#vilifiedexile

I was thinking of putting up a sign and calling it "Descent into the Mind of a Madman" and charging admission.

@vilifiedexile

         Caroline held a pen in her hand with her thumb pressed so tightly against it she felt as if it might crack. Better the pen than her smile, she thought. Neither did.

         She loved her work. Nothing could have brought her more satisfaction than working at Aperture, which made so many advancements in the name of Science every single day. She was proud of the company, proud to see it rise to such heights, and to be there for every step of it. She was excited by the position that she held, so close to the top, so unusual for someone like her. Truly, she was living her dream. She was a pioneer of science.

         That wasn’t to say that she didn’t have moments like this one. She had to put up with a lot, and while she was good at rolling with the punches― had to be in order to maintain not only her high quality of work but the trust of Mr. Johnson― it would be a lie to say that there weren’t times (rare, very rare) when something (or someone) did manage to get under her skin like dirt under her well-manicured nail.

Prickly durians — important distinction. And regardless, I'd still like to give it a shot, or two... hundred.

But don't worry. I'll also throw in a free thorn removal, should you get hit.

@vilifiedexile

It was just another day as usual. GLaDOS sat in her chamber, constructing new test chambers that involved a new aspect: purposefully fizzling testing elements at the right time in order to spawn a new one in the right place to solve the test. It was an ingenious idea that she was quite proud of and she couldn’t wait to show it off. As she swiveled her chassis around to look at another monitor, there was a loud snap, and she suddenly felt a sharp pain and release of tension. Before she knew what was happening, the floor rushed up to meet her and her entire body smashed into it, quite painfully. Some of her neck pistons popped out of alignment and she felt many vital parts of her pop out and go flying across her chamber. She cried out in pain, breathing heavily as it nearly overwhelmed her.

@vilifiedexile

GLaDOS opened the email on her console and proceeded to send a reply.

          Oh. it was getting pretty late, wasn’t it?

          Gordon had barely noticed, single minded as usual, focused on the movements of walking and vigilance against his surroundings. Likewise, he had not realized that Chell had been trying to get his attention, until it struck him with the force reality setting into his green eyes as if he’d just woken from a strange slumber.

          He nodded affirmation. They’d need to find a place to bed down for the night. He couldn’t really expect his companion to try and keep this up ;  a part of him had come to expect he’d be obeyed even if he did, and whether he would or wouldn’t, it would be cruel to  force her to carry on when she didn’t have the same protection that he did. Even if she weren’t already complaining of tiredness, night was the time when the WORST things came out  ( ❛  zombine, ❜   he could hear Alyx say, and it made the awful sinking feeling lessen just a little bit, as if the thought of them didn’t make his skin crawl ).

          His eyes were intense, his grip on his weapon tight. His nerves were frayed, held together with raw willpower and the HEV suit keeping him all in one piece. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept for more than a few minutes and honestly, he was fighting the urge to find some dark hole in some wall right now and curl up in it. 

          He was grateful for the temporary solitude, granting him the small grace that at least he did not have to hold up his head with all the pride of his mantle. There was nobody here to set an example for, to be strong for. He was hair trigger, fire in his veins, wholly in the mindset of fighting for survival both his own and of others.