As Gordon wandered quietly into the familiar surroundings of his room he
couldn't help but think about the past. Could he have prevented the
Resonance Cascade? Why did it all go wrong? Nobody knew. Nobody really
spoke of the past, even those whose lives weren't affected. Worse things
have happened on the Earth, but the Black Mesa incident was something
people instinctivly steered around. So many people died, and for no
apparent reason. It shocked the world, but still, the Government seemed to
treat the matter with as much attention as we would give to to a plane
passing far overhead. Obviously, those people who disappeared were missed,
but the Government had enough sense to keep Black Mesa's real project, and
of course Xen under wraps when they coughed up a feeble excuse. They
couldn't help but mention the Military presence there, a training operation
gone wrong. A massive government cover-up, thats what the media reckoned.
They were right. No more 'information' was released to the public. A weak,
laughable story, everyone knew that, but that was all that was conjured up.
Gordon headed to the case where his HEV stood. It slid open with a satisfying swish. He slipped off his smart suit, donned some loose jeans and T-shirt, and literally stepped into the gleaming orange armour. As the soothing, cool metal pressed against him through his clothes, he felt the familier hatred, and guilt, swell up inside him once more, but he forced himself to keep calm. He didn't want to cause anymore unneccesary deaths. His dreams haunted him enough already.
Gordon was no longer at the friendly Black Mesa Research Facility, apparently, all that was left of that was a smouldering crater. To be honest, Gordon didn't really know where he was. He had been shipped off so many times, all across New Mexico, he had eventually lost all interest in his location. It wasn't like it mattered at all. This time, he seemed to be in some kind of Military base, soldiers periodically passed by his room, heading to what he assumed to be the surface, maybe even to Xen. This not only made Gordon feel uneasy, but curious. Did a major war break out and Gordon wasn't told? That's how it seemed. Lost in thought, he wandered out of his quarters.
All around him, the cold, white walls practically shone in the yellow ceiling lights, and black and white signs marked numerous doorways which he passed without sparing a second glance. He wasn't too sure of where he was, or where he was going, but he felt that he needed the walk to straighten his head.
Gordon was still considered a newcomer to this certain facility, and the few people that he passed payed little attention. This didn't bother Gordon. Sure, he missed having a laugh and having someone to depend on, but at the moment, Gordon was perfectly happy with keeping himself to himself.
"What's wrong?" Gordon looked up from his wanderings into the unfamiliar face of an smartly dressed woman. Her black hair was tied back in a neat bun, and her brown eyes studied his face with concern.
"Huh? Oh, it's a long story."
"That's never a good thing to hear. I haven't seen you around here before, have you just arrived?"
" About a month ago."
"It's always tough the first couple of months, isn't it? I've been there. I'm Cassandra Downes."
"Nice to meet you. Gordon Freeman." He offered his hand to her, which she shook.
"I was wondering, what do you do around here Gordon? I mean, you've been issused an HEV. Not many people around here have to use these."
"Oh, it's hard to explain. I was in Black Mesa-"
"You were in Black Mesa?" Cassandra seemed startled by this. "I was told that no-one survived."
"Well, they lied." He shrugged. "I don't know why they told you that. I'm not the person to ask."
"They must have had their reasons." She glanced at the clock on the wall. "Sorry Gordon, i've got a meeting. I'll probably be seeing you soon. Good luck with whatever you're doing."
"Same to you. Bye" Gordon almost waved as she walked around the corner, out of sight. He sighed. He realised that he was afraid. He didn't want to fight again, he didn't feel ready. Gordon had had little training, and the thought of having to fight, to kill again just made him sick.
"Would Mr. Freeman please report to Level Four: Survaillance immediately." The loudspeaker on the wall announced. Gordon cursed and headed for the lift.
Gordon headed to the case where his HEV stood. It slid open with a satisfying swish. He slipped off his smart suit, donned some loose jeans and T-shirt, and literally stepped into the gleaming orange armour. As the soothing, cool metal pressed against him through his clothes, he felt the familier hatred, and guilt, swell up inside him once more, but he forced himself to keep calm. He didn't want to cause anymore unneccesary deaths. His dreams haunted him enough already.
Gordon was no longer at the friendly Black Mesa Research Facility, apparently, all that was left of that was a smouldering crater. To be honest, Gordon didn't really know where he was. He had been shipped off so many times, all across New Mexico, he had eventually lost all interest in his location. It wasn't like it mattered at all. This time, he seemed to be in some kind of Military base, soldiers periodically passed by his room, heading to what he assumed to be the surface, maybe even to Xen. This not only made Gordon feel uneasy, but curious. Did a major war break out and Gordon wasn't told? That's how it seemed. Lost in thought, he wandered out of his quarters.
All around him, the cold, white walls practically shone in the yellow ceiling lights, and black and white signs marked numerous doorways which he passed without sparing a second glance. He wasn't too sure of where he was, or where he was going, but he felt that he needed the walk to straighten his head.
Gordon was still considered a newcomer to this certain facility, and the few people that he passed payed little attention. This didn't bother Gordon. Sure, he missed having a laugh and having someone to depend on, but at the moment, Gordon was perfectly happy with keeping himself to himself.
"What's wrong?" Gordon looked up from his wanderings into the unfamiliar face of an smartly dressed woman. Her black hair was tied back in a neat bun, and her brown eyes studied his face with concern.
"Huh? Oh, it's a long story."
"That's never a good thing to hear. I haven't seen you around here before, have you just arrived?"
" About a month ago."
"It's always tough the first couple of months, isn't it? I've been there. I'm Cassandra Downes."
"Nice to meet you. Gordon Freeman." He offered his hand to her, which she shook.
"I was wondering, what do you do around here Gordon? I mean, you've been issused an HEV. Not many people around here have to use these."
"Oh, it's hard to explain. I was in Black Mesa-"
"You were in Black Mesa?" Cassandra seemed startled by this. "I was told that no-one survived."
"Well, they lied." He shrugged. "I don't know why they told you that. I'm not the person to ask."
"They must have had their reasons." She glanced at the clock on the wall. "Sorry Gordon, i've got a meeting. I'll probably be seeing you soon. Good luck with whatever you're doing."
"Same to you. Bye" Gordon almost waved as she walked around the corner, out of sight. He sighed. He realised that he was afraid. He didn't want to fight again, he didn't feel ready. Gordon had had little training, and the thought of having to fight, to kill again just made him sick.
"Would Mr. Freeman please report to Level Four: Survaillance immediately." The loudspeaker on the wall announced. Gordon cursed and headed for the lift.