Edge of Darkness

by pelletproof

After proving his skill and cunning by escaping the Black Mesa complex alive, Gordon Freeman have been called on by a shadowy organisation to help protect mankind from the threat posed by Xen. A novelization of a Half-Life modification.

This is a novelization of Edge of Darkness, a Half-Life single-player modification by Chris Spain.

Edge of Darkness

A novelization by pelletproof

Chapter I - The Briefing

23:37 - Downtown warehouse district.

Gordon closed the door behind him and ended up in a decrepit alleyway, with rain pouring from the sky and lightning crashing violently. He walked slowly, taking deep breaths and constantly looking around him. He took a few more steps forward, and immediately noticed the staircase leading to the basement of a building. This is where he was going to be briefed on his upcoming mission.

A few hours ago he was contacted by an organization called the ''Alien Counter-Insurgency Bureau.'' They claimed they know about the Black Mesa incident, and that Gordon Freeman was among the few who made it out of that place alive. The ACIB have called out to Gordon to help them fight a ''new threat to civilization,'' as they called it. The coordinates given by the ACIB have led him here, where he was about to find out exactly what was waiting for him.
Gordon hurried down the stairs, opened the door, and walked into the basement. The place seemed empty, no one was there to greet him. The echo of his steps was his only companion as he walked through the dimly lit corridor. At the end of it was a metallic door, which made a slight moan as it slid open. The room was pitch dark at first, but one after another, numerous lights flicked on as the door closed behind Gordon. Strangely, this room was empty as well, except for a laptop beeping on a desk. There was a compact disk lying next to it. This, as he assumed, was how he would receive his briefing. Gordon was nervous, weariness could be seen in his eyes. Who knows that the ACIB had assigned him? He carefully inserted the compact disk labeled ''Freeman'' in the computer, and waited for the monitor to display it's contents.

''Good evening, Mr. Freeman.'' The audio recording began playing. ''The man on the screen is Dr. Damien Smith.'' At that very moment, a tall, thin, middle aged man wearing a blue suit with a black tie appeared on the monitor.

''Dr. Smith is believed to be developing a means to open a dimensional rift between Earth and the borderworld Xen. We believe that Smith intends to open a major dimensional rift and use the Xen lifeforms to throw the world in disarray.''

After the last few sentences, Gordon already felt that he had no choice but to accept the mission, since the risk really was high. ''A new threat to civilization'' really was the right way to describe this.

''Your mission, Gordon, should you choose to accept it, is to infiltrate Dr. Smith's mountaintop base and sabotage his schemes. There are two groups of security at Smith's base: standard patrols of well-trained grunts sweep the perimeter regularly. They won't hesitate to open fire at you, so you shouldn't either. The second group are the security guards who also guard the complex. They, on the other hand, will try to assist you when possible.'' The voice then finally added, ''This message will self destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Gordon.''

Smoke would then rise from inside the slide-out tray, and the instructions were destroyed.

Gordon began to acknowledge the weight that was now on his shoulders. It was worth taking a moment to think about his next move…

...Although, he had to admit that he didn't actually know the full scope of the situation. He had expected that the ACIB would reveal a lot more about the mission. More than they did, at least. He could admit, though, the seriousness of the situation, and that he had to act quick. Gordon's thoughts were quickly dispersed as a tray slid out of the wall behind him. Right after that, the massive ''container'' in the middle of the room opened, revealing the Hazardous Environment Suit. It was exactly like the one he used to escape Black Mesa, although, not exactly as battle scarred. Gordon's eyes shifted towards the tray which held a Glock semi-automatic pistol, two extra magazines, and a handful of papers containing everything he needed to know about the assignment. Did he want to do this, though?

Screw it, it's too late to back out.

''Welcome to the HEV mark IV protective system, for use in hazardous environment conditions.''

It still fit him like a glove.