A Most Sinister SCIENCE [Closed]

[imperious_lex]

The downside of gathering long term supplies for the crew, was that Lex did have to make sure they were all brought on board and stowed away properly. It cut into his vacation time, but it was a small price to pay to get some business done, and make a few connections that he'll be able to call on later. Besides, with 99% of the crew off the ship,

Comments

[cityship]

There is silence for a moment. Then, one of the screens near Lex flickers to life with a simple, smiling blue face.

||Hello!|| chirps the distinctive, broken voice of GLaDOS.

[craaazyisland]

"Let me out of this goddamn room or I'm gonna-" Steve mutters between his teeth-- and then drifts off because he can't think of a threat that would actually work on a computer.

That and the elevator is acting weird.

He feels the blood drain from his face as the elevator starts to descend, and pretty soon he's grasping for the walls, something to grab onto as it starts to speed up.

What's that noise? Oh, that's him, screaming--

And there go the lights--

And suddenly he stops screaming, because he's just felt his blood pressure drop sharply and a stabbing pain in his chest. Now he's gasping instead of screaming.

And the elevator's still going down.

[cityship]

And down, down, down. It's practically in free fall. Maybe it is in free fall? It's impossible to tell. It's pitch black. Steve's scrambling fingers find purchase on a panel on one of the walls and it's sufficient to grab onto, but not easy.

KLUNG!

The elevator jerks hard, but doesn't stop. Is it slowing? Oh god it is.

||Elevator restored to designated track. We apologize for the inconvenience.||

It chugs down slowly, though the lights still aren't back. And comes to a stop again.

The doors slide open, letting in the light of yet another sterile white test chamber.

Oh wait, not sterile. One of the walls has several visible bloody hand prints smeared along it. Nice touch, GLaDOS.

[craaazyisland]

By the time the elevator stops, Steve is more or less crumpled against the wall, clutching at his chest and sucking in thin breaths. His chest feels like it's seizing up, forcing any air he gets right back out and it hurts to breathe. His whole body is starting to feel hot, sweaty, achy, like he's burning up with fever. The burnmarks on his arm are starting to take on a greenish tinge and his shoulder is still bleeding.

He closes his eyes and forces himself to take a deep breath. The seizing in his chest forces it out, so he tries again and holds it in.

I'm fine. I'm gonna be fine. I'm gonna make it. I'm gonna make it.

His head feels like it's swimming, but he's fighting to keep his wits about him. After a few moments he pushes himself to his feet. His skin is still white and bloodless, but he's gotten a hold of himself.

"Let me out," he says again. "Please let me out. I can't do this anymore. You have to let me out."

[cityship]

||Finish your test and you will be out!||

GLaDOS encourages. Well, in her own sort of way.

||Don't you want your cake?||

[craaazyisland]

"No," he says sharply, and steps out of the elevator.

"Let me out of here, you stupid computer."

[cityship]

||Go to the elevator|| she insists, more sternly now.

It's a simple request, Steve. See? It's just across the room, like the first one. No tricks visible. Just ignore the creepy handprints!

||Were you such a bad boy for your parents?||

[craaazyisland]

He freezes in place.

"Don't talk about my parents," he says sharply, and starts across the room.

[cityship]

||Why not?|| GLaDOS asks innocently. She knows what she's doing.

||They are dead. There's nothing ba-ad about dead people.||

||You should finish your test.||

[craaazyisland]

"I said shut up!" Steve snaps-- and keeps dragging himself across the room. His chest starts to hurt again, but he wills it away.

It was just trying to psyche him out. He shouldn't listen.

[cityship]

The other side of the room... doesn't seem to get closer. Weird.

||That is not a very positive attitude|| GLaDOS chides. ||We on the Transmigration 9 try to foster an optimistic outlook while faced with overwhe-elming odds.||

[craaazyisland]

Steve groans audibly-- he can't tell if it's from frustration or exhaustion. He speeds up. And his body begins to ache.

"Damn you!" he mutters. "Damn this ship, damn your positive attitude, god damn your optimistic outlook..."

[cityship]

||Do you think we all should sulk like you do Mr. Grumpy Gus?||

The floor is moving. The similarity to the first room is no coincidence. It's just going the wrong way.

||Then again you have le-ess reason to be optimistic.||

[craaazyisland]

He lets out another long sigh and picks up the speed.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?"

[cityship]

||Would you like to know what your file says?|| GLaDOS asks.

||I have it right here.||

[craaazyisland]

"You're gonna lie about it, whatever it is," Steve snaps, and keeps on trucking down the conveyor belt. God, how long was this room? Why was he even still doing this?

What other choice did he have?

"I don't believe anything you say."