-GLaDOS-(right)-Caroline-and-Cave-Johnson-(left).jpg?q=50&fit=contain&w=1140&h=570&dpr=1.5)
Portal 2 adds a lot of depth to the Portal universe, explaining the origins of the Aperture Science corporation and its founder and CEO, Cave Johnson. Of course, it left us with 2 questions for every answer.
Some of the things that you'll discover in the bulk of the game about GLaDOS, Cave Johnson, his assistant Caroline, and Aperture Science are foreshadowed by one unusual turret towards the beginning. This article will detail how to find that guy and explain everything that it predicts.
The Oracle Turret's Location
The Oracle Turret is found during 'Chapter 5: The Escape' of Portal 2.
When the chapter starts, you'll be walking around the back rooms and catwalks with Wheatley. He'll use a flashlight to illuminate the path.
However, eventually, you'll become separated from Wheatley. You will find yourself in the Turret Manufacturing center (depicted above). The automated voice will talk about the Turret Redemption Line: these are the conveyor belts you can see out of that glass window that are carrying defective Turrets to be destroyed.
It should be noted that you want to move quickly once you reach this point, as it's possible for the Oracle Turret to be carried beyond the point of no return. As long as you're not dawdling, you have no reason to worry.
Turn right and then left to leave this room and go out to the Turret Redemption Lines. Jump past the first one and onto the second one, then keep an eye out for a Turret that has its laser sight on and is calling out to you. Once you find it, pick it up and jump off of the Turret Redemption Line.
The Oracle Turret will thank you for saving it and reward you with some prophecies for the future! As an added bonus, doing this will earn you the 'No Hard Feelings' achievement.
All Of The Oracle Turret's Predictions
In this section, we explain all of the ominous things that the Oracle Turret will say to Chell.
It should be noted that the Oracle Turret only makes these predictions while it's being held with the Portal Gun. Once it gets to the end of them, it will say "Remember that!" and "That's all I can say." If you put it back down and pick it up again, it will repeat the predictions.
Cave Johnson's Plan To Turn His Mind Into AI
"Get mad!"
"Don't make lemonade!"
Two of the things the Oracle Turret says after you save it are lines that you will hear verbatim later in the game. They're spoken by none other than Cave Johnson!
When he says these lines, it's because he hopes he's found a way to cheat death. He had previously expressed that he'd just make the most out of the life he had left (making lemonade out of the lemons he was given). Later, Johnson insists that life can take its lemons back and that you shouldn't just lie down and take whatever life throws at you. His plan is to use brain mapping to put his mind into a computer.
PotatOS
"Prometheus was punished by the gods for giving the gift of knowledge to man. He was cast into the bowels of the earth and pecked by birds."
This quote likens GLaDOS to Prometheus. It foreshadows the fact that GLaDOS will be put into a potato (a version of her that fans lovingly call 'PotatOS') by Wheatley.
Afterwards, he sends you both into the "bowels of the earth" (underground, into the ruins of old Aperture facilities) and, when you locate GLaDOS, her potato body is being eaten by birds.
It's worth noting that the Oracle Turret is a little mistaken about the myth. Prometheus actually brought fire to humanity, though, admittedly, the myth varies and there is precedent for the idea that Prometheus brought some kind of knowledge to humans. The Oracle Turret makes a more significant error when it says Prometheus was sent down into the Earth; in reality, Prometheus was chained to a mountain-top, where an eagle ate his liver every day.
Wheatley Is Too Dumb For Paradoxes
"It won't be enough."
This quote indicates that GLaDOS' plan to deal with Wheatley won't be good enough.
Towards the end of Portal 2, GLaDOS will attempt to put Wheatley out of commission by telling him a logical paradox; since he's a robot, that should overclock his processors. Unfortunately, Wheatley is too dumb to even know that what she said was paradoxical. (Amusingly, even the turrets nearby are smart enough to be stunned by the paradox.)
Admittedly, since this is a vague quote, some people have suggested alternate interpretations for what it could be predicting. Though most people agree it is predicting this moment with Wheatley, some alternatives include:
- Cave Johnson's brain-mapping technology won't be enough to save him
- Replacing GLaDOS with Wheatley won't be enough for Chell to escape
- Attaching defective Cores to Wheatley won't be enough to defeat him
- The test subjects found at the end of the co-op campaign won't be enough for GLaDOS
- Wheatley throwing Chell and GLaDOS into the pit won't be enough to defeat them
The Old Aperture Facilities
"The answer is beneath us."
This quote is referencing the old Aperture Science facilities which have been left to gather dust beneath the modern Enrichment Center. Chell and GLaDOS explore them and slowly make their way towards the surface after Wheatley throws them down a pit.
"The answer" may be to questions about GLaDOS' identity and the founding of Aperture, or it may be "the answer" to defeating Wheatley (since you use the Mobility Gels in your final fight with him, and you learn about Mobility Gels as you pass through the old facilities).
GLaDOS Is Caroline
-GLaDOS-(right).jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&dpr=1.5)
"Her name is Caroline."
Finally, the Oracle Turret predicts the most shocking twist of the game: that GLaDOS was once a living, breathing woman named Caroline.Caroline was the assistant to Cave Johnson, and Johnson left everything to her (including his role as CEO) after he died. As a result, Caroline ran the facility and her mind was ultimately put into GLaDOS instead of his.