Disclaimer: I don't own Half-Life.
Aftermath
Chapter Five: Exit 17
Thunder rumbled from far behind them, echoing out from the Citadel miles away. Ash from the steadily worsening reaction at the reactor's core drifted down like falling snow. The sky was an apocalyptic red and black, foretelling the destruction that was to come.
Barney waved them over from ahead, and Alyx led the way. They were on a patch of road overlooking a grassy hill, split in the middle by a double-lane road sloping down. It led down to what was once the parking lot of the train station, the entrance to which was on the far right hand corner of the building. Huge, rusting, foreign writing had been erected above the building, in danger of falling apart. Old, dilapidated cars and vans were littered around the parking lot, loose tyres and barrels left all over the place like forgotten children's toys.
They walked to Barney, who waited for them at the bottom of the grass.
"There you are," he said stressfully, clearly trying not to sound too scornful. "I was wondering if you were gonna make it on time."
Alyx sighed and shook her head. "Sorry to keep you waiting, the Combine's on our tail. What's the plan?"
They walked and talked, flanking Barney on either side as he spoke, leading them to a doorway in the warehouse on the left.
"I've already sent some folks out in groups, but there's quite a few left. Like I said before," he said, fixing Gordon with a warning look, "if you can keep them safe and provide cover, we might actually stand a chance of reaching the escape trains."
"Sounds good," Alyx nodded, bringing her shotgun down from her shoulder and grasping it confidently between her hands. "Send out the first group."
Giving them both a 'don't disappoint me' look, Barney backed up into the corridor of the warehouse and shouted into it, cupping his hand around his mouth.
"Here we go!"
Three citizens, unarmed and looking more than a little jittery, emerged and stepped out into daylight. Gordon recognised some of them from the safe house. They looked warily between Gordon and Alyx. He let her take over the uplifting speech part of the job; he'd concentrate on keeping them alive.
"Okay, people, three rules. Follow us, don't wander off, do what we say. They'll keep you alive. Got that?"
Without pause, they nodded, looking just as frightened of Alyx as they did the situation in general.
Alyx took a breath, nodded to Gordon, and they set off through the parking lot, struggling to navigate through the maze of cars and vans. The entrance they were using took them through an old and dusty repair warehouse. A metal walkway ran above their heads, going around the right-hand wall and stretching along the opposite wall. Murky light shone in from the windows far above the walkways, though it was enough to show them the drop from the platform they stood upon.
A train car beside them was suspended above the ground on enormous metal rails, though one end had collapsed, wedging into the ground beside them. The path they took led them to the left beneath the train, giving them a view of another train car on metal girders, this one secure. Slipping beneath that, they saw a doorway on a platform on the left, a machinegun mounted beside it.
They cautiously made their way into the well lit corridor. Well-lit places made Gordon nervous. Always trying to make you feel at ease, getting you to relax, until something jumped put at you, usually biting or slashing. Gordon didn't like biting or slashing things. He liked bullets and explosions even less.
This corridor, however, was fine, snaking to the left and then to the right before bringing them into a coolly lit Combine waiting area, the entrance to which was wide open. Two more doors inside offered a way forward, one at the far end of the room, another open on the wall on Gordon's right. Both of them were behind a wall of chain-linked fence, no doubt for citizens being 'checked in'. Through the right-hand door, Gordon could see the train waiting. Alyx ushered the citizens through.
"Hurry it up, people," she urged quietly, as though afraid they were going to be overheard. They didn't need telling twice, and rushed out onto the platform, disappearing off to the right to board the train. Gordon and Alyx walked back through the corridor. Apparently having learnt nothing from their train crash, Alyx shrugged cheerfully. "Well that wasn't so hard. We should've brought everyone over at once!"
He gave her a look that indicated he disapproved of this train of thought, but she didn't seem to notice, instead focusing her attention on the mounted machinegun as they emerged into the warehouse.
"Go back and get another group," she said firmly, resting her shotgun against the wall, "I'll stay here and guard the gate."
Gordon nodded, hopping over the metal steps ahead of him before looking back with a nod. "See you soon."
The journey back was uneventful, which made Gordon even more uncomfortable as he arrived back at Barney's warehouse.
"C'mon, people, that train's not gonna stay forever!" the ex-security guard hollered, and four more citizens emerged. Two were armed, two were not. One of the unarmed was a medic, the same woman who had called Cubbage an idiot back at the safe house. She gave him a terse nod before waving an arm towards the train station.
"Okay, um… three rules, uh… follow, and…" He sighed and shrugged. "I can't remember. Just be… smart, I suppose."
Barney clapped, nodding over-appreciatively. After shooting his highly amused friend a glare, Gordon nodded back to the train station and led the way. He froze when he heard a Combine armoured van, revving ominously before appearing from behind the building Alyx and Gordon had made their way through to get here.
"Back," he said quietly, holding his arms out and backing up towards the warehouse. With a rushing sound, the van fired a rocket. It swerved towards them, hitting the side of the warehouse, though fortunately around the corner from the doorway. The room shook, dust floating down from the ceiling.
Frustrated, Gordon looked at the crowd of citizens and rebels before him, some he recognised, others he didn't. But they were all looking to him to save them, to lead the way. Then he spotted something wedged into the belt of one of the rebels. Blowing out a breath through his nose, Gordon looked over at Barney.
"Those rockets…"
"Yeah?"
"What are they?"
Barney frowned. "They're… rockets, Gordon."
He rolled his eyes. "No, but… laser guided, like the rocket launchers, or-"
"Oh! I gotcha. Uh, heat seeking, I think."
"Okay," Gordon nodded, before wordlessly pointing to the flare that one of the rebels had shoved into his belt. It was the Cubbage fan. With a flick of his fingers, he indicated for the rebel to hand it over. Nervously, and clearly not sure whether he was doing the right thing, he pressed it into Gordon's waiting palm.
"Thanks," he muttered, studying it and setting his shotgun and Gravity Gun aside for the moment. It was the same type of flare he had used when he and Alyx were underground. He looked up to them and indicated to the four citizens he had originally been leading.
"Once the van's gone, run to the train station. Wait at the entrance for me." He moved to the doorway, then stopped and looked back at them. "Uh, unless I get blown up. Then just… go without me."
"Ladies and gentlemen, Gordon Freeman, saviour of the world," Barney muttered to the sky before putting his face in his palm.
Gordon took a breath, ready to retort, though nothing came to mind. Mouth clamped shut, Gordon just ran out into the open. The van fired a missile, and Gordon started running, heading uphill. He clambered up onto a pickup truck, reaching the cab and leaping to the grassy ground ahead of it. The rocket hit the cab just before his feet hit the grass, throwing him further into the air and towards the road at the top of the slope. Rolling along the ground, Gordon ended up in a crouch.
He pulled the cord on the flare and it burst to life, leaving a halo of flickering pink light around his feet. Another missile fired, arching into the air before rolling down towards him. Still crouching, Gordon tossed the flare along the ground, and it skittered along before coming to a rest beneath the van. Gordon lay back and winced as the rocket curved past his face, its hot, smoky vapour trail making his glasses steam up. It hit the side of the van with a thumping bang so loud it left his ears ringing, the explosion sending him rolling back along the ground.
For a few moments, Gordon allowed himself to simply lay there, staring up at the steadily darkening sky. Then he heard Combine radios squawking from the rooftop of the building just in front of him. Two leapt down towards him from opposite sides of the building, rappelling down. With a sigh, Gordon heaved himself to his feet and grabbed the crowbar, as useless as it would be.
It didn't even become a problem. Several well aimed bullets hit the soldiers in their backs as they moved down the building, and they tumbled down multiple stories before hitting the ground with a wince-inducing crunch. Looking back to the warehouse, Gordon saw Barney with his pulse rifle raised. His old friend waved cheerily.
Gordon ran back to the warehouse, where Barney was grinning inanely.
"Now that's the Gordon Freeman I know!"
He frowned at Barney, confused. "Did I blow up many vans at Black Mesa?"
"Well, no, but… hell, you know what I mean, Gordon."
Although he wanted to disagree, Gordon shrugged and nodded his head, acceding the point. He scooped up the shotgun Gravity Gun before gesturing for the group of four to follow him. The journey was blissfully uneventful, and Gordon left the citizens to Alyx rather than escort them down the corridor and to the train platform. Time was of the essence, as the now regular rumbles of thunder from the Citadel were reminding him.
Moving his way back through the car park, he found himself surprised when he turned around a van and came face to face with a CP. They both backed away from one another, the CP bringing up his handgun as Gordon blasted him in the chest with the shotgun. The impact sent him rolling back, his radio flatlining. The noise in itself brought back memories of just a few days ago, wandering aimlessly through the streets of City 17, just doing what he was told and getting used to the idea that he was apparently the messiah.
Gordon sighed. Ah, nostalgia.
There were more metrocops hiding away between him and the warehouse, though Barney and the accompanying rebels leant a helping hand when they could. Manhacks whirred through the air, and Gordon tossed the now empty shotgun aside and brought the Gravity Gun around. The metrocops were occupied with the cornered Barney, which left Gordon to contend with the half dozen Manhacks that swarmed around him.
Much to his frustration, he could only catch them with the Gravity Gun one at a time, and his suit informed him of minor lacerations all over his body. Not that he needed telling; those blades hurt, even when he was protected by an electrically rigid armour. Finally, though, he managed to dispose of them all, smashing them into walls, cars, and occasionally, each other.
And then there was one, which Gordon authoritatively escorted to the warehouse, where one last CP was attempting to get a lucky shot at Barney and the others. Gordon snuck up beside him. The Metrocop did a double glance in his direction, before staring helplessly at the Manhack suspended in front of him. Gordon fired, hitting the CP in the face, cracking the ghoulish white mask and leaving him unconscious on the floor. His radio flatlined as Gordon moved into the warehouse.
"Let's go, please," he said, eyes scanning the area outside.
"Come on, people, move it," Barney urged. Checking over his shoulder, Gordon saw four more citizens gathered behind him. These three had also been among those he had seen in the safe house.
Gordon nodded and set off, checking the building opposite for any soldiers rappelling down or uninvited armoured vans pulling up. Nothing. He did, however, notice a strange noise coming from behind him, and looked back to see the leather shoulder strap of the Gravity Gun trailing along the floor behind him.
"Manhacks," he growled, almost imperceptibly.
They moved through into the repair warehouse, where an Elite stood atop the walkway above them, his rifle aimed at the askew train car. The familiar sound of the pulse rifle's alternate fire charging echoed through the warehouse.
"Combine!" one of the citizens shouted, and all four of them brought their small machineguns to bear. They all fired their grenade launchers at the same time, the explosives arching through the air towards the white-clad soldier.
With a sudden burst of sound and light, the orb of energy shot out just as the grenades reached the soldier, annihilating him instantly. The orb bounced against the train and knocked it from its mooring, sending the whole thing crashing to the ground. A cloud of dust billowed out from beneath, though Gordon kept his eye on the energy orb. It collided with the section of the catwalk just beside them, sending it tumbling down to the ground and creating a makeshift ramp. Following the path it created, Gordon saw that it could take them up and over the train car that now blocked the old route.
He nodded for the others to follow, but as he set a boot on the bottom of the ramp, Gordon felt a bad tingle in his gut and ducked down, waving his hand to the others for them to do the same. Every time he had fought them before, Elites were in pairs. Except Victor, but he was a special case. A very special case. Gordon hadn't really allowed himself to think too hard about the fact he had been Kaufman.
He blinked the thought away. They had fought differently. Victor had been strength and speed, but undisciplined. Elites were all about speed and technique. And they were always in pairs. Looking to the window behind the charred remains of the Elite the rebels had dispatched, he saw it was untouched. Gordon cast a suspicious look around the warehouse, his gaze drawn to a skylight above the second train car, still hidden from their view by the first. It was missing, and Gordon could just make out two rappelling cables that dangled down through the threshold.
"Wait here," he whispered. "I'll tell you when it's safe."
"Unless you get blown up?" one of the rebels whispered. Looking back, Gordon saw it was the Cubbage fan.
He sighed and nodded. "Unless I get blown up, then just go."
Gravity Gun clutched in his gloved hands, Gordon started sprinting, boots clanking and clattering against the metal walkway. There was an Elite stood atop the second train, pulse rifle aimed and at the ready. He opened fire, bullets pounding into walls and sparking against metal pillars as Gordon frantically ran towards him. A couple of the bullets hit home, striking against his side and leg.
Limping as he approached the train car, Gordon leapt from the ledge, Gravity Gun in front of him as he landed roughly on the metal surface of the train. Rolling until he was on his back looking up at the Elite, Gordon blasted the pulse rifle from his hands and over the edge of the train. In response, the Elite lashed out with a blur of a kick, yanking the Gravity Gun out of Gordon's grip and sending it hurtling to the ground below.
On his feet in an instant, Gordon pulled out the crowbar. They circled each other, and Gordon had to glance down sporadically to watch his footing on the smooth, curved surface. He swung the crowbar down onto the Elite's head. The soldier promptly blocked the blow and grabbed his wrist, causing Gordon to clench his jaw more in frustration than pain. These ones were irritatingly quick. A black gloved fist zoomed out, smashing him across the chin with a right hook, then a backhand. The Elite latched on to his crowbar arm, yanking Gordon up and tossing him over his shoulder and off the train car.
Lashing out with the crowbar, Gordon smashed the car window just below him as he fell, managing to hook the end of the crowbar on the bottom of the window frame. With a few grunts of effort, he managed to haul himself into the train, collapsing onto the gap usually reserved for the disabled or mothers with strollers.
Without a moment's pause, the Elite swung down through the window opposite, showering Gordon in glass. He easily blocked another swing of the crowbar, responding with a right hook to the chin and left jab to the belly, which hurt far more than Gordon would have expected. The Elite grabbed Gordon's crowbar wrist and twisted it, forcing the tool from his hand. With his forearm pressed against Gordon's throat, he pushed him until his back was arched out of the window. Gordon's arms flailed uselessly, unable to accomplish anything against the thick white armour.
Then, thinking for just a moment, he reached for his face and slowly removed his glasses. The Elite followed his hand as he did so, looking as surprised as a featureless one eyed mask could manage. Fingers wrapped around the lenses, Gordon raised one finger, as though he were about to make a point.
He then poked the Elite in the eye, jabbing as quickly and deeply as he could. The soldier cried out and loosened his grip. Gordon followed it up with a head butt that was the entire reason for removing his glasses, which, while probably not painful, was forceful enough to drive the Elite stumbling away from him. With a cry that surprised even him, Gordon charged at the soldier, grabbing him by the scruff of his body armour and his leg, yanking him up and tossing him out of the window.
Gordon slipped on his glasses and winced when he heard the soldier collide with the concrete below. Poking his head out, he saw the still form of the Elite staring back up at him. He looked to the left and saw Alyx at the mounted machinegun, her wide, dumbfounded eyes on him.
Rather than explain, he just pointed down at the soldier. "I'd shoot him. Might not be dead."
Alyx did just that while he picked up the crowbar and searched for a way out of the train. Clambering down wasn't really worth the trouble, so Gordon moved to the window and leapt out, landing awkwardly on the body of the Elite. He rolled away and stumbled to his feet, dusting himself off pointlessly.
"Sorry," he muttered down at the Elite, ignoring the body as he retrieved the Gravity Gun. He cupped his hand over his mouth and tilted his head up towards the other end of the warehouse. "Safe now!"
He heard a few hushed commands between the citizens before he saw them emerge up the walkway from behind the train. While he waited for them to arrive, Gordon wandered over to Alyx, Gravity Gun limply by his side.
"How's it going?" Alyx asked with a wry smile.
"Fine, not many left now," he replied, distracted by Alyx's shotgun, lying by her feet. Eyebrows raised, he held the Gravity Gun up. "Trade you."
She looked down to the rifle, sighed, and nodded. Gordon gingerly put the Gravity Gun down, and scooped up the shotgun with more gusto than he was comfortable with. The rebels rushed past, giving a nod of thanks as they went.
"Thanks, Freeman!" the last one cried surprisingly loud, making both Gordon and Alyx lean back, eyes wide.
"You're popular."
"Yeah…" He blinked it away, and patted the mounted machinegun. "Back soon."
The journey back was uneventful, which made Gordon hope against hope that maybe the Combine had exhausted their supply of soldiers.
Ha. And again, Ha.
Gordon had worked out a route through the vehicles strewn about the parking lot, and managed to sprint his way through it rather swiftly, arriving at Barney's warehouse a little breathlessly. From the other side of the station, the train's horn blasted out. It was a very pedestrian noise, dull and ordinary. Something about it was rather comforting, actually.
"To the trains, people! We'll make sure you get there safe and sound!"
With an affirmative nod to the parking lot, Barney let Gordon lead the way for the four remaining citizens. They were halfway there when Gordon cast a casual glance back. That was when he spotted the blue laser zeroing in on Barney's chest, projecting out from a blackened window from the building across the parking lot. Gordon sprinted at his old friend, leaping forward and knocking him to the ground as the gunshot rang out.
The impact of the bullet threw Gordon back into a dumpster. It rolled back noisily before colliding with the wall.
"Get down!" Barney barked, sliding to Gordon in a crouch. "Gordon, you okay?"
"Mmm…" he groaned, face down on the ground.
"Can you walk?"
Scrunching up his face, Gordon slowly shook his head. "Don't want to…"
Barney laughed and gave him a shove. "Come on, Gordon. One Free Man's got more work to do."
Sighing, Gordon pressed his palms to the floor and pushed himself up into a sitting position, keeping his head down. He winced as he rubbed the back of his sore neck.
"Barney?"
"Yeah?"
"Being the One Free Man sucks."
"Try carryin' a crowbar for twenty years," he muttered, before rushing along to the next piece of cover, an ageing yellow van.
Grumbling to himself again, Gordon followed along. Keeping their heads down and running as quickly as their awkward postures would allow, they managed to reach the warehouse safely enough, though Gordon's back still hurt where the sniper bullet had punched against it.
They moved up the ramp and past the window shining down on the dead Elite. It shattered just as Barney moved beneath it, showering him in glass.
"Jesus!" he cried, ducking his head down while he whirled the pulse rifle to face the Elite that leapt down between himself and Gordon.
Gordon looked to the four rebels as the Elite hit Barney in the face with the butt of his rifle.
"Go!"
They didn't need telling twice, and sprinted away from them as the Elite whirled on the spot, batting the shotgun from Gordon's hands and sending it spiralling off the gantry and to the ground below. Barney brought up his own rifle, only to have it knocked upwards by a quick jab of the Elite's palm and quickly followed by an elbow to the face. The ex-security guard stumbled back as Gordon whipped out the crowbar, swinging it around at the Elite's head.
The Combine soldier turned in time to block the metal bar, responding with a jab to the stomach which managed to wind him through the HEV suit and send him stumbling back.
"Gordon!" Barney yelled, and both Gordon and Elite whipped their gaze around to watch him throw his pulse rifle into the air and over the soldier's head. The Elite's gaze followed it through the air, giving Barney the time to charge at the distracted soldier and ram him into the metal pillar behind him, grappling for the Elite's rifle and aiming it up into the air.
Reaching up, Gordon snatched Barney's pulse rifle out of the air and whirled it around to face the Elite in time for Barney to disengage, falling onto his rear and watching as Gordon blasted several holes in the soldier.
Blowing out a quick, grateful breath, Barney clambered to his feet and held out his hands to Gordon.
Gordon frowned down at the open palms for a moment before his brain caught on. "Oh! Sure," he said, handing over the rifle.
Smiling and shaking his head, Barney nodded at Gordon, and they moved on, quickly joined by Alyx when they passed the mounted machinegun.
"Nice job, guys," Alyx said cheerfully. "Everyone safe. About time we had a win."
As Gordon scooped up the Gravity Gun, Alyx eyed the area around him suspiciously, as though looking for something.
"Where's my shotgun?"
Gordon felt his face redden, and Barney snorted a laugh.
Alyx sighed, hands on her hips. "Remind me never to give you anything valuable to look after."
They moved on when the chatter of Combine radios echoed from the other side of the warehouse. Running to the boarding area, Alyx zapped the controls beside the Combine gate, closing the door behind them.
"That should keep them off our backs for awhile."
The room was empty, all of the rebels and citizens having loaded onto the waiting train by now. Barney ran straight to the doorway to the platform, ducking his head out and looking up and down the platform before turning to face them.
"You guys comin'?"
Alyx shook her head as she crossed over to him.
"Go on, Barney, they're not after you. Gordon and I will draw their attention while you get the others away from here. We can grab another train once you're clear."
Barney seemed to blanch at the suggestion, blinking in surprise before scrunching up his face in refusal. He glanced to Gordon, who just nodded in agreement with Alyx. Looking just that little bit sadder, Barney looked to Alyx, a resigned smile on his face.
"Okay, then. Don't take too long about it, yeah? And look after Gordon, y'know he can't keep himself out of trouble."
She laughed. "No, he really can't." Her laugh melted into a warm smile. "Be careful, Barney." She wrapped her arms around him, and Barney closed his eyes as squeezed her with his free arm.
They released each other, and with a smile, Alyx nodded before rushing past, heading to the control panel beside the closed door on the other side of the room. "Here, let's open up this next track."
While they watched her work, Barney leant over and spoke to Gordon. "She never stops, does she?"
With a sigh, Gordon shook his head. "No."
After a few moments silence, Barney took a deep breath and faced him. "Okay, then. See ya later, Gordon. Don't go gettin' killed now. I still owe you that beer."
He smiled. "Does beer even exist anymore?"
"God, Gordon, I hope so. Somewhere, somehow, I hope there's a bar untouched by all of this, with a pool table, darts, American football on the TV and a waitress wearin' daisy dukes who loves all my jokes and thinks the grey in my hair makes me look distinguished." His eyes took on a mock, dreaming look, and he saluted. "That's the dream, Gordon. That's the dream."
Their shared laughed didn't last long, draining away as the train's horn sounded again and Alyx managed to open the door.
"C'mon, Gordon," she said, walking through to the other side.
Barney slapped Gordon on the arm and nodding in Alyx's direction. "I think she likes you."
Groaning, Gordon's head drooped. "Barney, please-"
"No, I'm serious!" Seeing that the topic was making Gordon feel awkward, he closed his eyes and waved his hand about. "Never mind, okay. Just take care of her, yeah?"
He nodded solemnly. "I will," he promised, his voice low and quiet. "I'll see you later."
"You kiddin'? This time tomorrow we'll be wanderin' around White Forest helping Dr Kleiner find his office keys."
"Sounds nice."
"Yeah, it does, doesn't it?" He sighed. "And do you know how sad that is?"
An insistent female voice boomed out from the train. "Barney! We gotta go!"
"I'm comin', I'm comin'…" He nodded at Gordon and ran out of the room, heading for the train.
Watching him go, Gordon took a deep breath before heading outside to join Alyx. She was waiting for him at a platform looking out on the railway through pale blue Combine glass. Barney hopped onto the back ledge of the train.
Alyx waved. "Bye Barney! Good luck!"
He grinned and gave them a little salute. "See ya when I see ya!"
His train jolted to life, and he wobbled for a moment before slamming a hand down on the guardrail. Moving around, he leant his head around the side of the train to watch the route ahead, gradually disappearing out of their sight. Alyx's hand slowly lowered, and she looked over to Gordon reassuringly.
"He'll be fine, Gordon."
The uncertainty in her face didn't make Gordon feel any better, but rather than think too hard about it, he nodded down the fenced corridor that ran along behind them.
"We should go."
Smiling gently, Alyx led the way. Shipping containers towered above them on the left, stacked so tall that Gordon lost his footing when he tried to look to the top. Looking through the fence on the right, he saw several empty rails before a fenced off platform where their train rested.
The corridor ended, opening up to the right and leading to a crank operated metal gate. Separated from the gate, the crank itself was fenced off from the rest of the room. Gordon moved inside and started turning.
"I'll get a head start on the next train," Alyx said, ducking beneath the gate as it moved halfway up. "No time to lose."
She disappeared into the darkness, leaving Gordon to turn the wheel until the gate was fully opened. Through the fence ahead of him, Gordon could see the empty rails stretching out into the distance. He could still see Barney's train, surprisingly small as it disappeared into one of several tunnels.
And he could also see the Strider's leg, thumping into view from somewhere to the left. Legs bending, it dove down into a menacing crouch, the weapon dangling from its head shooting up to aim right at him. Sound and light bent towards the weapon as it began to glow a luminous blue. Abandoning the crank, Gordon ran to the right, the force wave from the explosion knocking him from his feet and sending him scraping along the ground.
He heard Alyx's distant, muffled voice shout out his name from behind the gate. Gordon scrambled to his feet, looking for an exit. Light once again blurred in front of his eyes, the blue bolt shooting past and hitting a fenced off area behind him. His feet left the floor and he collided with a thick concrete pillar shoulder first. He cried out, the Gravity Gun thrown from his grasp as he thumped to the floor.
Grunting in pain and ignoring the HEV suit's beeped protestations, Gordon snatched up the Gravity Gun and looked to the now demolished fence that had been behind him. It offered up a darkened passageway between the wall and a container. Looking back, he saw the Strider crouching down to get a better view of him through the fence. He shrugged and started running, skipping sideways down the thin gap.
The Strider fired again as Gordon emerged from the gap, the blast slamming the container into the wall that he had only just been squeezed against. Blowing out a grateful breath, Gordon kept on running, moving between the small gaps and pathways afforded by the stacks of containers.
He stopped when a blind attack from the Strider hit a container, knocking the metal box on top diagonally down towards him. The doors swung open, crates toppling out. Bouncing them away with the Gravity Gun, Gordon clambered inside, running up the darkened crate and blasting open the doors at the top. His feet clanged against the hollow container beneath him until he skid to a halt at the edge.
A digitised growl echoed through the station, and Gordon looked around frantically for his escape route. Although, even if he managed to get on the train, there was no way it would leave fast enough to avoid the Strider's attack. And with no rocket launcher, killing it was going to be a difficult task.
The three containers stacked in front of him were not lying atop one another perfectly, leaving the slightest of ledges between them. After a few practice swings, he tossed the Gravity Gun up and onto the top of the containers. Eyes on the ground below, Gordon hopped across, frantically pressing his body against the container and wedging his fingers into every gap he could find. Gripping one of the metal bars running vertically along the doors, Gordon heaved himself up, clambering up until he was on top of the stack of containers.
Gravity Gun in hand, he crept to the edge. Down below was the passageway he and Alyx had come down after saying farewell to Barney. He was also overlooking the fence, which was only just the same height as the three stacked containers he was observing from.
The Strider groaned as it noticed him, and turned its weapon on him, charging again. Panicking, Gordon ran back halfway down the container before turning roughly on the spot and sprinting for the edge. He jumped off just as the blast hit the side of the container, the explosion rocketing him over the fence and throwing him down to the empty rails he had spied earlier. Dropping the Gravity Gun, Gordon tucked his head and curled into a ball.
Taking a deep breath, he couldn't help the pained shout that escaped him when he impacted with the metal rails, his shoulder bouncing off and ricocheting him into the air. He tumbled along incredibly painfully for a couple more seconds before colliding with the side of a train platform. Lights blinked in front of Gordon's eyes, and not from the HEV suit. Though the suit in question did have a few choice things to say about the sudden impact, droning on about fractured this and medical that.
Ground shaking, Gordon looked up with bleary eyes to see the Strider stomping over to him. Slapping a hand down on the platform above him, Gordon heaved himself up to his feet. His legs shook beneath him as he turned to face the Strider.
Oh, this wasn't good.
Its cannon pointed towards him, and Gordon, finding some new reserve of energy, ran beneath the creature, positioning himself between its three legs and directly below its head.
Grumbling in frustration, the Strider stomped around in circles as it tried to spot him, the cannon whirling around madly. As they moved, they ended up slowly backing towards the fenced passageway Gordon had just done a flying leap across. Just as Gordon allowed himself a smile, thinking that maybe he would be able to delay the Strider like this until he or Alyx came up with something, the Strider's cannon whipped straight down, aiming right at him.
His smile disappeared, and he did his best to avoid the blast that shot down at him. It hit the ground directly in front of him, throwing him back with more force than he had ever felt before. He tore through the fence and into the bottom of a stack of four containers. The force of the impact sent the bottom container scraping back just slightly.
The HEV suit was barely audible now, and the Heads Up Display flickered. Gordon blinked a couple of times to try and clear it, marvelling that his glasses had remained where they were. They had probably been pressed onto his face by the force of the blast. He looked up, and saw the three containers atop the one he rested against. They teetered forward just the smallest amount, creaking quietly.
That could have been him seeing things, however. Looking at his hand, it looked like he had ten fingers, so he couldn't really trust his eyes at the moment. Looking up, he saw the Strider standing over him. It crouched down, cannon pointed straight ahead, as though it wanted to look him in the eye as it blew him into pieces.
Gordon stared back, swallowing to moisten his very dry throat. He was fairly sure he could taste blood in his mouth.
The cannon began to charge.
Gordon leapt to the side as the Strider fired. With a now familiar wave of energy, Gordon was thrown down the passageway, bouncing off the fence and his back slamming into another stack of containers. He dropped down to the ground like a stone, and let his head drop to the side so he could watch.
The bottom container knocked even further back, the three on top groaned and tumbled forward, crushing the Strider's legs and sending it toppling onto its back before the last container came down on its head. Purple, industrial blood spurted out into a wide pool, slowly spreading beneath the toppled container.
The danger over, Gordon let himself relax, blowing out a long breath. He let his head rest back and closed his eyes. After only a few moments, something cast a shadow over him, and Gordon blinked his eyes open. Struggling to focus, he nevertheless recognised two Combine soldiers standing over him, rifles aimed at his head.
"Oh," he croaked, his throat parched. "Come on…"
Two gunshots cracked through the air. The soldiers toppled, blood puffing out of the sides of their helmets. They collapsed to the floor in front of Gordon, and he watched them fall before slowly casting his gaze down the passageway. Alyx was running towards him, concern etched in her face. She cast one last cautionary look around the station before holstering her pistol and crouching down in front of him.
"You okay?"
Gordon blinked, though his eyelids moved out of sequence. "Not sure," he slurred, and smacked his lips together. "There's two of you. Is that good or bad?"
Her frown deepening, Alyx fished around in her jacket pocket, bringing out two metal objects about the size of a flashlight, a blue glowing energy gauge on the side.
"I found these in the storage room back there. They're Combine batteries, but Dr Kleiner said they should work with your suit."
He gave a thumbs up, though it was at a weird angle. "I'll let you know."
Nodding grimly, she placed the end of one of the metal sticks into the lambda symbol on his chest. After a moment of irritating silence, the HEV suit sprang to life, the stats solidifying in front of his eyes. The battery pushed him up to about fifteen percent, and the second battery thirty. The HEV suit said something about morphine, and Gordon grinned.
Alyx looked at him sideways, frowning. "Did that work?"
He nodded deliriously. "Oh, yeah."
"Good. And by the way, fantastic job, Gordon! You're my new hero!"
Gordon slapped his chest, still grinning. "I'm everyone's hero. I'm the One Free Man!"
"Uh… yeah."
Taking in the confused way Alyx was looking at him, Gordon blinked and cleared his throat, trying to become normal again.
"Sorry about that. The HEV suit is using morphine, it'll wear off in a few seconds. Although it's not technically morphine, it's more complicated than that. Nano-particles are involved. Nano-particles, nano-genes, nanites… something like that. I don't know." He giggled uncontrollably. "If it doesn't have to do with portals, I'm pretty much in the dark."
Nodding in understanding, Alyx was now smiling, if only slightly. "Y'know, this is the most I've ever heard you talk."
"Well, maybe I should… talk more."
She grinned. "Definitely."
Then the euphoria began to fade away, and the urge to laugh at everything vanished as quickly as it came. He frowned, and looked over Alyx's shoulder.
"Is that the train?"
A little taken aback by the sudden u-turn, Alyx blinked. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, it is."
The storm above the Citadel, unseen from the station, rumbled.
Gordon got to his feet unsurely, and, satisfied that his legs could hold him, gestured for Alyx to lead. "So maybe we should…"
"Yeah," she agreed, becoming all business again. She glanced to the floor, then looked up and down the passageway before sighing. "Where's the Gravity Gun?"
He blinked. "The…"
"Gravity Gun, Gordon."
"…Gravity Gun… oh, right. The Gravity Gun. Yes. The Gravity Gun, which is…" Remembering, he snapped his fingers and pointed to the tracks. "Out there."
"Good," Alyx sighed. "If you'd lost it, my dad would have killed you."
Alyx ran ahead, Gordon limping on stiff, bruised legs behind her. They made their way to the train over the tracks, cautiously stepping around the undoubtedly flattened remains of the Strider and picking up the Gravity Gun on the way. He really needed to get the strap fixed.
Once at the train, Alyx hopped on board the observation deck at the back, giving Gordon a hand getting up.
"I don't believe it," she breathed, eyes wide. "I think we're actually gonna make it out of here."
Setting the Gravity Gun down against the back door of the train car, Gordon shrugged. "We've dealt with worse."
She laughed at that. "Yeah, we really have, haven't we?" Shaking her head, she clapped her hands together. "Okay, let's get the train moving. Wait here, I'll be right back."
With that, she turned and hopped off onto the platform on the other side of the train, heading for a console on the wall. Gordon all but collapsed back against the doors of the train. Casting his gaze to the side, he stretched his head around the corner. There were at least a dozen cars ahead of theirs, stretching out so it was almost inside the tunnels Gordon had spied Barney's train disappearing into. They were on a different track, however, and Gordon couldn't help but wonder if they were heading in even remotely the same direction.
The train lurched to life, and Alyx jumped down beside him from the platform.
"Here we go." Relief flooding her face, Alyx grinned. "We did it, Gordon."
Smiling in as convincing a manner as he could manage, Gordon leant forward, gripping the guardrail with both hands as they watched the train station grow smaller and smaller, eventually disappearing as the train increased in speed and took them through a long, dark tunnel.
The Citadel loomed above them, lightning crackling around the top as the red clouds swirled ever more violently. Thunder rumbled, seemingly from all around them. A gunship roared overhead, and they both looked up. It swooped down towards them, drunkenly swerving about as they entered a tunnel. Even when the tunnel proved far too narrow it continued forward, its propeller exploding and the flames consuming the rest of the creature.
Another rumble vibrated through the air, though this was completely different from those that had gone before. It was a long, simple monotone, like an alarm, or… a code.
"Oh my God, the transmission's going out."
Looking first to Alyx, then to the Citadel, Gordon saw streaks of white light shooting out of the remains of the Citadel, contrasted against the darkening sky as the daylight faded. They flew straight up before swirling into the clouds, like ships caught in whirlpool. The white streaks gained in number until it was almost a beam of light disappearing into the red glow at the core of the clouds. Like a beacon.
Ships blasted off from all corners of the Citadel, swooping away and soaring over their heads at alarming speeds. Gordon and Alyx watched them come and go. One came dizzyingly close.
A sudden stab of a headache shot through him, and he struggled to stand, hands gripping the guardrail for all it was worth. Alyx was doing much the same. After a few more blasts, each one obscuring his vision with a bloody red, they were finally gone, having overtaken the train.
"Those were…" Alyx moaned, clutching her head.
Those things from the Citadel. Gordon nodded, squinting at the bright white light emerging from the base of the still transmitting Citadel. It grew brighter and faster with each moment. A loud whine filled the air, filling his ears until it was almost unbearable. The passing countryside started to fade away, the colours paling, replaced by the ever-intensifying light.
"Oh my God," Alyx murmured.
There was nothing but white and Alyx's horrified whisper of a voice.
"Gordon…"
(A/N: Usually the fight scenes aren't really my favourite parts of writing, but I really enjoyed planning out the Gordon/Elite fight atop the train carriage. Although Barney was fun to write, as always.
Anyway, reviews please!
Next Chapter: To the White Forest)