  |
This article's content is marked as Mature Needlemouse found something very brutal for those with a weak heart. The page Arbeit Communications contains mature content that may include coarse language, sexual references, and/or graphic images which may be disturbing to some. Mature pages are recommended for those who are 18 years of age and older. If you're 18 years or older or are comfortable with graphic material, you are free to view this page. Otherwise, you should close this page and view another page. |
Arbeit Communications is the posthumous overarching faction of Entropy: Zero 2, a fan-made mod for Half-Life 2. They are a West German communications company that acts as a subsidiary and front organization of Aperture Science.
History[]
Arbeit Communications was founded some time prior to 1960 in West Germany by Dr. J Herschel. Cave Johnson negotiated a partnership with, and eventual acquisition of the company to extend Aperture's research to Europe and the Arctic.
Throughout the latter half of the 20th century, Arbeit's arctic facility saw many anomalous events, most prominently objects from years into the future and/or past teleporting into the area, which perplexed the company. Cave Johnson ordered research into these anomalies, and much like its parent company, Arbeit violated many ethical standards in the process. Arbeit's arctic facility also functioned as a destination drydock for the Borealis, a mysterious icebreaker ship owned by Aperture which is all but implied to be capable of teleportation.
Arbeit manufactured Cohesion Gel, a cyan glowing gel much like the mobility gels of Portal 2 made of modified phytoplankton to act as a medical treatment. Instead, the gel proved to be extremely dangerous, with some of its test subjects dying instantly while others became hostile and aggressive. With the gel's failure, Arbeit carelessly disposed of it in many random places, while allocating it as a hazard in some of its test chambers.
As Aperture mandated testing for all employees, Arbeit staff were required to go through the test chambers underground. These tests proved to be even less stable and safe than those in the enrichment center back in Michigan.
In the 1990s, artificial intelligence was extensively being researched at Aperture with its flag project being that of GLaDOS, and this extended to Arbeit too. Wilson Terrence Scott, an eccentric scientist, had his mind forcefully transferred into a defective turret's casing for some unknown reason.
Entropy: Zero 2[]
As of the events of the mod, Arbeit has ceased to exist as a corporate entity, but its Arctic facility remains operational and is occupied by rebels. The Combine dispatched a clone of 3650 to investigate Arbeit #1, but he was quickly overwhelmed and abandoned by the Combine. The Combine later sent another clone to investigate and provided additional reinforcements, where the rebels were eventually routed from Arbeit #1 as Bad Cop navigated the facility and learned of its history, even meeting Wilson along the way. He learns that Judith Mossman, a former employee of Arbeit, led rebels to Arbeit so they could recover advanced Aperture technology as well as other secrets.
Trivia[]
- Arbeit Communications was named after a mentioned company in the Half-Life 2 beta called Arbeit Laboratories, which is seen on a texture file for boxes in the Borealis and is effectively a predecessor to the concept of Aperture Science.
- The location of Arbeit's arctic facility is unknown, but given its Arctic setting, the only possible locations are Alaska, Canada, Russia, and the Nordic countries. Russia seems unlikely given how Aperture is an American company and Arbeit was founded during the Cold War era.