EDIT [4/22/09]: After reading this a thousand times, I realized that it was no where near as detailed as it should have been, and I was afraid it sounded a bit boring. I'm home from school today due to unexplainable reasons, so I took advantage of the moment and revamped this. Special thanks to Spartan-IV for the advice on radio talk. Always ask the professionals, kids!

It's really weird how time flies. I was just telling my good friend Spartan-IV about how I realized that it's been months since I last wrote for Half-Life, although it certainly doesn't seem like it. You guys are my little fan base, and I wouldn't write if it weren't for you. This collection of stories is surprisingly popular, and I had no idea it would gain as much support as it did. And so, I decided it was time for an update.

I have a document where I simply bullet possible story ideas and this idea was written in blue, meaning that it was an idea I wanted to try next. It's been in blue for a while now, and I decided that I should finally write it. What's it about? You know I love the element of surprise. So you'll find out soon. It feels great to write for Half-Life again, and I certainly do miss you guys (assuming that you guys are my awesome Half-Life friends, but new readers are awesome too). But anyway, let's roll on!

Based on: Half-Life 2 (Valve)
Rating: It surprisingly doesn't contain violence, but there's some conflicts caused by frustration, so K+
Author's Notes: You can thank Rush for the title. I've fallen in love with one of their live CD's, and their instrumental named the same as the title is now another one of my favorite song. It kinda does sound alien-ish if you listen to it, actually.
Anyway, this story is huge! 5,200 words to be exact, but that was before I revamped this, so I'm guessing it's not about 6,500 words. And notice how it says Part One--there's so much more I want to add to this, so if this part is liked enough, I'll write Part Two; I'll put more notes on that at the end of the story. And the fact that this takes place in 2009 is a coincidence, I swear. No, seriously.

--

October 2nd, 2009

Some aliens came into base today, whether or not they're friendly is something I'm still not sure of. They're not hostile as far as I know, but then again that could easily change. Everybody made a fuss about it, but now everything seems calm—for now, at least. I'm not sure how we'll hold up since they want to live here, but we'll see.

—Alyx

"This is sentry five, come in East." The radio call hissed with static before silence cut it short. The deep voice that escaped from the radio sounded a bit worried or unsure of something or another, but ten-year-old Alyx Vance was too busy taking interest in a picture of Dog she was currently drawing to realize. It looked nothing like the real thing, but that didn't matter to her. Alyx let the words of the radio call linger in the air, assuming subconciously that someone else would eventually take interest in it.

"East, come in. We've got possible hostiles approaching." Alyx stopped her up-and-down drawing motions as she quickly examined the picture before her. She murmured something to herself, and then added a few waxy lines of yellow to Dog's figure. Originally, she had came here as request of her father to keep him company, but he decided to grab a cup of tea just a short while ago. He left Alyx with only the simple thought that he'd be back in a few minutes.

"Black Mesa East, I need a response, now." The young girl grunted to herself as she realized that nobody had answered the radio by now. There was no point in ignoring any logner; as part of the resistance, and daughter of its leader, she felt as though she had the responsibilty to respond, since no one else had. She let a little sigh slip through her nostrils as she gently placed down her crayon, rising to her feet. She leaned over and turned the knob on the old device.

"This is East, what's up?" she simply questioned. Her response was only silence.

"Alyx?" The sentry finally responded, although his voice seemed to indicate doubt and weariness. "Is your dad or somebody else around there?"

"No," Alyx quickly responded. "He went to get tea at the kitchen for a moment. Why, what's wrong?" Despite the sentry's reaction to her presence at the radio, Alyx's voice didn't stagger with any emotion. She sounded rather professional, acting like a more humanized Metro Cop, except for the fact that she spoke plain English—understandable at that—and not a collection of numbers.

"Well, uh, I might need some backup here." Static interrupted the conversation before the voice continued. "There's a few…aliens approaching base, but they're not Combine. Not sure if they're friendly, but they look rather…uhh…lost."

"How many are there?" Alyx quickly asked. She maksed her emotions behind a voice that tried to show that she was calm, but her concern was still able to leak through. The sentry took a moment to respond, making Alyx guess that he might be counting the exact number.

"Looks like there's only three of them," he finally responded. Alyx heard him softly cough soon after.

"Any idea what they are?"

"Uhh…no. They don't look like Combine synths, and they're definitely not zombies or human. They could be Xenian. Not sure; they're too far away to see any detail through the scope."

"Alright," Alyx responded. "Keep an eye on them. I'll go tell my dad the news."

"Yeah, hurry, would ya?"

Alyx turned the knob back to its original position to end the conversation. She looked at her drawing of Dog, shaking her head. Aliens are more important than a drawing, she reminded herself. She quickly slipped out of the room, softly closing the door behind her.

Aliens, huh? The thought actually sent a small shiver into Alyx's blood, but she tried to push back the thoughts by telling herself that practically everybody in Black Mesa East knew how to use a gun and take down somebody if they really needed to. She could fight for herself if the need ever arose for any reason, but Dog and the others usually took care of that for her.

Her feet drummed a steady beat as she passed the familiar hallways and faces. She wondered to herself what her dad would think of all this. After all, he did lose a leg thanks to a bullsquid, and Alyx only knew that species because of that reason. The only other aliens she was familiar with were just headcrabs and the Combine, and even then she's hardly seen them in person. She was lucky if she managed to convince any of the Black Mesa survivors, whom were only Barney, Doctor Kleiner, and Mossman in addition to her father, to tell her stories about the hellish event, but they tended to keep quiet about it. It was easy to tell they were emotionally scared by it, and so was Alyx, since she lost her mother that day.

White tile and the luster of stainless steel soon replaced the stone walls of the dim lighted hallways. It took Alyx a moment to realize that she was actually in the kitchen already. She was so stuck in her thoughts that she completely ignored the fact that she was running the entire way here, up stairways and through many doors. Her eyes easily caught sight of her father, busy conversing with Barney and a refugee she didn't know. The steam of her dad's tea slowly crept upwards and slipped past the white beard that clung onto his rough, dark skin. He laughed with the others, seeming as though a joke was just finished being shared, when Barney suddenly caught a glimpse of Alyx. He turned his head to face her, greeting her with a, "Hey Alyx, what's up?" The other two looked at her as well, but Alyx noticed that her dad looked awfully shocked for some reason.

"Alyx, what happened to you?" he questioned with worry, sweat suddenly slipping across his brows. Alyx was about to answer when she realized that she needed a moment to catch her breath. Wow, she didn't know that she really ran that fast. Did she sprint the entire way here?

"Sentry five spotted a…a group of aliens." She held up three of her fingers as her chest rapidly rose and fell with each of her quick breaths. "Three of them, he said. Not sure what they…they are, but he's not sure if they're hostile or friendly. It's not the Combine." Alyx watched as Barney and her dad shared glances of doubt and other emotions she couldn't exactly recognize. Her dad placed down his cup of tea gently on the counter, expressing his apologies to the refugee about how he had to cut the conversation short. He then looked at Barney, saying, "Barney, would you mind radioing that sentry? You know I would do it, but with this leg—" he pointed to his prosthetic—"I'm afraid you'll beat me to it." Barney simply nodded.

"No problem, Doc." He was about to sprint out of there when he was suddenly told, "Take Alyx with you."

"Ok dad," she somehow managed to say through her lack of oxygen, then took a deep breath before running off again with Barney.

When the two arrived back at the room Alyx was in before, Barney immediately radioed the sentry, asking, "Sentry five, this is East, what's going on?"

"Well," the sentry began, letting static join the conversation for a moment before continuing. "There's three aliens heading this way, most likely Xenian. Definitely not Combine." The sentry winced for a moment, before saying, "Looks like one of them's injured. There's another walking with a limp…they don't look hostile, over."

"Roger that," Barney quickly responded. "Don't attack unless they do. I'm heading up there." With that, he turned the dial and ended the conversation. "Alyx," Barney began, swinging around and taking a look at the young girl, who was just about to continue her drawing of Dog. "We can't exactly take a chance here—I don't care what these things are; it's too much of a risk to hang around. I want you to go and get Dog out from the scrap yard, now." Alyx nodded with obedience, and quickly ran out towards her new destination.

After a series of opening doors, running down hallways and stairways, and entering and exiting airlocks, she finally made it to the scrap yard. The flood lights were currently off, since the sun gave enough light as it was for the moment. Alyx ran over towards the empty yard where she and Dog would always play, and called for her companion, patting her knees as she did so. Dog let electronic barks be her answer as he poked his head out from his little shack, knuckling his way over towards his owner. He skidded to a stop before her, letting out more barking noises. Dog only stood taller than Alyx by just a few inches, but she considered that a major improvement from his first model, which was only about three feet. It didn't seem as threatening when a three-foot metal body guard is standing next to a four-foot-seven girl. Alyx quickly explained the situation to Dog, who shook his body and made more electronic noises that seemed to resemble a growl. She motioned for Dog to follow her, and the two began yet another sprint back to the room.

Once they arrived, Barney was already gone, and Alyx noticed that her dad had taken his place. "Hey sweetheart," he managed to say, letting a smile slip past his thick lips. Alyx greeted her father back, with Dog letting out an electronic bark as his way of saying hello.

"East!" The radio suddenly sparked to life as an angered shout erupted from the speakers. The voice wasn't the same as the sentry's—Alyx figured that it was probably Barney. "East, I need a response, now!" Alyx and Dog watched as her father leaned over and turned the knob, his eyes showing uneasiness.

"What is it, Barney?" he asked, his voice expressing no worry, yet it still sounded concerned.

"They're Vortigaunts!" Barney barked. Alyx thought he heard a hiss slip out of him, although it could have just been the static. "They're coming towards base. Sentry's right; two look injured, but the other looks in perfect condition to fight—"

"Barney, calm down," her father suddenly responded, before Barney had a chance to continue his ranting. "How far away are they, do you know?"

"Looks like about twelve yards, I'd say. Eli, we better shoot them now before they kill us!" Alyx watched as her father took a deep breath, his eyelids slipping closed. Barney let the scientist take a moment to response, although it was pretty obvious that he was feeling more than impatient about the situation.

"Barney, I want you to listen to me very carefully." Alyx watched her father as he took another breath before saying, "I want you to standby and let them in."

"What?!" Barney practically screamed the word, making Alyx's stomach jump. The metal flaps of Dog's head straightened themselves as he let out noises that resembled a whimper. Alyx already felt rather uneasy about the situation, but Barney's reaction made fear skip into her mind. She tried to ease its intensity by shifting closer towards Dog, who nudged her arm gently with his metal head. Alyx watched her dad shake his head as Barney continued, "Eli, are you kidding me? Do you know what these things did to half of Black Mesa? They killed Azian, and they almost killed the rest of us! What are you thinking?"

Alyx could feel a soft shiver slip into her skin at the mention of her mother's death. Barney had to be pretty upset about these…whatever they were called if he did that—he knew the mention of her mother always made she and her father have ice replace their blood, and it wasn't like him to let that slip out. Dog looked at Alyx, then at her father, seeming completely clueless about what he was supposed to do, if he was expected to do anything at all.

"If the Vortigaunts are injured, then they're most likely looking for help," her father responded. His vocal chords let out a crack of emotion as he neared the end of his sentance. Alyx wasn't sure what it was—fear, anger, misery.

"And you want us to help them?! After what they did?!" Barney shouted back. It was easy to tell that he was angered, but whether or not he was directing his anger at the old scientist or at the coming Vortigaunts was something Alyx couldn't figure out.

"Barney, I'm not going to explain to you now. I want you to gather up our best fighters and stand in front of the entrance that the Vortigaunts are headed towards. I'll send Dog to help you."

"But Doct—"

"Listen, Barney!" Alyx was shocked to know that her dad actually raised his voice. That was rather unusual for him, especially towards his friend like that. She watched as he took a deep sigh, placing his hand across his brows. "…look," he began, softly placing a fist on the table that held up the radio, "there are only three of them. We outnumber them ten to one. If we have to, we can take them down before they can do any damage."

"Eli, I still think this is a bad idea." Alyx watched as her father left him without a response. "I guess I have no choice, though," Barney seemed to mutter under his breath. "Alright, I'm heading back." With that, the conversation reached its end.

"Dad?" Alyx let the name escape her lips with a soft tone, indicating her concern. She watched as her father slowly turned his head, trying his best to smile at her while hiding his stress. It wasn't the best attempt she's seen him do. "What are Vorigaunts?" Her father slowly walked over to her, placing a hand atop her shoulder. He seemed to ponder his choice of wording for a moment. He parted his lips and inhaled softly, but then quickly closed it.

"Vortigaunts," he finally managed to say, looking into her eyes, "were one of the alien species that were released during the incident at Black Mesa." Alyx looked at him with her lips slightly parted, eyes widened.

"Dad, did they really kill mom?" She watched as dread immediately shot through her father's veins, dulling the colors of his irises for a moment.

"I don't know, sweetheart," he calmly said, letting a sigh escape his nostrils. "I don't know." Barney's voice suddenly interrupted the conversation before Alyx could say anything.

"Attention everyone," Barney's voice boomed over the intercom, "we've got Xenians heading our way. I want everybody who can fight to suit up and get over to Entrance C, now. Those who can't, you know where to go. Do not waste any time."

Alyx looked at her father, fear and doubt beginning to tear at her mind. Were these Vortigaunt aliens really such a big deal? She's never actually seen Barney this upset over anything before, now that she thought about it.

"Daddy, what should I do?" she questioned her father. Dog also looked at him, letting whimpers be released from his synthetic mouth.

"Alyx, I want you to head to the safe room. I'm going to need Dog, and I don't want you getting hurt." Alyx sighed. She should have seen that coming. Her father changed his vision so that he was now focusing on her metal pet. "Dog, I want you to come with me." Dog took a look at Alyx and whimpered, but her father assured him that she would be fine. Her father asked for Alyx to leave and, groaning in her mind, she departed from the room. She could hear the clunking of Dog's metal paws as he stomped across the concrete, his creator close behind.

Alyx allowed her bottom lip to slip between her jaws. She always hated hiding inside the safe room. It was actually something like a bunker, but she developed the habit of calling it the safe room since she was but a toddler. The name stuck, and the adults she talked to most frequently called it the same whenever they talked to her about it. The safe room was nothing but a huge room, hopefully enough to hold everybody in the lab, with supplies incase they needed them. If anything, hiding made her feel more hopeless than safe. She could take care of herself. She's been using a gun for three years. That's enough to prove at least something, right?

Alyx watched as armed refugees stamped down the halls, their weapons held at the ready. Some of them yelled at her to hurry up as they passed, but Alyx continued to slowly walk towards the safe room. She had a different idea in mind, anyway. Her curiosity got the best of her, as she planned to slip into the surveillance room and hopefully get a good glimpse at these aliens through one of the cameras.

By the time she made it there, only a few refugees darted past her—most of them were at one of the two destinations by now. She let an invisible smile slip up her lips; to her, it meant less people to catch her. Her hopes were soon shot, however, as she realized who was coming out from the surveillance room.

"Alyx?" Crap, it was Mossman. Why couldn't she have left the room just a few minutes earlier? "What are you doing here?" Alyx bit her tongue as she tried to think of an answer. Mossman looked at her with an expression of shock, which was most likely masking the anger that was hidden behind her eyes.

"I was just getting my gun," Alyx quickly responded, before her hesitation was enough to give away her lies. Mossman walked closer to her, which made Alyx feel slightly disgusted.

"Well, you won't need that right now. Dog can protect you," Mossman responded.

"He's with dad."

"Really?" She crossed her arms as she pondered the statement for a moment. "Well, I'm sure your father knows what he's doing. Anyway, why don't you come with me? There will be people who can protect you."

"But I'd feel safer if I had my own gun!"

"Alyx, now is not the t—"

"Please?" Alyx gave her best fake hopeless look as she interrupted Mossman's thousand-reasons-why-she-should-go. She watched as Mossman sighed, shaking her head and gently placing her fingertips over the wrinkles that carved themselves onto her forehead.

"Alright," she responded. Alyx congratulated herself silently. She watched as Mossman's expression quickly became serious. "You'd better hurry up, though. Your father would never forgive me if anything happened to you."

"I'll be fine."

"Now, hurry up. I'll meet you in the safe room." With that, Alyx allowed thoughts of relief swell her mind as Mossman left.

Thank god. When Alyx was sure that Mossman was a fair distance away, she slipped inside the surveillance room. The sepia glow of the grayscale images light her face with a saddening hue. Alyx has done this same exact routine before; how she never got caught was either pure luck or natural skill. She quickly ran her eyes over each of the small televisions, looking for the aliens, a huge crowd of people, or both; she figured that it would be her best clue. Her vision caught sight of the empty kitchen, the deserted hallways, the crowded spaces of the safe room, and…ah! There it is! The video of Entrance C, where refugees stood patiently with weapons in hand, awaiting the arrival of the aliens. She noticed, at the corner of the screen, her father and Dog, who was shaking his head and seemed restless for a fight. Or maybe he just wanted to play.

Barney suddenly walked into view, holding a semi-automatic tightly in hand, his Kevlar vest crudely strapped around his upper body. He spat out commands to everyone, which Alyx basically summed up in her mind as "Don't shoot unless they do." The refugees waited with apprehension for the aliens—Alyx watched as some of them shifted their weight from one leg to another, change the position of their guns, their faces become tense with emotion. Barney still seemed to have a hint of hatred and doubt in his eyes, and a sneer seemed carved across his face. Everybody suddenly seemed startled, and that's when Alyx realized that the trio of Vortigaunts had finally made it into view, side by side.

The sentry's report was already confirmed by Barney, but Alyx now saw it with her own eyes. The one Vortigaunt on the right seemed to be injured, for a few gashes ran up its arm and a little into its chest. It appeared to Alyx that they could be wounds caused by the hot lead of bullets tearing into the flesh. Alyx was unable to tell if the injuries were major or minor, for it was automatically given that the aliens had a different structure than normal humans, so she couldn't use her own body as a comparison. The other Vortigaunt on the left didn't have any external injuries, but Alyx noticed that one of its backwards legs was folded and it rested the tip of its hooves on the ground. It had its arm wrapped around the rough-skinned neck of the middle one, who appeared to be completely injury-free. Alyx watched as the Vortigaunts looked cautiously at the rest of the humans. She then watched as her father commanded for the refugees to give them a little room. To her amazement, they actually complied without complaint, and formed a half-circle a couple of feet away from the Vorigaunts. The slam of the closing door of the entrance could be heard in the background. Barney quickly walked over towards Alyx's father once the Vortigaunts had stopped to stand for a moment.

"Hel-lo." Alyx watched as her father stepped towards the aliens, saying the word so calmly and slowly. "Do not worry; will we not harm you. We are your friends." The middle and right Vortigaunts looked at her father—the one on the left only kept his vision concentrated on the ground. Alyx watched her father slip a smile towards the aliens. Barney was probably grunting to himself about the friendly approach, Alyx figured. Her father continued, "We would like to help you."

"…help?" Everybody seemed shocked when the middle Vortigaunt suddenly spoke, and Alyx found herself leaning back in amazement. The Vortigaunt gave a minute for the gasps to be silenced before it continued. "Yes, we desire help." Alyx cocked a brow at the Vortigaunt, and noticed that most of the refugees did the same. It spoke English? Understandable English? Her father still seemed shocked at the response.

"Yes," he slowly replied. "Can you understand what I am saying?"

"Indeed," the Vortigaunt replied, its quick pace suggesting that English was a fluent tongue of his. "We know the language of the humans. We have listened to the words of those who have walked through the cities. We retrieved much of our knowledge of the human race from the chatter of the Combine that had once controlled us."

The voice of the Vortigaunt sounded rough, as though each word it said was scraping against its vocal chords. Alyx wasn't sure if it were because it was either exhausted or if that was just the natural voice of the creature.

"We come here seeking refuge from the Combine," the Vortigaunt continued. "My kin and I managed to break the bindings that the Combine had restrained upon us within the confines of the cities. We fled for our freedom and had arrived here. We wish no harm."

"Hard to believe that," Barney suddenly blurted, "considering how you nearly wiped out everybody at Black Mesa years ago." He showed no signs of attempting assault anytime soon, but instead let a sour remark mask his face. The Vortigaunt looked at him, puzzled. Barney's grip on his gun seemed to tighten, probably to the point where his muscles were most likely beginning to scream.

"We will not beg for forgiveness of what our kin have done in the past," he responded, "and we do not expect it to happen. Yet, we cannot bestow forgiveness to your kind for what you have done to our brethren, either. However, we ask for a time for peace. Please understand; we were no more than mere slaves at the time of the resonance cascade of Black Mesa. We were frightened and did what the Nihilanth had commanded; its death has given us our free will." Everybody seemed silent for a moment, eyes all concentrated on the luminous red eye of the Xenian. When no words seemed to escape from anyone, the Vortigaunt decided to continue.

"Your planet it now our home," he said, shaking his head as though he had a chill that ran up his alien spine. "We do not wish for it to appear as though we have invaded it. The portal storms have trapped us here—there is nothing we can do to return. But we have decided that if this will be the planet where we shall reside, then we shall fight for its freedom from the Combine. We do not wish for it to become what Xen had once been."

There were whispers drifting around the refugees, all containing doubt in their words. Alyx watched as a deep and thoughtful look had covered her father's face, until he finally let out the next words of the conversation.

"We understand," he said softly, letting his head bob with a nod. He soon changed his vision to focus on the other two Xenians. "What's wrong with your friends, there?" he questioned, gently pointing his finger in the general direction of the trio of aliens. The middle and right Vortigaunt looked at each other.

"This one," he began, using the arm in the middle of his chest to point to his right, "has been wounded by the weapons of the Combine. Normally, we would heal his wounds, but we cannot until the…" It seemed as though he was trying to search for the correct word, "…material, shall we say, is removed."

"So he was shot, then?" a voice called out.

"If that is how you humans refer to injuries such as this," the Vortigaunt replied, attempting to look in the general direction the voice had most likely came from. He tilted his head towards the Vortigaunt whose weight he shared on his shoulder. "This one has suffered whilst traveling here. Only rest may heal it."

"If we fix you up, what do you plan on doing next?" Barney questioned. Alyx noticed that the hostility in his voice had weakened, but, knowing him, his mind was still probably racing with angered thoughts. The Vortigaunt looked confused at Barney's choice of words, but attempted to respond anyway.

"We understand that it is a great deal to ask such favors from you," he began, "but we wish to take residence within this santuary." Another chorus of gasps and mutterings, thoughts swirling overhead. Alyx found herself to be just as shocked. The Vortigaunts looked like they weren't planning to hurt anyone, at least for now, but that could easily change within an instant. She could just imagine her last memory being of that bulbous eye in front of her, filled with hatred and vengeance. Alyx watched as Barney leaned over and whispered something into her father's ear, whose face released many emotions.

"Excuse us for a moment," he began, raising his index finger to show that he needed a minute. "We need to talk this over."

"We understand. We do not wish for you to be rushed." The old scientist nodded. Barney then gave a command to the group of armed refugees, which seemed to be a code—Alyx assumed that he was trying to make sure the Vortigaunts didn't pick up on the order. She was already used to listening to these codes and knew them from her training, and decoded it to be an order to standby and shoot only if they do—do not let them out of your sight. Alyx's hazel irises drifted around the collection of monitors as her father and Barney slipped offscreen. Her mind was encircled with thoughts about where they were going and what they were planning. She let a smile slip onto her delicate face as she found them on a different monitor. Aylx pressed a button on the console in front of her, which un-muted the sound to that particular room.

"Doctor Vance," Barney began, addressing Alyx's father in an unusually formal way, "you and I both know what these aliens did to us, our co-workers, our families…what are you thinking?" Alyx noticed that Barney's tone had shifted to a different emotion than the one that leaked into his voice before—it sounded like desperation. Alyx's father sighed, looking away from the middle-aged, wide-eyed security guard.

"I'm sorry for not explaining this to you before, Barney, but it really wasn't the time." He turned back his concentration towards his old co-worker, his voice somehow still sounding soothing like Alyx had always known it to be. "I know you don't trust the Vortigaunts after what they have done, and I don't believe anyone does. But think of this, Barney—if we can convince them to join the resistance, they could be vital allies against the Combine." Barney simply crossed his arms at the statement.

"I don't know, Eli," he responded, shifting his weight onto one of his legs. He rubbed the back of his neck with one of his clammy hands."This just doesn't sound right. I mean, those Vortigaunts just happened to escape the Combine, with only minor scratches, and some how end up here? You can't tell me you don't think that's strange." He let his arms limply fall to his sides and shifted his weight to his other leg. "Those bullet wounds could very well be from one of the refugee camps out in the canals." Alyx watched as her father nodded, wrapping his chin with his thumb and index finger, a habit that was passed on to Alyx.

"I see what you mean," he replied, "but as I said before, there are only three of them."

"They could be planning something for all we know. Hell, there could be loads of them out there just waiting to attack."

"Then I would imagine that our sentries would be able to spot them before they are able to do anything. Barney, you and I survived Black Mesa, and we both got our shares of scars from it." Barney grunted to himself, taking a quick glance at the doctor's metal leg. "The Vortigaunts can be stopped if they have to. If you don't mind, I just want to see their potential. They are already convinced that they should help fight for Earth—asking them to join the resistance shouldn't be as troubling as we may think it will be." Barney's eyes narrowed for a moment as thoughts entered and left his skull.

"Alright Eli, al-alright." His voice seemed to stutter with worry for a moment, as he placed his hand onto his face, slipping his eyes closed. He muttered something under his breath, which Alyx thought to be along the lines of, "God, I hope this works." He faced the doctor once again. "I'm keeping the refugees on high alert until we can completely trust them. We can't take any chances."

"I understand," was his simple reply. The two left the room, and Alyx switched the volume and her vision back to where it previously was. The duo soon entered the room once again, and nothing seemed to change—the refugees were still half-circled around the trio of Vortigaunts, who were just standing idly.

"We have talked it over," Alyx's father began, "and we have agreed to allow you three to stay here." A chorus of hushed voices soon circled overhead, but Barney gave a look that basically implied a "Shut up and I'll tell you later" thought. It seemed to work…for the moment, at least.

Alyx wasn't sure if the Vortigaunts were capable of showing a smile, but they seemed rather happy. "We are forever grateful of what you and your kind have done for us," the Vortigaunt said in its scratchy voice. "For that, we shall forever be in your debt." Alyx noticed that the refugees and her father looked rather shocked and speechless at the statement, but Barney had allowed a look of suspicion to slip across his face. "If we may ask, what are you called amongst your kind?"

Alyx pondered the wording, trying her best to restate it within her mind so that she was able to actually understand it. Her father seemed to beat her to it, however.

"Eli Vance," he replied with a smile, looking as though he was about to shake hands with the strange creature, but checked the movement. They probably didn't know what he meant by holding out his hand, anyway, Alyx figured. The Vortigaunt shook its large head.

"We are forever honored to be within your presence," the Vortigaunt said, "along with the rest of the humans within this facility." He looked around at the uneasy faces of the refugees. "If there is anything you wish to be done, then please, let us know."

"Yeah, great," Barney muttered, rolling his eyes. "Alright, well, I guess we'll get you guys fixed up now. I want you—" he pointed at one of the refugees, who Alyx recognized to be one of the more respected medics within the lab "–to gather up the medics you'll need to heal these guys. You two go with them." He pointed at two other refugees, who simply nodded as a reply. The medic asked for the Vortigaunts to follow, and one of the refugees helped share the weight of the limping Vortigaunt. The middle Vortigaunt let a gleam slip into his huge eye.

"We thank you, once again," he replied, as he walked along with the rest.

--

And that ending sucked.

Geeze, the Vortigaunts are tricky to write for. Ever since I first started writing for Half-Life I always wanted to try writing about the Vortigaunts. The fact that the human race trusts them so much is seriously unexplained, and I would imagine that them joining the resistance was an interesting event. And so, I wrote this! I read somewhere that, according to in-game dialogue, Eli was the first to make peaceful contact with the Vorts and convince them to fight for Earth. It was seriously hard writing his dialogue for this while still keeping him in character--originally, I planned on having Doctor Kleiner talk to the Vorts and convince everyone instead. Changing everything around was hard to do.

Notice how I always refer to Eli as Alyx's father--that's because I wanted to show the reader that this is Alyx's perspective, and I doubt she'd call her father by his first name. That did get a bit irritating, however. Also notice that I refer to Judith by her last name--it was a way to show Alyx's disrespect towards her. And ha, Barney :D Yeah. Saw that coming.

Anyway, I plan on Part Two being the "aftermath" of having the Vorts stay, like how they prove their worth and everything (I'm interested in the fact that they know how to cook, as seen in Black Mesa East). Crap, I'm going to need to play Episode Two again to do some research on this. Too bad I don't really like that game.

Thanks so much for reading and I hope this was worth the wait! Let me know if you want to see Part Two, and feel free to share an idea if you have one. I've got plenty, but I want to make sure you guys know that I'm doing this for you mainly. Thanks again!

Edit: It's been three days since I posted this and nobody reviewed it? Wow, that's not like you guys D: I didn't fall off the radar or anything, did I?