Proximity Alert

[g00d_d0ggie]

D0G has been on patrol for six hours, thirty-three minutes, and seven seconds, plodding in a slow circle with a quarter-mile radius and the Borealis at its center. Ever since Shephard's scouting party left his scanning range five hours and two minutes ago, there has been nothing but flat scrubland as far as the optic can see.

Alyx had offered to send D0G with the scouting team, but Shephard declined. D0G doesn't really understand why, but it doesn't matter. Alyx is smart and Shephard is smart, and D0G does as he's told. And he's been told to patrol the perimeter, so that's just what he's going to do.

He can still think about other things, though. Like how upset Alyx was when he last saw her. D0G wishes he could have stayed with her to make her feel better, but this is where she wants him to be. Maybe she's feeling better now because of that. He can't really tell without going back, though, and that would make her feel bad all over again...

Comments

[smelltheashes]

Well, maybe it'll be better if he goes back to her with news?

Because there's a smudge of something appearing on the horizon.

[g00d_d0ggie]

!

D0G freezes on the spot, watching.

[smelltheashes]

No motor vehicles involved, by the look of things. Just a cluster of upright shapes headed this way on foot. Might be people. Might be Combine. Hard to say.

[g00d_d0ggie]

Hm. If it's Combine, D0G can take 'em... but if they're humans, he might scare them off. (He tends to do that to strangers.) Optimal course of action: return to base and report the approaching party.

Which is just what D0G does.

[acts_of_gord]

Not to Alyx- not yet, anyway. She's down belowdecks trying to coax the ship's AI back into life. On the other hand, owning the one suit of powered armor on board makes it a lot easier to justify working on what surface repairs are needed, so-

"D0G?" calls Gordon, poking his head over the rail. "Is that you?"

[g00d_d0ggie]

Bwaaap! D0G waves up at Gordon and points toward the far horizon.

[acts_of_gord]

Gordon blinks, leaning over the rail; then he turns and mutters a request to someone belowdecks. One pair of binoculars and a 'Thank you!' to D0G later he's running down the ship's stairs in search of Alyx.

[vance_prime]

The ship isn't soundproofed as well as you'd figure; long before Gordon arrives in the AI chamber, Alyx can hear the echo of his footsteps and the commotion of the crew in his wake. Thus, she has more than enough time to pull out from under the console before he arrives.

"Situation?"

[acts_of_gord]

"Incoming humans," says Gordon. "Looks like five or six of them. Armed, no vehicles. Didn't see any lambdas but they're still too far off to make out the details."

[vance_prime]

"Who's on guard duty right now, besides you?"

[acts_of_gord]

"Chen, Maldonado, and Kamansky," says Gordon. "D0G brought the news before any of us spotted them."

[vance_prime]

"Okay, I'm coming up," says Alyx. "If they are Resistance, we should greet them properly. If not... we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

[acts_of_gord]

Gordon nods and readies his shotgun. The crowbar's on his belt; any fool can see it. He'd rather have a projectile response ready if there's trouble.

When they emerge onto the deck of the boat, the humans are a good deal closer, though D0G is still between them and the Borealis.

[g00d_d0ggie]

Mwrrp eep woop! says D0G encouragingly in the general direction of the newcomers, spreading his arms wide. See, he's not gonna hurt you! Come on up!

[smelltheashes]

There's more than a few wary looks to go around, but eventually the leader, a narrow-faced man with sun-bleached hair, steps forward. Gun in hand he calls out, "Do I even want to know where you came from?"

[vance_prime]

"South America," Alyx calls back. "It's a long story."

[smelltheashes]

"I'd imagine it is." The man settles back on his heels, eyeing robot and ship and crew and Gordon each in turn. Then he looks back to Alyx, as she's the only one who's spoken so far. "Name's Ronald," he says. "What brought you lot here? I'm not getting any closer 'til I know where I stand."

[vance_prime]

"Alyx Vance. Acting leader of the Resistance," replies Alyx. "We teleported in in response to a distress call coming from southwest of here..."

[smelltheashes]

"Ah, right," says Ronald, and turns to the others for a moment's discussion. When it's done he looks up. "Don't suppose you'd be interested in our plan to spike a major Combine supply line, then?"

[vance_prime]

Alyx quirks an eyebrow. "Possibly..."

[smelltheashes]

"In that case," says Ronald, "d'you mind if we come aboard? Shouting like this's gonna be a problem pretty quick."

[vance_prime]

Alyx turns back to the rest of the crew. "What d'you think? Should we trust 'em?"

[acts_of_gord]

"The alternative's sending people down to talk to them at ground level," Gordon points out. "We've got the home field advantage if they're here on our terms."

[vance_prime]

"There's six of them and, what, a couple hundred of us?" points out Chen. "If they are trying to trick us, they won't get very far."

Maldonado and Kamansky make noises of agreement.

"Agreed." Alyx turns to call back down to ground level. "Okay, we're dropping a rope ladder!"

[smelltheashes]

"Great, glad to hear it," says Ronald, and holsters his weapon. The people gathered behind him do the same. "Coming right up..."

A few minutes later there are six sweaty, dusty, tired-looking but well-armed people clustered on the deck together. Ronald steps forward with one hand out for the shaking. "Pleased to meet you all," he says. "Glad you could come all this way- didn't think anybody'd be showing up, we've been cut off a damn long time now."

[vance_prime]

"How long?"

[smelltheashes]

"Since- oi, Bethany? When'd it happen?"

"Six or seven months back, wasn't it?" says Bethany behind him. "'Hey, Overwatch's locking up everyone they can get their hands on, let's have an orgy', wasn't that how it went?"

"Yeah, something like that." Ronald turns back to Alyx. "Hasn't been any travel onto or off the continent since then, except when the Combine run their maintenance boats out to the desal plants. No radio worth mentioning either."

[vance_prime]

Alyx nods, grimly. "Do you know why the Combine have been sending people inland?"

[smelltheashes]

"Dunno, but there's no one coming back," says a tall, dark, gray-haired man with a broad nose. "And all the water's going inland, and that's not coming back either."

Ronald nods. "Whatever it is," he says, "it's nothing good."

[vance_prime]

"We know what it is," says Alyx firmly. "We've seen it before, and we have the means to stop it. But that's another long story."

[smelltheashes]

Ronald nods. "Whatever it is," he says, "we're reckoning that cutting off its supplies'll give it hell. That's what we'd been trying to do, y'see. Get into a position where we could starve their operation- or dry it up, that'd be a better phrase for it."

[vance_prime]

"Cutting off its supply of fresh water?" Alyx muses. "That would buy us some time to get our ship up and running again..."

[smelltheashes]

"Part of it, anyways," says Ronald. "See, the thing's somewhere near Alice Springs. Takes up a lot of territory, if the Combine no-go border's any indicator. The Combine built pipelines to whatever-it-is from the seacoast in about eight different places. Damn things're heavily guarded. We're planning to go after the nearest of the pipelines and give it hell. Haven't got enough people to get 'em all at once but we can sure as bloody hell cut off part of the supply and work from there."

[acts_of_gord]

Gordon's remembering a different pipeline entirely, one he had to explode and clamber through; he shivers a little, but nods. "Sounds like a good place to start," he says. "If anything is, anyway."

[vance_prime]

"We should wait until we hear back from Shephard's team, though," remarks Alyx. "Or at the very least until we get the radio working again so we can hear back from them."

[acts_of_gord]

"Point," says Gordon. "When are they due to report?"

"Too late, is when," interjects Ronald. "No offense, mate, but we're talking about the life and death of a continent's worth of people here. There's not what you'd call a whole lot of time to waste on thinking things over at this point."

[vance_prime]

For a moment, Alyx just stares at Ronald silently, then:

"With all due respect, sir, we have already killed two of these monsters, at no small cost to our own forces. We know what we're up against, and we know that if we don't have a plan going in, we may not survive long enough to destroy the other three in Africa and Eurasia. If you want our help, you will get it on our terms. If you don't like it, you're welcome to go ahead without us."

[smelltheashes]

There's silence for a while, on all six of the Australians' parts. Then the dark-skinned man in the back clears his throat.

"Two of 'em, you said."

[vance_prime]

"There were six of them altogether," says Alyx. "One on every continent except Antarctica. Apparently they didn't want to bother with an unpopulated landmass."

[smelltheashes]

The man nods, letting out a low whistle.

"Might want to wait a bit, Ron," is all he murmurs.

[acts_of_gord]

"I'd listen to her if I were you," Gordon says. "Alyx's been in this business longer than any of us. She knows what she's talking about."

[vance_prime]

Alyx's expression softens a little. "We can at least offer you a meal and some spare supplies," she says. "Then you can make the decision on a full stomach."

[smelltheashes]

A fleeting expression of frustration crosses Ronald's face; then he nods. "All right," he says. "Suppose there's not much difference a few hours can make."

"And it's been a long day," the woman behind him says. "We could do with the food, Ron."

[vance_prime]

"C'mon," says Alyx, gesturing toward the door that leads below decks. "I'll show you to the galley. Watch your step..."

[smelltheashes]

"All right, we're coming," says Ron. And then, in a mutter almost too low to hear, "Thanks."