15 – The End of the Program
Cpt. Smithfield was out of ideas, and had been for quite a while. He and the pilot had waited for hours and hours, through rain and shine, and had tried numerous times to enter the elevator unsuccessfully. Now it was dark and bleak, and the captain couldn't bring himself to wait without support any longer.
He stood from a passenger seat and clapped Greg on the shoulder, who was reclining in the cockpit.
"Alright, Greg, guess you're goin' back. I'll stay here, just in case."
"You got it, cap'n. I'll start her up right now."
There was a loud clunk, and a gentle shearing of metal, and Smithfield reached for his rifle upon seeing streaks of light emanating from the now open elevator.
He aimed his weapon through a busted window and cried out. "Stop right there!" Then fired a warning shot.
"It's me!" Cried Anabelle. "Please, the last thing we need right now is another gunshot wound."
Smithfield was speechless, and in moments all of them had gathered in the little clearing around the shed. Anabelle introduced him to Thomas Williams and Todd Berkley, and told him of the survivors down in the depths of Aperture.
"You tell us where to send the trucks, and we'll be there." Grinned the captain, shaking Todd's hand.
Todd still wore his own mask for the sake of light, as did Thomas, for it was pitch dark in the field. "I told Dr. Anabelle the location, and you guys can start collecting them anytime. GLaDOS assured me they would be there."
"How did you get her to do that?" asked Anabelle.
Todd paused, and the captain, overjoyed, found himself interrupting. "Well, let's get you all on that bird and back to base. You need some chow and a good night's rest, I'm sure."
All of them made for the helicopter except for Todd.
Anabelle looked back. "Mr. Berkley, aren't you…?"
Todd shook his head. "The only way GLaDOS will let the rest go is if…I stay."
"Why?" She asked, bewildered.
"She says if she can break me, it'll top anything she can do with the other test subjects. Not very scientific, but, when she gets a vendetta…"
"How did this happen?"
"By the time I went back to release the other subjects, she was already back in control. I wasn't worried about us getting out, but she certainly wouldn't release the others."
Anabelle was heartbroken. Todd lifted his mask and smiled. He had a gaunt, angular face with a square jaw and narrow chin. Brown eyes and thick brown hair were apparent in the light of Thomas's mask.
"Just go, and save them as fast as you can. And when you're done, don't come back for me. You'll only get lost. I'll be fine."
Thomas spoke. "Missy would be proud."
Todd thanked him and stepped back into the elevator. "Remember: be quick about it."
[Aperture Science days without incident: 0]
Todd Berkley was tested to the farthest reaches of his limits. Since bidding farewell to the others, for forty-eight hours non-stop GLaDOS had put him through a rigorous battery of tests with no food, only water. Calculus was his aid. Almost continually during those hours, he prayed.
Meanwhile, Anabelle, Thomas, Smithfield, and Greg all returned to the survivors' base and began preparations to reclaim all of the other test subjects. Though they were ready the next day with convoys and transport ships, the evacuation took about a month before everyone was hauled off back to base. The effort could not proceed too quickly or too grandly, otherwise they risked Combine detection. Thomas and Anabelle led the extraction of test subjects from cryo, and Smithfield directed the convoys.
Todd started to blur the days together after about two weeks, and in the third week, he passed the final test: given the opportunity to escape, he chose to stay. He knew the evacuation was not complete. GLaDOS, confident that she had emptied Todd's mind and completely subjugated him, presented the escape opportunity, and gleefully watched him remain in Aperture.
After watching Atlas and P-Body defeat him in a testing chamber, she enjoyed it so much that it became a daily ritual. Never did she tire of watching him fail, and this continued for some time.
[Aperture Science days without incident: 45 days]
One day after the ritual losing to Atlas and P-Body, Todd was sprawled on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He wondered if the smash-panel would fall, and whether or not there remained in him energy enough to roll onto the floor. There wasn't. The door creaked open, and he barely had the will to turn his head to see Calculus staring back.
The core's eyes were green. The evacuation was over.
Todd prayed a prayer of thanks, and, the will to live having returned to him, he stood shakily, and removed his mask, resetting his vitals to prevent GLaDOS from tracking him; just as Thomas had shown him before he left. After doing something similar for Calculus, the two started off down the hall. The trek was slow and long, and Todd walked with a limp in his gait, and breathed shallow breaths with every step.
Finally, they reached a little out-of-the-way room marked '206B'.
Todd looked at Calculus. "Just like Drake said." And opened the door.
The room inside was gigantic, made mostly of concrete, and appeared to be a drydock of some kind. Down below, in the water, was a small fleet of boats. Descending the metal stairs with Calculus under his arm, he took to one of the small boats and checked the gas. Full. Just as Drake had said.
Drake, being connected with the Borealis project, had searched for any details on it during his free reign about Aperture, and though he did not find the ship itself, a number of small support vessels had been left in a smaller drydock close to the original, where the Borealis had disappeared. It would only be a simple drive to the surface from here.
Todd started the vessel and looked to Calculus with a nod of affirmation.
"Let's go find our friends."
[Aperture Science days without incident: 0 days]