Depot

The Depot, also known as the Combine Depot, is an enormous Combine structure towering over the Nova Prospekt prison facility. It is primarily used to detain and process Combine prisoners.

Overview
The Depot is a nexus for Combine distribution of Stalkers, as well as a storage center for political prisoners such as Eli Vance. The inclusion of the Depot on Nova Prospekt necessitated the partial or complete destruction of several blocks, such as block C3. The Depot covers cell blocks C1 through D8, and fills the area with Combine articles such as computers, forcefield gates, cells, etc. In addition, the Depot is a relay for the Razor Trains coming directly from City 17 and other locations. Basically, once humans arrive at the Depot, they are held in sturdy metal straitjackets housed within metal pods, called Combine Cells. Once needed, the cells can be brought in at any point from within an access point. Just like the Citadel, the Depot has its own cell distribution center. Finally, the Depot houses the Combine entanglement device, which at the end of Chapter 9 explodes just as Gordon and Alyx teleport out of the facility. It is unknown if this is a prototype teleportation device, or a regular tunneling teleport used by the Combine.

Just like the Citadel and the cut Air Exchange, the Depot was to be one of the many identical train depots spread along railways by the Combine.

Behind the scenes

 * The Depot was originally a short stopping point on the way to the Air Exchange, with a small prison and a lighthouse nearby. It was later merged with the Air Exchange and expanded to the long Nova Prospekt levels.


 * In early maps, Gordon gets inside the facility through the basement of a lighthouse, after a battle with a Gunship from the top of the lighthouse. Further versions have Gordon fighting in a smaller prison, aided by Antlions, and at daylight, but the setting was mostly identical. Gordon was then to discover the "Gunship Bays", where Gunships were built. He was then to leave the places in flames to the Antlions by going into the Depot itself through the cargo conveyor and then proceeding to the Air Exchange by train.

List of appearances

 * Half-Life 2
 * Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar