In a desolate part of this city, a large, white, windowless building towers over an empty parking lot, watching over the rest of the city. The people think nothing of it. They go about their daily business, almost oblivious to the fact that the building exists. They don't find it the least bit strange that no motor vehicles have entered the parking lot since the macadam had been laid five years ago, nor do they find it disturbing that every night, the giant logo on the face of this concrete titan shines brightly in the distance, white as a pearl, shouting a name out to all who care to look in its general direction: Aperture Science.

Just last week, Aperture began buying ad space in the Classified section of the local newspaper, seeking employees "with a desire to partake in the scientific advancements of today, building a better tomorrow." Two days ago, Alice Brenner rolled her eyes as she read the advertisement over her bowl of Captain Crunch. Now, in her black Volkswagen Passat, steadily cruising past the thin trees which line the street, she wishes she had not rolled her eyes. As her car draws her nearer to the large white Aperture Science building, she actually regrets it.

Shortly after laughing at the ad, she had circled it with her blue pen. A few hours later, she was on the phone with the Aperture Human Resources department, discussing hours and pay rates. They offered her a position as secretary of Mr. Gregory Hill, president of Aperture Science. It had shocked her that they would offer a position of such importance to a nineteen year old blonde girl with no previous employers or experience.

"Are you serious?" she had asked.

"Only if you are." the man on the other end of the line had answered.

"I am. I'm serious. I need this job, I just... I just don't think I'm qualified– "

"Do you have people skills?"

"Well, I suppose..."

"Can you talk to people– complete strangers– courteously and professionally?"

"Yes, I can, but–"

"You're more than qualified for the job, Ms. Brenner. Mr. Hill will contact you himself for a phone interview tomorrow. Welcome to Aperture Science, Alice."

And that was that. They had promised to pay her 12.00 an hour– to start! As she approached the small white guard shack on the edge of the parking lot, she noticed there was nobody occupying it. That's strange, she thought, You would think a big, important-looking building like this would be under watch 24-7. It wasn't that much of a surprise, really. She had been informed that she may not see a guard. She slowly pulled up alongside the shack, lowered her window, and swiped the card she had found in her mailbox, just as she had been told. Slowly, the metal bar that had separated the parking lot from the rest of the world lifted. Alice took her foot off the brake and rolled into the large field of macadam. The Volkswagen pulled into a parking spot about five or six away from the closest space to the building. She didn't want to look over-zealous, after all. She turned the key, and the car died.

Looking through the passenger-side window, Alice could see the tall glass doors which were her entry to the large white facility. Through the doors, she saw a large desk made of black marble, bearing the same white logo from the side of the building: a ring. A panel on the wall behind the desk quickly slid open, and a man in a white full-body bio-hazard suit emerged, carrying a white object. It looked like a vertical oval and had four little legs and a red "eye" on the center of it. The man and object disappeared to the left of the glass doors.

"Hmm. Science-y." Alice said aloud to herself, grabbing the handle to the car door.

She stepped out into the parking lot and closed the door. Looking at her reflection in the window, Alice checked to make sure everything was in just the right place. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a tight, business-like bun on the top of her head, and her eyeliner had not smudged. Her bright blue eyes pierced into the reflection as they moved lower, checking the rest of her. Her navy blue coat was held closed by just one button over her bellybutton. Underneath that, her white blouse was neatly buttoned, save for the top three buttons, which exposed the top of her 36" B chest and black bra. Her skirt matched her coat and the bottom of it rested neatly at the middle of her thighs. She looked down at her feet and smiled. She was wearing black slip-ons with flat heels. Thank God for comfy shoes. Feeling quite satisfied with herself, she began to walk around the car and approach the front doors.

As she made her way across the parking lot, a feeling of dread came over her as she remembered her conversation with Mr. Hill.

He had called in the afternoon. Alice had just finished her run on her treadmill, and was out of breath.

"Hello...?" she had answered in between gasps.

"Hello? Is Ms. Alice Brenner there?" Mr. Hill had asked.

"This... this is her."

"Alice... this is Greg Hill of Aperture Science... um, is everything alright?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Everything is fine. You just caught me right after a run."

"Ah. A fitness fanatic, are you?"

"I wouldn't say 'fanatic', but I do enjoy exercise from time to time." she said as she pulled her hair out of her face.

"That I can understand. My Gladys works me right to the bone. But I can't complain. I'm in the best shape I've seen for a man in his sixties."

"Gladys... is that your wife, Mr. Hill?"

"Oh... I'm afraid not, Alice," he laughed. "Gladys is my assistant. You will come to know her quite well as my secretary. Speaking of which, I'd like to ask you a few questions before tomorrow."

"Sure, sure. Go right ahead."

"It says here you're... nineteen. Is that correct?"

"Yes, sir. Nineteen and eight months."

"Very good. Exercising at nineteen? You're a very disciplined young woman, aren't you?"

"Well, I thank you for saying so, Mr. Hill, but I'm afraid a run on a treadmill once every three weeks wouldn't exactly be classified as 'discipline'."

He laughed.

"Yes. I suppose it wouldn't be. Now, do you have any idea what we do here at Aperture, Alice?"

"Well, I know Aperture is a research and development corporation. I don't know of anything you've developed, I'm afraid."

"Hm. Yes. Not many do. You see, we're more of a weapons developer. So I'm afraid the majority of the people who have heard of Aperture are positioned in the military."

"I see..."

"Oh, but we do much more than that. We've developed a defense system that renders all weapons useless through the use of electro-magnetic waves, and we have also created a few teleportation prototypes. All of which, of course, were not tested on humans."

"Teleportation?... Wow. Just– wow."

"Sounds interesting, I presume?"

"Well, yeah! I mean– teleporters?! It sounds wicked, Mr. Hill."

"Yes. 'Wicked'."

Alice smiled to herself as she imagined what Mr. Hill was experiencing on the other end of the line. His face may have been cold as stone, and she was sure his eyes showed a twinge of annoyance. He cleared his throat, and Alice was so busy imagining how uncomfortable Mr. Hill was, she actually jumped with the phone in her hand.

"So, Alice... are you interested in joining the Aperture Science team?"

"Am I?" her heart began to race and her face flushed. "Of course I am, Mr. Hill. I would be honored."

"Alright then. You will start tomorrow at nine a.m..You do know how to get to our facility, I assume?"

"Yes, I do."

"Good. You will need a physical examination, which will be given to you upon your arrival at Aperture. Gladys will be conducting the exam. It seems you'll be getting to know her sooner than you think."

"Wait. I'll be getting a physical at the building?"

"Well, yes. We are a science company, Alice. There are many doctors employed as part of our staff."

"Oh, right." she replied, a little ashamed of herself. How embarrassing.

"You will be arriving earlier than most of our staff and you may not see a guard at our guard shack. You will be arriving around security shift change. There will be a swipe card in your mailbox in the morning. You will use that to enter the parking lot. Just swipe it in front of the sensor located on the outside wall of the guard shack and park anywhere you like. Um... let's see... yes. That should be it, Alice."

"Alright. Thank you, Mr. Hill."

"You're very welcome, Alice. I look forward to meeting you."

Ugh, she thought. I totally forgot about the physical. As the large glass doors opened automatically in front of her, a rush of cool air blew across her shoulders. She stopped and looked around for a moment. Alice stared at the huge ring on the side of the building for a while, then her eyes came to rest upon the very same logo on the marble desk. She took a deep breath and began taking her first steps through the door, feeling much more self-conscious than she probably should.