The forest was oddly quiet. While normally filled with chirps of birds, the only sound that moved through it now was a small stream, trickling down the canyon. It was as if it knew what was coming, a calm before the storm.
Then, it came. A distinctive 'thump, thump, thump'. One that everyone knew, be they Overwatch or Rebels.
Down the peaceful valley came the unmistakable tripod form of a Strider, it's feeler-like frontal gun surveying the air as it stomped through the valley at an almost casual-looking pace. Behind it was the initial wave, a pair of hunters flanking the strider closely behind,and a squad of infantry behind that, headed by one of the Deathwatch, it's cycloptic gaze constantly on the lookout, the group ready to move in the case of danger at any point.
This was about what Zero expected, as they watched from the ridge high above, right before White Forest's entrances. They took calculations on the path the Strider would walk, shifted somewhat to account for variability. But they were moving just as they expected. Perfect.
That perfection was solidified as the Strider stepped into one of the deeper portions of the river, an explosion ringing out as the Strider's leg stepped on a Hopper Mine. This wouldn't be enough to damage the Strider, they knew that. But, what it did do was cause it to stumble to the side, towards the left ridge. The Strider steadied itself for a moment against the ridge as a rebel appeared from the treeline that covered it. They chucked the device in their hands like a football, and Magnusson's strider bomb attached to the strider with a distinct whine.
The Strider began to recover, the rest of the group below on edge as the rebel disappeared into the treeline, and Zero steadied their rifle on a crate.
Normally, a shot from this distance would require the user to factor in numerous things. Distance, bullet trajectory, the wind. All of these things were meaningless to a Pulse-firing sniper, who's speed and composition didn't care about any environmental factor. And as the Strider rose once more to it's full standing position, nearly perfectly still, Zero pulled the trigger.
There wasn't even any time to fully take in the crack of the rifle as the Strider exploded into chunks, white pulp covering the ground as numerous members of Overwatch below took cover behind the various rocks and fallen trees within the valley. The hunters however strode forward, practically galloping through the river as they took attention.
"Kappa-1, begin Phase 2." Zero spoke over comms.
"On it!" Nitori responded back, as the noise of an APC barrelling down White Forest's main road grew louder. Of the three hunters, two managed to turn themselves in time, skidding to a stop, the third was crushed by nearly a ton of steel. The APC's roof-mounted rifle flared up, targeting one hunter while a rocket soared into the other. The second died first, the explosion bursting the front of the synth's face open, white blood pouring into the river. The second fired off a few flechettes before succumbing to the sustained armor-piercing firepower of the riot tank. The flechettes left dents in the armor plating, but nothing too serious as the APC retrained on the infantry. A hail of pulse-fire and ballistics fired at the APC to little avail as it rolled forward, blasting away cover and mowing through the rest of the troopers.
"We're clear of infantry." Nitori spoke through the radio. "You think that's it?"
"No." Zero spoke bluntly as the sound the telltale humming of dropships came into hearing distance. Six rose from the far end of the valley, followed by further Hunters from the tunnel. The dropships landed at various points, dropping off countless infantry as Nitori began to fire out rockets to rip through some of them.
"Gunships Alpha & Beta, Deploy. Expunge targets Zeta and Gamma on my radial." Zero commanded from their spot as they lined up another shot. The propellers of the twin ships roared, the actual noises of the creatures following soon after as they soared over the valley, raining pulse-fire over the incoming infantry. The first dropship was crippled from consecutive rockets as the gunships positioned themselves over two others.
An oft forgotten feature of the Gunship was it's built-in warp cannon. While only limited to targets below the synth, it possessed all the firepower of the Strider, which the pair demonstrated via completely obliterating the two dropships while focusing other fire on the eight Hunters that began to move down to the valley.
"Drop reinforcement teams are scattering, Kappa-1, engage. Ridge-2, begin lockdown."
"Loud and clear, emplacement goin' up!" came a rebel over comms. From the left ridge came pieces of cover as well as a pulse turret alongside, Rebels providing covering fire to flush Overwatch soldiers out of cover, occasional shots being taken by Zero to support further.
Inside, as data was being decoded, Yukari watched the battle via monitors connected to the numerous scanners from above, nothing the progress of both sides of the battle as their fingers typed away on another monitor, decoding the data piece by piece.
"They're doing well." Eli noted beside them.
"You would be the one doubting them, if anyone else. "Yukari replied. "I still disagree with your stance on the Borealis."
"You weren't in Sector C, you don't know the kind of power we were messing with, Aperture was messing with, we can't risk another incident like Black Mesa, I won't allow it." Eli retorted.
Yukari finally looked over at them, eyes locking. "Eli, I know more than you possibly know about that incident. I know what caused it, it was sabotage, not just some lab accident. That sample was purposefully chosen and sent into the chamber because the one who did knew exactly what it would cause."
"You… how, that can't possibly be…" Eli seemed to need to take a moment to process what they said.
"Unforeseen consequences, no?" Yukari added, Eli's eyes focusing further at the mention of the statement.
"He… they were that involved?" Eli's eyes widened.
"Sure, the administrator signed off on it, but where did that sample come from in the first place?" Yukari continued. "It's almost like it appeared out of the blue, did it not? He's been involved since the beginning, and it's not you or any of the science team's fault. You just didn't know what you were dealing with."
Yukari put an arm on Eli's shoulder to help steady them, pulling over a chair. "It can be controlled. We have everything we need for it."
"But the risk…" Eli muttered.
"Is there for destroying it as well. Who knows what would happen if one strapped explosives to it. It's a ship that can fluctuate reality itself, it could kill us all, for what we know. Both are risky, but if we do nothing, we've lost just as much as this superportal continuing to exist would." Yukari stated. "Will you at the very least consider the possibility of this working?"
Eli was silent for a few seconds as Yukari removed the hand, shifting focus back to their work.
"I'll consider it., but we would need time we don't have to fully go through all the documentation."
Yukari nearly rolled their eyes but glanced over to them regardless, narrowing her gaze a little. "Then i'll write an abridged version, and I imagine Mossman can fill in on any blanks. I knew a fair bit about the Borealis project back when I worked with Aperture."
"Then why haven't you told us about it before?" Eli asked.
"Because of multiple reasons. One, I thought the thing was destroyed. It wasn't relevant." Yukari started. "The other part is part of what Kleiner was misinformed on. The project wasn't rushed. The project's initial experiment failed because most of Aperture's science staff were completely insane. Geniuses, yes, but utterly insane. Ethics was considered an obstacle rather than a ruling."
"You aren't exactly assuring me on this being a good idea." Eli rubbed their forehead.
"But that's the thing. For every horrible thing that came out of those laboratories, for every project that involved radiation, time travel, or mutation, there were the many projects that succeeded. True portal technology, created by utilizing the power of a safe miniature black hole. Truly sentient AI, gels that could practically defy the laws of physics. If Borealis survived, then that project can be considered a success, and what we could get away with if we had that technology would completely turn the tide of this war, more so than it's already seeming to be." Yukari explained.
Eli contemplated, and Yukari got back to work.
"We'll talk about this later. The decoding is very nearly finished, and then that rocket should be able to launch." Yukari spoke more formally. "I'll see you at the launch."
Eli was quiet, simply giving a nod before hobbling away, Yukari letting out a sigh of relief. The last thing they needed was disagreement in leadership during a battle. Thus they typed and decoded, as they watched the battle from afar, hoping everything went to plan.
The third wave arrived. More infantry and Hunters, deployed even further back. It seemed like a waste of soldiers. Sloppy, especially for a battle that could decide this war. Their gaze shifted to their eyes in the sky. Troops were being shifted from the front, they were wanting to hinge everything on the rear attack.
Which Zero found amusing, considering how easily one Gordon Freeman seemed to be mopping up the Striders, dashing from point to point in their car, dealing with the Striders in a methodical fashion. A single punt from their gravity manipulator and then a shot from a sidearm sealed the fate of the tripods. He had heard the stories of Freeman's exploits, but seeing them in action was an entirely different experience.
"Gunship Alpha, dispatch to Sector WF-E, assist in clean-up of demolition teams." Zero commanded.
"Overwatch has shifted priority to the attack on the rear side of the facility. Deploy Mortar and Bulwark units to assist." Zero spoke.
"Should I hold position?" Nitori asked.
"Negative, fall back to the gate, but hold there in case of reinforcement shifts." Zero replied. "Have we received visual on Advisoral units?"
"No slugs on either side. If they're here, they're hiding." Mokou responded, moving towards the Elite.
Zero holstered their Sniper as a loud thumping drew their attention. Over one of the fences, the large ramshackle form of Dog appeared, Zero only recognizing the gorilla-like automaton because of reputation.
"Oh, hey Dog." Mokou spoke as they approached, the white-haired woman giving them a pat on the upper plate. "Weren't you out patrolling?"
The robot nodded their head rapidly, making a near whistle like sound as they looked to Zero.
"What is it?" Zero inquired. Dog then merely pointed beyond the fence.
Zero seemed a little lost as they looked in the direction. "Is he tied into the comms network?"
"To my knowledge, yeah." Mokou answered.
"You saw an Advisor then?" Zero asked, and Dog rapidly nodded again.
Zero spoke, switching to comms. "Dog has supposedly found an advisor, requesting FT-3 to come for support."
"Gotcha, Front Team 3 is moving to you." came over comms, and soon the team of 4 came into view.
"Alright Dog, show us." Mokou spoke. The robot made a affirmative sounding whirr before they hopped the fence, moving into the forest, and the assembled team moved after them with haste, vanishing into the treeline and out of the view of the base in short order.
"They're retreating, we've won!" came the voice of a rebel over the intercoms, and then the cheering began in every part of the base. Even Yukari couldn't help but smile from the control room. Their work was done as they swiveled in their chair, finally having a moment to breath as Freeman and Alyx arrived.
The 'One Free-Man' of the resistance was not entirely what they were expecting as they moved for the launch controls. They remembered glimpsing that face back in their peeks at the Black Mesa facility, back during the two days it was a war zone.
Their face was plain, but weary. Dark circles made their way around their eyes as they noted numerous scars and more recent injuries. A tiny crack within the frame of their glasses. They could only imagine the countless injuries within their orange suit, even though it's paint was beginning to chip heavily. The face was almost perfectly the same as it was back then. It was something they internally noted but pushed to the side as final checks from Kleiner.
Then, the countdown began. The entire room focused on the silo. Yukari noted their looks. Eli's weariness, Kleiner's twiddling of fingers, nervousness written on their face as they bit their lip, Alyx's hopeful look as they quietly crossed their fingers and Gordon's look of near exhaustion, noticeably leaning on the panel as they looked on with a near glazed look in their eyes. Then, the moment of truth. The rocket launched without a hitch. It would take a minute for it to reach it's destination, but a small wave of relief spread across the room.
Alyx ushered Alyx and Gordon outside, Yukari following behind as they still needed a longer discussion with the older gentleman.
There, they watched as the missile reached it's target.
The portal itself was near completion. Energy was being funneled downwards into the Earth, the wild beam of energy that impacted the ground was more steady, almost ready to fully separate the boundaries between realities. Then, the resonator activated. The near blinding turquoise light closed in radius, further and further, and then, the boundary was sealed, the remnants of the energy storm dispersing outward as the energy they could practically feel resonating through the air dimmed.
Further cheers erupted over the intercoms, Magnusson feeling incredibly sure of themselves, causing Yukari to roll their eyes as they finally focused on Eli, hugging their daughter.
"I believe it's now time to further discuss about that topic of note, if they're to be leaving so soon?" Yukari spoke, letting them hug it out before speaking.
"Yes, yes, the Borealis." Eli's voice seemed a little conflicted. "We've still been arguing on what exactly what to do with it."
"Eli wishes to destroy it, and me and Kleiner believe it can be captured and controlled." Yukari summed up.
"Yes, and while I would've defended my side to the end of time otherwise, Yukari here has made me reconsider." Eli explained to Alyx.
"Dad, are you sure? We've heard the stories on what it can do." Alyx began, but Yukari raised a hand.
"That's why I'm planning for both. Here." Yukari spoke, handing over a notepad to Alyx. "That's an abridged version of the documentation. Should tell you how to control it, or if needed, destroy it."
"Whatever the case, the Combine cannot have it, if they do, they could conquer their one weakness and whatever defense we have they could ignore." Eli stated.
"Imagine, for a moment, we had all those fortifications set up on both sides, and the Combine simply teleported a Strider right in front of the rocket and blew it up without us being able to even pose a fight." Yukari explained. "That's what could happen if that thing is captured and researched by the Union. Whatever the case, it needs to be dealt with, and sooner rather than later."
The younger Vance put away the notepad on their belt. "Thanks. Let's get that helicopter moved out."
The four stepped on that small elevator, and a distinct feeling washed over them. It felt familiar, like small pinpricks on the back of their mind that only got worse as they stepped off the platform. Then, their vision blurred as a distorted cry went out. An Advisor. They knew it now. They should've known it. It ripped through the window and wall, exposing a good portion of the hangar to the outside as it approached. Three of the four were left helpless as it pinned them against the wall, holding them up several feet by pure psychic might.
Word blurred, they could only make out Alyx crying out to their father, who simply assured them it would be okay as the old man smacked the Advisor with a pipe. It only seemed to irritate it, the Advisor beginning to hold the old man in a similar manner to someone hanging a pair of clothes as a second Advisor breached the building.
Two? Here? Their headache only grew in intensity as the second Advisor took Eli Vance, scanning to the three as they noted Yukari's presence.
They gritted their teeth. No guns, no grenades to distract the slug now. Was this how they went out? Right after the cusp of a major victory, forcing the other two to watch?
But as the second Advisor approached, they noted something with the first, even as it prepared it's victim for harvesting.
A blue laser, lining up perfectly with it's mechanical eye.
A resounding crack moved through the air as the Advisor whined as the mechanical eye sparked and dimmed from the shot, dropping Eli as it clutched it's now blind maggot-like face, squealing like a mixture of a bird and a pig as it attempted to flee, only succeeding in ramming into one of the hangar's walls.
The second turned, confused before the massive gorilla-like form of Dog dropped down from the hangar roof, pulling the Advisor to the ground as it managed to rip off one of it's mechanical arms. The first attempted to accelerate away, but ran right into the hangar wall, it's psionics flaring as the hold on the three dissipated.
The more injured Advisor threw Dog off itself as green blood leaked from it's harness as psionic power flared. Portions of the hangar were ripped apart to act as it's shield, but then the cavalry arrived. Hunters hopped into the hangar, orange flechettes impacting into the shield and exploding soon after, ripping apart much of their supposed shield. The hangar door opened, and attention split. An Immolator opened fire on the blind Advisor, who could barely make a shield, let alone defend itself, it's flesh corroding as the tore through it's covering with ease. The rest began to open fire on the more active Advisor, SMG and AR2 fire ripping apart it's defenses. Gordon too opened fire, a few more bullet holes causing the Advisor to bleed.
The Advisor saw the uselessness of it's defense and decided to book it, flying away as it teared apart another wall, another portion of the hangar roof collapsing as a result, coating the helicopter and much of the hangar in debris. Smoke rose, and all coughed, losing track of the Advisor.
"Dad, dad, are you alright?" Alyx spoke, panic in their voice as they moved over to their father.
"I'm… i'm alright, sweetie, i'm alright." Eli spoke as they were helped up, brought into another hug.
As they spoke, the roar of Gunships occurred overhead, dead-set on hunting down the Advisor as the Elite who commanded them approached.
"Is everyone alright, anyone injured?" Mokou called out.
"We're alright, I think." Yukari replied, somewhat out of breath from the psionic hold. "That helicopter is not, however."
"Unfortunate, but manageable." Zero spoke as they approached.
"How did you find us so quickly?" Eli asked, steadying themselves.
"You can give that trophy to Dog." Mokou commented. "Wait, where are they, anyways?"
A few eyes widened as they looked over to where Dog was flung to. The roof there had completely collapsed, leaving the robot covered in debris as well.
"Dog!" Alyx spoke, rushing over to the pile, the girl frantically digging through the rubble until they found Dog's head. It's main eye was cracked, it's plates heavily dented.
"Dog, please be there, please be there…" Alyx pleaded, the rest watching from a distance. But then, it's central light flicked on, it's eye focused on Alyx as it made a noise that could almost be described as a purr.
"You're alright, you're alright!" the younger Vance was practically crying now as they hugged the head. "You did it, boy, you saved us, all of us."
The robot gave a happy noise as the group approached.
"The Advisors didn't retreat with the rest." Zero noted the obvious.
"And their little trap nearly worked too. Even with Dog…" Yukari's tone soured slightly.
"No need to dwell on the what-ifs. What's done is done. The gunships are tracking down the other Advisor as we speak." Zero replied. "The expedition north will need to be delayed, but that can be a boon."
"A boon? They could be prying everything out of Mossman as we speak!" Eli retorted, moving over to the two.
"That is true, but we can be better prepared. We can send a proper escort, with dropships and synths. Bring the fight to their doorstep, as it were." Zero countered. "That helicopter needs to be repaired regardless, and everyone here could likely use rest."
Eli sighed. "A week. At most."
"More than enough time to raise an army." Yukari smirked. "And time for setting up the plan for my home as well."
Eli could only nod. "Right, but, if you'll excuse me, I need to sit down for a moment."
"Go take a nap, you deserve it. We all do." Mokou commented as they stamped down on the dead Advisor's corpse.
However, as rebel congratulated rebel and as Mokou assured the other Advisor was dead, in the treeline, another set of eyes watched. A tie was adjusted, and a figure allowed themselves a small smirk as they vanished from sight.
And peace finally reigned on White Forest that day, as the Resistance released a giant breath that it had been holding for so long. But they all knew this was but the second step towards retaking their home.
This war was just beginning.
Author's Notes
And that's the end of the main chapters for the story. Our climax is over, but there is one more chapter to expect. It's already written, so expect it quite soon. I'll just let a little time pass for things to sink in.
I'll be honest, the entire latter half of this chapter was difficult to write, having to set up things in just the right way for it to work out as it did. I hope it doesn't seem too out of left field, but it's something to firmly separate this story from canon even further, and to give a more deserving end for all the work the Resistance did.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, as reviews are my lifeblood.
Regardless, well done if you've made it this far through this drivel. I'll be seeing you up ahead.