DISCLAIMER: Half-Life and everything that goes with it belongs to Valve
Chapter 1: Health Benefits?
The soldiers filed into line. One after another they got their supplies, a standard issue USP Match pistol and a submachine gun. Both were necessary to survival of the Combine soldiers, even though they rarely worked. With a combination of bad luck and good luck, the Combine never managed to survive longer then a day, but the one's that did, were lucky, for the few hours before a bullet splattered their brains everywhere.
"Gordon Freeman is on the outskirts of City 17. We have to make sure that he does NOT make it to the safe zone set up by the rebels." A few droning murmurs flooded the room. "Squads will be periodically set-up throughout the forests and abandoned villages along the way. Make sure to survive your encounter with Gordon Freeman, or at least take him with you.." ordered the head officer who held shotgun at his side nervously, as if he was expecting Gordon Freeman to burst through the door and kill them all.
After the usual orders given by the newly appointed officer, the Combine soldiers filed out of the building and boarded their transports to their given coordinates. "Drop zone, estimated at five minutes" reported a cold, female voice over the speakers inside one of the transports. "Alright soldiers, we're almost at our target drop site. Let's get our gear checked and prepped." ordered the squad leader. Clicks followed the squad leader's orders as the troops checked their "trusty" weapons.
"Destination reached" reported the female voice as the Combine soldiers began to get uncomfortable. "Calm down soldiers, we're here to get a job done. Let's kill that bastard Freeman and get back too the base in one piece." The soldiers raised their weapons too signal that they would kill the bastard that was causing them all this trouble. "We're not making it out alive." thought one of the Combine soldier's to himself as he marched out of the transport and into the forest overlooking the dirt path that Gordon Freeman was rumored to be hitting soon.
With their guns cocked and ready, the squad of Combine waited silently for Gordon Freeman. "I wonder why we keep getting ourselves in these stupid situations?" wondered the only seemingly intelligent Combine soldier of the group. His thoughts were cut short as the squad leader relayed orders too them in their helmets. "ET, three minutes. Get ready men, this is our glory day." "Glory day? More like a massacre of the lambs." retorted the Combine soldier silently. In the distance, the sound of a car motor echoed throughout the forest.
Gordon Freeman had an easy trip thus far, but he had gotten some intel from the rebels that Combine squads were being set-up to stop him at any cost. Gordon rotated the machine gun that was mounted on the make-shift vehicle left and right, scouting the area for the Combine. The vehicle stopped as Gordon stepped out and made his way towards an abandoned cabin left by a citizen who had fled to the safety of the rebel base north of City 17. 'Picked clean..' noticed Gordon as he moved around the tiny cabin in hopes of finding some ammo and health kits.
After no luck, Gordon jumped back into the vehicle and continued to the rebel safe zone. "GET READY MEN!" ordered the squad leader was he was the first to hear the car motor humming loudly down the dirt road. Birds who were perched, anticipating a fight were scared off by the noise. "I wish I had wings.." noted the intelligent Combine soldier as he pointed his weapon up the road. The car sped down the dirt path at break-neck speeds. Gordon was hoping to avoid any fighting that he could, since his ammo count was running low on all of his weapons. As Gordon's car hit the designated location, the Combine squad jumped out and began to fire their weapons.
Gordon pressed on the break with all his strength and turned the wheel so that his car was on a side skid, running down a few of the Combine. Alarmed, the others continued firing even frantically at Gordon's car. Being a scientist, Gordon was a bit smarter then your average Combine soldier, and he knew that he didn't have the fire power to take them out, so he thought about the next best thing...his Gravity Gun! With it in hand, Gordon lifted a log that was tossed aside. The Combine were confused, and started firing at the log, hoping one of their bullets would pierce the bark and kill Gordon. "This doesn't look good.." noticed the intelligent Combine soldier as he stopped firing and preceded to move behind a thick tree that would offer SOME protection from Gordon.
The log flew violently at the Combine soldiers, knocking some of them over with sheer force, breaking apart on impact. Gordon managed to get a machine gun from one of the dead Combine. He used it effectively, killing a few more with precise shots to the head. "They need to teach us how to NOT die.." commented the smart Combine as he kept watching his "brothers" being picked off by the machine gun. Gordon was done, since the remainder of the Combine "force" was pretty much injured or wounded, which would attract zombies from the deepest parts of the forest. "I hope I don't see you again, Survivor." The only surviving, fully pieced Combine soldier stared at Freeman with his cold, white eyes. "I wish that was the case, Mr. Freeman..but, my duty is to hunt and kill you..regardless of my personal well-being." replied the survivor. Gordon Freeman nodded, and hopped into his vehicle, leaving the bloody scene like a thief who just robbed an elderly couple's home. "I'm, a survivor?" questioned the lone Combine as he began his march to the next Combine outpost.