Continent 4Continent 4 logo.Episode 4: The Sergeant

Walking past the same officer who would later capture Sarah Gallahan, a Combine Civil Protection sergeant with the handle SGT-34778 is called to the personnel office at once. At the office, the sergeant reports in and is told that some guy from internal affairs needs to see him upstairs and to report to him. The sergeant complains that his shift is ending in a few minutes and he has a prior engagement, but the desk clerk dismisses it and tells him to report in. SGT-34778 reports into the room of the internal affairs officer, who asks him to sit to discuss some loose ends. The officer asks the sergeant what he knows of the Resistance and their efforts to infiltrate their organization, to which the sergeant retorts he knows nothing and just does his job finding them, nothing more, nothing less. The officer replies sure and then tells a captain nearby that, under Order 663-240A, his unit is now under the officer's jurisdiction. He asks the captain to leave the room until they're done.
As a medical doctor walks in, the internal affairs officer tells her he will be needing her services after all, while a Civil Protection unit turns on his stun baton threateningly. Later, SGT-34778 is on the ground, bloodied and beaten, while the table in front of the internal affairs officer and his interrogator is full of blood. The internal affairs officer notes that as far as interrogations go, he has to say that this one went rather smoothly, to which the interrogator replies that it was still bloody. Internal affairs tells the interrogator that he has everything he needs to take the sergeant's identity for today's meeting. The interrogator declares at once. The medical doctor then asks what to do with the real sergeant 34778, whose mask has come off, revealing the face of rebel informant Papa 4. The internal affairs officer asks if the sergeant will make it. The doctor replies that he will, but only if she keeps him in medlab, which the internal affairs officer refuses, saying that's too good for a traitor, so he orders her to strip his uniform and throw him in a holding cell until his condition deteriorates. She asks what if he dies, to which the officer retorts for her not to go out of her way to keep him alive.
Later, the fake informant arrives at the Continent 4 rebel headquarters, where a rebel asks how his drive was, to which he lies that it was mostly uneventful but he almost got caught. The rebel tells him that serving as a double agent is nice, but they could really use him on their side permanently, as they need every body they can get. The fake informant replies that he is doing everything he can to help the side he's on and that him changing outfits won't help the rebel's cause as much as he thinks. Another rebel holding a tripmine approaches and greets the fake Papa 4, telling him that he'll be telling them the finer details of that little death trap. The double agent identifies it as a general purpose mine, to which the rebel states to save it for the meeting. The rebel admits that thing is fairly light considering its ridiculous size but confesses that his arms are about to fall off and asks for help. As they place the mine on the table for analysis, another rebel climbs down a hatch and informs them that the Colonel is running late and to just get started, so the fake Papa 4 starts his briefing. Later, Sarah joins the meeting and the fake Papa 4 tries to get information on her own double agent, which makes her leave the meeting in anger.
The rebel who brought the mine tells the fake Papa 4 that if he had known Papa 4 was going to ask about that, he would have warned him that Sarah is really touchy about her contact. The fake informant sarcastically thanks him for the heads up. The captain points out that, with or without the Colonel and Sarah, they need to get through this briefing, so he asks that the informant continue, which he does. Later, as the meeting closes, a female rebel asks to talk to Papa 4 for a project she's been working on for a while. The informant asks if she can make it quick as he's in a bit of a rush and that, if she is going to ask for tech info, they need to go somewhere secluded. She tells him to just step out on the ledge as no one guards that area. Outside, the fake Papa 4 asks what she needs and she explains that she is close to cracking the encryption codes to the Combine network and all she needs is a general access code to piggyback her virus on. The informant points out it sounds like a good way for him to get the firing squad, but she replies that it couldn't be traced back to him and all she is asking for is a helping hand. To that, the fake informant grabs her wrist. She asks what he's doing as he drags her to the edge. She tells him to let go of her because she's going to fall and he coldly tells her that's the point.
The rebel falls down on the dam and into the ground below. Later, back at Civil Protection headquarters, the infiltrator tells the internal affairs officer with a sick smile that the reprocessors had sucked the water out of the river, so there was a pretty nice splat at the end. The officer incredulously asks how he got away with that and the fake Papa 4 notes that apparently suicides are common enough for them to chalk it up as one. The internal affairs officer calls it excellent work preventing a major security breach and labels the mission a succes
Watching the meeting, the medical doctor sarcastically tells them that congratulating each other over stories of killing someone in cold blood in a terrible way is nice and all, but why is she there. The officer explains that she was a witness to the interrogation and they need her testimony in the report stating that they didn't treat the sergeant inhumanely. Just then, a metro cop comes in, apologizing for the interruption but explaining that one of the inmates is in critical condition in the main holding cell. The doctor points out she could debate how cutting off someone's hand is inhumane all day, but she has more pressing issues. The officer asks her if she is really leaving an investigation to help a confirmed traitor. She asks what he is trying to insinuate and the officer nonchalantly threatens her by saying that helping rebels never looks good on any report. The doctor tells him that his intimidation games may work on others, but she is going to help another human being, something he hasn't done in a long time. The doctor leaves and the undercover agent points out that blondie just told the officer off, then supposes that it just leaves them and a computer screen for a report. The officer notes that it won't be quite that easy and points to a blank screen behind him, explaining that the network went down earlier, so they have to submit the report by hand, on paper, then tells the agent to grab a pen.
Later, the internal affairs officer and the fake informant are walking down a hallway, the latter carrying a big box full of files and papers. The officer angrily tells him to hurry up or the chief will close the door in their face if they don't get there in the next few minutes. Just as the officer tells his agent to be careful with the papers, Lee Calvert walks across the same corridor in their direction, looking behind his shoulder with a nervous look. Lee and the officer slam into each other, knocking the former on the ground. The officer apologizes profusely and offers a helping hand to Lee. Lee gets up and tells him it's no big deal, then asks if they're meeting with the Chief. The internal affairs officer confirms it and explains they're in a bit of a rush, then asks where Lee was going so fast. Lee stutters for a moment and then gives the excuse that, since the communications are down, he had to use the Overwatch system up there. The officer notes with suspicion that he thought Overwatch equipment was strictly off limits to most humans, but Lee brushes it off by telling him that neither of them have time to discuss the finer points of security clearance and tells him good day. The fake Papa 4 moves past the internal affairs officer, sarcastically noting that he didn't know bending over for generals was part of the officer's job description. The latter sarcastically calls him very funny and tells him to hurry up because they don't have a moment to lose. Suddenly, a huge explosion covers the corridor right in front of them. End of episode 4 and of act 1.

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