Black Mesa East

Black Mesa East is a fictional location from Valve Software's 2004 first-person shooter computer game Half-Life 2. Black Mesa East is a resistance base, located in the outskirts of City 17, opposite to a dam, its generating station, and its reservoir, and right next to the abandoned mining town of Ravenholm. Black Mesa East is where Doctor Eli Vance, Doctor Judith Mossman, Alyx Vance, and many other resistance members, including some Vortigaunts, live.

Overview

Black Mesa East is set several floors underground, and includes many facilities that make it self-sufficient, such as its own power generators, kitchens, recreational areas, and most importantly, Eli's lab, where he is constantly refining the teleportation technology salvaged from the Black Mesa Research Facility. Eli works with Doctor Isaac Kleiner, who also has his own lab, hidden in downtown City 17.

The Vortigaunts at Black Mesa East appear to do a lot of the work around the place, such as preparing food or powering generators with their natural ability to generate electricity. They also help Eli around the lab, by manning computers or installing or powering parts for various machines.

All entry points to Black Mesa East are under constant surveillance by CCTV cameras, and contain decontamination chambers with heavy blast doors to hold anyone or anything that isn't meant to enter. Black Mesa East is directly connected to Ravenholm via a tunnel that has been barricaded off since the shelling of Ravenholm took place, to prevent zombies and headcrabs from entering the facility.

Half-Life 2

Gordon Freeman arrives at Black Mesa East for a short visit during the events of Half-Life 2. He is greeted by Judith in one of the decontamination chambers. Soon after, she takes him down to Eli's lab, where Eli and Alyx talk to him, and show him that much of the research begun at the original Black Mesa is continuing at this new facility. Gordon also learns about events such as the Seven Hour War by reading newspaper clippings found in the lab. Other interesting things such as a Cremator's head in formaldehyde can be seen in Eli's lab. There is also a machine simulating a small anti-mass spectrometer called the Rotato located here, containing a Xen crystal similar to the one used in the original experiment. Eli will make comments on various other things around the place, such as an old family photo. Also, when looking out of an elevator door during descent, Vortigaunts are visible performing various tasks, including recharging vehicles and cooking.

Soon after Gordon arrives in Eli's lab, Alyx takes him to an outdoor scrapyard, and gives him training with the gravity gun Eli built (which was originally designed for heavy lifting and the handling of hazardous materials, but Gordon finds a much better use for it - turning it into a weapon which will serve him well throughout the rest of his mission). Alyx also introduces Gordon to Dog, the robot built by Eli to protect her while she was young. Gordon and Dog play a game of fetch using a Combine rollermine and various other objects such as crates, found in the scrapyard. Alyx also introduces the limitations of the Zero-Point Energy Field Manipulator, ordering Dog to throw something bigger and stopping him upon choosing a dumpster the regular Gravity Gun cannot hold.

Black Mesa East is eventually raided by the Combine. They launch a massive attack using scanners, headcrab shells, and hunter-choppers in the air, and in the facility. The Vortigaunts and Resistance members present attempt to fight off the internal attack, but are overpowered and Eli Vance ends up being captured and taken to Nova Prospekt. The raid was actually made possible by Judith, as it was revealed while watching a conversation she has with Doctor Breen over a screen at Nova Prospekt that she had provided him the information on Black Mesa East's location, during which her secret alliance with the Combine is revealed.

During the course of the raid, Black Mesa East is heavily damaged, and much of its personnel are presumed to have been killed or escaped (there is a large pipe opening high on one of the scrapyard's natural walls, capable of accommodating large numbers of escapees, though this could be countered with manhacks). Due to hallways being blocked off by rubble and collapsed ceilings, Gordon Freeman is forced to go through Ravenholm on his way to the coast, as it is the only remaining exit from the facility. After this, Black Mesa East is not seen again for the rest of the game.

It is assumed to have been destroyed by the core explosion in City 17.

Black Mesa Research Facility and Black Mesa East
Some players have been confused about Black Mesa East being the "east" section or wing of the Black Mesa Research Facility, the secret research facility where the majority of Half-Life takes place. However, this is not the case - they are actually two separate places.

The Black Mesa Research Facility was located in Black Mesa, New Mexico, USA, while Black Mesa East is situated outside City 17, which is thought to be located in Eastern Europe, hence Black Mesa East. A possible reason why "Black Mesa" is in the base's name is because it may well have been founded by Eli Vance, who originally worked at the Black Mesa Research Facility, and might have wanted the name to live on. The only things the two facilities share in common is the name, and that it is self-sufficient on its own level somewhat like Black Mesa. It is, however, doing similar research. Doctor Eli Vance explicitly states, "It's not Black Mesa, but it's served us well enough."

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