Yep, it's about time for more Black Mesa! And this is the second to last part of "Surface Tension!"

And today, we're continuing on in the topic of the marines getting the snot beaten outta them, starting with this:

A battle taking place between the marines and some vortigaunts. Now, you might see that helicopter there and think, "oh, I should take that out while they're busy, save myself some trouble." But you don't need to worry,

The vortigaunts have the same idea. There's another tank that busts through some doors down there, too, and if you just leave 'em to it, they'll take care of it as well.

But hey, look, a big lambda above the door! We must be getting close to the Lambda Complex now...

A little ways on you come across this:

And there's a tank that rolls out on the road down below, but I didn't get a screenshot of it because I honestly forgot about this part.

But there's the enemy they were talking about. Wonder what's up with that light—

It's a really big laser is what's up with it.

The tank is annihilated, in case you couldn't guess. And lucky us, we get to hear the marines' last moments of sheer panic over the radio before they're exploded into oblivion.

But here's another Lambda Complex door! Gordon apparently doesn't have level four security clearance, though, so we'll have to find another way in.

There's another crashed and burning Osprey.

SNIPER THERE'S A SNIPER—

The two snipers in the tower over there always catch me by surprise. Luckily, I have a rocket launcher and a crate of infinite ammo not far away!

There's also this bit, where as you're crawling through a pipe that is apparently a gas line, the hatch at the end will open, and...

That's right, he threw explosives in a gas line to try to kill me.

You gotta back up pretty fast in order to not be barbecued, but it's not far, and on the bright side,

We don't have to deal with the idiot who thought that was a good idea because the explosion blew off the hatch to the pipe and it crushed him! What fortunate luck.

There's also this horde of zombies that pretty much annihilates a handful of marines.

We also find this guy, who has the level four security clearance to get us through that door!

"You're Doctor Freeman, aren't ya? Well, the good news is, you just ran into the ONLY guy for about half a mile who has Lambda codes. The bad news..."

"I say we do this nice and quiet... They, uh, look busy enough."

So there's an active stealth mission in the game! It's only, like. Thirty seconds long, though. You just sneak along a catwalk behind the guard to a door across the room.

There's also a conversation between the marines as you sneak by, but apparently I can't actually take screenshots while crouching? But basically, you hear them talking about how there's "no front line" with the aliens. Then one of them tells the others to pack it up because they have a new extraction point or whatever.

I also don't like to do this, because I like to think that Gordon only attacks in self defense, and these marines won't notice you unless you shoot at them first, but if you kill them all, the guard who you were supposed to be sneaking behind will say something like "Or loud! The loud way works too..." followed by muttered exclamations of surprise.

But anyway. Next part, we get through the level four security clearance door and hopefully into the Lambda Complex!