Chapter Seventeen

The Release

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather sit down?" inquired Rattmann as Caroline stood behind him, leaning on his chair.

"I'm sure," Caroline said with a smile. "This body has been in a tank for centuries, and my brain has been dangling from the ceiling inside a metal capsule. I can suffer a bit of standing, thank you."

"That's what I said!" exclaimed Wheatley, nearly tipping over in his excitement.

This used to be her office, back when Cave Johnson was dying and Caroline ran the facility. It was dark and musty, now, but the carpet had once been bright and there had been pictures on the walls. Now the carpet was frayed and the pictures so faded that nothing could be made of them. The plush chair by the desk protested even under Rattmann's scant weight and squeaked as he leaned forward to peer more closely at the scratched computer screen on the desk.

Caroline leaned over the back of Rattmann's chair, to all appearances looking at the screen, but her mind was far away. Her memories as GLaDOS were clear, or at least clearer than her cloudy human memories. She sorted through them all, grasping for memories of sky and wind but finding none.

She could not remember the outdoors. Only her life in the facility.

"Alright, just want to ask because I kind of missed that part, but what are you looking for, again?" asked Wheatley, scuffing his bare foot and nearly falling flat on his face.

"The document Mr. Johnson gave to me when he contracted lunar poisoning," said Caroline, pointing out a folder to Rattmann with some difficulty. "He entitled the facility to me until he got better or, under the event that he did not get better, that the facility would be mine. That was before… GLaDOS." Her face darkened and an imperceptible shiver went through her arms.

"Wait, but… wh- why would we want that?" asked Wheatley, looking baffled.

"We won't be able to keep the existence of Aperture a secret any longer," said Caroline. "Who knows who owns this land, now? If I'm to keep the facility, I need proper documentation."

"Keep the facility?" Wheatley burst, and even Rattmann looked stunned. Chell's mouth opened in a round crack of disbelief. "What do you mean, keep the facility? Wh- are you crazy? Aren't you sick of this place, yet? I mean, you've been here for a thousand bloody years, don't you want to… I dunno… self-destruct the place or something?"

Caroline looked surprised. "Of course not!" she exclaimed. She looked confused by their confusion. "Aperture is an amazing place, I can't just abandon it!"

"Huh," Wheatley snorted. "Amazing is not the word I would use."

"Dangerous," suggested Rattmann.

"Weird," added Wheatley.

"Cruel," said Chell.

Caroline looked from one face to the other, starting vaguely to understand as she examined their expressions and the memories held behind each. "Listen," she said slowly. "I know that the Aperture you encountered was dangerous, and weird, and… I may have even made it cruel." She looked directly at Chell when she said that. "But that was not the way it started. Bad management, insanity, and hatred made it that way. But Aperture is mine now. Not Mr. Johnson's, not GLaDOS'. Not yours." She inclined her head a little to Wheatley with a grin. "And I will make it a better place than it has been. Even if I have to take on the project by myself alone. I will reinstate Aperture and we will do science the right way. I promise."

Caroline raised her head proudly, and for a moment Chell saw the face from the portrait yet again. Proud and stubborn, but this time she stood alone, no Cave Johnson to follow. And Chell smiled, because if anyone could do it, Caroline could.

Rattmann smiled and held out a flash drive, the document secure inside. "Your facility, my lady," he said with a sitting bow.

"Thank you," said Caroline, taking the flash drive and clumsily tucking it into the pocket of her jumpsuit. "Also, delete any and all information pertaining to human-robot cognitive transfers."

"All of it?" asked Rattmann, fingers hesitating over the keys.

Caroline nodded. "All of it. Those men wanted Aperture for this information," she explained as Rattmann began gathering data. "It is best that, even if they look, they will not find anything. Wipe the banks clean. We will not need that information anymore."

Rattmann nodded, giving a final click. "It's done," he said.

Caroline visibly relaxed. "Good. Let this information be lost to time. Ripping a consciousness out of a human will not be done anymore. My Aperture will have nothing to do with this."

"Good on you!" cheered Wheatley, pumping his fist.

Caroline grinned, and seemed almost shy as she added, "I would like some help running the facility… if any of you are interested."

"Erm," Wheatley grimaced, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ask again once we're out of here. Then we'll consider it."

Chell and Rattmann nodded in agreement. Caroline raised a finger. "Of course. Just one more thing."

She leaned over, gripping the side of the desk for support, and pulled out a drawer. "Chell? What year is it up above? I never cared to check."

"This year is 5421," said Chell. "You let me out in 5418."

Caroline flinched. "Three thousand years?" Her voice was a whisper.

Chell nodded. "Yes."

Caroline collected herself and resumed rummaging. "Do paper dollars still have value?"

"No. Cyber currency is used instead."

"Well," Caroline straightened, and in her hands was a sheath of disintegrating gray dollars, "they might not be used as currency, but if we find the right buyer I think we can find a market for antique dollar bills. And coins." She rattled an old bag. "That way we can start off right."

"You're brilliant," cried Wheatley, staring at her in awe.

"Thank you," smiled Caroline. She offered her arm to Rattmann. "Shall we leave, now?"

"Absolutely," said Rattmann.

The lift was crowded with all four of them – and the cube – packed inside. Wheatley stepped on everybody's feet several times, but other than the initial groaning of the other passengers and Wheatley's constant apologies, everything was quiet as the lift slid upward. There was no turret serenade to usher them out, nor any sign of activity. With GLaDOS' dethronement the facility was silent. It almost seemed empty.

The lift slid open and the passengers extracted themselves. "This is where I let you out," said Caroline to Chell. Her face was a pale oval in the scant light.

"This way! Come on!" cried Wheatley, waving towards them and tripping towards the door, Chell's guiding hand around his waist. The door opened with a raspy squeal and the two of them exited.

It was dark, the moon a slim crescent in the sky. Wheatley took a deep breath and closed his eyes as a whistling breeze swirled around him, setting the tall grass dancing. "That smells lovely," he murmured. Chell nodded in agreement, smiling and taking deep breaths of her own.

Rattmann and Caroline stood by the shed's doorway, staring out into the wide space beyond. It took a few moments for Wheatley to realize that they weren't following, and he waved a hand at them, a broad smile beaming across his face. "Come on," he urged. "What are you waiting for?"

"It's… dark," said Rattmann, an expression on his face that stopped Wheatley's delight in a heartbeat. "I don't remember it being this dark."

"Neither do I," said Caroline, that same strange expression on her face as well. Wheatley recognized it as disappointment. Disappointment and fear.

Wheatley looked down at Chell, pleading without words, confusion written plainly across his face. I don't know what's wrong with them. What do I do? Tell me what to do.

Caroline couldn't remember the outdoors, but she had been assuming that it was a wide, bright place with trees and gorgeous colors. This didn't fit the description at all. Rattmann's memories of the world above had been warped with hallucinations. He remembered it being bright up above, warmth radiating down. Had that been a dream? None of that was here. It was dark, cold, and so very, very large. The two of them stared out over the black field, fear of the unknown freezing them to the spot.

Chell silently unwrapped herself from Wheatley's tottering grasp and walked back to Aperture's entrance. Taking Caroline by the hand, Chell led her out underneath the black sky, guiding her with a steady hand and an assuring smile. When she was close enough, Wheatley placed a hand on Caroline's shoulder, beaming hopefully. They held onto each other, keeping balance as Chell walked away again.

Lastly, Chell went back for Rattmann. "You escape tonight," she said, taking his hand in hers. She pulled him to join the others in the wheat beside the unassuming shed. Chell understood the fear of the outdoors. That same fear had plagued her when she had first arrived. But she had arrived alone with nobody to take her hand. Now they were all here, and she would be the one to lead them out.

"There's a bit of a walk back to Mr. Thomas' campsite," she told them. "Rest first. Come sit down."

Silently, they did as they were told.

The wheat rustled beneath their feet, crackling when sat. The soft chirp of crickets and the wind's swish were all that could be heard. The sky was hazy with clouds and all of them were too tired to talk. They sat in a somber line, quiet under the black sky.

"What's that over there?" asked Caroline, pointing to the horizon. "That glow?"

"I don't know," said Wheatley. "Do you think it might be fire?"

"Wait… is it…?" Rattmann looked at Chell for confirmation, a memory sparking in his mind.

Chell smiled. "Wait and see."

The glow at the horizon began to shine until a golden strip was visible. The clouds began to shimmer, the light tainting them pink. The sky began to turn purple.

"What's happening?" whispered Wheatley, unsure what was going on but desperately hoping it would not stop.

"The sun," whispered Rattmann, tears in his eyes. "It's rising."

The colors became richer, more potent, a display of pastels and gold dust painted by a master artist, his brushstrokes sweeping across the sky. The colors were like music, the dark notes of night giving birth to the trembling strains of morning. Birds began to chirp and Caroline flinched just a little as they flew over her head, singing with all their hearts of the glory of the morning.

The sun rose, a golden orb, and the stars faded as the sky turned slowly from black to indigo to blue. The moon slunk away to another place and the sun took its dominance, the unopposed ruler of the daytime sky.

"It's beautiful," whispered Caroline, and tears streamed down her cheeks. She leaned her head on Rattmann's shoulder. "I'd forgotten."

"So had I," said Wheatley, still staring in wonder. "I mean, I saw it from space – not it rising, but, you know, just the sun – and it wasn't at all like this."

"It's been so long," said Rattmann.

Chell nodded. "Too long," she said.

"I think we've rested long enough," suggested Caroline. "We have a long way to go."

Chell helped the others to their feet. They were all still weary, but the sunrise had invigorated them and they stood with purpose. Chell smiled, her heart strangely warmed as she looked at them, these three people who she had gone through so much with. Two had tried to kill her, true, but all three had helped her when she could not find a way to help herself. These were the friends she would share the world with.

And Jack was waiting for her on Mars.

With a smile that shone like the sunrise, she took Wheatley's right arm and Caroline's left, preparing to guide them back to the campsite. She caught Caroline twisting her head around and looked up at her curiously. Caroline smiled and nodded toward the shed. "I just can't help expecting a Companion Cube to come rattling out," she laughed.

Rattmann nodded seriously. "You're right," he said, and strode away from the group. Gently, his expression tender, he cradled Cube in his arms for a moment, then placed it on the shed's doorstep.

"Rattmann?" Chell asked uncertainly.

"Oh, no, mate!" cried Wheatley. "Don't do that!"

"Cube wants me to," said Rattmann, striding back toward the trio, his expression resolute. "Cube always knew that there would come a time when I wouldn't need it anymore. A time to leave the past behind. Now is that time."

"But—"

"Cube will guard the entrance until we return," said Rattmann meaningfully, looking right at Caroline. "I want to rebuild Aperture with you, Caroline, if you'll allow me."

Chell nodded slowly. "So would I."

"And me!" Wheatley exclaimed, raising his free hand with enough enthusiasm for all of them. "I'll do whatever you want! Unless- unless you want to turn me back into a robot. That won't go well. Or… or put me through testing. I don't think that'll go well either, you know."

Caroline beamed at every one of them in turn, the three smiling faces around her. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you so much."

Caroline linked Rattmann's arm in her own and the four of them began to walk across the field. Wheatley stumbled at every step and Chell tried her best to hold him upright, Caroline walked with her head held high, and Doug strode as if every fear had just fallen off his back.

Those were the four of them, and they did not look back once at the little lone Companion Cube that sat at the door to the shed in the field, waiting for them to return.

The

End

You thought you were going to get a full chapter, didn't you?

Ha ha!

Sorry, no. This is the author's note. I'm not allowed to have a full chapter devoted entirely to author's note, (I read the rules, y'all!) so I tacked it onto the end of this chapter, 'cause I'm a good girl.

Yup. I'm a girl. Some people might want to know that. I know I would.

Stop, stop, stop! I can see you heading towards the exit. Just hear me out, ok?

Ok.

First, I want to put in a disclaimer: I do not own Portal, Portal 2, or any names associated with those games. I hope disclaimers work at the end of a story because I do not want to get sued and I don't want to put it at the beginning because it seems more professional to me to put the author's note at the end. Just not my style. So, again, I do not own Portal. Please don't sue.

With that out of the way, I wanted to say a big thank you to all those of you who have followed, favorited, commented, and read Miss Redacted. It's my first time posting a story online, and you all have been so kind to me during this newest writing adventure. I wasn't expecting to get much (or any) reception, so every single comment or new 'favorite' is a delightful experience. I love the comments, especially. Every single one makes me feel so fulfilled. ("Oho, man alive! Ah, nothing feels better.") Thanks to all of you whose words have been so kind! Nobody said you had to leave comments, and I wouldn't know if you decided not to. But you did anyway, and that's what makes me so happy. Thank you all a million times!

On that same note – and I know I'm leaving myself wide open for internet trolls, here – if you have any other suggestions about how to make my writing better (yup, I'm regretting this already) leave that in the comments section too, or in a private message. But nicely! I'm fragile.

I'd also like to say thank you to the group who bore with me through this portal madness: my family. A special thank you to those two who went the extra mile and let me use them as a test group for this story ("I'm going to read and you're going to listen and everything is going to be just… fine.") Your honest feedback is greatly appreciated, especially since you didn't know I was the one who wrote the story. Love ya lots.

The biggest thank you goes to the one who gave me the gift of writing. Everything I do is for Him because He has done so much for me. Thank you.

Now, I don't know about you, but it's a little difficult to write portal fanfiction without comparing it to ALL THE OTHER PORTAL FANFICTION OUT THERE. How to write without copying Blue Sky? How to keep it fresh and original? Well, I think it's a little easier because I started thinking up ideas before I read any actual portal fanfiction. I was, however, influenced by some fan art I found online. One was a picture from Blue Sky (I didn't realize it at the time) of human Wheatley and Chell in Aperture by the photocopier. Wheatley and Chell together in Aperture? It was a novel idea to me! (Poor, naive me.) Picture #2 was a comic strip with Wheatley (as a core) talking to little Chell after Bring Your Daughter to Work Day. Chell as a little girl? With human Wheatley? In Aperture? Before the game takes place?

Bing! Brainwave!

Of course, I never thought I'd actually be writing it. The idea first came to me as an idea for a Portal movie. But, you know. I don't know how to do that, but I do know how to write. And then I couldn't help myself, I did start writing, and then I started posting and… well… here's the finished product!

Ta-da.

But, like I said, it's difficult to keep it fresh when there are so many portal fanfics out there. Soon you start wondering if this is really the way the character ought to be portrayed, if it really is pure to the original. I hope that incorporating bits of the game made the characters more authentic to their original states, but still, I can't help comparing my work to other people's work.

Like Chell, for example. I kept comparing her to other Chells, wondering what made mine different and wondering if mine should be different, and if so, why. Then it struck me: my Chell remembers. She remembers when Wheatley was human and her friend, she remembers a life before testing. That's why she's so hard on Wheatley, so set on not forgiving. She has a different backstory than the other Chells.

I know that some of you might have been hoping for a pairing, but I decided against it. I even gave Chell a potential boyfriend at the book's beginning to dissuade the thought that she might end up with Wheatley (or Rattmann). It's not that I'm against pairings. Don't get me wrong, I like Cheatley stories as much as the next person (yes, I ship them as Cheatley. I'm starting a movement) but it just wasn't necessary in this story! He was friends with a little girl, and I still think he still thinks of her that way. Putting them together would be… disturbing. Cheatley's great, but I like them as just friends.

Also, if you read this when I first posted it you might have noticed that I've gone through and updated, possibly spamming my followers with constant chapter update emails (sorry!). Like fixing typos and consistency errors and things like that. I also changed Chell's time since her escape from five years to three years. If you noticed, thanks for reading again! If not, well, now you've got some cool trivia. (Also, this story is exactly 99999 words long!)

Aaaaaaand… that's it. I'm done.

Although I do have an idea for a sequel. Bit of a work-in-progress. Don't judge me yet. But if you are, in fact, interested in reading more of my writing, let me know. PM me and I'll get back to you. Post comments and I'll be very happy.

Thanks for reading my story, folks! See you around the internet.

Really The End.