"I'm fine, Calhoun. It's just a scratch; relax."
"Damn it, Alyx, that's a lot more than a scratch! The thing nearly took your side off!"
The two continued to bicker, Alyx clutching to her bleeding torso and Barney flailing his arms about, finger still set on the trigger of his gun. The third of the trio stood there silently, awkwardly glancing from companion to companion. A part of him agreed with the former security guard, that they should return to the base and get the woman first aid, but the other part didn't want to break Alyx more than she already had been.
Ever since Eli's death, the young woman had been determined to force the Resistance's efforts above and beyond what they had done before. The other rebels took this shift in attitude as a sign that she had stepped up to take her over her father's role, to lead the human race into a new era of rebellion. To those close to her, however, it was just a mask to hide her grief. The harder she worked, the more her mind was off her father's death.
The two were still bickering, and Gordon sighed, knowing that the two could go at it for hours. It was time that really couldn't be wasted, especially with pointless arguing that would only tell more enemies of their location. He moved forward awkwardly, his suit clunking loudly on the ground. Neither of them seemed to notice, so entwined with their little fight that the quiet scientist had been all but forgotten. They only remembered his presence when his hand landed gently on Alyx's shoulder, squeezing it slightly.
His expression must have looked pathetic, because not two seconds later Alyx was making her way back towards the base, still gripping her side. Barney whistled, patting his friend on the back. "So, Freeman, looks like the lion is tamed by the mouse, eh?" He winked, a teasing smile playing on his face, masking his own worry. When Gordon didn't respond, only continuing to stare at the spot where Alyx had been standing, he continued. "She'll be fine. The medics will patch her back up and she'll be good as new! Besides, she's taken worse than that-"
"That's not... what I'm worried about. Eli..." He trailed off, seeing the understanding dawn on his friend's face. He removed his hand from the back of the HEV suit, slowly curling it into a fist before glancing down at the ground. Gordon recognized the expression on his face, one that showed that he was in deep thought, concentrating. It seemed that he had been taking that look now more than ever.
"Well, yeah, but what can we do about it, y'know? Technically she's in charge; doesn't matter if the One Free Man tries to slow her down. Besides, it's better that she's doing this rather than doing something self-destructive. Still, I get why you're worried. I am, too, honestly. It's rather bizarre, seeing her like this, eh? Never even takes the time to smile anymore..." Barney frowned, tilting his head to the side.
"We could, well, she wouldn't really like it... but we could get Kleiner to keep her from..." He motioned awkwardly with his hands, trying to create a vaguely boat-like shape in the air and failing miserably at it. Still, Barney seemed to understand, his eyes flickering with thought for a split second before he shook his head.
"That's not gonna happen, Gordon, and you know it." Gordon let out a long breath of air, knowing his friend was right. There was no way that Alyx, especially in her current state, was going to allow the Borealis to be discovered without her right there at the front. And if Aperture had truly created the device that everyone claimed that they had, he knew she'd want to put it right to work.
He didn't know much about Aperture - he knew that Black Mesa had once had a slight rivalry with them, though it was mainly one-sided from the once shower curtain company, but that was about it. He had heard rumors, yes, about the construction of a sentient computer and a device that could shoot portals, but he wasn't sure if any of it was true. The thought excited and scared him at the same time; teleportation had been what had gotten him into science and eventually into Black Mesa, and if Aperture Science had found a way to achieve that he would've been thrilled, even if it was a rival company. It was just a shame that nobody had heard from any Aperture employees after the Incident; the only thing that some of the older rebels spoke of was a far-off explosion near where Aperture's entrance once stood.
"I'm starting to think this whole ship bullshit is a way of time. You don't actually think Aperture invented a means of teleportation that didn't screw up the world, do you? I mean, Black Mesa had faults - a lot of them, actually - but we weren't screwing around, either. And Aperture's always been such a second-rate company..." Barney frowned, toying with his gun before tucking it into its holster. "Maybe we could convince her that it's a waste of Resistance resources. She probably wouldn't argue with that, huh? Keep on fighting the Combine with what we have; so far we're doing a pretty damn good job, if I don't say so myself."
"I don't know... Aperture... maybe there was more to them than we think? Alyx... she wouldn't be put off by something like that. She's always been wanting to push forward... it's just now she has no... distractions?" Seeing Barney's puzzled face, Gordon hastened to explain. "Well, Eli could always bring Alyx away from her work, you know? But now... she has no one, really. Maybe Kleiner could try... it might work..."
"Or you could." He sighed at his friend's confused face, the way he shoved his glasses back up the bridge of his nose in order to do something with his hands. "Well, it's obvious she likes you, Gordon." Another blank stare and a shift of his glasses. He quirked a brow at the scientist. "Really? You didn't- God, it's like I'm the only one with any damn sense left!" He groaned dramatically, slamming his gloved palms onto his face before dragging them done.
"I think... you're mistaken." It was simple and fast, Gordon's usual speaking style when he wasn't being completely silent. Barney shook his head, looking playfully at his friend.
"No, Freeman, I think you're mistaken. Look, you're gonna turn that lion into a house cat before the day is through, and I'm gonna teach ya how." He slung his arm over Gordon's shoulder, shifting himself slightly to accommodate the suit. The scientist pushed his glasses up his nose again, tuning out his friend's 'advice'.
If he was going to 'tame the lion', he was going to have to do it on his own terms.
A/N: I apologize if anyone's out of character. This is my first time attempting to write for Half-Life, and I'm doing it in the form of a two-shot.
That was probably a horrible idea.
Anyway, the only character out of character on purpose is Alyx... Yeah, advice on the other characters would be sound, too, though.
As for why Barney's there, well, I'd imagine that he'd make his way out of City 17 to pay his final respects to Eli, or at least to boost rebel morale. He's a pretty major player in the Resistance.
Reviews are loved, as always ^_^