Half Life 2:The Combine's Reckoning
Chapter one : Point Insertion:
It had been years since I had been stuck in that god forsaken portal by that twit of a no good government man after my battle in Black Massa . He talked to me in what only seemed like my dreams, he was a strange man, wearing a blue business suit and always carrying around that damn briefcase of his, and it seemed like if at anytime I knew I saw him or wanted to talk to him , he would just walk away and disappear into thin air as if he was never there, leaving me to fend for myself, I was either going completely mental, or obviously being used as some useful government toy, either way, I was screwed.
The mysterious man had knocked me out and some how managed to put me on a strange railway car to god knows where to do god knows what. I looked around , all the people were in blue jumpsuits, almost like the ones prisoners were , except they were blue , not orange. The railway car was built like a subway train car of some sort , it had room for probably about 40 or 50 people, though it was only me and two other guys . I had talked to one man, trying desperately to find out exactly were I was going , he had rambled on about some sort of city by the name of city 17 and its 'benefactors''. I decided to end the conversation shortly after the mans ramblings.
After my conversation , the train soon came to a stop. I walked out and looked around , I herd a very weird buzzing noise behind me , I turned around to soon figure out it was one of those damn flying cameras these weird cities like to use , they were like big metal mosquitoes , except they were worse , if someone could imagine such a thing. I started to head for a train to a part of city by the name of Nova Prospect. I looked around as I walked to the train, watching these alien like creatures called combine, beating the poor citizens with electric knight sticks if they got out of hand, or had any kind of carry-on's that the combines didn't like. They seemed so strange they wore a strange greenish black suit , and sounded like a weird Darth Vader of some sort.
I myself went through the 'normal' security these combines had for the citizens. I soon walked through the gate , when I herd an alarm go off. To my right I saw a combine emerge from a open door and signal me to follow him. I followed the mysterious alien creature through a strange hallway which echoed with the sound of painful cries. I felt helpless and scared as the combine opened a door which led into a room , from which another combine appeared, I walked into the room, I looked around , the walls were blood stained and a chair which looked almost like a barber chair that was also blood stained.
I turned too see the two combines exchanging a few words and then one of them left. The one that stayed seemed oddly different , he then acted as if he were going to beat the living hell out of me , but then he put up the security cameras and said "Now, for that beer I owed you" he pulled off his mask , I recognized him the instant he pulled it off , it was my old friend Barney from my old battle, in Black Massa.
Barney smiled to me "It's me Gordon! You know , Barney from Black Massa!" he acted as if I had been brainwashed . I looked to him and shook my head "I kind of already guessed that Barney, but thanks for the important update "I had said sarcastically. Barney gave a sigh of relief, "Sorry for the scare, I had to put on a show for the cameras, I'm working under cover as civil protection and the combine is getting suspicious , I'm way behind on my beating quota" he gave grimace as he uttered the word 'beating' he then gave an apologetic look to me and smiled that familiar goofy smile, it was then I realized just how much I missed that stupid bastard.
I watched him walk towards what looked like a giant computer, but the screen was so huge you could probably play a blue ray disk and not miss a single hair. Then Barney clicked a button, I wasn't sure which , but it made the screen change from a blue screen with strange lines on it , to what was obviously beaten down laboratory , then this old but nerdy and high pitched voice came through the speakers, "Yes Barney what is it? I am in the middle of a critical test". Then I noticed the voice belonged to a man who looked like his hair had been fried off down the middle of his head, and he also had glasses the size of sputnik , he was also aging well passed 40, and in that instant I knew he had been beaten up as a kid. Barney shook his head and gave the old man an apologetic look "Sorry Doc, but look whose here" he then turned to were the man could see me.
The man had a look like I was Jesus Christ himself and adjusted his glasses like he couldn't believe I was there, "Great Scott! Gordon freeman! I expected more warning" he nodded. Barney nodded in agreement "You and me both Doc, he was just about to board the express to nova prospect" he said sounding proud of himself that he caught me in time. The scientist then gave sort of a frustrating sigh "What do you propose we do now Barney?" he asked as if Barney had now become some kind of genius. Barney sighed "Well I don't know" Barney sighed . The scientist looked around as if he were trying to find something "Well Alex is around here, somewhere she should know how to get in here" he nodded.
I looked to Barney as the old man said the name Alex "Alex , as in Alex Vance?" I asked , the name was definitely familiar to me, Eli Vance, a dear friend of mine in the Black Massa incident had talked about Alex all the time, she was only a baby when me and him fought together in Black Massa , but from what he had said about her she seemed to be good kid.
My question was about to be answered when there was a loud banging on the door. Barney frowned and shut off the big computer immediately " Shit that was what I was worried about" he then ran to another door beside the computer and opened it quickly "Here Gordon , go to that window pile up some boxes so you can get out, make your way to the Plaza and I'll meet you at Dr Kliner's" he nodded as he closed the door.
I sighed and looked around the small room which looked like a small barn loft . I walked towards a ladder which led me to the window Barney talked about and found a box , which I carried to help me get on and through the window . Before I knew it I was on a patch of grass and headed towards my right . I took a few steps and went through a door that was already just a bit opened , I pushed it all the way open and found myself in a medium sized room that had what looked like some sort of jail cell to my right, it looked more like somebody was trying to keep something protected because the fence had a lock the size of my head stuck on it. I ignored it and walked through the room and up a flight of stairs that i soon found that was also inside the room. The Staircase led me to another door which I opened and closed softly.
The door led me into a huge building and as I looked to my right I saw a combine standing next to a trash can, he knocked off a soda can which was on top of the trash can, he looked to me , his weird Darth Vader like mask hid any kind of emotion he might of held toward me, " Pick that up and throw it back into the trash can" he ordered me, his electric night stick threatening to beat me if I didn't. I ignored the fact he was an absolute jerk and picked up the soda can and put it into the trash can. He laughed a low yet evil laugh, "You can go know" he nodded and stood so I could get by him.
I sighed in relief and then looked as I soon found myself in a huge room , it didn't have much in it , a few soda machines and a place where people stood in line to get some type of weird food that looked like it was in a bag that looked more like it should hold cow manure, not food. I decided against trying it, I didn't really want to get food poisoning my first day here.
I decided to explore a little more of the giant room and soon found myself at some huge wooden doors , I opened them, which was surprisingly easy, I was expecting to put most of my weight into it and have that be my exercise for the day . After I made sure they shut behind me I turned around, "Holy shit.."I found myself cursing I was so surprised by what I saw , I saw about 10 or more citizens walking around, all in blue jumpsuits and looking like they would Kiel over in second.
In an instant, I felt sorry for these poor people, they had to deal with the combine, who were always up their butts, and I had herd something or another about how they also had to deal with my old administrator Dr. Breen, and if that were true , my pity for them would double.
I then decided to find this Plaza thing Barney talked about, which was quite the epic adventure, I had to pass a few combines that acted like they had something stuck up their butt , and I had to climb a latter and a jump off a fire escape that the latter led to and found myself looking to what was the Plaza, leave it to Barney to pick the hardest place to get to on foot.
I passed a couple of men on my way to the plaza who were exchanging a few words about how it irritated them that the combine was taking over everything in city 17. I sighed and soon found myself in the plaza after passing the tow men, I followed the stairs and only a few seconds after I got to the top of the stairs , I watched in disbelief as the combine attacked some poor citizens room and most likely killed the citizen for god knows what reason.
I sighed as I walked passed the other rooms , the citizens were ether citing on the couch or looking out their windows trying to ready them selfs for any kind of unneeded attack from the combine . I sighed and shook my head, all of this was just so unbelievable . I looked as a guy poked his head out to me as i got toward the end of the hall "Hey! Over here! Head toward the roof, The combine is coming !" he yelled to me. I turned around to see the combine almost right behind me. I frowned and started sprinting, heading for the roof as he said, soon enough anther man greeted me "Over here! hurry!" he yelled , I barely herd him when because I kept running as I passed him but he said something along the line of "Keep heading to the roof!"I gave a nod trying to give him some sort of sign that I herd him, even though I didn't actually hear him .
I got to the roof , the combine weren't chasing me anymore,I realized as soon as I got on top off the roof they were doing something worse , they were shooting me. I scouted the roof for a safe route, I found it was some how able to avoid all the bullets that had my name written all over them . I then found some windows I could get through easily, I went through the windows and locked around the old abandoned room. I found a stairway and went down it quickly , I herd footsteps when I got down to the bottom. I Readied myself for what could be a rough fight, then two or 3 combines came an attacked me, the last thing I herd or thought I herd was a woman fight them off, I then found myself completely unconscious. (To Be Continued)