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Half-Life 2 Story Speculation
Full article (polls, links, images, and text) @ http://www.hlfallout.net/articles.php/article_9/
by Bite
Saturday August 7th, 2004
This article is one amalgamation of several theories on the HL2 storyline and background. The views are entirely my own, and, unless stated otherwise, everything is speculation based on all available material. It's important for continuity that you read the whole thing in the given order, because I will always backtrack to previously mentioned facts. It's also a big read, so you might want to put the kettle on. Several theories were brought up by other forum members, so I'd like to thank Mooreberg, Sprafa, Azza and any others I might not have mentioned. To the speculation!
First I will list the events that unfolded in Black Mesa. I refer to this article (http://www.hlfallout.net/articles.php/article_1/) about the entire HL storyline, so here I will limit myself to the facts pertinent to the speculation.
First of all, it's pretty clear that the powers that were in the Black Mesa Research Facility wanted the resonance cascade to occur. A letter in the Half-Life: Decay (PS2 Half-Life game) states that the Administrator stressed the importance of the specimen that was used during the experiment, even though it showed unexpected spectral analysis fluctuations during preliminary testing. Also, the anti-mass spectrometers used during the test had a capacity of 80%, and they were pushed to 105% for this sample.
The scientist personnel in Black Mesa was experimenting with teleportation technology. The Borderworld, which we refer to as 'Xen', was discovered by accident. In order for a teleportation event to take place, Xen was used as a relay. Several survey teams were sent to this Borderworld to gather specimens to be tested upon back in the facility. Ethics weren't involved, the scientists went to some lengths to get conclusive analyses on the specimens. A new method of aiming the teleportation field was later devised, and the first method of using the Borderworld as a focal point was abandonded, along with the survey teams that lost contact.
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"We've assured the administrator nothing will go wrong."
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When Freeman pushed the sample into the beam, it triggered a resonance cascade, causing the two dimensions (Xen and Earth) to merge, effectively bringing Xen lifeforms into the complex. This rift was later closed by Dr. Keller, who managed to trigger a resonance reversal, effectively closing the gateway between Xen and Earth. But the damage had been done. The facility was infested by alien lifeforms which were hostile to humans.
But it's important to note that Xen lifeforms weren't hostile by nature. They simply acted on instinct after being suddenly teleported into a strange world they had no bearing of. But this is only the case for certain lifeforms. There isn't one 'Xen' race, it's a collective of several races. The "wildlife", such as Headcrabs, Houndeyes and Bullsquids act on instinct and simply do what they do. Then there are the sentient beings, such as the Vortigaunt, Controllers and Alien Grunts. The Vortigaunt (or Alien Slaves) were the standard workhorse of the collective. Around their wrists and neck were shackles, indicating they were under the control of a powerful entity.Nihilanth
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Nihilanth, the leader of the Xen collective. Or is he?
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This powerful entity was called 'Nihilanth'. Nihilanth was the leader of the Xen collective. But simply analyzing this creature, which Freeman killed, reveals ulterior motives. It also forms the baseline between HL and HL2. Here we go:- Its body rests on a metal base, which closely resembles the metal barriers of the Combine Fortress, eating away at City 17.
- The creature has a highly developed cranial structure, but underdeveloped legs (it relies on the aforementioned metal base for motion).
- It also has shackles around its wrists, indicating that it is a slave.
- Its chest and abdomen reveal crude surgery marks. Perhaps Nihilanth was once a docile leader, but was captured and subjected to extensive surgery to do the bidding of its captors (in this case, most likely the Combine).
What does this reveal about the relation between the Combine and Nihilanth (and subsequently, Xen)? Well, in my humble opinion, Xen was already under the Combine's control before Earth discovered this Borderworld. The Combine had subdued this alien dimension and left it alone to be governed by Nihilanth, who they had 'converted' to their cause. When Freeman killed Nihilanth and humans took control of Xen, it got the Combine's attention. They probably figured that, if this race of humanoids can take over a world under our control, they pose a threat. So the Combine invaded Earth preemptively.
The Combine present a mutual goal for mankind and the Xen collective in defeating them, which explains why the Vortigaunt are working together with the human rebellion. Sentient Xen creatures can make the choice, but lesser creatures (like Headcrabs) can't choose a side, so they're hostile to anyone and anything that crosses their paths.
This begs the question: on what scale did the resonance cascade occur? Was it just the facility and surrounding rural areas that were affected and flooded by Xen aliens? Or was the whole of the Earth merged with Xen? In HL and its mission packs, the player characters are limited to the facility, so in essence, we don't know. Both are plausible and they have little or no effect on the aftermath of the cascade. It's what happens in the ten years afterwards that matters.
What did happen in those ten years? Freeman was offered and did accept a job from the G-Man (see chapter "Pieces On A Chessboard" for speculations around that mysterious character). HL2 starts ten years later.
Incidentally, we know the events at Black Mesa unfolded in December of the year 200-. The last digit is unknown, as it is all Freeman's letter of application reveals (first page of the HL manual). So it could be anything from 2000 to 2009, though 2000 seems more accurate. So HL2 would take place in 2010 (or anything from that to 2019).
Anyways, where was Freeman during those ten years? In my opinion, the answer lies in the G-Man's opening chat:Rise and shine, Mr. Freeman. Rise and shine. Not that I wish to imply you have been sleeping on the job. No one is more deserving of a rest. And all the effort in the world would have gone to waste until...well, let's just say your hour has come again. So...wake up, Mr. Freeman. Wake up and...smell the ashes.
You'd think Freeman would have had a chance to rest during those ten years. But to Freeman, no time has passed between the two storylines. Time is relative to the observer, and in this case, that really is true. I think the G-Man put Freeman in some sort of cryogenic sleep, 'stasis' if you will. Freeman is unaware of the changes that took place during those ten years. It's probable Freeman didn't age either. He doesn't look older, and even Eli Vance comments that he hasn't changed one iota. He stepped into a portal at the end of HL and wakes up ten years later.
HL2 will most likely start with the train intro seen in the E3 2004 video (probably preceeded by the G-Man monologue). He is registered as a citizen, like everybody else in the station, so he's probably wearing a blue jumpsuit, no HEV Suit (that would stand out). I think the G-Man set Freeman loose, as it were. He was convinced of Freeman's talent for survival and kept him in storage until his services would once again be needed.
It will take Freeman some time to adjust to having missed out on ten years. As pointed out above, the Combine invaded Earth in that period and took control of humanity.State of Affairs
Where are we at the moment Freeman rides into City 17? The Combine are omnipresent, fiercely oppressing the citizens. The thing is, we've only seen City 17. We have no idea what state the rest of the Earth is in. My theory is that the Combine decimated large parts of the Earth and left a few cities untouched to concentrate the remaining humans in. The destroyed parts of the Earth are large slabs of desert wasteland inhabited by hybrid species (the Ant Lions were probably Xen aliens who were teleported to Earth, and mutated in the aftermath and during the Combine invasion). These wastelands are uninhabitable for humans, so they must resort to the available cities. Choosing the lesser of two evils, one might say.
The Combine oppress the humans living in the cities, while trying to keep the Ant Lions and Xen aliens out. You'll note that most fighting between the Combine and Ant Lions takes place in the outskirts of the city or in deserted buildings. The inner city is free from these creatures, where most citizens are concentrated. The outskirts and Ravenholm have very little to no Combine presence, but many Headcrabs and Zombies (most zombified humans are most likely bums and tramps which were shunned to the suburbs). The rebellion is probably based in these hazardous areas, since the Combine don't run their tight operations there as much as they do in the city.
The central figure for the Combine oppression is Dr. Breen. His face is projected on video-screens throughout the city, spouting nothing but pro-Combine propaganda. We can glean plenty of information from his endlessly repeating speech blurted in the train station:
Welcome! Welcome to City 17! You have chosen or been chosen to relocate to one of our finest remaining urban settings. I thought so much of City 17 that I elected to establish my administration here, in the Citadel so thoughtfully provided by...our benefactors. I've been proud to call City 17 my home. And so, whether you are here to stay or passing through, away to parts unknown...welcome to City 17! It's safer here.
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Dr. Breen: is he even real?
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Dr. Breen says '...one of our finest remaining urban settings.'. If by 'our', he means humanity, then this supports the theory above, as it states only a few cities remain. Looking at the speech like that, there's some truth in it. If you could choose between an urban setting or a hazardous wasteland, which would you think is safer?
But who is Dr. Breen? If you ask me, he doesn't exist. He was created by the Combine to give the oppression a human face. It's an old, gentle-looking man, who people are more likely to trust than some gasmask on a screen. It's been mentioned that he was the Administrator of Black Mesa. If this is indeed the case, we can assume he was a powerful player in many governments. When the Combine invaded, he simply chose his side and looked ahead, to see to whom the future would bring victory. Now he acts as a spokesperson for the Combine.The Citadel
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The Citadel looms ominously over City 17.
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Visible from anywhere in the city, the Citadel represents the headquarters of the Combine. Dr. Breen says he established his administration there. It's most likely Freeman's final goal. The Citadel slowly expands its metal barriers throughout the city, effectively destroying everything it touches. It's eating up City 17, metaphorically speaking.
It's been mentioned that the Earth has been destroyed save for a few cities. Would this imply that each city has its own Citadel, eating away at the infrastructure? Perhaps there's an Independence Day situation going on here. In that movie, the Earth's largest cities were destroyed by gigantic spacecrafts, but each one of them was under control of a mothership. And so, each city has its own Citadel, all controlled by a superior base of operations. Exactly what this could be is unknown.
A friend of mine suggested that the Citadels are spanned across the globe in strategical locations, all separated by barren wastelands. They are responsible for consuming all of Earth's resources.
Most civilians tolerate the harsh oppression present in the City, even if nobody likes it. The E3 2004 video shows some of the methods employed by the Combine (such as random arrests), instilling fear all around. But a small faction of humans has formed an underground rebellion, destined to rid humanity of the Combine. The only figures we've seen of this rebellion, are Dr. Eli Vance, his daughter Alyx Vance, Dr. Judith Mossman, Dr. Isaac Kleiner and Barney Calhoun. Dr. Eli Vance was a scientist in the Black Mesa Research Facility (he was the one you saw shortly after the disaster who told you to get to the surface), where he apparently lost his left leg. Dr. Mossman also worked at the facility, but her role is as of yet unknown. Dr. Kleiner was Freeman's sponsor at MIT and got him his job at the facility. Now he seems to be caught up in the whole mess.
What do the Combine want from mankind? What is their gain in keeping everybody in line and oppressing them? The oppression is most likely leading up to a saturation point, after which the humans will no longer serve a useful purpose and will be exterminated. What that purpose is, remains to be seen. The Earth's resources seem to have been important to the Combine (the HL2 official site says so: an alien-infested Earth being picked to the bone, its resources depleted, its populace dwindling), but now that they're depleted (remember the Earth's decimated), the Combine are rounding up humans and are randomly arresting them. Perhaps their organs are to be 'harvested' to reinforce the Combine. We'll have to wait and see.Pieces on a Chessboard
The G-Man, a mysterious, suited figure with unknown plans for Freeman.
At the end of HL, the mysterious figure you saw at random locales throughout the Black Mesa Research Facility talked to you. Without revealing his identity or motives, he offered Freeman a choice: work for him or face a losing battle. HL2 assumes Freeman accepted his offer.
But who is he? What is he? G-Man stands for Government-Man, so that would mean he's a representative for the American (or any) government. But it's probable he's much more than that.
He seems to play out all sides against eachother so he can pick up the pieces in the end and emerge victoriously. It would appear that he's no part of the rebellion, which would suggest that Freeman, after being thrusted into the fray by him, breaks off from his command and joins the rebellion. Besides the 'Wake up!' intro, there's no dialogue or appearance from the G-Man in the movies we've seen. This does not mean he won't appear, but this is still speculation based on what we've seen.
I'm quoting from my esteemed collegue, Mooreberg, who gave a short collection of facts:
Lets establish the few facts we have about him:
01. He had some role in the "specimen" being delivered to Black Mesa.
02. He persuaded the scientists to carry out the experiment despite their concerns.
03. He is never attacked by aliens, military grunts, or black ops forces.
04. He is always one step ahead of you.
05. He always has a teleportation portal when he needs one.
06. He admires people who can survive dire circumstances.
The G-Man isn't running the show, as he would be an "employee" if that were the case. He wanted the anti-mass spectrometer to create a portal to Xen. He wanted Freeman to survive. The HEV suit allowed Freeman to be teleported to Xen while the ceiling came crashing down. He would put obstacles in Corporal Shepards way so he could not reach Freeman in time. He didn't allow Shephard to evacuate with the other troops. He hires Gordon at the end of the Black Mesa Incident. He detains Shephard.
So what the hell is he up to? My underlying theory is that the G-Man is an interdimensional Don King that is pitting species against each other in a Darwinian practice to identify the strong and weed out the weak. Surviving Black Mesa has left people like Gordon better suited (no pun intended) to face threats like the combine.
There's no denying that the G-Man is a very powerful player, but even he says he has employers to answer to. Perhaps he is a puppet to his superiors as Freeman is a puppet to him? We'll have to wait and see whether HL2 reveals more about the G-Man.
That rounds up this piece of speculation. I'm very eager to play the game and find out where I was right or wrong. I think the kettle's boiling...Post comments @ http://www.hlfallout.net/comments.php?id=7439
—Bite, send feedback to truyens_jan@hotmail.com
Written for HL Fallout - http://www.hlfallout.net
