Chapter Text
Mel was running almost all her life, and not only because she was an olympian. She also was running to save herself, just like she did right there, right now. She was being chased by.... something. She didn't know what it exactly was, but it was making a lot of noise when chasing her.
It sounded like it had four four or more limbs, which sent shivers down her spine. She was running and running. She started to feel exhausted by the constant running.
Mel wasn't aware about the road right in front of her, blinded by the fear.
She realized one thing far too late.
That there's a hole in the floor.
And she just lost contact with floor behind her.
And that she was not falling down into great unknown.
She closed her eyes, but quickly flipped her body in the air to not fall onto her face.
And she was falling… and falling… and falling…
Until she hit something soft. Quite bouncy too. Before she came back to her senses she heard some footsteps. Someone was running to her. The sound was joined by sound of metal hitting the floor.
- Mel? - the familiar voice asked right after the running sound stopped.
Mel opened her eyes only to see a ginger haired guy with vibrant orange eyes staring at her in concern. It was Virgil.
- Mel, are you alright? - he asked while crouching right next to her.
Mel just waved to him and kinda sat up, but still propping herself with her hands. She then gestured to the thing she was previously lying on.
- That's just some old inflatable mattress which someone decided to fill with repulsion gel mixed with conversion gel - Virgil explained - I'm not quite sure why they did that but they did -
Mel pulled slightly closer to Virgil to take a closer look at him.
He didn't change at all since they first met, maybe with exception of few more gray hairs caused by stress and few oil smears on his face.
And looking pretty tired.
Why he looks so tired, Mel wondered to herself.
- Mel, are you okay? - sudden question took Mel out of thoughtfulness. She nodded.
Virgil carefully grabbed her by her arm and helped her stand up. Then he started leading her somewhere. He was still holding her in a way it didn't allowed her to fall down.
- I got several questions to you after we'll get there - he said.
Mel looked at him with confusion and curiosity. Where is he bringing her? He then noticed slight smile on his lips. It wasn't a evil or anything like that smile. Just a small genuine smile.
Suddenly they entered a quite lightly lit room filled with both mechanical parts, tools and other stuff. The lighting was quite yellow instead of usual white seen in rest of Aperture.
Virgil looked at Mel.
- Welcome to my workshop, Mel - he said proudly.
Mel took a look around. The room was quite messy, with probably unfinished project on a table, but it was also quite cozy.
Then Mel noticed a bed tucked away in a corner of this place. It was pretty unkempt, alongside of torn bedding and blankets.
She then noticed that the tiredness is coming back on. She took her hand out of Virgil's grip and started heading towards that bed.
- Oh right, the bed - Virgil suddenly realized.
- I'm sorry about the look of this place, I didn't expect that you would visit me - he added in quite apologetic voice.
Mel didn't react to any of that, instead she just make herself fall onto the bed face first.
She heard Virgil walking up to her.
- If you are planning on sleeping, perhaps do it the right way - he slightly raised part of a blanket which was underneath Mel.
She groaned but changed her position to be laying on her side instead meanwhile Virgil took the blanket from underneath her and covered her with it.
It didn't took long for Mel to fall asleep. That was how tired she was.
Virgil wondered how one could fall asleep that quickly. Like, how one doesn't lay in bed for hours before falling asleep, through Virgil felt a strong urge to lay down next to Mel and curl up next to her and try to sleep.
He previously kept telling himself that it's normal for COREs, but he talked to few and they told him they never heard of anyone having that issue.
And apparently humans also have didn't have that issue either.
What was wrong with him then?
It might be stress. It must be stress then.
Virgil looked at work on his table. There was quite a lot of unfinished projects he started. He didn't even have time for himself.
As he was about to walk up to his desk he heard something.
Like a voice.
- Huh? - he was confused.
- Virgil - the voice spoke in very deep voice, with quite unrecognizable accent.
Virgil never heard this voice before. Also it was talking to him through his wifi so there was no way of finding the direction the voice came from.
- Who are you? - Virgil said quietly.
- I have a deal for you - the voice ignored his question.
- What is it? - Virgil was trying to stay quiet with his voice but he was barely capable of not letting his nervousness take control over him.
- Give me Mel and you'll get as much food as possible and peaceful rest - the voice sounded mischievous while saying it.
- Never! - Virgil nearly instantly replied. Realizing he might be too loud he glanced over to Mel, but she was still sleeping.
- Oh what a shame - Voice added a fake pity to it's voice.
Virgil started heading towards the exit of his workshop.
- It would be shame if something had happened to you... - The voice started again. Virgil glanced around trying to find what was talking to him.
- You haven't eaten or slept in weeks, Virgil - Voice added - You are not going to last a long time like this -
The voice was right about that. Virgil suddenly realized that he had started neglecting himself in the ocean of work.
- You're not going to have her - Virgil whispered.
- You better flee now, my little Virgil friend - the voice once again started sounding mischievous. - Or your second leg might end up crushed by some random debris again -
Virgil grimaced at the last thing Voice mentioned. It was something Virgil wanted to forget, to erase from his mind.
He despised every everything the memory bringt him, like the pain he felt, how bloodied his hands were after he eventually had to free himself, and having to wait for someone to help him.
He looked down at his right leg. It was made out of steel, or whatever the weighted cubes were made out of. It was a pretty good replacement for the real one, but it still felt lacking.
He got taken out of thoughtfulness when the voice started laughing.
But the laughing no longer came from the wifi line.
Whatever it was, it was near.
He quickly ran up to Mel and started to try to wake her up.
Mel opened one eye to see Virgil leaning right above her. She didn't feel fully rested, but Virgil's face expression told her that there's some urgency.
- Quick - Virgil told her. Mel could hear that he's quite scared by something, so she sat up and with his help she stood up.
- We need to get out of here, it's not safe - Virgil rushed her.
Mel suddenly started running towards exit on the opposite side of the one they entered through. Virgil started running after her few minutes after.
They ran for some time until Mel realized that Virgil can't catch up to her, despite how hard he might try. So she decided to slow down. She had to slow down quite a lot for Virgil to be able to catch up to her. They weren't even running for that long and he was already out of breath.
- I'm not... used to running... - Virgil managed to say, noticing Mel's gaze.
Mel then noticed a small gap in the wall on their left and she pointed to it and looked at Virgil, which only managed to nod. Mel grabbed him by his left arm and they both started running there, although Virgil had issues keeping the pace.
Then they finally managed to get to gap. Meanwhile Mel fully ran into it, Virgil stayed right at the opening, whilst leaning against the wall.
Sudden wave of dizziness took over for few seconds. Virgil kept holding on one the wall to not fall over. The lack of sleep and food was getting up to him.
He slided down the wall to sit down while still trying to catch his breath. He looked slightly outside of the gap they were in to see if anyone or anything is coming.
He suddenly felt slight pulling on his hair, which were up in a ponytail. He looked to his left just to see Mel holding it.
- Mel - Virgil said - I don't think this is a right moment for this -
Mel looked away with kinda apologetic face, but she still moved herself closer to him, touching his left arm with her right arm. She would hug him, but she wasn't sure if he would take that well. Maybe she could ask him later.
- Alright, we really need to figure something out - Virgil whispered to her.
Mel put her hand on his shoulder, which made him flinch. He looked at her again, giving her a slight smile.
- We probably should keep on going - he said after few minutes.
Mel nodded. She didn't exactly wanted to keep on running, but there was no other choice.