City 10

**City 10** is the main setting of *Entropy: Zero*. It was one of the last remaining urban centres on Earth, which was compromised some time after it's establishment due to the spread of a contagious virus that allowed the Resistance to seize control of much of the city as it fell into chaos.

## Background

City 10 is a Combine-numbered urban city similar to City 17, although considerably smaller. It is somewhere likely fairly close to City 17, as contact between the two cities was often made. The city's defining structure is Pillar 10, a skyscraper which serves as a multi-purpose facility for Combine forces stationed there. Mountains can be seen in the horizon, the city is covered in snow and the mod takes place around 11 months before *Half-Life 2*, which suggests the city is north of City 17.

Around a year before the events of *Entropy: Zero*, the city had a disease spreading designated by the Combine as the CFLU, which affected both normal humans and transhuman Combine forces. Vaccination centers were set up, but not much could be done as this coincided with the Resistance using the chaos as on opportunity to take over the city. The rebels easily took over the city, which prompted the Combine to evacuate its citizens and combat forces due to the low strategic value. A rebel named Laszlo managed to hack Pillar 10 and have all Combine technology, the entire Pillar 10 included, serve the goals of the Rebels instead, which made attempts to retake the city very difficult. Thus, the Combine abandoned the city.

The rebels continued to operate in City 10 for some time, with the goal of smuggling out as much Combine tech as they can for their own use and Zil overseeing Resistance operations in the city.

### *Entropy: Zero*

Bad Cop, returning to City 17 after a mission, ends up in the city after a train wreck on the way back. He fights his way through the City, turning some some hacked Combine weaponry back against the rebels. Coincidentally, the rebels decide they've pillaged enough technology and decide to leave City 10 behind, after Barney Calhoun seemingly kills Bad Cop. Bad Cop nonetheless survives, but becomes infected by the CFLU. He fights his way through the underground of the city, using old vaccination machines and taking a monorail to Pillar 10 to try to alert the Combine. Upon entering Pillar 10, Zil takes measures to fight against Bad Cop, but is ultimately killed after activating the pillar's Entropy Conversion, which freezes the entire building in place.

The Combine detected Bad Cop's activity from City 17, and sent a rescue squad to City 10 to recover him. After being impressed with Bad Cop's activities in City 10, the Advisor preserves his memories for usage in elite Combine clones. It's unknown what happens to City 10 afterwards, but given how City 10 isn't listed in the possible destinations from City 17 and their implied proximity, it's unlikely the Combine reestablished a presence there.

### *Entropy: Zero 2*

City 10 never appears in-game but is mentioned multiple times by Bad Cop and Clone Cop throughout.

## Trivia

* City 10 was chosen because City 10 is not listed in the train departure list in *Half-Life 2* while City 11 and 8 are, which opens up the possibility of it being closed off or abandoned.