-1Disclaimer: I don't own Half-Life.
(A/N: Many thanks to hhgbh for wonderful, superb, fantastical beta work)
The Black Mesa Incident
Chapter Thirty One: Pit Worm's Nest
Light raced up towards Shephard through a vent cover, and the smell intensified. Shephard crashed through the metal boots first, flying through the air before landing on a wet cushion of crap, shit and whatever the hell that smell was. On the bright side, it seemed to wash away the coat of green slime.
Shephard go to his feet slowly, holding on to a floating crate beside him for leverage. The Barnacle and alien rocket launcher hadn't flown very far from his grip, and it took him little time to scoop them up. He checked the Displacer, afraid that it might blow up from all the different liquids he had been surrounding it with recently. It wasn't beeping or smoking, so Shephard took that as a good sign.
He was in a trash compactor, the kind of room he didn't think existed outside of science fiction movies. The rusted metal of the walls seeped into the yellowy water, giving the edge of the liquid a powdery quality. The only door out of the room looked very much locked, the red lights glimmering above it indicating something that was sealed very tight.
Then, with an affirmative beep, the door slid up, allowing him entrance into the dark, grey corridor beyond. A frown creasing his brow, Shephard looked around the room, looking for some kind of trigger he had released. Eventually, his gaze travelled upwards to a window looking into a booth. Inside, the man in the suit, that Government Man, stood looking down on him, his expression unreadable from such a distance.
A second later, the G-Man turned and walked away.
Shephard launched into a sprint, heading for the corridor. A pool of radioactive liquid on his left didn't even slow him down; he just leapt straight over it. The room beyond was rather minute width and length wise, but was incredibly tall. A red ladder against the wall led up to a floor literally stories above. Shephard leapt onto the ladder without pause, going three rungs at a time up to the next level.
He reached the top and vaulted over, going through an open doorway into a smaller room. Wire mesh covered a viewport looking out into a chamber beyond. Something large moved inside, but Shephard couldn't make out what it was. Not that he was taking much time to inspect such things. He just wanted that G-Man and his smirking face right in front of him. Not even a nasal plea from behind him made him slow down.
The door beside the viewport slid open as he reached it.
The giant worm creature on the other side, however, did make him slow down - to a halt, in fact. Shephard stood on a walkway overlooking a pit of sewer water, much like the stuff he had just bathed in. Off to the left, a platform stood with a crank poking out of a control panel there. On the right, a platform with a lever. Directly in front of him, a control panel with the words 'BRIDGE CONTROL'. Underneath, in rather large red letters, the word 'OBSTRUCTION' flickered angrily.
Shephard looked to the creature awaiting him. No shit, obstruction.
The thing looked like a giant, upright caterpillar, with no mouth so speak of and only singular, large green eye that stared right back at him. Two large arms had long black claws at the end of each, with smaller, more insect like arms running along the main body of the creature.
Shephard took a step forward, and the creature howled, throwing its' eye to the heavens in outrage before whipping it back down to look at him. A brilliant green light blasted out of the blackened iris of the creature. Shephard threw himself back against the door, and wilfully let himself fall through it as it opened. He rolled to the side as soon as he hit the ground, the green blast firing through the doorway until the door itself lowered, blocking the glowing energy.
He stared up at the ceiling for a few moments, just knowing that the G-Man was gone by now. And, also, that he had no idea how to beat that damn thing. A head put itself in his line of sight, the dim light bulb behind it putting the person in silhouette. All Shephard could make out was some wild, unruly hair.
"I told you to wait, but you wouldn't listen."
The man put out a hand, and Shephard took it, the novelty of someone helping him up refreshing.
"What is that thing?" Shephard asked breathlessly, nodding to the doorway.
The scientist managed a shrug. Shephard could make out his wrinkly, tired face much better now. He looked like he had been through hell before this mess started. "It's Race X, whatever it is."
"Do you know how to kill it?"
"Well, at least you have the intelligence to ask. Another group of soldiers were here a few moments ago and they simply went in with all guns blazing."
"Where are they now?"
Scratching his head, the scientist looked to the door. "In pieces through there, I expect. But anyway," he said, brushing aside the subject as though it were a mere inconvenience, "you want to know how to beat it, correct?"
Shephard nodded getting more impatient. He noticed the Displacer dangling by his side.
"This entire complex is a waste disposal centre. You should be able to flood the chamber with radioactive waste if you follow my instructions. Understood?"
He wasn't really listening, but Shephard nodded regardless, his eyes still set on the Displacer.
"Now, you'll need to go down to the lower levels and activate both the Valve and Gearbox mechanisms. Once those are in place you'll need to turn the crank that activates the primary pump, while also finding some way to get to the platform with the lever for- what are you doing?"
Halfway through the speech, Shephard had started carefully placing his weapons on the floor. Once the wrench was down, Shephard pointed to the display on the floor.
"Don't touch them."
The scientist shook his head vehemently.
"But… what are you going to do?"
Shephard removed the Displacer from his shoulder and put it in front of him, checking it for damage.
"Well, sorry, but… I'm sure as hell not doing all that crap."
"But-"
"Stand back. I don't know how big this reaction will be."
"What reaction?!" the scientist yelled, exasperated. "What is that? What are you going to do?!"
Shephard turned and walked to the door. It slid open compliantly, revealing the beast beyond. He took a few steps back, cricked his neck, and launched forward in a sprint. The worm creature howled as he reached the guardrail of the walkway and used it as a springboard, thrusting himself right at the creature.
He pressed the red button on the Displacer, and it hummed to life, the front opening up as it had done for both him and for Magnusson. Shephard hoped it wouldn't send this thing to the same place Magnusson went.
As he reached the creature, Shephard plunged it into the eye, spurting yellow blood in all directions, including all over Shephard. Turning his head away, Shephard saw a walkway down below that was just above water level. As the worm thrashed in agony, it brought Shephard down near the walkway. He released his grip from the Displacer and leapt off, hitting the walkway in roll that took him into the next room.
He hit the wall back first, his helmet slamming against it with a metallic thud that reverberated around the back of his head. The creature continued to wail outside, noisily thrashing against everything it could reach.
A green flash from outside brought Shephard's attention away from the stinging sensation in the back of his head.
Silence descended, the only noise that of the sewage water swishing around. Shephard got to his feet and went outside, his boots echoing noisily against the metal walkway in the now empty chamber. It was a wonderful feeling, that sudden sense of peace.
Shephard turned to see a ladder leading back up to the platform he had leapt from, and climbed up. The scientist was there waiting for him, standing by the bridge control panel.
"That… that…" he looked at Shephard, wide eyed. "What was that?"
"The Displacer," he replied matter-of-factly, turning to the control panel and pressing the only button there. In front of him on the other side of the chamber, a bridge began to extend from a doorway that had been hidden by the worm creature.
He walked back inside and picked up his weapon, noticing that the Desert Eagle was missing. Thinking back, he didn't actually remember taking it out before going outside for his face-off. He grimaced, a little annoyed at his on ineptitude. It probably fell out of the holster and into the water. The weight of the alien rocket launcher on his shoulder comforted him somewhat.
Ah, well. It had been out of ammo anyway.
The scientist had followed him in, watching with abject astonishment as Shephard loaded up.
"How do I get to the observation booth of that trash compactor there?"
"The waste management device, you mean?"
Shephard glared at him. "Whatever."
"That one?" he said, pointing to the door Shephard had first used to come in.
"Yes," he hissed.
"You can't. It's been blocked off by fallen debris. One of my colleagues was heading there earlier today, in fact, when…" He cleared his throat. "Well, never mind."
Shephard studied the scientist for a moment. "Do you want to come?"
"What? Oh, good God, no. Even before that thing arrived, there was a terrible amount of gunfire and explosions coming from up there. My chances of survival up there are negligible at best."
"I'll be there to help you."
"I'll just be a hindrance, and you know it. Go, go."
Somewhat unnerved by the nonchalant manner in which the scientist had resigned himself to his own death, Shephard just nodded dumbly and walked back through the door, heading over the now completed bridge.
"Good luck," they said to each other in sync.
It prompted a smile from both of them. Shephard offered the slightest of nods, the Barnacle and alien rocket launcher taking his hands preventing him from waving. The scientist returned the gesture and walked back into the small room, the door sliding shut behind him.
With a shake of the head, Shephard walked across the bridge and into the corridor beyond. A door off to the left awaited him, the control lever beside it sparking and sputtering.
He sighed. Damn scientists and their damned top secret research facilities.
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(A/N: Please turn over for another chapter.
Next Chapter: Gonarch's Lair)