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Justify the MeansPart 3: Time passes…

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Carl narrates that there are certain things that can never be healed, old memories do not get better or worse with time, they remain happy or haunting, but they're good for us, they help us in life. Six years prior, Carl is in a corridor with other civilians and a few military men, one of whom, a man named Jenkins, is trying to wake his colleague Frank. A commanding officer tells Jenkins he needs him front and center. Jenkins says yes, sir and gets on his way, walking past Carl and telling him and the others to stay there and they'll be safe. Jenkins gets into position next to his officer and asks how many, to which the latter replies he doesn't know, but that it sounds like a dozen. At the other end of the corridor, something starts beating on a door. The officer asks how Frank is and Jenkins replies he needs a doctor, then the officer asks about the civvie and Jenkins tells him he's dead. The officer replies shit and then shouts that nobody move unless he says so. The door crashes open and a loud moan is heard. A headcrab zombie walks out of the door, soon followed by other headcrabs and zombies, a few crawling on the ground. The officer orders that Jenkins open fire as Carl, terrified, closes his eyes. In the present, Carl wakes from his nightmare with a scream. An armed refugee asks if there's something wrong down there. Carl, realizing he hasn't had a nightmare like that in years, replies that no, he's fine, then apologizes. The refugee tells him to please shut up and either go back to sleep or get out.

Walking out of a room full of rebels and refugees sleeping in bed frames with mattresses, Carl notes it must be that place. As he walks past another room, he grumpily thinks to himself that the place is driving him nuts, he's only been there for two days and he's had nothing to do except get berated and called a Combine lover and collaborator. Carl stops and leans against the wall, thinking he's so damn tired of that place, when he overhears someone screaming goddamn stubborn piece of shit. He wonders what it was and overhears the same someone wonder aloud why the hell doesn't anything work. Carl approaches the source of the shouting and enters a room with a refugee and a bunch of mechanical parts. Carl asks the refugee if he's having a fight with someone. Startled, the refugee asks what, then realizes what Carl means and explains he's just having a hard night. He recognizes Carl as that fella they saved from the beach, which Carl acknowledges, then tells him not to worry about all that talk and that he's just happy to have someone to talk to at the night shift. Carl asks what he's doing and the man explains he's trying to fix a piece of shit connector circuit, the one that broke down in one of the thumpers the previous night. Carl asks what's wrong with it as he approaches the man's side of the table and the latter tells him he doesn't know, that once in a while the thumpers break down, either because sand gets caught in them, something jams them, a Myrmidont gets cocky and rams one or they just break down for no good reason. Carl asks that he let him have a look, as he was an electrician before the war. Picking up the connector circuit, Carl wonders how you open that thing. Five hours later, Carl is finishing explaining to his new friend that if they just re-route the circuit, the thing should work. The man exclaims fantastic, but they are then interrupted by a broadcast from a nearby radio telling all stations that the time is eight o'clock and that nightwatch is off duty and daywatch is on duty until seven. The man realizes he hasn't even gotten any sleep all night. Carl then points out a Combine rollermine lying on the floor nearby, asking what it is as he's been trying to figure it out all night.

The refugee explains that it's a Combine rollermine and that the Combine deploy them on the roads and such out there, then they lock on to anything that moves without a Combine transponder and either sends out a high-voltage current of electricity or just blows up. Carl rationalizes that the Combine must need to keep the roads clear for safety reasons, but the refugee scoffs yeah, sure, they can't have innocent people running around where the Combine can't watch their every move. Carl retorts that, in the Combine's defense, they do try to kill them, after all, but the refugee asks him if he's seen what the Combine do to them. Carl says not to tell him that he believes in that crap, calling it just paranoid stories and nothing more, but the refugee gets up and tells him they are not just stories, it's true. The refugee angrily tells Carl that he's had friends disappear in the night and they never returned, but then stops himself and tells Carl he thinks he better go get some sleep before things get out of hand, to which Carl says he'll do likewise. As the man leaves, Carl holds his head, thinking to himself he sure knows how to make friends. Carl sits down and stares at the connector, telling himself he just doesn't get how people can believe those stupid lies, then looks over at the rollermine and adds that sure, the Combine aren't perfect, but they're no more cruel than the humans are. Meanwhile, elsewhere, Adams tells the captive Combine soldier to rise and shine. The soldier stares up at Adams, who says that he feels like they should have a nice little chat to help pass the time. End of part 3.

Next comic:

Part 4: The great escape.

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