Chell 01 - Video and Text

[testsubject1]

[Oh look. It's a new student. Who came right after graduation. Oops. But she fiddles around with the webcam, curious about the technology. Her face shows a mixture of wonder and apprehension, hidden behind the facade of a cold stare.

She fiddles with the device more and it switches off. She decides to communicate in text.]

Hello. I'm a new student here, though it seems the school year just ended.

Comments

[testsubject1]

[Chell still gives an icy glare to the computer, even though GLaDOS can't see it. Chell is merely typing. GLaDOS has lied to her so many times and she has no idea when to trust her or not. So many retorts scream through her head, but she stays silent. She knows better than to engage in a battle of sarcasm and accusation. Silence was always the best treatment. Through typing she could only inquire about what was important.]

Fine.

[did_well_enough]

["Fine"? Really. That's all she had to say...

...no. Of course not. But Hell will freeze over before she ever spoke or typed her thoughts. A mute lunatic til the end.

...and yet, why does she have respect for her?]

So. Are we on the same page? Finished with the baseless accusations?

[testsubject1]

Yes.

[She doubted she would ever be on the same page as GLaDOS, but this was as good as any.]

[did_well_enough]

Good.

[To be fair, she thought the same of you.]

Now then. On to the problem at hand. I myself have been working on several ways of escaping this school. By my calculations, any one of them should suffice. That is, however, based upon my limited knowledge of the school among other factors.

As such, there is a possibility, however small, that my plans may not work. With that in mind, being the very open-minded person I am, I would be willing to listen to any plans you may have or may develop later on.

[testsubject1]

[Even if Chell had plans, she wasn't about to divulge them in a long-winded manner, especially not to GLaDOS. She wasn't familiar with the school, but perhaps she needed to get familiar with its workings, with the leaders and such. But she doesn't say this.

Instead she decides to placate GLaDOS for the time being.]

All right.

[did_well_enough]

As of right now there is nothing going on that needs to be reported. Should you find something out of importance I expect to know about it.

[A beat]

And yes, If I find something important out I will inform you as well. This is a two way street, after all.

Don't withhold information from me. I let you go free, you know. If I find out that you went behind my back, you'll be staying in Aperture for the rest of your life. And further, should I take up raising the dead.

[She pauses, to let that sink in before confirming with:]

Am I understood?

[testsubject1]

[This does scare Chell a bit. She thought she was away from GLaDOS's influence, and even though they were unlikely allies in the past, she still feared and hated the AI. She didn't want to team up with her at all, because she couldn't trust her.

Besides, Chell didn't exactly talk, so how was she to convey information? When she typed, she typed as few words as she could get away with.

GLaDOS wasn't stupid, though. She knew that Chell was hesitant to participate in yet another "alliance." So she would have to go along with this for now.]

Yes.

[did_well_enough]

I know you are used to being a mute lunatic, but it would help if you gave me some impute. Just because I can get us out of this place by myself does not mean you can sit back and let me do all the work.

[testsubject1]

[Even though GLaDOS can't see, Chell gives a slight roll of her eyes. If Chell recalled correctly, she was the one who did all the work last time. Herself. While GLaDOS was stuck as a potato. A near-useless potato.

This and a million things were examples of what Chell could remind GLaDOS of, but she never did. It was never worth it to engage in a verbal battle with a robot.]

Work doesn't require words.

[did_well_enough]

[GLaDOS would argue with her there. Without the AI, Chell wouldn't of had the cores to plug into Him. And without her, there would be no alternate core to replace him. Not to mention, without her...she'd of been sucked into space.

Not that any of this was discussed.]

Plans do. Unless you're willing to go through with my plan. Which I doubt. Because it's you.

[testsubject1]

[True, GLaDOS did have knowledge of what to do, and did save Chell from space. Chell will forever feel somewhat confused about GLaDOS because of that, because of what she said and the beautiful song she sang... But Chell would still hold that she did most of the work in defeating Wheatley. In her mind, that's how it went.

But still, talking to her again like this made Chell dread the whole situation. Working with GLaDOS again. Having to put up with that, and being trapped.]

Believe what you want.

[did_well_enough]

[GLaDO visibly sighs, looking a bit annoyed...and perhaps almost pleading.]

Look, I don't like this any more than you do. In fact I like it less because I'm the one stuck in an inferior body. But we need to put our differences aside for the sake of a common goal.

[testsubject1]

[And perhaps this is the closest thing to an overt insult or a defense of her character that Chell says. But it's logical.]

Humans can do more than potatoes.

[did_well_enough]

And computers can do more than humans. But that wasn't the point I was making.

[testsubject1]

[Chell rolls her eyes again, unseen to GLaDOS. It's true, though... Thank God GLaDOS isn't a computer right now. The whole school would be engulfed in neurotoxin, if that was the case.]

No it wasn't.

[did_well_enough]

Oh good, so you are capable of following civil conversation.

[Sarcastic as usual, but what else would Chell expect from her.]

At any rate, we've derailed our discussion enough. As such, I'm going to summarize this so you don't get confused: you and I work as a team, find a way out of here, and go our separate ways. That means you go back to wherever and I go back to my facility.

Are we in agreement?

[testsubject1]

Yes.

[did_well_enough]

Good. If you need to contact me for whatever reason, I'm usually in the Computer Lab.