Behind Enemy Lines

[Sprafa]

Half-life 2
__________________________BEHIND ENEMY LINES_______________________

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PART I – «EVERYONE FOLLOW ME»

A regular morning in a regular resistance base in City 17. Gun sounds to wake you up, Striders on the horizon to get you without any will to sleep again in your life.
And that was a lucky day on City 17, since the Strider didn’t spotted us.
This was an ordinary day, until our little base got a distress call.
It could be heard all over the facility.
- This .. Lt. ..ars! I repeat ………toon 2! Gunships are incomin…! We ..quest imm… assistance! .. are …ned down I ……. surrounded! We a….. .. old sho….. center! We …. overrun and re….. …..diate assistance !
After that it all turned into static.
I went immediately into the office of my superior. He would have called me anyway.
When I opened the door there was another man in there already
- Lieutenant! I’m sure you heard that. Me and Colonel Simmons were just discussing how perfect you’re for the job.
- What job Sir?
- Were sending a rescue mission to the old mall. And you’re leading it.
- Permission to speak freely Sir.
- Permission granted.
- I don’t think anyone survived in there. If I’m correct, that was Lt. Spears with his Platoon 9. And they were way too deep into enemy lines. On my opinion sending a rescue mission would be a serious waste of men.
- Were not wasting any men. Platoon 9 was in the position they were because of reliable information.
- You’re beginning to sound like CIA, sir.
- Lieutenant! You’re going on this mission, and you will bring back something! I don’t care if its 12 corpses! That platoon was carrying valuable information about the Combines and you’re going to find it! Now get out of my sight!
I got out of the office angry. Why was the Gen. so angry about some questions on the info they were carrying? The fact they hadn’t transmitted it on the radio meant that it was sensitive material. But what was it? There was nothing we could get of a prisoner so we didn’t had much info on them. It could be a million things.
I went into the barracks to get my men.
- Lockhart, go and tell the men to get ready. Were going in for that team that asked for assistance.
- But they’re all dead! I mean… they were under attack from gunships and …
- The Gen. ordered it. We’re going in. Meet me at the OSPREY pad, geared up.
- Yes, Sir
My team got geared up in a few minutes and came to meet me in the takeoff pad. We had a few old OSPREY planes covered up in camouflages.
One was already off it and fuelled up to fly us in.
- Men, our mission consists on the following: We are to find and exfiltrate any remaining member of Platoon 9, alive or dead. If we are at risk of being overrun we are to destroy any documents, supposedly in possession of Platoon 9 members. Now get inside, and let’s rock and roll.
- YES, SIR! (all men is unanimous voice)
We were sent in by the old OSPREY plane. They dropped us near as they could without alerting The Combine.
Our trip to the LZ to the target was quiet, without any encounters.
I actually thought that maybe some guy from Platoon 9 had survived. There were no Combine at sight.
But when we reached the area I saw there was no hope. Striders had hit them. And when Striders attack they don't leave anything. They had turned the mall into dust.
- Set up a perimeter. Mendoza, Popov go to that building and set up an observation post. And I need 3 volunteers for a search team.
6 men immediately stepped forward.
- OK! Yuri, Li and Boris you’re up. Scout ahead for survivors.
Everybody else dig 4 foxholes in a square! And make’m deep we got reports of tanks in this sector!
- Yes, Sir!
We stayed in that desolated area for a few hours. It got me time to see the landscape.
Not that there were anything to see, there was nothing around but a few wrecked buildings. I just needed some time, and time was precious in City 17. But in that small wasteland that was that little old mall turned into a plaza by the Striders. However nothing lasts forever.

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PART II - «RETREAT! »

- SCANNER!
- Everybody in the foxholes! We’ll wait for the search team!
I went to see Popov, the man that had screamed.
- What did you see?
- A scanner spotted us Sir! I took it out, but you know how they are. They’ll probably send a patrol to check it out.
I went into a foxhole with Lockheart and «Goose».
The long buzz of the radio incoming alarm awakened me from a half-hour nap.
- Sir, I can see at least 30 men and 1 tank. They’re still at least 1 klik away but they’re way too many! (Out)
- What about the search team? Can you see them? (Out)
- Nothing yet, Sir. Maybe they were caught?! (Out)
- Keep your eyes open. (Out)
Popov radioed me again 15 minutes later:
- Sir, the Combine seem to have set up barricades on the 2 adjacent streets. (Out.)
- And the only way out of this plaza is the one street from where they’re coming, right? Smart bastards…
- I don’t think w…
In that moment I heard a loud explosion. A warhead from the tank had just hit the obv. post. Both Popov and Mendoza were probably killed instantly.
The battle had begun.
The bullets started flying around me. Lockhart and Goose had opened fire on the incoming Combine troopers.
- Lockhart, get the RPG ready to fire! We’ll need it for when that tank comes along!
They took our wrecked obv. post and started to snipe our men in the foxholes. Instinctively I switched my OICW to grenade launcher mode and aimed to the window from where they were firing and pulled the trigger, killing the snipers and making yet another hole in the building’s sideline. However my men kept falling so I decided had to redeploy some men.
- «Goose», make a run to Carter’s hole! Ivan’s hit and he’ll need assistance, he can’t handle it alone. We’ll give you some covering fire!
Me and Lockhart started wasting rounds on everyone of their positions, trying to give «Goose» a window for the run. He ran like a cheetah’s prey to Carter’s hole, trying to dodge the Combine’s bullets, being missed for a few inches every second. When he got to the hole he probably rested for a while. But not for long. Their long-awaited tank made he’s debut by blowing up their foxhole. The debris flied all over the battlefield, scattering their remains.
- Use the RPG now! Blow it up!
He got it, aimed straight to the tank and fired. But the Combine had been studying our weaponry for too long for 1 old Russian-made RPG7 managed to blow up their armoured vehicles. It splintered in the tank’s edged armour. Like if the crew was mocking us, they blew up another foxhole, killing 2 more of my men. We were being slaughtered and I was hopeless.
But it fired another round, opening the way to salvation. It had made a crater so deep, it reached the City’s sewers.
- RETREAT! RETREAT! EVERYBODY TO THE SEWERS! MOVE! MOVE! MOVE! – It was our last hope to get out of that hell.
I got out of my foxhole and ran. I jumped inside the hole hoping to survive. Only 5 men managed to come inside.
- Are you all?
- We’re all that made the run, Sir! All the others died.
One more jumped inside. It was Mendoza. He was a shot on the leg and landed pretty bad.
- Mendonza! Are you OK?
- Where’s Popov?
- He … died .. the tank’s …. blew him up.
- Do you think you can walk?
- Yes, Sir. No problem.
- Let’s move out people. We need to get out of here before the Combine start dropping in.
Everyone followed me. I thought it was strange that the Combine weren’t following us. I would soon find out why.




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[Sprafa]

PART III – THE DEADLY LIGHT

We were in those sewers for over 2 hours. We were having a hard time finding openings upwards.

- Sir, why do you think the Combine didn’t even tried to hunt us down?
- I don’t know Mendonza, I really don’t know.
- I’ve heard there’s a beast down here, that ma…
- Shut up Lockheart! Everybody has to keep quiet.
We heard a scream from Jackson. I had sent him throw an alternate way as a scout for ways out.
- What was that?!?
- Jackson? Are you OK? JACKSON? DAM IT ASNWER ME! Caparzo come with me. Rest of you keep moving!
Me and Caparzo went throw a few corridors until we found it. Jackson was there. At least pieces of him.
- Holy shit! What the **** happened here!?!
- Watch it! Whoever… whatever did this can still be around here! We better regroup.
When I looked down the shaft there was some sort of light down there.
We turned our backs to it and started heading back to the squad. We shouldn’t hv done that. Caparzo’s screams had awakened it. And Jackson had been just a little snack.
- Sir, if the Combine didn’t came down what a hell did that? The Xen would hv eaten him and … well it looked lk he was ripped apart but… not eaten.
- Yeah it’s weird isn’t it? But we should all be used to weirdness since The Combine invaded, don’t you think?
- You’re right Sir we sho…
A transparent blue, gigantic squid-arm had stretched all the way throw the corridor, going so fast that it went trough Caparzo’s chest, pulling him quickly to the bottom of the shaft hitting me with his leg, taking me down. I got up waiting for it to get me.
In the moment 4 more come up shaft looking for me I knew what I was seeing.
The Hydra.
There were rumours about it but we had no idea what it was. We were sure about one thing - it was growing in the sewers, consuming both Combine and Men, turning the previously dark, secret passages of the sewers into hunting grounds. The Xens, however never came down. Perhaps they knew what lured in the dark.
When it came to me however, I knew what to do. I got my OICW, got it on grenade launcher mode and aimed to the ceiling between me and it.
It worked. The ceiling collapsed between us in a way that it couldn’t pass.
I regrouped.
- Sir, where’s Caparzo and Jackson? What happened?
- The Hydra. It’s real. And it got them.
I had installed fear in my men. It was my 1st mistake.
- No problem I sealed it off. It can never get here. – No one believed me. My mistake wasn’t fixable. – We need to continue going this way. Maybe we can find a way out.
- But this way is to inside enemy lines! We can’t go there!
- We have to! – This was my 2nd mistake.
We were now reduced to 3 men. And we were going straight into the lion’s den.


*like the one in Tunnels video

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PART IV – GETTING THE SHEEP’S CLOTHES

- I found one! An opening to the surface!
Lockheart’s scream gave me and Mendonza some hope to get out of the dark alleys of the sewers. And he needed it. His injury was getting worse. I managed to make a bandage and a tourniquet for him but I had no medic instruction so I couldn’t stop the whole bleeding. Soon he would pass out.
- Mendonza we need to walk. Just a little. We found an opening.
He answered with nothing but a grumble to me. I had to get his arm around me and pull him all the way to Lockheart.
- Where is it?
- Right over there, Sir. No combines on sight. It looks lk there’s nobody home.
When I looked outside I felt my eyes burning. The light was too strong. After they adjusted I looked again. Lockheart was right. The Combine weren’t there but that area clearly had been a Combine stronghold. There was a shielded barricade and a one of those high towers they used as an observation post.
As I walked out it didn’t seemed lk the same city I had fought on a few hours before. Everything was quiet. No bullets falling off the sky. Not even bullet sounds.
- Sir, its morning. We spend the whole night in those bloody sewers.
- Help me get Mendoza out. Let’s take him to that residential building. It should have some beds.
We picked up Mendoza and took him to the straight to the building on the opposite side of the street of our opening. It was a big, old, 4 floor concrete building that had lost a part of its side wall to some sort of explosion. We went in throw that hole on its side and gone up throw the staircase to the highest floor. The higher you went, smaller were the chances for any Scanner to look down the window.
- Stay here with him Lockhart. I’ll go down and search for some medicines.
I went down, to the abandoned outpost. When I went into it I realized what had happened. They hadn’t abandoned it. The whole thing was armed with explosives. It meant this was probably the base for the Combine that had engaged my men. The 2 sentinels they had left guarding it were easy targets for the Antlions. And they were starving. The sentinels were eaten probably a few minutes after the battalion left.
And antlions were nice skinners. They removed the skin of their prey before eating them. So right there, I had 2 Combine armours and helmets. I returned to the building where I had left my comrades. Mendoza had died.
- How?
- He just closed his eyes and a few minutes later he stopped breathing.
- Well, maybe it’s better this way… I found 2 full Combine armours in the outpost. We should be able to get into them and run pass the Combine barricades ahead.
At least I hoped so.

 

[ray_MAN]

That was very good. Kep up the good work.

 

[hero]

gooooood


please make more

pretty please

 

[Sprafa]

I actualy stopped making them.....

But now I think I'll make some more.

 

[Seppo]

Noo! How is it gonna end? Continue it man, it was so good

 

[Sprafa]

Didn't had much time lately (thx to this ebut I'm working for 2 mods now) but I'm working on the next chapt atm.

 

[Sprafa]

PART V – DECEIVING APPEARANCES

We had walked for hours until we saw our first hostile contact. A Scanner.
- Sir, what if he can identify us? I don’t know, the Combine have a lower body temperature, and those things must come with an infrared.
- God damn it Lockhart, get yourself together. It’s coming.
The Scanner started staring at us, hovering, and then transmitted. The armour’s comm. started beeping. It was some sort of complex Morse code. As soon as I managed to begin to learn the language, Lockhart pulled out his OICW and blew the Scanner back metal scraps.
- What the **** are you doing?
- He was going to know, he wanted an answer.
- It was a ****ing report! It didn’t notice. We were going to get out, clean.
The Combine weren’t going to allow that to fall into forget ness. They were coming.
- Let’s run.
Both of us sped up from the scene, exhaling fear. They couldn’t be captured, not this near… We hid in a small house down the street, waiting for the worse. But the Combine didn’t came. After hours waiting, I decided to move out.
- But Sir, we need to stick here. They can come at any time.
- Maybe. But I don’t think so. They aren’t coming for one lousy Scanner. They’re breaking the Siege, I know it. They have all their troops deployed, and we’re on their backyard while they’ve covering the front door. It’s an unique opportunity, and we’ll take.
- What do you mean?
- We’re going to the Tower, and we’re going to stab their heart out.
- Are you nuts? It’s impossible; they have hundreds of thousands of men there.
- Not anymore. I’m telling you, we should be near the barricades. But they’ve been moved. They’ve managed to break out. They’re advancing into the suburbs.
- Well, I’m not ****ing going with you. This is ****ing nuts man!!! You won’t take me with you!
- Then go away; and try your luck alone. I’m going in.
- Kill yourself then. Do it, I don’t care.
Lockhart walked away from the house, heading to the suburbs. He was right about one thing. I was going in, with him or not. I started a lone walk into the depths of City 17, streets that unadulterated men hadn’t put its feet on since the Combine entered the city.
As soon as we split, Lockhart’s luck didn’t last long. One corner ahead I heard gunshots. I turned around and checked it out only to find 2 fresh blood splats on the floor of a small alley. After all, he was right, they did come.
I loaded my OICW with a fresh ammo clip and went in a sweep around the streets. It wasn’t hard to find the 2 Combine soldiers carrying him on their shoulders, going in the direction of the Tower, with their back faced to me. I didn’t even hesitate. If they got him, he would become another one of them. Death was better than becoming a mindless pawn as them. I just pulled the trigger until the clip was empty. All three fell down, perforated. I just went near them and kicked the body around. It wasn’t him.
That’s when the screaming started again. 3 men came running, screaming. There was a Strider just shadowing the corner from where they came from. I got my catch, and started running with them. I glimpsed at the red star in their hats. We finally took shelter in an old hospital, too small for the Strider to get in but too big to the Strider blow it up alone.
- Spetsnaz?
- Yes. American?
- British.
- I didn’t know Britain was cooperating with us on this.
- We weren’t. At least not until you lost control.
- If it was up to the military, as it should, the incident would have never happened. But then, bureaucrats intervened. You know how it is?
- Of course, we have them for ages now.
- Well, how’s your assignment?
- Pretty bad. Lost my entire platoon to the bastards.
- “C’est la vie”. Well, we were sent down as soon as we heard the Combine was launching an offensive. We were supposed to blow up a supply post in the South to cut their lines.
- How’s the siege?
- Holding up. But not for long if we do not take out their supply lines. We are losing men like ducks out there.
- Maybe I can help you. I’m heading south too.
- Well, meet the team. That one is Alexey, he is Kostja and me my friend, I’m Colonel Arkady Ivanov. You?
- John McCollum.
- Very well. Let’s see if that thing is still out there.
He walked to the main entrance as I stood tense, waiting for the lobby to burst into flames. But the Strider had apparently left.
- We are safe. Come.
I quickly moved to the door, going re-join the Colonel, as the door blew up. And in the smoke, I saw a 3-legged giant

 

[Maxi]

Wow, awsome Sprafa! Can't wait for the next part!

 

[Seppo]

This is good, very intense. I wonder what that 3-legged thing is...

 

[Sprafa]

This is good, very intense. I wonder what that 3-legged thing is...

A Strider?

I thought that was pretty obvious.

 

[CrazyHarij]

Very good stuff, it was pure enjoyment reading it!

 

[DieH@rd]

great stuff. Its short aldough. Keep it coming! I want more...