Good Good. Wow this is a real hit. Sorry this took so long but most of you probably know how learning and works gets in the way of all that is fun.
-Chapter 1 Cont.-Mark turned to his left and ran down the street towards the arch roof of the central train station, which ripped out above the skyline like a pyramid. Still the towering Citadel behind him dwarfed this mere structure. He stopped running, his heart pounding loudly filling his head with its vital beat. He had heard something to his left and looking round spotted an alleyway. Combine chatter. He crept to the alleyways entrance pressed against the wall as tightly as possible.
Peeking around the corner he felt the sweat dripping of the end of his nose. He was terrified. He took the wrench in both hands, which were shaking wildly. He took a deep breath and ran around into the alley, the wrench above his head ready to smash his unsuspecting victim. He closed his eyes and hammered the weapon down onto his target
Mark gasped and opened his eyes. A combine radio lay smashed on top of an overturned, empty ammunition crate. The combine had obviously cleared out when they went after the ?Free man? the day before. Mark scratched the back of his head and wiped the sweat from his face. Maybe next time he would actually kill somebody. Could he kill anybody? As strongly as he believed resistance was the answer, Mark had never so much as hurt anyone intentionally.
Mark briefly searched the area for anything that could be useful. Turning over crates to reveal nothing but air and asphalt. This was hopeless. The combine weren?t stupid enough to leave weapons lying in the streets. Mark looked up to the sky, which had been pummelled by gun smoke and fumes. Suddenly he stopped breathing, there was someone behind him. He quickly spun round bringing his wrench above his head once again.
?Woah!? the man was shielding his face ?Calm down buddy!?
?Sorry!? shouted back ?You scared the crap out of me!?
The guy pulled his arm away from his face. He was wearing civvies up to his chest where there was some stolen combine armour. The overthrow was obviously going well so far.
?I thought you could help me out.? He said.
?Really? What?s the problem??
?Gordon Freeman has put a match to the oil.?
?Eh?? Mark was puzzled by this riddle sentence.
?He?s sparked up a flame. The resistance is tearing through the outskirts and is closing in on the city centre.?
?Oh that?s what the combine are talking about.?
?Exactly.?
The man gestured for Mark to follow him out of the alley and out onto the baron street. He began explaining the events of the last day that Mark had missed. The resistance was a much bigger event than anyone originally anticipated.
?Gordon Freeman is on his way to Dr. Vance?s labs to the south of the canals.? He said. ?I have a few units waiting at key points of the canal in order to supply ammunition and weapons to Mr. Freeman.?
?Is this where I come in?? Mark asked
?Yes. I need one man to simply drop of a crate containing a combine stimpack and another containing an HEV battery. Just throw them over the edge of a bridge and return to base?
?And if I refuse??
?I?ll have to do it myself.?
?What?s this about a base?? said Mark, hoping for a place to stock up on weaponry.
?Eli?s lab.? He said, ?It?s a series of underground tunnels that run out in all directions.? The occupants of some mining town to the south helped to dig them out before the tunnel had to be closed off. I?m not sure why Eli ordered it to be sealed.?
?By the way,? said Mark ?I didn?t catch your name.?
?I?m Daniel, Resistance Sergeant. I came to the city to find my brother Todd. So how about you? What?s your story??
?Oh, well??
?Actually,? Daniel interrupted ?forget that. Will you help us??
What should Mark do?
A) Tell Dan about Todd?s death and Join the resistance.
B) Don?t tell him and join up.
C) Tell him but carry on towards Eli?s Labs alone.
D) Forget the original plan and head back to the city centre.