So I'm thinking that I might abandon this project, as it's not turning out quite how I pictured it (Or at least leaving for a time and then returning). I have another in mind, also Half-Life centered, that I think is a much better concept, personally. But, I figured I'd let whoever's still reading, especially Atomic Poe, decide.

In a dark kitchen, somewhere deep inside the Citadel, Shepard lay still. There was no noise, save for the clicking of dress shoes on metal. A man, wearing a dark suit and holding a briefcase, approached the body.

He knelt next to the former marine, and presses his free hand to his forehead. Closing his eyes, he concentrated. A moment later, Shepard coughed. He rolled over, and looked at the man.

"You…" He breathed.

"Yes, me," The G-man said, his voice raspy yet smooth in Shepard's ears, "And you…you need to be more careful."

"What the fuck do you want with me?" Shepard asked, clambering to his feet.

"Personally… nothing. In fact, I find this whole situation rather…distasteful. But, you see…the three of you are my most promising subjects."

"What?"

"The…incident…several years ago. I abducted two men from the site: Yourself, and Gordon Freeman," He continued, noting that Shepard stiffened at the mention of Gordon's name, "My employers deemed that you two should go through the aftermath…untouched…And yet…for all of that…we failed. For you see, there was a much more…miraculous survivor. A security guard…by the name of Barney Calhoun. He survived Black Mesa, without any help from myself…or my…employers, and managed to save several others…with him."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Shepard demanded, "What employers?"

"That…I cannot say. But Mister Calhoun has become quite an…experiment…with them. They say he has…potential…as do you, as does Freeman." The G-man said.

"So…um…" Shepard mumbled, not sure what to say or do.

"My employers have decided to…pit you against each other, a game…of sorts. Personally, I find it…distasteful…a waste."

"So we're your fucking gladiators?" Shepard asked, becoming angry.

"In a sense…yes. But do not worry, for only one of you is…allowed to perish in this…contest. I find it a waste of good…employees…but I am in the…minority…here. If my little…journey…to bring you back is noticed…I will be sharply…reprimanded. So my visit also serves as a…warning to you, Corporal Shepard. Do not be so…foolish…again, for I will not return to save you. And should you manage to…eliminate another player…you will be saved, and returned to storage."

"Fuck your storage!" Shepard cried, remembering the deep, empty void. He would not go back there again. But the G-man did not listen to his words, already fading away.

"Goodbye, Corporal Shepard. Pray we do not meet again soon," And he was gone. Shepard sat back against the stove, a deeper level of thought coming on.

Barney sprinted across the train yard, cannon fire tearing up the ground around him. He slid to a stop, ending under a train car. He could feel the car shaking, as the gunship strafed over it. As the roar of the engines faded into the distance, Barney made his move. Clutching the pulse rifle to his chest, he rolled out from under the train car, scanning the sky for the gunship. He saw it ahead, slowly turning around for another run.

He hurried to his feet, bolting back across the train yard. He heard the gunship approaching, and then the cannon firing. The bolts crashed around him, but he kept running. Up ahead, he saw his target. He dove under the water tower, grabbing one of the beams for support. He watched the gunship keep going, and bolted again.

He scrambled onto a concrete ledge, leading into a footpath for a tunnel. The gunship swerved, following. Barney sprinted down the tunnel, but heard the ship enter behind him. Dedicated fucker! He thought.

The thought turned to a loud curse as the cannon began to fire. The bolts tore up everything around him, shattering concrete and melting dirt. Barney screamed at the noise, increased one hundred-fold inside the tunnel.

Suddenly, he heard a sound that put a smile on his face: The horn of a train. He kept running, covering his head with his hand. A moment later, he saw the massive headlights. His non-regulation watch gleamed on his wrist, showing that it was around noon. That was perfect; it meant nobody would be on the train, except for the members of the Combine Overwatch.

Barney pumped all of his muscles, trying to get as far ahead as possible. He heard the train horn blaring, and the immediate explosion. The shockwave stumbled Barney, but he kept running. Fire rippled through the tunnel, burning everything the gunship hadn't. But Barney kept running, closing his eyes against the heat.

Eventually, he no longer felt the fires at his back. Sweating profusely, he sank back against the wall, casting a look at the wreckage behind him. The train was ruined, bent in places it shouldn't and on fire. All the windows were blown, as well as the doors. The gunship was gone, there were no remains. Barney chuckled. After several minutes, he stood up, and began walking away from the destruction, looking for an exit.

Shepard sat against the stove for a long time. On one hand, he did not wish to return to that damn void. On the other, he did not particularly like the sound of being killed. It seemed slightly more appealing than the G-man's "storage", he admitted.

"What the hell am I doing?" He muttered to himself, getting to his feet. He had one, and only one, purpose in life now: To utterly destroy Gordon Freeman. Survival was unimportant, as long as the man who had destroyed his life faced the same fate. For that, he had to get rid of all of Freeman's friends; the men and women Breen had given him. He went over the list in his head.

Eli Vance, Alyx Vance, Isaac Kleiner, Judith Mossman, Barney Calhoun…the G-man mentioned Calhoun, Shepard remembered, shakily walking out of the kitchen, And of course, Gordon Freeman. It is a shame that all of these men and women, who likely fight for my very race, must die, so that my personal vendettas can be taken care of.

He cursed himself, silently. What the fuck is wrong with me? These are men and women who fight for humanity itself, and I want to kill them, just to hurt Freeman! Disgusted with himself, he picked up his fallen Magnum. He produced one bullet from his pocket, loading it into the chamber. Setting the chambers into place, he pulled the hammer back.

I am a sick son of a bitch, He thought, moving the barrel to his mouth, The greatest chances for my people to regain their freedom, and I want to murder them. This is not what I joined the fucking marines for!

Of course, I didn't join the marines to murder hundreds of innocent civilians, to maintain a cover-up. But I did that. Who am I to decide those people's fate? Who am I to decide these people's fate? I want to destroy Freeman, so why don't I just send him back into the void? Any longer, and I would have lost my mind!

He knew he had the power to do that, as well. Placing his finger on the trigger of the revolver, he squeezed. Nothing happened. He drew back the hammer again, and pulled the trigger. Still nothing. Three more times he did this, to no avail. Finally, he pulled the hammer again, knowing the bullet would be in this one.

Instead of a bullet, all he got in his mouth was hot powder. With a loud curse, he flung the gun away, screaming. The gun his misfired, simply spitting out gunpowder and burning his tongue.

"I would advise you not to do that," The voice of the G-man wafted through the air.

"Fuck you!" Shepard yelled, standing up. But the voice was gone. Shepard cursed again, ending with a growl and a yell. He kicked the wall.

"Good choice, Corporal Shepard…" The voice of the G-man purred, and disappeared. Shepard cursed for a third time, loudly.