Part 6: Imminent Danger
Almost immediately after touching the orb, I found myself standing in a small room.
I looked around. On one side stood some sort of desk with a small control panel. On the other side was an open doorway, with a small asphalt patch beyond. By the looks of things, this seemed to be a point of vehicular operation.
And whoever built this place installed properly marked gates! Still, I had to find a way out, wherever I was, and get my report filed. Perhaps I could find something in the garage, or at least what I assumed was a garage, that would help. I entered the small door next to me.
It led to a small concrete hallway, with several narrow turns in it. I half expected one of the walls to collapse or a light to explode, but none of those happened. In fact, everything seemed unnaturally quiet.
As I got to the end of the hallway, I suddenly realized where I was.
I'd finally made it back at the parking ramp! I slowly crept up to the doorway and looked inside. Whatever I'd encountered here when I'd arrived was sure to be somewhere in there. But this time, I was ready. I walked further in, and sure enough, it came out to greet me.
I fired a few shots at him, but he just shrugged them off. Whatever this thing was, it sure was strong. I ran back further into the garage, firing behind me at him.
Taking cover behind an SUV, I fired off a few more bullets. But, the thing just walked right up and flipped the SUV over like a toy.
Circling around to the other side, I kept firing. Still, the thing just kept following me around, and no amount of bullets seemed to be able to stop it or even slow it down. I quickly pulled out the other device I got from the scientist and tried it.
Still no luck, and I was down to my last few bullets. I quickly looked around for something, anything I could use, but there was nothing.
Suddenly, I spotted a passageway out.
I darted towards it, but the thing kept following me.
Was there anything I could use to take care of it? I thought about running as far as I could to the other end, trying to lose him there, and then dash for my car before he could find me again, assuming the other side was safe, of course.
After a few more turns, I came out the other side.
While I didn't trust Black Mesa with even a AAA-Battery at this point, much less a large piece of hydroelectric machinery, I quickly crossed the top of the dam. I glanced backwards to see if I was still being followed.
Yep, it was still there. Maybe I could cross the dam, jump off and swim to the other side and lose it that way.
When I reached the other side, I noticed a set of wires that led to what was clearly a detonator. I looked back. The other end of the wires led to a couple points in the center of the bridge.
While I knew what I needed to do, I didn't want to. I didn't know what explosives were contained in that bridge, or whether they were handled properly according to regulation 1910.109 part (c), or deployed correctly as stated in regulation 1910.109 part (e)(3)(iii). Even worse, I didn't have the proper safety equipment visible as per regulation 1910.109 part (e)(1)(iv).
Nonetheless, what did I have to lose? This creature was no doubt going to try and kill me. And what about all of those Black Mesa employees dependent on my report? This was the only obstacle between me and the code enforcement board. All I had to do was press this detonator, and many employees could be saved.
I MUST FILE MY REPORT!
It was done.
I slowly walked over the dam. The blast left a small hole in the top.
A few quick jumps over the damaged pipes, and I was free. I made a final note in my report about the damaged dam structure. Now, nothing stood in my way between Black mesa and code enforcement. The parking ramp was... relatively clear, all I had to do was get to my car and get out of here. Heck, I could probably be back in Washington before tomorrow, with plenty of evidence to bring Black Mesa to justice, and some major citations issued on top of that. In only a few more hours, everything would be over.