Portal: Welcome To Aperture

Chamber 18

Grief-stricken by the loss of your only friend, you stood in the tube for several seconds, not wanting to even move.

You just stood there in dead silence, staring down the short hallway that separated you from the goo that covered the floor of the first section of the room.

Just then, you understood that the only way that you had a shot of escaping this mental asylum was to work through the chamber.

Groaning in your mind, you started to walk down the corridor, only to be interrupted by the A.I.

"The experiment is nearing its conclusion."

"The Enrichment Center is required to remind you that you will be baked, and then there will be cake."  

Your eyes bugged.

I will be BAKED?

And then there will be CAKE?

Was that actually a... a... murder threat?

Is she really going to kill me?

Does she really want me dead?

I have to get out of here before my chance is gone.

You wondered if there was another one of those den rooms in this one, but you instantly remembered how you had nearly been roasted alive in one of them.

Those thoughts continued to collect as you performed some rather tricky platforming, which sent you upside down, straight through the air, and nearly any other direction perceivable.

After it was all over, you had finally reached the main challenge.

A turret-laden room, filled with nooks and crannies and high platforms of all sorts, was staring you in the face.

All you had to do was press a button, and the large garage-like door would swing open, exposing you to five different lasers and a haphazard room.

Not thinking of what could happen, you slapped the button and dashed through.

Although you hadn't really investigated the chamber, you seemed to find a shade of shelter, which gave you some time to come to your surroundings. You saw that same orb, bouncing around, tempting you with its glow.

You now realized that that was your only way to dispatch of the firing assailants. 

You waited for the dispenser to swing around to a spot where you could shoot a portal.

Eventually, it reached its destination.

You fired two shots, and a few seconds later, you could blatantly hear the pellet interacting with the turret.

As you peered around the corner, you saw the turret get knocked off of its blades.

It did a flip, and went diving into the goo.

It began to fizzle, and in a few seconds it disappeared into nothingness.

You had taken out one target. You still had four other androids to destroy.

After repeating the process a few more times, you had finally rid the room of any obvious danger. 

Now you'd have to press a button to open the panel that activated the lift. That lift would take you to a cube, where you'd have to do another quick-time event to get out of the room and get on with your testing.

The node fizzled when the pellet found its nesting home, and you scrambled to catch the lift.

After you had safely been transported all the way to the other side, you picked up the cube.

You felt that it was ironic to pick up this perfectly normal cube, especially after you had just killed a Companion variant via burning.

Ignoring it, you looked at the final element that stood between you: momentum.

Once you hit the circle, you'd have to quickly teleport up to the very top of the chamber, where a ledge was waiting.

You'd jump off of this, and, holding the cube, you'd go flying across the room, hopefully into an open doorway.

Failure was not an option. If it wasn't perfect, nothing would catch you. No outstretched tile this time. If you failed, you were dead.

But will I really die?

That question still confused you. 

The timer began. 

It was instantly recognizable as a tick-tick-tick-tick noise.

Two portals fired. In an instant, you were at the top.

Another shot.

One more on the platform.

You jumped.

Still grasping that cube for dear life, you closed your eyes as you exited out of the side of the wall.

The wind whistled through your ears. You breathed out.

BANG!

Impact.

You were on the other side. You still had the cube, tightly clutched to your chest.

Another breath escaped you.

Casually picking yourself up, you walked away from the craziness and walked into the next challenge.

You would have to fling yourself through progressively higher heights to reach the end.

Challenge accepted.

Once again, you got to know what cool, fast air felt on your face.

The same process, several times. Over and over.

But then it was over, and you went cartwheeling sideways into the chamberlock.

The lady started.

"Well done! Be advised that the next test requires exposure to uninsulated electrical parts that may be dangerous under certain conditions."  

"For more information, please attend an Enrichment Center Electrical Safety seminar." 

English, please?

The door behind you closed once again.