Chapter 4: CAPTIVE FRIEGHT

Chapter 4 - "CAPTIVE FREIGHT" - Sluggo OH MY GOD!! I cannot believe what I just saw. The military is here...and they're killing security guards? I'm pretty sure that was Timmy they just threw down into the sewage disposal area. They must be here to keep...well, whatever's happening here...real quiet. I guess I'll have to be really careful from here on out. There's a ladder heading up to the surface up ahead...hopefully I can get away once I'm outside. Topside You'll soon reach a long ladder leading to the surface. Go up. You'll emerge outside. To the left is a truck containing all sorts of weapons and ammo -- but there are two turrets in front of it. Go slow, take out the turrets, then grab the loot. Leave the truck and walk all the way around to the other side of the surface area, where you'll find a large door. Use the keypad to open it, and head through the large tunnel. In the middle, you'll find an SUV with yet another dead security guard. It hasn't been a very good day for Black Mesa personnel. As you reach the end of the passage, a bunch of military will start shooting at you, and close the door before you can get out -- trapping you inside. Backtrack to the room in front of the SUV, open the gate, and turn the valve marked STEAM TUNNEL ACCESS. The grate will open -- climb down, and just before you reach the bottom, the ladder will break, dropping you into the tunnels. The Tunnels The tunnels are fairly straightforward. Just keep moving onward, using grenades to take out bullsquids that tend to lurk around corners. Use the valve to open the first passageway. Next up is an area with broken pipes and steam pouring out. Turn the pressure release valve to stop the steam. From here, you'll need to head underwater to continue -- the valve to the next door is submerged. Turn the valve, open the door, and move on. A few headcrabs and bullquids later, you'll reach the basement access elevator. Hop in and go up. Warehouse Basement This area is similarly straightforward -- advance and kill all the headcrabs and Vortigaunts you run across. A good strategy is to shoot explosive barrels when possible to take out the aliens. (From afar, of course.) At the MAINTENANCE AREA sign, go left if you're injured -- there's a health station hidden behind the crates. Backtrack to the sign and this time take the other path. This area has been damaged, and there's bursts of electricity flying through the air at regular intervals. Watch the pattern a few times, and then run through when the path is clear. You'll find your way is blocked by a pile of debris. Use the crates in the corner to climb into the into the collapsed vent. Turn on your flashlight and make your way through. Use your crowbar to beat up any headcrabs you encounter, and also to smash a grate leading to the second section of vents. When you leave the vent (and the immediate storage area), you'll have a choice of going upstairs or downstairs. Go down to start, where you'll find another dead security guard. Grab his helmet and head upstairs. Be ready for a fight. As you get upstairs, you'll run into some military. Kill the soldiers and grab the MP5 machineguns they drop. w00t! Inside the office, talk to the dying scientist, who explains that some of the staff had a plan to try and use some of the prototype labs to escape. To do this, you'll need to find a scientist named Dr. Rosenberg -- and this is your next big task. Next: Part 2: The Freight Yards