What you are about to read is the sequel to Episode 3, featuring my own characters and locations along with Valve's
What you are about to read is the sequel to Episode 3, featuring my own characters and locations along with Valve's. Now, I have to say this. Every story I have written has come to this point. If there are some parts that you don't understand that are in this story, it's because these parts include items from my previous writings. Go read them. People seem to like them. ;) Hope you enjoy this, because this might become a novel length story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Valve and it's content. I do own my own characters and locations that are not in the half-life universe.
--
Half Life 3
--
"Come on, you little bugger."
Samantha Freeman wasn't the most patient nineteen year old on the planet. But, this task had to take just that. Inside, she was still restless. Sitting out in the open of a field, Sam could feel the wind against her face and the dew from the tall grass caressing her harms. Here arms were exposed by the A-shirt she was wearing. The jeans she wore were her mother's, way back in the day. A blue sweatshirt was wrapped around her torso, keeping it from being a nuisance. This kept her cool from the beautiful sun. Fortunately, the trees that surrounded the field provided some shade, as if they were guarding this sacred ground. But, Sam wasn't out here for the beautiful nature.
Her ears pricked. A small rustle in the grass indicated that her prey was here. She needed it to be closer though. Sam's slender fingers slipped gently down her thigh, grasping the cold metal. Tinny footsteps moved closer to her position.
"Just a few more steps." She thought.
Suddenly, a screech pierced the lukewarm air. Sam jumped to her feet, spun and with one fluid motion, pulled the pistol out of its holster. She aimed right at the small creature while it was still in midair. Squeezing the trigger, Sam sent a deadly round of lead strain into the cat-like creature, sending yellow and green blood out of every pore in its body. It landed in the grass with a sickly thud.
Satisfied, the human defender holstered her weapon. Kneeling down, she examined her trophy. A head-crab male, about 40 pounds and three years old. A fine catch indeed. Sam was happy about today's catch and decided to call it a day. She walked back into the woods, back to Green Base.
Gordon Freeman, a Doctor of Portal Technology back at Black Mesa, a secure testing center, was part of a horrific Resonance Cascade, causing aliens from another world to attack the human planet. A massive army called the Combine invaded earth; easily conquering it's people in a matter of 7 hours. But, Gordon Freeman had disappeared during this attack. While the people of earth became slaves, rebels decided to rise up against their enemy. Eli Vance, Freeman's friend and colleague back at Black Mesa, became the leader of the rebels, pushing them towards victory. His daughter, Alyx Vance, became an essential part during this awful time.
However, Gordon Freeman appeared twenty years later, out of nowhere. He led the rebels and Alyx through many battles, finally beating the Combine back. Not without sacrifice, though. Their enemy, causing a great blow to the rebels, took Eli Vance life. Gordon decided to hit the Combine where it hurt. The last battle took place in the arctic, where a fabled ship had crashed, carrying a portal big enough for the Combine to receive a bigger army. Gordon and Alyx destroyed the boat and it's contents. After the destruction of the Borealis and its portal technology, the Combine had no way of getting reinforcements. They were easily beaten and were whipped off the planet, save for a small band hiding.
The rebels decided to make their home at Green Base, fifty miles outside of City 17, the old Combine capitol, now destroyed. Green Base was an old army bunker that spanned deep into the hills. A perimeter of anti-aircraft cannons and machine guns were place in a neat circle, always occupied. This was an impenetrable fortress.
--
The gravel rumbled beneath Sam's boots as they approached a large metal door: the entrance into Green Base. She had to check into several checkpoints before reaching the main gate. Even though the Combine were defeated, a few pockets of small enemy forces dotted the beautiful countryside, keeping the rebels on it's toes. Sam had only seen Combine soldiers on the video logs containing history about their invasion. Usually, she was confined to the base.
"Hey, Sam."
Garreht Sampson's voice pulled the young Freeman out of a daze. The gateman simply stood by the door, guarding. He wore the rebel regulation "soldier suit". The ensemble included green baggy pants, an armored vest, heavy shirt and a beanie that basically kept his head warm. Sampson had always been sweet to her. Sam gave a warm smile.
"Well, hello."
"Catch any today?" The young watchman began with small talk.
"Six."
Garreht whistled. "Nice."
Sam smiled. "I'll probably head out tomorrow again. So, I will see you later?'
That smile got to him, only causing his visitor to look even more stunning.
"Y-yeah. Definitely." He stammered. Turning to a keypad next to the bulkhead, Garreht typed in a short code, which responded with a few, chipper beeps. The pair of five-ton doors slid apart, allowing the young lady to enter. She waved goodbye before descending into the ground.
--
Sam's elevator stopped after dropping eight levels into the ground. The doors parted, revealing a long, concrete hallway filled with bustling civilians and rebels, each heading towards their own tasks. Sam melted into the crowd, following the wave.
A muffled set of beeps escaped her pockets. Instantly, she realized it was the portable COM unit. She slipped it out of the pocket and activated the talk button.
"This is Sam."
"Sam, this is Kathryn."
Sam smiled. "Oh, hey doc." Kathryn Forest had been the main medical doctor for the rebels since the Cascade.
The radio continued. "Your father is here."
Sam stopped in her tracks and sighed. Again?
"Alright," she breathed. "I'll be there in a sec."
She sprinted against the crowd.
--
Sam reached the medical ward of Green Base in record time. Spending so much time inside gave her an advantage to the traffic packed passageways. She knew the halls by heart and also the air ducts. A little trick she had learned from her Dad.
Sam tapped the intercom, moving her mouth closer to the speaker.
"Doctor Forest?"
A small clack reverberated from the door. "It's open."
She pushed the door to the side, moving into a small hallway with two doors lining each side, accompanied by two long viewing windows. Beyond the Plexiglas were large, round rooms filled with a plethora of utensils of medicine. To the room at here right, she could see her father sitting on a table in the center of the room. Entering, she caught Gordon Freeman's eye.
A big smile peered through his thick goatee. This was the hero of the world. He, along with her mother, had defeated the alien enemy single handedly. Now, after twenty years, he was past his prime. A hint of salt pried at his moustache and beard, along with his sideburns. His old "War wounds" had given him problems, always. That was why he was in the ward. As he grew, the damage to his body would stretch, causing excruciating pain. But, with the grin at his daughter, no one would have known that he was breaking each day.
Sam smiled, wrapping her arms around Gordon's neck.
"Mmmm. How are you?" the elder Freeman asked, his voice deep and melodic.
"How am I? How are you! This is like the third time this month." She tried to sound cheery, but couldn't help a knowing feeling in her stomach. Gordon simply shrugged.
"It's nothing."
Sam leaned her hip to the side, resting he hands on the pockets. An eyebrow curled up as if to say "How stupid do you think I am?"
Gordon chuckled. Every time Sam did that, it always reminded him of his wife, Alyx. Whenever she was annoyed, the same pose would be revealed, making him helpless.
He surrendered. "Okay, fine. I can't really pronounce most of the things that are wrong with me, so . . . Nathan!"
Out of an open door on the other side of the room, still sitting in a chair and reading a file. He was wearing a green button up shirt, which was hanging over his dark blue jeans underneath his while lab coat. His spectacles, similar to her dad's, complemented it all, but were thin.
"I'm almost done with you check, Mr. Freeman. I just have to . . ." Nathan's eyes finally peered over his glasses. Once noticing Sam standing next to her father, he jumped to his feet, as if had had been stung.
"Oh," he stumbled. "Hey, Sam."
She suppressed the urge to laugh. "Hi, Nate."
Gordon almost rolled his eyes. "Nathan, my daughter would like to know what's wrong with me."
"Oh, right!" His eyes darted to the chart. "Well, your thigh muscles have been pulled to the limit again, almost snapping. Your shoulder still doesn't want to stay in its socket. And it seems that we are going to have to cement your spine again."
Gordon simply nodded while Sam's eyes started to become warm. She quickly wiped her lids.
Without noticing, Nathan continued, pulling two bottles out of a cupboard. "Now, I'm going to give you some pain killers and some Teradram. That should keep you stable for a few days while we get everything set for surgery." The bottles were transferred into Gordon's hands. Nate's eyes turned to Sam. Before he could say anything, the bulkhead opened, allowing a very cranky Dr. Kathryn into the room. She smiled.
"Salutations, Sam!" The elderly woman moved in for a hug. Old age had affected the good doctor more than Gordon, surprisingly. Her hair was stark white and wrinkles pulled at her cheeks and forehead. Besides this, she was still full of life.
Her eyes moved to Nate, who gave a nervous smile. Gordon and Dr. Forest exchanged a knowing glance.
"Is Gordon all set, Nate?" Forest asked.
"Yep. He is ready to go."
The broken hero slipped off the long seat with a groan. He hugged Kathryn's and shook Nate's hand. "Thank you guys. If I have anymore problems, I'll just head back here."
Father and daughter walked out into the main hall and moved towards their home. Gordon took it slow, keeping a relaxed pace. Sam stuffed her hands into her pockets, nervous about his health. He noticed.
"Nate was staring again." He stated, trying to keep up a distracting conversation.
Sam lowered her head. "I know. I'm sorry."
Gordon smiled. "Sorry? You don't like him?"
Her head snapped up, eyes wide. A conversation about relationships barely had come up in the Freeman household. Even when it did, Gordon would always say "Your too young".
However, Gordon smiled. "Oh, come on. Don't tell me you haven't noticed it."
"Um," She said, confused. "Yeah. I have. But, you had always told me that I couldn't . . ."
"Honey," His voice came out, calming her nerves. "You are getting to that age where you have to be wondering about these things. Do you not like him?"
Sam was taken back. "Well, he is a great guy and all. But . . ."
Her father waited for an explanation.
"Gosh . . . when we were young, I would always play with the other kids outside. And he . . . he would just stay inside, reading a book or something."
She looked up at dad and realized he wanted more. "Dad, I need someone more adventurous. Someone who will step out of their bubble, you know?"
Her old man sighed. "Okay. You know what you want. But, you've got to admit, he is on the good looking side."
Yes he is. Although a bookworm, Nathan Forest was far from ugly. He had a sharp jaw with deep green eyes, like her father. His thick brown hair was always sticking up in a partial foe-hawk, but still fluffy. Nate's physique was a bit skinny, but he made that up with hidden muscles lining his arms and legs, as if he had some surprise strength.
Sam continued with the bizarre conversation. "It's not all about looks, dad."
Gordon grinned. So true.
--
The conversation ended once they stood next to their apartment door. The tired dad slid the key card through the slide lock. A green light indicated that the door was now ready to be opened. The pair entered. The "apartment" was a large room with a kitchen at the left side and two bedroom doors on the right. The middle area contained a table and some beat up sofas.
In the kitchen area was Alyx Freeman, Gordon's wife. She was cutting carrots when she noticed her family.
"Hey, guys." She said through clenched teeth as her knife stuck into the vegetable. "How did it go, Gordon?"
He limped over and kissed her mocha colored cheek. "It went great."
Alyx rolled her dark eyes. "I've heard that before. Could you at least tell me the truth?" She pointed the cutlery at Sam, who reluctantly told her what really happened.
Gordon limped past his daughter on his way to the bedroom. "Traitor." He whispered with mirth. As soon and the man of the house disappeared behind closed doors, Sam took a seat near the kitchen counter, resting her chin on folded arms.
"Need any help?"
"Nope," Alyx chopped one last time. "I'm done."
Sam looked over her mother. Through the years, she had not changed a bit. She still had a curvy figure and always knew how to make her smile. Her mother's hair stayed the same, except the green and red stripe down the scalp had changed into a silver streak.
"How many today." Alyx's voice pulled her daughter out of wonderland.
Sam groaned. "Two."
Her mother nodded. "Which ones?"
"Garreht and Nathan."
A big smile grew on her face.
"What's that smile for?" Sam asked, almost annoyed.
"Oh, nothing."
Alyx couldn't blame those boys. Sam was extremely attractive. Of course, she took after her mother. They were almost twins, except Sam had green eyes and lighter skin. Gordon got to keep those at least. She had tenacity, was steadfast and strong against anything that would face her. But, the one think she couldn't handle, was the endless wave of hormone-crazed boys. Everyday, Sam would have to deal with smitten young men, ready to steal her away from the house at anytime.
"Your smiling about Nathan, aren't you?" An accusing voice rang out.
Alyx grinned deviously. "Hmmm. Maybe."
"Not you too!"
"Well, your father and I feel that he is a nice boy. And very attractive I might add."
Sam hid her face into her arms, trying to hide her embarrassment. She wanted to disappear. She groaned, "I'm telling you guys. Nate is not the one I'm looking for!"
Her mother shrugged, moving a pot full of water onto a burner. "Well, we'll have to see."
Sam tried to hide her constant blushing as she stormed off. But, her mother notice the red against her daughter's face.
Alyx held in a laugh. "I'll tell you when dinner is ready."
--
Private Charles Simpson took one last swig of his cold coffee before tossing the Styrofoam cup into the garbage bin. He had been sitting in the satellite control room for hours. Everyday he had to sit, watching the dozens of screens wrapped around the closet sized room. Every monitor held a video feed of the rebel satellites lining Earth's atmosphere. All they showed was deep space. Nothing special.
Private Simpson sighed. He really needed to get transferred.
A screen to his left flickered.
At first, he didn't spot it, until it started to blink in and out of it's picture. Simpson turned to the screen. Static started to slowly drift from the sides towards the center.
What the heck?
He checked a holographic image of the Satellite. Nothing was damaged. Next, he ran a scan, making sure no signals were disrupting the feed. It was faint, but the scanner picked up a small ping . . . from space.
The monitor began to fizzle intensely now. Without a thought, he picked up the phone and called the commander in charge.
--
"Captain Mien, sir. We are receiving some interesting reading from Satellite 37. We are loosing the feed. There is some interference from an unknown source." A pause. "No, sir. But, whatever is causing this is getting closer. It seems . . ."
Suddenly, the screen turned pitch black.
"Sir, we just lost the feed completely!"
To his horror, more screens around the rooms started to falter. Static quickly engulfed each monitor.
"And . . . and we are getting more static from Satellites 24 and 36. Wait . . . we just lost the feed to those too!
All of our Satellites on that side of the planet are disappearing. Sir, I have no idea what is going on!"
The commanding officer on the other side decided to use the telescopes on the ground, hoping to get a picture of what was going on outside of their planet.
"One moment sir . . . patching telescope feed now . . .. Oh, my God."
:) So, I'm back. I hope to give you another splenjoyfull fiction. Splenjoyfull is a word. Go look it up. Hope you like this though. MORE ON THE WAY!!