[ Earth - Collaborating World 314-B ]
[ Urban Centre 0017 ]
[ Sector 6 ]
[ Civic Intake ]
Urban Centre 0017, known by the wider populace as 'City 17', the greatest of the civil centers across Earth. The home to the Combine Overwatch, and to the citadel of Administrator Breen.
Collaboration has gradually increased across the civic populace; more citizens enlist into Civil Protection, and the vast majority who do not, hold a position in the workforce producing the materials and equipment to maintain the Union on Earth. However, resistance remains, split into cells fighting against the Union... Against their own species.
Yet, the day was like any other; Civil Protection patrol the streets, the Engineer Corp repair infrastructure and various Combine technology, and the infected civic populace go about their days avoiding the gaze of the collaborators. However mundane the day was, it is on this day that changes humanity forever more.
///
A train was inbound to Urban Centre 0017, another transport for the civic populace transferring to their new homes. The various cameras and scanners sweep the train as it enters the Civic Intake, identifying the various citizens arriving to their new city with the efficiency of robotic fervor.
Stepping off the train, the scanners begin to scan each citizen, uploading images of each citizen as they step onto the concrete of the station platform. One would halt, its twitching mechanical components almost providing the features of confusion as an unknown citizen steps off the train. A non-citizen.
Taking an image of this unknown in a flash of blinding light, the scanner uploads the image to the network. The Overwatch Intelligence, the overseer of Collaborating World 314, takes notice of the anomaly.
<:: Attention, all units at Sector Six, non-citizen, please document. ::>
The Overwatch Intelligence radios to all Civil Protection delegates at Sector Six, the region of the Civic Intake. While not of physical form, the Overwatch Intelligence is a mind that stretches the globe, moving every asset of the Union with the cold efficiency of its artificial mind.
<: Copy. Responding. :>
Civil Protection respond over radio, as they begin to sweep the Civic Intake, grabbing nearby citizens to present identification, before moving them along.
<:: Attention, prepare visual download of non-citizen. ::>
The image of the non-citizen uploads to the visor of the Civil Protection officers, giving a full face-view of the suspect. A short brown beard, green eyes, and thick black glasses covering his eyes... Gordon Freeman.
As the Civil Protection review the uploaded image, the non-citizen walks through the station checkpoint, their face flickering across various emotions as they gaze at the alien architecture, and citizens going about their days in melancholy.
"Hold it." One of the Civil Protection commands the non-citizen, who stops and stares at the blank gasmask of the Civil Protection officer.
<: I've got suspect one here; ready to prosecute non-citizen :>
The Civil Protection relays over the radio to the Overwatch A.I., as they escort the non-citizen to an interrogation room adjacent to the checkpoint.
Stepping through a doorway, the Civil Protection officer pulls the non-citizen along, leading him through a blank hallway, the flickering lights giving an air of disrepair. Once at the end of the corridor, the Civil Protection Officer pushes the non-citizen into a new room, Combine architecture lining the walls, and a camera swaying back and forth in the corner from a robotic limb hinged to the roof.
"<: Sit Down. :>" commands the Civil Protection, as they unhook a stun-baton from their utility belt, pointing towards a red seat in the center of the room.
The non-citizen complies, glaring towards the Civil Protection as they do so. Ignoring the non-citizen, the Civil Protection officer heads towards a terminal at the end of the room, typing information as data flows across screens on the wall.
As the officer continues typing into the terminal, the camera in the corner stops it swaying, and focuses on the non-citizen in the seat, scanning their features and relaying information to the Overwatch A.I.
Moments pass, before a beep sounds in the room, a voice echoing through the speakers in the Civil Protection Officer's helmet.
< :: Unit 3921, amputate non-citizen ::>
The Civil Protection pauses, before unclipping a USP-45 sidearm from a holster on their utility belt, and sliding the stun baton back into place.
<: ... Copy that. :>
The Civil Protection officer responds, as they begin walking towards the non-citizen, pulling back the slide, loading a round into the chamber of the sidearm. The officer stares at the non-citizen, a look of horror on their face as they notice the officer raising his sidearm towards them.
"WAIT!" The non-citizen screams, their eyes stretched wide staring towards the gun instead of the officer. "I don't wanna die, please I'm begging you, just let me go-"
The Civil Protection officer hesitates, their sidearm briefly aiming away from the non-citizen; the begging of the non-citizen was not new to them, being alone and with no comrades from the Protection Team to pressure them, had led them to hesitate.
Another beep from their radio briefly echoes in the room.
<:: Unit 3921, Deliver terminal verdict immediately. ::>
"- I don't want to die, please! Just let me go, I don't want to-"
<: ... 10-4. :>
The Civil Protection officer raises their sidearm, and fires a single round into the non-citizen, their cries for mercy ending suddenly, and replaced by a whispered gurgle.
<:: Reward Notice: Protection Team Member 3921, your family cohesion has been preserved. Anti-fatigue dose increased by: 10 milligrams. ::>
The Civil Protection officer holsters their sidearm, and exits the room. Before closing the door, they glance back at the corpse, and radios a final message before returning to the checkpoint.
<: ... Get that 11-44 inbound... We got a DB here. :>
///
[ Earth - Collaborating World 314-B ]
[ Urban Centre 0017 ]
[ Sector 6 ]
[ Plaza ]
Citizens continued about their day in City 17, the faint sound of a gunshot echoes from the Civic Intake, otherwise known as the 'train-station' to citizens, leading to a few to glance at the building, before continuing to speak to colleagues and move to and fro the various complexes around the plaza.
A brief crackle of blue energy would suddenly form in the centre of the plaza, as the citadel lights up with a green pulse of energy, sparks crack from nearby containment fields that separate the connecting streets to the Sector 6 Plaza. Citizens would flee in a combination of panic and shock at the sudden activity around them, fleeing inside of the nearby complexes, or into the Civic Intake.
Multiple alarms blare briefly across the sky, the Overwatch Intelligence using the speakers across the city as the alarms fade.
<:: Security Alert: Re-administration in progress. Asset allocation code: Clamp, Inspect, Extirpate. Priority: Immediate. ::>
The distant hum of dropships can be heard in the distance, as their forms slowly become whole as they fly from the Citadel towards the Sector 6 Plaza. Civil Protection already in the Sector begin to swarm the plaza, holding steady along the edges as they stare at the crackle of energy slowly expanding, only to shrink for moments as green energy strikes it from the nearby Combine generators and containment fields.
The Civil Protection teams split into groups of four, 'protection teams' as they are called, and begin enforcing a curfew on the citizens who fled into the nearby complexes. Other protection teams stare at the fluctuating energy trying to ascertain its origin.
A final crack of energy echoes through the air in the plaza, as a gate of marble forms where the energy had once been. Alarms begin to blare through Sector 6, and whirlwinds of dust flow upwards as the two Dropships finally arrive to inspect and extirpate the unknown threat.
Landing and swaying gently above the ground, the two Dropships carrying metallic containers below them open to release a sterilization-team of augmented soldiers of the Transhuman Overwatch: three Grunts, a Suppressor, and an Ordinal of the Containment Corp, wielding their pulse SMGs and AR1, while the second releases six standard Soldiers wielding MP7s and AR2s.
The Overwatch Transhuman Soldiers surround the new structure in the plaza, their weapons raised. Scanners begin to swarm the plaza, providing surveillance around the new structure and identifying the nearby citizens. One of the Scanners would fly close to the structure, and begin relaying images and a live feed to the Overwatch A.I.
A faint rumble could be heard coming from within the structure, as a distant cloud of dirt and dust gradually inches closer to the exit of the gate. Various shapes can be seen from within the cloud, from figures resembling small humanoids, to figures on horseback in the rear.
As the Civil Protection and various Transhuman Soldiers watch the oncoming cloud of dust, the crackle of radio chatter can be heard coming from the Ordinal, a field officer of the Combine Overwatch.
A brief pause among the Overwatch Soldiers creates a tense atmosphere in the plaza as they wait for orders from the Ordinal, whilst nearby Civil Protection glance back towards the gate and set up a perimeter around the plaza, crouching behind various makeshift barriers.
After moments of nothing but the cracking of the Ordinal's radio, they look back towards the other Transhuman Soldiers, preparing their AR1 as they do so.
"[<: Overwatch is confirming sector lockdown. Keep sightlines open and sound on. >:]"
With the order given, the Transhuman Soldiers begin to move; the units of the Containment Corp get closest to the gate, as the Suppressor sets up their pulse minigun behind a nearby concrete barrier, inclined from the gate; the Grunts and Ordinal remain crouched beside them.
The remaining standard Transhuman Soldiers split into a group of two and three, posting adjacent to the Gate.
The dust cloud is now close enough that minute features can be noticed: Archaic weapons of swords, clubs, and spears, and the distant neighs of horses. The rattling of plate armour and chainmail combining with unnatural snorts and snarling of the non-humans at the front of the horde.
The blaring of horns announces the voice of the Overwatch A.I., as the horde breaches through a faint green barrier from within the gate.
<:: Overwatch Acknowledges Activity. Confirm Sector Zero-Six, exogen outbreak. Clamp Sector. Code: Contain, Sterilize, Sacrifice. ::>
As the Overwatch A.I. voice fades, the horde crosses the threshold of the gate.