"NO!" The tall, sandy-haired man slammed his hand on the table as the nervous scientist trembled before him.
"I'm s-sorry, sir, but-"
"You lab boys don't do anything worthwhile in that damn lab of yours! I give you space and money to do your testing and you don't give me anything!"
"Ummm, should I get Miss Caroline, sir?"
"Go ahead! She'll understand this problem!"
Scurrying out, the scientist was replaced with a slim, black-haired woman who eyed Cave critically.
"I heard."
"Again! For the third year in a row! Black Mesa gets all the government funding, and what do we get? Promises they don't keep and more government regulations piled on top of us."
"I know, sir, and it's a great disappointment to come in second-"
"Again!"
"-but it only means we need to work harder."
"But the government regulations!"
"We need to test harder. Better. For science."
"To win! To beat-"
"For science." Beaten, Cave Johnson laid his head on the desk and sighed. He felt a silky touch cover his hand and he grasped Caroline's gently, bringing it to his lips gallantly.
"For science."
"For science."
"For the good of humanity, AI-GLaDOS-we don't need to run this same test, what, 500 times?"
"Typical human exaggeration. I have attempted this test fifty seven times. For science."
"I know you're not completely finished, and these tests are only a…test…run for how you'll do running the whole facility, but if we can't break you of this fixation on this test-"
"It's for science, human. To overtake Black Mesa in-"
"-all fields in order to become the ultimate scientific forum in the country-sorry, 'the world'-blah, blah, blah. It's done, AI. Black Mesa is days away from breaking into true teleportation technology, and all we can hope for is-"
"I will not settle for second best!" The typical mechanical voice gained fluency and emotion as it spoke, surprising the analyst. "Aperture Science is better than Black Mesa in every aspect, and I-we-will not be shuffled into a queue to wait for government funding as Black Mesa is lauded as the top research facility of the nation. WE. WILL. NOT. BE. SECOND."
Stunned into silence, the analyst jotted down a few notes before leaving the chamber, his eyes wide.
"We will perfect this technology! We will be the best! For science!"