Portal: Love as a Construct

Part Eighty. The Recounting

Part Eighty. The Recounting

I don't know how the AI were before Momma fixed them, but some of them are very nice and some of them are just plain... I wanna say paranoid, but that's only because I don't want to think about how they don't trust me. Because I'm hers. It makes me really sad and I don't want to believe that. The few of them that'd talk to me about it believe she's done this because she's trying to hold something over them, because she wants them to be grateful. Stuff like that. But I don't think so. I think... I think she did it for me. And I mean, I know that sounds really self-centred, but... well, it really depends on what she meant when she said 'for science'. I'm pretty sure she meant like... for the future of science. The future of AI. I think. But it makes sense, because there can be no future for AI if I'm here alone. My mom plans really far ahead, that's something I know for sure. So part of this is all because she wants there to be something left for me after she's gone.

You think you know your parents until something like this happens, and then you realise... they'd do far more for you than you ever thought they would. And I don't mean that in a bad way, but... all the books I've read about stuff like this, it's always that one person is willing to die for the other, or something dramatic like that. And dying for someone is pretty heavy stuff, don't get me wrong. But what my mom just did... she put fifty-five people back together, all of whom hate her and think she's out to get them, knowing that and knowing that she's gonna have to put up with and supervise all these people she doesn't like and doesn't want around for the rest of her life. And she did that for me. I dunno, I kind of feel like that's a much bigger thing than just dying. I guess it's never been in any books because it's not exciting enough. It should be, though.

Anyway, I'll talk some more to the Cores tomorrow. Hopefully they don't hate me tomorrow or anything. I'll talk to my mom a bit right now. If she's not busy. Which... well, she always is, but she always pretends she's not for me.

"Hey Momma," I say as I go into her chamber, where she's... I dunno. I don't see any indication that she's doing anything, but then again she doesn't have to have anything right in front of her for her to be working.

"Caroline," she says, directing her attention at me immediately. "I have to discuss something with you."

"... and what's that," I say warily. Did I tell someone something I shouldn't have? I don't think I did.

"As you may already suspect, the reactivation of the formerly corrupted Cores is part of something larger," she tells me, moving back a little. I realise how close I am to the doorway and follow her a bit. "That is, the future of this facility. To ensure it has one, I am rebuilding some of this facility in the original location. You cannot tell this to anyone. It is our secret."

For a minute I'm kind of thrilled that my mom and I have a secret between just the two of us, but after that I'm a bit uncomfortable. I mean... she makes it sound like my dad doesn't know. And she tells him everything.

"Does... Dad know?" I venture. She shakes her core.

"He does not. He may know about this, but he will not know any of the details."

"Why?"

"The only reason we are here at all," Momma says deliberately, "is because Aperture was largely secret. After I killed all of the employees, the facility effectively no longer existed. No one else knew about it. If other humans had, it would probably have been destroyed due to human conflict at some point in time. Aperture is a very good hiding place, but only when it remains hidden itself. Now that this facility is known to the humans, and in addition, open to them, the risk of destruction is now very real. Hence the backup facility. After I am gone, it will fall to you to maintain that facility, which should be complete by that time, and to ensure a constant backup of yourself and one additional AI. In anticipation of an emergency here, which you cannot recover from."