This story is going to be somewhat long. It takes place during the Combine attack on Black Mesa East. Alyx and Gordon had just escaped from the scrap yard and are on their way to find Eli Vance somewhere within the base.
Disclaimer: I don't own Half Life!
Half Life 2: Beginning Limits
Alyx Vance sprinted down the long concrete hall, her footsteps echoing through the passageway. Somewhere behind her, Gordon Freeman was trying to catch-up, followed by Alyx's faithful robot companion, D0g. She wasn't worried about her friendly pursuers. She was worried about her father.
"Come on!" Alyx waved to Gordon, trying to urge him to speed up the pace.
The Combine had initiated a surprise attack on Black Mesa East, one of the few rebel bases located on the outskirts of City 17. The attack took Alyx by surprised and sent her in a frenzy to find her dad, Eli Vance. Now, she was sprinting through the underground hallways, searching for Eli.
Through the concrete ceiling, she could hear muffled explosions rumbling throughout the base. This beckoned her to run faster. She turned into a smaller, darker hallway; the last one she would have to pass to get to Eli's lab. The door came into view and Alyx breathed a small praise. Ten feet away from the door . . . . and a close explosion rocked the ceiling above. Alyx let out a small scream as she dove to the ground. Massive rocks and rubble fell from overhead, filling the hall behind her. After a few seconds of vibration, the rocks stopped falling. Alyx slowly moved her arms away from her head, assessing the damage. The hallway she had just passed through was now filled with boulders . . . trapping Gordon and D0g on the other side.
"Oh, no!"
She rose from the floor, trying to find a hole within the pile of rocks. She found a small opening and peeked her head in, finding Gordon and D0g safe on the other side. Before Alyx could speak, the dark radio chatter from Combine soldiers began to emit from behind a door own the hall on her side of the rubble. To her relief, friendly Vortigaunt forces entered the hallway by an opposite door. Alyx turned to Gordon.
"Gordon, you need to get out of here!" She commanded. The door at the end of her hallway exploded, allowing Overwatch soldiers to pile into the cramped space. She pushed herself closer to the rocks, enabling some cover. The Vortigaunts next to her fired bolts of energy at the advancing enemy.
"I can't leave my father!" She called out, pleading with her eyes. Gordon nodded, understanding her priority. Alyx directed her attention to D0g.
"D0g! Take Gordon to the Ravenholm tunnel, then circle around and try to meet up with me. Hurry!"
D0g was hesitant at first, but reluctantly lumbered back down the tunnel they had came from. Gordon sent a small worried glance at Alyx before following the robot. She gave a small sigh, pulling out her custom-made pistol from her leather jacket.
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Alyx waited until a slight pause in gunfire came to pass. Her moment came and she took it, swiftly crossing the hallway without a scratch. In her wake, a lone Vortigaunt followed her into the lab. She franticly searched the large room, trying to find her father. But to her dismay, the room was empty.
"Where's my dad?!" Alyx turned to the alien, almost demanding an answer. The Vortigaunt pointed to an opposite door.
"The Eli Vance has ascended upwards towards the surface. We must hurry to catch up with him."
Alyx didn't argue. She pushed the two large, red doors open and started jogging up a flight of stairs, jumping each step two at a time. The Vort kept pace with it's human companion.
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As she burst from the stairwell door, Alyx kept her gun to the ready. She looked down the large corridor, making sure the area was clear. No enemy forces could be seen. The Vortigaunt walked out into the hall as well, looking down both ways.
"He is this way." His claw pointed towards the left, down a winding passageway. Alyx nodded and ran, keeping her pistol at the ready. The low thump of gunfire was now reverberating all over the base. Alyx knew that the Combine would find her sooner or later. She also felt sorry for the soldiers who would be between herself and her father.
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After jogging for a few minutes, the young woman and her Vortigaunt found themselves approaching a concrete crossway. Four corridors met at this one point. Alyx looked at her companion, who pointed towards the hallway to their left. She turned the corner, only to be met by five alarmed Combine soldiers. Alyx gave out a small gasp, skidding to a stop. The Overwatch leveled their pulse rifles directly at her, each one delighted to have such an easy target.
Alyx felt a hand grab her coat and tug her back to safety of the corner. A split second later and a hail of pulse rifle fire slammed into the floor where Alyx had just been. She turned to the Vort and smiled her thanks. After a few moments of bullets pinging off of their hiding place, Alyx slightly peeked around the corner, spotting the five soldiers. They were guarding a door leading towards the outside.
She was about to return fire when a familiar voice rang out.
"Alyx!"
Her heart stopped. A group of Combine soldiers appeared from a hallway near the guards. In their midst, Eli was being pulled towards the door.
"Dad!" Alyx called. She then turned the corner and fired on the Combine, killing two guards before emptying her clip. The guards returned fire. Alyx reloaded behind the comfort of their corner, while the Vortigaunt sent a bolt of green lighting towards the enemy, dropping three more soldiers. As she slammed a clip into her pistol, something clicked in her mind: The door that they were pulling her Dad through lead towards the helipad.
"Oh, God no." She turned around the corner just in time to see her father being pulled behind the door.
"Dad! No!"
Eli's eyes locked with his daughter's.
"Alyx!"
The bulkhead door closed, trapping Eli behind it.
"No!"
In a panic, Alyx started to run down the hall, towards the door. The Vort grabbed her arm, pulling her back. She was about to protest when ten Combine soldiers appeared from nowhere, cutting her off from her dad. Ten guns fired upon Alyx.
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This chapter is a bit short. I'm gonna make the next ones longer, I just wanted to leave this one with a cliff hanger. (darn you, Kiefer)