Why?"

He held out his hand, and the fairy landed on it and faced him. "My dear," he replied, "She's an angel of darkness. She won't assume I'm dead and live her life on the surface, freed of me. No, she'll come back for revenge. And she'll be sure to come back stronger than ever before. However," he raised his hand to the top of the monitor and set the fairy on it, "I do want to bring her back before she comes after me herself. I don't, after all, want her to get too used to her freedom. She's already seen too much during her fiasco with the AIs."

"But she knows she'd never be able to find this place," the fairy protested.

The man thought for a second. "Yes, this place is protected from detection from creatures like her. Wizards and witches, however, can sense it. Perhaps that's where the AI comes in. A very interesting plan you've thought up, dear Chell… but I must cut it short."

…

They flew over the rooftops of the abandoned section of the city. Well, not exactly 'flew'. Elli walked dutifully on the air, marching like he was in a parade. Chell glided lazily behind him, the air somehow moving in the perfect direction at the perfect speed to allow her to stay aloft and follow him without flapping very often, while GLaDOS floated awkwardly beside her, the levitation spell making her weightless and allowing her to be easily carried, but she couldn't do much else.

Finally they descended in front of what appeared to be a run-down general store nestled among other abandoned shops along the street across from apartment buildings. As they landed, however, the store morphed, becoming more medieval in style. The bricks became cobblestone; the electric lights became wall-mounted lanterns with live flames, and the tin roof made way for wood. There was a sign above the door that read "General Store" and changed to read "Magical Goods and Services" with a sign below it proclaiming "Best in Town! Both Light and Dark Magic Accepted!"

As soon as GLaDOS touched the ground, the levitation spell dissipated and the weight of the world seemed to crash down on her. She stumbled, her heart suddenly racing and she found herself feeling drained of energy. Chell nonchalantly reached out and caught her. She looked up at the angel, but she was paying more attention to Elli, who was fumbling with an unexpectedly large key ring packed with large, rusted metal keys. He finally found the right one and opened the door, gesturing with a small bow for them to enter. Keeping a close, suspicious eye on him, Chell led them through the door.

"Your first spell always seems to drain you the most, doesn't it?" Elli asked casually, propping his cane against the wall by the door.

The room dimly lit by a few more lanterns and the ceiling stretched much higher than it should have with wooden rafters with several ropes, chains, and other objects hanging down. The walls were lined with floor to ceiling shelves that were crammed with bottles and jars of liquids, powders, and dead creatures floating in solutions as well as a seemingly random assortment of items such as household objects, cloudy mirrors, candles of various colors, sizes, and shapes; folded cloths, weapons such as daggers and swords, and much more.

"Luckily, I have an extra room with a couple of beds," Elli invited, gesturing to a door in the back right-hand corner of the room, "You should rest after that spell. Of course, with all of the magic in this room, it should be long for your strength to return. You see, a wizard, or any supernatural creature, uses magical energy from both itself and the environment to perform spells. That is why it can be difficult or even impossible to perform spells in a place with no magic influence. You should each be able to find new clothes in the wardrobe, and feel free to use to bathroom."

It wasn't until Chell let go and feeling finally rushed back into her arm that GLaDOS realized the vice grip the angel had on her. Chell was still giving Elli that emotionless, but cold, glare, and GLaDOS had a feeling that if that guy looked at them sideways, she would snap his neck. Unfortunately, Elli continued to smile and meet their eyes evenly.

"So, you're not going to tell us more about this 'item' you want us to fetch?" Chell asked icily.

Elli chuckled. "There's no need for you to learn more until you're ready for it," he replied, meeting her smoldering gaze coolly.

"I find it rather convenient that you already have rooms set up for us," GLaDOS pointed out.

Elli waved his hand dismissively. "A family owned this before I, well, set the area on fire. They lived behind the store, and thus needed more bedrooms than I did. Anyway, your room and bathroom are on the second floor. Mine is just above on the third."

Chell and GLaDOS shared a suspicious glance. His explanations did not reassure them. Still, left without a choice, they walked cautiously out of the store through the back door and into a small kitchen and eating area with a narrow, wooden stairwell in the back. After climbing the creaking stairs, they found themselves in a short hallway with a door to one side and more stairs leading up in the other. Through the door was a bedroom with two small beds that looked like they had not been used for years and a dusty wooden wardrobe on the left-hand wall. The wooden walls were bare except for a flickering lantern mounted on the wall between the beds and several cobwebs in the corners.

"Well, the good news is that we've found a place to stay," Chell said, not sounding at all optimistic, "Did you believe a word he said?"

"No," GLaDOS replied, "But still, this better than what you would have been able to get."

"How was I supposed to know that this entire section of the city was condemned?" the angel protested.

"Even if it wasn't, what could you have gotten us? A room in a five-star hotel?"

"With a bit of magic I probably could have."

With an exasperated sigh, the former AI opened the wardrobe. Inside were several outfits of the same general design – white, grey, and black shirts with black and brown slacks. Hanging from hooks on each door was a cloak – one black and the other brown. She took a shirt and a pair of pants, not particularly paying attention to the color, and walked to the door in the corner of the room, which she assumed was the bathroom.

When she came back out, she had changed into a white shirt and black pants and threw the bloodied clothes she had worn before in the trash can beside one of the beds. She had also taken a shower, which was a major relief. While she was gone, it seemed that Chell had changed clothes as well.

She was lying back on the bed closest to the door, which seemed to be the one she had claimed. She wore a black long-sleeved shirt with dark blue jeans. There was a random chain looping down from under her shirt by her hip that GLaDOS assumed was merely for looks.

"Funny. I didn't see anything like that in the wardrobe," the AI pointed out.

"It seems to be enchanted," Chell replied, "I guess it creates clothes to suit whoever uses it."

"If it's meant to suit the user's personality, one would think it would generate a lab coat for me then," she pointed out.

The angel raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't want to walk around wearing a lab coat on the street though, would you?"

"True. Perhaps it factors in needs as well as wants."

GLaDOS sat down on the other bed, and Chell rolled over to face her.

"You're homesick, aren't you?" she said.

"You know, if you were a human, I would have everything I ever wanted right now," GLaDOS said, "You and the moron would be gone, I would have my facility under control, the cooperative testing initiative was ready to go…"

"And then I went and opened up an entirely new branch of scientific research for you," Chell said with a mischievous grin.

"I suppose it's good to not be ignorant about what the world really is," the former AI admitted, "But the prerequisites are thus far absolutely infuriating."

Chell rolled back onto her back and looked up at the ceiling. "We have no reason to trust that sleazy wizard," she said, "But if he's telling the truth, it could be really helpful… However, I won't hesitate to kill him, alright?"

"I have no doubt about that," GLaDOS agreed.

As if on cue, the lantern went out.

"Guess it's… time to sleep, then," Chell said.

Well… It is probably passed midnight, I suppose, GLaDOS thought.

When morning came, which was signaled by the lantern turning on and Chell getting up, she felt as unrested as ever. There was a knock on the door.

"Girls!" they heard Elli call, "I have breakfast ready!"

"Great, now he's treating us like children…" Chell muttered angrily.

Downstairs in the kitchen, the three of them were served a meal of scrambled eggs and bacon. Chell kept a watchful eye on Elli, still not completely trusting him even though he passed up several opportunities to capture or kill them. Even though she hadn't eaten at all during the couple days she had been human and she knew she needed to eat, GLaDOS was still uncomfortable with the process and ate slowly. Elli was the only one happy with the situation, avidly gesturing with his arms as he described the spells he planned on teaching both of them.

"You simply must learn a spell dubbed the 'Terra Spike'," he exclaimed to GLaDOS, "It causes several spikes of rock to come out of the ground all around the user. Excellent for defense when you're surrounded! And you," he pointed his egg-covered fork at Chell, "I know a few spells that are specific to angels of darkness. I cannot demonstrate them, but I believe I can help you accomplish them…"

He went on to talk about spells that can turn others into animals, summon powerful storms, elemental attacks, and even a spell that can make one's opponent vomit slugs.

"I think that one's mostly used as a joke but I believe it has practical uses in battle," he commented, "I mean, it must be hard to attack someone with slugs constantly coming out of your mouth."

This continued until the end of breakfast, when Elli stood up and announced that training was to begin that day.

"Now Chell," he said, turning to the black-winged angel, "I can tell that you've already learned a number of combat spells. As such, you do not need as much training as GLaDOS. So, while I'm busy with her, I'm sending you off," he handed her a neatly folded piece of paper, "to go shopping!"

"What?" Chell exclaimed. GLaDOS couldn't help but laugh at her flabbergasted expression. Chell shot her a glare. "This means you'll be left alone with him, you know," she pointed out.

"I know. But that look on your face was worth it," she replied.

So, after Chell's protesting was countered by Elli's ushering and assurances that everything would be fine, she found herself gliding over the city toward the more habited area.

The rest of the city was drastically different from the abandoned portion, obviously. Tall, modern buildings gleamed in the sunlight and pedestrians crowded the sidewalk. She was glad she had decided to fly above the scene rather than blend in with the humans – from the amount of traffic that clogged the streets, she had a hunch it stank of car exhaust down there. Even from her height, she could still hear the car horns and shouting. The reflections off windows and other shiny surfaces played with her usually sharp eyesight – she was used to darkness, and wondered if this was common to angels of darkness or just caused by the fact that she had spent most of her life underground.

She swooped lower and began to scan the buildings for any sign of a grocery store. The items on Elli's list were mundane, everyday groceries such as extra food, since Elli needed to accommodate for two more people than he had been planning on just a day or so ago. This need at least slightly reassured her that this wasn't some sort of elaborate, planned scheme, although his perfect timing and willingness to help them still seemed to be too convenient.

Her thoughts were interrupted by flash of light that clipped her left wing, making her lose control for second and lose altitude. She recovered as quickly as she could, nearly flying into a tree in the process, and glanced behind her.

Uh oh, she thought. There were two angels closing in behind her – and their wings were white. Chell had never met another angel in her life, but knew from the moment she saw them at angels of light were her enemy. Dark magic began to flare off her wings, like black fire with violet tips. With a forceful flap, she released the magic, sending a horizontal wave of it expanding behind her. Her pursuers dodged out of the way and continued their chase, undeterred. Lightning suddenly shot towards her, and though she dodged the main bolt, it arched and branched, scathing her wing and sending a jolt through her that momentarily made her wing numb and limp.

Looks like I can't beat them in a fight, she noted grudgingly as she managed to recover again and keep flying. Chell had never before faced something that she couldn't kill, but these angels were older and more experienced. She hated to admit it, but escape was her only option.

Meanwhile…

"So, how about Freeze, then?"

The angel of darkness being addressed pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and blew a puff of smoke, the bangs of his black, red-tipped hair covering his amber eyes. He looked up at his companion, who was striking a pose.

"Jake, that's stupid," he replied, "You're ideas are becoming stupider by the minute. Why do you need a nickname, again? What's the point?"

Jake glared at the scrawnier angel with icy eyes. He had a bulkier build than his companion, and his hair stood almost straight up in black spikes. "Oh, come on, Chief," he said, "It's not like 'Chief' is your real name, but everyone calls you it, huh, Cliff? As you're right-hand man, I think I need a cool nickname too, something that has to do with my element, you know?"

Cliff rolled his eyes. "Y'know why they call me Chief? Because I'm their chief. I am the leader of this gang, you know. I'd prefer it if they'd call me Alpha or something, since we are the Winged Wolves. But hey, I didn't choose this nickname; it was given by everyone else. That's the difference between me having a nickname and you having a nickname." He took another puff out of his cigarette.

"That can't be good for you, you know," Jake pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

"Jake, you've spent time around humans. You ought to know what a real cigarette smells like," Cliff blew smoke into his friend's face, who turned away, coughing, "See? That is real smoke from a real fire, not that poisonous stuff that humans like to inhale. I thought I already told that this is actually an enchanted thing that increases my fire power. Look, it doesn't even burn up like a real cigarette."

Jake waved the smoke away from his face, scowling. "No, I think you forgot to tell me that." He looked up in exasperation, and something caught his eye.

An angel of darkness – a young girl – was dodging attacks from two full-grown angels of light.

"Yo, Chief," he said, pointing to the scene to get Cliff's attention.

"Well, well, what have we here," Cliff said, a small smile creasing his lips as he observed the three angels, "It seems a damsel is in distress."

"We don't know her, Chief," Jake said, "She's not one of us."

"She may be an intruder, technically, but those white-wings are intruders of a higher priority," Cliff replied, "We must deal with them whether it's for her sake or not. Who knows, we might get something out if it."

With that, the two angels of darkness spread their wings and took off.

Meanwhile, Chell weaved in and out of buildings in an attempt to make her pursuers lose track of her. However, her tactic had yet to show any sign of working. She managed to throw up a quick shield of darkness to protect her from yet another volley of lighting and spears of light, but she knew this couldn't last forever. She momentarily considered giving up and landing so she could see what they freaking wanted. However, as far as she knew, they just wanted her dead because she was an angel of darkness, a force of evil.

She heard the light angels shout with surprise. She turned and saw two more angels flying up to meet her pursuers, both of them angels of darkness like her. One light angel, a female, turned to face one of the new comers, electricity sparking over her startlingly bright white wings and lightning gathering in her hand. She shot a bolt at him, but he blocked with a red wave of pure heat that not only deflected the attack but rolled on to strike her. She guarded herself with a shield of white light, but her face blushed from the heat and her hands blistered as they held up the shield.

The other light angel, a male, had pulled a gleaming gold sword out of nowhere and was trying to get close enough to the other dark angel to slash him. The dark angel, however, was faster than he looked and managed to keep out of the sword's range while shooting blasts of icy, freezing air at his opponent, covering his creamy wings with icicles and frost, weighing them down.

Chell hovered, watching the battle at a distance. The other dark angels were using attacks she had never seen before. She had seen some elemental spells, but these two must be elementalists, experts in one particular element.

It didn't take too long for the angels of darkness to send the angels of light tumbling towards the ground. They landed, picked the light angels out of their craters, and dragged them into a back alley, out of the sights of the curious humans.

She watched from a distance as they tied their now unconscious opponents up and admired their handiwork.

One of them turned to Chell. Both his hair and wings were tipped with red, and he regarded her with amber eyes. His partner, on the other hand, had plain black wings and hair like her and icy silver eyes that were almost white. They both wore white T-shirts with black leather jackets and ripped blue jeans.

"So," the angel with red tips said, approaching Chell, "What brings you into the territory of the Winged Wolf Gang?"

"The Winged Wolf Gang?" she repeated, unimpressed.

"Yes," he replied, "That is the name of group of dark angels living you that you are not a part of. Not yet, anyway." He gave her a sly grin.

Chell shrugged. "Well, I suppose you are winged," she murmured under her breath, "And in case that's what you're asking, I'm not planning on living in this part of the city. I just came here with a stupid grocery list for this guy called Elli-"

"Wait a sec, you're with Elli?" the larger, icy-eyed angel interrupted, "You mean, the magic salesman guy?" She nodded. "Chief, y'know, this could be a great opportunity!"

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," 'Chief' answered, rolling his eyes, "Now then," he took a step closer to her and she stepped back, "How about you get something for me from Elli and I'll give you a little reward?"

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What kind of reward?" she asked.

A fireball appeared in his hand. "I'll teach you a bit if fire magic," he offered.

Chell would prefer learning magic from her own kind, and she was a fan of fire…

"What do you want from him?" she asked, caution evaporating.

"See this?" he pulled his cigarette out of his mouth and showed it to her, "It's not a real cigarette. It's an enchanted thingy designed to improve fire magic. Elli's got an older, stronger version of it that I want. It looks like an antique pipe from what I understand. Think you could find it in that big mess of a store?"

She grinned. "That shouldn't be too hard," she replied.

They were interrupted by a groan. The two angels of light were waking up. Both were blond-haired and blue-eyed, which Chell assumed was common. They looked around in dazed confusion before turning toward their captures.

"How-how dare you!" the male sputtered, "Release us at once!"

"Well, aren't you high and mighty?" Chief snickered, "Especially since we beat you fair and square in a fight and now you're tied up because of that."

The blonds opened their mouths, appalled. "We never picked a fight with you!" The female protested.

"Maybe not with us specifically," Chief replied, gesturing to himself and his companion, "But you did go after this little juvenile, though," he threw his arm over Chell's shoulders, who immediately pushed him away, "Weren't you light angels the ones who said attacking the young and innocent was a crime?"

"We never attacked anyone!" the male angel of light declared, "We were minding our own business when we blacked out and woke up here! Obviously, you were the ones who attacked us!"

Chief put his hands on his hips and directed his gaze to the sky. "Are you guys really so full of it that you deny ever picking a fight when you lose, or did I really hit you that hard on the head? C'mon, let's leave these self-righteous jokes."

The three angels of darkness turned away and walked out of the alley.

"Sooo… We're still up for stealing that magical cigar?" Chief asked casually.

"Sure."