Completed in 1998, the Lambda Complex contains the most sophisticated scientific equipment to be found anywhere in the world - The Black Mesa Incident, Complex Overview

First it was just black, and the sensation of rushing wind. Then the train rounded a corner, and I realised how truly immense this place was.
Our train moved slowly along its track, which was suspended in the air in the middle of a gigantic, subterranean catacomb. The sound of the train echoed and rebounded around the cavernous expanse of the cave – gigantic stalactites that must have been 10 metres long dangled precariously from the ceiling. Interwoven into this was all the technology of Black Mesa. Power lines crisscrossed the cavern roof like a net, and fat pipes weaved up and down the walls.
There were hundreds of artificial lights hanging down, but they weren’t needed. A massive hole in the ceiling of the cavern let in the rays of the New Mexico sun. It was awe-inspiring; beyond anything I could have hoped or even dreamed.
“It’s amazing”, I said, as we passed out of the cavern into another dark tunnel. David nodded happily but otherwise stayed silent.
The train ride was a revelation to me. After minutes of weaving through pitch black tunnels, the train would burst out into caves with gantries filled with commuting scientists moving back and forth. Labs and control rooms that literally clung to the sides of the walls, huge underground lakes and elevators that rushed past my face and headed up two miles to the surface.
Words can’t express the enormity of this place. It was like a lost city, a whole world kept from the eyes of the public. Everywhere I looked I saw, cars, trains, families, security guards, scientists – a whole society functioning out on and beneath the desert.
How on earth could the government afford this place?
What on earth could they be researching that was worth this?
“How can they afford this place, really?” I asked, as the train started moving vertically downwards. Signs screwed to the walls indicated we were on the ‘Tram elevator: Sub Level 3 to Sub Level 4’.
David parted his hands and leaned backwards. He seemed very pleased by my reaction – though to be honest there was no way I could act nonchalant in this place.
“It’s hard to say, really. To be honest, I’m not even sure of it”. Next to him, Simon smiled humourlessly, and I wondered why. “Essentially, the government lies about certain elements of its budget. Little bits of cash from all sectors of society end up here. We’re funded by a lot of the money that just seems to… vanish around the place”.
That made sense. Just because congress announces what it does with the countries taxes, it doesn’t mean that what they say and what they do are in anyway related. But that didn’t explain all of it. Not by half.
“Plus, of course”, David continued “we recycle everything”.
“Everything?”.
“Everything. All our water, our power, our gas. Do you know why this place is so big?”
I shook my head.
“Half this facility” he said, waving his hands vaguely at the facility around us “is needed to recycle the other half of it. The waste reclamation facility is really, really big – most people never even see it”.
David continued and I sat, and I listened, fascinated by what he was saying. He told me that – deep underground – there are tanks of water the size of small blocks of flats and a sewer system, the complexity of which was comparable to New York City. There were seven power plants about four miles under – almost entirely automated. Apparently some of the equipment they used was so power hungry that people would notice the drain on the power grid if they fed off an external line.
Black Mesa was designed and built to be self sustaining to as high a degree as possible – they didn’t import and they sure as hell didn’t export.
Nothing Leaves. It’s funny, but at the time, I didn't pick up on that.

The train slowed down and came to a stop. The same female voice from earlier wrung out, announcing that we were ‘Now calling at Sector F Lambda Complex. This train terminates here”.
I got up to leave, but David’s hand shot up and sat me back down. He nodded at the door. A security guard was approaching.
“We get verified before we leave the train. It’s normal procedure”. I nodded and relaxed. A security guard was moving down the gantry towards the end of the platform. We peered into the train.
“Good morning, gentlemen”. We all mumbled a faint greeting, and the guard punched in some numbers into the door on the exterior of the train. The door slit open with barely a sound.
“Okay, let’s go”.
The station was also built into the side of a cavern. I stared down through the gaps in the steel gantry. The bottom seemed worryingly far away. Ahead though was a massive steel door that slid open ponderously on our approach. Within was a large metal cubicle with another door at the other side.
“Decontamination”, said David simply. We all stepped in. The seven of us all stood still and stared straight ahead during the mercifully brief procedure. Some barely visible gas seemed to be pumped in through a grate in the ceiling, and a hissing sound began – steadily growing in volume.
“We have to Decon every time we go in or out of the Lambda Complex!” said David. By this point, he needed to shout to be heard over the incessant hissing. “The Lambda Complex is one of our newest. Some of the equipment here is very sensitive. Biological contamination would be… bad”.
I nodded. I could barely hear him as it was. The sound was getting quite irritating, and was starting to sting my ears.
Then, abruptly, it stopped. The door slid open.
“Ah”, said Richmond. We entered.

I walked into what could only be described as a wall of sound. There was talking, shouting, a tannoy system blasting out information. Small monorail trains zipped past overhead. The place was busy, I saw about seventy scientists busying themselves around the room on various computers, ticking things off clipboards, shouting at each other in loud voices – all standard lab practises.
The place was very… metal. There was a rather unsettling yellow colour scheme along the walls, on which were painted to various locations, such as “Lambda Core” or “Experimental Weapons”. Up above me, the ceiling was covered in thick pipes, going up and up into the darkness – a deep humming sound emitting down from them. This place literally roared with power.
I noticed that I had to talk quite loudly to be heard, and I had to really concentrate in order to hear the words of people next to me. I got used to it eventually, but at the time I wondered how it was possible for any to work in an environment that sounded so close to collapsing under the strain of the power required to run it.
“So where now?!” I shouted.
“We can worry about enrolment later. Right now, we want to show you where you will be working”, said Richmond.
We proceeded onwards through labs built on walkways suspended above vast pits. The sound of the surging power mixed with the rushing wind from the depths, creating an almost thick soup of sound. Scientists seemed to work in silence out here, virtually incapable of hearing each other. Mercifully, we entered through a pair of soundproof glass doors into a much, much quieter lab.
“Welcome, to your new home”, said Richmond proudly. I looked around. Mazes of corridors stretched out in all directions, and the air was thick with conversation. This was a real lab – there was hustle, bustle and young lab assistants dropping things in the middle of the hallway.
As we proceeded, we walked past groups of scientists shouting at each other in loud voices, or frantically rubbing out their colleague’s calculations off the blackboard and swearing hysterically. This… was where I felt comfortable. The cut and thrust of scientific research –thousands of the world greatest minds pulling ties and ‘accidentally’ dropping coffee on lab notes. The great heights of constructive human thought could be found here, as well as the lowest levels of childish bickering. As much as I was frightened by the strangeness and the scale of this place… I felt comfortable here. The signs were universal. This is where scientists live. Beware.
“We’re very proud of what we’ve done here”, said David, for what couldn’t have been the first time. He seemed to be permanently stuck in some sort of self-repeating loop of marketing slogans. I nodded vaguely and turned to Richmond who – whilst irritating – at least was interesting.
“Your colleagues!”, said Richmond cheerfully, arms extended, as we approached a group of scientists, clearly deep in thought. “This is Dr. Johnson….and, ah yes; meet Dr. Bradley and Dr. Farnslorth? Farnloth?... Farnsworth! Yes, Dr. Farnsworth and Dr. Vance”.
We all shook hands, a procedure that took about five minutes. “This is Dr. Westka. Bill Westka”, continued Richmond “he’ll be joining your team, effective… right now!”. Richmond smiled one of those little, self-satisfied grins he always reserved for his own jokes, and then continued the tour.

The now approximately ten strong tour group was guided around the lab, whilst Richmond waxed lyrical about the Lambda Complex’s purpose (which he was very vague on), its equipment and its multi-story car park. It was all very fascinating – Richmond was talking freely and off-the-cuff about scientific laws and principles that were just theories everywhere else in the world. He randomly pointed out towering pieces of equipment that measured particle densities and dark matter mass calculations and other such scientific paraphernalia – Black Mesa seemed to have stuff to accurately measure and quantify things that I didn’t even know were proven facts!
So, once again, I entered dumbstruck mode, wandering around like some headless chicken gawking at every little switch and control panel that was pointed out to me.
“Now, Dr.Westka – we’re going to show you… The Project”. The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere changed. The lambda team automatically burst out in wide grins, obviously excited to show what it was they were working on. Young lab associates in the background craned their necks our direction, hoping to overhear some stray word to give away the nature of this ‘Project’. As for me, I was more excited than I had been in a long time. My palms were sweaty. I literally felt my heat pound with anticipation.
Then… something strange happened. “Dr. Bennett, Dr. Hearshie and…erm… you, David, please wait outside. You know the drill”. They all seemed to nod understandably, if a little dejectedly, before moving towards another part of the lab. Without a word, everyone continued moving.
“Wait…” I said, confused “what’s going on? Why can’t those three come in to see The Project with us?” The group stopped, and Richmond turned, laying a hand on my shoulder.
“Hah, Bill – security clearance, remember?” Richmond laughed in a way I found strangely worrying “What clearance are you, Bill?”
“Three. Yes, three” something felt odd.
“Well, this is how this place works. The staff here… stay within their own spectrums of work. Those gentlemen over there – Level 4 clearance. You are level 3. You are permitted to see things that they aren’t. And, likewise – “
“– There are things I won’t know about that you will” I interrupted.
“Exactly. Only those with level 1 clearance get to see everything. This place, Bill, is run on secrets”.
I smiled, he laughed, and we continued on through the double doors. It’s strange but, at the time, I didn’t realise the massive significance of what he had just said…