Who: Caroline (GlaDOS) and Laura Kinney What: Lunch and discussion of an internship. Where: A restaurant When: May 26. I saved it in my journal and forgot to post till now XD Rating: PGish Status: Complete!
Caroline sent a message ahead to Laura, asking her to meet her at a restaurant. It was a little unconventional, but she would explain when she got there.
Laura was a little nervous, but confident that she had a good chance of getting this internship. Her mother would be proud. A business meeting over food wasn't that uncommon, not really.
The establishment served a variety of food. It could best be described as an American restaurant. Caroline was already there, sipping some wine and looking over some papers.
Laura approached the woman she assumed she was supposed to meet. "Dr. Carline G.?" she asked.
"Laura Kinney?" Caroline rose, holding out her hand, "A pleasure to meet you! Have a seat. Order whatever you'd like."
Laura nodded and took a seat. She took a look at the menu. And after a bit of thinking, she settled on a modest sized steak and a baked potato.
The scientist nodded approvingly. She'd ordered something similar, but she really wasn't that hungry, "You get glowing reviews from your peers and teachers."
Laura smiled. "Thank you. I'm glad they think highly of me."
"I do too. Now there were a few things I wanted to discuss with you. It's about Armachan."
Laura nodded. "I am very interested in anything you can tell me."
"I resigned. There were some seedy things going on there, and I couldn't in good conscience continue to work for them." She smiled, her expression a little bitter, "I have been doing some work behind the scenes, and secured funding for my own company."
Laura frowned. "I am sorry to hear about Armachan, but congratulations on being able to start your own company."
She smiled, "I think it will work out for the best. Aperture Science will be able to operate without need of reporting to Armachan's corrupt board of directors. I do need help though. For science."
Laura smiled. "I like science."
"Excellent! We have something in common!" Caroline grinned at her, "What are you studying in school?"
"Biology and chemistry were my favorite sciences in high school. I haven't yet decided what path to take when I enter my undergraduate studies."
"This internship will help advance your knowledge in both subjects exponentially." A pause, "You'll also learn how to be a gopher."
Laura nodded. "Ah, yes. I fully expected to be a gofer when I was informed of the possibility of taking an internship. But errand running is a small price to pay for hands on experience."
"You will have to sign an NDA, you know?" Caroline poured her some wine, "Genetics studies will be among our top research, but I've a few ideas I plan to explore once I get them out of the dream theoretical stage."
"Thank you, but I cannot legally consume alcohol in public yet." Laura smiled. "I am eighteen. I can vote, but I cannot drink. And I no trouble signing an NDA."
Caroline shrugged, then drank the wine herself, "Perfect. It should be enough to get you some serious extra credit. Now in your extra curricular activities it listed Parkour. What exactly is that?"
"Parkour is a physical discipline where in one learns how to move through one's environment by running, climbing, vaulting, rolling, and jumping. It also enhances self-confidence and one's physical fitness." Laura smiled.
Caroline's face virtually exploded into a grin, "I would like to study you running through a course, sometime, if you'd like. I would pay you for it, as well as see if I could get you one more credit."
Laura grinned in return. "I would be happy to demonstrate."
For science! Caroline showed her some papers of some of the projects she intended to work on. Nothing illegal or dangerous.
Laura was very intrigued by these ideas.
"For this one," She tapped the diagram. "I was inspired in my sleep."
"Very interesting..."
"If it works they way I think it will, it could revolutionize practical research!" Because she would HAVE that portal gun from her DREAMS!
"Fascinating!"
She started to sketch out her idea for some testing chambers, and then showed the girl the drawing, "We can test your natural reflexes, as well as some designs for leg brace equipment strength."
She showed her the latter, "What do you think?"
"I think it has promise."
"Good! When do you think you'll be ready to start?"
"I could start right away, though my schedule would likely need to change once I manage to arrange my class schedule."
Caroline smiled, "Fantastic. Just let me know once you have your schedule." A pause, "How good are you at finding lost things? People?"
Laura frowned slightly. "I have a good memory for locations and layouts, as well as faces. Other than that, I'm not sure what you have in mind."
"We had a girl not too much younger than you. Brilliant, but a little shy. She's gone missing. I'd like to take her with me to Aperture, but mostly I want to know that she's safe."
"I'll see what I can do," Laura replied.
"Thank you! Now lets enjoy our meal." She grinned, and added, "And discuss the SCIENCE involved in steaks!"
"I like this idea!"
Steak and Science! A PERFECT COMBINATION FOR SUCCESS!