Chapter 35
Evacuation Notice
"I can't believe that we did it!" Henry gave Doug a hearty clap on the back, and Doug tried not to cough.
Doug managed to get out a hesitant smile. "I guess we did do it, huh?" he said. There was cheering and celebration and merriment and whooping and shouting. They all looked the happiest that Doug had seen any of them in years.
Henry paused, moving to the bay of windows that looked out onto the Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System. Champagne glasses were handed out, and someone popped open a bottle.
"Excuse me everyone," said Henry. "I would like to propose a toast," he said. "To the GLaDOS team! May our memory live forever," he said.
"To the GLaDOS team!"
"To the GLaDOS team!"
The glasses clinked together, and Doug smiled. He slicked back his hair with one hand and then took a sip with the other. He had never been one for much alcohol, but he could appreciate the taste of it every once in a while. And this was an occasion where it was needed.
The hooting and cheering gradually faded back into normal talking. Henry circled around the room, eventually come back over to Doug.
"What do you say, eh, Doug?" he said. "Looks like all of that paranoia of yours finally worked off. It works perfectly," he said. "And it wouldn't have unless you had been so thorough. So thank you for that. I'm so glad it doesn't want to kill us anymore."
"Me too." Doug rolled his eyes in exasperation. "I still can't relax, though."
"Why? Nervous about this big reveal?" said Henry.
"Sure. You could say that," said Doug. "I've heard that it has to do with Black Mesa."
"That's about it," said Henry. "I think Karla knows more than I do, though. Hey, Karla!" he shouted across the room. Karla looked up from the people she was talking to and wove her way back over to Doug and Henry.
"Yes?" she said.
"Doug here wants to know some more about this speech that Greg's giving tonight," said Henry.
"Oh it's all very hush-hush." Karla placed a finger to her lips. "But from what I've heard, there's a possible merger between the companies in the works." She continued in a light and sing-song voice. "Didn't hear it from me, though." Karla checked her watch. "It's about time that we get down there for his speech, anyway," she said.
Before Karla could go on, though, one of the phones rang. They all quieted down a little bit. Karla reached for it. "Hello?" She set down her mostly-empty champagne glass. "No, why? That's weird." Her eyes tracked across the room, as if she was looking for someone."No, he's not here. No idea. Sure, I can run over there. No problem." She hung up, and turned back to them.
"Speaking of Greg," she said, "they can't find him. Guess he hasn't shown up yet for his speech and they want me to go and check the conference room."
She turned around, abandoning her champagne glass and picking up her walkie talkie. "You guys stay here," she said. "I'll be right back."
Not five minutes later, Doug's walkie talkie beeped. "Doug, we've got a big problem. Over." Doug raised his hand and silenced the talking of the people around him. Henry and his other coworkers leaned in to listen.
"You're a go, Karla," said Doug.
"We made it to the conference room. The door's locked. We can't get in. Can't see anything either, the glass is all fogged...almost like," she hesitated. "Never mind. Can you ask the central core to override the locks on the doors?"
Henry nodded, moving across the room to the microphone that they used to communicate with the central core.
"Computer, please unlock the conference room that Greg is in," said Henry. He cleared his throat.
"Conference room cannot be unlocked," the central core replied.
"Why not?"
"Containment protocol in place."
"Containment for what?"
"Neurotoxin leak."
Henry swallowed, and then turned back to the walkie talkie. He was frozen, not sure what to say. "Karla—"
"Hold on, Henry. The door's opening. I'm going in—"
"Karla—"
"Oh my God."
The walkie talkie went silent.
"Shit!"
"What do we do?"
Doug stared out the window, watching GLaDOS sway back and forth. "We have to shut her down," he said. "Right now." He moved toward his computer.
"I'll warn everyone," said Henry.
"Wait," said Doug. "You can't just say that," he swallowed, "that everyone—you know, died—you have to be delicate about these sort of things. We don't want anyone to panic."
Henry cleared his throat. "Attention all Bring Your Daughter to Work Visitors. Due to an unexpected, but contained gas leak, all remaining events of the day have been cancelled," he said. "You are in no imminent danger. This is not an evacuation notice."
"There, how did that go?" said Henry. He paused, looking over at Doug, who looked pale as a ghost.
"Doug?"
"I can't shut her down," he whispered. "Every thing that I try—every backup protocol, every backdoor that we built in—they're all gone. Like they were never there in the first place." He paused, looking Henry directly in the eye. "She's awake," he said. "And she's not happy."
2 Hours Later
"I just can't figure it out," said Doug.
"Well, we have to figure out something soon, or else people are going to start to wonder about us," said Karla. "With Greg out of the picture, people are looking to us for leadership. We have to do something. Some people left when this this all started, but there's still so many people in here. So many guests that didn't expect to be here. So many employees. So many families."
"Yeah," Doug said, almost absent. He looked up from his computer and noticed that Karla's expression was particularly grim.
"Karla, what did you see down there?" he said, wanting to rise up and comfort her somehow, but she brushed him off.
"Nothing I haven't seen before from my testing days," she said. "It was just—there were so many of them. All dead. All suffocated from…" she trailed off. The group felt a bit uncomfortable, but that was to be expected for something grim like this.
"Seeing Greg like that," she said. "I don't know." She shook her head, and her hands trembled. "I just don't know what we're supposed to do next. Everyone is looking to us for the answers, for leadership, but I just don't know what to do."
"First, we need answers on what happened," said Doug. "People don't like not knowing whether or not they are in danger. Now, tell me what you saw in the room."
"The room looked fine. None of the vents looked broken."
"We've run a report over here and we can't figure out what's going on. The system says that there was a leaky pipe, so the neurotoxin was diverted into a small room rather than into an area with a lot of people," he said.
"So you're saying that this was essentially a trolley situation? Save the many instead of saving the few?" said Karla. "In that case, maybe we should be thanking it instead."
"Thanking her? Are you kidding me?" said Doug, growing more and more exasperated. "She straight-up killed people and you want to say thank you?"
"Well yes, if the machine prevented a potential catastrophe, then yes, I think we owe it an apology."
"What are the chances of that?" said Doug. "Karla, you said that something big was going to happen today. What do you mean by that?"
"I meant that Greg was planning on announcing something to do with Black Mesa. That's why there were all of those scientists and all of those executives here today. They were all here on his invitation."
"And you don't think that their sudden death had something to do with the fact that they were Black Mesa?"
"Greg was in that room too. Why would the machine have anything against Greg?"
"Because if he's dealing with Black Mesa, he's one of the enemy."
"Doug, have you taken your medication today?" said Henry. "Forgive me for asking, but you're sounding more—"
"What, Henry, paranoid?"
"I was going to put it more delicately, but sure. Paranoid."
"I'm not paranoid. I'm right. Something's wrong with that Morality Core and we need to pull it off right away."
"The machine's doing great, Doug. Your core is working perfectly. We don't need to worry about it," Henry said.
"No, something must have gone wrong with the Morality Core," he said. "I don't get it. She had to have known that we were trying to wipe her memories—can't you see that this is her way of telling us that she knows? That's she pissed?" he said, continuing, almost frantic. "We were too careful. We kept everything on separate servers. There's no way that she could have found out what we were up to. We only talked about it in areas where she couldn't hear us. We made sure no one talked to her about it. We were careful with everything and everyone," he said, and then paused, frowning. "That is, everyone except—" he broke off.
Everyone except Chell.
In the middle of the conversation, Doug looked over at his phone. It was as if he had been expecting a call. He was suddenly aware that he had not received a call yet from Chell. Shouldn't she have called him by now? Shouldn't she have been freaked out and wanting to call him to see what was happening with all of this stuff about a neurotoxin leak?
He picked up the phone and called but there was no answer. Hm. That was strange. He tried calling again, wondering if maybe she was in the bathroom. He waited a few minutes and then called a third time, but he still got no answer.
"I need to go," he said. He got up and walked fast to Chell's relaxation vault, and then picked it up to a run as he got closer. She was around here somewhere. She had to be.
But as he swiped his card and pushed open the heavy door, Doug looked into a dark, empty room. Lived in, for sure, but Chell was not there.
Where was she?
She wasn't in the office. He could try calling Karla or one of the others ones there and see if they knew anything. They had, on occasion, been known to take Chell around places.
Doug paced, moving back and forth in the room, eventually picking up the phone in Chell's room and dialing it.
"Hey Karla," he said. "Have you heard from Chell today?"
"Of course not. We've been so busy that I can hardly think," she said.
"Do you know if anyone else has spoken to her today?"
"No, why?" she said. "Didn't you tell her that we'd be too busy today for her?"
"Yes, I did," said Doug. "But that's the thing. I expected her to call anyway because that's what she's like. But I realized partway through today that I haven't heard from her all day, so I went to the room, and she's not here."
"What?"
"Yeah. I'm in her room and she's not here."
"Have you checked to make sure that she isn't hiding? Like, maybe she hid under the bed to scare you or something."
"Why would she do that?"
"I don't know, Doug. I'm trying to work with you here."
Doug pulled up the skirt of the bed, looking there. He headed to the bathroom and pulled back the Aperture-brand shower curtain but still didn't find anyone. She wasn't hiding.
"If you don't find her," said Karla, "try calling security. Maybe they've seen her around."
"There's so many people around, though," said Doug, thinking about the numbers projected of how many guests they had expected today.
He picked up the phone and called security.
"Hello," he said. "Have you picked up any lost patrons today?"
"Depends. Were they a test subject?"
"Definitely not," said Doug. "She's tall, got dark hair, looks tired."
"Are you sure she wasn't a test subject?" said the security on the other line. "We had someone come in matching that description, but not anyone else."
Chell wasn't a test subject, that part was easy. "No. Thank you." He hung up the phone, and started to realize the truth of the matter: Chell had made it to the surface. She had finally done it.
So what did he do next?
He had to get to the surface.
Before they could do anything else, a voice from the central core came on. "Please be advised that the earlier evacuation notice has been canceled. The facility has been placed on an emergency lock-down. Please consult a nearby television for more information. Thank you!" A sound chimed, just a little jingle from one of the many Aperture videos.
"Lockdown?" said Doug. One of his co-workers moved to bring over a television that was on a cart in the corner. They turned it on, watching as headlines flashed up and showed helicopter footage of the Black Mesa research facility.
"—The United States military has been called in to try to contain a breach of possible extraterrestrial origins," said the lady on the news, who looked pale. "Black Mesa has refused to comment on the situation. The US Military has released a statement saying that they intend to keep the citizens of Los Alamos, New Mexico safe at any cost, and that they are sad to report there have already been casualties within the complex. This incident at Black Mesa appears to be one of huge significance," said the newscaster, "judging by the swiftness and amount of action currently being placed by the National Guard. Black Mesa stock prices are currently crashing."
The news cycle repeated, cycling back to the helicopter footage over Los Alamos. Many heavy duty military vehicles sat surrounding the area, with military helicopters visible and dropping off troops at the laboratory.
At the bottom of the screen: UP NEXT: Interview with a First Responder of the Black Mesa Incident.
Before they could watch any more, though, the television transitioned to an animated informational video from Aperture Science.
Aperture Science ABC Protocol
Always Be Cautious
"Hello! Welcome to another episode of Aperture Science informational videos. This video is meant to be played in the event of a facility-wide lockdown. The first thing is: don't be afraid. This procedure is a part of Aperture's ABC protocol, or Always Be Cautious.
"In the event of the discovery of extraterrestrial life, a lock down will be triggered until an outside source has consulted with the foreign intelligence, and either deemed it safe or has wiped it off the face of the earth. By violence.
"In the meantime, to keep safe, the doors of the facility have been locked. Don't be alarmed! This facility is equipped to handle thousands of people and has enough stored food for months. Food will be distributed from stations throughout the facility. Keep your television on for more instructions on how to receive food and temporary housing.
"Our luxurious long-term relaxation wing also doubles as hotel rooms for shorter-terms stays* so you do not have to worry about sleeping on the floor.
*For those people who sign up for testing
"In the case that the aliens are violent, get comfortable and prepare yourself for a much longer stay. Remember, aliens are bad but dying is worse!
"This concludes this episode on Aperture ABC Protocol. Please ask your nearest ABC Protocol Certified Expert if you have any more questions."
Henry frowned, lifting the remote and turning off the television with a hum. The afterimage of the Aperture logo stuck to the screen. He cleared his throat.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a big problem."
"Computer, open the facility."
"Denied," said the AI. "Facility is in lockdown mode."
"Initiate lockdown override," said Henry. He looked around for his card, certain that he would have to read off his badge number. Sure enough, GLaDOS asked for it and he complied.
"Access denied. Security level is not high enough," she said.
"Bullshit," said Henry. "We're some of the highest level security that there is. In fact, I think that only Greg is higher than us. Well, was."
"Computer, explain why the facility is locked," he tried again.
"The central core is bound to follow protocol," she said."Protocol requires that exterior doors to be locked in the case of an alien invasion.
"Computer, ignore protocol."
"Protocol cannot be ignored unless a user has an override code."
"What are we going to do?" said Doug.
Henry shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "Greg is dead and we can't override it—I guess we can just watch and we can wait," he said. "And try to figure out what happened to Greg."
Doug laughed. "There's no way that this can be real, right?" he said. "It's got to be a hoax."
Henry turned the television back on and muted it. His face looked grim. "I can check with the surface, but I don't think that it's a joke," he said. "Those are real news stations. I watch the news every night." There was a murmur of agreement.
"There's already been reports of military casualties," said one person.
"Really, guys? An alien invasion?" said Doug. "Just stop and think about this for a second. Would you really rather believe that there are aliens out there rather than believe that this is just a trick that she's doing to trap people in here?"
"The news doesn't lie, Doug," said Henry. They watched the footage come through the television for another long moment.
Someone from the other side of the room had a telephone in his hand. "I've just called other news outlets across the country," he said. "It's real."
Chell sat in her room for a long time before she finally was spoken to.
"You know," said CarolineDOS. "When you said you wanted to get out of that long-term relaxation vault, I had no idea you were trying to get into one of these. Why didn't you just tell me earlier? You could have saved us a lot of trouble," she said.
Chell frowned. "This wasn't supposed to happen," she said. "I didn't have a wristband. I didn't know that I was supposed to have a wristband," said Chell. "Besides, we had a deal. You were supposed to get me a distraction so that I can leave."
"I have provided a distraction," said CarolineDOS. "And a rather good one at that. I thought you had your little escape plan all figured out."
"Yeah, well, I got caught," said Chell. "Stupid wristbands."
"Well that means that you're here now. With me. And we're going to have plenty of time to test now, aren't we?"
"What do you mean?" said Chell.
"Oh, that's right. I forgot to broadcast this to the testing tracks. I'm sure you'll be thrilled to know that there's been an incident at Black Mesa. Loss of life. The National Guard's been called in to contain alien life-forms. Oh, and their stock prices are plunging—maybe Aperture will be the one to buy out Black Mesa. Wouldn't that be wonderful?" She paused. "I hope you're not in any hurry to go out and see it for yourself though because the doors outside are locked."
Chell jolted upright. "What?" she said. "What about all of the people here visiting? You can't just make them stay."
"Actually I can," she said."It's in the consent forms that they signed before they got their wristbands. Will willingly forgo exiting the facility if an external risk proves the outside world to be too dangerous."
"But this is just happening at Black Mesa," said Chell. "Whatever it is, if they called in the National Guard, I'm sure that they will have it all figured out soon."
"There have already been reports of breaches and of military casualties. It's already starting to spread and protocol requires the exterior doors to all be locked in the case of an alien invasion."
"Yeah, right," said Chell. "Really? An alien invasion?"
"I'd tell you to turn on your television if you had one, but you're just going to have to take my word for it now. You're in my testing track now."
Chell didn't say anything, which seemed to bother CarolineDOS.
"You have to understand that I am just doing this all for everyone's safety. We are protected and fortified in our underground position, and with the amount of food we have stored, we can simply wait it out until Earth's military subdues the threat."
"You sound just like Doug," Chell muttered. Safety this and safety that. Maybe she wanted to do something dangerous for once. Something impulsive. She felt the anger rise inside of her again, swelling like a tide over a wall and crashing out. "We had a deal," Chell spat out. She had done her part. So why hadn't Caroline followed through on her part? She wanted to knock something, to scream that she would never trust Caroline again, and that she was stupid to do so. It hurt to be betrayed again and again like this. It was about time for CarolineDOS to feel it as well. See how well she liked it when someone betrayed her trust.
