Mark pondered and turned back to Fitz, who was looking really concerned. He was shaking his head side to side very steadily.
?I don?t see any reason to leave a fellow soldier behind.?
?Huh?? Fitz wasn?t expecting the positive response to this stranger?s tagging along. ?Oh, ok then.? He smiled and turned to the stranger.
?The names Kaufman friends.? He turned to the tree he was ?I was sitting it out in that tree as the strike team went by. You should have seen it. They had Choppers, APCs, Gun ships, the lot going in the same direction. I don?t know where they?re headed but I sure wouldn?t want to be there right now.?
?Then your lucks just run out.? Fitz said, ?They?re headed to Black Mesa East, Eli?s place, same as us. Our former leader betrayed the resistance by giving the combine the map just down the hill. Mark here did a good job of sorting him out. So if you want to tag along feel free.?
?So are you the new squad leader?? He asked Fitz, sounding somewhat sarcastic.
?As a matter of fact private Kaufman I am and I have led half of these men into hell and back.?
?Private?? Kaufman looked insulted ?You haven?t even asked me my rank. Don?t count your chickens before they?ve-?
?-Yeah whatever.? Said Fitz ?Save me the lecture. Rank??
?Captain R. Kaufman. More commonly known as Agent Kaufman.?
?Shit.? Fitz muttered under his breath.
After Fitz got his lecture from the superior officer he explained to us all that like many he had been selected by some higher power to infiltrate Civil Protection, the combine police force, and find out as much as they could. Unfortunately it seemed the cops were by no means connected to anything higher that a police chief by the name of DD. When traced these initials had been connected to the words Diminutive Data, roughly meaning ?little knowledge.? Although originally thought to be a hoax and cover DD?s trail of command was eventually followed to a computer, which contained nothing more than Civil Protection criminal records and the names of the people they had killed or captured. Nothing more.
This only uncovered one thing, despite both being modified grunts of the combine the cops and the Combine soldiers had no real connection. The police force was a counterfeit to keep an enemy occupied for a while. The real answers lay inside the citadel or another undisclosed location.
As Kaufman?s stories continued the mysteries of the combine piled to the brim of the men?s minds. He didn?t have the answers. Fitz was red in the face with embarrassment. He had once again been busted down the chain of command.
?Don?t feel so bad man.? Mark said. ?I?m sure something will happen and you?ll get back up to the top.?
?We?ll see.? Fitz headed on further to the front of the group.
?Fitz.? Called Kaufman ?Up here. The rest of you hid the dirt.?
The men looked around and then slowly lay on the floor. Mark was looking up to Fitz and Kaufman. What was going on?
?Look.? Said Kaufman ?I?ve never led a squad before. I?m an inside operative and as far as I can tell were going to have some trouble with this bit. I want you to lead the assault.?
?What??
?Look over the ridge.?
Fitz moved to the edge of the ridge and gasped. He quickly hit the floor, his mouth full of grass. The hill led down to a small rock face, which formed the south bank of the canal. On the other side was a cargo ship gate. Fitz could just see the number of the wall. Gate 5.
The gate had seemingly already been attacked. The gates were lying in the shallow water and a bunch of metal girders, which were cable bound together to form a sort of battering ram was hanging from the huge cargo crane. The tower above the cargo area was riddled with bullet holes. The place was a mess and whatever had happened had sure riled the combine. They were running about the place setting up guns and hover ships occasionally skimmed down the river and back with an APC or Personnel carrier lashed to the bottom.
?Jesus.? Said Fitz
?Only problem is we need to get past that if you want to get to Eli?s.? Kaufman said
?But not only are we outnumbered, were out gunned and there?s no way we?ll get across the river unnoticed.?
?I know I know.? Kaufman?s eyes were set of something ?One of their APCs would make the journey a hell of a lot easier though. I have a few ideas of how to get in there but its completely up to you. Like you said. These men have already been to Hell and back for you once.?
?Ok. I don?t want a massacre though.?
?Ok. We can either get around the primary defences somehow we could stand a chance to attack them from the inside out.?
?Ok.? Said Fitz ?I?m a bit curious as to how to get by those defences.?
?Yeah. Ok. I guess that?s a little tricky. My second plan isn?t exactly the best I?ve had either.?
?What is it.?
?I?ve got the uniform.? If I could take out a sentry with my bow and get inside I would look like one of them. Then if I found a way to deactivate a section of the defences you guys could get by no problem.?
What should they do? (Story style may change dependant on choice)
A) Run in guns blazing (action style)
B) Get Kaufman to creep in and get them through (Stealth Style)
C) Try and find a way around this station (keep it normal)