Chapter 1:
Gordon Freeman awoke to blackness, and breathing that echoed in his ears like a great canyon. Several moments passed before his vision returned. Harsh, deep blue greeted his constantly blinking eyelids, adjusting to the neural impulses yet again. Cold steel rose above him in the form of sturdy beams, while seemingly thin glass reflected a bleak interior. A grave voice spoke to him.
Well, I suppose you’ve done enough. A reward seems to be in order. Keep in mind, Dr. Freeman, that it might not last forever. You are an adaptation, take what you need, leave the rest....behind.
Freeman’s thoughts wilted like a dead blossom. He took the long elevator ride in silence, taking in the aqua vista with apathy. Nothing he would see here could be more compelling or disturbing than things he had already seen.
Time, Dr. Freeman. It is time. The voice spoke to him again. He ignored it, and soon the elevator hissed as the doors’ pressure decompressed, and Freeman stepped out. He was greeted almost instantly by a balding man in a lab coat. The man stood back for a moment and seemed to examine Freeman, then a devious smile crept onto his lips.
“Yes, not a mark on you. I must say my work is improving,” the man said, a note of satisfaction clearly evident in his voice. “Oh, forgive me. I am Dr. Becker Roswell, and you were my patient once. It’s a bit boring for someone in my line of work all the way out...here. But you proved to test my skill.” Roswell motioned for Freeman to follow.
“You’re a bit late, our sponsor said you would be released shortly after the operation, but he is known for his moral ambiguity. It hardly matters now, you are on your way for a long-overdue reunion. You have come a long way from your human roots, Dr. Freeman. Hopefully, this will go a long way in restoring them.”, Dr. Becker said, there was no sympathy in his voice, just calculation.
They were traversing a large, cavernous room with the floors comprising of green, reflective tile. There were many small buildings within the structure, and Freeman was just about to wonder which one Dr. Becker would lead him to when they stopped at a tall building that seemed to pierce the bubble of glass that surrounded them.
“This is it, Dr. Freeman. Think of the next few minutes as a restorative process. A man that has descended to your level of apathy, and with your skills....does not please our employers. It does not serve you as well. So, do try and enjoy the next few moments. Good day, Freeman. I hope that our sponsor will let you stay awhile, you have the potential to make this place interesting.”, Dr. Roswell commented and stepped away, leaving Freeman to himself and the foreboding metal doors in front of him.
Freeman closed his eyes and pushed the doors open slowly, and just as slowly opened his eyes. There was a blur effect, and then his eyes focused on a middle-aged women with red hair and a face that seemed to have been scrunched by godly hands. Her shoulders hunched and she turned around.
“Hello, Gordon. It’s me!.....well, I suppose you wouldn’t recognize me. I haven’t seen you since...since the day I realized you had great potential. Your father realized it to, he arranged for everything, even helped you to get into Black Mesa. The woman sighed and placed her left hand on the sterile lab table. “I made a big mistake though. Sometimes even a mother makes mistakes, big ones.” she commented.
“The last several years I can’t remember, but your employer explained why.”
“She was just a tool, her preservation was necessary.”, the gravelly voice spoke again.
“As for your father, well, he wasn’t as agreeable to your employers as I was. He was simply left to his own fate. Sometimes, I think he was better off, we all would have been better off. He brought this on himself though. I tried to understand....so hard, but in the end I was left with nothing. Until today,” his mother paused for a moment.
“I have my son back, and something else. Your father would approve. I’ll explain on the tram ride to the main labs, you’ll get a much better understanding of it then. It’s taken a very long time to get it up and running, but the results could be nothing less than phenomenal,” his mother spoke. What was her name?, he thought suddenly. I have spent all this time fighting and now I have forgotten even the names of those who were important to me.
Freeman nodded simply and spoke a few polite words. They then made their way down to the cavernous tram station. He hopped on and waited for his mother, who smiled shyly at him. He squinted at her in the dim light infused with the never-ending blue of water being held at bay by modern science. There was something different about her, but what? It wasn’t her age, or her drastically different body language, maybe it was the way she acted towards him. He just couldn’t place it specifically.
She stared out at the massive tram tunnels, her eyes transfixed. “You know Gordon, it is really impressive down in the main labs, something almost indescribable. But when you see it with your own eyes, well, you’ll have no trouble guessing what it is. It’s taken me a year to perfect, and now you’ll see the results for yourself. I can’t adequately prepare you for it,” his mother said.
Freeman made some passing comment he wasn’t paying attention to himself saying. Then there was a massive groan, something giving away. Then the lights went out in the tram, and in the tunnels. When they came back on, he was crouched on the floor and his mother was nowhere to be seen. The only evidence of her was a small pool of blood. There would be hell to pay, Freeman thought. He would not have it any other way.
Gordon Freeman awoke to blackness, and breathing that echoed in his ears like a great canyon. Several moments passed before his vision returned. Harsh, deep blue greeted his constantly blinking eyelids, adjusting to the neural impulses yet again. Cold steel rose above him in the form of sturdy beams, while seemingly thin glass reflected a bleak interior. A grave voice spoke to him.
Well, I suppose you’ve done enough. A reward seems to be in order. Keep in mind, Dr. Freeman, that it might not last forever. You are an adaptation, take what you need, leave the rest....behind.
Freeman’s thoughts wilted like a dead blossom. He took the long elevator ride in silence, taking in the aqua vista with apathy. Nothing he would see here could be more compelling or disturbing than things he had already seen.
Time, Dr. Freeman. It is time. The voice spoke to him again. He ignored it, and soon the elevator hissed as the doors’ pressure decompressed, and Freeman stepped out. He was greeted almost instantly by a balding man in a lab coat. The man stood back for a moment and seemed to examine Freeman, then a devious smile crept onto his lips.
“Yes, not a mark on you. I must say my work is improving,” the man said, a note of satisfaction clearly evident in his voice. “Oh, forgive me. I am Dr. Becker Roswell, and you were my patient once. It’s a bit boring for someone in my line of work all the way out...here. But you proved to test my skill.” Roswell motioned for Freeman to follow.
“You’re a bit late, our sponsor said you would be released shortly after the operation, but he is known for his moral ambiguity. It hardly matters now, you are on your way for a long-overdue reunion. You have come a long way from your human roots, Dr. Freeman. Hopefully, this will go a long way in restoring them.”, Dr. Becker said, there was no sympathy in his voice, just calculation.
They were traversing a large, cavernous room with the floors comprising of green, reflective tile. There were many small buildings within the structure, and Freeman was just about to wonder which one Dr. Becker would lead him to when they stopped at a tall building that seemed to pierce the bubble of glass that surrounded them.
“This is it, Dr. Freeman. Think of the next few minutes as a restorative process. A man that has descended to your level of apathy, and with your skills....does not please our employers. It does not serve you as well. So, do try and enjoy the next few moments. Good day, Freeman. I hope that our sponsor will let you stay awhile, you have the potential to make this place interesting.”, Dr. Roswell commented and stepped away, leaving Freeman to himself and the foreboding metal doors in front of him.
Freeman closed his eyes and pushed the doors open slowly, and just as slowly opened his eyes. There was a blur effect, and then his eyes focused on a middle-aged women with red hair and a face that seemed to have been scrunched by godly hands. Her shoulders hunched and she turned around.
“Hello, Gordon. It’s me!.....well, I suppose you wouldn’t recognize me. I haven’t seen you since...since the day I realized you had great potential. Your father realized it to, he arranged for everything, even helped you to get into Black Mesa. The woman sighed and placed her left hand on the sterile lab table. “I made a big mistake though. Sometimes even a mother makes mistakes, big ones.” she commented.
“The last several years I can’t remember, but your employer explained why.”
“She was just a tool, her preservation was necessary.”, the gravelly voice spoke again.
“As for your father, well, he wasn’t as agreeable to your employers as I was. He was simply left to his own fate. Sometimes, I think he was better off, we all would have been better off. He brought this on himself though. I tried to understand....so hard, but in the end I was left with nothing. Until today,” his mother paused for a moment.
“I have my son back, and something else. Your father would approve. I’ll explain on the tram ride to the main labs, you’ll get a much better understanding of it then. It’s taken a very long time to get it up and running, but the results could be nothing less than phenomenal,” his mother spoke. What was her name?, he thought suddenly. I have spent all this time fighting and now I have forgotten even the names of those who were important to me.
Freeman nodded simply and spoke a few polite words. They then made their way down to the cavernous tram station. He hopped on and waited for his mother, who smiled shyly at him. He squinted at her in the dim light infused with the never-ending blue of water being held at bay by modern science. There was something different about her, but what? It wasn’t her age, or her drastically different body language, maybe it was the way she acted towards him. He just couldn’t place it specifically.
She stared out at the massive tram tunnels, her eyes transfixed. “You know Gordon, it is really impressive down in the main labs, something almost indescribable. But when you see it with your own eyes, well, you’ll have no trouble guessing what it is. It’s taken me a year to perfect, and now you’ll see the results for yourself. I can’t adequately prepare you for it,” his mother said.
Freeman made some passing comment he wasn’t paying attention to himself saying. Then there was a massive groan, something giving away. Then the lights went out in the tram, and in the tunnels. When they came back on, he was crouched on the floor and his mother was nowhere to be seen. The only evidence of her was a small pool of blood. There would be hell to pay, Freeman thought. He would not have it any other way.
