(Yay, I finally got the damn chapter done. This was supposed to be done
already yesterday, but wouldn't you know it, I shut off Word accidentally
and didn't save the end part. Well, I got it done today, so be happy. Now,
onwards to the reviews!
Raider: Yeah, well, since I haven't played OF, I'm not really going to be having any Black Ops in the story. It's a shame, they seem so cool. Well, thanks again for liking it!
Blizrun: Yeah, they're pretty much a team now. I'd normally be surprised how you figured that, but it's so easy to figure it this time round. Although I'd consider it an uneasy truce. Oh, and yeah, I visited PoV's pages. It seems damn cool. Too bad good ol' Xonxth isn't a rebel slave =).
Jason Storm: Yep, I've been doing that the whole time, so no worries! =)
Well, now that those are done, let's just get on with the chapter, eh? This one proves to be rather interesting, at least in my point of view.)
Chapter 7: GX-500
Another slave fell to the bullets from Major Hickory's SAW machine gun. The aliens seemed to especially like to barrage the dam with their attacks, and Dam Team had their hands full of work to do. Not only where the aliens fighting them, but also some of the slaves had betrayed their kin, and were also fighting everyone they could find. And to top it off, Russian communists were also proving to be quite an adversary.
Finally, the latest wave of aliens fell to the ground, groaning in front of Dam Team. No longer did the marines cheer their victory, for they had realized that this was an unbeatable battle.
Hickory sat down to rest and stared at their ammunition. They were running low, and new shipments of ammo came less frequently now that Patrol Team's osprey had been dropped. It was starting to be time to pull out and commence air strikes.
-----
"Shit that thing's big!" Dylan yelled as he caught up with Adam and Gordon. He grabbed hold of the operation table that Adam was pushing, and they started to go faster now that two people were pushing.
Dylan quickly turned to look at the monster which had noticed them and now ran after them. The beast stood over all aliens, probably most animals on Earth too. The thing was covered with a blue chitinous skin, and it's arms were like tree trunks. It's hands ended in stumps, which seemed to open and close as the gargantuan ran after them.
Yes, gargantuan. That was what Gordon had called it, and it described the gigantic monstrosity quite well.
"Damn, a building!" Adam cursed as they ran up to a wall. This didn't bother Dylan as much as the fact that they were going away from the nuclear silo, away from their group mates. The building still stood as an obstacle, and the gargantuan was coming closer.
"I'm going this way!" Gordon called running to the right side. "You find some other way, and we'll confuse it!"
"Umm... there!" Dylan pointed at a crack in the wall, and the two marines ran at it. They twisted the operation table on it's side so it would fit through, and then ran in along with it. Inside, they breathed a sigh of relief and checked that Greshwald was all right on the table. The fainted soldier seemed to be okay, so they continued through the building.
The house was quiet. Bodies lay scattered among the corridor, both humans and aliens. It had been a massive battle. And neither side seemed victorious. They came to a door on the other side of the building, and went through. There, they stopped to rest. Soon, Gordon Freeman came around the corner of the building.
"Ah, you're still alive," Gordon said as he came to a stop. "I believe we fooled the gargantuan. He was surprised how it's prey split in separate directions, and stopped to wonder what to do. He's not one of the smarter of the aliens."
"I don't think he needs to be smart, he'll kill everything he can even without brains," Dylan said, and pointed towards a rock. "Let's go behind that rock to rest, so we'll be in cover."
They walked behind the rock and there they slumped down to rest from that vigorous rush. Just now Dylan realized he was with Gordon Freeman, their third objective. Yet, he had the feeling that Gordon was their savior in this ordeal, and vice versa.
"Ugh..." Greshwald groaned on the table and looked up at the marines. "Dylan... what's... what's going on?" he asked in a weak voice.
"Nothing, Greshwald," Dylan said sympathetically. "You just keep sleeping, we're all gonna make it out of here." Greshwald nodded and quickly fell unconscious again.
"You truly care for him?" Gordon asked Dylan. "Surprising. After seeing what you're kind has done, that is rather unexpected."
"Hey, I've got feelings, you know," Dylan angrily said to Freeman.
"And where were they when you killed those innocent scientists?" Freeman questioned.
"Hey, back off. I've had enough bloodshed in my life already," Dylan pointed, the thought of his brother dying filling his mind.
"His brother was brutally killed when he was young," Adam explained to Gordon.
"Then you of all people should understand the cruelty in killing those scientists" Gordon answered back to Dylan.
"Okay, listen, I didn't like killing those scientists in the garage, but it's their fault this all happened!"
"And you're punishing them by killing them?" Gordon continued to inquire. Dylan couldn't find any way to answer this without make himself seem like scum of the earth, but soon he didn't need to, as a massive explosion shook the ground.
"The Hell?" Adam said as they peered behind the rock they were hiding behind. The building they had ran through seemed to crumble apart, and the wall burst open to a searing jet of flame. From this utter devastation, the gargantuan stepped through, spraying fire from it's piston-like hands.
"Guys? Run!" Adam called and turned to run down the road, pushing Greshwald along with him. Dylan stopped for a moment to watch the beast, but quickly turned to join Adam and Gordon as the gargantuan kicked the ground, causing a strange red shot of plasma to fly at him. He kept running, heard a thunderous boom, and watched as the rock they had been hiding behind flew over his head and fell next to him.
The small group rounded the corner of the small path they were on, and almost immediately crashed into a group of drones. Dylan and Adam started to fire as fast as they could, since their stalker wasn't far away. Gordon stuck his shotgun into his suit and pulled out a Magnum. Dylan watched, intrigued, as the suit literally seemed to meld with the weapon, pulling it in, and spitting out the smaller yet just as deadly gun. Gordon joined the marines in firing on the drones, and soon triumphed.
Then the gargantuan came around the bend and roared to the sky in anger. Adam swallowed hard and the three continued running down the path. Fortune was on their side slightly as the small path winded around the cliff.
Dylan ran frantically, but stopped as he heard a thump and a moan. He turned to see Gordon had tripped on a rock on the ground. The two looked at each other for a split second. Here Dylan was, in front the military's most annoying pest in Black Mesa. He could kill the man and earn massive merits in the army. Dylan thought this over for a second, and Gordon could already feel his death coming.
But, to his surprise, Dylan grabbed Gordon's hand and pulled him up. The scientist stared in surprise, but then continued running from the gargantuan. They ran around yet another bend, but then came to a dead end.
A concrete wall blocked the path. A ladder climbed up the wall, but they wouldn't be able to climb it fast enough to escape the gargantuan. The beast came round the bend and growled, seeing it's enemies trapped. It ran at them, causing massive craters in the sand with every step.
"I've got it," Gordon snapped his fingers and ran over to a barrel on the side of the wall. He stuck his Magnum away and took out a regular old crowbar. Then he ripped the top of the barrel open. The barrel was full of black, murky liquid.
"Oil," Gordon said and grabbed the barrel. "Help me with this!" he called to Adam and Dylan, and the two grabbed hold of the barrel and hoisted it up.
"When he attacks, throw the stuff at him," Gordon explained, and they turned towards their massive enemy. Dylan trembled in fear at their madness. The thing would kill them and they just stood there. The gargantuan came to a halt and lifted it's arms up. The hands lit up and sprayed fire at it's enemies.
But instead of hitting them, the flames struck into a flying wall of oil. The liquid immediately lighted and smashed into the gargantuan, covering it with fire. The monster soon caught on fire, and fell to the ground. It writhed in pain as the flames licked every nook of it's body, and finally fell silent. The three fighters sighed with relief over the smoldering corpse.
Now less pressured, they began the climb up the wall. Gordon climbed up the wall, then Adam and Dylan lifted the operation table carrying Greshwald on their backs. They lifted it up to Gordon, who strained to pull it onto the roof. Then the marines climbed up and they rested for a second.
They were on a roof of a building. One elevator was the only interesting thing on the roof, the rest was just concrete.
"Back there, when the gargantuan chased us," Gordon said to Dylan, "you saved my life. I'm the military's number one enemy in Black Mesa, and still you rescued me."
"Yeah, well, your words back there made me think," Dylan explained. "After my brother had been killed, I decided to avoid fighting, especially fighting innocents. But now I realized I've damned myself. Those scientists didn't deserve it, and still I gave it to them. Might as well try to make up and help out the survivors, like you."
"I can see your place isn't here," Gordon looked away. "A good soul dragged into this hellhole. You shouldn't have experienced this. Then again, none of us should have experienced this."
"I hate to break your touching conversation," a thick voice said behind them, "but hands up! And no American monkey business!"
They all jumped up with their hands in the air and turned to look. Dimitri stood there with a full platoon of his soldiers. Dimitri pointed at them with an assault rifle he had ransacked from the marines while one of his men did a short investigation of the rooftop.
"It's empty, Dimitri," the soldier said to his leader. "There's nothing here to collect for Arkadi."
"Bah," Dimitri scoffed. "What a waste of time. Oh well, waste those Americans, we'll continue scouring the other buildings." Saying this, all his men lifted their guns, ready to fire.
"Wait!" Dylan called. He half stalled them, and half really wanted to know the truth. "This has been so pointless from the beginning! I can't understand why the Hell you're all here! Please, before you kill me, you've got to tell me why you're here."
Dimitri stared at Dylan for a moment, scratching his chin, then shrugged. "Heh, you'll be dying soon anyway, it won't hurt to tell. Plus, it'll be such a pleasure to see you know the threat to your country and not be able to stop it!"
"Mr. Renko is an old, old man," Dimitri began. "Not very many people who served the U.S.S.R have lived to this day. Mr. Renko is very communistic, and has a deep hate towards you capitalists. His last wish before passing away is to see the U.S.A burn. That is where I come in!"
"I am Dimitri Eshtelkov from Serbia, leader of Baba Yaga, one of the finest groups of mercenaries in all of Eurasia!" Dimitri ranted as he walked back and forth in front Dylan, Adam and Gordon. "Mr. Renko has decided to gather a supreme arsenal to destroy your country with. The Administrator and his superiors owned a great debt to the Soviet Union. I have no idea what kind of debt they could hold, and Arkadi would not supply any more info. But the Administrator paid the debt off by telling surviving members of the Union of the upcoming Black Mesa Research Facility, specializing in all forms of science, including weapons research. Such knowledge was told to have never been given out so publicly."
"Using this valuable information, Arkadi has spied on the facility for the last 5 years. He learned that a catastrophe could be occurring any day now. He employed Baba Yaga to raid the facility and take back with them anything suitable for revolution. Military weaponry, nuclear substances, viral diseases, we'll take it all! After gathering sufficient amounts, Baba Yaga will withdraw and deliver our spoils of war to Arkadi. Then, he shall enlist ALL mercenary groups in Russia, supply them with our catch, and storm the U.S.A! You will all burn!" Dimitri cackled maniacally at this revelation.
Now Dylan started to understand. The Russians finally started to make sense. But new questions sprang up. Who was the Administrator? What debt did he have with one of the greatest enemies of America?
"Now, I've fulfilled my part of the deal," Dimitri grinned towards Dylan. "It's about time you fulfill yours. READY!" he called. The relaxed mercs once again pulled their guns up. "SET!" The soldiers started to pull on the triggers. Dylan swallowed hard.
BOOM!
Dimitri hollered something wildly in Russian as the roof quaked. Dylan seized this opportunity and knocked out Baba Yaga's leader. Adam fired on the other mercs, and Gordon joined, protecting Greshwald at the same time.
"AIEEEEEE!" Dimitri called getting up and ran for the elevator. Cracks appeared on the roof. A Russian looked down and in horror saw as a huge blue hand cracked through the roof under him, and his leg went deep into the hole in the hand. He let out a short yell, but was blasted into the sky in a jet of flame. His burning leg landed next to Dylan, while the dead burning body fell on it's living companions, causing havoc.
Dylan, Adam and Gordon started to step away as the roof burst open in the wake of the gargantuan. The monster had survived the wall of fire, and now hunted it's attackers, no longer for the thrill, now only for vengeance. Russians fell through the hole and were soon crushed by the gargantuan's feet. Dylan took this moment to get Greshwald, and then ran towards the other side of the roof, for the elevator. Adam and Gordon soon joined him, but the gargantuan quickly ran out of Russians to slaughter and turned it's malice towards it's original prey. The smell of propane filled the air as the flames licked the men's legs.
Dylan pushed Grsehwald in and dived into the elevator and pressed the button frantically. Adam and Gordon jumped in just as the bars closed and the elevator jutted into motion. The machine slowly lowered, and opened into one of the numerous garages of Black Mesa. The gargantuan was standing in front of a hole in the wall that it had blown, and now stopped staring through the gap in the roof and stared at it's enemies.
"Quick! We've got to use something to fight it!" Gordon called and ran to the side of the room, joined by the marines, as the flame throwers lit up. Dylan dropped to the ground as flames flew over him. He looked up to watch the flames, but as they died out, he saw probably the best weapon in the room to fight the gargantuan with.
"Guys! Help me swing this!" he called grabbing a massive hook hanging from a chain in the roof. The others realized his plan and they all grabbed the chain. Aiming for the monster, they pulled back and let go.
The gargantuan roared again and began to fire more flames, when the hook swung into it and hooked it's jaw. Whining horribly, the gargantuan continued moving backwards with the hook, until the hook came to a halt, and the gargantuan fell off. No soft landing was waiting him, instead he landed on a parked Jeep.
The room filled with an explosion as the Jeep erupted to pieces. Dylan covered his face as shrapnel flew past them. Opening his eyes, he saw their enemy laying in the burning pile of metal that used to be a Jeep.
"Thank god, we survived it," Gordon sighed and they all walked away, Greshwald in tow, through the hole in the wall, hoping to get back where they had come from. Yet immediately they stepped backwards at the sight.
Dimitri was far from giving up. Now with a new platoon, complete with a Panzer tank, he had come back to take out the gargantuan once and for all. Of course, he might as well kill the Americans while at it. Angrily, he yelled in Russian and pointed at the men.
"Why that son of a..." Dylan didn't get a chance to talk as the tank fired at them. They retreated back into the room, and ran for a door on the other side.
-----
"All teams begin pulling out! Air strikes will commence in 15 minutes! Whoever stays, stays for good! I repeat, all teams pull out, air strikes will commence in 15 minutes!"
The call ran in all radios. Major Hickory sighed with relief. Finally, they'd leave this godforsaken place, and let the air strikes do their job. He signaled to move out, and the remainder of Dam Team started to move through the gate and to the nearest heliport.
Not soon had they got out when a group of Hummers armed by aliens appeared, followed by infantry.
"Motherfucker," Hickory cursed as their way out was blocked. Disappointed, they began to retreat back onto the dam. He hoped they'd kill the aliens before time ran out. It'd be a pain to have an air strike fall on your back.
-----
Dylan forced the operation table through the small door on the house's other side as another tank shot blew close to him. Finally he got through and turned to stare back at the house. The area here was a mixed cluster of small mountains and buildings. Dylan looked to the other side of the small street. A building what looked like a canteen stood there. Right next to the house they had come through was a pile of rubble, and a fallen Apache on top of it...
"Holy shit!" Dylan exclaimed. "That's the Apache that I came on!" he pointed. This was the first battle site with the tentacle, the beginning of Dylan's horror known as Black Mesa.
"That's cute," Adam remarked, "but we haven't got time for that!"
The first Russian ran through the door, but was briefly met with fire. The first few mercs did the same mistake, but soon learned to be careful and hid behind the walls. At that moment, a Hummer drove down the road to the side. Dylan turned his attention to it, in fear of it being alien infested, but instead a scientist climbed up.
"Greetings Mr. Freeman," the scientist greeted. "Are you looking for the Lambda sector. It isn't too far from... look out! Marines!" he suddenly yelled and began to man the gun.
"Wait!" Gordon waved. "These marines are different. They actually have the ability to think clearly for once! They've helped me out against the gargantuan. The real enemy are those Russians coming out of that building." Saying this, he deftly picked out a Russian peering through the door.
"Of course, Mr. Freeman," the scientist nodded. "We'll help you out."
The wall burst open from a tanks hot and Russians poured out to fight. The scientist began to empty the Hummer's gun, while Dylan, Adam and Gordon started to run at them, firing them down one by one.
They all took a lot of hits, until the bullets started to go through Dylan's armor. Dylan would have to remember to find some medication after the battle. But with each bullet taken, a Russian fell dead. After a short while, the Russians began to turn away. Dylan thought they had given up, but they only made room for the tank to burst through. Chunks of concrete flew around as the iron hulk moved at them.
"I know how to deal with these," Gordon said and ran at the tank, diving to the side as he was fired upon. Dylan and Adam retreated behind the Hummer with Greshwald, while Gordon fought the tank.
"Here, let me help you with that," the scientist said and gave some medicine to the two marines. Dylan immediately felt better and turned to watch Gordon's battle. The scientist sneaked right under the tank's turret, so it couldn't shoot him. He then jumped onto it and pulled the hatch open. Dylan heard some screams which were silenced as Gordon fired into the machine.
"Mr. Freeman," the scientist began explaining after Freeman had climbed down, "while we'd like to help you out to get to the Lambda complex, I'm afraid my colleagues have decided leave Black mesa as soon as possible. Nothing personal, of course."
"Yes, you do that. I can find the complex myself," Gordon agreed, and the Hummer started to drive away, towards the chain-link fences barely visible in the horizon. The three survivors watched them for a moment, but were interrupted by a deafening roar coming from the building. The gargantuan reared it's head through the roof, only to have the whole building fall on it.
"Shit! We gotta hurry outta here!" Dylan said. The building probably wasn't enough to take out the gargantuan.
"Gentlemen, I believe I have our answer right here;" Gordon grinned, patting on the Panzer tank.. Adam and Dylan grinned and started heaving the dead bodies out of the tank. They then stuck the operation table inside and went in themselves. It was extremely cramped with the table inside, so Dylan stood and scouted from the top of the turret.
"Do you know how to drive this?" Gordon asked as he studied the controls.
"Nope, I guess we'll have to learn to drive the thing," Adam said and pulled on the switches. The tank started to move in all kinds of directions.
"I get it!" Gordon explained to Adam, who wasn't sure how it worked. "These switches move each tread. When pushed together they move forward."
"Well you better turn right, and quick!" Dylan yelled down as the gargantuan climbed from the rubble, not in a good mood. The tank immediately started speeding away at a steady pace down the road Dylan had gone earlier. There were some bullsquids on the way, but the tank drove over them. The gargantuan was the only real danger right now.
"Gordon, can you turn the cannon?!" Dylan yelled as the gargantuan started to get closer.
"Umm... I think so... here we go!" Gordon called and the turret swiveled to face the menace. "Uhh... a slight problem... I haven't the slightest clue how you shoot with this!"
"Dammit! Fine, let me do it!" Dylan cursed and fired an MP5 grenade at the chasing monster. He frantically looked forwards, then got an idea. "Hey, Adam, there's an alcove to the right! Go there! I'll stall the gargantuan!"
The tank started to turn to the right while Dylan fired grenade after grenade at the monster, until he ran out. The gargantuan tripped on the ground and started to stand up again. Then the tank hid in the small street.
"When I tell you, go at full speed and turn back the way we were going," Dylan explained.
"You mean you can change the speed on this thing?" Adam asked peering up, but painfully banged his head on the operation table.
"Never mind, just GO GO GO!!!" Dylan screamed as the gargantuan's silhouette blocked the light from coming into the alcove.
The gargantuan roared and lifted it's pistons to fire, only to have the wind knocked out of it as the tank crashed into it. The tank started to turn back they way it had been going, but Adam noticed it moved slower than before.
"Dylan, why's this thing going so slowly? That thing's gonna catch up on us!" Adam complained. Dylan, however couldn't answer as he stared face to face at the gargantuan. It didn't need to do any catching up: the cannon was safely lodged in it's stomach. The monster roared angrily and lifted one of it's arms to in front of Dylan.
"SHIT!" Dylan exclaimed and dived into the tank, closing the hatch just as flames erupted. He tried to open it again, but the hatch was hot to the touch.
"I can't see where were going!" Adam screamed. Sure, there was a small window, but it was blocked by gargantuan skin. So the went on, hoping the monster would drop off, until they came to a complete halt. They heard one massive roar, and then all became quiet. Dylan peeked outside, and found the sight quite appalling.
They had crashed into the mountainside. The turret had gone straight through the gargantuan's body. The defeated monster moaned quietly.
"Hey, move back a little," Dylan said. The tank moved backwards, and the gargantuan, lubricated with it's own blood, slid off and fell on the ground. Almost immediately it came to it's senses and climbed up.
"You're fucking kidding me!" Dylan spat at the alien, who once again lifted it's arms to shoot flames. But suddenly, an explosion was heard, and the gargantuan stopped dead in it's tracks. A tank shot had gone straight into it's side. It stood dumbfounded for a moment, then collapsed on it's back.
"Who shot that?" Dylan asked, but didn't have to wonder long as a modern military tank came from a side road. Dylan started to greet them, but stopped when the hatch opened. A clawed hand pushed the seal open and an alien slave climbed up. It stared for a moment, then called something down into the tank and went back down. The tank started driving at Dylan's tank, it's turret turning towards them.
-----
Meanwhile in his comfy office, the Administrator sat in his armchair, staring into the security cameras. He chuckled lightly as he watched the alien tank driving towards Dylan. He then switched the view to watch the new interest, Adrian Shepard. There were so many choices to choose from; who would he employ? Freeman had proven to be a fine candidate, but then, what about this marine, Dylan Henderson. And yet there was still the choice of that security guard, Michael Anderson. That stunt on the Hummer had really gathered the Administrator's attention. And what about the Mr. Shepard? He'd have to prove himself first.
"S-s-s-s-so many to choose from, yet only one will be the winner," the Administrator laughed with his sneaky voice as he continued switching the security cameras. "Ahh, but there's s-s-s-still the final test, the grand finale," he hissed as the camera switched again. This time though, it wasn't any place in Black Mesa, instead it was the government's hidden missile bunker in Arizona. He couldn't help but grin as the camera viewed rows upon rows of Tomahawk missiles, all ready to be fired at Black Mesa with the touch of a button.
And the Administrator had that button.
( Well, next chapter will involve (hopefully) as much action as this one. Oh, and sorry, Raider, for mentioning Michael in the story, but I was starting to run out of characters to be possible workers for the G-man. Hope you don't mind! Of course, we all know he employs good ol' Gordon.
Oh, and I'm not going to elaborate on the debt that the G-man had with the Soviet Union. Possibly, if there's enough interested people, I'll write a sort-of prequel to explain the G-man's debt better.)
Raider: Yeah, well, since I haven't played OF, I'm not really going to be having any Black Ops in the story. It's a shame, they seem so cool. Well, thanks again for liking it!
Blizrun: Yeah, they're pretty much a team now. I'd normally be surprised how you figured that, but it's so easy to figure it this time round. Although I'd consider it an uneasy truce. Oh, and yeah, I visited PoV's pages. It seems damn cool. Too bad good ol' Xonxth isn't a rebel slave =).
Jason Storm: Yep, I've been doing that the whole time, so no worries! =)
Well, now that those are done, let's just get on with the chapter, eh? This one proves to be rather interesting, at least in my point of view.)
Chapter 7: GX-500
Another slave fell to the bullets from Major Hickory's SAW machine gun. The aliens seemed to especially like to barrage the dam with their attacks, and Dam Team had their hands full of work to do. Not only where the aliens fighting them, but also some of the slaves had betrayed their kin, and were also fighting everyone they could find. And to top it off, Russian communists were also proving to be quite an adversary.
Finally, the latest wave of aliens fell to the ground, groaning in front of Dam Team. No longer did the marines cheer their victory, for they had realized that this was an unbeatable battle.
Hickory sat down to rest and stared at their ammunition. They were running low, and new shipments of ammo came less frequently now that Patrol Team's osprey had been dropped. It was starting to be time to pull out and commence air strikes.
-----
"Shit that thing's big!" Dylan yelled as he caught up with Adam and Gordon. He grabbed hold of the operation table that Adam was pushing, and they started to go faster now that two people were pushing.
Dylan quickly turned to look at the monster which had noticed them and now ran after them. The beast stood over all aliens, probably most animals on Earth too. The thing was covered with a blue chitinous skin, and it's arms were like tree trunks. It's hands ended in stumps, which seemed to open and close as the gargantuan ran after them.
Yes, gargantuan. That was what Gordon had called it, and it described the gigantic monstrosity quite well.
"Damn, a building!" Adam cursed as they ran up to a wall. This didn't bother Dylan as much as the fact that they were going away from the nuclear silo, away from their group mates. The building still stood as an obstacle, and the gargantuan was coming closer.
"I'm going this way!" Gordon called running to the right side. "You find some other way, and we'll confuse it!"
"Umm... there!" Dylan pointed at a crack in the wall, and the two marines ran at it. They twisted the operation table on it's side so it would fit through, and then ran in along with it. Inside, they breathed a sigh of relief and checked that Greshwald was all right on the table. The fainted soldier seemed to be okay, so they continued through the building.
The house was quiet. Bodies lay scattered among the corridor, both humans and aliens. It had been a massive battle. And neither side seemed victorious. They came to a door on the other side of the building, and went through. There, they stopped to rest. Soon, Gordon Freeman came around the corner of the building.
"Ah, you're still alive," Gordon said as he came to a stop. "I believe we fooled the gargantuan. He was surprised how it's prey split in separate directions, and stopped to wonder what to do. He's not one of the smarter of the aliens."
"I don't think he needs to be smart, he'll kill everything he can even without brains," Dylan said, and pointed towards a rock. "Let's go behind that rock to rest, so we'll be in cover."
They walked behind the rock and there they slumped down to rest from that vigorous rush. Just now Dylan realized he was with Gordon Freeman, their third objective. Yet, he had the feeling that Gordon was their savior in this ordeal, and vice versa.
"Ugh..." Greshwald groaned on the table and looked up at the marines. "Dylan... what's... what's going on?" he asked in a weak voice.
"Nothing, Greshwald," Dylan said sympathetically. "You just keep sleeping, we're all gonna make it out of here." Greshwald nodded and quickly fell unconscious again.
"You truly care for him?" Gordon asked Dylan. "Surprising. After seeing what you're kind has done, that is rather unexpected."
"Hey, I've got feelings, you know," Dylan angrily said to Freeman.
"And where were they when you killed those innocent scientists?" Freeman questioned.
"Hey, back off. I've had enough bloodshed in my life already," Dylan pointed, the thought of his brother dying filling his mind.
"His brother was brutally killed when he was young," Adam explained to Gordon.
"Then you of all people should understand the cruelty in killing those scientists" Gordon answered back to Dylan.
"Okay, listen, I didn't like killing those scientists in the garage, but it's their fault this all happened!"
"And you're punishing them by killing them?" Gordon continued to inquire. Dylan couldn't find any way to answer this without make himself seem like scum of the earth, but soon he didn't need to, as a massive explosion shook the ground.
"The Hell?" Adam said as they peered behind the rock they were hiding behind. The building they had ran through seemed to crumble apart, and the wall burst open to a searing jet of flame. From this utter devastation, the gargantuan stepped through, spraying fire from it's piston-like hands.
"Guys? Run!" Adam called and turned to run down the road, pushing Greshwald along with him. Dylan stopped for a moment to watch the beast, but quickly turned to join Adam and Gordon as the gargantuan kicked the ground, causing a strange red shot of plasma to fly at him. He kept running, heard a thunderous boom, and watched as the rock they had been hiding behind flew over his head and fell next to him.
The small group rounded the corner of the small path they were on, and almost immediately crashed into a group of drones. Dylan and Adam started to fire as fast as they could, since their stalker wasn't far away. Gordon stuck his shotgun into his suit and pulled out a Magnum. Dylan watched, intrigued, as the suit literally seemed to meld with the weapon, pulling it in, and spitting out the smaller yet just as deadly gun. Gordon joined the marines in firing on the drones, and soon triumphed.
Then the gargantuan came around the bend and roared to the sky in anger. Adam swallowed hard and the three continued running down the path. Fortune was on their side slightly as the small path winded around the cliff.
Dylan ran frantically, but stopped as he heard a thump and a moan. He turned to see Gordon had tripped on a rock on the ground. The two looked at each other for a split second. Here Dylan was, in front the military's most annoying pest in Black Mesa. He could kill the man and earn massive merits in the army. Dylan thought this over for a second, and Gordon could already feel his death coming.
But, to his surprise, Dylan grabbed Gordon's hand and pulled him up. The scientist stared in surprise, but then continued running from the gargantuan. They ran around yet another bend, but then came to a dead end.
A concrete wall blocked the path. A ladder climbed up the wall, but they wouldn't be able to climb it fast enough to escape the gargantuan. The beast came round the bend and growled, seeing it's enemies trapped. It ran at them, causing massive craters in the sand with every step.
"I've got it," Gordon snapped his fingers and ran over to a barrel on the side of the wall. He stuck his Magnum away and took out a regular old crowbar. Then he ripped the top of the barrel open. The barrel was full of black, murky liquid.
"Oil," Gordon said and grabbed the barrel. "Help me with this!" he called to Adam and Dylan, and the two grabbed hold of the barrel and hoisted it up.
"When he attacks, throw the stuff at him," Gordon explained, and they turned towards their massive enemy. Dylan trembled in fear at their madness. The thing would kill them and they just stood there. The gargantuan came to a halt and lifted it's arms up. The hands lit up and sprayed fire at it's enemies.
But instead of hitting them, the flames struck into a flying wall of oil. The liquid immediately lighted and smashed into the gargantuan, covering it with fire. The monster soon caught on fire, and fell to the ground. It writhed in pain as the flames licked every nook of it's body, and finally fell silent. The three fighters sighed with relief over the smoldering corpse.
Now less pressured, they began the climb up the wall. Gordon climbed up the wall, then Adam and Dylan lifted the operation table carrying Greshwald on their backs. They lifted it up to Gordon, who strained to pull it onto the roof. Then the marines climbed up and they rested for a second.
They were on a roof of a building. One elevator was the only interesting thing on the roof, the rest was just concrete.
"Back there, when the gargantuan chased us," Gordon said to Dylan, "you saved my life. I'm the military's number one enemy in Black Mesa, and still you rescued me."
"Yeah, well, your words back there made me think," Dylan explained. "After my brother had been killed, I decided to avoid fighting, especially fighting innocents. But now I realized I've damned myself. Those scientists didn't deserve it, and still I gave it to them. Might as well try to make up and help out the survivors, like you."
"I can see your place isn't here," Gordon looked away. "A good soul dragged into this hellhole. You shouldn't have experienced this. Then again, none of us should have experienced this."
"I hate to break your touching conversation," a thick voice said behind them, "but hands up! And no American monkey business!"
They all jumped up with their hands in the air and turned to look. Dimitri stood there with a full platoon of his soldiers. Dimitri pointed at them with an assault rifle he had ransacked from the marines while one of his men did a short investigation of the rooftop.
"It's empty, Dimitri," the soldier said to his leader. "There's nothing here to collect for Arkadi."
"Bah," Dimitri scoffed. "What a waste of time. Oh well, waste those Americans, we'll continue scouring the other buildings." Saying this, all his men lifted their guns, ready to fire.
"Wait!" Dylan called. He half stalled them, and half really wanted to know the truth. "This has been so pointless from the beginning! I can't understand why the Hell you're all here! Please, before you kill me, you've got to tell me why you're here."
Dimitri stared at Dylan for a moment, scratching his chin, then shrugged. "Heh, you'll be dying soon anyway, it won't hurt to tell. Plus, it'll be such a pleasure to see you know the threat to your country and not be able to stop it!"
"Mr. Renko is an old, old man," Dimitri began. "Not very many people who served the U.S.S.R have lived to this day. Mr. Renko is very communistic, and has a deep hate towards you capitalists. His last wish before passing away is to see the U.S.A burn. That is where I come in!"
"I am Dimitri Eshtelkov from Serbia, leader of Baba Yaga, one of the finest groups of mercenaries in all of Eurasia!" Dimitri ranted as he walked back and forth in front Dylan, Adam and Gordon. "Mr. Renko has decided to gather a supreme arsenal to destroy your country with. The Administrator and his superiors owned a great debt to the Soviet Union. I have no idea what kind of debt they could hold, and Arkadi would not supply any more info. But the Administrator paid the debt off by telling surviving members of the Union of the upcoming Black Mesa Research Facility, specializing in all forms of science, including weapons research. Such knowledge was told to have never been given out so publicly."
"Using this valuable information, Arkadi has spied on the facility for the last 5 years. He learned that a catastrophe could be occurring any day now. He employed Baba Yaga to raid the facility and take back with them anything suitable for revolution. Military weaponry, nuclear substances, viral diseases, we'll take it all! After gathering sufficient amounts, Baba Yaga will withdraw and deliver our spoils of war to Arkadi. Then, he shall enlist ALL mercenary groups in Russia, supply them with our catch, and storm the U.S.A! You will all burn!" Dimitri cackled maniacally at this revelation.
Now Dylan started to understand. The Russians finally started to make sense. But new questions sprang up. Who was the Administrator? What debt did he have with one of the greatest enemies of America?
"Now, I've fulfilled my part of the deal," Dimitri grinned towards Dylan. "It's about time you fulfill yours. READY!" he called. The relaxed mercs once again pulled their guns up. "SET!" The soldiers started to pull on the triggers. Dylan swallowed hard.
BOOM!
Dimitri hollered something wildly in Russian as the roof quaked. Dylan seized this opportunity and knocked out Baba Yaga's leader. Adam fired on the other mercs, and Gordon joined, protecting Greshwald at the same time.
"AIEEEEEE!" Dimitri called getting up and ran for the elevator. Cracks appeared on the roof. A Russian looked down and in horror saw as a huge blue hand cracked through the roof under him, and his leg went deep into the hole in the hand. He let out a short yell, but was blasted into the sky in a jet of flame. His burning leg landed next to Dylan, while the dead burning body fell on it's living companions, causing havoc.
Dylan, Adam and Gordon started to step away as the roof burst open in the wake of the gargantuan. The monster had survived the wall of fire, and now hunted it's attackers, no longer for the thrill, now only for vengeance. Russians fell through the hole and were soon crushed by the gargantuan's feet. Dylan took this moment to get Greshwald, and then ran towards the other side of the roof, for the elevator. Adam and Gordon soon joined him, but the gargantuan quickly ran out of Russians to slaughter and turned it's malice towards it's original prey. The smell of propane filled the air as the flames licked the men's legs.
Dylan pushed Grsehwald in and dived into the elevator and pressed the button frantically. Adam and Gordon jumped in just as the bars closed and the elevator jutted into motion. The machine slowly lowered, and opened into one of the numerous garages of Black Mesa. The gargantuan was standing in front of a hole in the wall that it had blown, and now stopped staring through the gap in the roof and stared at it's enemies.
"Quick! We've got to use something to fight it!" Gordon called and ran to the side of the room, joined by the marines, as the flame throwers lit up. Dylan dropped to the ground as flames flew over him. He looked up to watch the flames, but as they died out, he saw probably the best weapon in the room to fight the gargantuan with.
"Guys! Help me swing this!" he called grabbing a massive hook hanging from a chain in the roof. The others realized his plan and they all grabbed the chain. Aiming for the monster, they pulled back and let go.
The gargantuan roared again and began to fire more flames, when the hook swung into it and hooked it's jaw. Whining horribly, the gargantuan continued moving backwards with the hook, until the hook came to a halt, and the gargantuan fell off. No soft landing was waiting him, instead he landed on a parked Jeep.
The room filled with an explosion as the Jeep erupted to pieces. Dylan covered his face as shrapnel flew past them. Opening his eyes, he saw their enemy laying in the burning pile of metal that used to be a Jeep.
"Thank god, we survived it," Gordon sighed and they all walked away, Greshwald in tow, through the hole in the wall, hoping to get back where they had come from. Yet immediately they stepped backwards at the sight.
Dimitri was far from giving up. Now with a new platoon, complete with a Panzer tank, he had come back to take out the gargantuan once and for all. Of course, he might as well kill the Americans while at it. Angrily, he yelled in Russian and pointed at the men.
"Why that son of a..." Dylan didn't get a chance to talk as the tank fired at them. They retreated back into the room, and ran for a door on the other side.
-----
"All teams begin pulling out! Air strikes will commence in 15 minutes! Whoever stays, stays for good! I repeat, all teams pull out, air strikes will commence in 15 minutes!"
The call ran in all radios. Major Hickory sighed with relief. Finally, they'd leave this godforsaken place, and let the air strikes do their job. He signaled to move out, and the remainder of Dam Team started to move through the gate and to the nearest heliport.
Not soon had they got out when a group of Hummers armed by aliens appeared, followed by infantry.
"Motherfucker," Hickory cursed as their way out was blocked. Disappointed, they began to retreat back onto the dam. He hoped they'd kill the aliens before time ran out. It'd be a pain to have an air strike fall on your back.
-----
Dylan forced the operation table through the small door on the house's other side as another tank shot blew close to him. Finally he got through and turned to stare back at the house. The area here was a mixed cluster of small mountains and buildings. Dylan looked to the other side of the small street. A building what looked like a canteen stood there. Right next to the house they had come through was a pile of rubble, and a fallen Apache on top of it...
"Holy shit!" Dylan exclaimed. "That's the Apache that I came on!" he pointed. This was the first battle site with the tentacle, the beginning of Dylan's horror known as Black Mesa.
"That's cute," Adam remarked, "but we haven't got time for that!"
The first Russian ran through the door, but was briefly met with fire. The first few mercs did the same mistake, but soon learned to be careful and hid behind the walls. At that moment, a Hummer drove down the road to the side. Dylan turned his attention to it, in fear of it being alien infested, but instead a scientist climbed up.
"Greetings Mr. Freeman," the scientist greeted. "Are you looking for the Lambda sector. It isn't too far from... look out! Marines!" he suddenly yelled and began to man the gun.
"Wait!" Gordon waved. "These marines are different. They actually have the ability to think clearly for once! They've helped me out against the gargantuan. The real enemy are those Russians coming out of that building." Saying this, he deftly picked out a Russian peering through the door.
"Of course, Mr. Freeman," the scientist nodded. "We'll help you out."
The wall burst open from a tanks hot and Russians poured out to fight. The scientist began to empty the Hummer's gun, while Dylan, Adam and Gordon started to run at them, firing them down one by one.
They all took a lot of hits, until the bullets started to go through Dylan's armor. Dylan would have to remember to find some medication after the battle. But with each bullet taken, a Russian fell dead. After a short while, the Russians began to turn away. Dylan thought they had given up, but they only made room for the tank to burst through. Chunks of concrete flew around as the iron hulk moved at them.
"I know how to deal with these," Gordon said and ran at the tank, diving to the side as he was fired upon. Dylan and Adam retreated behind the Hummer with Greshwald, while Gordon fought the tank.
"Here, let me help you with that," the scientist said and gave some medicine to the two marines. Dylan immediately felt better and turned to watch Gordon's battle. The scientist sneaked right under the tank's turret, so it couldn't shoot him. He then jumped onto it and pulled the hatch open. Dylan heard some screams which were silenced as Gordon fired into the machine.
"Mr. Freeman," the scientist began explaining after Freeman had climbed down, "while we'd like to help you out to get to the Lambda complex, I'm afraid my colleagues have decided leave Black mesa as soon as possible. Nothing personal, of course."
"Yes, you do that. I can find the complex myself," Gordon agreed, and the Hummer started to drive away, towards the chain-link fences barely visible in the horizon. The three survivors watched them for a moment, but were interrupted by a deafening roar coming from the building. The gargantuan reared it's head through the roof, only to have the whole building fall on it.
"Shit! We gotta hurry outta here!" Dylan said. The building probably wasn't enough to take out the gargantuan.
"Gentlemen, I believe I have our answer right here;" Gordon grinned, patting on the Panzer tank.. Adam and Dylan grinned and started heaving the dead bodies out of the tank. They then stuck the operation table inside and went in themselves. It was extremely cramped with the table inside, so Dylan stood and scouted from the top of the turret.
"Do you know how to drive this?" Gordon asked as he studied the controls.
"Nope, I guess we'll have to learn to drive the thing," Adam said and pulled on the switches. The tank started to move in all kinds of directions.
"I get it!" Gordon explained to Adam, who wasn't sure how it worked. "These switches move each tread. When pushed together they move forward."
"Well you better turn right, and quick!" Dylan yelled down as the gargantuan climbed from the rubble, not in a good mood. The tank immediately started speeding away at a steady pace down the road Dylan had gone earlier. There were some bullsquids on the way, but the tank drove over them. The gargantuan was the only real danger right now.
"Gordon, can you turn the cannon?!" Dylan yelled as the gargantuan started to get closer.
"Umm... I think so... here we go!" Gordon called and the turret swiveled to face the menace. "Uhh... a slight problem... I haven't the slightest clue how you shoot with this!"
"Dammit! Fine, let me do it!" Dylan cursed and fired an MP5 grenade at the chasing monster. He frantically looked forwards, then got an idea. "Hey, Adam, there's an alcove to the right! Go there! I'll stall the gargantuan!"
The tank started to turn to the right while Dylan fired grenade after grenade at the monster, until he ran out. The gargantuan tripped on the ground and started to stand up again. Then the tank hid in the small street.
"When I tell you, go at full speed and turn back the way we were going," Dylan explained.
"You mean you can change the speed on this thing?" Adam asked peering up, but painfully banged his head on the operation table.
"Never mind, just GO GO GO!!!" Dylan screamed as the gargantuan's silhouette blocked the light from coming into the alcove.
The gargantuan roared and lifted it's pistons to fire, only to have the wind knocked out of it as the tank crashed into it. The tank started to turn back they way it had been going, but Adam noticed it moved slower than before.
"Dylan, why's this thing going so slowly? That thing's gonna catch up on us!" Adam complained. Dylan, however couldn't answer as he stared face to face at the gargantuan. It didn't need to do any catching up: the cannon was safely lodged in it's stomach. The monster roared angrily and lifted one of it's arms to in front of Dylan.
"SHIT!" Dylan exclaimed and dived into the tank, closing the hatch just as flames erupted. He tried to open it again, but the hatch was hot to the touch.
"I can't see where were going!" Adam screamed. Sure, there was a small window, but it was blocked by gargantuan skin. So the went on, hoping the monster would drop off, until they came to a complete halt. They heard one massive roar, and then all became quiet. Dylan peeked outside, and found the sight quite appalling.
They had crashed into the mountainside. The turret had gone straight through the gargantuan's body. The defeated monster moaned quietly.
"Hey, move back a little," Dylan said. The tank moved backwards, and the gargantuan, lubricated with it's own blood, slid off and fell on the ground. Almost immediately it came to it's senses and climbed up.
"You're fucking kidding me!" Dylan spat at the alien, who once again lifted it's arms to shoot flames. But suddenly, an explosion was heard, and the gargantuan stopped dead in it's tracks. A tank shot had gone straight into it's side. It stood dumbfounded for a moment, then collapsed on it's back.
"Who shot that?" Dylan asked, but didn't have to wonder long as a modern military tank came from a side road. Dylan started to greet them, but stopped when the hatch opened. A clawed hand pushed the seal open and an alien slave climbed up. It stared for a moment, then called something down into the tank and went back down. The tank started driving at Dylan's tank, it's turret turning towards them.
-----
Meanwhile in his comfy office, the Administrator sat in his armchair, staring into the security cameras. He chuckled lightly as he watched the alien tank driving towards Dylan. He then switched the view to watch the new interest, Adrian Shepard. There were so many choices to choose from; who would he employ? Freeman had proven to be a fine candidate, but then, what about this marine, Dylan Henderson. And yet there was still the choice of that security guard, Michael Anderson. That stunt on the Hummer had really gathered the Administrator's attention. And what about the Mr. Shepard? He'd have to prove himself first.
"S-s-s-s-so many to choose from, yet only one will be the winner," the Administrator laughed with his sneaky voice as he continued switching the security cameras. "Ahh, but there's s-s-s-still the final test, the grand finale," he hissed as the camera switched again. This time though, it wasn't any place in Black Mesa, instead it was the government's hidden missile bunker in Arizona. He couldn't help but grin as the camera viewed rows upon rows of Tomahawk missiles, all ready to be fired at Black Mesa with the touch of a button.
And the Administrator had that button.
( Well, next chapter will involve (hopefully) as much action as this one. Oh, and sorry, Raider, for mentioning Michael in the story, but I was starting to run out of characters to be possible workers for the G-man. Hope you don't mind! Of course, we all know he employs good ol' Gordon.
Oh, and I'm not going to elaborate on the debt that the G-man had with the Soviet Union. Possibly, if there's enough interested people, I'll write a sort-of prequel to explain the G-man's debt better.)
