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Portal 3 Chapter 47

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Violet walked back in through the doorway that led into GLaDOS’s main chamber.  It took GLaDOS a moment to acknowledge her presence due to the work that she was looking at on one of the monitors but she knew that the turret was there.  Violet was just under GLaDOS trying to see if she could catch a peak at what was on the monitor while she was not looking.
Before Violet could see it however, GLaDOS said without looking at her, “Have you spread the virus to all the turrets?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Violet said.  “I also made sure that the turret manufacturing center was prepared for the mutants’ arrival.”
“Excellent work, Violet,” GLaDOS said.  “You are doing a wonderful job, much better than either Orange or Blue.”
“Thank you,” Violet said turning to leave.  “I just wanted to give you the update in person and to see if you needed anything, but if you don’t need me, I’ll go make sure nothing is going wrong.”
“That will not be necessary, Violet,” GLaDOS said as she shut the door.  “I need you to be in here with me for a while.”
Violet began to feel uneasy.  Even if she was now on the side of GLaDOS, she was still not comfortable enough to stay in her presence for long periods of time.  GLaDOS frightened Violet so she preferred to do her bidding away from her side.  
“What do you want me to do, ma’am?” Violet asked nervously.
GLaDOS lifted Violet towards her with the panel that was underneath her feet so that the turret could have a better look at what she was looking at.  GLaDOS moved out of the way of the monitor so that Violet could see the screen.  It did not look like much to Violet.  It just looked like words on paper.
“I want you to look at this and tell me what you see,” GLaDOS said.
Violet moved closer to the screen from her panel and began to skim over the words.  Her optic grew large in wonder as she realized what it was.  It was detailed information on the mutants.  It contained all kinds of information about every single one of them.
“Was all of this information extracted from those two times that you connected with Sylvie’s mind?” Violet asked.
“You are correct, Violet,” GLaDOS said.  “This information is the key to ending the mutant threat to the facility.”
“That’s amazing,” Violet said.  “How is it going to do that?  Did you find out a weakness?”
“I have found a good number of them, but the only question is how to apply this information the most effectively,” GLaDOS replied.  “I would like for you to help me by reading the information and giving me any ideas that you come up with for how to take care of our problem.”
“But, ma’am, shouldn’t the trap be enough?” Violet asked timidly.
“It is good to have other ideas in case the first plan does not succeed,” GLaDOS said.
That was a half-truth at best.  GLaDOS had a good idea about what she would do if her previous plan failed, but she had her reasons for keeping Violet by her side.  Firstly, she wanted to keep the turret safe from the other mutants.  Secondly, she wanted to help Violet feel more comfortable around her so she thought that having her give her ideas would help her feel more involved.  
GLaDOS knew how the turret felt about her.  Unlike Orange or Blue, the turret knew to fear GLaDOS from the time she was created.  She had known that her purpose was to be a weapon of destruction or be killed for disobedience.  Being afraid is what had kept the turret in her place.  It was going to take some work for Violet to no longer feel frightened in GLaDOS’s presence.  That was of no great concern however.  GLaDOS had all of eternity to figure that out.  She just needed to make these baby steps in order to get her to feel freer.
“Well,” Violet said trying to think of ideas after reading through the information.  “I guess we should go after the easier targets first and then the harder targets towards the end?”
“Yes,” GLaDOS said.  “That is an excellent idea, Violet, but when you state such ideas, you should say them with confidence and not like you are not sure.  It bothers me when anyone is unsure of what they are talking about.”
“I…I’m sorry, ma’am,” Violet stammered out.  “I…I didn’t mean to…”
“Do not worry, Violet,” GLaDOS said.  “But going off of what you were saying, who do you think the weakest member of the group is?”
“I guess that would be the only human of them all who doesn’t have super powers,” Violet said more confidently.  “Her name is Chell.  Isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is,” GLaDOS said as she looked away for a second before looking at Violet again.  “You’re right about her being without super powers, but she is not the weakest member.”
“What do you mean?”
“She has something that the others don’t.  She has experience and has survived this place without powers.  She also has her tenacity that she has passed on to her daughter and her friends.  That is what makes Chell strong.”
“Who is the weakest member then?” Violet asked.
“The weakest member is not the one with the least amount of power but with the least amount of resistance psychologically,” GLaDOS said.  “Who do you think that would be?”
Violet skimmed over the information and then said, “It would be Kayla.  She is the youngest so she would have the least resistance.  Wouldn’t she?”
There was a smile in GLaDOS’s voice as she said, “I was thinking the exact same thing.  We shall go after the weakest person first then from there we will tear them apart one by one.”
“How…?” Violet started to ask.
“Just sit back and enjoy the show,” GLaDOS said confidently as she pulled out a larger monitor for the both of them to watch.
Meanwhile, the mutant group was walking through the hall gingerly.  Sylvie had announced to them what she realized and the group was nervous about it of course but there was nothing they could do about it.  All they could do was keep going and try to stay optimistic.  Chelsea in the meantime was already thinking about going home.
“You know what I’m excited about doing when we get home?” Chelsea asked everyone.
“I know but I’m not telling,” Zaki said.
“What?” Chell said with a smile.
“I can’t wait to play the piano again,” Chelsea said. “I haven’t had time to think about it but I’ve missed it so much.”
“I’ve missed hearing you play,” Zaki said.
“I can’t wait to go back,” Chelsea said reminiscing.  “I miss the piano, the people, and all the pets.”
“I know you do, Chelsea, but first we have to take care of this and stay focused,” Albina said trying to keep her mind on track.  “I’m feeling uneasy about this calmness.”
“I know what you mean,” Chelsea said.  “I don’t like this.  GLaDOS has not made a single move or tried to stop us at all.  I haven’t even needed to put up my shield once.  This is weird by her standards.”
“What do you think she’s doing?” Terry asked as he stayed close to her legs.
“I don’t know, but it’s probably something awful,” Chelsea said.
“It is,” Chell said as her husband squeezed her hand in reassurance.  “She’s planning something.”
“Of course, she is,” Albina said.  “But what can we do?”
“Do you think we should go somewhere else?” Jeffrey asked.  “I hate to state the obvious but if she really read Sylvie’s mind then wouldn’t she have realized our plans by now?  We are most likely walking into a trap.”
“What is the point?” Sylvie said.  “If we go somewhere else, she will have a trap there, too.  She has probably planted traps all over the facility by now.  Think about it.  If GLaDOS could take apart the bridge going to her chamber in the time that it took Chell to test and escape, then who knows what she will have planned by now?”
“If she gets in our way, I will set her robot ass on fire,” Hugo said trying to reassure her.  “Don’t worry, my love.  We will be alright.  I’ll make sure of it.”
“Hugo, everything in this place is fireproof,” Brandon said.
“Shut up,” Hugo replied.
“I appreciate the sentiment, mon amour,” Sylvie said with a smile.  “You are right.  We will find a way through this.”
“We’ll find a way through all of this,” Chelsea said.  “We’ll find a way with the Combines, too.”
“I still can’t believe you want to go especially considering everything that you’ve been through here,” Zaki said.
“It’s the right thing to do, Dad,” Chelsea said.  “What choice do I have?  I’m not going to hide away when I could be using my powers to help people.  I’m going with Hugo, Sylvie, and Albina to fight the Combines.”
“Actually, your mother, Roscoe, and I are going, too,” Zaki said.
“You are?” Chelsea asked.
“Yes, your mother, me, and Roscoe have talked about it with each other and we can’t leave you kids alone,” Zaki said.  “Is that alright with you?”
“I actually am very happy about it,” Chelsea said.  “I feel much better with you guys with us on our team, but Daddy, you’re going to have to do something about your eyes…”
“I know,” Zaki interrupted.  “I have told Roscoe that he could correct my vision.”
“About damn time if you ask me,” Roscoe said.  “He has refused to let me do it for years.”
“Why?” Chelsea asked.  
“Your uncle Sora thought that my glasses made me look cool,” Zaki said.  “I was holding onto the glasses in honor of him.”
“Oh,” Chelsea responded in shame.  “I’m sorry, Dad.  I didn’t know…”
“It’s okay, Chelsea,” Zaki said sighing.  “Sora would want me to be strong and fight for the right thing, so I know that what I’m doing is right.”
“I know he is proud, Zaki,” Albina said.  “You are doing the right thing.”
“You are,” Brandon said.  “I will go, too.”
“You are?” Chelsea asked excitedly.  “That’s awesome!  We could get the whole band to go!  Now, we just have to convince Jeffrey.”
“I’ve already decided that I’ll go,” Jeffrey said.  “I have been able to help you a lot here with my support and I know that I will be able to help you there, too.  Besides, no one else deserves to die because I couldn’t make up my mind about something I should be doing.”
Kayla thought this would be a great opportunity to discuss fighting the Combines with her grandfather.
“So, Grandpa, has Roscoe mentioned anything to you about me fighting the Combines?” Kayla asked hopefully.
“Yes, he did, Kayla,” Pastor Roberts replied.  “I’m sorry, but I just don’t think you’re ready.”
“Why?” Kayla whined.  “I’ve done so well here.  Didn’t he tell you that?”
“He did, but I’m still not convinced that you’re ready.  Battles are dangerous places.  You know that.  Your parents died during a battle with the Combines.  I just don’t think that you’re mature enough to handle that sort of thing.”
“You let me come with you here.”
“No, you came here despite me telling you not to.”
“But I have survived on my own and been a great help.  You know that!  I could be a great help there, too!”
“You have, but you have also struggled a great deal…”
“Everyone on this trip has!”
“I just don’t think that you are ready for the stress of being in a battle.  Bad things could happen, and I am not ready to lose another member of my family to this war.”
“You won’t.  I’m young, but I can handle myself.  Besides, you’re alright with the others going.  You didn’t complain at all about them coming here.”
“They’re all adults or almost adults who can make their own decisions.  You are twelve.”
“That doesn’t mean that I don’t have the right to make my own decisions or that I’m not capable of doing so.  You have to believe that I can do this.  I am not just an incapable cripple.”
“We will talk about this later, Kayla.  For now, let’s just get through this.”
Kayla scowled at him in a sullen silence and flew to the front of the group.
“You need to stop trying to hold her back, George,” Roscoe said.  “She is very capable.  You just need to give her the chance to prove it to you.”
“I know she can be tough, but she’s also a kid,” Pastor Roberts said.  “She likes to believe that she is capable, but she doesn’t know what she’s going up against.  I let you talk me into letting Eli go before he was ready, and I am not going to make the same mistake twice.”
“George, Kayla is mature enough to handle this, but I am worried that you’re the one who’s not capable of letting her go,” Roscoe said steadily.  “I’m a parent, too, and I know that as a parent you eventually have to let your child go no matter what the consequences might be.”
Pastor Roberts was taken aback by what he said.  He knew that Roscoe had a point.  Even if Kayla was young, she was still strong and it was unfair to hold her back just because he was afraid of losing another child.  Nevertheless, Pastor Roberts wanted to be sure that he was doing the right thing.
“I’ll think about it,” Pastor Roberts promised.  “If she is strong and handles herself well for the duration of this fight, then I will be willing to let her go.  I just need to know that she can be strong.”
“That is fair enough, brother,” Roscoe said with a smile.  “Don’t worry.  She’ll prove it to you soon enough.”
“He is right, you know,” Albina said since she had overheard their conversation.  “Kayla is stronger than you think, Pastor.  You just need to trust her.”
“I suppose,” Pastor Roberts said.
“She has impressed me with her quick thinking and her strength,” Albina said with a smile.  “And if I know anything, I know that I am a hard person to impress.”
Eventually, the group made it to the place.  Sylvie approached the door leading to the turret manufacturing plant and opened it.  
The group entered the room and went towards the small room that Chell had described.  They just managed to all fit in there.  However, something was up.  The turret manufacturing machine was not running.  It appeared to be turned off for the time being.  The turret template was not in his normal spot either.  The group looked around and Sylvie shook in fear.
“It should not be like this,” Sylvie said quickly.  “There is something very wrong.  We need to get out of here now!”
“Stay calm,” Chell said strongly as she put a hand on her shoulder.  ”We need to do what we came here to do and then go after her.  We cannot let fear get the better of us.  Alright?  Do not use telepathy though.  Let us destroy it the old-fashioned way.”
“Okay,” Sylvie said.  
However just then, the automatic door opened and a burst of darts from turrets on the other side of the door fired at the group hitting all of them except Kayla who stopped the ones going for her in mid-air.  
Kayla used her telekinesis to throw those other turrets through the window looking over the turret assembly line before they could shoot any more darts.  
Kayla turned around to look at her friends who were all falling over in unconsciousness.  Kayla was afraid that they were dead but relieved when she saw their chests moving.
“They’re asleep?” Kayla asked in surprise.  “Guys?!  Wake up!”
When they did not wake up, she began to panic a little on the inside.  The robots gathered around the fallen humans and tried to push them with their feet.  Atlas went over to Sylvie and cradled her in his arms while Terry hovered over Chelsea trying to see if she would awaken as P-Body lifted her into his arms.
“Oh, shit,” Kayla said quietly to herself.
Kayla jumped slightly when she heard clapping over the intercom.
“Good job,” GLaDOS said.  “I see that you have managed to keep yourself from getting shot.  I cannot say the same for your friends or for your grandfather…”
“How did you…?” Kayla asked out loud before remembering what Sylvie had told them about GLaDOS having hacked into her mind.  “Never mind.”
“Honestly, you really ought to be more careful,” GLaDOS said.  “What if they were real bullets?  They would all be dead and you would be all alone.  You are quite careless, little girl.”
“What the hell did you do that for anyway?” Kayla asked.  “Why didn’t you just put real bullets in those turrets?  What purpose could you have for just making them unconscious?”
“I have my reasons for what I do, child,” GLaDOS said.  “However, I did not intend for you to be the only one still awake.  This should make things interesting.”
“That was your mistake,” Kayla said with a smile as she telekinetically lifted everyone at once.  “You will regret it.”
“We’ll see about that, cripple,” GLaDOS said.
Kayla caused the window behind her to break open and the glass shattered out of the window.
“Can you really carry all of those people?” GLaDOS said.  “You are strong, but you are still a child.”
Kayla turned to move them all out through the open window but the window was immediately covered by a wall of light bridges.
Kayla looked around in anger as she was trying to hold it together.  The robots beneath her in the meantime were visibly frightened and muttering to themselves.
“Hold it together, guys,” Kayla yelled.  “We’ve got this!  We are going to get out of here!”
“Are you sure about that?” the mean voice over the intercom said.  “Your parents probably thought the same thing, but look at what happened to them.”
“How dare you…” Kayla began as she dropped everyone to the ground.  
“They’re both dead, and all you have left of either of them is a memory implanted by your mother before she was killed by aliens, while saving you I might add,” GLaDOS added cruelly.  “How do you know that you are not lax in judgement like either of them are?  You have to have realized that they had problems, at least biologically.  After all, just look at you.  You are a cripple without arms or legs who would be living at the mercy of others if it weren’t for your telekinetic abilities…”
“Shut up,” Kayla said quietly.
“You know some people would even argue that you don’t deserve to live in your state since you are no good to anyone and most likely would live out your life in absolute misery,” GLaDOS continued.  “Some parents would even abort a child with your physical abnormalities so they wouldn’t have to deal with their problems a long time ago.  As for your parents, they knew what you were but decided to keep you before they even knew you could do anything useful.  Considering their record for decision-making and your lapses in judgement so far, I have no choice but to conclude that they were both morons and the disfigured apple has not fallen far from the tree.”
Kayla’s eyes were filling with tears as she tried to hold it together but felt like she was about to break down in tears.
“Shut up, you monster!” Terry yelled out to GLaDOS unexpectedly.  “Kayla is an awesome human who can do anything!  You have no right to be so mean!”
Kayla smiled at his brave words of encouragement.
“I remember you,” GLaDOS said.  “The blonde siren’s mind revealed everything to me.  You are the turret who sang instead of killing the test subject.  You are as defective as this girl is and you like her will be disposed of.”
“I’m not scared of you,” Terry said as bravely as he could although he was terrified.  “None of us are.  You’re a…You’re a…”
“Gigantic bitch,” Kayla began with new found confidence.  “You can say it, Terry.  After all, she truly is a gigantic bitch, and I have something to say to her.  God made me just the way I am and he says I’m perfect.  I know I have problems, GLaDOS, but I am not alone.  I have God and a large family of people who love me so I don’t let it hold me back.  As for you, you’re by yourself and you have a past life that you completely ignore!  How is that for messed up?!  You’re even worse than me!”
Kayla heard a loud click.  She flew towards the automatic door and found that it would not open.
“That’s too bad,” GLaDOS said.  “Whatever are you going to do?  You are locked in there with a large number of robots and a small number of people.  You’re all by yourself and helpless and about to be shot up by rocket turrets.”
Rocket turrets came out of the walls inexplicably, aimed their rockets, and fired.  Kayla stopped their rockets in mid-air and caused them to fly into the rocket turrets that shot them destroying them instantly.
“Is that all you got, bitch?!” Kayla said with a twisted smile.
“You’ll see,” GLaDOS said.
A loud noise started coming from above and seemed to be getting closer.  Kayla didn’t know what it was, so she flew to the place where the turret template used to be and then looked up through the window.  Kayla felt her eyes grow wide in horror as she saw floors being cleared away to make room for the spike plates that were about to crush all of them.
“What is it, dear?” Ignatius asked calmly.  “What is going on?”
“She’s going to crush us with spike plates!” Kayla yelled as she moved away from the window and flew into the middle of the room.
The other robots looked at Kayla and started to panic, but she remained calm as she knew what to do.
“Everyone, calm down!” Kayla yelled.  “You’re not going to die!  I’m going to protect you.”
“I’d beg to differ,” GLaDOS said.
“Shut up!” Kayla yelled towards the ceiling.
Kayla then turned towards the other turrets and said, “Listen to me, I need all of you to protect me for a while.  You need to keep your eyes open and fire at any rocket turret that comes out to get me.  I’m getting us out of here.”
Kayla shut her eyes and focused as hard as she could on the area around her.  Very quickly, Kayla focused all her efforts on ripping down the wall that was between them and the turret assembly line.  The wall shook violently as Kayla focused.
“Impressive, cripple,” GLaDOS said sarcastically.  “But can you rip apart a wall and protect yourself at the same time?”
The rocket turrets inexplicably once again came out of the ceiling and aimed their rockets at them.  However, that was when all the turrets in the room shot back at them at one time.  In an effort to protect themselves, the rocket turrets retreated back from whence they came.
Just then after some violent shaking, the wall finally gave in and fell over into the pit below.
“Let’s get out of here now!” Kayla yelled as she picked up all of them at once.
They flew out of the room just the spike plates came down where they were once standing.  Kayla breathed a sigh of relief which was short-lived because of the situation they were in.  She was carrying all together over two thousand pounds of weight.  It was nothing she couldn’t handle but she knew that eventually she would be tired out from the effort.  They had to find a place to escape to.
“Over here,” Kayla heard a familiar voice say.
She turned around and saw the Oracle Turret standing in the open doorway to a hallway that seemed to be clear.
“How did you…?” Kayla began to say.  “Never mind, let’s go!”
Kayla put everyone into the hallway in front of her and then put herself in there.  There were white walls on both sides and a tiled floor.  It seemed to be clear for the time being.
“Are we safe now?” Terry asked as he continued to hover over Chelsea’s unconscious body.
“I don’t know,” Kayla said.
“We are,” the Oracle Turret said.  “This hallway was not unlocked before.  She didn’t expect us to be in here so she didn’t put anything in here to trap us.”
“How?” Kayla asked in wonder.
The turret had moved without her help, unlocked a door without her help, and saved them all without her help.  The Oracle Turret clearly had abilities that none of the group could explain.  Not even Sylvie could read his mind.  It made no sense.
“How on earth could you…?” Kayla began to ask.
Before she could finish her question however, Kayla saw Roscoe beginning to stir.
“Uncle Roscoe!” Kayla said as she helped him stand up.  “Thank God!  How are you awake already?”
“I’m a regenerator,” Roscoe said with a smile.  “If my body is given drugs, it will process it more quickly so that it can be rid of it.”
“I didn’t know that,” Kayla said.
“Yep,” Roscoe said.  “Unless, I am consistently being given something my body won’t hold it, especially not if it’s a small dose.  Back when I was a sinner, I used to hate it because it made it impossible for me to stay high or drunk for long periods of time.  Anyways, what happened?”
Kayla gave him the quick version of the story, but needless to say, he was impressed.
“You saved our asses, girl,” Roscoe said with a smile.  “I’m impressed.”
“Thanks,” Kayla said.  “I hope grandpa is too when he wakes up.”
“I’m sure he will be,” Roscoe said as he sighed.  “Anyways, I had better wake up everyone else so we can get moving.  So much for stopping the turret assembly lines.”
Kayla kicks ass yet again.  Writing will be hard for a while.  I pulled a muscle in my left hand so it will be painful for a while.

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E1craZ4life's avatar
I tend to type one-handed, usually with my left hand.

That aside, epic work on Kayla's part.