Really, I can't come up with good titles for these anymore. I hate coming up with titles. Maybe I should just start numbering these lol.

But anyway, having made it past the laser trap death explosives room, today we're starting with the acquisition of the hivehand, a weapon of... much debate- primarily about how it works, and, uh... what exactly Gordon has to do in order to get it to work.

As for functionality, it's really pretty useful. It's only got eight shots, but they regenerate, and the main fire has homing capabilities, making it nice to fire around corners. It's not especially strong, but who cares when you can just stay in your little hiding spot and shoot space bees at everyone before they can round the corner?

Oooof course, I didn't realize the shots replenished when I played Half-Life, so I never ended up using it until I wasted all my ammo against the Nihilanth, not realizing it regenerated health, and had literally no other options...

You come across the hivehand here on this elevator platform, next to the body of this alien grunt, presumably the one it was used by. And in picking it up, I again feel like- despite the... implications... of the acquisition animation- that Gordon shows again so much character. I mean, you can practically hear him thinking,

Cool, one of the alien weapons! Maybe I can use it?

Woah, wait, this thing is alive. THIS THING IS ALIVE. ... The aliens don't seem to have any problem using it alive, though, so maybe I still can?

Sooo... what, do I... put it on? Like a glove?

...do I just.... stick my hand...

.  .  .

N-... no. That's disgusting.

. . .

... Screw it. I've done worse.

I'M GONNA SHOOT SPACE BEES FROM MY HAND.

And then I always say I'm not gonna use the hivehand a whole lot, and then I go and use the hivehand a whole lot. It's just so useful; you can hide in a corner where the enemy AI can't get you, and just shoot bees around the corner.

And almost immediately, we get an opportunity to test out the hivehand:

Space bees time.

And then,

"...Hey, me and a buddy of mine were looking for some kind of weapons lock up around here. Least 'til we got ambushed. With any luck, we're close to it."

So now your new goal: finding the weapons lockup! I... actually don't know if you need this guy to get in, and you can't get to it if he dies, or if having him with you just unlocks a little extra dialogue. I actually don't know that about a lot of npc followers, because I work so hard to keep them all alive lol.

On your way out, you see another alien manta ray creature,

And some aliens teleporting in behind it.

You may also see those jets flying over, just behind the manta, and seconds later...

Kaboom! You don't even have to fire a shot.

This is another one of those great moments to remind you there's more going on around you than just what you see. While the marines certainly aren't trying to help Gordon, they're definitely fighting against the aliens just as much as he is, and they're fighting all across the facility.

But anyway. The weapons lockup really isn't far away, it's just in that building right there, marked "A5." And when you start to approach...

"Jackson? Good God, man, how many lives do you have?

"None, if it wasn't for my new buddy here. Hey, buzz us in, will ya?"

(This is what I mean by I don't know if you can get in. I don't know if the other guard will respond the same way if Jackson isn't with you.)

And inside the room,

"Not bad? You hit the motherlode!"

"What can I say, I got expensive taste."

"...Damned if I'm not glad to see a familiar face. What say you, me, and the doc here grab what we can and get the hell out of dodge?"

"Well... We should probably wait a while. Let things die down a bit."

"... Well, guess I'll take a load off."

Personally, I like the plan of you two grabbing RPGs or whatever and sticking right beside me. But I guess you guys aren't fans of climbing ladders and the like, so I guess I'll just have to leave you two here.

They both have some individual dialogue, of course.

"You saved my bacon, sure enough. Head out if you want, buddy, but make sure you're stocked up. I don't think it's getting any easier from here. Help yourself to what you can. ...Good luck, partner."

Thanks!

I feel like whenever the guards say goodbye to you, it's always... I dunno, so regretful? Remorseful? Like, they're just all around good guys, and they always wish you luck and want you to do well, and I always feel so bad leaving them behind, because I know what's coming, I know Black Mesa gets nuked just a bit after Gordon goes to Xen (you actually have to delay the explosion in Opposing Force in order to give yourself time to escape!) and they all most likely die, and I'm just leaving them here...

"Man, you sure pissed them soldiers off somethin' fierce. ... I'm gonna stick around here. See if I can't round up a posse with my radio. No way am I letting all that gear go to waste. If I can, I'll send out word to the other scientists that you're coming. Don't worry, doc. You still got some friends out there. [Chuckles] You're alright, Freeman."

So once again, the Lambda Complex is receiving confirmation of Gordon's arrival, being updated on his progress.

(Also, I love the idea of him "rounding up a posse" of other guards. Just. A small army of security guards running around with the best weaponry Black Mesa has to offer, but for the tau cannon and gluon gun. Truly, a force to be reckoned with. Maybe these two do make it out before the explosion, after all!)

Here's the third aircraft you bring down- one of the V-22 Ospreys that Shephard's opening scene takes place in at the start of Opposing Force! AKA, a troop carrier. It drops two marines at a time onto the helipad below, and initially, they'll be busy taking out aliens that teleport in, giving you an opportunity to take out the carrier unhindered. But if you take too long, it just keeps looping back around and dropping more troops. I don't know if the aliens keep respawning, too. Maybe I'll try not taking out the osprey next time I play!

And shortly after, whaddya know,

It's tank number 3, pulling out onto the helipad where we just blew up the Osprey! I feel like, at this point, Gordon's just like "...Seriously? Another tank is shooting at me? [Sigh] Fine, guess I'll take this one out, too."

And then he proceeds to blow it up.

Anyway, that's the end of this chapter, and now we're halfway through"Surface Tension!"