Author's Note: Ok, I updated a little quicker that usual, but it's up now. This chapter has been removed and edited a couple of times, but its fully re-edited now. This will be final, and then I will be moving on to chapter 3. I've also made Adrian sound more like a soldier, since before he sounded like an angry teenager. Enjoy!
Recruitment-
Adrian Shepard awoke from his deep slumber only to find he was still inside the Osprey helicopter. He looked out the passenger window, and hated the same monotonous background of the empty vastness of space. He wondered how long he was sitting on the metallic bench supported by chains nailed into the Osprey wall on both ends of the bench. The fates of the previous occupants he could not fathom. Although he had an idea either aliens or black ops killed them. He looked at his timepiece, but to his surprise the hands of the watch were not moving. He stared out the window, expecting to see the same blackness and infinite amount of stars. But of course things were never as they seemed ever since he met that creepy government representative. The scenery changed from space to the New Mexican desert. He turned around to lay eyes with his squad leader.
"Sit your ass down Shepard!" The Sergeant boomed.
Adrian didn't hesitate, his training already taking effect. He sat back down on the bench. Right next to him was his squad mate Chavez. On the bench across from his sat the other members of the team, Tower, Goush, and some other grunt he didn't know about. It's like he was reliving the past.
"What the hell is happening?" Adrian asked loud enough for the whole team to hear him.
The sergeant seemed to be the only person who noticed what Adrian was saying, but the rest still continued their talk and jokes.
"Well as least I know time has shifted backwards." Adrian said impatiently. But the team still didn't notice. The sergeant glared at Adrian.
"Why is nobody listening?" Adrian asked the sergeant, seeing he was the only one who took attention.
The squad leader took his gaze off Adrian and muttered something under his breath. Adrian got up to beat some sense into the sergeant, but when he got up, some unknown force pushed him back down on the bench.
"What the-" Adrian wasn't able to finish his sentence as he stared in shock as his whole entire team turned in vortigaunts.
All five of them charged up their electrical attacks. Adrian whipped out his combat knife. He charged at the alien slave that took his sergeant's place and slashed at the large red eye in the middle of it's head. The slave fell off the Osprey and the other slaves unleashed their attacks simultaneously. The lightning strikes all hit Adrian on his PCV vest. The vest absorbed the entire attack, but the impact sent Adrian flying out the Osprey and into the canyon below. Adrian kept falling for what seemed like forever.
"Stop playing with my mind!" Adrian yelled to no one in particular.
That didn't stop whatever was happening, he just kept falling further down. All of a sudden, the world just blackened out. He fell right on an invisible floor, or he thought it was invisible since the entire place was pitch black. He painfully got up, but found he wasn't dead, when he should have been liquefied from the seemingly thousand-foot drop. A door then opened about twenty feet away from him. A strong beam of white light streamed through the opening, blinding Adrian, who became so accustomed to the dark. He heard someone slowly stepping toward him. Thinking it was hostile, he attempted to throw his knife at whatever it was. In the middle of the motion, the knife melted, which scorched and burned Adrian's right hand, making him scream in pain.
"Feels revitalizing doesn't it?" A familiar voice inquired.
"Damn you!" Adrian screamed, knowing it was the government man, the bastard who put him in this hellhole in the first place.
"Well, I seem to have that effect on everybody I meet." The g-man said.
"What the hell do you want with me you little shit?" Adrian asked in anger, wishing he could kill this freak right now.
"If you really want to know, ask in a proper manner worthy of the likes of me."
"Alright, why do you want me in here?"
"As you can see, I'm not no ordinary human." Said the g-man, smirking.
"I don't see how you are, you can just be some human allied with the aliens, and then you got some special "power" for doing so."
"I beg to differ Mr. Shepard. How do think I'm able to teleport here and there? Do you even know where you are now?"
"No, but I have an idea I'm in some void."
"Close enough, but I don't think you'd have the patience to hear it anyway."
"Who are you... what are you?"
"If I told you, I would have to kill you wouldn't I? But you prove too useful for me to do that. Noting that you stopped the "Race X" invasion upon Black Mesa, I think you would be interested to be in my organization's employment."
"Now why would I want to do that? As far as I'm concerned, you're not going to make me do anything that will go against my country."
"You have no choice."
"I sure as hell have a choice, you got no damn authority over me."
Adrian got up and tried to tackle the g-man. But when he was a few inches for him, he was thrown back yet again by something he never would understand. It was almost like when he tried to attack the fake sergeant on the osprey. He slowly got up, blood already coming out of his mouth from internal bleeding. He knew all efforts to injure this strange alien-like figure would be futile. Adrian would die if not by starvation, his wounds. Worse yet, by insanity. He decided to submit to the g-man's request.
"That's much better Mr. Shepard, I knew you would change your mind. Besides, I don't think any sane human would like to stay in this black, desolate void all by themselves forever."
"I have nothing to say."
"No regrets Mr. Shepard. Like they say, salvation is always behind the lighted doorway."
And with that, Adrian Shepard walked through the open door way to his doom. There was something wrong in doing this he knew, for he was betraying his own species. He would do many things to live. Yet he would find some way to avert whatever the government, or alien, representative's intentions were. Based on prior knowledge, he knew that these "plans" are not going to help America, or Earth for that matter. But for now, he had to play along to keep the g-man's eyes off him...
The Administrator's cell phone rang. He picked it up and to his approval; it was his associate, Estar, who was also known as the "g-man". Of course the snake-like voice always proved it was Estar who called. There was no doubt.
"Everything is going as planned. All the known survivors of Black Mesa are now employed in your service." Estar assured.
"Very good Estar, I knew you'd pull through. How many are there?" The Administrator asked.
"In total, nine survived. Six were caught, and four joined our little corporation. The other three escaped."
"Be a little specific. What happened to the two that didn't concur? And who were the three people that escaped?"
"The two who disagreed, were the scientists Walter Bennett and Henry Graph. Due to their impudence, they were disposed of. As for the escapees, they slipped through our barricades. Two of them are scientists, and one was a rouge Black Op operative. The names of the scientists were verified as Eli Vance, and Isaac Kleiner. The identity of the Black Op agent remains unknown for now. I'll look into it."
"No Estar, forget it. Leave the three alone, they are of no threat to us. They don't contain any knowledge of us anyway. Although I'd like to know the reactions of the four who were employed."
"Nothing really surprising. The most promising of them is Gordon Freeman."
"You mean the scientist who killed the Nihilanth?"
"Correct." Estar answered.
"Go on then."
"His submission was smooth, he showed no sign of retaliation. The second, whom I personally favored, was the marine Adrian Shepard. He showed much denial, and he attempted to fight me, but of course I put him in his place. The third, a security guard of Black Mesa, is Barney Calhoun. He had a shootout with some of our Black Ops who were guarding the border so, but our they took care of it. A few tranquilization darts did the trick. As for the last of them, is Dr. Michael Rosenberg. He is the only one who knows of our operations, but we…made him silent for the time being."
"Well, thank you for your thorough work Estar. I will contact you tomorrow."
"Very well then." Estar said ending the conversation.
The Administrator shut off his cell phone. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he felt Estar was hiding something from him. He dismissed the thought and went about his business.
End: Recruitment