AUTHORS NOTE: I deviated from the game in this chapter. I didn't realized how effing long the level Ravenholm was, and I knew that there was no way I would have the patience to write excitingly for that long in a restricted setting. From now on, I will follow most of the basic events and/or settings of the game, with my own twists thrown in.
This level is longer than the others because I couldn't find a good breaking point. Good stuff.
Reviews make me do a happy dance :3
________________
"Gordon…" she said, but he already had his crossbow out, his eyes darting about wildly for any sign of the zombies. Alyx looked uninterested, and absentmindedly pulled at a fingernail.
Claire listened carefully, trying to determine where -
"Over there." she said, snapping her gun around and training it on one of the fences. Gordon did likewise.
She waited, wondering what was taking them so long to get there…
"Don't move." a filtered voice snapped. Claire felt the muzzle of a gun press into the back of her head.
"Drop it." she obligingly dropped her gun.
She glanced up at Gordon, and saw that he had also dropped his weapon, the laser of a sniper rifle trained on his forehead. Alyx was nowhere to be seen. The little bitch must've taken off while their backs were turned. Claire heard movement behind her, and more Combine flooded in from the roofs and surrounding buildings. Claire counted roughly thirty soldiers. They were severely outnumbered.
She then realized they had walked into a trap. The sabotaged cable and fastzombie calls were distractions so that the Combine could get in close.
"Get down." a soldier said to Gordon, who hopped down and raised his hands. One Combine stepped forward and confiscated his weapons, then did the same to Claire. They were both fitted with handcuffs.
"Move." said the robot-like voice.
One of the fences lowered, and more soldiers appeared behind it. It was a false fence. Claire saw a dropship in a courtyard down the street waiting for them. She glanced over at Gordon, whose eyes were practically bugging out of his head. They were screwed.
The two were shoved forward, and Claire let out a small, growl like noise. Oh, how she hated the Combine. She almost hoped they were being taken to Dr. Breen so she could give him a piece of her mind.
Almost.
The party reached the dropship, and the prisoners were led up its ramp. There were benches on either side of them.
"Sit."
Gordon and Claire sat down across from each other.
One soldier reached into a case and pulled out two syringes with some sort of liquid in them. He walked over to Claire first. His gloved hand gripped her hair and shoved her head to the side, then jammed the needle into her neck.
"Jeez." she said through clenched teeth. "Are you a certified nurse? I'm not sure this is sanitary."
One soldier let out a noise that Claire almost took as a laugh. He then moved on to Gordon with the other needle. She shook her head. Her vision was already going blurry. All of a sudden, the ground was coming towards her and she blacked out.
__
"Claire?….Claire!"
She tried to open her eyes, but her lids felt a thousand pounds each. Screw you. she thought.
"Claire!"
She groaned, and cracked one eyelid open.
"What the hell do you want?" she snapped at the Combine that was standing over her. Her voice sounded deep and raspy.
To her surprise, the soldier reached up and removed his mask.
"Aw, c'mon, is that any way to talk to an old friend?
Claire opened her eyes fully and sat up, noting the absence of her handcuffs.
"Barney…??" she asked, bewildered.
"In the flesh." he said, grinning.
"Where's…" her question was answered when she looked across from her and saw Gordon, also just starting to sit up. Barney walked over and started talking to Gordon. Claire raised a hand to her forehead. Whatever they had given her, it sure made her head hurt like hell.
"…now we don't have much time, you two have to get out of here! Here, I got your weapons back."
He handed them their guns. Claire felt more secure immediately.
"Where did the gunship land?" Claire asked.
"Outskirts of a Combine camp for fuel. Now, I got some rebels to hide a dune buggy in a group of rocks about quarter mile that way." he pointed. "If you follow the highway, there are a few rebel bases along it that will help you. The drug I gave you both to counter the sedative is going to make you groggy and give you a headache for a while. Now go, before they come back!"
"Barney…I owe you one." she said, standing up.
"You both owe me one." he said, pointedly looking at Gordon, who shrugged sheepishly. "Now get outta here."
Barney lowered the ramp for them, and they ran down it, going in the direction he had indicated. They ran, not bothering to look back. She could've run back and kissed his feet right then, but she'd rather get the hell outta there at the moment. Suddenly paying attention to their surroundings, Claire realized that they were on a beach, the ocean to their left and an elevated road to their right hugging the hills.
Just like Barney had said, when they reached a group of rocks, there was an orange dune buggy nestled in them. It didn't have any coverings, it was just a metal frame with the engine attached. Claire noted the rebel symbol, the same one that was on her and Gordon's HEV suits, spray-painted on the rock next to it. Claire slid into the passenger seat, and curiously peered at a small piece of paper that was taped to the steering wheel. It had two simple words scrawled on it: Good Luck.
Gordon climbed into the drivers seat. Claire looked up, and realized that there was a gun mounted in front of her.
"Score!" she said, gripping the handles of the gun.
Gordon grinned, and turned the ignition key. The engine roared to life, the buggy vibrating with the hum of it. He then gripped the steering wheel, and stared straight ahead, as if he wasn't sure what to do.
"Do you need me to drive?" Claire asked. Gordon still didn't move. "Do you not know how to drive it or some-"
Claire was cut off as Gordon yanked the buggy into reverse, turned around to look behind him, and punched the gas pedal, all in one fluid movement. Claire yelped and struggled to strap herself in. Gordon then spun back around, shoved the buggy into drive, and hit the gas again, the tires struggling to gain traction on the sandy beach. They shot off, sped up the hill, and got a few feet of air before landing roughly on the highway. Claire let out a whoop and gripped the mounted gun. The air rushed past them, and as they passed a sign, Claire barely made out the words "Highway 17".
They drove for about a mile, then they reached a small house that was set to the right side of the highway. It was held up by supports that elevated it about twenty feet off the beach, connecting it to the level of the highway. Gordon slowed, and peered at it, looking for signs of any rebel activity. He then stopped the vehicle in front of it, motioned for Claire to wait in the car, and entered the house, gun drawn. Claire drummed her thumbs on the grips of the gun.
Something moved in Claire's peripheral vision. She looked past the house onto the beach, but didn't see anything. She unbuckled herself, and walked to the twenty foot drop off. She looked again, but still couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. She turned to go back to the car.
Suddenly, her footing gave out, and she yelped as she slid down the slightly angled cliff before landing roughly on the sand below. She felt something in her lower leg snap as she landed. Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she fought not to curse as the pain set in. Her suit beeped twice.
Minor fracture, detected. It announced.
"Yeah, thanks, I noticed." she said through clenched teeth.
She stood up on her good leg and took a step towards it. She'd have to find a way back up. She decided to try and climb the cliff.
The ground trembled, and Claire turned around slowly to look behind her. She saw the sand move in one spot, and then a Guardian antlion's head pushed out of it. It emerged all the way, shook itself off, and roared a deafening roar.
"Shit." she muttered, then spun around and clawed madly at the cliff, climbing up as fast as she could. "GORDON!!" she screamed.
She was about five feet in the air when the Guardian first charged. It ran towards her, head lowered, bellowing. She managed to get another two feet up when the huge antlion slammed into the cliff not inches below her feet. She put her good leg on it's head as a foothold, then shoved off and got up ten feet in the air. She then realized the cliff went straight up from there, and that there was no way that she could get up any further. The Guradian stood up on it's hind legs, and tried to climb up the cliff to get to her.
Gunshots sounded, and green blood sprayed from the Guardians face and onto Claire's as bullets hit it. It roared again and dropped back on all fours. Claire looked up and saw Gordon, his brow furrowed, aiming his pulse rifle at the huge antlion.
"Gordon!" she called out again. "I'm stuck, I can't get up any further!"
He glanced down at her, then tossed a grenade at the Guardian. It exploded, but it just made the antlion more angry. It slammed into the cliff again, and Claire clung to the dirt, trying not to fall. She glanced up, and Gordon tossed her the revolver.
She caught it, turned, and took aim, firing at the Guardian's head. She shot it three times, and it finally had an effect on it. The Guardian turned away, shaking it's head in pain. Gordon took out his submachine gun, and fired an SMG grenade. The Guardian let out one final roar before collapsing, finally dead. She breathed in relief, and glanced up at Gordon again.
"I fell." she said.
Gordon signaled her to wait there, then disappeared again. Claire rested her head against the cliff, her fingers white from gripping at whatever solid part of the cliff she could get a hold of. She closed her eyes and sighed. She hated antlions.
After a few minutes, she heard the buggy start up, and dust fell from above as it backed up to the edge of the drop off. A rope attached to it's bumper lowered, and Gordon looked down at her. She grabbed the rope and tied it around her waist, then nodded up at him. He disappeared from sight, and Claire began to rise as the buggy drove forward. She guided herself past sharp rocks and bumps. When she was finally back on solid ground, she tugged the rope off and laid down, staring at the sky. The adrenaline in her system was just starting to die down.
Gordon powered down the vehicle, untied the rope and knelt beside her. She sat up, and they hugged. He entangled one of his hands in her hair and pressed his face into her shoulder. He then kissed her briefly, and pulled her to her feet. She took a step towards the buggy, and a shot of pain went through her leg, sending her to one knee. Shit. She had forgotten about that. Gordon hurried over to her worriedly.
"I fractured my leg when I fell. I forgot." she mumbled.
Minor fracture detected. Her suit reminded her.
"Yes, I know!" she snapped. Gordon laughed softly,
Automatic medical systems engaged. She cursed when she felt a small prick in her leg. Morphine administered.
The suit also applied some sort of medication that greatly sped up the healing of bones to about a half an hour. She had no idea how it worked. but was grateful for it, though she felt she had had enough needles stuck in her for one day.
Gordon pulled to her feet, and picked her up in his arms. He placed her in the passenger seat of the dune buggy, and brushed her hair away from her face before walking around and sitting in the driver's seat. They took off down the highway again. Claire held the gun, waiting for any antlion bastard to dare show it's ugly face to her.