Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction
disclaimer: this fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.
Chapter 2: Have You Seen Gordon?
"Here you go my dear, this should help calm your nerves, but be careful its hot." Dr. Kleiner handed the cup of warm English Tea to Alyx who was sitting on a couch wiping away her tears and trying to keep more from coming.
"Thank you Dr. Kleiner." She said forcing a smile. He gently sat down next to her as she took a tiny sip, testing the temperature of the tea with her upper lip before taking it in.
"Alyx... I can't tell you how sorry I am, truly. Eli and I... You know he used to tell me whenever we'd sit down to lunch at Black Mesa what a vivacious young lady you were. So lively and courageous sometimes too much so for your own good."
Alyx, looking downward at the cup of Tea she had grasped into her lap, let out a small chuckle, one that wasn't forced. A smile accompanied by a sniffle and a tear.
"Yes." Dr. Kleiner continued. "He used to tell me how you would sometimes sneak out of your dormitories and go off and delve into the faciltiy looking for adventure." He looked over at Alyx with a smile. "Why, he once told me he found you crawling in the air ducts that lead to the rocket test chamber. He was so worried you would get hurt, but despite his and your mothers every precaucion, you were just to adventurous for them to stop you."
Alyx laughed. "Yeah he would always get after me whenever he caught me out of the dorms, but after he scolded me he would always take me to the food court and buy me some ice cream and he'd have his talk with me about how if anything ever happened to me..." As the image of her father came flooding back to her head so did the moue on her expression. Isaac gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You know my dear, despite the obvious concern for your safety - he would always tell me how very proud he was of you, proud of your curiousity, your adventurous nature, and indominable spirit. Most of which I do believe you got from him."
"Heh..." Alyx tittered slightly after taking another sip of her now temperate tea. "It's funny, someone once told me I had my mother's eyes, but my father's stubborn nature." Alyx sighed heavily. "I'm gonna miss him." she closed her eyes forcing two tears to stream out.
"I know my dear, I know." Dr. Kleiner said as he leaned toward her to embrace her. "I am too..."
"Thank you, Dr. Kleiner." Alyx expressed her gratitude as they slowly released eachother. "I feel a bit better now." She said as she gently wiped the drying tears from her eyes. "I just can't believe that he's really gone."
A despondent silence filled the room momentarily as Dr. Kleiner clenched his lips before speaking. "But he's never really gone my dear. You'll keep him in your memories and thus he will stay with you always. Why I remember after Black Mesa" He exclaimed as he stood up with one finger pointed upward in the usual Kleiner fashion. "and after the Seven Hours War, it was your father who took the first stand in this struggle against the Combine. Why, Gordon may be the driving force behind the resistance, and quite a driving force at that. But there would be no resistance had it not been for your father."
Alyx listened as she toyed with the tag at the end of the teabag string hanging out of the nearly empty cup. "I know, and I... Gordon!" she gasped briefly before continuing as she stood up from the couch. "I forgot about Gordon! After all that happened I just rushed out of the hangar and left him there, he was with me the whole time as it happened. He must be pretty shaken up too, I'd better go see if he's alright!"
Isaac looked at Alyx with a smile. "Calm down Alyx, I'm sure Gordon is fine, probably helping the others secure the compound. Besides I doubt there is much that can shake Gordon up."
"You're probably right" Alyx replied "But I should still go and find him and let him know that I'm alright." She said as she walked towards the door.
Opening the door she came face to face with a familiar figure, wearing a teal lab coat, on the other side reaching for the nob.
"Oh!" exclaimed the cantankerous Dr. Magnusson. "Excuse me Alyx, I was coming to uh... give my condolences. I just heard what happened."
Alyx smiled warmly as she replied. "Thank you Doct..."
"Of course I would be the last to know in this monkey farm of a facilty." Magnusson quickly interjected before Alyx had a chance to finish relaying her thanks.
"Well... Thank you Doc..."
"I see people running rampant left and right and as far as I know its just business as usual around here. No one bothers to come and tell me whats happened, no one even bothers to tell me that there was a breech. It's absolutely absurd."
Alyx paused for a bit, as the frustration on Magnusson's face seemed to slowly pass, before she attempted to speak again. "Well, thank you Dr. Magnusson. I appreciate your... concern. It means alo..."
"You know one thing we can be thankful for at least is that those horrid beasts didn't get me, because then this whole opperation would be lost."
A sudden flush look overcame Alyx's face as she gazed in utter shock over the abhorrent words spilling from this beastly old man's mouth.
"For all we know, it was me they were after... We certainly dodged a bullet this time."
The flush look on Alyx's face quickly turned to one of outrage. "Why you miserable son of a..." Alyx exclaimed with a hard gaze of pure indignation at the crotchety old figure before her, before being stopped abruptly.
"Now now! Alyx dear, lets calm down." Dr. Kleiner pleaded in panic as he attempted to restrain the seething young woman. "Please, Alyx, please... Allow me..."
Alyx turned and walked back into the room in a huff, as Kleiner turned to come face to face with Magnusson as he cleared his throat.
"Now see here Magnusson! How dare you come in here and make a mockery over Eli's tragic death." Magnusson looked at Kleiner with a puzzled expression on his face.
"Mockery? Why I was simply..."
"I'm not finished Magnusson!" Kleiner asserted as he continued his lecture. "For years I have held my tongue as you have repeatedly and barbarously belittled, and berated, anyone who would dare not share your opinion on something."
"But I..." Magnusson attempted to get a word in edgewise, fruitlessly.
"I'm still not finished Magnusson!" Kleiner continued. "And as if that weren't bad enough, you constantly and consistently hold yourself in such high regard, more often than not taking credit and acclaim for actions that weren't your own!"
"Well perhaps I..." said Magnusson in an unavailing attempt to defend himself before being cut off yet again.
"And another thing! If it weren't for Eli, niether of us would be here. I seem to remember a certain colleage of ours at Black Mesa cowering in a dumpster. Eli and I practically had to pry you out kicking and screaming like the coward you are. Why Eli decided to pull you out of that dumpster, only to endure your incessant complaining and whining the entire time we tried to escape, is beyond me."
Magnusson simply stood there for a moment, with a look of bewilderment after the harsh admonishment he received.
"Now... I believe you owe Ms. Vance an appology Magnusson." Kleiner turned and stepped aside revealing Alyx standing behind him, with her arms crossed and a slight snicker on her face.
"Uh... I uh..." stuttered Magnusson as he attempted to get a grasp on what just happened. "Uh... Yes! Of course... Alyx my dear, I do sincerely appologize. I suppose the uh... shock of... of the situation just got to me. Once again, my condolences and... my appologies." Magnusson looked at Kleiner as if searching for his approval. Kleiner, then giving it with a belittling nod.
"Right!" continued Magnusson. "Well then, if you'll excuse me, I must... take my leave, there is work to be done after all... Alyx, Kleiner..."
"Magnusson" replied Isaac as Magnusson dashed off in a hurry.
"Hmph..." exhaled Isaac in a heave, as he straighted out his labcoat, before turning to Alyx who was looking at him with a smile from ear to ear. "I do appologize my dear, I wish you didn't have to see that..."
Alyx chuckled slightly. "Oh no, please by all means don't appologize Dr. Kleiner." She said putting a hand up in a halt position to stop Isaac from continuing his appology. "Its about time someone put Dr. Magnusson in his place, I never saw that side of you! I like it." she said as she smiled at him. "I never knew you had it in you."
"Well..." Kleiner began, mildly embarrassed and showing signs of blushing. "Magnusson and I go way back, so I know how much of a, pardon the expression, horse's ass he can be. And considering all thats happened, now was no time for him to start with his pompous buffoonery. But you know I must say, if I don't speak out of turn; that felt... good. Quite good infact!" Kleiner exclaimed as he cracked a small prideful smile. "I may have to do this more often."
Alyx laughed. "Well Magnusson knows you got a mean streak now so go easy on 'em ok."
"Right you are!" responded Isaac.
"Well I'm gonna go find Gordon, and see how hes doing. I'll catch up with you later Dr. Kleiner."
"Of course my dear." Replied Isaac. "Will you be alright...?" He inquired, the concerned look returning to his face.
The question, bringing the gravity of her fathers death rushing back, placed a sorrowful look back on Alyx's expression. She responded as she put her head down, starring towards the floor.
"Yeah... I'll be alright." She said as felt the unpleasant knot in her throat return as she made every effort to try to gulp it back down. "Time heals all wounds I suppose..." She stated as she looked back up at Dr. Kleiner exhibiting a small forced smile, to show that she was well.
Isaac slowly reached to take one of Alyx's hands which were locked together, hanging down at her stomach. He took her right hand with his left, and gently clasped it between both his hands.
"You know my dear" He paused momentarily, "You also have your fathers strength." He said softly to her.
"Thank you..." she replied in almost a whisper as water began to glaze over her eyes once again, before swallowing back down the lump in her throat and using her free hand to wipe her eyes before they could produce tears.
"I'll be ok Dr. Kleiner." She assured him. "Don't worry."
Isaac nodded as he released her hand. "You know where to find me if you need me my dear. Give Gordon my regards when you find him."
"I will" She said softly as she turned away from him and began walking slowly down the corridor, looking back at him ever so slightly over her shoulder before turning her attention fully toward the direction she was headed.
As she walked away Isaac stood there for a moment, studying her as she continued down the long corridor. He never had children of his own, he was always too busy. Busy professing... Busy with his research... Busy at Black Mesa. But he always thought there'd be more time. Even despite the fact that he was well into his 50s before the resonance cascade at Black Mesa, he always remained optimistic that there'd be more time.
But since then... since the Combine tore open the hole in space-time and poured through in greater and greater number, any notion of children and family had long since dwindled in his mind. But somehow, it no longer mattered.
As he and his now fallen colleague secretly made plans to strike back against the alien oppressors, he watched this curious little girl blossom into a woman under the harshest of conditions. He grew to care about her as any parent would care about their children. As she grew up and began to sneak out to explore the canals of CIty 17 on her own, he could never help but feel the concern and dread that any parent would. And when she'd return from her adventures in the subjegated downtrodden city, rather than admonish her, he'd embrace her; telling her how happy he was to see her again and how worried she had him.
He remembered how she used to love to play with Llamar when she was little more than a headshrimp. The memory brought a smile to his face as he...
"Wait a minute..." He changed his train of thought abruptly. "Llamar...! Blast that little, where has she gotten to now?" He thought to himself when he realized that he hadn't seen his faithful headcrab companion since Gordon and Alyx arrived at White Forest.
"Oh Fiddlesticks!" He exclaimed outloud as he turned and walked down the corridor in the opposite direction.
"Llamar! Llamar!" He shouted with his hands cupped around his mouth as he marched down the hallway trying to coax the mischievious parasite from whatever nook or cranny she may have gotten into this time.
"Excuse me!" Alyx shouted down the narrow corridor, to get the attention of the tall slender refugee, grasping a submachine gun in his hands, who was on compound patrol.
He was dressed in standard rebel garb consisting of an old ski cap, a tattatered padded grey shirt, with an armband on it exhibiting the lambda symbol, and some faded jeans that were ripped at the knee and had obviously seen better days. His attention grabbed; he stopped and turned to face her.
"Oh Ms. Vance, its you." He acknowledged. "What can I do for you?"
Alyx took a brief look around the corridor on the off chance she may be able to spot Gordon and not need the help of the man before her. This proved futile however.
"Hi, uhm. You haven't seen Gordon around have you? I can't seem to find him."
"Dr. Freeman? Hmm..." The unnamed refugee turned his eyes upward as he scanned his memory trying to recollect where or if he had seen Gordon at all. "Nope, I ain't seen 'em myself. But I seem to remember Ben tellin' me he was headin' into the car garage. Said he looked pretty pissed-off too if memory serves me right."
"The garage?" Alyx thought to herself. "Why would he be going there?"
"You're sure he said he was going to the garage?" Alyx inquired outloud with a bit of bewilderment on her face. He took another moment to make sure his memory wasn't playing tricks on him before reassuring himself and Alyx that he had remembered correctly.
"Yep, pretty sure. Ben said he he almost trampled a couple'o poor bastards on his way out. Said he ain't ever seen the doc like that. No one knew where he was goin' but damned if anyone was gonna try to stop 'em."
Alyx pondered what possible motives Gordon would have for going into the garage, unless...
"Uh, Ms. Vance." Interjected the tattered refugee, interrupting her thoughts in the process. "I just wanted to say I uhm... I'm sorry about your pop, you know. He was a good man."
Alyx was touched by his sentiment, but was at an utter loss for his name. "Thank you, uh..." She smiled politely and paused for a moment allowing him time to fill in the blank.
"Mitchell..." He added, as expected.
"Thank you Mitchell" She remarked with a tender smile. "It means alot to me."
"Yeah..." He responded, looking away from her and touching the back of his neck nervously. Obviously a man not readily open to showing emotion. "Well I better get back to my patrol or Magnusson will have my ass in a sling. Hope you find the Doc Ms. Vance." Nodding as he casually walked away.
"What would Gordon be doing in the garage?" Alyx thought to herself as she turned a corner, heading in that general direction. So focused on her thoughts of finding Gordon she didn't even notice an old friend, as she walked right by him in a rush.
"Hey you..." An all too familiar voice made her eyes light up as she quickly turned to confirm who she thought she had heard.
It was a slender figure, of about average height. He had feathered hair and a rugged face with a prominent five o'clock shadow, clad in dark clothing similar to that of the other rebels, but somehow distinguishing him apart from them as well.
"Barney!" She quickly exclaimed as she rushed over to hug him. "I was wondering where you've been, how are you?"
"Oh, you know, I've been around." He said while still holding her before she slowly pulled away.
"Where have you been? Gordon and I haven't seen you at all since we arrived at White Forest."
"Yeah, well I wasn't here." He responded. "I was out on survivor detail along with some of the others. Once the portal storms started, some of the survivors en route here got scattered. So Eli sent me out to make sure everyone got here alright."
A sudden change in his expression revealed that he had already known what happened with her father. "But then I received a transmission... thats when I heard what happened with your Dad."
The forlorn look returned once more to Alyx's face as she crossed her arms and looked downard, clenching her lips. The urge to cry beckoned her but she was able to hold it back this time.
"How are you holding up?" He asked with genuine concern in his voice and upon his expression.
"Hangin' in there I suppose... I'm doin' better now, but its hard." She responded softly, being cautious not to allow herself to get too swept up in her own emotions.
"Of course it is... Hey..." He approached her slowly. Gently he placed his right hand beneath her chin, using it to slowly lift her gaze bringing her eyes in contact with his.
"You're tough girly, you hang in there ok?" She smiled at him, finding it harder and harder to hold back the tears as her eyes glazed over with fluid once more.
"Thank you Barney." She said in a whisper, embracing him once more, this time in a more tender fashion.
"Well I gotta be goin'." He said regretfully as he slowly let her go.
"Going? Where?" She inquired. "You going back out on survivor detail?"
"Nah, Mike took over that, he and Owen left about 15 minutes ago."
"Ah I see." She responded despite not knowing who any of the people Barney was talking about were; other refugees at White Forest obviously.
"No, I'm actually taking a couple of the guys with me, we're takin' the chopper to go and try to find Dr. Mossman." As he said it, she suddenly remembered the mission that she and Gordon had been tasked with before the advisor attack and the untimely demise of her father.
"Judith! Thats right!" She exclaimed as the memory came rushing back to her. "I completely forgot! Me and Gordon were supposed to go find her and help her. They sent you?"
"Yeah Doc Kleiner asked me to take care of it. Don't you worry none about it though, I'll find her. You've got more important things to worry about now." Alyx nodded in acknowlegement. He began to step away from Alyx.
"Alright, well I really gotta run. Hey and give my regards to Gordon when you see 'em." He said as he started to dash backwards through the corridor. "Tell 'em when this is all over, I do plan to make good on that beer I owe him." He shouted from down the corridor as he was a good distance away from Alyx in moments.
"Okay Barney! I will" she shouted back, as he turned the corner and bolted off out of sight with obvious urgent matters to attend to. "Take care of yourself!" She finished, unsure whether or not he had heard her.
Alyx entered the car garage, at White Forest, quickly surveying the entire room as she searched for Gordon. The large room felt rather empty, despite having a work bench, some scattered tires, a few beat up tool chests, a weathered old 1982 Chevy pickup truck and three dismantled Combine armored personnel carriers; which had been taken by force in three seperate ambushes.
Since the rebellion began, these monsterous, damn near invulnerable, vehicles were sent on regular patrols to any place reported to have rebel activity. Any attempt to attack these armored beasts however, usually ended in one of two ways. If you were lucky, you were killed... blown to pieces by the assault cannon mounted on each vehicle. If you were unlucky however, you were captured - taken back to the Combine's symbol of its towering regime known as the Citadel, to await a fate worst than death as your body was contorted into a conduit of their oppression. Atleast that was before it was more than a smouldering crater of twisted steel.
That was until a certain Dr. Kleiner developed a device which generated an electromagnetic disruption field. The electromagnetic disruption field generators, or EDFGs as he liked to call them, were no larger than a basketball and could be cleverly hidden behind rocks or in the trees amongst the forest, and would passively generate a disruption field roughly half a mile in radius. The moment an APC entered its radius all electronic equipment would abruptly power down, including communications. As the baffled soldiers on-board the now disabled APC would struggle to figure out what caused power failure, they were easy prey for rebel ambush parties. The refugees could then revel in the fruits of their conquests, as the APC's were often stocked with munitions and medical supplies.
"Jenn!" Alyx yelled out as she saw a face from City 17 she recognized.
The young woman looked over in the direction she heard her name called out. It was the same young woman who unlocked the gate, allowing Gordon passage out of the compound.
"Hi Alyx!" she exclaimed while waving, as her face lit up happy to see her old friend.
Alyx approached her while still looking around the room, making sure she didn't just miss Gordon crouched down behind a stack of tires or something.
"Hey, you haven't seen Gordon around here by any chance have you?"
"Dr. Freeman?" She started in. "Yeah he left almost an hour ago, I think he..."
"He left?" Alyx quickly interjected, startling the young lady.
"Uh... yeah... I dunno where he was going, but he looked pretty angry. I figured you guys had sent him on a mission or something?"
Upon hearing this, Alyx released a long drawn out sigh, while stopping and placing her thumb and index finger over her eyes, obviously frustrated.
"I saw one of the vort's talking to him, maybe he knows where he went." Jenn continued nervously. "I didn't really wanna say much to him, I was afraid he'd recognize me from the time I dropped his car off a crane... with him still in it... heh heh..." She laughed nervously as she squinted her eyes, preparing herself for a possible verbal thrashing.
"Vort? Which vort? who?" Alyx interrogated her now intimidated friend.
"Uh... I... I'm not sure." She stuttered in response. "They all just kinda look the same to me."
"So he just left and you don't even bother to..." Alyx stopped herself as she felt her anger and frustration start to get the better of her. "I'm sorry..." she said with a sigh "I'm sorry Jenn... It just... nevermind. Thanks for your help."
She turned with a jerk, and walked away leaving her friend behind with a nervous look on her face.
"Uh... ok... bye then." She said timidly, secretly hoping that Alyx wouldn't hear her and incline her to return for some reason.
Alyx hadn't taken three steps, when she heard a voice call to her from behind a support column she hadn't seemed to notice when she first came in.
"The Alyx Vance must heed." Recognizing the vernacular of a vortigaunt's eloquent speech, she stopped straightaway, coming face to face with the large red pupil of the green skinned alien.
"You! Are you the vortigaunt that spoke to Gordon? Do you know where he went?" Alyx beckoned, desperately waiting for an answer.
The vortigaunt closed his multitude of eyes and clasped his hands together as he nodded. "The Free Man has gone." he began. "He seeks to end those who have cut the tendrils of the Eli Vance's life"
"Wait..." interrupted Alyx. "Are you saying that he's gone after the advisors that killed my father?" Her breathing becoming rapid, as she began to panic.
"But... He can't fight those things! Not on his own. Oh god, Gordon!" Alyx exclaimed frantically as she tried to figure out what if anything she could do, desperate now to not lose her father and Gordon in the same day.
"Hey! You!" She shouted over to two of the refugees, standing by the workbench conversing. They both looked over at her as she interrupted their conversation. Seeing that she had their attention, she continued.
"This truck workin?" She inquired as she pointed at the primer colored '82 Pickup, which looked like it would fit in perfectly at a scrapyard. The two men glanced back at eachother for a moment, before one of them responded.
"Uh yeah!" he shouted in response. "She don't look like much, but she's runnin. Just fueled 'er up myself!"
"You got the keys?" Alyx demanded, walking toward the truck.
"Yeah..." He patted himself, searching for the keys on his person. "Somewhere... Ah! Here they are!" He said, pulling the keys out of his right pant pocket, and tossing them over to Alyx.
"Jenn! Open the gate!" Shouted Alyx, as she opened the vehicle door, climbing into the driver seat.
Without the slightest incling of hesitation, the woman at the gate quickly released the gate lock and it began to slide open with the usual mechanical rumblings.
Alyx put the key into the ignition, a look of pure determination overtaking her face. She turned the key, the engine rumbled but didn't turn over.
"Come on start..." She said to herself frustratedly. She tried again, cranking the key, this time the engine letting out a loud rumble as it turned over.
Suddenly the passenger door swung open and in climbed the Vortigaunt she just spoke with, closing the door behind him.
"Where you goin?" She asked as she waited for the gate to finish opening.
"The Alyx Vance may need assistance, should we find the Free Man, as he will most likely not be alone."
The mechanical screech of the gate came to a hault as it was now fully open.
"Fine with me." Alyx responded, as she shifted the truck into 'D' and slammed down on the gas hard. The wheels cried out in a blaze of smoke as the truck bolted off into the night.