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"Gordon!" Alyx called out. "Help?"
Gordon grunted. There were three Hunters about to kill Alyx, and he was out of ammo. Frustrated, he pointed his gravity gun at a table.
Nothing happened. The gun gave off some sparks, then died.
What the hell?
"Gordon!"
With no other options, Gordon drew his crowbar. It was suicide to take on three Hunters with a crowbar. Then again, so was visiting an alien dimension alone, or trying to cut through a zombie-infested town, or trying to assault the Citadel, or just about anything he had done.
Gordon swung his crowbar wildly, bashing away at the Hunters. He connected with one, and ripped into its body, exposing its innards to assault. Another blow, and it was down.
The second Hunter fired a blast of darts at him. Gordon swung his crowbar, deflecting the darts. Then he smashed its launcher, destroying the Hunter.
The final Hunter knocked Gordon down. It raised its leg to step on him. Gordon raised his crowbar in self-defense. But it was surely futile.
There was a ping as the Hunter's leg connected with Gordon's crowbar.
Gordon was stunned. How was he doing this? He pushed, and the Hunter backed off. Gordon swung again – hard – and nearly tore the Hunter in half.
"OK, Gordon, how did you do that?" Alyx asked.
"I don't know."
"I… do."
Gordon turned around. It was the G-man.
"Gordon, have you ever noticed that you have done things that no man should be able to do? Like survive in these circumstances?"
"I thought that you had something to do with it."
"To date, I have saved your life twice. Once on Xen, once at the Citadel. But you have survived much more."
"A combination of luck and a hazard suit?" Alyx ventured.
"I think not."
"OK, I'm out of ideas."
"The answer is in your hand."
Gordon looked at his hand.
"The crowbar?"
"That crowbar is actually a powerful artifact, Mr. Freeman. It grants the wielder invincibility. It is for this reason that you survived Black Mesa, Xen, City 17, Ravenholm, Nova Prospeckt, and of course the Citadel." The G-man paused. "Well, the Citadel was probably the result of the enhanced gravity gun."
"Also, this isn't the same crowbar. True, Barney found one at Black Mesa and gave it back to me, but I lost it at the Citadel. Then he gave me another one, but I lost that when the Citadel went boom - it's somewhere in the train wreck. Then I found this one in an elevator."
"Are you sure it's a different one? Take a close look at the handle."
Gordon obliged. To his shock, written on the handle, were the words "Property of Black Mesa."
"But I've gone for long periods without the crowbar. Was that luck?"
"No, Mr. Freeman. During your stasis, your essence was bonded to the crowbar. You are invincible, for as long as you live."
"As long as I live?"
"You'll still die of old age, I'm afraid. You may also fall victim to an accident. But you will never be bested in combat."
"Gordon, that crowbar is the reason you are still alive. It is also the reason for the Combine invasion."
"Whuh?" Alyx asked. "I thought they wanted to conquer Earth?"
"Conquering Earth was a side effect. Acquiring the crowbar was their primary motive. You were gone, so they assumed you had lost the crowbar. They scoured the planet. They even began to drain the oceans, in case you had dropped it into the sea."
"But I have it – and so long as I am alive, they can't take it from me?"
"Correct. For this reason, the Combine is abandoning their plans for Earth – for now."
"For now?"
"When you die, Mr. Freeman, the Combine will return. When they do, they will seize the crowbar, and become invincible."
"And there aren't any artifacts that grant immortality?"
"Sorry."
"Well," Gordon lifted his crowbar, "which way to the Combine homeworld?"