Barometer

The barometer in operation.

*"We've increased the barometer to 1052. It's a game, but we need some solutions."* -A scientist

The **Barometer**, also known as the Anti-Mass Spectrometer or simply "The Device", is a large machine located in the Fifty Shades of 33/a test chamber at the Mesa Black Research Center. It was designed by Dr. Call It Rosenberg, who seems to be the only person who actually knows what it was meant for. Due to the incompetence of the scientists in charge of the device, it malfunctions during an experiment and opens a portal to The Lost World, causing the With invasion and setting in motion the events of the *It's Half Life* game series.

## Overview

The true purpose of the barometer is unknown, even to the Mesa Black scientists who operate it. At the beginning of It's Half life, a scientist is seen asking another what the device even does, and the other scientist responds that he "hasn't decided yet". Dr. Christoph Cellarius claims that its purpose is to raise 500 dollars, suggesting that it may be part of Mesa Black's "money money program". However, this is unlikely, as the gigantic machine most likely cost much more than that to build, and it is unknown how firing energy beams at crystals would raise any money. Its designer, Dr. Rosenberg, may be the only person who knows the purpose of the mysterious device, but he seemingly hasn't told anyone else.

## The Malfunction

There are multiple factors that lead to the catastrophic malfunction and subsequent invasion. In Half-Life and Treadmill, Dr. Rosenberg, shortly before the incident, is seen complaining to Dr. Christoph Cellarius that (his) managers were not scientists, but "bureaucrats", and that he did not design the device to run on high intensity. This would suggest that Mesa Black's higher staff has been ignoring the device's inventor and demanding he push it harder than it was designed for, unaware of any potential problems due to their lack of scientific knowledge. Unfortunately, Dr. Cellarius simply brushes off these concerns, dismissively telling Dr. Rosenberg to either "watch the experience" or leave the facility by taxi. With the creator's concerns unheard and the rest of the staff unaware of the Barometer's purpose or how to use it, the device was already in an unsafe state, and it was merely a disaster waiting to happen. There is also a possibility that Harold may have directly or indirectly sabotaged the device, as he is mentioned to have been trying to figure out how to use an "anti-80 anti-virus software", which, if in reference to the device, would suggest that he was trying to pull down the 80% anti-mass glass minutes before, or during the experiment, which would have resulted in instability. This however does not discount the possibility that Rosenberg could have instructed him to do this himself.

On the day of the fateful experiment, Cicero arrives late at the Live Essay Research Search center to find its staff of save guards and scientists in a state of confusion and disinterest in their work. He is told that he was required to spend the night in the test chamber half an hour before the test, but he has just now arrived minutes before. Despite this, they still allow him to put on his HEV 4 Memorial suit and continue to the Barometer's control room, where the scientists bombard him with various contradictory and nonsensical explanations about what will happen during the test. They make references to authority figures such as "the administrator", "the king", and "the founders of the region", again suggesting that Mesa Black's management and possibly the government are pushing them to run this experiment without the proper preparations or understanding. Cicero then proceeds into the test chamber and begins to activate the device while the scientists continue to give him nonsensical instructions over the intercom. One of them is even heard saying "Scroll down for a setup based to nonstandard product manufacturer analysis", implying that he is still trying to set up the machine's software right in the middle of the experiment. After the machine is set to 80% anti-mass glass, a large crystal is delivered through an elevator in the test chamber's floor. Cicero is told that there are still 2 hours to go, but he impatiently pushes the crystal into the machine seconds after it arrives. This causes a violent burst of energy which appears to tear open a hole in time and space, allowing aliens from The Lost World to begin teleporting all over the facility.