Prologue

Chell was done with machines. All machines. Starting with this box. She hadn't even picked it up yet, and she wasn't planning to.

She began walking away from the little shed. Knowing that the terrible things beneath it would stay there. They'd better.

The surface was hotter than she'd expected. The sun beat down heavily and those horrible long fall boots made it difficult to take even a step forward. Like trying to use a pogo stick in the mud. She kept slipping and bouncing and falling on her face. Due to a lack of traction. Nor did she have any previous experience in a wheat field.

Hours passed. The sun set. The moon rose. The sky was lightening when she finally saw the edge of the yellow stalks. Her trudge turned into more of a springy collapsing over the threshold in a heap.

If she were a curious person, she would have wondered why the wheat field was so well tended and why no one investigated the dilapidated shack. She would have wondered how she suddenly knew what a pogo stick was. Or how she managed to go so long without food, water or rest. Luckily she wasn't a curious person. She was asleep.

Chell woke to the same view she saw when she first arrived in the real world. She was also very itchy. Quickly sitting up and scratching vigorously at any exposed skin. Resulting in large, tender patches of raw flesh. She slowly stood to her feet to see a huge field of yellow flowers. Beautiful, with an overpowering smell. The afternoon was as hot as ever. Her mouth was dry and sour, a rare display of thirst that she only recognised from her adventure in Old Aperture. Hunger too, however, her body had long learned to cope with that.

Standing was difficult, but time proved that weakness could be overcome by powering through it. She stumbled on until the terrain shifted into an infinite number of smallish hills. She was still thirsty. As she crested yet another mound, the woman stopped.

Cleverly nestled between the hills was a road. Not a dirt road, or an asphalt path, a real, honest to evil robots, bona fide road. Complete with concrete and painted stripes. Finally a destination. A goal. All itches and bruises, hunger and thirst bled away. She had all she needed. A goal, civilisation, and a way to get there.


Hey, this is my first fanfiction, so please point out any problems. I want to grow as a writer. I'm publishing my prologue and first chapter close together because I want to accurately represent the story, instead of making the prologue painfully long. Especially, if anyone is out of of character. Thank you for your support.

Best Wishes, Amateur Critic