Desperate Measures

[tinyxipe]

Chapter I
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Kat slipped down the hallway. She was sure that she had seen only one enter the room. She stood a few feet from the doorway, listening intently. Her hands were sweating on the grip of the pistol. After a moment, her patience was rewarded with a crackling CP radio call. There! It was definitely only one unit!

Inching slowly towards the door Kat thought out her plan. It was pretty sketchy, but if it helped her get to Lennox, it would be worth it. Capturing one CP should lead to some names at the least. If it didn’t work out for her, she didn’t really have anything to lose anyway.

With her back to the wall Kat peered around the doorframe. There was a battered apartment room littered with pieces of furniture, graffiti and broken windows. Standing at the window was a lone CP unit. Maybe luck was with her this time. CP’s hardly ever worked alone. He was looking down on the small courtyard between the apartment buildings. Both hands were on his rifle, but all of his attention was on something outside. Kat took a deep breath and crept into the room. Moving as silently as possible across the debris-strewn floor, she kept her eyes riveted to the back of the CP’s helmeted head. The pistol was aimed there as well.

Every time the CP shifted, Kat froze but he was intent on his surveillance. After what seemed to be an interminable amount of time, she slipped up behind him. With one quick motion she wrapped her left hand around his neck and jammed the pistol under his jaw with the other.

“Don’t. Move.” She could feel the man stiffen and then freeze. “Good. Drop the weapon.” To her surprise, he complied easily enough. “OK, we’re going to move away from the window and over to the wall back here. Keep your hands out where I can see them and move slowly.”

The CP did as he was told and didn’t offer a word of argument or abuse. Kat had him place his hands on the wall and stand leaning forward so he couldn’t make any sudden moves without warning. “Alright, tell me your name and what unit you’re with. And why you’re here alone.” After a pause, the man just shook his head.

“What? Hey, I’m the one with the gun here now, smart-ass. Answer me!” She jammed the gun against the man’s neck a little harder and was rewarded with a small grunt of pain. He slowly dropped his head forward and then shook it as if hoping the front section of the helmet would fall off. Kat clenched her jaw in frustration. What kind of trick could this be?

“Stop it! What are you doing? Can’t you speak with that thing on?” The CP shook his head. “Liar! I’ve heard you guys transmit to each other. I know you can talk.” As if on cue, a transmission crackled in.

“Unit 37. Unit 37. What’s your 20? You are no longer visible. Respond”

To Kat’s surprise her victim responded calmly and without prompting. “Thought I heard something down the hall. Give me another minute to check it out.” He then shook his head again as if trying to dislodge the helmet and twisted a hand around to point at the back of the helmet.

Kat was paralyzed with indecision. She could feel her heart pounding. What was this guy trying to do? There was a catch on the back of the helmet. She had absolutely no reason to trust him, but he had done nothing to give her away on the radio. Before she could make a decision he slowly started to move his hand towards his head.

“Stop! Are you trying to get that thing off?” He nodded. “Alright, move slowly.”

The CP gingerly fiddled with the helmet. It was obviously not meant to be removed with one hand. After a moment, the front half of the helmet fell to the floor. Kat suddenly realized she didn’t want to see a human face at the other end of her gun.

The man still hadn’t looked up. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Look, I couldn’t say anything without putting you at risk. The radios are voice activated when we’re on recon like this. Anything I said would be heard by the whole squad.”

Kat was stunned. “What in the hell are you talking about?”

He shrugged. “It’s clear that you’re no Civil Protection fan, and since you’re the one with the gun to my neck, I thought maybe we should have a talk without calling in the troops.”

“Good. I want information. I need to find a CP named Lennox. I don’t know anything about him except he’s been on missions outside the city and he seems to be some sort of an officer or something.”

“I think I can help you, but you’ll have to trust me. I don’t know a Lennox, but I might know some people…”

“Why in the world would I ever trust you?” Kat interrupted. “You work for them! You’ve turned on your own people. I don’t care who you ‘might’ know, just tell me how I can find this guy and all this will be over.”

The CP responded in a calm, level voice, “I’m sure you have a good reason to find this Lennox and if you can give me a reason to trust you, I think I can help you.”

Kat narrowed her eyes as she realized what he was implying. “You think I’m a Combine spy?” Her mind worked furiously. “There’s nothing I can tell you that you haven’t heard. My story is just like everyone else’s. I have nothing left. The only thing different is I’ve decided to do something about it. I can’t think of anything to tell you that would inspire your trust. ”

“Well, it looks to me like we only have a few options here. A) You can choose not to trust me, shoot me and alert a whole Civil Protection squad. B) You can trust me enough to hear me out, sneak out of here and either report me as a sympathizer or disappear. Or C), you hear me out and follow my advice. I personally prefer C, as A and B probably won’t end well for me. Your call now.”

Kat took a step back, but didn’t lower her weapon. The man straightened up, rubbing his neck, and gave her a self-mocking grin. “I never expected to get apprehended by a citizen. You didn’t make a noise.” As he looked at her face, Kat noticed a puzzled look flicker cross his face, as though he had recognized her from somewhere.

“OK, first, I need to get back to the window or they’ll send someone up to check up on me. I can switch off the voice-activated transmitter now that you let me get my mask off. If you stay low they won’t see you and we can try to straighten this out.”

“Alright, but still no sudden moves.”

The CP picked up his mask and fiddled with it for a minute, put it back on and walked back to the window. Kat followed and crouched against the wall, sliding his weapon towards her. After slipping a finger under the edge of the white mask the man spoke, “Unit 28. Unit 28. This is Unit 37. Did you copy previous transmission?” His voice came out modified and unnatural.

There was a crackling response. “Unit 37. That’s negative. No previous transmission received.”

“I seem to be having some trouble with my radio. Hallway was clear, just some birds in one of the rooms.”

“10-4, Unit 37. Get that checked after your shift.”

He removed his finger from the mask. “There. That should keep everyone calm.”

Kat finally lowered her weapon a bit. “Neatly done. Now, how do you think you can help me?”

“Alright, here’s what I’ll do.” The CP glanced at her before returning his gaze to the courtyard. “I know some people who could use someone with your skills and…determination. I’m gonna give you some directions to a nearby base, but it will be up to you to get there. If you check out, I might be able to pull some strings.

Kat listened to the detailed directions carefully. When he finished the CP asked her, “Is that clear? Can you get there without attracting attention?”

“Yes.”

“Good. When you get there knock on the door and tell whoever answers that Barney sent you.”
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If you like it, let me know. I have two more chapters finished and am starting a fourth.

 

[Seppo]

This is pretty good. You should post all the chapters.

 

[tinyxipe]

Desperate Measures

Chapter II
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Moving with what she hoped looked like an aimless shuffle, Kat stepped out of the alley and onto the sidewalk. There were a few blue-clad citizens wandering about. All of them had slumped shoulders and downcast eyes. As she walked up the road, she listened carefully for the purring sound of scanners. Better to avoid them altogether, than look suspicious hiding her face.

Approaching a cross street, Kat paused at the corner. Above the murmur of street noise she heard the rhythmic thud of booted feet. Turning to look, she felt a chill crawl down her spine and settle in her stomach. A Combine patrol unit had just rounded the far corner and was steadily approaching her position. She felt paralyzed. He reported me!

In a split-second, a dozen thoughts flew through Kat’s mind, most of which involved immediate flight. But Kat had learned to listen for that calm, quiet voice. It was hard to hear sometimes but it was usually right. They aren’t even looking at you. Look down and wait for them to pass. To run would be a horrible mistake. She waited.

The black-masked soldiers passed her by without a glance. Kat felt the icy fist unclench from her stomach. She gave herself a second to calm down and crossed the street.

As Kat approached her destination, she scowled in puzzlement. That had to be the right building. There was the scorch mark near the cornerstone and the broken lamp next to the front door. She had followed Barney’s directions, but there were two CP’s in front of the door. Was he trying to trick her somehow? The CP’s certainly didn’t seem to notice her.

She continued along, crossed the street and turned the corner. As she had hoped, there was an alley that ran along the back of the buildings. She counted the back doors until she was sure she was near the correct one and slipped behind a dumpster. Kat cautiously peered out and saw that the doorway was open, but there was no CP guard. She waited patiently. She had learned that given time, CP’s couldn’t resist radio transmissions, giving themselves away. Sure enough, there was a garbled crackle after about five minutes. They must be standing inside the doorway.

Damn! The only other way to get in was a small basement window and she really didn’t want to go in that way. Kat thought for a moment. Trying to slip past the CP’s with a distraction was too risky. Gathering her resolve, Kat slunk across the alley to the low window. One pane was broken out and it was already unlocked. Praying for no horrific screeches, she gently pried the window open.

Kat cautiously stuck her head into the window. Her body blocked most of the light, but she could see a few lengths of old pipe in a corner. Just what she needed.

She squeezed through the window and dropped to the dusty floor. She snatched up a two-foot length of pipe, crouched against the wall and waited for her eyes to adjust to the dark. She could feel her palms sweating again. She knew all too well what could be lurking down here.

After several minutes, she stood and started searching for a stairway. Piles of broken furniture and old boxes created a confusing maze. She moved slowly from one room to the next, trying to resist the almost overwhelming impulse to sneeze. She had just spotted an unlit exit sign across the room when she heard the familiar scuttling sound to her left.

Kat threw herself against the wall, exhaled sharply three times and dropped into a crouch, pipe at the ready. Almost immediately she heard the warbled screech and felt the wind of an object passing over her head. The headcrab hit the wall where her head had just been with a dull thud and almost fell in her lap. Kat jumped up and pounded it with the pipe before it could reorient itself. She took a couple of gulping breaths, hands shaking.

Heart thundering, she hurried to the door. Despite her alarm, a voice in the back of her head was cheering happily. It worked! It worked! I must be right. It has to be the carbon dioxide that attracts them! Everyone knew that headcrabs couldn’t “see”, but most people suspected them of orienting on body heat. Kat had come up with her own theory, but no one really wanted to test it out. Allowing herself a small smile, she moved on to the stairs.

Emerging in a dingy hallway, Kat was relieved to find herself next to the stairs with no CP’s in sight. She slipped up to the fourth floor and found apartment D. She knocked on the unremarkable door with the correct pattern and waited. After a moment a flat voice asked, “What do you want?”

Kat replied in a low voice, “Barney sent me. I’m looking for help.”

There was a long pause with the sounds of a whispered exchange, and finally the scrape of a lock being opened. The door opened a crack to show two suspicious blue eyes. “How’d you get in here? We’re under lockdown. How do you know Barney?”

“I came in through the basement.” Kat looked nervously towards the stairs, “Look, can we talk about this inside?”

The eyes narrowed and a new voice chimed in, “Jeez, Stephan, just let her in. We don’t need to attract any attention.”

The door opened far enough to admit her and she stepped into the room. Kat looked around. This sure didn’t look like what she expected. There was a tattered blue couch and a small desk with a radio. A pile of blankets in the corner looked like it served as a bed. Two doors led out of the room. One opened into a small bedroom and the other a kitchenette. There were tattered curtains in the window that blocked the view across the alley. The small apartment smelled of old baked beans, unwashed bodies and, strangely, talcum powder.

Two men in their mid-twenties stood watching her. The one who answered the door looked nervous and suspicious. The other, a tall black man, seemed pleased to see her. He waved her further into the room.

“Hey, I’m Ivers and this squinty guy is Stephan. Don’t mind him, he thinks everyone is out to get us.”

“Come on!” Stephan hissed, “How do you know she isn’t? Just because she mentions a name you know doesn’t mean anything.”

He stalked over to Kat and waved a stumpy finger under her nose, “If you know Barney, where did you meet him? What does he look like?”

Kat resisted the temptation to bat his finger out of her face. She scowled back at him, “It’s a long story. I guess you could say I mistook him for someone I thought I knew. When I met him he was wearing a CP uniform. He’s, I don’t know, six feet tall or so. Dark hair, a scar on his left cheek and a he needed a shave. He seems like a level-headed guy.”

Ivers laughed. “Yeah, that would be him. Stephan, I think if she were really trying to gain our confidence for evil intentions, she wouldn’t be lookin’ like she was ready to shove that finger down your throat.”

Stephan stepped away with an air of disappointment. “Hmph. Better safe than sorry.”

Kat turned back to Ivers and gestured at the room, “This isn’t quite what I expected for a resistance ‘base’.”

“A base? Nah, we’re just more like a safe house. Do you know where to go from here?”

Kat felt the old familiar tightness in her chest. “Ahh…no. Barney just told me you guys would see if I check out but he also said this was one of your bases.”

Stephan and Ivers exchanged a glance. Stephan replied, “Uh, yeah…check out. We will need to see if you check out before you can go to a real base.”

Kat didn’t know what to say. Something wasn’t right. Her eyes darted towards the door.

Ivers came over and gently put a hand on her shoulder. “Relax. I recognize that look. All I can say to you right now is that you’re with the good guys. And as long as you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about. Why don’t we get you something to eat and then you can crash for awhile. You look like you could use it.”

Kat realized he was right. For the moment, control was out of her hands. She had been on edge for so long, she felt completely drained. She nodded her head wearily and followed him to the kitchen.
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Thanks for reading! Comments?

 

[jonesey2k]

Comments: Its excelent, I enjoyed reading it. Please write more :E

 

[tinyxipe]

Deserate Measures

Chapter III
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Dusk was falling across the city. The coolness of autumn was starting to creep into the daytime, but the day had been sunny and warm so the stones of the battered buildings still gave off a pleasant warmth. Barney squatted with his back against the wall and reflected on the rosy glow in the west. “Red sky at night…”

Nolan was pacing back and forth, “Yeah, yeah. Where the hell is Josef, already? His shift should have been over at six.”

“Settle down. We aren’t under any real time constraints here. He probably just got caught up with something. You know, the guys probably wanted to take him out for a beer.” Barney leaned his head back and closed his eyes under his mask. The sarcasm would most likely be lost on the kid. Oh well, it was always best to relax when given the chance.

Nolan walked over and stood against the wall. “I still don’t understand why we can’t take a transport vehicle. It would be safer and a lot faster. And we could pick up more than just a few water filters. This is going to be a long walk in the dark.”

Barney sighed. Nolan was a recent recruit and only ninteen. He was a great man to have at your back in a fight and was a crack shot, but he was as nervous as a rabbit if given too much time to think. “And how would you explain to your supervisor a vehicle being signed out after a shift? Anyway, we only need a few filters. Too many missing and it would be noticed”

This obvious logic was ignored and Nolan bounced away from the wall. “There he is!”

Barney stood and looked at the figure that had just rounded the corner. He moved his hand inconspicuously towards his sidearm. The CP raised his hand in an odd wave. Barney relaxed, reached for his pack and started forward. “Anything wrong?”

“Nothing we need to worry about. Sector G is all riled up with some “insurgents” and they were thinking of sending me back out. Did you ask for a distraction or something?”

“No, but that’s good luck. Should keep the patrols down. We all set to go?”

The other two men nodded and the small group set out down the deserted street. After a few minutes, Barney cleared his throat. “We need to make a stop on the way back from our little shopping trip. I think I found someone who might be a nice addition to the Lambda family.”

* * *

Kat’s eyes popped open to darkness. There had been a sound. Something. She lay there perfectly still, trying to remember where she was. She was lying on a lumpy mattress covered with a musty blanket in a small room. To her left, a sliver of light showed at the bottom of a door. There were quiet voices coming from the next room. Her memories came crashing back at the sound of a voice distorted by a CP mask in the hallway.

She bolted upright and felt around frantically for her gun. There was a loud banging on the apartment door. Kat’s breath caught in her throat. She knew she was trapped. Her hand swept along the floor next to the mattress and finally found the weapon. Rolling out of the bed, she scuttled across the floor to wedge herself behind a battered dresser. Kat could hear a man saying something when the hallway door banged open. Immediately there was shouting and crashing in the next room. Feeling an icy calm descend upon her, Kat raised her gun to the door and waited.

To her astonishment, despite the sounds of chaos, she heard a knocking on the bedroom door. It slowly cracked open. An unmasked head poked into the room. “Hey, are you in here? Take your finger off the trigger, it’s just me.”

“Barney?”

The door opened fully, letting light filter into the room. “Yeah. I hope we didn’t startle you. We need to make this look like an arrest to get you out of here.”

Kat stood, “No. I was just asleep. I’m okay.” She quickly shoved the gun into the waistband of her pants.

“Good. We need to get moving. What’s your name, by the way?”

“Katya, but everyone calls me Kat.”

Stepping into the living area revealed a strange sight. Four men were bellowing orders and insults at each other, stomping around and crashing into furniture. Ivers paused to give her a reassuring grin and Stephan started wailing as though he was being beaten.

Barney stepped over to two packs on the floor and dug around inside. He removed four single liter bottles and a smaller sack. He placed the sack and the water on the battered desk and came over to Kat.

“I’m going to need to put some restraints on you. You know, for show. Could you put your hands behind your back for me?”

Kat hesitated. It seemed she had no choice but to trust these men. “Just don’t make them too tight.” She gave a slight smile, “I might need to get out of them.”

As Barney fastened the restraints on her wrists, Kat asked, “What’s in the bag?”

“Some food. I got my hands on some produce and we try to get fresh stuff to people who help us out. The water has been filtered. You know what they put in the water, right?”

“Yeah, to make you forget.”

“Okay, we’re all set here. Let’s get going.” Barney slipped his white mask back over his face.

Stephan, Ivers and the two men dressed as CP finished up their shouting match. As Kat walked to the door with the CP’s, she turned to see Stephan emptying the bag. There were some apples, potatoes and a couple of turnips. She realized how lucky she had been living on the farm before the attack two weeks ago. It hadn’t been easy, but at least they had eaten pretty well.

Stepping into the hall, Kat was alarmed to see two more CP’s. Barney grabbed her roughly by the arm and dragged her down the dimly lit hallway. On the stairs, he leaned close to her ear and whispered, “The show was for the two in the hall. Sorry about your arm.”

Kat just nodded to show she understood. She knew she could take any abuse as long as it kept her out of the hands of the Combine.

* * *

The small group had been walking for nearly an hour. Kat’s light jacket wasn’t doing much to keep her warm and she hoped they were nearing their destination. Barney led the group and the other two flanked Kat, walking slightly behind her. There had been very little conversation along the way, but she had learned that the shorter, older man was named Josef and the slight, young man was named Nolan.

Only a few CP patrols had passed them and none of them seemed to find the group unusual. One group even had a couple prisoners of their own.

They were entering a light industrial area. The squat brick buildings were unremarkable, except that some were obviously in use. As they walked down the dark deserted street, Kat could hear machinery in the closest building. “Why are some of these factories still running?”

Joseph answered, “Most of them produce something for the Combine. Machinery or weapons. Some of them print propaganda. This one here,” he gestured at the building they were passing, “packages that slop they call food.”

“Are the people forced to work there, or do they do it willingly?”

“Well, I don’t know if you could call it ‘willingly’. Some are offered incentives like extra food or the chance to contact family members in other cities. Civil Protection works like that. We get all kinds of bonuses, and it helps reinforce the idea that if you’re CP, you’re superior to the average citizen. It makes it easier to step on the little guys neck since someone is already standing on yours.”

Nolan snickered, “What city are you from, Kat? I thought everyone dealt with Civil Protection and the Combine’s ‘work programs’.”

“I’m from outside City 17. I was living on farm about fifteen miles from the city.” Kat heard her voice go flat. “Civil Protection showed up two weeks ago and killed everyone there. I was out hunting. That’s the only reason I survived. I overheard the name of the officer leading the group and now I’m hunting again. So, yeah, I guess you could say I’ve dealt with Civil Protection.”

Nolan managed a small, “Oh man, I’m sorry.” They continued on in silence.

As they progressed deeper into the area, the factories became larger and loomed higher. Some bristled with pipes and tall stacks. There was a strange metallic odor in the air, and one of the occupied buildings seemed to emit the low groans of a tortured giant.

Rounding a corner into a narrow alley, Kat sensed a change in Barney’s gait. She heard a whispered, “Oh, shit,” from Nolan. Looking over Barney’s shoulder, she saw two dark figures walking towards them.

An electronic, unnatural voice rasped through the air. “Halt, citizens.”

The group came to a stop. Josef stepped up behind Kat and put a hand on her arm. “Stay calm and be ready,” he murmured.

The two Combine soldiers approached with perfectly matched strides. The lenses of their masks flashed blue in the darkness of the alley. Several yards from Barney they stopped. “Where are you taking this female? There is no Civil Protection facility in this area.”

Barney replied, “We’re under orders to take her in for questioning. We didn’t have access to a vehicle tonight, so we’re just taking a little shortcut.”

“Shortcut?” The soldiers paused as though they needed to process this unfamiliar term.

“There is no Civil Protection facility in this area,” the first soldier repeated. “What is the name of the female?”

Barney turned slightly towards Kat. She realized that she had never told him her last name. “Katya Orovjek,” she said meekly.

The second soldier put his hand to the side of his black-masked head. “Query. Detainee Status: Katya Orovjek.”

Kat could feel the tension building as several seconds passed. “There is no order for the arrest of this citizen. There is also no record of this citizen. Turn her over and come with us for questioning.”

“Yes, sir,” Barney replied.

To Kat’s horror, he turned and reached for her arm. Instead of pulling her towards the Combine soldiers though, he pushed her down and to the side of the alley. Her shoulder cracked painfully with the brick wall and she fell to the ground on her face.

Gunfire exploded through the alley as Kat struggled desperately with her bonds. As she rolled onto her side she heard a cry of pain. It sounded like Josef.

Bullets tore into the wall above her head and pieces of brick fell onto her face. A sudden radio squeal announced the death of one of the Combine soldiers.

Pulling one hand free, Kat grabbed her gun and pushed herself up onto her knees. Josef was huddled against the far wall holding his arm. Nolan crouched behind a stack of shipping crates several feet in front of her. He fired on the hidden soldier, while across the alley, Barney reloaded.

“Don’t let him call this in!” Barney yelled and started firing again.

Nolan dug into a pocket on his pack and pulled out a grenade. Pulling the pin, he tossed it well behind the remaining soldier.

Like a pop-up toy, the soldier sprung from hiding and ran across the alley towards them. Kat, Nolan and Barney all stood and fired on the running figure. The black-masked head snapped back and he tumbled limply to the ground.

The grenade exploded ineffectually, echoing through the night.

Nolan ran across the alley. “Josef, are you alright?”

“Yeah, it’s not bad. Just grazed my shoulder is all,” he responded, clenching his teeth as Nolan examined the wound.

Barney hurried over, tossing his pack to Nolan. “There’s a MedKit in there. Kat, help me check the bodies. We’ll take those weapons and anything useful they might be carrying. We need to get out of here fast.”

Barney and Kat trotted down the alley to the motionless bodies. As they stripped them of weapons and ammunition, Barney looked up at Kat. “You’re bleeding.”

Kat put her hand to her face. There was a cut at her temple and blood was oozing down her cheek. She wiped it away. “I’m alright. It must be from when I fell.”

“Ahh, I’m sorry. I just needed to make sure you weren’t…”

“Really, it’s okay,” Kat interrupted with a small grin. “I’ll take a little scrape over a bullet to the head any day.”

Barney nodded. “Fair enough. We’ll get it looked at when we get back. We’re pretty close.”

Nolan had patched up Josef and was helping him to his feet.

“You guys ready?” Barney asked. As Nolan and Josef moved towards them, he turned back to Kat. “Take the boots, too. Someone always need boots.”

The four figures slipped into the shadows, leaving the barefoot corpses to cool in the night air.
______________________________________________________

Okay. That's all I have right now. I'm a little stuck on the start of Chapter IV, but I'm working on it.

For all of you out there reading, Thank You! Please let me know what you think. It only takes a second to post a reply. There's nothing like some feedback to keep a writer going. Constructive criticism, general observations and comments are happily accepted just as well as compliments. And if you

 

[jonesey2k]

I think Its is very good. I for one, think you should continue.
Keep it up d00d :thumbs:

 

[tinyxipe]

Okay, I have a question for you guys.

Chapter IV is nearly done, but I need to introduce a new character. I have read posts complaining about people not being original and only using HL2 characters. I have also read posts where people don't want to read about made-up characters. The character I have in mind could go either way.

Any strong feelings?

 

[el ska boss]

Your story is pretty entertaining thus far, you should introduce a new character but keep them as close as you can within the half-life realm. Continue!

 

[KidZero]

Your origional character is pretty good already, so I would like to see some more new 'faces' added to the story. The story is also really progressing well, I can't wait for chapter IV.

 

[tinyxipe]

Desperate Measures

Chapter IV
_______________________________________________________

Kat reached out and touched the rusting sign hanging next to the loading dock door. “VerroChem… I’ve heard that name before.”

“Yeah,” replied Barney as he struggled with the corroded lock on the door. “They were all over the news a couple of years before the Combine showed up. Some big scandal about illegal research or something. It put them out of business. Ah…there!” The lock finally gave in with a sullen snick.

The three others followed him into the cavernous interior. Removing his mask and pulling out a flashlight, Barney continued. “Anyway, early on when the resistance was just getting started, we stumbled onto a guy who used to work here. He told us about this huge underground complex where all the illegal research went on. VerroChem had kept it a secret through the whole uproar, so there was a good chance the Combine didn’t know about it. So, we checked it out and he was right. There were even supplies and equipment left behind.”

They had moved from the warehouse-sized storage area into what appeared to be the equally vast manufacturing floor. Moldering machinery filled the room, much of which had been cannibalized for parts. Picking their way across the dark, cluttered floor, the group traveled towards the front of the building.

The administrative section of the factory was comparatively empty. They advanced quickly through the unlit hallways to a large conference room. Barney walked to the back and pressed on one of the acoustic wall panels lining the wall. It swung open to reveal a tiny room containing only an elevator door and security console. He entered a code and the door slid smoothly open.

On the silent ride down, Kat observed the three men. They all looked tired and Josef had grown rather pale. He cradled his wounded arm but the bleeding appeared to have stopped. He leaned his stout body against the wall and stared at the ground. Nolan seemed to be incapable of stillness. He looked as if he was taking an inventory of the numerous pockets on his uniform.

Kat turned her gaze to Barney and found that his attention was already on her. He gave her a friendly smile and turned to the door as a soft chime rang. “Here we are.”

They stepped out into a large circular reception area. Eight hallways radiated outwards at equal intervals, each outlined in a different color. The walls were decorated with city maps, anti-Combine propaganda and old family photos. A large clock on the wall read 11:49. Painted in the center of the floor was a large yellow lambda symbol within a circle. Kat followed the men as they walked towards the yellow hallway. Near the entrance a small sign read “Infirmary Hall”.

“This place must be enormous,” Kat commented as she saw the length of the hallway.

“It’s big, but it’s really easy to get around,” replied Nolan. “It’s just like a huge wheel with eight spokes. Everything is grouped together and color-coded. Hey, Barney, you want me to take this equipment to storage since were over here anyway?”

“Yeah,” Barney handed his pack to Nolan. “Get this stuff put away, let Maria know we got the filters and then get some rest.”

Nolan took the packs and continued down the hall as the other three entered a room labeled “Triage: Room 1”. A tall, thin black woman stood up from a desk where she had been doing paperwork. “Ah, Josef, what have you done to yourself this time?” Her voice lilted with the rhythms of Africa.

As she guided Josef to a bed, she turned back to Barney and Kat. “And who is this new face, now?”

“This is Kat Orovjek,” Barney replied. “She has a few issues she needs to work out with the Combine. So, it looks like she might be joining up with us. Kat, this is our favorite health professional, Dr. Amina Mbani.”

Amina chuckled as she examined Josef’s wound. “Always the charmer, Mr. Calhoun. Is your face hurt badly Ms. Orovjek?”

“No, it’s just a scrape. Please, call me Kat.”

“Very well, Kat, and you can call me Amina. Here, let me take a quick look at it.” She moved away from Josef and took Kat’s face in her long, slender fingers. She probed gently for a moment. “Yes, I think that you will survive. We’ll just get it cleaned up after I’m done with Josef.”

Barney turned to Kat. “If you’re okay here, I’m going to take off. I’ve got to get some sleep before tomorrow. Amina will find someone to get you a place after she’s done with you.”

“Okay,” Kat nodded.

As Amina tended to Josef’s wound, other resistance members came and went through the room despite the late hour. Several were there to work in the infirmary, but they all stopped to chat with Amina and Josef. Kat watched these simple human interactions with mixed feelings of longing and envy.

Finishing with Josef, Amina sent him off with another health worker. She gently cleaned Kat’s wound and announced that there would be no need for any sutures. She snapped off her latex gloves and stood decisively.

“Now, come with me. My shift was over a little while ago anyway. We’ll find you a room and some clean clothes. And there are showers, if you’d like one.” Walking to the door, she turned back to Kat with a smile, “We even have hot water.”

Kat realized she must look awful, but she grinned at thought of an actual hot shower. “That would be… I don’t know if I have the words for how wonderful that would be.”

Amina laughed. “It’s been awhile, eh? Well, we’ll get you settled in and let you get some rest. The council will want to meet you tomorrow morning and decide what to do with you.”

“Council? What will they want with me?”

“Oh, don’t worry. They’ll just want to evaluate your talents and figure out where you will fit best in our little family here. The council members are just representatives of the different divisions of the resistance: militia, research scientists, scavengers and so on. It’s not nearly as official as it sounds. Most likely, it will just be Dr. Werner, Susan Holmes and maybe a couple of others. Werner fancies himself as the unofficial head of the council. Susan is the one to watch though. She knows every little detail about what goes on down here. Werner would be lost without her.”

Amina laughed again at Kat’s overwhelmed look. “Relax,” she patted Kat’s shoulder amiably. “It all seems a bit much at first. You’ll fit in before you know it.”

* * *​

Kat stepped out of the shower, wrapping herself in the coarse towel as two weeks worth of filth spiraled down the drain. The hot water had made her feel relaxed and sleepy; a long forgotten sensation. She padded over to the sinks and wiped the condensation off the mirror. A stranger looked back at her. Kat had never had any illusions of being called beautiful, but she hadn’t let it bother her. She always had found that there were more important things to life than makeup, hairspray and obsessing about her body.

She hadn’t seen her own face in a mirror for quite some time. Her gray eyes had developed a haunted look and her once glossy chestnut hair was ragged and dull. There was a large scrape and a bruise developing at her left temple.

The scars on her body were a catalogue of the dreadful events she had experienced since the arrival of the Combine. Her right upper arm bore a small pucker where a Combine bullet had pierced it as she tried to flee the initial onslaught with her fiancé. The long scars on her left calf were courtesy of a zombie attack in a ruined building she had tried to shelter in after escaping the troops. Both forearms were mottled from cuts inflicted by headcrabs as she had tried to defend herself and conserve precious ammunition. The worst of the lot, though rather nondescript, had nearly killed her.

She had encountered a pair of strange creatures in a forest clearing while in search of other humans. They were the size of small deer and had long, slender legs. A short neck ended with a low-slung, flattened head sporting two enormous nostrils and a pair of compound eyes. Muscles rippled under the hairless, green and gold dappled skin. The creatures had fluted softly to each other and started trying to flank her. As they stalked closer, a double row of long golden spines rose ominously off their backs.

As soon as she realized their intent, Kat had drawn her weapon and fired on the closest one. Before she could turn to the second, something had slammed into her back, knocking her to the ground. She rolled over, expecting to find snapping jaws, but the creature was still crouched several yards away. It suddenly arched its back and sent a volley of spines hurtling at her. Kat flung herself back onto her stomach, feeling several more spines pierce her back and thighs deeply.

Rolling up onto a hip, Kat fired on the creature before it could attack again. It had fallen to the ground with a hissing shriek. Sobbing in pain, she had removed the barbed spines but the wounds continued to burn.

She had hobbled along for two more days, feeling the infection grow. On the third, she reached the edge of the forest and had been unable to continue. She had wandered into an open meadow, and decided it would be best to die where she could at least see the sky. Blazing with fever, she couldn’t quite remember how to remove the safety on her weapon. Her hands felt swollen and useless. Kat sank to the ground, weeping in helpless frustration.

The sun was sinking and Kat thought she heard the voice of her fiancé, “…no, it’s coming from over here…”

“I’m here… I’m here…” Her dry throat rasped unintelligibly.

Suddenly, huge figures were looming over her. They looked human, but their features slid around disturbingly on their distorted heads. Kat flailed at them fruitlessly. One pushed its face into hers and boomed, “Well, she still has some fight left. Let’s get her back to the farm and let Doc have a look at her.”

It had taken over two months for her to recover her strength. The small farm community had supported her until she was able to become a productive member. For two years she felt as though she had a home and a small semblance of normality. Two whole years of security, companionship and freedom.

Then the Combine had come again.

Kat shook herself from the painful memories. She toweled off her damp hair and turned to the pile of clean clothes Amina had left for her. This time would be different. There were others, all working towards the same goal. This time it wasn’t just about survival. This time it was about freedom.
_______________________________________________________

Oops! Too long!

 

[tinyxipe]

Desperate Measures

Chapter IV (cont.)
_______________________________________________________

Kat sat cross-legged on her bed and surveyed the tiny room. There was the narrow bed, a footlocker and an old crate functioning as a bedside table. An unforgiving fluorescent light blazed from the ceiling. She smiled to herself. It felt like a suite at the Ritz.

She had awoken a few minutes ago and dressed quickly in the tattered but serviceable jeans, gray turtleneck and oversized black sweater. Her old clothes sat in the footlocker. Her hair was pulled back into it’s customary thick braid. To keep from fidgeting while she waited for her escort, she meticulously cleaned her pistol.

A sharp knock sounded at the door. Kat opened it to find a short young woman standing outside. “Glad to see you’re up already. I’m Diane. Ready?” Without waiting for an answer, she turned and headed off down the hall.

Taken aback by the woman’s brusque manner, Kat closed the door and hurried after her. “I’m sorry, did I…”

“I have a lot of work to get done today,” she huffed, her short brown ponytail bouncing with irritation as she marched down the hall. “Shepherding new recruits around is not real high on my priority list. Just because someone else has the sniffles, all the work gets dumped on me.”

Kat gave a mental shrug and followed in silence. She wasn’t about to let someone else’s bad mood dampen her slowly growing sense of hope. Leaving the blue-tiled dormitory hallway, they turned right to travel clockwise around the outer ring of the facility. They passed only a few others who were also hurrying about on their own tasks.

Upon reaching the hall trimmed in a vivid orange, Diane came to a halt. She waved vaguely in the direction of the hall, “Just head down that way. It’s about five or six doors on the right. You’ll see the sign for Dr. Werner’s office.” With that, she turned on her heel and continued on her way, mumbling under her breath.

Kat shook her head and turned down the orange hallway. Nearing the office Diane had directed her to, she realized she could hear a deep voice with a German accent coming from the open door.

“…can’t just bring in any stray that approaches you on the street. We need to have some security here!”

Kat couldn’t hear the muffled response to this statement. The original voice continued.

“Your instincts are not in question. It’s a simple matter of whether or not she can be trusted. Think of what you may have put at risk!”

Slowing her pace, Kat realized that they were talking about her. The second person responded clearly enough for her to now recognize Barney’s voice.

“Claus, we won’t get anything done if we don’t take some risks. That’s what the whole resistance thing is about! And as far as trust goes, how do you know you can trust any of us down here? I could be a spy for all you know. That’s exactly what they want. If we start to think that way, we may as well just head on over to the Citadel and turn ourselves in.”

“He’s right, Claus,” a female voice responded. “We’ll just need to keep an eye on her for a while.”

Sensing a lull in the conversation, Kat cleared her throat and gave a couple small coughs in the hope of announcing her presence in the hallway. She reached the office and tapped on the doorjamb.

“Come in, please.” The German man Kat assumed was Claus waved her into the small meeting room. “Have a seat.” He was a tall, burly man with an undisciplined head of thick reddish-brown hair and a comparatively tidy beard. This, along with a pair of small eyes and an unfortunately large nose, gave him the appearance of a half-groomed bear.

Kat stepped into the room and moved towards one of the several empty chairs. Across from her sat Barney, who gave her a nod of greeting. Next to him was a small, fine-boned woman. She wore a pair of owlish glasses that accentuated her sharp gaze. In front of her sat a stack of files and an open notebook.

“Welcome, Ms. Orovjek. I am Dr. Claus Werner, this is Susan Holmes, our record keeper and you have of course met Mr. Calhoun. I apologize for the sparse turnout, but the others are unable to attend for various reasons. In any case, we like to meet and interview any new recruits so we can make the most use of the talents they have to offer.

“As you know, we are all here to work against the Combine. Barney has filled us in on what he knows of your story. But your entrance into the resistance was a bit…unorthodox.” He ran a hand though his hair, sending it into further disarray. “Perhaps you will give us a quick explanation as to why you are in City 17 and what you plan on accomplishing.”

Kat gave a brief narration of her past two weeks. Susan took a few notes as she talked. “I understand that I probably can’t accomplish my original goal, but I’ll do whatever I can to hurt the Combine,” she concluded.

“Good,” Susan said. “We need to have a unified front against them. Now tell me, what is your background?”

“My background?”

“Yes. What did you do before the attacks?”

“Oh. I was an ethologist.” Kat paused at their blank looks. “I studied animal behavior. I did mostly field research: time budget studies, group interactions, social cues… I wanted to work on my doctorate but there was always another study to work on.”

Dr. Werner leaned forward eagerly, “Have you any interest in xenobiology?”

“Well, I do now. I haven’t had any time to seriously study anything, but I think any knowledge we can gain would be to our advantage. I have some ideas about how headcrabs attack…”

“Excellent,” Dr. Werner interrupted. “We are sorely lacking in trained xenobiologists. And can you handle a gun?”

“Yes,” Kat said. “I was on my own in the field for weeks at time. I carried a gun when I was in areas with large predators. And I needed to be able to tranquilize animals on occasion, so I had to be a good shot. I’ve gotten even better in the last few years”

“Perhaps you would be willing to do field work again?”

“I guess so.”

“Perfect.” Dr. Werner sat back in his chair and smiled broadly, “I think we may have just the job for you.”
_______________________________________________________

 

[jonesey2k]

Very good.
Awaiting the next installment

 

[Sloth]

this is really good, it's on fanfiction.net good story keep up the good work

 

[tinyxipe]

Desperate Measures

Chapter V
_______________________________________________________

The gentle rocking of the train was soothing enough to make Barney want to close his eyes again despite his recent nap. He had been sitting on the floor of the narrow boxcar for what seemed like days. Knees popping, he rose to his feet and stretched with a yawn. He paced the length of the dark boxcar in hopes of returning feeling to his lower extremities.

For months now Barney had been trying to convince Dr. Werner and the others to make some sort of move against the Combine. The conservative Resistance leaders had seemed to be satisfied with small raids and technological research, but things had started to come to a head several weeks ago when the air quality in the city began to decrease rapidly. The Resistance was aware of the large atmosphere conditioning facility on the coast. They had very little information beyond it’s location as it was heavily guarded but they knew it’s purpose was modify Earth’s atmosphere to the Combine’s specific needs.

Barney grinned to himself. Kat’s sudden appearance had given him exactly the leverage he needed. Werner had been looking for someone to send to the coast to investigate some new alien species. Barney had agreed heartily and then gently suggested a preliminary scouting mission on the atmosphere conditioning facility. Werner had taken the bait and approved the mission although he hadn’t wanted Barney to go. It was quite a risk but he was the only one with high enough clearance to get them on and off the high security trains. Getting the time away from his Civil Protection duties hadn’t proven to be as hard as expected. He had developed a sudden fever and hacking cough that was sure to keep him out for several days. His superior had simply sent him home with an offhand wave.

Returning to his corner, Barney sat, activated a glowstick and looked at his watch. It would be dawn soon and time to disembark. Kat lay curled on the floor across from him, her head pillowed on her pack. He studied her sleep-smoothed face by the pale light. When he had first met her, she had had the desperate, hollow look of a feral animal. After three days of rest at Resistance headquarters, she had lost some of the gauntness in her face and the wild look in her eyes. She also had proven to be intelligent, a quick study and a hard worker. She had given every indication of being capable member of the scientific team, but had yet to prove herself in the field.

Barney had been a bit concerned at first with her persistence in attempting to locate the CP officer called Lennox. She had hounded him about it until he was able to do a search on a Combine security terminal. Several names had shown up but the only likely match was an officer stationed outside the city. Kat seemed to realize that, beyond a suicide mission, she had little chance of gaining her revenge on this one man and by all appearances had turned her energies to a new focus. The Resistance had offered her a lifeline and she had latched on with determination.

Barney glanced at his watch again and reached out to gave Kat’s shoulder a gentle shake. She sat up immediately with a sharp intake of breath. “Whoa, easy there. It’s almost time to get off this thing.”

Kat rubbed at her face and blinked owlishly at him in the light of the glowstick. “How much longer?”

“Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes. We need to make sure we don’t leave anything behind or the scan will pick it up and they’ll send out squads.” They collected the few items they had removed from their packs and checked over their equipment.

Barney turned to Kat as she checked over her MP-7. “I never had a chance to ask you what you found out about these things we’re after.”

She laid the weapon across her knees. “I didn’t find out much. Dr. Werner told me that they seem to be something new, brought in by those portal storms we had recently. He called them antlions. They’re all over the coast and they seem to be causing the Combine a lot of trouble. He thinks we need to try to figure out some way to use this to our advantage.

“I visited with a few of the Vortigaunts. I figured they might be able to tell me something, but I was disappointed. Only one seemed to know what I was talking about, or at least, he was the only one willing to talk to me.”

“What did you find out?”

“Well, from what I could understand, there are two types of antlion. A worker and a larger leader. Kind of like social insects, with lots of workers and one queen. He drew me a crude sketch and these things even look like insects. He said they’re fast and dangerous. They burrow into the soil and wait for their prey. Anyway, from the little bit he could tell me about their behavior, I suspect that they communicate with pheromones…”

“You mean by smell?”

“Yeah. He said the workers usually forage for the queen during the day. So I think that would be our best chance to get at one.”

“What exactly do you mean by that?”

“Well, I need to have a close look at one of these queens. Preferably a dead one. If we can get a sample of the pheromone, we might be able to reproduce it and use it. At the very least, we might be able to create a sort of worker repellant.”

“Okay, but how do we get at one if they’re underground?”

“That’s the easy part. These things need a lot of food since they’re so big. Evidently the queens will feed on the workers if food is in short supply, which I’m guessing it must be, so we just need to provide a corpse. The hard part is that the queen is pretty heavily armored, but there is a weak point. We just need to figure a way to get her in a vulnerable position…”

“Wait a minute. I think we’re slowing down.” Barney stood. There was a definite change in the rhythm of the train’s movement. “C’mon. We don’t have too much time once they start to brake.” They gathered up their gear and Barney flipped a switch near the door. It slid smoothly open, revealing an open landscape washed in the grays of a false dawn. He leaned out and looked towards the front of the train. In the distance, it was nearing an arch filled with a red scanning field. The train gave a sudden lurch and began to slow rapidly.

He turned to Kat, “You ready?” She nodded, her eyes on the still swiftly moving ground. Barney leaned out of the doorway and punched a code into the security panel mounted on the outside. The door started to slide closed. “Alright. Let’s go.”

* * *

By mid-morning, under an overcast sky, they were nearing the bluffs at the sea’s edge. There was a mild breeze blowing inland carrying the scent of salt and decay. Kat scanned the flat landscape as they hiked along. Flocks of sea birds floated on the air currents. Up ahead there was a strangely uniform group of grayish boulders resting in the waist-high grass. Kat felt a tingle of suspicion run up her spine as they came closer.

She was about to say something to Barney when the boulders erupted from the ground in a storm of honks and snorts.

“Christ!” Barney shouted in surprise, raising his weapon.

“Wait! Don’t shoot!” Kat reached out and pulled his arm down. The boulders resolved themselves into a group of bipedal, lumpy looking animals. They milled around for a moment in confusion. “They’re harmless, for the most part.”

“For the most part?”

The largest creature turned to face them. It erected a colorful fanlike crest around it’s blocky head and bellowed at them as the rest of the group lumbered away.

“Well, as long as we don’t piss off the matriarch too much. Like shooting at her, for instance.” The matriarch bellowed again and shook her head violently, causing the leathery crest to boom and rattle. Kat dropped to her knees and turned her face to the ground. “Just try to be small and inconspicuous. They’re not too bright. We just startled them, that’s all.”

Barney stared at her in amazement for a second and then imitated her unobtrusive posture. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Just give them a minute to move off and everything will be fine. It’s all a big bluff. They’re big, but they’re herbivores. We used to hunt them on the farm. They’re pretty tasty.”

“Really? Like chicken?”

“No,” Kat laughed. “Actually, it’s a bit of an acquired taste, but in the middle of winter it was as good as filet mignon.” She looked up, “I think we convinced them we’re not a threat.” The matriarch was moving off with an indignant air. Kat rose, brushing off her knees.

“How did you know that it was only bluffing? I mean, this one might have been a little grumpier than usual.”

“No, if she had been really mad, she wouldn’t have bothered with all the noise. Even these alien species are pretty predictable if you take the time to watch them. Animals don’t like to take uncalculated risks. That’s what makes humans so dangerous; we’re unpredictable.”

Barney gave a short laugh, “Unpredictable. I like that. You’ll have to remind me to tell Dr. Werner that when we get back. It backs up my opinion that he could use a little unpredictability in his life.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Resistance is stagnating. We need to do something to shake up the Combine and I’m hoping that’s what this mission will start.”

* * *

Kat lay at the edge of the bluff. Tucked into a narrow crevice in the ravine floor was the antlion carcass they had acquired earlier. Barney crouched across the ravine, above the carcass. They had been waiting for quite some time. Kat brushed the sand from her face again. The sun was starting to get low in the sky. If the antlion queen didn’t return soon, they would have to wait another day. No sooner had she thought this than a cloud of seabirds rose suspiciously from near the entrance to the ravine.

Flattening herself to the ground, Kat watched the ravine entrance. A large creature came around the corner and entered the opening. It moved halfway up the canyon and came to a stop.

It was like nothing Kat had ever seen. It was big. Much bigger than she had expected. Like the smaller antlions, it wore heavy exoskeleton-like armor. Four powerful legs held up the segmented body and two smaller limbs were tucked in close to the abdomen. The head of the creature was mottled and came to a dangerous looking point. Several strange appendages decorated the hunched rust-colored body. They looked like five small decorative blue flags.

Kat waited, nervously gripping the rifle as the enormous beast hesitated suspiciously in the ravine. The blue appendages waved slowly as though examining the air. Finally, it seemed satisfied and moved towards the carcass. Maneuvering to reach the bait, it turned it’s back, perfectly positioned. Kat put the scope to her eye.

As the Vortigaunt had said, the antlion queen lowered its head to feed and a gap appeared between the body and the head. Kat took careful aim. Everything narrowed down to the single unarmored point on the creature’s neck. She drew in a deep breath and slowly released it. As she exhaled the last bit of air, she pulled the trigger.

A sharp crack rang out and the queen reared up onto it’s hind legs with a gibbering wail. It swung around and charged towards Kat’s location. Despite her elevation, Kat felt a thrill of fear. With it’s sharply pointed limbs, the queen could feasibly climb the ravine wall. She dropped the rifle and lurched to her feet grabbing the MP-7 lying next to her. As she looked back down though, the creature was careening wildly around the canyon floor. It suddenly crashed headlong into the far wall and fell into a heap. It tried to rise but seemed unable to get it’s legs to work correctly.

Kat looked across the ravine. Barney stood watching the queen’s death throes. She yelled to him, “Go watch for the kids, I’ll take care of mommy.” He waved back in reply and started towards the entrance. Kat grabbed her pack and jogged along the rugged edge of the canyon and descended the narrow path that they had found earlier. Already she could feel the growing excitement of examining a new species.

Upon reaching the ravine floor and starting to cross to the queen, she was again struck by its size. When upright, it had to have stood about seven feet tall or more. As she approached it, Kat realized that it wasn’t quite dead. It’s legs twitched sporadically and it was emitting a deep, uncomfortably dissonant moan. She looked nervously towards the canyon entrance. The low groaning was sure to carry for quite a distance. She crept cautiously closer, aware that she had no idea where to find anything vital enough to kill it. The last thing she wanted to do was riddle the body with bullets and risk damaging something important. To her relief, the huge body gave a sudden convulsive shudder and went still.

Kat walked up to the dead queen, wrinkling her nose at the strong musky scent it gave off. She quickly tromped down a flat patch of grass and pulled a crude dissection kit from her pack. Spreading out an array of knives, scalpels, probes and sample bags and jars, she deeply regretted being unable to take the time for extensive notes and sketches. After a quick examination of the external features of the body she started the dissection. Carefully working her way into the abdomen, she quickly became fascinated with the bizarre alien organs.

Her study was interrupted some time later by the sound of gunfire echoing up the canyon. Dammit! She knew she was getting close to the source of the odor and what she hoped would prove to be the pheromones. She quickened her search, pushing unlikely organs aside as the firing continued. Elbow deep into the warm body cavity she suddenly found four tennis ball-sized glands. The odor was staggering. She hastily cut them free.

“Kat! Kat, get the hell out of there!”
_______________________________________________________

Darn it! Yet again I'm too longwinded. Sorry!

 

[tinyxipe]

Desperate Measures

Chapter V (cont.)
_______________________________________________________

She spun around to see Barney running along the edge of the ravine. Below him a group of antlions were rapidly approaching her position. He stopped to fire on them as they flung themselves at the steep walls. Several broke away from the group and headed towards Kat. She flung her knife to the ground and snatched up a bag. One of the slippery glands droppped from her hands as she attempted to stuff them into the sack.

Jamming the bag in a vest pocket, she frantically grabbed for her weapon. Her hands, slick with yellowish gore, slipped clumsily on the grip. Backing towards the carcass, Kat fired on the closest antlion. It fell to the ground as two others launched themselves, whirring through the air towards her. She dodged around the queen’s body as the workers crashed to back to earth where she had been standing. Peering over the body, she fired several short bursts at the two insect-like beasts as they circled the pile of organs she had discarded. They both fell easily enough from the damage of the bullets, but more were on the way. Kat continued shooting until she was nearly out of ammunition.

Ducking back down behind the queen’s body, Kat quickly removed her spent magazine and pulled another from her vest pocket. She reloaded and took a couple of deep breaths. She could hear more of the workers buzzing and chittering on the other side of the body. They sounded close. Looking carefully from under one of the huge legs, she saw three more workers standing over the pile of organs. Kat ducked back, her brow furrowed in confusion. This certainly didn’t seem like normal behavior. They weren’t attacking nor did they seem to be interested in the organs as food. The pheromones, perhaps?

Kat’s mind raced. It was time for a quick experiment. She pulled out the sack containing the three glands. Removing one, she tossed it across the ravine where it landed with a dull splat. The antlion workers immediately skittered towards it. Kat looked over the carcass. Even the remaining antlions near Barney’s position had rushed over to join the others.

“What did you do?” Barney yelled down to her.

“I think we found our pheromones!” Kat stood slowly, feeling a wash of victorious excitement. The closest antlions turned to face her and arched their backs, flashing their patterned wing covers but made no move towards her. She edged around the body towards her equipment.

“Stay where you are! We need to take out the rest of those things or you’ll never get out of there.”

“No,” Kat shouted back. “I don’t think they’ll attack. Don’t do anything to get them agitated again.” She quickly gathered up her equipment and the dropped pheromone gland, keeping a careful eye on the antlions.

Barney had moved along the edge of the ravine and now crouched above her position. “Kat, this is too risky.”

She flashed a smile up at him, “I thought you were the one who was all for taking risks. Don’t worry. If they make a move towards me, I won’t take any chances.” Before he could respond, she slipped along the wall of the ravine and moved towards the pathway on the opposite side.

As she suspected, the antlions simply watched her progress. The intense odor of the pheromone gland they surrounded seemed to overpower any scent she was giving off. She quickly reached the path and ascended as rapidly as possible. Reaching the top, she found Barney waiting for her.

“That had to be one of the… Oh my God! What’s that smell?” He backed away, waving his hands in front of his face.

Kat grinned broadly, “Awful, isn’t it? How about we call it Eau d’Antlion?”

* * *

By nightfall, they had located a sheltered spot to camp and some fresh water for Kat to wash up. The scent still lingered a bit but they both found it easy enough to ignore with the odor of woodsmoke and their meager meal drifting through the air. Over the small campfire, they discussed the day’s events as they cleaned and checked their equipment.

“So we just need to catch one of those trains back into the city tomorrow?” Kat asked.

“Not exactly. We have one more thing to do first. Remember the facility I told you about? The one the our train was heading towards?”

Kat nodded, “Yeah, the one that’s changing the air quality.”

“Well, we need to get there and have a look at it. It should be simple enough; just a straight-forward scouting mission.”
_______________________________________________________

Whew! I never thought I would finish this chapter. I took a little while to rework my overall plot, so I hope this feels like it's moving in an interesting direction. This chapter gave me more trouble than the others. I hope it feels like it fits in.

As usual, let me know what you think, especially how this chapter compares to the first four. Comments, questions, constructive criticism, whatever. Thanks!

 

[knut]

Good stuff. Looking forward to the Weather Control Facility.

 

[InstInct1085]

Really, really nice fanfic. And stop criticising yourself, it's not too longwinded

 

[tinyxipe]

Thanks for the replies you guys! Sorry InstInct, I never thought this story would be nearly this long in the first place. I just worry that despite the postive feedback, most people aren't interested. I've received only nine replies in over 350 views.

Ah, well, what can I say? I'm just a feedback whore. If I had my way, you guys would not only reply, but tell me specifically what you liked or didn't like.

Anyway, I plan on finishing this, replies or not, as I'm really enjoying writing it. This is the first real fiction writing I've done and it's kind of an experiment to see if people like my style. I'd like to try my hand at some non-fan fiction sometime in the future and this is supposed to be my confidence booster.

So go ahead, boost away!

 

[Sloth]

W00T this is awsome!, you reply whore!

 

[FireCrack]

uber-extreme.

i like all the flashbacks.

 

[tinyxipe]

Desperate Measures

Chapter VI
_______________________________________________________

“What would you say that last bit was; three quarters or half a mile?”

“Mmmm…probably closer to three quarters.” Kat was hunched over the notebook in her lap, carefully sketching the contours of the land and the features of the security perimeter. Barney had been quite relieved to learn of this ability of hers as he had no artistic talent whatsoever. A map of the area surrounding the Atmosphere Control Facility could prove to be quite useful. They had worked their way around the wide perimeter of guard posts and patrols and now only needed to slip past security and get a look at the facility itself.

The open, rolling grasslands near the sea had given them very little cover. They had proceeded slowly around to the south, sticking to the far sides of the hills and watching carefully for the small patrols that moved regularly between the posts. Their rounds were rather predictable and Barney could foresee few problems with slipping past them.

He knew Kat was not completely comfortable with this part of the mission and she seemed to be especially nervous about approaching the facility itself. He did the best he could to reassure her that there was little risk as long as they remained alert and careful. After all, it was just a simple scouting mission.

They were sitting in a hollow, shielded by several large boulders. The shadows stretched towards the east. Barney checked over the night-vision binoculars for the third time while they waited for night. Kat finally snapped her notebook closed and stowed it deep in her pack. “I think I’ve got most of the details in there.”

“Good. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get all that recorded. Let’s wait another half-hour and head out.”

* * *

The half-moon was low in the sky, giving them just enough light to see by as they approached the glow in the distance. The craggy bluffs sloped upwards slightly as they neared the sea, blocking most of the view. As they crawled the last few dozen yards, Barney felt as though his perspective was being distorted. He had been led to believe that the Atmosphere Control Facility was a large building, but the parts he could see above the edge of the bluff seemed much too small. Reaching the edge, he realized his mistake; the darkness was throwing off his depth perception. The building was not on the beach as he had expected.

“My God…” Kat whispered next to him.

The facility was immense. It squatted above the waves two hundred yards out to sea, lit up like a malignant Christmas tree. It had a piecemeal look to it, connected with odd angles and multiple levels. Banks of intake fans lined one side and two colossal exhaust towers belched the modified air into the atmosphere. Around the base of the structure, huge pipes descended into the water. A causeway spanned the distance to the shore where various support buildings were located.

“Do you see that building on the shore down there?” Barney whispered, pointing for Kat. “Does it look new to you?”

Kat pulled out her binoculars. Everything was so well lit there was no need for night-vision. She studied the building for a moment. “I think you’re right. In fact, it doesn’t even look completed. Here,” she handed him the binoculars.

Barney examined the structure. It had the rough look of something recently and hastily constructed. On the far side were a set of railroad tracks and what looked like an ore depot. A long train was slowly unloading it’s cargo. Two flatbed trucks backed up to a loading dock were being stacked with large yellow barrels. “There are tracks down there. I wonder if they’re the same ones we passed over on our way around the perimeter.”

“The new ones?”

“Yeah. It looks like they’re processing something down there.” Barney lowered the binoculars and turned to Kat. “I think they found something that’s letting them speed up their production. It just seems like too much of a coincidence.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, there’s all this recent construction. The air in the city is getting worse all of the sudden. For the last month or so we’ve been getting reports of Combine activity in the northwest where, as far as we know, there’s nothing that should interest them. The new tracks were headed in that direction”

Kat turned back to him suddenly, “Northwest of the city?”

“Yeah, in the foothills. Why?

She dropped her eyes and shook her head, “Nothing.”

“Wasn’t that where you were…”

Kat interrupted suddenly, “I don’t see how we could do much damage to this place. Weren’t you hoping to lead a group back here?”

Barney blinked at the abrupt change of topic. “Uh…yeah. That’s what I wanted to do, but I had figured on something we could get to easily. Out in the water like that though, I don’t know. It’s pretty isolated. If we could get someone out there with some explosives, maybe…” He shook his head and thought for a moment.

“We need to find out what they’re hauling in here. If it’s some sort of vital resource, it might be another good target. We should try to get a sample.”

Kat took the binoculars and peered through them again. “That train is pretty long. If we could get down there, it wouldn’t be too hard to get at one of the cars near the end. I don’t see much activity; it looks like most of the process is automated.”

“Good idea. Why don’t you get a sketch of this area and then we’ll go check it out.”

Kat dug out her notebook and roughed out the layout of the facility. She shook her head as she added a few details and notes. “I hope this is useful. I’m not used to drawing by moonlight.”

Barney looked over her shoulder, “It looks fine to me, but all I can draw are stick figures.” After a few more minutes, she finished up and repacked her notebook.

“Okay, let’s go.”

They crawled back from the edge of the cliff and headed towards the tracks. The bluffs sloped gently downwards as they traveled along in silence. About a quarter mile later they came to an excavated area where the bluff had been gently sloped down to the level of the beach. The tracks slipped away to the northwest, gleaming silver in the moonlight.

The train stretched up the slope towards them. The cars were simple open-topped ore hoppers. Every minute or so, the train slowly moved forward a car-length. Barney scanned the area, “I don’t see any security. You keep watch and I’ll grab a sample.”

Kat reached into her pack and handed him a sample container. “Be careful.”

“I’m always careful.” Barney gave her a grin, “Don’t worry, I’ll just grab this and then we’ll head home. No problem.”

He jogged over to the train and waited for it to stop. Quickly climbing the ladder on the side of the hopper, he leaned in and scooped up a sample of the dark shale-like rocks inside. He dropped back to the ground and returned to Kat.

“There we go! That was easy. Now we just need to find somewhere quiet to hang out until we can catch our train home.”

“Sounds good to me. Let’s get away from this place.”

* * *

Kat fought her way out of a light sleep. She sensed that she had been sleeping longer than a couple of hours. Sitting up, she looked around the moonlit hollow. There was no sign of Barney. She angled her watch to catch the meager light and checked the time. It would be dawn soon. He should have woken her several minutes ago.

She stood and stretched her cold stiffened muscles. In mid-stretch Kat froze. There was a sound in the distance, something unnatural. She strained to see anything that looked human. “Barney?” she hissed quietly. There was no response. A tingling sensation ran up her spine. Something was wrong.

Most of her equipment lay in a small pile where she had been sleeping. She slipped into her vest and shouldered her small pack. The MP-7 she attached to a three-point sling to keep it handy, but out of the way. Moving quietly, she headed towards the edge of the forest where she had heard the sound.

Progressing slowly, Kat strained with all of her senses to catch any bit of information in the dim landscape. She carefully picked her way through the fallen forest detritus. A sudden nearby crackle broke through the quiet. Kat dropped to the ground. Combine!

They were very close. She felt that there was no way they could miss the pounding of her heart. Kat could see them moving not far from her location. There were two of them bent over something on the ground. One was crouched down as though examining the object. Kat slipped behind a tree and watched.

“…just one?” She could barely hear the distorted voices.

“…didn’t see any sign…”

“Probably a Resistance spy…report it… question him…”

Kat’s stomach clenched in terror as she realized what they were talking about. The dark figures bent to grab the arms of the fallen figure and dragged it towards the forest’s edge. Ducking back behind the tree, Kat fought to subdue her rising panic. She felt as though she couldn’t breath. Her heart was racing and her vision seemed cloudy. Gasping with shallow breaths, she pulled her knees to her chest and rested her forehead on them. She closed her eyes, but she could still see…

Lying on the hillside above the farm, with chaos below. Combine and Civil Protection units swarming through the buildings. Echoing gunfire in the valley. Lucia’s screams cut short. Therese and Viktor flushed from the tool shed where they were hiding. The bullets mowing them down as they ran. Helpless, helpless… CP’s dragging the bodies into the barn. Two of them pulling Joshua’s shattered body along by the arms. The smell of the burning buildings. So much smoke. The feel of the heat on her face even at that distance. Everyone she knew…gone.

Kat slowly regained her senses. She lay curled on the forest floor, shaking uncontrollably. Calm, I have to stay calm. I am of no use in a panic. She repeated this mantra to herself several times and took deep breaths until she felt able to move again. Hands still shaking slightly, she sat up and checked to make sure she hadn’t dropped anything.

She stood and moved to where the troopers had dragged Barney off. The trail was easily visible in the growing light of dawn. Kat followed the path to the verge of the forest where it turned north. She slipped along within the cover of the woods. After a short distance, she spotted a dilapidated cabin set back against the forest. She circled around the back, noting several sheds and outbuildings and began to concoct a plan.
_______________________________________________________
How about a cliff hanger for a change? I know it's a lot shorter. It was going to be about twice as long, but I think it works better as two chapters. Plus, it gives me some more time to work over the next one. It should be up soon!

Thanks for the replies! Keep 'em coming or I'll hold the next chapter hostage! :naughty:

Even reply whores need to get paid.

 

[InstInct1085]

Well, I wouldn't want the next chapter to be locked up in a dungeon for all eternity, sooo...
Another nice chapter dude!
But seriously, i like your writing style, it's perfectly paced, there's never a moment of dullness (is that a word?) and the story's well thought out, with suprises, smart links to other events and the such.
Now unleash the next one!

Oh and ehh... a dilapidated cabin??

 

[knut]

Awesome. Keep 'em comin', man.

 

[tinyxipe]

Don't worry, it won't be locked up forever. I just need to polish it up a bit. I'll probably get it out tomorrow.

Thanks for the specifics InstInct! That's exactly what I was hoping for. It's really hard for me to read my own stuff objectively so I'm glad to hear you like the pacing, catching the references and such. And sure, why not delapidated? You know, old, crumbling, falling into ruin, etc.

Also, I am neither a dude nor man. It's true. I am one of the rare oddities; a female gamer. I hope that doesn't turn you off to my writing. :E

 

[InstInct1085]

Well, now that i know you're a woman i'll take it all back
No just kidding, looking forward to tomorrow.
And about the delapidated thing, just had no clue what it meant, not being a native english speaker. So feel free to keep using those unusual words, it does wonders for my vocabulary

 

[tinyxipe]

Desperate Measures

Chapter VII
_______________________________________________________

Kat slipped back from the decaying woodshed into the cover of the forest’s edge. She moved as deeply into the forest as would allow a clear line of sight and positioned herself behind some low bushes. From her chosen position, she could easily see both sides of the cabin and the shed. For a few minutes she worried that the small fire wouldn’t take, but the old shed was quite dried out and soon started crackling enthusiastically. Setting her MP-7 to single-fire, Kat settled in and waited anxiously. After a few more minutes she saw a masked face at one of the windows.

Two combine troopers soon came jogging around the corner of the cabin. They both stood staring at the flames as if unsure what to do about the situation. Kat knew she would probably only have one good clear shot. She felt an icy calm descend, everything jumping into crystalline focus. One of the troopers turned to walk back to the cabin. Taking careful aim, she waited until he had nearly cleared the corner of the building. As he stepped out of sight of his companion she pulled the trigger. The SMG bucked in her hands and the trooper fell to the ground. She immediately sighted on the second trooper. He had turned towards the sound of the shot and dropped to one knee. As he fumbled for his sidearm, Kat put a bullet through his chest. He toppled over backwards, his feet drumming on the ground for a moment and then went still.

Kat stood and moved cautiously towards the burning shed, switching her weapon back from single shot to burst. As she passed the fallen trooper, she picked up his dropped H&K pistol and stuffed it in a vest pocket. Keeping low, she moved quickly to the back of the cabin. As she progressed around the building she paused at each window, listening carefully. Reaching the front of the cabin, she could hear someone moving around inside and the sound of radio chatter.

Feeling like a spectator to her own actions, Kat slowly eased herself up to peer into the closest window. Inside was a single black masked figure. He stood facing the door; a shotgun was held ready at his hip but his attention was turned to a blinking security console. She ducked back down, readied her weapon and took a deep breath. Taking a step back from the cabin, she popped up and fired a burst through the window. There was a heavy thud inside the building and the crackle of damaged electronics.

Kat ran to the front door, dropped to a crouch and pushed it open with the muzzle of her weapon. As the door creaked open, a shotgun blast exploded though the top half of it. Shit! She fell back from the door, heart pounding. Gathering herself up, she quickly moved back to the window.

Feeling along the foundation of the cabin, Kat picked up two golf ball-sized rocks. She tossed one gently to land on the steps at the front of the building and then hurled the second to hit lower half of the shattered door. She was immediately rewarded with a second roar from the shotgun. At once, she stood and fired into the room. The soldier had been lying on his side, gun pointed awkwardly at the door. The weapon dropped from his hands and he rolled onto his back with a gurgle. Kat watched for a moment and could detect no movement. Cautiously, she entered the building.

The small cabin had only a few nearly empty rooms. In a corner of the front room Kat noted a pile of familiar looking equipment. She quickly checked for any remaining Combine soldiers. In the last room she found Barney lying motionless on the floor, his hands and feet tied. Kat scanned the corners of the room and hurried over to him. She felt a wash of relief to find him still breathing, though unconscious. Kneeling at his side, she cut him loose and shook his shoulder.

“Barney! Wake up!” He shifted slightly with a groan.

“Come on, please wake up!” Kat rolled him onto his back and lightly slapped his face. He clumsily raised a hand to fend her off. She grabbed his hands and tried to pull him up into a sitting position. He groaned again as he sat up and pulled one of his hands away, putting it to the back of his head. Kat reached around and felt a large lump at the base of his skull. Her hand came back bloody.

“Oh God… Do you think you can walk?”

He finally turned his gaze to hers, his green eyes vague and unfocused. “…Kat…?”

“Barney! Please! You have to try to stand up.” She tugged frantically at his arm. “I think they might have called for backup. I’m sure they reported your capture. We’ve got to get out of here!” Every second that ticked by, Kat could feel their chances of escape getting smaller.

As Kat helped him to his feet, Barney seemed to gradually regain his bearings. “They…they took all my stuff…”

“It’s okay. I saw it in the front room.” Kat guided him towards the front of the small building where they quickly collected his equipment.

“Are you going to be okay? We’re going to have to move fast.”

“Yeah, my head hurts like hell, but I don’t feel so…fuzzy.” He examined the sparking console. “Damn. It looks like you were right about the backup. We better get going.”

They ran out of the cabin and started towards the woods. As they passed along the side of the cabin, Kat glanced down. She came to a sudden halt. “Wait a minute. I have an idea.” She dug around for a moment at the exposed foundations and stuffed several egg-sized rocks in her vest pockets. She handed a half-dozen more to Barney. “Hold on to these. Come on.” She turned back towards the open land between the forest and the seaside.

Barney grabbed her arm, “Where are you going? We’ll be completely exposed out there!”

“I know, but how long do you think we’ll last in the forest? There’s plenty of cover, but they’ll track us down eventually. You know that. You have to trust me.” They stood for a moment, eyes locked.

At last Barney gave a short nod. “Okay. Let’s go.” They turned away from the forest and jogged across the open plain towards the sea.

They were nearly halfway there when they heard the sound of vehicles approaching in the distance. Barney looked back. “Damn it! Two APC’s. Run!” The vehicles accelerated, engines roaring, as the drivers spotted the fleeing figures. Two hundred yards to go and the ground became rocky and uneven.

Kat ran for all she was worth, pulse pounding in her ears. The APC’s were rapidly gaining on them but would certainly be hindered by the rough ground. Barney was slightly ahead and seemed to be trying to find a path that would slow the vehicles.

One hundred yards. Her lungs were burning and it felt as though her equipment had doubled in weight. The sound of the vehicles slowed and came to a stop. There was a pause then a few shots rang out. Kat and Barney both ducked reflexively. The soldiers didn’t seem to be in a rush. They think they have us trapped.

Fifty yards. As they neared the edge of the bluff, Barney shouted over his shoulder, “Now what?”

“Just find us a way down to the beach! I’ll take care of the rest!”

They ran along the edge of the bluff. The soldiers weren’t even bothering to fire at them now although she could hear them following. Barney gave a sudden shout, “Here!” He had found a steep slope deeply eroded into the wall of the bluff. He crouched down at the head of the narrow defile.

Kat skidded to a halt and crouched next to him. Gasping for breath, she reached into her vest pockets and pulled out a plastic bag and a couple of rocks. She removed an antlion gland from the bag and gave it a gentle squeeze. A dark, noxious paste oozed out. She rubbed some on the rocks and tossed them down to the shoreline. She then took a small amount, smeared it on the front of her vest and did the same for Barney. There was an ominous clattering from the beach.

She marked several more rocks and handed some to Barney. “Are you ready?”

He looked down at the beach. Already there were at least a half-dozen antlions swarming around the rocks Kat had thrown. He leaned forward and put a hand on Kat’s shoulder, “Are you absolutely sure about this?”

She hesitated, dropping her gaze. “I’m as sure as I can possibly be.”

“Kat…”

She returned his stare fiercely, “What do you want me to say? There’s not much of a choice now anyway. How many soldiers could there be in those APC’s? Can we fight all of them?”

“Point taken. Next time just say ‘Yes, Barney, I am absolutely sure.’ You want to flip for who goes first?”

There was a sudden crackle of Combine radios from nearby. Kat slipped past him with a strained smile, “It’s my lunatic idea. I’ll go.” She slid down the steep slope sitting back on her heels. Barney followed close behind.

They reached the bottom in a small avalanche of sand and pebbles. The growing group of antlions immediately took notice and headed towards them. Kat readied her weapon and held her breath as they approached. There was no aggressive posturing though and the antlions simply circled around them as though to examine these new creatures.

“Unbelievable,” Barney murmured.

Kat allowed herself a small smile and turned to him, keeping her movements controlled and deliberate. “Okay. Now we have our cavalry.” She looked back up the slope. “How far can you throw?”

Barney followed her gaze. “I can get a rock to the top of the bluff, if that’s what you want.”

“Throw one about halfway and let’s see if they take the bait.” He did as she asked and most of the antlions skittered up the slope, several remaining behind as though to guard them.

Over the chittering of the antlions, Kat could hear the sounds of the Combine soldier’s radios at the top of the bluff. “Now! Quick, don’t let them see us down here!” Barney heaved the rock. The antlions midway up the slope launched themselves after it as it passed overhead.

Kat and Barney ducked behind the wall of the bluff. The sound of gunfire and frantic radio communication burst out from above.

Barney turned to Kat with a grin, “Well, it looks like you might have found Werner his secret weapon. And he’ll be sooo thrilled to hear that you’re not a risk taker. Come on, let’s get out of here.”
_______________________________________________________

There ya go! I hope you guys like it.

I had such a vivid image in my mind for the chase, but it seemed to end up pretty short. I hope it came out right. It sure looked good in my head.

I'll keep up with this, but I'm a little stuck again. I know where the story is going, but I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to get it there.

Glad to help InstInct. BTW, what is your native language?

Thanks for sticking with me TheBleeding and InstInct (and everyone else out there who keeps reading)!

 

[Sloth]

That was awsome. Can i borrow your "headcrab + mon-oxcide" idea for my mod, it seemed so real?
awsome stuff, but why did the antlions run after the rocks, it had no bugbait on it?

 

[tinyxipe]

It would be great to see an idea of mine in a mod! Let me know if you use it or if you have any questions about it. I actually have a background in zoology, thus all the focus on the aliens and how they "work". I still want to come back to the creatures I created in Chapter IV and try to work out the life cycle of the headcrabs.

Kat "marked" more of the rocks and gave some of them to Barney right before he questioned the wisdom of her idea.

I'm so glad you are enjoying my story. What kind of mod are you working on?

 

[Sloth]

Edit: tinyxipe, see the PM i sent you

 

[InstInct1085]

Well, the goodiness continues. Someone with a background on creature behavior finding out about the bugbait seems so logical, yet i don't think anyone would have thought of it, great find.
Evilsloth, what are you gonna do with that idea? Make a headcrab-bugbait mod? Little bombs of CO2 that attract a swarm of headcrabs, to dispose of you friendly neigborhood Combine?

P.S. i'm a dutchman (Holland, The Netherlands, if that rings a bell)

 

[knut]

Niiice.

 

[tinyxipe]

Desperate Measures

Chapter VIII
_______________________________________________________

The dim light of the passageway was soothing to Kat’s eyes. She didn’t need to work as hard to keep them focused in the low light. Barney dragged along next to her, shoulders slumped with exhaustion. Three days with little sleep was taking it’s toll. They had come through one of the hidden entrances to the Resistance headquarters and Kat felt almost giddy at the thought of the hot shower and bed waiting for her.

As they walked along the passage, a figure jogged towards them. It was Diane, the disagreeable young woman who had escorted Kat to her first meeting with Dr. Werner and Susan Holmes. She trotted up with a grin, “Glad to see you back! Dr. Werner is waiting for you; he wants to see you…both of you right away.”

“Right away?” Barney asked. “Can’t it wait a couple of hours?”

“No. As soon as security picked you up he started collecting all the available council members together. He’s pretty excited to hear about what you found.”

Barney sighed heavily and continued to trudge up the passageway. Diane followed along, pelting him with questions about the mission. She barely acknowledged Kat’s presence, which was fine by Kat. She felt she didn’t have the energy to string together a coherent sentence anyway.

As they reached the outer ring of the base, Barney stopped and turned to Diane, “Do you think you could take some of this stuff to storage for us?”

Her eyes flicked briefly to Kat, “Sure. No problem.”

Barney handed over his weapons and equipment, while Kat dug through her pack. She pulled out her notebook and samples and handed the rest to Diane. As Kat thanked her, she was treated to a sour look. She turned to Barney as they walked away, “I get the feeling she doesn’t like me.”

“Don’t take it personally. She treats almost everyone that way. I convinced her join the Resistance instead of Civil Protection, so somehow that seems to make me her savior.”

“Ahh. So I guess that means I’m not welcome as a fellow disciple,” she responded with a smile.

Barney snorted, “That’s the last thing I need. Anyway, I think I owe you now. I would have been checking into Nova Prospekt last night.”

“Well, let’s just call it even then. You don’t need to owe me any favors.”

“I’d hardly call it even, but if that’s what you want...”

There were already several council members waiting in the meeting room when they arrived. All heads turned as they entered. The bearish Dr. Werner stood, a smile fading from his face. “Mein Gott, Calhoun. You two look awful.”

“Yeah. Sorry Doc, they’re a little short on the five-star hotels out there.”

Werner winced slightly, “Yes, well, come sit down then and tell us what you found. We will try to make this quick.”

As they settled in, Susan spoke up. “We’re glad to see you back safe. We had heard rumors through our contacts that there was Resistance activity at the Atmosphere Control Facility. They told us there had been a capture and an escape attempt but that there had been no survivors.” She raised an eloquent eyebrow at Barney.

Barney nodded, “That was my stupid mistake and Kat’s quick thinking. It looks like she figured out those bugs. If you can get past the smell, they can be pretty useful.” He turned to Kat.

“They communicate with pheromones. We managed to kill a queen and I found four glands that produce the substance.” She set the samples on the table. “The odor is rather strong, but it seemed to fool the workers into thinking we were antlions. We ended up using scent-marked rocks to goad the workers into attacking the Combine soldiers that were pursuing us. I was hoping it would look like we had been killed on the beach.”

One of council members, a stout Asian woman, stared greedily at the samples, “We must get this off to the chemistry lab at once! If we can replicate the substance…” She looked at Dr. Werner.

“Yes, Xian, go ahead and get started on it. Excellent job, Ms. Orovjek. This could be quite a breakthrough. And Barney, did you find anything of interest at the ACF?”

“As a matter of fact, yes. They’re hauling in something on some new tracks. We got a sample of it. I think it might be related to their increased production and might have something to do with that activity we’ve been hearing about in the northwest.”

Werner waved the statement off, “You have no way of knowing if the two are related.”

An older man with the air of the military about him looked up. “You know, Claus, we started receiving reports of Combine activity in that area northwest of the city a couple of months ago. It looked like they were doing some scouting. They cleared out any nearby settlements and set up a pretty tight cordon around the area since then, so we haven’t been able to get a look at what they’re up to, but it must be pretty important. And there are new railroad tracks coming out of the area…”

Kat felt the blood drain out of her face as the room slipped sideways nauseatingly. A small ember that had been smoldering in her chest for weeks bloomed into flame. The meeting continued on as a faint buzzing in her ears.

Suddenly there was someone shaking her arm. “Are you okay?” She looked up to see people leaving the room. Barney was looking down on her with concern.

She staggered to her feet, avoiding his eyes. “I’m fine. Just…tired.” Shaking her head, she roughly brushed past him, hurrying to the door, “I just need some sleep.”

Barney trailed after her. “I saw your face in there. Do you want to talk about it?”

She continued walking swiftly down the hall, eyes straight ahead, “No. I don’t.” To her relief, she didn’t hear him follow. She hurried along to her room and shut the door. She walked to the bed and curled herself onto it, lying with her eyes open. Sleep would only bring more of the dreams now.

Her impotent rage bubbled painfully in her chest. All of those people killed for a bunch of rocks. Just knowing the reason seemed to make it worse somehow. As fantastic plots of revenge swirled through her mind, a knock sounded at the door. She knew who it was.

“I’m fine, Barney.”

“Can I come in for a minute please?”

“I’m trying to get some rest.”

“No you’re not.”

Kat sat up with a sigh. “Alright.”

Barney stepped into the room, his face grave. “We need to talk.”

When she didn’t respond, he sat on the bed next to her. “I know you have nightmares. I saw your face during that meeting when the settlements were mentioned, and I’ve noticed how you always try to avoid talking about what happened. It doesn’t help to bottle it all up.”

Kat drew in a shuddering breath and stared fixedly at her hands clenched in her lap. “I can’t.”

“Look, I know what happened to you was awful. Everyone here…”

“But it didn’t happen to me! It happened to them! And I know that everyone has a horror story. That’s what makes it so awful. I don’t deserve any dramatics.” She held her shaking hands out in front of her, “This isn’t how I’m supposed to be. Why is this happening? What’s wrong with me?”

“Nothing is wrong with you. You will get over it, trust me. It really does help if you talk about it.”

“I can’t. I can’t even think about it.”

Barney was quiet for a long moment. Finally, he spoke softly, “I’ve seen other people self-destruct, Kat, and that’s where you’re headed. I know what I’m talking about. I’ve been there myself.”

Kat turned and looked at him silently. “I told you that I worked at Black Mesa. Well, not many people survived that mess. I had to go through some…awful stuff to get out of there and I left a lot of friends behind.

“We had to flee the country because our own government wanted to kill us. Some of the scientists I helped escape had friends in Germany, so I went with them. Everything seemed fine at first. We kept busy moving around a lot, but after three or four months I started having nightmares. Then the nightmares got worse and I started drinking too much.” He shrugged, “It was the only way I could get any sleep. Then I started having nightmares when I was awake…flashbacks, I guess.”

He paused for a moment. “I hit rock bottom when I…I attacked one of the scientists over some stupid little thing. That’s when I met Amina and she convinced me to talk about what happened. She kept saying it was like draining an abscess. Every time I told the story, it seemed like it was, I don’t know, something that was outside of me, not locked away inside and festering.”

Kat nodded thoughtfully. “Thank you for telling me. I’m sure you’re right, but I’m just not ready yet. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. Like I said, I’ve been there. I know how hard it is to open up.” He stood and moved towards the door. “It might take awhile, but you can talk to me whenever you’re ready. I’m sure Amina would listen, too.”

As she watched the door shut, Kat’s thoughts started circling again. She stood and paced the length of her tiny room. The thought of unburdening herself was appealing, but the pain it would involve was terrifying. Barney certainly meant well, but she couldn’t afford to let her guard down again. She had made that mistake on the farm and she didn’t want to do it a second time.

She paced for a long time, struggling to push the rage and fear back down. If only… If only… If only I could… What? Lennox was out of her reach and the Combine was an impossible foe. Her frustrated emotions ripped at her. There was no answer.

Exhausted, she finally sat on the bed and pulled out her notebook. Sleep was still too much of a risk. There was an old game she had played in college to help her study and when she was distracted it often helped soothe her mind. She and her classmates would list an order of animals and see who had the best memory. She selected one of her favorite orders and started a list.

Order: Cetacea (14 families; 40 genera; 85 species)
Suborder: Odontoceti – Toothed Whales
Family: Phocoenidae – Porpoises (6 species)
Phocoena phocoena – Harbor porpoise
Phocoena spinipinnis – Burmeister’s porpoise
Phocoena sinus – Vaquita
Phocoena dioptrica – Spectacled porpoise
Phecoenoides dalli – Dall’s porpoise
Neophocaena phocaenoides – Finless porpoise
Family: Delphinidae – Dolphins (36 species)
Cephalorhynchus commersonii – Commerson’s dolphin
Cephalorhynchus eutropia – Black dolphin…

She had nearly finished the list when she finally fell asleep, pen in hand.

* * *

Kat worked hard to keep herself busy as the next few weeks passed. She wrote a report on the antlions and the behaviors she had observed and worked up some detailed sketches from what she could remember of the internal and external anatomy. Amina often found jobs for her in the labs and she enjoyed working with the calm, patient doctor. Barney stopped by periodically to check in on her. She knew he was concerned about her state of mind, but he did his best to avoid the subject.

When she had first arrived at the Resistance headquarters, it had seemed to be a fairly quiet place, but every day now there were new faces and more activity. Shortly after their return from the coast, a scouting party had been sent to the secure area in the foothills to the northwest. They had confirmed a large mining operation that looked as if it might be supplying most of Eastern Europe. An attack was being planned, although Kat knew little of the details. She knew that it was unlikely she would be able to participate and the thought frustrated her endlessly.

* * *

“Kat, hold on a second!”

She turned to see Barney striding down the gently curving hallway towards her. It always seemed incongruous to see him in his Metrocop uniform inside the Resistance base.

“Are you busy? Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Sure. I just finished up in the lab. What do you need?”

He took her arm and guided her to a quiet spot in the hallway. “Are you still interested in going on this assault on the mine?”

“Of course I am. Why?”

“Colonel Damarov wants us to put together small teams to get out of the city unnoticed. I’m heading one up and I want you in it.”

“Really? I thought this was a ‘veterans only’ mission.”

“It is, but you have the skills we need, so I think you qualify. I know what you said, but I still owe you one, so I pulled a couple strings. I think it would do you some good to get out there and do something instead of just stewing in here. I just want it to be clear that this is not a revenge mission though.”

She nodded, “I understand.”

“Good. We’re meeting tomorrow night in the big conference room. I’ll see you there.”
______________________________________________________

Well, I was trying for something different here and I'm not sure if it works or not. She has a few issues I felt needed adressing. This chapter gave me fits. Anyway, the action will be back soon. I hope no one is snoring out there.

InstInct, yes I'm familiar with the Netherlands. I'm a quarter Dutch myself!

Evilsloth, did any of the "one shot" ideas work out for you?

 

[Jintor]

Awesome!

 

[Iamthemonkey]

Nice. Love the part about the mining operation.

 

[Sloth]

Yes and no.
The fact that the Mod is nowhere near that Episode didn't help,but it got me thinking, i'll remember them.
Love the new chapter...

 

[InstInct1085]

Loved the chapter. period.

 

[jonesey2k]

Top class! Keep going sir. This is one of the better HL2 fanfics.

 

[InstInct1085]

Keep going sir.

Read the posts between the story, and then rethink the sir part

 

[tinyxipe]

It's quite alright. I don't mind; after all, it's a pretty safe assumption on this site.

Thanks jonesey2k. It's nice to see you back. I thought you gave up on me after chapter 5. Glad you still like it.

Chapter IX is coming along. I hope to have it out sometime next week (family in town, holidays, busy, busy, busy!).

 

[jonesey2k]

Read the posts between the story, and then rethink the sir part

Ah yes, My apologies
Keep going My fair lady