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

Chapter 12- "I'm Speaking in an Accent!"

        "Hello and welcome to the Aperture Science Enrichment Center."

        Cierra opened her eyes, the brilliant white light from the ceiling blinding her for a short interval. She blinked, the surrounding area almost completely white. After she had regained her ability of sight to some degree, she sat up, glancing around her.

        "You have been in suspension for [insert time here] days," The voice replied, seeming extremely mechanical and evidently male. It was modulated and completely unrushed, as if it had all the time in the world to explain exactly what was going on.

        Cierra sat up, able to actually see now. She was in a small room with completely jet black walls, and a huge gaping hole in the ceiling and the floor, leading to what appeared to be an endless void of collapsing decay on either side. She didn't know where she was, and honestly the idea she had in her head wasn't the most pleasant. The entire room appeared to be a collective grouping of panels organized in small cubes to create a singular structure. The black panels underneath where she sat, she noticed, were charred and indented. Above her was a yawning hole, a single pinprick of light above her.

        She had no idea how she survived, until she noticed the pair of odd boots strapped to her feet. They matched the overall "techy" feeling of this place, being white and sleek, with a curved black piece of metal arcing around the heel and coming to an end at the foot. She stood up, testing the boots. Oddly, she didn't feel any resistance when her feet touched the ground, as if the boots absorbed any shock it came into contact with. Somehow she landed on her feet when she fell, leaving only mild cuts and bruises.

        By some miracle.

        "Please proceed with test-" The modulated voice suddenly frizzled out, replaced by a colder and more sinister one.

        "Who might you be?"

        Cierra shivered. The voice was female, mechanical, and her tone was laced with a chilling bite. The worst part was that it was all too familiar.

        "And, I might ask, where did you come from?" Despite the fact that the questions were innocent enough, somehow every single word was as if it was "One wrong move and you're dead" instead of "Hi!"

        Cierra didn't respond.

        "Another silent one." The voice said irritably. "But admittedly in much better shape than her. I suppose I didn't clean out this chamber well enough."

        As if on cue, there was a hiss as the circular door behind Cierra slid open, and a figure stepped through. She was about as tall as Cierra, with dark hair held back in a ponytail and brown eyes that scanned the chamber curiously. She wore a white tank top that read "Aperture Science Laboratories" and a orange jumpsuit that she had tied around her waist. She wore the same boots as Cierra did, but carried a gun in her hands rather than nothing.

        The woman paused and looked at Cierra, surprise evident in her expression. She quickly recovered and walked closer to her, hesitant.

        "Apologies for not cleaning out the chamber as I was supposed to. There appears to be a piece of trash left." The voice said, emotionlessly.

        Cierra realized that the voice was talking about her, and for some reason became instantly afraid. The voice held a sort of authoritarian feeling, and she didn't want to see how accurate it was.

        "Give me a moment and I'll get rid of it."

        The woman, much to Cierra's surprise, scowled and shook her head, crossing her arms indignantly.

        "Oh, stop it. This is not the cooperative-" The voice stopped itself abruptly and cleared its throat. "This test is meant for one. Give me a moment. Don't move."

        One of the panels that Cierra had been sitting on shifted, and was suddenly suspended in the air by a thin, jointed piece of metal. It moved around and started recoiling, as if it was going to launch her off into the chasm.

        Now that she thought about it, that was probably exactly what it was going to do.

        Before she could contemplate her escape ideas, the lights went out, The panel went limp and Cierra climbed off of it hastily before it could change its mind.

        "What? What's going on?" The voice seemed generally surprised.

        Suddenly, Ceirra heard another voice coming from her right side. "Hey buddy!"

        Both she and the mute woman turned toward the source of the voice. One of the panels was hanging off to the side, revealing a small space behind it. A little metal sphere hung from the ceiling, a blue optic positioned in its center. The sphere turned out to be a small robot, hanging from a rail.

        A look of recognition and relief flashed across the woman's face as she approached the robot and the slacked panel. Cierra followed.

        "I'm speaking in an accent," It said, trying to sound American. "That's beyond her range of hearing!"

        "Look, metal ball," The voice said, trying its hardest not to show how immensely irritated it was. "I can still hear you."

        "Okay, don't need the voice!" The robot said, his voice turning british in terms of accents. That would explain the poorly faked American accent earlier. "RUN!"

        Nether Cierra or the woman needed to be told twice.