Half Life 2: Retribution

Chapter 6

Nick's heart pounded as he ran through the dark hall, the broken pieces of the wall on his left providing moonlight as his only light source. His foot steps echoed through the corridor, his lungs pleading for air as he breathed heavily. 

A deep groan coming from the spaces on the wall at his left, catching up from behind him. 

Nick turned his head behind him while running, a bluish light was coming from the spaces on the wall. Mechanical humming coming closer. It passed him, and bullets started to spray from the left side to the right out of a space from the wall in front of him. He ducked and slid below it, ahead of him was a wide space on the wall.

"Attention, citizens. Priority identification check in progress. Please, assemble in your designated inspection positions." A voice said.

Nick got to the wide space, and on it was a gunship was waiting for him outside. He stood still, unable to move. The gunship fired.

Nick woke up, no sunlight blinded him. He sat up, and looked at his window. Bright light shone through his window.

"Attention, citizens. Priority identification check in progress. Please, assemble in your designated inspection positions." The voice repeated.

Right outside his room, he heard the deep voice of a CP. "Check for miscount." 

"10-4." A second CP said, sounding almost the same as the other.

A crash emitted nearby his room. It sounded like a door being breached.

"Search him. Citizen, apply." one of the CP's said, from the room through the wall on his right. "Hey, hey, what are you doing?" a man said, in the same room.

"Citizen, final warning. APPLY." the CP growled. 

"Hey, STOP!" said the man.

"Malcompliance, amputate."

"WAI-" the man's voice cut out as gunshots erupted.

"Verdict issued at my 10-20." said a CP.

Suddenly, something was pounding on his door. 

No.

It was a CP knocking on his door. Slowly, Nick walked towards the door, and reluctantly opened it. The CP pushed Nick back, stepping into the room and looked around briefly. Then, the CP turned to Nick and said:

"Citizen, apply." the CP's voice tone was surprisingly not commanding, but surely wasn't friendly either.

Nick recited his ID number, and the CP was about to leave when another one came in.

"Hold it right there." The second CP said, suspicious of Nick. The second CP glanced at the USP Match shaped bulge on his waist. Nick and the second CP briefly glanced at one another before the second CP reached for the USP on their belt holster, but Nick was faster as he pulled out his USP and fired at the second CP.

The CP was dead on the ground, and Nick was about to shoot the other one when they raised both arms in the air and said in panic: "WAIT!"

This was a first.

"Hold on, hold on, I'm with you. Station 3, right?" The CP said, lowering his arms. Nick lowered his USP. He had absolutely no idea what Station 3 was.

"What?" Nick replied. Even through the CP's mask, he felt the CP frown.

"Station 3, they picked you up as a recruit. I couldn't get in contact to them, you've been there, right? What happened? Are they okay?" The CP said in a rush.

"What are you talking about?" Nick said, unsure if to trust this CP. He was pretty much sure he was making things up in an attempt to avoid getting shot.

"Look, I have no time to play games with you. I'm with station 3, managed to slip under the Combine's ranks." The CP gripped his mask and removed it, a man was inside; Tan, black haired, dark eyes. He put his mask back on. 

A woman's voice came out of the radio of the dead CP, sounding almost robotic.

"Unit down; assigned sweep Apartment Block B. Number two, respond." The voice said with command.

"Copy. Unit down: 647E, vital signs unclear. Suspect expunged." The CP said, glancing at the other room, with the dead civilian in it. He grabbed the USP from the dead CP, and dropped it in the dead civilian's dead hand.

"Unit two, await for Helix dispatch." Said the voice.

"10-1, signs of secondary 647E."

"Dispatch granted, unit two."

"Play along." The CP said to Nick, as he grabbed both of his arms, pulling it behind his back. The CP went down the stairs, still grabbing Nick.

"HEY, what are you doing?" Nick said. Unsure if the CP told him to play along a plan, or play along so he can easily take Nick somewhere he probably does not want to be. 

Civilians watched them dreadfully, and silently. Their faces meant they were used to this, and it probably did not help their mood.

The CP forced him out the apartments. City scanners patrolled the Plaza, one turned to him and snapped a photo of him, then flew away.

The CP swore, and forced Nick through the plaza, and entered through a Combine precinct gate. They passed a couple of CPs, and they reached an area where nobody else was in. Finally, the CP let go of Nick. 

"What happened to station 3?" the CP questioned.

"I don't trust you."

"You should. You can. I'm the only one who can help you here."

"I'd rather live normally in this city rather than trust you."

"There's no point in not doing so. If you wanna live normally, then I suggest you don't go carrying around a USP, and besides, you need my help. The city scanner snapped you. Show up again around here, an they'll be really suspicious about it."

"Fine," Nick sighed. "Station 3 was attacked, I guess they said something about "Peacekeepers". I think they were those things that were hooded, they had a sword, and they were almost impossible to take down. Until it took a grenade to the hood. Unconscious that time, woke up, dead bodies everywhere. City scanner snapped pictures of 'em, and me." 

The CP drew a long breath, then exhaled. Looked somewhere else, hands balled to fists, then let go.

"They took pictures of you?" 

"Yes."

"You need to get out of here."