Infestation Control
| |
| Infestation Control | |
|---|---|
| Political information | |
| Type |
Hazmat workforce |
| Subclasses | |
| Faction | |
| Societal information | |
| Base |
City 17 (on Earth) |
| Armament |
Foam applicator |
| Technology |
|
| Historical information | |
| Era(s) | |
| Date of establishment |
After the Seven Hour War |
| Date of fragmentation |
After the Uprising |
The Infestation Control or CMB Hazmat Service, is a non-combat hazmat workforce of the Combine introduced in Half-Life: Alyx.
Contents
Overview[edit]
Sometime after the Seven Hour War, the Combine began to establish human-assimilated organizations to help strengthen their foothold over Earth. Infestation Control is one such organization whose primary purpose is to research and stem the growth and spread of invasive organic materials originating from the borderworld, Xen.
By the time of the Vault incident, the Combine have made significant efforts to cordon off a portion of City 17, known as the Quarantine Zone, which is overgrown with numerous Xen fauna and hostile creatures. Infestation Control crews were sent inside to help combat the spread of the infestation, but this attempt apparently either failed or has been abandoned,[1] as many of those hazmat crews were killed or zombified and the infestation continues to run unchecked.
Appearances[edit]
Half-Life: Alyx[edit]
Infestation Control crews are never encountered alive in Half-Life: Alyx. When Alyx Vance traverse the Quarantine Zone, she only finds their abandoned equipment, along with dead or reanimated Hazmat Workers. Russell comments on this, stating that the Combine are having difficulties dealing with Barnacle spores, and occasionally a Zombie still manages to escape the containment area.
Equipment[edit]
The Infestation Control utilizes a repertoire of Combine-issued hazmat suits and equipment including stirring barrels, bodybags, scientific equipment, and even specialized Force Fields to establish checkpoints all over the Quarantine Zone.
There are several markings in both English and Combine alphabet on the hazmat gear. Text on the hazmat suit indicates it's a "MODEL-EB-28", and the Infestation Control emblem on it depicts a worker repelling tentacles. On the suit's right arm is the word "ANTI". On their gas tanks are the words "Oxygen O2" and "CMB Hazmat Service", as well as the hazard symbols for "flammable" and "compressed gas".
In some sections of the Quarantine Zone, such as the Drainage Tunnels, the Infestation Control is seen predominantly utilizing pre-war apparatus such as old Trexlor trunks and human-made scientific instruments. They also tend to employ more basic methods of containment, such as simply scooping up the hazardous waste and placing them into receptacles or forcefully removing them with construction equipment.
Cleanup Solution[edit]
The Hazmat Workers' major means of repelling Xen flora is by spraying an orange expanding foam known as Cleanup Solution into the environment. Once this foam solidifies, it becomes a hollow, hard shell that effectively suppresses Xen growths.
It is later shown that Cleanup Solution actually comes from Antlions, and the Combine captures these creatures to extract the substance in a process Russell describes as "milking". This involves restraining the Antlion and siphoning its fluid via a compression method, which can be observed inside a sealed-off warehouse in the Tanker Yard.
Behind the scenes[edit]
The text on many of the Infestation Control's equipment is written in Combine alphabet which, when deciphered into English, appears to be a paraphrased version of Wikipedia's definition of hazmat suits.
Gallery[edit]
Screenshots[edit]
Retail[edit]
Warning sign (landscape).
Infestation Control signs.
Models[edit]
Hazmat Worker boot.
Hazmat Worker glove.
Yellow body bag.
Orange body bag.
Default black body bag (unused).
Sealed hazmat crate.
Ditto, green variant.
Openable Hazmat Crate.
Default variant, with the human brand "Trexlor" visible.
Ditto, tintable (unused).
Yellow barrel.
Ditto, with stirrer.
Gray barrel.
Cleanup Solution tank with hose and applicator.
Standalone foam applicator.
Yellow garbage bag.
Wooden crate wrapped in yellow fabric.
Yellow hazmat bucket.
Blue plastic container of hazardous waste.
Ditto, tintable.
Cable bundle.
Floodlight.
Ditto, portable variant.
Geiger counter.
Microscope.
Portable lab. Written as "Портативный" (Russian for "portable") lab".
Civil Defense Antidote First Aid Kit NBC (stands for "nuclear / biological / chemical"). Based on the actual Soviet АИ-2 (AI-2) first aid kit and translated into English for the game.
Ditto, closed.
Cart.
Ditto, tintable.
Respirator effective against Xen spores. Wearable by the player.
Ditto, strapless.
Yellow hardhat. Also wearable by the player to offer protection against Barnacles.
No.1 of a set of five plastic markers, reminiscent of crime scene evidence markers.
Caution sign indicating a contaminated area, with the misspelled Russian word "Биопасность" (biohazard) on it. The proper form should be "Биоопасность".
List of appearances[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ Half-Life: Alyx commentary
