Black Mesa Sigma

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> *"Damn, they must have been keeping a close eye on this place, after all."*
>
>

--David Hawkings, discussing the security of the base.

**Black Mesa Sigma** is a U.S Military owned and operated base off the coast of the mainland United States. It is seen in Episode 1 of Season 5.

## Pre-Apocalypse

Not a lot of info is told about the base other than it was used for evacuating people to and conducting experiments.

## Post-Apocalypse

It is one of the last standing bases of the US Military. 7 hours after the incident back at the island David and Connor finally get to the offshore base known as Black Mesa sigma. They encounter an unnamed marine who forcefully takes them inside to General Robertson.They are soon taken in for questioning and quarantine. David doesn't question this however Connor does and is forcefully put in quarantine along side David.

This leads to speculation the marines and the general are not very welcome to any mainland survivors but in reality it is just to make sure none carry the infection with them. The site also seems to have been used for portal technology to possibly make an easier way from off the island to the mainland so that scientists could gather more information about the infected and how its changed the world. Though of course when David and Luke, an FBI agent, investigate the area they are shot at without remorse by the scientists near the portal.

The base also serves as a safe zone for civilians that were evacuated from the major cities the army was setup in during the fall of the U.S.

## Layout

The base is separated into two main islands. The first island is where David and Connor arrive, and is home to the majority of the base itself. The outside includes a staging area, likely where newcomers were processed *en masse*, with several tents, luggage piles, and fortifications, a shooting range, as well as a helipad with a UH-60 Blackhawk. The main lobby is also part of the first island. The lobby is a very large empty area, and due to it's size it has been used as a makeshift storage area- as several crates are seen laid out around the lobby. The lobby also hosts a rather empty dining area, which is where the citizens eat their food. From the lobby, there is an entrance to the lab area- with a small holding cell for new citizens while they are tested for the infection. The main building also houses a small office complex, and a conference room where David meets General Robertson.

From the office complex there is a bridge leading to the other half of the base. This area of the base is not visited during the episode, aside from when David and Luke are on the rooftop of the base. However, it can be observed this area of the base includes another helipad, a radio tower, and a crane- likely for unloading supplies from the mainland from a boat that would dock there.

Finally, there is an underground portion of the base- off limits to all but the most authorized personnel of the base. This underground portion is accessed via a cargo elevator. Inside, there is a very large laboratory, where the scientists experimented with portal technology. It seems they had made great progress, as they managed to open a portal to a different world, and established a small foothold there.

## Current Status

It is possible Black Mesa Sigma was overrun by antlions after David, Luke, and Connor were exiled. As antlions are later encountered in the outside world, they most likely escaped from the portal in the labs and, after overrunning the base, made their way into the outside world. The base seemed very lightly defended, so it would be very easy for antlions to destroy what little defenses the base had.

It is equally likely that the base was taken over by infected, as Luke had already found an infected person on the island who had already become a zombie. If there had already been a breach in the quarantine, it is entirely possible more than one infected person had made it into the base, who could easily infect more citizens and guards, overrunning the base.

## Sources

1. ↑ https://youtu.be/5UUHnNVAc-M?list=PLl7tPKKmq7yEHF06oa-45Gdu8QE97IxPF&t=70