Combine Exchange ProgramEpisode 7: The Hunt

We open on a derelict warehouse in the canals near City 17. The camera pans towards a door inside.

The Civil Protection officer kicks the door open and looks inside, then cautiously walks in.

The officer looks around the empty warehouse trying to find something.

The officer walks back outside calmly, approaches a bunch of barrels and says he's not here. The Combine soldier's head peeks out from behind the barrels, then he says phew. He quickly corrects himself to saying darn, guess we'll get him next time. The officer crosses his arms and asks him if he's okay. The soldier replies yeah, yeah.

The Civil Protection cop asks the soldier if he's sure, noting it's not like him to hang back like this. The soldier retorts someone's gotta watch the rear. The cop rubs his own neck and says he guesses it wouldn't hurt for the soldier to take it easy after taking a hit like that. The soldier retorts pssh, saying it's not like it really matters who's on point and it's just a shovel-wielding crazy man, then quietly adds easy stuff, easy stuff. The cop stares at him.

The Civil Protection officer's radio suddenly springs alive with the message patrol one-four, station five-seven. The cop clicks his earpiece and says go ahead, five-seven. Station five-seven says intel on your suspect and report to station five-seven. The cop copies and says one-four en route. He turns to the soldier and tells him it sounds like one of the stations has info on their boy. The soldier lifts up his rifle and says right. The cop starts to leave as the soldier stays behind standing at attention. The cop then turns around and asks him if he's coming.

The soldier replies right and rushes past the cop, who stares at him. Later, at Station Five-Seven, the cop calmly makes his way to the door while the soldier strikes combat poses.

The metro cop tells the soldier to relax as they're in friendly territory, but the soldier retorts you never know. As they reach the door, the soldier stands with his back to the wall and tells the cop to not worry, he'll watch his six. The cop loses patience, sighs and points to the door, ordering the soldier to just get inside. Inside the station, two armored personnel carriers are parked among some junk.

As the cop and the soldier enter, an officer inside turns to greet them, but cuts himself off awkwardly as he sees the soldier strike a combat pose. The cop says he said he had intel as the soldier leaps into a bench and looks around. The other officer says yes, explaining that some scanners spotted their target in an abandoned house on the coast. The cop asks the coast, noting it's a bit out of their way, then asks if it shouldn't be Overwatch's problem now. The station officer agrees it should be, but the Citadel's not sending troops after anyone with an anticitizen rank lower than twenty-five, so it's up to their discretion if they want to pursue him, but they won't get backup.

Station Five-Seven's officer gives the metro cop his recommendation that it is a waste of time and the wildlife will probably get him first. The cop crosses his arms and says thank you, I'll take it under advisement. Suddenly, a metallic sound is heard from overhead and the cops look up, confused. They find the soldier hanging from the light fixture by the stomach.

As the station's cop looks up, he says speaking of a waste of time, then asks if the soldier is okay. The metro cop replies he took a shovel to the head. The station officer says he sees, then so much for the transhuman master race. The cop brushes it off and says he'll be fine, then tells the soldier let's go. They head off as the station officer watches.

Later, at the coast, near a derelict house, the metro cop surveils the building with binoculars as the soldier stands behind their armored personnel carrier. The cop says there's no sign of him from there and they'll have to search the house to be sure. The soldier suddenly leaps forward saying right, he'll take the lead. The cop asks if he's sure and the soldier replies not really.

As the Civil Protection officer and the Overwatch soldier head towards the building, the soldier looks up and spots a pigeon sitting on a fence. He freezes as the cop looks up as well, then recalls that the soldier said the guy had a thing about pigeons. Two more pigeons then appear and the soldier starts to shake visibly.

The cop asks buddy as the soldier shakes. He reaches out with his hand and tells him he can sit this one out. As the soldier shakes while looking at the pigeons, he stutters no, I need to. The cop cuts him off by grabbing his shoulder and telling him it's okay.

The soldier retorts but, but the metro cop tells him to stay and watch his back. The cop heads inside, checking if anyone is in the floor before he enters. He then makes his way towards some stairs with his gun raised up.

The cop stands on the stairs and looks into the next floor with his gun raised. He crooks his head as he sees a lone pigeon sitting in the room. The pigeon looks at him and coos as he says huh. Suddenly, an army of pigeons appears out of nowhere cooing loudly and flying straight at him. The cop screams what the just before he is overwhelmed by the pigeons.

Outside, everything is peaceful for a moment, then the tsunami of pigeons flies out cooing loudly. Inside, the cop covers his face mask for a moment, then looks up. The crazy man is standing in front of him with a shovel. Before the cop has time to react, the man hits him in the face with the shovel.

The cop falls down the stairs and hits his head on the floor. The crazy man stares down with a wicked smile, then stares at the shovel and notes boy, this thing is handy. He strolls outside with a smile, then notices someone standing there. It's the soldier. They stare at each other for a moment.

The insane citizen asks what's this and if the soldier came back for more. The soldier, without raising his pulse rifle, tells him it's over and to put the shovel down. The man raises his shovel with a grin and retorts shovel beats gun, remember. The soldier reaches into his back pockets as he replies perhaps, but does shovel beat pigeon, then he takes out a lone pigeon, which coos. The crazy man gasps in horror.

The soldier throws the pigeon at the face of the insane man, who screams. The cop starts making his way out of the building groaning and holding his head, then he looks down to see their suspect lying unconscious on the ground with a pigeon on his face.

Later, the Overwatch soldier sits at the edge of the road while the cop locks the crazy man on their APC. The cop then notices him standing there and joins him, asking if he's okay. The soldier replies he thinks so.

The cop tells the soldier he did good today. The soldier replies yeah, whatever. The cop tells him it's not whatever, he got the guy. The soldier says yeah, but only after messing up the first time. The cop tells him that's what first times are for, but the soldier retorts he's Overwatch, he's not supposed to mess up.

The cop tells him that's impossible and starts to say everyone messes up and they're only human, but cuts himself off at the last word as the soldier stares back at him, then they both look away from each other. The cop gets up and tells the soldier to remind him sometime and he'll tell him about his first block raid, but for right now they need to get this guy to town for processing. He extends his hand to the soldier.

The soldier stares at the cop's hand for a moment, then grabs it and he helps him up. They walk towards the APC triumphantly. The end. Next episode: Nova Prospekt.

Next comic:

Episode 8: Nova Prospekt

3 thoughts on “Episode 7: The Hunt”

Tacarish

October 19, 2022

For such a silly comic, the beginning few panels of mr.metrocop investigating the house are beautifully well done! The “we’re only–” bit was also surprisingly emotionally impactful, I can tell already that I’m going to remember it. Wonderful work! 🙂

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Neoviper

October 19, 2022

@Tacarish Completely agreed. Wasn’t expecting an exploration of the transhuman condition in my Mjolnir comic but now that I’ve got it I find it very welcome.

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George_Stukas

May 15, 2023

@Tacarish +1 on the exploration. Beautiful shots that build nice suspense after landing on such a punchline as last episode. And the reprise with smaller panels when metro’s investigating the house, also very nice. It’s refreshing to see such dark humor so sophisticatedly enmeshed with suspense.

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