Subject 3281; Chell's Story

Surprise

Fwump

Chell scooted to the left and took a knee as her injured parter sunk to the floor of the lift, ripping off some more of his shirt as a bandage. Her lips were upturned is a sort of secret smile. She'd done it. She—sour little Chell—had been the bigger person and done something good. Of course the danger wasn't over yet; She had promised them a surprise after all, and that couldn't be good, especially not after the previous day's events. The two sat in silence.

Forrest shifted. Chell adjusted herself so that she was sitting 'crisscross-applesauce' on the lift's floor, allowing her partner all of the room he needed for his damaged feet. The lift began to ascend. The girl noted the fact that this lift was of a different style than what they had been used to; larger, padded, and equipped with a security cam to boot. The boy sneezed, was subsequently blessed, and there was silence in the lift for another minute and a half.

"Thanks again, '81,"

"Chell."

"Right, Chell. Thanks. Really. And thanks for..." he stopped for a moment and looked to the ceiling, apparently considering the best way to continue the statement. "...everything. Thanks for everything. I know I'm not the easiest person to be around sometimes, but I hope... I hope I haven't been horrible to you."

Chell considered his words for a moment. Had he been horrible to her? At times perhaps, she thought after some deliberation, but he never acted with the intent of destruction, and I deserved every bit of it. He did his best to be civil to me. On the whole, she concluded, he has acted justly.

"No," she decided, eyes fixed on the side of the lift rather than her partner, "you've helped me, Forrest; truly. I owe you, and you owe me."

"If you say so," he said. "I still think I owe you quite a bit more though, considering the near-death experience and everything." The boy shifted around into a—presumably—more comfortable position. "I'm sorry again; I never gave you any credit for emotions or... or feelings."

That, she though with a light exhale, is because I hadn't given you much cause to. "Hm."

"Well," Forrest said with a sigh of his own, "I suppose I can't really blame you for hiding 'em; this place is a literal hell-scape."

"Not literal."

Though she wasn't looking at him, Chell could almost hear her partner smile. "Alright, not a literal one per se, but its close enough. Pits of acid, hazardous equipment, a creepy, semi-intelligent disembodied voice in the ceiling... man, the things they put us through..." he made a sound which Chell took to be a laugh. "someone should really shut this place down!"

"And we will," the girl said—with more confidence than she felt. "as soon as we're out."

"I like the sound of that."

The two sat in silence for another second or two before Forrest felt the need to resume his time-honored role of, 'conversational initiator' once again.

"So what do you think this 'surprise' could be, Chell?" She didn't answer immediately; in truth she was slightly surprised that he'd spoken again so soon. "Come on," the boy said in a lighter tone, "I'm trying to make conversation here. Help me out, will you?"

Chell shook off her momentary stupor and said, "Sorry. Well... it could be anything; a pit of acid, a turret blockade, a wall of fire, another test..."

"Something a tad less dangerous I hope, I still cant get too far with these—" Forest gestured to his feet, "—these... useless hunks of meat."

"Hm," she said, and took another look at his feet. He's not wrong, she thought as she studied them for another few seconds. Those 'bandages' won't do anything for him. Now, if we had—