Author's Note: It's been a while and for that I apologize. I have a general outline for the rest of the story, though, and I'm pretty flippin' excited to share it with you.
Disclaimer: Half Life and it's characters are owned by Valve. I also took the chapter title and few lyrics from Moby.

Extreme Ways

Dirty basements, dirty noise

Dirty places coming through

Extreme worlds alone

Did you ever like it planned?

The trek back to White Forest was the longest walk of shame Gordon had ever encountered... Not that he encountered any before but he was sure in the history of shame walks, it was definitely in the top three.

Dog had left deep footprints in the dirt from galloping back to base and Gordon began to take off in a sprint, not bothering to see if his fellow soldiers were going to keep up. He was used to traveling alone. They would survive the trek home on their own.

Is that selfish of me? ...Maybe it's about time I start being selfish.

He took an elevator and several wrong turns before he found the infirmary. Vortigaunts and medics were already operating. Alyx stood at the window and watched through the glass with Dog at her side. Neither one looked at him.

Gordon kept his distance but watched his best friend being patched up. Under flickering luminescent lights, his face looked so worn out and beat up and Gordon tried not to think about late night beer runs or races through air vents during fits of boredom.

"The Free Man," A vortigaunt was speaking to him and Gordon turned, noticing the way Alyx tilted her head at the mention of his new title. Gordon looked at the alien expectantly. "You are wanted by Doctors Kleiner and Magnusson. Please, follow me."

The Free Man is being called on, he doesn't sound too free to me. Gordon wished Barney was at his side to share the dweeby little thought with but he was being sewn together out of spare parts and thread. Gordon's stomach turned for a moment and he had to grip onto the door frame for a moment.

With one last look at Barney, Gordon followed the alien down the hallway and into another elevator. Steel and metal clinked loudly around him and he noticed drops of blood on the floor of the elevator. Was it Barney's or his?

"Dr. Freeman, you made it back in one piece!" Dr. Kleiner exclaimed. "We are grateful, no doubt there."

"I hear your friend is causing quite a commotion down in the infirmary," Dr. Magnusson added. Gordon tilted his head at that. Was he supposed to apologize for his friend being a bad ass?

He just shrugged. What he wanted to do was be The Free Man and punch him square in the jaw. Magnusson with a bloody face would give Barney something to look forward to when he got out of surgery. That's for always hogging the faculty microwave!

Gordon wondered why he was having such odd thoughts and figured he was probably just freaking out about the possible death of his best friend. Not that Barney dying is a possibility. Because it's not.

"This is going to set the trip back at least a week. We cannot afford to wait so long, There is so much that can happen now in just a week... so much that can go wrong..." Dr. Kleiner was pacing as he talked and Gordon noticed the way he kept looking at the empty pet kennel.

"You think Barney will be ready to leave in a week?" Gordon asked, not daring to sound hopeful.

"Good heavens, boy! Of course not!" Dr. Magnusson exclaimed. "You can't dream of taking Barney out on such a dangerous mission for a least a month if he is so bad that he is having Vortigaunts working on him."

"But Alyx healed okay - "

"Did you plan on extracting Ant Lion larvae way out here?" Magnusson asked and Gordon decided he would much rather kick him in the face.

"Then what's the wait?"

"Supplies. After all, we cannot send you on such a dangerous mission with just the HEV suit on your back," Dr. Kleiner told him.

"Wouldn't be the first time," Gordon muttered.

"I would suggest resting yourself up, go to the cafeteria and get some nourishment. You look like you may topple over any second." Dr. Magnusson went on as if Gordon had not said a word. Gordon was used to it at least and with a nod he walked out.

He did not feel like eating but he did not feel like sleeping either. His feet found the way back to the infirmary and he sat on a bench outside the metal doors. He felt like waiting for his best friend.

Hours later he was shaken awake by Alyx. He looked up at her and smiled, not altogether sure where he was but knowing that he was happy to wake up and see Alyx.

"He's stabilized. Thought you should know." And then she walked away.

Gordon looked around and realized he had fallen asleep on the bench. He watched Alyx walk away and realized that just a trip with her was going to be pretty interesting. He wondered if Dog would be there and if she had programmed Dog to hate him... then what she had said finally registered. Barney was okay.

Gordon breathed a sigh of relief and realized he should have just kicked Magnusson in the head. Then he could have a cool story to tell when Barney woke up, because he was definitely going to now. He knew it.

A week later, Gordon had Barney's arm over his shoulder and was helping him into the helicopter.

"I'll hide back here under these blankets," Barney whispered excitedly.

"We are so dead," Gordon whispered for the fifteenth time since sneaking Barney out of the infirmary.

"Yeah, well what else is new." Barney said with a grin before pulling the blankets over him. "Mmm, toasty. Just make sure no one tries to set a crate on me."

"Uh, I'll try."

Gordon straightened up as the doors opened and Alyx came through. They would have to leave Dog behind which was a damn shame seeing as how strong and almighty he was but then Dog might squish Barney and that would not be good.

"Hey, how's it goin'?" Gordon asked, trying to seem nonchalant. She was carrying a large bag and flung it in the back of the helicopter before climbing in without saying a word to Gordon. Gordon sighed and climbed in after her.

"I take it you're piloting this?" Gordon asked and Alyx at last made eye contact with him though it was to give him a look that made him feel like a dummy. Of course she was, it was a two man mission and everyone knew Gordon was deathly afraid of flying. Which, of course, was why they had to take a helicopter, because the world and fate really had it in for Gordon Freeman.

Strapping in, Gordon watched Alyx work her magic and get the helicopter running.

"Here we go," She said before they lifted off. Gordon tried not to make it obvious that he had a death grip on the edges of his seat.

"Woohoo," he muttered and saw a tiny smirk on Alyx's face. That was something at least. He had no idea what she was going through. Gordon had hardly thought on his parents through the mayhem of the last few months he could remember. Everything had happened so quickly and now that he had time to think about it all he found that he would rather not.

He had no idea what to do for Alyx. He wished he could say something awesome and inspiring about how the pain would pass and she will remember the good memories of him instead of only the bad ending.

Gordon looked out the window and knew it would just sound stupid if he tried to say anything at all. He watched the base get smaller as they flew up and away and closed his eyes. He felt like he was going to be sick.

They flew for an hour in silence. It was the longest, most silent and awkward hour he had ever experienced.

The silence seemed to stretch on... until the sound of muffled snoring broke over the sound of the helicopter. Gordon's eyes widened and he determinedly did not look at Alyx.

"Do you hear something?" Alyx asked after a moment.

"I can hardly hear you," Gordon said and she rolled her eyes.

"Take the wheel."

"What? I can't fly!"

"I know you can't fly, but you can drive now take it!"

Gordon shook his head stubbornly.

"Fine, then you get to go investigate in the back."

Gordon looked behind him slowly and realized he would have to unbuckle himself from the seat. He looked back at her to find she was watching him expectantly.

He was very tempted to just send her back there and let Barney be damned but he reached for his buckle.

As he went to stand up the wind picked up violently and the helicopter swerved causing Gordon to be thrown against the side.

"What the hell?" He asked startled.

"Are you trying to kill me?!" A shout came from the back followed by a stream of very Barney-sounding cursing. Gordon's eyes widened at the look of shock on Alyx's face.

"Barney?!" She called back after straightening the helicopter into smooth flying.

Gordon noticed how quickly grey clouds were beginning to gather and saw the lightning behind the mountains in the direction they were flying.

"Guilty." A hand raised out of the blankets and there was a thick silence for a moment where Gordon could see Alyx was trying to decide which one she should shoot first.

"Gordon..." She began in a warning tone.

"It was his idea." Gordon said quickly.

Barney was out of the blankets fully now but still sitting on the floor. "What the hell bastard, you would really sell me out so quickly?"

Gordon looked at him and shrugged.

"That's it, I'm turning around." Alyx said.

"We don't have the gas or time to waste on that." Gordon told her, not looking forward to getting the shit kicked out of him verbally by Magnusson or Kleiner. "And what if we don't come back from this, Alyx. I just didn't want to go to the end without Barney with us."

Alyx looked outside the window, making no move to turn the helicopter but he was not sure if she would not.

"He was near dead last week."

"What what week aren't I?" Barney piped up and laughed a little before coughing.

Alyx looked at Gordon as Barney coughed and despite how horrible Gordon knew Barney sounded, he was not backing down. "He needed to come."

Alyx opened her mouth to say something but she never got the words out because at that moment lightning struck and the wind picked up again and sent them spinning into heavy rain.

"Barney!" Gordon called back behind him. Barney was thrown against the door and his face was screwed up with pain.

Gordon reached back for him but as he did, a ball of light erupted around them, blues and greens enveloping them all and Gordon felt Alyx hold onto his hand as they were torn away from Barney. Barney gave him one last, weak salute before being enveloped by the green light.

And then Gordon's world was black once again.