Interlude Will

Lukas insisted, pointing at the old-time photo on the wall. "She looks just like her." The photo was one of the replicas showing Aperture Cave's founder, Johnson, with his secretary by his side. These photos were less common than motivational posters or images showcasing Aperture's latest inventions but weren't exactly rare.

"She does not," Dustin countered, lifting the latest comic book issue by Trevor McGee. He waved a panel in the air, which was dominated by a drawing of a portrait on the wall.

Admittedly, there were similarities between the two women. But with one being a photograph and the other a comic book drawing of an art picture, it was hard to be certain. Dustin had a point too.

"I don't know. What do you think, Mike?" Will said looking at both.

"These photos are everywhere," Mike replied, gesturing towards the photo on the metal wall. "Maybe McGee just liked how she looked. I mean, doesn't she kinda look like a sinister magic user?"

"We don't know if she was actually sinister," Dustin argued. "This is a memorial. Caroline Makiri disappeared way before the story even began."

Lucas scoffed, "Given her family's history, she's probably as evil as fuck."

"She could have been perfectly nice for all we know," Dustin shot back, defending the idea.

"And if you really believe that, then I've got some happiness worms to sell you," Lucas retorted with a grin. "They are going to make a man out of you."

Will felt it over his friends' bickering—a tension in the air, like the heavy stillness before a storm. "El is coming, and she's really upset. Something happened. Something bad."

"El?" Mike's expression was a mix of joy and concern. Will didn't need any psychic powers to read Mike; his face was an open book. Now even more so than when they were younger. "What's wrong? Where is she?"

"Here."

Soon, she was marching down the hall. Will could almost see the burning cracks spreading from her every step, shadows writhing and lights flickering. It wasn't real, just how his mind coped with the extra senses, portraying Eleven burning psychic energy like a raging bonfire. The training helped him separate reality from his visions and interpret his insights more accurately.

"Mike!" El's voice cracked with urgency as she spotted them. She ran to Mike, and without hesitation, threw herself into his arms. Mike caught her in a tight embrace. "Andrew is gone!"

Andrew, her long-lost biological father who had reappeared under the most extraordinary circumstances. Allegedly, he had been abducted by aliens during the Vietnam War. It sounded unbelievable, yet Will couldn't dismiss it outright—not with his own experiences.

El was still hesitant to call him "Dad," despite the man having moved in with her and her mom.

"Gone?" Mike's concern was palpable as he echoed her words, wrapping her in a comforting embrace. "Are you sure?"

"I can find people in Russia. But I can't sense him anywhere," El confessed, her frustration evident.

"What about GLaDOS? Have you asked her? There's no place in the Enrichment Centre she isn't watching," Dustin chimed in, suggesting a technological solution.

Will thought being constantly watched was a bit creepy, but he was getting used to it. Besides, it meant that no monster could sneak up on them unnoticed.

"Of course, I asked. I'm not stupid," El countered, her tone a mix of irritation and worry. "Something disrupted the cameras, and also hid from her. She sounded very disturbed about it—for a robot."

"It has to be aliens," Dustin declared with a mix of earnestness and an almost excited speculation. Will and the others exchanged looks of disbelief. "What? They've abducted him before. He's not on Earth. And who else could sneak past GLaDOS?"

"What can I do?" El's voice was tinged with desperation, her eyes wide and searching. Despite her small and lost appearance, Will could sense the tumult of power beneath her calm exterior. El's strength was usually reassuring, but at that moment, she seemed like a firework ready to ignite at any provocation.

"We'll think of something," Mike said, trying to offer comfort.

"What?" El's response was sharp, almost a growl, her patience frayed at the edges.

"We could ask Damien," Will suggested impulsively.

"Two?" El's eyebrows knit together while Mike simultaneously shouted, "No way. He's a total jerk."

"He not that bad," Will defended his suggestion. Damien was rude, harsh taskmaster, and had a serious grudge against El, but…

"You're just saying that 'cause you think he's hot," Mike shot back, giving Will a sharp look. "Remember, when he warned you about peeking where you shouldn't, saying he'd yank your pants down and give you a bare-ass spanking right there in public? That's a threat, dude, not flirting."

Will's cheeks flamed with embarrassment. Mike had no business bringing that up. Besides, Damian was just trying to motivate him, for his own good. There were dangers in recklessly seeing the truth.

"Oh, is Will the naughty boy who likes getting spanked?" Lucas teased, grinning like a cat that snagged the canary. "Wonder what poor Zach would think."

"Maybe he'd 3-D print a paddle?" Dustin joined in, his laughter mixing with Lucas's, unable to resist the tease.

Will couldn't help but find the irony in the situation. The very event that had brought Lucas and Dustin closer together was Lucas's decision to join the basketball team. One might assume such a stereotypically jock pursuit would hold no appeal for a certified mega-nerd like Dustin. Yet, here in Aperture, the motto "Better living through science" wasn't just a catchy slogan on notoriously motivational posters; it was a way of life. So, even basketball was cut apart, analysed down to numbers through a process as mysterious as alchemy to Will, all to enhance team performance. That scientific approach to sports had piqued Dustin's interest, the budding scientist.

Usually, Will was glad to see them grow closer rather than drift apart, except in moments like these when they teamed up to tease him.

"Enough! We don't have time for this. Two? Why?" Eleven interjected sharply. Her frustration made her revert to the terse, clipped speech Will remembered from when they first met. And she was clearly upset now. Will could practically see the storm brewing beneath her surface.

"Well, do you remember how Andrew described the aliens?" Will turned to El.

"Tall. Fair. Graceful," El replied succinctly.

"Ah, so like Elves?" Dustin couldn't help but interject.

Will smiled, sensing their understanding dawning. "And who do we know that looks like an Elf? Even has a name like an Elf."

"Rin," Lucas said.

Turning to Mike with a gotcha look, Will pressed, "And what's Damien always calling Rin?"

"Master Rin," Mike grumbled, knowing where this was going. "Great, but getting anything outta that dude is like squeezing blood from a stone."

"I crush rocks with my mind," El growled, her frustration palpable.

The problem was, so could Damien. But before Will could propose a plan, El's expression went blank, her focus inward. "And she's gone," Will announced to the others, signalling that while her body remained, her mind had swiftly flown to wherever Damien was.

"Think this'll actually work?" Lukas inquired, scepticism laced in his voice.

"Heading in solo, without a strategy…" Will murmured, "It's a long shot, like hoping for a natural twenty in a diplomacy check."

"But it was your plan," Mike pointed out to Will.

"Sure, the plan was solid. It's just the execution that's shaky," Will countered, not entirely convinced himself.

Will felt her presence—or more precisely, her mind—racing back, though not in a conventional manner like up, down, left or right. "Sideways" was the closest term he could muster. She re-entered her physical form with the force of a meteor. "And she's back."

El staggered, a trickle of blood flowing from her nose. She had pushed herself too hard. Merely projecting to Damien shouldn't have taxed her so; El was more skilled than this.

"Did you find him?" Mike asked, pulling out a tissue and gently wiping her nose.

"Yes," she replied, steadying herself.

"What did he say?" Dustin chimed in, concern evident in his voice.

"He's busy," El answered with a hint of frustration. "And he doesn't want to talk to me."

"So that's it then? We just try something else?" Mike suggested, looking for alternatives.

"No. We're going to see him in person," El declared and Will winced. It was like watching a car crash, only the one he was responsible for.

"Where is he?" Lukas asked.

"Upside-Down."

"What is he doing here?" Mike asked.

"How did he get there?" Lukas asked at the same time.

"Better question," Dusting chipped in, "How are we going to get there?"

"Shortcut," El replied.

"You know a shortcut to the Upside-Down?" Will asked, his voice barely above a whisper, the very thought sending chills down his spine. The prospect of returning there filled him with dread, regretting ever suggesting the idea.

"I'm going to make one," El announced, raising her hand towards the metal wall, determination written all over her face.

"I am obliged to issue this warning. Wormhole creation is restricted to certified laboratories," the robotic voice of GLaDOS intoned. "Although I personally find your experiment intriguing, per company policy, I must inform you that you are in violation of said policies. This could result in damages, casualties, and disciplinary actions."

Will felt a guilty relief at this intervention. He wanted to support his friends, yet the thought of returning to the Upside-Down sent shivers down his spine.

"You can't stop me," El growled, her determination palpable. The wall before them tore apart, revealing a pulsating, fleshy membrane that seemed to throb grotesquely. Will involuntarily stepped back.

"That is factually true," GLaDOS responded, her tone unchanging. "However, I must note your belligerence and inform you that I have dispatched a security team to apprehend you. Please remain here. Further belligerence will increase the severity of disciplinary actions."

But El didn't hesitate. Grasping Mike's hand, she propelled them both through the membrane. Dustin and Lucas were quick to follow, Lucas with a disgusted grunt, and Dustin pausing briefly to scrutinize the membrane with a mix of curiosity and apprehension before stepping through.

Will found himself alone, the silence around him heavy. For a moment, he considered staying behind, but the thought was fleeting. He wasn't about to let fear dictate his actions—not when his friends needed him. With a resolute step, he approached the quivering membrane and pushed through. The sensation was slimy and unpleasant, a stark reminder of the ordeal ahead, yet fortunately brief.

The air of the Upside-Down greeted him with its all-too-familiar scent of ash, ozone, and rot.

"Are you sure we're in the right place?" Lucas quipped, glancing around the desolate landscape. "You didn't take a left turn at Albuquerque and land us in Mordor, did you?"

"No, this is the place. I remember it," Will assured him, though his confidence wavered as he took in the surroundings. Everything was shrouded in alien tendrils and vines, a more overgrown version of the Upside-Down than he remembered.

"I don't remember Barad-dûr being in the Upside-Down!" Dustin exclaimed, pointing towards the horizon.

"What are you talking about?" Will asked, following Dustin's gaze. And then he saw it—a black tower rising ominously towards the dark clouds, crowned with crimson lightning.

It resembled Barad-dûr, yet it was unmistakably modern in its architecture—like a skyscraper forged from some dark, black material that twisted light into sinister rainbow patterns. Rainbows had never looked so menacing.

"That's also new," Will whispered, his voice a ghost of itself, his gaze locked on the epic sight before them. Absorbed in the spectacle, he nearly jumped out of his skin when a vine brushed against his ankle. Stumbling backward, he heard a crunch underfoot. Looking down in horror, he realized he had stepped on a small animal skull, perhaps that of a rabbit.

Will's heartbeat thundered in his ears, a rapid drumroll echoing his escalating fear.

"I don't want to be bothered is not some cryptic invitation for a visit, especially while I'm working," Damien's voice sliced through the thick air, cutting through Will's burgeoning panic. Though Damien sounded irritated, his presence was unmistakable. "You've become quite the spoiled princess, haven't you? Just because you didn't get what you wanted doesn't give you the right to throw temper tantrums and shatter reality."

Will shifted his focus to the source of the voice, and there Damien stood. Tall and strikingly handsome, he had pale blond hair that seemed to catch the dim light of the Upside-Down, and eyes like chips of ice. The scowl that marred most faces only accentuated the chiselled beauty of Damien's features. He was clad similarly to them, in an Aperture-style skin-tight jumpsuit that left little to the imagination about his well-defined, gymnast-like muscles. Around his neck, a new pet snake slithered, a replacement for the one Brenner had cruelly incinerated. This snake was totally eyeless, like something straight out of a comic book—was it a mutant, or maybe some kind of exotic creature? Will couldn't help but wonder, his mind racing with possibilities. But he knew better than to expect an answer; Damien was famously tight-lipped about such mysteries.

"Work?" Mike confronted Damien, stepping protectively in front of El. But she gently pushed him aside, her determination clear. Mike's protectiveness often made him aggressive, a trait Will admired in his best friend, though he recognized that now was not the moment for it. "What kind of work are you doing in this godforsaken place?"

"Forsaken by which god? Certainly not mine. Behold my Garden. Is it not glorious?" Damien spread his arms wide, and the vines around them seemed to stir and reach out as if acknowledging his command.

Dustin, watching Damien's commanding presence among the vines, couldn't resist invoking his vast reservoir of geeky lore. "This whole scene reminds me of the Mouth of Sauron. You're giving off major 'more dreadful than any orc, herald of the Black Tower, and cloaked in sorcery and shadow' vibes, Damien. So, what's next? You gonna start negotiating on behalf of your dark lord?"

"Why should I bother negotiating? You're the ones who've trespassed into a forbidden area, interrupting my crucial work," Damien retorted, the irritation clear in his voice. The movement of his snake seemed to mirror his annoyance. "Come on, then. We're going back to the Enrichment Centre, and then we'll discuss your punishment."

"No," El firmly stated, releasing Mike's hand to defiantly place her arms in front of her. "I'm not going anywhere until you answer my questions."

"It's cute that you think you have a choice," Damien taunted, his gaze fixed on El with a mix of amusement and disdain.

"I won't open the way back. Not until you answer my questions. About the aliens," El shot back, her resolve unwavering.

"I don't want you opening another unsanctioned portal. In fact, I forbid it. You've caused enough damage already," Damien retorted sharply. His attention then shifted slightly, a sly grin forming as he turned to Dustin. "Rejoice, for you'll get to see the Black Tower," he gestured towards the menacing skyscraper looming in the distance, "from the inside."

"She challenges you!" Mike burst out, stepping forward with an unexpected boldness.

Damien laughed, the sound echoing eerily around them. "What is this, a comic book? You expect me to accept a challenge like some duel? Is that like getting caught stealing and challenging the officer to a duel?"

"Are you scared?" Lucas taunted, a mischievous glint in his eye. He began to make clucking noises, and Dustin quickly joined in, their teasing filling the air. Will, though amused, couldn't bring himself to participate.

"You're really looking to start a fight?" Damien's amusement seemed to wane as he addressed El. "Even if we were to fight, it wouldn't exempt you from punishment. That's beyond my control."

"Win or lose, we'll come with you peacefully," El negotiated, her stance firm. "But if you lose, you'll answer my questions."

"Some of them," Damien conceded, his expression hardening. "There are secrets I'm not at liberty to divulge."

"Take it or leave it," El pressed, her determination unwavering as she locked eyes with Damien.

"Then I leave it," Damien responded coolly. "Will you come willingly, or must I resort to force?"

"What?" The word erupted from all of them, including Will, their voices blending in a chorus of disbelief.

"There are things more important than pride," Damien continued, his tone firm yet impassive. "So, my original conditions stand. As you so eloquently put it, brat, take it or leave it."

"We take it!" Mike shouted. El looked at him in disbelief, but Mike just smiled and said, "Trust me!"

Will instantly knew Mike had a plan, but something about it made him uneasy.

"Let's have a Push competition, for old time's sake," Damien suggested. Will's stomach knotted up at the idea. The Push was a sort of game they used to play, coming from the creepy experiments back at Brenner's lab. In it, two people with psychic powers stand facing each other, trying to make the other step back without touching them. It sounds easy, but it's really hard. You have to push with your mind while also making sure you don't get pushed back, kind of like a tug-of-war in your head. It's all about how strong, skilled, and stubborn you are.

As El and Damien stood ready to face off, Mike sneaked over to Will. They looked like characters out of an old cowboy movie, except instead of guns, they were pointing their hands at each other.

Even though there wasn't anything to see, Will could feel something happening. Damien was sending out creepy, vine-like energy, while El pushed back with a force that felt like an invisible wall.

Mike leaned in and whispered, "While he's busy with El, you gotta sneak a peek into his head. He's not just gonna tell us what we need, so we gotta grab it ourselves."

"I can't," Will whispered back, feeling nervous. Peeking into Damien's mind felt like trying to climb a super-high wall covered in slippery stuff. With boiling tar waiting on top.

"But his mind will be all tangled up with El's," Mike whispered, trying to boost Will's courage. "You can do it. I believe in you."

"Isn't that kinda like cheating?" Will hesitated, not sure what to do. He didn't want to let Mike down, but this felt wrong.

"El needs this," Mike whispered, trying to convince Will.

"If I get spanked for this, it's on you," Will shot back, thinking about Damien's threat.

"I'll kiss it better," Mike blurted out, and then both of them turned bright red.

Will knew Mike didn't really mean it that way. Yet, a small, treacherous part of him couldn't help but hope. He was torn, hating that he felt this way, yet secretly, there was a part of him that liked it.

Pushing those thoughts aside, he focused on the conflict at hand. He imagined holding a brush, ready to paint. Once, he would have needed actual paper and brush to do this, but he had learned to create with his thoughts alone.

In his mind, he began to paint, starting slowly but quickly gaining speed.

For Will, painting was more than just colours and shapes on a surface. His paintings revealed the inner truth, shining a light on what was hidden beneath. It wasn't exactly like reading minds, but it was an exceptional way to uncover secrets.

Caught in his imaginative painting, Will was only dimly aware of El and Damien's mental struggle. Stroke by stroke, the image in his mind sharpened: a white circle that, as details emerged, revealed itself to be a ring crafted from a material far too lustrous to be mere silver.

If Will had ever imagined painting mithril, this was precisely how he would depict it.

Atop the ring, a glistening ruby sat, captivating and ominous. Within its depths, the shadow of a spider lurked, filling Will with an inexplicable sense of dread.

This wasn't what Will was searching for. There were no hints about the aliens here, nor did it seem to relate to Damien.

Will attempted to sever the connection, but the imagined painting felt more tangible than reality itself.

Time seemed to halt; his friends and even Damien were suspended as if caught in amber.

Will tried to step back, to look away, but his body refused to respond.

The ring's allure was overpowering, significant in a way he couldn't understand.

Though his body remained motionless, Will felt himself being drawn irresistibly toward the ruby, as if gravity itself had shifted. He was both stationary and plummeting into the jewel's sinister depths, travelling without moving.

Blinking, Will found himself sprawled on a hard, red surface. No, not just any surface. Ruby. He was within the gem.

Looking up, he saw an amorphous shadow in the centre, resembling a spider, moving and shifting. But as he watched, the shadow clarified into a figure that could be Mike's twin, only more perfect, and naked except for the numerous chains that completely bound him. These chains, made of a cruel iron and inscribed with letters Will couldn't recognize, were secured with seven great padlocks, each shaped like angels.

Will knew this figure all too well; it was the incubus from before, the demon Brenner made Will summon. And it kinda helped Will figure out he liked guys, in a really weird way. There's nothing like a demon that looks like your best friend to make things clear for you.

"Stay away," Will said, trying to back off. His heart raced.

"Oh, sweet Will," the incubus spoke, sounding like Mike but smoother and somehow more inviting, making Will feel all weird inside. "You have nothing to fear from me. I am securely bound."

"It's a trick," Will replied, his voice shaky. His hands were sweating, so he wiped them on his pants.

"No tricks, sweet Will. I'm completely at your mercy," the incubus said, shifting in its chains to a pose that seemed to invite... something. What exactly, Will couldn't say. "If you're angry, you could strike me," it suggested, moving in a way that somehow suggested an openness. "If you wish to touch, I can't stop you."

Will gulped, trying to muster all the firmness he could. "What do you want?" he asked, his voice barely hiding his apprehension.

"What I always want - to help," the incubus responded, its tone sincere.

"You tried to kill me."

"But you wouldn't have stayed dead," the incubus continued smoothly. "I would have helped you become something... extraordinary. That future is lost now. Still, as a child touched by regret, I can share it with you. Come, see."

Suddenly, Will felt as if he were in a dream, but not himself—he was something else entirely.

He envisioned a nightmare, a walking corpse disintegrating, painting in a room made of dark metal, resembling the innards of a monstrous beast.

He held an ancient-looking brush in what seemed like skeletal hands, painting the demise of civilizations.

These weren't just images; they were possible futures. His painting was an observation that, in this dream, Will understood could collapse possibilities into a single, inescapable outcome—even if the real Will didn't grasp it.

Among the stars, few knew of him. But to some, he was known.

Not entirely invisible, whispers of his name echoed in shadowed corners among countless alien races.

Doom Painter.

The One Who Sees The End.

The Judge of Ages.

The Turner of Cycles.

Some worshiped him, others despised him. Yet, to this version of Will, such opinions mattered little.

With every brushstroke, he brought alien civilizations to their end, guiding them toward an inevitable salvation.

Each stroke was both damnation and redemption, preserving the old while making way for the new.

He wasn't alone; he had allies, equally committed to this cause—it was theirs before it was his.

Together, they would save the universe, as often as necessary, without seeking recognition or gratitude.

That was what defined a true hero.

Like snapping out of a trance, Will found himself back in the ruby chamber, face-to-face with the incubus.

"What the heck!" Will exclaimed, surprising even himself. He usually thought swearing was crass and lacked imagination, but this moment warranted it.

Reading about situations worse than death in books or comics was one thing, realizing he had narrowly escaped such a fate was entirely another.

But as he tried to remember more of it, the details slipped away like a fading dream, leaving behind only incomprehensible, broken pieces of a nightmare.

"Was it not glorious?" the incubus pressed, its voice unsettlingly calm.

"Glorious? How is becoming a world-destroying lich glorious? It's literally a fate worse than death," Will countered, frustration lacing his voice.

"No fate is worse than death. No matter how painful, no matter how disgusting. Everything that lives fears death. And that fear... that is good," the incubus argued, a chilling logic in its tone.

"Why did you bring me here?" Will asked, eager to shift the conversation away from the haunting nightmare that lingered at the back of his mind. He was determined to treat it as just that—a nightmare, something to be ignored until it faded away.

"I did not. You came here on your own," the incubus claimed, its voice smooth.

"Don't lie," Will insisted, feeling a mix of anger and confusion.

"I never lie to you, sweet Will," the incubus responded, a note of sincerity in its tone that Will found hard to trust.

"Everything about you is a lie. Even your face," Will shot back, his distrust of the incubus deepening. The ease with which it wore Mike's appearance only added layers to the deception, making it difficult for Will to separate the truth from the lies woven by the creature before him.

"But it was you who gave me this face, your desires. I am merely a reflection of what you want me to be," the incubus countered, its explanation twisting around Will's accusations.

"If you didn't bring me here, then how did I end up in this place?"

"We share a bond. Events have been undone. And so, I have neither taken your virginity nor killed you afterward. But even if that history has been made unreal, the bond we share transcends such details."

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you remember? After you were rescued from the Upside Down, you fell ill. Do you remember your dreams from that time?"

"No. That was years ago. Who remembers a dream from years ago?"

"You were dying because, in a way, you were already dead. The parasitic, false history was overshadowing the real one."

"You did that?"

"Yes, and no. It was part of my transformation into what I am now. My legend, so to speak. And we are bound. Otherwise, you would never have found your way here, to my prison. Not, it past protection Rin wove around my prison."

"Rin!" Will suddenly remembered the real reason behind his quest. "Tell me about him."

"What would you like to know, sweet Will?" the incubus asked, a hint of curiosity in its voice.

"Everything."

"I would love to, truly. But Rin is as wise as he is merciless. The secrets he keeps are bound by the chains he himself has forged." As the incubus opened its mouth to say more, new chains sprung from the seven padlocks, wrapping around its mouth like an oversized gag. The incubus relaxed, and the chains tightened. "See?"

"Will you promise to answer my questions and not harm me if I free you?" Will asked, a part of him already knowing the answer.

"I cannot. I am forbidden to bargain for my freedom or to directly ask for it. Such are the conditions of my binding."

Will hesitated. Freeing a demon felt like a terrible decision. Yet, Mike was counting on him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Damien's voice echoed in the small ruby chamber. Will turned and saw Damien had appeared, his attire strangely archaic, adorned with golden braces and a belt, his shoulders covered in ornate, organic-looking pauldrons. His chest was bare.

Rage was etched on Damien's striking face, his blond hair seemingly floating in an unseen breeze. From beneath him, several tentacles emerged, writhing with his anger.

Will stepped back, having never seen Damien this furious.

"My despised master," the incubus addressed Damien with a mixture of defiance and resignation.

"Silence," Damien commanded, and the incubus's speech was once again stifled by the chains. A violent current coursed through the chains emanating from the angel-shaped padlocks, causing the incubus to twist in a silent, yet somehow sensuous, display of agony.

Damien then turned to Will, his eyes blazing. "I'll deal with you next. For now, get out!"

With a gesture, he flung Will back, propelling him through the ruby wall and back into his body with a force that yanked Will backwards until he landed in a mound of tentacles. Swiftly, the vines twisted around his body, immobilizing him.

Looking up, Will realized he wasn't alone in his predicament. All his friends, even El, were ensnared by tentacles, suspended in mid-air and dancing to Damien's command.

"Cheater!" El yelled at Damien.

"You cheated first," Damien shot back.

"I did not," El argued.

"Really? Then what do you call Will snooping where he shouldn't?" Damien countered.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," El retorted, her voice firm.

"Was this worth getting your friend killed?" Damien accused, his gaze piercing.

At this, Mike winced—a reaction unfortunately noticed by both El and Damien.

"Mike!" El exclaimed, a mixture of surprise and betrayal in her voice.

"I should have known. Again, you place your trust where you shouldn't," Damien said, his disappointment evident. "Now, what should I do with you, Will? I did make certain promises, but they seem insufficient in the face of your foolishness."

"Punish me," Mike insisted, taking the blame. "I made him do it."

"Do you think your friends are mere puppets, moved by your will?" Damien mocked. "What a lofty view you have of them. Perhaps I should use you as fertilizer instead. My garden could benefit."

The vines tightened threateningly around Will, making him fear the worst. While Damien seemed ready to punish them, Will hoped it wouldn't lead to anything irreversible. Damien was angry, but surely not that far gone.

"This is disgusting," a new, familiar voice interjected from the direction they had come. Relief washed over Will at the sound of Steve's voice.

"You know this is a forbidden area, not a public road," Damien retorted. "What are you doing here, Harrington?"

"GlaDOS sent me for the kids. They broke the rules."

"And broke even more rules. But how did you get here? Did you drag heavy equipment to reopen the portal? There was no need; I would have brought them back. Eventually."

"What? No. The portal's still open."

"Now that's interesting."