Interlude Will

The faint, constant hum of the television filled the dimly lit room. Dustin, eyes squinting in concentration, flicked through channels at a frenetic pace, chasing something – anything – to capture his interest. Beside him, Will was miles away, lost in the depths of his sketchbook. A haunting image had plagued him all day, and its pull was irresistible.

A vibrant, futuristic jingle from the TV sliced through the hush, halting Dustin's restless channel surfing. He quickly turned the volume up.

"Step into the new age with Aperture Publishing—where the boundaries of literature are transcended!" a charismatic voiceover declared, dripping with excitement.

Dustin's eyebrows shot up. "Aperture's doing books now? Seriously?" There was a hint of that familiar, nerdy wonder in his voice that Will had come to associate with all things bizarre and unexpected.

Lured by the commotion, Will's gaze shifted from his mesmerizing sketch. The TV showcased an expansive book production arena: intricate conveyor belts weaving a dance, state-of-the-art robots attending to tasks with surgical precision, and Aperture Science scientists engrossed in their roles, white coats almost gleaming. Books, with covers shiny and untouched, zoomed past on the belts, destined for the world outside.

"Our pioneering book production line, powered by the brightest minds at Aperture Science, promises nothing less than literary perfection," the voiceover continued, brimming with pride.

Dustin, his face inches from the screen, seemed utterly entranced. For a surreal moment, Will half-expected Dustin to be yanked into the fantastical world inside the television. He had to restrain himself from reaching out, just to be sure.

"Every creation is meticulously crafted and rigorously assessed in our state-of-the-art chambers," the voiceover elaborated. "Those that meet the esteemed benchmarks of our Automated Literary Committee are honoured with your readership. The ones that fall short? They're promptly introduced to the 'Book Calibration Chamber F-451'."

A humorous animation played, showing a book with a crestfallen face being respectfully ushered into a sophisticated-looking device labelled 'Book Calibration Chamber F-451'. Moments later, a plume of smoke with a cheeky, shrugging emoticon rose from the chamber, signalling the book's "calibration".

As the Aperture logo flashed, accompanied by the playful tagline: "Aperture Publishing: Charting the literary frontier, for the betterment of all (barring those no longer with us)."

Will felt a stir of excitement. Aperture's literature? That was something he'd dive into headfirst.

Dustin leaned back, a dreamy look in his eyes. "Only Aperture could turn books into a sci-fi dream, huh?" He shot a side glance at Will, searching for affirmation.

Their conversation flowed effortlessly, but even as they spoke, Will's hand was magnetically drawn back to his sketchbook. Before he knew it, he was sketching that eerie image again: a crimson-streaked hammer.