Station 6

"Black Mesa East to Station 6. Do you read? Dr. Freeman is on his way downriver. Lend him the Airboat and give him all the help you can. Repeat. Gordon Freeman has returned! It is critical he reaches Black Mesa East."

- Alyx Vance

Station 6 was a large Resistance base part of the Underground Railroad, a resistance networked dedicated to helping citizens escape City 17. It was located at the beginning of the City 17 canals and is seen at the end of the Route Kanal chapter of Half-Life 2.

Location


Station 6 was a small shantytown with a dock that housed the resistance-built airboat. The area in which Station 6 was located was filled with pools of radioactive waste, which likely made living conditions terrible. Alternatively, the crab bombing of the base could have spilled the waste into the area. The base was located right on the City 17 canals.

Features
Station 6 was mostly composed of shanties which were constructed using scrap metals and materials. These shanties were used for nothing more than living under, and storage. Station 6 contained a supply of SMG1 ammunition in case of an attack, and two working radios. It also features a dock located a small distance outside the shanty area, which contained large amounts of fuel.

Because of the large concentration of radioactive liquid waste in the general area, one had to be careful not to step in it or risk injuries. Therefore, the occupants of the station laid several planks of wood over the pools of waste to make crossing over them easier and less dangerous.

History
At the time of Gordon Freeman's arrival, Combine forces had discovered the base, possibly thanks to helicopter, and started bombarding Station 6 with Headcrab Shells. All inhabitants were presumed killed or turned into Zombies, except the survivor on the dock.

After Freeman had traversed the base, which at the time was crawling with headcrabs emerging from the landed shells or fighting off Zombies, he was given the airboat to escape to Black Mesa East.

One interesting piece of information that may be shown at the station is the exact time it takes for true headcrab zombies to form. Gordon is presumed to arrive just as the shelling begins, and at this time the headcrabs being released are already turning some citizens into full zombies. This could mean that the distinct maw on a humans torso and the elongated nails are created as soon as the headcrab gains full control of the body rather than it taking a while to mutate, unlike in the original Half-Life where headcrabs are seen on some scientists heads simply doing nothing. Though it could simply also be a developer oversight or the zombies could have even been in the nearby sewers and were released when shells destroyed the area.

It is also possible that Gordon arrived near the end of a bout of protracted shelling, and the Combine were simply sweeping over the small part of the base that Gordon sees and the Zombies were from elsewhere in the area. This is supported by the fact that when you arrive, the rebel manning the radio is fighting off a wave of headcrabs, and the two rebels that are killed by the headcrab shell impact are already fleeing the area.

Trivia

 * This is the only place where the player can see a headcrab just after it has attached to a host. If the player waits until the man has fallen to the ground and shoots the headcrab off the citizen's body will be thrown across the room and against a wall.

List of appearances

 * Half-Life 2
 * Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar