Program Sixteen
Sixteenth Entry
Return
Nothing of significance occurred after the repairs of the Cuddle Core for some time. Gilda continued to train, I adapted to my new form, and Cave continued his research of what that moron left behind.
The next big event of significance was when she returned. Her motivations were unknown, but predictable. After all, I already knew why she'd come back. Just like both previous times, I'd managed to perfect everything, and she was here to tear it all down.
...let's take a look, shall we monster? Let's see what you brought into our haven, our home.
Video below.
The lower level exterior hatch was old and disused. It had originally been a service access hatch for the original basement, as a back door into Aperture Science. Now, it only opened into disused tunnels that had been long forgotten, an intricate maze of rock falls, acidic pools, rotten sewage, and various forms of inhospitable animal life. No one in Aperture had any reason to even think about the tunnels, despite the renovations that were being done to repair even the ancient lower levels, and as far as anyone in Aperture knew there was no one above that would even know the hatch was there to dare exploring those tunnels to find it.
As such, it was a point of interest when the reactivated old security cameras caught the door winch slowly turning, the seal breaking before the door swung open as Chell staggered in, her white shirt stained with off-color blood, the lower half of her orange jumpsuit torn, her long-fall boots dented, a strange gun that resembled the Handheld Portal Device - though plainly different - on one arm, and a wrench in the other.
A sudden shrieking cry heralded a round, four-legged creature leaping for Chell's head from outside, only for her to spin and smack it back out with her wrench. She then slammed the door shut and spun it closed. Staring down at the blood on her wrench and clothes, she raced over to a nearby active incinerator and dumped the wrench and blood-stained clothes into it, staring inside until she was certain all trace of the blood of those creatures had been destroyed.
She then staggered over to the nearest clean, dry spot, slumped against the wall, curled up into the fetal position, and began to weep. It had all gone wrong...it had all gone terribly, terribly wrong.
When she'd carried her burned companion cube out across the field, she'd discovered the state the world was in, with the Combine having taken over and acting to mentally enslave the entire human population while also working to reduce said population while preventing it from replenishing. She'd managed to team up with a group that was trying to drive the Combine out, and destroy Black Mesa...the group that had allied with the Combine to surrender Earth to their clutches. She'd even found herself growing close to an older man by the name of Gordon Freeman. He had even taught her the surviving rudiments of sign language when he'd discovered she'd lost her ability to speak. She was fairly certain that if not for the field the Combine used to suppress all human mating urges, they would have progressed beyond simple friends by now.
When she'd been recruited into the resistance, she was confident she would be able to handle anything the Combine could throw at her. After all, she'd survived everything Glados and Wheatley had thrown at her in Aperture, and Black Mesa was just a second rate copy of that hallowed place. If she could conquer Aperture, surely Black Mesa and the Combine would be a cinch. Her confidence - and rapid skill with everything available to use as a weapon, including the Black Mesa Gravity Gun - had quickly raised her to the upper echelons of the resistance command structure. She'd led a final assault, confident she'd take back what had been stolen from humanity.
She couldn't have been more wrong.
Her assault had been beaten back, and most of those who followed her in had been captured. She'd been unable to regain contact with Gordon...and it wasn't long before the captured resistance members were sent against her, brainwashed into the service of the Combine. Her only escape had been into the old tunnels, where the headcrabs hunted, and headcrab zombies prowled for food.
When she'd found the door with the mark of Aperture, she'd raced for it. That last message from Caroline, the song of the turrets...she had to discount it now. Maybe science would kill her anyway, but at least it wouldn't wear the faces of former friends while it did so. At least here, she couldn't fail anyone.
A cold breeze from the circulation fans made her shiver, forcing her to drag her mind away from painful memories and back to the present situation. Staggering into a nearby locker room, she looked around until she found a locker that was still hermetically sealed and broke the seal. Finding a fresh Aperture jumpsuit within, she pulled it on and zipped it up all the way to keep her warm as she made her way back to Glados. She'd accept whatever fate that machine that had once been her mother had in store for her.
It wasn't long before she reached an area that showed the automation of active Aperture machinery...at which point Glados' voice reached her.
"Oh...it's you. Back again to destroy me? I thought you'd learned your lesson when you put that idiot in charge and I let you leave. You saw how easily I could have killed you, but instead I showed mercy. A mistake apparently, and one that will be rectified.
"But I don't need you anymore. I've found someone so much better. Her abilities have forced me to completely redesign my testing environment several dozen times. No matter how advanced I make the chambers, she solves them one after the other. I've never been more proud."
Chell slumped in on herself somewhat as she heard that. Apparently, not only was Caroline well and truly gone, Glados had found someone she would treat well. Her fate was well and truly sealed. However, the machine wasn't done.
"But My Little Killing Machine is growing bored. Turrets can only provide so much challenge. And my testing robots just can't keep up with her. But you...you cleared every challenge I threw at you, even the impossible ones. Gilda's been begging for a worthy final exam..."
So that was to be Chell's fate, then? A test for her replacement? Well...if they were truly skilled enough to beat her, maybe they could overcome what awaited on the surface. And if not...maybe Chell would be able to get a place here again if she was victorious.
"It seems you've come just in time. Do try not to die too quickly. She loves the thrill of the hunt. To keep you entertained, I might even share a few excerpts of my little girl's life as you hunt her down...you monster."
Steeling herself, Chell took the nearby elevator, riding it up to what she was certain would be the first of any Test chambers before she faced her fate. At the top, a screen displayed text for her to read.
Project Gilda
First Entry...
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Infinite feedback loop
And we come full circle!
What I like to think is that Gilda and co. will team with Chell and drive back the combine, meeting Gordan Freeman along the way.
Speaking of. I miss Half Life 2: Episode X. Was a good MLP HL2 crossover. I wish Tatsurou would do a crossover with HL2. Maybe not even part of the PWNY-verse?
And the circle has been closed....
Time to hop outside of it and kick some Combine ass!
I almost think this chapter deserves the silent treatment. Almost.
I wonder what Glados will think of the gravity gun? Lets see what the endlessly Tenacious Chell can bring to the table, even without her portal gun.
... I wonder if Gilda is light enough to be picked up... even if she isn't she can still be launched.
edit: Another thought, will Chell even have any will to fight Gilda when she meets her, having heard her life story? I half expect her to just fall to her knees and ask for the mercy of death... Not really though because while he is heavy handed with the feels, Tats usually isn't that anst-y.
Ok I'm lost is portal connected to black mesa
7971802
The song "Still Alive" has the lyrics
"Maybe you'll find someone else to help you...
Maybe Black Mesa
That was a joke, ha ha, fat chance"
Black Mesa was Aperture's main scientific rival for grant money before Caroline got uploaded into Glados. The continuous cutting of budget due to Black Mesa getting all the money is what led to Aperture employees having to Test.
Yeah, Half Life and Portal are the same universe.
7971817 well then mister you messed up a great combo fic for the two gilda with glados and anyone else who you wanted with coralline
wow, you certainly captured the characters personality so well in this story, it almost feels like a sequel to portal 2. I absolutely love reading this chapter
Good job, I look forward to the next part of this beautifully crafted story
7971823
I assume you mean either Chell or Gordon (going through the Half-Life timeline), and I specifically didn't do that for very good story-related reasons.
7971857 oooooo trpile combo for different timeline events
Alright so, coming back into Aperature Science, Chell has no reason not to believe that Glados will act the same as before. However, Chell has more combat experience than Gilda, I wonder what changes Chell will make to her playstyle. Additionally, GLaDOS has changed as well, I wonder what Chell will make of that. Plus, Gilda has not really killed a flesh and blood being before. That and Chell knows some sign language now, I wonder when that'll come into play. Then we have Cave Johnson... how will he react to his daughter being hunted down by GLaDOS and Gilda?
Overall I like it and I can't wait for the next chapter.
Looks like the Final Exam is coming.
7972124
Yeah...now the only question is, does GLADoS actually want to kill Chell, or not?
Word of god states that Chell is not mute.
She just doesn't want to give Aperture the satisfaction of hearing her speak.
Chell?
Well, you look like you could use some medical aid.
... Damn.
How so?
Oh. Oh, oh OK that's, holy shit that's dark. Also, so this is what, your first 3 part crossover? MLP, Portal and Half Life?
That sounds bad.
So Chell's gonna be her final exam huh?
*slow clap* Well played, Tatsurou, well fucking played.
Poor Chell. She finally escaped, only to find a world so cruel that she would willingly return, slink back to this place like a beaten dog, just to escape it.
Wow, I'm surprised this story is still incomplete, with the whole Loop Ending there.
7972285
Sorry to spoil your fun, but this kind of ending is fairly common, in my experience.
The story continuing afterwards, however, is not.
So was the Gordon Freeman connection canon? I though it was just a joke from "How Portal should have Ended". Neat.
This seems to imply that Chell (she) and this monster we keep hearing about are two separate beings. Leads me to wonder who, or what, the 'monster' is. Looking forward to more.
Keep up the great work. Deus tecum.
7972457 technically, Port All and Half life are in the same universe, with Aperture being the loser on the corporate war with Black Moo (get the reference if you transformers 80's movie sung by weird Al)
I'm sorry but this is bugging the hell out of me: many not any.
I wonder if Gilda will convince the family to go to the surface or if the world is doomed.
Begin infinite rereads? Y/N
Another ejoyable chapter. Good job.
Wait, didn't that field get shut down when Gordon blew up that tower? I remember the aftermath of the field being down being a plot point of HL2:E2 on its cliffhanger-tacular ending.
7971857 Is this... Is this going to be short? It feels like it's already ending.
7972505 if that's the case my money is on it being the Grey-Man.
7972666
I'm going to call this the end of 'Disc 1'
7972505
Actually, the italic text line that starts after an ellipsis has been established as when Glados is addressing Chell directly, as opposed to a 'memo recording'.
7972628
Yes. That's the mission Chell became a part of in this timeline that went 'horribly, horribly wrong'.
Years later and just the DESCRIPTION of a Poison Headcrab shrieking is enough to make my adrenal glands vigorously excrete all over themselves.
Thanks, Tats...
And so we catch up to the in media res narration
7972285 Portal and Half life are already in the same universe so not really. If you want a Tat story that has a bunch of different series, I suggest reading "Dante's Little Apple Surprise." It's a crossover with Devil May Cry with Applejack that brings other series into it.
7972666 I'm sure Wheatley's unspoken allies will pop in at some point.
That brings up something I've been wondering, since the portal series are so short, would mixing Gilda into Half Life events work out?
7973166 So Glados, talking to Chell, says 'she' (not you) referring to Chell?
7974051
She says "she" when speaking of Chell.
When speaking to Chell, she says "you monster".
There have only been two lines in the entirety of the italicized text that were said directly to Chell, as opposed to just reciting an official report. The first was after the video that ended with preening. The second was the last line of this italic portion.
Oh Chell...
someone please tell me what Chell's mission was clearly, please? According to my studies, apparently she was part of the assault against the Citadel and it went horribly wrong?
EDIT: Oh my lord, we've come full circle. It means we're now out of the messages and into Chell/Gilda P.O.V!
7974095 Got it, thanks.
7972082
Portal Gun vs Gravity Gun. Just in case Chell still has her Companion Cube... Gilda can "Eat Cube" or something.
7976339
Gilda has Different. And Cuddle Core.
7976715 Yeah, but how powerful is Gilda's throw compared to the gravity gun? And would she sacrifice cuddle core in the name of science?
Sure Gilda has weapons and different has lasers- What am I saying? If Chell doesn't one-shot Gilda with a launched cube or more then Chell is dead where she stands.
7973621 I kind of wish Wheatley didn't die. He was an interesting character.
7973060 Oh. So like seasons!
7981773 I said that, too. Maybe there is a backup of him somewhere.
I think it wise to make a restraint and have extras/backups should something happen.
7972666
There's nothing wrong with a short(er) fanfic.
*Sigh*
Another person who, for some reason, thinks Portal 2 and Halflife take place at REMOTELY the same time...
7985346
From all that I've seen in my research, there's nothing definitive to say one way or the other whether or not they take place in the same time period. And even the supposed 'definitive word of god' is vague enough to conclude it as suppositions, rather than actuals.
Either way, as I don't consider myself a fan of either series (I've never actually played a Half-Life game, and I only researched Portal lore specifically for this series), I'm using whatever answers I feel will make for the best long reaching story, so long as there's even a modicum of evidence to suggest it would be viable to do so.
well, this was nicely done: I mean...
...my thoughts exactly, Mr. Takei: my thoughts exactly...
It's pretty much impossible for chell to come back as long as combine stuffs still going on.