Since my favourite reviewer just wrote to me, I've decided to be generous and upload the next chapter. Can't wait to see your impression, Still Bullet.
Of course that doesn't meant I want other people not reviewing. C'mon guys it only takes a few seconds of your time.
IMPORTANT: I started a poll at my profile for the next HL fic that you guys want to see from me, there's a few options to choose from. If you're not gonna review at least take the two seconds to go to my profile and click a button.
Though Gordon's perceptions were filled with nothing but blackness, a sub-conscious portion of his mind was still listening to the real world, the part of him that wasn't letting go.
"Gordon! Gordon!" Alyx desperately cried as she hovered over his unmoving form.
A couple of medics quickly grabbed Gordon and dragged him to a nearby med-centre.
While Gordon felt himself slowly slipping away from the mortal plane, a white light gave off a brief illumination in Gordon's mind. The brief amount of light allowed Gordon to see a figure that he wasn't the least surprised at seeing. Inside Gordon's mind, was the G-Man.
"It would app…ear that you are quite….destructive, Doctor Freeman." The G-Man said in a droning voice as he stepped closer to Gordon. "A fact I knew since Black Mesa…but I must ad…mit that you have…surprised me. The Borealis……has been com…pletely destroyed. The blast…even served to…tie up, the loose end….regarding the Combine."
"Like all good employ….ers, I do not….lie to my workers. You are dying, Doctor Freeman. But my employers are….off…ering you a choice. You can ei…ther con…tinue to assist, or…." The G-Man gave a light sneer before continuing, "well, you can….cling….to the few...minutes of life you have……remain…ing."
A white background was a sharp contrast to the black void inside Gordon's mind as a small doorway appeared. Turning to his 'employer' Gordon saw a grim smile touch his exceedingly pale face as he mocked, "Decisions, decisions."
Gordon didn't even move a muscle; he'd grown weary of these games. Being catapulted around the galaxy, forcing to 'tie up loose ends' for someone he didn't have the slightest clue about was not very appealing.
More than that, Gordon's thoughts drifted to Alyx. If he was given the choice of being able to live and never see Alyx again or die after accomplishing a tremendous feat. Gordon chose death. Being able to live without Alyx would tear him apart. Over the course of the hardships the two had been forced to share, Gordon had grown to admire her skills, intelligence, and her sense of humor. She alone had given Gordon a sense of safety and security that he hadn't felt since the Resonance Cascade.
After thirty seconds of waiting, the G-Man closed the door. The same grim smile still etched across his features as he said, "No matter, there are still…..others I have pro…cured for future use, hmm. No regrets, Mr. Freeman."
A bright flash filled Gordon's vision as his surroundings changed. White light filled Gordon's blurry vision and, through his still hazy mind, Gordon could hear rebel medics shouting.
"Get those bandages around his leg. We need to stop the bleeding!"
"The IV is in his suit's port but he's not responding."
"Give me 20CCs of Inaprobalene." A medic quickly returned with a syringe filled with the requested compound.
"No change." One of the medics reported after the compound had been injected into his system. "His red blood cell count is extremely low, he needs oxygen!"
"Get a respirator!"
One of the medics retrieved a small case from a nearby metal shelf. Inside the foam lined object was a re-breathing mask. The medic quickly grabbed the mask and placed it over Gordon's mouth. A few tense seconds passed by with everyone holding their breath in anticipation. The low oxygen level displayed on the console continued a slow climb until it levelled off at an amount that was barley enough to keep Gordon stabilized.
The med staff exhaled a sigh of relief, two of the medics wrapped blankets around Gordon to keep his body temperature stable, it would be a hard fight to get him to return to normal.
"Is Gordon going to be okay?" Alyx asked a medic as soon as he stepped out of the med-centre.
"He's stabilized for now, but he's lost enough blood to severely deplete his oxygen supply. He'll need to be kept in here for a while."
"Bottom line: Do you think he'll make it?" Barney asked as he placed a comforting hand on Alyx's shoulder.
"It's hard to say," the medic said as he glanced back at Gordon's unmoving form. "If the HEV suit wasn't capable of regulating his body temperature he would probably have broken down a while ago. It is Gordon Freeman though, so I think he'll be just fine."
Barney looked over at Gordon as he whispered, "Fight it buddy, fight it."
A large part of Gordon was doing just that, the part of him that had to see Alyx again refused to let go. And it was that part of him that would ultimately save his life.
It only took a few hours for Gordon's red blood cells to regenerate to a point where Gordon no longer felt weak and cold. For the first time since the G-Man had left him here, Gordon opened his eyes. Bright fluorescent light flooded his vision, making him squeeze his eyes shut.
After waiting a minute for his eyes to adjust, he reopened them to see a very concerned, almost grief-stricken Alyx looking down at him. Her eyes almost seemed to sparkle with joy as she threw her arms around him. Gordon lazily returned her affection by wrapping his still weak arms around her as he held her close.
A few minutes passed by before Alyx reluctantly pulled away, a nervous smile still showing on her face. Gordon looked into her eyes as he whispered, "Alyx, I need…to tell you something."
Alyx looked at Gordon in excitement, either in anticipation of what he was going to say or because he was speaking to her. She gazed at him as she whispered, "Yes?"
Gordon felt somewhat nervous as he tried to figure out how to word his statement. A reassuring squeeze on his arm made him look at her, "Alyx…I—" Gordon was interrupted again as time came to a screeching halt and the colour seemed to fade from the world. Not again, Gordon thought exasperatedly.
But Gordon's fears were realized as soon as he heard, "Problems, Doctor Freeman. There is a…problem." Gordon grimaced as the G-Man appeared again, this time right in the middle of the med-centre. "You may have been able to….cheat…death Mr. Freeman. But that…will come to…haunt you. Your service is still….required; another matter has just…..come to…my attention. You will need to….come with me." The G-Man stopped in front of Alyx before turning to face Gordon and saying, "Of course….if you are…unwilling to comply….I will take the liberty of recruiting….another." Gordon's 'employer' casted a suggestive glance at Alyx, clearly indicating that she would be conscripted if Gordon were to refuse.
Gordon looked at Alyx, her eyes hopeful as she waited for Gordon to say something he never could say now. So be it, Gordon thought as he grimly nodded his acceptance. While his 'employer' looked at him with a sly smile and said, "A wise decision, Doctor Freeman. Now we'll be…on our way."
Before The G-Man could teleport Gordon to somewhere else in the galaxy, a malicious voice spoke. "Such a decision," the voice shouted in a venomous tone, "is clearly unacceptable!"
Who the hell was that voice from. A couple of reviews will get you the next chapter! Oh I know, such manipulation.
And you might be thinking what the hell is Inaprobalene, well your guess is as good as mine. I made it up. Oh and I apologize if the whole Medic scene sounded like something from one of those hospital TV shows, that's wasn't my intention.
IMPORTANT: I started a poll at my profile for the next HL fic that you guys want to see from me, there's a few options to choose from. If you're not gonna review at least take the two seconds to go to my profile and click a button.