Barney Calhoun was many things. A former security guard, a good friend, a damn good fighter, and honest to a fault. The two only ran into a small handful of Monokumas on their way to Dr. Kleiner's lab, which Gordon was quickly able to dispatch with his trusty crowbar. And, upon reaching the place Barney said was Dr. Kleiner's lab, Gordon caught on to the sounds of someone inside.
"Blast that little-! Where did she get to?" Dr. Kleiner demanded of nobody in particular. "Lamarr! Come out of there!"
"Everything alright, doc?" Barney asked, drawing attention to himself and Gordon.
"Oh, hello, Barney. Well, almost alright. Lamarr has gotten out of her crate again. You didn't trap her, by chance- My goodness! Gordon Freeman. It really is you, isn't it?"
"I found him out in the streets after a bad helicopter crash." Barney explained. "Hella lucky, he is."
"Yes, yes." Kleiner agreed. "We owe a great deal to you, Gordon. And you've shown up at the most opportune time. With these riots breaking out all over Towa City, Future Foundation is quickly losing ground in rebuilding the world. But, with your... Unique, skillset, we have complete confidence that these riots will be dealt with in time."
"Uh, doc, if he's gonna be out fightin' the Monokumas, we should probably get him outta his civvies."
"What? Oh, dear. I almost forgot. Barney? Would you be so kind as to do the honors?"
"Oh, alright." Barney said, walking over to a sort of garage unit in the corner. Opening the door, Gordon spied a human-sized chamber shrouded in darkness. But, as Barney turned the lights on, it became abundantly clear what was inside.
A brand-spanking new H.E.V. Suit. And a Headcrab.
The Headcrab immediately leaped at Barney, who caught it. "Get it off me!" Barney demanded as he threw the Headcrab off of him. Gordon walked towards it, crowbar at the ready, when Dr. Kleiner stopped him.
"Gordon! Wait! Don't be alarmed! She's de-beaked and completely harmless!" Kleiner explained as Gordon lowered his crowbar. "The worst she'll do is try to couple with your head... Fruitlessly, of course."
"Get that thing away from me!" Barney shouted as the Headcrab turned to face him again, now back atop the H.E.V. Suit's chamber.
"Here, my pet!" Kleiner called. "Up up!" In response, the Headcrab leaped onto a higher shelf, rummaging around a bit before hopping into a vent. "No! Not up there-! Oh, phi! It'll be another week before I'll be able to coax her out of there!"
"Maybe more if we're lucky..." Barney muttered. "Whatever, I'm not an animal person. Well, Gordon. You can go and slip into your suit now." He said, opening the H.E.V. Suit's chamber.
Donning the familiar orange power suit, Gordon watched as the different HUD displays all appeared before him once again, looking a bit more refined than the previous model.
"Welcome to the H.E.V. Mark Five Protective System. For use in hazardous environment conditions." The suit stated, giving its typical power-on routine.
"Well, Gordon. It's good to see your H.E.V. Suit still fits you like a glove! Or, at least, the glove parts do." Kleiner joked. "I've made a few adjustments since you last wore it, but I'll just acquaint you with the basics. *Ahem.* The Mark Five Suit has been redesigned for comfort and utility-"
A rumbling sound like some sort of explosion.
"Uh, doc? We don't have time for this." Barney said. "At least get that suit juiced up, Gordon."
"Good idea." Kleiner agreed. "There's a charger on the wall." He revealed, pointing to a small terminal on the far wall. Walking over to it and plugging the suit in as usual, Gordon watched as his suit charged to 25%, completely draining the power in the terminal. "I've modified your suit to draw from Towa Group energy outlets, which are plentiful in this town."
"Well, let's get this show on the road, doc." Barney stated as Kleiner used a retinal scanner on the wall to open a sliding door, revealing a small room with some sort of machine on one wall, and a single window on the other. Looks like this room was closer to the surface. Barney walked over to another console on the wall across from Gordon, making a few inputs until another familiar man appeared on screen. This one wearing a Harvard shirt over a white button-up and underneath a camo-green fishing jacket.
"Ehh... Isaac?" Dr. Eli Vance asked. "Are you there?"
"Yes, yes. Eli, a bit of a holdup on our end. You'll never believe who walked through our doors this morning."
Eli seemed to look around a bit more, noticing Gordon. "That's not who I think it is, is it?"
"Indeed it is." Kleiner confirmed. "And its our intention to send him packing straight to your company immediately. Gordon, why don't you stand in that chamber over there?" Kleiner asked, pointing to the cage-like machine. Gordon obliged, stepping in. The platform beneath him raised up, and a few bits began spinning around him.
"Let's see..." Kleiner mutered. "The mass-less field flux should self-limit, and I've cranked the manaphor parameters up to eighty percent, and L-G orderforms are very conclusive. Conditions would hardly be more ideal."
"That's what you said last time." Barney said casually.
"Initializing in three... two... one... Eh, Barney? Would you be so kind as to throw that switch over there?"
"Sure thing, doc. Good luck out there, Gordon."
"Yes, indeed. We're ready to project you, Gordon. Bon voyage, and, best of luck in your future endeavors. Final sequence-"
It was then that the nearby vent cover popped off, startling everyone in the room as Dr. Kleiner's pet Headcrab.
"What is it?" Kleiner asked.
"It's your pet." Barney spat. "That freakin' headhopper!"
"Lamarr-" Kleiner started as Lamarr, the Headcrab, turned to Gordon. "Heby, no!-"
Lamarr leaped at Gordon, causing a bright flash to fill his vision as he was sent to the ruins of an old school building he vaguely recognized. However, in the next moment, he was back in the lab.
"There he is!"
"Is Lamarr with him?"
"Get him outta that thing!"
Next, he was in Eli's lab. "What's going on?" The latter questioned.
"I'm not sure." Said his assistant, a woman Gordon had never seen before.
"Godron! Stay put! We'll get you outta there!"
Another flash, and he was now in a huge room with giant windows looking out over the city. The five kids from the broadcast turned to face him.
"What the-" Masaru started. "Who are you, Demon!? And how did you get in here!?"
Another flash, back to Kleiner's lab.
"Hey, hey, he's back!" Barney shouted. "Get him outta there!"
"We just lost Gordon!" Eli's assistant said through the video console. "What's going on-"
Back to Eli's. "Wait, no- He's back!"
He found himself back in the fancy room. "Yes..." Nagisa muttered. "I'm almost certain it was-" One of Gordon's staggered breaths caught his attention, causing them all to turn to him again. "Gordon Freeman." Nagisa stated.
Another teleport, and now he was on a roof somewhere in the city. Komaru was also there, alongside another girl her age that Gordon had never seen.
"Hey, who's that behind you?" The stranger asked, and Komaru turned.
"Dr. Freeman?!"
He gave a small wave as Lamarr leaped out of nowhere, latching onto the stranger's head, causing her to scream in alarm. "Get it off! Get it off!"
Another flash, and Gordon found himself staring through the window of Kleiner's lab.
"He didn't come through!" Eli shouted.
"Then where is he!?" Kleiner demanded.
"Behind you." Eli revealed, causing Kleiner to turn and shout in alarm at Gordon's sudden appearance. "Shut it down, shut it down!" Eli said.
"Gordon! You must get out of here! Hurry! Get to the Resistance base! It's hidden in the underground shopping district!" Kleiner called as he shut down the teleporter, causing Gordon's tunnel-vision to clear. "I added shock absorbers to your suit! You should be able to leap down to the surface from there!"
Gordon nodded in affirmation, turning away from Kleiner. Taking a deep breath, and hoping those shock absorbers were actually there, he leaped from the small balcony to the ground below.