Black Mesa
By Patrick Williams
Based on the storyline from Half-Life, a game from Valve Software and Sierra Studios. The Half-Life franchise is the property of Sierra Studios. All rights are reserved to Sierra Studios.
Chapter 2 – Unforeseen Consequences
Sector C – Main Test Chamber – Containment Failure -00:00:00
The explosion blew Gordon across the test chamber. He was barely conscious enough to hear the shouting coming from the control room above.
"Shut it down, Gordon! Shut it down!" Bennett called over the speaker.
Gordon pulled himself up and limped across the test chamber to the chamber's computer. He hurriedly ran the emergency shut down program.
"It's not shutting down!" Gordon shouted above the fray. "The shut down program is stuck in a loop. It's malfunctioning!"
"We can't shut it down from up here, either! Get out of there!"
Unknown Location
Across space and time, a presence was awakened. The Nihilanth had been lying in waiting for this very moment. With a gesture of its hand, armies were readied to be sent into battle. With a whisper, fleets of incredible warships prepared to set flight. With a thought, billions of slaves scrambled to obey its will. The power the Nihilanth harnessed was truly something to behold.
The Nihilanth had conquered its world eons ago. Not satisfied with its control, it began conquering its world over and over again in other dimensions. Countless dimensions existed in the multiverse, and the Nihilanth had reached out and taken billions of them. One of these dimensions, however, had eluded its grasp. For the first time ever, one of the other dimensions had invaded its own. Infuriated at this insult, the Nihilanth had destroyed the invaders. It had since focused all of its energy on finding that dimension and subjugating it. Unable to find it amidst the impossible mass of dimensions that existed, the Nihilanth had almost given up hope. Until now, that is.
Something had happened in the other dimension. One of the linking crystals had been activated. It now shone like a beacon across the dimensions, and its light was almost blinding to the Nihilanth. It could tell instantly that its target had finally been revealed.
The Nihilanth hadn't wasted a nanosecond. Already, its armies and ships had targeted the other dimension and were invading. The Nihilanth focused all of its power and strength on guiding the invasion. It focused all of its power and strength on Earth.
Sector C – Main Test Chamber
The strange aura spreading through the test chamber was unlike anything Gordon had ever witnessed. The energy gathering throughout the chamber was tangible. It seemed to be coalescing in the center of the chamber, just above the crystal fragment. As it gathered, Gordon noticed it was giving off particles of energy, rapidly spreading from the center and exiting through the chamber's walls. Arcs of green electricity erupted from within the ball of energy. Gordon's suit displayed several warning messages urging him to seek cover to avoid the dangerous energy sparking around the chamber.
"Gordon, get away from the–"
Without any warning, an arc of electricity shattered the window to the control room above and struck one of the large computers within. The control room erupted in a ball of flame. He could hear their screaming without the aid of the chamber's speakers.
Gordon suddenly felt very much alone and very much afraid.
The arcs of electricity rose in frequency and intensity, and he could feel the energy rising in the room. He didn't need the sensors within his hazard suit to tell him just how much danger he was in. Gordon could feel his hair rising on end, signaling his imminent danger. Before he could react, one of the beams struck him square in the chest and everything went black.
Sector G – Main Access Lift
"Warning! Extreme magnetic field hazard in Sector C."
The voice of the public address system could barely be heard above the screaming of those onboard the elevator. There had been another power surge, shorting out the safety locks on the elevator. The elevator had been plummeting straight down for what felt like hours.
Calhoun and Graham clutched the elevator in fear as they prepared for their imminent death when it struck the ground. Calhoun had never been a religious man, but he found himself praying for a miracle to save them.
With a painful screeching noise, the backup emergency brakes kicked in. They were driven to the ground by the sudden deceleration as the elevator slowed to a stop a scant few meters from rock bottom.
"Your floor, sir…" Calhoun gasped as he passed out.
Unknown Location
Am I dead?
Is this heaven?
Is this hell?
Gordon could feel nothing. He could see nothing. He could smell nothing. For the first time in his life, he was experiencing true nothingness. The only sounds he could hear were his own heart beating and his lungs slowly moving in and out.
This must be what it feels like to be in the womb, Gordon thought aimlessly.
For several minutes, Gordon continued to exist in this state of nothingness. Then, his vision flashed green as the electricity returned. It relieved Gordon when he began to feel the tingling sensation again. He wasn't dead, after all.
Gordon was nearly blinded by the sudden light. When he could see again, he didn't recognize where he was. The place was like nothing he had seen before; a place of bizarre colors and shapes. It seemed that he was in a canyon of some sort, but it was definitely not made of rock. Strange moving plants crawled along the walls, and the walls themselves seemed to be undulating in and out.
Gordon stood agape in a strange liquid, definitely nothing like water. The liquid climbed up his hazard suit, immersing him as if it was actually a living organism. Gordon was frightened, but he could feel the liquid's soothing power through his suit. A pleasant sensation swept over Gordon. He felt completely at home in this bizarre world he knew nothing about. None of that mattered. As long as he was in this pool, nothing else mattered at all. Gordon felt such bliss that he didn't notice the alligator-like creature clambering through the pool towards him, jaw flexing open and shut hungrily.
As suddenly as he had arrived, Gordon felt himself pulled back into the electricity. He felt an immediate feeling of loss for being forced to leave the pool, but the feeling was fleeting and he wondered what had come over him.
Gordon was again in a state of nothingness. He waited, knowing for certain now that this was not death, but some kind of transition. Surely enough, the electricity returned and Gordon braced himself to be thrust back into reality.
Gordon was standing in what seemed to be a spotlight. He could feel eyes – millions of eyes – watching him. He could only see a few of them before him. The creatures standing in front of Gordon were short and reptilian. As they shuffled back and forth, small arcs of electricity jumped between their body parts. Gordon felt true terror for the first time in his life. He fell to his knees, begging to be spared.
Surely this isn't the champion chosen to defend his dimension!
The Nihilanth appraised the new arrival, seeing through the eyes of its subjects. This pathetic creature stood no chance against the Vortigaunts standing before it, much less the entire army. This was the one that had been standing at the crystal when it had been activated. Could it have been activated by mistake by this poor fool? If so, he had just doomed his entire world. However, he would never appreciate the magnitude of the mistake if he was simply struck down as he stood. Better to let the pathetic fool see his world conquered before his very eyes; to know that he had single-handedly ended life on his world as he knew it. The Nihilanth dismissed the creature with a thought.
Sector C – Anomalous Materials Test Chamber
What have I done?
Gordon looked up, and saw the faces of two angels appraising him. He had somehow made it to heaven, after all, it seemed. Gordon didn't notice that these angels were wearing hazard suits.
Gina and Colette had wasted no time getting up to the chamber after the disaster. They had only been able to stare helplessly at the monitors as the electric disturbance tore the chamber to shreds. As soon as the disturbance had settled down they had pried open one of the floor panels and climbed into the test chamber. That's where they had found Gordon, unconscious but still breathing somehow. Klaxons in the distance announced the disaster they had witnessed firsthand.
"Gordon, what happened?" Gina asked.
"I… don't know. The crystal caused some sort of reaction when it entered the beam. I must have loaded the sample improperly… This is all my fault!"
"Nobody's blaming you, Gordon." Colette chimed in, "That was a resonance cascade scenario. Nobody's ever seen one before, and nobody could have known the sample would cause it."
Gordon sat up, slowly and laboriously. He felt like he had been hit by a freight train. His head throbbed from a severe migraine, and his eyes burned from the flashing strobe lights of the chamber.
"What do we do now?" Gordon asked the pair.
"All we can do is get out of this damned chamber and find help for those who were injured. The chamber is so far below the surface that the damage should have been restricted to Sector C. If we can get to one of the adjacent sectors, we should be able to find help."
Gina and Colette helped Gordon to his feet, and the two helped Gordon walk out of the chamber towards the elevator leading to the control room.
They were unprepared for the carnage that awaited them.
Sector G – Main Access Lift
Calhoun woke up first. He looked around and saw nothing but devastation. The elevator had stopped near the bottom of Sector G. The area had once been a warehouse, holding hundreds of boxes full of classified material. It had been reduced to rubble.
"What the hell happened?" Calhoun asked no one in particular.
Behind him, Graham groaned as he regained consciousness.
"We've got to get out of here, Calhoun. Whatever happened in Sector C, it sent massive shockwaves throughout the entire facility. There's got to be massive structural damage down here. If we don't get to the surface soon, this place might become our tomb."
They would first worry about escaping this place, and then worry about what the hell had caused the disaster.
Sector C – Anomalous Materials Control Room
What had once been a chamber brimming with high-tech equipment was now a smoldering wreck. Pieces of burning computers littered the room, and charred bodies had been flung about like rag dolls. Gordon, Gina, and Colette fought their collective urges to vomit as they made their way around the room, checking for survivors. The sights were disturbing enough, but the smell was what drove them insane. They agreed to close their H.E.V. helmets as they worked.
After a few minutes of inspection, they found but two survivors. Dr. Bennett had been blown clear of most of the destruction, as had another scientist that none of them recognized. After reviving the two, they learned that the other scientist was Dr. Rosenberg. He quickly explained his reasons for being there.
"I knew this was going to happen. I tried to warn them. The administrator just would not listen! They knocked me out to keep me from stopping this experiment!"
This revelation came as a shock to the scientists present. Bennett finally spoke.
"You're telling us that Dr. Breen knew this was going to happen?"
"Not only did he know, but he planned it. This experiment was his idea and he made sure that it happened according to his plan."
"But why? What did these scientists die for?" Gordon interjected.
"I have no idea." Rosenberg sighed. "I suppose we'll have to ask Dr. Breen when we get out of here. We can worry about that later, though. First we have to escape from this tomb and get to the surface!"
The group agreed on that much. They gathered up their wits and prepared to trek across the wasteland of Sector C to find a way to the surface.
Black Mesa Central Command
Wallace Breen leaned back in his chair and appraised the monitors arrayed about his desk. Everything was going smoothly thus far. The experiment had been every bit the disaster they had planned. Even now signs were already appearing hinting at the impending invasion. Unidentified biological life forms were being detected throughout the facility. Black Mesa was no longer the secure facility it had once been.
On one monitor, Breen watched as a small rat-like creature crawled towards an unsuspecting scientist sitting at a computer. The scientist was probably trying to find out what was going on elsewhere in the facility. The rat-like creature leaped across the room in a single hop, landing directly on the scientist's face. The scientist leaped from the chair and began flailing about the room, clawing furiously at the creature to no avail. After a few seconds, he stopped struggling and sat back down in his chair. He began convulsing violently as the creature began to take control of his central nervous system.
Breen had seen the disturbing display many times before. The creature was called a "head-crab" by the scientists that had studied them. The head-crabs were the subject of many experiments going on behind closed doors in the Level 5 facilities. All of the test subjects were still in their cages, however. This one was a new arrival.
The Nihilanth had mastered the power of transporting beings across time and space, and was sending the head-crabs through dimensional portals in the first wave of what promised to be a terrible invasion. Rather than come in guns blazing, the invaders sent in a small force of creatures able to conquer the enemy without a fight. After the head-crabs took control of their enemies, they set their unwilling conscripts against the remaining foes, letting them kill each other off long before they sent their true army in. No one aside from a select group of scientists at Black Mesa would ever know about the tactic until it was too late.
All of this played right into their plans. The Nihilanth had taken the bait, and their little war was about to begin.
Breen pressed a button on the desk before him. Miles away, in Santego, a signal was received. Black Mesa had declared a biological containment emergency, and required military assistance immediately. At Santego, the signal was received and processed. Helicopters had already prepared to launch at a moment's notice and lifted off towards Black Mesa. The operation, code-named "Half-Life", was under way.
Sector G – Sewer Access
There was no way out of Sector G. Calhoun and Graham had probed every corner of the basement and couldn't find any way up or out. Graham had given up hope rather quickly, and had been whining about their fate for a few minutes when Calhoun had an idea.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Graham scoffed at the lunacy of Calhoun's plan
"It's the only way out." Calhoun said matter-of-factly. There was only one way for them to go now: through the sewers.
A facility as large as Black Mesa generated some serious waste. The awkward design of the facility prevented the removal of this waste through normal methods. The waste had to be pumped up hundreds of feet before it could enter any kind of retrieval or purification system. This meant that huge pipes ran the length of the facility, connecting each section to the rest. The pipes were large enough for people to walk through, if necessary. Calhoun had never imagined that he would need to use them. It was their only option now.
Calhoun practically had to shove the apprehensive scientist into the pipe before following close behind. Very quickly they ran out of light, and Calhoun used his flashlight to light their way. The pipe was much smaller than either of them imagined it would be. The air was dank and reeked from the stench of the thick sludge they waded through. The pipe had many turns and twists in it, and neither of them had any real idea where they were going. They knew one thing for sure, though. It would be a very bad thing if anyone up above decided to flush.
Both of them quickly noticed a disturbing fact. The pipes weren't leading up, as they had hoped. Instead, they were leading down. Neither commented on this fact as they trudged on, both knowing they had no choice but to continue onwards. Behind them was a dead end in Sector G, and ahead of them darkness thicker than the sludge they crawled through.
Santego Military Base
The base was a font of activity. Troops ran from building to building making last minute preparations before their deployment. The announcement had been made a few minutes earlier, to no one's surprise.
As the V-22 Ospreys loaded with troops, attack helicopters lifted off to escort the helicopters to Black Mesa. AH-64 Apaches hovered around the base, waiting to make the short trip. Several F-35 Joint-Strike-Fighters had been summoned from a nearby airstrip as well. A dedicated E-67 Airborne Warning and Control System had been assigned to the area to monitor the situation. The AWACS would direct the Apaches and F-35s and guarantee air superiority over the target.
They didn't know what exactly they would be facing, but they were told to expect attacks from every direction, including the sky. Their orders made one thing very clear: they couldn't be too careful. The advice fell on deaf ears, however. The military never went into a situation without being prepared for any eventuality. This would be no exception.
The public address system of the base chimed to life one last time before the troops carried out their mission.
"Attention all personnel: This is Major General Thompson. Make no mistakes; today's operation is for real. This is not a drill. You're about to go up against an unknown force threatening our nation. That's all I can tell you for now. Your sergeants will fill you in with further details when you set down at the landing zones. That is all. Carry on!"
The troops began filing onto the Ospreys, which lifted off when full. In perfect formation, the helicopters moved towards Black Mesa like a group of hawks approaching their prey.
Sector C – Lobby
Their search had turned up few survivors. Those that were still alive were too badly wounded to risk moving. They had hoped to find survivors huddled in the lobby, but there was no one there left alive. The damage from the accident had been more catastrophic than any of them had imagined. The entire sector was collapsing in on itself. Most of the men and women of Sector C had been crushed by falling debris. The rest were simply missing. An aura of death hung low over Sector C. It was only a matter of time before the ceiling above them gave out and crushed them all.
The group agreed unanimously that they needed to get out of Sector C as soon as possible. The most obvious avenue of escape, the tram, was nonfunctional. The walkway extending to the tram track had collapsed. Even if they could summon a tram, it would stop 20 feet away from them; far too long a distance for any of them to jump. They needed to find another way out.
Rosenberg could think of only one other way out.
"We need to take the sewers."
"Are you mad?" Gordon exclaimed.
"If you have a better idea, I'd be glad to consider it."
Gordon stared at him, resignedly. They set off to find a way into the sewer system.
There was a sewer access grate in the maintenance closet behind the restrooms. As they made their way to the restrooms, they stumbled across the creature. The small rat-like beast was scurrying about the hallway like a spider, waving its arms in the air as it walked. It didn't seem to notice the group of people approaching.
"What is that?!" Gina squealed, barely holding back a scream.
The group tried to keep her quiet, but it was too late. She had already given away their presence to the creature.
It leaped through the air, covering over ten feet in a single bound. It landed on Gordon's head and began sucking at his helmet. Fortunately, the armor was strong enough to keep its teeth at bay.
Bennett swung into action, grabbing a crowbar from the maintenance closet. He gave the creature a swing that Barry Bonds would have been proud of. The creature splattered against the wall.
"What was that?" Gina gasped.
"That, my dear," Rosenberg explained, "was a head-crab. It's like no creature you'll find here on Earth."
"What do you mean by that?" Bennett chimed in.
"I mean, simply, that it's not from Earth. It's from another dimension."
That struck a chord with Gordon. "I've been there, I think. Something happened during the accident and I was sent there. It wasn't like anything I'd ever seen before. Rosenberg is right. These creatures aren't from around here. How did you know about them?"
"We've been doing experiments on these creatures for some time, now. The head-crabs take control of humans by leeching onto their central nervous systems. If it had attacked someone without a hazard suit, they would have become… one of them. They come from a place we call Xen. That's where we found that crystal you've become so familiar with. Unfortunately for us, these head-crabs are only the tip of the iceberg. I have a bad feeling that we'll be encountering far worse before we get out of here."
"Then let's get out of here, and fast." Bennett spoke for the group.
They used the crowbar to pry open the grate for the sewer pipe and were about to enter it when they heard a noise. Something was coming towards them through the pipe.
Horrible visions flashed before their eyes as to what horrible creation awaited them in the pipe. Bennett tossed the crowbar to Gordon, who stood before the grate fighting the urge to wet himself. He tried to ready himself for anything.
Black Mesa – Canyon Entrance
The Osprey flew low over the canyons surrounding the Black Mesa Research Facility. The AWACS flew thousands of feet above them, scouring the skies for any sign of trouble.
Onboard the Osprey, a nine-man squad of troops was strapped in, awaiting orders when they reached the Landing Zone. The LZ was located directly in front of the main entrance to Black Mesa. Somewhere in this maze of canyons was an entrance to the subterranean facility. It was normally heavily guarded by electric fences, mine fields, and guard towers with snipers. They were prepared to deal with all of these, in the event that the facility's security had been compromised. They had no idea what they were up against, yet.
The Osprey was flanked by an Apache attack helicopter, which broke off as the Osprey approached the LZ. The LZ was inside the perimeter of electric fences and mine fields. The area served as a checkpoint to traffic attempting to enter the facility, with an electrified gate leading outside of the perimeter to the mine field. A road wove through the canyon toward an entrance in the rock face. The entrance was covered by a heavy steel gate, impenetrable to even the most powerful explosives known. The road towards the entrance was flanked on both sides by guard towers. Any unfriendly traffic attempting to drive down this round would be assaulted on all sides by sniper fire from the towers before being stopped by the impenetrable gate. No one could get into Black Mesa without authorization.
"All right men, we are three-zero seconds from the LZ. Your orders are to secure the perimeter and open the outer gates for the motorcade. No resistance is expected, but be prepared for anything." The sergeant of the platoon made no mention of the possibility of alien encounter.
The Osprey hovered low over the center of the road, and the nine men rappelled down on ropes down to the pavement. They instantly fanned out towards the sides of the canyon, eager to get out of the center of the road where they would be sitting ducks for any impending threats. They moved in three-man teams, each covering the one ahead as they moved. They quickly covered the expanse of road between the LZ and the outer gate. Beyond the electrified outer gate, the motorcade waited several hundred meters away. The area had been carpet bombed to clear the mine field for the motorcade's approach. The lead tanks idled, prepared to fire at a moment's notice in the event of trouble. Something was definitely wrong with the situation. There was no sign of any Black Mesa personnel. There should have at least been guards in the towers. They were nowhere to be found.
The troops ignored this fact and secured the outer gate while the point man climbed up the guard tower. He operated the gate controls, turning the electrical current off and opening the gate. The troops gave the all clear signal over the radio, and the motorcade approached. The troops held fast at the gate, waiting for the last vehicle to pass through. The motorcade consisted of M1A2 Abrams tanks, M2A3 Bradley fighting vehicles, and M1109 HMMWVs - High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles better known as Humvees. The Bradley tanks moved in first, scouting ahead with their 25mm chain guns. The Abrams tanks followed; sweeping the deserted road with their powerful 120mm cannons. The Hummers pulled up the rear; flanked by troops running alongside, ready to engage any threat foolish enough to attack the motorcade. One of the Hummers served as the command vehicle, and Major General Thompson and his command staff huddled inside, going over satellite maps of the area.
One of the sergeants updated the General on the situation, "Sir, we have yet to encounter any Black Mesa personnel. This is supposed to be a heavily secured area, and Black Mesa Security should be manning the towers to protect the facility from outside threats."
The General replied, "Not if the threat is coming from within the facility, Sergeant. All of this is concurrent with the information the insider has given us."
"Yes, sir. Our projected route takes us through the surface complex of Black Mesa, past these barracks, parking lots, and surface storage facilities. If the insider proves faithful, he will be monitoring our situation from Black Mesa Central Command. He will open the steel gate when we approach, giving us access to the facility."
"Good. Instruct the tanks to fan out around the surface complex and to be ready for anything. Let me know when we're approaching the gate. I want to address the troops and get them up to speed on the situation down there."
Black Mesa Central Command
Dr. Breen watched the security monitors with great interest. The Army motorcade was approaching the gate, and the invasion was continuing as planned. Already, a great majority of the facility's staff had fallen victim to the head-crab invasion. From the cameras all around the facility, the figures wandering the hallways were no longer entirely human. They had become… something else. After the head-crabs took control of the central nervous system, they began taking over the other systems as well. The victims became much more alien than human. Their physiologies mutated into grotesque monstrosities. Their fingers and hands became vicious claws and their chests gaped wide with fangs. They became zombies, with an unquenchable thirst for flesh. The head-crabs remained attached to their faces, guiding their newly mutated hosts like jockeys on horses.
It was distasteful, but the process served Breen's purposes perfectly. He had described all of this in great detail to the President. That alone hadn't quite convinced him, but a video of the mutation from Black Mesa's archives had done the trick. The President had agreed that the alien threat posed a clear and present danger to the people of the United States of America. The President had given authority to the military to use whatever means necessary to stop the zombie threat if it ever became aroused. The President had signed the death warrant of every man and woman within Black Mesa's subterranean walls.