Caroline

"I will say this, and I'm gonna say it on tape so everybody hears it a hundred times a day - If I die before you people can pour me into a computer, I want Caroline to run this place."

- Cave Johnson

An unseen character introduced in Portal 2, Caroline plays an integral role in GLaDOS' background. Caroline's voice appears only briefly in pre-recorded messages during the game.

Caroline served as personal assistant to Aperture Science CEO Cave Johnson, who described her as the "backbone of the facility". When Cave became terminally ill in the late 1980's, one of his dying wishes was to leave her in charge of Aperture in his place.

Background
Caroline was Johnson's personal assistant and closest confidant from the early years of Aperture Science until his apparent death in the 1980s. After realizing that he was terminally ill, Cave attempted to cheat death by ordering Aperture's scientists to develop a computer network into which his consciousness could be uploaded. However, he decreed that should he die before the project was ready, Caroline would take over the company in his place. Johnson cautioned that Caroline would likely have to be forced into the role, as she would otherwise refuse out of modesty. He also suggested that she could be uploaded to the computer network in his place, making her effectively immortal.

At some point, Caroline's mind was transferred to the AI network that would become the Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System of the Enrichment Center. Upon activation, the AI proved to be extremely dangerous and psychologically unstable, attempting to kill the scientists within one-sixteenth of a picosecond every time she was activated.

Portal 2
Caroline has never appeared in person, but her voice can be heard through audio recordings in some test chambers located in the oldest parts of the Enrichment Center. In the recordings, CEO Cave Johnson also mentions Caroline a number of times, consistently speaking very highly of her.

GLaDOS, who has been disconnected from her mainframe at this point and is exploring these parts of the facility with Chell, reacts strongly to hearing Caroline's voice. She is at first unable to remember how she knew Caroline, eventually lapsing into shocked silence for a time as she realizes her identity. At this point, Caroline's memories and personality gradually begin to reemerge, described by GLaDOS as a sort of conscience. Although GLaDOS remains sarcastic, her attitude toward Chell seems to soften somewhat.

Shortly after regaining control of the facility from Wheatley, GLaDOS thanks Chell for helping her discover Caroline's personality segment -- and its location within her network. GLaDOS claims to have summarily deleted it; afterward, she displays a marked shift in mood, apparently reverting to her prior conscience-free state. Despite this, however, GLaDOS ultimately decides to grant Chell her freedom without harming her -- although she claims this is merely because her attempts to kill Chell have been so troublesome. In the game's ending song, "Want You Gone", she expresses mixed feelings about Chell's departure and at one point sings the line, "now little Caroline is in here too", raising the possibility that she may have lied about deleting Caroline.

During the cooperative campaign, which takes place after the single-player game, GLaDOS shows little sign of conscience. She has no problem with destroying sentient robots, actively encourages them to betray one another, and speaks disparagingly of humans throughout. Near the end of the campaign, however, she begins showing noticeable signs of emotion again. Ultimately, it is unknown whether part or all of Caroline's personality is still a part of GLaDOS.

Portrait of a Lady


"Those people, in the portrait. They look so familiar..."

- GLaDOS

In a hidden room overlooking the first test chamber in the 7th chapter, "The Reunion," a portrait can be found depicting CEO Cave Johnson with Caroline beside him. She has long brown hair and wears a white dress. Players who discover the portrait unlock the "Portrait of a Lady" Achievement/Trophy, and GLaDOS comments on the picture.

Personality and skills
Little is known about Caroline's personality; she has only a few lines in Portal 2, all of which are very short. She seems to have been a loyal and enthusiastic assistant to Johnson. GLaDOS's comments suggest that she admired his passion, determination, and aggressiveness, as well as his willingness to openly express these qualities. Like GLaDOS, she appears to have been dedicated to science, and Johnson described her as "married" to it.

Johnson, in return, expressed great respect for Caroline, praising her overall competence and her dedication to science. He also stated that Caroline was a rather modest person -- perhaps too modest -- and tended to underestimate her own abilities.

When GLaDOS begins to consciously access Caroline's memories, she implies that Caroline was more empathetic and concerned about morality than GLaDOS herself normally is (although this would be true of nearly any human). On the other hand, Caroline seems not to have objected to Johnson's callous treatment of his staff and Test Subjects. It is unclear how much of GLaDOS's usual personality reflects Caroline's original personality.

Behind the scenes

 * Several sound files of Caroline's cut dialogue can be found within the game's cache files. The unused dialogue has Caroline addressing someone as "sir" and desperately insisting that she does not want something. The precise location in Test Shaft 09 for where this dialogue was meant to be played before being cut remains unknown.


 * When Chell holds the Oracle Turret, one of the cryptic phrases it imparts is "Her name is Caroline".


 * The first Commentary node in the game's seventh chapter, The Reunion, states that Caroline's role was originally meant for another character, Greg. Since he would only have a few lines, the developers found that it was not worth paying for another voice actor. Instead, they decided to reuse Ellen McLain's voice, rewriting the character as a female assistant named Caroline. This change inspired them to expand the story by relating GLaDOS to her.


 * Caroline was named after Jay Pinkerton's mother. In an amusing coincidence, the name means "free man."

Trivia



 * One of Doug Rattmann's murals seen at the beginning of the game indicates that during GLaDOS' final activation, a woman without a lab coat is present among a group of scientists wearing proper lab attire. This suggests that the woman may be Caroline, as the outfit in the mural resembles the one in her portrait. Curiously, unlike the scientists who are dying of neurotoxin, the woman seems to have something protuding from her stomach and is not choking, indicating she was stabbed.


 * In the ending song, "Want You Gone", GLaDOS claims that Caroline "was a lot like [Chell]". Exactly what similarities she sees between them is unclear; the comment may also have been simply a set-up for the next line, which goes on to insult Chell's weight in comparison with Caroline's.


 * Ellen McLain stated on a panel at Anime Midwest 2011, that to her belief, Caroline is not deleted at all.

List of appearances

 * Portal 2