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The Adventures of Hercule CubbageChapter Four: Memory Lane

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A sandy plain with some rock formations and a little overgrown grass. Suddenly, something bursts out of the ground. It's an antlion, a four-legged alien creature. A faint sound is approaching from afar. The antlion scratches its neck as it stands idle on the sand, while the noise approaches. The antlion is then run over by a fast-moving vehicle, the source of the oncoming noise.

The vehicle is a Combine armored personnel carrier, commandeered by Hercule Cubbage and Lucy to make their way to the coastal settlement of New Little Odessa. Narration: The Coast. After my self-imposed exile, I never expected to come back. And yet there I was again, on what I knew was a misguided rescue mission based on a lie. End narration. Chapter title: Memory Lane. The APC keeps driving as a faint, ghostly figure from Hercule's imagination is seen. Narration: The sight of the beach, the scent of the ocean... They brought back memories... End narration. The ghostly image materializes into a man in refugee clothing standing on a wooden deck, a memory from another time. Narration: ... of long ago... End narration.

The memory opens with a younger Hercule Cubbage, garbed in dirty white refugee clothing, as he stares stoically into the ocean. Narration: ... of my last day in New Little Odessa. End narration. Someone calls out: Hello there! An older man in the same refugee clothing approaches Hercule, who doesn't turn around as he replies: Hi. The man walks next to Hercule, asking: What's the matter? It's not like you to brood. Hercule replies: Not much else for me to do, is there? Hercule complains as the man stops next to him. Not when I'm not allowed to do anything useful. The man, George, tells him: Come on, Herc. We've been over that.

As the two men stand at the deck facing the ocean, George tells Hercule Cubbage: Your father just wants to make sure you're safe. It's only natural. And you're very helpful around the base. No need to be the one rushing out into danger. I know you want to live up to him, but it's not all about fighting. Hercule walks away from George, dismissing him with a snide reply: Sure. I appreciate your support. Now, if you'll excuse me. Hercule approaches a big, red and white building: the headquarters of New Little Odessa. He walks into the basement, where he overhears someone saying: -- the bolt is heated on contact -- Hercule turns a corner in the basement as the voice gets clearer: -- allowing it to pierce all types of armour.

Colonel Odessa Cubbage is giving his troops a lecture on the usage of a crossbow crafted by the Resistance. He explains: Now, you must take care to compensate for gravity at longer distances. When using the scope for ranged shots, be sure to -- Odessa interrupts himself as he notices Hercule. Ah, Hercule! Care to give some lessons as well? Hercule replies: Afraid not, sir. I'd like a word. Odessa stutters upon this, seeing Hercule's glare. Ah, er, well... we'll get to the rest later, fellas. Off you go! Hercule waits as the rebels leave the basement.

Odessa Cubbage hands Hercule the crossbow, saying: Thanks for lending me your crossbow. One finely built gun, indeed. Now, what's troubling you? Hercule seems to lose his nerve a bit as he replies: Well, I, uh... With all due respect, father, I'd like to go into the field. Odessa's face changes to disappointment as he mutters: Not this again... Hercule lowers his head as he pleads with his father: Father, I promise you, I'm more than ready. Odessa's expression changes back to worry. He tries to get through to Hercule: Son, it's not about letting me down... Why don't you just help me train our troops? Hercule seems to grow upset. How can I train anyone without having seen action!? I need to do it! I want to live up to your legacy! At this, Odessa sighs and puts his hand on his head. Sigh... the answer is still no. Hercule resorts to begging: Please! I have to lead your men! I have all the training! I will honour the name "Cubbage"! Fresh out of patience, Odessa shouts at Hercule: I said no! Hercule recoils for a moment, then says: ... Fine.

Hercule walks away angrily as Odessa, regretting his outburst, tries to reach out to him. Wait, son, I -- But it's no use. Hercule leaves. Alone, Odessa says under his breath: ... Damn. Narration: That was not the first time my father and I fought about that particular subject... End narration. Hercule exits the basement. Narration: ... but it would be the last. End narration. Hercule overhears someone barking orders nearby. Hey!!! Be careful with that! If you wanna be a real soldier, you better get used to heavy lifting. Hercule approaches the source of the shouting.

Hercule arrives at a downbeat van, onto which two rebels are loading crates while another stands nearby. One of the rebels says: Well, Colm, I don't see you helping out! Colm replies: I'm not the rookie here, Martin. This is for your own good, kid. Hercule asks them: What are you lads up to? Colm doesn't budge, but the younger man, Martin, immediately and awkwardly stands at attention. Colm says: Hey, Herc. Narration: Colm was a veteran in New Little Odessa. He had plenty of field experience and the scars to show for it. Martin mumbles: Uh -- reporting for duty, sir! Colm interjects: Ignore him, he's an idiot. Narration: Martin was a relatively new face. A refugee from the city eager to prove his worth. End narration. Colm explains: We're doing a supply run to a nearby outpost, nothing fancy. Hercule stares at them as an idea pops up in his head. Narration: In hindsight, I can tell how immature my behaviour was in that fateful day. And the next words that came out of my mouth would be the epitome of all my bad decisions. End narration. Hercule says: Ah, yes. I believe I'm coming with you.

Colm raises an eyebrow at Hercule, while Martin can't help but fist pump into the air in excitement. Colm asks: Really? Hercule simply replies: Colonel's orders. Colm can't help but question: The Colonel put you up to this? Martin, meanwhile, happily shouts: Yes! I mean, yes, sir! Hercule locks eyes with Colm, saying: Of course. Would you rather ask him in person? Colm stares at Hercule for a moment in silence. He then relents: I'll take your word for it. Grab your gear and let's get going. Later, Colm drives the van with Martin, Hercule and another rebel in the back. Narration: It was pretty clear that Colm saw right through my lie, but he let me accompany them anyway. Probably expecting it to be a routine chore. It was anything but. End narration. Martin exclaims: Oh, man, this is so exciting!

Martin smiles at Hercule: Having you here, sir... I mean, your father is a living legend! I've heard all the stories and I... I guess I really wanted to be part of one. And now I am!... Kinda. Martin looks up at the sky and raises his hand, admitting: Yeah, I know it's just a supply run and, since it's not spawning season, we can't even find bugs to shoot... But still, I'm on a mission wit hthe son of Colonel Cubbage! How cool is that?! Hercule smiles at Martin's excitement, replying: I'm excited to be here too, Martin. Colm then interrupts them from the front seat, saying: Sorry to interrupt your little bonding moment... but we've got problems. Take a look.

Hercule and Martin get up and stare at the sky, gobsmacked. Martin mutters: Whoa... They are both looking at an enormous alien biomechanical creature, carrying a big metal container. Narration: It was a Combine dropship, outbound from the very outpost we were heading towards. End narration. Hercule can't help but give a small smile at the sight of it. He whispers to himself: Brilliant. Narration: And its container could only mean one thing... End narration.

Hercule uses the scope of his crossbow to surveil the outpost. He tells Colm what he's seeing: Overwatch soldiers. Two of them. Hercule continues to describe what he sees next to Colm. Armed with what seem to be pulse rifles. Colm asks him: Can you see what they're doing? Hercule replies: It looks like they're preparing to, uh... to burn some corpses. Colm's look turns stern as he barks his orders. Damn it. All right, boys. Get back in the truck. We're going home. Hercule turns around and stares at him. He asks: What? Undeterred, Colm repeats: You heard me. Back to the truck. Hercule complains: We can't just leave! There may be survivors! They'll be taken to Nova Prospekt! Colm doesn't back down, telling Hercule: Trust me, there aren't. And those two up there won't be alone. The four of us wouldn't stand a chance. Then, Martin intervenes, pointing towards the outpost. But there's no time to get reinforcements! When we get back, they'll be ready for us! Hercule Cubbage is right! We gotta go now!

Colm turns to Martin. Kid, we're not talking about antlions here. None of you have any experience with Overwatch. If I send you up there, you're as good as dead. Martin insists. But we've got the son of Colonel Cubbage with us! He'll know what to do! And besides, one man alone dealt with Black Mesa. What makes you think the four of us can't handle this? Colm, Hercule, Martin and the fourth rebel stay silent for a moment. Colm then relents and turns towards Hercule. Fine, but we play this smart. Any ideas, Cubbage? Hercule smiles at him. Hercule explains his plan as we see them execute it, approaching the outpost. I say we use the element of surprise in our favour. The lorry's too noisy, so we'll have to approach on foot.

Hercule spots the two Combine soldiers dealing with the dead rebels' bodies. Hercule explains his plan: Once we're in range, I can take care of those two blokes. Hercule loads up his crossbow. He aims. His finger shoots the trigger. The overheated crossbow bolt flies through the air. It hits the gas canister lying next to the Combine soldiers. Hercule notes: As far as I know, even Overwatch soldiers are flammable. The two soldiers panic as they burn. They fall dead from the fire on top of the rebel corpses. Colm compliments Hercule as he leads the squad. Good job, Cubbage. You and Martin clear that shack, we'll take care of the main building. The crew splits up in two, with Colm and the other rebel heading up a ramp while Hercule and Martin approach a nearby shack. Martin and Hercule enter the shack with their guns up. It's empty. Martin reports back: Clear!

Colm holds his gun up. He and the other rebel check the main house. The fourth rebel peeks into the building with his gun. A gunshot echoes as the rebel is shot through the chest with shotgun pellets. Colm shouts. Oh, shit! A Combine shotgun soldier stands over the dead rebel. He then exits towards Colm, just as another Combine soldier pops into view. Colm starts firing at the soldiers as he shouts at his surviving troops. Hercule, Martin, we have a man down! The place's overrun with soldiers! Get the hell out of there!

Hercule tries to spot the Combine through his scope, but declares: Blast, I can't get a clear shot! Martin shouts. Hold on, Colm! We're coming! As he reloads, Colm looks back at Martin and Hercule. He screams at Martin. No! Just get out of here! I'll try to hold 'em off! Martin, Hercule's not even supposed to be here! Get him home safe! You hear me?! Then, the soldier with a shotgun blasts Colm in the back, killing him. Martin screams as Hercule pushes him back. Colm!! Hercule tells him: Get to cover!

Martin and Hercule hole up in the shack as the Combine soldiers fire at them and the shotgun soldier approaches. Martin mutters to himself: Oh, God, I don't wanna die... please... Hercule tries to calm Martin down and formulates a plan. Stay calm, we can do this. If they flank us, we're dead. We have to go on the offensive. Martin isn't too sure as he looks at Hercule. I-if you say so... Hercule tells him. I'll be right behind you, Martin. On my count. Three... two... one... go! On Hercule's order, Martin leaps from cover and starts firing at the soldiers. Martin manages to hit the two Combine soldiers firing rifles from above. The shotgun soldier fires at them. Hercule then aims at the remaining soldier and fires a crossbow bolt at him. The bolt hits the soldier straight in the head, killing him. Hercule lowers his crossbow with a surprised look on his face. He says: Bloody hell, I think we did it, Martin! We got them all! Martin? Hercule looks to the side and mutters. ... Oh, no.

Martin is lying on the ground, bleeding from his gut and with blood coming out of his mouth. Panicking, Hercule kneels next to him. Hang on! There must be a medkit here somewhere! Struggling to speak, Martin mutters: I don't... understand... Martin looks Hercule in the eyes and says: Y-you're a Cubbage... a... hero... you... should have saved. Martin dies. Hercule stares in shock at Martin's dead body. He then closes Martin's eyes.

Hercule drops his crossbow to the ground and walks away with Martin's gun. Narration: That was it for me. The blood of upstanding men was on my hands. So, despite Colm's last order, I didn't return to N.L.O. I left, haunted by those last words. Back home, they'd think me dead, or taken by the Combine. I thought it was for the best. End narration. Back in the present, Hercule and Lucy have parked the APC and are making the final stretch of the way on foot. Narration: Eventually, I changed my mind. End narration. Hercule tells Lucy: Well, here we are. It's just up ahead. Lucy asks: So, you're not worried about your dad anymore? Hercule replies: Not really, no. Not for his safety, at least. As they walk, Hercule explains to Lucy: In fact, N.L.O. may well be the safest Resistance otupost. I don't have reason to worry. As the two finally reach New Little Odessa, they get a shocked look on their faces. Lucy asks Hercule: Uh... you sure about that? Hercule exclaims: Blimey! Narration: And, as it turned out, the rescue mission wasn't so misguided after all. End narration.

Lucy and Hercule walk into New Little Odessa, which is littered with the dead remains of a destroyed Combine gunship. Narration: I was just a bit late. End narration. End of chapter 4.

Next comic:

Chapter Five: No Place Like Home

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