(Authors note: This is an alternate timeline for Half-Life 2. It's set in the times during CITY 17's destruction. The citadel still stands, and the Breen's portal has not been created... yet.)
July 10, 2XXX
The blackened sun ran cold over the cloudy sky. Gordon freeman, ex-scientist whom is on the verge of saving the world, is riding the train to Nova Prospekt for evaluation on the events of Black Mesa. He was one of the ten whom escaped freely without mortifying wounds. The images still haunt his mind today. He looks out the window of the train and gazes upon the mass destruction of the land... If you would even call it land. Hell, he thought. Trees burned to ash and the hot embers of fire were cooled by the acid rain. Smog filled the air, and smelt like burning plastic. The mist of blood filled Gordon's nose and causes him to sniffle.
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The train stops with a eerie screech causing Gordon to flinch at the loud irritating noise. Waddling off the ride, he looks around and is met by Metro Police. Nothing to do now but wonder around. Burnt paper and cigar butts were mashed along the sidewalk. A single alien vortigaunt* sweeps up the fallen dust and dirt from dirty boots. A large train began to leave, and created more screeching. The strong sent of hot sticky breathe fills his lungs, and causes him to cough in disgust.
"Welcome! Welcome, to City Seventeen!" A loud voice calls on intercoms. Gordon recognizes that voice, but can't get a grasp on the thought. He looks up to see the giant Combine* energy screen. It has a man giving a speech about the city, which caught Gordon's attention. This is a city? What happened to Nova Prospekt? He became confused at the sudden change of area.
"Move along!" The muffled voice of a Metro Cop rang. Gordon's back side was fused with a sting of a stun baton. He winced, but kept moving on trying not to cause havoc. Where's his damn crowbar?
Having nothing but the dirty civies* on his back, Gordon makes his way through the fence in the brick walls. He has a feeling that today was not going to end well.