Cave Johnson: Difference between revisions

As his illness progressed, Cave's emotional state, already precarious due to the success of his rival [[Black Mesa]], began to deteriorate. It was at this point that Cave mentioned the aphorism "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade". As his condition became more debilitating, Cave's comments became increasingly emphatic, resulting in advice to never give up, "get mad," and "make life take the lemons back!". Despite his attempts to stave off fate, all attempts to cure his affliction failed, and with little hope of a cure, he instructed his engineers to start research on {{W|artificial intelligence}} (AI) and {{W|brain mapping}} in the hope that his brain could be downloaded into a computer. Cave also stated that they "should've been doing this 30 years ago". Fearing that he would die before the release of the technology, he left instructions that his secretary [[Caroline]] should take charge of Aperture Science, and that she should be downloaded into the computer intended for him. He stated that he knows that "she will decline at first or feel she can't do it", which he followed up with "force her to do it if you have to". It is presumed that Caroline was selected due to her devotion scientific progress, a trait admired by Cave, and also due to her close relationship with Aperture's founder. It is unknown what became of Cave himself, but it is presumed that he fell victim to his illness and, ultimately, to science.}}

== References ==

=== Portal ===

During ''Portal'' {{spoiler text|when [[Chell]] makes her first escape}}, there are several "Rattmann Nests" that are scattered throughout the facility. In one of them, there are several pictures of a suited man with a small picture of a [[Companion Cube]] over his face, along with the words "Our Founder" found in one of the photos. {{spoiler text|Below the mad scribblings of Rattmann is what appears to be a login name and password labeled "cjohnson", with the password "tier3", alluding to Cave Johnson himself. It would later be discovered that this could be used on Aperture Science's own [http://www.aperturescience.com website], giving more insight into the grim world of Aperture Science}}.

=== First Portal 2 ARG ===

Additional details about Portal 2 background were provided by the first Portal 2 ARG, which took place in March 2010. On those notes, Cave Johnson's life, as well as Aperture history, look much different than in Portal 1, foreseeing the ret-conned Aperture history showcased in Portal 2: {{spoiler text|most notably, some of the ARG text findings are written into the form of Cave Johnson's post-mortem memos, implying that Johnson's consciousness was uploaded into an AI, much like Caroline's in the final game.<ref>[http://half-life.wikia.com/wiki/Portal_ARG#BBS_resource_list BBS resource list @ Combine OverWiki]. Retrieved 2011-26-05.</ref>}}

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|File:Cave Johnson Painting.png|alt1=Cave Johnson|1950s portrait of Cave Johnson

|File:Cave Johnson Painting 3.png|alt2=An older Cave Johnson.|1970s portrait of Cave Johnson

|File:Cave Johnson Painting 4.png|alt3=Cave Johnson with his secretary, [[Caroline]].|Cave Johnson with his secretary, [[Caroline]].

|File:Cave Johnson Painting 2.png|alt4=Last known image of Cave Johnson.|1980s portrait of Cave Johnson.

|File:Cave 2008.jpg|alt5=Concept art from the leaked 2008 casting call.|Concept art from the leaked 2008 casting call.