Gordon was tired. He and the other rebels had been jogging down the mountain to the town of Ken for about two hours. When reaching the town, Gordon was a bit disappointed. The "town" consisted of twenty houses placed side-by-side. Separating the middle of the town was the strip of road lined with an assortment of shops. The forest grazed the opposite side of town, while the mountains occupied the other.

Barney walked up next to Gordon with a smirk on his face.

"Cute town, eh?"

Gordon just frowned.

"Not for long."

---

It took the rebels a few hours to build their defenses. The "strip" was blocked by a pile of burning cars and lined with "hoppers" or jumping mines. Barney had assigned groups of rebels to hide out in the buildings with rockets and Magnusson devices. Gordon took his place on the strip, along with the bulk of the rebel army. He checked the small clock under his wrist. 3:13.

"Combine should be here in an hour." He said to himself.

---

"Hey, doc!" Alyx called out, spotting Dr. Kliener inside of the observation room. The room was lined with large screens, each one containing an image of the surrounding mountains and forests.

Kliener turned and smiled. "Alyx, my dear! What a surprise." He walked over to his 'niece' and pecked her on the cheek. "How are you?"

Alyx rolled her eyes. "I feel . . .fat."

Kliener chuckled. "Well, I guess that the way you should feel."

"Ha, right." Alyx set herself into a small chair in the corner. "How are we doing?"

Kliener turned towards the screens and studied the surrounding area.

"The Combine ARE coming. If you can look hard enough, you can see movement there." He said, pointing at the forest on one of the screens. Alyx squinted her eyes, straining to see the Combine. She could see small specs moving through the trees.

"Yep," she revealed. "I can see 'em."

"They will be at Ken Town soon." He turned, facing Alyx. "Maybe you shouldn't be present for this."

Alyx was about to argue, but felt a bit of foreign pressure run through her body. Kliener noticed a confused look fall on Alyx's face.

"My dear. Are you okay?"

Alyx felt the pressure go away as suddenly it came.

"Um . . .I'm fine. Just felt a bit weird a second ago."

"Maybe you should see Dr. Forest." Kliener stated, concerned for her wellbeing.

Alyx sighed as she lifted herself from the chair. "Yeah. That's a good idea. I'll see you later." She embraced Kliener for a moment and left the room. Kliener resumed his duties at the monitors, following the Combine's every move.

---

Gordon jogged across the street, keeping himself low. As he traveled down the road, he ordered his soldiers to stay down and quiet. He finally stopped, resting himself behind a demolished car. The entire army of rebels were pointing their gun down the street leading towards the forest, ready for the invaders. As Gordon rested his head against the car's door, he could hear heavy, nervous breathing from his troops. However, this was not the only thing he could hear.

A low thumping noise reverberated below his boots. Gordon had heard this noise many times: it was the heavy stepping of a Strider. This sound was accompanied by a distant screeching, created by Hunters. The sounds were growing close with each moment.

Gordon checked his weapons again, making sure he was ready. His Gravity Gun was slung behind his back, along with his shotgun. His belt carried his two pistols and grenades. His Submachine gun was in his hands, filled with grenades.

Barney ducked into the car next to Gordon's, cocking his Pulse Rifle with a smile.

"Here they come." He said, somewhat cheery like.

"Yep," was all Gordon could say, gripping his SMG tighter.