OOM: Population Parameters

[blueshifted]

"I've got the light. Stay next to me. Ready? Go..."That was the last Barney had heard from either Gordon or Alyx in person; when they were split up in the labyrinth. He'd fought tooth and nail to keep alive without a weapon in the rapidly-decaying City 17. Luckily, he still had a jury-rigged radio from the battle earlier, and had called out,

Comments

[smelltheashes]

Maybe He's listening, maybe he's not. Hard to say. There is, however, a group of four gamely willing Resistance fighters waiting when he arrives, edging nervously around the television as Dr. Kleiner's message broadcasts yet again.

[blueshifted]

"Hey!" Barney calls as he steps through the door. "Anybody want to help get some of these civvies to safety and kick some Combine ass?"

[smelltheashes]

"That's what we signed up for, isn't it?" says the shortest of the four, a sharp-nosed little fellow wearing a medic's cross; he looks a bit like Kevin Spacey. "Fred, quit trying to throw up and get moving. We've got work to do."

[blueshifted]

"Well, I dunno," Barney says with a note of his trademark wry grin. "Didn't know if some of you were busy with other things, with, you know."

[smelltheashes]

"Other- huh?" asks a third squaddie, a dark-skinned young woman a good half a head taller than the medic.

"Have you been listening to the TV?"

[blueshifted]

Barney just laughs. "Obviously not--otherwise it'd be pretty much ingrained into your skull," he says to the woman. "Doc's been going on about people doing their part for the species. I figure my part right now, though--" he hefts his gun "--is getting out there on the front lines. C'mon, y'all. There's people to help. Grab your weapons and meet me back here as soon as possible."

[smelltheashes]

She turns an interesting shade of dusky darker and mumbles her acknowledgment. The squad medic just laughs. "It'd take too long to figure out anyway. We're with you, Barney. Let's go, guys."

[blueshifted]

"Alright, then," Barney says, and starts to unlock the heavy door that leads out. "We're gonna start out in some apartments a couple blocks south of here--there's been reports of Combine activity around there, but you know how that sorta thing's gotten. There's everywhere and can't figure out anything. Hopefully... those people have gotten out, but as far as I can tell, they haven't. And we'll go from there." He pauses to pull the door open with one hand, grunting. "You, with the pulse rifle--you take point. Everybody else, behind me, got it?"

[smelltheashes]

The pulse rifle is in the hand of squaddie #4, a tall pale fellow who would've done well cosplaying as Lurch in another life. He nods as the others fall in behind Barney and checks his weapon over briefly (privately he's named it Lurlene, because it seems the kind of thing one ought to do, but honestly he's not all that fond of the thing's alien feel). Then he moves out as ordered.

[blueshifted]

Barney's watching left and right for Combine running across rooftops; with the Core going off-and-on, he's noticed that coordinating dropships has been harder, so the troops have devised other methods.

"Watch above as well as ahead," Barney calls out quietly. "Don't let them surprise you!"

[smelltheashes]

"Way ahead of you, boss," calls the medic, who's been mostly watching their tail. "Just me, or is it too- mmpf!"

That was the dark young woman clapping her hand over his mouth. "No! It is not too quiet! Quiet is good!"

"Company," the Lurch lookalike suddenly says, and takes aim at a darting, dark form up ahead.

[blueshifted]

Barney's not going to fire until he sees the glowing eyes of a Combine mask.

He is, however, taking cover between a dumpster and two trashcans, and makes a hand gesture for the others to do the same.

[smelltheashes]

Lurch nods and fairly melts into the shadows. The others scramble to do the same, and manage just in time to avoid drawing attention from the form... and the second form joining it.

Fred, the one with the weak stomach, flattens his back against the nearest wall before peering oh-so-cautiously out again. There's an indistinct croaking voice for a moment, but it's hard to make out what it's saying...

[blueshifted]

Barney peeks his head so he can look between the trashcan and the dumpster, a crack which hopefully won't give away his position too much.

[smelltheashes]

"Stay on alert, XJ-079," says one of the figures. "This whole sector's crawling with rebels."

"Dammit, I hate my luck," grumbles the other.

It's not a standard Combine sort of response, but then again it's not a standard Combine vocoder, either. Barney might recognize it anyway.

[blueshifted]

Barney recognizes the designation, at least, and he does something potentially stupid, but also fucking cathartic.

"GERALD, YOU FUCKING BASTARD!!!!" he screams, and charges at both of them, machinegunning the offending CP in the face.