My Half-Life story

Ok here is a story I have been working on for awhile based on Half-Life thoes of you who like to read please read it and tell me what you think. the ***** represent flashbacks.


Rise and Shine



Awake. What is the true meaning of awake? The absence of sleep? Or maybe it is stepping out of the clouded reality of mystery in the daylight of….truth. I was still sleeping with my eyes open, and the truth was concealed from me, hidden in the dark, pressed into the black obscured corner of the room, shielded from the World, from sight, as I have been. I lay in the darkness of the petrified black universe as streams of light passed all around me, moving with the universe, dreaming dreams of the truth. I awoke to an image, one faded and bleak, and one that unfolded before me. “Rise and shine Mr. Freeman, rise and shine. Not that I wish to imply you have been sleeping on the job, no one is in more deserving of a rest, and all the effort in the world would have gone to waste until, well let’s just say your hour has come again.” A blinding white light winded, and then FLASHED. The flash took me to a new environment, one of coffins inside a Coffin. The coffin aligned on the on the metal coffin, as far as the eye can see, Coffins, coffins, coffins……coffins. “The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world, so wake up Mr. Freeman, wake up and smell the ashes.” The notorious man in the blue suit’s image faded, I faded with it onto a train. The sound of the train’s whistle blew, and the train chuckled. The chuckles brought me memories of the Black Mesa research facility. How could I forget the events that took place there.

*****

“Welcome to the Black Mesa transit system. This train is inbound,” so the train spoke. As I remember that day just didn’t feel right. The ride to work in my 71 boss was unusually uncomfortable, and the train ride that morning was long and dragged out. I remember the system crash effecting the equipment. I remember, I Remember.

*****

“I didn’t see you get on,” spoke a tall tired eyed man. “This is my 3rd transfer this year”
“I’m still trying to get use to moving from city to city,” spoke a young man sitting on a bench jumping in the small conversation. The man in the blue suit must have teleported me on the train, but how? I saw no equipment, no nothing. Teleportation.

*****

“Good Morning Mr. Freeman. I had a bunch of messages for you, but we had a system crash about 20 minutes ago, and I’m still trying to find all my files, just one of those days I guess. They were having some problems down in the test chamber too but I think that is all straightened out they told me for you to head down there as soon as you got into your hazard suit,” the guard greeted, and informed to me of many things that I missed on the account of my latency. There were rumors all over the facility about the resonance cascade scenario. It had never really bothered me. I felt safe around the equipment. The system crash did worry me for a while, but the system crash was only effecting the security equipment to my knowledge, and thus logic told me everything was ok. Logic was such a liar. My filed is teleportation, I was experimenting that day with a crystalline specimen that would further efficiate teleportation, and as I recall, I was stepping into my H.E.V. hazard suit mach 4. From there I headed into the test chamber, and slumped the specimen in the beam starting the resonance cascade scenario. Apparently the system crash was also effecting the equipment; apparently things were not straightened out in the test chamber after all. I remembered that terrible mess, the unforeseen consequences. I remembered the resonance cascade scenario.

*****
The train came to an abrupt halt, and the doors opened. “Well end of the line” The passenger sighed. He stepped off the train, and the other passenger, the other man followed. I followed to; into a world I have not set foot in for only God knows how long. To me stepping on a train was the beginning of my problems lets see if stepping off of it would prove any different. The train station was a marvel to behold. It had a European flare of design to it. Old but still in noble shape. Out one of the windows I gazed upon a mass world of vegetation something that I had not seen in New Mexico. Posters were displayed everywhere with pictures, and alien symbols all over it, some unknown writing plagued the posters too. Something, I had never seen before. Ahead of the concrete prism clocks and wooden benches was a large screen, 24 feet off the ground against the wall. A camera swarmed around the citizens, and took their picture; it flew to my position, and took my picture as well. Where am I, and why are there posters like these, and large a screen in the train station, and why is there cameras taking my picture? A lot of thing must have happened while I was gone. Confused, and with many answers to find to the questions I had, I moved on. An orange luggage cart with luggage on it seemed to be one mans center of attention, and he seeminglessly searched for what I assumed was his luggage. A tall man wearing a gas mask holding a black baton tapped the man on the shoulder searching for his luggage.
“Move along” spoke the man in the gas mask.
“It, it’s all I have left.” The man at the luggage studderd.
“I said move!” And with one effortless blow he laid the man out over the luggage tumbling suitcases, and bags everywhere.
“All right I am gone!” He stomped off in anger, as he stomped of the gas masked man snickered at the expense of the other man’s suffering. I watched that evil image walk off in his knee high boots, and black slacks like he was some superior man. I also noticed a vest he was wearing; it had a weird white pattern on the front. It seemed to me he was some twisted sadistic retro cop. Maybe he was.
“Welcome!” A Man’s image suddenly appeared on the screen. “Welcome to City 17. You have chosen, or been chosen to relocate to one of our finest remaining urban centers. I have thought so much of City 17 I settled my administration here in the citadel so thoughtfully provided by our benefactors and I’m am proud to call City 17 my home, so for those of you passing through or heading into parts un known, WELCOME! To City 17! It’s safer here.” His image disappeared off the screen. His voice and face seemed all so familiar. I remember now! He was my old administrator in Black Mesa Research Facility. Dr. Wallace Breen. I pondered to myself why would Breen be here? What happened to Black Mesa after I left? I knew one thing was for certain, that was the fact that I was not placed in this one city out of all the rest by coincidence; I was placed here because Breen is here.
“Were you the only ones on that train?” A voice questioned from behind the fence. “Overwatch came, and stopped our train. They, they took my husband away. Civil Protection was nice enough to let me wait for him.” She was scared she would lose something she had already lost; lost the day they stopped that train. The questions kept piling up. Overwatch? What? Who are they? I left the entry off the train station, and disappeared into the train station lobby. It had tables, and chairs everywhere along with a concession stand in the middle. The lobby was filled with citizens, all dressed the same. Brown dress shoes, and blue coveralls. One was pacing back, and forth, while another was sitting down. Every now, and then he would look over to his left, and then down out the ground. It seemed to me he was deciding, as if he didn’t have the will to do something, but was deciding whether or not to do it. Others briskly walked around, as others carried on trivial conversations.
“Dr. Breen again I thought I heard the last of him in city 14.” The words that man spoke that I could not help but over hear made me realize that maybe there are many cities much like this one and that maybe all the cities have an administrator appointed to them and finally that these brutes of men walking around in gas masks are just retro cops maintaining order. I pressed on through the fenced off area, and down the hallway. Ahead of me was one of those retro cop people directing citizens into different paths. There were 2 paths to take, one behind, and one ahead. I was appointed to the left. I made my way through the fence and past a door to head through the gate marked “Nova Prospect.” SUDDENLY the gate slammed shut and a camera displayed above the door took my picture twice. I tried to move back out of the claustrophobic position I was stuck in, but the cop pushed me back, the door whooshed opened surprising me completely and a cop move out of the shadows of the hallway through the door and spoke
“You citizen! Come with me.” I could fight him, but there would be other, I played it smart and followed him. My plan of escape had already been laid out all that was left was to deal the hand of a tampered deck. My plan was to bash the cop over the head disguise my self as him, and make my get away. We reached the end of the dimmed lit hallway. He banged against the door a few times. I saw a metal slit in the door open then close. A red light on some kind of terminal lit up green, and the door opened. “Get in!” “Go on!” He seemed to be impatient at me, but I first had to examine the room before entering. “Go on!” I moved into the room. It had a black and white marble floor, checker board style. There was a dentist like red chair in the middle with blood stains directly underneath it. A computer desk was angled away from the chair as directly from the left of the chair was a door, and computer terminal.
“You need any help with this one?” For a brief second it felt as if my plans have been foiled, that some how I dealt the cards wrong. Surly I can take on both of them but the notion that others would be in here so quick after words is what bothered me.
“No, I’m good.” A sudden amount of relief came over me as I was able to for fill my plans. The cop left the room closing the door behind him. “Get! Back!” The other cop walked over to the computer terminal. I picked up the orange lamp off the table, and slowly itched my way towards the cop. “Now about that beer I owed yaAAAA! Gordon!” I dropped the lamp, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It’s me Barney from Black Mesa; sorry for the scare I had to put on a show for the cameras. I am under cover as a Civil Protection unit I am way behind on my beating quota, now hold on and let me get in touch with Dr. Kliener.” What are the odds I would reunite with two people I new as good friends in Black Mesa? Dr. Issac Kliener was my employer, as well as my friend, and the man who had teleported me to Xen to destroy the alien leader Nihilanth who controlled the teleportation gates sending aliens into Black Mesa to kill us all, destroying him meant ending the resonance cascades scenario and saving many people from certain death. I remember when her first employed me.

*****

“Well Mr. Freeman, your test scores are off the charts and you’re an MIT graduate and you have a PHD in theoretical physics. You are young, and ambushes. I want you to start next week. You will be stationed in sector C the Anomalous Materials Lab and you’ll have level 3 clearance.” I stood up and shook his hand then parted. The next week I started my job and met Barney. After work me, him, and Issac usually hanged out at the bar and had a couple beers. I remember someone else too. A man of mystery, and I new little about. He was my other employer, the man who gave me my new job that I still do not under stand. I met him shortly after I defeated Nihilanth. I remember what he said to me.
“Gordon Freeman we meet at last, in the flesh or rather in the hazard suit. I took the liberty of relieving you of your weapons, they were government property. As for the suit I think you’ve earned it. The boarder world Xen! Is in our control for the time being. Quite a nasty piece of work you’ve managed over there I am impressed. That is why I am here Mr. Freeman. I have recommended your services to my employers, and they agree that you have limitless potential. You proved your self a decisive man so I think you’ll have no trouble on deciding what to do, just step into the portal, and I’ll take that as a yes, otherwise I can offer you a battle you have no chance of winning, rather an anti climax, after what you’ve just survived. Time! To! Choose!” From there you could say that curiosity got the best of me. I did indeed wonder what that man in the blue suit, that G-Man was up to.

*****

“Great! Scott! It’s Gordon Freeman! I expected more warning.”
“Me, and you both doc. I caught him just in time he was about to board the next ride to Nova! Prospect!”
“Well Barney what do you intend?”
“I’m thinking, I’m thinking!”
“Aylex is around here some where, she’ll have a better idea of how to get him out of there.”
“Well if he stays away from checkpoints we should be OK. Well I gotta go doc we are taking enough chances as it is.”
“Very well then, and Gordon it is good to see you.”
“Ok Gordon” BANG BANG BANG. “Ah man that is what I was afraid of, quick in here Gordon before you blow my cover, I’ll meet up with you later.” He closed the door and I looked around the room. There were old luggage carts every where, and a platform above me. I climbed up the ladder onto the platform. There I stacked up some boxes to climb out the window. After climbing out I ran past a steel barrel and up the stairs into a hallway. The hallway was marvelously big, and so full of light. Out from an opening in the wall a retro cop stepped up to the trash can and knocked off a soda can.
“Pick up that can.” He commanded. I picked it up.
“Now throw it in the trash.” I threw it in the trash.
“Heh you can go.” I pressed on into a new area. The next area was the ticket booth lobby. Telephone booths were every where and the ticket booths were sealed off. There was a machine over one of the ticket booths. It was spitting out this type of laminated paper. I ignored the machine and searched for an exit. I came across some double doors and headed out. Beyond the doubled doors I found the city square. It was surrounded by old buildings and split into 3 different paths. 2 of which were barricaded by these large metal walls with a green bluesh shield covering the door way. I decide to try and move through it, but it would not let me through and when I touched it made a small brief sizzling noise yet when I examined my self I was unharmed. A lady walked through the shield. She appeared to be holding that oh so familiar laminated paper. I traveled to the other end down the road of the only unbarracaded path way. I was soon blocked off by another barricade. In front of the barricade was a vehicle of some sort, with CP units all over it. It looked as if it was a tank. Unlike the Abrams these had 2 cannons and instead of treads it had wheels. The back had two doors and it seemed big enough to house at least 4 CP units. I chose to ignore them and head to an ally from their left. I made my way over the and looked around me to see if any had saw what I had done. Traveling from there I came across to talking citizens.
“This is how it always starts. First the building, then the whole block.”
“They have no reason to come to our place.”
“Don’t worry they’ll find one.” Looking around the block I saw a playground and directly across from the playground was some apartment buildings. One of the two was being guarded. I chose the unguarded one. Up the stairs and into tenements I went. While heading up the stairs there was noises, banging noises and I would be there to investigate. There were 3 CP units surrounding one door. They constantly knocked on the door until one moved out of the way and the other moved into position and kicked down the door. He was holding an automatic weapon and moved through the doorway the other followed right after. The last one stepped in front of the door and blocked off its entry. I went into the room across from that one. I moved into the living room part of the room.
“Oh my God. I thought you were a cop.” An scared man spoke
“Relax he is one of us.” A young woman spoke.
“Ahh they are coming this way.”
“I told you they would.”
“I just hoped it would be different this time.” I moved out of the room and down the hall way towards a set of stairs.
CLUMP!
CLUMP!
CLUMP!
I turned around only to find a CP unit following me, I could hear his heavy boot clump against the floor I could see his distinct secular figure head towards me. He drew closer.
CLUMP!
CLUMP!
CLUMP! CLUMP! CLUMP! He sped up to me, and then I decided to run. I ran past the doorway and up the stairs. I heard that same clumping noise but only this time I heard a dozen of those noises. 6 CP units came running up the stairs, they stopped, they looked at me, then they lit there batons; an electric purple haze surrounded the top of it. I continued up the stairs into a room.
“Quick! To the roof there is not much time! CIVIL! PROTECTION!” I headed up to there stairs to the roof every now, and then looking behind me only to find citizen getting hit in the back, and knocked out.
“Quick in here!” A voice behind a door called out. I went into the room and the door slammed shut. BANG! “Quick to the roof, get out of here I’ll hold them off. I watched as the door banged and moved back slightly. I made haste and headed to the roof. Once I reached the top I heard the door slam open and gunshots fired. I felt so bad for leaving him behind. He risked his life to save mine. I head up a small wooden ramp to the next level of the roof. On that roof I saw a mosquito like aircraft fly up. It had purple orbs and a white belly with a pappeler in the back. Its top was a greenish color. The aircraft flew off into the distance and disappeared behind the buildings. I pressed on and scaled the side of the building. Below me I could see a tank speeding through the road at 60 MPH. Bullets wizzed passed my head, and pierced the wall behind me. I scared a flock of pidgins and they flew every where only to shield me from bullets briefly. I climbed through an open window into a room with boxes, and wooden crates everywhere. I decided to head down a flight of wooden stairs. The stairs were old and rotted and broke on my way down. I feel to my knees and got back up. I continued my presute to get to Issac’s lab. I came across a door that suddenly slammed open only for me to find a CP unit and a half dozen others. I heard a door open behind me and there is another half dozen CP units. The one ran up to me and took a swung at me with his baton. I cached it with my hand and jerked out of his hand then elbowed him in the nose. I turned the baton sideways blocking a blow from another CP unit. I lit the baton up like a Christmas tree and hit him in the face, he fell to the ground and don’t get up. I assumed theses batons could stun and knock out people in one blow. Suddenly I felt a blow to my back and my muscles felt that they were not as strong as they were yet I still fight. I swung left, left, then right. I was hit, and hit, and hit. Finally I could take no more and fell to the ground. The images faded, and I started to black out, my hearing dulled, and muffled. I managed to knock out 3 of those sadistic punks.
“OH NO YOU DON’T!” A faint voice I heard and the sounds of the CP units getting roughed up. Seconds later my vision slid into focus and I regained my strength. I woke to starring a pretty woman in the eyes. “Dr. Freeman I presume.” Some kind of horn sounded. “We better get going. The combine are slow to wake but once they are you do not want to stand in their way.” She led me passed the entire knocked out CP units to an elevator. She pressed the button on the elevator to open it once it opened she stepped in side. “Dr. Kliener said you would be heading this way but I don’t think it accrued to him you might not have a map.” She pressed another button and down the elevator went. I took a second to look at her from head to toe. She was wearing some tight jeans that hugged her hips, and a leather belt with some kind of tool attached to it. For a shirt she wore the Black Mesa T shirt, and an old jacket with the right shoulder taped. “Hi I’m Alyex Vance you worked with my father back in Black Mesa you probably don’t remember me…..man of few words.” What was I to say? “Well this way.” She took me off the elevator once we had stopped into a storage room. It was like a basement old, damp, and dim. In the storage room there was plenty steel barrels, and boxes everywhere there was also a poster of Breen on the wall, it had more of that peculiar writing. I would assume it had something to deal with those brute CP units. “This is Dr. Breen. Remember him? Don’t get my dad started on Dr. Breen.” Granted human beings were isolated and cramped into many cities like this one and CP units daze about as they maintain order I never suspected my friends of all getting together in one city, then again Barney is an undercover CP but could it also be that Breen summand them all here after all he did have our contacts he was the administrator of Black Mesa. By the words Alyex spoke I took it that Eli did not like Breen, but what would have Breen done to upset a kind caring man such as Eli especially with the lingering notion that they were the best of friends. At this point that was one thing that bothered me along with the overwatch deal and who they were and why n the world the combine would take over the world and isolate us in these cities. I had stopped to ponder so long Alyex had already opened a secret passage way behind the poster and concrete wall. “Right this way.” I followed her deeper into the hallway until the end. Now it seemed stepping off that train was the end of my problems, but new ones awaited me just beyond that door.


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