After the large trip John and Gordon went on, they were very exhausted. From fighting some of the Combine just to get to the hideout to trying to find it in the first place, John, as well as Gordon, were effectively "done".
Gordon, I'm pooped. Like, seriously bro, that was a freaking nightmare to get through. Oh my God, let us never do that again.
Gordon tiredly signed to John.
I agree. It's a miracle we made it out alive.
Cheers to that.
One of the Resistance members rolled his eyes. He survived much worse than what the two Freeman brothers had to put up with. As they approached the door, Gordon quickly signed to John.
Alright, John. Listen, these people have suffered a lot of hardships due to the Combine invasion. We should give them our respect and be as polite as possible.
Come on Gordon, when have I ever been rude and disrespectful?
Gordon narrowed his eyes at John.
...Okay, look, I didn't think calling Dr. Kleiner "dad" would make him cry. I was just being nice.
Gordon sighed and the two brothers looked as the Resistance member knocked on the door to the bunker.
Hey, it's Leon. We're in the clear. I brought Gordon Freeman and his little brother with me.
Little?John was a bit dumbfounded that "Leon" would think he was the youngest in the Freeman family. The door opened, and a woman poked her head out of the doorway. She was ecstatic to see the two Freemen still alive.
Doctor Freeman, you're kidding! I've just been on the line with Alyx; her father's been captured.
John was shocked! He went all this way just to have Kleiner be taken by somebody. He ran past Gordon and shouted.
WHAT?!Her dad's been captured? What happened, who kidnapped him, how do we stop them?!
John leaned over to Leon and whispered.
Who's Alyx's dad again?
Everyone groaned. The woman opened the door, and let Leon enter inside the bunker. Leon called for everyone to follow him inside.
You too, uh...
John was internally screaming at this point. He just wanted this to all be over and for everyone to go home.
John. It's John.
Right. This way, John.
Gordon, Leon, and John stepped inside the bunker. The place was cramped and slightly damp, with only a few lights illuminating the industrial-looking shelter. John noted to himself that this looked more like a parking lot than something survivable. John noticed that there were a few mattresses strewn about the hard, cold floor. There were people sleeping in these mattresses, most of them clothed. There was a large couch with a box beside it. The box had marker written on it with the words "EMERGENCY SUPPLIES - DO NOT OPEN" on it. There was what looked to be an amateur communications device; wires were connected to a radio, a computer, and an unstable black-and-white image of Alyx on the screen. The two stared a bit at the screen as they waited for proper communication to be established, or so they believed. John whispered to Gordon.
So, that's Alyx, right? The one whose dad got kidnapped?
The image of Alyx quickly showed her crossing her arms and giving a "you're joking, right" look. Though the audio quality was subpar, the brothers could still make out what Alyx was saying.
You do know I can hear you, right?
John's face turned red in an instant. Gordon facepalmed at the current situation unfolding. At that moment, John wanted to crumple up and die. Gordon stood closer to the device and discussed the issue with Alyx while John stayed behind, not wanting to embarrass himself even further. He leaned his body against the wall, pondering over the events that just transpired. Suddenly, John heard someone trying to talk with him. He looked around, trying to see who or whatever that was. The creature then pointed to himself, which made John look down. He saw a Vortigaunt standing in front of him, a bit annoyed at John not noticing him. He then cleared his throat and started to talk to John.
You are Johnathan Freeman, I presume.
Surprised that the Vortigaunt was talking to him instead of his brother, he answered back.
Uh, yeah, in the flesh. At least, I think it's flesh.
Ah! Good to see you are still in good spirits after all this time.
Yeah, sure...
The Vortigaunt could tell that John had something on his mind. Something that John did not want to discuss with the alien.
Why so distraught? You are the brother of the great Gordon Freeman, the one who freed us from our cruel enslavement. Are you perchance jealous of his accomplishments?
What? No! I'm actually very proud of my bro for saving you guys. Without him, you guys would probably still attack the Earth and be enslaved by that, what was it, "Nihilanth" or something? It's just that... I tend to feel a bit... existential. Like, nothing I do really matters in the end and that everything's...not real? You probably don't even know what that is.
Much to John's complete surprise, the Vortigaunt disagreed!
On the contrary, Mister Freeman. We have been forced to deal with what the human species calls 'existential dread' for the last thousands of years. Nihilanth had built our society around the concept of wondering what the meaning of our lives were, what our 'great purpose' was in the vast galaxy of the universe, and so on. We constantly asked ourselves what it meant to be truly part of our own kind, why we carry out the tasks we accomplish. Of course, that was long before the Combine invaded our homeworld. After then, Nihilanth had lost his mind. He forced us into slavery, carrying out seemingly pointless tasks and attempting to force his own beliefs onto us. We didn't give up, however. We still held onto the hope that one day, we will be free from this infernal prison that we once called home. I am getting a bit ahead of myself, but the point is that you are not alone in this suffering. I shall be there to help you whenever you need it.
John smiled. At least he had someone, even if they were from another world, that understands what he's going through. Gordon ends the call and walks over to John.
John, we need to take the Scout Car and drive through Highway 17 to rescue Alyx's father. You up for it?
When Gordon signed the last word in the sentence, John's face lit up. He had never been allowed to drive anything in his entire life. This was his big opportunity, his grand moment. Leon was a bit concerned over John's ecstatic face and asked Gordon if his brother knew how to drive. Without taking his eyes off of John, Gordon signed to Leon.
Nope.
Leon's eyes widened. Letting someone with no experience drive anything is a big no-no, even inside the Resistance. Exasperated, John asked why exactly he was letting John drive the Scout Car.
He never really got to drive for most of his life. I wanted to give him something he would appreciate for the rest of his life.
Hey, bro, can I bring my camera, too?
Gordon sighed. He signed to his brother with a simple "of course". What followed was would could only be described as an absolutely insane montage. John was taking pictures of various scenes throughout his drive: one was of him driving through the road with several Combine helicopters and cars tailing behind him, with Gordon pointing a shotgun at one of the cars; one was of them was of Gordon meeting Odessa Cubbage and having Cubbage teaching Gordon about the RPG with an "OMG" pose; the subsequent shot shows Gordon misfiring the RPG, causing a huge explosion in the background with John slightly blurred due to the sudden shaking. There are also other miscellaneous photos taken of the trip across Highway 17 and Nova Prospekt, with Gordon trying to figure out where to go, fighting Combine, or having both John and Gordon trying to fight off an Antlion Guard with a shaky camera. John and Gordon, along with one of the Vortigaunts, review the various photos taken along the journey.
Probably delete that one. Your faces are too blurry to be distinguishable.
Gordon does exactly that, and the two go inside Nova Prospekt. They wave good-bye as they set off continuing their long travel for Alyx's father. Will they survive against the cruel environment inside? ...I dunno, probably.
To Be Continued...