There was a cup of coffee on the table.
It was still steaming, almost freshly poured, and sat idly while its owner delighted himself in reading the latest scientific paper published in book form. The room was characterized by the small, overtly loud radio playing a never-ending stream of the latest in 70s jazz - every once in a while broken by the radio announcer's voice: "You are listening to the Aperture Science on-site radio! Your 24/7 source of science-inspired music!".
Next to the door was a small plaque: 'Break Room 3A', perfectly summarizing the room in both its intended use and its dullness. The walls were smoky white, lacking almost any decoration, save for a small picture of a bouquet of yellow flowers on the wall opposite from the door. In the corner was a fridge, even whiter than the room, which also served the as the stand for the radio. There was a counter next to it, made of some sort of a gray granite, which held kitchen utensils, some plates, a microwave, and also a coffee machine. The coffee jug was still half-full. Someone left a nearly empty bag of roasted beans next to it.
Suddenly, the door swung open, its creaking alerting the sitting man, who looked up and adjusted his glasses, so as to better see who is in such a hurry to enter Break Room 3A. In came an asian lady, somewhere in her 30s. Though her hair was only shoulder-length, she still had it tied in the back, as was fitting for any female member of the research team. She hurriedly set down a clipboard and a large stack of papers on the counter, reached for a cup and poured whatever remained in the jug of coffee into the cup. She checked her watch, turned around and adjusted her glasses.
She saw a man, somewhere in his late 40s, sporting a goatee and thick rimmed glasses. He was looking at her the same way as she was looking at him, though with the exception that he was a lot more calm and collected.
"Hey Bella, already back from Cleveland?" said the man as he took a sip from his coffee.
"Morning Hughes..." said Bella as she picked up her cup and strode closer to the sitting man, "This is starting to get on my nerves. They had me travel more than 400 miles just to sign the authorization papers in person! Couldn't the center just mail us the thing and I mail it back?". Bella sat down in front of Hughes. "They're still jumpy about corporate espionage. Who knows what Breen and his crooks are up to these days.", he said while glancing back down to his book. "What are you reading anyway? It's not some UFO or trans-dimensional conspiracy again, is it?".
"What? No, it's a-" Bella snatched the book from under Hughes' nose. She closed it and read the front cover: 'FROM HERE TO THERE IN UNDER A SECOND' in bold neon letters. The author's name was proudly displayed at the bottom: Dr. Isaac Kleiner.
"What are you reading this for?" she said while browsing through a few pages, "These guys are a century behind us, and a flashy book with 400 pages isn't going to change that." She set the book down. "It was on discount" said Hughes in a poor attempt to save some face.
Then, drinking from his cup of coffee, he pondered about the book. Of course, the methods and theories Kleiner proposes in its many pages are inefficient, far-fetched and probably impossible, but this is what made him into a celebrity. Kleiner, because of his work, became a widely recognized theoretical physicist, a best-selling author, and was featured in Popular Scientist. Even if Hughes' work in portal technology forwarded science by centuries and proved far better than Kleiner's unproven conjectures, he wasn't recognized for it. He's never written a best-selling book about it and is definitely not featured in Popular Scientist. Things like this could drive him mad, the thought of spending his life on something which would never be seen past the walls of the facility.
Bella knocked on the table, snapping Hughes out of his train of thought. "Anyway, care to fill me in on what happened while I was gone?". He took a sip from his coffee and responded: "Well the crew has been 'finishing up' for the last couple of days. They've not had enough time to test all vital systems properly so they've been trying to buy more time to do it; you know, Cave's been rushing things too much." She pondered for a moment. "When the old guy can't work faster, he's going to make everyone else work faster. It's how he operates; can't do anything about it."
"Yeah, right. What did the guys at Cleveland say?" he said while finishing the last few drops of his coffee. "Barely anything..." Bella replied, "They said the government authorized the entire operation, though of course it will all be done in private, away from the eyes of the public." Hughes sat his cup down, "At least we'll be there to see the fireworks."
Suddenly, the room's announcement system came to life, revealing the voice of an old, disgruntled, yet still energetic man: "Hey, eggheads, play time's over. We just got the go-ahead from folks over at the Assisted Jaunt Center and they're ready for the delivery. No time for chit-chat, get back to work!". They both stood up. Bella rushed to gather her papers from the counter as Hughes opened the door.
The two continued talking as they exited the room, the door creaking behind them. By the end of all this, Break Room 3A was once again filled only with jazz from the radio, everything returning to a standstill - the book remaining where the pair left it. Though their work was far from done, what they'll do in the next few hours will no doubt serve as a landmark in the history of the company, or maybe even the entire world.