((OH man, I just read some of the backstory for Paragon City... from what I've read on the historical plaques in-game, I knew that Dr. Webb broke through the dimensional barrier in 1988. Well, with what I've just read, I'm sitting here going -Whew!- Yeah, Portal Corp started around 1984, and then the whole 1988 thing...turns out, Dr. Webb's wife had the company tied up in court until 1998. Ok, date is all cool. Damn this might actually be complicated! 
Anyway, more to follow.))
((OOC: This is the origin story of Dr. Mechan, my mechanized, robotics/force field mastermind. This story is by no means complete.
In the meantime, you can catch more action with Dr. Mechan in the Debunk((Open RP)) thread. I do need to add more to this story, because if you run over to the open RP, you'll be scratching your head! Update coming soon, hopefully either tomorrow or Tuesday, but I'm not making any promises!))
[u]Chapter One Voyages[u]
Graduation Night M.I.T
June 15th, 1999.
They looked at their son, a newly graduated doctor, of all things. He had walked off that stage, so proud, holding the doctorate in his hand as if it were an Olympic gold medal. They were happy for him, after all his hard work, all those late night study sessions. Not to mention the fact that he held down two jobs while achieving his dream. Finally, he had made it happen, and there he was now, walking towards them and the family car, ready to go home.
Elias Matthews strode towards his parents, very much relieved that it was finally over. They stood next to the car, waiting, smiles on their faces. Their eyes couldnt hide their relief, as he knew they didnt have to work so hard anymore. After achieving a doctorate from M.I.T in quantum mechanics, a whole new world had been opened to Elias. Just a few weeks before graduation, one of Elias many resumes had been picked up and looked over by the right person. He would be working at Portal Corps, a company based out of Paragon City, Rhode Island. It was the chance of a lifetime, one that he couldnt pass up for the world, and one that could change all their worlds. For now, though, he had time to spend with his family, and his friends time to catch up with his best friend, Doug, who had gone to community college, graduated, and was now working in civil service with a wife and a kid on the way.
The trip back home to Boston was, well, boring. His parents kept saying how proud they were, how excited they were for him about starting his new job. He kept reminding them that he was only just starting out, that he would have to work even harder to work up in the company, a better position just wasnt going to be handed to him. Still, no matter how boring the ride was, it was nice to be going home after all those years in college.
Finally. After Dad parked the car, Elias went in the house, and ran straight up to his room. The room was untouched, the mechanized models of his youthful imagination still littered the room, and one of them stood out from all the rest: His robot, which was actually running at the moment.
Bzzzt, hello, Elias, the tiny construct blipped out. Welcome home.
Hey! Shorty! Did I leave you turned on all these years? Elias asked the robot. Coulda swore I turned you off before I left. Did mom and dad take good care of you?
Beep, beep bzzzt, yes Elias. They took good care of me, the robot held up his arm, the piston raising the frame up for Elias to inspect. They shined me bzzzt bzzt up, and turned me back on before they left to pick you up.
Oh, hey, yeah they did a good job on that, Elias said, inspecting the shined up arm. I really need to give you a shell to protect all your parts, Shorty! See this smudge here? Youve been climbing on things again, havent you Shorty?
Breep, bzzzt yep, sure have, the electronic voice chirped out. Ya caught me, breep, bzzzt! Just wanted to get a good look out the window.
Well, ok then, Elias amusingly replied. Hey, I know, how bout I fix that little glitch in your vocal processors before I do anything else?
Beep! That would be great! the tiny robot almost seemed excited at this prospect.
Elias knelt down, dragging out his old toolkit from beneath his bed. Its amazing the rooms untouched,- he thought, as he dug through the toolkit, examining its contents. Surely his dad wouldve borrowed a tool or few while he had been gone, but amazingly, everything was still inside. He pulled out the ol soldering iron, and remembered the day he had completed Shorty
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The tiny robot buzzed to life, the gears whirring as it stood up from its hunched over, resting position. Its tiny arm raised up, the piston giving a slight hissing sound as it extended the arm up to offer the hand in greeting to Elias. Elias shook the robots hand, smiling as he did so.
Greetings, Elias, the mechanical being said. Activation complete.
Good, good, the young boy said. Now, follow me to the kitchen. I gotta show you to Mom!
Elias walked over to the door, opening it up. The robots legs thumped a little heavier on the ground then his feet did, but not enough to shake anything. The boy kept a slow, deliberate pace to the stairs, making sure the robot followed him. The newly created robot followed, its feet functioning just fine, although the pistons for his joints still let out slight hissing sounds (almost as if Elias had taken the closing pistons off several storm doors to use for the robot.) The boy walked down the stairs, one step at a time, still making sure the robot could follow him, which it did with flying colors. As the bot made it down the stairs, the boy took off full steam towards the kitchen, knowing his new creation would make it there just fine.
He barreled into the kitchen, hollering, Mom! Mom! HEY MOM! as he entered. You gotta see this!
Mrs. Helen Matthews stood in the kitchen, on the phone, when Elias bolted into the room. Elias! Cant you see Im on the phone? her voice was flustered as she responded to the child.
Elias was stopped dead in his tracks at this. Sorry Mom! he apologized to her, looking back to see how far the robot had come. He looked back into the kitchen after seeing the robot wasnt even halfway to the room, as she grabbed the sprayer at the sink and began washing some dishes.
Yeah, so you know, Elias just came running in here, nearly made me jump right out of my shoes, she said to the person at the other end of the phone. I dont know! He said something about looking at something. Maybe hes made a new gadget thatll do these dishes for me! Her statement put a thought into Elias head. Hey, I need to find something to waterproof EM-7 with! This thought then prompted Elias with, Hey, I need to give EM-7 a better name!
The boy had, by this time, walked into the kitchen, sitting on a stool at the island counter in the room. His mom kept chatting on the phone, not paying much attention to Elias.
Then, the tiny, mechanical construct of the boys imagination and mechanical skills walked into the room.
Greetings, Mrs. Matthews, the robot said, as it walked around the counter towards the woman at the sink. Oh, youre on the phone, excu .. before the robot could finish the sentence, Mrs. Matthews began screaming, finally hearing someone else in the room, thinking it may be an intruder. As she turned around to confront her imaginary attacker, sprayer still in hand, water from the sprayer hit the unprotected circuits of the robots speech and vocal processors, shorting out some of the pathways. [i]Bzzzt, beep, blip! Blip blip blip![i] came from the robot simultaneously with MOM! NOOOOO! Turn the water off, Mom! Elias yelled out at his mom.
Sorry, sorry! No, were all ok. I think. I need to let you go, Mrs. Matthews said. She quickly turned off the water as she hung up the phone. Oh sweetie! I am SOOO sorry, she said, looking over at her son, her eyes tearing up. I thought someone was sneaking up on me! her explanation did little to smooth things over with Elias.
Jeez, Mom, I worked very hard on EM-7 here! the boy nearly screamed out at his mom. He looked over the tiny robot, seeing that only the circuit boards for speech and voice seemed to be damaged. The boy began to calm down a little bit now. EM-7, respond, the boy commanded the robot.
Bzzzt, breep, blip blip EM-7 is breep blip functional Elias BZZT!
Ok, good, the boy sighed in relief. Mom, this is EM-7. See! Isnt it amazing! the boy smiled widely, his teeth clenched together tightly. I made a robot, Mom! Oh, and since I was just thinking about it, thanks Mom! I can give him a better name than EM-7!
Oh, really? his mom asked, a little bit puzzled. So, what is its new name? now she was smiling.
Well, when a circuit gets hit by water, it gets damaged! Well, EM-7 here, his new name is Shorty, because some of his circuits have been shorted out. EM-7, accept new designation: Shorty, the boy once again commanded the robot.
Breep, blip! Blip, blip Designation inputted, blip blip! Processing. Designation, breep, bleep! changed from: EM-7 to Shorty, brzzzzt, updating systems. Systems, blip blip, updated! Designation bleep, breep change successful!
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Elias put the soldering iron down, chuckling; the memory of his moms first encounter with Shorty was a bit amusing.