Chapter 16 – Black Hole Sun
Chell opened another Portal on the wall. The group behind her geared up to travel back to the Alaskan Resistance base. Adrian and Gordon were especially ready to go after the G-Man at last. The G-Man had brought nothing but sorrow to their lives. Gordon strapped his SMG on his back, his two handguns in his hip holsters, and cocked his shotgun. Alyx loaded her handgun and Adrian picked up two 9mm's and an SMG. Barney loaded up his machine gun as well.
"Well, I guess you're ready." Dr. Kliener said. "I've fixed your transmitters and com-links. All of you have a camera and a com-link on your collars and in your ears respectively. Try to keep in contact with me at all times."
"You got it Izzy." Gordon replied. He had picked up Eli Vance's habit of calling Kliener by his nickname. The Doc liked that. He always hated it when Eli had done it, but now that he was gone he felt that it kept a part of him alive.
"It is time Freeman." Said Lo-gen. The Vortigaunt and his brother Rezlan would be joining the group on their trip.
"It's been nice knowing you, Doc." Gordon held out his hand. Kliener quickly grabbed it and shook. Everyone else said their good-byes to each other. Then they turned around and stepped into the portal, forward to the final showdown.
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Gordon Freeman, Alyx Vance, Adrian and Chell Shepherd, Barney Calhoun, and the Vortigaunts Lo-gen and Rezlan. This was the team sent to the Alaskan base. This was the group that was fated to end the battle. The base looked more run down that it did when Gordon and Alyx had first come there. The rebels they had left there were hunched against walls covered in blood. The glass doors had been destroyed and snow poured in from outside. Blood stained the walls and glass riddled the floor. Rubble blocked the hall leading to the lab and one stairway was completely dilapidated. The group surveyed the area.
"Hey Gordon!" Adrian yelled. Gordon looked up at him. He was on the second floor. "You'll never guess which hallway is completely spotless." Gordon could guess. He ran up the stairs and looked around. The hallway to his right was completely blocked off by rubble. The one on his left though, was safe. Not a rock in sight, not a glass shard out of place. It was spotless. At the end of the hallway was the door that led to that chamber. It was so obvious that they would have to face her.
"What is it Gordon?" Alyx asked as she walked up the stairs. Gordon turned to her. He didn't have to answer that question. Chell did for him. She followed close behind Alyx. When she saw the door, she was dumbstruck.
"GLaDOS!" she yelled. She turned toward Adrian. "Did you know there was another one of her? Why didn't you destroy her!?" Adrian's head dropped in shame.
"I'm sorry. I thought if we shut off the power, we wouldn't have to deal with her. I didn't expect this to happen." He replied. He held out his arm gesturing for Chell's embrace. She walked over to him and rested her head on his shoulder. He kissed her forehead and apologized once again. Gordon wrapped his arm around Alyx's shoulders and she rested her head the same place that Chell did to Adrian.
"Hey, um…" Barney began. "Sorry to break this up, but we've gotta go in there right?" Dr. Kliener reinforced this statement.
"Yes, touching as it is to see you four in loving embrace, you have to go into that chamber to stop whatever attacked the base." He said in their ears. They each broke away from each other and reformed to their battle positions.
"We wish the Freeman and the Alyx Vance well in the fight ahead." said Lo-gen. His brother made a remark as well.
"May the gods smile on the Shepherds and the Barney Calhoun as well." said Rezlan, gesturing to them. The group readied their weapons and walked down the hallway. Chell offered to go first. Adrian was hesitant at the idea, but changed his mind when she described the chamber vividly. This assured him she could handle herself against the insane artificial intelligence that was GLaDOS. The door creaked open to reveal the great computer's chamber. The circular room was spotless. It looked just as Gordon and Adrian had left it 3 weeks before that night. The giant machine hung from the ceiling. Gordon looked around the room. He noticed four desks he hadn't noticed before at the entrance of the room. One desk on his left held a red phone, whose phone line was cut. Chell explained.
"The red phone was a fail-safe against GLaDOS. Aperture's science staff had predicted what would happen if GLaDOS became unruly. They installed this phone. It was linked directly to the Executive building in Delaware. However, the jackasses that were the science staff forgot that GLaDOS controlled the entire building and could shut off phone lines. Cutting them was the first thing she did at the Enrichment Center." She said. A strange voice suddenly filled the air.
"And it was the first thing I did here…" Gordon and Adrian immediately recognized it. The group turned around. Standing under GLaDOS, was a tall lanky man. He was wearing a gray, pinstripe suit and sported a flattop haircut. In his right hand, he held a light brown briefcase.
"YOU!" yelled Gordon and Adrian. Alyx, Chell, and Barney all looked at them, wondering how they knew the man.
"I see you all made it here safely. Now let me take care of one thing." The G-Man turned around, set down his briefcase, and raised his arms. Within the next second, the great computer that hung above him whirred to life. The plasma monitors that hung above GLaDOS flickered to life and a picture of a chocolate cake was displayed on all of them.
"What the hell is going on, Gordon?" Alyx asked. "Who is that? How do you know him?" These questions could not be answered now. Gordon just yelled for her to stay back and kept his eyes on the G-Man. GLaDOS began to speak over the intercom system. It was scattered and incomplete at first.
"Subject…Aperture Sci…Cake will be rewarde…" GLaDOS paused. The machine that hung from the ceiling came to life and the orange eye that hung from the bottom fixed on the rebel squad. GLaDOS's voice sounded like an animatronic woman when she spoke again. "What is happening? Where am I? The last thing I remember is…" The orange eye stopped when it saw Chell. "Hello again subject name here. Would you like cake?" Chell only stared at the orange eye in anger. "What are you so mad about? Don't you remember all the good times we had?"
"All I remember is that you destroyed my life and then made me a pawn in your sadistic testing." Chell replied. The G-Man spoke next.
"How about a little privacy for us to talk Dr. Freeman." The demon said. After that statement, a black portal opened behind him and Gordon. The G-Man walked though his. Gordon turned to step into his portal. Adrian stopped him.
"If you're going after him, I'm going too." He said. Gordon looked over at the rest of the group.
"We'll take care of GLaDOS, Gordon. Go!" Barney yelled.
"I will come with the Freeman. My brother will stay here with the Alyx Vance." Rezlan stated. Gordon and Adrian took one last look at Alyx and Chell respectively.
"I love you Gordon!" Alyx yelled. He replied the same.
"We'll find both of you once this is done!" Chell said. Gordon nodded his head, cocked his shotgun, and stepped through the portal into the unknown.