Chell's Story: Part C
Chapter Eight


It was a huge relief to pull up to the security gate of Dad's workplace that morning. The security guard was nice, and he offered me a lollipop. Dad said I could have it as long as I saved it for when we headed back home.

The parking lot was surrounded by grass in almost all directions. The only other man-made structure within view was a small metal shed. Dad led me out of the car and to the shed before knocking on the door.

A few seconds passed, and the door opened to reveal what looked like an elevator. Dad took my hand and brought me inside. He pressed a button, and the door closed, after which the elevator went straight down super-fast.

Then, as quickly as it began, the ride stopped and the door opened. A digitalized fanfare played, and we heard a male voice on a loudspeaker.

"Hello, and welcome to the Aperture Science Enrichment Center. Please report to the reception desk to sign-in so you can receive directions to your designated station."

As we walked to the reception desk, another scientist came down the hallway.

"Hey, Doug. I see you've brought your little girl with you today."

"Yeah, I thought it would be good to get her out of the house for a while."

"I see."

"Do you think you could keep an eye on her for a moment? I have a few things to take care of right now." Dad pulled out something in a wrapper and headed down the hallway.

"Yeah, we can do that." The other scientist put a hand behind my back.

As Dad turned to walk away, a third scientist came down the hall. "I just finished installing the cameras."

"Excellent."

The man smiled as he continued. "And we found a way to make sure that they're tamper-proof."

"Yeah?"

"We put cameras in the cameras."

The man's eyes lit up. "Genius!"

He was met with an enthusiastic nod. "He'll never suspect."

Dad had left by that time, and the third scientist returned to where he had come from. The remaining scientist directed his attention back to me. "So, have you been told about what we do here at Aperture?"

I shook my head.

"Well, if you'll just follow me, I can show you."


The scientists had explained that Aperture was a science research facility founded in 1947 by shower curtain salesman Cave Johnson. They had invented numerous things which they tested in various chambers. Browsing through the catalog of Aperture inventions intrigued me.

Thinking about all the verbal torment I was taking from my peers, I had asked if I would be able to be a test subject for Aperture. The scientists seemed enlightened by the idea, but when I was given a questionnaire, they turned me down because of "extreme tenacity". There were some questions that I had refused to answer because I felt the answer should've been obvious.

They had said that my stubborn persistence was too great to reflect accurate reactions to challenges from real people. Despite my rejection for testing, there were a few who believed that I could at least get through the test chambers because of my tenacity; so they still made a file for me and kept it on record.

With nothing else to do, I started exploring the place.