The train was packed with people, probably taken from other stations. The one silver lining was that for once there were no guards in the coaches themselves, so at least we had a small amount of freedom to move and speak.
"Where are they taking us?" A passenger asked.
"One of the cities, I'm guessing," another replied.
I approached. "Cities?" I asked.
"I heard the Combine have been rounding up people and forcing them into cities. They're more like prisons."
"You think that's bad? I just hope we're not going to Nova Prospekt."
"Nova Prospekt?"
"It might just be a rumor, but word is the Combine took an old prison and they've been repurposing it for… something. People who go in don't come out, and if they do, they're not the same."
The train finally stopped at a long platform leading to a metal gate. The doors opened, and I heard a voice call out "all passengers, please exit the train."
I stepped off the train… but not onto the platform.
Instead, I found myself stepping into a dark void. I looked back, just in time to see the train doors close behind me and disappear.
In its place, a figure emerged. It was the Man in the Blue Suit.
"Maya Bishop, I must say you have performed extraordinarily."
I stared at the man, confused.
"What exactly did I do."
"Do not worry about your… friends…" he continued, apparently trying to dodge my question. "I assure you they are in…capable hands. In time you will understand that your actions have helped shape many things. One of them will be… quite valuable in things to come."
"What happened to them?" I asked. "Kleiner, Otis, Grimsberg?"
"That is not your concern. I must admit my employers were initially… concerned about your… inquisitive nature. You ask a lot more questions than some of my other… shall we say… employees. But you have proven yourself to be quite valuable. I may have use for you in the future."
"So what happens now?"
"Now, you will stand by and wait for… further instructions."
Next thing I knew I was back on the platform, looking at an uninviting gate occupied by another Combine guard. I approached.
"GET IN!" The Guard said, dismissively. I walked through.
Just as I did, I heard him yell "STOP!"
I turned to see a man at the gate being stopped by the guard.
"What is this? What's wrong?"
The guard proceeded to slam a baton over his head, knocking him to the ground. He then turned towards me with and simply said. "Nothing to see here, MOVE IT!"
I turned and walked into the station. In a large room, there was a huge screen displaying the face of a man. A man in a grey jacket over a black shirt.
"Welcome to City 42. I understand that many of you are confused about recent events," the man said.
"This has all happened so suddenly. But I can assure you that the Combine have nothing but the best interest in us. They are our benefactors. We must trust the Combine. We must trust our benefactors. We must understand that while it may not always be clear how, they will do good in the long run.
Now there are some changes that will come with their new leadership. We have been reorganizing our citizens into groups that we feel will be better suited to live together. It may seem difficult to be separated from friends or family, but I assure you this is for your own good.
The Combine also intend to set up a suppression field that will temporarily halt our reproductive capabilities. I understand this may cause anxiety, so I must stress that this is a temporary measure that will ultimately be for the better. In order to improve, we must overcome our biological impulses.
So whether you are passing through or arriving here as a permanent resident, welcome to City 42."
When I left, I noticed that man was everywhere, and when I began talking to the citizens, I soon learned his name: Wallace Breen.
The same Wallace Breen I heard about at Black Mesa. The same man who sold out his employees to save himself from a government cover-up. And now here he was, a puppet leader for the Combine, enjoying wealth and luxury while the rest of us were forced into these ghettos crudely built on the ruins of once-thriving cities.
As the days wore on, the combine soldiers I had seen started to disappear. Instead, a new soldier replaced them, one that had a human shape. But while it may have had a human form, its inhumanity was betrayed by the thick armor and gas masks they always wore, and the distorted voices they spoke with. Before long, they began to replace the alien guards, but they were every bit as cruel.
And now here we are, slaves on our own world. The Combine control everything, and they do everything in their power to break us. Every day is a struggle to get by, to not draw the attention from the guards.
Sometimes it all seems so hopeless, but there are a few of us who have managed to achieve small victories. We smuggle food and medicine, and sometimes help others to escape the city. We've built networks in the canals gathering intel on the Combine. Anything we can take advantage of. We are the resistance. We are prepared to die if it gets us any victory on the Combine. I only hope I live to see the day we can strike a true blow to the Combine Forces.
I have not heard from Grimsberg or Otis. I can only hope they are either alive and helping their own resistances, or dead and freed from the Combine's grip. There are other whispers among the resistance about Kleiner, however. Supposedly, he has been continuing his research and using it to help others escape to a sanctuary called Ravenholme.
And the man in the blue suit? That strange man who had been following me since I first left my Santego Base? I have not seen him since I arrived in City 42. I don't know if I will see him again. Somehow I both hope and fear that that he will someday return. All I know is that one day he may have further instructions. It may be tomorrow; it may be next week. It may not be for another twenty or thirty years. He seems to keep his own time, wherever or whenever he is.
As far as the Combine are concerned, I am just Citizen 24601. But I am Maya Bishop, a soldier ready to make a difference in the world.
Subject: Maya Bishop
Status: On Duty
Awaiting Further Assignment