This Isn't A Game Anymore (VenturianTale fan fiction)

Chapter 22- GLaD To See You

Cierra blinked her eyes open and was immediately met with rushing winds. She uttered a short yelp before recalling everything that had happened. After taking a few deep breaths, she glanced around. She was inside one of the many thousands of tubes that connected the myriad of sprawling laboratories under Aperture, candid items being carried through them. Most of them happened to be the ever-loved Companion Cubes.

Chell was right behind her, grinning as they rocketed through the glass pipes. Wheatley was just ahead, whooping with joy as his blue optic rolled around in his metallic shell.

"This should take us right to Her!" He crowed, blinking rapidly. "I can't believe I'm finally doing this!"

"Me either!" Cierra replied. Chell was silent, as expected.

The tunnel that they were currently traveling inside of entered a vast expanse of facility, the chasm below them yawning as fog coated the bottom of their vision. Cierra marveled at the sheer size of this place, as pipes writhed around every nook and cranny like coiling snakes.

"Woo!" Wheatley cried, laughing. "I knew this would be fun! They told me that it wasn't fun at all! 'Not fun at all' the said- And I BELIEVED 'em! Ah! I'm loving this! Whale of a time!"

Cierra rolled her eyes, but could not deny that riding in the pipes was indeed fun. It was as if she was on a waterslide that used wait instead of water- sort of like a vacuum but where she could still breathe. Somehow there was enough of it that they managed to stay afloat towards the center of the tunnels.

The tunnel weaved its way through a column of panels, coming around the other end. "This place is huge!" Wheatley remarked.

"Noticed!" Cierra replied, grinning. She extended her arms ever so slightly, furthering the illusion that she was flying.

"Yeah, but we're only seeing the top layer!" He told her. "It goes down for miles! All sealed off years ago, of course."

She glanced down. Sure seemed like it.

"We're getting close," Wheatley said to Chell and Cierra, looking ahead. "I can't wait to see the look on her face. No neurotoxin, no turrets! She'll never know what hit her!"

"Well, not face exactly." Cierra chuckled, to which Chell smiled.

The tunnel began running alongside another one, the pipe carrying a massive amount of companion cubes to an unknown location. The adjacent pipe began getting closer, until it because evident that the pipe that the trio was in connected to the companion cube one.

"Hold on now," Wheatley said worriedly. "I might... Not have thought this next part... Completely through."

Before anyone could offer any assistance, one of the companion cubes ran into him as they crossed through the intersection, slamming him off course and sending him tumbling into the next pipe. "Aagh!"

"Wheatley!" Cierra yelped.

"I'm going the wrong way!" He shouted, spinning in lopsided circles.

"I can see that!" She retorted.

"Get to her!" He said, then paused. "I'll find you!"

With that, the tunnel entered another area and both Chell and Cierra were plunged once again into darkness.

As their eyes adjusted to the limited light in the area, they found themselves launched onto another platform. Apparently the tunnel had ended.

Cierra rubbed her head. "Ooow..."

Chell muttered something inaudible and stood up. Cierra checked to make sure that her long fall boots were still functional and did the same, looking around. They appeared to be on another catwalk, leading to a dead end overlooking the chasm. They approached the ledge of the catwalk, which was ripped away to leave only mangled metal behind. Chell surveyed the chasm, noticing an illuminated portal surface in the far distance.

"Seems like a trap," Cierra said with a furrowed brow.

Chell stiffly nodded, then sighed with a shrug. Through her own unique communication, she made their position clear: There was no other choice but deliver themselves to GLaDOS. 

"There's always the chance that she'll flood the entire camber with neurotoxin," Cierra pointed out.

Chell shook her head. GLaDOS would want to witness their deaths. She'd worked too hard for their deaths to watch it on a mere video screen, if at all.

Shakily, Cierra nodded. "O-okay. Let's go."

Chell raised her portal gun and quickly connected two portals- one on the illuminated surface of flickering lights and one on the wall next to them. With little hesitation, Chell hopped through he portal with Cierra following suit.

Since the illuminated surface was on the ceiling of whatever area it led to, the duo had to brace themselves and make full use of their long fall boots to get there. Chell was accustomed to such situations, but Cierra almost fell over.

The area was small- just about a 20 foot by 20 foot area composed of panels with a portal conductive roof suspended a few feet above the top of the box. Apart from a small doorway set into the side of the wall, the area was quite plain. Cierra approached the door, as it appeared to be the only thing in here. 'GLaDOS EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN' read the sign on the front. 'And cake dispensary.' added a small note below it.

Chell rolled her eyes and turned the handle, only to have the door fall over on its face, revealing its true form as a wooden cutout.

"I honestly, truly didn't think you'd fall for that."

At those chilling words from GLaDOS, the panels jumped to life, inching closer as the floor split open. Cierra yelped, but Chell was surprisingly calm.

"If I had known that you'd let yourself get captured this easily, I would have just dangled a turkey leg on a rope from the ceiling."

The panels closed in, leaving only a sliver of ground left tot stand on. A few moments later, even that was gone, sending them tumbling into a small relaxation chamber. It was basically four glass walls and a platform, which was inching closer to a giant chamber that was closed off by a grouping of panels.

Cierra pressed herself against the glass as the panels slipped back.

"I hope you brought something stronger than a portal gun this time."