Author Notes: The Following is a sequel to a Cross-Over I did called Half-Life Animus. The basic premise is that the story combines Assassin's Creed and Half-Life 2. It is the future, the Combine controls the Earth and what's left of the Assassin Order are part of the Resistance against the Combine.
Chapter One: Singularity
Julian Miles opened his almond colored eyes. The blue sky above him, once so inviting, now seemed piercingly bright. Agony rocked his body. He tossed his head back and forth trying to shake the spider-webs from his mind as pulses of pain pummeled him time and time again. He started to feel then, sensation returning to his skin. There was warmth and wet beneath him, a pool of blood collecting, rushing from some unseen wound. He could see the beast, the creature that had done this to him, shuffling on broken legs some distance away. The assassin had done catastrophic damage to the creature's carapace as well as severing several legs and gushes of goldenrod blood poured from the alien insect as it finally gave out.
Julian had more important things to worry about, like stemming the flow of blood from his ribcage. The wound was deep and located in a place at the base of his ribs where it would be difficult to keep pressure. Still he considered himself fortunate as she struggled to get to his feet. The Antlion had missed his vital organs in the exchange leaving him bleeding and battered but not fatally wounded. The assassin spent little time reveling in his victory. More shapes were moving just beneath the surface of the sand - more bugs.
The young assassin had to move and quickly but he found himself more than a little dizzy from the loss of blood as he raced across the open sand leaving a crimson trail. He had trained his entire life to be a survivor, a fighter, athletic and able to endure almost anything. His feet were quicker than most men, even faster than most Assassins, those that remained anyway. But now it seemed he had met his match.
Antlions had been imported to Earth by the Combine though little was known about why or where they had originated from. They typically lived in colonies deep underground but for several months out of the year they migrated closer to the surface, typically drawing close to coastlines and water sources in source of prey to bring back to their larval young. Julian Miles was trying desperately not to become that prey. He'd spent his life fighting tooth and nail against intelligent enemies. He'd stood in the trenches of a war against an alien race far superior in intellect to man and yet here he was in danger of being snuffed out by some overgrown ants.
Julian came to a quick halt as several Antlions emerged from the sand in front of him. The assassin had to think quickly. He reached into his pocket trying to keep his other hand firmly against the grievous wound that still seemed intent on spurting blood. He grabbed a spherical object from his pocket and quickly thrust it against the ground. The area filled with a fine mist that he hopped would buy him some time. But the Antlions were insects in more than just name, they didn't breathe the way a human being does, and they spent their lives underground feeling for the slightest vibration. The smoke gave THEM the advantage.
Julian realized his mistake as an armored claw burst through the smoke toward him. He deftly dodged the potentially deadly danger simultaneously slicing away the claw with an eighteen inch blade that extended from the top of his gauntlet. At the flick of a small switch the spring-loaded mechanism extended the blade and the rapid assassin cleaved the claw in two listening to the Antlion hiss in pained protest. He darted away from the smoke and headed toward a nearby rock formation just a few hundred feet from where he stood in the sand. Despite battling fatigue and the constant pain created with each step he remained focused, his eyes set on the safety of the rocks and his ears set on the hissing of his enemies.
They were right on his heels the whole way but soon enough the spry assassin was lifting himself onto the solid rocks. He batted down an Antlion that was brave enough to emerge from the sand slicing through one of its wings to send it hissing and limping back into the tunnels. Others rose up to replace their fallen comrade each trying to take a last swipe at Julian. The next nearly removed his head but the assassin was too quick even for an insect attacker but as he swatted it away with his blade another Antlion managed to get in a hit slicing at his left shoulder. Luckily the assassin had remembered to wear at least some armor and though the kinetic force of the blow pained him he kicked the creature away lifted his silenced USP and put two rounds into it before it hit the ground. The other Antlions were either uninterested or demoralized and the sand beneath the assassin now lay still.
The assassin lay atop one of the rocks trying to catch his breath. Exhaustion was overtaking him now and the adrenaline of battle, the release of energy that had fueled his escape, was wearing off. The crash was coming. Words of warning echoed in his head, the voice of Adrian Shephard, the concerned expression that had been on the face of his oldest friend. Adrian had always tried to convince him that going it alone on missions wasn't smart but lately the man had stepped up his efforts. Shephard had warned him about the Antlions. The only other choice would have been to take a more direct land route but that, Julian knew, was equally suicidal. The Combine had guards posted everywhere, protecting a VIP prisoner and, more importantly, guarding intel that could prove valuable to the Resistance. The only place unguarded by the Combine was the beach but that, it seemed, had its own guardians.
Julian removed his backpack and struggled to find what he needed. He cleaned the wound as quickly as he could barely able to remain conscious as he patched it up the best that he could eventually sewing it together with needle and thread. He laid on the rock a bloody mess hardly able to believe he was still alive. His mind wandered now, trying to escape the pain by hiding itself away in memories that flooded in unabated. Images of his Father shockwaved their way across the synapses in his brain. Desmond Miles, famed assassin who had led the Resistance to the edge of victory, now a weak and tired old man not even able to walk on his own two feet.
A pang of guilt coincided with a wave of physical pain when the assassin considered why his Father was the way he was. In many ways it was Julian's fault - it was Julian who Desmond was trying to save. If Julian hadn't been captured Desmond would have had no reason to attempt to use the Pieces of Eden that had sapped his strength to the point of almost killing him. For a moment the young assassin thought he saw another image but this one seemed beyond his mind, almost real. The image of a man in a blue suit - Julian tried to keep his mind focused but the image dissipated before him as he faded from consciousness and finally succumbed to his weariness.
Jara watched Allison pacing the hallway with passing amusement. Despite being barely twenty-two years old the young woman appeared to have a massive weight on her shoulders as she shuffled along the corridor with her brow furrowed. She'd been getting the run around all morning from various military sources and officials who she knew within the city but none had been able to give her a straight answer as to why Julian was missing. Allison had been directed, after a great deal of effort and complaining, to General Shephard. Jara had helped her in her quest but always with a calm attitude that was common for the stoic assassin. She hadn't always been that way but since moving from the arctic she'd seen quite a bit more combat. For some reason the constant threat from bullets and blades made her more mellow which, to any who cared to look at it logically, seemed entirely counterintuitive.
"Would you relax," Jara chuckled, "When was the last time you saw him?"
"Two days ago," Allison groaned, "He didn't mention a mission, it's not like him to-"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Jara scolded, "This is EXACTLY like him."
"You're right," Allison admitted offering a shrug of defeat, "I just wish he would tell me."
"He probably thinks you'll just worry," Jara said softly.
"And disappearing without telling me doesn't make me worry?"
"You got me there," Jara said honestly feeling sorry for her
Jara didn't know all that much about Allison but from what Julian had told her she had been the victim of some Combine experiments that had left her personality fragmented. Only after years spent away from her Combine masters, in the company of friends, had she been able to recover and begin to lead a semi-normal life. Just a year after the fall of Golgotha another blow had nearly plunged Allison back into darkness. Michael Cameron, the man who'd rescued her from the Combine to begin with, was killed in a firefight with Combine forces.
Jara felt a sympathetic pang that this poor girl now had Julian's erratic behavior to deal with. The assassin was a good person and his heart was in the right place but Jara knew his impulsive nature and tendency to take off on missions on his own. Just a few months earlier Julian had returned from a month of absence. He'd spent the Winter months on a mission to recover relics which he believed would be Pieces of Eden from the belly of a ship buried in arctic sea ice. When he arrived he found the ship gone, cleared out by the Combine. Jara had helped him hunt down the contents of the Borealis along with the assistance of members of the European Resistance. The female assassin had been there when Julian promised Allison to never go out on another secret mission. Yet here they were, a warm spring day in Mid-April, with Julian apparently on his own self-appointed mission, alone.
The door to the General's office at last opened and the familiar voice of Adrian Shephard beckoned the two women to enter. The General was in his mid-forties with graying buzz-cut hair and a clean shaven face that revealed more than a few scars. He eyed the two with his blue-green eyes as they sat down. He'd been dreading this meeting since a few days earlier when Julian had revealed his plan to Shephard. Shephard did his best to remain stoic and calm but to Jara, trained as an assassin, the signs of nervousness were all too noticeable.
"What brings you two here?" Shephard asked, "Want to volunteer for the night watch, Combine bastards have been shelling the suburbs again."
"You know what brings us here Shephard," Allison said slamming her fist down but her visage softened when Jara put a hand on her shoulder.
"Sir," Jara started, "You know I respect you and your command but Julian promised her, goddamn it he promised US. He can't keep doing this."
"I know," Shephard admitted to the surprise of both of them, "He's so damn stubborn, just like his Father."
"Sir," Jara said narrowing her eyes, "Where is he?"
Julian could see that the sky above him was filled with pink and orange clouds as he returned to the land of the living. For a moment he thought the sights above him were some Heaven he had been rewarded with but he quickly realized that he was very much alive. Pain rolled across his body as he sat up, his muscles were fairly stiff and each bump and bruise only added to the awkwardness of motion as he got to his feet and surveyed the area once more. He could see the smoke in the distance, smoke that advertised the location of the Combine encampment. They were moving the prisoner inland, likely toward the nearest Combine prison colony.
The Empire took more risks now openly flaunting their resources to the suffering Resistance. Often times banquet trains filled with food were derailed purposefully, luring soldiers and innocent civilians alike, only to be slaughtered, cut down by the pulse canon of a Strider or taken as slaves to the Combine. Even worse was the new division of Combine soldiers. They called them HUDS. They wore special armor over their bodies, armor that could deflect bullets but it wasn't what they wore that set them apart, it was what they didn't wear, helmets. Resistance soldiers that had once fought beside them on the frontlines were often conscripted, stripped of their personalities and experimented upon until they became the new soldiers of the Combine Overwatch. Shooting a faceless soldier was easy but when the face looking back at you was your own friend, your own ally, it made it that much harder to pull the trigger first.
Julian cast aside any thought that it might be a trap and climbed down from the rocks. He held his XM-8 closer now hoping to be ready if any Antlions decided to spring from the sand. He knew now that the decision to go it alone was a bad one but it was one that made him responsible only for himself and he liked that feeling. He'd gotten too many men and women killed, too many had given their lives to see him free of the Combine, to keep him breathing others had to die.
His feet touched the soft sand and he took his first tentative steps along the beach. Nothing happened. The assassin struggled to listen for the telltale vibrations of the tunneling Antlions but the crash of the waves upon the shore and the cry of gulls overhead made it increasingly difficult. Even the skilled ears of the assassin might have missed the sound. After five hundred yards without any trouble the assassin relaxed a bit. He remained on guard but now his attention would be turned more toward human enemies. The Antlions seemed to have settled down more than a little. Julian took the next mile or so of beach slowly trying to stay on rocks, boulders and whatever debris he could find. The water had receded greatly since the arrival of the Combine and boats that had once been on the water now sat on the beach rusting. Even more impressive were the shipwrecks uncovered by the receding shoreline, sometimes ships decades or even centuries old were now sitting on dry land.
The assassin's sharp eyes caught sight of something ahead. At first he thought it might have been a Combine trap. He took out his binoculars and studied the surrounding area looking for the telltale signs but no tripwires, headcrab shells or snipers seemed to be in the area. Yet he could think of no other explanation for the massive hole in the sand that lay in front of him. Something had dug down in here, something big and as the ground began to shake Julian began to realize why there hadn't been any Antlions around.
The creature's massive legs emerged first. Each one measured at least the length of Julian's body if not more. Its red shell covered its more fleshy layers beneath as the behemoth reached the surface. It was a full two feet taller than Julian and despite having no visible eyes it instantly began moving in his direction. Julian lifted his XM-8 assault rifle and switched the selective fire switch to automatic before opening fire. He made sure to run away as he opened up on the towering insect. He'd heard about these things, guardians to the Antlions that were sometimes referred to as Myrmidons.
Despite having the advantage of size the Myrmidon was much slower than its Antlion brethren and its weight and lack of wings precluded it from taking flight. Still Julian found it difficult to keep himself beyond the reach of the charging monstrosity. The creature let out a horrific roar far more frightening than the high-pitched hiss of the Antlions before rushing headlong toward the sprinting assassin forcing Julian to dodge this way and that to avoid being crushed. Walking was painful enough given his wounds but sprinting made every step agony. The assassin had set all that aside and made himself steel, instinct brought him to a painless state, a state of pure adrenaline driven survival. It wouldn't last long however and damaging the creature was an afterthought compared to staying out of its reach.
Julian tried his best though, turning and shooting watching as most of the bullets bounced off of the hardened shell. Those that found their mark drew gobs of green blood but failed to slow the creature. If anything his attempts seemed to enrage the animal further and soon he found himself with his back against a rock wall facing the alien insect head on. The assassin took several deep calming breaths preparing his body to hopefully do the impossible. The demon roared ready to smash him to bits against the jagged rocks that sat behind him. Julian extended both of his blades, eighteen inches of steel from each gauntlet.
In the Antlion Guard rushed as fast as its four massive legs would carry it. Julian saw those legs, watched them pound against the ground and felt an imperceptible smile emerge on his lips. He slid down just as the Antlion Guard reached him stabbing his two blades into the thighs of the creature and nearly having his head removed by the massive beasts body as it writhed in agony. He didn't stop - his momentum carried him beneath the creature's body where his blades continued their work cutting along its vulnerable underbelly. The monster pounded its body into the ground trying to crush the enemy that had so badly injured it. But Julian wasn't under it anymore, he was behind it finishing off his extended XM-8 magazine and pulling out his pistol. He spent every last round he had, reloading each weapon several times and always staying one step ahead of the creature, its mobility incredibly limited by the damage he'd done to its legs. Finally exhausted and filled with over a hundred bullet wounds the Myrmidon lay still letting out one last groan.
Julian collapsed to the sand beneath him watching the corpse of the Antlion Guard open up. Spores began to waft into the air filling the area with tiny spheres that all seemed to emanate from one sphere that was attached to the Myrmidon. The assassin assumed it as some sort of sweat gland, perhaps one that might attach Antlions. The entire area was choked with spores and Antlions began to tunnel up from below. Julian turned his weapon on them thinking they came to avenge their protector only to see them react to the spores by stopping in their tracks. It seemed the spores had some manner of control over them, moving them into a trance of sorts.
"Looks like you're not mindless after all," Julian remarked grabbing the pheropod sphere from the Myrmidon's body and approaching the Antlions cautiously,"Strength in numbers."
Allison had a decision to make. On the one hand she could allow Julian to have his fun and possibly get himself killed or captured by the Combine. On the other hand she had her own Hazard Suit and despite a natural distaste for battle she had to admit she didn't lack the ability to take life. The Combine had created her, after all, and it had seemingly been a part of their plan to include ancestors in her genetic make-up that had seen combat, war and death. She'd been forced to relive much of that when the Combine had forced into the Animus years ago. For days on end she relived the lives and often the deaths of her ancestors. She wasn't afraid to die again especially if it meant rescuing Julian from his own stupidity.
A feeling struck her then, like lighting racing through her fragile mind, keeping her from putting on her specially designed HEV suit. She could hear something somewhere in her mind, the sound of a rhythmic pulse, the sound of a single heart beating. She knew not the meaning or the source, perhaps Julian was alive or perhaps he had died. She soon found herself lying on the bed with tears in her eyes. With her mind swirling it wasn't long before the call of the Sandman entered her tired mind and she retreated into the world of dreams.
Julian watched the Overwatch soldiers make their way around the camp. There were more of them than he'd thought there would be, two dozen Overwatch, two Elites and a dozen HUDS. He felt his muscles tightening in anticipation of getting to fight again but the pain of his earlier injuries told him that rushing into battle was not wise here. This fact became especially apparent when a Hunter Synth crashed into the Combine camp. This was going to be interesting. The assassin turned to his silent insect friend patting the Antlion on the head and holding his pheropod close.
He decided that the Synth would be his responsibility and he readied himself accordingly. He approached the camp silently, with swift feet racing making him nothing more than a whisper through the trees. A motion sensor along the camp would have told them he was coming, it would have if he'd managed to trip it but the motion sensor failed to take into account the trees which the assassin now sued to move closer to his target. Death had come to this Combine camp. The assassin sat in his leafy perch watching as a single patrolman came near before he reached down with his gauntlet blade and ended the life of the unfortunate soldier. Down he slipped just low enough to grab the dead soldier's AR2 Pulse Rifle. The other Combine soldiers were oblivious but the Synth had detected something strange and Julian watched it closely as it ambled toward his hiding place. He made sure the grenade launcher was loaded and took aim. Just as the Hunter's infrared vision caught sight of him he let lose a Dark Energy grenade. The orb cut its way through the leaves but struck the ground harmlessly to the left of the slippery Synth.
The cat was out of the bag now and Julian tossed a pheropod at the nearest Combine soldier watching the man swarm with spores. Soon enough the ground beneath the camp rumbled and a familiar hissing filled the air as Antlions emerged taking aim at the Combine soldiers. Gunfire rang out as did screams as powerful claws cut through Combine armor and more than a dozen Antlions invaded the confines of the camp.
Julian had no time to declare victory however. The Hunter was still on him as several flechettes landing nearby reminded him of what he was facing. The projectiles detonated a few seconds later but the assassin was already on the move. He'd dove straight for the Hunter and managed a few slices on its synthetic skin with his blades before being shunted aside by its powerful body and kicked by one of its legs. Julian spun away firing off several pulse rounds with the AR2 before taking cover behind a nearby tree trunk and listening as several flechette rounds burrowed into the bark before exploding. At this point the assassin was just begging for the day to end but with his mission still looming and the deadly Hunter barreling toward him he had a ways to go before he could rest again.
Julian dived out of the way as the Hunter charged past and managed to get several of his Antlion minions between him and the Hunter before it could open fire. There were few Antlions left and Julian found himself dodging gunfire as well as keeping the Hunter at bay. He lunged at the nearest Combine soldier tempting the Hunter to fire and watching as the Synth mercilessly fired its self-detonating darts right into its ally. Julian got stuck with one too but it barely broke the skin of his right forearm and soon enough it was on the ground along with what remained of the unfortunate Combine soldier that was hit with the brunt of the dart burst.
Julian reloaded his AR2 firing off more pulse rounds this time managing to hit more sensitive areas on the Synth. Several direct shots to its eye impaired its vision enough to give him a slight edge though as Julian dived out of range of a nearby Combine Elite's fire he wondered if it would be enough.
"Come out Assassin!" the Elite shouted, "It is OVER! Humanity's time is over! You had your chance to serve the Combine, to serve our rightful masters."
"An Assassin is the master of himself," Julian said.
"Your own creed tells you that isn't true," the Elite growled, "Nothing is true."
"Everything is permitted," Julian said after placing several pulse rounds between the soldier's eyes before approaching his corpse.
The assassin spun on the Hunter but this time he was ready for it and there was nowhere for the sinister Synth to go. The Dark Energy grenade impacted the Hunter consuming it with blinding white flames before removing it from existence entirely. Several Antlions remained but without any enemies left to kill they stood idle at his side. Julian surveyed the area confirming that every Combine soldier there was killed and finding his way to their APC. One soldier lay atop the APC near the AR2 mounted turret - his neck had been pierced by an Antlion claw. Julian opened up the APC and a look of surprise emerged on the fatigued assassin's face at who he found inside.
"Look Allison I'm sure Julian will be fine," Jara said trying to reassure her friend.
"You heard Shephard," Allison disagreed, "Its spawning season for the Antlions. Even if he gets passed the outer guards posted along the beach the camp itself is supposed to be well guarded, it's too much for one man."
"There's something more isn't there?" Jara asked as tears emerged from Allison's brilliant blue eyes.
"Something's wrong with me," Allison said, "I don't feel well and I keep having these dreams, only they happen when I'm not awake."
"Could be a relapse from what the Combine did to you," Jara theorized but Allison was shaking her head the entire time.
"This is something different," she said, "This isn't past memory, at least I don't think it is. There's this pulsing, this beating and then this man comes. I think I've seen him before, he's familiar but he can't be human... he just can't be."
"Who?" Jara asked, "Who can't be human?"
"The man in the blue suit," Allison replied tightening her fists and turning toward her HEV suit which still lay on a nearby table. She stood and approached the suit running her hands over the fabric.
"Where are you going?" Jara asked worried for the woman's wellbeing.
"I'm going to get my boyfriend back."
"Well well well, Julian Miles, what in the hell are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same question," Julian said taking her hand and helping her out of the APC. He unlocked her cuffs and handed her a Pulse Rifle.
"I really wish I still had my gun," she said with a shimmer in her olive eyes.
"Where's your friend?" Julian asked, "I'm guessing him and his crowbar would be good for getting out of this mess."
"I wish I knew where he was," she said with a distant expression, "That's the thing about Gordon, he's around when you need him but not when you want him."
"There are guards all along the coast," Julian admitted, "But we have the Antlions on our side. I may be deep in the shit but at least I have you Alyx. Alyx? Oh, shit..."
Alyx grabbed hold of Julian and pulling him into the APC as the gunship passed overhead. The assassin cursed himself beneath his breath and breathed a sigh of relief when they weren't spotted. It was only a matter of time before the Combine realized their prisoner was loose. With no alternative the two of them turned toward the Dismal Swamp hoping they could lose their pursuers in the muck and dense forest. For once in his life Julian was glad he wasn't alone but even the Antlions, so strong in the numbers, could be outfought and killed. Strength in numbers wasn't always enough.
They set out as the last of the suns rays disappeared and darkness swallowed them. The air became chilly and the swamp came to life with the sounds of insects and animals alike. After a time the Antlions stopped following them but still it seemed as if a thousand eyes were upon them. They marched on fearful that they were being followed and always vigilant. The assassin and Alyx walked on.
