Four Undaunted

Chapter One:

Adrian

LOCATION: UNKOWN

Corporal Adrian Shepherd was in complete darkness. He could not see anything in the chamber he had been imprisoned in. All he could do was remember his life previous to his imprisonment. He could remember his training in the Hazardous Environment Combat Unit (HECU) at the Santego military base in Arizona. He remembered when he and the rest of his squad were deployed to The Black Mesa Research Facility on cleanup after the Resonance Cascade. He remembered the horrors he saw there. The last thing he remembered was the man in the suit who had rearmed the nuclear bomb in Black Mesa after he had disarmed it, and who had taken him from Black Mesa, just before the bomb went off, and put him in this place.

As he thought about all this he suddenly shielded his eyes. There was a door sized rectangle of light that had suddenly slid open. The bright light has obscured by the silhouette of the man in a suit, the G-Man.

"Corporal Shhhephard," he said as he walked into the chamber towards Adrian. "It seemsss that I am in need of your assistance on a matter that hasss been brought to my attention."

"Why should I help you?" growled Adrian as he stood up to face him.

"Fffine, if you do not wish to help me, I will leavvve you alone and you can continue to jusst sit there, staring into the abyss." said the G-man with smart tone.

Adrian knew he could not stay in this darkness much longer without going insane, so he nodded his head and followed the G-man out of the chamber.

They then walked into a hall with perfect white walls. When Adrian looked back at the door he saw that it had disappeared and that there was just more white. He followed the man into a large room that was empty except for a desk with a chair behind it and one in front of it. On the wall farthest from them there was massive screen that displayed the Black Mesa logo. They approached the desk and the G-man sat in the chair that was behind it.

"Sssit down Corporal." he said, "We have much to discuss."

Adrian thought it unwise to refuse this gesture, so he sat in the chair opposite of the G-man.

"Befffore I tell you all the details of this proposition I must ask you a questssion." he said.

"Shoot" replied Adrian.

"Very good" he continued. "The mission I will be sending you on is far too essential to send one man to do, not to imply that you are incapable of doing the job yourssself, but the task would be much easier if you had a little help."

"So, what is your question?" asked Adrian a little impatiently.

"I will be sending you on this mission with thhhree other capable individuals, such as yourself. I have already chosen two likely candidates , but I thought it only fair to allow you to choose the last one. You see , thisss operation is just as important to you as it is to me, because if you complete the task successfully I will set you free."

Adrian was intrigued at this point to say the least so he thought about who would be the best to add to his squad. He then remembered another man who had been in Black Mesa, a Gordon Freeman, who had fought his way threw the facility, avoiding capture and destruction from his fellow soldiers. He knew that he would be a powerful ally.

"I would like to recruit a man by the name of Gordon Freeman." said Adrian certainly. "Do you know of him?"

The G-man smiled, looking very pleased with Adrian's response.

"Yesss," he hissed, "I know him very well. You have made a wissse choice, for that isss just who I was hoping you would say."

He then got up and straightened his tie.

"I will be back shhhortly." he said, "Stay here until I return."

"But aren't you going to tell me about the mission?" Adrian asked.

"I do ssso hate repeating myself, so I thought it besst to tell all of you at once." he replied.

He then walked down the hall a ways but then stopped and turned.

"Oh and Corporal," he said coldly, "If you get any ideas of escape I would strongly advise against them."

He then walked down the hall and disappeared around corner.