Chapter 07 – Yet Another Problem pt. 2
Gordon Freeman picked up his shotgun and cocked it. Dr. Kliener just reported that the Combine had set out a cleaning squad to wipe out all traces of human threat in the White Forest.
"We have to stop those soldiers before they find us or the White Forest base." Gordon said. Quickly, he had an idea. "Do you have a RPG or rope in this base?" he asked one of the rebels.
"Yeah, Check the ammo closet." The rebel replied.
"Good. First we need to get that RPG and the rope. Then we need to get up the elevator shaft." Gordon replied. The group ran to the entrance hallway to move the plan in motion. The rebels gave Gordon the RPG and a long length of rope. Then they got the elevator operational. Gordon set the RPG against the left wall then quickly pulled out a case of grenades and loaded it onto the elevator. Alyx tried to get on it with him, but he refused.
"Why not?" She asked. Gordon kissed her before boarding the elevator.
"I promise I'll come back. I just don't want to put you in harm's way." Alyx nodded in agreement and let Gordon hit the button to rise in the elevator. "Load up the RPG and be ready with it when I come back." Again she nodded. Gordon was armed with the crate of grenades, the length of rope, an SMG, and his Shotgun. He was ready for the Combine. The elevator shaft was quickly shrouded in darkness as Gordon rose above the exit. 30 seconds later, the shaft was filled with a familiar purple light. Two Vortigaunts had teleported on both sides of Gordon illuminating the shaft with a great light emanating from their left hands. "You could not have come at a better time."
"As Zenlo said earlier, the Freeman will always have the support of the Vortigaunt brethren." The Vort on Gordon's left said.
"Do you two have names as Zenlo does?" Gordon asked.
"Yes." The Vort on Gordon's right said. "I am Lo-gen and this is my brother Rezlan. Thank the Freeman for asking. The Freeman is the first human to ever honor a Vortigaunt with the pleasure of using their given name." Freeman felt a good sensation at that. "What is the plan the Freeman has devised?" Gordon elaborated his plan to the Vortigaunts. When they agreed, Gordon knew they would triumph.
The elevator reached the top of the shaft and Gordon and the two Vorts went to work. The Vorts placed two grenades in each corner of the shack on the surface. Gordon climbed on top of the elevator and placed a grenade on the ceiling in a crack. There was a hatch on the floor of the elevator that leaded to the shaft below. Gordon quickly opened the hatch and climbed below the elevator. He unraveled the rope and tied it a bar on the elevator's floor supports. Before descending the rope, Gordon looked up at the two Vortigaunts above in the shack. He nodded to them, signaling the plan to go into action. The Vortigaunts remembered every word of Gordon's plan. They were to lure the approaching Combine into the shack. Once all of them were inside, the Vortigaunts were to teleport downstairs to the base. Once there, Gordon was to fire the RPG at the elevator's floor, effectively killing the Combine by setting off the Grenades above and sealing the entrance of the rebel base. After that happens, Alyx and Gordon would be free to escape in the teleporter. The plan was fool-proof. Gordon rappeled down the rope and safely landed at the bottom of the shaft.
"Thank God Gordon! After seeing that weird light above us, we thought the worst." Alyx said.
"Is the RPG loaded?" Gordon asked, quickly changing the subject. Alyx nodded and gave Gordon the great gun. "Good. Now we wait." Above, the Vortigaunts had alerted the Combine to their presence. Gordon could hear the clatter of footsteps echoing through the elevator shaft. The Vortigaunts appeared behind the group of rebels.
"The Freeman's plans have gone well. The Combine took the bait." The muffled voices of the Combine soldiers could be heard.
"Look there's an elevator. Be ready for anything below." One Combine said. Gordon could hear the soldiers walking onto the elevator. He reacted quickly with the RPG.
"Stand back!" he yelled. The RPG shot a rocket up the shaft. Gordon heard it hit the elevator. Above, the shocking blast detonated the many grenades in the shack. The Combine soldiers, if not dead, were to be trapped in the falling rubble of the collapsing shack. Soon the rubble began to fall down the shaft. "Get away from the shaft!" Gordon yelled. He immediately ran to Alyx. He knocked her to safety and covered her with himself. The rubble from the shack and the remains of the elevator came crashing down in a pile of flaming wood, rocks, and metal. Once the smoke cleared, Gordon got up to assess the damage. The rebels had gotten away safely, as did the Vortigaunts. The elevator shaft was blocked with the many rocks and the metal bars that once were the elevator.
"Well, looks like the only way out of here now is the teleporter." Alyx remarked. Gordon was about to speak again when a new ungodly sound was heard. A high-pitched screech ran through the air. There were still a few holes in the rubble of the elevator shaft and the sound echoed through them. One of the rebels looked up through one of the holes in the rubble wall. The rebel screamed loudly and jumped back from the wall.
"AHHH! Headcrabs! The blast must have disturbed their nests. There are hundreds of them!" the rebel screamed. Gordon knew what needed to be done.
"Lo-gen, Rezlan, go start the teleporter! Input coordinates for the Aperture Science Center Resistance base in Alaska! Now!" the two Vortigaunts ran down the hall to do just that. "Alyx get the equipment, it's time to go!" Alyx quickly stole a kiss from Gordon before she ran off to collect their equipment. Gordon picked up his SMG just as head crabs began to swarm the elevator shaft. They ran out of the gaps in the rubble by the dozen. Gordon and the rebels fired indiscriminately at the swarms of headcrabs. Of the 8 rebels in the hallway, 3 were attacked by the little beasts. Before they had a chance to change to zombies, Gordon mercy killed them at great reluctance. There were way too many for Gordon to take on alone. Suddenly, Gordon heard Alyx's voice from behind him, down the hallway, in the conference room.
"Gordon, the portal is ready! Get over here!" She yelled. Gordon turned to the rebel captain so as to ask 'are you okay'.
"Go Dr. Freeman! We'll hold them off!" Gordon turned and ran down the hallway. Alyx met him at the lab room door. The two quickly ran to the teleporter across the room. This teleporter was different than Dr. Kliener's. The platform did not need to be raised. All you needed to do was input the coordinates and fire the portal laser at the travelers. Lo-gen and Rezlan stood at the control panel.
"Go Freeman Go!" they yelled. A loud explosion rocked the hallway behind them. The rebel captain had detonated a grenade killing some headcrabs and the rest of the rebels. It was probably to stop his troops from becoming zombies. His sacrifice was for nothing though. The head crabs swarmed the conference room. Gordon and Alyx threw their equipment on the teleporter and jumped on themselves. Just as the headcrabs were about to attack them, Lo-gen and Rezlan activated the portal laser and disappeared themselves. The laser hit Gordon and Alyx and time seemed to stop before them. A headcrab stopped in mid-air in front of the two. They suddenly felt a pulling sensation and they surrendered to the blue light that engulfed them.
