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.

[smelltheashes]

"What in- AAAAGHCHK!"

There's a high-pitched biomonitor scream as thin as a single red line filling the air as the second, less startled CP recoups his own resources enough to open fire. It's a lucky thing Barney has cover from the squadlings, or this would get a lot more ugly a lot more quickly.

[blueshifted]

Barney's just praying to anyone who'll listen that his gun doesn't lock up. Maybe he should've thought of this before he went Ben Hur on the CP. Oh well, too late now.

Barney dodges the other CP's fire, ducking behind a wall and then returning fire.

[smelltheashes]

"PB-212," spits the other CP as he reloads; he might not be Overwatch but he'd set his sights on it a long time ago, that's for sure. "I thought I smelled traitor."

[blueshifted]

"Damn straight you did!" Barney yells angrily, and gets the jump on his former co-worker turning the pause to fire back at him, straight in the head.

[smelltheashes]

Not an instant too soon, either. The bio-alarm goes off in the moment that would've signaled the other CP opening fire, had Barney been even a hair slower.

"Jesus, boss, that was close," says the medic as silence falls again. "You okay?"

[blueshifted]

"'M fine," Barney says, shaking his head. "I... knew those two. Worked with them when I was recovering intel for the resistance. Some of the worst excuses for human beings I've ever met, and that's saying a lot."

The past really is coming back to haunt him, and this time, things ended up okay. Still, there's the ghost of terror on his face before he wipes it off, and turns back to the squad.

[smelltheashes]

"Sucks to be them," says the medic succinctly. "Remind me not to piss you off."

"That was out of line, Arnold," says the woman. "If anyone deserved it, they did."

"Less talk," says Lurch. "More moving. Let's go."

[blueshifted]

Barney just shakes his head. The world's cruel, sure, but you can't really understand how bad the Combine is unless you have something to compare it to, and most of these kids don't.

"Yeah. Let's get moving."

[smelltheashes]

Arnold, Fred, Lurch, and the woman fall into position and start moving again, although Lurch pauses briefly to search the two corpses. One can never have enough ammo, after all.

There are other metrocops in the streets ahead. By the look of things, group discipline is... not what their superiors might hope.

[blueshifted]

Barney stops to do the same, removing the clip and tossing his rusty gun aside in favor of the newer, cleaner ones, and spits on corpses before rejoining the squad.

Barney looks at them hard for a moment, looking for cover, searching their patrol patterns. There's got to be a corner where they can slip in and take them out, utilizing the lack of communication for their own benefit.

[smelltheashes]

And there is- although Barney had best be careful. If the argument going on is anything to go by, several of the CPs are trying to break off and get away, and their course would appear to indicate a possible train station destination.

[blueshifted]

"Shit," Barney mutters. "Some of them want to head for the trainstation. We can't let that happen." He thinks for a second, trying to decide what would be the best course of action. "Okay, we don't have much time, but this is what we can do. Flank 'em--wait, anybody got a grenade?"

[smelltheashes]

"Denise does," says Arnold the medic, and sure enough the dark-skinned woman has one out as she looks inquiringly Barney's way for instruction.

[blueshifted]

"Okay," Barney says. That's excellent--perfect, even. "We're gonna flank 'em, sneaking around the edges to surround the main crowd and cut 'em off. You, with the pulse rifle, you'll get into a position where you're covered, but can cut them off if they try to run, like behind that pile of crate. Denise, you get into a position where you can reach to chuck your grenade, but you're out of range from the explosion. Fred, you stay with me. Got it so far?"

He pauses briefly, then continues.

"When I say out, we're all going to get into position, around the group and behind cover, keeping it quiet so we can sneak past. Denise, you count five seconds, then chuck a grenade in the center of the group. Everybody else, we'll count the same, and use that moment of panic to start firing on them, so make sure you've got a full clip in now. Don't want any surprises. That clear?"

[smelltheashes]

Denise nods; the others check their guns over first. "All set," Lurch murmurs, patting his rifle. Arnold the medic merely waits for his cue; he knows just how much ammo he's got, and he's good. And Fred, well, Fred's just glad he doesn't have to tell anyone what to do. "We're all ready," he says faintly. "Say when, sir."