"I can generate interference whenever I want! Are you sure you want to do this?!" Dimitry shouted through his portable intercom or whatever he was using.

"You're the one closing the doors to corner yourself." Jorge replied from the camera room.

"I mean... surrender to a quick and painless death! Or fight and suffer, knowing they'll never fix those trains. Now, enough talking to me, it's time to listen to me... Yes, I will make myself heard..."

"One last question, Dimitry. What do you like more? Being called naive or foolish? Faraday, finish him, he's trapped, all yours. He closed the last door from the inside; the most he can do is deactivate the communication system and..." Jorge responded confidently until something startled him. "OH MY GOD! Faraday! I'm seeing him through one of the cameras! And he's wearing..."

An electric pitch noise is heard before the connection cuts off.

One last door, as I was charging my energy, an explosion burst from the inside before I could break it down.

It was that orange suit...

"Communications interface online. Have a very safe day."

I tried to get up as I heard him speaking in front of me.

"Do you like it?! It's a little gift I borrowed from your precious rebel base. They should take better care of their things."

When I managed to stand up, I saw him jump five meters away and run behind the containers.

Dimitry moved at violent speeds, but his steps were noisy. He had a machinegun with a grenade launcher in hand, but I was sure he had more things attached to his suit.

I waited for him in a corner and managed to leap onto him, trying to attack up close, but he pushed me away with a burst of bullets. I tried to heal my wounds while listening to the madness pouring out of his mouth.

"The real reason there's so much combine surveillance is because of people like you! We need to collaborate! Stop crying over the past! This is the future we have to live in! Adapt is the only possible and right choice!"

I saw him over the containers as he jumped. He stopped, aimed at me, and tried to shoot while moving, although his accuracy was lacking due to inexperience and nerves, maybe one, maybe both.

My energy managed to knock him down from where he was.

"Think that's all?! This suit is filled with Vortigaunt blood! You're no different than roaches stuck to the soles of their boots!"

I heard him approaching from behind. I charged a beam, but at the same time, I saw a grenade heading towards me.

I exploded the grenade in the air, both of us were pushed back.

He pulled the trigger, but all that could be heard was an empty magazine.

"Fuck... Hey! You know what?" he said as he prepared his shotgun, "I'll rip your head off when I'm done with you! You're a worthless piece of shit! When the Combine came, your kind weren't so aggressive around humans anymore! They were obedient! They even learned our language as they should have! The Benefactors respect us! Not you!"

I healed myself with what little remains of the last larva of an antlion I had in my harness. I see him peeking, he fires his shotgun, I dodge, counter with my power.

"They provided us with order against the chaos humanity had brought! The world has a long history of failures! Why do you care now about what aliens do to us?! Do you want everything for yourself?! No! No! I won't let your kind take my lands!"

It was as if every blow I landed didn't matter to him, but I could see the current passing through his suit.

"Monsters! Many-eyed monsters! With their shit-colored skin and noises from hell!"

One last blow would be enough.

He leaps forward and shoots at point-blank range.

I do the same with all my might.

He keeps going, losing balance upon impact. I almost ran out of strength after the shotgun blast. He was on the ground and I still had my claws.

"Warning: Electrical damage detected." The suit emitted.

I stumbled forward, placing a foot on his chest.

"Go on... Kill me, kill me like you did with my family," he gasped in a tearful tone.

For some reason, I couldn't do it. It was as simple as clawing at his face. But I felt it wasn't right. All I did was collapse onto the ground near him.

I hear familiar footsteps, Jorge was on his way.

"Faraday! Are you okay?"

Jorge moves the shotgun on the ground and approaches me.

"There's a group of rebels entering the building. Let me see." Jorge gently puts his hands on my shoulders. "Oh god... What a mess, you look terrible. Take this medkit."

I spread a green gel capsule over my body, which revitalizes me. I can't do much on my own anymore.

"Thank you..."

"And what about him? Weren't you planning to damage the Freeman's suit?"

"No, it's not that. I feel like I'm not a good judge in this situation."

"You've killed dozens of times before. What's different about him?" Jorge frowned. "Why him?"

"He's afraid of the resistance. We could show him that we're trustworthy."

"I don't know if they can trust him, especially after what he's done."

"I hear them!" Amid screams of pain, Dimitry lifts his torso. "No! They'll see me as a traitor, the Combine will take me as a deserter. I'd rather die as a hero! Be their Gordon Freeman!"

Jorge clenches his teeth and responds;

"Shut up! Please, just shut up..." Jorge's tone changes to a more compassionate one. "They don't even know you exist, you're just another slave. No matter what you do, it won't be enough until you've making your part to be extinguished."

"You don't understand..."

Three women arrive at the scene.

"Girls! Is that... Gordon?"

"No, it's the guy who left recordings in the city, but he's wearing the stolen suit."

"We need to remove it carefully. It's damaged around here, near the arms."

"And what about the jump module? The one they said he looted. Is it in the suit?"

"It's smoking, looks like it's fried." She points as she kneels to examine what's left of the then-dying Dimitry.

"Kill me, just kill me..." Dimitry pleaded in tears.

One of them pulls out a gun and points it directly at his face. It seemed there was nothing left to prevent it, it was too late for him.

"Faraday suggests you don't do it." Jorge said with a sigh of resignation.

"Who's Faraday?"

"None other than the Vortigaunt who stopped him." Jorge replied.

I suppose ending him was the best thing to do, but I couldn't do it myself. I felt responsible for the image he had formed of us. This was the consequence of having been slaves; we were scapegoats, guinea pigs for someone else.

But no one felt the same remorse. They only cared about the emblematic suit of The Freeman. Although they didn't kill Dimitry either, he ended up unconscious from his injuries.

"What will we do to repair the damage?"

"We could probably take him to Doctor Kleiner."

"Do you know where he is?"

"No, but we could ask Ross. The train stations are up and running, and Barney is on his way with supplies for here and other cities."

"They must be cut off."

"They're regular tracks, the Combine doesn't control all of them, especially those that are unused."

"We'll figure out what to do, let's take all of this with us."

Jorge stands up and interrupts.

"Ladies, everything's fine with this 'shipping plan', but could you also help my friend?"

"He's right, let's go to the train station and see what we can do."