Trust is no longer affordable, a Night Shift™ short story.
Industrial 24 was always usually quiet at night. The rhythmic clanging of distant machines and the low hum of the suppression fields blanketed the city in an eerie gaze. The streets were deserted, except for the occasional patrol of Civil Protection officers and the faint flickers of Overwatch Scanners gliding above.
UNION-72 adjusted his grip on the leash that tethered their captive creature. It was a struggling vortigaunt. It had been a long night shift as is, and this recent capture during a skirmish in the sewers had been the last thing any of them wanted. The vortigaunt had resisted violently, but the six-unit squad had subdued it. A wave of uncertainty crashed over the squad as they dragged it toward the nexus, something was off.
"<:: I don’t like this, ::>" DEFENDER-80 muttered from behind his mask, his voice tense. "<:: Thing’s too quiet. ::>"
DEFENDER-64, a sharp-eyed unit who typically handled medic duties, nodded. “<:: It’s not just quiet. It’s… angry. ::>”
The Vortigaunt thrashed weakly in its chains, its one large eye glowing with an unsettling intensity. It had lost some of its strength during the struggle, but it was clear its will hadn’t yet been broken.
Normally, overwatch would be called to re-secure the creature into shackles, but Overwatch was non-responsive on the radio. Too much damage had already unfolded in the city from the recent battles, and the technology that bound the union together slowly began to degrade. The units argued back and forth about what to do with the Vortiguant.
UNION-72, who had led the operation, gestured ahead. “<:: Let’s get it into the amputation chamber. It’s secure. We can figure out what’s going on in there. ::>”
The group entered the enclosed space near the interrogation room. The dim fluorescent lights flickered overhead, casting strange shadows across the concrete walls. The vortigaunt's breath grew ragged, its posture tense as if it was gathering itself for something.
JURY-04 closed the door behind them, sealing the room. “<:: What’s its status? ::>”
DEFENDER-64 knelt next to the creature, checking the restraints. “<:: The shackles—wait— ::>”
The chains shattered. A sharp crack echoed through the room as the shackles fell to the ground. The vortigaunt rose suddenly, its body pulsing with energy. Fear flooded the officers.
“Contain it!” UNION-72 shouted.
But it was too late. The air in the room grew heavy, the lights dimming as the vortigaunt channeled its power. In its desperate state, it had decided to take drastic action—self-destruction.
“<:: No! ::> ” UNION-72 yelled, but his voice was lost in the growing hum of energy.
In the chaos, one of the units—JURY-37—stepped forward, trying to push the others out of the blast radius. But in the next instant, a shocking betrayal unfolded. The female unit, JURY-04, locked eyes with JURY-37, then shoved him forcefully into the path of the vortigaunt’s charged attack.
JURY-37 stumbled, trying to catch himself, but it was too late. The vortex of energy exploded outward with a blinding flash. JURY-37’s body was engulfed in the blast, his form disintegrating in an instant as the vortex consumed him. JURY-04 had positioned herself just behind him, shielded from the full brunt of the explosion by her comrade’s body.
The force of the blast rattled the room, sending the remaining units crashing to the floor. The air reeked of ozone, and the heat from the explosion lingered in the enclosed space. When the smoke cleared, only the charred remains of the vortigaunt and JURY-37 were left.
DEFENDER-80 pushed himself to his feet, dazed. He glanced at JURY-04, who was still standing, seemingly unharmed.
"<:: What... did you do? ::>" DEFENDER-64 whispered in disbelief, though his tone carried the weight of accusation.
JURY-04 looked down at the smoldering remains of JURY-37 but said nothing. The visor of her mask reflected the burning remnants, hiding any trace of remorse.
UNION-68 stood, shaking off the shock. "<:: We'll need to report this, ::>" he said coldly, his voice devoid of emotion. "<:: Get the story straight. JURY-37 didn’t survive the blast. ::>"
The remaining units exchanged glances, a silent understanding passing between them. They knew what had happened. But in the Combine, survival was everything. Trust was a luxury that was no longer affordable.
The following story is a sub-timeline fandom created based on a real event that occurred on Willard Networks during i24. The event followed to become voided and should be treated as if it never happened in the real game's timeline. Taglines used in the story do not represent the exact players, and are purely made up at random. This is not a request for an event, simply a short story. Please notify me if it needs to be moved.
The images were submitted to me by Hiros, all content is owned by it's respective owners.
The images were submitted to me by Hiros, all content is owned by it's respective owners.
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