Combine Exchange ProgramEpisode 2: Rules

A Civil Protection officer and a Combine soldier stand in the City 17 plaza. The soldier watches as a citizen with a worried look walks past them. The soldier tells his partner he doesn't get it, to which the metro cop asks, get what.

The soldier notes that dozens of citizens have walked by and the cop hasn't shot a single one of them. The metro cop asks why he would do that and points out that the citizens haven't broken any laws. The soldier stares at him in shock and asks if he means that he needs a reason to shoot people. The cop retorts well, yeah, explaining that they're Civil Protection and their job is to enforce law and order, not shoot people at random. The soldier replies that he thought the cop's job was to oppress humans. The cop lifts a finger and says sure, but it's systematic oppression, which means there are rules.

The metro cop explains that he has to fill out at least thirteen different forms anytime a citizen dies. The soldier replies that they have it rough. A moment passes, then the soldier returns to the same topic, saying he can't imagine needing a reason to shoot someone and that he's just not used to this and is kinda bored. The cop sighs, then hands him his stun stick, telling him if he really needs something to do, he can borrow it and correct a couple of citizens because he only needs one form for that. The soldier excitedly exclaims that now he's speaking his language.

As the soldier cheerfully walks away, the cop shouts at him to make sure he documents everything because he doesn't want the filing clerk on his case again. Now alone, the cop sighs and wonders how the metro cop they sent to Overwatch is doing. Meanwhile, elsewhere, a Civil Protection officer watches as Combine soldiers check their handiwork. On the ground there are multiple corpses, both human and Combine, and nearby is a smoking armored personnel carrier.

The cop stares in shock at the chatting soldiers. Above him, the body of a rebel medic is hanging from a power line. The metro cop stares at a clipboard and notes to himself that he's gonna need more forms. End.

Next comic:

Episode 3: Impressions

1 thought on “Episode 2: Rules”

Azare

December 14, 2024

Some quality comics here? Cool!

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