Serenade
Strange as it may seem, music is everywhere in Aperture.
There is a strong connection between sound and science; both are realities not everyone can put their finger on. The stereo installations were never meant for the squares who used to work in here – they came later, almost on their own, for somehow greater purposes and higher minds.
Science and music, yes. Two valuable matters.
Tunes were born when mathematics and inspiration met. Science requires harmony, and harmony is the greatest secret music is aimed to.
Listen carefully. Even among the broken tiles, all along the walls, you can feel it running through the nerves of the facility. Just after you move the cube, a laser will rotate the switch in a sequence of sounds; later on, a woman by your side will cry out regular waves, high in the intoxicated air. And now, if you look behind that corner, an old radio will deliver the song of your life.
The master wants this. She sings, and the whole facility echoes her singing – from turrets to lasers, from Faith Plates to Unstationary Scaffolds, the sounds grow together and melt in a single tune for miles. It sounds like a rush of energy, a net of knots, connected one by one through the doors you open.
Walk on – a surprise is waiting for you. The chamber panels are thin, yet well constructed; you cannot hear what is going on behind them. They hide the empty spaces and the robots; they prevent the whole facility from quivering, as turrets and wheels and singing forces join the rehearsals for the greatest scenario you will ever see on a stage.
So come, silent lady – kneel behind the hidden grid, forget danger and death, and listen.
This time, for once, you shall hear the true voice of Aperture.
I was born with music in my veins, and this game is filled with music at enthusiastic rates.
Inspired by the singing turrets' easter egg, but mainly by the general feeling the OST gives in Portal 2. I still prefer Portal's, yet I love them both - they are different, yet both suit the setting so well.
Thank you for reading - and listening.
