Portal RP discussion

The bot spun around in a little circle, "Follow, Follow, Follow!" It called in the same key-tone voice, then spun around and rolled further up the catwalk.

I stared at the bot, the urge to either maim or destroy it increasing, then I sighed and followed it anyway.

"Better hurry! Lots of testing!"

I raised my eyebrow at the bot. I didn't really know what it was going on about now. But if it related to actually doing any sort of testing...

I looked back over to the door that lead back to the elevator, wishing I wasn't on the completely wrong side of the catwalk to get back to it. If only I hadn't panicked and accidentally run the wrong way.

Wait, no, I couldn't blame myself for that. The stupid stalker bot was blocking the catwalk!

"The only way to go is up!"

I slowed to a halt and looked down from the catwalk. Despite what the bot had just said, up wasn't the only way to go. If I got lucky, I might be able to find a catwalk that I could jump down onto.

It's not like I wouldn't be able to survive the landing, my long fall boots would take care of that. I would just need to find a catwalk with sufficient supports so that I wouldn't be dooming myself to being dissolved in acid.

"When in a pickle, don't be fickle! The future o science rests on the shoulders of gian-iytjhgrshgfgfsdgfdsgfsdgd" The bot's voice jumped a bit, the voice of the central core came through.

"Testing, testing, Liz, can you hear me?"

I accidentally bit my tongue when I heard GLaDOS's voice.

"Y-yes." I said, my voice suddenly a tiny bit squeakier than it should be.

GLaDOS is able to see through the bot's optics, then examines herself with another older camera in the dome, "Augh, I look terrible. Such an old model..." She scooted forward carefully on the catwalk, making sure to get past Liz, "Just follow me. I brought up all the older maps to get you out before you die of asbestos poisoning."

I stayed where I was for a few seconds, unsure whether I should follow her or not. I was sure I could find my own way out of this place, but she seemed to be... concerned? I made up my mind and started to move along the catwalk, figuring it was either die down here or die up there a little later after I royally mess up again.

And I had to admit, being killed by an omnipotent giant science-obsessed robot was an awesome way to go.

GLaDOSS did not intend to kill her. She never killed any children. Not even once. The event seventy-some years ago with the first annual 'Bring your daughter to work day', she had managed to capture every child and put them into stasis. They were locked in storage somewhere. In the facility. And she did not intend to kill a child, minor, whatever she was.

She unknowingly made a noise like a sigh, taking a turn down the next catwalk and checking pressure sensitivity before crossing, then strengthening the rails of the catwalk with a soldering iron, which she had conveniently highjacked the bot's circuits to produce with an open wire.

As I continued to walk along, following GlaDOS, I put two of my fingers in my mouth, and then drew them out, covered in blood.

I was just not having a good day.

The bot controlled by GLaDOS took a turn and entered into a long hallway, lined with vault-like doors. As they passed, GLaDOS gave a noise like a groan every time the automated voice recordings clicked on.

Caroline, can you fetch me those files?

Yes sir, Mister Johnson!

"Yes s-" She quickly muted the speakers on the bot, not turning them off until they reached the end of the hall.

More recordings... bah. What's th- wait, WHAT!? Why did she just...!? She started to REPLY!?

I opened my mouth to say something, then thought better of it and snapped it shut. I couldn't keep the odd look I was giving her off my face, though.

GLaDOS kept moving ahead, into a larger lobby-like area, she kept her auditory sensors at a low volume. She un-muted her voice synthesizer an it sounded as if she were a deaf person talking, but very very loud.

"IGNORE THOSE STUPID MESSAGES. THAT MAN IS AN IDIOT."

"Ookaaay... whatever you say, Gladdy..." I said quietly, rather shocked.

...On second thought, I probably shouldn't have used the pet name.

GLaDOS didn't mind, really at all. She had been called worse than a few nicknames. It was much less demeaning than an abbreviation or simply 'her'. She continued on, regulating the microphone and auditory sensors. The lobby had a small trophy case, in it, contained an array of science fair and appreciation trophies, a newspaper article framed on the wall.

The Michigan Times

The entrepreneur of a military shower curtain company, Cave Johnson, has recently purchased a large ammount of land- a 1200 acre salt mine in Upper Michigan...

GLaDOS breezed past it, only examining it for a second.

Well, either GLaDOS didn't notice or she didn't mind what I had just called her, because she wasn't saying anything about it. And that was just fine by me.

I noticed a trophy case, and slowed down to look at it for a few seconds before running to catch back up to GLaDOS. I had no idea where we were or where she was going, but she said she had maps, so I guess she knew where she was going.

The central core spoke firmly through the bot's mechanism, "You shouldn't dawdle.."

Yes, oh almighty mistress of Aperture.

"I'm not even allowed to slow down a few seconds to do a brief look-over of a trophy case?" I started to attempt to pull my fingers through my hair. I hadn't brushed it in a few days, so I quickly gave that up.

It was ridiculous how quickly my hair became knotted. It was because of how long it was, and my mom had bugged me to go get it cut to a much more convenient length so many times I had lost count. I refused every single time.

"No, you most certainly may not."

I rolled my eyes and put my hand in one of my pockets. I had forgotten that I had put a ponytail holder in there until now, and so I pulled it out and put my hair into a ponytail.

There. That should keep it from getting too knotted.

GLaDOS continued quickly down another catwalk, out of the lobby area. There was a pipe, in which was a few feet in width, she rolled out onto the pipe and sprung off onto another catwalk, only one foot down from the end of the pipe. An elevator awaited.

"Elevator. Nice." I said after I had followed her out over the pipe and onto the catwalk.

GLaDOS highjacks the elevator, quickly rearranging wires and such, the elevator moves quickly up to another lobby, which looks as if it's been turned into some kind of waiting room. There are orange tiles and carpeting everywhere and there are all sorts of 'motivational' posters everywhere.

If you see a runner in an orange jumpsuit, call security!

"Oh, great. I thought I wouldn't have to see this pointless lobby again. I suppose I thought wrong."

I ran my fingers over the bandage that was still on my cheek. "I'm starting to get the idea that you don't particularly like it down here."

"Oh, thanks for your input, Captain Obvious." She said sarcastically. She hastily exited down the next catwalk, looking up, you would be able to see a small staircase leading to an office. Part of a picture frame could be seen.

I rolled my eyes again, and started fingering the bandage on the finger that had gotten pricked. I heard a crow cawing somewhere in the distance.

GLaDOS ignored it. She wasn't really in the body, only using the bot as a way to guide Liz.

I somehow tripped on the catwalk, but managed to catch myself before I could get to see what rusted steel tasted like.

"Augh, freaking stupid catwalk," I complained.

GLaDOS stopped moving to allow Liz not to fall too far behind.

I took a moment to steady myself on the railing and catch my breath, then quickly caught back up to the bot.

"Try not to trip." GLaDOS moved forward on the catwalk and turned a corner, the catwalk now overlooking a large pit of acid, the other side of the catwalk was connected to a cement wall. Ahead, there was a cement block-like platform. On the walls were more posters.

"I'm not the one going a gazillion miles an hour with wheels," I muttered under my breath.

"Why did you let me down here if you knew there was asbestos, anyway?"

"Who ever said I let you down here? I don't remember ever directly or specifically telling you that I was allowing you here. Did I?" She said, knowing very well that she did not.

"That catwalk didn't move itself." I stated bluntly.

"Sometimes I move things around. That doesn't mean I intentionally put them there for YOU to find."

"I really, really doubt that you didn't move that catwalk to that particular location while I was on it by accident. I'm not stupid. And I also know you don't trust me enough to go wandering about your facility without keeping tabs on me, so it's not like you didn't know I was there."

GLaDOS gives an as-if gasp and makes a sigh like she's rolling her eyes. Another announcement, sounds like a mistake, comes on.

I'll have this scheduled tomorrow.

Yes, sir, Mister Johnson!


GLaDOS Says at the same moment, "Yes, Sir, M-" Before cutting herself off again and continuing quickly past the room's main door, looking for any exit.

How she kept replying to those messages was... odd, to say the least. I added it to my mental list of things to investigate later, because I doubted that this would be a good time to ask GLaDOS about it.

But one thing I could do now was try to figure out why she kept denying that she let me down here, and dodging my question of why.

After a few minutes of silence to let the awkwardness of GLaDOS's reply to the prerecorded message (hopefully) wear off, I said, "I have absolutely no idea why you're denying that you let me down here, so I'm just going to go ahead and assume that you really didn't care what happened to me unless you want to go ahead and tell me."

I just hated when people tried to deny the obvious truth and dodge questions.

"I was going to show you how dangerous this facility really is. And what it's like without any proper guidance." She said, half telling the truth.

Her real reason was only half a floor above them in a little green office hanging on a wall behind a fallen filing cabinet.

"I was going to show you how dangerous this facility really is. And what it's like without any proper guidance." She said, half telling the truth.

Her real reason was only half a floor above them in a little green office hanging on a wall behind a fallen filing cabinet.

What it's like without any proper guidance!? What did she think was going on while I was escaping to this place!? I had some guy following me, telling me where to go!? I thought, of course saying none of it. I did, however, let a long, hissing breath out my nose in annoyance.

GLaDOS just slowly, slowly contined down once-luxurious halls of old Aperture, circa 1968... Everything still looked in-tact, like a dollhouse that's been locked away for years on end.

First she was going a gazillion miles an hour to get me out of here, and now she's going along like it's a nice, leisurely walk in the park. I will never understand her.

And then I somehow got my long fall boots locked together in my distraction with my own thoughts, and fell to the floor with a loud thunk and a groan.

GLaDOS turns around again. "You know, you can take those things off. I promise we won't be doing much jumping."

"I... augh. No, I'm just being an idiot." I got up again, and dusted my sleeves off.

"Just not paying attention."

GLaDOS made a noise like a sigh, "Be cautious down here. One wrong move and you'll end up an acidic corpse..." She says looking down the grate of the catwalk they now walked along. They were continuing to pass through more domes, "Here, I advise you to put this on." She said, handing her a blue surgical mask, "It may be made of cardstock organic paper, but it works to keep toxins away from your lungs."

I took the mask and examined it for a few seconds, then shrugged to myself and put it on.

"Just out of curiosity, how long was I in s-stasis for?" I asked, then winced at my stutter. God, I couldn't even say it anymore without stuttering!

"You can relax, it was only two days. Promise." She said, not turning as she kept moving.