Snippet #1882285

Angie heard her friend warn her as he got ready to portal jump. She moved out from underneath the orange portal, and watched as Pete dropped through, seeming to appear from through the ceiling. Again telling her scientist brain not to think about how portals worked, she quietly agreed that they had to be careful.

She nodded, as Pete gestured to the door struggling to open and close. She pursed her lips, seeing sparks fly out of it in different directions. Angie gingerly walked towards it. She could feel the stability of the platform beneath her increasing as the got closer to the walls. "It's more steady here." She said quietly, fearing that if they stood in one place for too long she or Pete would break through and fall into a lake of deadly poison. Dying of neurotoxin... Not her favorite pass-time.

She cautiously reached the door. Angie figured her best bet was to prop the door open. She examined the floor, and found a suitable candidate; a three foot long pipe. She picked it up in frail hands, and jammed it in between the two electronic sliding doors. The mechanism whirred, no longer able to move. Angie gave a small smile of satisfaction, then started walking through the doors. She suddenly froze. She knew this portion of Aperture like the back of her hand. Through these doors was a huge dome, that seemed the descend endlessly down. Metal railways spanned through empty air, and trailed off like spiderwebs to different sections of Aperture.

She stood back from the door, knowing that there would be a small tube-like lift which, if it was still operational, could bring them higher, where they would need to go if they wanted to get out. But to do that, the acrophobic young scientist would need to cross the railway which lead over the bottomless expanse.

Angie told herself she was being ridiculous. Living and working at Aperture had required her to cross the bridge ways multiple times a day. Even then she had struggled with it. Angie steeled herself to get across it, and grit her teeth. She stepped through the complaining door, and paled at the sight before her. She shut her eyes, and tried not to listen to the echoing creaks, and groans of the decomposing center. The grate she was standing on felt stable enough. She was sure she would be safe to cross. But her paralyzing fear would stop her. She knew it.

She dared to crack an eyelid open, and immediately backed up, and felt for the wall behind her to know she was safe. Angie chastised herself for well-known phobia (In truth she suffered from three). She told herself she was being ridiculous. That didn't stop her from looking anywhere but where she could fall.

Angie forced her fear away, and took her first step out onto the rail that would lead her to the lift. She moved stiffly, then froze completely. On shaky limbs she walked back. "I can't do it." She said, almost angry with herself.

~

While the recently awakened test subjects began to interact, a small mechanical whir echoed through the cavern. The sound reached the ears of Abigail, though the other two, older test subjects remain unaware of it. The sound of metal joints moving against each other also echo out. Again, this is for the most part, unnoticed.

Underneath the old, decomposing bed where Abigail hid. A small red light glowed.

"Hello." The turret's animated voice said clearly.