Half-life2:Resistance

theotherguy said:
15 actually
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I was referring to the guy who wrote it about you (halflifeguy) ;)

All respect to you, you got alot of talent ( as valve already said)
 
oh, sorry guys, I was not even able to START it tonight. I spent most of the night doing homework, and then spent an hour or so printing out what I already have (all 135 pages) in preperation for sending the final copy to valve (whenever I get done) most likely, I will start the chapter tonight, and finish tommorow night.
 
geez, the chapter is delayed AGAIN ladies and gentlemen. My computer has been used all night by other people.
 
:)
well, tell them to go and find another comp, or 50 angry hl2net users will banish them into oblivion!!!

:D
 
hey lay off him :p he's written over 175 pages for free, wait till he starts charging $0.10 for each chapter.. ;)
 
Tell me the name of these teachers who keep giving you homework and uncie dougy will arrange for their knees to depart from their legs...

if you catch my drift.... :O
 
Alright! Next chapter! Please don't eat me! Now I'm going to go into overdrive, and write as much as I can EVERY NIGHT until hl2 is released to try and finish it in time. (and if I don't, who cares? I'll continue writing stuff that has absolutley nothing to do with the real storyline)

-Chapter 30, Interrogation and Discord-

A million questions ran through Gordon Freeman’s mind as he stood there, in the interrogation room with the single flickering light fixture, the poorly tiled floor, and the singular, menacing chair. Who were these masked men? What did they want from him? Why was he being interrogated? Why did the man in the suit send him via train if he knew that Gordon was going to be interrogated? In time, all of his inquiries would be revealed.

“Sit down!” One of the many guards ordered Gordon. Gordon glanced at the intimidating, gas-masked officer, and then turned around, and sat in the red, bloodstained leather chair that lay before him. The officers glared at him as he reclined in the chair, and one of them moved over to the side wall, where there were a bunch of machines, and began typing on some kind of keyboard.

One of the officers whom Ian had assumed to be the leader, the one who had told him to sit down, strolled sinisterly to the front of the room, and stared at Gordon Freeman as he sat there in the chair. “Are you recording this?” He asked the officer who was working on the machines on the far wall. “We are working at 100%....” the officer standing at the machines said.

The lead officer then replied, “Then shall we begin?” He walked towards Gordon Freeman, and crossed his arms across his chest, and began to ask questions. “Who are you, citizen? You got off of that train without an identification number, or any kind of identification papers. What’s more, our scanner did not recognize you when it took your picture. So we must ask…who are you? Why are you here?”

So that’s what that little thing taking pictures of Gordon was: A scanner. What should he answer? Whatever he said for his name could mean the difference between life and death…these “Combine” didn’t seem very friendly. Gordon decided to cut his losses, and simply told the truth. “I’m…Gordon Freeman.” He replied.

The officer continued his questions, “Gordon Freeman, eh? Why are you here, Mr. Freeman?” Gordon choked at this question: why …was he here? Not even he could answer this question. The man in the suit hadn’t provided many answers. He was on some kind of mission. Presumably to stop The Combine, but it would be absurd to say that here.

“Well?” the officer asked impatiently. Gordon replied, “Err…I don’t know… I mean, I can’t tell you.” What a stupid answer! He couldn’t tell them? At this, the officer laughed, “You can’t tell us, eh citizen? I’ll make you tell us!” The officer pulled his leather glove further up his forearm, making a stretching sound that filled Gordon with dread. Gordon tried to think of a quick answer, “I can’t tell you because I can’t remember! Err…they…did something to me…I just don’t remember anything!”

The officer sighed, as if he had heard it all a million times before. “…well then…I guess you drank the water on the train. I know what this means…” The officer turned to the other combine troop that was frantically typing on the keyboard. “Search our databanks for ‘Gordon Freeman.’ We’ll see what it turns up. If we can’t get anything from our databanks, then I’ll just have to use the old method. Beating this fool into submission will surely…jog his memory if he is lying.”

The soldier standing at the keyboard nodded. “Of course commander, give me a second, I’ll se what I can turn up.” The soldier began typing furiously, and Gordon could see through the glow of the monitor that he was rapidly pulling up files.

The main officer turned back to Gordon. “As for you, Mr. Freeman, I’ll see that you are properly cared for… The officer pulled his glove back once more, and tilted the light on the ceiling so that it reflected off of Gordon’s glasses, blurring his vision.

Before Gordon could react, two guards held him from behind so that he could not move. Then, the officer smacked Gordon across the face. The leather glove slammed into his check, and Gordon was left with a searing pain that felt as if sandpaper had been grinding on him.

Why had he just been hit? Gordon had done nothing wrong. He wanted to leap out of his chair and give this officer the beating he deserved. Gordon could have done it too, if only he had his HEV suit. Without it, he was nothing but a nerdy middle-aged man with poor physique.

The officer was just about to hit Gordon again when a cry came out from the officer at the keyboard. “Wait! I found something!” he shouted. The officer that was beating Gordon stopped in mid-punch, and turned towards the other side of the room. “Hmm?” He said, putting his fist down, and walking over to the computer.

Both the officers that were holding Gordon and Gordon himself relaxed as the lead officer moved over to the computer to see what the other one had pulled up. “What have you got?” The commander asked the other officer, looking over his shoulder at the holographic computer display, which showed a floating orange window above the machine.

“Well, this Gordon Freeman appears to be either extremely rich, or very, very important. Somebody paid Nova Prospect 370,000 credits just for him to get into the city. It says in the special orders, ‘Let him through, no inspection, no baggage check, and no identification. Just let him through.’ He’s also got the finest locker rented out in the back of the Nova Prospect. It says here that the locker is air-conditioned, and sealed with high security. His locker has been rented out to him since…no…this can’t be right…it says that the locker has been rented out to a Gordon Freeman since 2007! That’s just when this place was built! This guy is extremely important. I would even go so far as to say it was Breen himself who sent him.”

The officer who was reading Gordon’s file seemed to be extremely impressed, and spoke with awe in his voice. Gordon was surprised himself too. Who had paid for him to get into the city? And what could possibly be in his locker? He racked through his mind, looking for answers. Then it hit him. The man in the suit had paid for him to get into the city. After all, that man had been the only person Gordon had been in contact with for the past 12 years. How lucky Gordon was to have such a guardian angel as the man in the suit.

The commander looked up from the computer, and his demeanor changed dramatically. “370,000 credits… that’s more than I make in a year! This Gordon Freeman must be tremendously important! Contact Breen right away to see if he actually sent Mr. Freeman. For now, I’ll have to give him the benefit of the doubt, and treat him like royalty…” The commander looked towards Gordon Freeman, and gave a slight bow.

“I am eternally sorry for hitting you, Mr. Freeman. I know that you must understand that we cannot be too careful of new immigrants these days…these are trying times. Please, put in a good word for me to Governor Breen…I did not mean to cause any harm…”

Gordon decided to play along with the groveling commander. “You should have listened to me when I told you that I couldn’t tell you why I was here, commander. If you are lucky, I will refrain from reporting this little accident. Please, show me to my locker so I can get to work!” Gordon said in the haughtiest tone he could muster. He hoped that he was saying the right things.

The commander bought it. “Of course… I am eternally grateful for your mercy, Mr. Freeman. Guards, show him to his locker, and then give the man some peace!” The commander practically groveled, and then pointed to the two guards that had been holding Gordon earlier. Wow, what respect money can get you, thought Gordon.

Gordon got up from the interrogation chair, and noticing the bloodstains, realized just how close to death he had come. The new world wasn’t being very friendly to him even when he had just stepped on its doormat.

The two guards walked in step to a silver door on one of the side walls, and opened it for Gordon. He walked in-between them through the door into the hallway beyond. They shut the door behind him, and escorted him through another drab, tiled hallway with walls lined with doors leading to interrogation rooms.

The other people that were being interrogated had not been as lucky as Gordon. As they passed the rooms, Gordon could hear the muffled screams of some of the other people being interrogated. Gordon couldn’t help but feel another stab of guilt. Somehow, all of this was his fault. It was he that had pushed the sample into the anti-mass spectrometer device. It was ultimately his fault that this whole mess happened. But then again, he was only following orders. Yeah right; that was the Nuremburg Defense: the same thing that the Nazis had said after they were being charged with the murder of hundreds of thousands of Jews. That’s what he felt like now… a war criminal; and this was his trial.

The Guards walked silently over the tile, their leather boots clicking on the floor, and their guns clinking against their belts. They came to another door, this time it was locked. One of the guards pulled a chain of keys from his belt, and inserted one of the keys into the lock of the door, unlocking it with a click.

The door squeaked open, and Gordon and the two guards stepped into the room beyond. They were now in a much wider hall, which had several small doors lining each side. Gordon assumed that these must be the lockers. “Which one is mine?” He asked the guards in a fake tone of impatience.

One of the Guards pointed to a locker labeled 654, and he punched in a key code on a pad which was welded to the wall next to the locker. The device beeped, and a heavy metal-on-metal sound was heard as the locker mechanically unlocked.

“Now go away,” insisted Gordon. “I am keeping something very private in there.” The two guards shrugged, and began to walk off. One of them turned around, and reminded Gordon, “Do not forget to lock the door upon leaving the locker. When you are ready, there is an exit at the end of this hall.” Gordon nodded as the guard left the room.

He let out a sigh of relief when the guards had left. He had pulled it off so far. But how long would his charade last? In any case, he should check to see whatever was inside of this locker before proceeding further. It was bound to be something important, or else the man in the suit wouldn’t have rented it out for him.

Gordon placed his hand on the heavy handle of the metal door, and turned it. The door made a huge mechanical squeak as it opened. It sounded as though the locker hadn’t been entered for ages. He swung the door open, and saw a surprisingly large and well air-conditioned locker.

The room had concrete walls, and had a blue tile floor. There were windows close to the ceiling, which light was freely streaming through. At first, all he noticed were the tables which had random trash on them. Paint cans, milk jugs, just a bunch of random junk. What kind of a locker was this?

But then, something familiar caught Gordon’s eye. There in the back of the room, was a seven foot tall, semicircular glass container. In front of the container was a small terminal, which shined with an inviting blue. But it was not the container itself that caught Gordon’s eye, but what was inside of it.

Standing there inside the glass like a gallant knight was the huge orange HEV suit that Gordon had come to know and love. The man in the suit really did know what he was doing! Like a child opening a Christmas present, Gordon went over to the container, and observed the suit.

It stood on its own, without the support of a man inside of it, in perfect figure, just waiting for someone, particularly Gordon, to get inside of it. It was mostly made out of orange polymer plates, designed to withstand high-speed particle emissions and extreme heat. In Gordon’s case these plates were especially helpful in minimizing the effects of bullets and Vortigaunt blasts. There was also a huge green chest plate in the front which housed most of the equipment for the suit. On the front of the shiny chest plate was etched the Greek symbol lambda, which stood for the area of Black Mesa where Gordon had worked.

Everything on the suit was in perfect condition, from the rubbery yet agile gloves, to the arm-mounted flashlight, all the way down to the steel-tipped, hydraulic assisted boots. The Hazardous Environment suit was the brainchild of many a government scientist. Only three were ever made. This one was all his. However, the shiny, beautiful suit appeared to be slightly different now than it had been when Gordon first wore it in 1998. It appeared more armored, was less orange, and had the Roman numeral “V” marked into one of the shoulders.

Gordon knew that the V meant that it was the latest generation of the HEV suit. His had only been a mark IV. Gordon went to the terminal in front of the glass case, and pressed his hand against the terminal. It read his DNA instantly, just as it always had, and responded in the familiar female voice.

“Welcome, Gordon Freeman.” The mechanical voice chirped. The glass on the case slid up with a hiss, and the HEV suit was now exposed. Gordon hastily stepped up to the glass case .Just as he had rehearsed in hazard course, he pressed a hidden button on the right arm of the HEV suit, and the chest plate separated from the rest of the body of the suit, leaving a gap where Gordon could slide in.

He then unlatched some metal releases on the abdomen of the suit, and pulled the body of the suit open. The suit now was split open, revealing its padded interior with wires of all sorts running in many directions. Gordon turned around, and simply stepped into the suit, putting each one of his legs into the holes beneath the torso, and sliding his arms into the sleeves.

There was an electronic chirp from the suit when all of his limbs were inside of it, and the chest plate and the abdominal latches closed automatically, sealing Gordon inside of the suit. Gordon felt a slight prick as extremely tiny needles poked into his arteries and his spinal cord.
 
These needles would be used to measure his heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and pain levels. The tap in the spinal cord was also supposed to serve as a way for the suit to know when Gordon was moving, and when he was at rest. In short, it was a very smart suit.

Gordon could instantly feel the suit powering up. He heard a hum as the internal computer turned on. Then, Gordon could see a slight flickering of orange lights all around his peripheral vision. This meant that the neural net was turning on. Indeed, the flickering lights began to turn into finite numbers and letters.

Now in Gordon’s field of vision was a permanent Heads up Display created by the neural net. There was a reading that said “suit power” and another that said “health”, which was a vague reading that was a combination of the vital signs that the needles were reading.

However, Gordon noticed something new on his HUD. There was a reading titled: “Auxiliary Power” another one titled “Squad Status” and another titled “Radio Communications.” Interesting; it seems like the new mark V suit is more designed towards combat; thought Gordon.

Then, a familiar female electronic voice echoed inside of Gordon’s head. He knew that he was not hearing this voice, but it was simply being generated in his head by the suits neural net. “Welcome, to the H.E.V Mark V protective suit…” the voice droned monotonously in a British accent. It seemed like all of the new devices had British accents for some reason: just another scientific obsession.

The voice continued, “This suit is designed for use in hazardous environment conditions. Automatic Targeting Systems engaged. Power Assist Movement engaged. Automatic Medical Systems engaged. Radio Telecommunications engaged. Squad Control engaged. Auxiliary Power Systems engaged. All systems are nominal. Thank you, employee of Black Mesa; and have a very safe day!”

Gordon enjoyed hearing the voice of the HEV suit again. He knew that it meant he was safer. He could take quite a beating in that suit… in fact, Gordon recalled taking a shotgun blast in the chest at Black Mesa wearing the suit. It jostled him a bit, but he was able to simply get back up and keep on fighting. The suit made him a superhero.

Gordon decided to test out the suit’s Power Assist Movement by lifting his arm a few times. He could instantly feel the power of the suit moving his arm up and down. Although the suit was heavy, he felt light as a feather because of the PAM system. He stepped out of the glass case, and onto the floor of the locker.

He felt a sense of urgency in the air. The guards would no doubt find out that he wasn’t really sent by Breen. They would be here soon. But Gordon had yet to really test out his new suit. He would mess around for a while, and then find a way out of the building.

On the tables in the room there was quite a bit of junk. Gordon decided that the junk must have been put there for a reason: for him to test his suit out. So, Gordon came to a paint can, and gave it one small Power Assisted jab. His fist struck the paint can, and yet he felt nothing through the thick rubber glove. The heavy paint can shot back from the force of Gordon’s jab, and smashed into one of the walls, spattering white paint everywhere and clattering on the floor.

Gordon smiled as he felt the familiar power of the suit. He definitely wouldn’t have been able to knock the paint can all the way across the room without his magnificent suit. He examined and destroyed the junk that was sitting on the other tables.

He was about to simply stop and leave when he noticed something new on one of the tables: A crowbar. Gordon almost laughed at the curved, red metal object lying on the table. A crowbar… what kind of a man was this guy in the suit, to have sent him a crowbar, of all things! Gordon remembered that his first tool that he used as a weapon in Black Mesa was his trusty crowbar. When he had been cornered by a headcrab with nothing other than his damaged HEV suit, Gordon saw an iron crowbar lying on the ground, and used it to smack the headcrab just as it was jumping at him. He continued to use the crowbar on his entire daring escape from Black Mesa, and even on Xen. It became his favorite tool.

Gordon picked up the heavy iron tool, and placed it in a small compartment that opened up on his right leg. Now, he had to get out of here…the Combine officers could find out at any moment that Gordon was an imposter. Another thought hit him…how could Gordon possibly conceal himself from the rest of the citizens of city-17 while wearing this bulky orange suit? Surely someone would get suspicious in this drab world of some middle aged scientist walking around in bright orange body armor.

Gordon decided that he would just have to look important, like a government official, and everything would go okay. It had worked in the interrogation…hadn’t it? Gordon opened the gigantic metal door into the locker, and it locked mechanically behind him as he left.

He looked from left to right, and seeing no other Combine officers, he walked down to the end of the hall where there was a green EXIT sign. He pressed the latch on the front of the door below the EXIT sign, and stepped out into the light.

-Chapter 31, A Question of Ethics-
 
I could illustrate this, if you like. I am currently working my way towards becoming a concept artist and would love to do something like that.

-- Mess
 
Mess said:
I could illustrate this, if you like. I am currently working my way towards becoming a concept artist and would love to do something like that.
______________________________
PM me an example pic, and I'll gladly consider it!
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Great story theotherguy! I might start to write a story and i would appreciate it if you could read over it.. maybe

cheers
 
Illustrations would be amazing.. I've got to see this. Hey theotherguy, thanks for doing this for us all here, no one actually ever thanks you, just bugs you for more.. so here's a thanks for all your work!
 
Will work on some illustrations the coming week, got no college. :)
 
Is there a way for you to put your story into one long Word document or a PDF file? It's getting kind of tiring trying to copy and paste page after into Word so I can put it on my Palm to read on the road. If you can, it would be nice. Thanks.
 
I think this should be put into an HTML format, like a webpage for each chapter or something. It could be made much more attractive like that too.
 
I'm working on the HTML formatt right now, shh.

Unless theotherguy doesn't want me to do so.
 
Veers57 said:
Is there a way for you to put your story into one long Word document or a PDF file? It's getting kind of tiring trying to copy and paste page after into Word so I can put it on my Palm to read on the road. If you can, it would be nice. Thanks.
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it is on one word document, but its far too large to put on this site ;) I have an ftp server at www.bigcheeseservers.com/hl2storys/h.doc that has all but two of the chapters on it....

and modbrit, I cant seem to access that FTP server...so forget about it.

writing is going very slow (havent even started) since band has kept me for four straight nights...trying to get to state competition (which we lost, badly) so now that we lost, my nights are pretty much free :)

expect the next chapter soon.
 
Thanks man. Great story so far. So how many chapters are you planning?
 
This is getting good, gordon is about to kick some @$$ and take some names :naughty:
 
Thanks Modbrit.

Great stuff theotherguy.

Btw, from the third paragraph of Chapter 30:

One of the officers whom Ian had assumed to be the leader, the one who had told him to sit down, strolled sinisterly to the front of the room, and stared at Gordon Freeman as he sat there in the chair.
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You meant Gordon there right? Just checking ...
 
Wow, my friend, I've compiled it all into a MS Word document, up to Chapter 30 it's 166 pages long! Good job and keep up the good work...
 
This is Very Very good work, best ever dude. :thumbs:
 
new chapter for you all...funny, my word document is merley 141 pages long...then again I am on small margins and at 9 font.

-Chapter 31, A Question of Ethics-

Dr. Isaac Kleiner scratched his head in utter confusion. Where had he placed that zero-point capacitor device? He had placed it on that table just a few moments ago, and now it had disappeared… He searched the contents of the tables, searching for the device.

Let’s see, there was a broken scanner that he had stolen with the gravity gun…was the capacitor device under it? No…how about that combine mask? No, it wasn’t there either. Dr. Kleiner could feel hysteria coming upon him. What would happen if he didn’t find the zero-point capacitor device? Would he ever find it?

No! He was doomed! He could sense his own over-reacting nature coming upon him. It was impossible to find anything in this lab. Ever since he had split up with Eli to do work on the surface, he had to deal with shoddy equipment. Someday it would be his demise.

Then, a thought struck the old man like a lighting bolt. He turned around. “There!” He exclaimed excitedly. The zero-point capacitor device was lying casually on the tile floor. He picked up the small metal device, and went over to the table where he was working on the remote controller for that monstrous device: “DOG”. He placed the capacitor inside its sprocket, and soldered the metal tips to the circuitry. Ha! That would hold.

Just as he was about to pick up the remote controller and admire his handiwork, he heard an odd sound coming from the teleporter. That was odd…the teleporter wasn’t even on. He heard a noise that sounded like an electrical spark. He had heard that noise before…in Black Mesa, whenever those…things teleported nearby.

Now he could see Green electrical spires pouring from the teleporter. “Oh dear!” he cried, crouching on the floor and covering his head with his arms. Papers and small pieces of debris flew around the room from the vortex created by the green electricity emanating from the teleporter.

Suddenly, the noises dissipated, and Dr. Kleiner slowly took his hands off from on top of his head. What was going on? What could be coming out of the teleporter? Just to be safe, Dr. Kleiner picked his screwdriver up, and had it poised next to his head like a weapon. Gradually, Dr. Kleiner rose up from his crouching position, and peered over the edge of the table at the ten foot tall teleporter, and saw…Ian?

Ian stood there in the teleporter, looking around the lab like some kind of lost child. He looked down at himself…he seemed to be fine, just covered with a thin layer of coal dust that he had picked up at the mines earlier. Where was he? Ian stepped off of the teleporter onto the blue tile floor of the lab. Looking around, he noticed the bald head of an old man crouching behind one of the tables.

Suddenly, the old man, who Ian could now see was Dr. Kleiner, leapt up from his crouching position, and shouted: “You’re back!” Dr. Kleiner ran over to the teleporter excitedly, and when Ian thought he was going to receive some kind of hug from the old scientist, Dr. Kleiner merely ran past him, and examined the teleporter machine.

“Ha!” The old scientist shouted with glee. “I can’t believe that the device actually worked! How did you…get this to work?” Ian was just about to respond to Kleiner’s question when an abrupt sound came from the teleporter, and green electricity poured out of it. Instantly, Alyx, Tonya, Harper and the Vortigaunt Zuad’ngak appeared in the teleporter.

The group looked around in confusion, just as Ian had. Dr. Kleiner literally jumped in surprise. “Wow!” he exclaimed, running over to greet them. “We really didn’t think we’d see you again! We heard that the assassin was killed by zombies in Ravenholm…we assumed that you met your demise as well. I cannot describe how eternally happy I am to see…all of you. But…eh…how did you get here?” Ian added, “And what happened to Father Gregori?”

It was Alyx Vance who answered him, fresh out of the teleporter. “ I don’t really know what happened to Gregori, even though he did hint that he would be staying in Ravenholm to take care of some things…we’re not exactly sure how we got here either…the overseer of the alien resistance was able to teleport us here somehow. Frankly, it’s just good to be back.” Surprised, Dr. Kleiner responded, “So you spoke with the alien resistance?! Excellent! What did they say?”

Ian answered him, “They say that they are willing to help us, and to expect them to come at any time. At first they were not very hospitable, until we mentioned that some of the resistance members were from Black Mesa. I just hope that they can keep their word.”

Dr. Kleiner had a grave look on his face, “Sadly, Ian, not all of the Xenians favor us scientists from Black Mesa. Many were not too happy with our personal Holocaust on Xen, besides those who were smart enough to realize that our getting rid of the Niniliath was a good thing. It is a very excellent thing that they will be coming to our aid soon. It seems like the Terraforming is growing closer than we previously thought. Already, the coastal waters have dropped nearly thirty feet, and the rivers are growing all but dry. We know that this means that the process of Terraforming will begin soon, since the Citadels require an enormous amount of water to perform their duty. Luckily, we have a plan that we can put in action soon…or at least I do; but nobody agrees with me… But enough of that, why don’t you tell me about your journey?”

So Kleiner had a plan…it better damn well be a good one; because if the overseer was right they only had a few days before the Terraforming began. But what was this Terraforming? Was it as quick and irreversible as Kleiner suggested, or would it be a long and excruciating process? Whatever it was, it was important…and the resistance was doing nothing but sitting around and refraining from action.

Ian and the others took turns telling Dr. Isaac Kleiner about their trip to Ravenholm and back. When they were done, and Kleiner was satisfied with their explanation, Ian looked around the lab. At first he had assumed that the lab was another part of resistance headquarters. There were tables with computers and electronic equipment all over the place; and there were very large technical machines in the back, and some tanks that held some kind of bubbling orange liquid. However, upon noticing the light streaming through rectangular windows near the ceiling, he discovered that the place was above ground.

“Doctor, where are we, exactly, and why are we above ground?” Ian asked. Kleiner looked up at the windows as if he had just noticed that they were there, and replied matter-of-factly, “We are in my lab….well…at least it’s now my lab. It is above ground because I decided to leave Vance’s lab at headquarters.” Alyx replied in a shocked tone, “Isaac, how did that happen? You just decided to leave?” Kleiner shook his head sadly.
 
“No, I’m afraid your father and I had a little disagreement… when you were gone, we realized that if we did not act now, The Combine would simply roll over the resistance and proceed with the Terraforming. There was no way possible that we could win the war with tiny surgical strikes from small sects of our resistance force. And there was definitely no way that we could face the entire Combine military head-on. We had to find a scientific way to turn the tables against them. You see, we had been doing research on the properties of teleportation, and how and why things happened the way they did with the resonance cascade.

We were able to figure out that the resonance cascade, that horrible accident that was partially caused be me, was physically similar to feedback noise. Like a microphone being placed next to an amplifier, the resonance cascade acted as a feedback pulse for our teleporter. The feedback kept building higher and higher until our machine exploded…and…well…the rest is history. That got Dr. Vance and I thinking: What would happen if we tried to emulate the resonance cascade, except going backwards, and with a much higher force?

Using computational models, we were able to simulate a resonance cascade between all of the Citadels currently on Earth, which are in essence gigantic teleporter, and all of the Citadels on Xen. Shockingly, the cascade force was enough to completely destroy the planet of Xen, and all of the Citadels here on Earth.

This was the super weapon we needed to combat the combine. We were easily able to find out a way to do it as well…We would need to place our equipment on the teleporter device inside The Citadel at the exact moment that the Terraforming was to take place. Once that happened, the energy would be evenly distributed among all of the Citadels of Earth, and would immediately begin a feedback resonance cascade with Xen.

Unfortunately, Dr. Vance and I disagreed on the method of which to undergo this. His method would allow for the total destruction of Xen, and its approximate one billion inhabitants. I cannot allow an entire race of sentient aliens to be wiped out on our own accord. So I developed a theorem that would simply destroy the connections between the Earth and Xen, and the Citadels on Earth by using a “slingshot” orbital effect that would bypass Xen and hit Earth directly. Yes, the devastation on Earth would be much greater in my method than in Eli’s. However, neither planet would be destroyed in the process.

Both of us sharply disagreed on the method, and eventually, Barney Calhoun, Dr. Rosenberg, several resistance members and I decided to break away from the rest of the resistance, and set up shop here. Eli, Dr. Mossman, and a great number of resistance members decided to stay at headquarters.

It is a very sad time for the resistance. How can we expect to get anything done while we are split up?”

Dr. Kleiner ended his long winded reply. Ian couldn’t understand much of what he said about the teleporter. But he did understand one thing: The Resistance was now fragmented into pieces. How indeed, then, were they supposed to accomplish anything against the united and nationalistic Combine forces?

“So, that’s it, you’re not getting back together?” Alyx asked Dr. Kleiner, he responded haughtily, “Although I respect your father, Alyx, his decision to wipe out an entire planet is downright immoral. Please, you’ve got to get over there and persuade him to my method. I’m sure he’ll come around…as long as it’s you who is asking him…”

Ian couldn’t believe it. Dr. Kleiner wanted them to fix his own problems with Dr. Vance. He agreed with Dr. Kleiner on the subject, but politics were not exactly what they needed at the time. However, The Vortigaunt Zuad’ngak was the one who responded to Dr. Kleiner.

“Of course we will help you. Why should I help this human resistance destroy my home world? I will talk to Dr. Vance as well.” Dr. Kleiner nodded, “I knew I could count on you. I don’t want to divide you all to be partisan like this, but someone needs to talk some sense into that man.”

Harper responded sharply, “Someone needs to talk some sense into you doctor! You were the one who broke off from the rest of the resistance! Now is not the time to have varying opinions. There is a war going on, and we only have a few days to act! We must be united!” Kleiner had a rebuttal, “Which is exactly why we need to convince Dr. Vance to not destroy Xen!” Harper shook his head,

“You just don’t get it, do you? We don’t exactly need morals right now. At this moment, the most important thing is that humanity survives not some slimy green alien on some rock out there…no offense Zuad’ngak…now is not the time for ethics! It is the time for action!” With that, Harper turned around, and walked towards a door on the outside wall. “I’m going back to Dr. Vance to tell him that we arrived. You all better be back there soon…and get some sense. I don’t want to be divided either…but at least I have some brains.”

Harper opened the door out to the street of City 17, and stormed off. The rest of the group was left there heartbroken in silence, facing the very real threat of a breakup. This was the worst thing that could possibly happen to the resistance. Harper was right; they only had a few days. However, it did not mean that they had to throw morals out of the window. If Kleiner was right, and entire alien species would be killed so that humanity could survive; and Ian didn’t’ want to be part of such Genocide.

Kleiner sighed, “Well, my friends. I hope that you make the right decision, as Barney did. Our only hope is to be united, but it all depends on which way we lean. Anyway, enough of that… for me, it’s time to get back to work…”

Kleiner turned around, and picked up a small device, “Which reminds me,” he said, “I wanted to show you your new present, Alyx.” Alyx replied, “What kind of present, Isaac?” The old doctor chuckled cryptically, “Oh, you’ll see.”

What was the old man talking about? He eagerly traveled across the lab, and the rest of the group followed him. They traveled past tables filled with equipment, and came to a huge door that resembled the entryway into a garage.

Dr. Kleiner pressed a small glowing red button next to the door, and the beige metal thing slid up with a mechanical squeak. The group could see nothing but darkness beyond the door, and were left wondering what it was that Dr. Kleiner was so excited about.

Then, Dr. Kleiner held up the small device he was carrying, and pressed a button. Suddenly, a beep was heard from the hangar beyond the metal door, and a singular bright light shone from it. Ian couldn’t make out anything but the headlight. Then, Dr. Kleiner ordered whatever was beyond the door in a commanding tone, “DOG…Forward!”

Ian heard a noise that sounded a lot like the barking of a dog, and the thing, whatever it was, advanced out of the hangar and into the light of the lab. It was an enormous ape-like machine which moved like a gorilla, its giant brown mechanical arms loping out in front of it, and its tiny legs supporting it in the back. It stood at least ten feet tall, and had a gigantic red eye on its rounded, metal head.

The machine loped forward like an excited puppy up to Dr. Kleiner, and began observing the group in an animal-like fashion. Ian was generally surprised by the machine, and backed away, as it came towards him. The rest of the group looked in awe.

“Oh, Dr. Kleiner, it’s amazing!” Alyx exclaimed, running around the machine excitedly, and feeling its smooth metal frame. “What is it?” Dr. Kleiner laughed, and turned the machine off. “That, Alyx Vance, is a top of the line DOG combat vehicle. They just came off of the Combine production lines, and we managed to steal one. It’s the new generation of automated combat machines for The Combine. We decided that it would be useful to have one of our own. And it’s all yours.” Dr. Kleiner tossed Alyx the remote controller, and she held it in her hands like it was a million dollar bill.

“Thank you! What can it do? It looks monumentally strong…” she asked. Ian was wondering the same thing as he backed away to a more comfortable distance from the intimidating robot creature. Dr. Kleiner replied, “It can rip a Combine soldier to pieces in seconds…it can lift cars above it’s head and throw them like they were made out of balsa wood. On top of that, it’s very loyal, and makes a good companion, even though it weighs 6,000 pounds. Go ahead, try it out. It especially likes playing with that red ball over there.” Dr. Kleiner pointed to a red rubber beach ball in the corner.

Eagerly, Alyx pointed the remote control at the machine, and commanded, “DOG…eh…wake up?” The creature immediately barked and woke up, and loped over to Alyx. Ian continued to keep his distance. “DOG…go fetch!” Alyx commanded, pointing at the red ball in the corner.

DOG turned around with an agile motion, and bolted for the ball. Surprisingly, it was easily able to pick up the ball in its huge hands. It scuttled back over to Alyx, and dropped it at her feet. “Good DOG!” Alyx responded. “This is really fun!” she exclaimed. “Thank you, Isaac!” Dr. Kleiner grinned, “It’s what I’m here for…” he responded.

Alyx picked up the ball, and threw it at high speeds towards the wall. With lightning-quick responses, DOG leapt into the air and swatted the ball out of mid air, and crashed to the floor. Unexpectedly, the ball flew through the air at astonishing velocity right towards Ian.

It hit him in the stomach with a thud, and Ian had the wind knocked out of him. Instinctively, he grabbed onto the ball, and held it in his hands… He did not realize his mistake until he saw the 6,000 pound machine running at him like a charging rhinoceros. It wanted the ball…Ian had the ball…It was not looking good.

Ian’s heart skipped a beat, and he threw the ball back towards the creature. It caught it like a basketball player, and instantly turned and handed it back to Alyx. Wow…that thing was smart. It would be a very valuable ally in combat against The Combine.

The group was left laughing at the sight of the creature then, and Alyx turned it off. “This is exactly what we needed!” Alyx said, “I just can’t wait until I get to use it in combat! Thank you again, Isaac!”

Dr. Kleiner nodded, and then ordered the creature to go back into its hangar. It slowly, almost sadly retreated back into the hangar, and Dr. Kleiner closed the door. Once all was said and done, Ian suggested, “Hey, it’s been great, but I’m really eager to get back to Dr. Vance and the others. We’ll return back afterwards and tell you what his response it, but there are no guarantees. Come on, guys, let’s get going.” Dr. Kleiner agreed, “Alright, I’ll see you soon then. Talk some sense into the old fool, please. Don’t let Harper discourage you…I’m sure this situation will have its end. God, If only Gordon Freeman could be back…he always had a way of uniting us in times of crisis…”

The others waved goodbye to Kleiner, and crossed the lab. Ian would spend a long time thinking about the ethical decision he would have to make. Even amidst the excitement of DOG, none of them could shake the feeling of hopelessness caused by the sudden breakup of the resistance.

After all, this small group was humanity’s last hope of survival…

Ian opened the door out of the lab into the daylight, and they all exited the lab and onto the streets of City-17 for the first time in days. They were out to practice politics. Politics were never pretty.

-Chapter 32, Practicing Politics-
 
Where can I get chapters 27-31? Or whatever the current chapters are? That Word document was nice to have with all the chapters (1-26) in one place. If the remaining chapters are in this thread, then no problem, I'll just copy them.

Thanks for a great story so far. I like how you borrowed and used the E3 videos as guides. Very good. Detail isn't too thick, thus allowing the reader to create their own image. Great job. Allowed the audience to better answer this mystery of City 17. But in my opinion I believe City 17 is in Burcharest, Romania. There is a site that shows pictures of the Romanian capital, and they match with HL2. I'll have to post it sometime. But thanks once again for an outstanding story.
 
Hey i've been reading your story for the past few days, and its unbelievably well written, and especially how quickly youve written it. Also the way you were able to create a story that almost predicts half life 2 was awesome, and though some parts may be off it gives it a sense of originality. Almost like an alternate reality for half life, what could of happened. I like how you tie in everything new that valve lets out too, great story cant wait for the next few chapters :)
 
this is one of the best things i've read outside of the big authors like tolkien and rowling.this stuff is addictive.good job and keep up the good work.

HALF-LIFE 2 IN 20 DAYS!!!!!! :cheers:
 
Did you seriously just say... The big authors like tolkien and ROWLING... perhaps you should consider branching out a wee bit
 
Just finished reading the whole thing.

Excellent story, my only pet peeve is: They're magazines or mags, not "clips"!

Keep up the good work.
 
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