Entry Twenty
Headache
To say that the Combine were unprepared is to say Genghis Khan dabbled in real estate. It was a total rout. Before three hours had passed, we had claimed every single Combine facility on Earth, and I was already at work hacking into their control signals in an attempt to free humanity from their control, as well as un-brainwashing those that had been enslaved. Admittedly, their control signals were rather difficult to crack...mostly because they were programmed not to accept command prompts above a certain processing speed, for some reason.
However, between the hacking and the claiming of facilities...my girls found something better. Though what awaited them at the other end couldn't possibly have been worse.
Video below...
"Is...is this what I think it is?" Chell asked hopefully as the group stared at the strange device.
Chell and Gilda had decided to focus their efforts on the most heavily defended Combine facility on the planet, with serious backup. Cave, Assphalt, Pea-Brain, and Cuddle Core all had been given massive combat upgrades, and Different had been loaded down with nano-spray to patch everyone up at need. Right now, they were in the heart of the facility, and in the exact center of the central chamber was a large, round platform that glowed with light similar to that given off by active Portals. Cave was presently hacking the controls to determine its nature.
"Looks like some sorta telepad," Gilda pointed out bluntly.
"That's exactly what it is," Cave stated as he disconnected from the controls, popping his chassis open to realign his laser weaponry. "Specifically, it's the Combine's attempts at reverse engineering what Wheatley was able to give them about how Portal technology worked. The really important thing, however, is where the other end is."
"And where is it?" Chell demanded insistently.
"Combine Central Command," Cave explained. "The facility that controls the entirety of the Combine civilization...which is apparently hive mind and wired through that central facility. If we're able to take control of that facility..."
"We'll take over the Combine," Chell murmured in awe. "We'll take back Earth..."
"Earth nothing, we'll have everything!" Gilda snapped out. "It's time for a hostile takeover!"
"There's a problem, though," Cave pointed out. "Without the proper codes, the only way to activate it is to fire a portal onto the warp plate. But that will only be a one way trip. So...if we go and can't take control of the facility, we'll never get back to Earth...and will probably die when we eventually run out of ammo. We go in...no retreat."
"Be sure to save before going!" Different chimed happily.
"So it's victory or death, is it?" Chell murmured. She pointed her Portal gun at the plate. "I like those odds."
She fired.
When the blaze of light finally cleared, the group was somewhere completely different. "Girls, keep your hardsuits sealed!" Cave ordered over Core-to-suit comms. "The atmosphere is not Nitrogen based, and very Earth unfriendly!"
Chell glanced around curiously. "Is this Mars?" she asked in surprise.
"No, definitely much further than that," Cave corrected. "Why?"
"Cause this looks exactly like the original Doom recreated in Minecraft," Chell pointed out. "Well...except those charging robotic demons are a lot less blocky."
"Probably a lot less tasty, too," Gilda observed as she bisected the closest one with her wing. "Let's go!"
The group continued their charge deeper into the facility, hacking, blasting, and even punching their way through the defenses as they gathered the keys they needed to get deeper. As they charged, things remained much as Chell remembered from playing Doom long ago before Glados took over Aperture...but certain differences were very concerning. Every so often, they'd come across tech that was decidedly Aperture Science...or at the very least reverse engineered, and the deeper they went the more there was.
"Where did they get so much of my stuff?" Cave demanded angrily.
"Wheatley must have been very useful to them," Gilda growled angrily, clenching her talons.
As more Aperture tech appeared the deeper they went, they began following the trail of greater Aperture tech to lead them to the center of the facility. Before long, they came across a tunnel that so resembled the path to Glados' chamber in Aperture it looked like it had been transplanted. Knowing they had reached the center, Assphalt and Pea-Brain took point as they charged down the tunnel.
The massive chamber it opened up to was filled with an ominous red light. Computer consoles lined the edges, with cables leading into a deep pit in the center. The floor pulsed red as though it were alive. The group immediately parted in search of some sign of control circuitry.
"Any luck?" Cave called out after a time. Negative responses greeted the call.
"Found something!" Different called out.
The group gathered at Different's position...where they found a 'Substitute Core Attachment Apparatus', like what Wheatley had used to take control of Aperture from Glados both times he'd done so. "What would something like this be doing here?" Chell wondered in confusion.
"The Genetic Lifeform And Disc Operating System is a very effective central core unit," Cave pointed out. "It can handle massive amounts of data at computer speeds, but with instinctive responses that only a living brain can produce. If Wheatley was able to give the Combine the concept behind it, it would only make sense for them to reproduce it to manage the entirety of their empire."
"This is good news for us!" Gilda proclaimed. "If we can find their Central Control Unit, we can plug Dad into it and take control of the entire thing in one fell swoop!"
"Central Core Unit?" a terrifyingly familiar voice spoke up. "I can help you with that."
Out of the center of the deep pit rose what looked like a black, bio-metal snake...with a Core with a glowing blue optic at the tip. "Except...I won't," he greeted wickedly. "Ha, suck it!"
The entire group gasped before taking combat stances, one name on all their lips.
"Wheatley!"