Chapter Text
“There’s gotta be some way to get this gate open.”
Alyx had hoped that escaping the Citadel would mean the worst of their journey was over, but of course, nothing could be that easy. She could only hope the Combine wouldn’t catch up with them anytime soon, but that was looking more unlikely the more they were stopped by obstacles as simple as a locked gate.
She examined the dilapidated buildings, Gordon following suit. As she glanced at the building next to her, something caught her eye. “Oh! I think I see a terminal in there. Maybe it’ll open the gate.” She tried the door. It was, unsurprisingly, locked. However, she could see large gaps in the roof. Oh, she could definitely get up there.
“I got this. Wait here, Gordon.”
He nodded at her, then turned to scan the rooftops, gravity gun at the ready.
She was glad he was ok. When the train had crashed, she didn’t know what had happened. One minute the Citadel was exploding, the next she was waking up in a battered train car. When Gordon was nowhere to be found, she tried not to expect the worst. Seeing him in the train, a bit bewildered but otherwise unharmed, had been such a relief. A part of her felt silly for worrying; they had been through much more daunting circumstances and were both still standing. Still, she knew it could have turned out way worse, for either of them.
Alyx jumped, grabbing the lip of the corrugated roof and pulling herself up. The metal sheeting had seen lots of wear, and though the roof groaned under her weight, she slipped through the gap easily, landing in an abandoned structure that had definitely seen better days. Pshh, that was too easy. They should really have better security around here.
Rusted shelves adorned the walls, and there was a dark red stain smeared on the ground. She didn’t want to think about what had happened to the people who had been here before. She felt a little bad about bashing on their security. It seemed disrespectful now.
She was about to investigate the console on the wall when she heard a noise outside. She whipped her head over-
Gordon was tapping on the window. She could see the top of his head peeking over at her through the glass.
“Crap, Gordon, you startled me.” He frowned, and it was then that she could see how nervous he looked. He glanced over his shoulder, then looked back at her with a furrowed brow. They had heard something outside earlier, hadn’t they? She looked back at the panel with a renewed fervor.
“Gimme just one sec…” She tried to keep her voice low. Among the rows of switches, she found one with a faded label that read Gate 3. That seemed as good a guess as any. She flipped the switch and was pleased to hear the groan of metal as the gate slid open. Gordon gave her a thumbs up through the window, looking slightly less on edge.
“Alright, I’m coming out now,” she assured.
The roof was too high for her to jump back up to, but there was a convenient grate in the floor the she lowered herself through. The path under the building led around a corner where she could see Gordon’s HEV-clad legs standing, facing away from her as he surveyed the area.
There was an inhuman shriek as a massive creature landed in the dirt ahead, shaking the earth. It had three legs that sported vicious looking barbs, and two piercing eyes that were fixed on the man in front of her.
“Gordon!”
Alyx hurried forward on hands and knees as Gordon uselessly brandished the gravity gun in one hand. He threw out his other arm as if to shield her.
Before she knew what had happened, Gordon was on the ground. The creature stomped on his midsection, and she heard a sickening crack that couldn’t drown out his choked gasp.
“No-!” She cried out. It turned its gaze on her and lashed a claw out. Debris rained over her, she felt a sharp pain in her head, and then-
Alyx came to with a groan. The first thing she felt was a throbbing headache, followed by a pressure on her back. When she went to open her eyes, she found one was congealed with blood from a slowly oozing cut on her forehead. She scrubbed at her face and it came away dusty. Huh?
It suddenly came back to her. She looked up quickly, ignoring the sharp pain that accompanied the motion. She could see through the rubble and metal beams the orange of the hazard suit and-
Blood.
Alyx felt sick. She strained to push the slab of concrete off of her, not taking her eyes from Gordon.
“Gordon?” she called. No response. Was he still breathing? She couldn’t tell from here. Was he-?
Something skittered to her left, and an antlion appeared. It paused for a moment before Gordon, then reared back.
“Hey!” With a final shove, the concrete slab slid off of her back. She lunged forward, but a spike of electricity arced through the air, vaporizing the antlion in a spray of yellow. She felt a spike of relief loosen some of the fear tightly coiled in her chest.
With hurried steps, a vortigaunt came to a stop above Gordon. It said something to itself in its own language. Then, “The Freeman… this is most regretful…”
It turned to her, then, brightening up minutely. “Ah! The Alyx Vance. I am pleased to see that at least you are unharmed. But the Freeman… his condition is grave.”
She could only wait, heart in her throat, as the vortigaunt blasted away the rubble, allowing her to climb through. She landed on her knees at Gordon’s side, desperately feeling for a pulse. Regardless of what the vortigaunt said, she had to know for herself. At first she felt nothing, and her heart dropped, until.. There! It was weak, but still there. She let out a shaky breath.
She put a hand on his face and gently turned it towards her. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, and more was splattered against the orange of the HEV suit. She could see two vicious gashes where the hunter had torn through the softer under armor of the suit.
“Is he..” She started weakly. “Will he be alright?”
The vortigaunt clasped its hands together. “The Freeman has a fate that is yet to come to fruition,” it rumbled cryptically. “However, if he is to continue on his destined path, haste is required, and healing that I alone cannot provide. Let me call my kin.” The vortigaunt raised its hands to its mouth and let out a warbly call. She heard a faint response in the distance.
Alyx picked up the gravity gun from where it lay abandoned on the ground, turning it over in her hands. It seemed perfectly intact… unlike its wielder. Alyx felt so horrible. Why had she gone in that building and left Gordon outside alone? She was sure they could have found a way in together, or found a different way through. Something that could have prevented this. They had suspected there was something out there but she hadn’t been careful enough. She had learned since she was a child to be on the alert, that danger could strike at any moment, but she had slipped up and Gordon had paid the price.
She was interrupted from her thoughts as the vortigaunt gently lifted Gordon in its arms. “Help awaits us in the mines,” it said calmly.
Distantly, Alyx was surprised it could carry the weight of the hazard suit so easily. Then again, Gordon was pretty light; maybe it evened out. As they walked through the gate, she examined his face. He looked pale, even more so with the bags under his eyes and the dark flecks of blood. If she didn’t know any better, she would say he already looked…
Alyx wasn’t unused to seeing death. She’d seen people die in front of her, both violently and peacefully. People she knew well, and complete strangers. She’d held her hands over blood soaked wounds as people she barely knew bled out beneath her. Over time, she learned that it was easier to not get attached to new people. But Gordon.. he was different. Before she had met him, she didn’t know what to expect. She had heard so many different accounts of this Free Man. But when she had finally met him, she realized he was just a regular guy. The sheer contrast of his reputation versus his actual character had endeared her to him. He wasn’t some untouchable being; he was just human, like her. What’s more, he seemed like he legitimately wanted to help those around him. Alyx admired that. Besides, when you blow up a citadel and fight hordes of zombies with someone, you can’t help but get attached.
The flutter of antlion wings could be heard in the distance as they neared a rickety looking elevator.
“Ah.. this elevator appears to be jammed.. perhaps the Alyx Vance can remove the obstruction?”
It looked simple enough. Some chunk of metal had been jammed between the gears. Alyx lowered herself into the elevator. She awkwardly holstered the gravity gun on her belt, and braced one foot against the wall of the elevator while she tightly grasped what she then realized was a crowbar. How ironic, she thought grimly. With a strong twist, she yanked it free.
The elevator dropped a few feet. Crap.
“Take caution-!”
She missed the rest of the vortigaunt’s statement as the elevator plummeted down the shaft, metal shrieking.
A scream tore out of her as she threw herself against the wall of the elevator, clinging on for dear life. After what was probably only a few seconds, but felt much longer, the elevator landed with a mighty crash. Alyx was thrown onto the floor onto her hands and knees, sending shockwaves up her limbs. That’s definitely going to bruise, she thought faintly. For a moment she just sat there, stunned.
The vortigaunt called from above. “The Alyx Vance must press on, if possible! I will go to my kin by another path. We will meet again!”
Alyx stood, still out of breath from the fall. Wait, they were just leaving? Not even gonna see if she was okay?
“Uh.. Are you sure? I’m sure I can find a way back up..” Her yell up the shaft trailed off. There was no response. “Or not… Alright..”
Alright. This was fine. She took a deep breath to steel herself. Everything would be fine. She would just do what the vort said:
Press on.