HALF-LIFE

SECURITY BREACH

The job of a Black Mesa Security Officer excelled in two areas: mundaneness and routineness, both of which were things that Officer Ben Wallace was fond of. A 36-year-old white male with brown hair and brown eyes, Ben was about as boring of a man as you could possibly meet. It wasn't that you couldn't hold an enjoyable conversation with him, but he was just too darn normal. He had a wife and a son that lived with him in the Black Mesa dormitories, and he did his job to the best of his ability. At the end of his shift he would go home, visit with his family, go to bed, and wake up to repeat the same boring cycle. He didn't have any close friends. He just made small talk with his co-workers throughout the day.

Ben sat in the lunch room and finished a steaming hot cup of coffee. It was 8:30 and his day was just beginning. Ben worked the "Blue" shift that went from 9:00-22:00. He stood up, wiped his thick mustache and mouth with a paper towel, and proceeded to place his mug by the sink. Just then, Officer Crusoe poked his head into the nearly empty lunch room.

"Hey Wallace, they need another body at the Training Facility in Sector A. One of their guys called in sick a few minutes ago and L.M. wants a full staff there. You mind switching to Red shift for a day?" said Crusoe.

"Yeah, sure, I'll head down there right away," said Ben, strapping his dark blue helmet back onto his head.

Although he didn't show it, Ben was a little annoyed. Not because he had to be relocated, but because getting to another Sector could be a long, drawn out process. Regardless, it didn't bother him too much. He had already been equipped that morning, so he headed out to the tram site immediately, preparing for the relatively long ride ahead.