Author's Note: Alrighty Entry 10 uploaded! The next few entries will deal with the Black Mesa Incident and how Valeria escaped. Even later (maybe when I get into the 20's), entries involving the 7 hour war will be introduced. Anyway...read, enjoy, and review!^.^

Entry 10, the Black Mesa Incident Part 2

So it occurred to me the other day that I never finished writing about the Black Mesa Incident. I'm not sure I even want to though because it brings back too many emotional events. However, lately all my nightmares are about Black Mesa so I figure this might be good therapy, to just get it all out I suppose.

After the whole system wide computer crash event, I figured I'd go blow off some steam by taking a trip to the Biodome Complex in Sector E. As always when I visited the Bio Complex, I usually headed over to bullsquid containment area to talk with Spot. I had not gotten far when a few of the glass windows next to me literally exploded, sending pieces of the debris straight into my left arm. My first reaction was to shout a few curse words in agony, as I delicately tired to pull each piece out. After that, I wasn't exactly sure what was happening.

The aliens that were contained began teleporting from every which direction. Some of which stayed with what looked like faces of confusion, while others were forcibly (or willingly, who knows) teleported off to different locations. The structure of the room I was in at the time was falling apart rapidly. Concrete beams and hanging lights were breaking apart from the ceiling and crashing down only to land on top of frightened scientists. More glass windows burst into a million pieces as electronic devices around me exploded with a deafening blast. I did the best I could to dodge the falling beams while at the same time trying to think on my feet. I knew I had to get out of Sector E, that much was certain. However when something tragic, insane, or life threatening happens, people panic. My mind just kept racing back and forth with thoughts of an alien invasion and the safety of all my friends. At the time, an alien invasion fit what was happening. We kidnapped beings from their realm, so it made sense that they were coming to rescue them and eliminate us. Who would have thought it was actually a resonance cascade?

Anyway, more aliens began to teleport in as I crawled away quietly, being careful not to alert them to my presence. Most of the other scientists had already been killed in the first wave of destruction, but the others were foolishly running around like chickens with their heads cut off. I couldn't blame them for doing so, but I tried to remain calm. A few Vortigaunts then teleported in and quickly killed the remaining scientists with neon green energy blasts, sending tiny splats of warm blood across my face. If anyone has ever seen someone die in their lifetime then they would know how I had felt at that exact moment. It was horrifying to see a fellow scientist killed so violently and not be able to do a thing to help. The only thing I could do was force myself to creep away like a coward.

After much luck I successfully snuck my way out of the Bio Dome and into the main halls of Sector E. Surprisingly they were empty, but that just made it all the more frightening; who knows when a random wave of aliens could teleport in? As I cautiously made my way to the transit system many more thoughts crossed my mind. What if the transit system was down, what would I do then? Was Sector E the only area being invaded? If not, how was I going to survive? Unlike now, I knew little to nothing when it came to weapons and battle tactics back then. I was pretty much scared out of my mind, and today when I think about it, the only thing that kept me going was survival. Such a funny thing survival…

But anyway, when I finally arrived at the transit system hub I was fortunate enough to discover that it was indeed still functional; though for how long was not an answer I was given. When I glanced inside the monorail car, I noticed that there had obviously been a small battle that had taken place within the car. 9mm shells lay scattered across the floor along with the actual pistol which lay a few inches away from an officer's hand. Small puddles of fresh blood also covered the floor, and a bloody handprint had been smeared across the back wall. Upon checking the pulses of the two scientists and security officer I deduced that all three were dead. I then tried my best to lift the armor off the security officer but leapt back with shock and horror after I had accidently flipped him onto his backside. A gapping cauterized wound (most likely from a Vortigaunt) had left bits of semi burnt intestine and other unrecognizable organs to leak out of the man's stomach. That's when the vomit came. I knew it was to be good to be true when I had finally gotten the peach flavored oatmeal from the cafeteria earlier that day. This memory is one I usually wake up screaming to, and I'm not sure why it has stuck with me through all these years.

After I had nearly heaved my brains out, I returned to the officer's body. I couldn't help feel a sense of mourning and disgust as I bent down to obtain the deceased officer's armor (what was left of it), pistol, and weapon holster. As dazed as I was by all that had just happened in the last few minutes, I decided I would have to toughen up if I was to make it. After taking a quick look at the schedule for the monorail I was in, I discovered just how lucky I actually was. The monorail car's next destination was to stop right outside Sector F, exactly the place I was hoping to head to. About a couple of minutes later the car's electronic door shut about half way and then began to move slowly off to its intended location. I knew it would be a little bit before I arrived at Sector F so I took the time I had to take in the scenery if that's what you could call it.

As I turned each corner a new horror laid waiting for me, and my question of whether the whole base was being invaded was quickly answered. The once beautiful structure of Black Mesa had been diminished to mostly rubble and malfunctioning electronic devices. The damaged com system made the atmosphere even more eerie as the voice(s) randomly shut off and changed sound. Frantic scientists ran cowering in fear from the invading Xen aliens, as security officers did their best to fight them off with their measly 9mm handguns.

Eventually I made it to Sector F and luckily I got off the tram right before the beam split, sending the car crashing into the chasm below. As I dashed up to the two gigantic metal doors that led to the Lambda Complex, I entered my security code, used the retinal scanner, and swiped my ID card. The two doors slowly creaked open and as I walked through, I realized I was in for one Hell of a fight…

- Val