Subject 3281; Chell's Story

Gone.

"I'm back," She said, Her voice monotone as ever. "Please assume the Aperture Science Party Escort Submission Position to receive your mandatory cake reward and free grief counseling." There was a pause. "I lied. There will be no cake or grief counseling for you, but I can guarantee one thing; there will be Testing.

"One the plus side though," the insufferable Voice went on, "I've found a place to house you until you are needed. For science. I would have housed Blue with you but— well, I think we both know why I can't. Although..." Her voice trailed off, and the floor shook as another stocky robot took its place beside the first. "We may just have to escort him to his own party.

"Blue, please roll onto your stomach, and assume the Aperture Science Party Escort Submission Position with your arms at your sides."

At the conclusion of Her little monologue, the first robot began to advance on the two humans in the room. No, Chell felt the lump in her throat double in size as the mesomorphic core-on-legs stumped closer. No, no, no, no, no! Her knuckles whitened as the grip on her ASHPD increased. They couldn't take him away from her. Not now. Not after he'd been through so much at their hands already. This is not going to happen. Chell steeled herself, dried her eyes, and prepared to confront her partner's assailant.

Just as she took the first step towards her target, however, something caught on the back of her right boot, hindering any forward progress. Chell whipped around to find Forrest's hand gripping the strip of her Longfall boot so hard his knuckles looked white as bone. There was a tense second where neither subject spoke, but stared at each other; the girl with fervent determination in her eyes, and the boy's revealing nothing but pain. Forrest opened his mouth and appeared to be attempting speech, but no words were forthcoming. The girl glanced back towards the lumbering robot that was getting closer, ever closer...

"Agh—" Chell turned back to her persistent partner. He was trying to speak in earnest now, face contorted in concentration, lips moving. She made a split second decision, and knelt before the boy. There was nothing she could do. Nothing but be with him now. With gentle fingers she detached his hand from her Longfall boot and held it in her own. For another second they sat there together, blood dripping from their clasped hands.

"It'll be... it'll be alright; I'll find you," He was slipping away, she could feel it.

"I'll find you, and then..." ...and then what? There's nothing anyone can do for him!

"And then we'll..." Chell could think of nothing more to say. He was nearly gone. Her partner, her friend—-

THUNK

Chell whipped around to find the leg of the Party Escort Robot a few inches from her face. In an instant, the hulking thing had grabbed her by the arm, and thrown her from her place by Forrest's side. That task accomplished, the robot grabbed her partner by one leg, and began to haul him towards the chamberlock.

The girl scrambled to rise and peruse them, unwilling—no, unable—to let that boy go so soon, but the force of the Party Escort Robot's throw had left Chell winded, and upon trying to get to her hands and knees, she found that even that small effort left her seeing spots.

By the time Chell had gotten to her feet, she could just make out her partner's hand disappearing through the circular door at the far end of the room behind his captor. And then the door shut, and he was gone. Forrest was gone.

Her ever-present, lanky, compassionate partner—partner and friend—had been half-killed, and dragged away forever. Forrest; the boy she had come to know, trust, and love in her own somewhat removed and distant way. He was gone.

Chell's breathing quickened 'till it nearly hurt, though no tears came to her eyes. They had done this to him. They had, those stone-dead, poison-filled idiots up in the control rooms; those numbskulls who had thought it was a good idea to give a homicidal supercomputer with a god-complex access neurotoxin dispensers. The absolute imbeciles who oversaw turret production. Yes, they had done this to him—to both of them, really—but they hadn't acted alone.

It was She who had really done this, She who had killed those morons, and had dragged away her only companion half dead and senseless.

Chell could feel herself beginning to tremble as her hate-tensed muscles were strained to their absolute limits. She. Would. Avenge. Him. She would find her way out of her—now invariably dead—birth father's Facility, she would call her aunt and uncle, and work on finding the parents of Forrest Brennan. She would obey his dying wish and she would work to destroy Her and bring the Facility to ruin. Once and for all. She didn't know exactly how she would kill the psychopathic computer and demolish the place, but she knew she would. She had to.

With the familiar thoughts of hatred and revenge now once again running rampant in her mind, Chell's breathing began to slow to a somewhat normal speed, the image of her tears but a distant memory.

"I'm back. Again." The girl's head whipped around to face the hidden speaker. She was back. Again. "I have some good news," She continued, "the perfect room has just been made available for you." The remaining robot stirred at the far side of the room, and began to advance. "Please place the Aperture Science Dual Portal Device on the ground, then lie on your stomach with your arms at your sides. A party associate will collect you momentarily."

A small crease began to form between the girl's eyes, and she got a better grip on her ASHPD. This is not ideal.