Alyx felt like her legs were going to fall off. She hadn't calculated the amount of walking it would take to get from the Observation room to Dr. Forest's work area. The bulkhead she was looking for came into view down the hall. Suddenly, she felt the same pressure she had experienced earlier. Alyx paused for a moment, letting the feeling go away. After traveling the last steps, she leaned against the door to catch her breath and pressed the intercom next to the bulkhead.

"Dr. Forest?" she called.

The speaker crackled a "yes?"

"It's Alyx. I'm feelin' a bit weird. Do you think . . ." The pressure came again, this time with a bit more power. She gave out a small grunt. Before Alyx could press the intercom again, Dr. Forest appeared from behind the door.

Forest noticed that her patient was a bit hunched over. "Alyx? Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Alyx replied, feeling it go away again. "It's gone now."

"Please," Forest motioned through the door, "Come in."

----

Gordon stayed as quite as he could. The sound was dangerously close now. The Combine would pour out of the woods at any second. He could hear faint radio chatter emitting from the trees. The tops of the trees started swaying, indicating the Strider's a stone throws away. 'Here they come,' Gordon said to himself, trying not to admit the fear welling up inside.

The noises died.

Gordon looked over his cover, seeing if he could spot the enemy. He could see nothing. Barney turned from his hiding place and frowned. 'How could the noises have stopped?'

Just as the thought came to Gordon, the woods erupted with gunfire. Gordon was taken off guard as thousands of rounds pinged off of his car.

"Open fire!"

The woods were pouring with Combine soldiers, all of them charging towards the town. The bulk of the force set their sights on the main strip, traveling towards Gordon's position. Gordon snarled as he pointed his gun down the street and fired.

---

Dr. Forest checked and re-checked the data, worry entering her features. After a few moments of silence, Forest turned to Alyx, who was sitting on the metal table.

"Well," she said, frowning. "It seems as your contractions are coming."

Alyx's eyes widened. "What?"

"It seems that the contractions are coming earlier than expected. And, from what you've told me, they are coming faster with each moment."

"Yeah, but . . ." The pressure came back, bringing pain with it. Alyx hissed.

"Alyx," Forest cooed. "I think the baby is coming."

A mixture of emotions flooded into her mind. First, she was overjoyed at this news.

Second, was fear. She realized that Gordon wasn't going be here for the birth. Tears started to well up in her eyes.

"Gordon."

---

Dust and debris flew as pulse rounds hit the stonewall Gordon was hiding behind. The masked Combine soldiers were slowly moving up the main strip, causing problems for Gordon and his men. He shoved a few more shells into his shotgun before turning back and firing at a squad of Combine. It was replied by more enemy fire. He cursed under his breath as the bullets continued to pound his position.

They were doing a good job of holding the Combine on the street, but Gordon knew that the "heavy equipment" would come any minute now. His guess was answered by the screeching of Hunters . . .three of them. The three-legged monsters galloped from the trees towards the rebel line, firing their explosive fletches. Gordon watched in horror as five of his men erupted in front of him.

"Crap," he shouted, fury controlling his actions. He grabbed a lone pulse rifle on the ground and checked the secondary barrel. To Gordon's relief, an energy ball was still inside. He quickly cocked the rifle and shot it towards the nearest Hunter. The ball flew strait into the Hunter's main body, causing it to rise slowly up into the air, sparkling with electricity. It soon disintegrated in mid-air.

Before Gordon could celebrate, the ground began to shake. The trees began to part, revealing a large Strider moving towards the town. Soon after, a second Strider moved from the forest, whooping loudly. The first charged up its main gun, shooting a massive laser at a three-story building, which collapsed from the blow. A large dust cloud emitted from the fallen building, covering the area with a yellow mist.

Gordon could never get used to how scary these things were.

"Okay," He talked to himself. "this is getting better."