Flaw in My Code (Portal 2)[REWRITE IN PROGRESS]

[Chapter 15: Cheap]

"Hand it over! That's mine!" The man yelled from the opening to the alleyway.

When Caroline had looked up, she was met with the man in the white coat, who had been running with the bag. She tilted her head slightly at him with a noise of acknowledgement.

Something about him was familiar: Tall, slender, pale, with messy hair and a messy beard. Everything seemed to check out.

"Doug?" She tilted her head and let her hair fall to the side. He stopped approaching her and gave her a look, his blue eyes peircing into her brown ones. "How do you-"

She watched as the man backed away, flustered. If Caroline's suspicions were correct, the man that she laid eyes on was the same Doug who would sit in the breakroom and scribble in his notebook. But how was that possible?

"How are you still here?" She asked, standing up to challenge him. "W-Who are you?" He wailed, backing into the wall and dropping the tough-guy act. Caroline walked closer to inspect him further.

"Caroline...?" He asked, uneasily. "How can... How are you- I thought you were in a disk..." He whispered, glaring and trembling. He was obviously afraid of her.

She put a hand on her hip. "I am. That's how I'm here, now tell me how you survived that long."

"Cryogenic stasis," Was his only answer as he backed up just a little further. Caroline smiled sweetly at him. "I always thought the neurotoxin finally got rid of you. I guess I was wrong." She teased.

She knew she was joking, but Doug thought otherwise, as he dig his hands nervously into his hair and shook his head. "Please-! Please, don't hurt me! You can have the bread!"

Caroline's expression flipped to one of concern as she eyed the poor, paranoid man. She couldn't blame him, after all. "I'm not here to hurt you, though I am amazed that you've managed to survive this long."

Doug stared at her, his eyes wide. "I... won't ask anymore questions..." He whispered to himself. "But, why are you out here- and how?"

"You just asked two more questions." She said. "I- Sorry, sorry-" He cowered slightly. Caroline rolled her eyes. "Where are you staying? How have you been living out here?" She asked as Corbin fluttered up to her shoulder.

"I live in an apartment... That... I pay for." He said hesitantly. "Kind of." Caroline raised a brow. "Kind of?"

"My roomate pays for the apartment, and I do the grocery shopping, so we kind of split the difference,"

"Shopping?" Caroline looked down at the bag on the ground full of stolen goods. "Right." He nodded. "Sometimes, I just... Go for the discount." He explained as he gathered up the intact contents of the bag. "I have to take these home, or-" He glanced at Caroline nervously. "Um."

"Or?"

Doug shook his head and began walking with the bags. "I've said too much." He squeaked.

Caroline followed him like an annoying sibling. "I hope you know I'm going to follow you, Rattman. I want to see how well off you are out here."

Doug winced. "Ohhh, great, yes, you're always welcome-"

"Good. Lead on."

"Here we are..." Doug opened up a creaky door into a ramshackle apartment. Caroline peered in with an unimpressed look as Corbin poked his head out of her bag. "It's... Messy."

"Messy, creaky, old..." Doug began.

"Cheap." Another voice chimed from across the room as a tall woman strode through to sit down in front of the couch and slap down a deck of cards. "Come on Doug, I've been playing Garbage all by myself, I'm lonely. Did you get the bread like I asked you to?" She rambled without looking up.

Caroline stared at her, noticing that there was something familiar about her. Her long, brown hair laid neatly over her shoulder, and her blue eyes wede fixed on the cards that she was shiffling over the table.

She widened her eyes and her heart skipped a beat as she realized who it was she was looking at. Her voice caught in her throat and she was at a loss for words, though she wanted badly to get the attention of the girl on the couch.

Instead of speaking, she simply walked over to sit silently beside her and watch her shuffle cards. "I didn't know Doug had the guts to bring a girl home," She chuckled, looking up, before her eyes widened as well.

The two women stared at eachother for a moment before the taller one stood up and grabbed Caroline by the arms, lifting her and swinging her around. "It's you!"

Caroline yelped and Corbin retreated back into the bag. "Oh, please-" The other woman just squealed and pulled her into a tight hug. "GLaDOS, how'd you get here? How did you get... Like that?" She pulled away from the hug to give her a once-over.

"Actually, it's... Caroline..." She spoke up, looking away. "It's a long story..."

"I've got time~" Hummed the taller woman as she sat down and rested her chin in her hands. "Tell me all about it... I've missed you..."

"I've missed you too, Chell..."

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Casually wrote this whilst in the room with Kat-the-Hobbit

We have fun

Anyways uh

Thanks Kat