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Careful, Lamarr! These lamps are quite hot! Is this on? Very well. I, I am not much of
a public speaker but I'll, I'll do my best. Fellow citizens...residents of City 17 and
environs...by which I mean sentient residents, of course, human and otherwise, although I
believe there is little need to explain recent developments to our vortigaunt allies... At
any rate...First, as a matter of great urgency, if you find yourself still within the confines
of City 17, you are well advised to leave the city at once by the fastest means available
to you. We have restored service to much of the commuter transport system in order to
carry citizens out of the city as quickly as possible. We have also established camps
and triage areas in the surrounding environs. I repeat, you must evacuate the city at once.
While there was certainly a great benefit in destroying the Citadel's teleport core,
we have detected one rather unfortunate side effect. It would appear an inevitability that
very soon now, the Citadel will be consumed in a destructive event whose magnitude I cannot
currently estimate with any certainty, except to say that it will almost certainly irradiate
an area of many miles' radius. Therefore, I repeat, evacuate City 17 at once if not
sooner! I cannot state this without enough undue emphasis! On a lighter note, if you
are already in one of our designated safe zones, I feel obliged to point out that a
more fortunate side-effect of the reactor's destruction is the complete removal of the
Combine's reproductive suppression field. Previously, certain protein chains important
to the process of embryonic development were selectively prevented from forming. This is
no longer the case. For those so inclined, now would be an excellent time for procreation.
Which is to say, in layman's terms, you should give serious consideration to doing your part
for the revival of the species. We must make the most of the time we have, as it is by
no means certain how much time we have secured ourselves before the Combine attempt to restore
their dominion, as they certainly shall. Since this is in fact the first opportunity we have
had to speak openly of the baleful influence of the Combine, there is much ground to cover-and
in fact I hope to institute a series of useful bulletins in the days ahead. However, for
now, we will have to content ourselves with some relatively meager exposition. The destabilization
of the City 17 reactor has had repercussions that were not entirely unexpected, although
we hardly dared speak this hope ahead of time. The destructive pulse forced a damper on the
entire network of linked Citadel reactors. Thus, for the time being, I believe that all
Combine portals have failed completely, as well as all communication systems based on
that technology. In short, the Combine are completely cut off. Combine forces currently
stationed on Earth are now isolated units. Stranded. However, this is most likely a temporary
state of affairs. As we once learned to our dismay, even the relatively tiny fracture
at Black Mesa gave our enemies an opening which they were able to force ever wider,
as they poured through in greater and greater numbers. In addition to the completely xenotheric
species, there are many modified post-human allies still remaining on Earth who will be
doing their utmost to re-establish lines of communication and supply with the larger forces.
Even so, there is greater reason for hope now than at any time in the past decade. We
have made, in secret, several technological advances which we will do our best to deploy
in advance of the Combine's return. We continue to diligently assemble and train a new generation
of scientists and technicians. For what the Combine fear the most is not any tangible
human weapon, but our will, our intellect, our ability to respond selectively and rationally
to every terror they turn against us. We place our firmest hope in the human spirit, even
knowing how easily it may be shattered. We have all seen friends and family crushed by
the Combine. Some of our neighbors have allowed themselves to be co-opted, and purged of their
humanity, by the military machine. And those who resisted have met a most terrible fate.
Still, I cannot overstate how important it is that we retain our humanity. Only this
will allow us to hold together as we must for their inevitable return...and what is
certain to be unimaginable retaliation. And...oh yes, if you missed any part of this message,
it will loop repeatedly until there is no point in looping it any longer. I apologize
for any inadvertent errors or omissions. As you can imagine, we have had scarcely time
to record, let alone rehearse- What's that, Eli? Oh, right. This has been Dr. Isaac Kleiner,
formerly of Black Mesa, now simply a citizen, like all of you, of Earth. Let me just add
to all those who can hear me now, as we struggle out of the shadow of our malefactors, welcome
back to the light. Now...where did I put that calculator...?