Half-Life: Lambda Core
An horrendous piece of fan fiction (in development) by Richard Hamer

"Technology upon technology upon technology. In the end - my friend - something has got to give. It's Chaos in its purest form. It’s just a question of when, not if. It is inevitable".

- Dr. Farraday, Internal Correspondence

"The Black Mesa incident was caused by critical failings within the primary security infrastructure. Safeguards put into place to prevent a surge across the facilities power grid simply did not function within required parameters. Essentially, the facility itself had become too large for its own safety protocols. Given what was the constant expansion of the facility at the time, it is the belief of this counsel that the events described were inevitable".

- The New Mexico Incident, Appendix A

1. Arrival

Now is now, but this was then. When I first arrived at the Black Mesa Research Facility, in the back of a bubble cockpit helicopter, my hands held tight around my suitcase like it was my only possession. My head was full of... What? Anticipation, certainly. Fear, most definitely. It had all been explained to me over the phone, or, now I come to think in retrospect, some of it had been explained to me.
At least, all I needed to know.
I knew I was working in an exclusive field, getting a chance to be ahead of the scientific game by at least fifty years. The breakthroughs they had made at Black Mesa put the rest of the thinking world to shame, and only the cream of the crop got a chance to see its walls. I was one of those men, and, in a sense, I was proud. I remember it very clearly, that introduction to this place I now call my home. I spent most of my time stumbling around with a glazed expression on my face, trying to act professional in the face of revelations that made me want to... well, jump up and down and scream like a schoolgirl. Yes, thats one of those days you just don't forget...

I sat in the cockpit, staring out at the New Mexico Desert. It looked bleak and endless, the sand stretching out in to the distant, flat horizon. The sun loomed large and hot against the morning sky, the gigantic red sphere casting long shadows across the plains. Here and there I saw animal skeletons, cacti, but mostly just dirt of various different heights. Beautiful scenery but - at the same time - quite monotonous actually.
I turned away and focused on the black suitcase that was on my knees. It was a small case for carrying official documents because, indeed, that’s all I was allowed to bring. The case was full to bursting with the amount of documentation I was required to bring, along with the various official letters that had crossed my doorstep during the long period of application.
My head felt light, but with a kind of dull heaviness that seemed to slosh around in it like a pickle floating in a jar. I knew I didn't fly well, but sitting in a helicopter that offered only ten centimetres of transparent plastic between me and a quick journey back down to ground level had introduced to whole new levels of terror. Little beads of sweat formed on my forehead and began the long trek down to my neck. I focused my mind, unlocked the case, and pulled out the latest piece of correspondence from Black Mesa to keep my mind off things.
"We're almost there", said a man in the front seats. There were three people in here with me. The pilot, who was currently quite preoccupied, and two other men. One of them, who had just spoken to me, wore a cheap brown suit and had a hairline that was in full retreat down the back of his head. His expression of permanent harassment and the bold worry lines on his head suggested Lawyer, maybe? P.R person? The other was clearly a scientist, wearing a lab coat with the sleeves rolled up, on which was security pass was attached, with the words 'SCIENCE TEAM' written across in bold red text. He looked in his early 30's, similar age to me, and had a decidedly 'well-groomed' appearance.
"You ever been out here before?” asked the worrier, with a broad grin on his face.
I answered 'no'.
"We'll be arriving in a few minutes", he repeated "I think you'll be pleased with what we have". I nodded happily, trying not to move my head around too much. "My name is David, by the way. David Dolson". He extended a friendly hand and I shook it. Maybe it was my hand or his, but one of us was certainly covered in a fine layer of fear sweat.
"Bill Westka", I returned. He nodded happily, and then at the younger man next to me.
"This is Dr. Roache".
"Simon, please". He extended his hand also. I shook it. Greetings seemingly now complete, Simon leaned back in his chair and stared vacantly at the ceiling. David twisted awkwardly in his seat, so he was looking at me, and gestured to the outside world far below.
"The Black Mesa Research Facility is the most state of the art of its kind anywhere in the world, currently housing up to eight thousand scientific, security, maintenance and administrative staff in an area the size of small city", said David in a kind of sing-song voice like he trying to sell the place to me. I revised on my previous guess, and decided he must be some sort of sales rep.
"And this facility is... secret. How? If it’s so big", I asked, interested. David waved a hand in a non-committal sort of way.
"Security...protocols...covers...all that sort of thing. Plus, of course, more than seventy percent of the facility is underground", he chuckled to himself privately for a moment "It takes a hell of a lot of creative accounting in Washington to cover up the seven billion a year needed just to power the lights in this place".
Simon, who had been silent up to this point, made an amused snorting noise. Without looking, Simon pointed to the window.
"You'll be able to see it any minute now".
For a moment, it was just more desert, then it popped into view. It was so...big, yet at the same time strangely unimpressive. It was a gigantic megalopolis of low lying buildings, almost clinging to the dirt. The twisted mass of industry stretched off beyond my range of vision, and showed no signs of stopping.
The place was so...massive. It defied your ability to really think about it clearly. Huge canyons and rivers, cliffs and ravines cut through the facility likes knife wounds. But there were bridges across them and a gigantic hydro-electric dam. Metal framework reached down into the abyss, and little control towers were built into the sides of sheer walls. Both Simon and David sat with smiles on their faces, pleased with my reaction of amazement.
"The surface is mostly heavy industry. We have our private railway system here, so there’s the freight yards there". David pointed to a massive network of railway lines surrounded by warehouses. "Some of the dormitories are up here and the main reception areas too".
"Just wait until you go underground. That’s where we keep all the toys", said Simon.
I didn't make a sound. My mind was a mess of conflicting emotions, I just couldn't believe the existence of this place - the documentation hadn't told the half of it. I had so many questions...
"When did you built this place?", I asked, peeling my eyes away from the window. David turned to the pilot and taped his watch.
"How long we got?”
"Five, six minutes. I'm still waiting for clearance", replied the pilot, still focusing dead ahead.
"Right, I think we got time for a potted history". On those words, Simon 'switched off' and returned to his bored ceiling inspection with an impatient sigh. Presumably, he had sat in on these introductions before.
I listened while David spoke, hanging on every word. Fascinated by the tale.
"Essentially, Black Mesa used to be a missile silo...it was used to test nuclear weapons. You know, out here in the desert you can pretty much do whatever the hell you want". He chuckled again and began to chew a piece of gum.
He offered me some. I shook my head and gestured him to keep talking.
"Anyways', after everything went tits up in Russia, the place was sort of abandoned. Relocation of funds, that sort of thing. Suddenly we were all in a hurry to be friends and pretend we didn't even know what an ICBM looked like".
I nodded.
"When the potential of the theories put forward by the founding scientists was made aware to the government, they commissioned this place be used in a lab. They were doing dangerous work, and well, if there was an accident, the government wanted it to be top secret".
I knew about this too. The American government used New Mexico and places like it for things that wanted to be kept...out of the way. Nuclear testing, Area 51 and, now, Black Mesa. Essentially, you set people up with the best equipment and all the staff they'll ever need, but you keep them at arms length. If it all blows up, you don't want anyone to be near it. More importantly, you don't want everyone knowing about it.
"Of course - aha- things have changed a lot since then. The basic remains of the original silo are still there, about two miles down. But its all bigger now, this place is a massive investment". He chewed his gum thoughtfully for a moment. "It's all state of the art", he said. The sales rep.
But there were still so many things I wanted to know. So many unanswered questions about what this place, exactly what happened here. I mean, I knew why I was here, but a place this big was bound to cover a wide variety of different scientific fields. I pressed on.
"What kind of research do you do here?", I asked. David and Simon shared a glance for a moment.
"Your clearance level?".
"Three", I replied. I'd made sure to study all my employee documents carefully on the flight over from London. David seemed pleased at my response.
"In that case, our spectrum of research is massive. I mean, the experimental research into matter relocation is still our primary focus...I believe that’s your field, Bill?".
I nodded. "That’s right". I had come out of Oxford running, and - not to be arrogant - what I didn't know about experimental physics could be written on a Post-It note. That's why Black Mesa fascinated me - real cutting edge physics, pushing back the boundaries of what we know about the physical world.
"But", continued David "we have the Biodome labs for biological research, the experimental weapons division - we got a good deal with the military going there. I miss anything, Simon?".
"Hydrofauna labs - wait 'till you see our aquarian habitat on sub-level 24, by the way - rocket test labs, the transceiver array laboratories...".
"I'm sorry, the what?", I said. I had never come across the term before. Again, David and Simon's eyes momentarily met.
"We have, sort of, our own miniature S.E.T.I project here", said David eventually.
S.E.T.I - the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence - was a government project to search for life out in the universe. It cost millions to do, but had yet to come up with anything. It puzzled me why a smaller version of such a project would be required at a place like this. I asked them. Again, the quick glance, then a period of hesitation.
"You'll see".
Suddenly, the chopper banked so fast I was frightened that my brain was going to come flying out my left ear. I clutched my suitcase tighter and tried not to think about the chicken I ate on the plane. Staring out the window, I saw the facility closer. The surface seemed to consist of large roads and security checkpoints surrounded by wide, square warehouses. Even the dormitories seemed to be mostly huge red, concrete cubes. Apparently, an architect hadn't been involved in the construction of this place.
I tensed myself as I realised we were starting to head down into a ravine crossed by a bridge. The chopper headed down beneath the surface, the red cliff face rushing past my face as we headed deeper down. About twenty metres down, at the bottom of the ravine, was a helicopter pad. The harsh wind whipped at the weeds and the coats of the waiting scientists as we slowly lowered into place.

The rotter blade got slower and slower until, finally, I was greeted with silence for a brief few moments. As I pushed open the door and stepped outside the helicopter, I was hit by a wall of pure heat. Even this far down a cliff, the sun burned fiercely down on us, and I felt distinctly hot and uncomfortable. I was coated in sweat and I hadn't slept in about 22 hours. I staggered off the helicopter pad and onto the dirt, with David and Simon following behind me.
A group of scientists who had been waiting by the pad strode foward, the lead one had his arm extended forward. I shook it.
"Good morning, my name is Doctor Richmond. Welcome to Black Mesa". I nodded vaguely, but was so tired I couldn't muster enough energy to reply intelligently. "I expect your tired after the trip. Your room is all set up, just follow us to the elevator and we'll take you. Theres still lots of paperwork to sort out...lots to sort out, but that can wait until later".
"Thankyou", I managed. They turned and we marched onward under the shade of the overhanging cliff face, which was a relief. Cut into the side of the rock face was an elevator door, flanked on either side by men dressed in blue, with body armour and metal helmets.
"Just security", said Richmond, picking up on my thoughts quite expertly. All of us stood by the door as he slid a security card into the read and pressed the call button. "How are you today, Ralph?".
"Just fine, sir", replied the security guard, "and you?".
"Can't complain", said Richmond happily. However, it was obvious to me that this was the forced pleasantries between superior and underling rather than genuine interest in each others day. Any moment now, I expected, the security guard would suggest they meet up for a beer, knowing full well no such thing would ever happen.
Luckily, there was a 'bing' noise, and the elevator doors slid open almost soundlessly. The elevator itself was made of stunningly clean, reflective steel, but was also incredibly large.
"Sometimes new staff can arrive in groups as large as twenty", said Richmond, again picking up on my thoughts, "hence the elevators. It's not just for fat people".
Everyone else in the elevator laughed like their jobs depended on it.
The elevator rumbled into life and began the long ascent back to the surface. I looked up above the door and noted that there were small symbols indicating twenty-five floors back up to the sunshine. I sighed. I was exhausted as it was - I thought twenty minutes in cramped conditions with five other men and I would probably pass out.
"Where will I be staying?", I enquired to pass the time.
"Topside dormitories B. Their new, I believe. Dr. Bennett?".
"That’s right. There’s a bowling alley, apparently", said a bald, spectacled scientist at the back.
"The rooms here are very nice", continued Richmond "Black Mesa has everything you'll ever need. Video rentals, Bookshops, Lots of computers. We even have a newspaper". Richmond fished a day old copy of the 'Black Mesa Times' out of his pocket and handed it to me by way of proof.
I looked at it vaguely. The headline read 'INVEST IN MESA SHARES NOW!!!' and made for fairly dull reading. The back of the paper contained - much to my surprise - sports results.
"Tennis?", I said.
"Oh yes", said Richmond, "full leisure facilities. I myself am on the United Biologists Hockey team. It’s a good way to pass the time". I scrolled down the lists of results.
"Lost two - nil to Anomalous Materials All Stars?", I read out loud. Richmond shifted uncomfortably.
"Well, their cheating was even more blatant than last month. When that fellow Blaine tripped me...clear penalty, don't you say Bennett?".
"Yes, Dr. Richmond", came Dr. Bennett at the back of the elevator. It sounded like a very loyal but not altogether honest reply.
"So, anyway, there’s a lot to keep you occupied. Not that there isn't enough work to do. You'll find that twenty four hours just isn't enough, I'm sure".
"And where do you work, Dr. Richmond?" I asked.
"I work down at the Biodome, very fascinating stuff recently. Of course, those maintenance people still haven't finished the damned thing. I honestly don't know what we pay them for…".
I reflected briefly that Dr. Richmond himself had nothing to do with paying the salaries of the maintenance workers, and I also reflected on the fact that I was starting to find Dr. Richmond a highly dislikeable person. I had no doubt his ego alone could easily fill an elevator designed for twenty people.
"...Still, excellent stuff. What about you?".
"Dr. Westka will be working down in the Lambda Complex", said David, who I had almost forgotten was still in the elevator with me. This was all news to me, but I nodded anyway.
"Ah yes, they just finished building that place about four months ago. Haven’t had time to visit it myself. Not that it’s my field".
Several seconds passed. Then:
"Ah.. Here we are". The elevator doors opened and I stepped out, into the harsh light of the sun.

The streets of Black Mesa seemed to consist of wide, spotlessly clean roads, with pavements and even roadside cafes. Scientists walked back and forth casually down the street, their sleeves rolled up and their lab coats slung over their shoulders, Maintenance workers leaned up against walls, enjoying the morning heat. Occasionally, a white jeep would rumble past - white, with a little Black Mesa symbol printed on the side. I followed it with my eyes as it continued on into the distance.
"We all get one", said Richmond "they all look pretty much the same and they want them back when you leave. So, you know, don't break it". He smiled happily and we all carried on up the road to a signpost - just like in a city. It read:

< BLACK MESA TRANSIT SYSTEM (YELLOW LINE)
> TOPSIDE DORMITORIES A-D
^ BLACK MESA FREIGHT YARDS

Richmond turned and we went left down a street towards the transit system. Eventually, the road came to a stop, as a train track crossed our path. At both ends it dipped down into a dark tunnel and carried on underground.
"As I said", said David behind me "seventy percent underground". There was a short platform for us to sit at, but we didn't need to wait long. An automated train hurtled towards us at high speed, a rush of cold air following in its wake. As it came to a gentle stop, a pleasant sounding - but definitely pre-recorded female voice wrung out:
'Black Mesa Yellow Line - Calling at Sector D Administration, High Altitude Launch Centre and Sector F Lambda Complex'
"Here we are". The door slid open automatically, and closed behind us once we had sat down. There was a slight hissing sound of the servos coming to life, and then the train sped off into the darkness.