Chapter 15 – Calmest Before the Storm
Gordon Freeman stood over the grave of Dr. Judith Mossman with Alyx Vance at his side. Dr. Kliener, Dr. Magnusson, and Barney stood on the opposite side. DOG and Kliener's headcrab Hedy LaMarr sat on Gordon's side as well. Chell and Adrian Shepherd stood at the front of the grave. No one was armed and Gordon had even taken off his HEV suit and exchanged them for a pair of black jeans, a black t-shirt, black shoes, and a black trench coat.
"How could we have lost both of them so fast?" Alyx asked as she put her arm around Gordon and embraced him. Adrian and Chell saw this and grabbed each others' hands. Gordon looked past Dr. Kliener and looked at Eli's grave. The two fallen rebels would be happy in their final resting places.
"I realize that this is not the most opportune time," said Dr. Kliener. "But we must figure out our next move. The Combine has to be mad about you getting away. It's just a matter of time before they find us again." Gordon nodded. He turned around and plucked a flower from the ground. He turned back to the grave and placed it down before he began to walk back to the White Forest base with everyone else.
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None of the rebels knew what to do any further. With Mossman dead, the Combine diverted from their search, and the project in safe hands, White Forest had become a normal rebel home. The security defenses on the base kept Combine forces at bay and there was enough food in there to last 20 lifetimes. Gordon's HEV suit, the Portal gun, and all the group's weapons sat in a locked supply closet in Dr. Kliener's lab. White Forest housed about 6 bunk rooms. 2 of which were occupied by Alyx & Gordon, and Chell & Adrian.
The solitude of White Forest, however, was just urging to be broken. 3 weeks after the Borealis was destroyed, it was. Gordon lay in bed next to Alyx Vance. They stared into each others eyes with serenity.
"I love you Alyx." He said.
"I love you too, Gordon." She replied. Alyx pressed her lips against Gordon's. They remained like this for about 3 minutes. A sound on the intercom system made them stop. Dr. Kliener's voice sounded on it.
"A message was just sent to us. I think we should watch it together you four." said the good doctor. Gordon and Alyx got up from the bed and pulled on their clothes. The couple walked out of the room arm in arm, as did Chell and Adrian down the hall.
"Well, let's go see what Kliener wants this time." Adrian said. The four walked down the hall and boarded the elevator that lead to the floor where the computer room was. Dr. Magnusson's Vortigaunt friend, Uriah, was already on the elevator.
"Hello Uriah. Where have you been these past three weeks?" Alyx asked.
"The Magnusson has had me working in the missile silos. He believes we should be ready in case the Combine ever attack again." Uriah said.
"That sounds like Magnusson all right." She replied. The elevator reached the computer room floor quickly. Kliener, Magnusson, and Barney stood in front of the makeshift monitor made out of 9 smaller monitors when they arrived.
"Good you're all here!" Dr. Kliener exclaimed. "I think you should all see this. It was transmitted to us a half an hour ago." He turned around to the computer and pulled up a window on the makeshift monitor. "It was sent from that Alaskan base you traveled to." The window displayed one of the rebels left behind at the Aperture Science base the group had been to on their search for Mossman. He looked frantic as he started the message. There was some background noise that told them that the base was under attack.
"Dr. Freeman, Ms. Vance, Captain!? We need your help! Something is attacking the base! We don't know what's going on. It's not the Combine. It's something else, something much worse. Just get here quickly! A man in a suit showed up and then…" the rebel paused. He looked to his right and a look of fear came over his face. "Oh no, no, no, no, no! Please NO!" The rebel was shot and the camera turned to the left quickly before the assailant destroyed it. There was a shadow seen a split second before the camera was destroyed. The shadow looked like a tall lanky man with a flat top haircut. The shadow looked like it was carrying a briefcase. Two voices sounded in the room when they saw the figure and matched it to the rebel's description. Gordon and Adrian yelled at the screen.
"THE G-MAN!" they both said. Gordon looked over at Adrian, not knowing why he had yelled. But the questions would have to wait. The rest of the group had ignored Gordon and Adrian and were more focused on the fact that the base was under attack.
"Not again!" Alyx said.
"Yes I know." Kliener replied. "Are you guys up for one more fight?" Gordon answered that.
"Let's get over there, right NOW!" he said.
"I'm coming too." Barney said. Gordon looked at him like he was crazy. "What, I'm going to let you guys have all the glory? No sir. Plus, this may give you a chance to owe me a beer, Gordon." Gordon rolled his eyes and the group ran out of the room. Gordon stopped Adrian from leaving though. Alyx stopped before leaving as well.
"Aren't you coming, Gordon?" she asked.
"Don't wait up. Tell Chell that Adrian and I will be in there a little bit." He replied. Alyx said okay and ran off to join everybody else.
"What're you doing Gordon?" Adrian asked.
"How did you know who that was?" Gordon replied.
"What difference does it make? My men are dying, we've got to-"
"Your men are already dead! That gray suited demon has most likely finished with them already. The only other person I know who knew him was Eli Vance, now you're going to tell me where you know that bastard from, right now!" Adrian paused. He didn't want to tell the truth, but Gordon had to know.
"I was there, at the Black Mesa Incident." Gordon's eyes widened. He wanted to protest, but he heard Adrian Shepherd out. "I was a Corporal in the Marines. My team was involved in a group called HECU. We were the military team that raided the compound. We were tasked with killing all forms of life left there, human or not."
"I was one of those people!" Gordon interrupted with. "Were you going to kill me!?" he asked.
"At first, yes. But after seeing what had happened there, I changed my mind. I even saw you travel through that portal to Xen." He said.
"Did this happen before or after you killed my friends and co-workers?!"
"Gordon, I didn't kill any humans. The Vortigaunts and other creatures had already overtaken the base by the time I got there." Gordon eased slightly at that and let Adrian continue. "I wanted to help you Gordon, but that evil businessman stopped me. He took me from the compound before my team destroyed the place. He put me in a stasis like he did with you. But he only had me asleep for fifteen years unlike your twenty. When I woke up I was at Aperture Science with a job application practically in my hand. You know the story after that." Gordon was shocked. He hadn't expected to find anymore survivors of Black Mesa, much less anyone else that the G-Man had saved.
"Okay, listen. You've already earned my trust, don't break it." Gordon replied. "And don't let Barney, Kliener, or the others know about this. They were there too, and I don't want them getting scared because you tried to kill them twenty years ago."
"You got it, now can we go?" Adrian responded. Gordon nodded and ran down the hall towards the rest of the group. Gordon slipped on his HEV suit once again and picked up an SMG, a shotgun, and his two handguns. One last fight he thought. One last fight.