Oh my god, you guys! I am so, so, so, so, so, so, so sorry for not being on a long time! I had to be inactive for a while because of a project I have been working on, among other things, such as school. I know that I have a lot to catch up on, which is what I've been trying to do for the past two days, so please, bear with me! I am so sorry for not being on!

I've been having an on-and-off writer's block for a while, now. Originally, I tried writing a new addition to "Echoes of a Resonance Cascade", however I didn't like how it was turning out. (I'm covering all of the canals in that one, which are super long and I need a way for it to make sense without cutting out too much.) I then stopped work on that and tried writing an idea I've had forever for "Tales From the Rebels", but I had just released a new addition to that when I was writing that story, so I stopped that one. Gah, I've got so many ideas and unfinished stories that I need to try out/finish! I'm deeply sorry.

As a way to show you guys that I'm back, I started writing this. A small idea I had, I'll admit, but something to play around with. Came out at a length that surprised me--5 pages and 2,300 words. Could be more detailed, but I think it came out fine, either way. Anyway, I'm sorry for not being on in such a long time! I'll try my best to keep in touch and everything, but like I said I've devoted most of my time to working on a project, so I'm sorry if I'm not on! But hey, let's bring on the story:

Based on: The Half-Life series (Valve/Gearbox. This story kind of covers a few of them. The beginning was Blue Shift inspired, but it's not necessary to have played that in order to get it. It mainly covers Half-Life 2, as always the case for me. At one point it seems like the story takes place during Ep. One, but it actually doesn't, so I just want to clear that up.)
Rating: I'd say K+ for some uh...thrilling moments and suspense, or something like that. I don't know.
Author's Notes: Since I believe in the element of surprise so much, I'm going to leave you guys with hardly any info until the end of the story. Heh, sorry.
Oh yeah, it'll do you good if you've read "Uh, Yeah, About that Cat" before.

--

"How's it going, Calhoun?" The slightly obese security greeted his fellow co-worker through the open windows of the tram car. Gripped between his large fingers was a clip board, which he swung around as he made a few hand gestures as he greeted Barney. Barney walked closer towards the window as he was greeted, standing in the space usually reserved for the handicapped. He was the only one on the tram, as always.

"I feel a little tired and hungry from having to skip breakfast today, Otis, but that's nothing new," the young security guard responded. "Mind sharing a few of those donuts you have in the back?" He cracked a smirk as Otis shot him a glare.
"Would if I could, but Johnson ate the one I was saving for you," he answered.
"I'm sure. You said the same thing last week, you know," Barney shot back. "Are those some crumbs I see near your lips...?"
"Have a good one, Calhoun." Otis refused to keep the conversation going, as he spun around and made a quick hand gesture towards a security guard who was operating some sort of console in a room a few feet behind them. The tram soon continued its voyage towards its destination, lowering itself down a deep tunnel like a bucket in a well. Barney shook his head at Otis's actions, as he walked more towards the center of the tram. He never did like sitting in those cheap and uncomfortable chairs. With Black Mesa's budget, however, it wasn't very surprising.

"Great, now I get to be hungry for a couple of hours," he muttered to himself while yawning slightly, as soft mechanical noises entered his eardrums, echoing in the vertical stone tunnel. I guess I'll just grab something from one of the vending machines and—

BANG!
SCREECH!

Barney's thoughts were soon cut off as the tram car jerked to a sudden stop within the middle of the tunnel. "What the hell?" Barney let out, as he scanned the tunnel. He wasn't even near the next tunnel yet. A loud noise suddenly entered the tunnel, which made him feel uneasy, as he recognized it to be metal being stressed by weight. He cursed silently to himself, clenching his fists as he kicked one of the metal walls of the tram.

"Damn it, Otis, this isn't funny anymore!" he screamed, as he stormed his way over towards one of the windows. He could feel his cheeks flush with anger and annoyance as he continued, "Now get this thing going before I climb back up there and kick your ass!"

The only response he seemed to receive was his own echo. Barney cursed once again, checking his watch and letting thoughts about being late fill his mind. He's already been late a couple of times this week, and anymore would force him to say good bye to his dearly beloved paycheck.

"Otis?" Worry seemed to leak into his vocal cords, now, as nothing seemed to happen."Johnson? Hey?"

Barney gasped as shock shot through his mind, noticing that darkness had now surrounded him. The lights of the tunnel had switched off. Barney sighed and shook his head, as he tried to convince himself that it was only the guys playing tricks on him…right? That had to be what it was, right? Then again, Black Mesa had been acting up a couple of times, recently. Flickering lights wasn't very uncommon. But these lights didn't seem to go back on.

"O-tis," he began, saying it in a sing-song like voice. "Please stop…seriously."

Barney's dark irises switched their vision to the left as he heard a spark. He thought he saw a few embers tumble down from the top of the train car, but that could have been his eyes tricking him—or at least, hopefully. Then again, seeing a source of light within darkness was rather hard to miss. He sucked in his breath, the situation making his body feel more and more tense by the second. His hand quickly reached for his radio attached to his belt, only to find that he was gripping nothing but air. He cursed, once again. The situation made him forget that he leaves his radio in his locker after each shift.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it." Fear was corrupting his mind, now. Another screech entered his eardrums, making him frantically search around for any means of escape. Wasn't there some kind of button for contacting some emergency team for this, or something? It had to be somewhere on the tram. Black Mesa wouldn't be that cheap, right?

"Found it," Barney whispered to himself with an ounce of relief, as he noticed a red button next to the door of the tram. He quickly ran over and jammed his thumb onto it. His eyes caught sight of a speaker above the button, as he screamed, "Hello?! Hello?!" into it frantically. "Is anybody there?"

Static was his reply.

"Hello?" he repeated. "This is Barney Calhoun of security. I'm stuck in a tram over by the security checkpoint at—" Barney was cut short as sparks tumbled from the speaker, causing him to jump back in panic. More creaks carried itself into the tunnel.

CRACK!

Barney was thrown off his feet as the tram suddenly leaned forward. The sudden tilt made himself panic even more. Afraid to move, Barney remained still, but his body soon began to slide forward as the tram continued to tilt. He never recalled being as scared as he was now, and to his amazement he actually screamed out of horror. He reached over towards one of the seats of the tram, his fingers trying their best to grab and hold on to prevent himself from falling out of the window at the front of the car.

"I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die." He began to cry those words to himself as a reaction out of panic and fear. "I'm gonna die, I'm gonna—"

CRACK!

Barney was once again cut off as the other side of the tram began to tilt. The metal began to screech under the pressure of the tram car, while Barney was flung around from one side to another as the tram rocked. He screamed out of sheer terror as a loud bang was heard, and soon the tram began to plummet down like a rock being tossed off a cliff. Barney could feel his body be flung upwards as the speed of the fall had removed gravity for a moment. He closed his eyes, biting his tongue as he expected to feel his body crash with the floor of the tram any second, no doubt ending his life. He screamed as the pain suddenly shot through his back, forcing his eyes open.

Wait a minute…this wasn't Black Mesa. This was…this was…

"City Seventeen?"

Confusion circled his mind, now. His eyes scanned his surroundings, noticing that he was, indeed, in the middle of a war-torn City Seventeen. He quickly checked his body, only to find out that it was completely intact. Well, at least, it wasn't crushed—he appeared to be in his Metro Cop outfit, but it was completely blood-stained and torn. Barney felt a thick liquid drip down from a little above his right eyebrow, which he ignored. He looked to his right to find a pulse rifle a little distance away from him. He seemed to be leaning against the rubble of a wall of some building. To the left of him lied a hole, debris consisting of brick and stone surrounding it. He noticed a few rebels close to the hole, but their bodies lay unanimated.

Barney winced as he heard the familiar sound of a Strider stomping its way down the street, only a couple of yards to the left of him. Luckily, however, it was traveling away from him. Was he just flown from the blast of the Strider's plasma cannon, perhaps? Is that it?

But wait, this didn't make sense. He was just in Black Mesa, and now he's in City Seventeen. It looked as if the Seven Hour War was going on, but that didn't make sense to him if he was in his Metro Cop outfit. His eyes caught sight of the Citadel off in the distance, which appeared to be intact for the most part, as it stood as a beacon that reminded all of those who laid eyes on it that they were in hell.

Barney slowly arose from the broken stone, feeling his muscles stiffen. He slowly walked away from the wall, taking a look around in case there were any Combine trying to look for survivors. He then began to ran, despite the feelings that surged in his muscles. Was he running out of fear? He wasn't sure. He reached over and grabbed the pulse rifle as he passed it, although he refused to stop as he did so. He quickly checked the gun for ammo—however, he refused to stop running, or even slow down—and then wrapped his arms around it and got in a position ready to fire. He continued to run, explosions, screams, and gunfire deafening him. All around him was destruction of the city he thought he once knew. Then a thought hit him.

Doctor Kleiner.

Barney jerked to a stop in the rubble, looking around to try and find out where in City Seventeen he was, exactly. Where the hell was the train station? He looked around, again, but to his dismay he was unable to recognize the path to Doctor Kleiner's lab. He began to shout curses to himself, pounding his head slightly with the pulse rifle. This isn't right. This isn't right. This isn't right. Barney squeezed his eyes closed in anger, grunts escaping his lips. His eyes soon shot open as he heard a nearby explosion, causing him to wince as an automatic reaction.

Wait…hold up. Now what's happening? Where the hell is City Seventeen?

Don't tell me I'm in Black Mesa again, he thought, feeling slightly overwhemled for a moment.

But no, this was an area completely unrecognizable. Hell, he didn't even think it was a place in general—he was standing in the middle of a black abyss. That's it, nothing but darkness. He quickly looked at his arms, trying to see if perhaps he were dead.

Oh god, don't say that. Don't say that he was dead.

But no, he couldn't be dead. He felt fine. He was still in the Metro Cop outfit, but it was free of blood and cuts. He quickly rubbed one of his gloved hands across his face. He took a look at it, and it appeared to be clear of blood.

"What the hell is going on?"

He looked around. He didn't see the pulse rifle he was holding just a second ago. He didn't see anyone, anything, any sign of where the hell he was.

"Hello?" he called out, hoping that life was still in his veins and he wasn't going crazy. When silence shot back as his response, Barney quickly pressured a spot on his head with two fingers. His pulse was still going. He was still alive.

God, did the Combine do this to him? Was he just warped into some other dimension?

"Hel-lo?" he called out again. Barney's face suddenly perked up as he heard something call back to him. It was behind him.

He spun himself around, frantically looking for the source of the noise. His eyes caught sight of something in front of him; however, it was the size of a small animal.

Oh god. It couldn't be.

"You." He said the word with emotions of disgust, anger, and disbelief all swirling around the word. "No. It can't be. It couldn't. You…you…no!"

The cat let out a soft meow as it looked up at Barney, causing him to slowly back away.

"No! No! It can't be you!" He sounded as though he was throwing a fit. "Doctor Kleiner got rid of you—you can't still be here!"

The cat looked at him with its one eye, its tail flickering back and forth on the top of its head. It looked just like it did after the teleport incident—still acting like nothing happened. But no, it couldn't be possible. It shouldn't be here.

Gotta get the hell out of here, Barney screamed to himself within his thoughts, as he spun around on his heels and began to make a run for it.

He never ran as fast in his life as he had now. He didn't even run this fast when he was trying to get the hell out of Black Mesa after it released the end of the world. But hell, he's running away from a cat, and yet here he is trying to pull off a Mach Five.

"Gah!"

Barney screamed as his skidded to a stop, his eyes widening as his breaths came fast. There it was again—the cat was right in front of him. "What the hell?!" he screamed, before running in a different direction than where he came. How the hell did it get there? It shouldn't even be able to walk with its legs morphed like that.

Barney jerked his head all around as he tried to find any sign of an exit, an escape, whatever. There was nothing here—just black everywhere he looked. Barney brought his attention back to where he was running, but he soon made a quick stop once again as he realized what was in front of him.

Again. It was the damn cat again.

"Get the hell away already," he screamed at it, slowly stepping back. "What did I ever do to you? Blame Doctor Kleiner! He was the one who messed you up, not me!"

The cat only meowed softly. Barney began to wince as he spun around, getting ready to run again. He was soon stopped short before he was even able to take a step, as the cat was now in front of him once again.

Barney screamed, as he never thought that being followed would scare him this much. He jerked his eyes closed as he grabbed his hair between his gloved hands, screaming for it to stop.

That's when his eyes jerked open as he shot up.

Barney breathed heavily as he scanned the area. He couldn't believe it. He wasn't in Black Mesa, or in City Seventeen, or in that random hell-hole. He was at one of the stations for the Metro Cops that he was assigned to when he joined Civil Protection. He realized that his body was actually wrapped up in a blanket, his Metro Cop suit thrown across a box nearby.

"That was all just…a dream?"

He jerked his eyes around again. No tram, no Striders and dead rebels, and most importantly, no cat.

Barney took a deep breath as he allowed his body to fall back onto his pillow. He sighed, as his eyelids slipped closed once again.

Note to self, he thought. Kick Kleiner's ass tomorrow.

--

Wasn't that interesting?
I've always wanted to try out a nightmare kind of thing. I got a few reviewers in "Uh, Yeah, About that Cat" who said that they expected the cat to be a litle more grusome, or something. I replied by saying that one of the most occurant themes in nightmares is being followed, and I thought that Barney would be more freaked out if the cat was following him in his nightmares. I mixed up a little bit of stuff to make the nightmare seem longer, and I don't know about you, but my dreams seem to go from one "scene" to another one that are usually completely unrelated. So yeah. Also, before you ask, Barney doesn't realize that he's in a dream because, well, again, I'm not sure about you, but when I dream half the time I don't realize that I am. So the "Oh, it's a dream, I can just wake up from it" thing doesn't work all the time. And they lie when they say that you can't feel pain or bleed in a dream D:

But yes. I hope that's something nice to read from me in...how long has it been? Basically a month? But yes, I'll be on my way to reading and reviewing the stories that I've missed. I hope you enjoyed this one-shot, and thanks for reading!

PS-Dear world, I would like to remind you that Barney Calhoun is an awesome character, who could seriously need more love. Yes, I'm also looking at you, Valve. Let's see him again in Episode Three!