Welcome to Black Mesa (cont.)

I turned to the door behind me. Locked. I shook the door, but there was nothing I could do. The only other door was on the other side of the bridge between each side of the canyon, problem was, it was broken. Again. It was a smaller jump than before, only a metre and a half, but this time there was nothing between me and the roadrunner river.

Once more, I gave myself a running start. The gap suddenly seemed a lot bigger. My legs worked like a machine, throwing me across the broken bridge in one huge leap. This time the landing was a complete success. I landed without so much as a stubbed toe.

As I examined the door, I noticed there wasn't a door. It had, in fact been ripped off its hinges. The actual door was lying right next to the opening. What kind of thing could do that?

Inside there was nothing but a door too covered in rubble to even think about trying to open and tiny tunnel half a metre high. I felt silly, actually thinking about getting in the tunnel. It was too small! I would never fit...could I? No, it was stupid. A stupid idea. I crouched down and got into the tunnel, despite what my brain was telling me. It was actually surprisingly large. I could fit my whole body in it if I lay down and pulled myself through.

I had almost made it to the end of the tunnel, when a headcrab came crawling through from the left. I froze. I couldn't fight a headcrab in a tunnel, but it seemed like I had no choice. I fumbled for my monkey wrench, but remember my knife and flicked it out in an instant. The headcrab had seen me now. It couldn't jump now so it was definitely going to be easy to kill. I swung the knife when it jumped. Somehow, they could change the angle of their jumps. It lunged for my face. My free hand flew out in front of me and its legs dug into my arm. I shook it off and stabbed it in the belly. My arm was bleeding really badly. I needed medical attention quick. I stumbled out the hole and rolled out.

I got a sudden sense of déjà vu. I had been here before. The electric fence, recently dead soldiers, the crashed helicopter. What? The crashed helicopter was Goose 3, our helicopter. Crashed into the fence just like before...that's it! When I first arrived, I was here before the planes force knocked me unconscious. I saw a radio through the electric fence. I could radio for help and get out of here! Though that would be betraying the scientist who saved me and the guard who let me through, though I shouldn't even be here. If that g-man in the blue suit hadn't sweet-talked the administrator, I wouldn't be in this place at all.

I looked for gap in the fence. Nothing at all. Not even the smallest of cuts were in the fence. The helicopter could be used to climb over the fence, but the electrical current was running through that as well. In fact, there was no way across without the electrical current off.

I looked around for an electrical control centre. The only way I didn't look was a dark tunnel with large silo doors which just barely open. I realized if I didn't look I would probably just rot here, so I trudged down the path into the increasingly intimidating tunnel.

The tunnel actually turned out to be empty apart from a first-aid pack, which I patched up my bleeding arm with. I mentally slapped myself for being scared and then emerged on the other side. I found the electrical control box I was looking for, but it was covered with mesh. The power boxes seemed to be overloading and electricity was spewing everywhere inside the mesh. A soldier was slumped next to a power box and another was inside, working on the door. The second the security guard touched the door, he was instantly electrocuted. He shook and made strange noises until his body came to a full halt. I did not think I was getting that way.

I found a vent nearby. It was open and I could see the other end inside the power box area. Suddenly, I was reminded of Bruce Willis. I didn't enjoy the idea of crawling around in vents anymore than tunnels, but hey, no other way in. The vent did a u-turn into the mesh. It was very difficult to navigate the corners. I had to do a full 35-point turn just face the right direction. As you can imagine, it was VERY time consuming.

I was inside the mesh, but between the four boxes were massive amounts of energy spreading between. I carefully avoided the electrical currents until I reached the door. It was insanely dangerous, with the bolts travelling at the speed of light and could appear anywhere at any time.

I searched the guard's body for weapons or a radio, but he was clean. He didn't even have a pistol, like the others. The soldier however, had quite the little present for me. A Desert Eagle with 7 bullets. Laser pointer, 7 bullets in a clip, excellent design and great paint job. I could have been in love.

It didn't take me long to find the turn-off switch. I flipped open the newly-de-electrified door and ran back to the tunnel. Inside I still found nothing, so continued. Once in the middle of the tunnel though, I heard a strange noise like a... I couldn't think of anything that it sounded like, a sort of sci-fi whirring. I jumped of shock and turned to see a strange green ominous glow floating a metre high and about the size of two footballs. From the glow, a Lightshot appeared, its lightning already charged.

I ducked down and commando rolled to the right. I pumped the Lightshot with 2 pieces of lead. It fell to the ground before it could release its charge. I gave a sigh of relief. I had never seen anything like it, apart from the other dead ones. It was a skinny thing, about 50 centimetres wide at the most. It was a sludgy mix of brown and green, covered in a shell- like skin. I turned back to the exit, and left the claustrophobic tunnel.

The light brown helicopter was not a small one. It was seven metres long with two machine guns and enough space for 14 soldier, plus 3 standing and a pilot. I grasped the side of the helicopter and pulled myself up. I had half a mind just to throw my vest over the fence and then jump on. I dawdled along the top of the helicopter until I reached the tail, where I hopped off heavily.

I sped over to the radio, even though it was at arm's length. I tapped and fiddling with the controls, desperately looking for another USMC station. A gruff voice cracked into the radio and I stopped and listened:

"Shephard, you're alive! Listen, we've been cut off pretty bad and orders have come in to pull out. Repeat! Pull out! Apparently they've got other plans for Black Mesa now... if you can make your way through the transit system, you can probably reached the surface where we are pulling out. Good luck! Over," the static covered the sound waves and I couldn't hear anymore. I gave desperate attempt to find them, but with no avail.

I found the red ladder to the transit system; after all, it stuck out like a pimple in a pumpkin. A large hole in the ground surrounded by a thin outline of red-painted iron isn't exactly hard to miss. I climbed down the ladder to find the industrial area of the facility. Large metals pipes were built going over catwalks, catwalks built over a very long fall, tongues hanging from the ceiling. Tongues hanging from the... I looked up. Above me were strange red blobs the size of my chest with disgusting long white tongues hanging down, dancing the fumes of the underground.

I walked down the catwalk, cautiously avoiding the tongues which led up to a fairly unsatisfactory set of deadly teeth which would crunch my bones probably instantly. The tongues moved towards me as I navigated the three or four... Tongue Snatchers. The tongue of one caught my leg. It pulled me up off my feet and left me dangling, going slowly up. I got my knife and started cutting at it. Slice after slice, I was getting nowhere. It must have been made of alien super-fibre or something. I came closer to the mouth. A horrible panting filled my ears. The teeth chomped and chomped, impatient for its meal. I grabbed the handle of my Golden Eagle and aim for the mouth of the Tongue Snatcher. I pulled down on the trigger and the Tongue Snatcher suddenly let go of me. I tried to grab the tongue, but it slipped away into the body. The grotesque body began to spew out skulls and bones from its previous victims. They landed on top of me and covered me in Tongue Snatcher saliva and blood.I landed on my head. Owwwww, I thought. I rubbed my head as hard as I could until it hurt even more. I stumbled to the iron door and proceeded to the next room.

I crossed a platform over a hole into another industrial area. I found a Lightshot bent over a soldier, probably eating it. I almost pulled out a gun and shot it in the head, but I decided to use stealth and not waste the four bullets I had left. I snuck up on it. Slowly, slowly...I stabbed it through it's with the knife and gave it a hit on the head with the monkey wrench. Dead.

The soldier who was surrounded in yellow and red blood was wearing a gas mask. That either meant he found one and thought it was fashionable or, that he was a shotgun soldier. I searched him for a shotgun. SPAS-12, 12 ammo, 8 in a clip. This would be perfect for short-range shooting.

I examined my shotgun as I went lower down the old transit system via ladder. A Lightshot appeared and I tested my shotgun. I ran up to it, stuck the barrel in front of his face and pulled the trigger. A satisfying BOOM filled the air and the alien fell dead, its head splattered with blood.

The pipes in this area had broken and steam spurted out. I figured it wouldn't be too bad if I walked through. I was wrong. Very wrong. Heat seared through my body and burnt my arm armour. I tripped over myself and fell back, away from the burning gas. I smelt something burning. I looked around but nothing was on fire. Must just be the steam, I thought. I went to get my monkey wrench when saw my arm. Fire!

I ran around, looking for water. My arm's armour was on fire and if I didn't do something fast, I would become fried soldier. I turned the corner. There was nothing on the level to help. I tried to climb down to the ladder, but it was too hot and too hard. I jumped down the gap. Don't worry, I said to myself, it's only about thirty-five rungs. I chickened out and tried to grab on to the rungs halfway through the fall. My arm hit a rung and flew backwards, making my body face up. Not learning my lesson, I tried to grab the ladder with my legs. My feet got wedged between two rungs and I suddenly flipped over, my head hitting a rung. I was hanging upside down.

I looked down to where I was. Two rungs above the ground. That was way too close. The old rusty rung buckled under my weight and I fell to the ground, head first. I quickly got up. I saw water! Beautiful dark fresh water! I drowned my arm in the muddy liquid and the burns on my sleeve and partially arm cooled down. My arm emerged from the water, black in a few small places, but overall, okay. My armour sleeve however was completely burnt off. All of a sudden I felt very protective of my arm.

I passed through the underground finally, to some kind of high voltage...place. The room was surrounded by a 'moat' of acid. I crossed the broken iron bridge and looked around me. In each corner there was a vertical high-voltage current in an iron casing. There was no door out except a door on the higher catwalk. I began for the ladder but as soon as I got close, one of the high-voltage generators blew off part of its casing.

The ladder was shot straight in two by blue electrical currents. I jumped back, hoping not to get the same fate. The electricity flew up the room to the ceiling and attacked. An enormous piece of concrete came crashing down. I jumped out of the way and it destroyed a third of the floor. Shit! I swore in my head.

More of the floor fell victim to the menace. Only half the floor was left in half a minute and I didn't have a way out. Crash! Bang! Less than half of the floor remained in front of me. The electricity froze. For a second, I thought it had done its deeds. All of a sudden, a catwalk came crashing down, half of it still connected, the other lying in front of me. I saw it as my only chance. Perhaps I could get to the door and escape this nightmare. The acid from the moat seemed to be rising. This was my only chance. I leapt onto the derelict catwalk. It shaked….and then stilled, like an animal accepting me into its home. I clambered up the vertical slope to the roofs metal beams where the other catwalks had once been. I balanced along the metal beam and found the door. It didn't open.

The acid was gaining speed. I pounded against the door, begging for it to open. I realized I couldn't open it, anymore than I could stop the acid. I saw through the window to the door controls. Maybe I could smash the window and get through! I went in front of the window. I bundled my shaking hand into a fist. Punch! My knuckle went red. The window didn't break. What kind of a window was this! Was it a frea-, I fell silent. The man. The g-man in the blue suit was standing in front of me, through the window.