Prologue: Hyperborea


I was alone, riding a weaponized Icebreaker into the heart of a Disparate world. An immense light dazzling my eyes. catching a cosmic view of a brilliantly glittering Dyson sphere. Funnily enough I only now realized the vastness of the Combines power, the futility of humanity's struggle, blossomed briefly across my awareness. I saw everything. Mainly how the Borealis, our most powerful weapon, would register as less than a fizzling match head as it blew itself apart. And what remained of me would be even less than that… reaching for a helmet long lost to the black mesa facility, I let out a sigh, and for what felt like the first time in weeks, I broke my non-existent vow of silence, "so this is it." I remarked, to nobody in particular, the

Government–man having already swooped in to save Alyx, not unlike our first meeting in the borderworld. Despite everything that had transpired in the weeks since, I still felt those first words permanently burned to my synapses: "Gordon Freeman in the flesh. Or rather, in the hazard suit. I took the liberty of relieving you of your weapons; most of them were government property. As for the suit, I think you've earned it."

Those words, leaving the Government-man's mouth with a quality, not unlike a broken cassette tape, every syllable harsh and unnatural, as if the first attempt at speaking Spanish from a book.

"The borderworld, Xen, is in our control for the time being, thanks to you. Quite a nasty piece of work you managed over there. I am impressed… That's why I'm here, Mr. Freeman. I have recommended your services to my employers, and they have authorised me to offer you a job. They agree with me that you have limitless potential."

Limitless potential… At this point I had no clue, what sick twist of fate, that one phrase had conveyed, limitless from the perspective of who? This boat Armed with nothing but the bootstrap device was anything but limitless, I would cause the Combine pain equivalent to a stubbed toe, if even that… I looked out at my impending doom looming across the very fabric of my perception, the source of power the sphere fed off, radiated a gravity well impossible to break away from,

I covered my face, windows blowing out under the strain, even the rotors and joints of my HEV were whining with the effort of holding me up, I looked down through the window holes now acting as the floor, the helm of the Borealis itself began to cave under the crushing force, loose pieces of ship peeling off, descending to meet the wall of the megastructure.

Briefly I felt the Vortigaunts attempt to fish me out of my personal hell, but alas not even they could muster the strength to pull me from my nuclear casket, I allowed them to feel my thanks for their vain efforts, it felt good to know that even in what would be my final moments someone still cared, seeing the titanic spheres hull rush up to meet me, I closed my eyes and uttered what would be my last words: "And this, is where I get off."

From an outside perspective, the borealis streaked towards the sphere like a bolt of brilliant teal lightning, a comet's tail of debris being pulled into the sphere, not unlike a star being devoured by a black hole, the moment the ship struck home, the ship went nova, the bootstrap device collapsing into a singularity, before emitting the output of 9.1 x 75 to the power of 95800 Centillion joules of energy in a fraction of a second, the dyson sphere and star within being reduced to their fundamental particles instantly, annihilating everything its path, it was to put it simply, like blowing out a candle, it was as if nothing had been there to begin with, save for the afterglow of Vacuum decay ending this branch of the Combine empire.

All was quiet.