Chapter Text
Six Months Later:
Although the events within White Forest made the humans and vortigaunts alike nervous about what was to come, they finally found moments of peace. The destruction of the Borealis and the subsequent Rift containment solidified a victory for Earth. It could be seen through all of White Forest. From munitions to maintenance, the excitement had grown through the base as word spread out to the surrounding communities and those who remained within the cities.
It wouldn't be long until the world would grasp freedom once again.
But until that time, Barney Calhoun was putting together something for their little band of fighters in the rec room...
In the past six months, the group had spent most of their time recovering from injuries and finding places within White Forest to call their own.
Alyx, although still a fighter, traded in her gun for command. She took on the role of a leader to fill the void her father left behind. She was amazing at taking charge of a situation and finding ways to organize people into a cohesive force to reach her goal. Since meeting Gordon, Alyx had learned to slow down and take people into consideration. She had been quick to accuse Mossman and Chell in the past before dismissing them entirely. Learning that Mossman had been a spy for the resistance since the beginning had completely shaken how she thought of people. That mindset had been further shocked when she met Chell. Alyx had been forced to confront that she couldn't force people to comply. In a battle, she'd been so used to people following her command at a moment's notice due to her father being the Great Eli Vance. That attitude would lead her into conflict with those who didn't know her or take her seriously. So knowing her father didn't trust her with the information about Mossman had hit hard. She understood it. The work she did in City 17 was dangerous. If she had been captured, they could have eventually discovered the location of her father and the truth about Mossman spying on the Combine. Now it was her turn to make the hard decisions.
Gordon had traded his HEV Suit for a Lab Coat. Although he spent nearly a month in the Medical Department under constant supervision by Sven, getting weaned off morphine and body in traction. When Gordon had taken the suit off, it had been a relief to finally have a sense of normalcy, but he'd been right about needing a bed to fall on. Gordon had nearly blacked out from the throbbing pain through his entire body, but instead threw up and began to scream. They had to give him a series of morphine shots around the clock with saline solution steadily added to reduce his dependency caused by the suit. The morphine withdrawal symptoms had been horrible, and Gordon truly believed he might die at one point. Along with the morphine treatments, he had a steady course of medkits to aid the recovery process.
Apollo had taken up residence in the Medical Department and helped Gordon better understand why they couldn't heal him like Alyx had been. Apollo had to explain to Gordon that his injuries, although not as fatal as Alyx's, were more grave because of the morphine, constant use of health kits, and the injuries happening on top of half-healed injuries. Had the vortigaunts tried to heal him, it would risk causing further harm. Despite it all, Gordon endured everything the best he could. His time was mitigated by his friends visiting him any chance they had. They made sure he was comfortable, provided him whatever he needed, and just sat with him. It felt good to finally let go of his worries and not have to run off to the next battle.
Even after being released from Medical, Gordon had to undergo physical therapy. It was a pain in the ass. It had taken weeks for him to put weight on the leg and even longer to walk to the infirmary entrance and back to his bed without running out of breath. But he persisted. One day he'd been stir-crazy, and with the help of Adrian and Barney, they sneaked (kidnapped) Gordon from Medical so he could go outside and get fresh air.
The summer air would soon give way to autumn. The mountains surrounding White Forest would be painted in bright colors that reminded Gordon of a time before he was the One Free Man. He thought back to his childhood in Seattle... Being thrown into a leaf pile by his parents, breaking his first pair of glasses when the kids down the street pushed him over, and subsequently built a tennis ball cannon that broke three windows and caused the kids down the street to be nicer to him. He wouldn't lie that he felt a little proud knowing they feared what he might do to them with that cannon.
When Sven had finally found Gordon, he verbally ripped Adrian and Barney to smithereens and would have ripped into Gordon if he hadn't seen what he was looking at. They'd taken him to see Eli's grave.
Sven held back before glaring at the two kidnappers. "Make sure he gets back into his bed as soon as possible," Sven said, his eyes promising retribution if they failed.
Gordon stayed by the grave for an hour, not moving or making a sound. He sat down with his busted leg stretched out in front of him. He missed the man more every day. His time at Black Mesa was short, but Eli and Dr. Kleiner had made everything bearable because they treated him like a colleague. They would defend him from the people who tried to unload their work on him and made sure he adjusted well to the department. There were times they'd "accidentally" bring too much food for lunch and give him some. They weren't just colleagues. They were some of his best friends.
Gordon was never meant to fight in a war and see so much blood and destruction. Even though his life turned into something so much grander than he could imagine, finally having a moment to relax and breathe with the friends he still had was all he needed.
Barney was Barney. He was the handyman, the leader, the jokester, the foundation, the warmth on a cold day, the unbreakable wall. He was a duality among the rebels, and it was something he managed to hold onto despite everything. He'd fought through Black Mesa, Civil Protection, and City 17, but never once did he break. He was what so many people wanted to see, and he gave people what they needed, even at the expense of his own health. Barney had given everything and more to the human race and the rebellion. He gave and gave until he nearly killed himself with the strain he put his body through. He never asked for anything in return and did his best to hide anything that indicated he wasn't okay. The mission was always more important, right?
Well... Barney had learned the hard way to not give up too much of himself. Had he not met Adrian, things may have gone differently for him. He'd be dead in a ditch, on the road, or in a flaming pit in Aperture with all the times Adrian had watched his back. Over the last twenty years, Barney had to shoulder every burden he could with hopes of things getting better. He shouldered all he could through every battle, every beating, every triumph to ensure no one else would be lost. Even when Barney first donned the CP helmet, he did so knowing the risks. He framed other CPs, beat civilians to cover his own tracks, and stole anything he could get his hands on, all for the greater good.
Even still, all the bad he did weighed heavily, and he felt he needed to atone for the things he failed to do. Then Adrian came along and helped him shoulder his burdens. The kid was a pain in his neck, but he was determined to keep others from working too hard. It annoyed Barney to no end at first, but he slowly grew to appreciate the kid's presence. After everything, he couldn't imagine looking over his shoulder and not seeing Adrian with him, just as he couldn't imagine not seeing Gordon in Black Mesa.
Adrian himself had struggled hard to find his place in the new world. He'd experienced what his fellow marines did in Black Mesa and saw all his work go up in smoke. So many people died because he failed to reach them in time, but White Forest gave him his second chance. He protected Barney, helped set up communication arrays with Chell, and even took on the role of drilling the rebels in proper firearm maintenance and battle situations if any pockets of Combine thought it wise to attack again.
There were days when he felt like he should have died back in Black Mesa or Aperture, but all he needed to do was look at the people he called family to bring him back to reality. They were all alive, and so was he. They kept each other safe.
Chell had traveled far, and none of it had been easy. From Aperture to the Atlantic Ocean to Eastern Europe, and back to Aperture. One thing after another, and she had not a moment of rest for the longest time. Rosa had once told her that she needed to slow down and make plans. At that time, all Chell could focus on was trying to find somewhere she fit. If she had stopped moving, she risked becoming complacent. But the Vortigaunts found her. Then she had found Arne again. She found Barney and Adrian. She found Gordon and Alyx.
Rita had told her to find people that could run with her. Chell found them. White Forest had been different than any other place she'd seen. It felt different than the Rebel Camp in the forest she found with Mel. It felt different than the ship. It felt safe. Everyone from the ship had found a place to call their own within the base. Roger was a natural at organization and had joined with the allocating supplies to surrounding outposts. Rita had joined up with Barney and Adrian in weapons and training in proper weapons handling. Moira had stuck with Kleiner and the communications department in establishing contact with other rebel bases and cities. And Chell? Well...
"Are you sure about that?" The synthetic voice questioned through the tiny speaker stationed on her desk
"Why not? Could be useful for the people here at White Forest?" Chell answered. She was leaning back in her chair, the front two legs off the ground and her feet propped up on the desk to keep her from falling backward.
"It would take some time to refine the design for transport-"
"Time? Bah. I have designs already drawn up," Magnusson interrupted from over Chell's shoulder.
GLaDOS let out an annoyed huff. " Yes, I'm sure you do, but I think we'd prefer a design that won't make people vomit uncontrollably because of the potential radiation poisoning. Because I'm sure you would use whatever irradiated metal you have lying around, Black Mesa."
She never called him by his name. It was always Black Mesa. As if she needed to remind him they were once bitter rivals.
Magnusson started to retort, but Chell held up a hand to stop him. "Arne will send you his designs, and you can alter them as needed. I expect you both to work on this without bickering so much. For now, I need to sign off."
"Fine," GLaDOS sighed. Arne and GLaDOS had made a good team despite how they'd relentlessly bicker when they worked together over the last few months. "But I want my name listed first on the patent."
"Patents aren't even a thing any-
"Hanging up now," Chell said before Arne could even finish his retort and cut the connection.
Arne gave Chell a perturbed look, but she only rolled her eyes with a smile. "Had I not done that, you two would have gone for another ten minutes over who would be listed first."
Arne pursed his lips in a mild pout, "Well... My name should be listed first. I do hold a doctorate, after all."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Anyways, we're running late," Chell said as she slipped off her headset and stood up. She pressed her hands into the small of her back and leaned back, audible cracks filling the silence as she groaned in relief.
Once situated, Chell grabbed Arne by the arm and pulled him through the base. "I don't understand why you insist on making me do this," he groaned.
"Not making you do anything. I'm only getting you out of your lab for a while," Chell said.
"And what about your friend? The Olympian? Have they made any progress?" Arne asked, shrugging his lab coat off.
Chell nodded. "You mean Mel? They made their way back to the town outside of Aperture. Her group has been clearing the buildings one by one and hope to get it set up to be livable soon. They even plan on harvesting wheat from that field I mentioned."
He nodded, "Good. Good. Progress all around, it seems."
They finally reached the doors that led to the so-called rec room for White Forest, where Barney was already passing out glass jars full of amber liquid. He was laughing while deep into a story.
"-and so we just bust through the trees, right? And what do we see on the other side of this clearing? A fucking Gargantua!"
"What did the Calhoun and Shepherd do next?" Crow asked from his spot on the ground.
"What do you think?" Adrian interjected. He paused to take a sip from his own jar. "We ran like hell! That thing chased us all the way to the cliffs, and we had to jump out of the way right before it ran up on us!"
"It was a stampede!" Barney hooted while hoisting up a jar.
Chell chuckled as it was clear those two had clearly already dipped into the drinks. Not surprising after hearing that story.
Chell walked around one of the beat couches and dropped down in an empty spot next to Adrian. Alyx and Gordon were on the other couch. Alyx had removed the leg brace for the time being to rest her stump. Her other foot was propped up on the coffee table in front of her. Gordon was lying across the couch, his bad leg resting across Alyx's lap and the good one planted on the floor, his head resting on the couch's armrest. He'd taken to wearing an old hoodie that once belonged to Barney instead of the HEV Suit while he had healed. They both looked on the verge of falling asleep.
Even Dr. Kleiner and Doug had shown up. Doug Rattmann had been a quiet person and slow to trust the first few days outside Aperture. After some rest, a couple days on his medication, and a bit of coaxing, he managed to leave the office he stayed in upon arrival at White Forest. When the medicine took a lasting effect, Doug and Dr. Kleiner had become thick as thieves and worked tirelessly together. Doug was a soft-spoken and kind man, but wasn't afraid to speak his mind. He'd offer solutions or objections when he saw fit and was quick to point out logical issues in any problem they might be facing.
And it was Doug that found and presented Kleiner with a small yellow-green bundle that was vaguely shaped like a ham, a houndeye pup. It was no bigger than a football at the time but would grow quickly under Kleiner's care. Doug had found it stuck in the chainlink fence of White Forest. He had no idea what it was and thought it was a strange hallucination until he reached out and touched it. Kleiner explained that the creatures could let out a sonic scream that could damage the ears. Still, the pup had damaged its sonic vocalization somehow when it got stuck. After getting it healed up (much to Magnusson's chagrin at having another Xen creature in his lab), Kleiner had lovingly dubbed it Burnie. Named for Audrey Hepburn.
Of course, Doug still has bad days, but surprisingly, Burnie and Dog helped ground him on what he called his 'foggy days.' When his condition would get the better of him, they acted as support animals. They'd ground him and just do their best to comfort Doug through what he was going through. It often resulted in him sitting outside with Burnie across his legs and Dog curled around him while doing quick sketches in a small journal he found.
Barney was leaning against the back of the sofa next to Dr. Kleiner and Doug. Apollo and Crow both sat on the floor with pleased smiles. Chell grabbed two jars and passed one to Arne, who had taken a spot next to Chell. He was rigid as he sat down and awkwardly held the half-full jar of homemade alcohol Barney had made from apples in the orchard.
Chell took a large gulp of her drink and relished the warmth that spread through her. She was even surprised to see Arne take a few sips. She sputtered laughter at seeing him grimace at the taste but continued to sip it. When she pointed it out to the others, they laughed while Magnusson gave an angry pout.
Yeah, their lives had sucked. They had been royally fucked beyond measure a long time ago. But at that moment, everything felt normal. It was their home.
But of course, things were never quiet for long.
"Chell!" Moira called, followed closely by Rita, as they ran into the rec room. "We received an SOS broadcast. Coming somewhere near Cairo, Egypt."
"That's so far! Why are they contacting us?" She asked, taking another drink.
"Not us. They are calling for Aperture, and they will not shut up!" Moira explained.
Chell narrowed her eyes in thought. "Do you have audio?"
Rita held up a small portable transceiver at her hip and turned up the volume where a familiar voice filled the air. "-ello? Anyone? We could use some help, please? Kind of stuck in a sandpit... Weird bug things keep kicking us around, and we- well... I don't like it. The other guy is laughing about seeing Earth again, but really... I would much rather be out of this pit. So just need a bit of help? Been here for quite some time now. Wish I knew how long, but uh... the old internal clock broke in the crash... Hello? Can you hear me? Look, I just want the frequency for Aperture Science. Get me in touch with Aperture Science, please. We just need some help-"
As quickly as the voice faded into existence, it was cut off.
Everyone looked to Chell, a silent question on how she wanted to proceed. After everything he had put her through, would she actually help him out? Then her mind drifted to GLaDOS. She'd given the AI another chance... She groaned and stood to her feet.
"I've always wanted to see the Pyramids," she smiled sheepishly.
And like that, people started to move out. Gordon grabbed his walking stick from where it had been leaning against the armrest near his head. He'd be staying at White Forest and directing them along with Alyx. Barney, Adrian, and Rita would go to Cairo with Chell and the Vortigaunts.
Yeah, it was a crazy life. Not the most ideal, but it was theirs. Since the fall of the Combine, the Earth had a second chance of living and a world full of choices ahead of them. They just had to find ways to keep it interesting...
THE END
