I am apprehensive in calling the state I was in a kind of 'slumber' because I was neither asleep nor awake.

It also felt like I was neither dead nor alive; my motor functions halted indefinitely like I had been simply turned off. It was like I was a vacuum cleaner unit being stuffed away into a closet, left in here until a possible eternity's end, though it wasn't like I would have noticed. Time did not exist here in the removed realm I was in―I was still spatially aware of that much.

I, somehow, was able to tell that I remained permanently fixed in the precise moment after the entity had left me alone here. I was in suspended animation, scarcely able to conceptualise a time beyond or before this moment. It was as if the longer I was removed from time itself, the less my mind and body factored it into anything. Eternities over could have passed by during this unending brief moment of uninterrupted silence and stillness and I would have been none the wiser. Though, I am slightly remiss to say this given how truly mortifying this period of time was (or rather lack thereof), I feel that this was still a lesser terror than being sealed inside a crystal like a mosquito trapped in amber.

And yet, despite the measures taken to ensure that I did not leave this realm of indefinite confinement, it seemed that something might have slipped past the suited entity's detection. Eventually, amid these perpetual few seconds, an extra second felt like it had been added to its runtime. And then another, and then another, and then another.

Before I could fully realise it, my arms felt like they came back into existence again, fizzling to life as blazing tendrils of green energy flickered and buzzed around them. It was this same crackling energy that seemed to stir the rest of my inanimate body awake, all the way from my ears to my toes. I took in a passive but lengthy gasp as I regained my autonomy, gazing in wonderment at the energy swirling around my forearms like curling waves of a calm shoreline.

My vision and hearing felt like they were waking up a little slower than the rest of my body, but I regained full consciousness soon enough. My recent memories also gradually returned to the forefront of my mind, which stirred the insatiable desire to escape wherever this was by any means. Unlike the Krazoa Palace, I felt that I actually had a shot at breaking free myself this time.

How exactly I was channelling this vortal magic so spontaneously I wasn't too concerned about it at the moment; an instinct was telling me that this energy was fleeting. I needed to make the absolute most of it if I wanted any shot at freedom without alerting the entity. I just wish I knew if such an even existed in this bloody void.

Nevertheless, I had to move and explore. I was now able to navigate in a realm that was beyond time, so perhaps a way out was much closer than I hoped if I was never meant to move where I was. Nothing more that I could do other than hope and keep my eyes open.

Moving around in this void was strange, for there wasn't any ground to stand on. After a few failed attempts at a method of locomotion, I discovered that performing a sort of breaststroke motion with my arms worked more favourably in allowing me to cover more groundless ground, which I somehow could tell was happening despite no visual feedback whatsoever. It was an uncanny experience like I was swimming in the deepest depths of a trench at the bottom of an ocean. The lack of crushing pressure was refreshing along with the lack of a need to actually breathe.

When it seemed like I was simply going to be swimming through an endless black abyss until the magic wore off, something, at last, began to pierce through the unending inky horizon. Its shape was globular and hazy, but I could tell it was rather large. I waded towards it with invigorated determination; more and more of its details began to make themselves out the closer I got, eventually arriving at a point where I was able to see that this might have been a large vehicle―or rather, the basis of one.

It almost looked like an aerial vehicle that was tannish in colour, but the wings protruding out the sides of the roof only seemed to partially exist, fading away before they could be fully realised. This seemed to be the case for much of this vehicle; what means of propulsion that would have made it mobile did not manifest, not that it wasn't fully assembled. It was a boxy structure that only imitated the vehicle almost like a film prop. It wasn't meant to be viewed on the outside.

However, the suggestion of a cargo bay was obvious by the doorway near the end of this shell, where a muted red light inside dimly illuminated the hollow interior. Having that be a natural point of interest, I decided to peer inside and investigate. After a few long strokes, I arrived at this peculiar find which looked and felt as tangible as I was and peeked inside.

Flanking both sides of the interior were two sets of three seated benches facing each other, and the one on the other side of the interior had an occupant. I gasped without inhalation in surprise at the sight of a human man sitting as still as a statue in one of the seats. I sensed that he wasn't conscious, which nudged me to go inside to take a closer look at him.

His whole body was semi-transparent, though I was able to make out faint details of a patterned uniform, a bulky vest, and a respirator mask completely covering his face along with a helmet atop his head. The vapidness and the near-lifeless energy emitting from him unsettled me tremendously. I just stood before him in contemplative silence, unsure of what I should do. I felt greatly inclined to help him, but I was reluctant to given the unnatural state he was in.

I soon looked to my hands as the vortal energy continued to flare like streaks of comforting fire around my forearms. It was this energy that seemed to be keeping me mobile and allowing continuity to persist. I began to wonder if I could extend this power to another who desperately needed it.

Not seeing many other options available to me, I carefully began to reach my hand out to my fellow prisoner. Before I could lay a glowing finger on him, all of my senses flared with intense danger as I whipped my head sharply to my left to see the suited entity standing right in front of the cargo bay door. The scowl he was sending directly at me with those harrowing glowing rings in his eyes was one of tremendous condemnation.

"Y-You are…not…s-supposed to…be here…" he warned, cocking a disapproving eyebrow. His anger appeared to worsen that slight speech impediment he had, or perhaps his displeasure made it hard for him to commit to the act of imitating speech. He began to walk towards me with a contained wrath in each step. "Get back where you belong and forget about all…t-this…"

"Stay back!" I warned, reflexively putting my arms out in front of me, which seemed to cause the green energy enveloping them to flare with a greater intensity. This made the entity stop his stride as he gazed upon the phenomenon I was indirectly causing―or at least that's what I thought. The vortal energy was somehow making the entity keep his distance from me, suggesting a sort of vulnerability to it.

The glare and accompanying sneer he shot my way could pierce solid steel if he so chose. General Scales could only dream about making a scowl as scary as the suited entity was making right now. I knew that my little deterrent was not going to contain him, for I felt a far greater wrath on the way in response to my insolence.

Though I feared for my life, I found myself fearing for the helpless prisoner I was shielding a little bit more. I knew that I stood no chance against an alien being of this unmeasurable calibre. I had to bargain.

"You want me? Fine. You can keep me. Just let him go…" I pleaded, keeping my flaming arms raised.

The entity still stared at me with disdain, but he spared a glance at the masked man still lying half-transparently in his seat, unmoving and untouched. "I-I would not…advocate…for him, Ms…Randorn…" he said, his darkened slithery voice working extra hard to retain his billowing displeasure―once again referring to me by that hauntingly familiar name. "He is a rouge element. A hazard. Much like…y-yourself… To involve him in your case would be…unwise, on your part."

"That is my only condition," I insisted, planting my foot as firmly as I stated my plea. "Release him. I will assume his place."

I realised then that I perhaps wasn't as great a barter as I thought I was. The entity was evidently unpersuaded by my bargain and appeared even far angrier that I dared to refute his authority. He wasn't accustomed to being challenged or having control taken away from him, and I had a sickening feeling in my stomach that I was going to find out why he always had his way in just a few short moments.

But, surprisingly―and I think it was just as surprising to him―the suited entity began to smirk with consideration. It was a malevolent expression, not at all conveying empathy for my reasons. He must have noticed an unseen potential in my bargain, and that honestly only made me more worried.

"Perhaps…an…arrangement…could be made in your case…a-after all, Ms Randorn," he hummed slyly, putting his hands behind his back. A flash of white blazed my vision before I was suddenly back in the area of this realm where faint streaks of white floated past me while the entity stood before me, looking upon me with a renewed interest. And, much to my startled surprise, the masked man I had found in that shell of a vehicle was standing close behind me, though still without consciousness.

"Normally, I am not one to stake my ventures on such a lukewarm proposal, but…my e-employers, are the ultimate say in these extraordinary times. It would seem that they are willing to humour your stance, a-and, I am obliged to negotiate on their…behalf…" he said, the rings of his iris flashing deviously while his suit and skin appeared to shimmer in a technicolour shimmer.

"The…rouge…element, you have taken great affection for, will be released from our custody, a-and into yours. I would advise that you take great…care of h-him. For your sake, and for his." he explained. That smile he had been wearing waned slightly just then as his gaze seemed to press even further against mine. "However…per the terms of your plea…an exchange must still be conducted to ensure that we have a…joint…understanding…"

The entity drew his right hand from behind his back, now spontaneously holding a clump of blue fur. It was not difficult to identify that as the fur from my tail. In fact, it looked precisely like the clump I had begrudgingly snipped off my tail for Doctor Mofuni the night before I went to City Three―the same sample that he told me had gone missing.

"No…good investment is without dependable…i-insurance, Ms Randorn," he said, examining my thieved fur with interest before turning to me once again as he suddenly began to grow more distant, and the void around us began to transition into an open grassy area with a partly cloudy sky. "Rest assured; your…time…will come around again. I-In one…form…or another…"

The suited entity gave me one last devious smirk before fading out of existence, left with only the memory of his burning blue irises fresh in my memory before that faded away as well after him. Suddenly going straight from a realm beyond time to the grassy area outside the refinery was incredibly disorienting, but I realised rather quickly that that indeed was where I was now having recognised the hill that was a few hundred metres away.

I was in quite the daze having been spontaneously plopped back to Earth again and its wonderous material properties, but such a daze had been quickly shattered by the sound of a heavy thump occurring just behind me, nearly making me jump out of my sandals. I whirled around to see that the man I found in the void had been plopped here along with me, fully solid, though still very much unconscious as he now lay motionlessly on his back. I gasped in surprise as I rushed over to his side.

Kneeling, I propped his head up gently grabbed his arms and felt his wrist for a pulse. He miraculously had one, though it was faint, much more like he was sleeping than he was dying, which brought relief to me. The sounds of faint steady breathing could also be heard through his mask, which doubled my relief. After deducing that he was alive and relatively unharmed, that allowed me a generous moment to finally get a better look at what I was dealing with here and to see his features much more clearly.

The human lying unconscious before me was wearing a bulky dark vest with green straps from his backpack slung over his shoulders, as well as what looked to be a small communicator on one of the straps. He was wearing durable pants adorning a white and grey camouflage pattern, matching his short-sleeved shirt. He wore black fingerless gloves and black combat boots, along with the well-acquainted respirator mask and green helmet.

I could see his closed eyes behind the green-tinted goggles of his mask. I lifted my body a bit further away from him to gain a fuller view of his condition, gently setting his head down. He was not a sanitary fellow, as I saw plenty of dust from debris around his legs and boots, tears and snags all around his uniform, and a copious amount of yellow blood stains on his vest amongst many other areas around his body.

I had guessed that this man was military personnel of some kind―a soldier―and the evidence of nasty conflicts was present all over him. My fascination with him only grew the longer I was left to look at him. I could hardly take my eyes off of him as my hands instinctively checked my belt for my staff, which was thankfully still there―and even my shotgun was still slung over my shoulder miraculously.

"Who are you…?" I said aloud to myself. I began to wonder if it would be a while before this mysterious soldier would wake up, so my curiosity took over and I began to examine him for clues on his identity. There wasn't much to go off of at first glance, but there was a rectangular patch on his right shoulder that bore white and red stripe patterns on it along with a blue square with tiny white dots etched in the upper left corner. The patch on his other shoulder bore a black patch that contained only four yellow human letters: H.E.C.U.

As I hovered over the man's upper body during my examination, I got a glimpse of a silvery metal chain around his neck, connected to something that was hidden underneath his bulky vest. Minding my eagerness, I gently reached down and pulled up what was hidden from view: a single dog tag (though perhaps humans referred to them as something else). I had been studying and practising reading this human alphabet as much as I could during these weeks of relative downtime at Red Bay, which thankfully allowed me to read what these embossed words said―or at least what I believed they said with my limited but growing knowledge.

SHEPHARD

ADRIAN J.

545968748

USMC M

CATHOLIC

"Shephard…" I whispered to myself after reading, with that name being the only thing on the tag that I could decipher confidently. What happened next baffles me a little in hindsight, as I can usually sense whether someone begins to stir moments before they wake up. One moment, this mysterious Shephard was out could, and the next his eyes flashed open with no warning, quickly taking notice of me examining him.

I locked eyes with the newly conscious Shephard, and a tense silence ensued for several seconds as we regarded each other. His mind was initially blank, trying to register what he was looking at, not fully awake yet. But once he was, a sensational spike of fear and panic instantly overtook him, and he swiftly reeled his arm back and punched me squarely on the side of my jaw with such ferociousness that I spun around and landed on my stomach.

Though dazed from the attack that I was regrettably slow in detecting, I was able to sense a few key details about this soldier as I collapsed on the ground: he had just recently fought hordes of ferocious foes that stopped at nothing to try and kill him just moments ago (or at least he believed to be moments ago) and he regarded me as nothing more than that. While certainly shocked by the attack, I was not oblivious to Shephard jumping to his feet with the flaming intention to kill me as he rushed for me.

Instead of retaliating, I flung my hands up. "Stop!" I shouted with ferocity, fuelled by the leftover rush of my senses reacting to being assaulted. That seemed to have worked, for Shephard froze a mere second before he was about to cave my head in with one swift stomp of his boot. He had the drive and the experience; he was most certainly going to inflict no less upon me.

I initially had my eyes shut, but I could hear this man breathing heavily through his filtered mask as he restrained himself, and the sight of him standing over me, his green-tinted eyes full of burning vehemence, was enough to leave me in frightened awe. The fire in his eyes did subside however the longer he held his grit and began blinking with confusion. I could now see him looking at me more closely now that the rage was dissipating, and his eyes widened with confusion at what he saw.

Still heaving his chest like a ThornTail prepping for a charge, Shephard apprehensively began to back away from me with shaky steps as his arms lowered halfway, though his fists were still clenched. I clamped the right side of my jaw in this brief moment of truce, trying to soothe the leftover pain from that brutal self-defensive strike. Still, at least Shephard punched me there instead of knocking my teeth out.

Keeping one hand up, though, I rose to my feet and faced him with a fifteen-foot gap between us. We regarded each other for another moment, and the confused soldier's demeanour, while still riled for a fight, shifted to one of tepid amazement as he stared at me. I could see his brows knitting together through his green-tinted goggles like I was the most incredible thing he had ever seen (a look that I was all too accustomed to already).

"I'm sorry, Mister Shephard," I told him, trying to play it extra cool. "I should not have invaded your personal space like that. I had not realised you had been through so much."

Whatever contained fury was left in the soldier faded away before my eyes as he heard me speak. His fists were still up, but he had now crossed the threshold of the consideration of lowering his guard. A tremendous improvement indeed.

"I don't know what happened before I found you, but I beg of you, believe me when I say that I am not your enemy. I want to help you."

Shephard remained silent as he contemplated my plea. His loud thoughts were still rushing with questions and mistrusts that fought to influence his next set of actions in response to me, but this soldier ultimately sought reason, and I was apparently the first sight of reason he had seen in a long while, which he found almost laughably ironic if he wasn't so scared. I realised then that he truly was scared more than anything else, and I did not blame him for attacking me the way he did, so I sought to finally put his strained nerves at ease.

Perhaps that goal was working better than I expected because Shephard began to let his arms slowly fall to his sides, relaxing his tight fingers―a sight that stirred me to raise my ears a little and also lower my arm. This newfound cautioned safety also stirred Shephard to begin looking around his new surroundings. He noticed the large rusting refinery a few hundred yards behind him, and his mind began buzzing with even more questions that failed to escape his silent mouth.

However, he seemed to finally find his voice once he turned to me, with a look that conveyed uneased desperation as he began to see me as a source of reassurance. "Where am I…?" he asked quite a reasonable question. His soft voice sounded gruff through that mask, though no aggression could be sensed in it. Only leashed concern.

Something told me that my current knowledge of the land and locations I was in would not help ease that fear I could sense still welling in him, so I encouraged that he aired them instead. "Well, maybe a better question would be: what do you remember, Adrian Shephard?"

Shephard looked off distantly for a moment as he began to recall the events before his awakening here like they were coming back to him in order. "Black…Mesa… Hordes of aliens… Black Ops… The nuke… That fucking giant squid thing in the basement… And…"

His wandering eyes lifted off from the grass and winded with dread. "The government man…" he remembered. "The spook in the suit. He…saved me? No. No… He fucking trapped me. Trapped me in that… The darkness… Oh my God, I thought I'd never get out…" His arms trembled as he began to hold the sides of his head, managing to keep himself together, though it was a great feat having endured all that he did in what was only moments ago for him.

"Black Mesa…" I muttered under my breath in disbelief. He was there during the incident. In fact, now that I was looking at him, his uniform looked exactly like the ones I had seen the vortigaunts and the Freeman fight against in those visions. It was amazing to see something from those visions come to life right in front of me, but that only meant one thing. Shephard was out of his time and presently had no idea how much worse things had gotten for his planet.

"Much time has passed since you were plucked, Adrian Shephard," I told him solemnly. "Earth has not been the same since the incident you had the misfortune of experiencing firsthand."

Again, a maelstrom of questions swirled in his head after I said that, and only a couple managed to make it out as he refixed his gaze on me, which was now quickly turning to desperation. "The fuck do you mean by that?" he snapped in frustration, though I sensed it wasn't towards me―at least not intentionally. "And what the fuck are you supposed to be anyway?!"

"A fox," I answered bluntly. "Not one from your dimension, I'm afraid."

Shephard's frustration showed signs of devolving into anger, but his hands trembled, fingers curling though not into fists. He was still very scared, and that was more obvious now than at any point in our interaction. It was this state that pushed him to ask what was perhaps the most honest question I had heard anyone ask in a long while.

"What's happening…?"

This was a question I felt he never got an answer to when deployed to Black Mesa. I was able to know that much. He needed my answer, and he needed me to tell him that he hadn't gone insane. He was desperate enough to hear it from the blue fox girl standing right in front of him (to quote his loud thought stream exactly). Timing her entrance so precisely to the point where it made me proud, Dahlia appeared around the side of a few large stationary fuel tankers and trotted over our way, whinnying excitedly. I had been telepathically signalling her to meet us since I began calming Shephard down, and she whinnied with excitement as she trotted over to nuzzle me. It was so relieving to see her knowing that I hadn't been gone for too long.

Shephard watched our mingling with great intrigue. "Oh…" he observed, surprisingly starting to relax a little at the sight of a familiar Earth animal.

Lovingly stroking Dahlia's white muzzle one last time, I began to climb up the stirrups of her saddle and secured myself on her back. I regarded Shephard as I worked to keep Dahlia's agitation steady. She was quite wary of Shephard, though it wasn't necessarily out of mistrust. I could tell even she knew that he was out of place, which I found quite funny given my otherworldly origins.

"I suggest that you come and ride with me, Adrian Shephard," I advised him. "I know a good place full of humans. You'll be safe there."