Major spoilers!) Alright. Here is my interpretation of the pending Episode 3. I recommend reading Portal: Dry Dock 7 first, seeing that it's basically the prologue to this fiction. Please read and review, but most of all, enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Half Life. Most of this story is from my head, but I don't own all the characters.
Half Life 2: The Final Push
Gordon Freeman felt nothing. Not the pressure against his chest, pinning him to the hanger wall. Not the slow bleeding from freshly opened wounds. Not the tears gliding down his face.
All he felt was horror.
The Combine Advisor hovered in the air, chirping with glee at it's prisoner. Gordon was held to the wall by it's telekinesis, helpless against the spectacle before him. The floating, giant grub slowly pulled Eli Vance from the floor into it's mechanical arms. Gordon could see the terror in his old friends eyes. The utter anticipation was knowing at his skin.
Alyx Vance, also under the Advisor's power, screamed for mercy. But none came.
The hostile alien brought it's prey up. Eli dangled in mid air like a captured fish. The Advisor's snake-like tongue slithered out of it's face, gliding behind the elderly man's skull. Gordon tried to scream, but no noise seemed to escape his lips
Eli's eyes, glazed over and lifeless, found their gaze upon Gordon.
"Gordon!" He screamed.
The Advisor nailed his tentacle through Eli's forehead with a wet crack, sending a wave of blood into Gordon's face.
Gordon awoke with a scream, sitting upright on the bench and heaving deep breaths. After a few seconds of shock, he realized it was all just a nightmare. The events of what happened mere hours ago still lingered in the young scientist's mind. The death of Eli Vance had been a blow to all humanity, but found a special significance in Gordon's heart. Eli was like a father to him, but was now gone.
Gordon swiftly wiped the tears away that were developing in his eyes. He removed the blanket covering his orange H.E.V. suit and rested his feet onto the metal floor. The vibrations emitting from the ground told him that they were still in the air.
Gordon hated flying. He always felt comfortable on solid ground. But, he and Alyx were on a mission.
Shortly after the destruction of the citadel and the deactivation of the Combine super-portal, Gordon and Alyx were assigned to find the fabled ship: the Borealis. This boat was rumored to carry an amazing technology that the Combine could use against the rebels. The pair of hero's quickly volunteered to find Judith Mossman, who was last seen at the mystery boat, and destroy the Borealis and it's contents. Alyx had found an abandoned helicopter to fly to the artic, where the Borealis was found. However, before the Gordon and Alyx could leave on their mission, a pair of Combine Advisors had attacked them, killing Eli in the process.
Gordon ran his hands down his face, trying to rub out his fatigue. The helicopter jumped after running into turbulence. Must be getting close.
The armor-clad man stood up and stretched his arms, able to touch the low ceiling. He then moved to the cockpit door.
Alyx Vance, the woman who had traveled with Gordon through his adventures, sat behind the helicopter's controls, piloting the vehicle over an expanse of clear, blue water. She turned slightly, spotting Gordon in the doorway. She quickly wiped the loose tears from her eyes, trying to chuckle her cares away.
"I didn't know you were awake." She smiled weakly. Gordon simply nodded before sitting in the co-pilot seat. He was never a man of many words, only speaking when totally necessary. Right now, he knew that Alyx needed time alone. That's why he was sleeping, to give her solitude.
"Were pretty close. Only about an hour left." Her tone was strong, but wavered a little bit at the end. Gordon gazed at her, hoping to catch her attention. She noticed and connected eyes. He gestured his head towards the back, signaling that it was her turn to rest.
She understood and rose from her seat.
"It's on auto-pilot, so you don't have to do anything." She moved out of the room, entering into the cargo hold near the backside. Gordon watched her sit on the benches connected to the walls before the door slid shut. He was alone now. Only the sound of the blades whooshing overhead could be heard. His mind wandered, thinking about the past events.
He thought about Alyx. She had just endured a tragedy that would scar her for life and was now on a perilous mission. The stress, Gordon thought, must be unbearable.
Before the duo departed from White Forest, the remaining commanders though it best to leave the now compromised base. White Forest evacuated, moving out in small convoys towards similar rebel facilities. Dr. Isaac Kleiner informed Alyx that they would have no time to bury her father. Instead, they loaded his body into one of the trucks, hoping to devise a proper funeral sometime in the future. Alyx agreed, but still felt amazing sorrow deep inside.
The helicopter departed, leaving the empty White Forest behind.
Gordon sat in silence for a few minutes. Soon, it became unbearable to sit and wait. His mind constantly focused on Alyx. He couldn't push her out of his mind.
He pushed himself out of the chair and reached for the door. He stepped into the cargo hold, spotting Alyx with her head in her hands, silently crying.
Gordon bit his lip nervously, but finally sat next to his companion. She felt his presence and glanced up at his deep green eyes.
"I miss him, Gordon." She sobbed, "I miss him so much."
Gordon nodded, rubbing her back for comfort.
She rested her head into his shoulder, shaking with tears. She was thankful for her knew friend. He had done so much for humanity and for her, and she was eternally grateful. For the moment, Gordon was all she had.
A few moments past and Alyx slowly drifted from her crying. Gordon took the chance to grab her chin and move her gaze towards him.
"Eli loved you with every part of his being and would have wanted you to be strong." Gordon smiled. "No tears."
Alyx felt her heart jump, knowing his words were true. The corners of her mouth slightly smiled past her glassy eyes and she sat up a little more strait.
"Your right." Her voice crackled. "He would have wanted me to keep going." She felt a new kind of luster, knowing that she could tough it out through anything now. If she didn't, mistakes could be made. And they could not afford any mistakes on this mission.
"Thank you, Gordon."
He nodded, resuming his silent demeanor. Alyx wiped the tears from her eyes and checked the time.
"Well, we have to be close." She stood up. "Let's find out were we are."
The snow was passing against the Helicopter view port, making it difficult for Alyx to see anything. She knew that they were somewhere over the artic tundra and near the rebel base they were looking for. This storm was causing problems though. No radio contact from any rebels could be picked up and Alyx was becoming worried about fuel. She decided to take the chance and fly lower, hoping to spot any man-made structures.
After a few minutes of searching, Gordon spotted glowing dots in the distance. Alyx pushed on the acceleration, pushing the flying vehicle through the storm. They approached what looked like a half buried town, containing a few houses and a massive warehouse stuck in the middle.
"Hey, hey, hey!" The radio crackled. "We've been waiting for you guys. Land on the warehouse. We'll meet ya there."
Alyx found the landing pad atop the large building and slowly descended, careful not to slip of the roof. The landing gear touched down, resting the helicopter on solid ground. Alyx glanced at Gordon and did something she hadn't done in hours: she smiled.
"Well, Gordon. We're here!"
Gordon grinned, relieved to be out of the harrowing storm. The pair exited the cockpit and moved to the back of the craft. Gordon quickly gathered their gear, consisted of guns, explosives, ammunition and various supplies. Alyx punched a large button resting on the wall and the back of the helicopter slowly dropped down, revealing the windy outdoors. Gordon walked down the plank, heaving a big, green duffle bag over his shoulder. Alyx wrapped her arms around her coat, a futile attempt at trying to keep the cold away.
A single rebel soldier stood atop the roof, waiting for the pair to approach. Through his plastic mask, a white smile peeked through.
"Welcome to 'Amazing town'!" He shouted over the wind, amusement in his voice. "Follow me please."
The rebel shuffled through the snow towards a hatch standing out of the snow. The man lifted the heavy metal door and started to climb down. Alyx and Gordon followed suit, moving down the ladder into a expansive room. The threesome stood atop a steel grater overlooking the entire warehouse. Snow vehicles of various sizes and uses lined the floor, covering half of the building. The other half contained long tables covered in computers and radio equipment, each manned by rebels.
"C'mon!" The rebel that had met with the pair was moving down the platform, waving. Gordon and Alyx followed the man down a flight of stairs to the floor below. Before the group could move any further, a lone man walked towards them.
"Cedrik!" The elderly man called out. "What have you got there?"
The young man escorting Gordon and Alyx, named Cedrik, smiled at the man. "It seems I've found a couple of heroes on the roof."
Before the old man could respond, Alyx raised her hand towards the gentleman. "My name is Alyx Vance. This is Gordon Freeman." She pointed a thumb at Gordon, who was assessing the man's appearance. The man must have been in his fifties. His pepper grey hair accented his beard and mustache, which was a stark white. His dark clothes and trench coat added a sense of authority, along with the air he conveyed as he spoke.
One defining detail that the man had was the fact that he was missing his left arm.
"Greetings." The man shook Alyx's hand. "I am, per say, the governor of this fine town. My name is Joseph Cramsey."
Bum, bum, bum! Haha. Well, what do you think? I have a bunch of ideas for this one, so I'll try to write as much as I can. However, I am leaving for Disney in a few hours, so I will possibly not be posting anything for a while. I'll be back, though. Please review!