Caroline’s Dangers at Work (Portal 2)

“Okay, this next test involves some dinosaur DNA we found in amber. A few of you may remember the last time we decided to mess around with gene-splicing. Rest assured we will not have another ‘Mantis-Men’ case on our hands. Lab boys advised me to go with something much safer like clams. It might grow some teeth and a thirst for mammalian blood but they’ve guaranteed me that they won’t grow legs. And if all of this does somehow result in a clam-osaurus related catastrophe, I’m going to take this time to remind you that we still have the bunkers. The canned beans and beef jerky will easily last us a good forty years.”

The man signaled her to switch off the recorder.

“How was that, Caroline?” The man asked.

The woman played the message back. His voice was perfect: smooth most of the time but had a little crunch on some of his words. It was always energetic and proud. It was a voice she wanted to listen to forever. She could write pages on his voice alone. His hair would take up a full chapter and his brain could fill ten novels. Of course, being a professional, she needed to be concise.

She gave her boss a bright smile. Doing her best not to blush, she said, “Sounds great, Mr. Johnson!”

“Fantastic!” The man clapped his hands together and stood out of his cheer. “What’s next on the list?”

While she had already memorized the schedule, Caroline checked it one last time and read aloud, “You have a meeting with Dr. Bennett and team Theta about their newest experiments in about five minutes. You’ve set your own appointment to look over the manufacturing of Testing Sphere 9 in an hour. And, finally, you’ve got a lunch break.”

“Man, I just can’t wait for that slice of ham!” Mr. Johnson declared as he stretched his limbs.

“I could bring you a plate to you right now if you want,” his secretary offered. Plans and meetings were important but his needs were her top priority.

“Eh, don’t stress over it,” he sighed, “I want to have lunch with you.”

Caroline knew she was smiling brighter than she should, “That means a lot to me, Sir!” The secretary studied the reaction of her boss. His eyebrows wiggled and his grin became bigger. There was an idea in his head. Mr. Johnson walked up to her, skirting along the carpet. He commented, “You know, holidays are around the corner? You want a bonus or something? Fancy dinner, maybe? Tickets for a ball game?”

It was June. He was a terrible liar. She chuckled a bit with her response, “No, thank you, Sir. I’m quite fine.”

“Oh, come on!” Mr. Johnson grabbed her hand. “There’s gotta be something you want that you can leech off of a billionaire like me! What do you want?”

She didn’t answer. There wasn’t anything more important in her mind than the facility. There was nothing more important than him. Caroline could feel blood rushing to her face. She wanted to leap out of her chair, squeeze him, riddle him with kisses and go have their lunch hours ahead of schedule.

Instead, she looked down at her desk. There were piles of checks that were going to be sent out to various charities and a small amount of paperwork for whichever astronaut, war hero or olympian was going to be declared ‘missing’ this week. Aperture Science Innovators was a business, a business made to forward technology and humanity. Making a profit was usually twelve steps down the priority chart. Their only means of earning grants was to have a successful product which meant that the center was constantly flooded with new ideas. New ideas meant more tests and more work for the two of them. It was their circle of productivity. Having any kind of relationship outside could jeopardise the entire system.

“Caroline, are you okay?” His voice wavered a little.

There was a knock on the door. Somebody from the other side called out, “Mr. Johnson, we’re sorry but it’s been five minutes. Should we wait some more?”

Caroline pulled away from her boss, “Sir, we should get back to work. Thank you for the offer but I’m happy at my job.” She smiled and added, “With you.”

The face of her boss immediately brightened. He exclaimed, “That’s what I like about you Caroline! Always committed to the business and science!” He sprung up to his desk and called the scientists in. The men carted in box after box, each with a new sample of the experiments currently being tested at Aperture Science Innovators. It soon became crowded. With Aperture Science Flying Frogs and Triangular Turret Plating bouncing on the walls, filing the paperwork became difficult for Caroline. She decided to take what she had finished and escort them to the mail room. The only thing left on her desk was an unlabeled vanila packet. It had been there on her desk this morning and she hadn’t gotten around to it. Her thoughts on what could be inside was cut short. There was a small amount of pain, then, her world went dark.

When she awoke, she was on the floor. Bills and files were scattered all over the place. Her boss was yelling at one of the scientists, “YOU CAN NOT COMPREHEND HOW ENRAGED I AM RIGHT NOW! YOU ARE FIRED! F-I-RED! -Wait. I know that you guys are probably some of the few on the planet that can fix this so, you’re hired again. BUT, HELP HER OR, I SWEAR TO GOD, I’LL FIND A WAY TO FIRE YOU FROM EVERY JOB YOU’LL HAVE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!!!”

Caroline tried to move. A shock ran across her body. She gasped for air.

Mr. Johnson took note of his stirring secretary. He knelt down and asked, “Caroline, can you answer me? Are you in pain?”

The woman took a few breaths and tried to analyse her condition. She wasn’t writhing. She couldn’t see any cuts or bruises on her body but something was very different...