Alright, I'm gonna introduce a new character now. Bear with me.
Now, this takes place about 3 months before Gordon Freeman is removed from stasis, note the Combine are slightly more humane now as the resistance has not yet been formed entirely.
Yes, I know I suck.
The train stopped with a satisfying 'thump' as it hit the concrete edge. During the trip, Amanda fell asleep and was just beginning to come to. Unfortunately, Malcolm just became more and more drowsy and yet he couldn't sleep, he felt.. obliged to keep these unsuspecting citizens safe, some foreign loyalty against the Combine.
No, he thought. He didn't want to become a stalker with metal legs, best to live out his days as best he could in this horrible city.
Damn that Breen.
He was shook from thought as the other citizens began to rise, grabbing their luggage and items, and continuing on to--
"parts unknown, welcome to City 17. It's safer here." said the voice of his uncle through a large hologram thing that he hadn't the slightest clue how it was made.
After that, he himself got up with Amanda still behind him.
"Malcolm!" she called out, tossing a pen towards him. "You forgot this." she said with a wink.
A weapon! Why would he ever think of attacking the Combine? Hell, he wanted to so very much, yet there was no way he'd kill one. Exiting the train into the surprisingly fresh air, he sighed deeply and continued on, ignoring the Breencast overhead. A strange creature sat opposite a barbed wire, under watch of a Civil Protection unit. It was sweeping up garbage into a pile while muttering some guttural language.
"Malcolm.. Thank you for everything. But.. I'm going to stay here and wait for Mark. See you around, hopefully." she added with a pat. He replied with a nod and continued his way.
The next area was some sort of food court, with a large concessional stand in the middle. One woman at a stall, reading a Combine newspaper titled 'C17 – MEDIA'.
He walked up to her, and tapped on the counter.
"Hello?" he asked the woman, who looked up with strained eyes.
"Would you like a chocolate bar or something else to make you forget?"
"What?"
"Never mind. Word to the wise, though. Don't buy ANYTHING the Combine sell at their little stores. They'll be shut down soon enough anyway and that old ration machine will be the only damn food source. Ever tasted that crap?"
She paused, and looked closer at him.
"You look different. You aren't..?"
"No. NO!" he said, surprised by her question.
"..American?" she asked, giving a chuckle.
"Freak." she muttered, looking back towards her paper.
He continued around the corner, before being grabbed by a man looking to be in his late 50s.
"Resist." the man whispered, before Malcolm ripped away from his grip. A large chain-link fence made room for a line to form towards a large operation area. One route said 'Nova Prospekt', the other reading 'City 17'. It was up to the camera, he thought.
Walking towards the entrance, which was empty, a large camera came from a wall panel, and took a few shots. Moments later, a mechanical voice stated 'Malcolm Breen', followed by 'Relocated from City 11. Apartment block 56.' it continued to read his basics, such as credits he got for certain objects, and his security clearance. All 'neutral'. Then, finally, it said 'Enter' as a Civil Protection unit pulled him in, and pushed him out the other way. As he rounded the corner, he saw a CP with her gun drawn (as the voice commands she was shouting were less deep).
"Don't shoot!" the man shouted. He had short black hair and looked of Indian origin.
The CP ignored it, and turned towards Malcolm. "You! Stay there!" she shouted to him, Malcolm doing as he was told. She yelled at the man to get on the ground and keel, in an almost execution-like-manner. The man did so with apparent grief, his hands shaking voilently. She moved towards Malcolm, her pistol shoved in his face, like an annoying animal. She circled him, and began searching for weapons.
He thought he was screwed, he had a pen half-sticking out of his pocket, after all. And, as if completing his fears, she found it.
She screamed something in a foreign language-- sounded Chinese, and shot a bullet past his head, prompting her to reload. In a hassle, he grabbed the pen and did exactly what Amanda gave him it for..
He brought the pen down upon the Civil Protection unit with incredible force, getting her in the neck. Overwhelmed, she tripped on a nearby bottle and fell to the ground, grabbing her throat. She gagged and gagged, until finally she stopped breathing. Within moments, an alert came from her radio.
"Civil unit Sagun-G67, life signs lost. Interpretation, response code three" it said in a calm English accent. Malcolm was now a fugitive, if they found him. He had to run, he had to. The man he had 'saved' nodded in thanks, and then ran for his life, as did Malcolm.
Now was a maze of walls and corners filled with propaganda and citizens, they were almost there..
However, as he turned the final corner, he met the face of the man he hated-- Breen himself.