Disclaimer: The song "Skullcrusher Mountain" is the property of Jonathan Coulton, an awesome musician and filker.
INT – BLACK MESA – SECTOR 6 - ELEVATOR
Inside the wrecked elevator car we see three people lying on the floor – Barney and the two scientists. By some miracle, Barney's helmet is still intact, and may have partially saved his life. The contents of Barney's toolbox are scattered across the floor of the elevator. We hear meaty chewing sounds nearby. Barney stirs with a groan of pain. He sits up, clutching his head and grimacing.
BARNEY CALHOUN
"Shoulda taken the stairs…"
The chewing noises pause warily, but continue after a few seconds. Barney, alerted by the brief silence, glances around at his companions. He checks each one's pulse at the neck; both are dead. He sees a crowbar among the scattered tools, and picks it up, tucking it into his belt before peeking past the elevator door, which is partially open and has been knocked crooked by the impact with the bottom of the shaft.
We see some human remains; by the dark blue uniform he used to be a security guard. Three houndeyes are clustered around, snacking on the body. They appear to be social creatures, chatting amongst themselves with barks and yips. Beyond them we see we are in some sort of storage area; crates and boxes are stacked everywhere.
Barney makes a face at the gruesome scene. He unholsters his sidearm.
BARNEY CALHOUN
"Alright, you little bastards… you like munching on guards? EAT THIS!"
He opens fire, killing one of them almost immediately. The other two turn, their compound eyes turning scarlet as they emit a high-pitched howl.
Veins stand out alarmingly on Barney's face and neck as the harmonics hit him. He gives a primal roar of pain and determination and continues convulsively squeezing the trigger.
He takes down the other two houndeyes within seconds of each other, but he still fires and fires until the corpses are mangled and the gun clicks dry about half a dozen times. Only then can he force himself to stop, taking a few moments to regain his equilibrium and catch his breath. He is shaking, his eyes are bloodshot, and he becomes aware that his nose is bleeding. He sniffs and wipes his nose on the back of his hand.
BARNEY CALHOUN
[to nobody in particular] "Okay, just what the hell is going on?!"
He exits the elevator and enters…
INT – BLACK MESA – SECTOR 6 – STORAGE ROOM
Barney marches up to the corpses, riding the wave of adrenaline.
BARNEY CALHOUN
[to the dead houndeyes] "I swear to God, if I see any more of you guys today, I'll…" [points his empty gun at one of them, realizes it's empty. Beat.] "I'll, uh, reload forcefully at him, and then I'll blow his goddamn head off! Um. Lack of head."
He walks up to the corpse that the houndeyes had been eating, and crouches beside it. The head is virtually obliterated, looking as though it had exploded from within, a grisly clue of what the houndeyes' howling is capable of. The half a face remaining looks startled, as though he had no time to react. Barney glances at the nametag on the guard's armored vest: MACKENZIE. He winces, recognizing the name.
BARNEY CALHOUN
"MacKenzie, huh? Tough break, man. Well… forgive me for the looting" [he makes a face as he starts rummaging in the bloody uniform for ammo clips] "but I think I'm gonna need these."
He stows the clips on his own belt and straightens up, looking at one of the alien corpses.
BARNEY CALHOUN
"Hey Mac… this one's for you."
He punts the dead houndeye as hard as he can, clearly going for distance. He pauses to take in the situation as he reloads, and then takes his walkie-talkie from his belt.
BARNEY CALHOUN
"Elven Ranger to Dungeon Master, come in." [He pauses, listening, but only hears dead air. He tries again:] "Elven Ranger to Dungeon Master, come in." [He listens again; no response.] "Wilson? ...Taft? …Adams?" [Pauses, listening.] "Come on, guys, this isn't funny." [No response.] "Listen; there's been a critical elevator failure in Sector 6. Yeah. I was in the elevator – that's why I haven't checked in for…" [He glances at his watch, but sees the face is smashed.] "… well, probably a while now. I got a bit of a situation here… Mac's dead. I found him getting chewed on by… God, I don't know what the hell they were. Monsters of some sort. Yeah – I shit you not. We got grues or something. We need to have some words with the genetic research department." [He pauses, listening, hoping for any kind of response. He glances around, trying to make out any dangers in the darkness.] "This is starting to freak me out, you guys." [The open line seems to be mocking him now.] "Look, I'm gonna make my way back to the surface. If you wanna chew me out then, go ahead."
He puts the walkie-talkie back on his belt and heads deeper into the storage room. He keeps his gun ready as he pulls a flashlight from his belt and turns it on to illuminate his path, his eyes and ears straining for any signs of danger. Nervously, he starts to sing under his breath. Yeah. He's one of those.
BARNEY CALHOUN
[off-key] "Welcome to my secret lair on Skullcrusher Mountain… I hope that you've enjoyed your stay so far, I see you've met my assistant Scarface—"
He reacts as a headcrab screeches and hops onto a nearby crate. He fires at it by pure reflex, and it pops like a grape. More headcrabs screech nearby – he glances around and sees at least half a dozen of them hop and crawl into view. Barney backs away, firing at the alien parasites. One of them leaps at him, and he shoots it out of midair. When he sees no more headcrabs:
BARNEY CALHOUN
"Okay. We got a tick problem."
He sweeps the flashlight behind him and sees a door. He sidles warily towards it, keeping an eye out for further danger. The flashlight beam makes the surrounding darkness seem even deeper, making it hard for even the audience to make out anything around him.
He reaches the door, which opens at a touch; the electronic lock is not functioning. The door leads to:
INT – BLACK MESA – BASEMENT OFFICES
Barney glances around this new room, which is smaller than the storage room and contains perhaps half a dozen desks. In the far corner to the right, an access ladder leads up into a ventilation duct, and in far wall, a door leads out into a corridor. The wall on the far left has cracked during the resonance cascade, and through the rift a noxious green fluid has leaked in, covering most of the floor; paper and assorted pens and pencils float in the drink. It reeks. Barney coughs, makes a face, and covers his nose and mouth with his sleeve.
BARNEY CALHOUN
"Man, OSHA would love this…" [He looks at the liquid, and decides he doesn't like his prospects of not getting some horrible disease from it.] "Not going through there." [He spots the ladder.] "Hm. Time to pull a Freeman, I guess…"
He climbs up onto the nearest desk and makes his way to the ladder, hopping from desk to desk. Papers scatter as he lands, and at one point he skids on paperwork and nearly tumbles off.
Finally he makes it to the corner, but the ladder is still about three feet away. He glances doubtfully down into the green ick. He will have to jump. He crouches, estimating the distance, and leaps…
He grabs onto the ladder in midair, his feet momentarily scrambling for purchase but finding footholds before his weight settles. He takes a moment to reorient himself before climbing the ladder into…
INT – BLACK MESA – VENTILATION DUCTS
Barney pokes his head into the airways, which appear to have been built with human maintenance in mind; this stretch, at least, is large enough for a man to crouch comfortably in, and a vertical shaft leading up in the distance has ladder rungs set in the shaft wall. Barney glances around before pulling himself inside.
There is a startled noise somewhere behind him; it sounds like someone who was not expecting company and is currently hoping not to die. Barney glances in that direction.
BARNEY CALHOUN
"Hello?"
DR. PIERCE
[terrified] "Wh-who's there?"
BARNEY CALHOUN
"It's Calhoun. I'm with security. Hold on – let me get to you."
Barney crouch-walks in the shaft, making his way up a slope (lined with skid-guards) and finally rounds a corner to find another scientist huddled there, the owner of the voice. He sags with relief when he sees Barney.
BARNEY CALHOUN
"Hey. What's your name?"
DR. PIERCE
"Oh, thank God! I thought you were one of them! I'm Dr. Pierce from Sector G. Oh, everything's been going so badly!"
BARNEY CALHOUN
"Wait--One of who? What's been happening?"
DR. PIERCE
[incredulous] "Haven't you heard? There was some sort of freak accident with the antimass spectrometer! They called the military for help but… but everybody's getting killed up there!"
BARNEY CALHOUN
"Ah, man. That sucks. Wait – antimass spectrometer? That's Anomalous Materials, right?" [Pierce nods.] "A buddy of mine works down there, name of Freeman – maybe you've seen him? About six-two, dark hair, glasses, goatee?"
DR. PIERCE
"As a matter of fact, I have seen him! Up near the surface – he was the one who rescued a couple of us. He had us hide in the vents, but I'm afraid I've lost track of the others."
Barney is delighted and relieved at the news of Gordon's continued survival.
BARNEY CALHOUN
"Do you know where he was headed next?"
DR. PIERCE
"The surface, I believe. He said he was going to find some answers, but it's too dangerous up there for someone like me."
BARNEY CALHOUN
"Okay – what's the best way out of here?"
DR. PIERCE
"Half of the corridors are caved in – you'll need to go through the canals if you want to get to the surface. If it's all the same to you, I'm staying right here."
BARNEY CALHOUN
"Fair enough. Just sit tight – I'll see if I find a way out of here."
DR. PIERCE
"Do you think Dr. Freeman will be all right?"
BARNEY CALHOUN
"Oh, yeah. Gordo can take care of himself, no problem. You should see the man play paintball."
INT – BLACK MESA – SECTOR D
We see a Marine guarding a locked office; his name tag identifies him as FLETCHER. Inside the office we see a scientist fidgeting in the corner, looking very scared and uncertain of his future.
The scientist hears something strange above him…
HAZARD SUIT (FREEMAN)
[very faint] "Heavy lifting module initialized."
… and glances up as a vent cover swings open on its hinges. Shimmery, semi-transparent arms reach down, grab him by the labels of his lab coat, and haul him bodily into the vent shaft. The scientist gives an alarmed cry as he is lifted into the ceiling, alerting Fletcher.
Fletcher turns, peering through the window into the suddenly empty room, and reacts with surprise at his prisoner's absence. He unlocks the door and looks briefly around the room for the prisoner; he spots the open vent cover and stands underneath to investigate it. He only sees a shimmering outline of someone crouched inside before a heavy paperweight drops onto his forehead from above, stunning him. The paperweight bounces to the floor, revealing that it is emblazoned with the Black Mesa logo and its motto: "Working to Build a Better Tomorrow for All Mankind."
A humanoid shape drops out of the vent onto Fletcher, bearing him to the floor. As they land, the figure comes out of stealth mode to reveal Gordon, who kneels on top of Fletcher to pin him, aiming a handgun at his face. Fletcher starts to struggle.
GORDON FREEMAN
"Easy. Easy. Easy. I don't want to hurt you. I just need some answers."
Gordon reaches down and divests Fletcher of any immediate weapons, including a handgun and a hunting knife. He tosses these away and out of immediate reach before returning his attention to Fletcher.
GORDON FREEMAN
"Look. I've been having a really lousy day today. I just have a few questions, and once they're answered, we can both go on our merry way. Okay?"
CPL FLETCHER
[guarded] "What do you want to know?"
GORDON FREEMAN
"You responded to a distress signal from Black Mesa. This was supposed to be a rescue mission. Right? So what the hell happened?"
CPL FLETCHER
"New orders."
GORDON FREEMAN
"From whom?"
CPL FLETCHER
"I'm not authorized to say."
GORDON FREEMAN
"From whom?!"
CPL FLETCHER
"That's classified."
INT – BLACK MESA – MILITARY COMMAND CENTER
We see a handful of officers observing the action through a series of monitors via the Marines' helmet-mounted cameras. One of them sees, through Fletcher's camera, the shaky footage of Gordon pinning the associated Marine.
OFFICER #1
"Hey – who's that? What's he doing to Fletcher?"
OFFICER #2
"I don't know – can we record that?"
OFFICER #1
[into a microphone] "Fletcher! What's going on?"
A technician hits a few keys, and we see the word "RECORDING" appear on the appropriate monitor.
INT – BLACK MESA – SECTOR D
Fletcher's radio coughs static. Gordon grabs it and transfers it to his own belt.
OFFICER #1, radio
"Fletcher! Do you read?"
Gordon fires a round into the floor near Fletcher's head. Fletcher flinches, as much from the noise as the impact.
GORDON FREEMAN
[pissed] "From whom?!"
CPL FLETCHER
[rattled] "I don't know! Some guy in a blue suit! Creepy-looking bastard."
Gordon pauses, remembering. We see a flashback to outside Dr. Vance's office, when Vance was arguing with the G-Man, the likeliest candidate for Fletcher's creepy-looking bastard. He sits back on his heels, thinking hard. Fletcher cautiously watches him. After a beat, Gordon spies a wrapped granola bar tucked into a pocket of Fletcher's flak vest. He realizes that he hasn't had anything to eat since breakfast, about six hours ago.
GORDON FREEMAN
"Okay. I just need one more thing from you."
CPL FLETCHER
"What?"
Gordon plucks the granola bar from Fletcher's vest pocket.
GORDON FREEMAN
"This."
He straightens up.
CPL FLETCHER
[confused] "Most people would take a prisoner's weapons."
GORDON FREEMAN
"No. You're going to need them around here. On your feet, soldier."
Gordon still has the handgun trained on Fletcher. Fletcher cautiously gets up.
GORDON FREEMAN, cont'd.
"Now face into the corner. Hands behind your head. Don't turn around if you know what's good for you."
Fletcher, doubtful of Gordon's sanity, does as he is told. Gordon heads for the office door.
CPL FLETCHER
"Who the hell are you?"
Gordon pauses.
GORDON FREEMAN
[grimly] "I'm your worst nightmare – a PhD with an assault rifle."
He leaves, shutting the door behind him.
After perhaps fifteen seconds of silence, Fletcher chances a peek over his shoulder. When he doesn't see his attacker, he retrieves his weapons and opens the door to check the hallway.
Gordon is gone.
Fletcher retrieves his weapons, briefly casts about for his radio, but then realizes what must have become of it – his attacker took it.
CPL FLETCHER
"Son of a bitch."
He heads out into the hallway and snags a fellow Marine.
CPL FLETCHER
"Fisher! I need to borrow your radio."
CPL FISHER
"What happened to yours? And you're supposed to be guarding one of the geeks."
CPL FLETCHER
"I know – he's gone. There's some guy in here with us. He must have taken the lab coat. He got my radio."
CPL FISHER
"'Some guy'? Who the hell are you talking about?"
CPL FLETCHER
"He's Batman, for all I know. He's suited up in some sort of powered body armor. I've never seen anything like it."
CPL FISHER
"Okay. Here." [hands over his radio] "The brass is gonna be pissed."
Fletcher takes the radio and switches it on.
INT – BLACK MESA – SECTOR D – ELSEWHERE
Gordon crouches in an out-of-the-way nook, the stealth function on his suit making him little more than a shimmery haze in the shadows. He watches the Marines, studying their movement patterns, while listening to the chatter over the radio. We hear a familiar voice:
CPL FLETCHER, radio
"We've got a problem, sir."
OFFICER #1, radio
"We saw. Are you injured?"
CPL FLETCHER, radio
"No, sir. My ear's still ringing a bit, but I'm okay. He left my weapons but took my radio. And a granola bar."
OFFICER #2, radio
"Who the hell leaves an enemy's weapons?"
OFFICER #1, radio
"Better question—who the hell mugs a Marine for a granola bar?"
Gordon thumbs his visor up and out of the way before he steadfastly unwraps the aforementioned granola bar and chows down hungrily.
OFFICER #2, radio
"We need to find out who this guy is, and what he knows."
CPL FLETCHER, radio
"I'm on it."
As Gordon shoves the last bite of granola in his mouth, the snack taking the edge off his hunger, he senses that he is being watched. Pulling the visor back down, he glances around until he spots…
… the G-Man, standing on a landing not far away. His blue suit is still pristine, his hair unruffled, and his mysterious suitcase without a scratch, in spite of the chaos around him. Nobody else seems to be paying any attention to him. He deliberately meets Gordon's gaze, offering a small, almost sinister smirk in response to Gordon's clear attack of the heebie-jeebies, before turning and heading up the stairs to the next level. There is something Very Important about that man, and Gordon decides he's going to find out what that is. But first…
Gordon straightens up, puts the radio back on his belt and, pulling his assault rifle, starts clearing a path through the Marines. He shoots to wound when he can, and he tries to aim clear of any Black Mesa scientists he sees. He advances, Terminator-like, as the Marines scramble to react and take shelter; they open fire on him as he breaks for the stairs. He ducks and dodges, returning fire as bullet-strikes cause blue energy-splashes to erupt on the surface of the Hazard suit.
HAZARD SUIT (FREEMAN)
"Power levels at 85%."
Gordon ducks behind a pillar to reload, ejecting the spent clip and slapping in a fresh one with practiced ease. There is a corpse nearby, a dead marine. Gordon investigates closer and finds on the corpse's belt a couple of M-84 stun grenades. He takes these and adds them to his arsenal. Once the return fire pauses (as the Marines in turn reload), Gordon bolts out from his hiding place, strafing across the remaining open space between him and the stairway. When he reaches the stairs he turns, pulls the pin on one of the stun grenades and lobs it behind the Marines' cover.
MARINE #1
"Grenade!!"
Gordon barrels up the stairs as the Marines dive for cover. It goes off with a deafening bang and a blinding flash of light.
By the time the soldiers' vision clears, Gordon is gone.
MARINE #2
"Who the hell was *that*?!"
A couple of the cowering scientists exchange a glance. They have recognized the Hazard suit, marking their savior as one of the Black Mesa locals.
SCIENTIST #10
[sotto] "I think that was Freeman!"
SCIENTIST #11
[sotto] "You mean Kleiner's intern from last year?"
SCIENTIST #10
[sotto] "The very same. I would wager my life on it."
SCIENTIST #11
[sotto] "We may have to. Kleiner may have a few unstable isotopes in his particle accelerator" [he traces a "he's crazy" circle around his ear with a finger to illustrate] "but he knows a great mind when he sees it."
They shut up as a Marine, made grouchy by this turn of events, heads over to them.
MARINE #3
"All right, you two, let's get moving."
He yanks them to their feet and marches them away.
Upstairs, Gordon is still pursuing the G-Man down a hallway. Presently, the G-Man closes a door between them and, looking directly at Gordon, locks it a split second before Gordon reaches it, so that he slams into it ineffectually.
GORDON FREEMAN
"… Asshole."
The G-Man waves, smirks, and points behind Gordon. Gordon hears Marines approaching in pursuit. He must take evasive action. He chooses one of two remaining doors and pushes through it, deeper into the complex.
He hears a noise at roughly ankle level and instinctively aims a handgun at it. It proves to be a security guard's walkie-talkie, still clutched in its owner's severed hand (it appears to have been bitten off at mid-forearm, and we see that the wrist is still wearing a watch). The sound emanating from the radio sounds like beatboxing. Gordon thinks he recognizes the voice, but he can't be sure. He gingerly picks up the radio and ducks into a storage closet to evade his pursuers. He shuts the door after him, turning on his helmet-flashlight so he can see, and turns his attention to the radio. He gingerly pries the hand off it and pushes the Talk button.
GORDON FREEMAN
[uncertain] "… Barney?!"
The beatboxing stops.
BARNEY CALHOUN, radio
"Gordon?!"
GORDON FREEMAN
[relieved] "Yeah. Where have you been? Are you okay?"
BARNEY CALHOUN, radio
"Yeah, I'm good. Until recently, I've been at the bottom of an elevator shaft. Apparently something huge and bad happened in your department."
GORDON FREEMAN
"Yeah." [grimace] "Kind of. Where are you now?"
BARNEY CALHOUN, radio
"I'm in the canals, headed for the surface. I've been trying to get in touch with the rest of the guards. Usually somebody's told me to shut up by now."
INT – BLACK MESA – CANALS
Barney makes his way down a walkway in a concrete tunnel. Below him we see water flowing down the tunnel in the same direction he's headed. Ahead of him we see a reservoir where three other such tunnels conjoin. Set into the far wall a metal ladder leads up to a metal grating, through which distant sunlight is visible. Barney looks up and sees people walking about on the grating.
BARNEY CALHOUN, cont'd.
"Bingo. One ladder-climb to blue skies!"
GORDON FREEMAN, radio
"Be careful, Barney – the military got here about a half hour ago. Stay clear of them if you can."
BARNEY CALHOUN
"Hey, I'm the conspiracy theorist around here, not you. I'll just hook up with any of the other security guards I can find and--"
Just then a large object tumbles down from above to land in the water with a large splash, soaking Barney.
BARNEY CALHOUN
"Son of a…!"
GORDON FREEMAN, radio
"What is it? What happened?"
BARNEY CALHOUN
"Ah, nothing. The jarheads just dropped a bunch of garbage into…"
He trails off as he gets a better look at the projectile: It is a human body, clad in the dark blue uniform of a Black Mesa security guard. Barney pales as reality smacks him in the back of the head with a two-by-four.
GORDON FREEMAN, radio
"Barney? Are you still there?"
BARNEY CALHOUN
"Uh… yeah. They… just threw a body into the reservoir. A security guard."
Barney carefully reaches over and turns the floater onto its back. The corpse is riddled with bullet holes. Barney recognizes the face and reacts with horror.
BARNEY CALHOUN, cont'd.
"It's Wilson. They… they shot Wilson."
GORDON FREEMAN, radio
[groans] "I figured that. They've been killing the scientists, too."
BARNEY CALHOUN
"They're really not here to help us, are they?"
GORDON FREEMAN, radio
"No, I don't think they are."
BARNEY CALHOUN
"Dammit, I had a big weekend planned, too…"
Barney hears one of the Marines above him grousing as he and his partner return with another dead body between them:
MARINE #4
"Man, I can't believe they got us doing all the grunt work just because Shepherd's running late."
Barney dodges back as they dump the body in; another security guard. Barney is starting to feel very alone.
BARNEY CALHOUN
"Look, I gotta go. Catch you later."
GORDON FREEMAN, radio
"Be careful, man. Freeman out."
Barney switches off the walkie-talkie, and then watches and waits until the marines move off, before starting his long climb up the ladder.
INT – BLACK MESA – MAKESHIFT INFIRMARY
SHEPHERD'S POV
All is dark at first, but then the frame is filled with hazy red light. We hear someone administering CPR, currently performing chest compressions.
DR. KLEINER
"One… two… three… four… five."
Shepherd opens his eyes, and is immediately blinded by the overhead lights. He groans and raises a hand to shield his eyes. There is a spent medkit on the cot next to him. Someone has removed his boots and placed a splint on his broken leg, but strangely we do not see the swelling and bruising one would associate with a broken leg, especially one that has been subsequently walked on. He sits up painfully and manages to focus on a figure bent over a soldier, about to perform the next round of chest compressions. The man performing CPR is an older man in a stained lab coat, balding with a silver fringe of hair around the base of his skull, and wearing a pair of large coke-bottle glasses. Meet Dr. Isaac Kleiner.
Kleiner glances up.
DR. KLEINER
"Ah, Cpl. Shepherd, you're awake!" [off Shepherd's disoriented look] "I read the tag on your uniform. I'm Dr. Kleiner. I'm so glad you made it… it's more than I can say for some of your comrades, unfortunately."
He indicates the soldier he was treating. Sadly, he draws a blanket over the fallen soldier's face.
DR. KLEINER, cont'd
"How's your leg feeling?"
Shep sits up woth a groan, swinging his legs over the side of the cot. He frowns as he flexes the splinted leg.
CPL SHEPHERD
[surprised] "Can't complain."
DR. KLEINER
"Excellent! These medkits have been a lifesaver since this whole thing started. You had a bad fracture, you know, to the tibia and fibula of your right leg. Your boots are over there."
Shep stands up cautiously, gingerly putting weight on his damaged leg; it is fine, so he strips off the splint. As he pulls his boots on, he looks around at the bustling scientists, many of whom are helping treat the injured, who are mostly marines. A few of the occupied beds contain sheet-covered casualties.
CPL SHEPHERD
"Where am I?"
DR. KLEINER
"Technically, you're in the North Lab, but due to extenuating circumstances, we've had to convert some of the rooms into infirmaries. This is quite a mess, I don't mind saying. Your Osprey was taken down by one of the flying creatures – some of my colleagues have been calling them Manta Rays, due to their shape. I'm afraid that most of those who survived the crash were pinned down by hostile life forms outside."
CPL SHEPHERD
"What the hell's going on?"
DR. KLEINER
[cheerful] "We appear to be under a little bit of an alien invasion. It's been quite exciting, actually, seeing how some of the extra-terrestrial life-forms have adjusted to their new environment – come take a look!"
He takes Shep by the elbow and leads him to an observation window. In the room beyond we see a human corpse lying on the floor, near a small cage containing a headcrab.
DR. KLEINER
"We've decided to call these little creatures headcrabs. They're really quite adorable, I think. Just watch."
One of the scientists pushes a button on a nearby console, and the cage slides open. The headcrab ventures out, investigating its new environment before zeroing in on the nearby corpse. It hops over to it and fastens on, its beak gnawing through the top of the skull until it reaches the brain. The corpse starts to shudder as the creature adjusts its grip, digging in. The body arches back, its arms lengthening and its hands extending into claws, and the front of its chest cavity tears open with an inhuman bellow, into the chest-maw that we all know and hate.
Kleiner is fascinated by this whole process, while Shep looks a bit horrified, instinctively reaching for a handgun as the thing gets to its feet and staggers around.
CPL SHEPHERD
"What. The. Hell."
DR. KLEINER
"We've collected so much data from these extra-terrestrial life forms. The gentlemen in the Lambda Complex will be overjoyed."
CPL SHEPHERD
"Look – thanks for helping me, but I need to get in touch with the rest of my unit."
DR. KLEINER
"Oh, of course! I believe you'll find a military radio just down this way. Some of the other Marines set it up but were called away to another area. I do hope they're all okay."
As they head away from the observation window, we see behind them that the headcrab zombie seems to be getting agitated, and just before the door closes behind Shep and Kleiner, the zombie smashes through the window and grabs one of the observing scientists, pulling him in.
CPL SHEPHERD
"With all due respect, sir, we're Marines. We can handle damn near anything."
Kleiner shows Shep to a military radio, sitting in a corner near some shelves bearing assorted firearms and ammunition. Shep examines the guns, which appear a bit scraped up but useable. He selects a couple, along with suitable ammo clips.
DR. KLEINER
"Be that as it may, it's been getting quite dodgy in the rest of the complex. I must insist you not go off half-cocked."
CPL SHEPHERD
"Well, you seem to be pretty well stocked. I'll be okay."
DR. KLEINER
"Very well. I need to get back to the infirmary – we've been having parasite outbreaks in there recently. Good luck." [salutes him]
CPL SHEPHERD
"Thank you, sir." [returns the salute]
Kleiner heads back to the infirmary. Shep watches him leave, and only when he is gone does he sit in front of the military radio. He turns it on, noting the frequency it is tuned to, and picks up the microphone.
CPL SHEPHERD
"This is Corporal Shepherd, do you read? Repeat, this is Corporal Adrian Shepherd, is anybody there?"
He hears indistinct noises under the interference – sounds of gunfire and shouting. He adjusts the frequency on the radio, preparing to try again.
INT – BLACK MESA – MILITARY COMMAND CENTER
Several military personnel crowd around a monitor showing footage from Fletcher's helmet-mounted camera, of Gordon Freeman pinning him down and training a gun on him. At first, glare on the visor prevents a good look at his face. The video technician freezes it, and then advances frame by frame. It pauses on a frame where the Hazard suit's nametag is visible. It is indistinct, but as the technician progresses frame-by-frame, we see it more clearly: "FREEMAN".
VIDEO TECHNICIAN
"Looks like this guy is called… Freeman."
A couple frames later, the outline of Gordon's glasses and goatee become distinct. He looks a bit crazed.
OFFICER #1
"Who is this guy?"
OFFICER #2
"I don't know, sir. He's not one of ours."
OFFICER #1
"Black Ops?"
OFFICER #2
"They don't have that sort of equipment. This looks like body armor of some sort, but nothing I've seen before."
OFFICER #1
"If he's not with us, and he's not Black Ops, then who the hell is he with?"
OFFICER #2
"Well, you can't get within five miles of Black Mesa without government security clearance. We'll start there."
Nearby, a radio starts crackling with static. Everyone glances over at it.
CPL SHEPHERD, radio
"… anybody hear me? This is Corporal Shepherd, do you read?"
Officer #1 heads over and snatches up the microphone.
OFFICER #1
"Shepherd! Where are you?"
CPL SHEPHERD, radio
"I'm just outside an infirmary in Sector D. Something took down the Osprey – Sgt. Sanders is dead. I don't know about anyone else."
OFFICER #1
"Things are Foxtrot Uniform over here. We're getting sniped at by an Unsub."
CPL SHEPHERD, radio
"What can you tell me about the Unsub?"
OFFICER #1
"He's wearing a suit of orange and black powered armor, and he has glasses and a goatee. His name appears to be Freeman - and he should be considered armed and extremely dangerous. Other than that, he's a complete black box. Catch him alive, if you can. We need to question him and find out who the hell he is and what he knows. Beyond that, your orders still stand."
CPL SHEPHERD, radio
"I'm on it. Where was this Freeman last seen?"
OFFICER #1
"He was spotted near your location, headed for the Blast Pit. There are a lot of hostiles in that area, so be careful."
CPL SHEPHERD, radio
"Can I expect backup there?"
OFFICER #1
"Unfortunately, no. We haven't been able to get a foothold there."
CPL SHEPHERD, radio
"All right. I'll head there now."
OFFICER #1
"Good. Semper fi."
CPL SHEPHERD, radio
"Semper fi, sir."
Author's note: I really need to start naming all these extras. I can only have so many versions of Dr. Not-Appearing-In-This-Movie before they start getting confusing.