From the audio diary of Dr. Eli Vance. There is a slight shuffling noise as Dr. Vance picks up the recorder.
Test, test. Alright, looks like its working. The date is December 9th, 2014, and I'm recording this in a bunker about twenty miles east of City 17. City 17…God, what a name. It's been about, oh, five years since the Black Mesa Incident, and things couldn't be any worse. In only five years, the Combine have utterly dominated this planet and its people. The only light in my world is Alyx. She's fifteen now, but so clever. She's been known around the bunker for outsmarting some of our best hackers and scientists...
Dr. Vance can be heard chuckling.
She even made major upgrades to Dog, a little robot I made to protect her from headcrabs. Dog was originally about four feet tall when I built him; since then, Alyx added about three more feet and some incredible AI. And she's still not finished!
More chuckling.
What a girl, what a girl. Her mother would be so proud of her.
There is an explosion. Shouting and automatic fire can be heard in the background.
Damn it all! I hate this. I hate this so much. Damn it…God damn it. Its times like these I wish Gordon Freeman was here, fighting beside us. He accomplished so much at Black Mesa, only God knows what he could do here. Where are you, Gordon?
End of recording.
From the audio diary of Dr. Eli Vance.
Testing, one, two, three. Alright, let's see here… The date, according to Izzy, is April 17, 2016. Lately, the Resistance has won a remarkable number of battles which have benefited us with even more weapons, ammunition, and supplies. And every one of these victories can be credited to one man: a Dr. Lee Irons. Lee has his PhD in Psychology, but you wouldn't know he's a doctor if you looked at him. He's a tall man, about 6'2, and he has the physical fitness of a Marine. Despite being only 31, he's graying around the temples. Barney says it's because he's an old soul trapped in a young body. To be honest, I agree with him, but this war's made us all old…except for Alyx. Speaking of which, I'm starting to believe she's becoming quite enamored with Dr. Irons. Ah look at me, getting off subject. Well, Dr. Irons has proven to be one of the most valuable men I've met in this war; he's done incredible things on the battlefield. From what he's told me, both his father and his older brother were U.S. Navy Seals, his brother even getting into the Black Ops. Apparently, they taught Lee a thing or two; the man seems to have a natural affinity with weapons. But that's not his true talent. Dr. Irons can turn the tide in a fight, because of his head. He knows Combine, he knows them. He can predict their every move, their every tactic, and he knows just what to say to encourage morale of the people fighting beside him. Hell, the only downside of the guy is that he's a chain-smoker. And maybe he's little cold.
A door opens, footsteps are heard. Alyx Vance's voice appears.
Dad? What are you doing?
Oh nothing, sweetie, just adding an entry to my diary.
Well, Dr. Kleiner sent me to get you. He was mumbling something about a project for Dr. Irons.
Ok, sweetheart, tell him I'll be there in a minute. Oh, and watch out for Lamarr, I think she's loose again.
Alyx Vance laughs.
I'm sure Barney will be happy to hear that. I'll see you there, ok?
Sure, sweetie, be there in a minute.
Alyx Vance can be heard walking out of the room and shutting the door behind her.
Since Alyx mentioned it, I'll might as well add this in. In the last firefight Lee was in, he was severely wounded: three gunshot wounds and burns and bruises from a grenade. He's been out of action for several weeks. During his time healing, morale took a bit of a drop, and we had more casualties in that time than we've had for the past two years. Lee asked us for this information, and when we told him, he asked us about Gordon's HEV suit he wore during Black Mesa. Dr. Kleiner told him all the details…all the details, and Lee asked us if we could make another. Even though our technology has steadily gotten better and better, we don't have anything that match Gordon's suit toe-to-toe. But Lee said all he really wanted was something that could keep him alive in the thick of a firefight; he said he didn't need any kind of HUD or morphine drip or antitoxin injection, just excellent body armor. Well, we can do that.
End transmission.
From the audio diary of Dr. Isaac Kleiner Dr. Isaac Kleiner can be heard.
Lamarr? Lamarr!? Oh where did you get to?
Dr. Eli Vance and Alyx Vance enter. Dr. Eli Vance speaks.
She get away again, Izzy?
I'm afraid so. I think she may have climbed into the air ducts again.
Alyx Vance laughs.
Don't worry, Doc; I'm sure Barney won't mind climbing in there after her.
The door opens, sounds of a wheelchair entering can be heard. Dr Isaac Kleiner speaks.
Ah, Lee, I'm happy you came. How are you feeling?
Dr. Lee Irons speaks.
To be honest, Dr. Kleiner, like I've been shot. And that devil, Dr. Stewart, won't let me smoke.
Dr. Kleiner, Dr. Vance, and Alyx Vance laugh. Dr. Vance speaks.
She's a tough one, alright. But seriously, how are you?
Healing, Eli. Doing my best to speed it along so I can get back out there. How's the suit coming along?
It's actually why we convinced Dr. Stewart to let you out of bed. Alyx, could you open the chamber?
Sure, Dad. You're going to love this, Dr. Irons. I helped build it myself.
There are footsteps, and then the sound of pressure door opening. Dr. Kleiner speaks.
May I present the Battle-Ready Extreme Environment Suit or the BREEV suit as I like to call it.
Alyx Vance speaks.
I still like 'The Rhino Suit' better. Because of the color.
Ah, yes. Well, the suit contains a number of useful features, if not as many as the HEV suit. Its bullet resistant armor is top notch, taken from the suits of the Combine Elite and further improved on by Eli, Alyx, and myself. It is flame retardant, and can withstand and cushion your body from extreme falls.
Dr. Lee Irons speaks.
That's just what I was lookin' for, Dr. Kleiner.
Ah, but there's more! You see, we based this model off the original blueprints of the HEV. Because we did not have the materials for an advance morphine system and a nervous system HUD, we had room for a few…other devices.
Alyx Vance speaks.
This is my stuff, Lee. I know you'll like it.
That is correct; Alyx had a major helping hand in this system. We replaced the HUD equipment that decorated the entirety of the suit with a hydraulic system.
It's a smaller, more compact version of the kind I installed on Dog.
This system will enhance your physical strength and running speed vastly, which should increase your own endurance twofold.
Dr. Lee Irons speaks.
Jesus Christ, that's amazing…
Dr. Eli Vance speaks.
There's also the power converter, Lee. It's the same model off the HEV suit. Conduct energy from any Combine power outlet, and it'll increase the defense of your suit even more.
Alxy Vance speaks.
And there's a flashlight, an ammo dispenser, and a sheath for your machete. Oh yeah, there's also a pocket on your belt for a cigarette pack.
There is a momentary silence. Dr. Lee Irons speaks.
I think I'm going to cry…Oh hey, Dr. Kleiner, your recorder is on.
Oh dear, the battery!
End of recording.
From the medical diary of Dr. Eleanor Stewart.
Date: December 16th, 2016. After many months of bed rest, I've finally allowed Dr. Irons out of our care facility. Despite his many wounds, which were both internal and external, he has healed up quite nicely and should face no long term physical problems…well, that's not entirely truthful. Before we let Dr. Irons go, I insisted, against his wishes of course, that we run a full screening of his body. Normally we wouldn't do this, but Dr. Irons is a vital member of the Resistance and I wanted to be sure of his health. Unfortunately, we found something terrible. Do to Dr. Irons' extreme smoking habit, he's developed lung cancer…which has gone unnoticed until its later stages. When I gave him the news, he immediately swore me to secrecy, saying that any word of his ill health would affect troop morale. The next thing he asked was how long he had. The Resistance has been kind to the medical facilities here in Black Mesa East; we have many advance technologies and equipment, but despite this, there was literally nothing we could do. I told him six months to a year, longer if we had access to chemo therapy. To my astonishment, he simply nodded and lit a cigarette. I exploded. I yelled at him, I screamed, telling him just how stupid he was being. I asked him why he wasn't appalled, why he didn't quit that damn habit to live a little longer. He looked at me those cool, grey eyes and said, 'I may die tomorrow from a bullet or an explosion, or a year from now from this shit in my lungs. Which do you think I'm more concerned with?'
Dr. Eleanor Stewart sighs deeply.
I'll always remember that. How can you forget something so unbelievably sad and true at the same time?
End of recording.
From the audio diary of Alyx Vance.
Today is July 21, 2017, and I'll always remember it. I actually went out on the field today with Dr. Irons and his team. God, I still can't believe it. I could tell Dad didn't want me to go, but hey, I didn't train with all sorts of firearms and hand-to-hand combat for nothing. I used an MP-7 just because its standard issue, but I had problems with the strap. Dr. Irons noticed and he gave me this fully automatic pistol that I can tuck into my belt. I also got to see Dr. Irons' suit in action, and it worked…amazingly. He seemed to shrug off bullets. I can't believe I'm admitting this, but every time I wasn't looking down the barrel of my gun, I was staring at Lee. He's just…Jesus…he's something else. I also noticed another thing, though; his team, five men, three women, is the most organized I've ever seen. When they move, they don't even talk: all Lee has do to is look at someone, and they provide covering fire, flank a position, throw a grenade, etc.
There is a shifting sound, as if Alyx Vance is settling in her chair.
But there was something that kinda freaked me out a little bit. While we were escaping from the Combine reinforcements, one of the women tripped and broke her ankle on a rock. I tried to run back to help her up, but Lee grabbed my arm and dragged me back with the group. I yelled at him to let me go, to let me go back and help her, but he just looked at me and said, 'Don't worry about her, Alyx, she knows what to do.' I managed to look back to see two Overwatch soldiers grab her by the arms. I was furious with him when we finally stopped to make camp, but everyone else just sorta stared at me, like there was no reason to worry. That night, around 3am, the woman made it to camp using a stick as a crutch…and she was covered in blood.
More settling sounds.
When we got back Black Mesa East, I asked around about Lee's team. I managed to find a talkative guy who used to be a part of it before his leg got blown off. He said that every member of 'Team Iron' underwent a sort of mental training, conducted by Dr. Irons himself. Apparently, he hypnotizes them, and programs certain…I don't know…triggers, in their heads. The man I talked to said that if any of them were ever captured, they would activate one of the triggers. I asked him what would happen. That's when he got quiet. But he did say, 'Bad things, honey. Really bad things.' Spooky stuff…
End of transmission.
From the audio diary of Alyx Vance.
I saw something both beautiful and haunting today. I was in the base, helping a fellow techy with some computer equipment when one of the men walked inside with a beat-up guitar case. He had found it on the beach while on patrol. Music instruments are a rarity these days, so he drew a crowd when he took it out. He strummed it a few times, but he didn't really know how to play. That's when Dr. Irons walked in.
There is a momentary silence.
He started to say something, but when he saw the guitar…he stopped dead. His eyes just locked onto it. He walked up to the man and asked him if he could see it. The guy didn't object, it was Dr. Irons after all. He plucked a few strings, then tightened and loosened a couple of the knobs on the neck. He stopped to light a cigarette, then started to play. It was an indescribable experience. I just can't...say what it was like. He said the name of the song was 'Flamenco' and I'll never forget it.
End of recording
From the audio diary of Alyx Vance.
Oh God…No…Oh God, no. He couldn't- He just can't...Why him?
There is a brief period of sobbing.
He's gone… There was a mission to-
Alyx Vance gasps, and then cries.
There was a mission to rescue a band of refugees that were captured on the river from City 17 to Black Mesa East. We- We found them and killed the Combine holding them, but it was an ambush. They came from everywhere: hunter-choppers, gunships, Striders; they wanted him, they wanted Lee dead. He led us out of the river and into this old building. We lost five refugees and two of Lee's team, but it was a miracle the rest of us got that far. He took us to the basement, where there a sewage pipe that led a mile or two down river. He ordered all of us to escape down the tunnel as quickly as we could, but I stayed behind until it was just the two of us.
Alyx Vance breathes deeply and sniffs.
He gave me that damn look of his and told me to go. I asked him what he was going to do. He didn't say anything, but he walked over to the corner of the room and lifted a tarp off of a big container. It was a bomb and- and dozens of grenades, gasoline canisters, rockets…there wasn't any doubt to what it would do to the building. He walked back over to me and put his hands on my shoulders. He told me that the detonator to the bomb was simply too easy to defuse and that someone had to stay to defend it. He told me to be brave and to get the hell out of the fucking building. So…so I did.
The sound of Alyx Vance pounding her hand against the table.
I heard him fight. I heard all the Combine rifles. There were even some small explosions. But through it all, I heard him laughing. When the bomb went off, the earth shook and a fireball coming from behind me almost took my head off. We looked for him afterwards. We dug through the rubble for about three days, but it was Dog that found it…his suit, almost scorched black. It was still usable though, because we found ammo clips in the belt.
Alyx Vance sniffs, then sighs deeply.
Ninety-nine percent of me knows he's gone. Nothing could have survived that blast. But something in me believes he's alive…you see…his cigarette pack was gone.
End of recording.