An Idiot, A Maintenance Core, and Two Test Subjects

1 - Nightmares

(This is more of an intro chapter, so it's kind of short. Anyways, enjoy!)

Mel was running. She wasn't sure what from. It had a sinister, monotone, female voice. She created a portal to go through, but as she went to create the second one, her portal gun burst into flames. At that moment a loud sound was heard. It almost sounded like... an alarm clock...

Mel shot up and was safe in her bed in her apartment bedroom. She looked around. She touched her forehead. Sweat. A lot of it. A tear shed. A few more tears. She went through the mental exercises her psychiatrist had recommended. Breath in. I'm out of Aperture. Breath out. No more Aperture. Breath in. Aegis is dead. Breath out. Virgil is safe. She repeated the process until she was calm.

Within this month, she had done a lot. She bought herself an apartment, found a good psychiatrist, got a job as a clerk at a local bookstore, and most importantly, swore never to go back to Aperture. For that, she had to be as tenacious as her sister. But that was really difficult. No one in the world could come close to matching her twin's tenacity, and she knew it. As she walked out the door of her apartment building, she realized something. She hadn't had nightmares about Aperture in at least 3 weeks. Her mental health had only gotten better, so this wasn't only a step back, it must've meant something bigger. People say that there's a psychic link between twins. And while her sister had never believed that, Mel always has. So the nightmare could only mean one thing: Chell was in trouble.