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 6 – Power Up
Black Mesa Surface
Major General Thompson had seen enough of the Lambda Complex. His troops were proving to be completely ineffective. He would let them continue their efforts, but unless the situation changed dramatically he would have to call in reinforcements. The General's Osprey flew him back towards Central Command at its best speed.
The detonation in Sector E could be heard above the rotors of the helicopter.
"What the hell was that?" Major General Thompson demanded to no one in particular.
The General's staff looked at each other nervously, afraid to admit their ignorance. Fortunately for them, the radio answered the General's question for them.
"Sir, there was just an unauthorized detonation in the rocket test silo. I don't know what they were trying to accomplish, but other than some temporary power loss in Sector E, there was no apparent damage. Power has been restored to all sections."
"Where are the scientists now?"
"They're approaching the train line. Our troops have disabled power across the line, and the scientists will have to go through our command point before restoring power."
"Good. Make sure the troops know that Gordon Freeman is coming."
Sector E – Propulsion Ventilation System
Gordon, Gina, and Colette found the ventilation pipes to be surprisingly roomy, designed to vent the byproducts of the rocket blasts. The sides of the pipes were bathed in the yellow blood of the tentacled creature that had spawned and died there. The explosive power of the rocket had completely disintegrated the creature, and were it not for the yellow muck and the stench, one might not have realized that the creature had come through here.
The pipes were dark, but now that the trio had fully charged their hazard suits they didn't hesitate to use their suits' flashlights to light their way. They aimed their MP5 sub-machine guns into the darkness in front of them, ready for any unseen threat.
The pipes led to a cavernous room used to bleed off the heat from the rocket blasts. Powerful fans on the ceiling pumped the air towards the ceiling, clearing the room of the thick smoke caused by the test rocket. The room had an emergency egress hatch that led directly to the tunnels of the Sector E Train Line. They were very close to their goal.
"There!" Gina called excitedly. She pointed across the tunnel to a train car parked and waiting. Unlike the comfortable, plush train cars of the Black Mesa Transit System, these cars were cold and hard, more like mine carts than the luxurious trains they were used to. They weren't complaining, however. This train car would take them safely through Black Mesa right beneath the military's noses. With any luck, they would be at the Lambda Complex within the hour.
However, Murphy's Law was still in effect. Anything that could go wrong was indeed going wrong. The train wasn't powered. As far as they could tell, the line itself was completely disabled.
"Maybe the rocket launch tripped a circuit breaker." Colette wondered out loud. "If we can find the power generator, we can restore power. We can't give up, yet."
They wandered through the tunnels for what seemed like ages before arriving at the transit hub. The hub represented the heart of Sector E's train line. All trains coming and going from the sector passed through the hub before reaching their destination. The train lines came and went across a rotating turntable in the center of the hub. From this hub, a hallway led directly to the track control facility. If they were going to reactivate power across the train line, they would be able to do so from there.
One very large problem remained, however.
The gargantuan beast standing in the center of the hub towered nearly to the cavernous room's ceiling, at least twenty feet tall. The monster was nearly as thick as it was tall, with powerful arms ending in bazooka-like appendages. The monster's head was placed near the center of its body; its single eye locked shut as it rocked back and forth idly. Its body was covered with blue armor that reflected the hub's lighting like the skin of a beetle.
Fortunately for the scientists, the creature hadn't noticed their presence yet. Its eye remained closed as they watched from the protective shadows of the tunnel. The monster emitted a rhythmic humming noise, as if it was snoring or purring. To all outward appearances, the beast was asleep on its feet.
Taking their chances, the scientists crept across the outside edges of the transit hub, careful not to disturb the beast's slumber. They slowly but steadily approached the entrance to the Track Control Facility.
Sector E – Track Control Facility
Throughout the facility, the soldiers became increasingly uneasy. News of the sentries' disappearance had trickled down through the chain of command and they all understood what the news meant. Freeman was coming their way.
Colonel Draheim knew his troops were getting nervous. It was time to fill them in.
"Listen up, people," the Colonel announced over the radio, "We've got hostiles headed our way. We believe that Freeman is among them. You are ordered to shoot on sight. We tried negotiating with these bastards on the surface, and there are several dead men to show for it. Expect engagement very soon, over."
Draheim toured the command point, checking to make sure that everything was in place. He knew the approaching attackers were equipped with next-generation hazard suits, making them virtually impermeable to small arms fire. To counter this, the Colonel had equipped his team with NEMP rifles to stop them in their tracks. The problem came in getting the suits within the NEMP's range. The NEMP rifle only had an effective range of about ten meters. The soldiers would have to wait until the hazard suits were within 30 feet before they would be able to take them down. However, if they merely held their fire until the suits were within range, their prey would smell trouble and flee before they even had a chance to stop them. The attackers must be made to think that they were facing a good defense. That meant putting troops in danger, but it was a necessary risk.
The soldiers had established a makeshift fortress around the control facility. Draheim wasn't sure if it had been intentional or not, but the facility was well designed for defense. A chasm separated the control facility from the outside hallways. This chasm was full of ventilation fans to vent any toxic fumes from the power generator below. It also made reaching the facility very difficult. A single bridge spanned the chasm, giving the defending soldiers a perfect choke point to strike from. Sandbag bunkers on either side of the bridge would allow them to rain fire upon the attackers. When the attackers finally did get across the bridge, they would find themselves within range of the NEMP rifles.
The preparations had already been made, and there was nothing more to do but wait. Draheim huddled with his troops behind the sandbag bunkers, feeling as ready as they would ever be for the inevitable firefight to come.
Contact was made several minutes later.
"Movement!"
At once the troops rose, dozens of assault rifles, sub-machine guns and shotguns raising and aiming across the bridge. They fired as one.
The attackers couldn't possibly be human. They moved with such speed and agility, seemingly dodging bullets as they ran. Draheim had been well briefed on the hazard suits and knew that the suits mechanically augmented your strength and abilities. He hadn't expected this, though. His men were having a hard time hitting the attackers, and when they did, the bullets ricocheted off harmlessly. Draheim felt his confidence buckle. The NEMP rifles only worked if they could hit their targets!
The attackers fired back as they raced across the bridge, taking down several of the defenders and causing the rest to duck a bit more under cover. One of the attackers tossed a grenade into a sandbag bunker, raining blood and sand throughout the encampment.
Draheim scowled at the attackers. They weren't supposed to be this good. However, in a few seconds they would be within range of the NEMP. It would all be over then.
As suddenly as the attackers had appeared at the bridge, they now disappeared. They leaped over the side of the bridge, falling several stories down through the ventilation chasm. The fall would have severely injured an ordinary human, but with their hazard suits, Draheim realized they probably didn't feel any pain from the impact.
"Move in!" Draheim shouted at his troops. They raced to the bridge where the attackers had disappeared, crouching and leaning their weapons over the side to fire down below. Draheim risked a glance over the side and verified that they were gone. They had gotten through!
Draheim quickly assessed the situation. The attackers could access the power generator from down below, reactivating power across the train line. That would be an acceptable loss if he could catch the attackers as they came back up. A single elevator connected the multiple levels of the control facility. Not even their hazard suits would help the attackers leap up several stories. The attackers might have bent the laws of physics going down, but they would have to play by those rules to get back up.
"All squads, move to the elevator. I want a defensive front established on the double! You four, get down that chasm and flush them up!"
The troops scurried to form a line of defense around the elevator shaft. The NEMP rifles were brought to the front and readied to fire at the attackers when they emerged from down below. Several soldiers rappelled down through the ventilation chasm to force the attackers up through the elevator.
For several minutes they waited, hearing the tell-tale sound of generators firing up and restoring power across the tracks. Draheim had failed to stop them from doing so, but none of that would matter if he could stop them before they escaped. Just when it seemed that things were becoming too quiet, the distinctive sound of gunfire rang out below. Before long, the elevator began to rise.
"Recon team, report in!" Draheim called over the radio. There was no response.
A tell-tale groaning noise announced the approaching elevator. The soldiers shuffled a bit as they readied themselves to fire. The elevator was only a few meters away now.
"Take cover!"
The men in front barely had time to raise their arms up in a futile gesture of self defense upon seeing the explosive charges strapped to the dead soldiers' chests. The bloody explosion took out several dozen soldiers in an instant, injuring many more. Draheim was thrown across the room; the impact knocking the wind out of him. He crawled to his feet and began barking orders as soon as he was able to regain his breath.
Draheim took what was left of his command and piled onto the elevator, riding it down with NEMP rifles at the ready. It was time to regain control of the situation. The elevator reached the bottom of the shaft without incident, and the men poured off to secure the area. They moved in teams, scouring the area in search of the attackers. The teams quickly reported in.
"Sector secure sir, no sign of hostiles!"
"They couldn't have just disappeared, damn it!" Draheim fumed.
A sudden realization hit Draheim like a wall of bricks. He had left a crucial avenue unprotected. He raced towards the ventilation chasm and looked up, just in time to catch a glimpse of the attackers crawling up onto the bridge before tossing the rappel lines back down the chasm. His prey had escaped, and he had given them the means to do so.
"Follow me!" Draheim ordered angrily as the survivors re-boarded the elevator.
These scientists were making a mockery out of his command. How could he let them slip through his fingers twice? He would need to move quickly to catch up with them in time to stop them from escaping through the train line.
The troops raced towards the transit hub. Wherever the scientists were headed, they would have to pass through there. They would set up one final defensive front to stop the scientists. They were done trying to disable the hazard suits. They would use grenades and blow the scientists to hell. Not even their hazard suits could sustain the continuous shrapnel barrage from a grenade attack. Their plans hit a snag upon reaching the transit hub.
The soldiers gasped upon seeing the towering behemoth standing in the transit hub. The two-story monster directly blocked their path. It never occurred to them that it might be asleep.
"Open fire!" Draheim ordered.
It took several seconds for the order to register with the stunned soldiers, but they soon came to their senses and unloaded their bullets and grenades upon the monster.
The single red eye opened almost instantly, and the beast rose to its full height. The monster roared in fury, pointing its bazooka-like arms at the mass of soldiers to unleash its anger. Powerful jets of flame erupted forth, engulfing the soldiers in a raging inferno. Their screams echoed through the surrounding tunnels. The surviving soldiers raced around the hub, desperately firing up at the beast. Draheim knew his men were beaten, but he still continued fighting the monster. He was too busy trying to find the monster's weakness to notice the three figures sneaking away along the side of the hub.
Draheim rolled left and right, dodging the monster's flames. Several of his men flanked the beast, but did little more than distract the monster momentarily. The beast spun about, firing its flamethrowers wildly at the circling soldiers. They did a fine job of occupying the monster, but nothing more. It was clear that they lacked the firepower to destroy this beast. It was time to consider a hasty retreat while they were still able to escape.
Even the gargantuan monster couldn't keep Draheim from noticing the train passing through the hub behind them. Draheim's rage seethed over. The monster was instantly forgotten, as was any hope of escape. Draheim turned towards the train and charged, screaming as he fired his Beretta pistol. Draheim didn't care that his bullets bounced harmlessly off of the hazard suits' armor. He didn't care about the beast approaching him from behind. There was no way he would let his prey escape without a fight while his troops fought to clear the way for them. He would not allow his soldiers to become unwilling martyrs to help his prey's cause.
The Colonel's pistol fell silent as his clip emptied against their armor. He screamed in rage as he realized the futility of his situation. He was powerless to stop the train as it continued on its track across the turntable and out of Sector E.
Draheim threw his weapon away in disgust, watching as the train disappeared down the track. He turned around and saw that the gargantuan beast had been standing there, watching him. The hub was silent now; his few remaining soldiers dead. Draheim stared up at his impending doom.
With every remaining bit of strength he had left, Draheim cursed at the beast. The monster roared back as it fired its flamethrowers one last time.
The scientists had impressed the man in the suit. He hadn't expected them to have such combat awareness. Their use of the ventilation chasm had been a stroke of genius. They had made a very good Colonel look like a complete amateur. The soldiers' deaths had been inevitable, however. The Army was still underestimating the hazard suits, even after their embarrassment on the surface. Perhaps this engagement would prove to be a wake-up call for the soldiers waiting farther down the train line.
The man's phone interrupted his train of thought. He listened as a strange bit of news was relayed to him. Someone had activated a teleporter and traveled to Xen. However, the teleportation had not been from the Lambda Complex. It had come from Sector D, in the old teleportation laboratories. The man in the suit could hardly believe the news. Just when it seemed they were impossibly behind on their timeline, their luck was finally coming around. The scientists had somehow reactivated the teleporter in Sector D. The man quickly analyzed this new piece of data. With the teleporter in Sector D he wouldn't have to wait for the soldiers to penetrate the Lambda Complex. The teleporter in Sector D was much too small to accomplish all of their mission objectives, but it would allow them to make significant progress along their timeline. The Lambda Complex could wait. This teleporter in Sector D would do for now.
Xen
Somewhere in the recesses of the Nihilanth's tremendous cerebrum, a strange fact registered itself. A new visitor had arrived from the target dimension.
Another part of the Nihilanth's mind analyzed the situation. From what it could discern, the visitor was alone and did not carry enough firepower to be a threat. On a whim, a team of controllers was dispatched to investigate the visitor. Unknown variables had a tendency to become exponentially dangerous if left unchecked.
The Nihilanth wasted no further brain power on the situation. It needed to prepare the next wave of its invasion. It was time to break the back of the resistance.
The team of controllers hovered low over the floating islands of Xen, training in on the location of the disturbance.
The Controllers were a unique race within the Nihilanth's army. Unlike the Vortigaunts and Grunts that made up the infantry, the Controllers were able to think freely, formulating strategies and giving orders on the fly. Their connection to the Nihilanth was not one of subjugation but of supervision. The Controllers had been created in the Nihilanth's likeness; able to fly and teleport at will. They had been trained to harness the power of their minds to create devastating energy blasts. They were quick and lethal soldiers; lieutenants on the Nihilanth's battlefields. Naturally, the Nihilanth maintained the ability to reward or give pain, but it seldom used this capability on its favorite servants. Its Controllers rarely failed to fulfill their duties.
Barney Calhoun emerged from the orb of green electricity and fell several feet to the ground. He crawled to his feet, trying to acclimate himself to the strange new world around him. Calhoun beheld fantastic colors and shapes, all of which seemed completely foreign. Shades of blue, green, and purple flooded his vision.
Calhoun recalled the briefing given by Dr. Rosenberg. Xen was a gaseous planet, consisting of little more than layers upon layers of atmosphere. Like Earth, its atmosphere was primarily oxygen. However, with little or no solid surface mass, there was very little gravity. The few bits of solid surface on Xen hovered in the atmosphere. These flying islands consisted of a strange gravity-defying rock that baffled the scientists on Earth.
Calhoun had emerged from the teleporter on the same flying island that the original explorers of Xen had first discovered. He took a few cautious steps, losing his balance trying to adjust to the lower gravity. Fortunately, he wouldn't need to walk far. His target was only a few hundred meters away.
The former base camp was a disaster area. The tents had been torn to shreds and broken equipment littered the area. Bloody hazard suits had been thrown about haphazardly. Calhoun had thought hazard suits were invulnerable to such violence. Something here had clearly found a way to penetrate that illusion of protection. Calhoun suddenly felt naked with little more than his bulletproof vest to protect him from aliens powerful enough to destroy hazard suits.
Calhoun didn't linger at the camp any longer than he had to. He found the command tent and the beacon key card within. He had been briefed on how to activate the beacon, and knew this key card would start the process. With key in hand, Calhoun trekked back across the island towards the relay beacon.
The beacon had been constructed on top of a tremendous yellow crystal. Calhoun noticed, with great relief, that the device had not been destroyed. The aliens had somehow disabled it without damaging the device. Calhoun put the key in its slot to activate the device. Nothing happened. Calhoun inspected the controls of the device, looking for some clue as to what was wrong. The dials were all set normally. Other than the lack of power, the device should be running perfectly fine.
Calhoun kicked the dirt in frustration, a cloud of dust hovering in mid-air. Calhoun cursed his luck. He had traveled across space and time to reactivate a machine that needed new batteries.
A sudden thought struck Calhoun. He remembered many years earlier his parents had hired a repairman to come fix a similar problem with their television. They had been charged full price for the repairman to reach around behind the television and plug it back into the wall.
Calhoun walked around behind the beacon and followed its power cables through the dirt. He kicked the dirt aside to inspect the cables as he went. There! A portion of the cable had been sheared away, the insulation burned to reveal a break in the connection. Calhoun pulled the two ends together, careful not to touch any of the exposed wire. The machine immediately began humming with activity, causing the crystal to glow with activity. Whatever he had been sent here to do, Calhoun had just accomplished it. It was time to leave this place before the locals discovered him.
Calhoun returned to the teleportation portal, his unease increasing by the second. Something dangerous lived here, but he had seen no sign of life whatsoever. That changed as he rounded the final bend towards the portal.
A group of creatures flew over the horizon, rocketing towards Calhoun. They approached in formation, like a flock of deadly birds. They looked almost human, aside from their oversized brain cavities. They hovered now, circling Calhoun, bobbing up and down hypnotically. Calhoun felt something inside his mind; some instinct telling him to stand perfectly still. A soothing in his head told him to stop. You will die if you step into that portal. Stand still and everything will be all right… As the voice continued its soothing mantra, Calhoun noticed the hands of the flying creatures. They were dancing in the air, glowing brighter and brighter as they did so. They seemed to be building up strength to do something. Stand still, human, and everything will be all right…
Calhoun had never been one to listen to his conscience. He leaped into the portal and disappeared. The ground where he had been standing a moment before exploded in a shower of sparks and flames as the controllers unleashed their psychic attack a moment too late. Instead of destroying their prey, their attack merely amplified the explosive power of the live grenade Calhoun had left in his wake. The resulting explosion destroyed the circle of controllers.
Sector D – Classified Teleportation Laboratory
Calhoun expected a warm welcome upon his return to Earth. He would receive no fanfare, however. He arrived in the middle of a storm of panic and hurried activity. All around him, scientists hurried to pack equipment and personal belongings. They were clearly in a hurry to get out of here.
Calhoun spotted Rosenberg through the chaos and raced over to get his attention. "Hey Doc, what's going on? Why the hurry?"
"Thank God you made it, Barney! The moment you activated the beacon we began preparing to leave. The military is pounding on our doorstep, and we need to get out of here as quickly as possible!"
Calhoun looked behind him and saw that the scientists had reactivated the portal and were already leaving through it. Rosenberg grabbed his arm and pulled him back towards the portal.
"Make way!" Rosenberg called as they ran.
Calhoun stopped at the edge of the portal, looking back at the scientists around him. "Shouldn't I stay behind and cover your escape?"
"You've fought enough, Barney. You would do nothing more than slow down the inevitable. No amount of foolish heroics would stop those soldiers. We can only hope to have enough time left to get all of the scientists through the portal. You can stay and fight if you wish, but I'm going on. The choice is yours!"
Rosenberg disappeared into the portal.
Somewhere deep within Calhoun, a brief battle was fought. He could see himself staying behind, fighting to the death to let a few scientists get through the portal before him. That was the voice of the soldier within him that he would never become. A stronger voice took control. He had already risked his life to give them all a chance to escape. These scientists had been too cowardly to go to Xen themselves. He had helped them enough and he would not die so close to escape.
Calhoun stepped into the portal and left Black Mesa.
Sector E – Freight Train Lines
The soldiers felt ready to take on the scientists. At every corner, dozens of soldiers lay in waiting, ready to pump ammunition into the targets that had killed so many of their friends. Word of what had happened further down the train line had spread like wildfire. A theoretical physicist had somehow wiped out an entire enclave of soldiers.
The troops had rigged the entire train line with sandbag bunkers, machine gun turrets, and rocket launchers. Nothing was going to get by them without a fight. And fight they would.
The battles through the train lines were short and furious. The soldiers put up an admirable fight, but they were ill-equipped to take on the hazard suits. The scientists were too fast and too smart to be caught off guard by the ambushes waiting for them. At each confrontation, the soldiers unleashed an amazing display of force, only to be defeated by the superior maneuverability and adaptability of their adversaries. The soldiers were knocked back on their heels each time. The radio waves were filled with horrified chatter of troops calling for backup that would not come. The troops had been trained to know they were superior to any fighting force they would ever face on the field of battle. The realization to the contrary came as an abrupt and deadly shock.
The man in the gray suit observed their progress from the safety of the shadows. He continued to be impressed by the tenacious trio. Keeping up with them was proving to be a challenge, but once his men accomplished their goal on Xen, traveling around Black Mesa would become much easier.
As if on cue, the man's phone brought outstanding news from Xen. The mysterious traveler had done their job for them. The beacon had been reactivated, and intra-planetary teleportation was once again a reality. It was more important than ever before to get to Xen as quickly as possible. They needed to secure the relay beacon and ensure its continued operation. It was time to begin the next phase of their operation.
The man in the suit made a quick call. "Commander Dekker, Phase Two has begun a bit early. Your first objective has already been completed. Start bringing your troops, but avoid the military until they've begun pulling out. Our hand must be invisible."
A simple, curt, "Yes, sir" was the only response before the line was cut. Dekker was a man of few words, and a man of great action. His men would have much more success than Thompson's bunch of amateurs.
The man in the suit pressed a button on his suitcase. A portal opened in front of him. With the beacon restored, he could travel freely around the Black Mesa complex. He stepped into the portal and emerged inside the old teleportation laboratory in time to watch the last scientists try to escape before the military crashed their party.
Perimeter Maintenance Garage
Rosenberg and Calhoun emerged from the chaos of the teleportation lab to find a similar situation on the surface. The portal had sent them to the outer maintenance garage, a mile beyond the facility's main gates. The odds of running into the Army this far out were slim to none. They were home free.
Calhoun stepped out of the garage and looked at the large mesa that gave the Black Mesa Research Facility its name. He would not miss this place at all. This damned place had almost become his tomb. It had caused so much suffering and death. For all he cared, it could go up in flames.
A familiar noise made Calhoun turn with a start. Helicopters! Was the Army bringing in reinforcements? The approaching Ospreys were painted jet black, with no markings of any kind. Calhoun's first thought was that these might be some kind of black ops troops, but there was already a small army in Black Mesa. Why would they bring in another one?
A radio inside the garage attracted Calhoun's attention. Voices could be heard, speaking in the distinctive matter-of-fact manner used by the military. He listened in to see if he could find out anything about their new arrivals.
"Negative, Sniper Four! The AWACS hasn't picked up anything. If there was anything inbound, we would know. Keep your rifle pointed towards the facility where the real--"
"Sir, this is Captain Plashke in Sector E. We have apprehended Freeman and his companions. Requesting instructions, over."
"Take them topside for questioning, Captain. Make sure they stay disabled. We won't make the same mistakes twice, over."
"Copy that, sir. We're on our way up, over."
Calhoun pounded the table in frustration. He doubted they would make it to the surface alive. The soldiers hadn't thought twice about murdering Walter. What would stop them from killing the three scientists responsible for this disaster?
Logic told Calhoun to get as far away from this place as he could and to never look back. Calhoun knew he didn't stand a chance against those soldiers. Something deep inside that he rarely felt intervened, however. He wouldn't risk anything more for these cowardly scientists around him, but he had befriended Gordon, Gina, and Colette. They had fought together and nearly died together. They had helped him escape from Sector C, and he had abandoned them to save his own neck. If he let those three die, he knew he wouldn't be able to live with himself. He was being given an opportunity to correct his mistake. Calhoun knew in that moment that he wouldn't be leaving Black Mesa without trying to save them.
Calhoun walked out of the garage without a word. He took an SUV and drove back towards the ominous mesa that might yet become his tomb.