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shmorp-mcdurgen · 5 months ago

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Our Benefactors: Entanglement

After failing to meet the expectations of her employers, G-man receives an unexpected visit from them.

Word count: 2173

Notes: In a way, this is practice for writing Gman dialogue, but also I was inspired to write more for this au in general. I'm pretty proud of it so I hope you guys like it-

The droning sounds of the machinery outside of the cell was near maddening, with the monotonous and repetitive groans of the Vault’s interior drilling themselves into her skull. The loud shots of neon-green electricity that struck the outermost layer of the Vault’s prison rang out like gunshots, though the prisoner inside did not once flinch to the sounds, no matter how abrupt they appeared to be. The sounds simply became nothing but background noise to her own head, tuning out the Combine’s magnum-opus in favor of her own thoughts. Where she stood, within one of the few rooms that were trapped in the cell along with her, she simply stared towards the window before her, not necessarily through it, but rather looking inwards. She observed her own reflection, seeing the face she had chosen many years before that moment, along with the snow-white sweater she wore; chosen in favor of the suit she was given.

The occasional tapping of her dress shoe clad foot and her quiet humming were all she chose to hear among the sounds around her; remaining in her own isolation, waiting for her to sense the presence of her next business interest. Although her patience was to be admired, considering the lack of importance time holds in her line of work, she couldn’t help but notice a hollow feeling inside, along with a fog of the mind she had not encountered before. Nevertheless, she waited, standing in the middle of the room she inhabited, with nothing but herself to keep company. Until, that is, she noticed a familiar presence make itself known within her mind.

As if it was nothing more than a slight tug on her subconscious, it lingered, causing her to let out a soft sigh; Despite it not being the presence she had hoped for, it was one she had no choice but to listen to regardless. She leaned over, gently grasping the handle of the black leather briefcase that was resting beside her leg before standing up straight, adjusting the collar of her sweater and checking to make sure her earrings were in place. She closed her eyes, listening as the groans of metal machinery slowly faded into oblivion, all before she spoke; a stifled, gritty voice that came from her throat.

“You have arrived…earlier than I anticipated.”

When her eyelids flipped open, she found herself within an inky-black void rather than the shattered remains of the apartment room she was in only seconds earlier. Fragments of light flew by, always out of reach, yet seeming so close. She stared forward into the darkness, not seeing anyone, or anything, but as if in a sixth sense, she could feel non-existent eyes staring back at her. The flickered lights in front of her began to wane, being obscured by a formless mass, looking similar to a column of smoke. She waited for an answer to her observation, and after a few moments, one returned. The presence spoke in countless voices, dissonant and indecipherable; however, she understood each and every word spoken to her.

“You are still trapped within those walls.”

“Walls mean…nothing, in this work,” The Convict said in response, “I feel…confident, that things will…sort out, as soon as the…well…replacement, arrives.”

“You seem so sure that your investment will pay off.”

“Have I not told you that…things are under my control?” She questioned.

“We do not believe that they are,” The Employers echoed back, with an air of contempt that did not go over Her head, “That is why we have decided to speak to you today.”

She simply raised an eyebrow slightly as her Employers continued.

“So far, we have not been given a reason to believe your planning will result in anything beneficial for the Organization.”

“Things are, admittedly, going poorly. Something this…unprecedented, will absolutely result in some more…haphazard planning, on my end,” The Convict explained as she stared towards the black void in front of her. “However, I have already made my investments very clear in how they will have good returns. Especially in the…coming days, hm?”

“The investments you feel so confidently about are the very same as the investments that have led to your own entrapment,” The sound of the Employers hivemind were grating on her ears, as if they wanted every word to hurt, “If you had followed the directions your Employers had provided for you, none of these unpredicted events would have happened.”

“Now, I understand that this was a…major change in the state of this timeline that had…somehow, gone under our radar until it was already irreversible,” The woman’s eyes reflected a pale blue hue, the flicker of their light only barely showing her growing irritation, “However, I am sure you are aware that I have located a more suitable…replacement…for Mister Freeman.”

“So far, Alyx Vance has failed to prove her worth despite your propositions,” The Employers’ response made a near sour expression appear on Her face, “We have been given no reason to believe she ever will.”

“She will become of use when the time is right for her,” The Convict stood up straighter, unknowingly tightening her grasp on her suitcase as her unused hand gestured with every statement she made, “When that will occur is…unknown. However, I have already foreseen her arrival, along with her agreement to the…deal.”

“You admit to being clueless to when your own plan will come to fruition.”

“You can see it as well, I presume,” She said, “So, I must inquire, why do you assume what I am doing is…incorrect?”

“You fail to understand the simple facts of your situation,” Despite having no eyes she could see, it felt as though they were staring straight through her disguise and into the very essence of her being, “You are trapped. You had chosen to be imprisoned by your opposition–”

“In order to lead Miss Vance to her goals,” Her inflection soured, and her words cut off the statement her Employers were making, “I have already created a plan that will…lead us, to the goals that we had decided on since…even before Mister Freeman had started working with us. It only requires more time–” “Alyx Vance has no desire to heed your call.”

The statement felt targeted in a way She couldn’t identify.

“You depend too much on Alyx Vance to rescue you from the shackles you had put yourself in,” The Employers continued, “You fail to consider human error in your calculations. You are waiting for nothing.”

“She will have to,” The Prisoner responded, her eyes glowing and her tone lowered, “If she wishes to succeed in her desire to…remove the grasp of the empire on her species, she will have to–”

“How long has it been since you have been placed within your cell?”

The Convict hesitated, looking away for a single second before answering, “Two months. Give or take.”

“If she has not arrived within that span of time, what makes you believe she wishes to arrive in the future?” The Employers questioned, their presence feeling more overbearing in Her mind than they have before, “You mean nothing to her. To humanity, you do not even exist. To the Combine, you are nothing but a liability. To the Organization, you are nothing but an embarrassment.”

The Convict remained quiet despite her slightly open mouth, wishing to say something, though the fog in her mind rendered her incapable of forming the words. After a few moments however, the fog cleared just enough to let her speak.

“Embarrassment?” She questioned, “I have given so much to this cause; I had even started the chain of reactions necessary for our goals. The incident at Black Mesa was…my idea, yet you call me an embarrassment?”

“You have failed to foresee and thereby prevent the occurrence of Gordon Freeman being hijacked by the opposition,” The Employers voices lowered, “Due to this, he is incapable of completing the tasks laid before him. Currently, his work remains only half finished, with what was done being unraveled as we speak.”

The Convict’s confusion over why she was incapable of thinking of a response was interrupted by the Employer’s speaking yet again.

“Due to your neglect, irresponsibility, and recklessness in regards to your own actions,” The employers stated in unison, “We have made the decision to relieve you of your duty. Effective immediately.”

The words were as impactful as a stake through her false skin. She stared into the formless mass before her, face molded into a look of confusion and disbelief before the words finally pushed past her throat and out her lips; “You…you can’t be serious about this; I still have so much I need to do to possibly–”

“Please forfeit the briefcase provided to you, along with any and all privileges given by the Organization.”

She looked down at her briefcase, staring at it for a moment as her grasp on it tightened. “This is unacceptable.” She stated, her voice quiet yet furious. “Your actions were unacceptable,” The employers continued to stare at the small entity before them, “Consequences such as the ones you had inadvertently caused will not go unpunished. Due to your ignorance, recklessness, and inability to perform your duties, you, along with the timeline you were chosen to look over, will be deemed ‘unimportant’, and will no longer be a priority to the Organization.”

Before she could respond, she felt an invisible force tug on her briefcase, yanking it out of her hand and causing it to fall to the ground, dragged into the darkness until it was out of sight.

“You have been relieved of your duties,” The Employers stated, “We will not use any form of intervention on your behalf. You will now remain in the cell you had trapped yourself in until you witness the death of this universe.”

The convict stepped forward, hands shaking and expression furious. “I have a plan; One that will revert the timeline back to its previous…more desirable state.” She raised her voice, speech stifled despite how hard she was trying to get the message across, as if her own mind was preventing her from making her case, “You refuse to even give me a chance to rectify the issues we–?”

“We have provided the benefit of the doubt to you and your investments multiple times in the past,” The Employers spoke back, their voice loud in her mind, “We have come to the conclusion that you are not worth the liability and disappointment. We apologize for what may seem to you, an inconvenience. However it is what is best for the future of our Organization. Goodbye. We do not plan to speak with you in the future.”

“What…?” As she stood in shock, she felt herself being pulled back, all while a rectangular doorway appeared behind her, its white light reflecting off of her back. She reached forward with one arm, as if she could still reach her employers, all while she felt invisible arms grasping her limbs, stronger than she was, dragging her towards the doorway. “You can’t leave me here; don’t leave me alone here! You can’t DO this I–DON’T LEAVE ME HERE!”

Before she could even process the change in environment, she looked around, the sound of the Vault’s machinery once again flooding her mind as she found herself back within the cell’s broken and warped walls. She remained still, stuck in a sense of shock before she slowly lowered her arm back to her side. Her wide eyes stared at the floor in front of her feet,all while she felt a dull pain inside her head that she had never experienced before. Pain itself was alien to her, yet now it felt as though a part of her own subconscious was forcefully removed. A hollow emptiness had settled within her consciousness, as if a large portion of herself had simply vanished. It was silent; not outside her mind, but rather within it. The voices of her Employers were nowhere to be heard. For what felt like the first time in her existence, she was alone in her own head.

Underneath the fury she felt towards her abandonment, a new, unfamiliar feeling arose within herself, locating itself within her chest cavity. She felt weak, locating a nearby armchair before stumbling towards it, sitting upon it with a blank look in her eyes. She stared forward, supporting her head with one of her trembling hands as she thought to herself, though no meaningful thoughts came from the scrambled mess that was her own mind.

She was alone, though it didn’t feel comforting. The Isolation was beginning to weigh heavier than she had anticipated it would. She couldn’t stay there; she refused to be a prisoner of the Combine forever. However, her employers were right; She truly had no idea when, or if, she would be rescued. Patience meant nothing anymore, because now, she had to sit through the time she had often glossed over in the past.

She was a god ensnared within the belly of the beast.

#half life #half life au #Our Benefactors au #Gman #g-man #Benefactor gman #shmorp writes sometimes #First official Our Benefactors fic lets gooo #I should probably post these at some point to ao3 but also no no wanna #Anyway hope you enjoy this I had fun writing the dialogue #Also in case you're new to the au. yes this au's Gman uses she/her pronouns #just in case theres any confusion

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