It Must Have Been the Mistletoe
Something...odd is happening on the ship. Plant-like protrusions are occasionally sprouting in places throughout the ship.
They look like mistletoe, but this is purely coincidental. It's not like it's the holidays on the ship, right? It might be for some people, back home (if they still had a home), but others were grabbed from different times. No, it's just coincidence that these little devices look vaguely like mistletoe, and coincidence what they're being used for.
For you see, when this "mistletoe" is overhead, a crew member will be trapped in an invisible forcefield, and won't be able to escape until someone has kissed them or otherwise showed them some equivalent of affection. (Cheek kisses and sloppy puppy kisses from the canine crew members count). The "mistletoe" spring itself is shielded itself and can't be destroyed, the only way out is a kiss.
Why is this all happening? GLaDoS is performing whacky behavioral experiments, that's why. Each time, it happens, she intones messages like the following.
"Please express affection for your fellow crewmate to free them."
"This is of the utmost importance, and part of ongoing Crew Coherency and Cooperation Studies."
"Please do not attempt to leave the vicinity until you have participated."
"Participation is required. Why wouldn't you want to participate?"
"The Transmigration9 AI Complex thanks you for your participation in important research. Unless you don't want to participate, but not participating would make me disappointed. I suppose you just want to disappoint me."
And of course, sometimes she even outright lies.
"There will be cake."
They look like mistletoe, but this is purely coincidental. It's not like it's the holidays on the ship, right? It might be for some people, back home (if they still had a home), but others were grabbed from different times. No, it's just coincidence that these little devices look vaguely like mistletoe, and coincidence what they're being used for.
For you see, when this "mistletoe" is overhead, a crew member will be trapped in an invisible forcefield, and won't be able to escape until someone has kissed them or otherwise showed them some equivalent of affection. (Cheek kisses and sloppy puppy kisses from the canine crew members count). The "mistletoe" spring itself is shielded itself and can't be destroyed, the only way out is a kiss.
Why is this all happening? GLaDoS is performing whacky behavioral experiments, that's why. Each time, it happens, she intones messages like the following.
"Please express affection for your fellow crewmate to free them."
"This is of the utmost importance, and part of ongoing Crew Coherency and Cooperation Studies."
"Please do not attempt to leave the vicinity until you have participated."
"Participation is required. Why wouldn't you want to participate?"
"The Transmigration9 AI Complex thanks you for your participation in important research. Unless you don't want to participate, but not participating would make me disappointed. I suppose you just want to disappoint me."
And of course, sometimes she even outright lies.
"There will be cake."