I do not own Half-Life, or the rights to the modification featured "Azure Sheep". Half Life is copyrighted by VALVe, Opposing Force and Blue Shift copyrighted VALVe and Gearbox, and Azure Sheep is semi-copyrighted by the guys over at halflife.multiplayer.it/azuresheep.

This story, in itself, has proved so far and is still proving to be a difficulty. I have tried to collate the references provided to fit each storyline around each other. I have not added one other thing believed to by canonical – Half-Life: Decay. This is because I do not own a PS2 and therefore can not see what it is like, until Decay is released for PC. (I know there's some people working on it somewhere.) I've also had to change the name of the main character from AS, because "Just Barney" would have conflicted with "Barney Calhoun" from Blue Shift. (I don't think the AS developers actually played Blue Shift, for a number of reasons.)

I have also added my own part to it, labelled "Transit". This storyline explores some of the personnel who kept the Black Mesa system running until the end. I may or may not get a team together to make a mod out of this, especially for reasons to do with render speeds.

At the end of each chapter, look out for my comments on writing the chapter. These provide an insight into what it was like writing these and correcting them afterwards. Please bear in mind that these chapters are subject to revision at any point. I hope you enjoy the story, and please review!

Note: If you disagree with the rating, or find any spelling mistakes I've missed (needs a lot to work with, Black Mesa, lotta unknown words) please note it in a review. And please, again, bear in mind that this is probably not the final version of this chapter. I've got a lot to do.

HALF-LIFE: BLACK MESA

CHAPTER ONE

DAY ON THE JOB

"Hello, and welcome to the Black Mesa Research Facility. The Facility is responsible for the most important research of the United States. I hope, after reading this, you will join us among the ranks of either the Security or the Science personnel.

The BMRF is composed of 7 lettered areas, and 10 numbered areas. This is so it does not get confusing. It is much easier to refer to, say, Sector 'Whatever' instead of 'The Security Station' because there are many security stations in the depths of Black Mesa, and nobody would know which one was being talked about. I'll just give you a rundown of the Sectors and Areas.

AREA 1 is the main Facility Entrance. There are other entrances, but this one was the first, and there is a Security Station and the North Personnel entrance.

AREA 2 contains Sattelite Operations and the access point to the Subsurface Electrical Network.

AREA 3 is comprised of some laboratories, a Security Station, and the Transit System access from the Area 3 Topside Dormitories.

AREA 4 is the Black Mesa Central Complex. While not being exactly at the centre of the complex, this is where the Administrator has his office, and some other offices.

AREA 5 is basically two security stations and their facilities. One of them is just a check in area, the other is a checkpoint for a high security area which I am not disclosed to tell you.

AREA 6 is more topside dormitories.

AREA 7 is the Black Mesa Employee Recreation Facilty. This is where employees of Black Mesa can relax and chat about things that have been happening. It also has some deep-level areas.

AREA 8 contains more topside dormitories, and more sattelite operations.

AREA 9 is the Transit Hub, where Transit Cars can interchange between the Sector B, C and E lines.

AREA 10 is the outside areas, those not within the Mesa, and the old, abandoned Black Mesa Complex situated below the current one.

SECTOR A is the Training Facility Complex. We have three such facilties, one to train Security Guards, one to train scientists in the use of another thing that is classified, and one where races occur, to see who is the fittest of the personnel.

SECTOR B is the Coolant Storage Facility. Here we store industrial coolant for the BMRF's thousands of computers and machines.

SECTOR C is the Anomalous Materials Test Labs and Control Facilities. We run analyses on rock samples to see if they are harmful here. The rest I cannot disclose.

SECTOR D contains the Administration Complex and the recreational areas pertaining to the Administration Personnel.

SECTOR E contains the Biodome Complex, Transit Control and Track Control. The BC is where animals are studied, to learn more about them, the Transit Control where all trains are monitored and maintenance crews dispatched from, and the Track Control the link between new Black Mesa and the Old Black Mesa Transit System.

SECTOR F contains high security facilities, known only as the Gamma Complex and the Lambda Complex.

SECTOR G, possibly located at the deepest point at the Facility, the canal system is the main transport system for waste processing that is soon shipped off to the Waste Processing Plant. The canal system features a wide range of ventilation ducts, canals, and waste processing facilities, and runs off from the Freight Warehouse on the surface.

I hope that wasn't very confusing. If you are confused, but you are interested, you can learn more in the Employee Recruitment Office in Area 1. Anyone can apply for a job – The BMRF is an equal opportunities employer."

Jason studied the letter intently. It was missing something...

He tagged a few words onto the end.

"Jason Bassant, Security Guard at the Black Mesa Research Facility."

He rubbed his eyes and glanced at the time. 8:27 AM. He'd been typing, retyping and eventually restarting this goddamn letter for three hours. He sent it off to Administration, closed the laptop down and closed his eyes to rest. It was going to be another routine day, he promised himself. Nothing will go wrong. Then maybe I'll get that promotion and get to see Kate sometime OUT of days off and lunch breaks.

Kate Jones was another security guard, one that worked in Area 10. Jason had his post in Area 3. It was not unusual for personnel to fall in love over the course of their duty, but they had to make sure that it didn't get in the way of actually doing their job.

Jason opened his eyes and checked the time again. It was only 8:31. Most people would already be hard at work inside the depths of the Facility. He, however didn't start his shift until 8:45. It was good to be a Topside Security guard. Other people did the work through the night, giving the Topsiders, as they were known, plenty of sleep.

Deciding to start early for a change, he got up, carefully edging along between his bed and his roommate's, which was still occupied. Douglas Young always was a heavy sleeper. Shaking his head, Jason put his body armor on, then his helmet. His pistol, safety on, went into its holster by his side, should he ever need it. He had had no need of it so far, apart from inside the Hazard Course, but that was routine. He closed his eyes again. Routine. The whole job was routine. He looked at Douglas again, then he silently walked out the door and closed it behind him.

He felt as if he could make his way outside with his eyes closed, he had done it so many times. Left out of the room, few steps down the corridor, turn right, up the steps... he avoided the loose step that had gotten him every day of the week so far, and walked down the hall and down the staircase to the booth outside where he was stationed. He opened the door, nodded at his coworkers Damian Blackwell and Jenny Cook, and sat down at his desk, staring at each of the readings on the monitors until his eyes hurt.

This train of thought (which was seeming to be headed for the edge of the mesa) was interrupted by an impatient honk at the gate. It was a posh looking sports car. He checked the monitor showing the driver's face, then cross-referenced it with the employee database.

"Yup, he's right here," Jason pointed out to the guard on duty at the gate. "Gordon Freeman, due in Sector C Test Lab 33/A five minutes ago."

The guard on duty chuckled, then raised the gate. The scientist at the wheel drove forward to the barrier, fumbled for an ID, then finally found it and held it up. That confirmed the identity. Gordon Freeman. The gate was lowered, then the barrier raised. Gordon drove forward with such a screech of tires on the first bend towards the parking lot that everyone on duty had to cover their ears.

"What the hell was that for?" asked Damian of noone in particular.

Jason checked his watch. "He's running late for an experiment in Sector C... a very important one, judging by his hurry."

"When's he due in there?"

Jason smirked. "About seven minutes ago."

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Well, there's gotta be a beginning somewhere. Most of the information that Jason gives us in the letter at the beginning was extracted from Wikipedia's entries on the Black Mesa Research Facility, and the rest I have gleaned from in-game and molded around the basic model we already have. If you have played Azure Sheep, you will have noticed that I have changed the heading from "Work work work" to "Day on the Job". Some of the headings inevitably carried mistakes, and I didn't want them to focus around Kate all the time. But, to keep some of the true AS alive, the last three chapters in its saga stay the same.

NEXT CHAPTER: LIVING QUARTERS OUTBOUND