- Joined
- Mar 2, 2009
- Messages
- 513
Friends, I come to you with a warning: Black Mesa is inhabited with a ghoul. Not the Steves, who swim down below...no. I speak of a darker evil.
It all happened this morning. I found myself wandering Black Mesa on my own, merrily swiping and stabbing away at nothingness. I was hoping to find a new victim as I moved through the empty complex. As I moved down towards the middle control point, the base took on a life of its own. The harsh and irradiated water down below cast an eerie green glow over every surface. The distant mechanized hum of machinery gave the entire complex an unnerving quality. Black Mesa was alive an breathing: it had a pulse. These were the details you rarely notice when locked in battle with your mortal enemy, but the entire base takes on a whole new life when it is left alone.
As I was down below, suspended on the catwalks and platforms overhanging the radioactive water, a quick movement caught my eye before it darted out of sight and into the C Vent.
I had thought that perhaps my eyes were playing tricks on me, so I decided to investigate. After taking the vent up, I could see nothing out of the ordinary. In the hopes that a RED menace had joined in the fight, I rounded the corner to the RED base only to find...
...nothing. Everything was exactly as it should have been, and yet, it was off. I could feel an oppressive weight on my body as I stood in that corridor. Something didn't feel right. There was a hiss from the automatic doors at the RED base, but I didn't charge in as eagerly as before. A few feet from the front doors, I found something.
There was damage to the wall. Nothing that would cause any structural damage, but I knew it hadn't been there before. Someone had left it there just now.
I drew my trusty pistol in the hopes of stopping my prey. If it was a RED, then I would be celebrated as a hero. If it was not one...I had to push that thought from my mind.
The trail was becoming more defined, more frequent. I didn't know what I was following because it made no sounds as it moved.
Whatever it was, it could leave a dent in the strongest metals known to man. Fear began to well up inside my body. As spies, we're trained to set aside our fears to accomplish the team's goal. When I tell you I was starting to get scared, I want you to understand the full context of that word.
When I came upon several scratches all together, I realized that whatever I was following might know I was in here. Has it been playing with me all along? Have I walked into a trap? There was a mystery here though, and I had to see this through to the end...even if my corpse would have to serve as a warning for others.
More markings, and they were highly concentrated again. I could feel my heart start to beat faster and my stomach start to twist into knots. I hoped I was getting close. The hallway to the BLU base was just as empty and lifeless as the RED's. The hum of incandescent lighting was a loud, violent orchestra in my mind as I approached the nearest door.
I couldn't count how many times I had walked through that door, chasing after friend and for alike, but now it made me wonder. What secrets did Black Mesa hold? What lurks in the dark depths below our fighting grounds? I started to wonder if I wasn't chasing a mere man anymore, but a beast. At least, I hoped I was chasing it. Trembling, I opened the door.
The trail picked itself up again, each mark with greater distance between the previous one. Whatever I was after, it was moving fast now. When I reached the vent structures, the scratches disappeared. Terrified, I spun around thinking that maybe the thing had gotten behind me somehow. Realizing that I was still alive, that there was nothing sneaking up on me, I decided to check out the vents. Winding my way through the familiar pathways, I kept track of where I was going. I soon found myself overlooking one of our own control points. Ready to double back and try another route, something caught my eye down below.
Two small scratches, easy to overlook if you weren't paying attention. When our two armies would fight, scratches, dings, and holes would be lining the walls. Just about anything could move about undetected if you weren't careful. The trail looped around to my left, just behind the wall. Whatever I was looking for had to be around the corner. Steeling my nerves, I took one deep breath and stepped out onto the ledge, looking frantically for any sign of my prey.
What the...?
The markings...
...started moving up the wall!
This confirmed it. No human could move like that, not even the scouts.
The trail continued up higher into the vent, defying the powerful suction of the fan above.
I followed the markings with my eyes until I could no longer see them. Whatever made these, it was moving fast and it could survive in the fan. I was terrified. The network of vents behind the fan blades was unknown to me. The creature could have been almost anywhere inside the complex at this point! Whatever this thing was, I did not want to meet it. I jumped down from the ledge and ran for our base, hoping that just someone--anyone--would be able to help. If not, I was going to run for it. The main hallway had been empty previously, but as I came around the corner, I let out a terrifying scream.
It knew I was there! It was taunting me, taking me in a circle to get the drop on me! From behind me, I could hear clawed foot falls as I ran for the BLU base. The automatic doors slammed shut as I dove through them, and I hit the emergency seal button on the doors. Seconds later, a large dark mass slammed into the doors, trying to shatter the glass. With the seal on, they would not budge for anything. In the blink of an eye, the shape leapt up into the air and I could hear a vent shatter into pieces. As the lighting in the base began to flicker, I could see the darkened silhouette leering out at me from the staircase. Two dark red eyes glistened at me, and I could see a mouthful of teeth grinning from the darkness. Terrified, I ran for the exit just past the respawn chamber. The glass doors that hissed shut behind me exploded into a flurry of sharp dust. Several shards buried themselves deep in my legs and back, but I kept running on pure adrenaline. As I burst through the exit door and into the outside world, I was blinded by the daylight. I forced myself to keep running as fast as I could. As my eyes adjusted to the light and I thought I could catch my breath, I took one look back towards the base door. The eyes were there, leering at me through the reinforced glass. I watched them slowly retreat back into the heart of the base, into the heart of Black Mesa. As my heart struggled to calm down, my spy instincts took over and allowed my mind to clear. I knew I had a purpose. Someone had to know about what I saw in the depths of Black Mesa.
So consider this a warning. While you may think it to be a place for harmless fun, true evil lurks within the walls. I have stared into the eyes of that evil, and I could feel my soul freeze as it happened. REDs and BLUs, watch your back. There are not just spies stalking you from the shadows of Black Mesa.
It all happened this morning. I found myself wandering Black Mesa on my own, merrily swiping and stabbing away at nothingness. I was hoping to find a new victim as I moved through the empty complex. As I moved down towards the middle control point, the base took on a life of its own. The harsh and irradiated water down below cast an eerie green glow over every surface. The distant mechanized hum of machinery gave the entire complex an unnerving quality. Black Mesa was alive an breathing: it had a pulse. These were the details you rarely notice when locked in battle with your mortal enemy, but the entire base takes on a whole new life when it is left alone.
As I was down below, suspended on the catwalks and platforms overhanging the radioactive water, a quick movement caught my eye before it darted out of sight and into the C Vent.
I had thought that perhaps my eyes were playing tricks on me, so I decided to investigate. After taking the vent up, I could see nothing out of the ordinary. In the hopes that a RED menace had joined in the fight, I rounded the corner to the RED base only to find...
...nothing. Everything was exactly as it should have been, and yet, it was off. I could feel an oppressive weight on my body as I stood in that corridor. Something didn't feel right. There was a hiss from the automatic doors at the RED base, but I didn't charge in as eagerly as before. A few feet from the front doors, I found something.
There was damage to the wall. Nothing that would cause any structural damage, but I knew it hadn't been there before. Someone had left it there just now.
I drew my trusty pistol in the hopes of stopping my prey. If it was a RED, then I would be celebrated as a hero. If it was not one...I had to push that thought from my mind.
The trail was becoming more defined, more frequent. I didn't know what I was following because it made no sounds as it moved.
Whatever it was, it could leave a dent in the strongest metals known to man. Fear began to well up inside my body. As spies, we're trained to set aside our fears to accomplish the team's goal. When I tell you I was starting to get scared, I want you to understand the full context of that word.
When I came upon several scratches all together, I realized that whatever I was following might know I was in here. Has it been playing with me all along? Have I walked into a trap? There was a mystery here though, and I had to see this through to the end...even if my corpse would have to serve as a warning for others.
More markings, and they were highly concentrated again. I could feel my heart start to beat faster and my stomach start to twist into knots. I hoped I was getting close. The hallway to the BLU base was just as empty and lifeless as the RED's. The hum of incandescent lighting was a loud, violent orchestra in my mind as I approached the nearest door.
I couldn't count how many times I had walked through that door, chasing after friend and for alike, but now it made me wonder. What secrets did Black Mesa hold? What lurks in the dark depths below our fighting grounds? I started to wonder if I wasn't chasing a mere man anymore, but a beast. At least, I hoped I was chasing it. Trembling, I opened the door.
The trail picked itself up again, each mark with greater distance between the previous one. Whatever I was after, it was moving fast now. When I reached the vent structures, the scratches disappeared. Terrified, I spun around thinking that maybe the thing had gotten behind me somehow. Realizing that I was still alive, that there was nothing sneaking up on me, I decided to check out the vents. Winding my way through the familiar pathways, I kept track of where I was going. I soon found myself overlooking one of our own control points. Ready to double back and try another route, something caught my eye down below.
Two small scratches, easy to overlook if you weren't paying attention. When our two armies would fight, scratches, dings, and holes would be lining the walls. Just about anything could move about undetected if you weren't careful. The trail looped around to my left, just behind the wall. Whatever I was looking for had to be around the corner. Steeling my nerves, I took one deep breath and stepped out onto the ledge, looking frantically for any sign of my prey.
What the...?
The markings...
...started moving up the wall!
This confirmed it. No human could move like that, not even the scouts.
The trail continued up higher into the vent, defying the powerful suction of the fan above.
I followed the markings with my eyes until I could no longer see them. Whatever made these, it was moving fast and it could survive in the fan. I was terrified. The network of vents behind the fan blades was unknown to me. The creature could have been almost anywhere inside the complex at this point! Whatever this thing was, I did not want to meet it. I jumped down from the ledge and ran for our base, hoping that just someone--anyone--would be able to help. If not, I was going to run for it. The main hallway had been empty previously, but as I came around the corner, I let out a terrifying scream.
It knew I was there! It was taunting me, taking me in a circle to get the drop on me! From behind me, I could hear clawed foot falls as I ran for the BLU base. The automatic doors slammed shut as I dove through them, and I hit the emergency seal button on the doors. Seconds later, a large dark mass slammed into the doors, trying to shatter the glass. With the seal on, they would not budge for anything. In the blink of an eye, the shape leapt up into the air and I could hear a vent shatter into pieces. As the lighting in the base began to flicker, I could see the darkened silhouette leering out at me from the staircase. Two dark red eyes glistened at me, and I could see a mouthful of teeth grinning from the darkness. Terrified, I ran for the exit just past the respawn chamber. The glass doors that hissed shut behind me exploded into a flurry of sharp dust. Several shards buried themselves deep in my legs and back, but I kept running on pure adrenaline. As I burst through the exit door and into the outside world, I was blinded by the daylight. I forced myself to keep running as fast as I could. As my eyes adjusted to the light and I thought I could catch my breath, I took one look back towards the base door. The eyes were there, leering at me through the reinforced glass. I watched them slowly retreat back into the heart of the base, into the heart of Black Mesa. As my heart struggled to calm down, my spy instincts took over and allowed my mind to clear. I knew I had a purpose. Someone had to know about what I saw in the depths of Black Mesa.
So consider this a warning. While you may think it to be a place for harmless fun, true evil lurks within the walls. I have stared into the eyes of that evil, and I could feel my soul freeze as it happened. REDs and BLUs, watch your back. There are not just spies stalking you from the shadows of Black Mesa.
