I do not own any of the characters used in this piece of fiction, and do not claim to. I am not in way associated / affiliated to Valve / Steam and the Half Life series or any related series.

A/N: Hello, this is my first Half Life Fanfic, flame if you want, follow and favourite too. Oh and review helps too! Away with the story!

-Penguin

Matt awoke to the loud bleeping of a siren. His alarm clock. His sight was limited. He put his hand out to the side, to search for an object. His glasses. Once he had found them, he extracted himself from his bed.

Matt was what you could call a 'scientist' working at the infamous Black Mesa Laboratories. He was working on a quantum tunnelling device, like Aperture Science's ASHPD. But this one would be...better.

As Matt headed for the employee transport train. He heard someone: "Hey, Matt!" A gruff murmur resonated. I froze and slowly turned around. It was Joey in his HEV suit.

"Oh, hey Joey, how are you?" I said trying to act calm and collected.

"I'm good, but I need to get to waste management so I'll see you later," After Joey had said that he patted my shoulder with his Kevlar hand.

Joey is Matt's overseer, meaning that any developments had to pass through him first.

When I got to the transport station, I realized that I was going to be late. Again. I boarded the one that was heading to sector D. The train was empty apart from me. I sat down on one of the cushioned blue seats, relaxed whilst listening to the humming of electricity and the regular safety announcements made by Black Mesa.

The train halted mid journey. Thoughts plagued my mind. The only option I thought it could be was a power fault, these are regular when your laboratory has to operate on such low funding. I waited a few minutes until I could bear the wait no longer, I hit the door release button it opened with a mechanical hum. I jumped out. I was close enough to sector D, my sector, so I walked the rest of way, but walking on a monorail sure is tricky.

I arrived to see panic. The guards were stationary at the station they saw me and said: "I'm sorry but this area of the facility is currently off limits,"

"Off limits!?" Matt said angrily. "I'm working on the portal devic-,"

"I'm afraid it's off limits," The guard grunted. Matt headed off to the monorail tracks. His head was now being swarmed with thoughts, mostly. An experiment gone wrong. My stream of thoughts was interrupted by a choir of guns singing their song of death. This burst lasted for five seconds. And was quickly silenced by screams. I turned around to see panic. Chaos. Tall beings, with green energy spouted from their hands. "Matt, get out of here!" One of guards shouted "Get a HEV suit! Go!"

I did as the guard said, I ran back towards the train. When I reached the car, I saw that the tracks were broken, above the toxic acid that Black Mesa pump to 'Waste Management'. Waste Management, Joey. I brushed the thoughts aside. I needed to get to the other side, where the train was.

The noxious gases, mixed with the smell of corroding metal. Was overwhelming. Then I heard it, the sounds of those monsters. Their wet feet, their clicking noise. To me, those noises meant: escape, run. "Okay," I took a deep breath "3...2...1," I jumped.

The jump was under-powered, but it had enough force so that I could clear it. Just. I began to collect myself, the I heard the unmistakeable sound of metal bending, breaking, snapping. Then all those noises were overlaid with the sound of, those...things. I had to run. Again.

I ran past an elevator shaft I stopped, only to hear screams, shouts and the tell-tale sounds of panic as an elevator descended, then hit the ground.

I was shocked, I swore silently to myself, when I realized two things: the light, power's back on-line, although it was flickering. And that there's a ladder, to freedom, safety, sanctuary. I ran into the elevator shaft, only just managing to grab the ladder, when I heard it. Those creatures are back. Looking, searching for me. I pushed myself flat against the ladder. Then one of them put their bulbous head out through the elevator doors. He looked up, but not down.

I waited in that position until they gone. I looked up, now's my chance...to escape.

After about 4 minutes of climbing, I saw it. An elevator, jammed in the shaft. I gulped as I started to descend back down. In the haste, I miss the door I came in. Then the creaking came, not from the ladder but the lift. It fell. I jumped into the next floor landing with a roll. Then it rushed past. "This is not a game," I whispered under my breath "I only have one life,"

"Get up! Drop whatever you're holding! And turn around!" I did as I was told only to see Joey holding a gun and a knife. "M-Matt?"

"Yes," I answered

"Duck!" Joey shouted, yet again I did as I was told. He then shot some bullets at this walking corpse, a zombie. The stench it made was horrible, it seemed to be a person but on its head was a crab like monster.

"C'mon Matt, we need to get you suited up," He said whilst walking off in the direction of waste management.

"Wait," I said bemused

"Yes Matt?"

"Wh-what was that?" I asked

"A head-crab infesting on a human. He was a zombie." Joey said putting emphasis behind 'was'.

When we reached the room where the HEV suits were kept, there was only one left, looks like someone else had our idea. I zoned out thinking about what the now dead guard said, "Get a HEV suit,"

"Oi, Matt get over here," Joey said. After he had said that, my head sprug up, like a Jack-in-a-box and I came out of my trance like state.

I stared at the remaining HEV suit. It was in pristine condition.

"Looks like you've got one of the new ones, unlike mine," Joey said. When he said that a small smile appeared on my face.