Half-Life: Patron

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Half-Life. I do own the entire Internet, but not Half-Life specifically...

Chapter 1: The Visitor

ALYX'S CACHE

CITY 17

TWENTY YEARS AFTER THE BLACK MESA INCIDENT

ONE WEEK BEFORE THE RETURN OF GORDON FREEMAN

Alyx Vance rolled her shoulders and lay down. There weren't a whole lot of places to relax anymore. It used to be you could hang out on the Coast, but now the antlion swarms were so big that that wasn't a good idea. Of course, goofing off in the field would get you shot, at BME Mossman would always be either bugging you about something no one cared about or hitting on your dad, and White Forest was the home of the infamous Dr. Magnusson.

So. Yeah. Not a lot of places to unwind in an alien-controlled post-apocalyptic police state. Go figure.

The cache, however, was as safe a place as one could get in City 17. It was a small storage space, about 20 feet long and 5 feet wide, just barely tall enough to stand in, hidden via a small trapdoor in the floor of one of the City's numerous abandoned warehouses. With the trapdoor closed, it was practically invisible unless you knew where to look. The chances of anyone finding it, even by accident, were quite small. As far as Alyx knew, she and Dog were the only living people who knew it existed.

Taking one last look around to make sure the compartment was headcrab-free, Alyx tossed her jacket onto a tiny supply crate to make what would pass for a pillow. She checked her custom-made machine pistol officially dubbed the 'Alyxgun' one last time, placed it on the ground beside her and closed her eyes. She had three hours until she needed to get back to Kliener's lab, and she was going to make the most of it.

A footstep echoed nearby.

Alyx bolted up, shaken out of her light sleep, her hand snatching up the Alyxgun and preparing to kill whatever it was this time.

Nobody was there.

Alyx got to her knees, scanning around. The cache was empty, save her gear and a crate or two of supplies she'd brought in on the off chance she ever needed another place to lay low for a while.

There was another footstep. Right behind her.

Alyx spun and her gun came to rest a few inches away from the chest of a man, standing calmly in the middle of the cache like everything was completely normal. A tiny smirk was the only visible sign of emotion.

How did he get in here? I looked there two seconds ago, I'm sure!

"My... deepest apologies, Ms. Vance" he said, stretching his s's out like a snake. "I did not... wish to startle you."

The man made no threatening motions, but did back up a step. Alyx looked him over. He was wearing a blue suit and carrying a goddamn briefcase of all things. And his suit wasn't just one of those jumpsuits the Combine made its "citizens" wear, but a genuine suit. It looked new, too, though she wasn't sure how that was possible, seeing as the Combine had long ago reassigned all tailors to more 'productive' tasks.

The man's hands remained at his side and he continued to return her stare. He didn't look armed, but her gun wasn't intimidating him in the slightest. Whoever this guy was, he was a professional, and the only way she'd get any information out of him would be through clever interrogation, tricking him into telling her things he didn't mean to say. She'd only have one chance to get this right.

"Who the hell are you?" said her mouth, like a total rookie. "How did you get here?"

"My... name, Ms. Vance, is of no importance. As for how I arrived... let us move onto other subjects, shall we? I find petty introductions quite... pointless."