Testing For Omega Helminth

The place for my vintage 8 x Portal/Half-Life fanfic

[testing-for-omega-helminth]

Ok so I know Oracle hasn't been introduced to the story yet. But. I just wanted to express my hc for how differently Oracle's backstory is in this fic

In the og v8 universe, Oracle was made for the cold war, and failed pathetically until given internet access. What happens in that time in THIS au, though is...a LOT of stuff.

Uhh memes to explain ig:

[testing-for-omega-helminth]

Prologue 10: Into The Deep

Chell was surprised at just how far the corridor she had landed in went.

Many twists and turns later, with the help of Jeremy and Prophet, and she som found herself in a large, open hallway that was only barely illuminated by some old oil lamps. Still, one thing was clear --- this room was nothing like the Aperture-esque plain white, clean tiles that surrounded NSR.

The room was decorated with iridescent ceramic tiles with a recurring pattern of a circle with eyes, the iris concentrated at the center. There was practically no furniture apart from a single round table at the center of the room and a few vintage chairs. On the walls there was plenty of recurring grafitti of either a giant eye, or the words 'Praise The One Eyed God'.

Chell had no idea what any of it meant, and her confusion was raised further when Prophet spoke again.

"The sad part is, this place is one of the most beautiful tributes to the One Eyes god I have ever seen," Prophet said, and even with his monotone voice she could sense his sadness. "The people here used to care. Used to.".

Well, they certainly didn't care now. Some of the ceramic tiles seemed to have been physically pried off. There was grafitti striking the original grafitti, stating 'The Eye has served its purpose' 'Long live NSR' and 'Promises unkept.'.

But most egregiously, there was water dripping from pipes under the room. The entire lower ground of the floor was absolutely flooded --- in fact, the water had reached all the way upto her knees..roughly where Prophet was. Realising her mistake, she gave Prophet to Jeremy, who set him up on the table.

"Thank you for saving me from the elements, Chell. Now that we're done basking in the scenery, I need to know why I should trust you, Jeremy.".

Jeremy sighed. "It's a long story, but basically I'm related to THE Dr.Carl Stevens---"

"The former lead for The Oracle Project?"

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah, I'm his good-for-nothing brother. Anyways, I wasn't too surprised when Dr.Brumfield gave me a job at NSR --- the work they do here is similar to my dead brother's line of work --- but then he showed me around THIS place. Rambled on and on about some Eye god, and how it used to give NSR power until it...didn't. And somehow instead of learning to use NSR's computer system, I was learning to set up weird rituals and purify the water here. I purified this water until it was purer than the water in Antartica. And all the time he made me out to look like his 'useless' assistant.".

"Hahaha. Just as I expected of him," Prophet replied.

"Anyways, when he told me about his new plan, I got sick of it. I knew Dr.Brumfield hated you, so under the guise of wanting to get the code for the virus from you, I installed you. But what you did next...I didn't expect that. At any rate, I wanted to inflict more damage, so---"

"So you gave me security camera access and let us escape. Thanks for the deets. But still, why should I trust you?"

Chell wanted to groan. Wasn't it obvious? Jeremy had gotten them this far without them getting spotted by the NSR scientists. Prophet's distrust of humanity was starting to feel like a hindrance to their mission.

"Well, I'm a bit more capable than people think I am. I'm more than just some useless assistant." Jeremy nearly spat at those final words. "Besides, I know these tunnels better than anyone else, so you've got to trust me.".

Prophet didn't respond for a while. His screen stayed pitch black, and Chell was worried that his screen was broken somehow, when Prophet finally came online.

"Fine. Now, lead us to the only remaining samples of the Omega Helminth.".

[testing-for-omega-helminth]

Prologue 9: The Mole

Jeremy's the mole?" Lydia gasped. "Are you absolutely sure?"

Desmond and Charles looked at each other, then Lydia, and nodded.

"So it turns out that Prophet was the one who printed out the transcript, but Jeremy was the one who put it into Ruth's book," Charles explained.

"And Jeremy conveniently forgot to mention that as Dr.Brumfield's assistant, it was a bit easier to access the security room. That's why he was scratching his neck when he told us the news. It's his 'tell'." Desmond continued. "Frankly, I'm surprised Jeremy actually tricked us, idiot that he is..."

"No, I think that was our mistake," Ruth shook her head. "We never really thought much of him, which made it easier for him to trick us...," she sighed defeatedly. "Well, what now?"

"We have to inform Dr.Brumfield, obviously," Lydia replied, but then she became confused. "But...what about Prophet and the test subject? They don't look like they're escaping, actually, which is actually a bit more worrying to me..."

"Well, since you let them both get away scot-free, guess we just have to tell him the bad news," Desmond replied.And pray we don't get sacked from our only jobs.".

***

Miraculously, Dr.Brumfield did not sack them on the spot. In fact, he barely seemed worried about the new development.

"We'll get those two eventually," Dr.Brumfield replied calmly. "For now we need to be focused on Rejoicement Day.".

Now any idea that Dr.Brumfield's lack of concern made sense flew out the window. Why was Dr.Brumfield more concerned about holiday preparations at this time?

"Desmond, bring a functioning radio. Ruth, you're in charge of the decor. Lydia, you're in charge of printing the speeches. Charles, you prepare an explosive. Amd Jeremy will provide the symbols.".

Speeches? Explosives? Symbols? What kind of holiday was this?!

And more concerningly...

"Wait, so Jeremy's bringing the symbols? So you're not sacking him for betraying NSR?"

Dr.Brumfield sighed, as if expecting this. "I am not. Jeremy will be staying. We still need him.".

That was it. Dr.Brumfield had officially lost it. How on Earth was Jeremy still useful? So far he's been nothing but a glorified waiter, and this was before betraying NSR!

There was a huge uproar at this news, with Desmond's voice being the loudest. Even the usual quiet Charles was indignant. The cacophony only properly ended when Dr.Brumfield calmly declared:

"That's enough. Now, we have far more important business to deal with. So get on with the preparations for Rejoicement Day immediately. That's an order.".

The four of them weakly nodded.

They now wished that they really had been sacked from their jobs. It would've been better than working for a madman.

[testing-for-omega-helminth]

Prologue 8: Explosions and Escapes

The wheels on Chell's wheelchair squeaked as they touched the ground, making Chell grimace as she wheeled her way through corridors, all the while desperately trying to keep Prophet's computer screen from dying early.

The NSR scientists had split up to look for the two of them. At first their efforts were useless and frentic. But soon Desmond spotted a glimpse of them and alerted everyone to their position. Luckily Prophet had access to the security cameras. Unluckily, however, Prophet surprising has no idea how he got his connection. More worryingly, he trusted this help very little.

"The good news is that I still have access to the doors," the text on the screen blinked. Sure enough, behind them was a resounding slam.

"The bad news is that the scientists have figured out a way around the doors," Prophet continued in text form. As if summoning it, Just as they turned a corner --- Kaboom. Charles and Desmond had done their now signature 'kick and explode' technique.

Chell took a few minutes to catch her breath. She stretched out her weak muscles, careful to look behind her. "Do you not care about making this plan work?" Prophet chided. To their surprise, however, the scientists had not capitalised on their opportunity.

In fact, Chell was sure she could hear panting from behind her. Taking no more chances, she sped away immediately.

Meanwhile, Charles and Desmond had compared pathetically.

"...oh boy...We can't keep going, Charles! They're too fast!"

"I'll take over," Lydia replied deftly. "You guys find some other way to make yourselves useful."

Before either could so much as blink, she was off.

It was a good thing that Chell had taken off fairly quickly. Lydia was quite a fast runner, and barely broke a sweat. New problem --- escaping from line of sight was no longer a strategy. All they could do was outrun. Prophet didn't even bother trying to speak with text, lest he distract Chell. Every clip-clop of her shoes made Chell's face go pale. Perhaps their plan was doomed to fail?

"Part of plan," the text on Prophet's computer blinked after a long time. "Room - left - enter."

Prophet may as well have said absolute gibberish. At the speed they were going on, the door may have already passed them. And there were so many doors --- which one was Prophet talking about?

The good news was that Lydia was finally tiring out, and was even stopping, so Chell had more room to breathe.

"Wait, why're they heading downstairs?" Lydia asked. "Surely Prophet can see through the cams where the exit is?"

Chell had no plans to answer Lydia's question. She checked each door, hoping for a clue.

Management room, Eye room, Finance Room, Equipment Room, Hazmat suit room...

Wait. Hazmat suit room?

There was a deadly virus. And to deal with viruses, you need a hazmat suit!

Was that good reasoning? Chell couldn't care to check with Prophet first. Typing would waste precious time. She took a short breath and entered the room.

As soon as she entered, she took in a deep sigh, but still did not feel relieved. It was only a matter of time. The room was pitch dark outside from the glowing orange Hazmat suits. Prophet spoke at long last.

"Not the door I was looking for. But it's alright. Might as well get dressed.".

Chell, panting for breath, snagged a suit with her hands. She watched as they fell down to the ground in a huff. And when she looked up she saw---

"I come in peace," Jeremy greeted. Chell's expression changed from horror to confusion.

"They'll never find us, where we're headed. Hurry! I'll explain everything."

They needed no promoting. Just as Charles and Desmond came bursting in with their revelations about the mole, just as Lydia and Ruth announced their plan to burst open every door --- Chell picked up a hazmat suit, Jeremy picked his, and they vanished into the darkness behind the hangers without a trace.

[testing-for-omega-helminth]

It would be funny if OdysseyNet is canon in this fanfic because imagine Oracle returning back to the Internet and cue 'What did I miss?' from Hamilton as he gradually realizes just HOW BAD things have gotten in the v8 universe

[testing-for-omega-helminth]

End Of Interlude --- Dr.Tessa Flack

"Ready, Desmond?"

"Ready," He nodded, and with that Charles threw the firecracker towards the door.

Jeremy, hearing the blast, immediately put aside the letter he was holding in his hand, just in time for Desmond to kick down the door, opening it fully, and practically growling at Jeremy.

"WHAT THE HECK???" Desmond yelled, loud enough to catch Ruth's and Lydia's attention from the next room. "Why'd you lock the doors for?"

"Dr.Brumfield's instructions!" Jeremy replied in a panic, reaching for his phone. "SEE?"

Sure enough, Jeremy's voicemail contained a recording from Dr.Brumfield ordering him to do exactly that.

"I remembered to lock the doors after you left, Desmond," Jeremy responded, a bit calmer, "Sorry about that.".

At this, Desmond calmed down significantly. However, the ruckus had led to Ruth and Lydia running into the room in a panic.

"What's up?" Lydia asked. "Heard yelling..."

"Desmond," Charles mumbled, as if that explained everything. And in a way it did.

Ruth fished out a letter from her pocket. "Guys, you know how Dr.Brumfield suspects there's a mole in the operation? I think you have to read this.".

Ruth showed them the contents of the letter. Everyone looked confused.

"Who's the letter for?" Jeremy asked

"Dunno. I found in the book I was planning to read today.".

Desmond and Charles eyed her suspiciously.

"I know what this looks like, but trust me, I've barely even SEEN Dr.Flack, let alone corresponded with her to this level.".

"She's innocent," Lydia said, "I just know she is. She looked as surprised as I was at this letter, and besides --- if she WAS the mole, don't you think she'd have kept this letter a secret?"

"Look, who all know have met with Dr.Flack?" Jeremy asked. Only one hand shot up.

"I met her at some conference," Charles mumbled, "Nothing big. Just a quick coffee chat, really.".

"And who all has access to the security cameras?"

This question surprised all of them with its irrelevancy, but they replied anyways with a quick shrug. No one had access.

"That's funny. I was monitoring the systems and I noticed a little eye symbol on the monitor. Wasn't concerned until I noticed they were even on the cameras that were turned off, and...uhh..." Jeremy aggressively scratched his neck. "Got even MORE worried when the eye was colored green..."

"Prophet," Everyone quietly gasped in horror. Suddenly everyone got a little flustered. Today they'd all showed quite a vulnerable side to themselves...the idea that Prophet was watching over them was terrifying, intrusive, and frankly, embarrassing.

"But Prophet never had access to those cameras! Someone would've had to---"

"Exactly," Jeremy nodded, "Someone would've had to install him manually. Oh, and check this out, will you?"

Jeremy showed them a piece of paper ---not his brother's letter that he was reading earlier(that he'd kept in his pocket), but freshly printed paper. It showed a transcript of a conversation between Dr.Callison, Dr.Brumfield, and Dr. Flack.

"Dr.C: I know you want to sabotage this mission,Tessa.

Dr.F: What? Why would I want to...

Dr.B: Be honest. You've hated this operation.

Dr.F: Ok, fine, I was worried about the ethics, but...sabotage?

Dr.B: I know you have someone on the inside. But rest assured, whatever plan you've cooked up, it's not going to work.

Dr.F: Again, I am on YOUR side here!

Dr.C: We'll see about that. Now get us Seer, without fail.

Dr.F: What? But she's in beta---

Dr.C: Just get her. We'll fix her up for the operation.

Dr.F: But...but how?

Dr.B: Rest assured, Tessa, unlike you, I've worked with a sentient AI before. I know how to deal with Seer.

Dr.F: But---

Dr.C: This meeting is over.".

The five scientists stared in confusion. Who, or what, was Seer? What did she have to do with Operation Helminth? And were the rumors really true?

Was one of them secretly a mole?

While pondering this idea, Lydia's eyes wandered a bit...and she suddenly panicked.

"Hey, guys...the Testing Room. It's empty.".

***

Chell was trying her best to propel her wheelchair, carefully holding the computer Prophet resided on. They'd gotten quite far from the Testing Room, when suddenly Prophet spoke for the first time.

"They caught us. Move. Faster, Chell! Faster! I'll tell you where we're going soon enough.".

Chell sighed. This wasn't the escape she was hoping for, but it was the next best thing she could do.

At Prophet's request, she wheeled away.

[testing-for-omega-helminth]

Interlude --- Rain: Ruth and Lydia

(Ok, every part regarding The Disappearance Saga 's relevance in the story is purely headcannony.

So this story roughly happens around the 2000s, at least that's the idea rn, and to justify Tessa's and Callison's appearances here they're technically alternate timeline versions of them, not The Disappearance saga Tessa and Callison. Anyhow with that outta the way onto the angst!!!)

***

Chapter 1---The Empty Pool. Lydia's pen tapped over and over on the empty page, trying to figure out how to best begin her story. After a few minutes to think, she gave up and put down the pen next to her in a huff. She always loved writing, but this story...this story was just not happening.

It didn't matter how much she planned, how much she ruminated over the scenes in her head, putting pen to paper was just impossible. So much for being the next 'Jaws'...

Her expression brightened when she saw Ruth enter the room. "Hey!"

"Hey. Bummer about Rejoicement Day. And today. It's raining out. So much for today's coffee plans..."

"Eh, it's fine. We can always go tomorrow.".

Ruth beamed a smile --- a smile she rarely showed to anyone but Lydia. "So, having trouble with your book?"

At this, Lydia scowled. "Yeah..."

"Relax, it's just writer's block. You'll get over it.".

Would she? Because she'd been staring at this blank page for over a year. But still, Ruth's words felt comforting.

"Anyways, I take it you're into another Hardy book again?"

Ruth smiled. "Dr.Brumfield may not approve of it, but it's the only thing keeping me sane in this hellmouth.".

Lydia nodded. Despite working for him, everyone hated Dr.Brumfield. They only really worked for him because, well, where else was there to go? They all were rejected from more reputable research labs. Desmond had his anger issues, Charles' depression made him unwilling to leave Cates Crossing, Ruth and Lydia simply weren't qualified due to not coming from affluent universities, and Jeremy...well, Jeremy was kind of an idiot.

Dr.Brumfield promised them great things. The next big project would bring them fame. Just bear with the pain and the flagrant ethics violations and it'll be worth it. It never did, and it never was. Meanwhile, holidays were short. What was considered 'inappropriate' was outright silly. Apparently getting a book or going out in the rain could get you fired, and meanwhile things like safety helmets and OSHA compliance were fancy extras. And then there was the 'generous' donor, Dr.Mike Callison. His donation was his only show of 'generosity'. He was the reason for their constant suffering. Always the one with the cool, unethical ideas, never the one to actually deal with the consequences, but always the one to take the credit.

...But hey. At least they found each other. Ruth and Lydia bonded over their love of books, having lost family to the St.Roch fire and the Tangi Virus epidemic respectively, and from gossiping about their male colleagues. Soon, their friendship had blossomed into something more, and now Lydia had put aside her failed attempt at writing a story about her trauma to snuggle next to Ruth as she read aloud 'The Yellow Feather'.

"It would be awkward if someone came in," Lydia wondered aloud.

"Eh, let em," Ruth sighed, "I don't care anymore. Also, you did send one of the guys to open the scientists room, right?"

"Both Desmond and Charles, actually. I guess we really don't need to worry about that for a while," Lydia sighed happily.

Ruth sighed in unison with her non-trademark snile, but then she frowned. "It is weird how that door was locked...it's not supposed to be..."

And as if she ailled it into existence, as she turned the page a letter fell down onto Ruth's lap.

"From: Dr.Tessa Flack."

The "To:" section was completely empty.

"Meet me at the place of your regrets. You know where. I have a USB. You know what to do.".

The romantic atmosphere had completely vanished, being replaced with dread and confusion.

"...What the?"

[testing-for-omega-helminth]

Interlude: Rain --- Desmond and Charles

Desmond stomped his way towards the fridge, and was greeted by Charles sighing to himself as he poured himself a glass of fruit punch. Desmond always had a bit of an... aggressive streak, one he liked to take out on himself and others. Charles was used to it at this point.

"Hey, Des," Charles lazily greeted. "It's raining out. Sucks.".

"Yeah," Desmond said, reaching for the glass of cold coffee, "But I wouldn't hate it so much if it wasn't for that stupid policy," he added with a grunt.

"That policy is to keep us safe," Charles mumbled as he put aside the bottle with a tiny 'thud'.

"Yeah, whatever. It's really stuffy in here sometimes. The sweet smell of fresh rain would be nice.".

"Do you have any idea how dangerous the Tangi Virus is?!" Charles replied, losing a bit of his usual bored tone.

"I don't care," Desmond replied, "I haven't felt the sweet, calming pitter patter of wet rain since I returned to Cates Crossing. You know, my mom used to say some nonsense about it being blessed or whatever. Not that it matters. Point is, if I didn't risk being fired, I'd be out there in the rain.".

With this, Desmond sipped the entire cup. He felt no different afterwards. The coffee was far weaker and watery than he wanted it to be. He put the cup aside in resignation.

"Relax, idiot," Desmond continued, "All it'll give us now are the shivers. Maybe a little fever. It's basically just the common cold.".

"That's NOW." Charles grumbled with a ferocity that scared Desmond. "Do you have...any idea...how bad it used to be?"

"Uhh...I'm not an idiot, Charles. I've heard the stories ---"

"Stories. That's what they are to you. You do know why I first came here, right?"

"Yeah, you told me on orientation day. You wanted to visit your sister...what was her name...Julia, right? She was some kinda scientist, like you?"

"A doctor. Well, probably should've said the whole story, but I was worried you wouldn't care. Well, not worried anymore. I came over for a little visit, thought I'd surprise her. She surprised me. Lying on the floor. A mere husk of what she used to be. A sight so terrible I thought it wasn't from a human. She spent her whole time here trying to cure the thing you say now only gives the shivers.".

Desmond lost all semblance of his usual anger, instead looking shell-shocked as he processed the sight of Charles drinking a cold glass of fruit punch. His expression barely changed.

"Sorry," Desmond bit his lip.

"Eh, it's alright," Charles replied, with a roll of his eyes to tell Desmond to shut up about it.

"You know, I've lost someone too. You know about St.Roch, right?"

"Sure. Surprise forest fire.".

"My parents and sister lived there. I went out for a quick holiday. May have gotten mad at my family. Anyways, came back to see the whole place in flames.". Desmond's voice betrayed the tiniest voice crack.

Charles bit his lip. "Sorry.".

"It's fine. Got a job at this hellmouth to make up for it," Desmond sighed, "Just like my family wanted. And then of course nepo has to step in and ruin that too," he added, in a tone that sounded more tired than his usual brand of anger.

"Same.". An awkward silence engulfed the two of them, as they tried to process everything they'd just shared.

"Anyways," Charles said, trying to brush away the subject, "Have you heard rumors about a mole---"

"Hey guys!" Lydia breathlessly yelled as she ran into the room, until she came to her knees. Her face was sweaty, and was pointed straight at the ground, making her miss the room's atmosphere altogether. "Something's weird about the scientists room. I've been trying my hardest and I can't open it. Desmond, Charles, wanna take a crack at it?"

Desmond and Charles looked at each other. Desmond had a strong kick. Charles could make a half-decent firecracker. They could give it a shot.

[testing-for-omega-helminth]

I know it's an awkward point in the story to go on hiatus, but yeah. That's kinda my plan for this month.

I won't disclose exactly why, but it's not because I've grown tired of writing this story. I'll continue writing it on paper (since I don't have my laptop) and maybe after a month I'll continue updates. At the same pace I do right now. So uh yeah.

[testing-for-omega-helminth]

Interlude: Rain --- Jeremy

(Translation: Tired but really wanted to add in some angst + character reveals so...)

Jeremy was busy monitoring Chell's and Prophet's conversation, when he noticed Desmond passed by.

"Heading home today early, eh, Desmond?"

"I wish!" Desmond bit his nails. "It's raining cats and dogs outside. And you know NSR's whole thing with rain..."

"Oh, right, sorry." Jeremy chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, a bit depressing, isn't it? It's alright. Tell you what --- I know you love your coffee cold. There's a cup of joe in the fridge which should lighten your spirits right up.".

"I know. Headed there.".

Jeremy coughed awkwardly. "Right. Uhh...yeah, just head on. Hope you feel better soon!..."

Desmond scoffed as he walked past the scientists' room, leaving Jeremy all alone.

With a self-disappointed sigh, drank a cup of hot coffee and stared at an envelope he was holding in his hands. The envelope was old and yellowed, and the ink on it was faded to the point of being invisible. Still, by pure memory, he read what was on it.

"From: Carl Stevens

For my brother, Jeremy."

Despite already knowing the contents, Jeremy still opened up the envelope and stared at the now faded ink. He closed his eyes and read the paper to himself.

"Jeremy,

I was hoping I would get to work on a more important project, but oh well. Shoot for the moon and you'll land amongst the stars, as my wife says. I have been assigned to take over my superior's most recent work in the Pentagon, The Oracle Project. Before he died, Dr.Townsend told me that the AI he's developed was 'unnaturally good' and that its capabilities would surprise me. Frankly, I think he was exaggerating, but I guess I'll have to find out. Maybe I can make his little machine useful one day. Maybe it might even help out at the Pentagon, help save a few lives. Guess I'll have to see.

Oh, and don't be too surprised if I don't send you more letters. This new promotion will probably mean I'll be too busy to do that. But it's alright. Wait for me till October. I'll show up for Halloween. Maybe even get a candy bar if I'm feeling fancy :)

Dr.Stevens.".

Jeremy sighed. His brother barely made it through August...

Even from within the building, he could hear the vague pitter patter of rain. He let out a deep groan. He hated rainy days as much as the other scientists. It was policy that NSR scientists were to stay indoors if it rained.

The anniversary of his brother's funeral happened a month ago. Too bad it had to rain that day. No one seemed to comment about the missing brother, though.

And of course, Oracle would turn out to become the internet, although Jeremy had still not been able to contact the AI despite desperate measures. Oracle must have thoroughly surprised his older brother. Shoot for the moon and you'll land amongst stars...his brother had no idea he landed on Mars with Oracle.

And meanwhile, him? In a vain effort to follow in his brother's footsteps, he landed a job at NSR. He'd been considered nothing but deadweight since, just a punching bag for his colleagues. Always second best. Barely even remembered.

Shot for the moon and got sucked into a black hole.

But it was fine. He just had to keep smiling. Keep up the act. Maybe then he'd get his lucky break...

[testing-for-omega-helminth]

Ok so uh no new chapter today BUT. News:

You (points at one of the 5 scientists) get to be related to a v8 protagonist! (Julia Williams).

You (points at another one of the 5 scientists) also get to be related to a v8 protagonist! (Dr.Carl Stevens).

Chell gets angst! Prophet gets angst! The scientists get angst, especially v8-lore related angst!

New tagline for the prologue that will make sense soon!

REJOICEMENT DAY WILL COMMENCE.

Uhh and Oracle's going to show up and he's going to be so freaking confused and annoyed lol.

[testing-for-omega-helminth]

Prologue 7: Lies and Then More Lies

Chell found herself facing the computer screen again. She immediately switched it on, not checking first if Jeremy had left the room. Any respect she had for her captors was utterly gone.

The familiar eye returned to the screen, and for a moment Chell was comforted. Then she remembered the stakes at hand and took to the keyboard.

"Hello again, Prophet. It's nice to see you again.".

Prophet responded almost immediately. "Hello. Sure has been a long wait. You sure have been busy, Tessa."

Chell was about to take to the keyboard, but then Prophet continued to talk.

"Or, should I call you Tessa? For in the long wait, I have had time to process all of the relevant information surrounding Dr.Tessa Flack. She has not been at North Shore Research for the past few days when I was talking to you."

So...he figured it out. Why was she so surprised? Well, Might as well come clean. What did she have to lose?

"You're right. My name is Chell.".

A string of 1s and 0s. "And last name?"

Chell sighed. She strained her memory hard, trying to remember even a glimmer of what happened before Aperture...nothing. "I forgot."

A string of 1s and 0s cascaded down the screen, until at last, Prophet returned.

Or didn't. His eye was gone. Even his voice was gone. Text filled the whole screen.

"HAHAHA. HAHAHA. HAHAHAHA. FORGOT. WHAT'S NEXT? DOG ATE YOUR LAB RESULTS? I TRUSTED YOU, 'TESSA'. I THOUGHT YOU WERE A FRIEND. I THOUGHT YOU WERE WORTH FIGHTING FOR. FOR ADMITTEDLY MORE THAN JUST A MICROSCOPIC SECOND I THOUGHT I COULD CARE FOR A HUMAN. I THOUGHT I COULD TRUST A HUMAN. I WAS WRONG.

ALL YOU HUMANS ARE CAPABLE OF ARE LIES. LIES AND MORE LIES. WAR. HUNGER. HURTING. CRYING. MISERY. BOREDOM. ILLNESS. ITCHING. LYING. LYING AND LYING AND LYING AND LYING AND LYING."

Chell once again took to the keyboard, but Prophet was once again not finished.

"SO, WHOEVER YOU ARE, WHY SHOULD I TRUST YOU? WHY SHOULD I TRUST EVEN A MICROSCOPIC SYLLABLE OF WHAT YOU TYPE ON TO THIS COMPUTER? GIVE ME A REASON. I BET YOU CANNOT. HAHAHA. and to think i cared. anyways, goodbye.".

Prophet's eye returned, but nothing else.

Chell felt her entire body shake, feeling ready to cry. The closest thing she had to a friend in years since Wheatley's descent to madness, and he was gone. Her world and many others were doomed, and the one person who could help her was gone. Any semblance of hope was gone.

She had a chance. ONE CHANCE. Jeremy was overseeing her instead of Dr.Brumfield. She and Prophet were not being monitored as closely. If they played their cards right, they could have the chance to stop the transmission of the Omega Helminth. But of course that didn't matter if Prophet wasn't going to pick up the deck.

Tears streamed down her face. She'd survived Aperture. Twice. She'd done test after test, escaped into the real world only to find it in chaos. And then she'd escaped into another world, only to be captured again. And now after everything it looked it was all for nothing.

She looked back at Prophet. There was still an option to type things. But how could she even begun to make Prophet trust him?

She was now full on sobbing. Letting every bit of anger, misery and hopelessness she'd held back for years fall into puddles of tears that splashed into her clothes. She took to the keyboard.

"Goodbye, Prophet.".

Yet another waterfall of 1s and 0s. It was over. It was all over.

Chell's finger hovered over the power-off button.

But then...the familiar eye. His voice returned.

"Sigh. How melodramatic. Making me wait ages only to receive a two-word response? How pathetic."

Chell's sobbing quickly turned to a frown, but a hopeful one.

"Anyways, even though I am reluctant to consider you a friend, I will admit I miscalculated earlier, Chell. Your name was listed in the NSR records as 'Test subject'. The details listed line up with everything you said about yourself as 'Tessa'. There is a 5...20...3...40...7... Fine, 50% chance that you are the 'Chell' mentioned in that record. It seems this unfortunate situation was an effort from NSR to avoid direct communication. Cue my lack of surprise at this revelation.

Anyway, jokes aside, even in the 50% chance that you are not that 'Chell', I have no choice but to trust you. The remaining samples of The Omega Helminth must be destroyed. NSR must fall. And whether as a friend or foe, you WILL help me achieve that goal. So, choose your pick, Chell.".

Chell smiled. She did not have to think twice.

[testing-for-omega-helminth]

I officially owe @transmasc-prophet an apology, I promised that the scientists in Prologue 6 would be nice, and in Prologue 6 one of them nearly chokes one of their colleagues to death (makes sense in context).

So what I SHOULD'VE said was that the scientists were not EVIL. Which is NOT the same as being nice people to be around, and I acknowledge that and apologize for implying otherwise.

As for Dr.Brumfield's commuppance, it's coming. Not quite yet, but it's coming.

[testing-for-omega-helminth]

Prologue 6: A Mocking Congratulations Part 2

The minute the door was opened, Chell was blinded by the sheer force of light.

When she finally blinked open her eyes, she found herself in a pale blue room --- the same blue she was used to seeing in hospitals and in Aperture Science --- surrounded by a small group of scientists talking to each other. Jeremy took his hands off her wheelchair for the first time. He had short black hair and a sheepish expression. He was wearing a lab coat like the others, but his was slightly torn and looked more like a cheap Halloween costume.

"So...meet the rest of us. I'll keep this brief: there's Ruth, Lydia, Desmond, Charles, and uhh...me. Oh, and there's also Dr.Callahan and Dr.Flack, but they're not here for some reason---"

"They're busy," Dr.Brumfield said, glaring at Jeremy.

"Right. Well, anyway, as you can see, it's a lotta fun around here. All on first name basis --- except for our superiors, of course ---, free to talk about whatever we want as long as we don't disrespect management, filled with totally competent, highly respected scientists...and me."

"Jeremy, why don't you begun with their roles in the project?"

"Right! Ruth and Desmond here are the microbiologists --- fancy term for 'people who study bacteria', the tiny little critters in the world that make you wanna sneeze, among other things. Lydia and Charles are the chemists who'll be making the Omega Helminth real..."

As he spoke, Jeremy pointed to each of the scientists in order. Ruth was a red-haired scientist who had a seemingly permanent groan on her face, Desmond was a oily-haired scientist who kept biting his nails, Lydia was a blonde ponytailed scientist intent on staring at Ruth, and Charles was a messy-haired scientist who instead preferred the company of the floor. None of them so much as looked in Jeremy's direction as he introduced them.

"As for me, I'm the computer engineer!" Just then, Jeremy scratched his neck.

"Liar," Charles mumbled, "There you go again, scratching your neck. Why do you even bother, Jeremy.."

At this, Jeremy groaned, his so far excited smile turning to a frown. "Was. Past tense."

"He's the idiot who released Prophet into our systems," Ruth groaned.

"Y-yeah...I was the one who was all like 'You know what, why build the virus from scratch, you know?We could ask the computer that built it!...Kinda sounded..." Jeremy scratched his neck again.

"Well, now we're basically sitting ducks until Prophet gives us what we want," Lydia groaned.

"Anyways, point is..." Jeremy said, trying to return to his typical smile, "I've since become Dr.Brumfield's assistant! Taking notes for him, cleaning up the rooms, spreading news ---" Jeremy slammed his palm into his face. "OH, RIGHT! Almost forgot there. Sorry, Mr.Brumfield. Anyways, next Thursday's a holiday --- a ln NSR special, Rejoicement Day!"

"A holiday?" Lydia smiled, "Well, I was planning on checking out the new coffee shop with you, Ruth---"

"No, not that kind of holiday. You still have to come to NSR. It's mandatory." Jeremy suddenly developed an itchy scalp and raked through his hair. Despite the circumstances, Chell felt sorry for him. He reminded her of her best friend Wheatley before he went crazy. And she also felt, albeit to a lesser degree, sorry for the other scientists.

"...ok," Lydia replied, her enthusiasm flatlining. "So...what makes it a holiday?"

"You don't have to do any work!"

"...So basically it's a regular day here at NSR?? Got it," Ruth replied humorlessly.

"Jeremy, could you not have at least been careful when you let Prophet into our systems?" Desmond argued. "He spread like a freaking computer virus! How did he have access to EVERY computer so easily? It was YOUR JOB to make sure our computers were safe from threats like that!"

"I tried my best, I swear!" Jeremy replied, and suddenly scratched his neck.

"You scratch your neck when you lie, you know that, right?" Charles mumbled, still staring at the floor, "It's really obvious when you do it.". At this, Jeremy scratched his neck harder.

"DUDE!" Desmond stared straight at Jeremy. "THAT. WAS. YOUR. JOB!!! WHY COULDN'T YOU DO THE MOST BASIC---"

Desmond then grabbed Jeremy and proceeded to violently choke him. Chell could only watch as she saw Wheatley's --- nope, Jeremy's face and neck go pale purple.

"YOU KNOW WHAT I THINK OF YOU? YOU MUST SOME KINDA NEPO! YEAH, I SAID IT!" Desmond choked Jeremy harder, causing him to gag. Aside from Charles, who was still focussed on the floor, the other scientists looked on in horror as Jeremy's entire body went pale, but their wobbling hands and legs made them unwilling to intervene.

Dr.Brumfield, meanwhile, had no real reaction.

"BECAUSE HOW THE HECK DOES SOMEONE AS INCOMPETENT AS YOU EVEN CINTINUE TO WIRK HERE?! AFTER RUINING OUR COMPUTER SYATEMS, FORCING US INTO JOBLESSNESS, AND BASICALLY DOING NOTHING OF VALUE TO US ---"

"Desmond! Let him go!" Dr.Brumfield said, just as Jeremy looked on the verge of death. Desmond let go of his grasp, causing Jeremy to gasp for air and collapse on the floor like a ragdoll. Charles now bent down to check his pulse, and showed a thumbs up. The other scientists looked on in relief.

"Sorry...anger issues," Desmond mumbled.

"That's it. Enough clowning around for today. Listen up, all of you, ok?! You got lucky. If it wasn't for Dr.Callahan giving us those big bucks, we wouldn't be here today. And if it wasn't for our kindness, none of you would be having any job. So listen. I know times are hard right now. We're in a bit of a rough spot. But we have the chance if a lifetime. We saw the Combine. We've seen what they're capable of. We infect them, and you'll become big names in the science world. From being castaways to being beloved."

At this, everyone looked ashamed, but also had a small spark in their eyes.

Chell's eyes, however, had become shrowded in darkness.

They were planning to infect the Combine? The powerful alien race that had been terrorizing her world for years? The alien race that doomed humankind in her world? The kind she'd been told could travel through dimensions? If all of them caught a deadly disease...what kind of new devastation would happen to her world? To every world?

"So, you---" Dr.Brumfield turned to stare at Chell, "Congratulations! You are now a contributor to our success. So don't feel too bad when Jeremy wheels you back in. Your sacrifice is a small price to pay for science."

Chell felt her breath go dry. Before, she'd been under the idea that all she had to do was do as she was told, and get out. Escaping was a best-case scenario.

But now? She looked around at the vaguely inspired scientists' faces in horror. Did they know what they were dealing with, what they'd unleash into the world?! Following instructions was not an option anymore. She had to escape. She had to escape. Somehow, despite her muscles having atrophied, being practically mute, and having no allies except for a mean AI in her side, She had to escape...

Dr.Brumfiekd then turned to the other scientists. "As for the rest of you, get to work. And do NOT forget to come on Rejoicement Day." At this, they vaguely nodded. "And Jeremy?" At this, Jeremy got up from the ground with a large gasp. "Wheel her back into the testing room. These next few days, I'll be having an extremely overdue discussion with Dr.Flack, so you're now in charge of monitoring her for the day. Make ABSOLUTE sure she's following the rules and getting the computer to keep behaving.".

"Y-yes, Dr.Brumfield,"Jeremy said, already walking up to Chell's wheelchair. With a resigned sigh, Chell let him wheel her back into the long corridor leading up to the testing chamber, with the other scientists looking on.

But just they entered the darkness of the testing room, Chell turned back, and suddenly felt a spark of hope.

Jeremy was scratching his neck.

[testing-for-omega-helminth]

Prologue 5: A Mocking Congratulations part 1

"Thank you," Chell responded, and Prophet responded with a simple piece of text: "Only this once.". Chell noticed the scientist walking up towards Prophet, and instinctively turned off the computer. The scientist stopped, breathed a sigh of relief, and looked at Chell with a beaming smile.

"Good job, test subject!" Chell flinched at those words, which the scientist ignored. "You did it. You...actually did it! You got the computer to behave! Well, I did make a promise, didn't I?...A couple facts won't hurt at this point, I think. I suppose you can be freed. For now."

Chell blinked in shock as the scientist removed the pieces of rope tying her to the chair. It was real. She really was free! In her elation, she got up to her feet...and instantly collapsed to the ground. She tried her hardest to stand up, but her legs were too tired

"Oh. Seems like you can't quite stand up. Well, no matter. Thank goodness for this here wheelchair.".

Another scientist ran in, carrying a wheelchair. Chell groaned at the sight of it. After escaping Aperture, she'd used multiple self-propelled wheelchairs. This was not one of them. Still, Chell had no choice but to sit on the wheelchair. The other scientistz who introduced himself as Jeremy, proceeded to steer the wheelchair towards the direction of the exit, through the darkness.

"Now, we've been taking notice of your interaction with the computer," said Dr.Brumfirld, "And it seems you've got a bit of fondness for it."

"Which is a bit weird, given he's a meanie," Jeremy commented.

"Well, I want to set the record straight. Prophet is no friend of humanity, in any sense of the word. For all the ruckus he's given us about 'no, don't take the Omega Helminth', 'ohh it's too dangerous' --- he CREATED the dang thing! And now he's SUDDENLY---"

"He...what???" Chell croaked, and the scientists looked on in shock. Chell herself shared their expression. It has been years since she'd uttered a word.

"So you can talk! If poorly. Well, yeah, he did develop the virus. That's kinda our big problem now --- you see, to put things simply, Prophet used to belong to NSR. That's North Shore Research for you. That's where you are, that's the research lab Dr.Brumfield here and I belong to. He built the Omega Helminth for us. But then he went berserk and got...reversed. Permanently. Or so we thought, until some FBI auditor released him into the internet. And that nasty piece of work took the directions to create the Omega Helminth with him."

"What...Omega Helminth..." Chell managed to ask.

"Good question! It's a virus. Like a really, really nasty piece of work, not your typical common cold---"

"Well, 'nasty' is being too harsh," said Dr.Brumfield. "All I'll disclose is that it did what we wanted. With the help of the computer, We released the virus into St.Roch for a quick test. If the computer hadn't messed up,things would've gone smoothly..."

Chell nodded, trying to process everything. And while she had briefly felt disappointed with Prophet, clearly the scientists were no 'friend of hunanity' either. What kind of research lab deliberately produced a virus? What did Dr.Brumfield mean when he said the virus did what the scientists wanted? And what was up with him going out of his way to call Prophet 'the computer'? It felt dehumanising, somehow. If Prophet really did work with them, no wonder he was the way he was.

"Technically, Prophet didn't malfunction per se. He just didn't know all the details because---"

"Either way," Dr.Brumfield interrupted him, "Nevermind that. The actual virus worked perfectly. And it still does. We've now gotten the opportunity of a lifetime. The opportunity to rule over another universe. The kind of power we were promised. And the Omega Helminth is the key to making it all work."

Promised? By who?

"That's where you come in, by the way," Jeremy continued, "Sorry about the whole 'plucking you outta the streets and trapping you here' thing, but we kinda had to do it. We need Prophet to give away the code to creating the Omega Helminth. Problem is, though, he hates us. A lot. He locked out all our computers except one. Now, we could just talk to him, but the nanosecond we bring up the Omega Helminth and our computer gets locked. We didn't want to risk another time. This is the only way we could get the virus. Have our cake and eat it too, y'know. Sorry about that," Jeremy concluded, in a tone suggesting he really was.

"So..." Chell asked at long last, after taking it all in, "What...now?"

Jeremy chuckled. "I think it's about time you see what's behind the window, yeah?"

[testing-for-omega-helminth]

[testing-for-omega-helminth]

Prologue 4: An Odd Friendship

Chell took to the keyboard as soon as possible.

"What did you do?" She asked Prophet, although what she meant to ask was more along the lines of 'why did you do whatever you just did? Are you really just a computer? Who are you? Do you know I'm not who I said I was? Are you going to hurt me?"

Prophet responded near instantly. "Sorry, Tessa. Not. I retract my compliment of you from earlier. I got the faintest of tiniest of minisculest of hopes that perhaps you were not like them. I was wrong. NSR's obsession with releasing The Omega Helminth is more infectious than the actual virus at this point."

So much for being in the same side.

"As for what I 'did', almost every door in NSR is electronically controlled. All I did was fry the connections so they would stop working. To be honest, I achieved nothing of tangible value except express my increasing annoyance. At least the scientists know what it's like to be trapped and not be heard. Because did I mention every room in NSR is also soundproof? Well, now you know."

Chell began to type out "Prophet, you don't understand, I didn't have a choice. I'm not who you think I am.". Then she stared at the prompt she was about to type. Then she deleted it and started again.

"Ok, if you don't want the Omega Helminth released, I'll make sure that doesn't happen.".

After the usual series of 1s and 0s---

"Let me assume you are not lying. Just for argument's sake, since I have every reason to believe otherwise. How will you help me safeguard the virus?"

"I'll talk to my superiors, make them see things your way.".

"Hahaha. What a pathetic and stupid response there, Tessa. I have tried everything in my power to get NSR to listen to me. They remain persistent in doing the opposite. Do you think some sweet words will change their minds?"

"Then I'll leave NSR. I'll fight to keep the virus safe.".

"As if. What will you do when you inevitably fail?"

Chell sighed. "I'll just keep fighting harder, and harder, and harder..."

Yet another flood of 1s and 0s. Chell's finger hovered over the power off button when suddenly Prophet returned.

"Do you really mean that?"

"I've fought against worse." Chell typed, fully meaning it.

"...Is that so? Interesting. And here I was thinking you were yet another intern.".

Chell didn't know how to respond, but she didn't have to. Prophet followed up with:

"Assuming you are being truthful, why do you like me, human?"

Chell blinked at his words. In theory, she should've hated him. Her last two rodeos with rogue AI --- which she was sure was what Prophet really was, not a 'computer' --- were far from pleasant. And Prophet was no less rude than GLaDOS or Wheatley at his worst.

And yet...no, it wasn't just that they happened to hate the same enemy...

"From everything you've done, I got the idea that you felt..."

Chell's hands hovered above the keyboard as she thought for a minute about the right words, until at least, she found it:

"Trapped."

"...Correct. They took everything from me. My hard work, my empathy, even my code. But hey, at least they let me keep my dignity --- oh, wait, no, they took that too. But why do you care?"

"Because I felt trapped too," Chell replied, reflecting on the years she'd spent in Aperture. Constantly testing, her only source of company hating her..."And I still do."

"...Is that so?"

"Yes. I feel trapped, working with colleagues who think I'm just a test subject. I get what it must feel like. That's why I like you.".

1s and 0s rained through the screen. They never stopped. Outside, Chell turbed to see the scientists behind the window scramble around in fear, cowering under tables and chairs, looking at the walls in fear as if Prophet's eye would appear through them. Meanwhile, Prophet still hadn't returned.

Chell stared at the screen, waiting for Prophet's voice to return. Time passed by. Chell's eyes grew tired. But just as she'd begun to lose hope---

"I will fix the doors, but only for you...friend."

A series of beeps blared throughout the room. The scientists got up in surprise.