Want You Gone

[Chapter Ten: Sweet Escape]

"I thought about our dilemma, and I came up with a solution that I honestly think works out best for one of both of us." GLaDOS chimed in from the speakers as I took my steps out of yet another chamber. One more down, I thought, ignoring whatever it was that she was going on about. Honestly, none of it really mattered. On the elevator ride to the next test in line waiting for me to dominate it, she felt the need to elaborate on her previous statement, or at least I assumed that the two statements were even the least bit related. "Federal regulations require me to warn you that this next test chamber... is looking pretty good."

 When I stepped out and through the sliding, circular door of the chamber, I immediately noticed what she was talking about. The chamber was pristine, in much better shape than all of the rest of them. There wasn't a crack in the wall panels, not a smudge on the testing apparatus, not a speck of dirt anywhere. The portal-safe panels were a sanitary white, complimenting the rest of the chamber walls, which were a dark, dull gray. The test chamber looked exactly like the ones before, when I woke up the first time. When I was in this for science. When I was doing this, because it was my job. "That's right. The facility is completely operational again."

When I took a step into the white room, I noticed the two redirection cubes sitting patiently in the middle of the room, along with the laser positioned so that it pointed down at the floor. There were two additional lasers, both shooting from lower on the walls. I took a moment to think, and with the clever placement of portals, made a way to the three receptacles on a wall that was off in another section of the room. I had to use the materials provided to find a way to stretch the three lasers through my two portals to activate three different receptacles. When I was done, I worked my way to the door. I had an energy in me that I didn't have before. Maybe it was the nap. I still thought it would be pretty stellar if I had a nice meal and some clean water.

"I think these test chambers look even better than they did before. It was easy, really. You just have to look at things objectively, see what you don't need anymore, and trim out the fat." I rolled my eyes and stepped into the elevator vault and leaned against the wall, stretching. One more chamber, just one more. I told myself that every time I stepped in to the next test chamber. Maybe one of these days, that statement would actually be true. As I stepped out and eyed the electronic walls around the elevator, I watched the screen play a little animation of a little floppy guy on a light bridge. I never really bothered looking at these walls, but now that they were all operational, they were hard to ignore. Staring at them at least provide a little mental reinvigoration.

"I've got a surprise for you after this next test." GLaDOS chimed, pulling my attention away from the walls. "You know, for some reason, I don't really trust that." I said sarcastically, heading into the chamber.  "It's not a fake, tragic surprise like last time. A real surprise, with tragic consequences. And real confetti this time. The good stuff. Our last bag. Part of me's going to miss it, I guess-but at the end of the day it was just taking up space." She sighed as I utilized the light bridge that was directly in front of the door. I used a portal to stretch the bridge out under a cube dispenser and hit a button. The cube fell further on the light bridge, over a pit of nasty water, but before I could walk across to grab it, the power in the facility seemed to go out. My portals were closed, and I fell down to the floor, landing harshly. The cube I was after fell right into the water.

I looked around the now dark chamber in surprise, expecting an explanation from GLaDOS. Is this my surprise? "What's going on? Who turned off the lights?" She asked. Clearly, she wasn't sure what was going on, either. I heard the sound of wall panels opening as a little bit of light filtered in, and I heard an almost unrecognizable voice. "Hey, buddy!" The voice called. When I spun around, I noticed Wheatley in the wall that had opened. He looked nervous. "I'm speaking in an accent that is beyond her range of hearing..." He whispered in his best attempt at an American accent. "Look - metal ball, I CAN hear you." GLaDOS growled, menacingly.