A/N: For people who have been following me because of Dust Devils, let me answer some questions that you might have.

1. Since you're starting another fic, does that mean Dust Devils is getting fewer updates?
- No, it'll still be updated twice a week until further notice.

2. Since you're starting another fic, does that mean Dust Devils is near completion?
- Lmao, no.

Lastly, I've taken some liberties with the Half-Life/ Girls Und Panzer canon to make this crossover work.

Enjoy!

The mood in the city was always the same ever since the occupation began. Dismal. Even on days where clouds danced across the sky and the sun shining brilliantly, such things did nothing to assuage the moods held by each and every citizen of City-33. It was impossible to feel any positive emotion when you see your occupiers everywhere, from posters on the walls, patrols on the streets, to that monstrosity at the center of the city that dominates the skyline. The Combine's presence was everpresent and was thoroughly a part of the citizen's lives. This has been the status quo for nearly twenty years, the outcome of a war that lasted only a fraction of a percent of the time. Seven mere hours. It only took Combine forces seven hours to subdue all the militaries of Earth due to their advanced technology and that their invasion was sudden, totally unexpected. There was really no way for the governments of Earth to prepare a meaningful defense in any capacity as they were already preoccupied with something else. Portal storms. Occurrences of otherworldly nature. When they manifested, they had this blue color, something that would otherwise give off a calming aura, but these portal storms were anything but tranquil. They spread devastation wherever they formed, moving across the land much like a terrestrial storm. In addition to the carnage, these storms brought forth lifeforms from a bizarre place that humanity would soon learn that it was called Xen. Xen is neither a planet or a dimension, but a plane of existence that serves as a border world between dimensions. The creatures that came from that place were ghastly things. Seemingly, each organism from Xen seems overtly hostile to humanity. It is through these portals that the Combine soon exploited to launch their invasion and subsequent occupation of Earth.

Once the brief yet extremely destructive war was over, humanity surrendered to the Combine. This was undertaken by a man named Wallace Breen who managed to find a way to contact the Combine. Because of that, he was instructed to negotiate surrender at the behest of the United Nations. Sensing that he has been presented with the best opportunity in all of human history, he used it to secure power and was designated by the Combine as the 'Interim Administrator' of Earth. His face is plastered on posters and on huge holographic screens around the world, ensuring that every human left alive knows who he is. While he does wield immense power, he is nothing more but a puppet of the Combine who bends to their will. His administration is situated in City-17 within a citadel. Every city that hasn't been utterly destroyed during the Seven Hour War has been used by the Combine to house the surviving populations of humans, with such cities having citadels of their own. Though, the one in City-17 is the most important as it is essentially the 'capital' of the world. City-33 is one such place where it has its own citadel. Formerly Tokyo, it is where the Combine houses their center of operations for the island of Japan. One-and-a-half miles high in the sky, it was impossible for the citizens of City-33 to not feel its presence. The construction of City-33's citadel was not a process that went smoothly, much to Combine's chagrin. Japanese resistance groups did whatever the could to halt construction, though due to disorganization and the general lack of proper equipment, they failed. But some success was achieved. In involves the destruction of a certain receiver. It wasn't a communications receiver as such a thing would be inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. The receiver they destroyed considerably delayed the implementation of the suppression field in Japan. This field completely prevents the human reproduction cycle, bringing the population growth to a half. The suppression field emanates from the citadel in City-17, which then relays it to other citadels around the world. When the resistance groups destroyed the suppression receiver, the field, for a time, was done. People in Japan were free to 'get busy' and they did indeed. What resulted was a baby boom with the last babies being born right before the suppression field was now operational. This made Japan the only place in the world where a portion of its population can actually be described as 'youths'. With the appearance of so many children impossible to hide, punishment from the Combine was inevitable and immediate. Every child was tracked down and taken away from their parents. The moment news spread that families were being separated, it sent parents into hysteria as they did what they could to hide them. Yet it was all futile. The Combine detained every child that was born from the baby boom and segregated them from their parents, setting up an enclave in City-33 where they were housed. There, none of them could leave to see their parents just beyond the walls.

It is here in this enclave where Miho Nishizumi is contained with her sister in an assigned housing block. Their days all blended together as there was a depressing monotony. There wasn't anything to do as they, along with the other children, were confined to their enclave. Their housing unit was in shabby shape. The walls were stained, windows dirty, furniture looking like they were days away from collapsing, their wooden floor creaking with each step they took. They did have a little television set, though it only played one thing. Breencasts. Every so often, Breen would deliver some message which was broadcasted worldwide on any device that would receive them. Today, Breen was making another one of his broadcasts. Miho was watching, sat on a crate just a few feet away. He spoke in English but to get the message across, it was subtitled in Japanese.

"Good morning, evening, night, wherever you are. As administrator, I have this obligation to be prudent regarding ongoing affairs. As such, I am delighted to announce that as a result of heavy discussions with Our Benefactors, they have agreed to permit Civil Protection to set their own curfews in the cities they operate in. Furthermore—"

Maho turned off the television.

"I've had enough of him." she said.

"They're gonna change curfew?" Miho wondered aloud.

"Doubt it," Maho said apathetically. "If they do change it, they'll just make it tighter."

They both shared a sigh.

"You're probably right," Miho remarked with dejection. "We'll be lucky if they don't make any changes to curfew at all." She stood up from the crate she was sitting up and made her way to the door. "Well, I'm going for my walk now. Something that I can actually choose to do."

Maho approached her sister and hugged her.

"Be safe, okay?"

"I'm always safe. I've gone on my walk every day, with those cops only stopping me once."

"One of them smacked you in the head hard with their baton."

"Yeah...I remember. I think she was with them but was just watching. She joined Civil Protection around that time."

"She?"

"You know, E—"

Maho put her fingers on her sister's mouth.

"You will not speak her name when I'm around. She's dead to me."

"I'm sorry," Miho said. There was some discomfort in her voice. "It nearly slipped out."

"I know...it's hard...everything is hard. Enjoy your walk. I'll be here, as always."

With a respectful nod, Miho departed their housing unit, closing the door behind her. She descended down the stairs, her sounds echoing throughout the building, and walked out the entrance. The sun was high in the sky and was already making its way down to sink beneath the horizon. She walked down the street, making sure that she stays on the sidewalk. Civil Protection will stop and beat anyone on the slightest provocation, so she always walked on the sidewalk to be on the safe side. On her walk, she passed by other people similar to her age. Their faces looked like stone. No emotion at all. Every now and again, she'd spot members of Civil Protection. They would either be on patrol or standing by the entrance of some building as their colleagues perform their 'duties'. Miho walking by such a building, which laid across the street. The cops outside watched her walk by, as she looked toward the windows on the second floor where she saw shadows moving rapidly. She didn't have to think for too long to know what was happening within and kept moving. She had now traveled for several blocks in relative peace when a voice sounded behind her.

"Miss Nishizumi!"

Turning around, Miho found Yukari nearly running up to her. Yukari was one of the friends she has made ever since she and Maho have been relocated to the enclave. Seeing her was always a delight, providing a sparkle to a life that is otherwise dim.

"Yukari. How are you?" Miho greeted as the pair shared a quick embrace.

"The same as last time," Yukari replied. They were now walking together. "Bored. With some periods of terror on occasion. I enjoy having our walks together, Miss Nishizumi. It gives me something to look forward too."

That comment drew a smile from Miho.

"Likewise, Yukari. Likewise. How are things with Saori, Hana, and Mako?"

"They're fine. Fine as anyone can be."

Being 'fine' in the situation they are in is the same as surviving. It was the best condition anyone could hope to achieve.

"Oh! Miss Nishizumi, I've been exploring an old library that is right by where I love and found some interesting things." Yukari mentioned

"Like what?"

"I've found some old material about Ooarai Girl's Academy. The school I would've attended if...things weren't like this."

"It would've been Korimorimine for me," Miho responds with sadness. "Me and my sister."

They got quiet for a moment.

"So, uh, what specifically did you learn about Ooarai?"

"Just general things. What fascinated me was old pictures of the school ship. Normal pictures of people going about their business. Of students going to class. It gave me a feeling of nostalgia which is odd because I born after the war. When everything changed."

"Mmm. I get what you mean. Seeing pictures like that makes me feel weird."

As they continued their walk, a small group of Scanners flew above, flying cameras essentially, performing their regular patrols. Then they felt the heavy footsteps of a Strider, walking in the distance. Though feeling these vibrations and seeing them in person many times previously, the intimidation it gave off never waned. The wall that surrounded their enclave was at the end of their walk, so they made a right turn. Looking around, Yukari was then hit with an idea.

"Miss Nishizumi, why not explore a building? To do something different?" she proposed.

Miho looked unsure.

"Um, I don't know. It's risky."

"It is, but do you really want to do the same things every day?"

Miho entered into a quiet period of intense contemplation. She took in a huge breath.

"I don't. Let's go."

Pleased at convincing her, Yukari led Miho to a building that looked promising. Looking down the street both ways and looking up to the sky, to see if anyone were watching them, they entered the multistory building. It was in a decrepit state. Eons worse than the housing units that they live in. Pieces of debris were strewn all over the floor, with each step they were making crushing a piece of rubble or smashing a shard of glass. The room they were in was something like a large hall, with a massive skylight above them, glass long gone. Marble pillars, stained, and crumbling, served as supports for a staircase just nearby.

"A beautiful place in better times," Miho remarked.

Yukari hummed in response. The two ascended the stairs, passing but an opening in the wall that looked like it once held an elevator. On the second floor were rows of office cubicles, or what remained of them. Each cubicle was given a quick look to see what they contained. It was junk for the most part. The air when they breathed it in felt damp. Looking around and Miho saw a pipe that has burst down through the ceiling, dripping water for God knows how long. In one cubicle that Yukari happened to look into, resting by the computer surely dead, was a newspaper. Curious she carefully picked it up as it has aged considerably though still legible. It was dated a few months before the war, a time capsule in a way. She read the paper and spotted an article that made her grin from ear to ear.

"Miss Nishizumi!" she called. "Check this out!"

She quickly made her way over to her.

"What did you find?"

"A news article about sensha-dou!"

Miho was handed the paper where she read the article Yukari was referring too.

"Sensha-dou," she echoed. Her heart felt heavy. "My family has history with that sport. We were renowned for our style."

Yukari's eyes lit up like lightning.

"Ah, Miss Nishizumi! You never mentioned to me before that your family were so involved!" she exclaimed

"The subject never came up. Though, it seems you are already very familiar with the sport."

"I am! In my little adventures in the libraries, I've read book after book about the sport and the tanks that are a part of it! T-34s, Shermans, Panthers, Tigers, StuGs...oh! I'd do ~anything~ to see those magnificent machines in a sensha-dou match!"

As Yukari was gushing about armored vehicles, Miho was deep in thought. All the talk about talks has made the wheels in her mind turn into overdrive. With a grin, she turned toward her.

"Yukari, you've said earlier you found some things about Ooarai Girls Academy, right?"

"Ah, yes!"

"Did you find anything about the last known location of their school ship?"

Yukari looked confused for but a moment.

"Uhhh, no. I didn't. But I haven't explored every inch of that library. The info you seek could very well be in there. But why?"

"Oh, I'm just curious. Would you mind when you go back to that library try to look for it?"

"Will do!" Yukari said with a salute.

"Thank you. And also try to find out where was the last known location for Korimorimine's school ship, if you can."

"Sure thing!"

"Thank you again, Yukari, though please, don't put yourself at too much risk."

"Oh, don't you worry about me Miss Nishizumi. That place might as well be a second home."

Comforted, the pair ascended more stairs and made their way onto the roof of the building. There, they snagged themselves not a magnificent view of the city, as that would mean they liked it, but an impressive one all the same. What dominated their eyes was the citadel. It reached so high into the sky that it cut through clouds that happened to fly by. Occasionally, where civil unrest flares up, huge panels of the building would move to unleash hordes of Scanners and other flying menaces to pacify whatever was causing the unrest to erupt in the first place. Looking away from the citadel and one could see the Tokyo harbor. A sight that would've been beautiful had there been water in the harbor. The Combine's rampant exploitation of the Earth's resources has, among other things, severely lowered the sea level. What was Tokyo harbor was now just the sea bed, dried, and devoid of life. It was approaching dusk and that told the girls one thing; time to go home. If they don't leave soon they'll be violating curfew and that is the last thing on their minds to do. Walking down the stairs, Miho then stopped dead in her tracks with Yukari bumping into her. She began to ask why she stopped by Miho forced her hand over her mouth. They weren't the only ones in the building.

"Overwatch reports two possible Level 3 Civil Privacy violations. Locate and dispense malcompliant citations."

The garbled voices and jargon were the tell-tale signs of Civil Protection. Their breathing slowed to a crawl as Miho silently motioned to Yukari to go back up the stairs. As they moved, the cops on the ground floor began to fan out.

"Authorization to suspend negotiations?" one asked.

"Deliver verdicts only if possible violators are Code 94."

"10-4."

The girls hurried their way up the stairs as quietly as they can. Though, with the fear gripping them, it made some of their movements jittery. So much so that for Yukari tripped on one of the steps, a sound that echoed throughout the building.

"Overwatch! Confirming one Level Three Privacy violation!"

Miho yanked Yukari forward.

"To the roof! Hurry!"

"Two violators confirmed! They're 505, 505!" a cop reported as they all began to scramble up the stairs. Pumped up on fear and adrenaline, the two girls raced up to the roof where Miho closed the door and put on the lock bar. Just a few moments later, it rumbled violently as the cops tried to force it open.

"What do we do, Nishizumi?" Yukari asked in a panic.

"One second..." she responded looking around frantically. Looking at the building next to them, she saw that they were situated very close to each other. As were the other buildings in the neighborhood.

"We...we jump from rooftop to roof! We lose the cops that way!"

Yukari looked at her as if she had two heads.

"Miss Nishizumi...you can't be serious!"

"It's the only thing I can think of. I don't want to face them." Miho said, pointing to the door still rumbling.

Yukari looked into the distance, her breathing quickening when she felt Miho squeeze her hand.

"We can do this."

Looking right into her eyes, Yukari felt secure and confident. She nodded.

"I'm with you."

They both walked back to get some distance and then, together, entered into a sprint toward the edge of the building. Just before the drop, they jumped and landed onto the building next to them. They were thrilled they made it but couldn't afford to stop now. They kept running and jumping to one rooftop to the next. At one rooftop, Miho pointed to the door of the roof access.

"You go down back to the street!" she said, breathing heavily.

"What about you?"

"I'll jump a few more buildings and make my way home. We ~will~ see each other later, okay?"

"We will!"

Yukari went quickly to the door and closed it behind her. Now by herself, Miho went across more rooftops, each time tiring her more and more. At one rooftop, at random, she entered the building and carefully made her way down the stairs. She moved slowly to listen to her surroundings. The only thing she heard was her own labored breathing. Satisfied that she was the only person in the building, she made it to the ground floor and peeked out a window. There were some metrocops making their way to the building her and Yukari first entered. She waited for a bit to ensure that they were fully gone and departed the building. Instead of running back home, drawing suspicion, she calmly stuck to the sidewalks and entered into a leisurely stroll. She was just a block away from making it home when then a voice from right behind.

"You there! Citizen! Face me."

She turned around at once, fingers twitching. A metrocop has stopped her.

"You're about to violate curfew. You better be on your back to your housing unit."

"I am, I am."

"Good. I'm going to do another sweep around the area and I better not catch you outside when I do."

Miho turned to walk home, but before actually going, she cocked her head to the side to say something to the cop.

"No matter how much you modify that vocoder, I still know it's you, Erika."

Erika was glad there was a mask covering her face.

"Get...get moving!"

Miho complied with her commands and walked back to her residential building. Erika watched to make sure that she did what she was told and remained standing where she was. She was going through a whirlwind of emotions that she wished she had the time to process but her headset had to came alive.

"Officer Jury-12, report to nearest CP for equipment recalibration."

Erika looked at one of the windows of the residential building. She was looking at a figure on the window, silhouetted against the light within the room they're in. She felt it in her bones that this person was looking back at her, who then brought down the window's blind. She sighed heavily.

"10-4. En-route."

Climbing up the stairs, Miho made it to her floor and entered her housing unit. Inside, Maho went right up to her.

"You're cutting it close with the curfew, Miho."

"Sorry. Yukari and I got lost in conversation."

"Mmm. Just be more vigilant about that, alright? I don't want this happening again. I was getting very worried, especially since something is getting all the cops riled up. Though, I'd be angrier with you if this didn't arrive while you were gone." Maho said, presenting a folded piece of paper in her hand. Miho jumped in the air with glee.

"Another message? From mom?!"

Maho shushed her.

"Oh...right. Sorry."

"Let's sit on our bed and I'll read it out loud. I haven't read it yet."

Though the enclave all the children were in was surrounded by a wall, determined parents managed to smuggle things for their children. For Miho and Maho, their mother sent messages whenever she could find the opportunity. It times like this that they truly felt like children. Maho cleared her throat and began reading out loud the letter.

"My dearest darlings. Your letter to me has found me well. I've read it again and again, with smiles and tears, and stowed it safely with the others. They give me the strength to keep going, hearing from you two. The day will come when we will hold each other in our arms again. I don't know when or how, but it will happen. The bond between a mother and her child will make it so, for it is more powerful than anything in the universe. I hope that since your last letter, things have been going as well as things can be. For me, things have been going okay. There hasn't been an inspection at our block for some time now, which put some people here at ease but has made others paranoid. I'm a bit of both. But don't worry too much about me. Your main focus ought to be each other. Stay by side no matter what. Miho, Maho, I love you both with all my heart. Till we write again."

Once she finished reading, Maho folded back up the letter neatly and stored it in a safe place, as their mother did.

"I miss her, Maho. It's been years since we've last seen her."

"Don't even remind me," she said stoically. "The day we got separated still aches my heart."

The then readied for bed. Neither of them had any sleepwear. The only attire they had was the blue denim boiler suits that everyone on Earth had to wear. The lights were turned off and blankets pulled over them as they laid in bed. Maho held her sister close to her.

"Will we ever see mom again?" Miho asked quietly.

"She said it in her letters," Maho replied, staring up at the ceiling. "We will see mom again."