'The Cake is a Lie' Ch. II

II
Goodbye, My Only Friend. Oh, Did You Think I Meant You?

The room he entered was considerably larger than any that he had previously encountered, and, as he could have guessed from those encounters, was mostly white, excluding a red large red button on the floor, and a light grey exit door to the left of it. Before he took his first step into the chamber, a series of panels opened beneath his feet, creating a series of stairs leading down to the red button. He approached it slowly, and stepped on it, causing the computerized voice to chime in once again. "This is an Aperture Science Super-Colliding Super-Button. It is commonly used to open exit doors or do other tasks that will, hopefully, aid you in solving these kinds of remedial tasks." The exit door then opened, and stayed open after he walked off of the button. The test seemed almost too easy, but he took it that the difficulty would not remain constant. Taking the wonderfully non-difficult way out, he saw another elevator, and climbed in, awaiting the next test.
The next few rooms just introduced him to things such as the Aperture Science Weighted Storage Cube, which  glowed a faint light blue, and would be used to hold down buttons in future tests, the Aperture Material Emancipation Grill, an incandescent light blue particle field that destroyed any unauthorized equipment that passed through it (She emphasized this one, saying dangerously cold "Don't take anything with you…"). There were also the knee-high boots he was wearing, revealed to be the beta version of Aperture Damage-Decreasing Longfall Boots, which kept him from sustaining any physical damage from otherwise crushing drops, and Aperture Science Portable Sentry Turrets. These were easily the most dangerous of all of the equipment, as they were filled with a seemingly endless supply of ammo, and were laser-guided to detect any and all human activity. After almost getting shot in the leg twice, however, he discovered that simply knocking them over, which was a surprisingly easy task, deactivated them and made them much less threatening. In large groups, he found them absolutely terrifying, but a solitary turret here and there was actually quite adorable. Like a little puppy that could speak. And shoot lethal bullets at your skull.
After six warm-up tests, he finally reached a new sign, this one displaying "01/19" with a partially blackened progress bar, as well as a new graphic. This one showed a person hugging one of the storage cubes, except that this one had a little heart emblazoned in the center of all six sides. He found it quite odd that one would want to hug anything that heavy or metallic, but either way, he stepped through the door, not expecting the small grey room in which only two things resided. In the center, there was the storage cube with hearts embedded in it, except this one gave off a warmer aura, and shone with a subtle pink color. The left-hand corner of the room housed a large pipe sealed off by a closed metal aperture on the top. It seemed to be giving off an immense heat, for the room was many degrees warmer than any of the other testing chambers he had traveled through.
"That is an Aperture Science Weighted Companion Cube. Remember that it loves you. It is your only friend. Quickly get acquainted to it, and introduce yourself. Acquainted yet? Good. Now remember, no matter how much the Companion Cube may love and cherish you, we would like to remind you that it cannot talk. Even if it could, I wouldn't pay attention to anything it may or may not say. Thank you once again from Aperture Science." He found this little monologue especially odd, seeing as the last cube he came across required a much less profound introduction, and this one didn't seem any different, albeit the fact that it apparently loved him and that he found it much more manageable to carry. He carried the cube to the platform that held the great fiery pipe, using it as a kind of stepladder to get onto the island. He carried it back up from where he just was, and waited for the robotic woman to give him further instruction.
"This," she proclaimed as the pipe opened from the top, giving him a view of an immense burning pit beneath him, filled with melted and burnt scrap, illuminating the entire room with a sick, bright orange glow, "is the Aperture Science Companion Cube Euthanization Device. Please present your cube to be euthanized in order to complete the test." He looked at the cube, and attempted to lift it, but it suddenly became heavy in his arms. His conscience made him wonder about this, and whether or not it was really a smart idea to throw something, something that apparently had emotions, into a fiery  pit of death, where it would surely burn or melt, conglomerating with the burning mess below him. But, if it was the way to finish the test… He still didn't like it, but ultimately resigned to tossing his only friend deep into the fire, and he was almost positive that he heard it scream on its way down, too. He reached out solemnly with his shaking fist as the aperture sealed off the Euthanization Device, and banged it against the heated material, partially hating himself for what he had done. Maybe his sanity was just beginning to take a beating after all of these tests, he supposed, sitting down in his anguish and fatigue.
"Wow." She said in a slightly more accusatory tone. "You just tossed your only friend into a fiery hell pit of death. You monster. How could you? I was only kidding. All you had to do to finish the test was walk up to the exit door. If you and the Companion Cube were good enough friends, I might have even deactivated the Emancipation Grill so that you could take it to the next chamber. But you ruined it. I dohope you're happy." He grunted with absolute distaste at the woman. That was it, he had decided. She isn't human whatsoever. She is a cold-hearted, contemptuous, downright evil machine that was taking pleasure at his own physical and emotional pain. And she had to be stopped.
He went on, test after test, each being more difficult than the last, with some new challenge meant to assess his physical and mental abilities, his pain tolerance, and his sense of humor. Bash after bash about him being a murderer, having no family to call his own, and his weight and looks, slowly hardened him. He had to get finished with these tests and track her down. It just wasn't an option. No matter how many times he may fail, or whatever was spouted at him, it didn't matter. His only goal now was to take her down, or, in the most ideal case, find someone with which to collaborate, start some kind of revolutionary regime.
He finally reached chamber "19/19", and almost shouted with anticipation. This was it. This was where it all ended.