It was 1968, a van holding three men sped through the dusty roads of Upper Michigan. As the driver begun to speed up, the tires flew off the path. As the car landed back on the ground a ping echoed of the walls of the van. It was then followed by an announcement.

"Cave Johnson here. If you are sitting in this van, you must be a bright young fellow eager to join Aperture Science Innovators. Either that or you're a spy from Black Mesa. If that get out right now, don't even bother coming. I'll get my lab boys to build something to kill you painfully. Heh heh. Cave Johnson, we're done here." Two men watched as one of them jumped off immediately. As the driver started slowing down, they both looked around for a large lab. Nothing. The only things for miles around was wheat, and an outhouse. The driver mumbled something about hidden elevators as the two men stepped off. They opened the outhouse door and found an elevator. The elevator was quite small, but they managed to fit. They took advantage of this time to get to know each other.

"Um hi, my name's Doug, Doug Rattman. I have schizophrenia, but it's not very bad. I tell everyone I meet about my schizophrenia, just so they don't freak out when I blabber about random things and go crazy. And what's your name?"

"It's Adams, Wheatley Adams really. Nice to meet you. So, what inspired you to join Aperture?"

"Eh, I really have no passion for science, I just wish to keep the path of science on the right path." Doug explained

"Me, for one, I love science. I'm not very good, but I managed a master in quantum physics. You know, one day, I hope to be in charge of this wonderful place." As Wheatley finished, a neon light started glowing, it was the Aperture Science logo. Then Cave's voice came over the loudspeaker.

"Cave Johnson here. This is the special first-time visitor announcement. I welcome you to Aperture Science. I will be waiting for you once these doors open. If I'm not there, you're on the wrong level. Please avoid any mantis-men. Cave Johnson, we're done here." The two men were puzzled, mantis-men? That sounded like something out of a sci-fi book. After horrible puns and a long elevator ride, the doors started sliding open. Cave Johnson stood there, as firm and strong as a statue. He shook each of the two men's hands firmly.

"I'm Cave Johnson, I run the place. I'm sure you're delighted to be here. And wait, weren't there three of you?"

"Mister Cave Johnson, sir, I'm pretty sure he was a Black Mesa spy. He ran off at your frightening announcement about painful deaths for spies," Wheatley responded immediately. "Um, I might sound silly, but, is that true or…"

"At Aperture we don't joke about things, we really have an entire room for spies who infiltrate Aperture Science Innovators. A soundtrack of loud screaming is played again and again, it's entirely effective. Sooner or later, they crack. Anyway, Doug, I'm pretty sure you signed up as an employee, and Wheatley, you're a test subject slash employee right?"

"Bloody right mister Johnson sir!" Wheatley replied enthusiastically.

"Alright then. Henry, will you please show Mister Doug to the control rooms and maintenance areas? And Wheatley, you come with me." As Henry showed Doug the work areas, Cave and Wheatley chatted about science.

"You know Wheatley, we need more employees with a passion for science like you do. All of them only do science because they're scared of me. That's good, but we need real innovators, we're Aperture Science innovators for God's sake! You know, I'm sure you'll like Caroline. She's second-in-command to this whole place." As they stepped into an elevator, a Cave announcement turned on.

"Remember, all of you test subjects, the future starts with you!"

"Quite handsome aren't I?" Cave chuckled. Wheatley started laughing. In the end, the elevator doors opened and the two rolled out bursting in laughter.

"Cave sir, have you been exposed to our prototype, unstable and possibly lethal laughing gas? Quick someone, get a stomach pumper!" The lab boys scurried to get a pumper.

"No, I'm fine. I'm Cave Johnson. I'm the man who runs this place. I tell you lab boys what to do and what to get! And you, yes you, you're fired! No one except Cave Johnson tells people what to do!" He helped Wheatley get up, and they casually walked down the catwalk to the first test chamber.

"Wheatley, this is a dangerous test. There is some incredibly lethal Repulsion gel. It makes things bounce, in layman terms, but it does cruel things to the human skeleton. So don't get covered in it. I really need to make that an announcement that plays every time you enter the chamber." Right now, you don't have an Aperture Science Quantum Tunnelling Device, but you'll find one in the next chamber. Just bounce onto the gel. Wheatley was nervous, so he carefully stepped on the gel. The moment he set foot on the gel, he flew in the air.

"Woah! This is so much fun! How can something so bloody fun be dangerous?" he asked Cave in mid-air.

"Trust me, it does," Cave replied. In the next chamber, Cave gave Wheatley the Aperture Science Quantum Tunnelling Device. Cave told Wheatley how it worked, the danger of shooting a portal at an organic being and why not to get stuck in infinite loops. Wheatley saw a man shoot a blue portal at the wall, and an orange one up on a ledge. As he stepped through the blue one, he appeared on the ledge. Wheatley was amazed, but he had doubts. So, he mimicked the man. Portal there, portal there. He stepped through the blue one and all of a sudden, he ended up on the ledge. He stepped through the orange one, and ended back on the ground.

"How does it work?" He asked.

"Well, these portals are actually wormholes. They link one location to another one in space. But while traveling through a portal, you are actually travelling through a tunnel, in one step. But how to get them? Company secrets. Caroline is inventing a prototype handheld gun. It's supposed to be lighter, and a lot more portable. Knowing Caroline, she'll carry through." Wheatley followed Cave into the elevator. This was one ride Wheatley would remember forever