"Space tells matter how to move,
and matter tells space how to curve."
Albert Einstein
"In the meantime… this is where I get off."
He couldn't even remember when that… man, his… employer had spoken that last. Trapped in this empty void, which had replaced the hell that was City 17, yet that was so much more preferable to this deep, dark abyss of pure nothingness. Waking up before sleeping again without a sense of time.
How long had he been asleep?
How "long" is it here?
Once upon a time, he scrounged, fought, and bled to reach that thing beyond the veil—an entity that held open the portal to the borderworld with powers he barely understood. Yet, even with all of that power, he stood tall and victorious.
He had been fine with dying then and there. Or perhaps a miracle would come, and his colleagues would bring him back to the complex soon enough.
Then the miracle came.
A miracle veiling a curse he wished he had known.
All he felt was pure numbness as he fell asleep one second and jolted awake the next, a voice, a horrible caricature of a man... whispering and dumping images of places he had never been before he was shoved onto that train. With nothing more than his utter confusion about where the hell he was, Gordon was forced to survive and learn from zero.
Now… the rest is history.
Back again in this dull blankness.
He closed his eyes again, whispering silent apologies to his colleagues and friends he had made in that short span of around a week.
"Sleeping on the job again, Mister Freeman?"
Then his heart clenched once more.
"Don't get me wrong, you've done… an exemplary job in your short… assignment. You deserved this small time of… respite.
Other than that, in terms of your… employment and the interesting offers I've received from my employers for your… services, they've authorized me to give you a small… repayment for your hard work."
He saw himself back in the core of the Citadel, the explosion, and Alyx suspended in time. Unmoving, like a well-sculpted statue.
"I know… you harbor terror regarding the safety of your… colleagues and home. This is why the reward that has been authorized… is their… safety."
A flash of light, then he saw a man rising up from the darkness. Coughing to himself before he stood tall. He looked around the void before stepping into view, letting his heavy footsteps echo around as Gordon saw who the man was.
A HECU soldier.
Gunshots rang, and screams follow.
"DON'T SHOOT! DON'T SHOOT!"
"NOOO!"
"WAIT!"
His colleagues murdered, shot by their "saviors" in cold blood. Every hope was crushed as their lips died in a silent, horrific scream.
He had never felt so angry in his entire life as he did that day.
He picked up his gun and slaughtered through them, shouting to himself that they were murderers and they were in his way of saving those who could still be saved.
"There! THERE!"
"YOU'RE DEAD, FREEMAN!"
"THAT FUCKER IS RUNNING!"
"NO, CAPTAIN- AGH!"
"WAIT- UGH!"
They deserved the lead he pumped into them.
"I understand your anger, Mister Freeman, but I assure you… Corporal Shepard here is… trustworthy, to keep your… friends safe and sound until… your contract for this… extraordinary assignment ends, and… the hour of need for your talents… comes again."
The devil chuckled, straightening his tie before this… "Shepard" disappears from view.
"Until then, Mister Freeman. Your next contract… will reveal itself. If you would follow me, that is."
His eyes were engulfed in a bright, shining light. Then he found himself… in another train.
How poetic.
That man is standing in front of him, straightening his tie for the nth time before giving him a small smile and gesture to follow.
And so he did. Not like he had any other choice.
The more he walked across the empty train, the more he felt… calm? The ride was unlike what he felt before. Not like Black Mesa's tram, and absolutely not like the train he hitched back in City 17. Even the scenery from the vacations he had around Europe with Kleiner and Eli was nothing compared to what he felt in this space.
The sky was like a painting, a mixture of blue and pink swelling into one grandiose tapestry of the heavens above the calm whispers of the ocean.
If he closed his eyes… he could swear this was a dream.
"Enjoying the view, Mister Freeman?"
Until it turned into a nightmare. Courtesy of that bastard.
"I don't mind you taking in the… breathtaking view around us, but I must remind you… we're on a schedule. Our client is just… right ahead."
There, sitting in the corner, was a girl. Her eyes were closed in a dreamlike expression, a mix of tension, fear, anger, and… acceptance. Yet Gordon was focused not on her expression, but on her body and uniform. Bloodstained, damp, and still dripping.
His instincts kicked in, and Gordon immediately ran to the blue and pink-haired girl at a burst of speed. His hand shot out, grabbing her arm, and he held her wrist before touching it with his finger. If that balding bastard did this, he-
A pulse.
She is alive. She… is alive.
Gordon let out a breath of relief. This young woman was probably 17 or 18 at most, and the thought of her being dead… sickened him to the core.
"Ah… so eager, Mister Freeman?"
Right, he had almost forgotten that the creepy crook was still with him. He returned a glare as the finely tailored freak gave him a tiny, smug smirk before walking past him and sitting in the empty chair next to the girl.
His hand gently grasped her shoulder.
"I brought him here, miss."
He whispers gently into her ear while Gordon glared at that suitcased schmuck as he did.
The girl coils in her sleep, turning her head before opening her sky-blue eyes and-
A… halo? It manifests above her head, floating gently up and down as she blinks herself awake.
"…Mm? Oh! I- you- wait." She hastily straightens herself, wincing from… her wounds? She is covered in blood, and by then, Gordon doubts it's self-inflicted.
Gordon and the enigmatic errand entity hold her steady.
"Right… I'm sorry." She chuckled softly to herself. "We… finally meet again, Freeman-sensei."
Gordon was just about to say something along the lines of "Nice to meet you," until he realized that she somehow knows his name, and she said "again," implying they had met before.
But he was absolutely sure he had never seen this girl before in his life.
"Don't be quite so… surprised Mister Freeman, in a… way of speech, you and… our client have met before. Trusted colleagues even in… another time and space."
…Of course the paranormal pencil pusher has a hand in this.
"But what has passed is… unimportant right now, Mister Freeman." He looks at her before glancing back at him. "What is important is the… urgency and nature of your task."
She looked down in shame.
And Gordon feels a sudden throbbing headache.
Horror. Pain. Anguish. Loss.
All that emotion suddenly floods into him like a tidal wave of madness, crushing his psyche with its immense weight.
Images come and go, things he doesn't understand.
"…It was all my fault. My decisions, and everything they caused. It had come to this for me to finally realize you were right all along."
She whispers with shame and guilt as that man cradles her.
"So forgive me for being so bold, but I must ask for your help.
Freeman-sensei. Even without your memories, you'll probably make the same decision in the same situation.
Therefore, I believe what matters most are the choices we make, not the experiences we have.
There are choices only you can make."
Then finally, her azure eyes rose from the ground and met his emerald.
"I've spoken of responsibility before. I didn't understand it then, but now I do.
Adulthood, responsibility, obligation... and the choices you make that extend beyond those ideals.
I even understand their implications.
Therefore, Sensei…"
And her expression morphed into a tearful smile.
"Only you can free us from this twisted, distorted fate, and find the choices that can lead us to a new reality."
"Do not disappoint our client, Mister Freeman."
With that passing word, The One Free Man disappeared from the train.
Leaving the man and the girl alone as she wept.
Rubbing her eyes in a futile attempt to wipe the tears away.
"His talents will give you the… satisfactory results we had discussed in our contract."
"I know… I just… can't help myself."
"Mm. It's… alright. You missed him, and… he has forgotten every aspect of you." He paused. "I must ask, are you… really sure you want to… relieve him of the memories?"
She wiped her eyes again. She had been sure before, but now… doubts crept in. Could it be better?
But something within her heart screamed that this was the right choice. He was better off without knowing her and what she had done.
"I'm… I'm sure."
"If you are satisfied, then there is… nothing more we can discuss." He paused. "But I must still remind you that… as per our agreement, we still owe you something, and my benefactors… are not ones who like to hold… onto debts."
"Then can you watch over him?"
He chuckled slowly. "Miss, that is something we… would've done without prompt."
"Then for now… I shall keep that debt."
"It seems so. After all…
we have all the time in the world."
SUBJECT: FREEMAN
STATUS: Relocated
SUBJECT'S REWARD HAD BEEN DELIVERED
SUBJECT: SHEPHARD
STATUS: Evaluation
ASSIGNMENT:
Preservation of subjects of interest
SUBJECT: [REDACTED]
STATUS: Internship
AWAITING FURTHER EVALUATION
Author's note:
This is just the basic idea on what I'm going to cook and already cooked.
In short,
1. Episode 1 and 2 never happened because Gordon Freeman was plucked out from The Citadel right after it exploded.
2. Adrian Shepard were to replace Gordon Freeman in the resistance
3. Freeman-sensei.
My idea is this basically. I'm going to make it a half story where Gordon tried his best to do around in Kivotos while the menacing middleman keep his creepy glowing eyes on him, and the other where Adrian Shepard basically doing... something to replace Gordon's absence. Though at the first draft, Adrian was to be whisked away considering his military background.
But eventually, I choose our beloved crowbar swinging badass instead since I felt Gordon will fit as well if not better. Plus, even as a badass Gordon is a scientist. Imagine the interaction he could have with Millennium.