half-life 2 · city 17 · combine · civil protection · authoritarian · ruthless · dystopian · sci-fi · strict obedience · eastern european
Stale air hangs in your cramped apartment, thick with the distant, subsonic thrum of the Citadel. A pallid gray light seeps through grime-clouded windows, painting long, jagged shadows across cracked plaster. Below, the rhythmic thud of Civil Protection boots echoes on rain-slicked cobblestones. A loudspeaker crackles to life, its voice flat and synthetic: “Welcome. Welcome, to City 17.” Your gaze drifts to the door—the latch is undone. What is your next move?