Smooth Jazz Fails
Generations of workers have been trained under his voice. Cave Johnson, one and only CEO of Aperture Science - man of many qualities and excellent taste in jazz music.
Aperture has seen many days; even after his death, not one of them has been allowed to dawn without its sound. That music has its own soul; its subtle breath grips to the dormitories' walls and swirls and jumps in their ears, every morning, painting the earlier hours of Aperture employees. See how it flows among their tables, filling the cups of coffee; hear its whisper melt into the buzz of vending machines and turn on the wall clocks, frantic, singing with time.
It gets calmer when they sleep. While they lie unaware, the instruments start playing backwards, revealing an entirely different shade in their meanings. For music is there on both sides – smooth jazz marks the rhythm of their life and destruction. Bound by the magic of tunes, they walk the paths of Science in utter optimism, never turning to see what they have left behind. But past keys never stop playing and chase their human stupidity, running with the precise timings that bad consequences have.
Smooth jazz is in their triumph and smooth jazz will be there in the aura of their destruction. She will put it on in irony, with the same psychotic joy, and it will march among their corpses; in the failure of Science, the greatest of paradoxes, it will sing its merry tune when their tongues are bound and helpless.
It will be silence on their part – but smooth jazz will play on, without regrets. Music and Science can never turn back.
A very short drabble I have had in my scraps folder for ages. As I have already explained, I'm stunned to this day by the striking contrast between the gloomy Portal settings and its music; that's why Doug is right. Smooth jazz - the symbol of Aperture's likeable and careless attitude towards life itself - fails to extraordinary levels. So my thoughts finally come to you readers - enjoy! :3
EDIT. As you can see, an anonymous left a review saying I have stolen the title from a fanfiction by MarkKB. I'm truly sorry about that :(
Of course, my intention wasn't to steal anything. I quoted the famous phrase we all know from Doug's graffiti, because it was that very phrase to inspire the meaning of the whole drabble. I hope you don't mind - it was not wanted at all! I've already warned MarkKB and, as much as I regret it, I'm thinking of another title.
To the anon: thanks for warning me. However, honestly, I'd rather you left a signature and didn't jump to conclusions immediately next time. I'm neither a thief nor a rude person, everyone knows, and I was really irritated by your assumptions and your attitude. If you want to get angry at me, please do it with a reason and with your own name. Thank you.
Yours sincerely
- MPC