Testing Is the Future, and the Future Starts With You!

[iam_not_amoron]

WHO: Wheatley, OPEN to all willing victims potential test subjects
WHAT: The little personality core's gotten himself in a bit of a fix.
WHERE: The new and improved Aperture Science Testing and Application Center in Zone 4
WHEN: Roughly mid-week. The center will be open for as long as it is functional, however.
WARNINGS/NOTES: STARTED IN PROSE.

Comments

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY

[iam_not_amoron]

     There's no response to the woman's demanding inquiry. The recordings were never meant to be interactive, nor were they ever all that helpful.

Hopefully the elevator is to Shepard's approval, shuttling down immediately after she's stepped inside, a smooth ride that lasts all of thirty seconds. It comes to a stop, door sliding open into a circular room with but one exit- that leading to a slightly darkened corridor with a short flight of steps that leads to a sealed hatch. This hatch slides open once approached, and not several feet past the doorway lies the first Emancipation Grill before entering the testing chamber.

Shepard will probably feel a brief jolt should she choose to pass through. Hopefully nothing explodes on her.

The chamber itself, once entered, is rather empty and plain. There's another doorway across the room, except it's on a pretty tall ledge, and there don't appear to be any stairs. There is, however, a bright red beam that shoots out from one side of the room to the other. There seems to be some sort of receptor panel on the wall adjacent to it, which would be on the side the other door is. There's also an assuming little cube sitting in the corner just to the left of the entrance, with some strange lenses built into its sides. It's trying very hard to pretend it's just a piece of furniture.

The comm system clicks on again.

"This first test involves potentially deadly lasers. Normally this would not be a test given at introductory level participants, however we believe that here in Axiom Nexus, organic beings are used to operating under stressful situations. Good luck!"

[shepard_cmdr]

She steps out of the elevator--which surprisingly hadn't been bad--feeling naked without her weapons and instinctively her hand strays to where her pistol should be. Shepard curses and slowly heads up the steps to eye the first of the Emancipation Grills.

It looks like a transparent field and briefly she wonders if her cybernetics count as 'unauthorized'. Too late for that now; there's obviously no going back and she can't just stand here forever. She holds up a hand, putting it through the field first and besides a tingle, there's nothing out of the ordinary.

"Here we go," Shepard mutters and moves through the barrier, the tingle is more of a jolt that way but testing all her limbs she seems to be in one piece. She surveys the room and gives the ceiling a scowl. "Deadly lasers, just what I like to play with on my day off."

She crosses to the eye the laser, thrumming with energy and then turns to the cube in the corner. Unassuming or not, those are mirrors and light refracts. Shepard picks up the cube, testing it's weight and tilting it to inspect it properly then returns to laser.

Well this should be interesting.

Briefly considering whether her suit could withstand an actual laser she carefully sets the cube in front of it, the beam on one side disappearing as it's refracted back at where it came from. Well it doesn't short circuit when shot back at itself, though that wouldn't have exactly let her reach the door. The receptacle catches her eye, "What the hell."

It takes her a moment to figure out what way to tilt the cube to get the beam to cooperate and actually line up with said receptacle but she manages.

[iam_not_amoron]

     The reaction is almost instantaneous; once the beam hits the receptor, lighting up a small row of lights that go along the wall and trail to the floor. Slowly the floor just before the platform begins to rise in a convenient set of steps. They don't seem to be going anywhere any time soon, so long as the laser remains focused.

[shepard_cmdr]

She jumps in surprise at the rumbling, half crouching into an defensive position and narrows her eyes at the raised platform. Shepard eyes the cube and the laser again, then decides she doesn't really want to tempt fate.

That hadn't been particularly hard but she suspects there is a learning curve, as with any test and starts up the stairs for the door.

[iam_not_amoron]

     Once she gets up the stairs, the door slides open, leading to another dark corridor with yet another Grill. Beyond, another lift.

The automated voice chimes encouragingly. "Good work! Because of your rapid ability to solve this last test, we will immediately direct you to our more advanced testing chambers."

The elevator awaits! And on to the next chamber it will carry Shepard.

[shepard_cmdr]

Joy. Just what she wanted. She scowls again towards the ceiling and she steps again through the Emancipation Grill--that jolt can't possibly be healthy--down towards the elevator. Before she gets on it, she inspects the walls, not surprised when she doesn't see any obvious emergency exits or doors leading to the inner workings.

"Elevator it is," she mutters and steps inside.

[iam_not_amoron]

     And down, down the elevator takes her. When it opens up again, the platform looks completely identical to the one she'd initially been in. Up the steps and to the next chamber, which is considerably larger than the first.

Most of it also seems to be filled with water. It looks like water, anyway. Not the cleanest water, and it certainly doesn't smell very pleasant. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to take a swim in there. Besides, there doesn't seem to be any way to get out of the water, and the platforms are all raised some six or seven feet from the questionable liquid.

The door, as before, is on the other side of the chamber. The only places to stand on are the platform Shepard's exited onto, which is only about 6x8 feet, and where the doorway is on the other side of the room, directly across, probably measuring about the same size. Between the two places and surrounded by water is a much smaller platform, perhaps 1.5 feet in width and 3 feet in length. It has a strange, oval-shaped panel mounted onto it which takes up about all of the space, a glowing green light in its center. Further study reveals that the same sort of panel is also located at the edge of both larger platforms.

To the right of the entryway that Shepard will have exited from is a smaller button sitting atop a cylindrical pedestal, and to the left is a large red button on the floor. When stood upon, it triggers the door across to open. It closes immediately once the button is no longer depressed. Well that's annoying.