Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

                                                                                                May 14th, 2000

                                                                                   1 day before Resonance Cascade 

The soft hum of the air condition rattled the room, yet not enough to wake up a sleeping man laying on the couch with a book over his face. His shift was over, first was his lecture for his new position then spent the remaining day doing nothing but patrolling. Sometimes he wonders what could even happen in this facility. He has been here for two years and he hasn’t encountered a single threat, he doesn’t even know how one could appear. The place is locked tighter than a stuck jacket zipper and so deep underground that moles couldn’t even become an infestation. But in the end, who cares? The pay is way too good, the job is easy, and even better is that he has his own small room in the facility. No worries about bills, other than his student debt he has yet to pay and the money sent to support his dad. If there was one thing he could wish is that the scientists that weren’t Eli or Isaac were nicer. He gets it, in terms of both intelligence and pay grade, they can do and say whatever they want and all Barney could do is nothing. The mere thought of it woke him up from his post-shift nap and rolled over to his side, the book about government conspiracies and aliens falling to the floor. He stared at his nightstand where his phone rested on top. Still no rings, he then lifted his body up to see his active computer on a desk with the email display on, nothing either. He huffed, usually Gordon doesn’t take this long to answer, regardless if it is a yes or no. Someone must be making him stay longer, maybe a punishment? They broke the air duct last week with their racing, or was it the casserole they blew up in the microwave again?

He giggled, he couldn’t guess because these two were notorious with their mischief. He didn't think he would become best friends with such a renowned scientist, or good friends with Isaac and Kleiner. It makes living in such a confined space not all too bad. Gordon, Barney remembers meeting him for the first time. He was still new to the Black Mesa, even after working for a year already. Kleiner brings the ponytailed man inside his workspace to greet Barney. He was silent, gave off this awkward atmosphere that told he isn’t a man of words. A simple wave was given and Barney gave one back. He was…weird in his eyes, the blank stare with a face that gave no emotion. Barney was honestly scared of him, he was so...quiet, like a doll. His tall and lean body just hovering over Barney put him on edge, like he’s about to get scared as soon as he turns around like Gordon was a Weeping Angel. During the time. Gordon Only worked, then leave. Work, then leave. Work, then leave and it was like that for the first month. Until one day they were alone together, a book Barney was reading fell from his hands, he watched Gordon reach for it and handed it to him with a smile. It shocked him, he didn’t think Gordon was capable of making expressions. Once returned, Gordon waved his hands and fingers around. It was making sense now and Barney felt ashamed. Gordon wasn’t quiet because he can’t speak, he’s mute. That was why Kleiner gave him the beginners book about ASL, he was preparing Barney for him.

“(I read that one before, I finished the volume already and I can’t wait for the next one, which chapter you’re on?)” Gordon asked. Fortunately, Barney has studied the book and gave a response.

“Chapter ten, The knight is too afraid to take his helmet because he’s the murderer of the prince’s father, haven’t got any further than that!” he answered.

“(You gotta keep reading, it gets juicy in the future chapters. Your ASL is good, I was starting to think I was making you tense…)”

“Honestly it wasn’t even your fault, I was ignorant as hell and didn’t put two and two together when Kleiner gave me the book. I even call you weird-”

“(I take no offense. If it makes you feel better, I'm not great with talking to people in general, I either called a silent weirdo or a giant manchild so much-)”

“Ha, me too…well, not the giant part, haha! Get scolded to act my age when all I wanna do is-”

“(Fill someone's shoes with peanut butter?)”

“Or mix lemon juice in the lotion so it burns their cracked skin or any unnoticeable cut, or they touch their eyes and it burns-!”

“(Oh that’s evil! I like it, it seems like the only fun here is messing with people!)”

“And it seems now is my usual time to mess with said people, care to join?”

“(Beats paperwork!)” Gordon replied with. They raced to see who can irritate more and that’s how a friendship started. Since then, those two were inseparable. You couldn’t see Barney without Gordon and vice versa. He was snapped out of his dreamy thoughts when a ping from his computer was heard, he bolted from his seat and rushed to his email and saw Gordon responded. He agreed to drinks once he gets back, Barney pumped his fist in the air, he isn’t gonna mess this up. He has to tell Gordon what’s been on his mind, he has to. He has a feeling that there might not be a chance tomorrow. He didn’t know, but there was this sickly feeling in his gut that tomorrow will be something and wouldn’t be good. He got dressed, threw on some cheap cologne and took the tram to the lounge section of the facility, but just before he boarded the tram, he was stopped. Something wrapped around his legs and almost made him trip. He missed his ride and sighed, he was gonna be late. He looked down and saw the tiny culprit for his tardiness, Alyx. He cracked a smile before picking the girl in blue overalls up and playfully shaking her.

“Now why you gone and almost got my body chopped in half?”

“Beeeeeeecaaaaaaaaaussssseee-” she manages to say before Barney stops shaking her.

“Because?”

“I wanted to see if you’re still coming over to watch me tomorrow after your shift?” she answered.

“Of course, I remember the last time I missed it, I think I still got that bump on my head from last week from the wrench you threw.”

“I’ll throw it twice as hard next time to make you think better!”

“Now in what universe can a 4 year old become a 22 year old’s greatest nightmare?!”

“Guess in this good universe!” A familiar voice answered, an older man took Alyx from Barney and carried her in his arms. 

“Eli!”

“Rookie. You’re well dressed tonight, are you…”

“W-what?! How did-”

“It is so written over your face…also Alyx told me-”

“ALYX”

“It's easy, just go up and say it. You’re always around him-”

“You sound just like my dad early this morning, It’s not easy. Plus it was so not over my face, I like girls too-”

“Surrre, the two mags with women on them in your bathroom are going to beat the many issues with men.”

“Why would magazines be in the bathroom?” Alyx asked, the men flinched and cleared their throats, neither of them answered her as the next tram came. The father and daughter wished Barney good luck as he watched them disappear. He took a deep breath, paced around. He needs to just treat it as any other regular day like his dad said. Just drink, talk, complain about their coworkers. But the more he thought of the same routine, the more he struggled to figure out when to say it. When they’re eating? No...too cliche. Drinking? No, also cliche. Maybe when they’re leaving? No, they will probably be too drunk by then. He screamed in the empty tram before kicking one of the poles, hopping in place and enduring the pain from kicking a steel object. The tram stopped and Barney rushed to the lounge’s bar section where he saw Gordon sitting all by himself at the counter. He was still in his work clothes because he didn’t have time to change unlike Barney. He rushed to the seat next to him, accidentally bashing a woman to the side before sitting.

“Sorry, Dr. Harris!”

“(...minus the woman you tackled, I was starting to think you weren't going to come.)”

“I was thinking the same thing when you took forever to respond!” 

“(Sorry, they really have been hounding my ass with work, I think it’s personal!)”

“We…did blew up another casserole…”

“(Right…we did…)” Gordon admitted. Two bottles of beer were placed in front of them, Gordon took his bottle and signed before raising it for a toast.

“(To Barney, my best friend and to starting Blueshift tomorrow!)”

“(Holy shit, I was nervous that I forgot about Blueshift!) It’s just training. Anyways, to Gordon, for being a kind and c-caring friend! Happy to be working even closer to you for now on!” he gave before they tapped their bottles together. They took a quick sip of their bottles, one bottle soon becoming many. Layers of food trays piling up as time was flying. The alcohol was getting to them as their faces were turning red. To Gordon, he was having a good time, but to Barney, he’s missing his chance. He averted his eyes, shy his gaze away so much it caught Gordon’s attention.

“(Barney?)”

“Hm?”

“(Is everything alright?)” he asked.

“Y-yeah, just nerves about something…”

“(Nothing but a few more beers can’t fix, right?)” Gordon suggested before chugging another down and asking for yet another bottle. Barney watched him gulp it down like a thirsty man in a desert, Gordon isn’t going to give the proper response if he doesn’t say it now. But when he opened his mouth, he closed it. He balled his fist, he clenched his teeth, why can’t he say it? Too late now, the bar is closing as it was time for them to leave. The duo split the bill between the two of them as they went and boarded the next tram back to their dorms. They were silent, no words shared as the metal railings creaked as the tram continued to push to its destination. They lifted their heads up when Barney’s dorm section was heard over the intercoms, his stop was arriving. When the tram stopped, Barney hopped off and turned around to Gordon who was eyeing him down. Concerned riddling his face as he had to ask once again.

“(Barney, what’s wrong? You’re not a good liar…)”

“Ha…something I should work on, huh?”

“(Barney…)”

“Gordon…I-” he paused, staring each other down once again. His heart beat a million miles per second as his neck felt clogged from the words logged in his throat. Sweat rolled as his eyes begged to look away, hands shaking and body feeling light. But just like at the bar, he failed, he couldn’t bring himself to say it. Gordon is drunk, so even if he did, it’ll go in one ear and out the next.

“Goodnight, Gordon.” was all he said as the doors shut and the tram began to move again. The glasses man watched Barney disappear from sight as his stop soon came. Gordon returned to his home and went straight to his bed. He didn’t even bother taking his clothes off as he stared at the clock for the time, 10:45pm. It was way past his bedtime, again. But as he lay in his bed, he couldn’t stop thinking about Barney’s weird behavior. He clearly wanted to say something, so did Gordon. His mind flashed back to the bar. When Barney was looking away, he asked the bartender to water-down their drinks. Gordon wanted to be conscious to see what was going to come out of Barney’s mouth. He assumed Barney was too stressed to even notice it, nor did Gordon give the right response either. He hit his head hard, he called himself stupid. Not just for giving the wrong response, but missing his chance. He wanted to hold Barney’s hand, not as coworkers, not a handshake two friends give. Hold it lovingly, similar to that one moment on the rooftops. No, even more than what happened there, to actually feel it, trancing his fingers and eventually locking his fingers with his. But it was too bold of a move, he couldn’t do it. Tomorrow, maybe tomorrow will be much better for them. He needed to sleep, this night was ruined.

“(Sorry, Barney.)” he told himself as he removed his glasses, pulled his blanket over himself and went to sleep. Yeah, tomorrow he will get his point across this time. Tomorrow will be different. Tomorrow nothing will come between them because tomorrow is nothing more than a regular work day.

-:- 

An alarm rang, but the noise rang too greatly in Gordon’s ears. It was like it was being blasted right next to him, a fist was balled before it was slammed on the snooze button. He ruined a chance last night, wouldn’t it not be deserving of him to sleep just a little more, just to his second alarm? In any normal circumstances, the answer would be yes. But as Gordon rested more, he didn’t hear a second alarm. He woke himself up in confusion as he reached for his glasses, he adjusted them as he went to see what time it was. He jumped from his bed and ran to his bathroom, dropping the clock that showed an hour had passed. Gordon slept through his first alarm, making him assume the one he heard was the first, but instead was the second. He rushed his morning routine, grabbed a piece of bread and put it in his mouth before running out to make the next tram. Gordon was already tardy with some delayed work, now he’s going to be scolded for being late. First Barney, now this, he couldn’t catch a break. The tram came and he boarded it as the doors shut behind him. He tapped his foot, staring at his watch and watching each second tick. The only thing that caught his attention was Barney banging against a door trying to get in, he only assumed he was late too. 

After some banging, the door opened up and Gordon saw Barney rushed inside, if only he was that lucky right now. The ride to the deeper parts of the facility, watching the other scientists doing their jobs or lounging around. It made him jealous, yet he has no one to blame but himself. As the ride descended, he noticed a lot of things that weren't going right. Busted containers, machine malfunctioning, chemical waste spill, what was going on? Everything was just fine yesterday, so why was today such a bizarre day? The ride ended and the security guard came to escort Gordon out the tram and through the security door. Immediately the desk clerk reminded Gordon that he was late and he needed to get changed into his suit. A sigh escaped his mouth as he could hear the snickering from other colleagues. He ignored them and rushed to the changing room where he found his H.E.V suit. It was encased, waiting for him to be put on. With ease, he put the suit on and felt enchanted wearing this thing. Barney asked him tons of times how it felt, but Gordon could never describe the feeling in words right.

As he left the changing room, he immediately descended down more from an elevator and walked down the hall. He looked up and saw a camera’s movement going out of control, he giggled knowing it was Barney showing he’s in the security room of their sector.

“(Good to see that he’s alright. Ok, after this weird day, I'll ask him again!)” he told himself. Barney watched Gordon continue to walk, but stopped when one of the scientists grew impatient and burst inside to grab the poor man. He basically dragged Barney all the way to the elevator before it made it way down when the button was pressed.

“We don’t pay you to seat and dilly-dolly-”

“(Not surprising that someone as old as them would say dilly-dolly…)”

“They should be grateful that we even pay them for their awful service!”

“Do nothing but complain and be in our way, they literally do nothing!”

“(Because there’s nothing that’ll break into this fortress of solitude…)”

“If you wish to speak your mind Mr. Calhoun, speak!” they urged to irritate him, but he held his tongue. Speaking against them is an immediate termination, he just started blueshift training, he’s not going to get fired on his first day. But before they spoke again, the elevator stopped.

“(What the?)”

“Well don’t stand there, fix it, Calhoun!”

“(And suddenly I'm maintenance…)” he complained to himself. As Barney tried to think of why the elevator stopped, he remembered that others were complaining that stuff wasn't working. Devices shutting down and bluescreening, some people can’t even open their email. Not to mention the door not opening earlier. Gordon noticed it too as he was going to the test center, several computers and control panels just suddenly broke and were going haywire. A sickly feeling was rising in his gut, this day is more than bizarre, maybe something was going to happen. He was soon reminded to stay focused as he was escorted into the test chambers, a large circular building covered in an orange interior. A large device attached to the ceiling he’s familiar with, but the more he stared at it, the more knots grew in his stomach. The hairs on his neck stood up, instincts were kicking in. They were telling him to run away, but curiosity’s grip was too great on his mind as he began to follow the instructions his colleagues gave to him.

“Alright Gordon, the last step is to push the artifact into the machine.” they said, the object was brought up through a panel and was attached to a cart. He took a deep breath, and as long as he keeps his mind on Barney, he’ll be fine. As he began to push the cart, Barney still had no idea why the elevator stopped.

“Of course, it's not surprising you people don’t know how to fix it!”

“(You’re telling me a bunch of scientist can’t fix an elevator?!)” he wanted to say, but instead took a deep breath. Something wasn’t right, this entire morning wasn’t right. He paused for a moment and thought back. Stuff breaking, machines shutting off, wasn’t there something else? Right, that’s right. Barney only caught a glimpse of him, but he remembered a suited man in a room he saw through the window. His image gave him chills, he was sure that man shot a glance at him too and cracked a sinister grin at him. No, it had to be his imagination, but it felt so…real and so…horrifying. Like Barney sealed his fate after looking at the guy, almost like they weren’t made to see or meet each other. As he was lost in thought, the building started to shake and frighten them all. Gordon pushed the artifact into the machine and the machine couldn’t handle it. Sparks flew, panels fell off the wall. The facility alarm came on as the chamber started to shake as if an earthquake was right beneath his feet. Suddenly, a green glow appeared and like the wind, quickly snatched up Gordan before the machine fell off the ceiling and ultimately crushed him. Barney and the others grabbed onto the railings of the shaft as they looked at the others on the hanger bridge. Many green vortexes appeared and out came these greenish tall creatures, they spoke no words as they immediately started killing every person in sight. Security did what they could to protect them, but they soon became victims themselves.

“W-WHAT ARE THEY?!”

“(W-what the hell?! Oh SHIT!)” He told himself, the elevator started to rock. Barney looked over and saw the creatures shooting bolts of energy at them, damaging the shaft until it came off the tether and began descending at an alarming rate. The intense sound of metal scraping as Barney hanged on for dear life, life flashing before his eyes as the elevator was reaching the ground. Just before the crash, only one thing came to mind.

“Gor-” BOOM!

Chapter Text

                                                                                                May 14th, 2024

                                                                                                 Timeline: ????

The universe is infinite. One possibility chosen spans countless possibilities, and what was not chosen also creates paths that serve as a reflection of the “what if”. One man was given a dollar and was given options on what to do with it, he spent it at the store to buy a candy bar.  That simple choice spans onward, creating many roads and creating new possibilities as his life goes on. But when one choice is made, so is it shadow. That same man in another possibility chose to not spend the dollar and went about his day. No person’s fate is limited to just one, no person is limited to just one version of themselves. Yet, there are ways that can come to be. They are referred to as “Anomalies”. A Being that shouldn’t exist, a paradox within a universe. What is the anomaly however is the question. It could range from an animal giving birth to a different species, or something as insignificant as a diamond being found in an emerald mine. This does not excuse the existence of a person, someone brought from one place to another.  One person's very existence being the mere reason why everything that was supposed to happen, happened differently. Just like this story.

“AHHHHH!” a young man screamed, face sweating and breathing heavy. He looked around his dark room and scrambled his hand for the switch to his lamp. He flicked it on and illuminated the room, he scanned the entire room, but found nothing. He sighed before flopping back in his bed. It was that same dream again, this is the second night this happened. It itched his brain, it couldn’t be a coincidence, could it? No, it was. People are known to have the same dream if they find it interesting enough. Yet, the voice that called his name, it sent shivers down his spine. No…It was nothing, wasn’t nothing special. He slowly closed his eyes, drifting off to slumber, but immediately opened them again as his alarm went off. Another sigh escaped his mouth as he turned to his side and stared at the time and date. May 15th 2024, 5am. It was time to start getting ready for work, another day at his job, another day of being hated for doing nothing but his job. He rubbed his eyes, yawned, but flinched when he smelled his breath. He went to the bathroom to freshen up, dressed himself, didn’t bother with breakfast again before walking out to his car. He looked around and sighed once more, a lone home out in the middle of nowhere in some grassy land, a few trees here and there that gently sway in the wind. He was jealous, at least they didn’t have to deal with his problems. He got inside his car, pulled off until he got to the police station within his section. He entered inside until he reached his desk where a stack of papers were ready for him to look at, looks like he’s on paper duty, again.

“[Ha, short-stack got paperwork again!]”

“[Hey, maybe for once we can get to shine instead of him hogging it all!]” another colleague joked. The young man just averted his eyes and continued his work. He has a lot and if he wants to get through most of it, he has to focus. He buckled down, tuned everything out and began to work. Seconds become minutes, minutes quickly become hours. He was hard at work, but he can feel like eyes were glued to him, eyes filled with jealousy and spite. It was weighing on him, causing him to lose focus and almost caused some errors on official paperwork. But just when things couldn’t get any worse, someone intentionally bumped into his desk when he reached for his mug. The liquid spilled and landed on some of the work he just finished.

“[Oops]!” was said before the room was filled with laughter. The young man did nothing but hung his head low, closed his eyes and listened. Listen to the echoing laughter that seems to grow louder and louder with each second passing. 

“[EVERYONE, SHUT UP! Neumann, in my office!] a tall burly man shouted. The young man did what he was told and went to the chief's office, he shut the door behind him and took a seat. The older man opened his window before closing the blinds to the windows to his office to block lurking eyes.

“[I know it hasn’t been easy for you since you came to this station-]”

“[You could skip that, the answer is always the same. No matter where I go, I get shit on just doing my work-]”

“[Don’t let it eat you-]”

“[Hard not to…maybe I should just resign and take translation full-time instead of part-time-]”

“[And leave me with these knuckleheads?!]” he said, cracking a smile and seeing the young man do the same.

“[So, what do you want me for?]”

“[This.]” he answered. He threw a newspaper article down and the young man picked it up to read the leading headline.

“[What really happened at the Black Mesa facility? This is America’s problem, not us-]”

“[Yet word got over here in Germany. This is already causing some small uproars in the neighboring cities and it’s only a matter of time before something drastic happens.]”

“[De-escalating, great…um, *sigh* I become a cop to protect, not to throw arrest for people speaking their minds…]”

“[Me too, kid. But the higher ups wants us to prevent a riot, so we gotta do it…]”

“[It’s…uh, whatever I guess. Um…if it’s ok, what really happened? The place was shut down when I was only 3ish.]”

“[Well I can say this considering you’re in law enforcement and part of an elite task force. The cover up story is that the facility fulfilled their task and the place shutdown. It's half true, the place found some…artifact of some kind and presented it to the U.S. government. But due to its unknown nature, the authorization of further experimentation was denied. Yet those idiots defied the order, a snitch from the inside tipped off the government and they sent the military to…yeah. Both the staff and security were disposed of.]”

“[I don’t understand, why would they defy the order and risk their lives?]”

“[Let me give you a life lesson. When you get or have something you care for and someone tries to take it away, you do anything to protect it. Rather it be a parent with their child, or a bunch of deranged lunatics trying to pursue their dreams. You’ll find your reason too, trust me.]”

“[...are you really sure you’re allowed to tell me this?]”

“[Truthfully, no. But I know you know how to keep your mouth closed. Tomorrow, gear up before you head to the station to cut on time. Remember, no lethal force until your life is threatened, got it?]”

“[Got it!]”

“[Then get home, let the asshole outside take care of this mess they made for ya.]” he said, giving the man a playful wink. The boy left his seat and left the station’s entrance to his car to drive home. By the time he reached it, it was already dark out. Daylight savings haven’t kicked in yet, so night still comes around quickly. He went inside, did his usual routine. But once he got out of the shower, he ignored his games and books and went straight to his computer. He wanted to dig more into Black Mesa, but all the articles and reports he found only mentioned the fake news. He spends hours searching before giving up and going to bed. 

“[Black Mesa…I wonder…what really happened there. I wonder if there’s a world where it didn’t get shut down, what would be of the world if they went with the research?]” he questioned himself. Does it matter? It's something he’s never gonna find out, just a useless thought that’ll stick in the back of his head as he drifts off to slumber. That same slumber that brought him to the next morning. His alarm clock went off once again, at least his sleep was good and he didn’t have that dream again. As the chief ordered, he geared up. He put his combat vast, knee and elbow pads, and put his jacket over it before putting on his gloves. He soon zipped up a backpack and brought it outside.

“(Ok. Laptop, ID, phone, charger, USB, switch when I'm on break, wallet, keys, med-kit. Think I'm good, huh?)” he paused. The man looked up to the dark morning sky, the once dark hued filled with stars was now covered by gray clouds within an instant. The winds grew violent as the trees rustled, leaves blown off stems as the cold air became unbearable. A storm? No, what storm just suddenly came within a few seconds? His mind raced, maybe he’s asleep? Imagining it all as it was just one big dream? But everything feels so real, from the shoes on his feet to him seeing his breath in the air. The oddness didn’t stop there. The air itself possessed some green electrical current, several of them. The electrifying sound rang in his ears, but stopped. Then suddenly, cracks formed in the air in front of him, like a glass window that was about to break. And just like that, the unthinkable happened. The air, the very space in front of him shattered, opened up before his very eyes. But before he could stare in awe, it began to suck everything up. The suction was strong, as if something was physically pulling him in, even his car became a victim of the violent suction and entered the void. Not even a second later, he became the next victim before it closed. The clouds faded, the trees lost all their leaves. The only thing that remained was the home in the middle of nowhere with the door wide open and the young man missing.

-:- 

                                                                                               Black Mesa, May 15th 2000

                                                                                                          Timeline A

His vision blurred, swore to himself he was seeing stars, yet he wasn’t under a pleasant night sky. The blurring alert sirens rattling his ears as the room he was in flashes red, screams and cries muffled, but yet so clear. Gordon doesn’t know what’s going on with his vision still a mess. He just remembered being teleported to several places he had never seen before, seeing creatures straight out of a cheesy Hollywood film. He shook his head only to grip it tight, it throbbed in pain before it was quelled due to his suit ejecting a small bit of morphine. He searched the floor with his hands to find his glasses, he found them and put them on, only to see a horrific sight. The test chamber is in complete shambles. The device fell from the ceiling, the artifact was missing, and the screaming was getting much louder. A strong scent of iron plagued his nose, forcing him to cover his mouth. He turned his head to the elevator lift he took, the gate forcibly removed with the security guard missing. Meaning he has to take the emergency ladder back up. But as soon as he made his way, a chill ran down his spine as the screams of other colleagues continued.

“(I have to find Barney!)” he told himself. As long he’s in his thoughts, he can make it through this, or what he told himself. Step by step, he climbed the shaky ladder until he made it to the previous floor and felt his body run cold. Blood, so much blood everywhere. Bodies ripped apart, innards of guts spread across the walls like a decorative hallway. Legs missing, arms mangled, faces eaten, what happened? He fell to his knees, he vomited from the sight alone as a lone thought came to his mind, “defend yourself!” it said. His body felt light, but he had to pick himself up, he searched the floor for anything that could be a weapon to use. A small glim caught his eye as something was poking out the head of the deceased. He went over to see what it was, a crowbar. Not the most protective weapon of choice, but this would do for now. He approached the body, gripped the crowbar and yanked it out. Bits of blood sprayed and landed on his face, he wiped some of it off and stared in horror. 

“(This…is real, this is really r-real!)” he told himself. This was a nightmare, one that came to life within a blink of an eye and all because they let curiosity control their actions. No, not now. He can’t lose his thoughts, he needs to find his friends, he needs to find Barney and then they could figure something out. He left the control center and to the next room where he heard glass, like something was trying to break it. He turned to one of the test tubes and saw a crab-like creature cracking the solid material. Gordon gripped his crowbar and raised it, he knew what was coming and braced himself. But as ready as he is, his hands trembled in fear. Such a small creature, yet is one of the possible culprits for the bodies he just saw. The crab-creature hissed at him, raising its legs in the air before it took an attempt to pounce on Gordon. He didn’t know if it was fear or bravery, but he smacked the thing clean out the air. The crab flung to the machine panel before falling to the floor, legs twitching as it struggled to pick itself up. He let out a small sigh, that was easy enough. 

But before he took another step, he heard more hissing behind him. Like roaches coming out of cracks within a wall, more crabs were coming out to assault him. He counted over ten and with how they moved, Gordon would easily get overwhelmed. He was left with no choice back to run. He ran to the door, broke the glass to crawl out to the other end of the security hall, but stopped. The laser system was active and going haywire, they weren’t on the set course they were programmed too. He sucked his teeth, there may be another way. Unfortunately, searching isn’t an option as the crab army was right behind him. Gordon wasn’t the greatest when it came to being careful, but he did what he could to dance around the laser. Back against the wall, tip-toed, backwards crab walk, playing a twister with death lasers that could cut him in half within an instant. The crabs didn’t bother dancing around the lasers, they just ran after him. After a brief moment of playing tomb raider, Gordon made it to the other side where the elevator was at, but he jumped when he saw the lift fell to the floor and crashed. An explosion occurred and shattered the glass within the door as smoke lifted from the flames below. Gordon looked down and didn’t see any bodies, they must have gotten crushed to death. 

That could have been him, he could have gotten on it and crashed with them. No, not now, he needs to move. Luck was on his side when he saw that the ladder was still in one piece. He hurried up the ladder and he was back to his sector's upper floors. But as soon as he stepped out, he saw another horrid sight. Someone in a lab coat was clawing away at a security guard’s corpse, he took a short gasp and it caught the attention of the lab coat figure. It stood on its feet and Gordon was thrown off guard. Those crabs, it was the head. The body however, was a twisted nightmare. The entire torso was bloodied with a vertical mouth peaking it's rigged teeth, the hands were sharpened talons and could inflict severe wounds. Those crab things, it can change people into abominations. The monster charged after Gordon before he could even process what the creature fully was. Gordon raised his crowbar, but the monster took his arm with one hand and gripped his neck with the other. It lifted Gordon off the ground, choking him as an unintelligible screech was made from the creature. Gordon was losing air quickly, the assault caused his suit to lose its little power within.  The tight grip was digging into his neck and probably wasn’t far from it getting snapped. His eyes were rolling to the back of his head, his face was turning blue as he was moments away from death. 

But just before he was ready to give up, a green vortex opened up out of nowhere. The electrical current surrounding it shot itself at the monster choking Gordon, sending it to the nearest wall as Gordon was freed from its grasp. But now, he watched and coughed as he patiently awaited what was next.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH”

“(Is that…screaming?)” he asked himself. Within a blink of an eye, a young man was shot out the vortex. Their eyes locked into each other’s for a mere second, both confused about what they were experiencing.

(THONK) echoed the spacious hallway as their heads collided, the young man suspended in the air, Gordon held in place, both of their heads began to swell up before the young man fell. They both cried in pain, rolling on the floor and wishing it would stop.

“[Ow, ow, ow, ow, owwwwww…]” came out the man’s mouth. He turned around and saw a ponytailed man with glasses still on the ground. He picked himself up and offered a hand. Gordon accepted it and raised himself up before examining him. He was short, maybe shorter than Barney. His skin was fair, clearly mixed. His darkened beard shadow told he was due for another shaving. Short black hair with soft brown eyes, but something told Gordon he was a sharp person. His clothes looked bulky, but it was soon revealed he was wearing gear underneath it when he unzipped his green jacket. Police officer maybe?

“[Sorry about that, are you hurt?]” the man said in German. Gordon tilted his head, he didn’t understand a word that was said.

“(Sorry, I don’t speak German…)” he signed. The man’s eyes lit up, this man is an American.

“Oh, sorry. I…guess I'm not in Germany then. I said, "Are you ok?” he asked fluently. The man’s voice was very pitched, almost feminine due to the sound of it. But Gordon knew better than to judge, nor was he weirded out by the sound of it.

“(Not everyday you find people who bother learning ASL. And yes, I'm ok, just gonna have more time with this headache.)”

“Sorry…not my best landing nor my greatest way of meeting new people.”

“(What happened?)”

“I-I don’t know! I left on my own to get ready to go to work, then this…crack in the air opened and broke, sucked me right in! Then when I was falling, a green portal opened up in front of me and sucked me right in too. I have no idea where I'm at!”

“(For starters, New Mexico. And right now, this shouldn’t be a place to be in, especially now.)”

“I definitely can tell, this is way above my pay- *sniff* why does it smell like iron-BLOOD?!” the man screamed. Gordon looked over and forgot that corpses were still around him. That’s right, the body the monster was digging into was a security officer.

“(No, no, no, no!)” over and over as he rushed to the body, he reached his hand and rolled it over. A sigh of relief escaped his mouth, this wasn’t Barney. Right, Barney shouldn’t even back on this side of the sector, not yet. But that only leads to the question of his whereabouts.

“(Sorry, I just wanted to see if it wasn’t someone I was looking for…)”

“Who are you looking for?”

“(His name is Barney, one of the shortest guards we have and I…um, my special friend.)”

“...oooooh, I get it. I wish I could say I saw him, but ya know, came out of a portal.”

“(Right…Oh, I never caught your name.)”

“Cooper, Cooper Neuuman, but Coops is fine.”

“(Gordon Freeman. And I know we just met, but it’s probably better if you stuck with me.)”

“I really don’t have much choice, I don’t know what this place is…”

“(I guess it doesn’t matter considering what’s going on, but this is Black-)”

“LOOK OUT!” he shouted. Gordon looked ahead and saw two more monsters heading towards them. He removed the gun from the corpse’s hip and aimed, but didn’t pull the trigger. A flash of green took his view as he saw Cooper with the crowbar in hand and took the group of monsters head-on. One raises its claw and slash forward, Cooper parries it with the crowbar before shoving the creature away and stabbing the head of the monster. The second one attempted to ambush him from behind, but it failed when Cooper ducked and performed a sweeping kick. The creature lost its balance, Cooper then took the Crowbar out the first monster and stabbed it into the second one.

“(Whoa…)” Gordon was impressed, even Barney couldn’t do something like that. 

“I think they’re down, sorry for taking that. I've never seen anything like that!”

“(Me either, they only just started appearing. There’s these little crab creatures too, I guess that’s their real objective, to climb on your head and control it…)” 

“That thing wasn’t a person anymore, it was some…morphed monster. I feel sorry for anyone who gets turned into those things.”

“Speaking of feeling sorry for them, those were some nice moves!)”

“Oh, well I am a cop, I have to be light on my feet to stop targets.”

“(But that felt way more than your average cop, that was some military elite stuff.)” he thought to himself.

“Hey, we probably should get going if we’re gonna find your friend.”

“(Right, come on!)”

-:- 

                                                                                                 One hour prior

He lay then on the cold floor unconscious, his head bleeding profoundly as his mind drifted to the past. It was last year, a few months past since Gordon joined. They were giggling, hiding in the vents and watching through the grate as a colleague tip-toed inside one of the small break rooms. He looked around, checked under the seats, in the cupboards, inside the fridge, yet he still felt uneasy. The duo were struggling to hold in their laughter as the man put his food in the microwave, another casserole, how bold this man is. He sighed in relief, no surprises to ruin his mid-day meal, but as soon as he pressed the start button, the door opened and the meal exploded in his face. He yelped, throwing his arms around in a desperate attempt to remove the hot and cold dish off his face. He soon tripped, throwing the microwave off the countertop and onto the floor. The duo snickered once more before crawling back to avoid being caught. Angered by this prank, the man rushed out of the break room and quickly to Freeman’s office to expose him. But when the door burst open, there was Freeman at his desk that was covered in paper and Barney coming in right after. 

The man complained, accusing them of the prank that just happened. But all he got were tilted heads as they “didn’t” know what he was referring to. The angered being scream before leaving and slamming the door shut. The duo cracked a huge smile on their faces, covered the office windows and burst into laughter. A fierce high-five followed by a hip bash, the duo celebrated another victory.

“You know, ONE day we’re gonna get caught.”

“(As if, the way we crawl through these vents, we’re faster than rats!)”

“Ha, you’re right. As long we’re the masters of the vents, the day we get could would-”

“Be today?” Eli finished for him, dramatically pulling aside a curtain with Alyx by his side. The duo gulped air, sweat rolled as they forgot Eli was coming over with his daughter.

“Mr. Freeman, Uncle Calhoun!”

“O-oh hey there, champ! We didn’t think you'd be here so soon…”

“Maybe if you spent less time being “faster than rats” you would have expected us. Don’t worry, I have no intention of telling on you guys. If anything, you’re living up the place. If I have to listen to another one of Kleiner’s thesis on space-time anomalies, I would go insane.”

“(That doesn’t sound too bad-)”

“It is when you were his only friend and neighbor for years. Now Alyx, Barney is stationed here today with Gordon, so you got to do everything they say, got it?”

“Yes, daddy!”

“And NO going in the vent with her, got it?”

“Yes, sir!” Barney responded before Eli walked out the door. They all rushed to the window and watched him until he disappeared. The three of them smiled devilishly as Barney rushed to the corner and pulled out a hidden ladder.

“Alyx, has anyone been mean to you recently?”

“Hmmmm, the Bratson couple called me a dumb kid the other day!” she answers.

“Gordon-”

“(Got fake receipts that should bring about an affair allegation and maybe cause a tear in their relationship!)”

“Alyx, be good, we’ll be right back!” he said, she nodded her head as they went back into the vents. But as soon Barney stuck his head in, he woke up. His vision blurred, making everything impossible to recognize. His body ached, his head felt wet and light. A heavy scent of Iron floated in the air caused his hands to move and cover his nose. He softly shook his head and rubbed his eyes, but paused. His hands were wet and he rubbed whatever all over his face. When his vision cleared, they were stained with a deep shade of crimson. He looked up and saw bodies and bodies of dead scientist mutilated corpses scattered about. Blood smeared on the wall, guts trailing to dark corners that he didn’t dare to guess who’s in it. He vomited on the floor, he gasped for air only for the slight taste of blood to plague his mouth. What happened? What was going on? He needed to calm down and think. He took his shirt collar and wiped the blood off his face, he checked his surroundings before leaning against the wall.

“Ok ok, I was riding the elevator, then it stopped. There was that massive earthquake, then those creatures coming out of those vortexes. They shot at the elevator and it detached itself from the tether and crashed…and it looked like I was the only survivor…” he assumed. He folded his arms, could it be that thing he asked Eli about? That “Resonance cascade” he overheard once? 

“Shit, if it was that thing then this bad news. Eli, Izzy. Christ, Alyx and Gordon, I gotta find them…once I figure out where the hell am I…” he said. He took a deep breath and regained his composure. But when he took a step, something flashed across him. It was small, but fast. Did he just see a dog? He can hear the whining of one, but he doesn’t remember animals even being in Black Mesa, at least not in the lower sectors. As he walked, the sound was getting louder, but it was also followed by an intense crunching sound like something was chewing on bones. A slight splash was made and it caused him to look down, Barney just stepped in a trail of blood, fresh running blood. The trails went behind a corner, he readied himself as he turned and saw it. It wasn’t a dog, it wasn’t even an animal. It was some…yellowish-green creature with blue straps on its back.

“What the…” he muttered. The thing heard him and turned around, the face was nothing but tons of eyes and mouths as they all locked onto him.

“Freeze-AUGHHH”!” he screamed shortly after. The creature unleashed a high-pitch scream, the very sound shook the air and created a sonic boom that blasted Barney to the nearest wall. The man fell to the ground, gun still in his hand as his ears rang. The creature screamed again and this time, didn’t stop. It forced Barney against the wall, unable to move as another beast moved forward. He felt like a ton of weight was pressed against him, his chest was beginning to cave in as his ears were bleeding. And to make matters worse, another creature came out of the shadows. This was bad, he can’t even lift his arms to even aim. Each attempt ended up in failure, but just when he thought he was doomed, luck came through. A piece of ventilation came out from above and hit the monster screaming at him. It dropped Barney as he aimed his gun at the creature. His vision swayed, his hearing muffled, but was able to make a clean shot that killed the monster.

“WATCH OUT!” a familiar voice warned, Barney reacted in time and shot the creature mid-air before it got to him. The threats were gone, he could breathe now. The chest pain was still there, but at least it didn’t get any worse. His hearing was clearing up and his vision fixed itself, he stood on his feet as he walked over to the open hole in the vent, a familiar face peaked out from the opening.

“UNCLE BARNEY!”

“ALYX! Come on, I'll catch you!” he told her. The small child did what she was told and hopped out, Barney caught her and let her down. But she soon went in for a hug and cried on his leg, her whole body shaking like she was stuck in the middle of a blizzard.

“Alyx, where is your dad?!”

“I-I don’t know!”

“What happened to you?!”

“W-well, daddy thought you may not have had a good night last night. So, I wanted to check on you since we were near you by tram. But when I got off and went through the entrance, the big earthquake happened and everything went crazy. Monsters came out of nowhere and the security tried their best. One of them put me in the vents for safety and I was crawling until I fell down a shaft by accident into the lower floors. Then I saw you and helped.-”

“Thank god you did, I would have been next! So Eli isn’t near, so the same could say for Kleiner. Gordon is even further, but if we’re going up then we’re bound to run into each other. Alyx, stay on my heels, ok?!”

“Ok!”

“I know you want to look for your dad, but we need to escape and get you out. I can get your dad after-”

“And Gordon?”

“I’m not leaving this place until I know for a fact he’s out. But we need to get out of here first. Remember, on my heels!”

“Got it!” she said. Barney offered his hand to hold and watched Alyx reach for it. But just when it was about to be touched, his ears ringed. He retracted his hand as the pitching was growing louder and louder to where it felt like something was being stabbed in his ear. His vision was odd, it wasn’t blurring, but splitting apart. Like glitches within a computer screen, it was falling apart like a compacted system. Crashes, blue screening, flashing images flowed through his head, then stopped. But before he could even think what just happened, the room, reality around him just…shattered. He found himself floating in some distorted colored space, shards of white floating around him, but that wasn't what caught his eye. What caught his eye was another being in space with him, himself. 

Chapter Text

He was speechless, stunned. This person, this…him, this…Barney looked just like him. From his chubby body figure, to his five o’clock shadow. Same uniform, same eyes, the only difference was that his helmet had stickers and drawings on it, like a kid got a hold of it. No words were spoken. Hell, could he? Was he allowed? This isn’t an illusion, this isn’t a dream, this is another him, another Barney. They flew closer to each other, but were too afraid to even touch their other self. Barney knows they’re an alien invasion going, so maybe it’s one of them trying to trick him, get him to lower his guard and kill him when he’s vulnerable. A thought that crossed his mind, and the same could be said for the other Barney. They reached for their hip to grab their weapon, only to grab nothing in the end as it wasn’t there. Maybe he dropped it? Then again, reality just shattered like glass so maybe it took his gun with him?

“UNCLE BARNEY!!” Alyx called. It caught the pair’s attention as they both looked up in the direction of the voice.

“Wait, you got a kid with you?!”

“Holy shit, you could talk?!”

“Why the hell wouldn’t I be able to talk?!”

“Well I was blasted by Aliens sonic booms that almost killed me against the wall.”

“No way, were you not with Gordon?”

“I don’t know where he even is, right now I'm trying to get Alyx out of here!”

“Who’s Alyx?” the other Barney asked.

“W-who…Eli’s daughter!”

“He never told us her name, never saw her in person either, only photos. He thinks it’s dangerous for her to be here and he made the right call when stuff was getting weird at work.”

“(Wait, his Eli didn’t bring Alyx, but mine did?)”

“Say, what does your Gordon look like?”

“Ponytail, red suit, eyepatch-”

“Eyepatch?!”

“Oh, we pulled a prank that went wrong. We went left instead of right when we was running away and Gordon’s eye got hit when a pipe burst and the valve hit him-”

“Weird, we went right and we got out just fine. And you said red suit? Mine is orange-”

“That’s an ugly color-”

“RED  IS AN UGLY COLOR-”

“Never knew I was in this much denial, my Gordon would go on cursing spree if he heard that-”

“Gordon? Swearing like a sailor? I mean he curses, but like that? No way. Wait…are we from parallel worlds?”

“Maybe…but I think we need to figure out how to get you back to Alyx…somehow…”

“Maybe if we…touch?” he suggested. The other Barney shrugged his shoulders, but just before they touched each other, Barney felt a tug on his pants. He looked down and saw Alyx, she was confused. Barney looked around and saw that everything was back to normal. Well, maybe normal wasn’t the correct word to use now in this situation. He took Alyx hand and proceed to protect her as he tries to find another way out

-:- 

Gordon and his new friend were stumped. The entrance to the sector was on emergency shutdown and Gordon didn’t know the override code nor had the time to hack when creatures were around. Hands tied, the duo were forced to look for another way. They turned to a room and crawled through a duct to make it to a hallway filled with rooms. Through the glass, Gordon and Cooper witnessed murder after murder, the other scientist doing what they can to keep themselves alive, just for them to fail and become another bloody stain on the floors and walls. Knots grew in their stomach, they needed to move or they were next. Gordon led his friend downward to a breakoff of this sector and to another, breaking the window for them to crawl through. But just before they turn a corner, Cooper grabbed his friend and raised his hand. The peaked over the corner and saw those small creatures that seems to be using sound to shoot at objects. They look like alien dogs, just with much much more eyes. It was a few them around, but they soon left. 

“I would hate to fight one of those, let’s be careful around them.”

“(Agreed. Just one could be deadly, I can’t imagine taking on two or more.)”

“Huh?”

“(What?)”

“Who’s that?” Cooper pointed to, Gordon looked up and felt confused. A suited man with a briefcase was on a platform right above them, his skin wrinkled yet his smile on his face was frightening. They felt the hairs on their neck stand up, this man didn’t seem like a threat, yet his presence is menacing. His demeanor is so calm, like he’s completely unphased with everything that is going on, but that either means two things. He either wasn’t afraid of dying, or he started this and has an escape plan to ensure his safety. 

“Um…hello?” Cooper greeted.

“My, this is unexpected. To think the resonance cascade would actually bring forth an anomaly, I was wondering why the courses between the planned events aren’t going accordingly, interesting…”

“(Anomaly?)”

“Like something that shouldn’t exist?”

“It seems like we are out of time. Gordon, Anomaly, do your best.” he said as he went into a room. The two quickly moved, they needed answers and now. But when they took the ladder to climb up to the platform and go to the door the man went through, they saw it was just a closet. The man was gone, he vanished as if he was never here. They could only shrug their shoulders before resuming down the hall they came across a similar room like the previous. He heard someone crying around the corner. He turned it to see one of his colleague balling his eyes out, the pair tried to speak with him, but it was useless. His mind was shattered, he just rocked back and forth in order to cope with the high chance of himself dying. Cooper looked at the coat pocket and saw the man’s ID card. He reached for it as Gordon told him it has higher clearance than his. They left the man be and continued on, reaching a door that was fortunately unlocked to let them reach the room. It seems to be connected to some waterways as the duo saw tunnels filled with water.

“(Good swimmer?)”

“Have to be for my job.” 

“(Good, see there? There’s another hole to climb out of. If we raise the water in those tunnels, we could swim up.)”

“Sound plan.”

“(Wait, what was that sound?)” Gordon asked.

“It’s…coming from that door-WOAH!” he shouted, the duo both ducking as the metallic door flung off its hinges. The duo looked up and this creature was different from the others. It was taller than Gordon, the skin puke green. One center eye in the front while three smaller ones around the head. It was colored red with the pupil golden yellow, three fingered talons for fingers and with a third arm resting on in the chest. Gordon raised his crowbar only for it to be shot out of his hand. The creature shot bolts of electricity out of their hands, Cooper grabbed Gordon and pulled him out the way. Another shot was thrown at them, but Cooper kicked a nearby barrel hard enough where it launched in the air. It took the bolt for them as Gordon took this chance to fire some rounds into the monster. The creature recoiled from the damage it received which gave Cooper a chance to pick up the crowbar and stab it into the creature’s eye, wedging it deep until the monster’s body fell to the floor.

“(That one…was certainly bigger…)”

“First those strange dog things, and now tall aliens that shoot electricity. Next they’re gonna be giants that shoot fire out their hands-”

“(Or like weird barnacles with tentacles)”

“Let’s…not add anymore on the list…”

“(Agreed…)” he signed. The duo jumped down the tunnel and traveled until they found the drainage valve, they turned it to release the water and filled the canals so they could swim to the top of the other side. Once out, they crawled through a narrow vent and jumped down. A putrid smell hit their nose that was worse than blood, waste or what they assumed. They looked down and saw the brown water carrying whatever is flowing it in and guiding it to a crushing mechanism on the other end. They gagged as they hopped on the floating debris in the water and made it to a door leading to what they assumed was an exit. Problem is, it was locked. There was probably another way around to unlock it, but the only way would be to swim in the water. The duo approached the edge again and looked at the water, so brown that it could hold their reflection. They probably get a million diseases just touching the nasty waters. The pair stared at each other, one of them needed to go in.

“(...Rock, paper, scissors?)”

“WHY ARE WE DISCUSSING THAT WHEN YOU’RE WEARING A MEGA SUIT?!!?”

“(The energy barrier is low, water is going to get inside if i'm in there long enough!)”

“UGH, FINE! One…two…THREE!” he shouted, Gordon threw a rock which got countered by Cooper’s paper.

“(DAMMIT)”

“Now go swim in the possibly dookie water!” Cooper ordered. Gordon sighed as he pressed a button on his suit that casted a thin layer over his face as he dived into the messy waters. Within a few minutes, the door was unlocked and there stood Gordon with a sour look on his face. A sly snicker escaped Cooper’s mouth before they continued on, but they could only venture for a bit as they came across a railing holding some cargo. Below said cargo was a deep chasm that neither of them would survive if they fell down. There was an opening with a ladder on the other side, meaning they had to hop from crate to crate to make it. It could never get easy for them as they sighed and took the many leaps of faith to make it to the other end and climb up the ladder that led to an elevator. They took this short moment to catch their breath, Cooper sat down as he looked up and saw Gordon looking at the photo from before. Worry was on his face, Cooper couldn’t blame him. Having no idea where his special friend was while coming across numerous corpses, he would be worried too. The elevator came to a stop and this was a place Gordon recognized, the office complex. If anyone would hide anywhere, this would be a safe bet. They took a right into the hallway and weren’t surprised by the sight. Flickering lights, destroyed walls, broken glass everywhere followed by smeared blood. Gordon opened the door to one of the lounges and was greeted with another disgusted sight. Everyone was dead inside, was anywhere safe from these creatures?

“Look, their ID card. They have higher clearance, meaning…”

“(There’s a retinal scanner somewhere…)”

“Gordon, this is going to sound gross, really gross. But if power is still in this place, that means those scanners are still up. We got lucky with the last one already being unlocked. Carrying these bodies would waste our time…so…”

“(You want to cut off their heads?!)”

“NO, TAKE THEIR EYES!”

“(OH! Well, still gross, but better than chopping their heads. Ok…let’s…do this…)” he signed, reaching for the eyes of the dead scientist. But as Gordon’s hands got closer to the eyes, something happened, a surprised attack.

“GAA-” was all that escaped Cooper’s mouth. A slimy but tight tentacle wrapped around his neck, it felt like it was going to snap as he was being lifted up to the ceiling. Gordon looked up and he saw some barnacle-like monster attached to the inner ceiling, jagged teeth surrounding a twisted looking mouth. Gordon aimed to save him, but soon found himself in the same position when another tentacle wrapped around his neck. Now both of them were being lifted up to their demise, their weapons on the floor and no help around, but Cooper wasn’t ready to give up. He may not be trained to fight aliens, but doesn’t mean he couldn’t adapt. He turned Gordon’s direction and raised his legs, Gordon understood what he wanted as he lifted his and twisted to lock their legs together. This prevented them from entering the ceiling for a bit as they tried to figure something out. A miracle was spotted, Gordon pointed and Cooper turned to see hanging wires. If power was still on, then electricity should be going through those wires. He reached over and grabbed them, then he pulled them apart and stuck them into the barnacle. The intense electrical current coursed through the thing and fried it to death, its tentacle releasing Cooper before the current got to him. He fell out of Gordon’s grip, but now Gordon's ascension continued. Cooper wasted no time, he took the gun and took quick shots at the creature. It made a squeal before it died and released Gordon to the floor. They both took a moment to catch another breath from being choked for so long.

“Gordon…please don’t list anymore monsters…”

-:- 

Barney kicked open a door, he peeked inside with his gun ready. Alyx hides behind him, ready to do whatever he commands her to do. When the coast was clear, Barney and Alyx continued to move. Soon, a gross smell came into their nose and they immediately covered it. Alyx stuck her tongue out, which was causing this disgusting smell. Barney looked to his side and saw a sign on the wall, they were in the waste section of this sector they’re in. He approached a ledge and looked down to the brown waters below. Yup, it was waste.

“Ewwwwww, dookie water!”

“Yup, dookie water. Lucky for us, we don’t have to swim in it…god I hope I don’t have to swim through that…”

“Uncle Barney, look! There’s a pathway there!”

“Good eye, hopefully no more monsters. I don’t have a lot of bullets left thanks to the ones we've been dealing with while coming here. Come here, climb on my back!”

“Ok!” she said. Barney took the ladder down with Alyx and walked across the catwalk to the ladder leading up to the platform with the hallway inside. There was a control room that seemed to operate a platform life across from them. Barney wasn't a tech wizard, but the controls were thankfully simple enough for him to get the lift running again. Alyx brought over a map of the location that proved helpful as he took her and made their way to the platform life and took it upwards. As it lifted up, he noticed the high explosive crates next to him were in metallic casing meaning they needed a lot of force to even crack them. The platform stopped and it really didn’t take them anywhere, just another waterway with the waste water. There was a ladder leading down as there was no other way for them to go.

“Dookie water?”

“Dookie water…come on, on my back again.” he told her. She climbed on as Barney climbed down and began to walk in the waist high water. A sharp shiver went down his spine when he made contact with the gross waters. Alyx held her nose as Barney was beginning to smell horrible. They traveled down the canal until they reached a problem, there was a mechanism in front of him and trying to go through it would slice him into ribbons. 

“No getting through that…”

“Maybe we can break?”

“I rather not destroy Black Mesa stuff…but that’s what I’ve been doing so, how would we…oh! Alyx, see that corner? Hide right in there, I’ll be right back.” he told her. She jumped off his back and into the corner like he said. Barney rushed back to the ladder and pushed the explosives into the water and watched them float to the mechanism. Once they all got stuck and the case cracked open, Barney took a shot and caused a giant explosion. Alyx watched the flames blaze up, creating a magnificent sight right before her eyes and caused a smile to grow. The piece broke off and the path was clear. Barney put the kid back on his back and went through until he saw a ladder coated in sunlight. Finally, a way out, well at least outside. They climbed the ladder until they reached a cover, Barney removed it and they basked in the warm sunlight. For once, Barney was enjoying the awful sun rays. Alyx was relieved to breathe in fresh air, not blood or waste. 

“Uncle Barney, we’re outside!”

“Yeah, but not out of the woods yet. These walls, I can’t climb them, not to mention I have no idea where to even go if we even get over them. It's better to find a proper exit, but at least we’re outside-”

“And there’s people too, look!” she pointed out. Barney looked ahead and saw lab coat men running their way. Something like this would put him at ease, but something was wrong. They way they were running, it was as if they were running from something rather than running towards them. 

“Hey-Wha?!” she questioned as Barney took the child and hid behind some crates. Barney peeked his head out a bit as Alyx peeked from the side. The men that were running, were shot at. Men in military gear and mask completely unload on them, their bodies reacting from each bullet piercing them. Alyx let out a squeal before covering her mouth, it was as Barney feared. Reaching outside didn’t mean everything was fine, now he has to deal with alien and armed forces while protecting Alyx.

“(Dammit, where the fuck are you, Gordon?! I can’t do this alone!)” he complained. The geared men didn’t stop there, they continued onward. Barney didn’t know what to do, he panicked, he was low on ammo while the men seemed to have plenty. He peeked over again and counted two men. He just needs to disarm one of them and he can win, he hopes he could win. He breathed heavy, his body felt light, but also ready. But just before he hopped out his cover, he heard a voice, his own voice.

“Heyyyyyyyy, over hereeeeeee!” was said. The men turned and rushed to chase after the other Barney as the other two stood up in their hiding space. Barney saw his other self wave at him before he just vanished when reality broke and swallowed him whole, taking the other two men as well. What the hell just happened?

Chapter Text

                                                                                               May 9th, 2000

                                                                                  Six days before resonance cascade 

Barney set his bag down and sighed, he was nervous. He was visiting his dad again, something he was known for doing from time to time since his employment at Black Mesa. A heavy thud brought his head up and it was because Alyx carried his heavier luggage. Barney wanted her to take the smaller bag, but she insisted that she carry the bigger one to show how much she had grown. She soon lost her balance and almost flopped to the ground if it wasn’t for Gordon catching her. They were waiting for the escort to drive Barney out of Black Mesa since he doesn’t have a vehicle of his own he’s permitted to have on the faculty, not until he starts Blue shift. Gordon stared at him, shaky hands and beads of sweat forming on Barney’s forehead. To Alyx, it was nothing. To Gordon, something is making him uncomfortable. It always has been Barney and his dad. He was born when his father was still deployed at war, coming back with plenty to support his family, but it quickly spiraled. His mother saw herself as unfit to raise a child and left them, leaving his father to raise him by himself. It wouldn’t be as difficult if only his father didn’t become disabled during his deployment when he returned. This drastically limited what he could do for a job as he was tasked to raise his son all by himself. They quickly became poor due to massive inflation over the years, forcing them to move into a smaller home and own very little entertainment, but it never broke their spirit. His father always manages to pull through, continues to have a roof over their head, and defends his son when schools and bullying situations arise. 

So if this man is such a great father, then what is causing Barney to be so nervous? Well, it’s because he decided to come out to him. His dad always egged him on about hopefully finding a spouse, but he knew he meant women. Barney does like them, but it wasn’t a woman he had feelings for. He heard stories of people coming out and immediately being cut out of their parents' life, no matter how close they were. That was what put him on edge, he doesn’t want to be seen as a freak, a disappointment, someone to be hated by his father. Even if he has the others at Black Mesa to come back to, losing his dad would pain him too greatly. A hand touched his shoulder and caused him to jump, he saw it was Gordon with a concerned look on his face.

“(Are you ok?)”

“Y-yeah, sorry…a lot on my mind. I’ll be fine, really!”

“(Do you need to talk about it?)”

“I-” he paused, looking away. It was a heavy topic for him to talk about, but luckily he was saved.

“Not now, Gordon. Let’s give him some breathing room. You mind taking Alyx back to my office?” Eli asked.

“(Sure. And Barney…you can talk to me when you get back.  I hate seeing you uneasy.)”

“Of course, Gordon. When the time is right, I'll tell you, promise!” he said. A small smile came on his face before turning around and taking Alyx back into the facility. Barney took a deep breath before he was pulled into a tight hug.

“No matter how it goes, remember you’re always a part of the Vance family. You got this, Barney.”

“Seriously, thank you for that…and not telling anyone-”

“Common sense and courtesy, it’s not my business to tell. Oh, your ride is here. Remember-”

“Call you and you’ll fly out and get me yourself.”

“Good, see you in a few days. Don’t forget when Blue shift training starts.” he said before walking back to the facility. The vehicle came and Barney loaded everything up into it before being driven to the airport where he flew out to his home state in the south. He set a rental car and climbed inside to drive to his father’s house. It only took him an hour to reach the rural suburbs where a small single-story house stood at the end of a dead-end road. Barney parked his car, took his things out the car and went up to the door. He looked up at the sky, still blue without a cloud in sight, it was no more than 2pm. He took another deep breath before knocking.

“COMING!” a scratchy voice shouted. The door opened up and there was a man matching a similar appearance to Barney, the only difference was his sharper jawline and his massive graying hair.

“BAR-BAR!”

“D-dad, not so loud-”

“Oh as if anyone is gonna give a shit, the kids in this neighborhood already grew up and left this shitty dump, come in!” he urged. He walked inside and looked around, the home was still the same as the day he left it. Many pictures of them on the wall and table stand, the bad coffee stains on the living room carpet. The ashtray with cigarettes and some beer bottles on the kitchen table, and mixture of cheap perfume to make the place smell good. Yeah, he was back. He set his things down as they went on and sat on the couch.

“You know, I could have just flown out since I was going to New Mexico to visit my new doctor when you fly back anyways, but hey, more time for us!”

“Y-yeah…so how is everything?”

“Same shit, different day. Work, eat, shit, somewhere there’s an appointment, sleep, just to wake up and do it all again. Bet you get much better action with your security job!” he assumed. Barney never told him that he works for Black Mesa as it is against the terms and agreement, it’ll result in an immediate termination.  All he said to his dad was that he does security, which isn’t exactly wrong.

“Nah, we just patrol and stand on our feet for hours with nothing going on. Two years of just walking and looking pretty, but the pay is good and I’m getting a promotion!”

“That’s my Barney, and…thanks for the support, but you know I'm doing just fine-”

“I know, but I want you to be doing even better. I just need to be careful about racking up a bar tab again-”

“Not a member of the Calhoun family if the bartenders aren’t hunting us down for payment.” he joked, they both laughed before going quiet. Barney’s heart started racing, his palms were getting sweaty and his leg was bouncing. His father took notice of him and began to worry.

“Barney, is everything ok?”

“I…um…”

“...oh I see what this is, you’re nervous. You got someone who you wanna get wild and spanky with, huh? I made that same face when I met your mom.” he said. Well he isn’t wrong, Barney does have an interest in someone.

“I-”

“Is she pretty? Or maybe a “Butter-face” but you like her for her personality?”

“Well-”

“Or is she one of those crazy girls who are red flags, I do like a woman with some flare-”

“They do have fire I guess-”

“And in case it goes south, do you know if she likes old guys?” he playfully asked, winking to give off that it was clearly a joke. But nothing, no glance, no real words, just Barney sweating so much that it was dampening his shirt.

“Barney, you’re really shaky, and sweaty, and pale, are you sick?! I got some medicine in the bathroom, want me to go get it?”

“N-n-no, I'm not sick-”

“Then what’s wrong?”

“...”

“...”

“You…w-weren’t wrong about me l-l-liking someone but…it…um-”

“God, please tell me it’s not a child or animals-”

“FUCK NO, DAD!”

“OK, I JUST WANTED TO GET THAT OUT THE WAY! Then what’s wrong?

“It….not a girl…”

“What do you mean…?”

“It’s…a guy…” he finally answered, looking away as his whole body felt light. His father stood there, stunned. He scattered his eyes everywhere, his son was interested in a man. He honestly didn’t know what to say, but when he saw him again. Barney was scared, his skin getting paler by the second, his shirt wet and beginning to smell and his shaking was getting worse. He closed his eyes before opening them again to speak.

“I…won’t lie, this is…a shock, especially how I grew up and all, people around me hating men and women like you. It does feel odd…but I love you, Barney. And if having interest in a man makes you happy, then that makes me happy. I gave my life to make sure you live a decent one and I'm not going to be the first roadblock for you.” he answered, he accepted his son. Barney never moved so fast as he went in for a hug, squeezing his dad to death before letting go.

“Gross, you couldn’t change your shirt first?!”

“S-sorry, you honestly have no idea how scared I was of losing you.” he cried, his dad went into the kitchen to grab Barney and himself some water before sitting back down.

“I can imagine, I probably would be too if I was in your shoes. So, who is it?”

“Remember that guy I told you about over emails?”

“Yeah, but you never told me his name. You guys were best friends and pulled pranks on assholes at your security job? What’s his name? Is he into old men too-”

“DAD!”

“Sorry, just jokes! So, what’s his name?”

“Uh…so, this is going to be crazy. His name is…Gordon-”

“Gordon?” he repeated, taking a sip of water.

“Freeman- BLERAK, DAD!” Barney screamed when his father shot water out his mouth and hit his son.

“GORDON FREEMAN?! THE MEGA SCIENTIST GUY WHO WAS ALL OVER THE NEWS LAST YEAR?! BARNEY, I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU WORK IN SECURITY?!”

“I do…security at a top secret scientific research facility deep underground…”

“WHAT?!”

“But dad, no one and I mean NO ONE can’t know, you can’t even bring up, even if people don’t believe you. It’s an instant termination for me and I just got that promotion, I'm really trusting you!”

“Ok, ok, I won’t! Fucking Christ, my son is best friend with a renowned scientist and has a crush on him, soon-to-be boyfriends! Can I meet him?! Can I visit your base one day?! Oh do you have pictures of you two together?!”

“Daaaaaaaaaad!”

“Sorry, just excited!”

“Well Dr. Vance brings his daughter, maybe he knows a way to allow you to visit, especially with me going into Blue shift. But that’s a giant maybe-”

“YES, I'm going to a top secret baaaaaaasssseeeeeeeee!”

“Maybe, I said maybe!”

“The Calhouns take maybes as yes! Oh you must have tons of stories! Unpack, I want to know the place top to bottom!” he said. Bareny rolled his eyes, but it would be good to change. He took his things into his old room that hasn’t changed a bit. But when he opened his suitcase, one of those crab creatures hissed and jumped on his face. He woke up in a cold sweat before grabbing his side, he was in pain. He looked around and saw that he was in a small empty storage space, Alyx was on the other end, taking a small rest while using Barney’s shirt as cover. He looked down and saw his poorly bandaged body and sloppy stitching. That’s right, he remembers it now. After his other self took the men away, he and Alyx continued onward and found their way back in Black Mesa. Barney was assaulted left and right, both alien creatures and the military was his enemies and he didn’t win his battles untouched. Having to kill so many people, actual flesh and blood, he grew knots again in his stomach. He still has the lingering taste of vomit in his mouth after killing those military men. Even if it was life or death, taking another person’s life is still taking another person’s life. After everything, they decided to get some rest and took refuge in the storage room, using the heavy crates to block the door and then stacked the rest to block the vent. 

“(Where is everyone…?)” he questioned again. He’s not going to get far like this, Alyx needs to get out now, he can’t fight for two. But just before another complaint came to mind, heavy banging came from the door. It woke Alyx up as she crawled quickly to Barney and hid behind him. The banging became more aggressive, someone is trying to force their way in. If they get in and if it’s an enemy, then they’re trapped. Barney began to remove the boxes from the vents and pulled on the cover. At the very least he could buy Alyx enough time to escape. But just before he lifted her, a voice finally spoke.

“Barney, are you there?! It’s me!” a voice said. It was Eli, Barney was relieved to hear their voices again. He removed the crates from the door and let them in.

“DADDY!”

“ALYX! Oh thank god you’re ok, you too, Barney!”

“Barney has been watching me since this all started.”

“Then I guess I was worried for nothing. Come on, we know a safer area, we can patch you up better!”

-:- 

Gordon and his new friend stood in front of another emergency locked door, the only other exit that was available to them. They sucked their teeth, every door that could be a potential exit ends up being locked due to the current incident. Cooper wished his backpack was still with him, he could easily get into the system and maybe hack the door to open up, but he doesn’t know where it is exactly or if he’ll ever find it. The next and only way forward was the corridor next to them, but as soon as they turned a corner, they saw red beams on the wall. Cooper took a closer look at them and didn’t see any explosives tied to them, meaning they’re sensors for something else. They did their best to dodge the laser, but failed when a crab creature came out of nowhere and made an attempt to jump on Gordon. He reacted in time and evaded the ambush, but his foot caught the sensor and they both saw what it triggered. Rapid gunfire started spraying in their direction, forcing them to take cover. Bullets shot at their cover, piercing through and just barely missed the duo hiding behind it. When the bullets stopped, they raised from their cover to see what was the cause. There was a sentry turret stationed in an open area.

“Well that was a warm welcome…”

“(That isn’t ours, ours is mounted on walls and ceiling.)”

“Those guys back in the complex did mention that the military just recently arrived, could it be theirs?”

“(Maybe, guess it’s more to keep those creatures from sneaking up on them or something.)”

“...”

“(What?)”

“Nothing, but it feels like I heard about this situation before.”

“(Maybe an operation your country took part of?)” Gordon asked, but that didn’t feel right to Cooper.

“(No, that couldn’t be that. This…sounds very close to what happened to Black Mesa. But it’s shut down, it would be nothing but ruins in the middle of nowhere of New Mexico.)” he thought to himself. He perished the thought and continued onward, handing Gordon some more clips for his weapon they took off a security officer’s corpse. They pressed on, dodging more lasers that seem to be hooked up to more turrets. They climbed some stairs that led to an elevator lift to bring them more up, but just before they went down, they heard voices. They crouched down and watched from above.

“(It’s the military, let’s go-)”

“(Wait…)” Cooper said, holding Gordon still as they watched the scene play out. It was another colleague of his, his lab coat covered in blood and grime as he seemed relieved to see rescuers. He spoke at a rapid pace, trying to explain to the officer what was going on, but stopped. The man raised his gun at the scientist and without a word, pulled the trigger. The duo were stunned, the man killed the scientist without mercy. The man then responded to his ear-piece comm and reported in his progress.

“Killed another one, but still no sign of Gordon Freeman.”

“Read you. Continue searching for him so we can bring him topside for questioning-”

“Roger, readings still say he’s within the area. What about his friend, Calhoun?”

“(Barney…)”

“Eliminate, he’s much more of a force than we thought. Our original plan to use him to lure out Gordon has failed as the man has already killed two squadrons. I repeat, permission to use lethal force to put down Barney Calhoun has been granted.” was said before the comm was cut off. Cooper looked at Gordon as he remembered what that voice said. He dug in his pocket and took out his smartphone and put it near Gordon’s H.E.V suit to scan it, a confused expression rested on his face as Cooper got a better grasp at the words said.

“I knew it, Gordon, there’s tracking devices up and down your suit! Those turrets, they weren’t stationed to keep the aliens away, they were to pin you down!”

“(...right.”)

“What?”

“(What…was that you pulled out?)”

“My phone?”

“(They have advance phones like that in Germany?)”

“W-what? Look, we talk about that another time. Right now, we need to get the hell out of here! I’ll get the guard, stay here!” he said. Cooper stood up, hopped off the railings and jumped straight down. A shadow was casted on the ground as the man saw it, but it was too late. The small boy was swift, quickly disarming the officer before lodging his foot into their knee, completely breaking the kneecap as the shattered bone pierced the soldier's skin. The man tried to scream from the sudden pain, but his mouth was quickly covered before he suffered an enduring punching in his throat. His throat collapsed, he couldn’t cough or breathe as he squirmed on the ground, kicking his feet as life was beginning to leave his body. And just like that, his body stopped. Eyes rolled to the back of his head and his skin pale as snow, Gordon came down the stairs to see the new corpse on the ground. Cooper began stripping the deceased of his weapons, taking his helmet, SMG, combat knife and sheath. As Gordon watched the man call the elevator down, he considered himself lucky that he was an ally and not an enemy. They boarded the lift as it brought them up.

“Ok, they’re definitely going to be on alert now once that guy doesn’t respond. (I should of got his voice in my phone to manipulate, damn…)”

“(Ok, so what’s the plan?)”

“I noticed a strong glow on your suit and those weird stations you've been going to from time to time, is it like some kind of veil?”

“(Yeah, like a thin shield, even for my head. That's how I swam in that water and barely got my face wet. Even when we were being choked, the tentacle wasn’t completely around my neck, still hurt though.)”

“Ok so, that also implies that it works on bullets?”

“(To an extent- Oh, I'm going to be the human shield, aren’t I?)” He asked. The lift stopped as they spotted armed soldiers coming their way, three of them.

“YES YOU ARE, I’LL TAKE THE LEAD.” he shouted. Cooper pushed Gordon forward, the men shot at him, but their bullets bounced off him. Of course, Gordon still felt the impact of them, but no fatal damage yet. When the men needed to reload, that was their moment to strike. Cooper took the lead, he dashed in first to disarm one of the men by breaking his arm before he performed a sweeping kick that knocked two of the men on the ground. He saw the third heading to Gordon, so he stopped them in their tracks when Cooper took the pinned soldier's knife and threw it. It landed in his arm and it gave Gordon the chance to counterattack. He took out the crowbar and charged at the man with rage in his eyes, the metal object was stabbed into the man’s head. He took a knee when the pain struck him, Gordon wedged and twisted before yanking it out. He then took one good swing downward on the man’s head, piercing his helmet and bashing his head in, causing blood to uproar and stain Gordon’s face and glasses. The cracking of his skull rattled the air before the body fell to the floor, blood leaking from the crushed head and creating a crimson pool underneath the body.  Cooper got up from killing the other two men to see Gordon vomiting on the floor, he knows what he’s going through. That first kill, that feeling of having to take someone’s life away, good or bad. That’s blood on his hands he’ll live forever with.

“You ok?”

“(...how, how can you kill someone so easily?! You can’t just be a simple police officer, even the security here doesn’t have what you have and they go through some brutal training…)” Gordon asked him.

“Now isn’t the time, Gordon. I promise to tell you later, but for now please know I'm not here to harm you. I don’t even know where I am…”

“(I know, I know. If you were here to kill me, then you would already have done it. Ok…I-I’m ok now, let’s get out of here. Same plan?)”

“Same plan…”

“(This suit can’t take much more before the veil comes off, we need to be fast!)

“Then let’s go!” he said. They continued onward, Gordon being the shield that granted Cooper openings for him to attack the number of armed guards. They were relentless, brutal, and cunning with their skills combined. It was life or death and neither were choosing death. They heard an announcement stating that the military now has full control of most of the security system now within the facility, meaning it’s easier to track Gordon down. After that announcement, they brought up his assailant assisting him and gave orders to eliminate him as soon as possible.

“(Look at that, you’re popular.)”

“If only this was still highschool…”

“(You and me both…)” he agreed. They made their way into a vent dock that led them back to the door that was on emergency lock down. A scientist who was hiding under the table came and the control panel came out and was relieved to see Gordon of all people. He told him if there was anyone who could possibly fix this situation, it would be the science team in the opposite end of the facility. He instructed him and his new friend to use the old rail system to reach the silo. There's a passage that’ll lead them to the top side. From there, it should be much easier for them to reach the team if they want to be quick. He unlocked the door for them to go through and wished them the best of luck, they were going to need it. As they ventured in the old rail system, Cooper couldn’t help but to feel strange again. This place was starting to remind him a lot of the Black Mesa reports he looked up, the ones he could only find legally. But again, he brushed it aside, Black Mesa was shut down. The only way for it to be running is that it came back when no one was looking, which would be impossible. Or, he was sent to the past, but that’s unlikely either. Regardless, he followed Gordon’s lead as they started using a ladder to descend lower into the railways.

“This day gets weirder and weirder, huh?”

“(I honestly just want it to end, just get Barney and get us the hell out of here.)”

“I hear that, it’s making me miss the boring paperwork at my desk.”

“(Speaking of, what is your job? Your REAL job?)” he asked, guessing this would be a good time as ever before danger lurks again.

“I wasn’t lying when I said I was part of the Bundespolizei. But…I'm also part of a task force known as the GSG9.”

“(GSG9?)”

“It’s an emergency Counter-terrorism task force, we’re called whenever a crisis arrives. We were put through special training that rivals top military forces around the world. I was scouted when my performance reached out and I was put on the team, always on stand-by when a crisis occurs. When I'm not doing either, I'm a professional translator for some studios” he answered.

“(So like, a elite task force, like the best of the best?)”

“I wouldn’t call me the best, but yes, we’re not your average soldiers. Many of us have killed many targets, through full-frontal assaults, to espionage missions.”

“(So you’re a world-wide spy, like 007 Goldeneye!)”

“I’m surprise you even know that series, it’s really old-”

“(old…?)” Gordon asked as he reached the bottom of the long ladder.

“Yeah? It was popular back then, but not many people are into spy films or games these days.”

“(What…are you talking about? It came out two years ago and the movie came out 3 years before that. Eli had to come in and unplug the Nintendo 64 to get us to work because me and Barney were locked up playing for hours When his dad gave him his copy a few months ago.)” he said. Wait a minute, something isn't right. Nintendo 64? Goldeneye game being released 2 years ago and the film just 3 years prior. No, that can’t be right. Then it hit him, that thought from before which forced a question out of Cooper’s mouth.

“Gordon…what year is this?”

“(2000)” he answered. Cooper froze, his face turned purple as sweat immediately formed and rolled down his face. 

“(What’s wrong?!)” he asked. Cooper pulled out his smartphone and raised it to Gordon. He read the date on the screen and his face turned purple as well. The date, May 15th, 2024.

Chapter Text

As the pair boarded the rail car and moved it along the railing, Gordon stared at Cooper, Cooper stared at Gordon. A long awkward silence was between them in this spacious rail system. Gordon blinked his eyes three times, did he read what he read correctly? 2024? The actual year 2024? This couldn’t be made up, Gordon was beside him and not once the man before him pulled his phone out until recently. As Gordon was lost in this discovery, the same could be said for Cooper. He jumped into the past, no, that’s not actually correct. He jumped into the past of an alternate world where Black Mesa still was running, that’s why this place and the events felt familiar. So if Black Mesa was still up and running, then this was the possible result. Wait, even that isn’t correct. The more accurate assumption was that his world, his timeline could have had a possibility where whatever caused this incident didn’t happen. Regardless, he’ll never know. What he does know now is that there’s no way for him to get back home, he probably doesn’t know if another him even been born yet.

“This all makes sense to what that man said, why he called me an anomaly.”

“(Not because you were brought into Black Mesa, but you’re from a whole alternate world in the future. Amazing, your phone looks incredible! Can…I see it?)” he asked. Cooper handed it to him and Gordon was awestruck, from the touch-sensitive screen, to the apps within the device. Cooper only increased the man’s excitement when he told him it’s water and shockproof and he made some personal modifications to it with resources he had in the GSG9. Showing off his intelligence and making it’s a powerful and most unique phone in his time

“(I like your background too, you have to show me that anime…if it’s out this year! So…can you call anyone?)”

“You know, I never thought that with everything going on, let me try. Ok…damn, the line cuts right out. But…”

“(But?)”

“I have full service, like actual service to the internet and everything. Man, it’s probably going to eat up my bank account- wait, that isn’t going to matter soon. Oh, one sec!” he said. He looked something up and he brought up an article about Black Mesa, since he can’t be found, he dug in and brought up the information illegally this time.

“See, you guys refused to shut-down, so the military came and eliminated you all.”

“(That’s why you stopped me from saying something before the lift-)”

“I got cautious and good thing too, that man would have tried to attack us and alert his friends too before we came up with that plan.” 

“(Speaking of, we need to think about our next step before getting to-)”

“Hm?” escaped his mouth softly, Cooper was seeing hints of green in the distance. When a corner was turned, the green intensified. 

“GOR-” He tried to call, but it was too late. The cart crashed against a post and flung the duo into the air, but there was a sea of toxic chemicals below. If Cooper falls in it, who knows what side effects he’ll get from interacting with said chemicals. After being suspended in the air, they began to descend into the green waste below. But with quick thinking, Gordon grabbed his friend and threw him as far as he could and thankfully landed on the other side as he plunged into the waste below. He submerged into the liquid below and quickly swam up, his suit gave an immediate warning as the veil protecting him was reaching critical. 

“LOOK OUT!” Cooper screamed. Gordon looked above and for some reason, there was a car, an actual car hanging by a broken structure above him. He saw a crab-creature on the hood of it and it knocked the balance out of control. The car began to fall, but Gordon fortunately got out of the way as quickly as he could. The car splashes, causing ripples within the waste to appear as Gordon gets out the waste just in time before the ripples knock him over.

“(Thanks for the call out. Strange that a car was here of all places. Hm, is something wrong?)” he asked. Cooper was on his knees with a defeated expression resting on his face.

“That…was my car…” Cooper answered. 

“(Oh…well, it's still in one piece-)” he paused as they watched the car melt into the green liquid.

“...”

“(How…good is your car insurance?)”

“There was nothing stating that cars melting in toxic green goo will be covered, Gordon…” he managed to say with a crying face and a snot filled mouth.

“(Well, look. At least it couldn’t get any worse. We could be against…I don’t know, a giant green tentacle monster. So everything should be alright, right?)”

-:- 

Barney made it topside once more in the attempt to find a missing scientist of the name Dr. Rosenberg, Eli brought up that he was working on an old teleportation device. Though it was experimental at the moment, it was their best chance from escaping both the military and the aliens invading them. But when Barney found where Dr. Rosenberg was held up, Barney was captured himself. He sucked his teeth, then felt his heart drop. He heard the men mention Gordon and how he’s their prime target, he heard how they were going to go back to their original plan and use Barney as bait to lure him out. He couldn’t let them do that, he’s not some rat for a cat nor is Gordon going to be captured by these guys, not when he’s still here. Though he was still in pain, he helped Rosenberg escape the cargo cart they were in and managed to escort him back to Eli where he was with some other members of a science team. They were helping get the device in working order, but upon meeting them, Barney felt...strange. His vision glitched again, that same noise as before rang in his ears. But suddenly, it stopped, what was that? It felt like…as if something in this very room was not supposed to be here. He shook his head, now isn’t the time, but as he watched the others tinker with computers, he was pulled by Rosenberg as he discussed that there was a problem.

“You see Mr. Calhoun, this device isn’t blah blah blah blah blah blah blah-” was all that Barney heard in his head. He wasn’t on the same level as the scientist in Black Mesa, so everything that came out their mouths that wasn’t simplified sounded like gibberish to him. He just simply nodded his head as he waited for Rosenberg to get everything ready. From what he gathered, there was something in this “otherworld” that could be used to power their relay beacon to give them a more accurate reading to where the teleportation could take them. But as of right now, the source is disconnected and it needs to be reconnected, manually. Rosenberg felt guilty, but Barney was the only fighter in the room right now. 

“...I don’t really have a choice, do I?”

“Uncle Barney, where are you going?”

“I have to go somewhere real quick, then we can get out of here!”

“And Gordon?”

“Right after you guys are safe. I need you to watch your pops, he can be a little crazy, can you do that for me?”

“HEY!”

“Yes sir!”

“That-a-girl! Alright Doc, I'm ready.”

“Alright, and Calhoun? Use ANYTHING, you have to succeed or we’re all doom!”

“(Way to put more soul-crushing pressure on me…)” he softly complained. A number of sequences were entered and a greenish vortex opened up in front of them. Barney took a deep breath before jumping right in. They all waited patiently for his return, if he returns. As Barney receives prayers for his success. Cooper and Gordon begrudgingly had an exhausting number of sequences themselves. Having to go turn on the power and fuel the rocket so its flames could kill the tentacles that were tormenting everyone. Jump down the hole into the waters below and swim to the other side where they had to ride another trolley cart . But just before they got far, they were stopped by a security officer who told them they had a message for Gordon. Since the government abandoned them and the military took over, they didn’t have permission to launch the satellite into orbit that could possibly help them fix this mess. He needs to go to the launch control room and do it himself in any hope this issue could get resolved. With a new objective in sight, the duo made quick to reach the topside with the help of the trolley railways and fought their way into the control room. After the rocket was launched, they ran back into the facility and boarded another trolley, but they weren’t the only ones on it. Another trolley with armed men shooting was behind them, Cooper grabbed Gordon and used him as a shield as he shot back at the men behind them. The trolley, unfortunately, derailed and took them off the main course and sent them crashing through a wall. The duo plunged into a vastly flooded area that even Gordon couldn’t recognize.

“Well so much for a smooth ride…”

“(Let’s just get out of here, I don’t want to be potential mutant fish food-)”

“Wait…” he said. Was that a ripple in water not caused by them? Cooper squinted his eyes, a shadow glided across the surface, but then disappeared.

“(What?)”

“We need to get out, I think-” too late. Cooper was lifted in the air as a great fish-like beast was right below him, its maw wide open exposing its bloodied razor sharp teeth. The creature latched its jaw right into his torso before bringing him back into the murky waters. Gordon panicked, what was that that took his friend? Was he dead? He doesn’t see any blood in the water or a body, but the creature wasn’t in sight. It swam too fast, it could be anywhere now. He quickly got out of the water and ventured on. Maybe Cooper was somewhere up ahead, but what is here? Gordon never has been to this part of Black Mesa, not yet at least. He didn’t even know there was something like this down here. He entered room after room, looked in every tiny space, barrels, crates, but there were no signs of him anywhere. He sighed, but he had to focus. If Cooper did all that stuff before, there wasn’t a chance some fish would kill him…and he was right. Holding his breath as he was being dragged to god knows where, he was doing what he could against the beast in these murky waters. Thankfully his vest was keeping the teeth at bay, but not for long as he was feeling tiny pricks against his back and belly. He wasn’t going to be fish food, he planted his feet at the roof of the mouth of the monster and pushed. The jaw of the beast was opening, but it was also pushing the teeth through his vest, the monster shook its head. It rammed Cooper’s shoulder into another row of teeth that pierced his arm deep. He wanted to scream in pain, but he held it in, he needed all the air he could. He continued pushing the jaw open, the teeth slowly digging in his back, but successfully got the jaw to open. He reached to his leg to grab the sheath knife, he took it out and stabbed the monster repeatedly. 

“(DIE ALREADY!)” he screamed in his head, the monster shook its head again, causing tears in vast and the teeth finally piercing the flesh on his back. Tearing it apart and causing more blood to ooze out, leaving a murky bloody trail in the water. The pain caused him to let out a small squeal, but closed his mouth quickly.

“(DAMMIT BITCH, I SAID LET GO!)” He silently screamed, delivering one more stab that caused the beast to throw Cooper upwards and out of the water. He landed on some platform not knowing what happened to the monster that was trying to eat him. He slowly got up, holding his wounds as he began to limp to whatever could be considered safety. But after a few steps, something landed in front of him, his backpack. As a sigh of relief escaped his mouth, so did one for Gordon as he managed to find a way topside again. He found a hanger where a helicopter was stationed on the landing pad. He doesn’t have a single clue how to fly one. Sure, he knows them, but knowing and actually flying are two different things. As he approached a ladder with sunlight shining on it, the lights turned off.

“GET HIM!” a voice shouted. Gordon found himself pinned down as armed men circled around him.

“You gave us a real good chase, Mr. Freeman. We were hoping to capture your friend too, but he seems to be missing. No matter, take a nice GOOD REST!” he said, hitting Gordon in his head with his rifle. He instantly lost consciousness, and as his mind slowly fades away, one name comes to mind.

“(Barney…)”

-:- 

Barney jumped back out the vortex after it reopened when he did what Rosenberg asked, he was praised for his victory. Finally, they could escape this nightmare and to safety. Eli and Alyx went first, then a small number of other scientists, and Rosenberg before Barney being the last one. But as he entered it, something was wrong. The machine was going haywire, Barney was teleported to the same location as the others, but he was soon teleported to another place. He found himself in some storage room, he appeared in front of a man who was patching himself up. Barney didn’t recognize him, he wasn’t even wearing a security outfit, was this an ordinary civilian? How? How did he get in? Why is he here? Cooper was stunned himself, a man with a green glow appearing out of thin air. But when he took a closer look, he knew who he was.

“Barney!”

“You know me?”

“Well, not personally, but Gordon told me about you-”

“GORDON?! WHERE IS HE?!”

“Ssssssh, wait, someone is coming!” Cooper said. They walked over and stood on a box and looked through a vent gate, their hearts dropped from the site. Gordon, he was unconscious and being dragged around, overhearing the men saying they were going kill him in a way where his body wouldn’t be recognizable.

“GOR-”

“(Stop, we’re going to get caught too if you scream like that!)” Cooper said, grabbing Barney’s mouth.

“(Sorry, but I have to get to him-)”

“(And you will, but we-)” he was cut off, Barney teleported and found himself back with the others.

“Barney, are you ok!?” Eli asked. 

“Y-yeah, but Doc, bad news-

(aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh)”

“Is…that screaming?” Eli pointed out.

“Daddy, someone is- UNCLE BARNEY!”

“WHA-”

“LOOK OUT-” too late.

Barney and Cooper’s head collided into each other as a soft thud raffled the quiet air. Everyone avoid the troubling sight as the pair  fell to the ground with large knots on their heads, Cooper was experiencing a major case of Deja’vu 

“Oh what the hell, man?!”

“It’s not like I chose to slam my head into yours, Gordon didn’t tell me you also have a thick skull like his-”

“Wait, were you the one they referred to in the announcement last night?” Eli asked, offering them both a hand. They took it and stood back on their feet, rubbing their knots on their heads.

“Yeah, they seem to really be having an out for me after we did a number on their men.”

“You were with Gordon, right?! What happened, why were you too separated, why they want him, why are they-”

“Whoa, hold your horses Barney, let him speak.” Eli said.

“It’s fine, Gordon is just as worried for him, not a sentence went by without Barney’s name in it. Anyways, after working our asses to get to the launch station, we took another trolley to try to reach the other side of Black Mesa. We got chased and it derailed, we crashed through a wall and fell in water, but a fish monster got me and dragged me so far away through some canal. I would have been killed if it wasn’t for my vest, I fought the monster and it threw me out the water. You only found me just moments after that.” he explained. Barney’s shoulders dropped, seeing Gordon being dragged away to get killed was aching his heart. Everything was telling him it was too late, to turn tail and escape, but he didn’t. He turned to face the facility again, the death trap he just escaped. 

“I…I-I got to go back to find him-(arugh)” he softly let out, his vision glitched once more like before when reality was about to break. What…was that, what did it mean?

“Calhoun, you can’t be serious?! That small boy said it himself, Gordon was being dragged away, he was caught. Gordon is done, we need to leave while we can!” Rosenberg  urged. Barney looked at Eli for a response, he looked away. He was right, leaving with the knowledge of Gordon’s capture is the more reasonable answer. But when Eli put his hand on Barney’s shoulder, it quickly turned to a hug. He handed Barney a note with direction to a home Eli owns.

“It’s off the charts. You go in there, get Gordon and hopefully Izzy, and get the hell out of there! You too, little man. I may not know your situation, but if you bust your ass to help Gordon, then you definitely can stay with us for the time being.”

“Wait, my dad is staying at a hotel in the neighboring city, can you please get him?! Herman J. Calhoun!”

“I’m on it. Calhoun, come back, all of you, please. I’m…so tired of losing people today.”

“I’m not going to mess this up!”

“This is ridiculous, how are you even going to even find him now if the Military has control over almost everything?!” Rosenberg  asked.

“I can help actually.” Cooper answered.

“You can?” Barney asked. Cooper took off his backpack and pulled out his laptop, he told everyone to hold their questions about what he was using for later as he opened up programs that displayed on his screen. 

“If this really is the year 2000, then the security system military and government facilities use is still the older variations used in the 90s. So if I can just crack this…through these fire walls, synchronizing…ok. Now, we are opening Black Mesa’s internal systems. Ok, I'm in!”

“Holy shit! That was like…Goldeneye stuff!”

“( I really am in the past if he’s referencing that…) Now if I take the results from my scanner within my phone, tie it in with the H.E.V tracker…found him! He’s in this sector within the garbage area, well one of them. Getting directions on the quickest way to get there…got it!”

“Then what the hell are we still sitting for?!”

“Be careful, Uncle Barney and new guy!” Alyx wished. Barney raised her a pinky and she did the same, they latched on to each other to give a pinky promise on his return. But just before they took another step, that same visual glitch happened again, but this time they all heard it. The sound of glass breaking occurred, but from where. It was coming from ahead, everyone looked ahead of them and there were fractures within the air itself and it was only getting worse. Eli backed Alyx away and so did the other scientist, Barney knew what was going to happen, reality was breaking again. But before he said a word, reality broke. A spatial void opened up before them and began to suck in anything like some sort of vacuum. Both Cooper and Barney were lifted from the ground and were the victims of this rift pulling them in. Once they were out of sight, the fracture closed. 

“KID, BARNEY?!” Eli called out, but it was in vain. 

“So…is that invitation to your secret home extended or…” Rosenberg asked. The duo fell endlessly in the void, flailing their arms as they desperately tried to get a grip on the situation at hold, but everything was moving too fast. In the midst of their confusion, another fracture broke open below them and they went. The fracture brought them to a place and landed on someone to cushion their fall.

“Owwww…first teleporting went haywire, and now I got sucked into some void.”

“I feel like Gordon said something when I was gone, whenever he jokes about what happens next, it always happens-”

“THE FUCK YOU MEAN IT’S MY FAULT, AND GET THE HELL OFF OF ME!”

“AHH!

 AHH!” They both screamed.

The person below pushed them off and stood on his feet. The two examine the man and they couldn’t believe it, it was Gordon, but why did he look different? His suit was red, his ponytail was a little longer. His glasses shades were red and he was missing an eye. The more he stared, the more Barney's thoughts went back to his conversation with his other self.

“Holy…shit…you’re not my Gordon-”

“And you’re not my Barney!” he finished, raising his crowbar and readied himself.

“So you better answer quickly, cause I'm not a patient man right now!”

Chapter Text

The two were stunned, this man before them is Gordon, but an alternate version of him. The biggest difference was he could talk. His voice was gruff with a sense of haughtiness behind it, but it was masked with rage. The next thing was his eyepatch on his left eye and from the looks of it, it seems to be a pretty recent injury. Next was his hair. It was barely longer unlike the Gordon they knew. But neither was what caught their attention, it was the two spikes on the left and right side of his head. They were curved inward as if he had devil horns emerging upwards. Along with the hair, this Gordon’s shade of red hair was on the darker side compared to Barney’s Gordon that was closer to brown, it was almost like the shade of blood. Next was his facial hair, it was recently shaved into a goatee, but from the looks of it, it was clearly still a bit  messy as if it wasn’t taken care of properly. And lastly, his suit. His H.E.V power suit was blood red, but as in terms of functionally, it looked to be the same they assumed. Gordon looked at these two, weapon’s ready to beat them if they didn't answer him truthfully. The duo stood on their feet and once they balanced themselves, they realized that this Gordon was taller than the one they know, maybe a couple inches taller.

“W-where are we-”

“Shut it, I'm asking the questions. First, who the hell are you and why do you look like Barney? Two, what the hell does that kid have in his hands?!” he asked, the duo looked and realized Cooper’s stuff was still in his hands. He quickly put them up in his backpack and went to answer this aggressive Gordon.

“I look like Barney cause I AM Barney, just…not yours I guess?”

“And you?”

“Cooper-”

“How much does your parents hate you to name you Cooper?” he cut off.

“Hey, that’s not nice to say, you just met us and you’re being an asshole?”

“And what are you going to do about it?” he threatened, giving Barney a menacing glare that froze him in his tracks. Yeah, he’s different. It’s as if a whole nother side of Gordon manifested and was put here. Barney never really sees Gordon become an aggressive person often, but when he does, it’s never a pretty sight. It could get pretty intense, he even swore he felt the room get hot once when Gordon got angry with his superiors when a project got constantly changed. So if this Gordon in front of him was aggressive, does that mean his “Gordon” has some hidden personalities he never showed?

“Um, that comment aside, where are we?”

“Black Mesa, but you just happen to appear at the wrong time at least. We’re experiencing a resonance cascade right now-”

“Wait, now?” Barney asked.

“Yeah, about a few hours ago.” he confirmed. Barney pulled Cooper aside to talk to him privately.

“(It just started for him? It already been a day for us!)”

“(I know, I know, something amiss) Gordon, we was in Black Mesa…well, a Black Mesa too, but the incident is already a day old for us-”

“I’m not lying, it really started a few hours ago, four if you’re looking for an exact timeframe.”

“...something isn’t right at all-”

“Well I don’t care, I need to get to my Gordon and if captain smartass isn’t going to help-”

“Never once said I was, definitely not now. So piss off, I have my own problems to sort out!”

“Why you-”

“And that’s why you have little to no friends, Gordy.” A familiar voice brought up, they turned to the person who just entered the safe room. It was alternate Barney, the one he met before.

“Hey, I thought I heard myself.”

“Hey…other me. Thanks for saving me and Alyx yesterday or whatever the time was. What happened to you after that?”

“See, I never went back to my world after our encounter, I just got dropped at a random spot and fought like hell to get topside and that’s when I saw you. I set some traps for those guys, but then the rift came back and sucked me right in. Honestly, I thought meeting you and going to another world was just…some big lucid dream-”

“You never said anything to me!”

“Because you run your damn mouth too much, Gordy. Next time, I won’t bake that custard pie again!” he threatened, Gordon froze in his tracks and cleared his throat.

“(Textbook example of a tsundere, right?)” Cooper whispered.

“(Haha, yeah, clear example. Um…Coops, what’s a tsundere?)”

“(Nevermind…)” Cooper whispered back.

“Besides…that, I honestly thought you were some…dream person too, just a hallucination. Regardless, thank you.”

“Well I’m just glad you’re safe. Now if I-”

“Could focus, I’m not here for a babysitting job, I got shit to do.”

“Back at you, I need to…need…to…” he paused, his vision blurring too much. His body felt heavy, his muscles were aching, his feet hurt and possibly swollen. He was finding it difficult to keep standing.

“Barney?” Cooper's distorted voice answered.

“He’s exhausted, he clearly has been up and fighting for over 24 hours now, he’s going to collapse.” Gordon explained.

“Now that you mention it…I’m pretty tired too…”

“Tch, waste of time-”

“Gordy! It’s fine, you two. Get a little rest in-”

“They got an hour, if they’re not up by then, then I'm leaving.” Gordon said, Alt Barney gave Gordon a playful wink that was met with a rolling eye, but an hour is enough. Barney was weak, tired, hungry and thirsty. His body was fighting him, it didn’t matter how much he wanted to find his Gordon, his own being was against him. He caved in, he propped himself against the wall, slid down and closed his eyes. As his mind drifted, it brought him back to the day before everything happened. They both just arrived back in New Mexico around 4am on the 14th, Barney was trying his best to calm his nerves, today was the day he’s going to confess to Gordon. But the more he thought about it, the more he thought about possible rejection. He bit his nails, bounced his foot, breathing became rapid. And if that wasn’t enough, this is the third time he dropped him and his dad’s luggage. His dad looked up at him, but Barney turned away. Words choked in his throat so much he couldn’t even apologize about being a screw up right now. His dad only sighed as they took a ride to the hotel Barney booked for him. After arriving in the room and setting the luggage down, they sat down together on the edge of the bed. Once again, that silence between them grew, but like always, his dad always knew how to break silence.

“Haven’t seen you this nervous since your school’s talent show, you pissed your pants in front of the judges in the audition room. Oh right…you pissed yourself so…” he paused, slowly scooting away from his son. Barney’s skin flush red as he delivered a soft punch to his dad. He smiled before leaning over and grabbing a pillow and smacking his son with it.

“Ok, you’re on!” Barney challenged, grabbing a pillow of his own and attacked his father.

“PILLOW FIGHT!” he shouted next. The two went at it, playfully knocking each other over. Throw the remaining pillows like bombs, watching some of the feathers inside gently fall down and obscuring their view. A flashback to their past when Barney was a child and his dad did the exact same thing, having an epic pillow fight with his son to cheer up his bad day before surprising him with something like ice cream or a toy he caught his son eyeing on. They couldn’t hold in their laughter as they sat back down on the bed, a room covered in feathers that’ll irritate the house keeping and charge them a fee for property damage.

“Thanks, dad.”

“It’s a Calhoun’s job to make people's days better!”

“Do we even have a family tradition? It feels like you’re making stuff up on the spot-”

“That’s because I am! Dad was a dick, mom was an asshole. My cousins, aunts and uncles all saw me as a burden after I was put in a wheelchair, you’re the only person who gave a damn about me-”

“Because you’re not only my dad, but one of my bestest friend I ever had. You were always there when I needed you, I was so scared of losing that when I told you about Gordon. That what if-”

“Oh stop, what ifs becomes invalid as soon as the desired outcome is reached. And now as your bestest friend, what’s troubling you now?”

“Rejection…like I’m so scared of fucking everything up or him simply not seeing me how I see him….”

“Barney, let me ask you this. How does Gordon treat you?”

“Like...any other-”

“No, how does Gordon treat you, son?” he asked again. Barney’s eyes scattered about, he has to think about this. Yes, Gordon was well liked in Black Mesa compared to him. Yes, he was friendly to everyone he came across. Yes, he was close to Isaac, Eli, and Alyx. But when it was them too, Barney's memories turned into bliss. Staying up late at bars, visiting each other so often while on the clock, always having lunch together when on their breaks, pulling pranks together. No, no he has to go deeper. Gordon falls asleep on Barney’s desk, opening up about his family and past life. Movie nights, sleeping in each other's dorms when it gets too late. But the most fondest, most unforgettable moment he had was when they snuck to the rooftops at night and watched the stars. 

“So...this one time, me and Gordon snuck out and used the vents to climb to the rooftops. There was this spot that had the best view from what he told me and man…it did. Dad, when I tell you there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, you could see all the stars in that blueish black sky. We just…laid down, next to each other and just…talked about the most random things. Then after some time passed, Gordon just…took my hand. He brought out my index finger and he pointed out the constellations in the sky, drew them out with my finger. His hand…so warm, soft, gentle. Like he never did any kind of wrong in his life, softly gripping onto mine, it was so hard not to just…grab it and lock my fingers with his. After he was done, he rested our hands down, it was still on each other, he never removed it and when he did so he could sign, he put his right back down and let my hand fall back into it. That night, it felt like it was only the two of us there and I wanted it to go on forever…” and the more he thought about it, the more he realized what his dad was trying to get him to understand.

“I think Gordon likes you too, but we will never know unless you take the leap forward and ask him!”

“But…but what if I choke, what if I don’t get the strength to tell him?”

“What’s not said one day can still be said another, don’t think one mistake means everything is over. Here. We can even practice. I’ll be Gordon, go!”

“Dad-”

“GOOOOOOO!”

“OK! Um…*sighs* Gordon…I like you-”

“OH BARNEY, I LOVE YOU TOO! I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT ALL MY LIFE, KISS ME YOU FOOL. MUAH MUAH!”

“DAD! GORDON DOESN’T EVEN TALK!”

“Just playing, I know it’s easier in practice. But look, when you go back to that base of yours, shoot Gordon a message and just treat the time together as a normal day. The more you think about it as a time of confession, the worst it’s going to get. Just breathe, Barney. You know you always got me to come back to.

“I know, thanks dad.” he said, giving him a big hug before standing up and stretching. It’s time to head back to Black Mesa. He waved his dad goodbye as he left the room, that's when the dream ended for Barney, but also for his father who was walking up in his hotel room. No calls or messages from his son since yesterday, he doesn’t know if he choked or succeeded. He sighed as he removed his blanket and hopped in his wheelchair, he went to the window and gazed into the morning sky. Since yesterday, he has been seeing jets and choppers. The loud aircrafts basically woke up the whole city he was in as everyone watched them disappear into the horizon. A bead sweat rolled down his face, why hasn’t Barney called yet? If only he knew where this Black Mesa was, he didn’t care if he couldn’t walk, he would go in there and question everyone on where his son was. No, that wouldn’t be the right thing to do. His son would lose his job and it’ll be all his fault for being an overprotective parent. Still, the hairs on his neck were standing up, this feeling of dread filled the air, something was happening and he feared that his son could be a part of it.

“Dammit Barney, where are you…?”

-:- 

                                                                                                Current Timeline

Gordon was once again waking up in a daze, vision blacking in and out with a sharp ringing in his ears. He softly shook his head before it cleared up, he was laying on some garbage in one of the facility waste disposal. He tried to pick himself up, but he quickly stopped, his entire body ached in pain. The throbbing aching matches the rhythm of his beating heart, it hurts. 

“(Dammit, what happened to the morphine the suit was suppose to give?!)” he questioned.

“H.E.V suit energy and medical source completely depleted, please find a refilling station immediately. User of the suit is experiencing an immense amount of pain right now-”

“(You fucking got that right! I just need to…ARUGH, damn…too injured. Assholes, they must have drained my suit, but for what?! Oh no!)” he said. He noticed the walls were closing in, someone activated the compactor and it was going to crush him to death. He tried getting up again, but it was useless. His body wouldn’t obey, even in such desperate times.

“Warning, user of the H.E.V suit shouldn't move at all cost to avoid causing more injuries upon themselves-”

“(DON’T HAVE THAT OPTION RIGHT NOW!)” he internally screamed. He tried one more time, but failed again. The walls were close to crushing him, time was limited and he didn't have the faintest idea how to escape. Just when his heartbeat rang in his ear, a shadow was casted on him. He watched a figure go to the other side and into a room when they shut off the control and stopped the walls from crushing Gordon. The walls retracted as Gordon gave a loud sigh, being crushed isn’t a fun way to die. He watched the figure come out of the room and take the ladder down, he opened a door attached to the wall and they walked up in front of him. He was a skinny man probably as tall as him. He was wearing a science team uniform with a Black Mesa ID badge on his lab coat. However, his shirt was yellow and his tie was a different color, but the most noticeable thing was his hat with a propeller on it. He handed Gordon his crowbar before finally speaking.

“Are you…ok?” he asked. His voice sounded kind of goofy, ditzy even. Almost like he was a cartoon character, but it was sweet and genuine. He offered Gordon a hand and helped pick him up, Gordon had never seen him before. His badge states he has level 3 clearance, just like him. But Gordon knows almost everyone on that level, not once he met someone with a unique figure around Black Mesa. Then again, he only likes to be around four people, he only greets his other colleagues. The skinny man leaned down, taking a closer look at Gordon, causing him to flinch and back up just a bit.

“Weird, I thought you hated the color orange?” he asked.

“(I’m sorry, but who are you?)” he signed, but the man only tilted his head.

“Uhhhh…”

“(Shit, he might not know ASL, this is going to be hard…)” Gordon told himself, or so he thought. The man snapped his fingers and dug in his pockets to pull out a notepad and pen. He handed it to Gordon so he could write to him instead.

“(Thank you for saving me, but who are you?)” he wrote.

“Huh? Oh…OH! Sorry, I confused you with…another Gordon…if that makes sense?”

“(If it was normal circumstances, no. But with everything that is going on, and with me meeting a time-traveling man, anything is possible now.)”

“Whhhhhhhoa, you met a time traveler, Gordon?! Where is he?! I wanna meet him, can I?! Can I?!, Pretty pleaseeeeee.” the man begged. Gordon was confused, he never met someone with such a childish manner, but it was honestly adorable. He couldn’t judge considering his pranking spree he does with Barney in Black Mesa.

“(He isn’t with me right now, I hope he’s ok)”

“Awwwww, ok. Well uh…I’m Tommy, Tommy Cooletta. I work for Human resources for the level three sector!”

“Gordon, Gordon Freeman.”

“I know! You’re way different from mine! Much taller…and he could talk. Anyways, we need to get out of here! I open the hatch below that dumps the trash!”

“(Wait, what-OH SHIT!)” he internally screamed, the duo fell into a hole that led them outside. Their fall was cushioned by the amounts of trash below them, they rose up out the garbage before tumbling down onto the dirt floor. They were topside, well kinda. They were in a gorge, it seems it was where they dump their trash and usually await pick up, clearly that isn’t the case anymore. They brushed themselves off and ventured more into the gorge as Tommy explained more about himself. Apparently, he’s from another world with its own Black Mesa. Something “broke” reality and it sucked him in, Gordon tried to save him, but he was too late. Tommy was a few hours ahead from this timeline’s Gordon, stating he made it to the other facility, but no more. He doesn’t know what’s in it just like him. As Tommy went on and on, Gordon thought back to reality breaking. It’s the exact same thing Cooper told him, reality broke and he was sucked in, then he fell into a portal that led him to this timeline.

“(Fuck, what did we do?! Breaking realities?! Can we even fix this?!)”

“Gordon?” Tommy called. He nodded his head as they continued walking until they came across a water silo. When they climbed up it, it was empty. They hopped inside, opened the valved door leading to the pipe attached to the silo and traveled until they reached the end. After kicking open a damaged piece of the pipe, they jumped out and landed below. They looked around and they were still in the waste department of the facility, this area in particular is for managing chemical waste. 

“Look!” Tommy pointed out, there was a room with an open door. They looked inside and it seemed to belong to a security officer and it had a power and medical station inside. Gordon felt relieved to see offensive equipment again, he took the shotgun and handgun, then handed another on to Tommy. Gordon was shocked to see how quickly the man’s face changed at the sight of the gun, almost like he was staring at death itself.

“I…uh-”

“(You need one, I’ll do my best but I can’t protect us both if you don’t know how to defend yourself.)”

“I didn't say I didn’t know how to…just prefer I wasn’t…in conflict…” he replied. Gordon was stumped, he assumed that the other Gordon was capable of protecting the both of them, he couldn’t help but feel jealous at the matter. But when Gordon looked up, he swore he saw Tommy crack a smile. He blinked and the smile disappeared, odd. Gordon is starting to think he may not be afraid of guns and it being something else. But before he could even ask, they need to get out of here and get back on track of reaching the other facility. Tommy kept close behind Gordon as they made their way out of the chemical waste area and into the incinerator, using the conveyor belts to cut into another portion of the waste facility, one Gordon was too familiar with. It was the human bodily waste portion now, lots of it. The room thankfully didn’t smell due to the proper ventilation compared to the other one from before. But even with more pleasant smells, what needed to be done still needed to be done.  

“Tommy, so-” he stopped, watching the notepad being snatched from Gordon’s hands. Tommy crossed his arms in the form of an X and shook his head.

“Nope, I'm not swimming in dookie water!”

“(Of…of course you’re not…)” he told himself. Gordon looked in the waters and saw his reflection in the brown liquid, he hates that he has a H.E.V suit on.

Chapter Text

“Ewwwwwww, you smell awful…” Tommy expressed, holding his nose as he followed Gordon.

“(I wonder why…)” he wrote on a semi-wet notepad. The duo, well Gordon, had to swim in wastewater to find a proper way to leave one of the waste departments of Black Mesa. It took him an awful long hour, but he managed to navigate through the dirty waters and found a way for both him and Tommy. Now, they are walking through a long passageway and hoping to find a way up again. As they walked, Gordon asked more about his alter self. Tommy was quick to answer, his mouth moving at a rapid pace that was beginning to become difficult to understand. Apparently, “his” Gordon has browner skin. It first caught him by surprise, but quickly faded. Gordon is aware of the multiverse theory, so it shouldn’t be surprising that there were multiple “him” that would appear differently. Now he wonders if there was an alternate Barney too, or if there was an alternate Cooper? Wait, could there be an alternate Cooper? That man in the suit referred to him as an anomaly, meaning he shouldn’t even be here or existing. The man would be 3 years old right now if another him existed. Another thought crossed Gordon’s mind, if there was another Cooper, what would happen if they interact? A paradox? Time-space getting ripped apart? Well, more than it already is? Both of them ceasing to exist? The question was as frightening as interesting, but he put it aside as Tommy’s voice flowed back into his head.

“Hmmmmmm, Gordon was nice like you, but he was quick to overreact, at least that what Benrey said-”

“(Benrey? You mean Barney?)”

“Who?” Tommy questioned.

“(Barney Calhoun? Small big guy, youngest of all the security guards?)”

“Well I wouldn’t call him the youngest considering what he is, but you’re describing Benrey…”

“(Wait, what did you mean “considering what he is?” That’s confusing me…)” Gordon asked. Tommy rubbed his neck before bringing up an awkward smile.

“Well, he’s kind of a jerk and he did chop the other you’s hand off-”

“(WHAT?! *scribbles* Actually, let’s just keep moving…)”

“Okay!!!!” he agreed. They reached another hallway that was leading upwards and encountered a sliding door that let them in. Once inside, they saw the equipment that neither of them were familiar with. Gordon got an idea of what it could be, but nothing in his sector has this type of machinery. Tommy was just as confused, but it looked like it was because of a different reason. Gordon watched his face turn frightful, like a man lost in the woods. He nodded at the man to keep following him and he listened, they found themself the entrance of this building’s complex, but they saw another retinal scanner attached to the door. Gordon sucked  their teeth, they’re not getting through unless they find someone with the clearance. He isn’t even going to make an attempt to use his eyes to gain entry. This forced the two to look for another way or see if anyone is still alive here. They haven’t encountered a single corpse so far when getting here, so it had to be at least safe enough for someone to be alive, or at the very least still have their eyes. 

“Gordon…this place…it feels…wrong…”

“(Glad I'm not the only one feeling that, it’s like I just stepped in a place I shouldn’t have.)” and he was right. As soon as they entered another door, they were met with more horror. There was a large test chamber with another alien lifeform, but this was different. It was…altered, like someone was experimenting on them and made them bigger and possibly stronger. The duo's faces were stricken with fear as they walked closer to the tube, the monster caught sight of them and slammed its distorted fist against the glass, but it didn’t break. It let out a monstrous roar, drool hanging from its mouth as the fist’s flesh stretched apart and revealed sharpened talons. The monsters tried to cut the glass to break free, but it ended in failure. 

“(Tommy…what is that?!)”

“...”

“(Hey, you've been here already right?! In your world, right?! So what is that?!)” Gordon wrote out, but Tommy didn’t answer.

“I…don’t know, I don’t know where I am . Everything is different, this facility wasn’t even here…”

“(Wait, what? Not here? …shit, shit, shit shit! He’s from an alternate world, that could mean…)” Gordon paused his thoughts, it took him a moment, but it was all coming together. He thought back about how there could be different versions of himself that looked different, but failed to realize that also applies to locations and buildings too. What was left could be right in another world. That’s why Tommy looked so lost and confused, this place might be inverted in his eyes, everything is out of place. Gordon took Tommy’s hand and left the abomination alone as they ventured more out.

“Gordon, look!” Tommy shouted, there was a glassed door and as he looked through, he spotted a group of scientists hiding in an open room on the other end. However, there were two problems. One being that the door to even enter is locked, the second was the active circular saws attached to a spinning contraption. They assumed it was a form of protection from preventing monsters from attacking them. They needed to find a way over there, so they continued onward within the complex to look for a way in. They went up the stairs and turned into a room where a window resides, Tommy went to it and looked through.

“Hey, look! I can kinda see a door, I think it’s to that room!”

“(That window and wall is as solid as a mountain, we’re never going to get through.)”

“Maybe we could use the lasers?” Tommy asked, Gordon looked up and he saw concentrated beams of energy within the ceiling and it was all connected to this big machine in the room with them. Gordon went to the control panel and with the miracle of pressing random buttons, they powered up the machine and watched the laser beam melt a hole within the wall. The power cut off as the duo examined the hole, the very material within the wall melted into a glowing red hot goo, not even the H.E.V suit would survive a blast, maybe. Once the goo cooled off, they climbed through the other side and climbed down the pipe lining to reach the room the scientist was in. They were relieved to see that it was Gordon who found them, but it was odd. Gordon didn’t know a single one of them. At that moment, his head started to hurt, his vision became distorted and split apart like a computer screen glitching. Everything was separating and within a blink of an eye, he found himself back at the entrance of the complex. His eyes scattered, trying to grasp what just happened before he looked at Tommy. It seems he wasn’t the only one as Tommy seemed to have lost himself.

“(What…happened?!)” he asked himself.

“Mr. Freeman, are you ready?” one of the scientists asked. He snapped out of it and nodded his head, but just before the scanner was used, it was quickly stained red. A bullet was fired and pierced straight through the man’s skull. His body flopped to the floor, it didn’t move as a crimson pool that held his reflection leaked onto the floor. The other scientist panicked and tried to run, but he was met with a worse demise when a grenade was thrown at his feet. Gordon took Tommy’s hand and ran behind a pillar, the last scientist tried to do the same, but he was shot in his legs. The duo heard screams of pain that turned into desperate pleas before a shot was fired right into his head. A great number of men surrounded them, Gordon’s suit doesn’t have that much power since he couldn’t find another charging station.

“(1…4…7…10! There’s ten max, but I have no doubt reinforcements will come. If I can just get rid of them, I can get us out of here. Just need Tommy to follow…my….huh-)” He paused. Tommy was holding the gun Gordon gave for protection. He was…rubbing it, caressing it as a sinister grin stretched  from ear to ear appeared on his face. This aura of malice coated the man as Gordon watched him stand up.

“OVER HERE!” he shouted, catching some of the soldiers by surprise as he fired some shots with precise accuracy. BAM, three already down as bullets were quickly lodged in their heads. 

“(IS EVERYONE I MEET IS GOING TO BE BETTER THAN ME AT FIGHTING?! UGH, SCREW IT!)” He complained, Gordon came out of hiding himself and joined the fray. Tommy had the right idea, acting out and charging ahead was a better idea than sitting and thinking. The men began firing at them, unleashing a bullet hell within the room, but they could never hit Tommy. He ducked, evaded, and used the other men as body shields as he unleashed a counter-assault all while having a manic overload covered in bloodlust. Gordon understands now, Tommy didn’t want the gun because he was scared, he didn’t want to go on a manic overdrive like he is now. Regardless, he turned his attention back to his fight, taking down armed men as his H.E.V absorbed as much damage as it could. Despite being trained soldiers, they easily fell from the hands of Gordon and Tommy. When the tenth soldier was killed, Gordon was exhausted. He fell to his knees, blood covering his suit and his glasses once again. He wanted a break, but he couldn't, he knew reinforcements were coming, he needed to move. 

“Uh…Gordon?!” Tommy called. He rushed over and looked at what he was staring at, his body froze in place. The deceased scientists, they all had their eyes stabbed. 

“(No…no, no, no, no!)”

“W-what do we do now-”

“GO, GO, GO, THEY’RE TRAPPED!” was shouted in the distance. Gordon wasn’t going to die or get captured here, he took Tommy’s hand again and began running back to the passage leading to the waste section of this sector, but stopped when he saw shadows on the wall coming their way. They were forced to turn back and look for another exit, but were stopped right in their tracks. Bullets were shot at their feet, reinforcements from all entry ways came flooding, even from the sky lights on the ceiling. They were completely surrounded, the men closed in as they fell to the floor, separating both as the leader of this packed group radioed in.

“...I see, I understand. Over and out. It seems to be a very unlucky day, Freeman. Due to your constant resistance, the top dogs have no need for you. They decided to execute a full extermination order on Black Mesa before the “big drop” happens. So sorry to say, but you and your friend’s running around ends here.” the leader told him. He lifted his hand up and all the men aimed at Gordon and Tommy. As the hand began to lower, Gordon watched in slowed horror. Following the motion of the lowering hand, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth, tears falling down as he was going to be permanently separated from Barney. Those moments with him flooded his mind. His voice, witty personality, his thoughtfulness, his smile, his very presence, it was all going to be stripped away. No, he doesn’t want that to  happen. It's not fair, why does he lose in the end when he fought so hard, why is he the victim of this gigantic mistake?!

“(Anything…please…)” echoed in his mind, the leader’s hand almost making it down to give the order to kill.

“(Please…)” again rang in his head. The hand was moments away from reaching its destination, Tommy’s eyes widened as he stared down the barrel of the gun.

“(DON’T MAKE ME LEAVE BARNEEEEEEEEYYYYYY!)” he screamed to himself.

The hand reached the end, the triggers were moments away from being pulled. But within that moment, that same ringing came back to Gordon’s ears, the space around him glitch as all the men inside just…vanished. It was only him and Tommy, the pair sat in confusion once more as the door leading outside opened up again, what was going on, what was truly going on?

-:- 

Barney slowly awakens from his slumber, his body still stiff and exhausted, but not how it was before. Even a small bit of rest is better than no rest and he needed any he could get, he stretched his arms before standing back up on his feet. He was still in the safe room of this alternate Black Mesa. Alternate version, that thought grew knots in his stomach, he doesn’t have the faintest idea how to even get back or if he could. He has no idea what is causing these “glitches ” and “ rifts in spaces”. In the end, he took a deep breath, right now he needs to focus on whatever his next task will be. Just before he took a step, food and a water bottle was thrown at his feet, he looked ahead and saw the alternate Gordon leaned against the door. Barney looked around and saw it was only them two within the room. The atmosphere turned awkward, it was hot as the two of them avoided as much eye contact as they could.

“Eat.” was the only thing that came out of alt Gordon. Barney didn’t reject the notion, his throat was dry and his stomach was now growling. He ripped opened the cold food and began eating it. In the midst of it, some clothes were thrown at him next.

“It seems close to your size, so change. You smell like shit!” he said next, Barney sucked his teeth, but he was right. He has been swimming and walking through god knows what and sweating for over 24 hours. Gordon turned around as Barney got changed into the spare guard uniform.

“Where is Cooper and other me?”

“Doing some scouting, Shortstack had some ideas and needed some assistance, so Barney went with them.”

“Ok, how long was that?”

“An hour ago-”

“And you didn’t wake me up?!”

“Well excuse me for thinking about letting you rest more, I'll be sure to kick your mouth to wake you up next time!”

“That’s not…whatever. Thanks…I guess…”

“Hmph.” was all he let out. He put on his vest and helmet, appearing like a brand new person. The door to the room opened up and the other two made it back inside.

“You’re back! What were you guys doing?”

“I walked around the room and I noticed where we were, this was the same room me and Gordon were in when we were told to go through the silo to reach the topside, however-” he paused, pulling up his laptop and showing it to everyone. Barney looked at it and he saw to complete detailed layouts of Black Mesa, he felt his head splitting in two trying to figure out what he was supposed to see. 

“I get it.” Gordon said, he glanced at Barney and grew a playful grin.

“(I sure don’t…)” he muttered to himself.

“Don’t tell me you don’t understand? I thought you were constantly around the other me, you’re telling me that other Gordon just let anyone follow him, make sense considering-”

“GORDY! Can you explain, Coops?”

“This Black Mesa and Barney’s Black Mesa layout is completely different, some spots are the same, but there’s such a difference that trying to use Barney’s knowledge would be useless in this world.”

“So…what does that mean?”

“Simple, stupid. It means what happened in your world also wouldn’t be exactly identical here, we’ll possibly encounter completely different situations. So, eyes forward, we don’t know what's going to happen.”

“At least it’s four of us, and we all know how to fight so it’ll be easy. With that, we should head out. OH, since there’s two Barney’s, we need to make a nickname for us!”

“Uhh…since it’s us invading your world, I think it would be fair if this world’s Barney keeps his name and the one I'm with gets the nickname. Let’s do…Blue Barney, BB.” Cooper suggested. They all shrugged their shoulders, that could work. With a name chosen, the four left the safe room as Cooper opened the security door and it led to the old rail tracks. At least this was the same, he led the group within the old systems as they all looked around. The place looked like it could cave in at any moment, an unsettling thought that came in their head. Cooper led them to ladders leading down to a mine shaft and as they descended, Cooper explained to Blue Barney what he was and such. 

“Wow, so you’re like, the best of the best?! Like Goldeneye!”

“I literally can’t believe you and Gordon had similar responses, almost word for word…”

“I mean, you don’t meet a superspy or supersoldier everyday-”

“I’m not a supersoldier!”

“We’re literally under an alien invasion and a pitched voice manlet supersoldier is what’s wowing him…” Gordon complaint. Blue Barney flipped him off as Barney silently looked away because he thought it was the coolest thing to hear too. They reached the ladders and into the mining shafts, but the passage was blocked by rubble.

“Dead end. Wow, the difference really is here in this world, me and Gordon took this passage to get to the silo.”

“Any other paths?”

“Um…here, it’s a tight squeeze, but we can get through it. This way.” he said, leading everyone to a very narrow mine. Cooper turned his flashlight on and so did Gordon to provide some light.

“Feels like we’ve been walking for miles, are we there?”

“Yeah, almost. Honestly, I'm glad we’re not going in that green goo. Fingers crossed we don’t fight the tentacle again-OH COME ON!” he shouted as the tentacle monster was still a present threat in this world like it was in the other.

-:- 

After defeating the monster yet again, the group climbed down the chamber and navigated through the under parts of the facility until they came to a singular passage with one door at the end, good. Having to do all those tasks to get the rocket to activate to kill the monster exhausted them again, especially Cooper when he had to do it twice. Since there was only one door, this was a good moment to rest their feet. Blue Barney sat on the ground as he dug in his pocket to pull out a photo of him and Gordon. It was taken by Alyx when Eli caught them trying to pull a prank on Isaac, though he didn’t mind, Eli did and punishment was given. Barney still rubbed his head where the knot used to be when they were hit with wrenches, now he sees where Alyx gets the idea. But the more he thought about it and the more he stared at Gordon, and the more he stared, the more worried he became. Yes, he has to remain calm, but how can one be if you're literally in an alternate world? Then again, when he looks at Cooper, his senses and mind seems to be focused. Slight jealousy took hold, Barney wished he could be like that, being able to hold his fear and worries with determination and strength.

“Alright alright, come on! We got a satellite to launch in space and we’re still far at the moment! Shorty, what’s next, or could be next?”

“This is the trolley cart area, it was clear of enemies when I went here with our Gordon, so fingers crossed…” he prayed. The group began walking to the door, but when it opened, a burst of flames shot within the room. Everyone quickly ducked to dodge the flames before looking ahead and seeing where they came from. An alien the size of a colossus stomped its monstrous feet as it waved their arms, flames that were charring everything black were flung into the air. There was a group of military men who were trying to put down the beast, but their bullets were proving ineffective. The beast aimed at them and unleashed it searing flames, a mighty conflagration erupted and consumed them without mercy. The group rushed out the passage and ran behind some cover as they continue to watch the scarlet flames engulfing the men. Screams and pleas masked by the crackling of the blazing flames before they fell silent, bodies were dropped to the ground, the smell of burnt flesh plaguing the air as the monster let out another unintelligent screech that rattled anything caught within its range.

“(Holy shit, that thing just killed all of them!)” Blue Barney whispered.

“(Guns are useless against this thing too-)”

“(And 100x our size, we can’t outrun that thing.)”

“(We just need to get to that control panel, it’s right up in that room, we just need a distraction!)” Cooper said. Gordon smirked as he raised his hand.

“(The H.E.V can withstand those flames-)”

“(Oh really?)”

“(But with MY talent, I made some modifications to it when Black Mesa’s staff wasn’t looking. When the suit is fully charged, which it is, it can within flames even if I'm standing right in it.)”

“(Your head is so far up your ass that you can’t even smell your own bullshit!)” Blue Barney spat.

“(Just watch, you’re going to see the power of-) W-WHOA HEY!” he shouted, the monster found them, but picked up Gordon. It held him by his head and brought the eyepatch man to its face, it lifted its arm and aimed it at Gordon. A loud gulp was heard as the flames erupted and began screaming when the flames were cooking him alive, but despite the flames being blasted in front of him, he wasn’t suffering any real injuries yet as the suit’s energy was enduring a lot of the heat and damage for the time being. The other three just stared at Gordon as he was beginning to look like a burnt dinner left in the oven

“Wow, you sure are showing me the power of that suit! Should have never doubted you, silly me.” Blue Barney said as the other two rubbed their necks before continuing onwards to the control room and flipped a switch, closed gates were now opened, freeing a trolley cart for them to use and the way out. They came out of the room and back to Gordon who was still having flames blown to his body. After a few more moments, the monster grew bored as it dropped Gordon and just left the group to terrorize anything else. The group circled the charred man wondering if he was even alive. Barney kicked the suit and it responded from the action.

“Warning, energy levels and morphine levels depleted, assistance is required. Please refrain from moving to avoid causing any more possible damage.” it said.

“I thought that suit made you tough?”

“I…didn’t say…I…couldn’t…feel…it…”

Chapter Text

                                                                                               Timeline A

Eli drove as quickly as he could, always checking behind him and peeking his head out his window to watch the sky as Rosenberg held onto his seat belt for dear life. Alyx was quiet as she watched her father drive like a maniac, she didn’t say a word, just sat down and stared. Eyes widened as she was still in disbelief that she made it out, she was strong to hide her true feelings about the situation. But now she’s out, she dropped the facade as now worry settled in her heart. Gordon, Barney, Isaac, and the new guy she met, they all still caught up in this mess. A part of her wished she could do more, but saving Barney from becoming a bloody mess was more than enough. Eli quickly pulled into the hotel’s parking lot, took off his dirty lab coat before picking up Alyx and rushing to the desk clerk. He caught her by surprise, but the woman got over her little scare. He asked for Barney’s dad's room as Barney forgot to tell him the number. The woman questioned Eli, but Alyx spoke up and referred to him as Grandpa Herman. The clerk took it as they were family friends and gave him the floor and number he was on. With haste, he took the nearest elevator to the 4th floor and made his way to the correct room. He stood and knocked on the door.

“Come on, come on, please be here!” he begged.

“Coming!” a voice said. The door opened up and Herman was met with an unknown man carrying his daughter. Eli was just as surprised, he really did look like his son. His face isn’t as round and has graying hair however.

“You’re…Eli, right? Barney-”

“No time, please listen to me! Your son told me where to find you, I have to take you to a safe place-”

“What, why?! Where’s Barney, he hasn’t called or-”

“NO TIME, PLEASE! We need to go!”

“I-ok, ok, I d-didn’t unpack my stuff yet cause I got lazy, it still in it suitcases-”

“I’ll grab them and don’t bring your phone, I'll explain everything in the car!” Eli said. He rushed in and grabbed his luggage, Herman left his phone like he was instructed before riding back down and climbing in the car in the parking lot. As Eli drove for hours before entering the forest through a path only known to him, he explained everything that had happened at Black Mesa. From the resonance cascade, the alien invasion, to Barney’s disappearance and the military killing everyone.

“SO, MY SON IS…STUCK IN SOME…POSSIBLE ALTERNATE DIMENSION?! AND HE’S UNDER AN ALIEN INVASION?!”

“I know you’re upset-”

“BEYOND UPSET! TAKE ME THERE, I’LL GET HIM MYSELF-”

“And how the hell are you going to do it?! I have no idea where he’s even at, how are you going to find him?!”

“I-I…right, sorry…”

“I know you’re worried about him, but your son is one tough bastard. If he went into an alien world to power our energy by himself, he can live though what’s going on in his end right now.”

“...I hope you’re right, but this is so crazy. The government is just trying to fully shut up the whole thing-”

“And the crazy part is, I don’t think the military is the “clean up”, I think they are just a roadblock.”

“I don’t want to even imagine the possible outcome if that’s true.” Herman said. As Eli continued to drive, Gordon was still in confusion. The soldiers, the large number of men surrounding him and Tommy that were about to kill them…vanished. Tommy came over and gave him a hand to help him up. Both of them looked around, not a single soul in sight, not even the scientist's corpses, no one. Just them and the now opened door, they stepped outside and embraced the glorious sun rays the sky gave. It felt nice to breathe in some fresh air that wasn’t mixed with smoke, waste, or blood. The duo looked ahead and saw only one road to take, that was their next stop. But before they took a step, Gordon noticed a figure moving. He readjusted his glasses and saw it was another soldier.

“(DAMMIT!)” he complained. He looked around and saw an opened security car door, he took Tommy to it and saw the keys still in the ignition slot. Gordon wasn’t the best driver, but he knows it “better” than Barney’s, he still questions how he got his license. They climbed inside, turned on the car and stepped on the gas. Gordon ram the vehicle straight into the only passage available, knocking away objects or running over soldiers with their blood staining the windows. Tommy kept his head down as Gordon came out the other end of the cave passage, but was met with more obstacles in his way. He did what he could, but was soon stopped. There was a dam in view and he made an attempt to drive to it, but a thrown grenade hit them and the car was launched into the air. They were thrown out the windshield and fell to the ground below. The car landed away from them, completely covered in flames. 

“THERE THEY ARE!” One of the soldier’s shouted. Gordon didn’t have time to take things slow, he helped up Tommy as they both made a break for it to the dam. But it was problem after problem. A heavy noise occurred as the duo looked up and saw an assault chopper heading their way.

“(ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!)” he complained once more. They were stuck, they can’t go back, they can’t go ahead, meaning their only option is the dam. Gordon took Tommy’s hand, both out running the chopper’s bullets raining down on them as they made it to the ledge of the dam. They stepped on the railings as rockets were fired at them, they launched themselves forward, taking a leap of faith as the blast missed them both. They plunged into the murky waters below and swam down where they found a valve for them to turn. Gordon took hold and turned it, opening a drainage tunnel they swam into and brought them to the lower side of the other side of the dam. Once out, they rushed within the walls of the crayon’s gorges to hide from the chopper. 

“That was close, but fun! Can we do it again?” Tommy asked, but Gordon immediately shook his head no. They continued until they found a ladder that led them up, they followed another path that led them to an open cover with another ladder leading them down to a tight tunnel. They crawled through it and came out the other end. But when Gordon took a step out, he saw that it was a mistake. He was now on a cliffside and was beginning to fall, he was thankfully saved in time by Tommy who reached and pulled him back. Gordon’s heart dropped, if he fell from this height, not even the H.E.V. could protect him. He looked down and saw the massive drop below, one more wrong move…no, he can’t think that. He just has to take it slow, real slow, for him and Tommy’s sake. They hugged the walls with their backs, slowly shimmering around the cliffside and not looking down. Their only saving grace was that there was no one shooting at them. They eventually manage to find a small storage unit within a cave on the cliff, it was filled with offensive equipment. It must have been part of security Gordon assumed as they both went inside to check it out. But before Tommy searched inside, a hand gripped his shoulder. He turned around and went quiet.

“(Hmmm, doesn’t look like I can open this shutter gate, probably should ask Tommy if he found anything-huh?)” he paused. Gordon turned and saw that suited man again, he was talking to Tommy. Another grin came on his face before he turned to look at Gordon.

“Seems like things are out of place, let's take him back home. You made impressive work, Mr. Freeman, you and your friends. Please fight until the end.” was all he said to him before a flash of green appeared and they both disappeared. Great, another mysterious thing happened in front of him and left nothing but questions. Now that he thinks about it, he did feel like he was being watched. He sighed and rubbed his head, he needed to keep moving. But just when he got back to the cave, a heavy gust of wind was blown his way. He looked up and his heart began to beat rapidly again, the chopper had found him.

-:- 

                                                                                                Timeline B

The trolley cart stopped on a floor as a guard railing was blocking the groups ways, two actually. Gordon was ready to break it off, but his Barney stopped him. He shouldn’t do anything stupid as he just got back from being engulfed in flames. The reminder made the other two snicker before looking away when Gordon glared at them. It would be a smarter choice for them to go find the controls for the rail and open it up. The area was small, so two people should be enough to split and go look. Gordon volunteered as Cooper offered his assistance as well, Gordon only sighed as they both lifted the cart and ventured down the passage ahead and looked for the control room, leaving the Barney’s by themselves. Silence filled the room, it wasn’t the first time they were by themselves, but they still felt awkward near each other. Barney took this time to look at his other self once more. Everything was the same, to his body type to his face, just their helmets were different. He got curious and asked why his helmet looks like that if there were no kids around, AKA Alyx. The other Barney just shrugged his shoulders, he just wanted to feel different, that answer was a clear lie. It was more to it, but it’s not Barney’s place to pry for the answer, even if it’s his other self.

“So…how was your life growing up?” his other self asked.

“Oh, rough. It was just me and my dad, mom left us when I was really young. The money he got from the war quickly ate up and it was hard for him to get a job with his condition when he returned from war. Still, he always pulled through for us. He was not only my dad, but my best friend. I need him like I need air, always was there for me.” he answered. The other Barney was awestruck. Though a smile was on his face, his eyes told a different story as they glistened with tears. He quickly wiped him before he sighed.

“Well, it seems like both our dad’s raised us…but it looks like only one of us got the nice version of him…” he said. Barney's mouth hung open, but closed. He could tell where this story is going.

“Mine served in the war too, but when he came back…he was abusive. My mom tried to take me with her when she had enough…but he got to me before she could. She was…too scared of him and she had a bad record herself that she was trying to fix. So…she had no choice but to leave me. Dad used the money a lot on alcohol and drugs, I had to pick up a job to keep myself afloat for years. When I turned 18, I got accepted into a university, I was finally able to leave that household. Dad...didn’t like that, we got into a bad fight and it ended with me bloody and bruised. After the door to the house was slammed, I never looked back.” he finished. Barney was stunned, he knew the alternate universe will have altered events, but he thought it would be the present, not also the past.

“I…damn, I'm sorry…”

“It’s not your fault, how can it be, you didn’t have any control over it. Just…something was chosen and it gave us our predetermined lives.”

“So…if you come from such a bad background, why do you hang out with that Gordon? He’s been nothing but a stuck-up asshole who thinks he’s better than everyone.” he asked next. His other self giggled before smiling brightly again. This time, his eyes were illuminated, like he was seeing the greatest beauty of life right before him.

“It’s true, when I first met Gordon, I was just starting working at Black Mesa. Actually, this is still my first years, but this was a little over a couple of months ago before he got those lame shaded lens. Thank god I swapped back his regular ones-”

“(Wow, it got flipped here?)”

“He was a jerk, I was stationed in his sector and he basically bossed a lot of us around. A lot of us left him, I didn’t. I asked some questions about his work and he explained alongside some insults. But what changed our dynamics was I would help with his daily reminders. Eating, sleeping, schedules. It was cute to see him get flustered when he forgot to do those and I just…noticed he just liked sticking around me...but-”

“But?”

“I got word my dad took his life and left a note saying it was all my fault, it really messed me up and Gordon didn’t make it any better. He told me to stop crying and just listen to what he had to say, I snapped. I lashed out on him, telling him his bossy demeanor was annoying and he could fuck  die alone then if he was so much better than everyone-”

“Ouch.”

“I stormed off and requested a few days off, I just wanted to be alone. I was even thinking about requesting a different sector to be in because I knew Gordon was going to make things worse since he didn’t care about me. On my third night, I got hungry and it was pretty late. I wanted to rush out and get something, but I tripped. I looked and I saw it was Gordon, he was covered in stains from food, snacks and a blanket was over him. He slept outside my door, he was waiting for me and I never even told him what dorm I was even in. He woke up and tried to play it cool, it was kinda funny. But he went back to saying mean things again and told me I need to get back to work. I didn't say a word, I just went back inside and closed the door.”

“What a genius.”

“He knocked and knocked, but I ignored it. I didn’t need him right now, he was making my head worse. But…the eyepatch bastard never went away. He just sleeps outside, tries to bark at me, I ignore him and go back to my room and he knocks for hours again. Then when my days were up, I ignored him at work too. Didn’t say a word, didn’t eat with him, nothing. But one day, the day I was coming to a decision on transferring,  I got a knock on my door. It was my off day and he was here. I got upset and I didn’t want my day off ruined. So…I opened up the door to a dirty and stressed out Gordon. And before I said a word, the unthinkable happened…he apologized. He actually admitted he was wrong for bossing me so much and I was the only real friend he has. He told me his background and then hugged me. Then he threatened to murder me if I told anyone. The point is I have my reason to trust my Gordon and stay around him. I understand if you don’t like him cause that’s honestly his fault, but he is a nice person…just picky to whom due to his past.” he finished. 

Barney stares before looking down, it’s like what his dad told him when he was little. We can’t be quick to judge people, some of their behavior is justified. He may not know the reason for Gordon's annoying behavior, but if his other self is trusting him, then he’ll take his word for it. The others arrived just as the conversation ended and they took the trolly to ascend to the top floor where they reached the topside. The sky was dark, not a cloud in the sky as stars blanket the night. It was odd to not see any soldiers here like how it was earlier, then again, this was a different universe after all Cooper remembered. At least this would be easier for them, or so he thought. They all heard ringing in their ears, the area around them became distorted and glitched again, splitting everything apart followed by the sound of glass breaking. Within a blink of an eye, a number of soldiers appeared out of nowhere. They themselves seemed surprised, but when they spotted the group, they became hostile.

“I-is that Freeman?!”

“Wasn’t his suit orange?!”

“And two Calhouns?!”

“DOESN’T MATTER, TAKE THEM ALL DONE! THAT’S AN ORDER!” The leader command. They all raised their weapons and opened fire, forcing the group to take cover.

“Looks like we’re going to fight our way to the control room!” Gordon shouted! Everyone took out their weapons and split into two groups, Cooper took Alter Barney while Barney went with Gordon. Cooper ran from his cover, digging in his pocket and dropping a flashbang for other Barney to use. Well all the men fired at him, Barney threw it and a great blinding flash brightened the soldier’s view. They were stunned from the grenade and both the men took the advantage and rushed into the fray. Gordon played it risky, he didn’t care if his suit barely had any energy, it didn’t stop him from being a devastating monster to go against. Barney kept up with his momentum, using his combat prowess to provide cover so Gordon could deliver the final blow. What was a large group of soldiers armed to the teeth soon became nothing more than a bunch of cowards cowering and retreating into the control center.  

“SHIT, WE CAN’T LET THEM MESS WITH THE CONTROLS!” 

“Cooper, you and Gordon get to the control room, you two eggheads know how to use it...maybe. I’ll take the other me and help clear out the rest!” Barney suggested. Everyone nodded and split up again, the Barneys went to the lower side where the men were hiding and went back into fighting. As bullets were flying once more, the Barneys split to flank the remaining men and pin them down. Barney took another frag grenade out and threw it at the soldiers. They saw it and duck behind cover, but it didn’t go off. That’s when Barney dropped down and pulled out his knife, he rushed in and stabbed one soldier in the throat. The other began firing, but Barney turned the body around and used it as a shield before pushing it forward on the men. He rushed in again and mimicked a technique he watched Cooper do, though it was sloppy, it was effective as he disarmed one of the men and used their gun to kill the other one before finishing off the disarmed foe. 

“Shit…t-that actually worked. (Looks like the other me is done too.) Hey, where you’re at?” he asked out loud, but no answer. Before he called for his other self again, he felt the ground shake. A loud noise occurred outside and he could only assume that the others launched the satellite  

“Nice, the thing is launched! Yo, come on, we’re done here!” he shouted, but still no answer. Barney scratched his head as walked over to where his other self was during the fight. He turned over a desk and froze in terror. His other self was a lifeless corpse, body lying lifeless on the ground with the final one in his head. He didn’t go out without a fight as he saw the corpses of the soldiers he was dealing with, but the final shot was a trade. His eyes were hollow, face and body stained with fresh blood as words began to clog in Barney’s throat.

“Barney, we got the rocket going, how's everything on your end?” Cooper asked.

“…”

“Hey jackass, we asked ya something!” he yelled, pressing a button on his suit and removed it off himself. It took Cooper by surprise to see how fit this world’s Gordon was.

“You’re taking it off?”

“I don’t see anything else here and I’ve been wearing this damn thing for a day now.”

“R-right…anyways, you ok, Barney?”

“...”

“Barney…?”

“Hey, where is my Barney?” Gordon asked. Barney didn’t answer, just held his mouth and closed his eyes. The others came over where Barney was at and understood why he was so silent. This world’s Barney is dead, his corpse laid out to them. Gordon fell to his knees and picked up his body and held it in his arms.

“Barney…Barney, this isn’t f-funny, get up.”

“...”

“S-seriously, come on. This isn’t funny…”

“...”

“You said…you said you had something to say to me, something you felt for a while. Come on…get up so you can get out here and say it later. C-come on, Barney…”

“...” Nothing. Gordon was talking to a corpse and nothing but a fresh and warm corpse.

“Get…up…”

“...”

“Get up, GeT uP, GET UP, GET UP, GET UP, GET UP, GET UP, GET THE FUCK UP RIGHT NOW, GODDAMMIT!” he cried out, tears falling down his face. He held the corpse in his arms, the tears dropping and running down the cheek as it mixed with the still warm blood. But no matter how much he pleaded, Barney wouldn’t move.

“I-I didn’t-”

“Shut…up”

“But-”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP! I DON’T WANT TO HEAR ANYTHING FROM THE BOTH OF YOU! THIS IS ALL YOU TWO FAULT, THIS…THIS…this…* sniffs* this…shouldn’t even happen. Barney…I treated you so wrong…even after my shitty apology…you didn’t have to die like this…”

“Gordon-”

“STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!” he shouted at them. What can they even say? Nothing, there was nothing that could be said to fix this broken man in front of him. Within that moment, the sound of glass cracking happened as reality became distorted with glitches again. Cooper and Barney turned and saw reality was ready to shatter again.

“Looks like your ride is here. Go, GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE…just leave me alone…” Gordon's last request. Reality shattered in front of them and like before, it swallowed the pair up and began to seal itself. Barney watched as Gordon was soon out of sight, his heart felt heavy as he let this void take them back hopefully.

“I’m sorry…” he let out, those were the words he wanted to say before they departed. But with how Gordon was, it was better if they just left with silence, he seemed to prefer it.

-:- 

                                                                                               Timeline A

The rift opened up and dropped Cooper and Barney topside again, but it was clearly somewhere else. They seem to be on top of a cliff, they could even see some of Black Mesa facilities.

“Are we back?!”

“Let me check! Um…yeah, look!” he said, he showed Barney his phone and it showed Gordon’s location.

“It’s not far! What’s the quickest way?!”

“Um…we scale this cliff wall and there’s a storage area, Gordon is right behind the shutter gate!”

“Then come on!” he yelled. As they began to scale the cliff, Gordon ran back into the storage area. The chopper rained bullets at him, pinning him down inside the shelter. Gordon scrambled to find anything that could rival the flying beast outside. He looked down and saw a rocket launcher near his feet. It felt a little too convenient to be here, but he’s not going to look a gifted horse in the mouth. He loaded a rocket and peeked out, he shot the rocket and it was a direct hit. However, the chopper still stands. He loaded another one and shot it, but the pilot of the chopper expected such and dodged out the way. Gordon sucked in his teeth, if he is gonna land another hit then he needs to be closer. He rather avoids getting closer with the low energy his suit has, but he has no choice. He loaded the rocket and bolted outside. The chopper spotted him and began firing again, Gordon performed a sliding dash to dodge the gunfire and when he got closer to the ledge outside, he fired the rocket again. The chopper didn’t have time to dodge it as another direct hit landed and engulfed the flying vehicle in vicious flames. However, Gordon wasn’t in the clear. The thing spun out of control, losing complete control as it began flying directly at the ledge Gordon was on. He picked himself up to dodge it, he was successful and unsuccessful. He avoided the crash, but the impact caused the ledge to crumble and fall. Gordon was now hanging on the edge of the ruined ledge and was slipping. He kept trying to pull himself up, but each pull only made his slipping worse. 

“Dammit, can you get this thing to open faster, we just heard an explosion!”

“I’m trying, one second!” Cooper answered. After typing on his laptop, he was granted access and the door lit up. Barney kicked open the door next to the shutters and from where he was at, he could see him. Gordon’s hands were on the ruined ledge and he was struggling, he could slip and fall at any given moment.

“NO!” he shouted. Rushing through the storage shelter and into the cave, Gordon tried to pull himself up one more time, but it was a fatal mistake. The ledge gave in to his weight and crumbled, forcing him into a slow descent. His body felt light, his eyes stricken with disbelief, is this how he dies? Falling from a cliff and becoming a blood stain on the canyon's ground? No, he was not.

“GORDON!” Barney called, sliding on the ground and miraculously caught his hand just in time. Gordon looked up and he couldn’t believe it, it was Barney. 

“COOPER, HELP!” he cried, the small man came over and together they pulled Gordon up from the ledge and back to solid ground, Gordon was saved by the skin of his teeth.

Chapter Text

                                                                                               Timeline ????
                                                                                            May 16th, 2024

An unknown vehicle pulled up to Cooper’s driveway, a duo stepped out of the vehicle and approached the home that was still an active crime scene and surrounded by police tape. Fortunately for them, everyone was about to pack up and go home as they couldn’t find any leads on his sudden disappearance. The chief of the police stepped outside the home and noticed who was here. Though they appeared in civilian clothing, he knows their background and is aware they’re Cooper’s friends. The chief let out an angry shout that made every officer under his command flinch, he barked his orders and watched each and every one drive away. They were left alone now, free to talk without eavesdroppers hiding around the corner. They walked inside the home and sat at the table, the chief dropped folders onto the table as the other two examined them, well one of them. As they looked in the folder the chief examined the duo as well. One was a male as tall as a mountain, he seemed more clam and timid or at least what he remembered what Cooper told him. Aside from his height, he was blind due to a past injury, but Cooper mentioned that he could see via echolocation like a superhuman. The other was a woman, she was tall but not as tall as the man. Her aura was spontaneous, she can be witty and impulsive to cunning and slick in a blink of an eye. 

“It has been a while, Amy and Thomas.”

“Same to you, I wish it was under better circumstances so I could serve us some tea-”

“You really don’t have to serve me anything if I visit you, Thomas.”

“So, this is all that you were able to find?” she questioned.

“Yeah, just old images from the surveillance at his other job, our station, and street cams. Usually, we wait a few days before an investigation, but this is Cooper. He doesn’t show up without calling first. Just for me to pull up to his home to see his door wide open, car missing, and the inside trashed? Yeah, I launched one immediately.” he said.

“I’ve been trying to get a hold of his phone, but it’s weird…”

“We would call, but it cuts right to voicemail. But when we checked his ISP provider, there was evidence that he’s using his service.” Amy explained.

“Were you not able to track him based on that?”

“We tried, but the location can’t be tracked, his location always comes up either as an error or unknown.” 

“Shit, shit, shit! Well, I'm worried about that little guy. He’s capable considering he’s an elite operator, but he’s only one guy. I’ll leave it to you, you have permission to help in the investigation. Just…Amy, you KNOW what your occupation is, keep quiet when it comes to me…”

“I can’t promise you-*Muffled yelling*”

“I’ll keep her in line…” Thomas assured. The chief only sighed as he exited his seat and left the home, leaving the other two alone in the house. Amy pouted her face, but quickly got over it, Now that they don’t have to worry about anyone getting in their way. They started with the downstairs, they searched top to bottom, but other than the mess, they didn’t find anything useful. They then went upstairs to his room, nice and neat besides his unmade bed. Amy walked to his desk and turned on his computer. Being one of his good friends, she knew his password and logged right in, they checked his web history and found many articles about Black Mesa.

“Yo Thomas, heard of Black Mesa?”

“I have actually, both the fake and real information about it. Perks to having one of my dads who’s in the military back then-”

“He still in it, dork-”

“Tomato, tomahto.”

“Anyways, fake and real news?” she brought up.

“In public papers and websites, only the fake surface news was given. That it shut down after it served its purpose. But the real reason was that the facility went against government orders and they sent in the military to basically kill every scientist and anyone under employment.” he explained.

“Let’s see…huh, the building is still up, but it has restricted access to all personnel. You think Coops went there?”

“Why? There’s nothing there and there was no evidence of him traveling anywhere.”

“Well sitting here isn’t getting us anywhere. I can get us into the place undetected…ish. Tell your pops you’re going on a trip. We’re going to New Mexico!”



-:- 

                                                                                               Timeline A

After one more good pull, Cooper and Barney pulled Gordon up. They flung themselves back and away from the ruined ledge and into the cave. They stood on their feet as the two stared at each other with affection in their eyes.

“GORDON!” Barney called. But as soon as they ran in for a hug, Barney was knocked down. Gordon’s suit isn’t exactly soft as it knocked Barney down as a heavy metallic thud echoed the quiet cave. Gordon came over and picked him up then with a much slower but also sudden pace, hugged Barney.

It felt like a dream, the amount of security guard corpses Gordon came across only amped up his anxiety and fear of Barney being a victim of this incident. So seeing him now, feeling his embrace, wrapped in his arms, almost felt too good to be true. Barney felt the same, so many bodies he came across, watching Gordon get dragged away. Then falling into an alternate universe and fearing he would be stuck forever, everything felt so grim and hopeless, so he’s taking his time to enjoy this one moment of joy. They let each other go before looking at each other, both of them are bloody, dirty and bruised. They have all been through hell and it still is not over, but at least they have each other. Cooper looked around and suggested they rest a bit in the cave as they can really use another breather. That was something they both could agree to as they walked back to the storage shelter and closed the door.  There, they sat on crates and took in a deep breath. For once, Gordon wasn’t afraid to take his suit off. But just when they opened it partially, a putrid odor escaped and caused Barney and Cooper to freeze up.

“JESUS!” Escape Barney’s mouth.

“(IT’S NOT MY FAULT, I BEEN IN GROSS SHIT AND SWEATING FOR ALMOST TWO DAYS!)”

“I know, I know!” he said. Cooper giggled before Gordon resumed removing his suit as the other two jaws dropped. Darkened bruises littering across his arms that leads up to his torso, Barney left his seat to lift up Gordon’s shirt. He exposed more bruises on his body before dropping it and looked around for a medkit.

“(Barney, I'm fine!)”

“MY ASS! Gordon, you’re COVERED in bruises!”

“Are you in any pain?”

“(The suit gave me the last juices of morphine not too long ago, I'm honestly too afraid to think how much pain I'm actually in…)”

“Jesus, Gordon! Well…the first thing we’re doing is finding you a station to fill up, it’s going to be hard to keep you up if the morphine runs out.” he said before sitting back down next to him. During their break, Gordon asked what they were experiencing after his separation from Cooper. Barney explained to him that he helped get Alyx, Eli and some more scientists out before encountering Cooper. Cooper continued by explaining that they were sucked into an alternate dimension where Black Mesa was completely different and met an alternate version of Barney and Gordon. But when Cooper brought them up, Barney turned away as he was reminded of his other self’s fate. Gordon can tell it’s not something he wants to talk about, so he didn’t pried for details about them. Gordon took his turn and explained what happened after his capture. He was rescued by a man named Tommy who said he was from another world as he didn’t look like “his” Gordon. He was taken away by the suited man he and Cooper saw before but the strangest thing was that Gordon noticed how Tommy looked like that man. Cooper said they couldn’t rule out that there might be multiple versions of him, but to them all, that idea didn’t seem right.

“Well, let’s talk about our next step.”

“(There’s a science team on the other side of Black Mesa that’s trying to fix this whole mess, my guess is that Izzy is over there.)”

“Yeah, Eli said the same thing. We get to him, help him  with whatever and go to this address Eli gave me. And the faster, the better!”

“Please, I'm already missing a soft bed and a good shower…” Cooper complained.

“Hell, a floor would be good enough for me as long as it's not in this place filled with aliens. I just want to close my eyes without having to worry for one of those head-crabs coming on me-”

“Head…crabs?”

“I mean, yeah. They look like crabs and they jump on your head and such. So I reckon they should be dubbed as Headcrabs.”

“(I actually like that name…even if they are trying to kill us.)”

“A-anyways, once we’re more rested up, let's go find Izzy and then fix this mess. Maybe he could have some answers how to get me back…hopefully.” He said. The other two nodded before resting some more. After giving themselves an hour off their feet, they resumed their objective of trying to reach the other side of Black Mesa. Instead of turning back where Barney and Cooper came from, they instead trailed the cliff’s edge and found ladders leading up to a drainage pipe big enough for them to crawl through. After navigating through the pipes, they noticed an opened manhole for them to exit out of. They helped each other up, they made it topside again but immediately ducked behind cover. They were in some area that held an interconnected water canal channel within it, but it was riddled with a number of soldiers. Cooper poked his head out and started counting.

“(1…3…6…10. Ten men patrolling and…OH SHIT!)”

“(W-what?!)”

“(T-there’s a whole ass tank fully armed and I think it’s being piloted too!)”

“(Give us a fucking break, first a chopper and now a tank?!)” Gordon complained.

“(Cooper, pleassssse tell me you had some supersoldier training that taught you how to deal with a tank.)”

“(I’m not a supersoldier! But the thing about tanks is that they’re vehicles at the end of the day, the fastest to deal with one is destroying the inside. Gordon, you still have that rocket launcher?)”

“(Yeah?)”

“Give me the missile inside!” he told him. Gordon did what was asked and gave the rocket to Cooper, the plan was they serve as a distraction as he sneaks around and destroys the tank. Gordon was on board with the plan, but Barney froze up. Images of his alternate self dead body filled with holes came into his mind, causing him to have second thoughts about serving as a distraction. Gordon could tell something was wrong, something about the plan was causing him to worry and sweat. 

“(Cooper, how about me and Barney sneak to the tank. You’re much better at distracting than us and you can actually do something if you get caught. We’re not as trained as you, Goldeneye supersoldier.)”

“(I AM NOT A SUPER SOLDIER…and ok, if you think that’s better then I’ll go along with it. When you to get to the top of the tank, twist left then right twice assuming it’s the old models from the 90s.)”

“(Got it!)” They said, They broke up and initiated the plan, Cooper dropped down the canals and began running, the rapid splashing catching the soldiers’ attention as they aimed and fired. Some of them even dropped down to chase him, but it was a fool’s plan. He used the interconnecting tunnels to his advantage and used them to take the soldiers down one by one. As their attention grabbed, Barney and Gordon snuck around and avoided detection as they climbed on top of the tank. Barney took a grenade out and started to cook it. Gordon twisted the cover open, it surprised the soldiers within as he and Barney dropped their explosives. They jumped off and rolled away moments before the explosives went off, the tank blew to pieces as the remaining parts were engulfed in flames. The noise caught the other solder’s attention which was a big mistake, Cooper emerged from a manhole and assaulted the distracted men until each one fell down by his hands. 

“HELL YEAH! WE KICKED THEIR ASSES!”

“(W-wow, I won’t lie, I feel pretty unstoppable right now.)”

“Careful guys, flexing your ego and becoming overconfident is a fast way to defeat.”

“I know, I know, just wanna live in this moment, soak it up! Come on, you don’t think we’re like a dream team?! I mean, think about it. A security guard, a scientist, and a time traveling supersoldier?! We’re literally a Hollywood blockbuster cast of characters!”

“Well…it does feel good to have people who can actually synergize with me like my friends. Ok, I admit, it does feel pretty good to feel invincible.”

“Damn right we are! I feel more pumped than a dog with two tails!”

“What does that even mean?!”

(What does that even mean?!)”

“Hehehehe, southern secret!”

“Anyways, come on, the faster we get to Izzy, the better. Look, that gate looks electrical, I'll get it open for us!” Cooper said. They walked over to the gate and watched Cooper break the cover of the panel open and cross some wires together and watch the light turn green. The gate opened up as the other two were impressed, he thought hacking was only involved with coding, not wires too. Barney looked up to the sky and saw that it was starting to change color, evening isn’t far from coming. Another day of being in this mess, another day of seeing nothing but corpses. But it’s all going to change, they just need to make it to the other science team members and they’re home free. They began walking down the only passage available until they came across another gate shutter, Cooper did the same thing and opened the shutters as they crossed to the other side.

“Man, the size of the map really doesn't match the actual size of Black Mesa, how big is this place?”

“(I was wondering that too, Eli told me that it was big, but that is starting to feel like an understatement right now…)”

“Well for once, we’re not lost. I know this place!”

“You do?”

This is part of Blue shift training grounds…ish. It’s near some underground garage and bleh bleh bleh, but that can be used as a shortcut to get to the other side!”

“(Nice, Barney!)” Gordon praised, the southern man began to blush and turn red.

“Shucks, no need to praise me-” in the middle of his talking, Cooper squinted his eyes, did he just see a gleam in a dark area? He looked up at the buildings next to him, they were quite tall and it would be difficult to scale the walls without rope. He turned his eyes away, but kept the building on site with the corner of his eye. That same gleam came back, his eyes widened as he knew what was in the dark, a sniper and they were aiming at Barney.

“BARNEY!” He called out, he jumped in and grabbed his shirt collar just in time to pull him away. Cooper took the shot for him and the mere impact of the bullet hitting his torso flung the small man into an opened area.

“SHIT, COOPS!” he shouted. He tried to jump in to grab him, but Gordon pulled him back. They ran to the small building in front of them that blocked the sniper’s sight. Of all things to deal with, one of them had to be a sniper.

“FUCK, D-DID IT KILL?!”

“(...NO, LOOK!)” Gordon signed, they both looked over and saw that Cooper was still alive. However, there was a problem. That bullet rendered his bullet proof vest useless now as it was already damaged from the fish monster that was trying to kill him earlier. Barney thought to himself maybe he could just use his as cover, but then it hit him. Cooper is from the future, whatever material his vest was made out of is far superior than his own. Hell, Barney wouldn’t even be able to take that kind of shot with his vest and Gordon still has no energy. Rapid footsteps were heard above them, the sniper was moving position, probably to finish off Cooper as he is unable to move. 

“(HE’S GOING TO KILL HIM!)”

“I KNOW, JUST…LET ME THINK! (Come on, calm down and think!)” he told himself. But when he closed his eyes, those images came back into his head. The dead body of his other self, but now it was replaced with Cooper’s. It caused Barney to panic, his thoughts were growing array as time was going short. Cooper looked up and saw that the others were struggling what to do, then his attention was taken away by that gleam again, the sniper had him in his sights. 

“THIS IS FOR MY FRIENDS YOU KILLED, YOU SMALL BASTARD!”

“NO!” Barney shouted. In that moment, an orange flash crossed Barney’s view as he felt something was snatched from his side. Gordon jumped in just moments before the trigger was pulled and threw the grenade where he heard the sniper’s voice. The bullet made contact with the grenade and exploded right in the man’s face, shards of shrapnel lodged in the sniper’s body, killing him instantly and causing him to drop his rifle. Barney went over to pick it up and examined it. A soft whistle came out before kicking it away.

“(Something like that would pack a punch.)” he told himself before coming over and helping Gordon pick up Cooper, he kicked open the door to the small building and shut it behind after the others got in. They moved a bunch of crates and anything remotely heavy to serve as a barricade as Gordon took off Cooper’s vest and then his jacket and shirt. Other than some cuts and wounds already bandaged up, there was an enormous purple bruise in the center of his torso. Even with Cooper’s vest, the bullet could have got through it if it was more damaged than it already was. He was lucky, so so lucky. 

“Fuck, how are you doing?”

“Honestly…wishing I was an actual supersoldier…”

“(You took a sniper bullet for Barney-)”

“A heavy duty one, this could damage a car, you really saved my ass.”

“All part of the job. Oof, this really hurts and I doubt this bruise will go away…”

“Do you need to rest?”

“No, we’re burning daylight. I was trained for this, but thank you for the concerns. Which way now, Barney?” Cooper asked, putting his stuff back on and grabbing the spare vest Barney had in his arms. 

“There’s a passage leading to the underground, once we get out, there’s an access complex that serves as a training ground to serve as real-time combat. From there though, I wouldn’t know but we would already cut some major distance then.

“(Sounds like a plan. Let’s get to it!)” Gordon issued. They got back on their feet and let Barney lead the way. As he said, right through a small passage leading underground and another leading back up. It took a few moments, but they made great progress. They were near the complexes Barney mentioned, but before another step was taken, chaos reigned. The sky became a warzone as an alien ship soared through the air and the same could go for fighter jets. They were raining bullets and dropping bombs at each other. 

“FUCK, RUN!” Barney screamed. They started running to the gate shutter in sight, but stopped. An explosion occurred and another tank came right through with soldiers following behind it.

“SHIT, GO BACK!” Barney shouted next, but even that was useless. The alien ships dropped two gigantic monsters behind them. Waving their arms as they unleashed searing flames into the air. Two forces and they were pinned right in the middle, they were trapped. The tank aimed for them and so did the two giant beats.

“(No…)” the thought that came into Gordon's head.

“It’s…over?” Barney let out.

“(FUCK, I HAVE TO FIND A WAY, I HAVE TO, THEY GOT TO-” he told himself over and over, but it was pointless. They all covered themselves with their arms, closed their eyes and prayed for at least a swift end. But just before both sides fired, that glitching came back, but this was different. It was mixed with that sound of glass that occurred when reality was breaking. But the surroundings, the people and the aliens, were only flashing in and out, like something is being overlapped in this current place. And just like that, the three heard no noise. They were all still breathing, they were alive. But when they opened their eyes, they were met with confusion. The sky held a mush of different colors, unknown plants grow about and some as tall as mountains. This weird fleshy like roots scattered across the ground as this unearthly vegetation took hold of any structures it could attach themselves to, what happened to Black Mesa?

Chapter Text

Doctor Kleiner was still held up in that small room, fiddling with this old radio he picked up in hope he could get in contact outside without the military tracking him down. Eli and Alyx are nowhere to be found, Gordon is missing, Barney is missing, and almost all his colleagues are dead. He knew it, Eli told him that he thought this project was bad news. At first, Isaac thought Eli was being paranoid. But as time went on, he chose to trust his dear friend rather than his thirst for knowledge for once. But by the time they both tried to stop the project, it was too late. Too much was already done for the project to be canceled and their superiors were growing impatient for the results. Worst of all was when they learned Gordon was involved in the project. That was their final straw, but so was their superior as they were forced to relocate as they weren’t allowed to be within the testing area due to their constant complaints about the project. Now, he sat the radio down and leaned back into his seat as guilt was weighing on his shoulders. So much death, so much violence, so much chaos as he and the remaining science team were trying to remedy the situation now that the military was trying to kill them.

“OOOOOOOOOH CRABAPPLES! I can build a machine that can extract energy of an unknown artifact from the middle of gosh-nowhere, but I can’t fix a radio?! Fiddlesticks!” he complained before flopping on a desk. 

“Oh…I have to keep trying! I just hope Gordon got my message, I could really use his and Barney’s help. Hmmm…oh Cheese and crackers, I failed again. Errr…CAN SOMEONE HELP ME FIX THIS GOSH DARN IT RADIO?!”

                                                                                               Timeline Unknown

                                                                                                   1 hour prior

Night was drawing near, the canyons within New Mexico were silent. Not even the sound of crickets disturbed the quiet air that surrounded the wasteland. Amy and Thomas were laying down, Amy holding binoculars in her hands and scoping out the area. Thomas was preparing and double checked their equipment to make sure they were ready when they were needed. There in the distance was Black Mesa, the back area. She was watching some of the men patrolling the vicinity, weapons in their hands, but they were tired. They looked bored, like they had been there all day and the only thing they had for entertainment was throwing rocks. 

“Well?”

“Six guarding the entrance, two just went inside…wait, another two went in.”

“No doubt there’s more inside.”

“Why are they stationing people here?”

“Well you heard about the campaigns that have been circling lately, the ones about learning the truth about Black Mesa,” he said.

“Yeah but what the hell for? Don’t you think this feels…off? The world gave no shit about it for over 20 years, but suddenly everyone is crying to know the truth?” 

“Well…you got a point there, but we’re not here for them, we’re to see why Coops was looking into it.”

“I know, I'm just gonna be pissed if it's just literally curiosity and nothing more when we do find him. Gears ready?”

“Yup!”

“Let’s do this!” she said. They picked themselves up and began sliding down a slope and started running to the cliff’s wall. Thomas took out a grapple gun and shot it on a ledge, he pulled on the rope and it was wedged precisely within the solid rocky material. Amy held onto Thomas as he pulled the trigger and the gun hoisted him up silently, they flung upwards and surprised the only two guards outside. Amy jumped off and assaulted them, she did a sweeping kick to knocked them both on the ground as Thomas landed and planted his knees into them both. They let out a painful grunt before their mouths were covered to muffled the noise. Amy then gripped one of their heads, pulled it and did a fierce left and right twist motion. She did the same to the other guard and they both fell unconscious. Amy smiled as she kept her promise of not killing anyone, though she wasn’t going to kill from the start. They pulled out the chairs and sat them on the seats, propping them up to confuse the guards when they come back outside once they don’t radio for a status report. The duo ran through the door leading into a building and took a couple flights of stairs down, they doubted guards would come all the way down here, but they remained on their toes.

“I swear, this gets easier and easier every time I do this. Ok, where to now? Well the better question is where are we?”

“Here’s the map I managed to recreate through deleted files.”

“Thank you, my blind giant that could somehow still work a keyboard. Let’s see…damn, this place is huge! It's the equivalent of a small neighborhood. It would take us hours to search this whole place and that's IF we can get some power here and not get caught.”

“Well, let’s think logically. If the easiest way to get inside was the way we went, then Cooper’s options are just as limited as ours. So, if I want information on Black Mesa within this limited space, where should I go?”

“Hmmmm….here I guess? It seems to be a research station, at least what the map marked it as. If we want info, we go there.” she suggested. They continued onward, following the recommended passages on the map as they dive deeper into this ruined facility. Amy looked around and felt like she was in some ancient ruins, a building lost in time and never to be seen again. Though Thomas couldn’t see, he could feel the cracks and vegetation within and on the walls and floor. Amy stopped them as the passage they needed to go was blocked off by rubble. Fortunately for them, there was an alternative route she found and she took it instead. They crawled into a crack in the wall and fell down a hole where a burrowed tunnel was hidden. They venture down the tunnel until Thomas stops.

“What?”

“Did you hear that-”

“No I didn’t hear it, you know I don’t have supersonic hearing like you.”

“Not the word to use…but I heard something, like…skittering…”

“Like a crab?”

“Yeah actually. Let me get a clearer insight.” he said. He snapped his fingers and the hollowed cave, giving himself a feedback and shape the tunnel and whatever was within.

“Above us!” he directed. Amy turned her head up and her flashlight caught it. It was some kind of crab-like creature, its tendrils attached to the ceiling of the tunnel as it let out a soft hiss. It dropped down to land on them, but Amy pulled out her knife and stabbed it clean throughout the air. The creature ceased its movement as it bleed whatever fluids were within its body.

“What the hell? It…actually does look like a crab. Why was something like this down here?”

“...”

“Hey, this usually the part where you say-”

“We need to go…”

“No, not that-”

“NO, WE NEED TO GO, NOW!” He shouted, she turned to look behind them and saw a number of those crab-creatures coming their way. They ran as far as they could from those creatures until they came across another crack within a wall, they crawled through it and searched for anything heavy enough to seal the crack. They fortunately found something and pushed it against the wall, blocking the crab creatures as the once loud hums of hissing turned soft and quiet, they were gone…for now. 

“THE FUCK?!”

“I don’t know, but I didn't want to get caught and see what the hell they do…huh?”

“What now?! Oh, we’re in the area.” she realized. The duo set out and saw a large contraption placed in the center of the room, there was a bridge with a control panel on it and it led to an observation room with windows. They looked around and found a ladder leading up to the room, inside was notes and rusted equipment scattered everywhere. 

“This place looks nice…” he said with sarcasm

“Bet it was nicer when it didn’t have dry blood smeared everywhere, like a damn massacre happened up in here.”

“The scientists were killed after all, bet the upper floors and other sectors are messier.”

“Hey, look!” Amy pointed out, she found a decaying ID with still legible writing on it.

“Gordon Freeman? *Snorts* He looks like one of those reddit basement dwellers who have debates at FYE about which pony is better in My Little pony.” she mocked.

“I heard that name before, he was pretty famous for a little bit, he must have died here…but I don’t see a corpse…or any in this area actually. And Applejack is the superior pony.”

“NERD!” she shouted as soon as he finished. Thomas shook his head but stopped. He could hear a faint humming coming somewhere. He walked to a wall and the hum grew louder. He told Amy that something was behind it, she took a closer look at the wall and saw a faint glow behind the panel. She gave it a few hard kicks, the last one dropping the panel off the wall. 

“Whoa…” came out her mouth. The duo was staring at an artifact that shined a radiant glow. Unlike the facility, there was no sign of decay or damage, almost like it didn’t age with time. The hum was now loud and consistent in Thomas’ ears, this thing is the source of it. Amy went to the desk and picked up some of the notes that didn’ have too much dry blood on it, she shuffled through the papers to help get an understanding of this maybe.

“No way…these papers say this thing is from like, a whole nother plane of existence! An actual alien artifact!”

“What does it do?”

“Don’t know, the last note was incomplete, but it spoke of a Resonance Cascade. The chances of it are basically next to nothing.” she explained.

“That’s why they were hunted, the government didn’t want to take the low chance and the scientists didn’t like that. They went against the order…and they were murdered.”

“Literally dead from fucking around and finding out. Speaking of, I'm going to touch it!”

“AMY! I don’t think we should, who knows what would happen-”

“Well we can’t use any of the equipment anyways and I'm not taking this thing back either. Our heads would be on the hunting boards by the underworld and the law. So touching it is the very least I can do!”

“*Sigh* fine, we’ll touch it but only for a sec!” he said. She nodded her head as they both slowly reached for it and with a finger, touched the artifact. 

“...I feel nothing.”

“Yeah, me either-”

“CAN SOMEONE HELP ME FIX THIS GOSH DARN IT RADIO?!” was heard. The duo stood up immediately, what was that? Were they caught? No, not yet, this area was blocked anyways.

“H-hello? You’re not one of those creepy crab monsters, are you?” she asked. They waited a moment for a response. At first, nothing. It must have been their imagination, until-

“Do I sound like a crab-monster to you?!” was replied.

“No, you sound like one of those shitty ass dorky scientists from an 80s movie!”

“D-D-DORKY?!”

“D-D-DID I STUTTER?!”

“You don’t even know who you’re talking to and you’re being an ass to them…”

“That’s my charm!” she said, giving her friend a playful wink that was only met with an awkward sigh. Within that moment, a glitching noise mixed with the sound of glass breaking rang in their ears. The pitched frequency caused Thomas to block his ears as Amy was witnessing things being pulled around and becoming distorted.

“WHAT’S GOING ON?!” She questioned. And just like that, it stopped. The glitching and the noise faded, but something else was brought to them. There was a third in the room, an old man  probably around his 40s. His hair was balding with large framed glasses covering murky blue eyes, his body was lean and average when it came to height.

“Uh…”

“Golly-gee-willikers! Where am I? What is this?!”

“(Did he seriously just say Golly-gee-willikers?)

 (Did he seriously just say Golly-gee-willikers?)” the thought that crossed their mind as the old man scrambles around.

-:- 

                                                                                                Timeline A

The three stood in confusion as they found themselves in yet another universe, at least for Cooper and Barney. As for Gordon, this is the first time he was brought to a different Black Mesa, if they could call this Black Mesa. Anxiety gripped their hearts as they pressed on, being extra observant about their surroundings. It was so bizarre, one moment they were pinched between two forces then brought to another world within the next moment. Birds were replaced with flying mantis like creatures, the bugs were oddly shaped and were almost the size of Cooper’s leg. Some of the plant life gave off strange glows, off distance screeching was heard that caused them to pause a few times. The grass, if they could call it grass, was sometimes taller than other places and would obscure their view. But to get an understanding of this…world, they need to keep venturing forward. Gordon took the lead as he had the H.E.V suit despite it having no energy for its veil. They found a door within the unknown brush and opened it. Just like the exterior, the interior was quite similar in terms of strange wildlife. A passage they came across was blocked by debris in front of the interior. Fortunately, there were vines hanging low enough for them to climb on.

“UGH WHAT?!” Cooper shouted, the vines were coated in some kind of lubricant. The sensation was odd yet pleasant, they don’t feel like it’s harming them, it's more of an annoying feeling at most. Regardless, up was their only way, so they climbed the slicked up vines until they reached a ledge to jump on. 

“(Wet vines was NOT what I expected to climb on.)”

“Yeah, now my hands feel gross. I can’t tell what’s worse. The alien blood, people's blood, or this lubricant. What do you say, Barney? …Barney?” Cooper called for again, they turned around and met with a savory sight.

Barney was tangled up in the vines, no...that wasn’t right. The vines, they were alive and they were constraining him. They held him in place as the vines gently wrapped around him, the wet lubricant staining his shirt and shaping around his thick body. The vines became tighter, pushing his body out more as the vines continued to slowly enter his clothing. coursing around his body, loosening his pants to where it was hanging on his hips despite his belt and it didn’t stop there. The vines even under his shirt squeezing his body caused his shirt to pop open, exposing some of his tightening body as Barney resisted himself on making an oddly erotic face.

“H-HEY, DON’T LOOK AT ME LIKE THIS!”

“GORDON!” Cooper screamed. Gordon gasped and snapped back into reality as he reached for Barney and pulled as hard as he could to free him. Cooper stood behind him and pulled, freeing Barney as they all were flung backwards. Barney was freed from his slimy entanglement as Cooper’s phone fell from his pocket. Gordon went to go pick it up, but made an irritated face as he held the phone in front of Cooper’s face. The man started to sweat as he was caught red-handed.

“(SO I COULDN’T STARE, BUT YOU WERE TAKING PHOTOS?!)”

“He…hehehehe…oh boy…”

“(Not gonna lie, I kinda liked being tied up, hope that didn’t awaken something inside of me…)” Barney thought to himself. After a slight clean up, they continue onward in hopes they make it to Isaac. They slid down a slope, jumped over large gaps within the floors. Ran from carnivorous plants and bugs that were flying at them. They kicked open a door and shut it, this seemed like a safe place. Compared to outside, there was little life within this small room, a break was in order. They let out a sigh before barricading the door and sitting down.

“Ooooookay, what’s going on now? This isn’t like what happened earlier today, we didn’t get sucked in. we got like-”

“Zapped? Like instant transportation? Yeah, this isn’t the first time I've seen something like this...well, the difference is that I wasn’t brought here.”

“(Right before I almost died, that glitching came and I heard a sound of glass breaking, the soldier vanished out of thin air-)”

“Because they came to the universe me and Barney were sucked into. Hmmmm, I don’t think that's the same thing. I heard theories about this and I’m sure you did too, Gordon. What we are experiencing could be an “Overlap” Cooper assumed.

“Right, an Overlap…Gordon, what is that?”

“(It’s an occurrence where two or more existing timelines sit right on top of each other, overlapping each other.)”

“So…like it just merged into one?”

“Yes, it’s multiple turns into one.”

“So why is this one all messed up and jungle-like?”

“(When an Overlap happens. The timeline that’s more dominant will be the one in control basically. So whatever this, it sat on ours and merged, It should hopefully be temporary…)”

“Wait wait, so its timelines merge together for a brief time.  Does that affect time periods too? Like past, present, and future?”

“Yes, if an occurrence is only happening within an isolated area, then past, present, and future become one for a brief moment if the dates are the same, not the year. And not just one area could experience it too, another area could overlap too and maybe experience something else. Anyways, just like us, it can transfer someone easily within the future as one could easily be brought to the past.”

“By?”

“(Simply by just going out of the area of the occurrence. Like we said, it’s temporary. So whatever and whenever that person was brought to, they will be stuck there.)” Gordon finished.

“Man, my brain is frying from all of this, but I got the lick of it mostly. But Coops, how you know all of this?”

“Oh, I took some time and dabbled into quantum physics and attended some free lectures hosted publicly at my campus during my college years.”

“(What did you study?)”

“Masters in Neurotology then in linguistics, and some stuff in the medical field as a minor. I also have my masters in software and hardware engineering, and some other stuff too, all while being employed as an officer and elite operator.”

“Real egghead here. But back to the overlaps, you’re saying we just need to keep going and it’ll eventually fix itself?”

“(Basically as long as we stay within the area of occurrence.)”

“Well, let’s get going AND let’s avoid vines please!”

-:- 

They came across another area that looked similar to where Gordon was before, it was the aircraft hanger. Odd, why was it over here? If memory serves him right, they should be long past the hanger. He brought it up and he was reminded that the Black Mesa in other timelines aren’t structurally the same as the one he’s from. Barney told him that the majority of their stationed sector was completely flipped when Cooper pulled up the map. But with that in mind, could the way they’re going not be the right way? Cooper thought about that too and so did Barney as he wasn’t recognizing the previous areas they passed, but they didn't have a choice but to move. There is no network connection here as he already tried to get connected to pull up the map and blueprints of this world’s Black Mesa. A sigh escaped his mouth, nothing is getting easier for them. They approached a gate shutter that fortunately still had power. However, power means security is in place too. Cooper knew what he had to do, but before he walked forward, he stopped. It felt like something was watching them with malicious intent, he turned around, but saw no one.

“You good?”

“Yeah, I thought I heard something…” he answered. 

“I didn’t hear anything.” Barney said. Cooper shrugged as he dug in his backpack and pulled out his laptop. But when he opened the laptop, the screen held a reflection and saw it. There WAS someone here and they were aiming a knife at Gordon. This time, he reacted faster than he did with the sniper. He dropped his laptop, dashing between Gordon and Barney and kicked them apart. They fell to the ground as a whooshing sound rang in the hangar as a knife was planted into the wall. 

“WHAT THE?!” He shouted in the midst of confusion. They picked themselves up and saw a woman figure dressed in a black skin-tight suit from head to toe. They didn’t think to find people in this place overgrown by alien wildlife. Then again, the overlap could bring anyone as long as they are within the area of the occurrence. Did that mean they were in the area when Gordon reached the hanger? A fail safe in case the soldiers didn’t get him? Or were they here for Cooper, they were aware that he was posing a major threat to them as he was protecting Gordon against many armed men.

“It was about time trouble reared its ugly head!”

“Oh this lady is just a hill of beans, we can take her!” Barney said with confidence. As the woman stood, another one walked out to the side and stood beside her, now two were present.

“(Uh…there’s two now.)”

“We still outnumber them!” Barney said. Not a second later, another woman walked out and stood beside the second woman, now three was present.

“Three...”

“So, we each just take on one.”

“Barney, we shouldn’t underestimate them-”

“I’m not, just we’re skilled enough to handle them.” he cut off. They eyed their enemies down, but what was once fierce glaring turned into fear when a fourth woman came out and stood beside the third one. Now four were present.

“SHIT! BARNEY, GORDON. TAKE ONE BUT STAY CLOSE, I’LL TAKE TWO!” Cooper ordered. He left the pair as two women chased after him. The remaining two came after Barney and Gordon. One of them cartwheeled and flipped in the air, she dropped between them and split them apart and forced them to fight alone. Barney picked himself up and put up his fist, he doesn’t have a knife like Cooper or a crowbar like Gordon, his fist is all he got for now. The woman leaped in the air and performed a diving kick, Barney blocked it with ease and attempted a counter-attack by grabbing the woman’s leg. The attempt ended in failure as she bounced off his arms and landed behind him, dashing in to deliver a flurry of blows and kicks. He did what he could, blocking the attacks and retaliating as much as he could, but it wasn’t enough. A heavy punch to his gut was made, causing him to recoil from the damage and stun him before the assailant spun around and roundhouse kicked him. It knocked him flat on the ground, the woman took advantage and took another leap in the air. This time when she dove in, she used both her feet in an attempt to stomp Barney’s face in. He reacted in time and rolled away and picked himself up, he looked at the ground beneath her foot and saw a dent where the heel was at. His face would have been completely caved in if he didn’t roll out the way. In a flash, she appeared near him again, Barney attempted another swing at her, but she dodged with such grace as she flipped in the air and gripped his head and attempted to twist it. Cooper, despite being in the middle of his own battle, saw what she was trying to do. She was trying to twist and break his neck.

“NO!” he shouted. He kicked one of the women away and aimed his knife, he threw it to scare the woman off of him and it did. She let go of Barney to avoid the attack as Barney grabbed the knife out of the air and went back into battle.

Gordon’s fight wasn’t going well either. Compared to Barney and Cooper, his hand to hand combat prowess pales in comparison. He took many swings with his crowbar, slow and messy they were as the woman dodged them with ease. He took another swing and watched as the woman disarmed him, grabbing his crowbar and smacked him clean across his head. His vision split in two as a high-pitch ringing rang in his ear. His face felt wet as blood was dripping profoundly down his head. If it wasn’t for his thick skull, that hit would have killed him. He fell to the ground, holding his bleeding head as it throbbed with aching pain that resounded with his rapid beating heart. A shadow was casted on him which forced him to turn around, the woman was attempting to stab him with the crowbar. He jumped out of the way, but the woman jumped after him again. He landed on his back and caught her with his feet, he pushed her away, but it did  nothing as she flipped with grace and rushed back in. Like Gordon, she attempted many swings at a rapid session. Gordon’s eyes struggled to keep up with his split vision, left looked like right and vice versa. In terms of Barney, he was doing worse as the crow bar hit his suit many times, he felt the impact of the metallic object damaging the suit and his body underneath. Through a stroke of luck, Gordon managed to get the crowbar out of her hand, but that ended when the woman sweep kicked him to make him lose balance before launching her foot into him. It launched Gordon away as Barney landed right next to him. He was also knocked away from his battle as he curled up on the floor. Gordon went over to help them up, but paused when two shadows were cast on them.

They were going to attack, but they all turned their gaze at Cooper. Unlike Barney and Gordon, Cooper kept up with the women, he was their equal. But the problem still remains, he was outnumbered. The pair fought on opposite sides, trying to use their position to gain the upper hand. And at first, it was working, but Cooper was different. He adapted to their fighting, he could analyze as he exchanged and endure blows. He caught onto antics and found a way to counter them. Now it was the women who were struggling against him and because of that, the other two women thought it would be better to get rid of them before they continue fighting Barney and Cooper.

“Shit, Cooper may be a supersoldier, but he can’t fight four at once if they’re equal to his skill!”

“(But if we jump in, we’ll just get in his way...)”

“But he’s getting jumped, he’s not going to last!”

“(If we can’t beat them with brawns, we beat them with brains and I know how, come on!)” he said. The two snuck away and returned, witnessing Cooper getting launched and tumbling on the vegetated floor, he was injured and was bleeding from his cuts. The four women stood in front of him, ready to deal the killing blow then resuming their task of killing the other two.

“HEY, YOU BLACK SUITED LOSERS!” Barney shouted to catch their attention. He and Gordon were holding vines and threw it on the figures below. They were slimy like they were coated in a lubricant. At first, they didn’t worry as they turned around and raised their hand in the air, they dropped it, aiming for Cooper’s head. He closed his eyes and was expecting his end, but when he opened them back up, he saw the women were held in place. The vines tighten around the bodies and cease their movement. That’s right, Barney was held up and restricted when the vines grabbed him and needed help getting them removed. The duo came and picked Cooper up as they all saw the assailants that were not unable to move.

“Can’t beat them with brawns, you beat them with brains. Good thinking, getting those vines, Gordon!” he praised. Cooper took his knife, Gordon raised his crowbar, Barney raised his foot and together, they delivered the final blow to their enemies.

(Bonus is below, keep scrolling <3)

Chapter Text

                                                                                               Timeline ????

Isaac adjusted his glasses as he continued to stare at the pair before him. One being a man as tall as a mountain, but rather lean in terms of body type. The other was a woman who was shorter, but he could feel a very spunky and impulsive aura around her. They both were in light military gear, as if they were trying to sneak around. He looked around and recognized that this was the control room for the chambers’ teleportation device, but it was different. The walls, floors, and the machinery were old and damaged. Dust and cobwebs were everywhere as if years and years had passed.

“Great Scott, what happened here?!”

“Uh…we like to know too, you just popped out of nowhere so suddenly.”

“I-I may not have an answer…yet. Let’s see, still in the control room and this is certainly Black Mesa. Excuse me, my dear fellows, what year is this? 2000?”

“...”

“...”

“Oh dear, I'm not going to like the answer…” he let out.

“It’s 2024-”

“2024?! I jumped to the future?! Holy beans and pasta-”

“(Beans and pasta?)
(Beans and pasta?)” they both thought to themselves. 

They watched the old man scramble around, pressing buttons and turning switches on, but nothing worked. Everything has eroded over time, it would take a miracle to even get anything working, especially in the lower floors.

“So…you got a name?”

“Oh…um, Isaac Kleiner, my friends call me Izzy.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Izzy. We’re looking for our friend and the last thing he searched up was Black Mesa. Given that you’re a…time traveler, could it be possible that our friend fell into the past?” Thomas asked.

“Wait, how could that even be possible?!”

“The resonance cascade…at first I would say that it would be impossible for him to fall into the past…but seeing this? There might be a chance he did go back in time, but I haven’t encountered anyone who looked like…you all. We have uniforms we follow, so he would have gotten spotted right away!”

“So…he’s not?” Amy asked.

“I’m afraid I don’t have an answer for you, but if he is…then he’s in great danger. An invasion is happening and the military aren’t our friend either-” wait, that wasn’t right. Thomas raised his brow and so did Amy, Isaac’s  story isn’t matching history.

“Izzy, I hate to break it to you, but if there was an alien invasion, we would know.” Amy told him.

“Good Madam, I can assure you one is going on right now!”

“So why am I here, four-eyes?” she asked. 

“Hmmmm, Izzy, explain?”

“If I do, we could be here all day!”

“Then a summary.”

“The resonance cascade opened portals to another world and we’re experiencing an invasion. The military came…but they were sent to eliminate us! I was holding up in this very room waiting for Gordon after he managed to get the satellite launched into space. But now I'm here and he could get here at any moment! I have to get back or everyone is doomed!” he said. 

“(This guys is crazier than Hav-)”

“(Amy, we’re not in that franchise anymore.)”

“(Oh…right. Anyways, this can’t be right, can it?)”

“...Izzy. If…dimension portals can open up, could there be a chance of one appearing not only in the present, but the past and future as well?” Thomas asked.

“Not likely, portals are gateways attuned to leylines. They could only bring you to other places attached to it. So portals attached to my timeline’s leyline can only bring me to places attached to it.” he explained.

“Like teleportation, it has to be an area you can get to yourself.” Amy assumed.

“Then let me ask this. If portals are spatial rifts, like space being ripped apart. Could it not cause something else? Like a dimensional rift that isn't tied to the leylines?”

“Oh I get it, like if you dropped something well while riding on a bike?” Amy asked. Thomas nodded as Isaac thought to himself. 

“That…could be possible. If space keeps getting ripped apart, then more Time-space distortion can occur-”

“And with that possibility, could a rift that wasn’t a portal open up and take our friend?”

“If that was true, then your friend could literally be anywhere in any universe, trying to find him would be next to impossible!”

“But not completely impossible!”

“...you’re playing a dangerous game here, lads. Finding your friend would mean putting your own people, even yourselves, in jeopardy and never coming back.”

“Sounds like fun!” Amy cut off. Isaac sighed, but smiled. He could tell by looking at them that these two had a fair share in adventures, and the dangers were that much of a worry for them.

“O-ok, so this is what you need to-” he vanished. That sound of glitching occurred again and the old man was out of sight. The duo were left stunned, it was as if he wasn’t there in the first place.

“Thomas, we really got ourselves into some deep shit…”

“And we didn’t even get to show him the thing we found…what now?”

“Why don’t we take it and just hide it? Maybe Jojo could think of something, if anyone could help us with finding Cooper now, it’s him.”

“Alright, let’s search this place more and get out of here. Hopefully not through the passage with those crabs.”

“What should we do with them?”

“Leave them, they clearly can’t get to the surface. Let’s just be careful not to give them a new way up.

-:- 

                                                                                               Timeline A

They all were exhausted, bloody, beaten and bruised. Those four assailants were by far their hardest opponents they faced. But in the back of the three’s minds, they fear that this wasn’t even a scratch compared to what could hold for them in the future. But at least for now the women were no longer a threat to them. Cooper trudged over to the gate shutter and took his laptop and began connecting it to what is left of this world’s Black Mesa. It took awhile, but he not only got the door to open, but he pulled the facility's map and blueprint. He searched for the hanger’s location within the facility. He found a few, but one stood out to them the most. It was the one near the training grounds Barney mentioned, he examined it more and found out that there was only one way to get to the chamber Isaac was in and it was the path he just opened up. They rushed down the path, ignoring the pain aching within their bodies until they burst through a door. They found themselves in a large spacious room with a contraption right in the center and a bridge attached to the operation room. There was a ladder leading up to the room across from them, they climbed up, keeping a lookout for vines before reaching the top. They approached the door, but as soon as it opened, the world changed back. The glitch noise came back as the sound of glass breaking occurred once again, the overlaps were done. Inside was Isaac who appeared to be just as confused as those three.

“GORDON, BARNEY! THANK THE STARS YOU’RE OK! Oh, hello new friend!”

“Oh…hello I-”

“Another time, little man. Izzy we got the message that we needed to be here, what’s the stitch?” Barney asked. Isaac felt like there was something he was forgetting to tell, but he ignored it. 

“Yes, yes, this way!” he said. But he soon stopped, the radio he was tinkering with finally worked. The group paused as Isaac tuned it and helped broadcast a message out. As he did that, Herman stood next to Eli who was too fiddling with an old radio. Like Isaac, he was trying to reach Black Mesa without getting caught by the military. Though he doubted the frequency could get traced back, he rather not let the military hear him. He caught a frequency, but it wasn’t someone he knew. It was one of the soldiers still at Black Mesa. He turned it up as he and Herman eavesdropped the conversation.

“Alright, everyone out! This place will be turned to cinder once the big drop comes. Don’t even think you can even outrun an atomic bomb! We got four hours before it drops! I repeat, four hours! If you have a death wish at midnight, then be my guest!” was said from the captain. The two men froze in horror, faces purple as sweat glossed their skin. A bomb, an atomic bomb was going to be dropped in a few hours, killing everyone and everything in Black Mesa.

“My god…”

“T-they just going to drop a fucking bomb on them?!”

“They want to wipe everything…no traces of humans or aliens…we took too long to stop the problem.” Eli managed to spit out. Herman slammed his fist on the table and started going to the door.

“Where the hell are you going?!”

“BARNEY IS STILL THERE, I HAVE TO GET HIM-”

“YOU’RE NEVER GOING TO MAKE IT AND IF YOU EVEN DO, YOU’LL TURN INTO DUST!”

“I KNOW…I know…but Barney is not here…I can’t….” he stopped, sniffing his nose and holding back his tears.

“Barney is a tough man and I'm sure is already with Gordon now, we just have to trust them!”

“Can we try radioing again, please?!” he begged. Eli sighed, but nodded. He could at least do that and give them a heads up. He tuned the radio again and he found another frequency to use. 

“Yes, hello?!”

“IZZY!”

“ELI?! Oh great heavens you-”

“IZZY, LISTEN! THEY’RE GOING TO DROP A BOMB AT BLACK MESA AT MIDNIGHT, THAT’S ABOUT FOUR HOURS FROM NOW! YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF THERE, NOW!” He warned. All four of them froze, they were going to get bombed?! But the problem with the portal storms still exists, a bomb isn’t going to stop it. If anything, Isaac believes it would make the problem worse as the creatures would be on open land to roam. Eli and Isaac talked back and forth, yelling and arguing before they both came to the same conclusion. He turned off the radio and brought everyone on the bridge and stopped at a control panel. Isaac began inputting numerous commands and pressing buttons at a rapid pace. The machine in the center began spinning around, the rotating machinery creating a loud noise as the three  began to see green currents within the air in the center of the machine. Isaac ordered them all to go at the ground level as he continued putting more commands into the control panel. There, moments after and the machine stopped spinning. A large green portal stood before them, its glow was as radiant as it was terrifying. Dread coating that magnificent glow, telling them they were in for a fight for their lives.

“SO UH, IZZY, WHAT EXACTLY DO WE HAVE TO DO?!”

"From the notes and study documents I found, these creatures with the science team and found out there is a ring leader-”

“AND THIS WILL TAKE US TO IT?!”

“Uh…no, it’ll take you to Xen!”

“(XEN?)”

“It’s their homeworld! The invasion will hopefully stop once their leader is taken out! Once it stops, the portals should spit you three out at the coordinates I set within this portal I created, it’ll take you straight to Eli’s other home. But you heard Eli, we have four hours! If you don’t make it back by then…the device will be destroyed and I'll have no way for any of you to return. Here, take this energy and health pack. It should replenish the suits three times! I’ll take this lad’s backpack while you’re inside Xen!” he said. The group looked at each other, determination sat on their faces. It was a race against the clock, time wasn’t on their side. 

“(You two ready?)”

“Let’s kick some alien ass!”

“We’re a team, of course I'm ready-”

“(Cooper, this isn’t your fight. You can go with Izzy if you-)”

“And let you two do all the fighting? Cute. Gordon, I helped you so much already, you should know by now I'll stick with ya until this mess is over!”

“(Thank you. Ok, LET’S GO!)” he signed. They all jumped into the portal in front of them, a brave leap into the unknown with the fate of the world on their shoulders.

-:- 

An intense flash of green invaded their eyes, blinding them as they were teleported from one place to another. Their feet touched ground, their arms shielding their eyes were lowered as they were met with an extraterrestrial sight. Their mouths hung open as they were speechless, this world was beyond their comprehension. Xen, the homeworld of those creatures invading them right now. The structural buildings and floating platforms, those weird string-ray-like creatures flying in empty space. The sky wasn’t even a sky, it was like an enclosed void teeming with whatever is called life here. Anxiety built up as much as their excitement. Even Barney who already came here before was still awestruck.  

“(This is Xen…It’s…scary as it is fascinating!)”

“Barney, you already came here, right?”

“Yeah, but I rushed through and back, I didn’t have time to gaze at the place. If anything, I was more scared of getting stuck and eaten alive. But now with you three fading out my anxiety, I can actually admire this place.”

“(Coops, can you take photos with your phone? It has a camera, right?)”

“Wait, it does?! Man, the future seems so cool. You think…it would be ok if we like…ever visit your future?”

“I…huh, you know. I only hear people say never let the people in the future mess with the past, never the other way around. If time permits, why not. Feel like this timeline is already fucked up, why not mess it up more?” he joked. They turned their gaze back to this vast uncharted land, this is going to be rough with time being against them.

“So…does anyone have an idea where this mastermind is?”

“(Er….)”

“I wouldn’t even know…”

“Come on, you two, you’re the smart ones!” Barney claimed. The other two frown, just because they’re smart doesn’t mean they have all the answers. But sitting around isn’t going to get anything done with time against them. Cooper took out his phone again and started a timer. He started a 4 hour countdown, every second counts now. But just before he put his phone away, a beep came from it. It caught the other two attention as they looked on the screen, it was coming from the tracking program that was within Gordon’s suit.

“Look! There’s multiple H.E.V suits, but one is moving around!”

“(How close?!)”

“Uh…not far, if we rush, we can cut about 20 mins.”

“Whoa whoa, wait. We're an alien world, so wouldn't it be too much of a risk to move around without protection? I didn’t go far into this world, but now we’re in deep, who knows what we’ll catch!” Barney brought up and he was right. If multiple suits were picked up, then it’s safe to say this place may not be safe for human exposure. Gordon squinted his eyes and looked at the other floating platform across from there, he spotted two corpses on it with suits just like his. He didn’t know if it was a coincidence or convenient, but regardless of the answer, he got an idea. He walked over to the edge and looked down, he didn't see a bottom, just endless space. A loud gulp was made, they needed to jump across this large gap to get to the next platform and the floating landscapes to progress. It would be deemed impossible, however, Gordon felt light. He waved his arms around, it’s like he was light as a feather or if gravity was turned to low. He took a deep breath, backed up and jumped across. The other two watched him glide across the air with ease and land on the other side.

“(There’s less gravity here…I think? Jump, I'll catch you two-)”

“YOU MESS BE CRAZIER THAN A DOG IN HUBCAP A FACTORY!" 

“What the hell does that even mean?!

(What the hell does that even mean?!)” they both asked. 

Barney didn’t have time to explain, he just went to the edge and ran across and leaped the void below to make it to the other side. Gordon caught him and held him in his tight embrace. He smiled as Barney blushed and flared up red, Cooper was next. He did the same action and jump, getting caught by the other two and letting him go. Gordon then went over to the two corpses and his guess was right. These suits should be good for Barney and Cooper. He stripped the corpses of their H.E.V suits and gave them to his friends. The other two paused, the corpses bodies were tall, the suits were way too big. Gordon only giggled before telling them to put them on, they did what he asked and with his help, they put them on.

“Now what?” Barney asked. Gordon opened a panel on both suits and pressed a button, the suits readjusted themselves and fitted perfectly for their bodies.

“(The suits are adjustable to many sizes since different people can wear the same ones. You think they just happen to make a 6’2 suit just for me? They could even change color…for whatever the reason that needed to be a feature. So, how do they feel?)” he asked. Barney changed his color to dark blue, Cooper took his to dark green.

“I don’t know, I don’t feel different.”

“Me either…”

“I think it’s because none of our suits are powered up. Let’s do that!” Gordon signed. He set up the power supply Isaac gave them, it was meant to power up the suit three times, but now it was split between the three of them. With the suits charged and the morphine being injected within them, they were ready. They jumped from platform to platform until they landed on one of the vast landscapes floating within this alien space. The sky turned dark blue, creating this feeling of night as they walk through this jungle-like area with the help of luminous plant life scattered around. Cooper led them to a cave and told them that the signal is getting stronger, meaning whoever is moving is down there. Gordon slid down first before the other two followed behind there was what they assumed was water flowing into a narrow space. They dived in the water and swam with the current. Barney and Cooper got a taste of the H.E.V suits' power when it supplied them with air, allowing them to breathe normally while preventing water from soaking them. They emerged from the waters and found themselves within a spacious cave, but this was different. The inside was so flesh-like and horrid, like organs were used as the decor to living up the place. They reached solid ground and picked themselves up before Cooper took his phone out again and took the lead.

“We’re real close, they’re just up ahead,” he said. They reached a wall that had vines attached to it, Barney felt chills down his spine. He swallowed his fear as they climbed the vines that thankfully didn’t entangle them and walked over to another visible ledge.

“Ok so it’s just…OH SHIT!” he shouted, worried etched in his voice as the others saw what was causing him to worry. There was a woman in a light-gray H.E.V  suit holding what they could assume was a stick; she was on some flesh-like boulder smacking away those red-eye aliens trying to climb up and grab her. If it couldn’t get any worse, there were new foes they haven’t encountered yet. Their heads were big, but their bodies were small. They were shooting balls of energy at her in an attempt to knock her off, she smacked each one out the air, but it soon turned her weapon into ash. She was defenseless as the aliens continued to climb. 

“HEY, HOLD ON!” Barney shouted, catching all of their attention as they all jumped off the ledge and on the ground below. Cooper took out his knife and rushed in with Gordon following his lead with his crowbar, Barney provided cover fire with his gun. The Aliens ceased their climbing and decided to attack, shooting bolts of electricity at the group. Cooper shouted to slide as he slid underneath the attacks thrown at him. Gordon listened to his command and did the same, soon rising back up and attacking his enemies with his crowbar with great might. Cold steel bashing against the monsters in front of them as Cooper got finished handling the ones in front of him. The woman climbed down and rushed over to Barney.

“Got a spare?” She asked. Barney shouted at Cooper for his gun, the small man threw it to Barney as he caught it and handed it to the woman next to him. Together, they took care of the flying enemies that were sending balls of fire at them as Gordon and Cooper handled the ones on  the ground. After fighting for a short while, all hostiles were eliminated. The other two returned, covered in alien substances as Barney reloaded his gun.

“Jesus, a moment later and I would have been cooked, pun intended!”

“We only knew you were here thanks to this fella right here.”

“(Your suit was the only one moving besides ours-)”

“Wait, you’re Gordon Freeman and Barney Calhoun!” she cut off.

“Wow, you guys must be famous-”

“They blew up my friend’s casserole…”

“Oh…” was the next thing that came out of Cooper's mouth. The other two looked away, whistling and pretending it wasn’t them when it was 100% them.

“Anyways, what are you guys doing here?!”

“Let’s start with you first…”

“Well, me and Dr. Green were helping Keller to lessen the effect of the resonance cascade by sewing up the tears in the space-time dimensional rifts. We had to go inside here, me and Dr. Green…you can see that we didn’t get far. She left herself behind for me to escape…” she explained.

“I’m…so sorry.”

“It’s fine, really. All I can do is help end this madness. What about you three?”

“We’re helping Izzy, well Isaac, end this invasion by taking out its leader! But time isn’t on our side, the military is going to jump an atomic bomb on us in…Coops?”

“Less than 4 hours-”

“Less than 4 hours and if we don’t hurry, we may be stuck here forever! So Ms…”

“Gina.”

“Gina, is there ANY place that could be a good place to find the leader?!”

“Have you not tried the giant creepy castle-like alien factory the size of Mount Everest?”

“The what-HOW DID WE MISSED THIS?!” Barney shouted, standing a distance away from a large facility like tower.

-:- 

The four crept into a crack within the wall of the factory and hid behind a pillar. The inside was just as terrifying and fascinating as the outside. Large platforms that hovers from one port to another, strange energy tubes serving as small lifts. Machinery almost matching theirs coursing about the facility with going through the walls. Like the cave, the floors and walls were flesh like, but there were metallic floors planted into the ground. No, the better word is stapled like it was pieced together on an operating table. It was almost…organic, like the factory itself was just one giant being and they’re the parasite infiltrating it. On the machine were those tall green aliens again, they were working in harmony as their eyes glowed red. Red? Cooper paused as the others continued to observe, the eyes were glowing red back in the cave as well. But if he thought back further, he doesn’t remember the eyes glowing when he first encountered them. Now that he thought about it, the alien had shaky hands, as if it didn’t want to fight. No, it was just a thought he needed to keep to himself. He doesn’t have the time to think about it when it’s a race against the clock. A couple of those big-headed ones came down, speaking in a language they didn’t understand and waving their arms. The other workers responded as they all left the area, leaving the machines alone. They all came from their hiding and went into the area. In front of them seems to be a large elevator going upwards, but it was blocked by some field.

“A little too easy we found the way to get to the top…”

“Not easy enough, we can’t get through the gate. Dr. Green never told me about force fields being used.”

“(Nor did Izzy, but then again, he would never set foot in a place like this, If he did, god knows his excitement would cloud his conscious thinking and get himself killed.)”

“Coops, you think you could figure this out?” Barney asked.

“Just because I'm from the future doesn’t mean I could get through this. This is even advance for me-”

“Wait, the future?! You’re a time traveler?!”

“Hehe, not only is he a time traveler, he’s a supersoldier secret spy!” Barney boasted, posing and karate chopping with his arms. Gordon giggled from the sight as Gina awkwardly smiled.

"Which is it?! You can’t be a supersoldier and a secret spy-You know, nevermind. Gina, to be clear, I am from the future, but of an alternate timeline where this incident didn’t occur.”

“Amazing, to think the resonance cascade was so strong enough that it not only open alternate worlds, but bring people from the future!”

“Whoa Ms. Gina, You can poke him all you want later. We got a job first!” Barney reminded her. Gina shied away her eyes and cleared her thoughts, but she didn’t fool anyone. They all saw the excitement in her eyes when she learned about Cooper. After the brief introduction, Cooper went to the large machine hooked up to the barrier blocking the lift. Gina came over and they both noticed the tubes going in and out the walls. Though there were many, there seems to be two mainline tubes as they seem to stand out the most.

“If I'm going to guess how we get through that barrier, my assumption would be those tubes. There’s two of them. Usually, I wouldn’t say this, but since we’re pressed for time, we need to split up. Gordon, Barney, you two take the tube going there. Me and Gina would take this other tube and if I'm right, which I'm hoping, the barrier would go down.

“I bet once they’re removed, this place is gonna get real dangerous. I have no doubt that the folks are going to be madder than a wet hen!”

“What the fuck does that mean?!
 What does that even mean?!

(What the hell does that even mean?!)” they asked.

Barney just smirked and went in the direction of the tube he was instructed to go. Gordon ran up to him as Gina and Cooper went to their tube. Once they were out of sight, they began their journey to disconnect whatever the tube was connected to. As they traveled, the lining brought them up, down, through vents, down shafts. Stealthing around corners, swimming in flooded areas. But other times, they had to fight, using their limited ammunition and combat prowess to get through the number of assailants that kept getting in their way. After another battle, Barney fell to his knees, the pain was aching again for a second, but soon disappeared due to the morphine injected into him. Gordon was right, if he didn’t suggest the suits and give him some of his energy, Barney wouldn't make it far. Gordon peeked around a corner, he spotted nothing as this area doesn’t seem to be easily traversable. With that in mind, a quick break could be done before resuming.

“Sorry for slowing us down…”

“(Don’t be, I’ve been meaning to…talk to you alone for a while now.)” he signed before taking a seat next to him. He let out an exhausting sigh as he looked at the fleshy walls again, neither of them still can’t fathom what they’re experiencing. Two men, two simple men who went from having a regular day, to living a nightmare.

“How did this happen…”

“(Having such a fine morning, running late-)”

“Toast in mouth-”

“(Shoes untied-)”

“Hair a mess-”

“(Shirt not tucked in-)”

“Breath smells bad-”

“(Forgot to put on deodorant-)”

“But the worst of all-”

“(The worst of all-)”

“A hole in your pants!
(A hole in your pants!)” they said at the same time. 

Laughter escaped their mouths as they leaned back against the wall, drawing in another deep breath. As silence took hold, neither couldn’t help but flashback to the bar. Both craving poorly made wings, basic tasting beer, laughing so loud that other patrons leave, the poor woman Barney knocked down. But as time went on, it wasn't the enjoyment of the bar they were thinking about, it was when Barney wanted to tell Gordon something. He missed his chance before, he can’t miss it again with everything going on and Gordon felt the same. 

You…remember when you asked me about the other Barney?”

“(Yeah?)”

“He…died. We were in a small room together and split up to take down the remaining soldiers that were trying to kill us. I took down my foes and he took down his…but he didn’t make it in the end. The Gordon of that timeline, I just watched his whole world shattered in front of him. What was once a hot-blooded bastard just suddenly went…cold.”

“(...)”

“Sorry, I don’t know why I brought it up. I guess I wanted to…” he choked, the words built up in his throat again, just like at the bar. He felt it build up, like a small ball was lodged in his throat. Again? He’s going to chicken out again when they are reaching the climax of the story very soon? The climax that could possibly be the death of them, the climax that might take one of them away. Yes, because the fear of losing his friendship with Gordon due to rejection scared him more than death, to have him look at him differently. Even if those moments happen, he could just-

“(Barney)” he signed, gripping his friend’s shaky hands. Barney didn’t realize it, but he was sweating and his skin went pale. Gordon took his hand and wiped his friend’s face clean, well at the best he could. Seeing Barney like this just brought his mind back to the bar, this scene was playing just the same. He watched Barney sweat, shake, skin turn pale, and choke on his words. No, he can’t miss his chance. He has no idea what could be next and he’ll be damned if one of them perishes before Gordon tells him how he felt.

“(Remember that night on the rooftop?)”

“Where we looked at the stars?”

“(I took your hand to make the constellations and set it down, it was resting on top of mine-)”

“O-oh shit, Gordon. I’m so sorry, I didn’t me-”

“(Barney, let me finish!)” he cut off. Gordon's heart was racing, he was now sweating as much as Barney. He felt even lighter as fear gripped his soul, he begged that Barney does feel the same as him when he finishes.

“(I never moved it, but not because I was lazy or anything…I wanted it there…)”

“You…did?”

“(Yes, Barney! I also love when you sleep in my office, snoring so loud that it rattled the windows-”

“Oh it wasn’t THAT loud!”

“(When we stayed up for days playing games locked in your dorm until Eli bust us out. Pulling pranks on my colleagues, eating together, taking care of each other if we got sick. Hell, watching Alyx with you…made me feel like we were a married couple and…that’s when it really came.)”

“When…what came?”

“*Inhales* (That I had feelings for you.)” he answered. Barney's eyes glistened and held Gordon’s reflection, he was speechless as he only hung his mouth open.

“(Everyday being next to you filled me with such joy, such warmth! I got in trouble so many times cause I say “fuck it, i’m going to see Barney” over, and over, and over again! But I was scared, I was scared of ruining our friendship that I…kept it away. But I kept finding myself doing more affectionate stuff with you…so when that night of the bar came, I thought you were going to confess. But you didn’t, well…you were too scared to say something. So I told myself, after this shift, I'm going to confess to him.)”

“I-I…”

“(So…I-I love you, Barney. I wanted to say it in case something happened, I want us to be a thing. I don’t know what’s going to happen or what our lives will be once we’re out of this, but I'll be fine as long as it's with you.)” he confessed.

“E-even if I'm…not as smart as you?”

“(Yes!)”

“And…might be overweight-)”

“(YES!)”

“Even-”

“(YES YES! YESSY, YES, YES, YES! Nothing about you is a problem for me, Barney. I want all of you…do I have anything you don’t like?)”

“NO! I like everything about you. I told my dad non-stop how much I wanted to date you!”

“Then…I'll say it again. I really do want you, Barney Calhoun.” he admitted again. Barney was stuck in awe, his heart swaying everywhere in his chest as he felt like jello. Gordon does see him the same way as he does. But instead of letting out the remaining words that were stuck in his throat, he let action show his love. His body moved on its own, springing up on Gordon, pulling him in as they locked their lips onto each other. A rushed but passionate kiss that has been long desired for, Gordon couldn’t resist wrapping his arms around him, holding Barney in a tight embrace. The kiss may have been short, but it was something they both wanted to accomplish.

“(W-wow, wasn’t expecting the sudden kiss. How are you feeling?)”

“...WAAAAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOOO I FINALLY FUCKING DID IT, I FINALLY KISSED HIMMMMMMMMMMM! WHA-” at that moment, an energy ball was shot and just missed Barney. Aliens found their hiding spot due to Barney shouting his victory about his kiss and now established relationship.

“Can I have just relished the damn moment, PLEASE?!”

-:- 

The duo returned back to Cooper and Gina who seemed to already be done doing their part. Of course, it wasn’t easy. Both of them looked like a mess, some burns on the suits, low energy, and heavy panting from them. Gordon and Barney weren’t unscratched either, being hunted by the workers of the factory, objects thrown at them, getting caught in what they assumed was water. But that wasn’t the point of things, the barrier was now gone. They can step in the elevator and travel upwards to the leader. But when they stepped inside, the platform beneath their feet started to glow, unharming currents of electricity were coursing all over them. Whatever this was, it was going to shoot them somewhere instead of it being a lift to take them upwards. As the others were fascinated by the warm glow, Cooper's attention was elsewhere. He saw those alien workers come out and watched them, but they weren’t a threat. When Cooper was with Gina, they were attacked by them. But after Cooper killed the flying ones before paying attention to the ones on the ground. He rushed in to kill them, but stopped. He noticed their eyes stopped glowing red and they instead stood still. He let them go as they didn’t pose a threat and watched them run. Now, they’re here and they were waving at him. Just before the chamber went off, Cooper smiled and waved back. He flipped a coin to the workers before turning his attention to the lift. The chambered fired and they were once again thrusted into a green subspace before dropping on a platform. This time, the void held no color, just pitch black. The few platforms they saw left them speechless, it was the artifacts Black Mesa experimented on. It was in large quantities, but now the bigger question stands. If the objects were this deep in Xen, how was it brought to them in the first place?

“Look!” Barney shouted. One the last platform held a gate with a large portal attached to it. It wasn’t like any other they had seen, it was concentrated, pure. It was their last stop,  the leader has to be behind where whatever that gate takes this.

“Ok, weapons check. Coops?”

“Two pistol clips left and my knife. Gina?”

“One SMG mag, pistol clip, and a couple of grenades I found. Barney?:

“A few rounds with the shotgun and one remote bomb I found. Gordon?”

“(Same as Cooper, two pistol clips and my crowbar.)” he signed. 

“We all must be on low energy too, same with the morphine. Alright everyone, the plan is simple. We get in, kick that fucking things’ ass, and get out of here! We ALL are going home!” Barney told them all.

“I just want a soft bed to lay on, or a couch.” Gina let out.

“I would like to sit down and just close my eyes, my body is going to be aching for days after this…” Cooper added on.” Afterwards, Gina and Cooper started leaping from platform to platform, leaving the other two behind.

“(You ready?)”

“Yeah. I am, and you bet your sweet ass that I'll do anything to make sure you live through this. It’s like my dad said, it’s a Calhoun’s job to make others happy.”

“(That sounds made up-)”

“Because it is, my dad started a tradition and I'm following it!”

“(If that’s the case. That means I have to do the same since now I'm part of the Calhoun family, right?)” he asked. Barney flushed red again, rubbing his neck as steam came out his ears. Though on the surface Gordon was giggling, inside his head, he was screaming and calling himself stupid and cheesy for saying something like that.

“HEY LOVE BIRDS, YOU COMING TO THE FINAL BOSS ROOM OR WHAT?” Cooper mocked, Gina snickering behind him. They rolled their eyes before jumping on the platforms until they caught up with the others. Now together, they stood in front of the gate. They took a deep breath and all jumped it, another flash of green blinded their eyes. When it stopped, they found themselves in another spacious cave, one without the flesh-like walls, but had water almost up to their waist. But when they looked up, they were met with true horror. There, encased in a barrier of energy was the leader of this invasion. Its head was massive, but the body was small yet still larger than all four of them. Like the green ones, there is an arm attached to its chest. The lower half however looked odd, like flesh was ripped from it and whatever strands remained was dangling in the air.

“What in god’s name-”

“SCREW THAT, SHOOT IT!” Barney told everyone. They all took aim and fired, but it was in vain. The bullets bounced off due to the barrier. 

“SHIT!” Cooper let out. They all looked at the barrier and saw where the energy was coming from, it was from those crystals attached to the cave’s wall. 

“Barney, give me those remote bombs, I'll take one of Gina’s grenades and I'll climb up!”

“WHA-”

“I’M THE MOST AGILE ONE HERE, I CAN GET IT DONE THE FASTEST!”

“(It’ll take too long if one person does it! I take one and climb up! Cooper, the two on the left, you get those, I get the one on the right.)” Gordon suggested. Barney handed them the remote bombs and watched Gordon and Cooper run to the walls and started to climb. Meaning it was up to Gina and Barney to distract the leader.

“HEY, LEADER! YOU’RE AS LOVELY AND HOMELY AS A BARN DOOR!” Barney insulted. The leader turned its gaze to him, though the face was impossible to read, the irritated speech told he was annoyed by what Barney said.

“(Man, the south sure does have some unique phrases…)” Cooper thought to himself as he climbed the walls. The leader let out a howling screech as it raised their arms up. Several lines of energy swirling into balls were soon launched at Barney and Gina, raining down at a rapid pace as they did what they could to dodge. The energy balls were easy to dodge, but the water was the problem. The water created ripples when the energy was thrown into it, unbalancing Barney’s footing until-

“WATCH OUT!” Gina warned, but it was too late. One of the arms was already coming towards Barney. It caught him, smacking him to the wall. It caught everyone’s attention as he fell and plunged into the water. And if that wasn’t worse enough, another flurry of energy was thrown at him. It blew him away, tumbling within the waters until he stopped. Pain surged in his body, but it quickly went away when the morphine kicked in. However, his energy was depleted, only the suit exterior was his only protection, which wasn’t much considering his opponent. Gina took the initiative to divert the leader’s attention by taunting it, now she was the target as it gave time for Barney to pick himself up.

“(SHIT!)” was Gordon’s thought, rushing up the wall with Cooper already reaching his destination. He jumped off the wall and landed on one of the crystals supplying energy. Gordon soon did the same and planted one of the bombs on it, then began scaling the wall down enough before detonating his bomb. The crystal shattered into pieces, a small sigh escaped his mouth, he feared that it might have not been enough. The creature howled again, it rattled the cave and caused some of the ceiling to crumble. It dropped large boulders to the ground below. Gina jumped out the way and so did Barney, being stuck under it would make them easier targets. Cooper planted on explosives and began crawling to the other one, but when he got closed to ti-”

“COOPS!” Barney called. Cooper watched a great shadow cast on him, he turned and saw the hand of the beast homing in on him to crush him into the wall, he let go just in time to dodge the attack before latching back on the wall. It wasn’t over yet, the smaller arm was charging up a beam and it shot at Cooper, holding him in place as his suit and himself suffered massive damage. But with all that pain, he held onto the wall.

“(IT’S GOING TO KILL HIM!)”

“WE NEED TO GET IT’S ATTENTION AGAIN! Uhhhh, Barney, it looked pretty mad with your weird phrases. Do another!”

“Oh…um, HEY! WITH THAT FACE, YOU MAKE A FREIGHT TRAIN HIT A DIRT ROAD!” He shouted. The beam stopped as the creature turned its gaze back on Barney.

“ANOTHER!”

“AND YOU HAVE TO SNEAK UP UP ON A MIRROR TO SEE YOUR REFLECTION!” He taunted me next. The creature screeched at him, forcing his attention at Barney as it launched another attack. Gordon jumped down from the wall and fortunately grabbed Barney before he was hit again. Cooper panted heavily, his suit ran out of energy as morphine was injected into his body to numb the pain, but it won’t last. He continued to climb the wall, he made it to the crystal and planted the bombs. He held his detonator in his hand and looked at the creature.

“TIME FOR SOME PAYBACK, BITCH!” he shouted.

He leaped forward as he set the bombs off, using the force of the explosion to propel him forward in the air. He draws his knife as he approaches the monster before him, he wedges his knife into the monster’s flesh before forcing himself downward on its body. The beast let out another horrific scream as Cooper made it to the ground. Now with the barrier down, they all aimed their firearms.

“UNLOAD ON THIS UGLY BITCH!” Barney shouted. They all pulled their triggers and unleashed a barrage of bullets that all were piercing the being’s body, fluids within poured out the holes in its body as it let out another screech.

“IS ANYTHING WORKING!?”

“(HAS TO BE, LOOK!)” Gordon signed. The head of the leader split open and exposed its weak point. The weak point was where he was really gathering energy. It unleashed bolts of electricity that struck like lightning and rained more fiery balls of energy.

“THE LAST STRETCH, DON’T LET UP! WE CAN DO THIS, GIVE IT EVERYTHING YOU GOT!” Barney encourages. The monster flung its arms in desperation as the group kept delivering whatever they could to defeat their foe. Being hit with everything, morphine running out and causing pain to once again surge within them, but they pressed on. With the rush of adrenaline coursing through their veins, they kept fighting until the creature was put down. Gina handed Gordon the grenade for him to use, he knows where he needs to throw it.

“PUT THAT FUCKER DOWN GORDON!”

“We’ll cover you down here!” Cooper said. Gordon nodded his head as he rushed to the nearest wall and climbed it as soon as he could. With his friends' distractions, he reached the top. He kicked himself off the wall, pulled the pin of the grenade and let it cook.

“(THIS IS FOR EVERYONE YOU KILLED, GO TO FUCKING HELL!)” the thought that came into his mind. He threw the grenade inside its head. The explosion was enough, the monster let out a painful squeal as it spun out of control, arms flailing around as more fluids were poured out its bullet wounds. Its eyes glowed green, its body started to bloat, was it going to explode too? Yes. One final howl was made before a flash of Green was made yet again and blinded everyone within the cave, they won.

-:- 

Herman sat outside at the end of the ground staircase to Eli’s uncharted home. Night already settled, the quiet air of lasting spring created a soft hymn that harmonized with the chirping of the crickets hiding in this dense forest. Eli and Alyx stood on top of the staircase, her father trying to encourage her to sleep and promising that Barney will be here once she wakes up, but she refused. She wants to see him as soon as he gets back. Herman pulled up his wristwatch, 5 minutes before midnight. The bomb will be dropped on Black Mesa once the clock hits 12. He let out an exhausting sigh, but perked his head up when he saw a flash of light peeking out in the forest. A car was coming their way. His face lit up as it parked in front of them, but who stepped out wasn’t his son, the small man, or Gordon. 

“IZZY!”

“UNCLE IZZY!” Alyx cried, rushing in for a hug.

“Eli, Alyx, and Father Calhoun, it good to see everyone safe and sound-”

“Barney, where is Barney?!” Herman cut off, Isaac adjusted his glasses before shooting a worried look.

“W-well, they must still be in Xen-”

“WHERE?!”

“Easy, Calhoun! Izzy, you really sent them to Xen?!”

“I-if we didn’t take care of the leader, the rifts wouldn’t stop even with the atomic bomb! I set the coordinates to spit them out as soon as the leader was taken out…but I guess…”

“No…oh god, PLEASE NO-WHA?!” he questioned as a blinding flash of green forced them to shield their eyes. A woman in a H.E.V suit arrived in front of them.

“Ms. Cross!”

“Dr. Vance, good to see that you made it!”

“Why are you here?!”

“We did it, we stopped the leader! Me, Cooper, Gordon, and Barney!” she said. But something was wrong, no one could celebrate as no one seemed to find those three.

“But…if you guys won, where’s my son…?” Herman questioned. As they questioned more, another flash of Green occurred once again somewhere else. The three were standing on a platform far away from the factory they were just in. They watched the structure crumble and caved in on itself, followed by an explosion with a force that even reached them. They quickly shield themselves before looking back at the destruction.

“YAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOO, WE FUCKING WON!”

“(Holy shit…holy shit we actually won-)”

“FUCK YEAH WE DID! EARTH ONE, ALIENS ZERROOOOOO!”

“Finally…no more fighting. Oh…my legs…” Cooper let out before flopping to the ground. Barney and Gordon quickly picked him up and back on his feet.

“DUDE, THE FOUR OF US ARE UNSTOPPABLE! Gina, seriously, thank…you…Gina?

“Wait, where’s Gina?”

“(The better question is why are we still here?!)” 

“Shit, shit SHIT, WE ARE! Fuck, we’re we too late?!”

“(Cooper, how much time do we have?)”

“Uh…5 mins. So…why are we still here?”

“That would be because of me.” a voice Gordon and Cooper were too familiar with said. A man in a suit holding a briefcase, he approached the three and gave them a pleasant yet chilling smile. Like a villain who came out to thank the hero for aiding them without them knowing.

“Nihilanth-”

“Pardon?”

“The name of the tyrant that rules here. Well, “used” to thanks to you three, especially you, Gordon.”

“Um, we ALL helped, sure…maybe Cooper and Gordon did a little more than me, but-”

“I’m aware of your actions. Let’s talk somewhere more…familiar, but first-” he paused, lifting his hand and snapping his fingers. The three found themselves outside of Xen and in the sky, they were back on earth. Cooper look down and saw what was below, it was Black Mesa. The others saw it too, why and how are they in the air like this, like they standing on a solid platform.

“LOOK!” Barney called out next. Cooper’s timer ran out, meaning it was midnight and the atomic bomb was about to drop. Barney pointed up, watching something descend from the sky as they all watched. A catastrophic explosion occurs, a sphere of white turning anything within its vicinity into cinder. Nothing could survive it, not man, not alien, not even reinforced metal, The sheer force even hit them, causing them to shield themselves again until the destruction was finished. When it was…they were in disbelief, Black Mesa was no more. Nothing, absolutely nothing of the grand facility was left. All that was left was the crater the bomb created that once was a research facility.

“(It’s…gone, all gone…)”

“Fuck…there’s no way everyone who worked there made it too…that blast went on for miles and miles…”

“So…this would be the fate of Black Mesa if this event occurred in my timeline…” Cooper muttered to himself. The suited man snapped his fingers again and they found themself in a tram car, but when they looked out the windows, there was nothing. Just an empty black space with dots of dim lights. He snapped his fingers again and like magic, they were all removed from their H.E.V suits. Their dirty, blood stained, and torn clothing came back on Cooper and Barney, meanwhile Gordon was in his clean uniform. Not only their suits , their weapons too. They were defenseless as Barney realized something. Why was he and Cooper at the back of the tram while Gordon was in the front of the man?

“Those suits and weapons were government property, there was no reason for them to stay on your person.”

“I give two shits, who even are you and don’t say human cause you’re DEFINITELY not human!” Barney aggressively questioned.

“Who I am is an answer not needed at this moment, but if a name is needed for you, let’s say…G-man for now.”

“Charming…”

“And unoriginal…” Cooper added.

“Back to what I was saying, I want to congratulate you three. Barney Calhoun, the man who broke through the boundaries of realities. Cooper V Neumann, the anomaly that traveled through time. But Gordon, Gordon Freeman, the man with many names…but I think the hero of humanity suits you better. So much that my employers wish for your service.

“Your…employers? Are you saying there’s people even above you, G-man?”

“Why yes, and let me tell you all, they were impressed with Gordon the most. His adaptability couldn’t be glossed over, a man who attuned to his situation better than a trained soldier. That alone was enough for them to seek you out.”

“One, we ALL did something-”

“(Exactly, I wouldn’t even get here without them!)”

“On the contrary, that isn’t true. Not in the slightest-”

“That doesn’t make a lick of sense!” Barney argues. He rushed up the cart and pulled on G-man’s tie and pulled him in. But before a word got out, the man put his hand on Barney’s chest and within the next second, he was shot back to the other end of the tram.

“(BARNEY!)” the thought that crossed Gordon’s mind, Cooper rushed over and helped pick him up. 

“You hear that nonsense, Coops?!”

“...he’s right.”

“Huh?!”

“It’s what you said earlier, right? Two days ago? You said that things are happening differently than what was to be expected. But you DIDN’T say what was already planned changed, correct?”

“Very impressive, Neumann. Shame my employers does not need your service-”

“AS IF YOU ARE GOING TO TAKE BOTH OF THEM!”

“Oh?”

“I worked my ass off to get everyone a happy ending and I'm keeping that. I’m getting Gordon out of here, then I'm helping Cooper get home! I don’t give a shit if I knew him for two days, he proved with his kindness alone that our friendship felt like a lifetime. As for Gordon, he’s the man I love and who I fought hard for, I'll be damned if you’re just going to come up here and just…take everything away! That’s not happening!” 

“...”

“(Barney…)”

“Barney…right, if you’re going to give it your all, then I'll do the same. Gordon is coming back with us!” Cooper backed up. But when they looked ahead, they heard sniffling. It was Gordon crying and wiping his eyes. He was touched as he saw how much value he was for them, but it didn’t matter. Each attempt they made ended in failure, they were just thrown back every time and it was getting bothersome for G-man as this was a poor performance for the both of them. Each failed attempt ended with blood being spat out of their mouths, new bruises covering their bodies, but it didn’t stop Barney. But even if Barney wanted to keep fighting, Gordon couldn’t keep watching. The tram ran cold as they watched the unthinkable, Gordon touched the man’s shoulder, tears running down his face and nodded. He nodded for the offer, to be employed in exchange of letting them go.

“Just when I was about to grow out of patience. But are you sure, Mr. Freeman? I could just put them away-”

“(YES, SO PLEASE…please stop harming them-)”

“GORDON NO! I don’t care how beaten I am, how much blood I bleed. How much pain I'm in, how much my body begs to stop, I’m not going to rest until we’re back SAFE AND SOUND!” he promised…but all Gordon did was look away. What Barney is saying…is impossible, this man isn’t someone who they could fight. It was paining him too greatly to just sit and watch his friend and his lover get thrown around like ragdolls. 

“(Just…I want to see him when I can…please?)”

“...”

“Gordon…please no!”

“When a time for your return is needed, you will. When however, that’s up to circumstances.”

“No…NO, THIS ISN’T HAPPENING! GORDON, FUCK THE DEAL, I’LL GET YOU MYSELF!”

“Then try.” G-man encourages. He snapped his fingers and the glass window in the back of the tram shattered as the space outside was creating a vacuum that was sucking them in. Cooper was first, letting out a sudden scream as he fell into the empty space before being engulfed in a flash of green. However, Barney was persistent. He planted his feet into the floor, grit his teeth and stuck his  arm out. Holding his hand out begging Gordon to take it. G-man was impressed. Barney, a simple security guard, was able to fight against the strength of the vacuum by pure will alone. He took slow steps, each one bringing him closer to Gordon. But after another step, he slipped. He was being sucked out, but he held on! No, he’s not giving up! He doesn’t care who his opponent is, aliens or unknown godly entities, no one is stopping him. He planted his feet back into the floor, stuck his hand out again as he walked towards the other side. Gordon's eyes were red, stung from the tears that couldn’t stop flowing. Barney is putting everything on the line for him, he could feel the mixture of emotions. The rage as someone is trying to separate them, the determination of never giving up, the fear of losing him that drives him forward, and the love that keeps his mind and thoughts on Gordon. He was compelled by such feelings that Gordon stuck his hand out too.

“(BARNEY)” he cried in his mind. Barney didn’t need any words said to know that Gordon wants him, wants Barney to save him. 

“Love, such a fickle yet strong emotion. The power behind it could lead to many things, strength no one knew they had…just like this. I'm impressed, Mr. Calhoun…but I think this game has gone on long enough, don’t you think?” G-man asked.

“Wha-” he couldn’t finish.

Barney felt it, his feet were lifted off the floor, felt his body being taken away as his arm was still stretched out. Bit by bit, Gordon appeared further and further. The tram car is getting further and further away. That cold smile on the man’s face kept getting further and further. Barney failed, he wasn’t strong enough. And as he fell through glittering space, he called out his name one more time as if it was going to perform  a miracle.

“GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRDDDDDDDDDDAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNN!” was screamed before his voice was silenced once he was engulfed in the same flash of green that took Cooper. He appeared in front of the others, causing them to flinch when Barney suddenly appeared out of the blinding green. Everyone felt relieved, especially his father who approached him as quickly as he could.

“Barney, you’re back!”

“...”

“Calhoun, I must say you did a splendid job! You deserve the praise from your hard work. Proud of you.” Eli praised.

“Oh goodness sake! Thank the stars you’re ok, Calhoun, but…where’s Gordon?” Isaac asked. Cooper flinched and looked away as a choking silence took hold of the air around them. The crickets didn’t cry, the wind didn’t blow, just the stillness of the night as his father waited behind him.

“Barney…? Bar-Bar…you…ok? Where’s Gordon…?” he asked. Everyone stared and held their breath. Alyx tried to rush in to get a hug, but she was caught and pulled back by her father. Barney’s name was called out one more time, he slowly turned around as everyone's face became diseased with concern. Barney’s face was pale, his eyes were hollowed out and red that was ready to cry again. He fell to his knees in defeat, holding onto a pair of glasses, his heart couldn’t give a pumping beat as images of Gordon flashes within his mind. Everything he just did. Going through hell, traveling between realities and otherworldly lands, just to have Gordon ripped from his arms. It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t fair. What did he do wrong? What could he have done better? What was the mistake? What was the error that needed to be fixed?

“Barney…” his father called, pulling his son in for a hug. Barney lost control as his arms gripped his father. He took in a deep breath, letting the tears fall again as he screamed into the night.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH! GORDON, GORDOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNN! DON’T GO, DON’T FUCKING LEAVE MEEEEEEEEEEE! COMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEE BAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKK!”

                                                                                                      TO BE CONTINUED

                                                                                                       ARC 1:  TRAPPED

                                                                                             Gordon 1: Benrey's world, Benrey's rules

                                                                                             Barney 1: Seven hour war

Chapter Text

His world froze, his eyes shrink as fear was held within. His thoughts came to a halt, his heart skipped a beat. His body felt numb, his head immediately started to ache. His hand, still stretched out as it desperately tried to catch Barney’s, but it didn't. He watched in horror, watched as Bareny was lifted from the tram’s floor and was sucked right now. Barney’s face was in disbelief, watching as Gordon appeared smaller and smaller with each passing second. The last thing he heard was Barney screaming his name as he plunged into space and was soon taken away by a light of green. The window repaired itself, the suction that pulled his friends away stopped. Gordon stood for a moment, his mind trying to process what just happened. He made up lie after lie, swearing it had to be a dream of some kind and he was going to wake up, but he didn’t. This wasn’t a dream, this was reality. Barney was gone, ripped from his arms. The man he finally admitted his feelings to, was gone. When that realization hit, Gordon fell to his knees. He squealed, coughed, letting the tears stream down his face. Snot rolling down from his nose as it mixed with the drool pooling down his face. This wasn’t fair, he did all of this, went through hell to find Barney just for them to be separated. It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t fair at all. He banged his fist on the floor, clawed at the metallic material until his nails bleed. He didn’t care about the pain, it can never compare to his broken heart.

“Mr. Freeman.” G-man called, reaching his hand for him just for it to be smacked away. Gordon stood on his feet and backed away, eyeing the man down with malicious intent. G-man saw the devastated state Gordon was in. Eyes red, fingers bleeding, skin red, this was pure anger.

“(YOU TOOK THEM AWAY, WHY?! WHAT THE FUCK YOU WANT FROM ME?!)” he asked. G-man straightened his tie before he answered.

“I told you, Mr. Freeman. I want to employ you and you graciously accepted my offer.”

“(ONLY BECAUSE YOU WERE HURTING BARNEY AND COOPER! You…you wouldn’t stop knowing he wasn’t as strong as you, you were going to kill him!)” he accused, but all G-man did was chuckled.

“Ha…”

“(What’s so fucking funny?!)”

“You claimed that I put them in danger, but you don’t realize what you have sent them to.”

“(W-what?)”

“I told you all before, what was planned for this world hasn’t changed, only the inbetween.”

“(I-I don’t get it-)”

“My originally proposal was to detain them in a place where they be safe from harm, but you wished for them to returned home, Mr. Freeman. You set them to a path of ruin and endangered their lives. Now your chances of seeing them again are close to none, you can only...as they say, cross your fingers and hope for the best.” he said. Gordon didn’t believe a word he said. Him? Endangering Barney and Cooper, impossible. He ran up to G-man, gripped his arms and shook him. G-man was unphased in the act, it was to be expected. However, his time was up. He raised his arm up, reached for Gordon’s forehead with his hand and tapped it with his finger. All of a sudden, Gordon felt sleepy and exhausted. His vision was blackening as he stumbled back until he reached a wall, he slid down until he reached the floor. His world was going dark, but the clicking of G-man’s shoe echoed loudly as he came over and stood next to Gordon.

“Sleep, Mr. Freeman. I have a feeling…that your journey isn’t over. Wherever your mind slips into, I hope you are able to overcome. Until next time, when you are need.” was his last words before everything went dark for Gordon. He felt himself falling into darkness, gently like a feather falling from the sky, a pebble dropped in water. The darkness was cold, yet warm, felt like it was accepting him, making this empty place his home. Or…or it was a belly of some beast, disgesting the unaware man as he falls deeper and deeper. Gordon slightly opened his eyes as he was hearing something. Though it was muffled, like he was submerged in water it was like something was swimming towards him. He turned to his left and saw something emerging, was it…a person? Was they going to rescue him, no. this being, this…entity was not his ally. It was a creature waiting until his meal was delivered, the creature grew in size and appeared more human-like. Though his vision was blurred, he was able to make out some things. The being, it was wearing a security guard's outfit, but why? Was it Barney, did he find him? If so…why did he feel so…malicious? So...sinister? Regardless, Gordon couldn’t do anything as the giant went under him and opened its gaping maw, rising up and then closed it’s mouth and swallowed Gordon whole. A delicious snack.

-:- 

Gordon's consciousness slowly regained. His vision is still blurred, but manages to lift himself up with his arms. His head throbbed in problem, but everything else was fine. Strange, he remembered being in pain with his fingers when they bleed from him clawing the floor. Now? They were perfectly fine, like he never injured himself. What was going on? No, the bigger question is where is he? He remember falling in some void, getting swallowed by some enormous being that looked like Barney. But now? It was brought, he could blurred images of buildings, the slight smell of salt water, even city folk walking around. He shuffled his legs and felt grass caressing them, was he outside? He searched the floor for his glasses and found them, wait a minute. His glasses fell off when Barney got sucked out, now they’re on the floor? He immediately put them on and saw he was at. He was in a city, what city however he didn’t know. As of right now, he was in some park and it was quite vast in size. Fresh trimmed greenery scattered everywhere, a large pond near one of the edges. Families enjoying picnics, owners playing with their parks. But with this peacefully atmosphere, this still felt wrong. A soft summer breeze blew as Gordon felt it hit his legs, he looked down and saw his clothes changed. He was wearing an orange pullover jacket and gray-ish shirts on, his footwear was socks with sandals. This is what he wore when he was in his dorm in Black Mesa, down to his heart pattern underwear.

“(Where…am I?)” he questioned himself. He huffed, but then drew in a deep breath. He was not going to get any answers just standing around, he took his first step in this unknown place and searched for some answers. But as soon as he left the park, two more beings entered it. One was a man who was short and on the chubbier side. His skin was brown, eyes covered with freckles were green. His hair and beard was fluffy and curly with white streaks coursing about, but his low ponytail was more of a bun due to his thicker hair. The most noticeable thing however, was his right hand that was a metallic prosthetic. His clothing was more formal-casual. His outfit consisted of formal slacks and shoes, his torso was covered by a white dress-shirt covered by a yellow sweater vest and red bowtie. The man next to him was taller and more muscular, but lean. His left eye was missing and was covered by an eyepatch, blood red spiky hair with a short low ponytail in the back. There were two spikes on the side of his head that were curved up and inward, making them seem like devil horns. His out was the complete opposite of the smaller one. It was more like some urban punk dad that never grew up, a semi-buttoned dress shirt with a black leather jacket, light blue demines with tears at the knees tied around his waist with a belt that threw the color scheme out of whack.

“Gnome, you sure he was here?”

“Unless you want me to hit you again, you better come up with a better name! Anyways, that’s where I saw that strange light fall down…maybe he wandered off?”

“God dammit, I didn’t sign up for a goose chase nor did I sign up to be brought here!”

“Oh whine, whine, whine! That’s all you do. I should expect that from Mr. Know it all who only likes to boss people around. What’s wrong, no one to wipe your ass for you?” he mocked.

“No need, I can just use another one of your ugly vests, it looks like it belongs in the toilet anyways! Who goes out and buys piss-yellow clothing?!”

“Screw you, you one-eyed dickweed!”

“What’s wrong, chubs Mckenzie? Made because your clothing taste matches the shit that goes in the toilet?!”

“Says the one who can’t even wear matching themed clothes!” he argued back. 

They went back and forth, catching the attention of the people around the park as Gordon continued to walk down the street he came too. It was so strange, it felt like a normal city. The people felt like normal people, the smells in the air smelt real too. But he knows for a fact that this had to be some type of dream world or alternate reality, or maybe some kind of private space hosted by some god? He smacked himself, even that was too far-fetched to believe. Then again, G-man felt like some godly being, but then he remembered he mentioned his employers. To think there were people above that monster. Gordon sucked his teeth, he’s going to make that man pay. It’s all his fault, he knows it is, it has to be. Maybe…maybe he was behind everything? No, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First thing first, know his surroundings. However, his stomach growled and his throat felt dry. He was hungry and thirsty. Well, if everything felt real, then the food must too then. He looked around and spotted a cafe in the distance. He walked to the end of the street until he reached a crosswalk. He stopped and waited until the light said he could go, he leaned his head down and saw how much traffic was happening. Yeah, this is definitely city traffic and Gordon didn’t miss it. Another great perk about Black Mesa was that he never really had a reason to go to the neighboring cities on the surface because everything he needed was in the facility. The light turned green and he walked across until he made it to the shop. It was an internet cafe for young adults, Gordon remembered visiting some during his college years. Small booths, young adults within them. Coffee, soft serve, typical cafe atmosphere. He walked up to the counter to pick his order.

“Hello, what will it be?” a female worker asked. Gordon scanned the menu and all they had seemed very appetizing, but he eventually made a decision. He made the motion asking for a pen and paper, the woman stuck her hand under the  counter and pulled out a notepad and pen. Gordon took it and written down his order.

“(I’ll take an iced latte, caramel with extra liquid sugar. The omelet rice special with extra sweet sauce, and two creme puffs *scribbles* three creme puffs)” he placed.

“Wow, someone likes their sugar. Ok, all together it’s…15 Benrey dollars and 32 cents.” she said. What a minute, what dollars? Benrey? Why does that name sound familiar?

“Sir?”

“(Benrey dollars?)” he asked, the woman tilted her head from his question.

“Oh, are you a foreigner? Over here, it’s Benrey dollars. What place are you from?” she asked. Gordon couldn’t answer her, something was wrong here, but he couldn’t make a scene. He reached in his pocket to pull out his wallet that had bills inside. He pulled out a 20 and looked at the face. There was a man who looked like Barney in the center, but his face and smile was…almost evil like. 

“(The hell?!)” he thought to himself. He gave the woman the 20 and he received his change, his order came to him within seconds as he took his tray of food and sat in one of the booths next to a window. He looked out the window and stared at the billboards and signs and almost yelped. Everywhere, everything almost held the same image. It had the same face, it look like Barney but it was sinister, a twisted smile that leaked malice and piercing yellowish-white eyes almost cat-like. Benrey this, Benrey that. Berney, Benrey, Benrey. The name was everywhere, even when he went to take a bite of his food, he saw that the tray had a Benrey logo on it. 

“(So…this is that Benrey guy…)” he thought to himself before taking another bite of his food. He felt watched, like he was put in some cage like a lab rat and the observer is that Benrey person. He leaned over to get a glimpse of the computer screens and he guessed, corrected, that Benrey guy. Regardless, he kept to himself, the less trouble he caused, the better. But before he took a sip of his drink, a voice came to this head.

“You need to leave!” it said, was that a warning? Gordon looked around, searching for whoever just possibly whispered in his head. But as he looked, no one was near him at the time, they were all either in booths on the other side or eyes glued to the screen. He shrugged his shoulders and went back to sipping his drink.

“STOP, YOU NEED TO LEAVE!” was said again. This time, it was much louder and clear, but the voice was familiar.

“(BARNEY?!)” he thought to himself. He frantically looked around the store, but found no one who even looks like him beside the images of this Benrey person. But when he looked into the window, he saw it. There was a faint silhouette at the edge of his booth. Like Benrey, he can make out a security guard outfit, but that’s all. It was too transparent to even see it fully. When he turned around, the being wasn’t visible, but when he came back to the mirror, it was still there. 

“Please, if you stay out for too long, you’ll become him! Hurry, find it, find them!” It is encouraging. Gordon didn’t understand, what did Barney mean by “become him”? He didn’t want to think about it as his stomach felt nauseous. Food poisoning? It didn’t taste bad, it was honestly delicious in his opinion. However, when Gordon hiccupped, he understood why he was warned. Blue and purple bubbles flew out his mouth, that couldn’t be normal. He rushed out his seat and headed to the door. But when he did, he was stopped by one of the employees.

“Hey everyone, he’s changing! Another one for Benrey!”

“Another one for Benrey!” everyone said in the store. Gordon took out his note and pen and scribbled down on it.

“I-I don’t like this, I don’t want to be what’s coming! How can I fix this?!”

“You can’t fix it, it’s a wonderful transformation. It’s all for Benrey-”

“(FUCK BENREY!)” he wrote next. The notepad was slapped out of his hands as the employee made out an unintelligible screech. The customers and other employees stopped what they were doing and did the same thing, the pitched sound pierced Gordon’s ears. He covered his ears to minimize the sound as he looked ahead, everyone leaving their spots to come towards him. As they made their approach, the other two were coming down a street that they assumed Gordon took.

“How long, old man?! The longer we’re out here, the more we’ll get exposed and going into our suits would get us chased.

“Shut it, eyepatch! It’s just a hunch, I just took the guess cause when I woke up, I went down this street and grab a bite- wait, you hear that?!”

“Fuck, it’s the screeching!” The eyepatch one said. They watched from the distance and saw Gordon bursting out the door as the noise grew louder. Gordon was being chased, the screeching following him everywhere he went. The other city patrons were aware of the commotion and started screeching themselves, joining in this grand chase to hunt down Gordon. Gordon didn’t know what he could do. He had no weapons and his sickness is growing worse, why was he being chased? He cut into a corner that led to an alleyway and hid behind a dumpster, sweat rolling as the nausea became unbearable. The large crowd was passing by him and wasn’t stopping anytime soon, he need to be quiet. However, he couldn’t. He couldn’t hold his stomach back anymore, he vomited on the floor. His stomach was in pain now, his throat burned as the taste sat on his tongue. He looked at his mess and panicked, it was blue and purple like those bubbles he hiccupped before. He jumped and fall back, his hands landing in a puddle of dirty water. He turned around to see his reflection and fell into pure horror. Half of his face was pale and one of his eyes was no longer green, it was the yellowish-white like that Benrey person.

“Found you!” a random civilian said. It caught Gordon’s attention and he was met with a even more frightening sight. Every person within the crowd held Benrey’s face. Men, women, children, pets, they were all him. The took a step in the barrow passage as Gordon backed up, taking a trash bin lid and waving it around like a weapon. He tried to appear intimidating, but it failed. Soon, he fell to his knees, holding his stomach as his body was going through pain. He just got here and he’s already doomed? No, yet as a grim situation turned around. A car was rammed into the crowd of people, a mixture of purple and blue sprayed stained the walls like thrown paint on a canvas. 

“HURRY AND GET HIM!”

“I AM!” The small one answered. He left the car to run and pick up Gordon, he dragged him to the backseats and back in his, the car pulled off and sped away. The eyepatch man continued to keep running people over until they were long out of sight.

“How is he?!”

“Not good, half of his face is changing and I see some stuff leaking out his mouth.”

“That fucking freak! The hell is his deal?!”

“Screw that, we need to get him back to the apartment!”

“I know, I know! I’m going the fast as I can!” he said. He made a sharp turn on a corner after driving for a few more minutes and came to a stop. The pair took Gordon out of the car and carried him inside, but Gordon has long fallen unconscious.

-:- 

Once upon a time, there was two boys. One who lived in a small village, the other in the cursed forest. The one from the village was the son of a baron who only let greed take his heart. The son despises him, watching the people around him suffer as they leave in luxury. Because of this unfairness, the boy would sneak into town. He would drop gold coins in random spots that common folk would transverse on. For a year straight, the town folks were able to live a stable life thanks to the unknown person who would drop gold for them every night.  However, the second boy’s life was vastly different. He was from the cursed forest that homed shape shifting demons, he and his family were the last of his kind. He was ostracized by them, the boy hated killing for food and would starve himself. This angered the father. This angered the mother, this angered the elder sister. He was weak, he was a disgrace to their kind.

“To care what pitiful humans think” from his father.

“Troubling indeed” from the mother.

“Not to mention he let another dinner escape. Mom, dad, I'm hungry!” the sister complained.

Yes, the family was also starving. The boy was known for setting their captured prey free and today, he just released another. The family had enough of the son’s foolish antics.

“Tonight, we will leave this forest and attack the nearby village. The people are poor except for the baron and his son! Our hunger will be sated! ” the father announced. The family howled in high spirits, everyone but the son. He knows he can’t stop them, he is much too weak and much too young being only a small child. When the night came, they attacked the village. It was a bloody massacre, the demon werewolves ate, and ate, and ate. The blood quenches their thirst, the flesh fills their bellies with delight. The people cry for mercy, only for them to do deaf in the demons’ ears. Everyone was happy, but the boy. But he couldn’t deny himself, the smell of blood was too great, his stomach craved it and it was breaking him. As the village was under attack. 

The baron issued a counterattack on the demons, but the order was denied. He did not have the gold needed to pay the soldiers to defend, so they all left to save themselves. The son of the baron was in despair, his act of kindness put his whole village in peril. When he asked his father what was the next course of action, the father fled to save himself. The boy was petrified, he was left alone during an attack. With nothing to defend himself with, he chased after his father. The father made it to the entrance of the manor, but was blown away. The boy stopped at the foot of the steps and hid, watching as a demon with red eyes picked up his father and opened its jagged mouth. And with one great chop, ripped the father in half. The sound of bones snapping echoed through the quiet halls as they needed more, so they went back into town to continue the feast as the boy could do nothing but cry. The next day came and the son stepped into the village and saw the devastation, he fell to his knees as he cursed the demons who attacked them. When he stood on his feet, he saw a body that was still alive. It was another boy matching his age. Spiky red hair with green eyes.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, I must have fell unconscious during the attack.”

“I see. Please, what happened to the people?”

“The demons took them to the deepest parts of the cursed forest, saving them for later.” he answered. The boy was fueled by determination and rage, he picked up a short sword and shield that was laying on the ground.

“You must be mad, you’re going to the forest?”

“I have to, those are my people and they need their lord!”

“Then let me come, those demons wronged me too! I maybe know where they might even be. But we must hurry, there will be a full moon in two days! They’ll be at their strongest if we take too long.”

“Then come, we will rescue everyone and put an end to the demons!”

Chapter Text

He fell asleep in the guest room bed, he didn’t bother changing out of his clothes or his shoes. He was defeated, hollow. Gordon, a man who felt like a part of him was removed from his life. His smile, his snickers, his goofy faces. Barney falling asleep next to him, sharing lunches, pulling pranks, and watching that starry sky. Gone, it was all gone, ripped away by someone Barney was no match for. It was only mere moments after he returned, he fell to his knees and held his father as he poured his heart out. The tears fell from his eyes, snot mixed with his drool that pooled down from his mouth. The air turned everything off to let only Barney’s heartfelt cries echo the night. His hand holding a pair of glasses that clearly belonged to the man he loved, the man he loved that won’t return back into his arms. Sadness was stricken in everyone’s heart, failure was what gripped their souls. Gordon did everything for them, all just for them to fail him. His head spiraled, his hearing gone deaf. His body didn’t move, he had to be escorted to the room. His father rested beside him until Barney fell asleep. No words were needed to know Barney didn’t want to be by himself. Once the snoring occurred, that was Herman’s cue to leave. He quietly left the guest room and returned to everyone in the living room who was awake except Alyx. Herman took a seat next to Cooper before looking at everyone. Gina and Cooper were wrapped in bandages covered in blood. Isaac, Eli, and Rosenberg had defeated looks on their faces. Even in the depressed atmosphere, Herman still managed to break the ice.

“Hey, uh…thanks for helping my son. I was worried non-stopped for him…”

“And wasn’t that the truth, I swear if I took my eyes off him, he would have been halfway there.” Eli jokes. They all shared a laugh before going quiet again.

“It wasn’t anything you should thank me for. Barney helped me just as much, I wouldn’t be here without him!” Cooper claimed.

“Still, you guys went through hell and back. So now…who are you exactly?” he asked next.

“Yeah, Bareny said you were from the future, then you corrected it to be an alternate timeline, right?” Gina followed up with.

“I guess I only gave proper introductions to Gordon and Barney. My name is Cooper V. Neuuman. And yes, I am from the future, but from an alternate timeline. In my world, Black Mesa was shut down due to the government not wanting to take the chances of the resonance cascade occurring. The scientists however, did not obey their orders and instead were conducting preparations to go with the experiments. A whistleblower gave intel out and the government sent the military to kill both the staff and the security guard.” he explained. Isaac scratched his head before realizing something.

“Goodness gracious! Cooper, are you perchance friends with a really tall blind man and a woman with a spunky personality? Thomas and Amy were their names.” he asked. Cooper’s eyes grew wide from the question.

“YOU MET THEM?!”

“Y-yes!”

“Whoa, Isaac, you traveled to the future?!”

“Tell us in complete details-” 

“We’re not in a lab, Rosenberg. Go on, Izzy.”

“Well, I didn't do much, I was in the control room and then just within a split second, I was in a ruined version of it with those two in it. They said they were looking for you because they saw you were investigating about Black Mesa. Sadly, it was quite brief as I was taken right back…” he answered.

“I should have known they would look for me, I…didn’t really think they would considering they live better lives-”

“(Hmmm?)” Herman questioned. Better lives?

“Anyways, you might have got caught up in an overlap, Isaac. It happened to us as well, you just got the easier version compared to us…those assassin ladies almost got us if it wasn’t for those vines the two threw on them.”

“Well, what else, come on!” Eli pushed, but all Cooper did was awkwardly smile and rubbed his head. 

“If I'm being honest…I rather explain tomorrow. I’m really really beat. No amount of training could have prepared me for this.”

“...you know what? He’s right. We have been up for two days, we need to get some sleep since we’re safe now. There’s only one guest room unfortunately, but the patio does have a couch and so does the basement. Spare blankets in the closet.”

“Honestly, a floor is luxury right now.” Cooper said. Eli chuckled before picking up Alyx and saying goodnight to everyone. He disappeared, leaving everyone to figure out where to sleep. They all took random spots around the home and within the next moment, fell asleep. Everyone just wants one good night of peace. No worries about aliens, or soldiers. Just the quiet stillness of this late spring night, you can never know what will happen next. With that in mind, they enjoyed their nightly rest, they all earned it. 

Dawn was just around the corner as the sun was peeking over the horizon. The sound of birds chirping in the distance, the fresh morning dew hanging on the edge of grass. A fresh new day away from the nightmare he experienced. However, it was far from a good morning. He looked to his side and still saw that Gordon was gone, all that was left was his glasses left on a nightstand beside him. Knots grew in his stomach again, he didn’t want to face the day knowing his failure. But when he closed his eyes, he saw it. That cold, sinister smile that was branded into his mind. It forced his eyes awake, he didn’t want to see that man again. G-man, a man of mystery no one could figure out. Who was he really? Who did he work for? Why did it have to be Gordon? They couldn’t find someone else? Maybe another Gord- he stopped, that was selfish of him. To throw other versions of themselves under the bus just to have his back, especially witnessing his alternate version of himself dying. He couldn’t handle this, he couldn’t handle being in bed. He got from the guest bed and headed to the door, but stopped when he caught himself in the mirror. He was dirty, bloody, but his wounds were patched up. Now that he thinks about it, he doesn’t remember taking off his equipment or shirt, but it was unbutton and his stuff was set to the side. 

“Dad…” he muttered to himself. He knows out of everyone, it had to be his dad. He sighed, even in his worst state, his dad will always be there for him. He looked at the door and saw a spare change of clothes matching his uniform with a note.

“Go take a fucking bath!” written by his father. Barney chuckles, he will be sure to give him a little smack later. He took the close, left the room and roamed around the home to find the bathroom. It was a spacious house with lots of decorative accessories. A perfect get-away home for vacations, he always wanted to take his dad to one of those, but realized that they both would get bored quickly. He eventually found the bathroom and inside wasn’t anything fancy. He locked the door, turned the shower on, removed his clothes and stepped in. The hot water hitting him felt divine. His body felt rejuvenated as he felt all the dirt, blood, and grime wash off his body. For a split second, he closed his eyes to embrace this sensation, but it was a mistake. G-man, he came to view. That menacing cold smile appearing in his mind sent him into a panic, his body ran cold as the water felt freezing. His body shook as those words echoed in his head. He slammed his fist against the tiled wall, cursing his name as it was masked under the sound of running water. He swears, he swears that he’s going to get Gordon away from that man somehow. Every second he is in G-man’s grasp makes his skin crawl, but he has to be patient. There will be a day and when that day comes, Barney told himself he will have G-man’s head in his hands. He turned the shower off, dried himself, got dressed and headed out to the living room to see everyone awake. His dad was sipping coffee with Eli. Rosenberg and Gina were discussing something. Isaac was fiddling with something, and Alyx  was on Cooper’s stuff. Odd, speaking of, he didn’t see him. 

“Dad, where’s Coops?”

“He said he’ll be right back, he took the car Isaac came with.” he answered. Barney shrugged his shoulders. He doubts he abandoned them, he would have done that long ago. With Cooper gone, he decided to bother Alyx as he was interested in his friend’s trinkets. He sat next to her on the couch and watched her play a game.

“What is that?”

“Cooper said it’s called a Switch! I’m playing one of his games…I don’t know what i’m doing, but it’s fun!”

“No way, look at this! It’s definitely better than the things I see for games. He really is from the future!”

“I think he said he has some on his laptop too, told me to tell you to check them out. He already unlocked it for you.” Isaac told him. Barney reached for the laptop and opened it up, its screen flashed to the homepage and Barney was shown a whole library of games he had never heard of before. He picked a random one and he was blown away by the detailed cinematics and graphics of said game. From the crisp audio, to the details in the characters appearance, he was awestruck as he couldn’t take his eyes off the device.

“Is it ok for us to touch this?”

“It’s fine, he’s from an alternate future. Meaning it doesn’t matter what he touches here cause it doesn’t affect him whatsoever.” Eli explained. That was a good enough reason for Barney to continue. But he didn’t as he heard a car pull up in the driveway. Alyx ran over to open the door, a great shadow was casted over her as a stack of pizza boxes were in her view. Cooper closed the door with his foot and dropped the boxes on the coffee table placed in the center. Everyone’s attention turned to the stock pile of food and drinks, jaws dropped from the mere number of boxes.

“Holy hell, kid, did you order the sumo special?! I mean, I'm not complaining, I'm starving here!” Herman said.

“How many people could this feed?!”

“I dunno. I just thought that it’d be cool to dramatically reveal a load of pizza.” Cooper answered. Everyone shook their heads from the unappealing answer before flipping the boxes open and began eating.

“Seriously, Eli. Thanks for letting us be here.”

“It will be easier for me to relax being around people I can trust.”

“Speaking of people…why is Rosenberg here?” he asked.

“Well he-”

“PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASEEEEEEEEE LET ME COME ELI! MY HOME WON’T BE SAFE, PLEASE DON’T MAKE ME GO BACK THERE! ELI, ELLLLLIIIIIII-”

“Was persuasive…”

“Right…” Barney replied, hearing the snickering from Alyx and Gina knowing that wasn’t the truth. Rosenberg cleared his throat before turning around in shame. Now with food in their bellies, everyone’s clean and got some sleep, they could discuss the serious topics at hand.

“Guess I'll start since I'm the host. Right now, I doubt the government believes everyone died at Black Mesa. They will launch an investigation soon and eventually notice us.” he started with.

“Next is trying to find a way to get Cooper home, he shouldn’t be here.” Isaac added.

“And last…” Barney paused before taking a deep breath. “Gordon.”

“Bar-Bar, we don’t know what happened yet. You were in there the longest, what happened? Why wasn't Gordon with you?” his father asked.

“...G-man.” he answered. Everyone tilted their heads in confusion, they never heard of anyone referring to themselves as that. However, Eli flinched ever so slightly and Cooper caught it. He kept it to himself, but maybe he knows something the others don't or maybe it was really his imagination.

“G-man?”

“That’s what he called himself. After we took out the leader, ninth-whatever the hell it name was, he just appeared out of nowhere. Then he took us out of Xen and we were in the air. We watched the bomb drop on Black Mesa before being brought to a tram car. It was…just in the middle of some space, there were lights or stars or whatever. He took everything from us, our suits and weapons!”

“That’s probably why Gina still had her suit, she wasn’t taken by this…G-man.” Rosenberg commented.

“He said he knew all of us. Knew about me going to an alternate world, Cooper being a time traveler. But he referred to Gordon as “the savior of humanity” or whatever. He said he was being employed and I tried to save him, just take him back…but I couldn't. I fell out right after Coops.”

“Was there anything else?”

“He said no matter what, Gordon always manages to get to Xen and ends up defeating the leader. And…”

“And…?”

“It was quiet and probably because of my screaming or maybe it was implanted in my head, but it sounded so clear. I think he said…”You put them in danger” and I'm pretty sure he was talking to Gordon..”

“In…danger of what?” Eli questioned, but Barney didn’t know. But in the midst of their confusion, Alyx noticed the trees swaying violently by the wind. Soon, a shadow was casted over the entire house but quickly disappeared.

“Daddy, why is there a ship in the sky?” Alyx asked. Everyone raised their brow as Eli left his seat to look out the window, but he didn’t see anything.

“Cooper, I think your future games took hold of her.”

“I…didn’t think she’ll be that influenced by them.”

“It's fine, back to what we were saying.”

“Yeah, my questions, it was about the time stuff in Black Mesa.  You guys said that the alternate universes are parallel to us, right? So why, when we went to the other universe, that Black Mesa was behind?” Barney asked.

“Right, Gordon said the same when he met Tommy, he said he already made it to the other side of the facility before being sucked and brought here.” Cooper added. Isaac rubbed his hands together as he knew the answer.

“Simple elementary, my dear Calhoun!”

“Never say that again.”

“O-ow…anyways. The answer is-”

“Time dilation.” Cooper answered. Isaac puffed his cheeks as he went back to tinkering with a small device in his hand.

“Now that just sounds plain made up.”

“Well if you asked me before this mess, I would agree to an extent. But now…it’s very much real. It's when time within a space flows differently, it could imply in a lot of places, Remember what the other…you said?” Cooper asked. Barney thought back and he did remember him saying it felt like he was in a dream when they first met and didn’t believe anything happening in front of him.

“Yeah, I do.”

“Timelines are shadows of each other. However, it doesn’t not mean the next events will be happening at the same time, the same concept could be implied. We can be having the same conversation, but another timeline could be having it earlier or much later than us.” Eli added on. Both Barney and his dad rubbed their heads violently.

“Um…simple terms, please?” Herman asked.

“Not every place will have the same time flow.” Cooper simplified. The Calhouns nodded their heads, they now have a grasp at the subject.

“So for a fact, we know that the events happened between the 15th-16th. Just at different times, got. Well, that answers my questions. Next one…what do we do now?”

“Relax. This place is off-the-charts and private, it’ll be a bit before they can investigate this place. We don’t need to worry about the portals opening up anymore…I hope.” Eli said. Though an engaging conversation was going on, Alyx was still staring out the window, another great shadow just glided across the ground outside.

-:- 

                                                                                               Hour 1 & 2

It was still the fresh morning for everyone as they did what Eli suggested and took this time to relax themselves. Barney was in the guest room again, he inspected himself in the mirror to double check his appearance. Skin healthy other than his scar underneath his eye, hair combed, clean clothes, but most importantly is that he is alive. He drew in a deep breath and lightly slapped himself, showing a determined face in the mirror. No more sulking, whatever comes his way from now on, he’ll fight back. He has to fight for everyone’s sake and Gordon’s. But for now, he took this time to look around the house some more. He started with the back since it caught his eye when he woke up. There was a patio attached to an observation deck high off the ground with a staircase going downward attached to the left, the hill is attached to a small cliffside and supported by sturdy wooden beams. There was no sign of rot or even damage, meaning Eli took care of this place on multiple occasions. He walked over to the wooden fence on the deck and stared off to the distance. There was a clear beaten path leading down the cliffside to a vast lake as blue as the sky above. It was closed off to the world by a sea of trees, as if the world wasn’t allowed to admire the beauty this uncharted forest hid within it. He looked down the fence and saw his dad, Alyx and Cooper beginning to walk on the path. His dad and Alyx held fishing equipment while Cooper carried his stuff in his backpack.

“Where you guys going?”

“Eli said there’s some fish in the lake, so I wanna catch some fish so I can make Alyx some good dinner-”

“You can’t cook?!”

“Sssssssssh, don’t believe his lies, Alyx! Barney is jealous because he’s a terrible cook!”

“I know, he and Gordon burnt my dino-nuggets in his dorm before!”

“H-HEY, THAT WAS OUR SECRET!” Barney reminded her, but all that was given back was loud giggling as Barney pouted his face. 

“You wanna join us?”

“Let me bother the rest before heading down, see you guys in a bit!” he told him. As the others nodded their heads, Barney stopped as a great shadow glided across the deck. But when he looked up, he didn’t see anything.

“(...Maybe an eagle or something.)” he told himself. He entered back in the home and went to the basement. There he found Gina, Rosenberg, and Isaac examining the only H.E.V suit they had. It was propped up on a table and beside it was a red toolbox filled with equipment not meant to be used on the suit. Another thing that caught his eye was a strange small device next to Isaac, it was probably what he was fiddling with earlier. Before he bothered them, he looked around the basement. It was roughly the same size as the living room upstairs. However, it was filled with junk and boxes with storage written across them. There was a lone couch with a blanket tossed over it, he assumed one of them slept on it last night. Now he was feeling bad, was he the only one besides Eli and Alyx who got a bed? As he shied his face, he noticed something on the floor. A hatch, but it was clearly locked.

“(Maybe Eli got skeletons in his closet.)” he joked. He went over to the three scientists to see how everything was doing.

“How is it?”

“As the young kids would say, totally boned.” Rosenberg answered.

“Never say that again…”

“Kill joy.”

“The suit has taken significant amounts of damage and these aren’t tools to even repair them, I'm afraid we may not be able to save this suit.” Isaac explained.

“That suit saved my life-”

“All our lives, I would be flatten as a pancake if it wasn’t for mine.” Barney added.

“You had one on, Calhoun?”

“He did. There were many H.E.V suits in Xen, they picked one up and put it on, him and Cooper. And if it wasn’t for those suits, we would have easily died.”

“Wait, speaking of Xen. Doc, Isaac, we found those artifacts in Xen!” he told them. The older men tilted their heads.

“You did?!”

“Yes, but the thing is, it was in the real deep parts. But as far as we know, only the four of us got to the deepest part of Xen. How did one of those things get brought here?” he asked.

“...I'm sorry, Calhoun. But I don’t have an answer…”

“Me either. If you want my honest answer, I wasn’t really that involved with the project, Eli was on it longer than I was, ask him.” Isaac told him before continuing to examine the suit. Barney headed upstairs to the kitchen where Eli was at the kitchen table still sipping his luke-warm coffee. Barney took a seat next to him and found the smell of coffee pleasant.

“Anymore?”

“Yeah, let me get you some.” Eli offered. He left his seat and returned with a mug of black coffee.

“Thanks.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Honestly, still kinda defeated.”

“Yeah, I would be too. I can’t even fathom what you went through, Calhoun.”

“Hey, we got out, that’s all that matters. I’ll find Gordon…I just have to play the patient game again. Anyways Eli, I wanted to ask…how did that thing get to Black Mesa?” he asked. Eli paused for a moment, but quickly got his composure back, Barney didn’t seem to notice it. 

“Your answer is as good as mine. All I know is that it came out of nowhere, I tried to warn them but…they got tired of us and removed me and Izzy from the testing area.”

“Damn…”

“But hey, worry about that later. Let’s relax for now, god knows we earned it, especially you. The others are at the lake, why won’t you get to them?”

“Yeah, I should. Thanks for the coffee.” he said. He went to the guest room to grab his shoes and left out the back to reach the beaten path to the lake. As he walked down, he admired the view, it felt like he was one with nature. He was within Black Mesa for so long it felt like he forgot what the world held. Being so used to metallic walls and machinery at work, now they were replaced with greenery and musical chirping of nearby birds. But even with all this, Gordon being missing, it still ached his heart, he knows he would have loved to see this. He eventually reached the lake and saw Alyx and her dad holding their rods in their hands as Cooper sat down near a shaded tree playing his games.

“Uncle Barney, look! See, I caught a fish!”

“Nice job, Alyx! (You put your fish in her bucket, didn’t you?)” he whispered to his dad.

“(She wasn’t having any good luck, didn’t want to ruin her day.)” he answered.

“Here, let me show you my skills. They called me the “master of fishing” when I was younger-”

“Yeah, fishing up lies!” his father corrected. 

“Keep it up and you’re my next bait!”

“Lips are sealed!”

“Ok…one…two…THREE!” he shouted, throwing the rod and watching the line be casted into the water. Within seconds, he caught something. He reeled it in with such strength and just like that, he held up the fish in his hands. Alyx was impressed as his dad huffed out of jealousy, but just before he put it in Alyx’s bucket, the fish fought back. It slipped from Barney’s hands, smacked his face with its tail fin before flopping back into the water to swim away.

“Master of fishing, huh?”

“And the burnt nuggets-”

“OK, I’ LEAVING NOW!” He shouted, stomping his way to Cooper as the other two laughed at him before resuming fishing.

“Fish troubles?” he mocked.

“Now don’t you start too!” he warned. A sly snicker escaped Cooper’s mouth as Barney took a seat next to him. He leaned over to his screen and watched with awe with the games Cooper was playing. A smile formed on his fish-slapped face as his eyes were yet again glued to the screen. Cooper noticed and dug in his backpack, he pulled out a double jack to insert in his switch and gave Barney an extra pair of headphones so he could listen. He took the offer and put them in his ears and was taken away by the music playing. It felt so surreal, playing and experiencing stuff from the future, even if it’s not the same universe. Cooper could feel the excitement from him and handed him his device so he could play it. It felt godly in Barney’s hands, like he was holding an instrument of destruction. It didn’t take long before he got a game over for not knowing how to play properly. Cooper then switched the game to something more co-op and gave Barney the other controller to join him. It was some mystery game that involved puzzle solving with split point-of-views. Barney wasn’t the greatest when it came to puzzles, but he manages to give details on his side as Cooper did the same on his. It was a fun little game they played for a bit before the battery got low and they had to stop.

“Dude, that was actually so fun! What about your laptop? Any shows we could watch next?!”

“What about…this one?”

“WHHHHATTTTT?! It’s the entire series?! Me and my dad are still waiting for season 2 to come out in the winter, you have all six?! Oh, he’s going to be so stoked when he hears this!”

“Let’s save it to watch tonight then with everyone. I saw a projector in Eli’s basement, I can easily hook up my stuff to it and we can all watch it!”

“Sounds like a plan! Man, to be friends with a guy from the future, it’s like I'm in…some made up story or something!” Barney expressed. Cooper only awkwardly smiled before they both fell into silence. Barney took a look at Cooper’s injuries. He was bandaged just as much as he was, around his arms, mid-section, and his head. The noticeable thing was the burn marks emerging from his right shoulder reaching up to the edge of his neck. The little sprouting lines reminded him of tree branches etching out, the burns are probably on the right-side of his back, maybe on the lower parts of his shoulder blades. He remembers reading that those burns are specifically caused by intense electrical voltage and Cooper did take a direct attack from the monster’s beam compared to the rest of them. But it was ok, they weren’t fighting anymore, they were safe. 

“Hey um…I never asked how your life back home was, not your job since I know that one, Supersoldier.”

“I’m- ok, I'll let that one slide. Well…not easy. My parents weren’t great, actually abusive and neglectful. When I got accepted into my university at 17, I took the offer and left my home. I thought…maybe if I go to another place and live another life, I would be loved by people and actually get that warmth that I was missing…but…”

“O-oh…”

“Oh it’s…was just rough haha, but I toughed it out. But there was one thing I did learned…”

“What?”

“When you do better than others at something, they will become jealous. That’s a cold hard fact, a pill that’s hard to swallow. But…it’s ok, I met some good people down the road.” he paused, pulling out his phone and opening the gallery. Barney leaned in and saw Cooper among three others.

“The tall one is Thomas. He is the nicest out of everyone, his kindness is so sweet it will literally rot your teeth. The older one is Joseph, we call him Jojo. He is such a major dork and hates it when we call him the dad of the group because he’s old. And there’s Amy, she is like the spunky older sister kind of person. She’s such a wild card, you never know what she'll say next. My only three friends I have and now I’m scared because Isaac said they’re aware of me missing…”

“Hey, if they are as any good as you, then they’ll find some way to get you back. But until then, you can stay with your new friends! Ha…sorry, it’s just…out of our group besides Gina, we’re the only fighters here. I just want no hang-ups between us, I just want you to know you could rely on me because I'm sure as hell is going to be counting on you.” Barney said before raising his hand and balled it to a fist.

“Barney…”

“I may not know everything about you and I can’t force it out, but I know you’re a good person. For now on, we’re in this together. We’ll fight for each other, protect everyone, find Gordon, then get you home. That’s a promise!”

“Haha, yeah, it’s a promise!” he agreed, bumping his fist against Barney’s. But as soon as their hands pulled away, another great shadow glided across the ground in front of them.

“Another one…”

“You've been seeing them too, Coops?”

“Yeah, since I woke up. I was thinking it was just an eagle or something…but I don’t know. Huh?” he paused again as another shadow glided across. Cooper put his things in his backpack and stood up, they left the tree to look up to the sky, still nothing. However, the winds picked up violently. No, this wasn’t natural winds, it was as if something was passing by real fast. Alyx and Herman noticed it too as they looked up to the sky just for them to see nothing. As they scan the sky, Eli stepped out to the deck to see what was in the sky himself. He saw everyone by the lake looking confused, holding his mug of coffee and taking in another small sip. But just as it reached his mouth, his heart froze in place. Something large was within the sky breaching the horizon. A sky ship? No, it was like an entire empire disguised as a ship. He dropped his mug, shattering as the sound was masked by the violent winds.

“EVERYONE, GET BACK TO THE HOUSE, NOW!” He screamed. No one questioned him, the two rushed over to the others. Cooper picked up Alyx as Barney pushed his dad back to the beaten path and to the house with haste. They rushed them back up the stairs as the others from the basement rushed upstairs. They all stood on the deck and saw what made Eli scream, an enormous ship followed by smaller unidentifiable aircrafts flying beside it. The ship blocked out the sun, causing the landscape to be engulfed in shadow. No one could say a word, they were frozen, they escaped one nightmare just to be brought to another. The end of the world starts now.

-:- 

                                                                                               Hour 3 & 4

The world held its breath, aircrafts of unknown origin invaded the land, cities, and rural areas. Everyone was in a state of panic. What did they want? What do they need? No one knew, but one thing was for certain. They wanted destruction, one of the ships unleashed rockets that were aimed at tall buildings and caused massive explosions. Flames engulfed towers and business burning debris fell to the grounds below crushing anyone caught underneath. Screams and cries now were in the air, people knocking each other down for their own survival. Parents escaping with their children, or abandoning them to continue their own fleeting life. And amongst the chaos, some of the ships landed and armed people came out and wreaked havoc onto the people around them. No one was spared, they were captured and thrown into carrier aircrafts that served as cages, or killed without mercy. This happened to everyone, one by one, people’s fate were in the air as both options weren’t ideal. Of course, the U.S military and other nations rose up and challenged the unknown hostiles. But in the end, they were powerless. They didn’t have the firepower the assailants had, they were fighting a losing battle. Eli turned on the TV and they all watched the devastation live as every channel was broadcasting the event until it was cut.

“DADDY!” Alyx screamed. Cooper and Barney went to the window and they saw people marching on the road to the home.

“FUCK!”

“Eli, are there any weapons here?!”

“T-there’s um, a shotgun in the basement!”

“Barney, everyone, barricade those windows!” he ordered. Cooper ran down to the basement as everyone else started moving stuff to block the window and doors. He rushed down the stairs and found the gun with ease, but before he grabbed it. He took off his backpack and hid it behind some boxes in the darkest corner of the place before returning upstairs.

“Barney, here!” 

“W-what are you going to use?!” he asked. Cooper dug in the drawers and pulled out a large kitchen knife.”

“Supersoldiers make do! Listen up, we’re going to be completely surrounded and from what we saw, they don’t take kindly to people fighting back! So unless there’s an hidden escape route somewhere, i’ll stay behind and-”

“NO, NO ONE IS GETTING LEFT BEHIND! I’m…tried of losing people! We stick together! Eli, there has to be something here!”

“There is, there’s a hatch in the basement. It has a hallway that leads to far from here when i station a vehicle-”

“What are you, an escape artist?!”

“No! This place used to be some old base that had trenches and whatever, it was just built on top of it. Anyways, we can use that!”

“B-but we’ll get chased down if we all go in it!” Rosenberg argued.

“Then…Gina, here! Take the gun and watch them!”

“What about you two?!”

“I got Goldeneye here, we’ll figure something out! No arguing, just go!”

“Barney, be careful!” his dad told him. They all went into the basement as Cooper and Barney were the only ones left. Barney asked Cooper if he had any ideas and he nodded. He rushed to the bathrooms and then under the kitchen sink to gather any chemicals he could find. Then he dug in the trash for any empty bottles and began to work. The armed forces stopped and stood in front of the home, guns ready and aimed as someone stepped to the front of the group.

“WE WILL ONLY SAY THIS ONCE! SURRENDER NOW AND WILL NOT EXECUTE ANY OF YOU, GORDON FREEMAN!” the man shouted clearly. Gordon? They wanted Gordon of all people, why? Regardless, he isn’t here meaning their chances of survival are even lower. No answers were given, a command to fire was issued as a bullet storm was unleashed on the household. During the assault, something jumped out the window and caught all the men's attention. It was Cooper and he was using Gina’s H.E.V. suit as a shield against the bullets. Well distracted, Barney entered their blind spot and unscrewed the caps of the bottles. He threw them at the men and it created a dense smokescreen, it blocked everyone’s vision, but the men were prepared. They turned on some light that helped clear what was in front of them, perfect. That was exactly what Cooper wanted as he dropped the suit. Wrapped a cloth around the lower parts of his face, and rushed in with the knife and attacked the men inside. One by one, he rushed in, wedging the knife in their throats as they fell. Gunshots were heard, but it was a panic fire as the men didn’t have an answer for the retaliation. Soon, the gunfire stopped and the smoke cleared as all the men's fresh corpses laid on the ground.

“Holy hell, Coops!”

“I was right, I know they would have something for the smoke. Ok, ground their weapons, ammo, and any armor padding, we’re going to need it!” he told Barney. They stocked up as much as they can carry before rushing to the basement and to the hatch. They ran down the old hallway until they came out far from the home where the others were waiting for them. It was a black jeep already started up and ready to roll. Cooper and Barney moved a large boulder onto the hatch to block it before hopping inside the car and driving away.

“You guys are ok!”

“Told you nothing was going to stop them. Rosenberg was trying to tell us to drive-”

“YOU SAW WHAT THE SOLDIERS ARE CAPABLE OF!”

“And now we know they’re no match for these two!” Eli cut off.

“Ok, what’s the plan now?!”

“Survive, I…don’t have any other escape area in mind…” Eli answered. Cooper handed Gina another gun as she was the only other fighter. But after handing her one, Herman held his hand out.

“I was in war, I know how to use these things.”

“Dad-”

“NO TIME FOR THAT BARNEY, LOOK!” He nodded to the window as Eli pulled into a road with an open field, the aircrafts from before were now chasing them and were gaining up. Herman rolled down his window and began open-fire as two ships were now beside them.

“Herman, keep firing. Gina, back him up! Barney, climb to the roof of the car with me!” he ordered. Barney didn’t question as he did what he was told. Now, they were both on the roof of the car as the two aircrafts were in sight. Barney couldn’t believe what he was seeing, he couldn’t even describe it in words. All that he knew that it was advanced, far more advanced than Black Mesa.

“WHAT NOW?!”

“JUMP ON THEM!” Cooper screamed.

“WHAT?!” he questioned, but got no answer as Cooper jumped and now was on the aircraft. It took him to the sky as Barney watched him float away.

“OH, FUCK IT!” he screamed. He did the same action and jumped on the other aircraft as it lifted him up to air. Barney held on for dear life not knowing what to do to even damage it. He felt the wind blowing against him as the cold air stung his face, he looked down and saw his dad and Gina doing a good job of keeping the other aircrafts at bay. However, their ammo is limited, it won’t last long.

“(OH FUCK, OH FUCK, OH FUCK, OH FUCK!)” he screamed over and over in his head. He was scared out of his mind. Sure, he may have defeated the overlord in Xen, but he had help. Wait, that’s right, help! He looked over to Cooper and saw that he was already done with his ship. The thing was in flames as it fell to the ground, he let himself be blown back by the wind until he reached another craft and assaulted it, he saw him shoot a spot on the ship that opened up a compartment that he could fit through. Barney did the same thing, shooting that same spot and watched a small door open up. However, it was too small for his size. So instead, he reached his hand inside and pulled on a wire. Though it didn’t rip from its circuits, the force alone forced the cockpit to open up. Barney took this chance to climb inside and assault the pilot, throwing him out the ship as he took the control seat. The controls were odd, he couldn’t understand how to work them at all. 

“Oh god, oh shit. Um…please work!” he begged. He pushed buttons and got an understanding of how the ship worked.

“YES! FUCK YEAH, I’M IN CONTROL!” he shouted. He looked over and saw Cooper done with another aircraft, Barney turned it around and headed right towards it.

“COOPS!” he shouted into some intercom. The man turned around and saw that Barney took control of that ship. He jumped off and let the wind blow him towards it, Barney caught him out the air as Cooper was now on top. 

“You took control of it!”

“Wasn’t easy though, but we will celebrate later! We got trouble ahead, ready?”

“With you, of course!” he answered. They both looked ahead as three more aircrafts were coming towards them. The fight for their life continues, but this time, failure isn’t an option.

Chapter Text

The battle for survival still rages on, Barney’s group against the unknown invaders chasing them relentlessly. Barney looked down from his cockpit and saw the group was still getting chased by one more aircraft. Not good, he and Cooper need to finish this fast so they could get back to the others. He counted the ships in front of him. Two small ones the same design as the one he’s in, and a bigger one in the center, three total. But if you look at it in a sense of reality, it was many against two. This wasn’t like back at the private home, this is an air battle. They have nothing prepared for this sort of thing, could anyone really? Cooper may have had experience with them, but not Barney. Even still, he’s determined to not lose, he’s not losing more people. 

“Coops, what’s the plan?!”

“Get me to the big one, a ship like that could be useful if I can get my hands on it. You take care of the small ones?” he asked. It was odd, Cooper usually takes on more numbers compared to him and Gordon, but it was fine.

“Got it, won’t let you down!”

“I know you won’t!” he replied. Barney thrusted the aircraft forward before the enemies could fire back at him. With great speed, Barney made a sharp turn away from the group of enemies, but was close enough for where Cooper could jump on the larger one as the smaller aircrafts chased Barney. He took a deep breath, he’s in a spaceship with no real understanding of the controls, but he can’t think about that now. One of the aircrafts unleashed some missiles that locked onto Barney’s ship, he cursed under his breath as he pulled the ship skyward. He dodged the missile, but it didn’t stop as it just followed him up. To make matters worse, the other ship fired one of their own. It was smaller and probably does less damage, but it was much faster. The smaller ones hit Barney, throwing the aircraft out of control. The cockpit flashed red as Barney panicked and started pressing random buttons and switches in hope it stopped. With fortune on his side, the aircraft regained control as Barney flew back up to avoid crashing. As Barney continued to battle in the ship, Cooper was crawling on the main ship. He was still trying to figure out how to get inside and he was running out of time. The group below were in their own struggle as the ship bashed against the car, Eli shouting at Gina to do something about it as she was already running out of ammo. At that moment, Herman bit his lip.

“Fuck it!” Herman said, unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the car door. At that moment, Herman shocked everyone by doing the unexpected. He put his gun in his mouth, then used his arms to launch himself outward. He reached out and grabbed hold of the ship.

“HERMAN, ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE?!” Eli shouted.

“YES, WHERE DO YOU THINK BARNEY GOT IT FROM?!” he answered as the ship lifted into the air.

“(Fuck, FUCK! This has to be the stupidest thing to do, Herman!)” he told himself, but it was too late to go back. He observed his son and Cooper from below when they hopped on the ships moments ago, catching a glimpse of what they did when they were in the air. He crawled up, stopped and pulled out his handgun to shoot a panel. A compartment opened up, but like Barney, it’s too small. So, he stuck his hands inside and began pulling wires. But something else happened, instead of the cockpit opening up, Herman was controlling the movement of the aircraft. He doesn’t even know what he’s doing, but he isn’t going to look a gifted horse in the mouth. He pulled the wires as the craft took a shar left and headed towards Barney. Barney looked over and he saw his dad on the roof of the ship flying towards him, Herman pulled a wire back and a missile was shot at the enemy. It was a direct hit as the ship was engulfed in flames, plummeting to the ground below and causing an explosion on the road.

“DAD, HOW ARE YOU EVEN DOING THAT?!”

“I DON’T KNOW, BUT IT’S WORKING!”

“YOU SHOULDN’T BE-”

“OH DON’T GIVE ME THAT! WE STILL GOT TROUBLE, COME ON!” He said. But during the middle of talking, the bigger ship shot their own rocket at them. It was bigger and even faster than the smaller one. 

“LOOK OUT!” Cooper warned, but it wasn’t fast enough. The missile hit Herman’s ship, the force of the explosions propelling him off as he began falling in the air.

“NO!” Barney screamed. But as he tried to catch his dad, he was forced off when the bigger ship started attacking. Cooper rushed to find anything that could grant him access inside, then it hit him. He didn’t see any missiles on any of the aircrafts, meaning there’s a hatch that opens up. He made an assumption and crawled to the bottom of the ship, he held in place as he watched a hatch open up to fire at Barney again. He climbed inside as it was closing and rushed topside, killing the men inside by surprise and took the ship off the path. Barney saw he had a chance, he flung the ship downward and made it by the skin of his teeth. He caught his dad in time.

“Ohhhhhh for a second there, I thought I was going to be a pancake…” he awkwardly let out. The cockpit opened up as Herman climbed in and sat behind his son.

“Jokes later, dad. We gotta get Coops!” he told him. Barney went skyward again as Cooper was going for his exit. The ship was much too complicated to figure out and it would be a waste of time messing with the controls.  But just before he got out someone pulled him back inside and closed the door.

“COOPS?!” they called. Cooper got back on his feet, pulling out the kitchen knife as he looked at his foe before him. He looked no different from the other invaders, but something was off. He felt…stronger, better, like he was some elite. The man threw away his gun and drew his knife, he wanted to see what Cooper was made of. Barney and Herman followed the ship until they saw the door was kicked out and out came Cooper and one of the invaders. They fell from the sky, their blades both clashing in mid-air. Each clashing drew their blades closer and closer, this wasn’t an ordinary man. The man took another swing, just for it to be swiftly parried by Cooper. It took the blade out of his hand as Cooper caught it before it was unreachable. He wanted to kill the man before him, but playtime was over, the man got his taste.

“Until next time…” he told him before pressing a button on his uniform. A parachute came out and brought the man away from Cooper as Barney came underneath to catch him.

“What’s his problem?”

“I…don’t know, but I have a feeling he’s going to come back.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I didn’t feel him at all, his presence was…invisible, like mine. He was not an ordinary soldier, he could have killed me, but he didn’t. I know that feeling, he wants me to return so he can fight me again.” he explained. Barney and Herman didn’t understand any of it, maybe it was an elite thing. Regardless, they caught up with the others as they were out of the grasslands and back in the canyons. They were on a road next to a steep cliff with a great drop below.

“ELI!” Rosenberg called. He looked ahead and saw a roadblock up ahead, it would be impossible for them to break through, even with the ship. He thought about going back, but when he looked through the mirror, he saw more aircrafts behind them. They were pinched, completely surrounded. But just when it seemed hopeless, Isaac's device buzzed.

“ELI, DRIVE OF THE CLIFF!”

“ARE YOU-”

“DO IT!” 

“FUCK O-OK!” he answered. Eli did what he was told and drove off the road, the vehicle hovered in the air before diving straight into the canyon. Barney followed them in an attempt to save them, but the unexpected happened. Green electrical currents erupted within the air and a portal opened up. It swallowed up everyone before closing the path, forcing the invaders to retreat and search for them.

-:- 

The portal opened up and the group was spit out, both the car and aircraft crashed to the ground. The aircraft slid across the ground, creating a trench before coming to a halt. The car tosses and tumble, flying into the air before landing and gliding across the ground itself next to the aircraft. Cooper was thrown off the aircraft upon impact, launching him into some tall grass-like vegetation. He let out a cry of pain as he looked at his shoulder, it was dislocated. Thankfully, that was all that was to it. Barney opened the cockpit to let himself out, carrying his father on his back. He carefully placed him against the crashed aircraft as he fell to the ground, he vomited after feeling the climax of that sky battle. He felt light again, his body was shaking, they just barely made it out of that situation. 

“Hey, you ok?”

“Y-yeah, I just…fuck, never in my life I thought I be doing this. Alien invasion, time-space travel, now watching the world completely go up in flames. Just…too much at once.” Barney told his dad.

“You were pretty badass going on that ship though-”

“No better than you, you pilot a ship without even being in the cockpit!” Barney praised. 

“Ha, if it’s one thing the Calhouns are good at, it’s-”

“Improvising?” he cut off.

“You could have let me finish…” he pouted, puffing his cheeks as Barney let out a small chuckle. He soon left his father and went to the car with everyone in it, he first pulled out Isaac who was holding Alyx. He must have been shielding her when they crashed. Next he helped Gina and then Eli, Rosenberg seemed to already climbed out.

“A little help?” Cooper asked, he showed Barney his arm and mentioned that it’s dislocated. He came over and on the count of three, they popped it back in. A grunt of pain escaped his mouth, nothing more. Fortunately for all of them, that was the only grave injury the group suffered. But after he reached inside to get his dad’s wheelchair, Barney and the rest looked around. His eyes widened as his jaw dropped, he was back in Xen, well…what’s left of it. The lustrous and vibrant landscape covered by beautiful mash colored space-like sky was now a wasteland. Barely any vegetation left besides this place they are residing in, there were fewer floating landscapes as metallic pieces of machinery float endlessly in the air.

“Fresh streams and beans!”

“(Fresh stream and beans?)” everyone thought after hearing it.

“Barney…is this-”

“Yeah, this is Xen…or what’s left of it. I didn’t think the portal would take us here though…”

“Did you know, Izzy?”

“No Eli, I didn’t. I just knew one was coming and it was our only real means of escaping…” he answered.

“At that point, it would be impossible for us to fight with such limited weaponry and ammo. I wasted all the shells already battling the aircraft…” Gina added on. Barney went over to help his dad up and brought him to the others. This was the remains of Xen, this was the results of their last battle here. But even in its worst state, the place still held some beauty that the others took the time to enjoy. Alyx’s eyes lit up, experiencing something like this at such a young age will be a memory she wouldn’t forget. But even with beauty, there was now a problem. How were they going to get out of Xen if they didn't have a device to get them out. Isaac took out his trinket, but it suffered some damage. Barney sucked in his teeth, he knows how dangerous this place is and he’s sure that some of the wildlife is still alive. The last thing he needs is them popping up and attacking them with limited resources. An idea came to his head, but he needs a better view of this place as it seems oddly familiar to him. He excused himself as he climbed one of the tall plants that shot up skyward. Once at the top, he looked around and he was right. He slid right down and rejoined with the others.

“Rosenberg, this is the place you sent me to fix that relay beacon or whatever. If we get Izzy over there, you think we could do something with the device?”

“I-I…maybe, but isn’t his device only able to detect them, not create them?”

“Yeah, but you’re forgetting that it has some of those artifacts laying around, well…really tiny ones.”

“I-I think the tiny ones will do, we can scrap the relay beacon for parts. It’ll take some time…but we can probably make due. Calhoun, since you know these parts, I leave it to you to lead us!” Issac said. Barney nodded as he took the lead, but was stopped.

“What is it, Rosenberg?”

“I-Is it even ok for us to be…this exposed to the environment?!” he asked. That's right, Barney had the same cautious fear. But when he looked at himself, he wasn’t feeling weird after climbing the tree or even breathing in the air for this long. But that doesn’t mean they’re entirely safe, it just meant that they’re not in any immediate danger. As they began to traverse the remains of this world, Barney couldn’t help but to think Gordon might be here somewhere. He knows it’s a childish and impossible thought. But maybe, just maybe, he could have escaped and he’s trapped in Xen? No, that wouldn’t be right, he shouldn’t get his hopes up and shouldn’t be thinking about him right now. Survival is what is important, but what are they going to do? Just keep running? The enemies had resources that even Cooper never saw, they caught up to a speeding car. Is any place in the weird safe from them? A question that was answered too quickly for Barney and his friends as a great shadow was casted over them. When they all looked up, they froze in terror. A mother ship as big as the one they saw at the house above them as it slowly glides across the void. Smaller aircrafts flew next to it for a few moments before landing on some platforms away from them.

“FUCK, DID THEY FOLLOW US?!”

“...I don’t think they did, I think…they’re just passing through? But I have no doubt they probably got word about us going through the portal. Barney, hurry and show us where the relay is at!”

“It’s this way!” he replied. He took the lead again and rushed along with everyone else until they made it to the closed off area the device was at, or what was left of it. The campsite was destroyed, debris charred black surrounded everywhere as they crashed into anything that made contact with them. However, the machine, though damaged, was still standing. The scientist went over and began pulling it apart, gathering wires and other material Isaac could possibly use to get the device back in working order and hopefully even stronger. As they were busy, the rest approached a cliff's edge and looked down, those unknown soldiers were just below them searching the area. 

“I doubt they're gonna leave this place alone.”

“Meaning we got more trouble on our asses!” 

“So…what's the plan, what are we doing?” Herman asked.

“YOU aren’t going anywhere-”

“But I can fight too!”

“Exactly! We need someone to stay behind and watch the others, Gina can’t protect everyone if she’s also involved in helping Izzy.” Barney brought up.

“He’s right, so…Herman, Barney, I leave the soldiers to you two!” Cooper said, they both snapped their heads to the small man.

“What?!

 What?!”

“If I heard correctly, didn’t a pair of men agree to “if it’s one thing the Calhouns are good at, it’s improvising” when we first got in here?” he asked. Barney shook his head as Cooper gave a wink to Herman, the older man smiled as he knew that Cooper wanted him to go. 

“Alright, dad. No tomfoolery-”

“There’s always time for some-”

“Then save it till later, we just need to halt their asses just a bit so Izzy can finish with whatever.”

“I got it, I got it! The Calhouns on a super top-secret mission!” he said, karate chopping at nothing and pretending to be in a movie. Cooper and Gina caught the action and giggled, so that’s where Barney gets his behavior from.

-:- 

                                                                                                Hour 5 & 6

The two traveled away from the camp and went to another cliff’s edge to observe their enemies. They were armed to the teeth, any type of frontal assault with no real equipment will be suicide. Fortunately, Barney has an idea, but he wanna scope the enemy some more.

“ *Buzz* This is Major General Herman. I have visuals on the hostile enemies below, over!” Herman said, pretending to speak on the radio. Barney rolled his eyes and smiled before picking up an imaginary radio himself.

“ *Buzz* Thank you for the update, Major General Herman. What else do you have to report, over!”

“ *Buzz* I can see that they are heavily equipped compared to us, it’s probably better to lure them into traps if anything, over!”

“* Buzz* Understand General! I may have an idea, but you’re going to have to follow my lead, over!”

“ *Buzz* one more thing, Sir. Over!”

“ *Buzz* What is it? Over!”

“ *Buzz* requesting permission to release flatulence to prevent potential build-up?”

“* Buzz * Request denied! Over!”

“* Farts * * Buzz * Release initiated, over!” A snort came out of Barney’s mouth as he found it funny, but quickly lost his smile from the smell.

“OK, COME ON!” he yelled before pulling his father away and explaining to him the plan. When Herman heard the plan, he laughed as Barney told him of the embarrassing moment and how Gordon didn’t help with his staring or Cooper taking pictures. Regardless, the plan was solid. The two split apart, Barney heading into the forest and Herman exposing himself to the enemies. He cracked his fingers, stretched his arm and smiled, it was showtime. He took his gun out, fired a round and listened as the echo traveled far and wide. The enemies all turned their attention to the gunshot, now all their eyes were on Herman. He put on an act and looked terrified, purposely falling out of his chair and getting back on to look like he was desperate. The enemies pursued him on foot, running after him and shouting to stop resisting. Herman honestly raised a brow, he didn’t want to believe that these futuristic men are that gullible, yet here they are chasing him into the remains of the dense forest-like area on this floating platform. He led them to a dead end where a wall stood in Herman’s way, the men raised their weapons as Herman put his hands up. But when they took a step closer, something was thrown on them. Are those…vines? Why were they so slick and slimy, was it some kind of lubricant? It didn’t matter, they raised their weapons and reached for the trigger, yet nothing fired. Their movements were hindered. No, that is not right, it was constrained. The vines were tightening around their limbs, forcing their bodies in place and leaving them all vulnerable. Barney jumped down what looked like a tree and took one of the men’s weapons. 

“Checkmate.” he said before he opened fire on all of them. One by one, they all fell. Cries of pain were masked by the sound of raining bullets. They let out a sigh, they know it won’t be as easy in the future, but at least they brought some time.

“Nice work, Bar-Bar! Put their asses right in the ground!”

“W-well, if you didn’t distract them, this plan wouldn’t work. Honestly, I was getting worried for you…”

“Whaaaaa, you don’t trust your old man?”

“When he got a goofy smile on his face from the excitement, yeah. I thought you were going to let it get to your head!”

“What’s a Calhoun if you don’t play a little?” he asked.

“You don’t understand how sadistic that sounded, you didn’t develop any weird kinks when I was gone, did you?”

“Should I be asking you that, you were the one held up by those slimy vines. Maybe I should ask Coops if he could give an inside story.”

“YOU BETTER NOT!”

“Someone who’s quick to respond is just as guilty as someone who takes too long to answer!” he claimed. Barney shook his head. Only his dad would joke during an impending apocalypse, but he couldn’t be mad because that’s where Barney got his traits from. As they were done joking, they were ready to head back. But just as Barney walked away, Herman saw someone. It was one more soldier and he had a gun in his hand.

“BARNEY!” he shouted. His son flinched as he quickly turned around and saw their new opponent. He felt…different, not to Barney, but to Herman. His presence felt invisible, like he was a ghost. Yet when he let himself be known, his presence was intense, it was the same feeling he got when he met Cooper. This wasn’t an ordinary foe, it was clear he seek a challenge. If he didn’t, he could have killed Barney right then and there. The man threw his gun away, leaving him to his bare hands.

“Barney…this guy feels different.”

“What do you mean, he’s just another guy.”

“It’s…a feeling you get when you've been in many battles. He clearly has a lot of buckets of blood on his ledger.”

“If you could feel that, then you are more than meets the eye. Here I was wondering if I chose the wrong opponent.” the man said.

“So…he can talk. What do you want?” Barney asked.

“A fight, a good fight.”

“Way to sound like a shitty cartoon villain! If it’s a fight you want, then come over and get some-”

“Not from you! I can already see it in your eyes, boy! You’re not ready, don’t even try to waste my time! I’m talking to your father.” he said next.

“My, never thought I would get a date with someone who wants me dead. Such an honor-”

“Dad, you can’t be serious?!”

“I am. This guy could easily kill you if we run. Barney, do not get in the way.” his father instructed as he made his approach closer to the assailant. 

“Hell, no, you-”

“YOU’RE JUST GOING TO GET IN THE WAY, BARNEY!” His father lashed out. In that split second, his father changed. Barney felt this murderous impulse that surged out of nowhere. The kindness and warmth his father once had turned into pure bloodlust for battle, he never heard his father raise his voice at him before. He froze in place, this wasn’t a fight between two men. It was a fight between two demons, a fight that Barney doesn’t belong in, a fight he’s too weak for. He bit his lip, he didn’t want to be a bystander, but that’s all he can be. Herman stopped a distance away from the man as they exchanged no more words, they stared each other down to size the other one up. After a brief moment of silence, they started.

The foe dashed in, his speed was just like Cooper’s, fast and almost to hard to react in time. However, he was caught. A punch was thrusted to Herman, but the man caught it with ease. He pushed him away, but the man just dashed back in. He delivered a series of blows and kicks, but Herman still was able to keep up with him. From the punches aimed to his face, to the dirty kicks aimed at his chair, he blocked them all. 

“(Whoa…)” was the thought in Barney’s mind. It was now Herman’s turn, he caught the next punch thrown at him as he gripped it tight before pulling the man in. He then elbowed the foe in his stomach, the man jumped back and held his stomach. Even with his uniform, he still felt the impact of that blow. Of course, Herman isn’t without injuries either. Even though he blocked a lot of the attacks, bruises were forming on his skin. It was taxing on him, it had been a long time since he had been in a fight. He forgot how quickly it could exhaust you if you don’t keep up with it over the years. His only saving grace is that his upper body is sturdy enough to withstand the blows given

“You’re skilled, it’s clear you’re a seasoned fighter, even if your moves are sloppy.”

“Sloppy?! Jeez, I know I’ve been out of it, but I wouldn’t say I'm sloppy if I'm keeping up-” he stopped, the man played dirty and launched himself forward. He drew his knife and struck it at Herman’s face. He was able to react in time and catch the hand and hold it in place. Herman could see his reflection within the cold steel, the sharpened blade that yearns to cut deep in his flesh.

“Daddy never taught you it’s not fair to play dirty?”

“He did, he also shut his mouth after I kicked his ass playing fair!”

“Looks like we have something in common, we both pissed our dad’s off when it came to playing dirty. The difference…I never learned my lesson!” he said. The man questioned what he meant, but got his answer when he looked below, the gun was angled. Herman shot a bullet and it ricochet off one of his metal railings of his chair, the bullet bounced to the knife and took it out of the foe’s hand and bounced off the blade to graze his right arm. Herman grabbed the knife and swung it at his enemy. The man jumped out the way, but was still met with a cut going across his chest. Blood was now coating the edge of the blade, a deep wound made into his flesh. Exciting, very very exciting. But before he went back in, a message came through his ear intercom.

“Tch, understood! I’m withdrawing-”

“Just when I was going to ask for a name,” he mocked.

“You win this fight, old man. Keep the knife, I will be wanting it back, I hate to lose two knives.” he said, jumping into the bush and retreating.

“LIKE HELL YOU ARE-” 

“Let it go, Barney. We need to go!”

“But-”

“I have no doubts he already alerted his allies. We did our job, let’s just get out of here before we get cornered.” he father suggested. Barney sighed, though he agreed, this feeling of uselessness settled in his stomach. The pair returned back to the small camp with Isaac done with his device. It looks brand new with its redesign.

“What happened to you two?!”

“Nasty fight, tell you about it later. Everything alright here?”

“Yeah, some of the wildlife came and I drove them away, real nasty ones.”

“All the more reason we should get the hell out of here! Ready, doc?”

“Yes, everyone stand back!” he said. He input some commands on his device and within seconds, a portal was opened up. Everyone stuck next to each other as they entered the portal, but when they came out the other end, it was an immediate defeat. Countless enemies stood waiting for them, weapons ready to fire the first sign at retaliation.

“FUCK, TURN AROUND-”

“I-I don’t think we can…” Cooper said. Everyone turned around and saw that they were followed, soldiers came out the portal with them and shot at their feet. They were pinched again, but this time, there were no mistakes. One of the squad captains came over to the group, he hit Cooper and Barney in their guts to make them kneel as the men behind them cuffed their hands behind their backs. The same action was followed for the rest of them, one of them attempted with Alyx, only for Isaac to jump in the way and take the hit for her in his face.

“UNCLE IZZY!” 

“DON’T MOVE” He warned them. They picked up Isaac and cuffed him and Alyx, now all of them were unable to fight back. One of the soldiers came forward, he pushed a button on the screen as a holographic monitor came into view. There was an older man in the screen, someone Eli knew

“WALLACE?!”

“Good to see you’re still alive, Eli. You should be thankful that I gave the order to not kill your group.” he said.

“Sir, we don’t see anyone matching Gordon Freeman’s appearance within the group.”

“Unfortunate. That “man” must have gotten to him before I did. No matter, bring them-”

“Where are you taking us?!”

“Somewhere  that is safer. Somewhere that we can promise you a home, safety, and food, as long as you obey.”

“LIKE HELL! Coops, come on, you have to have a plan or something?!”

“...”

“Coops, please! We need you right now…”

“...”

“Come on…say something!”

“Barney…we lost…” he spoke. Barney was in complete disbelief. This was it, this was the thing G-man mentioned. He sat there, face turned purple, his body running cold. As he sat there in internal turmoil, the soldiers picked up everyone one by one. Escorting them to an aircraft just for them. Gina and Rosenberg boarded one ship, Eli and Isaac were placed on a bigger ship. Leaving Barney, Herman, Cooper, and Alyx to board the last one. As the doors were closing, only one thing came into his mind as his heart sank into despair.

“(Where…are you, Gordon?)”

Chapter Text

                                                                                               Timeline ????

A short man bolted throughout his home. He told his kids to come back inside, and told his husband to use the backdoor when he gets back home. He locked the doors, closed the currents, and turned on some device before bringing Thomas and Amy downstairs to his basement. He flicked on the light switch and the light exposed a mini lab set up below,  broken gadgets and tools scattered on a table tarped over by large blueprints. He went to his computer set up and brought up a custom program he made himself, he input multiple lines of codes before activating some kind of system. Once he was done, he turned around to his friends, but he was not pleased. He was an older looking man around his 50’s but one could assume older with how much his hair greyed. His belly was round as his glasses, and his beard as fluffy as his hair. His clothing didn’t match his age, he dressed more younger than what one could assume for a man his age.

“WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU TOO!?” He yelled. The other two rubbed their necks and cleared their throats. Their older friend, Joseph, was furious when they told him they broke into government property and took something from them.

“Look, I know this is bad-”

“This is beyond bad! You broke into a heavily watched facility AND stole from it!”

“W-we didn’t steal all of it, we just…broke a really really tiny piece of it and put it all back.” Amy tried to sway.

“That’s not the point, Amy! The C.I.A are now going to be on high alert when the guards tell them they were attacked!”

“We can deal with that later, we need to discuss something.” Thomas cut in. They caught Joseph up to speed about Black Mesa, Cooper, and the strange event they witnessed in the facility. Joseph scratched his beard before turning back to his computer, he began digging in some files as he resumed talking.

“Dammit guys! I want Cooper back as much as you guys, but you should have SERIOUSLY discussed this with me first!” he scolded.

“We couldn’t reach you in time without anyone hearing our call. Besides, if we did, we probably miss that Isaac guy.”

“She’s right, if we didn’t witness that man appear then disappear, we wouldn’t have any idea what could have happened to Cooper.”

“I know, I know. Ok, so he is in another universe? Almost too hard believe it it was only Amy saying it-”

“HEY!”

“So what are we going to do?”

“Well, we have this piece of the artifact. I can feel and even hear the energy in this thing, it holds a lot of power.”

“...Thomas, you’re not-”

“I am, it doesn’t need to be perfect, but maybe we can make some device that could help us find Cooper. Can you recover anything that could be within Black Mesa files?”

“Most of it is long deleted and scattered, if we’re doing this, I need time to recover what is gone. Then we need to get the resources too, but that's after “if” I find anything.” he said.

“Solid plan, but…I can’t help there’s a bigger picture somewhere…” Amy said. The other two paused, they had the same gut feeling.



-:- 

His mind was a blur, his body was light. His hearing was muffled once again, barely making out the words being said between the two figures. At the very least he’s laying on something soft, not in an alleyway wet with dumpster water. However, the nauseous feeling in his stomach still worms within his gut. It’s going to be awhile before it stops. He moved his arm up and rubbed his eyes, his vision was starting to clear up as he found himself looking up at a ceiling. He rose up quietly and looked around. He was in an apartment-like space. He was on a couch placed in the center of the living, beside it was two one-seater recliners. The color was puke green, like some kid picked out the couch because the color seemed “cool”. In front of him was a small coffee table made of wood with a cup of water sat at the edge for him to grab. Beyond the coffee table was a large TV, it was the latest edition of a flatscreen TV of his era. Something like that was way too big to have in a room in Black Mesa, not to mention how expensive it is or how can someone even bring it in. There was a pair of windows to his left with a hanging potted plant right above and a small potted plant on the ground to the left. There was some transparent red current to block out the sun, but not too much. Creating a nice dim lighting perfect enough so the TV wouldn’t have a horrible sun glare. He then turned around and found a spacious kitchen. On the far right, there was a wooden dining table enough for at least six with a single window on the wall with the same red curtain. To the left side hold the stove, cupboards, sink, dishwasher  and refrigerator. Everything you typically find in a standard kitchen. After looking around, his stomach growled. Puking up his food didn’t give him the chance to actually digest it, bringing him back to how he was when he first woke up. He got up and went to the kitchen, but stopped. Past the refrigerator was a hallway with 7 doors, 5 of them looked like a bedroom, 1 was a closet, and the last one was the bathroom. He thought to himself a bit, he found it odd for an apartment to have 5 bedrooms. Black Mesa did have the dorms lined up in a hall, but they were very far apart as the interior of the dorms was enough for a big family if one was living inside the facility. He shrugged his shoulders, it would be rude to go into the room that isn’t his, but he didn’t see the two figures he heard talking anywhere. He went to one room and turned the knob, but it was locked. He shrugged again as he went to another door, but was met with the same results. He did it to the third and fourth room, but both were locked too. He approached the last one and it actually opened up. However, what was inside caused his jaw to drop. This room had his things inside, pictures he took with Barney and Alyx framed and hanging on his wall. His bookshelf with books he read or VHS tapes he owned. The game console he and Barney shared, his clothes, even his messy bed, everything in his dorm was here.

“Oh, you’re awake!” a familiar voice said. Gordon turned around and saw Barney, but he knew he wasn’t his Barney. The person was floating like he was a ghost, was he dead?

“(Weird…)”

“I know this is weird, I'm still trying to figure this stuff out myself.” he replied as Gordon flinched.

“(Can…you hear inside my head?)”

“Yeah, I can. Glad too…I don’t know ASL and it’s impossible for me to open a book and read up.”

“(Oh…ok. So, where am I? What happened to me?)”

“Well it-”

“There you are!” someone said, a small man came into the room and phased right through Barney. He took Gordon by his hand and brought him back to the living room where another man was sitting on the one-sitter on the right. After being dragged out, he was shocked. Both of the men look just like him, but they have plenty of differences. 

“We got worried when we came back and didn’t see you on the couch, are you doing alright?”

“(Y-yeah, I am.)” he signed, but he only got tilted heads as a response.

“Shit, I think I remember his Barney saying he can’t talk.” the eyepatch man brought up. The small man puffed his cheeks before he went to one of the kitchen drawers and searched within for a pen and notepad. He found it and handed it to Gordon.

“I’ll try to find a book for ASL beginners, but we’re gonna rely on this for now.” he said. Gordon scribbled on the notepad to ask his next question.

“(Who are you guys?)”

“This gonna be weird, but we’re you…ish…ok, maybe not the greatest stretch-”

“Yeah, I would have started with your height.” the eyepatch Gordon mocked. The smaller Gordon clenched his teeth before going over the recliner and releasing the handle, it flung the man out of his seat and into the wall. 

“FUCK THAT WAS FOR, CHUBS?!”

“MAKE FUN OF MY HEIGHT AND YOU’LL SEE WHAT I WILL DO NEXT!”

“KISS MY ASS, SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DO IT AGAIN!”

“Ohhhhh so tough, I'm so scared of a one-eyed loser-”

“Oh fancy coming from you, handjob!”

“Jackass!”

“Dickweed!”

“Asshole!”

“Piss stain!”

“Shitdumpster!” 

They went back and forth, giving each other a list of insults before coming to a stop that ended in them both fuming red and looking away. Gordon rubbed his neck, they’re definitely different from him.

“Anyways. You’re probably wondering what’s going on?”

“If we’re being honest, we’re not sure ourselves. One thing we do know is that we know this place, this space is being controlled and ruled by Benrey.”

“His boyfriend-”

“THE FUCK HE IS!” Gordon corrected. A small chuckle was let out before the small Gordon went back into talking.

“We saw something fall out of the sky, so we assumed it had to be another us. Based on the number of rooms, there’s five of us total that're supposed to come.” the small one explained.

“(Ok, so what was that sickness that was going on? I was puking colors and my skin and face was changing.)” he asked next.

“We don’t know why, but we call it the Benrey sickness. Fortunately, this apartment complex and the rooftop isn’t affected by it. The longer we stay out, the more we get infected and eventually turn into Benrey.” Eyepatch Gordon explains.

“We have 5 hours max before the sickness sets in…I think, you must have been here for hours before we found you, hence your sickness coming out. And the closer you are to the sickness, the more you see how the people change around you...you become warped

“(Ok…so we’re safe here. Then…how do we escape?)” he asked next. The place fell silent, the Gordon’s looked away.

“We…don’t know. We’ll figure it out eventually, but for now, relax. Once the sickness sets in, it takes a while before it goes away.” he said. He was right, he’s safe and he should rest. He excused himself as he went back to his room and shut his door. He could hear the other two arguing again, but he quickly tuned them out. He flopped on his bed and buried his face in his pillow, he let out an irritated sigh before turning his head to the frames on the wall. He couldn’t take his eyes off of Barney, his Barney. He closed his eyes to remember his face more fondly, but the only thing that came was G-man’s twisted smile. He forced his eyes open, beads of sweat formed on his forehead as his heart began to pump faster. He sighed again before thinking back to the tram. Barney doing his damndest to reach for Gordon, how he looked in his eyes and swore Gordon he was going to save him. He said all of that just to fail within the next second. Gordon couldn’t possibly imagine what Barney must be going through. Hating himself, falling into deep depression, the more likable outcomes. And worst of all, he doesn’t understand what G-man meant. What did he mean when he said he put them in danger? Were the portal storms still active? Did they not truly stop the invasion? He was becoming hot, his head throbbing as ideas and worrisome thoughts flowed in and out of his head.

“You ok?” Barney said. Gordon looked up and saw him floating again.

“(Not really…)”

“I know, your head is swimming with negative thoughts, I can feel it…sorry I can’t help.”

“(It’s fine, but…why are you not with the other Gordons? You’re…the eyepatch one’s Barney, right?)” he asked.

“Yeah and it’s not like I tried, he was the first but…”

“(But?)"

“He’s…so broken right now. Trying to get near him feels like I'm being stabbed. I reach my hand to him and it feels like my hand is moving in a bowl of glass. The other Gordon is…odd, it’s like I can’t even feel him.” he said. 

“(Hmmmm, well…I have no problem with you with me. But I have one last question, what is so special about this apartment?)" he asked.

“That’s…because of me This apartment complex is one me and my dad moved in after my mom left and we went to the south. She promised to come get me one day in this apartment, but she never did. So…when I came to this world, I saw it here.”

“(How?)”

“Probably because I don’t belong here? Look, I don’t have all the answers. But Benrey can’t touch this place, the rooms are random, I don't know how many people are gonna get stuck here.” he explained. All of this was just too much, maybe he should sleep more. Yeah, that’s a much better idea, just sleep. He excused himself and closed his eyes, he wanted to close his eyes, he didn’t care if G-man came back. Just for this moment, he just wants to rest.

-:- 

His mind was in some sort of haze, his thoughts didn’t feel like his own. Not this again, what was going inside his head this time? Is he going to sink in darkness like last time? No? Then why doesn’t he feel like himself? Is he still sick? He was still feeling it even if he fell asleep? He didn’t know, but this feeling of not being himself just grew and grew. Like his body was being swap, he was in another’s flesh. A light appeared in the distance and it steadily grew until it blinded him, engulfing his mind in white before it slowly faded out. His vision was distorted, like he was looking through a screen. Though difficult, he could make out some things in view. He was in a city, possibly within the center as a large number of people were gathering around. He was freezing, icy winds softly blowing as he looked up. It was a snowy night, he could feel that his body was wrapped in warm clothing, yet not enough as it didn’t protect him from the cold. He soon paused, rubbing his arms as he felt snot oozing down his red nose, why is he outside? Soon, he heard his name being called. He looked to his left and there was a figure next to him, who was he? He didn’t recognize the clothing or the person’s face as it was blurred and distorted, like it wasn’t meant for him to see. 

“Gordon?” he said again. He sucked his teeth, he still couldn’t hear him clearly, he just nodded his head and continued to walk with the man beside him. He let him talk as he admired the view, or what little he could see. Shop lights hosting different colors, decorations hung on the city trees. Christmas carolers singing their songs to their small audience. That’s right, it wasn’t that far from Christmas. Wait, how did he know that? To Gordon, he never stepped outside during the winter as Barney flew out to be with his dad at the time. He instead hung around Eli’s family and Isaac for the holidays in their dorm. Yet this evening stroll, the frigid air, the fresh snow falling and crunching beneath his feet, he remembers them all.

Last in his confusion, he felt something taking his hand. The man beside him took his hand and waved it around, but he didn’t let go, not entirely. Their hands held on, causing Gordon to blush yet never let go. The slighted touch remaining was enough to make his heart race. It brought his mind back to that cloudless night sky, how he and Barney gazed at the stars. Oh how he wished to go back to that night, just stay and look at the glittering stars forever. 

“HEY!” a voice shouted. Gordon opened his eyes, he was back in his room. He yawned before stretching his arms, he reached for his glasses on the nightstand and put them on. He saw it was the eyepatch Gordon, he didn’t expect him of all people to wake him up.

“How are you feeling?”

“(I’m ok, I really did need that sleep. I had a weird dream though…)”

“What was it?”

“(I…can’t even describe, everything was so blurred. And the crazy part, it felt like I was in another body…)"

“Can’t say I had one of those dreams. Probably not important, but right now, we need to get ready.”

“(For?)”

“Just come on!” he yelled, leaving and closing the room door. 

“(Geez…)” crossed his mind. He got from his bed, put on his sandals and left him. The other two plus Barney were there. From the looks of it, it doesn’t seem like they couldn’t see Barney at all. He wanted to tell the other Gordon about him, but he feared that it would anger him. Moving aside, he was still confused, what did his other self meant by “going”? He thought they shouldn’t be outside long. They didn’t say anything, they only walked to the  door leading to the apartment complex hallways. They didn’t say a word as they walked to the elevator at the end of the hallway, a bottom was pressed down and it brought them to the lobby’s floor. But when Gordon tried to step out, he was held back. The smaller Gordon closed the door and pressed another button. The elevator started to descend again, the ticker above the door not moving past zero. The speed of the elevator picked up, lifting everyone up in the air. It was going too fast, like the entire thing is about to crash. The lights flicker, the shaft shook as if they were witnessing an earthquake. Then within the next moment, it stopped. Everyone crashed down on top of each other except for Barney. The eyepatch man grew red as he was pinned down due to the other Gordons weight, the door opened up and Gordon's eyes were met with something extraordinary. A bluish-black void with something in the far distance. It was impossible to make it out from where they’re at, but it was clearly something big if they could still manage to see it. Now the problem is, how do they get there? They stepped out the elevator and onto a platform, Gordon could see floating pieces of debris above him. Clearly it's meant to be used as some kind of bridge, but how do they get them down?

“If there’s anything that could get us out of here, it’s definitely that thing over there. The issue…we don’t know how.” the small said.

“At the very least we know Benrey has no idea this thing is down here. That alone is our golden ticket, just gotta reach it.” the other Gordon added on. They put their heads together, but they were drawing blanks. Barney flew up to the debris and got a closer look at them.

“Hey, Gordon? Don’t these pieces seem too…detailed to be just random debris?” he asked. Now that he’s looking at it more, he was right. They seem like random junk, but these pieces were too detailed to be just any junk.

“(A crane, pieces of metal, water, and cargo?)” he thought to himself. 

“What’s up?”

“(Don’t you think those pieces of junk are too…related? It’s all construction stuff, minus the water).” he wrote. The other two looked over and he was right, maybe these were clues of some kind?

“There’s some construction going on near the park, there’s a large building under construction and the grounds are large.” Gordon was brought up. They all nodded their heads, their clue is at this site. With that, they went back to the elevator back up. Next stop, the construction site.

-:- 

The morning was still fresh as the boys set off on their new adventure. The cursed forest wasn’t a place for children as both men and women died traverse the wicked grounds. Even the most armed soldier gets second thoughts coming to these haunted lands. However, the baron’s son was filled with determination. He helped his people with money, he will help by saving their lives. However, not everyone is going to feel the same. His friend, the demon in disguise, was anxious. Knots grew with in him as hunger was beginning to find home in his belly again, he licked his lips and relish the sweet taste of the leftover dried blood. He wanted more, but he must resist, he doesn’t want to hurt another human ever again. An hour into the forest and the boys encountered their first obstacle, a great river with no way to cross. If the demon was in his real form, he would easily swim across. However, he couldn't do that without the risk of getting caught.

“Such a great river, the current will sweep us away if we attempt to swim!”

“Perhaps there’s some kind of bridge?”

“No, if there was then we would have seen it by now.” the demon replied. They were stuck, if they take too long with this, then night will quickly approach. Suddenly, in the middle of their thinking, the demon heard singing. It was his mother, she was nearby and using her song to call him over. Fear clogged his throat, if she comes and finds a human, she’ll surely kill him. But, if they kill her and take her throat, then they could use it to blow the water away. The demon brought up that he heard singing, telling it was the mother demon wolf.

“She was known for her singing, she lured her prey with a sweet song before attacking them for a meal. Or when she’s looking for her children, they’ll be attracted to her voice. An enchanted throat like her could be in use for us!” he told him. The baron agreed and followed the demon who led him towards the singing, it didn’t take them long before they encountered the songstress. The mother ceased her song, she looked down and was stricken with sadness. Her own son was next to a human, but she quickly accepted it. She knew he despised his demon lineage.

“Foolish child, what business do you have with me?”

“You and your fiendish family attacked my people. If you tell me where they are and get us across the river, I'll consider mercy!”

“Mercy? From a human? Foolish boy, do you have any idea what I am?!”

“A head soon to be planted on a poke if you don’t tell me!” he threatened. The monster let out a hearty laugh. She brought out her claws, exposed her jagged teeth and brightened her red eyes.

“Further in the forest center you’ll find our den, but it won’t matter. I’ll end your little journey here and now! Once I show them your mangled body within my maw, they will submit to us and be devoured without having to fight back from losing hope. Get ready, child of the greedy baron, boy with tainted blood. This ends right now!”

To be continued.

Chapter Text

Barney's ears could hear nothing but the constant screams and cries of captured prisoners, multiple people banging against a blue barrier with their bare hands. Scratching at it, bashing their shoulders against it, but everything was for nothing. The group saw everyone's desperate attempts and couldn’t deny that they would be doing the same. However, none of them were led into a cell with a barrier. Instead, they were brought to a standalone room within a narrow hallway and two guards on each side. They opened the door and one by one, they were shoved in the room. First was Herman, but they were too aggressive with him as he fell out of his chair. Barney’s blood was beginning to boil, he felt his fist balling and his mouth was starting to open. But before he said a word, his father raised his hand and told his son it was ok. He sucked his teeth, he didn’t want to be held back, but he restrained himself. Next was Alyx, after she was shoved in, she went over and helped Herman up. Next was Cooper, he was shoved in and also tripped over, but he regained his balance. Lastly, Barney. The way he was shoved in felt personal, he turned around and saw an additional guard with them with a knife wound on their chest. It was the one his dad fought in Xen, it doesn’t surprise him that he was here. The door began to close as Barney picked himself up and rushed to stop it. Unfortunately, he was met with cold metal in his face. 

“DAMMIT!” he shouted, anger woven within his words. He tried to turn the knob, but it wouldn’t turn.

“FUCK! Ok, ok. Um...Coops, we gotta get out of here!”

“Barney-”

“We just need to take out the guards and take over this ship-”

“But son, that’s-”

“We can create a distraction and maybe find a way to free the prisoners-”

“Barney, you’re not thinking-”

“I am thinking! Why the hell am I the only one right now who’s trying to get out?!” he questioned, skin flaring red as he tried to turn the doorknob again. 

“Barney, I get that you want to get out-”

“MY ASS! You two are calm and sitting on your asses, how can you just…not do anything?!” he asked. Herman came up to him, tapped his shoulder and pointed to one of the far corners. There was Alyx on a twin bed, shaking with tears in her eyes. But the more Barney stared at her, the more he realized that she wasn’t afraid of the assailants who captured them, but Barney’s aggression. His heart ached seeing her like that, seeing her afraid of him. First was when he returned from Black Mesa, and now this. 

“She needs her uncle, but how can she count on him if he’s…like this?” he asked. Barney took a deep breath, he cooled himself off before going over and sitting next to Alyx. She didn’t hesitate to latch onto him, he wrapped his arms around her too then pulled her off to dry her tears. 

“Hey, I'm sorry kiddo.”

“N-no, it’s ok…uncle Barney-”

“It’s not, Alyx. I was out of line…because I'm scared.”

“Scared?”

“Unknown people capturing and…hurting people and nothing we had stopped them. So for us getting captured just made me angry…purely out of fear. But I didn’t see that I was also scaring you, I'm sorry.” he apologized.

“It’s o-ok, really. Once mommy gets here…we can find daddy and it’ll be all better!” she claimed. 

“Your…mom?” Cooper asked.

“Mmmhm, mommy was coming back home! That’s why Barney was supposed to be watching me in case she’s late, she gets back in the morning, but I didn’t see her.” she said. The men looked away, if she was in Black Mesa in the morning like Alyx thought, then she most likely didn’t make it. If she didn’t and she was out in the public, she was most likely killed during the attack on the world. Either way, she isn’t going to come back. But even with Alyx witnessing the horrors at such a young age, none of them had the heart to tell her that her mother was possibly dead. All they could do was smile and nod, giving her false hope that soon turned sour in her mouth in the future. Alyx is a bright child for her age, she’ll figure it out sooner than later. Barney rubbed her head again before inspecting the room. It was quite depressing, a single twin bed, a giant window to see the outside. A desk with a chair, two ceiling lights, all surrounded by metallic brown walls. They all sighed before Cooper and Herman went to the window, they could see nothing but endless water. We’re they over the ocean already? Judging by the sky, it was only just evening, yet they flew across the country at such speed. It should be impossible, even in Cooper’s time.

“Now what?” Barney asked.

“Sleep, we’ve been fighting all day and honestly, after my fight with that guy, I'm pooped.” Herman answered.

“Hey, Pooped. I’m Alyx!”

“Now what the?!”

“Hehe, revenge!” she gleefully said, giving the old man a wide smile. Herman stuck his arm out as he held his heart with the other.

“Woest me, to be defeated by a four year old with my own jokes!” he expressed. The other two rolled their eyes before chuckling afterwards.

“Ha, it’s better to get some sleep. We’re clearly the lucky ones compared to the others in the cells…it’s better to be well rested before being taken to…whatever.” Cooper suggested. That was something they all could agree on. Barney got off of the bed to give Alyx some more room, but he felt his arm being held in place. Alyx didn’t want to be alone on it, she was still scared even if they were all in the room. Barney gave her a warm smile before caving in, he propped his back against the wall and sat on the edge of the bed. This gives Alyx more room and prevents her from falling off if she happens to roll over. Herman propped himself against one side of the desk while playfully winking at Cooper well tapping his lap. Though blushing from the weird charm, he gave an awkward smile and instead took the desk chair. They both leaned over on the desk and shut their eyes, they’re going to need their sleep to see what lies ahead.

-:-

                                                                                                20 years ago

The night was quiet, but too still for anyone’s good. Peaceful, yet dreadful. Pleasant, yet uncomfortable. The only thing that kept a man at a table company was the ticking of the clock hanging on the wall. He was stressed, eyes red with dark circles forming around them. He let out a heavy sigh, tapping his pen against the table as he continued to stare at a piece of paper. Spread across the table was bills, bills, and even more bills. Some paid, some with due date notice, some long overdue. This was exhausting, of all the things he did, this single piece of paper was what drained him the most. Not the bills, not him being up this late at night, just this single piece of paper. He looked at the clock, 11:42pm.  Far past his bedtime, eyes begging for him to sleep. He then looked up at the photos hanging on the wall, all of them showing a father and his son always playing with each other. A soft smile came onto his face, but it soon turned as sadness gripped his heart. But before his thoughts took him to a bad place, he heard a creak in the floor.

“Bar-Bar?” Herman called out. At first, nothing. But after another moment, his son peeked his head over the wall. He looked at the floor thinking he was in trouble, but he was soon proven wrong when Herman came over and picked him up and sat him on his lap.

“It’s late, Barney. Why are you up?”

“I-I…had a nightmare,” he answered. Herman took all the paper and bills and folded them up, he pushed them away as he took his son to the living room. He popped in a movie that’s to Barney’s liking to ease his troubles.

“Now, what was this nightmare about?”

“...mom.” he softly let out, he clinched on his dad and tightened his grip. Strange, this is the first time he had any dream related to his mother. Barney hasn’t been tolerable when it came to his mother after she left, he even long forgotten what her voice even sounded like. Herman could feel the hatred building inside his son whenever she became a topic.

“Really now? I…honestly didn’t think you dream of her when you don’t even return her calls.”

“Why would I do that? She left you…us…and I know it was because of me.” he claimed.

“* Sigh * Barney, I told you, she left because she had good reasons to.” he told him, but Barney didn’t believe it. He may not look like it, but Barney can be sharp with observations at his age.

“You…you say that every time, but you never tell me why she left…”

“It’s…nothing for you to worry about, I promise.” the lie that came out his mouth. In truth, it has some relations to Barney, but if he heard it, then it would break him. After sitting in silence, laughing at the comedic relief scene in the movie, Barney asked another question.

“Dad…? What…do you do for a job?”

“Hmmm, a little bit of everything I guess?”

“I don’t get it…”

“I mean, I can do quite a few things, so I get paid to do whatever is needed. It may not be good money, but something is always better than nothing. Why did you ask?”

“The…kids at school said you’re a…beggar. I told them that’s not true, but then they laughed at me and kept calling you homeless.” he said next. 

“Oh Barney, you don’t need to worry about them. They just…repeat whatever their parents are saying and I will have a word with them! But if they say it again…put a brick in your backpack and give it a little swing to them. Definitely make them think twice.” his father encouraged. Barney laughed just as the movie ended. Herman picked his son up, turned the TV off and took him to his room to sleep. He pulled the blanket on his son before wishing him a goodnight before leaving for his room. He went back to the kitchen, took the bills and papers and brought them to his room to be placed in a drawer. He let out a mighty yawn before climbing in his bed and pulling his blanket over him. But before his eyes closed, he heard his door open up with tiny footsteps creeping to his bed. Barney climbed into his bed and huddled up next to his dad, he doesn’t want to sleep alone tonight. It wasn’t a problem, this isn’t the first time he did this. If it helps his son sleep, then he can do this as much as he wants. 

“Dad?”

“Hmm?”

“You’ll…never leave me right? Like…mom?” he asked.

“Of course, Barney. I’ll always be here.”

“...thank you.” he said before drifting off to sleep. Yet another questionable and shaky answer that flew out of Herman's mouth as his mind went to the piece of paper from before, the form to offer up their children for adoption.

-:- 

Barney was the first to wake up out of the group. Alyx is still sleeping peacefully in the bed, his dad and Cooper still slumped over the desk. The blinding morning rays of dawn coming from the window and hitting Barney’s eyes. It forced him to be more awake as he left the bed and approached the window, he looked down and he saw nothing by greenery almost as vast as the sea. Where are they being taken to? The last thing he remembered was Cooper mentioning the sea, meaning they have to be going to another country overseas. But before he could even think of it more, loud banging came from the door. It woke everyone up, rubbing their eyes as they all stared at the door. It opened up and it was the guard from before, the one with the chest wound. He was holding clothes of matching designs, but different sizes. He threw them at the group as they all grew immediate distaste for the outfits.

“A-are these prison uniforms?!” Barney asked.

“See to them however you want, but you will put them on. Every person there will have the same uniform followed by a number attached to the  outfit. There, you’ll be ID and kept under watch, failing to follow will result in harsh punishment. We will be landing shortly.”

“You gotta be shitting-”

“Barney! Fine, we will wear these.” Herman spoke for the group, the man shut the door. They told Alyx to turn around as the men undressed themselves and put on their new uniforms. Well, uniform by name, prison garb by design. At the very least Alyx didn’t have to wear one, they don’t seem to have anything for children yet. An announcement was made about them approaching their destination, their new home. The group approached the window and their eyes were stricken with horror. They completely ignored the city below as the lone tower took their attention. A tower made from material no one had seen before stood tall, even reaching above the clouds. It was even bigger than the factory Barney and Cooper saw in Xen, at least ten times its size. The ship landed in an open space as guards accompanied by that man came and escorted the group out of the ship. However, as soon as they stepped out, Barney was held in place. 

“What gives?!”

“We receive orders to escort you to the administrator at the Citadel, the rest of you will proceed to be commissioned into our database.” one of the men said. Barney wanted to protest against what was said, but he held it in. 

“Coops, please watch my dad and Alyx!”

“I will, just…make it back, ok?” he asked. Barney nodded as the rest of the guardsmen took his family away before he was led to a vehicle that’ll take him to the tower. When he stepped inside, he was blindfolded, they didn’t want him knowing anything inside, even if he was invited. The vehicle pulled off, leaving Herman, Alyx and Cooper by themselves. As they walked, they looked around the landscape of this city. Damaged streets, broken homes, some places still on fire as smoke rose up and disappeared into the air. Broken windows with glass littering the streets, the reflecting light of the sun causing it to twinkle and giving this destroyed land some beauty. Cooper recognized some of the building structures, they were definitely somewhere in Europe, possibly on the eastern side of it. But why? Why was this place chosen for them all? Before he could think anymore, they were stopped. They were a distance away, but ahead of them were thousands upon thousands of people all in the same uniforms as them. Men, women, children, and elderly, all grouped up in one spot. All of them were sweating, shaking, skin devoid of color as they feared what was the next thing in their lives. At that moment, they were all scanned, including themselves. Afterwards, the man in the damaged uniform left Cooper’s group and pushed his way through the crowd. There, he stood on a platform, raised his gun, and fired. 

The sound sent everyone into a panic, many tried to turn around and flee, but were stopped in their tracks. Armed forces circling them and holding them in place, no one is allowed to leave. As the crowd remained still, Barney felt himself going up as if he was in some lift. He felt his body growing light at first, but soon felt normal again when the lift came to a stop. He was pushed and forced to walk, he came into a room before being forced down on his knees. There, his blindfold was removed and next to him he saw Eli and Isaac.

“Barney!”

“Eli, Izzy, are you two alright?!”

“W-we’re fine, lad. We just got here…”

“Where’s Alyx?!”

“She’s with my dad and Cooper, it’s ok. But…” he paused, his eyes staring down at the man sitting behind his desk. He was in a formal grey suit with a black turtleneck underneath, his hair was short and held graying brown hair. Behind him were large windows that held the view of the entire city below as if he’s some overseer of the world.

“This is him, sir. However, Gordon Freeman isn’t among them, his whereabouts are unknown.” one of the men reported.

“Tch, seems I was slow yet again, probably that man’s doing.” he let out.

“Man?! You mean G-man?!” Barney asked, Wallace raised a brow, he pressed his hands together and leaned in.

“So that’s what he’s calling himself, hmmm?”

“If you mean that suited asshole that took Gordon away from, then yeah! If you know where he is, then tell me!” he demanded, but he was only given a sigh from Wallace.

“That man is as slippery as ice, and even if I knew how to find him, I wouldn’t tell you. However, yet again, I failed to capture another Gordon. No matter, with the boss of Xen gone thanks to Gordon and his…dog-”

“YOU-”

“Please, be grateful I see you as useful as a dog. Back to what I was saying, since the boss is gone, Xen is defenseless. Alongside earth, we will be draining it of its resources.” he said.

“Wallace, why?! I don’t know what’s going on, but you have to-”

“Stop this, Eli? No see, that won’t be happening. I don’t want to drag this out longer than I have to, so I'll cut to the chase. Eli, you will work for me until I see fit and even have your own quarters here for you and your daughter. Isaac, your service will be used too, but you won’t be staying here. You and…Calhoun will go live with the others below-”

“And if I refuse?!”

“Ha, I was hoping those would be your next words.” he finished, opening an holographic screen that was displaying the crowd in the plaza. There, the man on the platform gave an announcement. The place they are located is called City 17, it will serve as their new home and will be monitored by the Combine. That name was instantly branded into Barney’s mind, these people were known as the Combine. Tight schedules were issued, there will be work everyone will be doing. However, it was by will, they can choose not to work, but their punishment will be no food or other necessities handed to them for their daily lives. Herman sucked his teeth, it's just a dirty tactic. Hang what people need right in their faces so they either agree to labor, or starve to death. 

“And furthermore. It is prohibited to even step outside the walls for any reasons that aren't directly tied to work! Anyone caught will be punished by extreme measures, one being death!” he said next. Fear ran in everyone’s heart, panic was rising again as chatter and soft cries took hold of the air. The man fired another shot to get everyone’s attention, the talking ceased as the man continued his announcement.

“To keep everything in order, we will establish the Civil protection force. They will have full authorities over everyone, their orders are absolute! Disobeying them is disobeying the Combine itself which will result in harsh punishment! And lastly-” he paused. He nodded to another member of the Combine, he looked at his wrist and input something. Wallace saw it all and smiled, the three men's faces turned purple when the building began to shake. The ground below began to shake and caused more panic within the crowd. Alyx climbed up and held onto Herman as he and Cooper started turning pale. Soon, a beam of light shot up to the sky before it faded away. Faint flashes of electrical currents could be seen if you look hard enough, but what was the purpose of the light?

“That was the suppression field activating. For now onward, humans will no longer be able to reproduce, no matter how hard they try. Those who were already pregnant with a child may suffer miscarriages. This field's purpose is to prevent the growing population of the human race. As of right now, 30% of the human populace has perished. If you wish to join them and increase the rapid decline, then you can do as you wish. Today, you will take the time to grow accustomed to the place around you. I advise you to get familiar as you will never leave this place. Where you stay is up to you, however!” he paused again. Small shaped drones rained down from the sky and began taking photos of everyone they came across.

“They will be our additional eyes and ears, so don’t go and think you can cause any trouble, you will be caught! With that, you are dismissed!” He said. Of course, everyone panicked again after hearing the noise. Chaos quickly covered the streets, meaning the Civil Protection must act. Herman covered Alyx's eyes as he and Cooper watched the men fired bullets into the people scrambling within the mass chaos. Bodies falling, begs and pleads cried with waving hands only to end with a quick bullet to the head. The pavement soon reeked of blood, the buildings and windows stained red as the people finally stopped in order to save themselves. Barney and the others watched the horror before the screen was put away.

“A job well done I say.” Wallace praised. That sentence boiled Barney’s blood to no end, his gut telling him to charge in and tackle this old man through the window. But in the back of his head, he knows it won’t work. As the chaos below was settled and people were beginning to find their new homes, the man that was on the platform began walking back to Herman and Cooper. No words were spoken, yet the man stared at Herman the most. Even though the mask was still on, even with those tented shades hiding his eyes, Herman felt it. This person…is different from the rest. But as the man drew closer, that's when he saw it. Past the dark shades, he saw the eyes behind the mask. It was as if the man wanted him to know and he got his wish, Herman’s skin lost even more color. He refused to believe what he saw, but now his head won’t let it go. The man stopped behind them and uttered a few words.

“We won’t meet again. But if we do, don’t be afraid to put the knife into my throat, because I won’t when mine is going for yours.” he advised. With that, he disappeared behind some buildings. Cooper and Alyx looked at Herman and saw how much sweat was on him, just who was this man?

-:- 

Alyx remained in Herman’s lap as the group searched the streets to find whatever they could call a suitable home. But no matter where they went, nothing stood out for them. Everything was broken, exposed to the elements and to potential threats. Though there’s rules in this prison, they can’t stop everything. Hell, they probably don’t care. From the looks of it, it seems being part of Civil Protection seems to grant some privileges. What though? They don’t know, but they would never lower themselves to join their ranks. 

“Look at all of this, everything is…wrecked…”

“And even if it isn’t, I can’t read anything. Hey Coops, you know the language of this place?” Herman asked. Cooper stopped and looked at some broken signs on shops and street lights.

“It looks…eastern Slavic. So we must be on either the borders of Russia or inside Ukraine, but Russian is not a language I studied. Hmmm…but from the looks of it, it looks more like Ukrainian dialect than Russian. Maybe there are some books around.”

“You’re going to try to learn some?”

“If we’re gonna be stuck here, yeah. I highly doubt all the residents here in this prison are american. It’s better for us to learn to speak with natives and such.”

“Let’s just find a place for us to rest first.” Herman suggested. Cooper nodded to that idea, they cut a corner, but stopped. There was an enormous crater with charred corpses within, Cooper almost fell right in and probably wouldn’t be able to escape without lots of help. They all let out a sigh before creeping around the crater and continuing down the street until they reached a complex that didn’t look too destroyed. It may not be a permanent home, but it’s a start. They approached the entrance and after kicking down the door, they saw a small hallway with stairs leading up. Cooper helped Herman up until they reached the top floor, the higher they’re away from people, the better. When they reached the top, they saw the left side completely blocked by debris, making the room on the right the only doable room to stay in. Cooper opened it up and led everyone inside and to their surprise, the inside suffered the least amount of damage. Finally, a place where they could feel “safe”. There was a couch with some bullet holes still standing, everyone went over to it and sat down. Another sigh escaped their mouths before they looked around, this was definitely European agriculture just from looking in the interior alone. Alyx left the couch to find something to take her mind off of things as the men watched her from their spot.

“Ha, I can’t imagine your resume now. Time traveler, alternate reality hopper, survivor of an alien invasion, and now a cutie who’s a resident of an apocalypse.”

“I guess I'm an instant hire.” Cooper played along, both laughing before falling into silence.

“Guess this is the first time we talked since we couldn't back at the house. So I have to ask, your accent is almost not there, makes me think you were a native speaker.”

“Well I studied a bit of linguistics, kinda have to sound like that if you want to pass haha.”

“Well, don’t keep me hanging, say something in German!” he eagerly awaited. Cooper playfully rolled his eyes and indulged in humoring Herman’s request.

“[If I wasn’t so worried and stressed out right now, I would properly respond to your flirting with “ glad I'm not the only one that’s cute here ” or something like that]” he said.

“Whoaaaa…so, what did you say?” he asked, but Cooper just winked and shook his head. Herman puffed his cheeks, but admitted defeat. He threw his hands up in the air as Cooper looked over to Alyx and was taken away. With the random junk in the room, she somehow compiled a functional mechanism that performed the Ruth Goldberg method. The two watched the performance and clapped when the show was over, it was impressive. Alyx did strike them as a gifted child. Her composure, her wit, even her speech sounded too advanced for her age. She told them that she didn’t know who Ruth Goldberg was when she was doing this. In her words, “ I just put things together and knew what would work. ” was her explanation. Herman came over to her, picked her up and softly shook.

“Got a spare brain I could use?”

“Hehe, nope, only this one! You can borrow it on weekends!”

“Alyx, it’s Saturday.” Cooper reminded her. A quick gasp escaped her mouth as a goofy smile grew on Herman’s face.

“Gimme your braaaaaaainnnnnnnn!”

“Nooooooo, it’s my only one!”

“I’m gonna get it!” he said before Alyx broke free from his grasp. Laughing as she slowly crawled away from him. Cooper smiles, even with all this doom and gloom, Herman is somehow able to put a smile on the girl’s face. But just before the fun continued, a loud thud was made in the room. They all turned their heads around to where the sound was made, it was in a closet just around the apartment room’s kitchen. Alyx got up and ran over to the other two, that noise was loud, meaning it was something heavy. A rodent maybe? A raccoon? Are there even any in this area? The noise was made again, this time it was banging followed by skittering. It was within the walls, this isn’t good. Cooper picked up a fallen lamp that was on the ground and snapped it in half, handing a piece to Herman as he approached the door. Alyx hid behind Herman, watching as Cooper’s hand touched the doorknob and turned it. The door burst open, knocking Cooper on the floor as the monster was revealed. Its head was covered by a headcrab, granting it that twisted body appearance like the ones in Black Mesa.

“COOPS-FUCK!” he yelled. Bursting out the fragile ceiling were two headcrabs, they ambushed Herman. Knocking him off of his chair and dropping his weapon as it slid over to Alyx. One of them jumped after him, but he caught the thing mid-air. However, the creatures were slimy, his grip won’t less. To make matters worse, the second headcrab was skittering towards him. He removed one of his hands from the first crab and used his elbow to pin the second crab down. But just like the first crab, it was slimy and Herman could feel it slipping under him. Alyx stood in horror as she watched both her friends being pinned by the enemy and from potential death. Her whole body shook, tears were coming in her eyes. However, fear wasn’t her enemy, it was her motivator. She picked up Herman’s piece of the lamp and ran over to Herman, she raised the piece and stabbed the one pinned by Herman’s elbow. The creature let out a squeal before it stopped moving. Good, one down, one more to go. But just after she killed one monster, Herman saw something. From the ceiling by the window, something like a tentacle was coming down. Within an instant, it bolted to the small girl.

“ALYX!” He called out, but it was too late. The thing quickly wrapped around her leg, dragging her across the floor until it was suspended in the air.

“NO!” Cooper screamed, using his strength to slowly push the monster off of him. Alyx looked up to see what was her and she saw something that resembled a barnacle, it was pulling her up and she soon saw its rigged teeth. Fear ran her body cold, but soon hot right after. When the monster brought her closer, she used the piece and stabbed it right in the mouth. The monster squealed just the same, flailing its tentacle and swinging the girl around. The tentacles swung one last time as it released its hold on the girl, but it sent her through the window. The glass shattered as Alyx's only saving grace was the broken lamp piece getting caught on something. But now she is holding on for dear life.

“ALYX!” Cooper this time, this summoned the strength to push the monster off of him and rush to her aid, but it was stopped then the barnacle latched onto him and held him in place. The monster picked itself up and started going after Herman, panic sat in their hearts as now all three were in danger.

-:- 

                                                      A few moment prior

Barney, Isaac, and Eli watched the suppression field activate before the screen turned off. A device that ceases the repopulation of the human race? Could such a thing exist? Did they really just end just like that? The room was filled with choking silence, especially after hearing that humanity lost 30% of its population already. Meaning humanity will eventually come to an end. Why? Who could do such a thing and what for? What gain does one have doing such an inhumane act? Barney’s blood boiled again, he couldn’t hold himself back. But as soon as he stood up, his gut endured a fierce blow from the butt of a rifle. He fell back down, coughing and curling up. Wallace stood up from his seat, walking to his window and looked down to the city as if it was nothing but filth. So this was the danger, the warning G-man mentioned, the inevitable end of humanity. It wasn’t fair, they just escaped one mess, just to be forced in another. Why can’t anything go his way?

“For someone who barked all day, you sure go down easily. Making it hard to believe you helped take down Xen’s leader-”

“Come over here and find out how I did it!” he threatened.

“Charming. No, you see, just from this alone tells me you really didn’t have a hand in it. But let’s say you did, how much did you really contribute?” Wallace asked. The room fell silent again, Eli and Isaac looking at Barney as he seemed to be struggling with the questions.

“I can see it in your eyes, boy! You were scared, fear made you do the irrational. All because you wanted to play hero, be the big guy who saves the day, am I right? So, I'll ask again, what exactly did you contribute in Black Mesa? Saving measly scientists is hardly an accomplishment, or some girl that will probably just die the next day.”

“...”

“...it was that boy, wasn’t it? The short one?”

“Tch…” 

“Right, I took one look at him and saw how much blood was on his ledger already. Comparing yours to his, it’s just a dot that no one can notice. Now…His to yours though? It's wet paint still running. And here you thought you can call yourself a hero, if anyone is a hero, it’s Gordon!”

“YOU-”

“Enough, Wallace! There’s no need to antagonize him!”

“Fair point, release them. I think his friends was by the apartment complexes. Eli, we’ll get your daughter tomorrow. In the meantime, get well adjusted to your new home, that goes for you two as well.” he said. Isaac and Barney were blindfolded again and escorted out of the office where they rode the lift back down and brought to a vehicle. After some moments of driving, they came to a stop. The blindfolds were removed before the pair were kicked out to the pavement, the car drove off, puffing up dirt and causing them to cough. Barney helped Isaac up as they both looked around. The sight was depressing and hopeless, like the world was telling them that there’s no point fighting. Barney stood there, looking at the ground and remembering what Wallace said. How he doesn’t compare to either Gordon or Cooper. That wasn’t true, was it? 

“Barney, are you ok?”

“Y-yeah, I can’t lie…Izzy. What he said…it stung.”

“Oh ignore him, Calhoun. I never liked that Wallace jerk! You don’t have to be someone else to get something done, we wouldn’t be here without you!” Isaac tried to encourage. Though Barney was thankful for the words, it wasn’t the truth. In fact, Barney knows it wasn’t true with what G-man said. No matter how things were going to play out, Gordon always reaches Xen regardless of who's with him. Meaning Barney was never need-NO! Barney shook his head, he can’t let them get into his mind right now. Right now, he needs to find his friends and his dad. He thanked Isaac for the words as they both began traveling around the district in search of their friends. But after hours of searching, they found nothing that gave them a clue where they could be. The sky was painted orange as the sun was setting, night will be here soon and the last thing Barney and Isaac wanted was to be out in the dark.

“Man, I wish I knew where we are going, but I can’t read the signs. What is that? Russian?”

“I’m thinking that as well…I believe we’re in the eastern side of Europe.”

“Now that doesn’t make a lick of sense, why were we brought here?” he asked, but all Isaac did was shrug his shoulders. Just as a sigh escaped his mouth, the sound of glass breaking occurred. Barney's reflexes prepared his body, he was expecting a crack in space again to suck him right out, but that wasn’t it as shards of glass fell from above followed by a small child screaming. They looked up and saw Alyx hanging out the window.

“ALYX!?”

“UNCLE BARNEY!”

“DROP, I’LL CATCH YOU!” he instructed her. She closed her eyes and let go, falling down the building and getting caught by Barney below.

“Grandpa Herman and Cooper, those monsters are here and hurting them!”

“SHIT!” He shouted, rushing up the steps and kicked open the door to see his dad and Cooper in trouble.

“Guys, I'm-” he paused, Cooper let out an intense warrior cry as he ripped the tentacle out of the barnacle. He then took it and wrapped it around his lamp piece to throw it at the monster heading to Herman. Cooper did some twisting motions which caused the tentacle to wrap around the creature with precision. He then pulled it away, bringing it towards him. One of the arms broke free and attempted to swing, but it was dodged with ease and then broken off by the small man. He then took the broken limb and then jabbed it right in its head. The monster recoiled from the damage before being delivered a kick in its torso, launching it out the broken window and plunging to the ground below where it met its end. Barney stood there as he watched Cooper help his dad with his problem with ease before helping him up. As they all crowd around Cooper and praise him, he couldn’t help but to think back to what Wallace said earlier.

“ Right, I took one look at him and saw how much blood was on his ledger already. Comparing the two of you, Yours…is just a dot that no one can notice. His though? It's wet paint still running.” echoing in his head. Maybe he was right, maybe he was wrong? However, there was one feeling he couldn’t deny, the feeling of jealousy that was slowly burning in the back of his mind.

-:- 

                                                                                                5 years later

The sun rose to another new day, the rays peeking through the cracks of the boarded up windows in an apartment and hitting Barney in his face. It scrounge up, forcing him to turn to his side to avoid the annoying sunlight trying to wake him up. Footsteps were heard coming his way and stopped when someone stood above him. 

“Barney, wake up.” Cooper told him, but all was given was a simple hand wave before it was dropped back down on his side. 

“Bar-Bar, wake up! We’re going to be late!” his dad joined in. An exhausting sigh was let out before he rose up from the damaged couch and scratched his head. It was another day in city 17, another day of hard labor. Another day of being whipped, yelled, kicked, and threatened. Is this really life now? Just be slaves until they die? Not like they could repopulate, that suppression field is doing its job. It only makes it worse with their yearly announcement about the human populace decline rate going up and up. He searched in his mind, what were they at now? 45% if he remembers correctly. Barney didn’t even want to imagine the number within that percentage, especially with the added guilt of being a survivor. What made him so special that millions and millions had to perish while he could walk and talk? Then again, this isn’t exactly paradise, death was starting to look more like a mercy than punishment. It doesn't matter now, he needs to get ready for work. He put on his taped up shoes and walked with his dad and Cooper to the makeshift lift they made, they lowered themselves down and started walking to their destination. 

“This is so stupid, we got our own supplies, why are we still working?!”

“Because if we’re gone too long, they’ll investigate us and see what we’re doing. Last thing we need is a bullet in the head.” Cooper reminded him.

“Yeah, what you need is a cut with the scissors, Ponytail.” he joked. Cooper giggled before he pointed at Herman.

“I think out of all of us who need a haircut, I think it’s gramps here,” he joked. Herman playfully huffed and then flicked his hair.

“You two are just jealous of my nice flowing hair!” he claimed. The duo stopped for a moment and then snorted.

“Yeah yeah, keep dreaming!” Barney replied. Herman stuck his tongue out and it caused Barney to roll his eyes. It’s always good to enjoy small moments like these, but this one was quickly interrupted. Within minutes, clouds covered some of the sky as cold air swept the lands. The group shivered and held their arms, not this again. Ever since the Combine came and stole a lot of the planet's resources, it has been throwing the weather in complete chaos. Summers feel like Winters and vice versa. A heat wave within a snowstorm, hail during a drought. Sometimes plants blooming in Spring quickly wither, but surge back into full bloom at night. Even the day and night cycles were disturbed thanks to the distortions of space and time from the resonance cascade. Sometimes the sun is within the night, but doesn’t brighten the sky. Sometimes the moon and the stars were visible within the blue sky during the day. And of course, it affected the livelihood of the residents as they were always in constant danger of these unpredictable weather patterns. But when they complained, they were either taken in or beaten black and blue for causing a disturbance. It sickened everyone, this isn’t a safe home, it's a prison work camp. All this suffering, all this misery, it only causes Barney to wish harder for Gordon’s return. “If he was here, they could do something- ” he stopped, his mind went back to Wallace. He shook his head as they arrived at their destination. 

There was a line with people getting ready for work, each slowly walking through some gate with a sensor on top. Today’s shift is mining for minerals, they’ll be taken to a quarry in groups and gather whatever they can within the next six hours. Within a few moments, the group reached the gate.

“Name and ID number?”

“Barney Calhoun, ID #00529.”

“Cooper Neuuman, ID #00530.” he answered, the two of them went through the gate and stopped to wait for Herman.

“Well if you want my number so much, it’s-”

“Herman, for the love of god, just say it already.” the guard cut off, Herman pouted as he gave his name and number.

“...Herman Calhoun, ID #00531.” he gave. He was let through and together, they got to the carrier truck that was going to transport them all to the quarry. But before it was pulled off, a man tugged Barney’s pants leg. He wasn’t someone he had seen before, but he was a resident of city 17.

“Yes?”

“I-I'm sorry…but that boy there…is my son.” he said. They turned and saw a teenage boy who was on the scrawny side, Barney grew knots in his stomach. This job is a lot of hands-on labor, that boy isn’t going to get much by himself. He could already tell what was going to be asked, he was going to ask if he could take Barney’s spot in the carrier. But if he does, then Cooper and His dad wouldn’t be with him. He opened his mouth, but held his tongue, the knots in his stomach grew much more from the mere selfish act. 

“Alright, come on! Get to your truck-”

“Please, please let me go with him!” he begged. Barney caved in, he got from his seat and told them that they are trading spots for today’s work. Herman and Cooper smiled at him, even if Barney wanted to be with them, he knows his group will be fine without him. That boy needed his father, he knows the pain of not having a parent with you. That boy probably lost his mom too as the father seemed to not bring her up. The carrier received a tap and it began pulling off, Barney watched it pull off before he was shoved forward to walk to the next truck. He boarded the carrier and sat beside someone around his age, but he didn’t care. With the wind chill blowing in the middle of the late Spring and him not being with his friend and dad, he could tell this work shift is going to be another hard one. But to be honest, has any shift been easy for him?

Chapter Text

                                                                                                Timeline ????

Joseph, Thomas, and Amy were hard at work with their invention. With the piece of the artifact, they are hoping to use its energy to hopefully find Cooper. Their plan was simple, make a device that could help jump between worlds. The mere sound of the idea was like a child made it all up in a dream. But this isn’t a dream, it's reality. And if they’re being honest with each other, building the prototype device isn’t the hard part, it’s the second phase. It’s impossible for them to locate Cooper. There's an infinite amount of universes and more are forming as time goes on. Cooper could be in universe 2, 34, 456, 1336. They have no indicator, no tracker, just hop in a world, search every inch, then hop to another. But searching one world will take a lot of time and even if they find a Cooper, it’s no guarantee it’s their Cooper. The idea makes their mind spiral, but there was another issue. As they worked their way through the many days to months on the device, they came face to face that only one of them could wear it. They bite their nails and scratch their heads, who was going? As they went back and forth on who was going for the hunt, they were finally approaching their goal. Of course, there’s no proof the device was going to do what they wanted or even work. It could even blow up and cause something catastrophic and that thought alone made them pause from time to time. 

Was it worth it? To make something that could already endanger the lives of others just for one person. When they thought about it, the answer was no. Endangering many would be reckless…yet here it was. The device is in the shape of some clunky belt with buttons lining along the buckle. In the center was the chuck of the artifact held in place with a beam of energy bridged between two rods. 

“Well…it’s done.” Joseph said.

“I didn’t like that it took us a year to complete, but at least it’s done. Now…” Thomas paused as the old question plagued their minds, who is going? They all are capable fighters trained by elites, they could face the dangers ahead. But having it left to one person made them uneasy, knots grew in their stomachs because now two of their friends will be missing. 

“ *Sigh* Let me do it.” Amy broke the ice.

“Amy…”

“Thomas, you’re dads and your boyfriend will go ballistic if you go missing. Jojo, Fridjof needs you and so do your kids. It should have been decided from the start, I'm the one with the least here.” she said. The other two looked away, she was right. Out of all of them, Amy has no family but them. Thomas’ dad would have a heart attack, Joseph’s husband depends on him mentally. It made their skin crawl with how hard she was right, but after a short breath, they nodded their heads. 

“Alright, Amy. You’ll…be the one to go look for him, but you know how difficult this is going to be, right?”

“I hope it is, been kicking ass too much, need something to make me itch my head. Who knows, I might pick up an interdimensional man or woman, whichever comes first.” she joked. They all laughed  as Amy went to a corner and started packing light with whatever was in Joseph’s possession. After strapping the backpack on her back, she let the other put the device around her waist.

“So…on an off chance, what could happen?”

“It blows up and we all die. It doesn’t work in general. Or it blows up and creates some blackhole and we all die while destroying time and space.” Thomas guessed.

“Oh, cool…”

“Ok, Amy. I set the time coordinates to travel back in time 24 years ago, So the worlds you will be hopping between will be in that timeframe. Though there’s many buttons, only the middle one you need to press to hop in and out.”

“What does the other one do?”

“The one on your left siphons more energy, press it when you want to worlds further out. The right one releases captive energy, use it to hop to more worlds closer to you. The one on top will give you a reading that will be sent to your watch giving you a brief description of the world. But be careful, it may not be accurate as all of this stuff is highly experimental.

“Ok, I got it. I promise, when I get back, Cooper is going to be with me. Until then…be safe, you two.” was her parting words. They all came in and gave her a hug, wishing things could be different, but this is the best that they’ll get. They backed away from her as she pressed the center button. Green electrical currents course around the belt and soon Amy herself, light was emitting over her as an orb was forming from her body. It soon engulfed her body as everything in the basement was malfunctioning and shaking, that sound of glitching occurred within their ears. Then, within the blank of an eye, Amy vanished. All that was left behind was the charred black circle where Amy once stood, it’s now all up to her.

-:- 

The night was still, less people walking around as traffic wasn’t as obnoxiously loud like it was during the day. The city streets lights were on as shop lights piercing the windows made a stunning scenery for the ongoing bystanders. Well everyone was distracted, the Gordons were across the street from the construction site. From the looks of it, it seems to be some luxury hotel they were building. It was quite large in width, but in length was honestly frightening. It was smaller than a skyscraper, but much too high for your average hotel size. However, it was far from completed. More than half of the building was exposed in the upper region and you can visibly see the equipment and material from below. The site had cranes, lifts, water pipes, etc, everything you find in a typical site. This had to be what the void meant, their first clue had to be here, but where?

“Why would anyone like to be in such a hotel? Let alone one this huge!”

“I guess it would be intimidating for someone for your-”

“Make a size joke, and I'm throwing you off site!”

“As if your tiny ass could pick me up!” he countered. Gordon sure he saw steam come out of the small one’s ears. 

“(Let’s do the arguing for later, please. Let’s investigate the site and see what we’ll find.)” he wrote. The other two huffed as they began to walk to the site’s entrance, but as soon as their feet stepped inside, they heard whistling. They immediately panicked and scrambled around before ducking behind a stack of metal beams. There was a security guard patrolling the area, swinging around a baton and whistling himself a soft, repetitive tune. He stopped in front of another security guard. They peeked out their cover and spied on them, then they looked around and noticed there was a considerably large amount of them around the site. It made sense, you don’t want trespassers going in and stealing or hurting themselves with the equipment. 

“Well that’s great…”

“Anyone got any bright ideas?” small Gordon asked. 

“Hey, why don’t I go look around and see if there’s any blind spots around?” Barney suggested. That’s right, they can’t see him. Gordon nodded as he watched him fly around, spiraling around areas, peeking through doors and walls. But even with his investigating, he found no openings for them to run to. That leaves only one thing left, they need to distract them somehow. When He wrote and pitched the idea, the other Gordon’s averted their eyes. The eyepatch man's face turned bitter, the small one's face grew uneasy. A distraction means someone has to be the fall guy. 

“Why don’t we just beat them-”

“And give them a concussion?! No thank you, why do you always want to brute force your way?”

“As if we should care, we don’t even know if these people are even real-”

“Exactly, it works two ways, jackass!”

“Listen, Handjob. If you want to be served as a distraction, I can roll you like a bowling ball-”

“YOU-”

“Sssshhhhhh” Gordon hissed.

“But I don’t have time for this, the faster we get out of your boyfriend’s world, the better.” he argued. He jumped over the metal beams and started charging out of cover. Gordon sighed as he hopped over and joined in, leaving the small Gordon behind as the two rushed in. The guards were oblivious to the sound of rapid footsteps coming their way. Before they could even act, they were caught by surprise. The Gordon man leaped forward, grabbing one of the guards by his head and slamming it on his knee. The initial impact crushing the man’s nose, blood spilling out as a couple teeth got lodged into Gordon’s knee. A held back cry of pain was made as he landed and hopped on one foot. He was just trying to imitate Cooper and do one of his moves, but forgot he was wearing knee pads. Gordon wasn’t even in his suit, he didn’t even register it before he attacked. Barney and small Gordon flinched when they saw the teeth stuck in his flesh. As he writhe in pain, the eyepatch Gordon charged into his enemy. A cheap shot to the kidney made the man fall, the guard tried to swing to defend himself, but it was caught and snapped in half. The bone pierced the man’s flesh as bits hung like strung meat, he let off a brief cry before his mouth was covered by Gordon’s hand. The scream caught their attention as everyone turned their heads and saw what was happening. Gordon looked up and saw Barney in disbelief, witnessing Gordon’s brutality.

“G-Gordon…” he called, but it couldn’t be heard. The Eyepatch Gordon picked the man up, kneed his other kidney before slamming him guard. The guard was desperate, kicking his feet and begging for help with muffled screams.

“Stop…Gordon, please STOP!” Barney begged, but all it was carried away by wind that was trying to calm his rage. He raised his fist and thrusted, aiming for the man’s throat to kill him.

“GORDON!” he begged once again. In the neck of time, the fist stopped inches from the throat. Gordon was holding back his other self’s fist from delivering the killing blow. He shook his head, he did enough and the job was done. There was no need for this brutality, especially for only security guards. A click of the tongue was made, the eyepatch Gordon got off the man and turned his back away. The small one ran over and ripped a part of his sleeve to help stop the bleeding.

“Well?”

“...I'm sorry, with this type of injury, he’s going to bleed out even if I wrap it up. He needs medical treatment to live…” the small one said. Silence filled the air, the man was unconscious bleeding to death until his clock ran out. Blood stained the yellow one’s clothing as he balls his fist, Barney watches the blood form a crimson pool underneath the body that held its reflection. 

“What…what happened to you, Gordon…?” he questioned. Gordon could feel the rapid emotions that’s flooding into Barney. It's just like he said, whatever he’s feeling, he’s feeling it too. And right now, his mind is overflowing with questions.

“WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?!” the small one yelled, ignoring discretion.

“Who cares, we took them out-”

“NO! HE took HIS guard out, you MURDERED yours!”

“Who the fuck cares?! News flash, they’re under Benrey’s control, it was already over for them-”

“So that gives you the right?! You didn’t even try to help anyone under his control! You just…impulsively murder anyone who isn’t us?!”

“Correction, who isn’t me. So if you don’t want to end up like that one, I suggest you leave me the fuck alone!”

“YOU-”

“I HEARD THE YELLING OVER HERE, COME ON!” Another guard shouted, it caught everyone’s attention. They were forced to flee as more guards came and saw the bodies, the site was on high alert as the authorities arrived. But with everyone focused on the possible threats around, it gave the group the chance to slip by and enter the hotel’s entrance. They opened and quickly closed the door, they’re now one step closer to finding their clue. But as they made it inside, something felt off. Eyepatch Gordon looked around, a sickly feeling of being watched wormed around in his stomach. It’s not safe here and he isn’t talking about the guards.

-:- 

In a void filled with hazy green, Tommy's eyes began to open up. His head was light and his chest ached, his throat was dry and his hands were wet. He stood up and shook his head before looking around. There was nothing, nothing as far his eyes could see. He was in some greenish-black void with water up to his ankles. Where was he? What happened to him? He was at Black Mesa one moment and poof, now he’s waking up here. Odd, did someone kidnap him? Or maybe he fell into a portal storm? 

“I see that you’re awake.” a creepy and cold voice said. Tommy turned around and stood in confusion, there was a man in a suit who held a similar appearance in front of him. He doesn’t have a clue who he is, yet an odd feeling in his chest told him he should. Maybe it was an alternate version of himself, he did meet a Gordon who couldn’t talk. But why…did that not feel correct? 

“Who…are you?”

“Who am I is not important, I only came for a simple chat.”

“Oh, um…ok, not creepy at all. I’m Tommy-”

“I’m aware, dear boy.”

“Oh…ok, um can you tell me where my friend are? I think they’re in trouble…” he asked.

“Hmmm, good question indeed. But it’s sadly one I can’t provide an answer as an…outside force seems to be causing trouble. Rest assured, I'm trying to sort out the problem.”

“Oh…ok, so can I go home? Maybe I can look for them there?”

“A home…? You are quite amusing, what do you mean by that?” he asked. Tommy tilted his head, of course he has a home, everyone does. This man was odd, first his appearance and now him asking dumb questions. Tommy immediately started questioning if this guy was a friend or foe. As they stood the void, Amy made it through her first jump through space and time and arrived at her first stop.

“Ok…says this is a world where people have two heads instead of one…oh christ!” she shouted. Her eyes fixated on the bystanders around her. Each and every one of them has two heads and acts as if it was the norm. Well, it’s because it is the norm, just not for her. Now she stood there, multiple sets of eyes glued to her. She casually let out a soft whistling tune before hitting the buttons and jumping through space and time again. She arrived at her next location and read what was displayed.

“Ok, this timeline where the world never went passed the Victorian era, so it still relied on steam powered equipment, interesting.” she said, looking around her and seeing old school Victorian architecture that was still present. 

“Excuse me, Madam-”

“Madam…?”

“I was about to be spoiled and be presented with this lovely lady’s ankles and you’re interrupting it!” said a man who was in some alleyway with a well-dressed woman

“Isn’t that like…illegal in this era?”

“Oh it is, Jonathan, you naughty dog-”

“Oooooookay, enjoy busting a nut over feet.” she said before she pressed the next set of buttons. She jumped through once more and landed in an area with soldiers preparing for battle.

“Ok, a timeline where America was preparing for the possibility of world war 3 due to the conflict of other countries? Pffts, how’s that any different from my world? Next!” she shouted, jumping once more and landed in what seems to be a small community filled with people.

“Says this is a world where a zombie apocalypse occurred 9 years ago huh? Weird…”

“You’re telling me…” another version of herself said. She turned around and there was another Amy next to two other men, all of them were staring at her before she let out an awkward cough before she pressed the buttons again. This time, she just stood in space, irritated with how much she was jumping between spaces. This was angering her and she was quickly second guessing this idea even though it’s too late to turn back. She screamed and shot, pressing the buttons in a rapid succession in hopes of it doing something else. Well, it did. The device began making some weird noise as it began taking her to somewhere else. As she panics and wanders where it’s taking her, Tommy slowly begins to back away from the suited man. His crooked smile leaked dread, his piercing eyes stabbed Tommy’s mind. It was like he was digging his own fingers within his head, it began to throb in intense pain.

“That’s the type of pain you’ll feel if you step out here and go look for him.”

“It…will? But I can’t…I have to find my friend, Gordon!”

“What do you want with that…being?”

“He said once we get out of this, we can move far, far away! A place where we could be happy and no worries, I can even bring Sunkist! So…i’m sorry, no matter what you say, I have to find him…even if it hurts! And if I have to fight you to get to him…”

“...shame, I didn’t want to do this to you, but you leave me no choice.” he raised his hand as Tommy got into battle position. But before anything happened, a portal opened up before them and out came Amy. She landed next to Tommy with her eyes swirling around.

“Owwwww...oh, crashed a party?”

“A private one!” the suited man responded, he sounded very irritated with her presence.

“May I ask, who are you?”

“Amy, looking for my friend Coops?”

“My, the friend of the anomaly I see?” he asked, but she didn’t like that tone. Nor did she enjoy watching that sinister smile form on his face.

“I can happily take you to him if you give me a moment, it seems things are going to be rather quite interesting for him.” he said. She rolled her eyes, she was going to do what he said and wait. But when she looked at the man next to her, he saw that he was in some sort of danger.

“Nah, it’s ok, I can look for him on my own. Say um…”

“Tommy…”

“Tommy, wanna go for a little joyride?” she asked, giving him a wink to let him know they can escape. He smiled and nodded.

“Excuse, Miss! But you have no right to-”

“My favorite choice of words that comes out of people’s mouths when I piss them out. Ciao!” she said, slamming the buttons on her device and like magic, vanished before the man’s eyes. Now, alone in the void, the smile turned sour. He straightened out his tie before he let out a terrifying scream that didn’t sound remotely human.

-:- 

 The hotel was quiet, but it was to be expected. Construction equipment laying around, blueprints on tables. Empty bottles and trash scattered everywhere, dusty footprints lining down the hallways. Yet, it couldn’t really be seen much due to the lights being off, only the pale moonlight from the moon was their only source. Turning on the lights could risk them getting caught, they’ll get surrounded as soon as the lights are on. Gordon looked at Barney, he was still looking away with his arms crossed. Then he looked at eyepatch Gordon, he was doing the same thing, yet he wasn’t in disbelief. In truth, it seems like he just didn’t care what he just did. Yet, his silence is almost saying something else, but what? 

“...so what’s the plan?” Eyepatch Gordon asked.

“Oh, NOW you want to make a proper plan?”

“You’re still on my case?! Piss off!”

“No, I’m not! We know nothing about this world, but we know people can still feel pain, even if under Benrey’s control!”

“Then go join them, if you wanna go and say “Hey, I'm right here!” then be my guess! I wasn’t going to sit on my ass and cry about what to do-”

“I wasn’t crying-”

“Say what you want, I'm going!” he told them, turning around and began walking down a hallway to his right. Barney tried reaching for only for his hand to get shocked. He pulled it back, it’s the same as before. No matter what, Barney can’t get too close to him when he’s upset, he has to keep his distance. Gordon saw that he wanted to follow him, so he tried reaching out to him too, but he was pulled away by the smaller Gordon.

“Ignore him, if he wants to play lone wolf and get himself killed, he could do it without us!” he told him. Gordon sighed, though he agreed, it’s not safe leaving him by himself either. But from the looks of things, he’s the more capable one in terms of combat. He can defend himself better, so the others aren’t needed. But he wasn’t doing it for just his safety, it was for Barney’s sake, the person no one can see but him. Gordon shook his head as he looked around the hotel past the equipment. It was quite grand in appearance, even if the entire thing isn’t completed. There were two visible floors connected by a grand staircase with a red carpet placed in the center. It raised them a brow as they question why it’s here when construction isn’t finished. The multiple dirty footprints staining the carpet ruined the beautiful shade the piece once had. Each floor had two hallways, the west wing and the east wing. However, there were three elevators at the top of the staircase to help lead to different floors. No doubt there were probably stairs to take too, but they’re not present in the area they’re in. Small Gordon went over to the blueprints that gave a detailed layout of the building.

“Ok, so we’re in the lobby. The west side leads to the casino portion, still under construction-”

“(The east side leads to the pool. Looks like there’s nothing on the second floors in terms of entertainment.)” Gordon added.

“There’s a restaurant in the basement level, one of the exits leads to an underground parking garage.” Barney added.

“Since the eyepatch snake went to the pool side, we’re going to the casino. Feeling lucky?”

“(I lost 200 bucks the last time I went to with Barney…)”

“Then at least there’s one thing I know for sure, we have shit luck.” he joked. A small chuckle escaped Gordons’ mouth as they rolled up the blueprints and took the hallway to the left. The walk was quiet, keeping their eyes peeled as they listened to the noises outside. They were sure to walk within the shadows as the blinking red and blue lights pierced the windows. Filling the halls with bright colors which could expose them if they’re not careful. When they approached the far end of the hallway, they were met with some double doors. They pushed them open as with a squeaky creak noise, they found the casino. It was still under construction, many slot machines weren’t installed yet and the room doesn’t even have carpet. They looked up and saw there were two more floors for the casino alone, there were probably more games to be held on since it’ll be too crowded for one floor. This whole section must be dedicated for gambling purposes, but it was quite lackluster. It was a fact that it’s still unfinished.

“We already wasted a couple of hours, let’s search this place quickly!”

“Gordon, leave the upper floors to me, I'll let you know if I find anything.” he said before flying off to the upper floors. As they searched, there was someone creeping within the shadows, steadily watching as they spoke into a device. 

“So, they’re here?”

“Yes, two of them. The stronger one isn’t here though.”

“Going to pick him off?”

“Yeah, but not before leaving these two a gift.” was the voice’s last words. With the snap of their fingers, multiple bodies dropped on the floor. They appeared out of nowhere as crashing thuds were made in sync, forcing the others to jump out of their skin as the bodies landed. 

“WHAT THE HELL?!” Small Gordon shouted, drawing the attention of Barney as he flew down and saw the bodies. The duo crept up to the unknown bodies, despite their twisted limbs, there were no bruises or blood coming from them. Odd, are they fake? A question that got answered as soon as they flipped one of the bodies around. It didn’t have a face, it was blank. A small sigh was released, someone else is in here and they were just victims of a prank, or so they thought. As soon as they turned their back, a noise was made, the sound of cracking bones. The bodies all stood up, fixing their broken limbs before standing straight and faced their direction. Their hearts skipped a beat, these…puppets are alive maybe. Silence in one moment, noise within the next. The flesh on the faces began to stretch, rip apart. Like tearing paper off a wall, that sound pierced their ears. Soon, mouths and eyes were formed from the tearing of the flesh, but within them was some purple void. It was almost like they were possessed, they got into position as they all let out a painful yet pleasurable groan, they were ready to attack.

-:- 

Tommy and Amy floated within a rift within space, its bright colors caught Tommy in a lucid trance. A great smile grew on his face, why did this feel like home? It was unfamiliar and familiar at the same time, like he came from such a mystical place. Amy watched the man’s eyes scatter as if the very void was controlling his eyes. But right now isn’t the time to get lost in wonder, they may have escaped their previous place, but what now? Did Amy make a new enemy? Wouldn’t the first time someone hated her within mere seconds, but that man felt…odd. Out-of-this-world would be the term she used, but the same could go for this man here, Tommy. At first glance, he appears to look like a carefree, yet kind hearted man. But she can feel something else, something past the frantic and malicious excitement, that same out-of-this-world feeling. She always had this weird sixth sense, being able to see things others can’t, smell things hidden in other scents. She can even feel when someone is hiding, she can feel other people's presence which is a great skill for a sniper like herself. She even helped Cooper with it and some of her other friends too. She shook her head, this isn’t the time for thinking about that suited man, she needs to figure out what to do next.

“So, Ms. Amy-”

“No need for the Miss.”

“Oh, sorry. Amy, what are you doing?”

“I’m trying to find my friend, he is in another world. See this device, it’s letting me jump from world to world and I already seen some crazy shit. But none of them I doubt had Cooper in it…”

“Cooper? Small guy wearing lots of green?”

“Y-yes, you seen him?!”

“No, but a Gordon in that world told me he was with him before they got separated.”

“So he really did jump to the past. Ok, well the device is already set 24 years to the past. That already cut our search by a lot! Hold on Tommy!” she said. Tommy grabbed hold of her shoulders as the device rattled again and shot them through the rift as they appeared in yet another world. It was clearly western theme with standing salons and hanging gallows.

“The display said this is a timeline where they never recovered from the great depression, so the world never passed the old western era.

“Cowboys! Oh Amy, could we come back here when we can, pleeeeeeeease?”

“Hmmmm, why not, not like we’re fucking anything up. Can I even bookmark with this thing?”

“ Timeline has been bookmark for future travel.”

“ Cool, let’s go, Tommy!” she told him. They jumped through another rift and landed in a world filled with soda vending as Tommy's eyes lit up.

“Love it!”

“Hate it.” Amy finished before jumping again and landed in a world filled with lustrous women.

“Love it!”

“Hate it!” Tommy finished as he pressed the button and shot them back into the rift. Amy rubbed her head in frustration, so many worlds already and not a single one looked like the world Cooper could possibly be in. Tommy didn’t get her frustration, but he spoke up.

“Hey now, we’re gonna find him! Just…gonna take some time-”

“I know, just this is getting annoying and I didn’t exactly bring enough supplies for 1 million trips throughout time and space. Tommy, please, there has to be something you could do to locate their world easier. Anything?!” she asked out of desperation. He looked at her, her face doesn’t show it, but she was honestly scared. Not for herself, but for her friend. It was like him back then when he thought he lost his Gordon after the surprise attack, how he wished he was stronger to prevent his hand from getting removed. Then it hit him, his thoughts of his friend came into his mind as his hand started to emit that same electrical current like Amy’s device. It caught her attention as he put his hand near it and caused the device to go completely haywire. It was about to make them jump to the next world, she took hold of Tommy’s hand as they were shot out once again and found themselves in a city that didn’t appear recognizable. From the flowing crisped wind to the dazzling shop lights, this place felt like somewhere Cooper would end up.

“Who the fuck is Benrey?”

“Not a very nice guy. But…why is he everywhere?!” he questioned.

“Products, TV screens, plushies? This guy looks like a freak, who would market him so much? Whatever.” she said. Amy pulled out her phone as she was about to punch a number in. 

                                                                                                Moments prior

Eyepatch Gordon continued down the hallway by his lonesome, he knows he isn’t wanted. He sucked his teeth, footsteps echoing down the quiet corridor as he thought back to his action. Yes, he was brutal. Yes, he didn’t care. But a part of his mind kept going back to the man’s corpse. It’s true, they don’t know if these are real people Benrey kidnapped, or fakes conjured up by him. Without the knowledge, he shouldn't have jumped to murder as an answer. He regrets it, but he doesn't dwell on it. The person he cares about the most isn’t here. Hell, he doesn’t know if his spirit was here. He wondered if it was here, how would his Barney react to the fresh blood painting his hands red? Scared, shocked, disgusted probably. It was just like him, trained to kill, but only kill when necessary. That was one thing he liked about him, his more rational thinking in situations. He let out a brief sigh, oh how much he wished he was here to help him tone down his now violent nature. 

In the midst of his self-reflection, he came across giant double doors. He pushed it open to see the large pool area half completed. The left side of the area was still under construction, however, the right side is done with water filled in the small pool. The moonlight reflected off the water and shined the room, illuminating the area with a soothing glow that mimicked the flowing water. Despite the beauty, it was an odd thing. Why is stuff filled when construction isn’t finished? Regardless, he walked over to it and stared into the pool. He watched the ripples within the water hold his softened reflection. Sad, lonely, stressed, it’s like he was looking at a whole nother person. And within an instant, his reflection changed to his past self. It was when he first drove Barney away, how messy he looked, red his eyes,  how dry his hair was. That day he realized he needed Barney more than just for reminders for self-care, it was like he lost his second half. He blinked as he saw his reflection changed to Barney, he was in his uniform with a bullet hole right in his forehead. That image will forever haunt him, having him wish that the roles were reversed.

“They say the reflection we see on water shows our true feelings.” a voice said. Gordon looked up and around, trying to find that sly, yet charming woman’s voice. 

“I’m not here for some philosophy shit-”

“Yet I can see it in your eye, you hold great longing for someone who isn’t with us right now-”

“Keep it up and you’ll end up in the grave by my hands next!” he threatened. Within the shadows, a smirk was made. An item was thrown in the arm and was heading his way, it was a grenade. Gordon jumped out the way, ducking behind cover as he waited for the explosion to happen. However, after a moment, nothing was made.

“...SHIT-”

“SLOW!” she cut off. Gordon stood up to try to move, only for a foot being lunged into his stomach. It dug in his gut, like a blade trying to twist and pushing itself deeper. He felt vomit build up and clog his throat, his eyes tearing up from the pain as the impact was enough to propel into the air and land in the pool. A mighty splash was made, causing the water to uproar like a geyser. Gordon struggled to collect his bearings, from the mixture of his pain and slight panicking, he started to drown. Frantically, he regained his composure and swam back up despite the pain. He let out a deep gasp, only for it to quickly be silenced by another splash. The woman jumped in and like a torpedo, shot herself back up and delivered a devastating blow to his face. It launched him out the water and tumbled across the tiled floor, the woman came out the water as Gordon struggled to breath again.

“YOU DIRTY BITCH! You rely on cheap shots?!”

“Funny how quick you are to complain when it’s done to you, but it’s ok when you do it? Hypocrisy must be a frequent thing in your homelife.”

“And a busted head must be a common thing for you!” he shouted next. He picked himself up, swallowed the pain and took his left hand and balled it to fist. He brought it to his chest as a light emitted from his body, soon his H.E.V suit colored crimson appeared on his body as he spun out his crowbar.

“You better not hope for mercy, cause I'm going about to turn this pool red!”

“Then by all means, come and try!”

Chapter Text

The road to the site was a rough one, bodies rattling with each road bump they hit. The carrier was dark, very dim lighting as there were no windows for them to see out of. It was to be expected, no like they had any luxury in the first place. The same goes for Cooper and Herman, but their ride was more calmer as they had each other to talk to unlike everyone else. Herman looked over to the father Barney traded spots with, he was holding his son who was in return holding onto his father. The scrawny teen wasn’t made for physical labor, you can tell he isn’t eating well and the same could go for his dad. Herman's thoughts went back to the past, how he and Barney had a hard time putting food on the table. Many nights their meals were instant food or even bread, it made him feel like he wasn’t doing enough for his son. If it wasn’t for his breakthrough, then Barney wouldn’t even be standing here, he would be just wandering the streets. He looked over to Cooper, he knew what he was going to say. Soon, the vehicle came to a halt and everyone was ordered to come out. They were escorted into recreation tents and split up into groups. They saw the soldiers coming to the father and son, probably pairing some random group with them. One of the soldiers announced they’ll be paired up into fours and their quota will be cumulative between all of them. Such a thing isn’t a problem for Herman and Cooper, but for that pair, they will probably fail and receive punishment. They could see it now and it made Herman sick to his stomach, he made his way to the two and tapped the soldier’s shoulder.

“Oh for the love of god, it’s Calhoun and friend…” he said, letting out an exhausting sigh.

“Blergh! I for one would love if a Calhoun came and grace-”

“Get on with it, Herman! No one wants to deal with your pestering and flirting this early in the morning!” he complained.

“Pfft, as if I sink low enough to flirt the Metro police…unless you one of those people who secretly trying to destroy the Combine-”

“GET ON WITH IT!” He cut off, Herman puffed his cheeks as Cooper let out a goofy yet awkward smile.

“We’re buddies with these two, mind if we pair with them today?”

“Groups are already selected, the boy will be with his own group with the father in another-”

“I figured, I guess I just have you to bother for the whole day-”

“Jesus, fine! But NO. MORE. FLIRTING. Got it?” he demanded, he nodded as the soldier went to the leader to talk about the switch. He pointed at Herman and sighed before nodding his head, the man returned with the news that Herman and Cooper will be paired with the father and son in exchange of Herman not being…Herman. They were escorted to their tents and were left alone until it was time to work.

“Here.” Herman said, the pair flinched when they saw two small containers in front of them. They opened it and they couldn’t believe what was in. Food, actual food. It was an array of mixed vegetables and some cooked minced meat from last week's food handout from the Combine.

“Our little secret, ok?”

“W-we couldn’t-”

“When me and my son were younger, we were extremely poor. So, I know how it feels to starve to no end. So please, take it, we can handle ourselves until we get home.” he convinces, giving a playful wink. The father was forever grateful as they began to eat what was given, he was lost in flavor as tasteful food felt like a dream in this new life they are in. A whistle was blown as a soldier was about to enter inside, Herman quickly took the empty containers and hid them away before getting caught. Any food that isn’t what the Combine given isn’t allowed and will receive punishment for breaking the law. They were escorted out to the site and the same could go for Barney, they were all placed at different places of the quarry with their group and proceeded to work. 

Work was exhausting, grueling. The mixture of hot weather with icy winds was irritating him, they were sweating one second just to freeze the next. This weather was impossible to work in these conditions, but they didn't have a choice. It was this or be beaten, he doesn’t want to draw any suspicion to his group back at home. Barney raised his pickaxe, just to drop it when someone intentionally elbowed his arm. It was one of his group mates, she wasn’t happy with Barney being lost in thought for a moment and reminded him to pick up the slack. He sucked his teeth, but held his tongue. He really wished he was with his friends right now.

-:- 

The Citadel in the center of the city still stood tall, multiple wires scattering from it and cluttering the space. The streets became more damaged over time, homes were getting worse. More and more metro cops roamed the streets as civilians preferred the treatment they got when they joined the Combine’s regime. It was disgusting, it was understandable that life as a human is unbearable these days, but trading your humanity for the Combine didn’t sit right with some people. One being Alyx Vance who was watching the Metro’s patrol routes from above, making sure she wouldn’t get caught as she started making her way back to the Citadel. She hopped from rooftop to rooftop. Hiding from scanners as soon as she hears them, and eavesdropping on the people below just for nosy reasons. But for today, it was different. She found something that completely went under the Combine’s nose and she had to show it to her dad. She made one more jump to a rooftop before jumping down and landing in a pile of old trash that cushioned her fall. She quickly rose out of it and swam across until she found a pipeline she recognized. It was leading underground and based on the direction, it’ll lead back to the tower. Another clean infiltration by the great Alyx Vance. She turned on a small flashlight that was in her pocket and followed the pipeline and quickly before the daily waste flood came rushing in and drowned her, not a way she wanted to go. She traveled until she saw small lights piercing through the darkness, she pressed her ear against it and heard no footsteps. She opened up a hatch and climbed out. She was in the waste’s department of the Combine’s Citadel. She quickly escaped, watched the corners for guards and walked casually to the elevator. The guard ignored her as she took the elevator to the research department and coursed through the hallways until she found her dad’s room.

“Ok, he should be…” she paused as she watched the door open up and in came Isaac and her dad. They were relieved to see her inside as she was gone for more than usual.

“Oh thank the heavens!”

“Alyx, are you trying to send me to an early grave?” he joked, rubbing his daughter’s head. He took a quick sniff of the air and held his nose.

“Alyx, did you go through the pipes again!”

“It's the best way to sneak out-”

“And also the dirtiest!” he added. Alyx stuck out her tongue, she never understood why her using the pipes to leave was such a bad thing. If she leaves out the front, then the Combine would be aware that she’s outside and keep tabs on her. That was something even Eli knew, especially when he knows where she goes most of the time. The Vance family has it easier than others, a decent place to sleep and even eat, but doesn’t mean their lives are comfortable. If Eli could, he would rather live in the streets with the others, being forced to work here has been stressing him out. Working for the very people who are destroying their livelihood disgusted him, but when he looks at Alyx, fear sets in. He may have Isaac, Barney and the others, but he still doesn’t want Alyx to live without both her parents or be used against him. Who knows what they could have done to her? Its known that a method of punishment or torture is performed to people within the tower. But the thing is, there was never a person who left it afterwards. It’s a mystery to what happens to them and honestly, it’s better to stay as one because they may not be able to stomach the answer. That same fear is what forces Isaac to work for them too, even if he doesn’t get the same benefits. But just like Eli, he would rather be on the streets than anything.

“Oh dad, I was in the junkyard again-”

“The same place I told you not to go-”

“Yeah! Look what I found!” she said. She dug in her pockets as the two drew closer, but what she pulled out caused their hearts to drop. Pieces of those artifacts from Xen, they were as tiny as pebbles, but you can still feel great energy within them. 

“ALYX!”

“I found them in the junkyard, it must have fallen out of…what’s that place? Xen? But like, super tiny size so I can see why it was missed. It was mixed with some clothes and junk-DAD!” She shouted. Eli snatched the pieces out of her hand and put it in his pockets.

“Alyx, I don’t care how small they are, that thing is what caused the mess back in Black Mesa.”

“I-I know-”

“You don’t, Alyx! We made the mistake of messing with it and paid the price, I don’t want you to do the same thing. Look how the world is, the Combine aren’t the only ones who harmed the world!” he reminded her.

Ever Since the incident, portals haven’t stopped appearing. It may not be as frequent as five years ago, but they still occur. They brought over the wildlife of Xen and it infested their world. The thing is, they only saw the damage that is within City 17’s territory which on paper doesn’t seem like much. Yes, there were oddities within the city, particularly the underside. The lower side and sewers, despite being great places to hide, are mostly taken over by weird mutations and wildlife of Xen. Next to them are the people who became the victims of headcrabs that snuck up and ambushed them when using the lower side to escape. Unless you’re fast and lucky, using the lowerside as an escape method was suicide. But again, that was just the issue within the City 17’s territory. Anything beyond that is only information the Combine knows. Alyx shied away, she couldn’t ignore that warning as her father was right, she would be playing a dangerous game trying to tinker with what she found. She was already pushing it by going to the Combine’s junkyard, who knows what would happen if she was caught with something from Xen?

“Now, Alyx. you know your father are speaking of your best interest…and I have to agree-”

“Even you, uncle Izzy?”

“I’m sorry…I just don’t want to lose more people…”

“Ok…”

“Is that all you have?” he asked. Alyx sighed as she emptied out her pockets and revealed more she found. Eli picked them up and hugged her.

“Thank you, sweetie. Now I have to go back and examine something. Please, no more junkyard today.”

“I won’t.” she said. But as soon as Eli left and he was gone from view, Alyx and Isaac smiled at each other. Isaac’s work shift was over, so he was free to leave. He quickly fixed himself before taking Alyx back to Barney group’s home, but as soon as she stepped out, she couldn’t believe how much time passed. The sun was going down, meaning everyone should be home by now or at least getting back if none of them were forced to stay behind. As they walked to their next location, the work whistle blew and told everyone their time was over. A sigh of relief escaped Barney’s mouth, sweat rolled down his face then quickly dried from the icy winds that blew. A loud sneeze was made as no one blessed him, but it didn’t surprise him. As of right now, unless you have your own group, it was survival over kindness. That type of mindset angered him, this is a time to be unified, not leaving someone else to die. But even in these times, people rather sell their trust than to keep it, which is why Barney is grateful for everyone. Alyx, Isaac, Eli, Cooper, and his dad. Speaking of which, it was time for him to head home. 

He hopped on the truck and sat inside until he reached the city, he departed the truck and walked within some alleyways. He stopped, stuck his hands behind a dumpster and pulled out a helmet. He put it on before squeezing himself and his gut through a hole in the wall, there was a pathway leading down to the city’s underside. He quickly ran through the halls, navigating himself through the dark before he ran into a wall. After cursing under his breath, he pushed the wall and it revealed a secret room within. He closed the wall before going to the door on the other end. He opened it up and was blinded by the lights within. 

“Uncle Barney!” Alyx called, rushing in to hug him. 

“Oof, your hug tackles are getting tougher by the day. You’re going to knock me over at some point, ya know?”

“Hehe, don’t forget that I'm going to be taller than you too!” She reminded. Barney flinched, now why did she have to put salt in his wounds? She left him alone as she ran back to Isaac’s private quarters. Barney stretched his arms out before making his way to their makeshift living room and flopping on the couch. This was their hideout, their real home, not the one they were at before. That was a fake hideout to avoid being followed and gaining suspicion, the last thing they need is the Combine watching them even more closely. The place was an old home that was buried by the new homes built on top, then it just sunk deeper during the years. They discovered the place when Alyx fell through the floor and stumbled up on the place. With the help of everyone, they fixed the place up and even prevented the home from sinking deeper into the ground. And with the help of Cooper, he and Isaac were able to re-route both electricity and clean water. And thanks to Alyx scavenging in the junkyard, she found useful stuff they were able to fix up and now they were able to make their own little vegetable garden.

“(Our own little slice of heaven. And the best thing, we can skip tomorrow with how much we were working.)” he told himself, closing his eyes to get some sleep.

“Don’t tell me you’re sleeping when Coops is cooking!” Herman asked, his loud voice waking up his son and exposing his tired eyes.

“You guys can wake me up-”

“Oh I know, but with that logic, I can just eat your shares THEN wake you up.” he taunted. Barney stood up and gripped his dad, he shook the old man as the father grew a menacing grin.

“Eat my shares and I'm throwing you on a truck going back to the quarry!”

“Oh boohoo, my son hates me so much that he’s willing to send me off to the mines-”

“As if you weren’t going to strap my ass onto a rocket and send me off to space!”

“Rude, I wouldn’t send you to space…I’ll send you to Mars-”

“Still space, jackass!” he said, giving his dad a rough head rub as Herman stuck his tongue out. Cooper walked in to the both of them goofing off, he gave an awkward smile like a mother who caught their kids rough housing. He came to tell them dinner was ready and left to go tell the other two. The pair looked at each other and raced to the table, but there was someone who was even faster than the both of them. Alyx, the speed demon she was, was already there.

“She shoots, she scores!”

“Yeah yeah, wait until your 25 and those knees start to pop-”

“Oh just like yours, uncle Barney?” she quickly countered, smirking behind her hand as Barney pouted his face. Herman snickered as well before Barney turned and eyed him down, but only saw him looking innocent. Cooper sat the food down and split up the portions evenly, it was cooked seasoned vegetables. They wished for meat, but it would be too difficult to keep the animals in control within the city and they gave the last of what they had to the pair earlier. If they ever go beyond City 17’s territory, they could consider it. But they have no idea what life is outside City 17, it could be better, it could be worse. They heard rumors about small man-made towns hidden away from the Combine’s view, but that is what they are, just rumors being passed around. But even if towns and havens exist, they doubt they last long with the destructive weather they get. It would be impossible for them to even keep houses standing when heavy snow can just fall then melt when it’s in the middle of a heatwave and cause floods. But that is not important right now, what is important was filling up their stomachs, especially for Cooper and Herman who gave their meals to their work mates. The smell of seasoned cooked vegetables caused their mouths to water uncontrollably, Cooper’s cooking was always what people wait for as he’s the best one out of all of them. When the plates were handed out, Alyx dug in hers alongside Herman, the two of them looking like demons munching on their prey. Barney let out a sigh, but deep down, he wanted to do the same thing. But he wanted to be seen as the mature one, even if he’s far from mature with his playful manners.

Isaac was speedy with his plate. He was known for skipping his food to work on his personal projects, but that was with what the Combine fed him. Now, fresh food that tastes like heaven, he doesn’t skip a single meal, at least not dinner. Though, he does look at the empty seat next to him where Eli would sit. It has been harder and harder for him to leave the Citadel until now where he they deny him permission to leave. It was getting harder for Alyx too, sometimes the guards would make up reasons for her not to enter, hence her constant infiltration. Alyx has grown up pretty fast, making trinkets and developing stealth skills at such a young age. It was inspiring, but also disheartening. She should not be doing these types of things at her age, not yet.

“So Barney, how was your shift?”

“As- I mean, crap!” he answered.

“Barney, I know what curse words are-”

“Doesn’t mean you should be saying or hearing them-”

“Gee-Gee let me say them.” she finished as Barney looked at his dad.

“What? If she isn't gonna learn it from us, she gonna from the people around her. For crying out loud, she’s literally sneaking in the tower! Coops, back me up here!” he asked, but Cooper only gave an awkward smile and continued eating.

“Well she shouldn’t be saying them in general-”

“I agree, letting her be rowdy and saying foul language could lead to some reckless actions in the future-”

“Says the hypocrite who let her join in on your dangerous experiments!” Herman called out. Isaac flinched and looked away, busted.

“Speaking of, how is it going, Izzy?”

“Oh, I was about to do the experimental phase if you like to see!”

“It’s not gonna get us almost crushed like last time, is it?” Barney brought up. Isaac rubbed his head and chuckled before leaving his seat. The others left theirs and followed him to his private quarters. The room was small with not a lot of space, but it served its purpose well. Isaac took out another small device that resembled a radio. Everyone was impressed, his ability to make something out of nothing. It was difficult to gather any kind of material within the city or take anything from work, so a lot of time Isaac relied on Alyx to bring in anything from junkyards she raids. Barney was like Eli, he didn’t like the idea of Alyx going there especially now with how frequent her trips are. 

“The actual name is much too long, so we’ll call it Pathfinder for now.” he said.

“And what does it do?”

“As you guys know, the portal storms haven’t stopped. Like the one I made before, it’ll help us locate it. The power is low, but with these-” he paused, pulling out pieces of the artifact from Xen. Cooper and Barney felt their skin crawl, their hearts frozen from the mere sight of it, even if it was just tiny pieces.

“ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE?!”

“Not to worry, Calhoun-”

“MY ASS! I’M NOT LETTING YOU USE THOSE THINGS…I-I…can’t lose anyone else…” he said, lowering his head with his eyes to the floor. Everyone knew who he was referring to, Gordon. It has been five years since his disappearance. Though Barney’s facade of not being affected by his absence was strong, it drops sometimes and everyone could see his true feelings. His optimism could only hold out for so long when he’s barely making it everyday, so seeing those pieces reminded him of what he lost that day.

“I-I didn’t consider that, i’m sorry…” he apologized. The room grew quiet, but soon it was broken when Cooper spoke up.

“What was the purpose of the device?”

“It…was for Calhoun. I know how much he wanted Gordon back…but I didn’t take his concerns into consideration…”

“For me?”

“I’ll be honest, finding Cooper a way home is next to impossible right now with my extremely limited resources. so…I did the next best thing and it was on our to-do list.” he said

“...look, you can do it or whatever, it’s not going to blow up, right?

“I’m 47% certain it won’t!”

“Great…”

“Just let me do some tinkering…” he said, going off from the group and began putting the final touches of. There was a little slot within the device, inside was two rods with a beam of energy bridging between them. Isaac took a couple of the shards and put them inside and they were held in place. He closed the compartment as the device started to shake, Barney grabbed hold of Isaac and they all went for cover. But as they waited for a noise, nothing was made. They peeked their heads up and saw the device still in one piece.

“I DID IT!” he shouted in victory.

“Awesome, Uncle Izzy!”

“Thank you, now let’s see if we…huh?”

“What?”

“T-the reading says there’s one in this very room…” he answered, but how? Everyone looked around the room and saw nothing. No noise or green electrical currents in the air, not even the reality fissures they saw in Black Mesa. Isaac looked around and he came across a box in a corner, he approached it as the readings were getting stronger.

“It’s…the box?” Herman questioned. Cooper took the front and took a deep breath. He reached for the box as the object began splitting apart and became distorted, that same glitching effect was coated over the box as Cooper’s hand was pulled away from pain. Something shocked, burned, chilled, pulled apart his hand all at once. 

“Doc…what is happening?”

“I…don’t know. But this will require further research. For now, let’s…avoid it.” he suggested. They all left the room and back to the table. They joked and continued their dinner as if nothing happened. Cooper asked if Alyx is keeping up with her learning Russian and Polish, she nodded as the others looked away since they were skipping lessons again. But the guilty looks alone told Cooper that they were. It was a nice little distraction, but no matter what, it was in the back of their mind. The box, they didn’t know that their discovery was a blessing, or a curse.

“Oh Coops, it’s almost 9pm!” Alyx reminded him, but he was aware. Honestly, it was impossible to tell the accurate time without clocks. But Alyx seems to always have a keen insight on these things, so they trusted her judgement. Cooper stretched his arms before he went to a table with a spare helmet and a bag in hand. 

“Wait up, i’ll come too!”

“No you ain’t, I'm going with Coops!” Barney said, getting up from his seat and snatching the last helmet.

“Why can’t I go?!”

“Because you had him during your shift, I was by myself, so it’s my turn!” he answered, sticking his nose up and then putting an L on his forehead. Alyx snorted from the table as Herman rolled his eyes, Cooper giggled before him and Barney traveled out the passage and back to the surface. They hid their helmets as they stepped out onto the streets. The curfew for city 17 was 10pm, so the best time to get anything done is before that. But that could be difficult at night, especially when barely any street lamps work. The ones that do flicker too much to be used as proper lighting. As they walk, Barney looks at the night sky. Blue and black with stars littered about. However, the sun made its appearance, but didn’t brighten the night. He sighed, it was one of those odd nights again, not like daytime today was any better with the icy winds.

“It’s so weird, to see the sun during a dark night, or the moon and stars on a sunny day.”

“And it doesn’t seem to ever stop, it worries me with how much the planet is thrown out of order.” Coop added. 

“So, my dad didn’t give you a hard time, did he?”

“Me? No. The Combine?”

“Always

 Always” they both answered. 

Not wasting a moment bursting into laughter knowing how much of a nuisance Herman is to the Combine. Once done, they resumed walking, but Barney cherished small moments like these. Laughter in glooming silence, smiles in deep sadness, his friends' support is what gets him through these dark times. He just wished that Gordon was here with him, his heart can’t stop thinking about him. Cooper can see it on his face, rather he’s smiling or not, he can see it clear as day. They took a turn on a corner and made their way into an old walkway to a small factory site. The metal work was rusted and damaged, showing that the Combine don’t care for this place, not yet. But since it’s not under its eye, it was a hotspot for trades among each other. Rather it be information, or prohibited items. They pushed open the entrance, the rust scraping against the floors and echoing within the vacant factory. They quickly closed the door and stood still. The factory barely had any light, only the pale moonlight from the holes and small windows was there to guide the way. Fortunately, the meetup spot isn’t far.

“I hate walking in this place, it’s like…time stands still here.”

“I’ve been on missions to places that felt like that before.”

“Like?”

“There were these people hiding in caves, they had armed explosives and weapons they shouldn’t have. The cave however, was so…unique. The walls had some damped moisture, some with running water coming down them. Because of that, the light from outside bounced off the walls and illuminated the cave. It was like…I walked into a different world.”

“But that pales in comparison now, huh?” he elbowed, reminding him that Cooper is once again, a time traveling-world hopper. He playfully rolled his eyes, but Barney was right. You can’t say you traveled like he has. They pushed open a room and shut it right after, they were in some kind of executive office. There was a hole through the ceiling, through the whole factory to be more accurate. The light from outside only slightly brightened up the room, half lit while the other half blackened by darkness. There within the darkness was a figure, you couldn’t make out their appearance, at least for Barney. But it was clear that his back was turned.

“Who is it?” the figure asked with a thick accent.

“Cooper,” he answered.

“The other one?”

“He’s not asking for anything, just tagging along.”

“Fine. But do you have the fee?” he asked. He held his hand out as Cooper rolled his eyes, he came over and handed over some fresh vegetables before backing away.

“Ah, so ya are the rumored gardener-”

“The rumor you started.”

“Tomato, tomahto. Information is how I earn in my business, rumors are what draws in my customers-”

“My request?” he cut off. The man let off a sigh as Barney raised his brow. A request? This is the first time he heard of this. Usually, Cooper just let the man feed him any info he wanted just to stay informed.

“To the point, as usual. It’s your lucky day, I have heard about something you were looking for. But this is extra juicy detail-”

“Hence why I gave extra today.”

“That you did. Alright then. The Combine receives a message that an unidentifiable object has been found, multiple. They seemed out of this world, it was in the remains of a private home in the middle of the forest in New Mexico-”

“And?!” Cooper asked, sounding aggressive as he stepped forward. The man smirked as he held his hand out, wanting more for his information. That upset Barney, but before his mouth opened to complain, Cooper took action. He stepped on a piece of metal and flung it upwards, he then kicked it towards the man. It caught him off guard as it hit him clean on his head, Cooper rushed in, locked his arm behind his back and pinned the man down on the floor.

“TALK!”

“O-OK, FUCK! C-city 10, the one in the southern UK region!”

“AND?!”

“UGH, FUCK! I-it’s in one of the Combine owned storage facilities! I overheard some guards talking about it!”

“What are they planning?!”

“I-I don’t know much, but I know it’s going to be part of the delivery that will be here in 3 months! No one is allowed to touch the things until it’s ready to ship it off. I swear, it’s all I know!” he pleaded. Cooper let go of him and backed away to Barney who was stunned with Cooper’s aggression. Cooper nodded Barney to start moving as he continued to glare down the man. Barney was…nervous, but he did what he was told. He went outside and traveled back to the hideout. By the time he returned, everyone but Isaac was asleep. He could hear his dad and Alyx snoring together in the next room, which already told him he isn't waking up anytime soon. He sat on the couch and wanted for Cooper to arrive, he wanted to know why he was so heated about his stuff being found by the Combine. Well, it’s an answer he soon was going to get. Cooper arrived with a heavy scent of iron around him. Barney lifted his head up and saw his friend covered in fresh blood. But before he said a word, he took another look at him. There were no wounds on him, no bruises, scrapes or cuts. Meaning, the blood isn’t his.

“What fresh hell happened?!” he yelled, but he didn’t get any answer. All Cooper did was walk into his room and shut the door. Barney rushed after him and forced his way in, he was watching Cooper take out a ragged backpack and began packing it. 

“Hey, what are you doing?!” he shouted, his voice waking up Alyx and Herman in the other room. Isaac was drawn to the sound too as he stopped with what he was doing and pressed his ear against the wall.

“Why are you covered in blood, is it yours?!”

“No.”

“NO?! T-THEN…YOU…”

“I’m leaving soon, Barney.” he gave. 

“To where?!”

“City 10.”

“W-why?! What’s so important over there?! You’re stuff?!”

“Yes, Barney.”

“But you we’re fine for five years without them, what’s the deal now-”

“Because you saw what the Combine is capable of!” he cut off, freezing Barney in his tracks.

“If Wallace gets his hands on my stuff and gets inside it, he can lead an invasion on my world next! I can’t sit with that possibility in mind, so after tomorrow’s inspection. I’m spending a few days gathering supplies before departing”

“By yourself?! No you’re not!”

“You’re not coming!”

“I’m not letting you go! We told each other that we will have each other’s back-WHOA, HEY!” he yelp, Cooper took hold of Barney’s arms.

He leaned him down before sweeping his feet, he was thrown down into the ground as a fist was planted in his gut. Twisting and wedging into his belly as a painful groan echoed the room. Before Barney could even fathom what just happen, a knife was at his throat. He paused and so did the air itself, only the heavy breathing coming from his nose was the only hum coursing the air. Sweat rolled as his hands shook, he didn’t know it was from fear or being too injured. He slowly looked up and met Cooper’s eyes, but what he saw was not him. His body, his mere presence oozed with blackening malice. Like a hunter and it’s prey. No, it was a murderer in front of their victim. Chills ran down his spine, his breathing became inconsistent like he was being choked. This was a side of Cooper that the world never saw, or something he hid away from others.

“T-this is n-n-not a joke!” he said, but his speech was broken, like a child that was punished. He tried getting back up, but he was knocked back down.

“STOP, DAMMIT!”

“And you think someone will stop just because you asked?” he finally spoke. His voice was menacingly chilled, icy words that stabbed reality into his being. He was at a loss of words, he didn’t get what he meant.

“We know nothing outside those walls, it’s a lawless place where “kill or be killed” is the sole rule roaming the ruined lands. And you think pleading is going to stop someone from killing you? You think they're going to be like me right now? Letting you speak a word when you’re at your weakest? No, they would have slit your throat before you could even pronounce a letter, just like your other self.” he brought up. Barney became petrified with fear, his mind brought him back to his other self’s corpse.

“I-I-I-”

“Dead, nothing more than a corpse. Played hero, paid the price. A bullet right in his head and now that Gordon lost someone important. Heroics can get you far, but a skilled hand and mind gets you further, which you don’t have, Barney. I can’t have you come with me because…I can’t lose you. You’re nowhere near me in terms of skill. You never will. You don’t think I saw you freeze up back in Black Mesa? Or how much you depended on me for a way out or how you reacted when you saw tiny artifacts?” he asked him, those words pulse within his head. Throbbing to the rigged rhythm of his beating heart. The others didn’t utter a word, it was not a conversation for them to even join. Alyx was frightened, she can hear the killer in Cooper’s voice when he speaks. So did Isaac and Herman, it was almost as if a different person was standing before them. 

“You know how it will feel? To have you with me, just to come back with you gone?! All because you couldn’t keep up…which will result in me failing to protect you?! How do I tell Herman you were cut, stabbed, skinned, flatten, cooked, decapitated, drowned, hung, HUH?! You know how torn he will be?! Same for Alyx, Eli, and Isaac! But most of all, Gordon! Stop being a hero and know your limits, because you’re only dragging the rest of us who could do something down…” he said. Barney’s body was hollow, this reality check made him realize that he was weak, not strong. All he was was a kid trying to be part of the big leagues, when in reality, all he was was just unwanted shackles holding everyone back. He didn’t know what possessed him to get off the ground and back on his feet, but he used this strength to talk back.

“You promised…YOU FUCKING PROMISED WE STICK TOGETHER ON THIS!”

“I did, but sometimes it’s better to break something when it’s better for the other’s sake.” he replied. He turned his back to Barney, leaving him to wallow in his self-reflection.

“Your hands are dirty, but can be cleaned. Mine? They’re forever stained red. Goodnight, Barney.” he wished as he headed back to his room. Barney fell to his knees as what Wallace said played on repeat inside his head. Barney can never be Cooper.

Chapter Text

Gordon jumped back to avoid getting piled on, catching his footing as the lifeless husks came after him. It was time to fight, he spun his crowbar and braced himself. One of the bodies howled before lunging forward, a slow and predictable attack. Gordon dodged to his left, raising his weapon and slamming it down on the head. The thick and loud thud that echoed the room rattled the air, the husk groaned in pain as it fell to the floor. Gordon raised his weapon again to deliver the final blow, but stopped when another tried to ambush him. The second husk hopped on one of the covered slot machines and he attempted to pounce on Gordon. He fortunately noticed in time to jump out of the way. He was honestly impressed with himself. All he was doing was mimicking Cooper, though it was sloppy, he was in disbelief that he could move like that. But he let self-praising blind him as another husk was coming his way.

“LOOK OUT!” Barney yelled. He made an attempt to grab Gordon, only for him to phase right through him as if he was never there. The failed rescue resulted in Gordon getting scratched in his face, knocking his glasses off and putting him on the floor. The stinging sensation burned, though it wasn’t deep, the irritation kept his eyes closed. He thought he could endure more pain, but then he thought back to it. The morphine, it was always injected inside him, only when it was empty was when he experienced true pain. Gordon never learned to build up a tolerance because he was almost always under the effect of the drug. But he needs to get up, he needs to fight. 

“GORDON!” Barney called again. The second husk jumped in the air and prepped their fist. To Gordon, it was a blur without his glasses. But thanks to Barney, he knew it was a foe than friend. He quickly rolled to his right, just barely avoiding the attack as he felt the ground quake. He tried to get up, but something grabbed hold of his leg. The grip was strong, even the suit’s energy was being depleted. With one motion, Gordon was flung across the room. Crashing into the slot machines before landing on the ground. Though the energy veil helped lessen the damage, the impact very much was hitting his body. It reminded him with the bullets he shielded in Black Mesa, the bruises coursing all along his body. Barney was desperate to find a way to help, but how could he? Everything he touches just goes right through him, his thoughts came to a halt when another foe pounced towards Gordon. 

“I GOT YOU!” Small Gordon shouted, turning to his rescue and unleashed a flurry of bullets. Gordon couldn’t see well, but he could still make out the other Gordon’s weapon. It was some type of mini-gun that was attached to his arm. The rapid bullets held the foe in the air, the bullets forcing the target to dance in mid-air as its body was lodged with many holes. He then turned to the other husk near his other self and shot it into pieces too. Just as he finished, a shadow was cast over him, two more husks tried to ambush him. He dodged just in time before picking himself up and went back into fighting. Gordon was inspired to keep fighting too, he can’t let his other self best him like that. He fought through the pain and picked himself up, he picked up his crowbar and went in. He slammed, stabbed, wedged his weapon into his foes until they fell one by one. But even with his efforts, both the Gordon’s ended up getting overwhelmed.

“No no no, come on! Please, there has to be something…” Barney told himself. He looked around until his attention came to the slot machines. He remembers a movie he watched with a ghost that was able to possess objects and could cause them to move.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck! Please work.” he begged. Barney jumped into a machine, but it was different. He didn’t phase through it, he was a part of it. He felt odd, more than before. But he can’t think about that now, he needs to help. The machine powered on, the bright light catching everyone’s attention. The machine rocked left and right, surges of electricity coursing around it. The rollers spinning out of control as the alarms within went off. Soon, the coin holder shot out the machine and hit the husks in the head. Perfect, Barney could actually help. He jumped from machine to machine, forcing the holders to shoot out and hit his enemies. When the weight lightened up, the Gordons knocked the rest off and freed themselves. They went back into the frey as the tide of battle had turned. Finishing the rest of the husk before taking a seat on the floor to take a breather as their suits faded away. That was quite a number of foes they defeated and all thanks to Barney.

“(Seriously, thank you.)”

“I can’t tell you how much I was worrying that I was gonna watch you die. But damn, what were those things?”

“(I don’t know, they just came out of nowhere.)”

“...wait a minute, shit! Eyepatch is by himself! Come on, to the east wing! We can worry about injuries later, the apartment heals our wounds, let’s go!” Small Gordon urged. They looked for Gordon’s glasses, got back on their feet and rushed out of the casino and back to the lobby. But just before they entered the east wing, Gordon stopped. He noticed something on the ground, he almost missed it with how dark it was. It was a print pressed of a flower that was put into a bookmark, the was one Gordon wasn’t familiar with

“A daffodil…” softly muttered out of Barney’s mouth.

“(Is it…yours?)”

“Was mine…I gave that to Gordon just days before the resonance cascade. That and a small vase with a single one in it…”

“Do you like them?”

“Yeah, kinda…I…” he paused, Gordon could hear his thoughts. But for once, he tuned them out. It’s clearly something Barney isn’t ready to say. He picked up the bookmark, gently put it in his pocket just before the Small Gordon came back. He questioned why he stopped and he just made a lie. He probably wouldn’t care if he knew the bookmark belonged to the other Gordon, but just before he moved on, they heard a ring. It played a little tune unfamiliar with everyone, like it was coming from a cellular device. Barney pointed out that Gordon’s pocket is glowing, he doesn’t remember anything being put in his pockets. These weren’t even the clothes he had on when he got taken away. He reached into his pocket and took out what was causing the ringing. But when he did, his jaw dropped, he knew what’s in his hand. It’s Cooper’s phone, the same device with the same wallpaper. There was an icon with “Amy” written in it. He remembers that name, Gordon swapped right on the call and the phone picked up the call as a video display was on the screen. 

“What? You’re not Cooper…” she said, raising her brow as she brought the screen closer to her face. Gordon was right, it really was her. He raised his finger to signal her to wait a minute. He handed small Gordon the phone as Gordon took out the notepad and pen, he wrote down what he wanted to say as it was read out loud.

“No, I am not Cooper, but I know who he is. Small mixed guy with a pitched voice?”

“Yeah, that’s him! Where is he?!”

“He isn’t with me, I'll explain later. Right now, we’re in a jam. We’re under attack by someone…”

“Where are you guys?!”

“A construction site past the park near the bay!”

“We’re on our way! Come on, Tommy!”

“Tommy?!” Small Gordon repeated, but it didn’t go through as the phone hung up. They tried to start the call again, but the phone required a password. They sighed before Gordon was handed back the phone and shoved back in his pocket. They continued down the east wing until they reached the double doors that served as the entrance for the pool area. But upon entering, they saw Gordon tumble across the tiled floor and landing just at their feet. He was beaten and covered in bruises, his suit had cracks and missing panels with the energy depleted. But even with his pain, he found his strength to stand back up on his feet. The others looked ahead and saw their opponent. It was a woman covered in black, dark skinny clothing from head to toe with her long blonde hair tied into a bun. Her presence however was demonic, just looking at her made them nauseous to no end as if they were experiencing the effect of the Benrey sickness. She cracked her neck as an unamused look sat on her face.

“For someone so loud, you didn’t hold any bite with your barking.” She mocked. A low intense growl came out of Gordon’s mouth, he put his crowbar back in his hand and charged right after her.

“STOP! Shit, why is he just charging in?!” Small Gordon complained, transforming back into his damaged suit and provided cover fire. The woman smirked, she jumped to her left and then bolted forwards. Eyepatch Gordon attempted to halt her movement, but she easily slid right under him and brought herself up. She wasn’t going to him, she was going for the others. Small Gordon followed her movement, trying to gun her down to prevent her from getting closer. But each bullet failed to hit her, slithering and gliding across the tiled floor as she came face to face. He made a desperate attempt to hit her with the barrel, but it was pointless. She ducked, took his arm, and with one swift motion, snapped it in half. The world froze for a brief moment, everyone watched as Small Gordon arm was broken in half, his bone piercing his flesh and got stuck within the suit’s arm frame. He let out a shriek before his gut was met with a foot being lodged in it. It launched him away as he crashed into some building material.

“NO!” Gordon cried out, charging in for the rescue only to be beaten and thrown again. This time, he was sent to the wall and broke a hole into it. But even with that, he still manages to get up.

“That…is all…bitch?!”

“You got endurance, I’ll admit. But I can’t tell if it’s stupidity, or courage. Fall down, little boy.” she told him. Gordon spat out blood at her, creeping up to her. Stumbling on his footing, a slight trail of blood followed behind him as he stood in front of her. They stared at each other, no words exchanged. Her honey brown eyes staring down that fierce grassy green eye. But after a moment of silence, the woman gently pressed her finger on his forehead and pushed him away. Gordon watched him fall to the floor, his body wasn’t moving. Fear ran down his spine, this woman just defeated two of them with ease. Though he could fight, out of all of them, he was definitely the weakest. But why…did this woman feel different now. That demonic feeling is now turning into rage. When her eyes met Gordon’s it felt like he wronged her somehow.

“So that’s what you do? Shield yourself with others like some prince with his knights?” she questioned, but he had no idea what she could be referring to.

“Dude, so you know her?”

“(No, I never met someone like her…)”

“Or maybe you’re waiting for your big friend to throw vines on me?” she assumed. It clicked, that realization sent another chill down his spine.

“(I do know her…well not like that. There was a group of assassins me and the others took down. They were really tough, nearly killing us. We got them when Barney suggested using vines to constrict their movement…but we only fought four. I didn’t know there was a fifth one…)” he explained. But this was bad, Gordon was no match for her, he was no match to the one from before. Everything was spelling out his end, not for just him, but his other selves too. The woman clenched her fist, dug her heel into the floor as she launched herself forward. She thrusted her fist as Gordon’s only reaction was to prepare himself to block it. He closed his eyes and braced for impact…but nothing has happened.

“Look!” Barney said. Gordon opened his eyes and saw that the woman’s attack was stopped just inches from his face. It was being held back by another hand.

“Don’t you know it’s rude to hit someone who can’t defend themselves?” Amy asked. The woman backed away as Tommy came through the double doors. 

“Gordon!” Tommy called, dragging the small one back first before going over and dragging the other Gordon. He tended to their aid as Amy stood in front of Gordon as his shield. She cracked her knuckles and smiled.

“It's been a bit since I met someone who could kick my ass.”

-:- 

                                                                                               Timeline ????

The duo couldn’t believe it had already been a few days since Amy’s departure. They didn’t expect her to return within days, weeks, months. Hell, even years maybe. Thomas remained in Joseph’s home, helping him with updates of anything. Since Amy left, stranger things have been happening. For Thomas, he is constantly hearing odd sounds within the air itself. It was like an inflated object leaking air, something was trying to burst out. But if he was being honest, he was hearing it for a long time. It was around Cooper’s disappearance, something was being held back. As for Joseph, he was keeping tabs on the riots centered around Black Mesa. Online posts, forums, newspaper articles, every single piece of information was about Black Mesa. Joseph told Thomas that he received calls about the facility catching its third group trying to raid it, well…the third one this month. Who knows how many will come and try the same. This worries Thomas, he knows what is down there and if someone actually does make it, they’ll unleash the monsters within.

A couple more months passed and they were in the lasting of spring, May was soon to be over as the riots were getting worse. Now Black Mesa was the common topic among people, even school students of all grades were in on it. Joseph’s own kids brought it up from time to time, causing Joseph and Fridjof to grow concerned. Thomas came over again to discuss this problem that festered far too much. Fridjof took the kids upstairs and left the two to talk about their next move. 

“This isn’t good, Jojo! The riots are getting worse and now every person and their mother are trying to get in!”

“This couldn’t be a coincidence, someone had to set this up and got Cooper involved somehow. There’s no reason for something that no one gave a damn years ago suddenly is the hottest topic all over the globe.”

“What are we going to do?” Thomas asked.

“...I have an idea. I looked up other places related or similar to Black Mesa, there is one in Germany we can investigate. From what I pulled, they were going to support the experiment, but got closed down after they attempted to aid the Black Mesa. Odd though, the file also listed them as their competitors.”

“Not that uncommon for rivals to work together on something from time to time-”

“To an extent for the most part…”

“You think something will be over there?”

“We don’t have anything else, plus your boyfriend could help get us there since it’s near Berlin.”

“He did say the station is swarmed dealing with the riots and city disturbances. If we give him a heads up, he could easily get us there.”

“Make that call, lover boy. It looks like we gotta investigate this mess on our own!”

-:- 

The women rushed into one another, fist clashing against each other. Knuckle on knuckle, they both matched each other's strength just from a single clashing strike. Gordon stood in awe as Barney’s reaction was jaw dropping. The women went at it, the blonde dashed first. She threw a quick left-right combo, only for them all to be evaded with grace and precision. Amy counterattacked by ducking the last swing and then performing a sweeping kick. She knocked the woman off balance, but she quickly caught herself and waved her legs around. She attempted her own counterattack as her legs made contact. Fancy feet work made to kick forced Amy to black the incoming attack. The impact was felt within her arms, she is a trained killer. She knew where to strike, quick and lethal, she wanted a fight to be over as soon as possible. Something she failed to hide as Amy grew a devilish smirk that stretched from ear to ear.

“(That’s her game, huh?)” she told herself. Amy pushed her off and charged after her. Delivering her own flurry of punches and kicks, even if some were avoided. Gordon eyes were glued to the fight, fingers crossed and hoping this mysterious helper could win. No, he knows she can win if she's a friend of Cooper. As the battle rages on, Tommy was finishing patching up the other Gordons. His shirt and lab coat covered in blood, but it was fine if he managed to save his friends. He let them be as he walked over to Gordon and joined him on watching the fight.

“She got moves, I never seen anyone move like that!”

“(I have, Cooper fights like that. Honestly, I feel like he learned from her. Her moves and skills feel more precise and lethal than Cooper’s)” he wrote. Another clash of fists was made and it knocked the two apart. However, there was a clear insight on who was winning. Amy, still primed and ready, sweat rolling down her face as she put up her fist. Her opponent? Panting and slouching, holding one of her arms before fixing herself up. 

“You’re good, you're clearly a skilled fighter, I like that. However, I already figured you out.”

“Oh?”

“Your fighting style doesn’t encourage long fights. You want to end it as soon as possible, quick and deadly, in and out. You don’t have the endurance like I do.”

“Oh, I get it! I was wondering why she was being a bit slow, she was trying to tire her out!” Barney pointed out. 

“So come on, dollface. We’re even, but we know where this story is going. So, you can either make a run for it while you can, or fight a losing fight and force me to kill such a pretty gal?”

“Do you ever shut up, who talks like that?” She asked. A snort came out of Amy’s mouth.

“Pissing people off is my specialty-”

“Not exactly a fan favorite-”

“I’m supposed to have people like me?”

“...this is getting nowhere. I’ll take my leave then…”

“Awwwwww, I was hoping for a little more exchange.” Amy complained. A click of the tongue was made before the woman walked into the shadows.

“Better be careful, Benrey is aware of you guys.” The warning she left.

“Benrey? That ugly guy that’s everywhere?” she questioned. She shrugged her shoulders before walking towards Gordon. He looked at her from head to toe. She was a tall dark skinned woman, very tall. In fact, the same height as him. Her muscular arms and bulky body matched her curvy figure that was hidden beneath her thick clothing. She saved them, plain and simple. They wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for her. 

“This isn’t exactly the best place for chit-chat, got a place?” she asked. Gordon nodded his head. Amy grabbed small Gordon while Gordon and Tommy grabbed the other before fleeing the scene. With the guidance of Barney, Gordon led the two new guests to the apartment complex that served as their home base. They laid down one of the Gordon’s on the couch and the other on the recliner. They took most of their clothes off to administer better aid, Tommy went back to the Gordons while Amy took care of the one in front of her.

“Ok, you can tell me everything you know.” she said. Gordon went to get the note and pen, but it was quickly snatched out of his hands and thrown away. She then went in his pockets to pull out Cooper’s phone and unlocked it. She enabled a text to speech setting and pulled out its keyboard. This was new to Gordon, this phone was something he was very unfamiliar with. Regardless, he went and typed as fast as he could, but with accuracy.

“As I said, I met Cooper, but he isn’t with me anymore.”

“What happened?”

“We had some big fight and some guy in a suit took us to a place.”

“Suit? Was it blue and did he look like Tommy?”

“Yes. He sent Barney and Cooper back to my world and I got…here, though I don’t think he  brought me here…”

“So he isn’t here after all…” she let out, sucking her teeth as she finished patching him up. At the very least she’s hot on the trail. For now, she’ll help with what she can. Gordon took the time to explain to her what he knows so far and caught her up with his situation with Black Mesa and the world. How Cooper was brought into Black Mesa, the invasion of Xen, then this whole Benrey situation. After he finished, Amy filled him in on what she was doing. She and her other friends were looking for Cooper when he was immediately reported missing. In her world, Black Mesa was shut down, but for some reason, Cooper was interested in it. After investigating herself, she found what Gordon referred to as Headcrabs and that artifact. She then took off her device and held it up. Gordon adjusted his glasses and looked closely, it wasn’t a device he was familiar with. It looks like Black Mesa tech, but probably somewhere in a department he isn’t a part of. Before she said another word, the other Gordons regained consciousness. Small Gordon’s arm was in a homemade sling Tommy made, his bone put back in place with a cast over it to keep it still. Eyepatch Gordon was slouching in the recliner, his eye shying away from everyone. Bandages scattered around his body, but couldn’t hide the large bruises. 

“Gordon!” Tommy yelled, wrapping his arms around his friend.

“Ow,ow,ow! Tommy, please…easy…”

“Haha, sorry. I have been looking everywhere for you since you disappeared! I…thought I was never going to see you again! I…um..”

“Hey hey, no need for that. Sorry for worrying you-”

“Super worried after you just…Poof out of thin air!”

“I…what? Out…of thin air? A-anyways, it’s good to see you! Out of everyone, you were the one I was worried about the most. How did you find me? What even happened to you?”

“Her! I got taken by someone who looked like me, he was going to put me away until she came and took me right out!” he explained. Gordon looked over and saw Amy.

“Oh…thank you. Tommy is a good friend of mine, special even. When I lost my hand and was in a crisis, he protected me when everyone else wanted me dead…”

“It was nothing, but him? Protect you? He looks like he wouldn’t harm a fly.” she claimed. But at that moment, Gordon froze up and remembered Tommy’s manic overdrive. Amy has no idea what she is talking about. 

“His story?”

“Don’t bother, lost cause.” Small Gordon claimed. She shrugged her shoulders before holding up her device. She told them that they used small shards within the device to travel between different timelines in hopes to find the one Cooper is in. However, their last jump caused some sort of malfunction after Tommy touched it and then ended up here. They assumed the rapid press of different buttons set the error off and caused the high energy jump. Regardless, she handed it to Small Gordon as the other Gordon didn’t seem like he was in the mood to talk to anyone. As he and Tommy took it to the table, Amy took Cooper’s phone and let Gordon reset the password. As of right now, she rather have it available to him so he could communicate with the others better and faster. She urged him to go through it and experience what her timeline has to offer. His eyes lit up like a star as he surfed the web, seeing modern slang, devices, current trends. Celebrities new and old, and also the massive inflation rates. He now understands why Cooper was in such distraught when his car melted, which must have caused a fortune. Amy sat beside him and opened her phone, she opened the gallery and showed multiple images to her friend group. It matches similarly to the ones on Cooper’s phone.

“Wow, you guys are really good friends!”

“That kid is like my little brother, to all of us. You can see why we all defied the government and made this device to find him, even if meant us getting caught.”

“I promise you, he’s with Barney, those two are like peanut butter and jelly!”

“Not a comparison I use…but hey, not the worst thing I heard.” she said. They both let out a snicker as the small Gordon returned.

“Good news and bad news-”

“Bad news first.”

“Bad news, that thing totally went boom and did a complete system restart. Then it has to replenish its energy at its slowed rate for god knows how long.”

“Good news?”

“That’s it, that's all that’s wrong with it. You just have to wait until it’s fully charged and when the self-maintenance is finished. Whoever made this clearly thought it through.”

“That’s Jojo for you! Well, if it's alright you guys, I’ll crash here.”

“With how you saved us, you definitely earned it.” Barney told her.

“I know, I like a little reward for saving you guys.” she replied.

“B-but I didn’t say anything…” Small Gordon pointed out. Barney and Gordon looked at each other, did she just respond to Barney? They watched Amy get up and go into one of the empty rooms that were previously locked. Tommy went to room with his Gordon, leaving the last room still empty. It was now just Gordon with his other self, he was still silent even with everyone gone. He sucked his teeth, grabbed his jacket and shoes and went out the door. He’s most likely going to the roof, this is Gordon’s chance to give him back the bookmark. He put on his slippers and headed to the rooftop. Once he reached the top and came faced with the door, he opened it up to the nightly view. He can almost make out the vast city, the dazzling lights masquerading as a sea of stars. A perfect view to gaze to calm your mind. There at the edge was Red, he was leaning against the metal railing. He had a lit cigarette in his hand, taking long drags before exhaling the smoke for it to be carried away by the late spring breeze. Barney stayed put, he can’t really get close to Gordon. He can feel it, a wall forcing him at bay and hurts whenever he tries to force his way through. Gordon walked over to him and leaned against the railing.

“...you smoke?”

“No…never took you as someone who does.”

“I don’t, but I don’t exactly have coping options. Hit?” he offered, holding the lit object near Gordon. A quick shrug of the shoulders before he accepted it. But when he huffed it, he choked. He coughed violently as his skin started to turn red, he handed it back and waved his hand. He smiled and snickered, patting the other Gordon on his back to help him breathe.

“Ok, dude. Take another hit, but slowly. You don’t need to inhale it all at once like a cartoon character. Enjoy the moment, not scarf it all down.” he advised. Gordon sighed and nodded his head, he took another drag and this time, it was much more enjoyable. He let out a puff of smoke before handing it back. He gave his other self a smile before returning his gaze to the city. 

“Look…I’m sorry.”

“Hmmm?”

“Handjob was right, I made the situation worse by going in like that. But…I just didn’t want a moment to slip and get to where we get stuck and we just…fuck, look i’m sorry, ok? Can we just…talk about it another time- huh?” he paused. He stood up as Gordon stood in front of him. He raised his hands up and with an unexpected motion, placed his hands on his tufts of hair. He pressed them down and let go, the horns were briefly put away before they flung back up. Gordon giggled as he did this over, and over, and over again. Yet, the other Gordon never got mad, he got rather shy and embarrassed. Face blushing with his eye looking away, Gordon stopped and back away, he was right. Red isn’t some monster, he never was.

“Red-”

“Red huh? Handjob’s Yellow and you’re Orange then?”

“(Cute, right? Anyways, what you did was wrong. Yellow is right, regardless if they’re real or not, let’s not resort to instant murder or brutality. But don’t think everything you said was wrong though, sometimes we do get pressed for time. So sometimes acting on impulse and improvising could work just as well, I just think our constant arguing is what is the main issue. You both have your strength and weakness, let’s help each other and fill those gaps…you saw what we are up against and it’s going to get worse from here on out. You’re a nice person, I can see that through your eye. Something…happened to you and I won’t pry, but you are a caring person. You wouldn’t rush in to save us if you weren’t and just looking out for yourself! I don’t know why, but I never doubted  you. I want to keep working with you, the both of you. So please, for all our sake, let’s work together, ok?)” he asked. Gordon’s eye scattered, but soon closed as he exhaled.

“I rather masturbate with a cheese grater…but for you…I’ll consider it. My only terms are…I want you to make the plans for us.”

“Me?”

“I don’t want to hear Yellow bossing around, ok? You can do that?” he asked. Gordon's mind went blank, he never saw himself as a leader of any kind. Hell, even with Cooper and Barney, it felt like he was just an assistant with the way Cooper led them. But if all he needs to do is start acting like one, then he’ll do it. After a firm handshake, Gordon  returned the bookmark to Red.

“I was looking for this!”

“I found it in the lobby near the east wing, I figured it had to be yours…can I ask why that flower?” Gordon asked. Red looked at the bookmark before putting it back in his pocket, he stared at Gordon and then looked away. 

“...Barney gave it to me.”

-:-

                                                                                               Somewhere else, unknown

There he sat in his seat, throwing a temper tantrum as the woman returned to him. Figures in the shadows laughing as Benry frustration was their amusement. He kicked his feet, violently rubbed his head before standing up and kicking the chair into the darkness. A failure, a mission unsuccessful in his world. A world where everything should be in his absolute, yet here his hired assassin coming back empty handed. He looked at her up and down with his anger-stained eyes, she was covered in injuries. He didn't care, she still came back with nothing to show.

“WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!?!?” he yelled, the woman rolled her eyes and finger flicked the man’s forehead.

“I'm right here, you don't need to shout!”

“I told you to bring one of them back!”

“and I was going to do that before getting interrupted-”

“I SAW! Not only did some loudmouth woman get inside, but so did G-man’s cumstain! And worst of all, I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY GOT INSIDE!” He shouted next.

“If you were aware of their presence, why are you upset that I failed?!”

Beccccccause blondie, an assassin should have got it DONE BEFORE unknown assailants come out of nowhere!”

“And if it's such an issue, then you do somethings.” a voice suggested, purposely irritating Benry.

“It takes a lot to keep this world in place, and even more to keep G-man away. There must be a tear somewhere and have to fix it before G-man finds it! Therefore, I can't tackle it myself!”

“Then I guess it's my time to shine.” another voice said.

“Baldy, you're helping-”

“and if I refuse?”

“Be my guest, you won't get what you want.” he reminded the other figure. A smirk pierced the darkness hiding another figure’s appearance. 

“This plan better amuse me, brat. At least I get to see Gordon, wouldn't be the first time I betrayed him after all. 

Chapter Text

The night still remains, yet the calmness of it was disturbed. Barney was wide awake, laying on his bed in his room. Eyes glued to the ceiling, hollowed out and devoid of color. No life shined in them, only despair. Moments ago, he received a reality check from his trusted friend. He was reminded about his fear, his failures. How he was in the way, just a child trying to play hero. He can still feel the cold steel that was on his neck just moments ago. One slice, one clean fast slice would slit his throat open. He remembered how much he stared at the blade, how much he choked on his breathing, how much his hands shook. Images of his other self flashing in his head again, his lifeless body on the floor soon turned into his own. Cooper was right, Wallace was right, Barney really doesn't know what he is doing. He thought jumping the gun and rushing in the fray to save someone was always the answer. But when he thought about it, what would that achieve? What if he dies before he even does anything? What if he does get someone out, but dies too fast for it to even matter? Then it hit him again, the long term damage his death will cause. His dad, Alyx. Isaac and Eli, all of them stricken with grief because Barney the “hero” fell like a petal dropped from a hand. 

He curled up in his bed and closed his eyes, trying to hold back the tears that were begging to fall. He didn’t wish for a better tomorrow, a better week, month, or even year. Why would he? No matter how many days will pass, Barney will be the same. Just some guy who will get in everyone’s way, a truth that he can never escape. He eventually fell unconscious from stress, but his dream was a nightmare. He was standing in a black void with everything outlined in the color red, there was water beneath his feet and splashed whenever he moved his legs. There, standing in front of him was Gordon. He was standing there, smiling in his work uniform as if there was nothing wrong. Barney raised his hand to him, reaching out. He wants to feel it again, that soft and warm hand that soothes his aching thoughts. But just like that, Gordon turned his back and started walking. Barney’s heart raced, he tried to move only for him to fall in the water. He coughed, panicked within the black waters before picking himself up.

“WAIT!” He cried. But each step in the black water only sank Barney deeper and deeper, and each step took Gordon more and more out of his sight.

“GORDON, HELP!” He cried next, but his back never turned. The black water entered his mouth and clogged his throat. The taste was anything but good, a mixture of salt and ash from a cigarette. The putrid taste riddled his tongue with disgust, the smell was worse. Barney was forced to turn back, he had to get out of the rancid waters before he drowned. But when he looked ahead again, Gordon was gone, he left him behind. Barney cried. Or tried too, but the black water wouldn’t let him as it burned his eyes. A shadow was casted over him, growing bigger as a figure bolted down from the sky and took him into the water. It plunged them both into the depths, a geyser-like splash emitting before they submerged into the blackening waters. Barney felt a pair of hands wrapped around his throat, squeezing it and taking the life out of him. Normally, he couldn’t see in such colored water, but this time, he saw him. Cooper, he was choking him. His sadistic smile brewing fear in his body as his eyes leaked some black ooze. Barney tried to take him off, but all it did was cause the man to tighten his grip. He can feel the nails digging into his skin, the pressure crushing his windpipe. Air was escaping, vision was blurring. His skin was losing color as Cooper’s words echoed in his head.

“It’s kill or be killed.” 

Then suddenly, Cooper turned into G-man. The last thing Barney saw was his crooked smile that still haunts his dreams since that very first day.

“Barney…” he called.

“Wake up…” he told him, but Barney couldn’t make out the words.

“BAR-BAR, IT’S A NIGHTMARE, WAKE UP!” Herman shouted. His voice snapped Barney back into the real world, springing himself up from his bed in a cold sweat. His breathing rigged with no rhythm as he frantically rubbed his throat.

“Hey, hey, easy. I’m here…” his father assured him. His voice calms his son’s mind, helping him breathe as he wipes the sweat off of him. But in reality, he just woke up from one nightmare just to be brought into another.

-:- 

Three days have passed since that night the three listened to the fight Barney and Cooper had. Barney hasn't left his bed and Cooper has been coming back late at night. Herman sighed, he did his best to support his son and lighten the tense air that was tainting their hideout. Alyx tried to do the same, but she wasn’t wanted by either Barney or Cooper. She felt invisible. No, she felt like a bothersome to where Herman had to explain to her that people need space sometimes. That they have to trust them and wait for a chance to talk instead of being intrusive, she didn’t understand it though. It was difficult for her age to understand, even with her bright mind. So, she just became Isaac's errand girl and visited the junkyard to bring him more parts while also working on a project of her own. She wanted to surprise them with it, but with the recent fight, she kept it to herself. Now, she sits with her father in his private quarters, watching him tinker with some gears in a machine.

“What’s wrong, Sweetie?”

“...”

“It’s Coops and Barney, isn’t it?”

“Yeah…I don’t get it, dad! They were good friends one second, and now it feels like they never met each other!”

“...People are complicated, Alyx. And based on what Izzy told me…Cooper is right.”

“He…is?”

“In some sense. If all of us were put in a situation, we would all get out. However, it's not about if we get out, but who does it the fastest. Cooper is best in those situations because of his training. Then next probably will be me or Izzy, then you or Herman. Barney just…doesn’t have what we do.”

“That’s…kinda mean, isn’t it?”

“Sometimes…when people don’t listen when you’re kind, they will when you’re aggressive. I love Barney to death, but what Cooper did was…something I would too. Cooper is doing it to protect him and putting the concerns of all of us as well.”

“That’s stupid…”

“Yeah, it is…but that’s just how people are, Sweetie.” he replied, Alyx shied away as a thought came into her head. Was…she in the way too? Is she a problem like Barney? She crossed her arms, she didn't want to think about it. 

“Oh, dad! Coops wanted me to give you this letter, he said it’s important.” she said. He took the letter and read it, he pinched his brow and sighed. He folded the note and put it in his pocket before resuming his work. Alyx didn’t question what was on it, but it must not be important if it’s not taking off his work. Regardless, she wished her dad goodbye and left his quarters and the Citadel before returning back to the hideout. But when she got half-way, she paused. She thought back to that thought in her head, her heart felt heavy, but soon turned light as she pressed forward. When she returned, she saw Herman eating some leftovers. When he saw her, he stopped as she approached him with a request. After talking for a bit, Alyx leaped and cheered, hugging Herman before heading back to her room. Her new found spirit gave Herman the urge to check on his son. As Herman put on his helmet and traveled through the underground, Barney was leaning against some railings of some tall building that was barely standing. The evening sky set in, the sun and moon hung in the sky as a crisp breeze caressed his face. Yet despite the pleasant breeze, none of it helped. 

“Thought your ass would be up here.” he dad said. Bareny didn’t turn around, not even his dad’s presence could cause his body to turn his way. Herman approached the same railing and leaned against it. They both sat in silence for a bit, enjoying the evening sky despite the oddities within it. That hazy blue mixing with the citrus orange, creating a type of hue that would be impossible to replicate.

“Remember when we made that tent in the backyard?” he asked. Barney still didn’t move, but he caved in and gave a response.

“...that really big green one that kept falling on us?”

“Had to fix the damn thing three times, what was the problem again?”

“...you forgot the rings for the pins, so nothing really held it in place-”

“But my big ole fatass!” he cut off, a small snort escaped Barney’s mouth before they fell into silence again.

“...what’s wrong, Barney?”

“...we and Cooper got into a fight a few days ago-”

“I know, we all heard it…” he cut off, who couldn’t with how loud they were?

“...dad, please be honest. Am I…really in the way?” he asked. This was the first time Barney looked at someone in days, his eyes locking onto his dad. Teary teal-brown eyes devoid of color as if he lost all hope in himself. Herman sighed, he never thought he had to have conversations like this, but then he thought back to before. Though he gave good advice before, how he always sugarcoated it. Now, in these disastrous times, it was time for Barney to stop being hand held and wake up.

“To be honest, yeah.” he answered. The bitterness of the truth made him nauseous as much as the truth hollowed out his son. But just when Barney was about to let the tears fall and run away, he heard it again. That icy stern and forcefulness of his father’s voice that froze him in place like it did back in Xen.

“STOP!” was spoken. Barney did what he was told as he faced his father.

“...”

“Barney…Cooper is right and I can’t help but feel a part of it. So long I shielded you in such a way…I gave this false idea that you were growing up. But when I looked at it now, it was wrong. I was so scared that you had to go through what I went through…so I felt like I had to create this false world for you…but you took it with you when you grew. But that world is gone, Barney! You need to hear this. You are not like us, you’ll never be us, you didn’t struggle like us, but that’s ok!” 

“I-it is…?”

“You can’t understand a pain you never went through, but that doesn’t mean you have to force yourself into that same pain to be with us! It’s true, Cooper is better than you, me, Alyx, everyone. He’s not an ordinary person, but so what? Stop aiming to be him and start aiming to be Barney!” he said. Barney looked away and crossed his arms.

“But…what if being Barney is just an obstacle for others, the roadblock-”

“Then stop being the roadblock and start being the road that others walk on, the one that helps them move forward!” he answered. That answer was a breath of fresh air. Out of all of his advice his father gave him, this was entirely new. It was as if Herman wasn’t speaking as a father, but as a trusted friend. Herman gave the same truth as Cooper, but made the bitterness tolerable to swallow. Cooper forced it down his throat, Herman gave him the glass of water. Both being words he needed to hear, but Herman’s was words of encouragement. Barney balled his fist as the visions of the nightmares came back, he sucked his teeth when he kept watching Gordon be taken away. How he felt powerless, like nothing he tried worked, not even crying and begging.

“Gordon is getting further and further away, he isn’t getting closer until you start making yourself closer!”

“And…if Cooper say i’ll be in his way-”

“You go and prove his ass wrong!” Herman cut off. At that moment, a surge of life bloomed in Barney. His eyes returned back to normal, he wiped away the tears before slapping himself. Herman was right, sitting and crying isn’t going to get Barney anywhere. He needs to get better, stronger, smarter, and there’s only one person that can get him that. Herman could tell that his son made up his mind and told him he last saw Cooper going west of the hideout. He has been attacking the Metro police and stealing their supplies for his own for when he leaves the city. That’s where Barney will go, but first, he came in closer and gave a hug to his dad.

“Thanks, dad. Really…”

“My dad never gave me anything but spankings and bad mouthing. I never wanted to be like that when raising you, I always wanted the best for you. I wanted to be better than him and it looks like I am!”

“You’re the best dad I could ever ask.”

“I know, I'm the best. Now, go find Cooper and prove his ass wrong and show that the Calhouns aren’t in the way!” he urged. Barney nodded his head and rushed off the rooftop of the building. He bolted the streets to the hideout then headed west, not wasting a single moment to rest until he caught a glimpse of the metro patrol route. He followed them from afar, making sure to hide from the scanners that came out from time to time until they came to an alleyway. There, standing on a windows’ edge was Cooper. He jumped down and like an assassin, he quickly took out the men patrolling. One got their head twisted, the other stabbed in the throat. Barney felt sorry for him, one got a quick death well the other suffered and struggled to breathe with the pain that was coursing within his neck. Cooper yanked the blade out, watching the fresh blood soak the officer’s neck. He did a swinging motion and it forced the blood off his blade, making it look clean as if it was brand new. As he was distracted on pillaging the corpses, Barney crept up to him as quietly as he could. However, it wasn’t enough. One soft foot scruff of the pavement caught the man’s ears as he turned and raised up, swinging his blade to slice open the person’s neck. But when he saw who it was, he quickly stopped.

“WHOA WHOA WHOA!” Barney shouted. The blade stopped, but just a few inches within his neck. Blood oozed on the cold steel, casting two reflections of Barney as a sigh escaped them both.

“[Jesus fucking christ, dude!] Barney, I almost killed you!”

“I-I’m grateful that you didn’t…” he said, stepping away from the blade. He felt the warm blood twinkling down his neck, but he could worry about it later.

“What is it?”

“We need to talk!”

“No we don’t-”

“WE DO!” he cut off, going on his hands and feet. The gesture threw Cooper off, this kind of begging is only when someone is very desperate.

“I CAN’T BE YOU! I…can never be you, but help me get there! But don’t make me Cooper, help Barney to where he can fight with Cooper! You were right, I'm scared! I cower behind people and my confidence is only with others, never really by myself! And because of that…I’m slipping further and further away from Gordon. I’m falling more and more behind, I want to protect everyone, I don’t care if it’s unrealistic! So please, train me!” he begged. Cooper looked away, took a deep breath and looked back.

“I leave tomorrow, Barney-”

“One month! The information said they won’t start shipping until late August, right?! W-we can find some way to get to the UK in 2 months, I know we can! So please, give me just one month! You can even be the judge, if you think I’m not getting anywhere, anywhere at all in the end, you can go without me!” he begged. Cooper crossed his arms, Barney’s pleas were reaching him, this had to be Herman’s doing. But in the end, he sighed.

“Tomorrow, have Alyx lead you to the pipeline she uses and have her escort you to the forest, she knows where I'll be at. I’ll train you, but Barney…this will be hard. The training I went through was extreme, it rivaled a lot of other military forces. It’ll be impossible to get you where I'm at in a month, or 2, or even a couple of years. But I can at least get you to where these soldiers are nothing more than training dummies. It’s going to be hell, Barney. Are you ready?”

“I am!”

“Then go rest. I got a few more patrollers to find. But remember Tomorrow morning at dawn, sharp!”

-:- 

Just moments before the dawn arrived, Alyx and Barney jumped down the pipeline she used to sneak out to the junkyard. It leads out to the southern forest next to the city that is still under the Combine’s watch as it was right next to the walls. Upon exiting, Barney was taken away from the beauty. Compared to the city, so much life was here almost as if the Combine didn’t exist. Alyx tugged him along a path hidden within thick bushes. As he walked, he looked up. The tree branches and the leaves covered so much of the sky, it would be impossible to be spotted from above just from looking. If he’s being honest, having a pipe leading outside unguarded already told Barney that the metro isn’t doing a good job. It’s no wonder how Cooper was stealing so much from them. They slid down a hill and pushed another thicket before Barney was brought to Cooper’s training grounds. Obstacles, knives, homemade equipment and tools. The area was quite large with a deep pond right next to them for water exercises and a vertical cliff wall to climb.

“You have a secret training ground and you didn’t tell me?!”

“Wouldn’t be a secret, would it?”

“You told Alyx?!”

“She told me a secret, I told her mine.”

“And what’s her’s?”

“A secret.” he answered. He pouted his face. It's fine, it's not what he is here for. Alyx waved them goodbye as she left them for their training. They started with combat, something Barney was used to. They started light, he grabbed one of the thick tree branches and on Cooper’s instructions, aimed to attack him. It was simple, Barney just need to hit Cooper once. A simple task…that was proven impossible. Barney couldn’t land a single attack as he suffered Cooper’s retaliation. Every swing brought a counter to his face, every kick brought a stick to his head, every cheap punch attempt brought a cheaper punch to his gut. The day quickly ended and night was approaching, forcing them to return and try again in the morning. But when they did, it was the same results matching the same previous results for the entire week. His sloppy performance only brought disappointment to Cooper’s eyes as each failed attempt only brought Barney more down. The next week came and they started both his endurance and firearms, one of them was shown in poor performance. Barney’s hesitation either caused him to either miss or take too long to make a shot when the time was needed. The lack of training since his days in Black Mesa dawned on him, he was no longer a decent shot like when he was as a security guard. As for his endurance, it was the only thing he showed some promise in. Due to his pain tolerance from surviving being attacked during the Black Mesa incident, he is able to endure some brutal methods, such as his water exercise where he needs to hold his breath for long periods of time.

Next was his stealth, something Barney was never good at. He would be tasked to ambush Cooper by any means without him noticing, but he was caught every single time. Sometimes, he was even led to his own traps he set up. This was getting tiring as Cooper was beginning to make his judgement on if Barney can come or not. Only half of the third week was left, giving Barney very little time to do something. But he struggled, each failure just brings him further down as his thoughts turn against him. But when he closed his eyes, he kept seeing Gordon walking and between them were a row of bodies that stood in his way. He balled his fist again as he began punching the faces that stood between him and Gordon. The second-to-last body being that mysterious soldier from before, they one his dad battled in Xen. When Barney opened his eyes, he was filled with determination. He went to the training grounds and with his remaining days, he improved more and more. Being able to keep up somewhat and showing more signs of impressive combat prowess.

Cooper smirked, watching him grow to at least a trainee in the army impressed him. When the week ended and they were halfway through the next, Barney had to ask.

“So…the verdict?!”

“...” he was silent, putting a lot of thought into this decision as Barney awaited patiently for the answer. Barney’s heart was in his ears, his tongue dried as his fingers curled with anticipation. Cooper grew a small grin, the sight of it put Barney at ease.

“At first, I thought I was going to say no with how much you were failing…but you really came around-”

“Meaning?!”

“Yes, you can come with me. But it’ll be your final test, us escaping City 17. If you fail, we both will die. Got it?”

“Got it! Thank you, Cooper! So, what’s the plan?!” he asked next. Cooper rolled out a lengthy piece of paper and placed it on the ground. It was a map made by Alyx with her routes and some of the pipework and Citadel’s waste department.

“You see, I've been investigating the pipes Alyx travels through. This pipe leads to the western side of the wall, the direction we need to go and where there’s little Combine territory. We need to first sneak into the waste department of the Citadel then go to the operational room. We need to stop the flow inside for to travel inside it-”

“But wouldn’t stopping it attract attention? From like, build up and stuff?”

“Thanks to Alyx, I know there’s a fail safety switch that gets turned on by itself when that happens from too much build up. By the time it does, we should be within the walls’ fortress if we run. That’s the easy part as the hard part is more…troublesome. We need to actually travel upwards and scale the walls. But first, we need to take out the watchmen using the search lights, as in making them unconscious. Killing them will cause trouble. We’ll make it look like they took a nap or something and by the time they wake up-”

“We’re long gone! Good!”

“I got enough supplies for the both of us. It’s still morning, so we have loads of time before we start. I'll try to get us some more, but I don’t know if that’s possible or not.” he told him. Barney nodded as Alyx eavesdropped in the distance, pouting her face as she was now aware of their upcoming departure. She left her hiding spot and went back to the pipe and traveled to the junkyard today. She took out a piece of paper with some items listed by Isaac for his experiments. The junkyard was the usual, a landscape covered by hill size piles of junk the Combine deemed useless. But Alyx learned that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. But before she went shopping in the free aisle, she went out and traveled to a small den. It was a man-made cave made out of, of course, junk. But it was so carefully made, blocking out the sunlight as it blended in from a bird’s eye view. 

“Hey, I'm back!” she shouted, heavy thuds approaching her as a single glowing orb of light floating in the darkness.

“I just wanted to check up on you, looks like I get to finally let you out soon and do some real work! We’re going to start the plan today, but before that, were you able to uncover more of it?” she asked. The orb of light bounced up and down, something reached out to her and hovered in front of view, she jumped on it and sat down as she was being carried more into the darkness. It led her downwards underground until they reached a stop. They came to a wall, though the orb of light wasn’t a great light source, she could make out the image. It was some kind of mural, but so much it was covered by junk. It would be too risky to move without it collapsing. The drawing was made by chalk for outlines with some strange combination of fluids and paint to fill it in. She couldn’t make heads or tails of it, but one thing stands out, there was a guy in an orange suit.

-:- 

When the lasting of the orange faded into a dark hue that covered the sky, the plan was in motion. Barney was the last to arrive, he has a decent size backpack filled with supplies, a gun to his hip and a knife on the other. He left behind his prison garb like Cooper as it’ll be foolish to travel with them on. They were above the pipe Alyx usually travels through, this was the moment. But before they jumped in, Cooper gifted Barney something.

“Here!”

“A…glasses case?”

“I have no doubt you have his pair of glasses with you, you don’t want it broken, right?” he said. Barney blushed as he was caught red handed, he took out the glasses to look at them. Cooper was amazed, even with all his rough training, there were no cracks or dents. Barney put the glasses in the case and stuffed it in the bag before he thanked his friend for the gift.

“You ready?” Cooper asked.

“Yeah!” he answered. They wasted no time, they both jumped into the pipe and followed it into the Citadel. Barney’s heart throbbed in his ears, fear running him hot. This was risky, probably the most risky thing he has ever done. He can’t imagine the punishment for getting caught, death will probably be a mercy for them knowing the Combine’s power and the known fact of how prisoners never come back out. They came to a halt when small beams of light pierced the narrow darkness. From what Alyx told Cooper, the waste department is the least guarded and has no cameras in terms of security, but still has patrollers. Cooper pressed his ear against the manhole, no footsteps, but the hum of machinery was in the way. But he couldn’t play safe and wait, it’s now or never. Cooper slowly pushed it open, scanning the area before uncovering more of the manhole. When the coast was clear, he quickly helped Barney up. They put the cover back and quickly went under the staircase, synchronized footsteps were heard followed by shadows marching in orderly fashion. Not many, but attacking them will do more harm than good. 

“(Go to the cover! As soon as I turn it off, start uncovering it after I release the lock!)” he ordered. Barney nodded as he started making his way to the pipe leading west, Cooper made his way to the control room above. He had to be quick, there’s nothing for him or Barney to hide behind. One look is all it takes for them to get caught. He picked his hair and took out a hair pin, the door to the panels was a simple door with a lock. It was something he didn’t expect from the Combine, but Alyx did say it’s the least secured. He picked the lock before putting the pin back in his hair, he went to the panel and activated the gates within the pipes. The shutter closed as waste was held back, he released the lock as Barney immediately started turning it. It opened up as soon as Cooper rejoined him, they both entered and put the lid back in place and tightened it. They quickly bolted down the pipe, traveling miles and miles until they reached the wall of City 17. Phase one was down, but that was the easier part. Now for the hard part, Cooper removed another cover and helped Barney up. Now, they were in some stairwell that leads directly up. He rolled out the map and shined a light on it.

“Ok, look. The walls are all covered in spotlights, but there’s only four on the west side due to the narrow passages. There isn’t much plant life close to the walls, but there is when we get further out.”

“Ok, so we take them all out?”

“No, that would cause trouble. You see here? The two inner searchlights? Those are the ones that will cause an issue. All the lights cross the same area, but the further ones are much easier to spot and avoid, the inner ones aren’t. What we need to do it not only knock out the guard, but position their bodies to where they will rock side to side-”

“Sounds a little difficult-”

“No other choices are available. We just need to rock once, that’s all we need. When you knock them out, pay attention with the lights to match the other two’s pattern, alright?”

“Yeah!” he replied. They started heading up the stairs until they reached the top, there was no door as there would be no need. The Combine never expected anyone brave or foolish enough to break in the wall, they peaked around the corner and saw them. The two soldiers controlling the searchlights. The duo nodded as they both crept up undetected and put the guards in a choke hold. With a tight hold, the soldiers quickly fell unconscious. Part one was done, now for part two. They studied the search light pattern to match it, but something was wrong. They weren’t moving at all, they couldn’t tell if that was beneficial or detrimental. Regardless, if they’re not moving, then the plan will slightly change. He told Barney to forget the guards and start tying the rope around the railings on the ledges. He instructed Barney carefully about the type of knot to tie. Once it was done, they scaled the massive wall and pulled on the rope when they reached ground. The rope became undone and came down to their feet. Barney never knew such a knot method existed. After bagging everything up, they ran. Their feet never stopped, no matter how much they ached. A moments’ rest is just a chance for them to get caught. Within moments, the view of the forest entrance was in sight, that’s their safe spot. And with one leap, they stepped inside into the forest as the darkness of the night was their protective veil. The lights went back to moving, however, no alarm was made.

“Oooooooooooooooh, jesus fucking christ, we actually did it!” he let out, a sigh escaping his mouth as he flopped to the dirt floor. He raised his fist and let it hover in the air, the first roadblock of his journey defeated. Cooper giggled, though he had his worries, it pales in comparison with how much Barney was sweating. A hand was offered as Barney took it, it helped him up as he put his hands on his hips.

“Impressive, Barney! I have to say, you definitely caught my eye with your training and passing your final test.”

“Now only if it shaved a few pounds off me…”

“It wasn’t a weight loss program, Barney. Look, I'm still doughy myself and I’ve been doing this for years. Besides, you look good with how you are.

“Yeah yeah, thanks for the buttering up! Still…I wouldn’t get here without you. So really, thank you for taking in my request to train me and wasting your time.”

“Well, you can make up for it at some point, hehe. But really, I'm proud of you. But here on out, it’s not going to be easy-”

“I know, and I won’t be some order-taking errand boy either. I won’t rely on your guidance, I will make my own decisions when the time comes for such.” he said. But before Cooper could give a reply, they flinched when a bush rustled beside them. Cooper drew his gun and was ready to fire, but a pair of hands came out and waved surrender.

“DON’T SHOOT!” the voice begged.

“Alyx?!” Barney called. An awkward cough was let out as she rose from the bushes with a supply bag of her own.

“Alllllyyyyxxxxxxxxxxx!”

“It's not only me!” she said. Isaac soon rose from the bushes too with his own bag of supplies and a shotgun strapped to his back. He too was out of his prison garb and dressed in something resembling his old uniform from Black Mesa.

“Hahaha…ha..ha, n-now I know this looks odd-”

“Odd?! Odd that a 10 year old girl and her uncle just snuck out of City 17?! Does anyone else wanna come out?!” he sarcastically asked.

“On a scale from 1 to 10, how mad will you be?” his father asked, exposing his hands he rose from the bush he was hiding in.

-:- 

The group ventured more into the forest to use the greenery and thick canopy to block any view from above. Barney stopped everyone, his skin red as he crossed his arms and tapped his finger.

“Explain, now!”

“Ok ok. We both heard you guys fight a few days ago and learned that Cooper was leaving to go to City 10 to get his stuff.” Herman started.

“So me, Izzy, and Gee-gee came up with a plan of our own! I told them about the infiltration plan, but Isaac said it wouldn’t be a good idea to copy you guys.” Alyx continued.

“We’re not as equipped or even skilled as you two, at least me and Alyx. So we played a risky move and used a temporary code Eli prepared for us, of course…he wasn’t aware that Alyx was going to join us-”

“Why did you let her?!”

“We didn’t, but the more we looked at it, the plan wouldn’t work without her. And even if she stayed, who is going to watch her? She’s hardly let into the Citadel to even see her own father!” Herman reminded them.

“Anyways. After using the code, we entered through an entrance only Izzy knew of as he helps with maintenance on the wall. There, we planned to take out the guards controlling the inner searchlight. But when we got to the top, we heard you guys coming out of the manhole.”

“Knowing Coops, he probably planned to take out the inner searchlights like us, so I suggested to Alyx and Isaac to change ours to taking out the outer ones before climbing down. It was cool seeing Izzy knock someone out, didn’t think he had it in him!”

“HEY!”

“Afterwards, I taught them special knots to tie so our rope wouldn’t get left behind.” Herman finished. Cooper was impressed, they got out on their own. He looked at Barney and he looked back, it’s pointless to tell them to go back. Its much harder to get inside City 17 than it is getting out, the searchlights will be back on and spot them with ease. With no other choice, they let the other’s accompany them.

“Fine fine fine! It’s not like we have a choice now, but you guys are under our command!”

“Roger

 Yessir

 Okey-dokey!” they answered. With the team established, they traveled more into the forest until they find a place to stop to rest for the night. Though they’re far from City 17, that doesn’t mean they can’t be cautious. 

“Listen everyone, the rules out here are not the same as in City 17. They will kill us, no matter who we are, if it’s beneficial for them…maybe things even worse than death. With that…our group comes first, we’re going to make moves that not only save us, but potentially gain enemies. Especially me, so this next part is actually for Barney.”

“Me?”

“Yes. Barney, you’re altruistic personality will clash with my survival instincts and tactics. We’re going to fight, bump heads, maybe have a knife to each other’s throat. I want you to understand that.”

“I do, if you go too far, then I just have to stop you, I swear.” he promised. Cooper smirked, such naivety within his words.

“Then you're going have to keep up with me, cause I'm never slowing down.”

“Good, I like a challenge!” he taunted. Cooper closed his eyes and resumed taking the lead. Barney closed his eyes and went back to that dream. How he was punching everyone that stood in between his way of reaching Gordon and the last figure being a familiar face. He came to terms with it, he knows he has to come face to face with it. One day, one fateful yet frightening day, he’s going to have to fight Cooper.

                                                                                               City 10, Southern UK

Within a great tower station in the center of this great city was a room at the top. It resembled a decently sized office filled with luxurious items locked behind glass cases. A neat stack of papers on a desk sat on the right with a smaller one on the left. A man was behind the desk, scribbling on the paperwork he was finishing for the day before resuming his other orderly duties. By the door stood a coat rack where one hung, C. Lauhon stitched on the right breast of the coat. As he was approaching the end, he heard numerous footsteps coming to his door. He paused his work as he grabbed his helmet and put it on before the guest arrived inside. It was three other soldiers, two women, one man.

“Captain Lauhon!” the male soldier addressed, giving him a proper bow, but was given a raised hand.

“You’re a captain too, there’s no need to put me on some golden pedestal-”

“Even if, Sir. The Combine all know of the work you put in, even the administrator himself!” he brought up, but the captain just let out a soft sigh. One of the women crossed her arms as she clicked her tongue.

“Yeah yeah, the big bad Lauhon that citizens fear and soldiers respect-”

“Something you should be doing!” the other male scolded.

“Please, you’re acting like I haven’t done anything!”

“She's right, we can’t forget what she did. Like defy orders, the torture, the-”

“HEY, WHO SIDE ARE YOU ON?!”

“Neither of the two stooges-”

“Of course, Grandma over here will make a reference like that. The MILF window is closing, better get a fresh start. Maybe you’ll find a guy who would touch your old-”

“ENOUGH!” Lauhon shouted, ceasing all three other captains' arguments.

“R-right, forgive us. We came because an emergency has occurred within City 17. You see, though we don’t know who, some people escaped not too long ago. From the reports from the watchmen, it was to the west. We believe it may be because of the items we collected not too long ago, but it’s just speculation as it isn’t possible to steal Combine information-”

“Not through technological means.” he cut off. Standing up from his desk and moved his papers aside, he brought out a keyboard and began typing on it.

“What…do you mean?”

“There’s numerous ways information is obtained, but the Combine only thinks it has to be through technology as it is the only best and reliable source,” he explained.

“Information is never airtight, it takes one person to eavesdrop-” the older woman started

“Or create a lie to get information about the truth-” the other woman added.

“And if i’m right, there’s only one group of people who could be moving.” he finished. The typing stopped as multiple displays came into view in the air. The older woman's eyes widened beneath her mask as two of them she recognized.

“Cooper V. Neumann, Isaac Kleiner, Alyx Vance, Barney and Herman Calhoun. Do you know them, Sir?”

“I encountered them. Herman is the one who gave me my chest wound-”

“I thought you said you never received any injury?”

“I did and he did it.” He pointed at Herman.

“The old man who’s half-dead?”

“Don’t underestimate him, or Cooper. They have skill and I have no doubt they probably sharpened it before their escape.”

“Should we send word?”

“...no. They are probably  far from outside Wallace’s territory, so the responsibility comes down to me. Listen to us, if it really is them, then they will eventually come to us like rats. But that doesn’t mean we’re going to simply let them come without a fight. Your orders are to capture them, if they put up too much resistance, execute them, but bring Barney and Alyx here. Cut off their feet if you have to keep them put. Do you understand?”

“YES SIR!”

“I’ll send details of the regions you will patrol and guard. Jessica, take Rosenberg, he’s finally going to try out his new toys. Brandon, take Gina and make her comply! I don’t care if she threatens us again! For now, I'll tighten security around our storage facilities if they’re really after those items. We will stop Cooper and Barney’s group from coming here, or at the very least not get what they are coming for. They will not win!”

Chapter Text

They trudge along within the forest path, the thick canopy the trees created provided the perfect cover for them against the Combine air patrol, at least what they hoped. Though they were exhausted from escaping from the wall and running in an open field, they were still too close for Combine forces to do a quick area sweep. Cooper suggested reaching the base of some mountains he spotted not too long ago while on the wall. They would be far from City 17 and be a perfect campsite as the elevated height could give him a wider view for recon. Barney rubbed his neck, he was still in disbelief that they got out, they did the impossible. Though he isn’t too keen on Alyx or his dad being here, but he couldn’t lie to himself as they did provide more company. He was more shocked by Isaac coming along, then again, it made sense. He’s a part of Eli’s family, if he couldn’t come, then it had to be Isaac at the very least. He sighed, just saying Eli’s name made Barney miss him more. It was already bad enough with him almost never allowed to leave the Citadel, but him not traveling with them just left a hole in the group like it did in the hideout. After a few moments, Cooper put up his hand and went ahead. He wanted to scout the area, if anyone was going to do it, it better be the best fighter in the group. He signaled them that the coast was clear and they approached him, the area was safe to camp for the night.

“Fiiiiiiiiiiiiinallly, i’m so exhausted!” Alyx expressed as she hopped off Herman’s lap.

“Yeah, totally exhausted when all you did was tagged on my dad.” Barney called out, Alyx stuck out her tongue as Barney proceeded to do the same.

“Now now, don’t be a cringe lord, Barney.”

“I’m not a cring-a what?!”

“Cringe lord!” Alyx repeated. That sounded like slang, very very peculiar slang as Barney beamed his gaze at Cooper who was starting a fire. The man froze in place, he was caught.

“It’s slang from Cooper’s future, don’t be a hater-”

“HE’S NOT ALLOWED TO BE TAUGHT SLANG ANYMORE!”

“Pffffft, Khia.” Herman insulted him with, but Barney didn’t know a lick of what he meant. All he knew was it was bad due to Alyx intense giggling. Cooper cleared his throat as Isaac came back with more firewood. With the stroke of his knife and flint, sparks flew and ignited the wood. After a few short soft blows, fire was born. They let out a sigh of relief, the night was unbearably cold despite being May. The unnatural weather patterns makes living intolerable and difficult and they saw their fair share of misfortune it tolled on the living back in City 17. As the other’s warm up, Cooper takes out a map of Europe and a hand drawn map of the current country they’re in. Barney saw him planning, so he left the others to join him. He was amazed with the details on the map, you would think it was authentic just by looking at it. 

“So, what’s the plan?”

“City 17 was somewhere right…here. We went west and didn’t stop until we reached the foot of the mountain in the forest, which is…here. So, our options is either climb up the mountains and climb down, or take the long way and walk around-”

“The mountains’ width seems to be following this river's length, it takes us too long if we walk around and we’re pressed for time.”

“Climbing it then. The slope isn’t too steep and there’s no rocky terrain, so we should be fine. But we should still be cautious about the wildlife…it’s odd how little there is in this forest.”

“Got it, my eyes will be peeled.” He told him. Cooper rolled back up the map and said he’ll take the first watch before Barney joined back with the others. He approached the sleeping Alyx who was using Isaac’s lab coat as a mat and Herman’s Hawaiian shirt to cover herself. He chuckled as he looked over and saw the other men slumped next to each other against a tree snoring, he took his seat next to the child and laid down on his back. But despite planning to sleep, his eyes wouldn’t allow it. His thoughts were on Gordon as his hands slipped into his pocket and grabbed hold of the glasses case, he took it out and held Gordon’s glasses in his hand. His only memento of him, from his black plastic frame to his now crack lens thanks to Barney’s training. Sometimes he likes to pretend that when he looks through them, he’s seeing the world in Gordon's eyes. And if he saw how it was now, he would be as interested as he was afraid, like Isaac.

“You should try them.” Alyx suggested. The child was awake to Barney’s surprise.

“Nah, Gordon’s eyes are actually worse than Izzy’s. If I put these on, then I'll go blind next!”

“Hehe, I don’t know…I think you look cool with them…or lame…you got kind of a weird face, Barney.”

“BRAT!”

“But that’s why I like you, everyone is unique, no one is the same. Coops, Izzy, Gee-Gee, you…dad…” she barely pushed out. Barney stared at him, feeling the emotions that just took hold of her body. Not even a day and she already misses her father. He knows that feeling better than anyone. Every moment he was away from his dad felt like someone was constantly prying them apart, especially when he was younger. Something as simple as a trip to the store felt like an eternity because he was away from his dad's side. Now he looks at it, he remembers what his dad said to him, how he felt at fault with Barney’s way of thinking. He shook his head, he doesn’t care how attached he is to his dad, there’s nothing wrong being close to family.

“You miss him?”

“Mmhmm, it’s really hard to see him in the Citadel, I only learned how to sneak around because it was the only real way I was able to get to his office.”

“Well…it proves some good cause thanks to you, we know that the Combine has some weak patrols here and there. Good work, you little gremlin.”

“Hehe…”

“Look, we’ll be back before you know it and once we get Coop’s stuff, the next step is getting your dad the fu- I mean heck- actually…screw it. We’re getting Eli the fuck out of there!” he said.

“Can I curse too?”

“No-”

“Please?”

“...fine, just this once.”

“Holy fucking shit, fuck yeah! You’re fucking amazing, Uncle Barney!”

“Hey hey, don’t get trigger happy now!” he told her, but all she did was giggle and closed her eyes. Barney smiled as he continued laying on his back.

“...I wish mom was here…” she let out. Barney knew where this was going, it always leads to the same thing.

“...”

“What…was your mom like, Barney?” She asked, but all she heard was snoring. She sighed as she finally fell asleep, Barney opened his eyes and sighed himself. Alyx always asks about her with him, he doesn't want to hurt her…so he always finds reasons to dodge the question. Why does he want to talk about someone he hates?

                                                                                                25 years ago

He remembers the squeaky noise the wheels made when they pushed the shopping cart, even remembers how hard they were to control. Barney watched the tall shelves holding food and goods fly by him, thinking they were the tallest things in the world. Tiny and stubby hands trying to reach the third shelf, almost caused him to climb up it. He didn’t know if his climbing was going to be successful or not as he was gripped by a pair of hands that took him off his tiny ascension. 

“Whoa there, trying to have the whole shelf fall on you?” his father jokes. He picked his head up and stuck his tongue out at his father as he did the same. Barney almost forgot how colorful his dad’s hair was…but was reminded of this dreamy past how much he was stressed over the years. It was similar to Gordon’s, dark auburn hair with greys lined up by the side. Paired with brown eyes with thick brows sitting on top, you can see where Barney got his face from…he wished he got more. He saw his reflection on the surface of a jar, his weird colored eyes and black hair, traits of his mom. He felt his blood boil, he needed to push her out of his head before he acted out again.

“I…just saw something sweet up top, I wanted to see what it is-”

“Barney…it’s sugar-”

“We can eat sugar…”

“And have our teeth rot out? No, thank you!” he denied as Barney frowned.

“B-but it c-can’t cost that much-”

“It doesn’t, but-”

“So we…can’t?”

“I’m sorry…Barney, I need to only get what we actually need. Sweet stuff, even just sugar, is just not possible…” he told him. His son looked away, it’s always the same issue. He acknowledged that his dad does go out his way to get little treats and luxury items here and there, but what he said was true. Herman doesn’t have proper income and his only source of income was taking odd jobs from locals and that's barely scraping them by, especially with bills. But even with that, he was just a child and didn’t fully grasp it, even if he was smarter than other kids. He hopped off his dad’s lap and ran off down the aisle. Herman sighed as he picked something off the shelf he needed before following the boy running up. But as he approached, he saw that Barney stopped at the end of the aisle. He was staring at something, something that kept his body in place. Herman couldn’t tell what he was feeling, fear? Excitement? Confusion? No, it was none of them as he figured out what it was. The air grew hotter as he finally caught up to his son and saw what he was staring at. There was a mother with her child, she was giving them love and affection. Giving them what they want and when they tripped and got hurt, she sang her a lullaby. She was a…loving parent, a loving mother, someone who would never abandon their child. They watched the pair walk off to another aisle as Herman came and picked his son up again and put him on his lap. Barney leaned his head against his dad's chest and closed his eyes. He wrapped his arms around him, tightening his grip as Herman stroked his head.

“Dad…?”

“Hm?”

“Can…we go home, please?”

“Sure, Bar-Bar, I think we did enough shopping for one day. Let’s go home, I was thinking something-” he paused, digging into the cart and pulling out some items.

“A cake?!”

“I’m not the best baker around, but…I think one cake wouldn’t kill us.” he said, giving his son a playful wink. Barney lightened his grip and his heat turned warm, a smile grew on his face as he nuzzled against him again.

“Thanks, dad! You’re the best!”

“Anything for you, Barney…Barney…Barney? …Hey, Barney!” Herman shouted. 

“Huh?!”

“Wake up, you probably slept longer than any of us!” Herman told him. Barney blinked his eyes in disbelief, did he sleep the whole night? He looked around, Alyx was drowsy and Isaac was stretching. Cooper however, was fast asleep, meaning he never woke him up for night watch. Barney rose from the ground and stretched out his arms, he unleashed a mighty yawn before standing on his feet. He stumbled a bit before straightening himself out, somehow a night on the ground in the woods was more refreshing than in their hideout in the city. 

“He didn’t wake me up…”

“He wanted you to sleep more, so he woke me up instead and I took watch. But it is time for him to wake up, do the honors?” he asked. Barney nodded as he went over and nudged Cooper softly until he woke up. The small man opened his eyes and basically did the same thing as Barney, it would make sense since Cooper did a good chunk of the work getting them out of City 17. But now since he’s awake, he can start handing out today’s meal before setting themselves off through the mountains. Everyone came over and crowded around Cooper as he dug in the bag. He decided to keep the food in one bag and ration them out, he gathered them when everyone was sleeping. When he woke up Herman, he went to the nearest river and asked Herman to purify it over the fire as he took watch. Alyx rubbed her hands, she was itching to eat what they packed. But as she watched Cooper come to her, her excitement turned into disappointment. 

“Here!”

“This…this is just a raw potato…”

“Not completely, like half raw. They’re a good source of vitamin C and can fight off hunger for hours. Each of us gets two, so eat up, the trip over the mountain isn’t going to be an easy one and we’re going to need our strength if we’re going to continue.

“...”

“What’s wrong, what happened to being prepared?” Barney mocked. Alyx stuck her tongue out before taking a bite out of the potato. Bland, flavorless, moist but also tough. Probably was the nastiest thing she could have eaten and it's only going to get worse the more she travels.

“HA! Gotta toughen up out here, I'm sure the great Alyx Vance could handle a potato!” he mocked again. But as he took a bite, he stopped after a few chews, it caught everyone’s attention. The potato was gross, disgusting with no flavor. The blandness overtaking his tongue as it screamed and begged him to eat something else. He wanted to spit it out, but when he looked at Alyx, she was already done with her first one. A smirk grew on her face, now it was her turn to taunt Barney.

“What was that you said? Toughen up? Being prepared, Barney? Come on, finish your food, you got one more left after that one.” she said. Barney refused to be defeated, not to G-man or even Alyx. He drew in a deep breath and devoured his food, tears coming into his eyes as the taste riddling his tongue kept making him gag relentlessly. Cooper shook his head, Isaac gave an awkward smile as Herman joined Alyx in laughing at his son. After feasting on an unsavory meal, they packed up and started hiking up the mountain. The slope was rough, one trip and you could tumble down the slope. As they traveled, Herman and Barney started talking as the others discussed experiments and plant life. From what his dad told him, Isaac made some “modifications to his chair” for future design concepts. In Barney’s eyes, it looked like a regular wheelchair, but he shrugged his shoulders in the end. He knows what Isaac is capable of making, if anyone could make a death machine disguised as a chair, it would be him. After their talk, they kept their focus on hiking. Time quickly flew by, watching the fresh plant life and harmless wildlife roaning between the trees almost made them forget they’re in an apocalypse. They eventually reached a peak of a mountain and began their descent, then hiked up another mountain. Their legs were giving out, heavy panting as they took no breaks as the plan was to make it before daybreak. 

“Um…guys?” Alyx said, but didn’t need to say anything else before they noticed it. The leaves were wilting, the grass on their feet were brown and created a soft crunch with each step. The air was…funny? It felt polluted, but it was too faded to tell. They looked up and the sky looked…stitched together? There was some invisible line that divided the bright blue sky and a blanket of heavy dark clouds that grayed everything. But something was still not right, it felt like…they just stepped in a whole another dimension. Barney remembered that Isaac said that there were possibilities of things not belonging here existing now. 

“Holy…shit…” Barney said as he paused with the others. They stood at the peak of the mountain and within the distance was a large city. However, everything around it was dead, plants, the wildlife, everything was gone within the outskirts as that ominous gray caused by the clouds covered the city. It was time for them to see what life was outside of City 17.

-:- 

They tread on the only road leading into the abandoned city. Each step bringing them closer to the ruins, each step causing the city to grow bigger and bigger. Each step showed more of the wasteland, each step showed how little life was around them. It was depressing, like everything was almost erased. It was heartbreaking, their body's being flooded with such raw emotions. They could only imagine how life was in this area. Hustling, cars honking their horns at bad drivers, semi-trucks carrying large cargo. Now? Nothing, only things on the roads were the scattered cars that were in pieces and these large burrows on the ground’s surface. Very little were still intact, but the damages were still there. Barney asked if maybe they could fix up a car and maybe use one, but Coop shot the idea down. Not only they don’t have the tools, they have no gas to get them running, no power for batteries, or pieces to replace the damaged parts. Herman backed him up, it didn’t take a mechanic to look at the vehicles and tell if they weren’t fixable. But it didn't stop Alyx from poking her head inside from time to time and seeing what she could find. Damage goods are still goods…even if it’s charred black. After light scolding from Barney, they continued onward until they made it inside the city, but it was what they expected. Broken windows, destroyed buildings and more burrows on the surface. Rumble everywhere, cars in pieces, and probably no doubt Xen’s wildlife around. It still surprised the group that they haven’t encountered any within the vast forest they crossed unlike the city. Barney dug in the bag to get the map and pulled it to read it as the others sat on whatever they could to rest their feet.

“Ok…based on the map here and looking around, we’re in…Rivine…”

“Рівне!” Alyx finished for him before snickering, knowing that Barney stopped with learning Russian

“Bleeeeh! Coops, have you been to this place before? In your world I mean.”

“Only a couple of times, I wouldn’t say I know the place. Plus, the geography in this world is actually kinda different than mine, it’s probably because the changes made in my year haven't been made. The only thing I know is that the city holds lots of water, there’s even a bay that basically splits the place in half.” he said.

“We came from the west, meaning we must have come to the city from the east.”

“And if so…it’s a straight shot if we just keep going…ish.” Barney said, but Cooper shook his head.

“Actually, we need to find the train tracks. Europe’s main transportation service is trains. But this is a small place, so it wouldn’t be a main track, we need to find the one that leads to another country’s main tracks.” he explained.

“A train that goes all over the country, I always like that more than flying-”

“Izzy, you never left the facility-”

“I had to ride a plane to get to the state the facility was in!”

“Once-”

“And one time is enough!” he huffed, Barney rolled his eyes as he look back at Cooper. He already found the train station they needed to go to, but as he looked up to the sky, he could see bits of orange rays piercing through the gray. He even asked Alyx the time and his guess was right, evening was approaching. They need to rest, hiking up mountains through the entire day and then crossing many miles on a road. Their feet were aching again, well everyone’s but Alyx who hitched a ride with Herman again. But as they looked around, almost nothing looked safe. Cooper looked at the map again and found a spot. Despite being hand drawn, he remember that the residential area was around there and it’s close to them. It’ll be a few more miles, so it means more walking. They sighed and pouted as Cooper reminded them that this wasn’t going to be an easy journey before taking the lead again. As the others trailed behind him, Barney stood and looked around. Staring at the constant reminders that the other places aren’t like City 17. There was life there…there was nothing here. He exhaled a deep breath, but before he took a step, he heard something. He jerked his head up and stared in the direction of the noise, something just stepped on glass. Though it was soft, it still rang within the silent air. But as he looked around, he saw nothing. But he wasn’t wrong, something was staring at him, but it never moved from it’s spot. Just continued watching as Barney shrugged his shoulders and caught up with the rest of the group. * CRUNCH * was heard next, this time it was heavier. This being had to be bigger and…metallic? He could hear metal scraping against the pavement. He shook his head, something was behind him and it could easily take him out. He picked up the pace to catch up with the others before slowing down.

“Everything’s alright, Calhoun?”

“Yeah…just some noises, one sounding like scraping metal,” he said. Alyx flinched when she heard him say that and quickly looked away. Barney raised his brow, but right now he’ll ignore it, he wants to rest. When darkness blanketed the sky, they reached the residential area. They picked a random home that wasn’t too destroyed to come inside before shutting the door. There on the staircase’s side was a door, they opened it and it was stairs leading down to a spacious  empty basement. It was a perfect place to rest, they dropped everything and used their flashlights to illuminate the dark space. Alyx was the first to sleep, then Herman and Isaac right after, leaving Cooper and Barney as the last one up. But eventually, they both fell asleep. There was no need for anyone to take watch, there’s only one way to them and the door itself is metal. Opening it, even softly, will create enough noise to wake them up. With that, they rested easy until morning where Barney was the first one to wake up. He stretched his arms as he took pride in beating Cooper in waking up first. He did a double check on their inventory and at first, everything was fine. But when he checked his pocket, something was missing. 

“( W-what? Where is it? )” he asked himself, furiously looking through his stuff to find the missing object he wanted so desperately. In the midst of his rummaging, the other’s woke up.

“Uncle…Barney?”

“H-hey, have any of you seen the glasses case with Gordon’s glasses in them? I swore I put them in my pocket when we were traveling, felt it and everything, but they’re gone!” he told them.

“You were the last one to sleep, we couldn’t mess with them. Try looking outside, maybe you dropped it?” His dad suggested. He brushed his hands as he began going up the stairs with a tired Alyx behind who wanted to help. As they went through the door, they heard laughter, children laughter. But when he turned to his side, Alyx wasn’t laughing. Barney became curious as he and Alyx walked over and paused in shock. Children, a pair of kids were just a distance away laughing as they were putting on Gordon’s glasses. Alyx’s eyes lit up, they had to be around her age. Most children in CIty 17 were teenagers that were much too old for her, but these two were actually her age. 

“HEY!” Barney yelled, his raged induced voice catching the children's attention and causing them to flee.

“GET BACK HERE!”

“UNCLE BARNEY, WAIT!” She begged, but didn’t listen.

“ALYX?” Cooper called from below.

“BARNEY CHASING SOME KIDS, COME ON!” She shouted before running herself and catching Barney in her view. The children were fast and slick. Sliding through cracks, parkouring through windows. Climbing drainage pipes to get on the rooftops, but that didn’t stop Barney or Alyx. They performed the same actions, though sloppy, they were able to keep up with the thieves who stole Gordon’s glasses. The kids jumped down from the rooftop into a garbage can below, cushioning their falls as they helped each other out and resumed fleeing. Barney sucked his teeth before jumping down himself, Alyx followed behind him as they both landed in the trash and got out to continue pursuit.

“BARNEY!” Alyx called but it went deaf, she was falling behind. Almost losing her footing as she looked down at the ground. It was those same burrows again, broken up on the surface as if something was tunneling beneath it. She shook her head, no time for that as she needed to catch up. Unfortunately, She doesn’t have the same stamina as Barney as her breathing became heavy. 

“JUST GO BACK!” He yelled at her, not even looking behind him as he never noticed that she was just a dot in the distance. 

“ALYX!” Isaac called, catching up to the exhausted girl as she pointed in Barney's direction. They both continued after him as the kids Barney was chasing hopped over a fence in hopes it’ll slow him down, but it didn't. Barney took one hard step and with one jump, he cleared the height before rolling on the ground and continuing chasing. Isaac and Alyx were about to make an attempt, but something occurred. The ground shook, quaking and crumbling beneath the duos’ feet as they struggled to stay on their feet. This was odd, an earthquake so suddenly felt stranger than their unusual weather patterns. Cooper and Herman felt it too as they were not far behind the others. The ground was caving in, the pavement crumbling as it was about to give way. Cracks formed and etched across the floor, soon breaking up into fragments of concrete as Alyx was beginning to fall in.

“ALYX!” Isaac desperately called, he took a heroic leap and jumped after her, wrapping her in his arms as they both descended into the underground. A mighty splash occurred as the crumbling pavement piled onto each other, barely leaving an exit. Only a small hole with a light peeking through was available, a hole neither Alyx or Isaac could fit through.

“JESUS,  YOU GUYS OK?!” Herman asked. The pair coughed out the dust and wagged their arms to shake the droplets of water off. They fortunately landed away from the rubble, elsewise they would have been crushed to death.

“* Cough * we’re fine…kinda.” she answered.

“Dammit, what was Barney thinking just running?!”

“He’s…going through something-”

“I know that, Herman. But he should have kept Alyx at arms length, I…don’t even want to think what would happen to her if Isaac wasn’t near her.” he said. Herman averted his eyes, Cooper was right. His son is in pain, but distancing Alyx in an unknown place wasn’t right. He let out a sigh, he fears that Barney lets his emotions control him too much.

“Are you alright, Alyx?”

“I’m fine, Uncle Izzy. Are you ok?”

“Yes yes, I'm ok. But…I don’t have the slightest clue where we are.” he said. Cooper heard him and made a guess they were underground sewage line. He scanned the buildings nearby and saw many drainage pipes attached to them. The city was split by water, so there must be storm drainages and manholes nearby for him to climb into.

“Cooper, you go get them out, i’ll follow Barney-”

“Herman-”

“I’m not going to butter him, just…if anyone is gonna scold, let me be me…he’ll actually listen to me.”

“...* sighs * ok, you can go after him. I’ll follow these pipes and hopefully find a way down to get them.” he said. The old man nodded as he began trailing off and Cooper began following the pipes. He told the others the plan and instructed them to follow any pipes going to the right. They nodded and did what they said, but as they walked, Alyx scratched her head. Something was wrong and it was related to that earthquake. The thoughts couldn’t get out of her head as Isaac led the way in the dark underground. 

“Izzy…”

“You’re thinking about the earthquake, right?”

“Yeah, it felt…out of place. It wasn’t a cave-in from our weight-”

“More like something burrowing through beneath us…right?”

“Yeah, like a mole or something…but I didn’t see any holes in the walls. Then again, it’s really dark here and Cooper has the working flashlights…ours kinda broke on our fall.”

“Bugs can burrow in the ground too, not just moles…and that’s more of a reason to get out-”

“Sssssssh, Izzy…look!” she said. There in the darkness a distance away, they were something red piercing the void. It stood there, not moving as it sat in their way. Isaac pulled Alyx behind him as he took out his shotgun, an intense grip forming around the firearm and a burning determination in his chest. Nothing is going to harm her, man or monster, or alien. Yet…the red light didn’t move. 

“Why isn’t it attacking…?” 

“I…don’t know, but stay behind me-”

“Just let me call D-”

“He could cause another cave in…let’s…just turn another way-”

“Don’t.” a voice said. They turned their heads to the red light again. It moved, going left and right as it was telling them “no” 

“The direction your fellow companion above is going is one the same path you’re on now. Don’t go back, danger lies there.” it warned. 

“Um…s-should we trust them…?”

“I wish no harm, but the longer you humans expose yourself in the dark, the more danger you’ll bring to oneself. Please, proceed with haste!”

“O…k?” Isaac let out. They continued walking, getting closer to the red light until they learned upon closer inspection that it was an eye…several of them. Yet…nothing, no hostility from the creature. Isaac didn’t take his eyes off them, just crept backwards with Alyx watching the front until the light was out of sight. They stopped, why did that thing help them? It clearly wasn't human, but it didn’t want to attack them. Just as they wondered, a bright light came from above. Cooper removed a manhole and exposed a way out. Isaac let Alyx climb first before he did. After reaching the surface, they told Cooper about their encounter within the underground and their theories on the earthquake. He agreed to the same thing, that the quake was too unnatural and it seems to only affect that one area, nowhere else. There was something here, meaning they’re overstaying their welcome. Cooper took out the map and reexamined the area they were in previously, the fence they hopped led to another alleyway going to northeast. The biggest place to look is the shopping mall, they just hoped Cooper’s right and the other’s went that way.

-:- 

His heart was beating out of his chest, sweat rolled down his face and stained his shirt. These kids had much more endurance than he does, they had been doing this for awhile now. But in the back of his mind, something wasn’t right. There was no way children as young as them could survive on their own this long without some guardian watching them. But from this chase alone, the kids are acting to their own accord. With that in mind, that’s the first thing he’s going to question when he catches them. He reached a plaza with a shopping mall right in the center. To his surprise, there was no real damage on the exterior, but he has no doubt the interior was ruined to hell and back. He stopped, slouched over with his hands on his knees. Panting as he watched the kids crawled through a hole on the boarded up door. He was getting annoyed, this much effort to steal a pair of glasses they can’t even wear. Despite even that, he’s not letting this go. It’s the only thing he has that reminded him of Gordon, G-man already took his lover, he can’t lose the last thing attached to him.

“BARNEY!” his dad shouted. The man turned behind him and saw that his dad caught up to him, but no one else. That sudden realization hit him, he left them all behind.

“Shit…”

“Barney-”

“I know, I know, I screwed up. But-”

“But what? Barney, did you know what you did?!”

“I…just…”

“Left everyone behind, barely kept an eye on Alyx! You know she fell into the underground?”

“She…did?”

“If it’s wasn’t for Izzy…I don’t even want to think about it…”

“...”

“Barney. I know you want to keep what part of Gordon in your hands, but you can’t let emotions blind you!” he scolded.

“Pfft…Cooper told you to tell me that?”

“No, I’m telling you this! Is leaving everyone in the dust worth more than seeing Gordon?” he asked. Barney averted his eyes. Of course not, he wouldn’t sacrifice anyone just to get Gordon back…but he fears that if he doesn’t grab what's in front of him, he’ll lose it forever.

“Cooper said it, our group takes priority over anything. We want to get what we came for and then get back home with everyone alive.”

“I…you’re right. I’m just scared that if I don’t grab what I can…it’s j-just gone forever…”

“I get that…just don’t let it make you think it’s the only thing important, ok?”

“Ok, I promise!” He made. He then pointed to the mall and told him the kids ran inside it. He wanted to follow them inside, but his father told him to wait and inspect the roads around the mall. Confused, he did what his dad said and was blown away, there was a large crater-like trench surrounding the building. Every exit led to the trench, the kids were trapped. There was no way they could slip past them. They returned to the entrance and approached the hole in the door, Barney crawled through with his dad coming in next. Barney was ready to make the hole bigger to grab his chair, but Herman held up his hand. He grew a smirk as he rolled up his jacket sleeve and revealed a tech-like wristband. He wagged his finger like a magic wand and pressed his finger against the touchscreen. Tiny particles of light fluttered to their locations and formed together and out of thin air, his chair appeared.

“WHAT THE-”

“Tada! Izzy has been working on some teleportation methods. When we learned about you guys traveling, he took it as a chance to test out multiple experiments. So, I offered my chair and made some super modifications and this is one of them! He wants to do bigger stuff, but he could only do this bit by bit.” he explained. Barney was impressed, Isaac was able to make such advanced tech with just scraps from a junkyard. He didn’t doubt that Cooper might have helped, but it feels like more Alyx’s field to help Isaac with such advanced tech. With his dad back in his chair, they venture into the ruined mall. It was expected, shattered windows, looted stores. Holes in the wall, dry blood stains on the floor. But there was beauty in this place, the vegetation took hold of the mall. It honestly shocked them considering there was nothing living outside. But with a closer look, it wasn’t the kind they expected as they recognized the plants. It was from Xen, but the reminder of that place sent shivers down their spine. Oddly colored plants, strange hanging fruits, even those slimy vines were here. 

“Whoa…” Alyx let out. The pair looked behind them and saw that the others caught up to them.

“So Xen really did infest this word too…” Cooper said.

“At least it’s the plant life and not the wildlife...I hope. But more importantly, are you two alright?” Isaac asked. Barney rubbed his neck as he remembered what he did.

“L-look, I-i’m sorry for leaving you guys-”

“Hey, look!” Alyx cut off. There was a light at the end of a walkway, meaning there was still power inside the building. They shrugged their shoulders as they followed Alyx to the light and came across a vending machine. Strange, how did a thing go unnoticed by the Combine? Then again, they remembered how easy it was for Cooper to take them out and Alyx finding blind spots. They approached the machine as Alyx stuck her hand up the slot to reach for the snacks. Of course, the attempt ended in a failure.

“It's been forever since I had candy, I would trade anything for a bite of some chocolate!”

“Then let me show you a little trick I do to get free stuff out of the machines back in Black Mesa.

“Barney, there’s no need for that. I can just-”

“Here, Alyx. These things were made in my time so I know all the tricks, watch this." Herman said.

“( Like father, like son…

 ( Like father, like son…

 ( Like father, like son… )” they told themselves. 

Cooper let out a small chuckle before drawing out his knife and going to the back of the machine. He stuck the blade between the back panels and pried it off the machine. After crossing some wires within it, the machine opened up as the group was allowed to claim their reward. Alyx rubbed her hands, she can’t even remember what chocolate even tastes like, or chips, or artificial flavors. The same can go for the rest, the food the Combine was mostly flavorless and there’s no sweet stuff in their hideout due to not having the ingredients to make such. But before Alyx attempted to grab a snack with Isaac, Cooper returned and pulled them back. The action went unnoticed by the Calhouns as the others were confused as to why they were denied something sweet. Then it hit Alyx as she whispered to Cooper’s ears.

“(Coops, stuff has expiration dates right…? Most junk food can’t last a year…even if they’re not open and it been 5-)”

“Ssssh!” he told her, knowing full well what was going to happen. 

“God this is going to be good!”

“Oh sweet sweet chocolate, get ready to get in my-GWAH!”

“BLERG!” Barney made. The paused mid bite as soon as their teeth made contact with the chocolate bar. No, it wasn’t them who stopped, they were prevented. The bar was hard as a brick, refusing to break apart due to being well past its expiration date. A snort escaped Cooper’s mouth, he knew the items inside the machine were going to be bad. It was well over 5 years now and despite having power, it was exposed to the elements. Unless it had lots of preservatives inside, nothing was going to be fresh. Though the other two joined in on laughing at their friends, in the back of their minds, they too wished the food inside was edible…no one wants to eat potatoes again. After the vending machine incident, they continued to explore the abandoned mall in hopes to find the kids that ran off with Gordon’s glasses. But as they looked high and low, they found no traces to where they could have run off to.

“There’s no way they slipped by us, the other exits leads to trenches they would fall into-”

“And we would have heard a door opening too as they were also boarded up, it wasn’t possible to break them down without us hearing it.” Alyx chimed in. With everything in mind, how could the children escape? A thought that would stay on their minds if the ground didn’t quake again. It just like before, it didn’t feel natural, it was like something was drilling right below them. The group lost balance again and fell to the floor, Cooper put his ear to the ground and listened. Past the quaking, he could hear something else, was it…dirt being pushed aside? Something was shoving their way through the ground and from the sound of it and the tremors, it was a large creature.

“There’s something below us!” he shouted. They all glued their eyes to the floor, waiting for whatever causing the tremors to reveal itself and show if it’s friend or foe. But nothing came, the quakes quelled as the shuffling noise faded. However, it was far from over for them. The once quelled quakes began to occur again, but it wasn’t like just now. This felt natural, but that wasn’t exactly a good thing. In the distance, the sound of rushing water was heard. It became louder and louder, like a waterfall was right above their heads.

“Oh I don’t like that sound…” Isaac commented. A shadow was cast over them, the mall became dark as if night just dawn over them. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a case of day becoming night in an instant. They looked above the glass ceiling as their eyes were taken over by fear, it was water. A massive tsunami wave and it was moments away from hitting the glass.

“RUN-” too late. The pressure of the water broke the glass and water immediately started to flood the place. The group was swept up with ease, getting caught in the rushing waters. Barney’s hearing became deafen, feeling the weight of the water dragging him down into the depths as he struggled to compose himself. His instincts came forth and he swam back to the top of the surface, he emerged out of the water and grabbed onto one of the walkway’s railings. As he gasped for air, he looked around to find everyone else…but there was no one. Just rushing water that was still pulling him in.

“COOPER?! DAD?! ISAAC?!” He called out their names, but it was masked by the rushing water.

“ALYX?!” he called next.

“BARNEY!” She answered. He turned to her voice and he saw her, she was on the same railing, but more down.

“STAY THERE, I’M COMING OVER!” He told her. She remained still as Barney used the railing to pull himself to the girl. But the more he got closer, the stronger the water’s pull got. When he got close to her, the railings made a creaking noise. In an instant, the railing between her and Barney was pulled off its bolts and became another victim of the water.

“FUCK! ALYX, REACH FOR MY HAND!”

“I-I CAN’T REACH IT!” she said, struggling to reach for his hand.

“(Come on…just a little…)”

“BARNEY!” She screamed, a wave crashed against them and it took Alyx’s grip away.

“NO!” he shouted. But just as he let go of the railing to swim after her, something crashed through the ceiling. It took Barney’s attention as he didn’t see what even came through, but whatever it was, it plunged into the waters and the splash knocked him back. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to his benefit as a piece of debris fell and injured Barney’s head. It rendered him unconscious as he succumbed to the destructive waters. It swept his body away into the depths, where he’ll end up is up to it now, rather he be dead or alive upon arrival.

Chapter Text

The wind blew softly again, swaying their hair as the night still persisted. Red was leaning against the railing, staring at the bookmark before bringing it to his chest. His eye glossed over, a tear was forming as his hand shook. Gordon could hear Barney’s thoughts coming in his head again despite trying his best to block it. They were strong, he could feel the deep sadness within his mind and it was starting to ache Gordon’s chest. He could feel the yearning, the desperate wants to rush in and give Red a hug. But when that thought came, more flooded in as it was impossible for Barney to give such a thing. Red turned around, staring off to the horizon that wasn’t in sight. Just the dazzling city with endless lights, the city that would never spark any joy within him.

“Hey…Little Halo? How would you feel…if you lost the only thing that gave you meaning?” he asked. Another gust of wind blew, but it was much harsher. Creating that dramatic effect of tension that plagued the air between them. Gordon looked away as he thought to Black Mesa. When he was alone, he was in a constant state of worry. Not for himself, but for Barney. Every security guard corpse he came across always filled him with dread. That irrational thought always trying to tell him that this one had to be Barney, that possible fear that both filled his drive and buckled his knees. Is this what Red felt? He went through Black Mesa too…but his Barney met his end, but something isn’t right. Yes, he’s clearly missing him, but there has to be more to Barney than just his death. Is that why he asked that question? Was Barney more than just a friend?

“...” his thoughts couldn’t form an answer, because as of right now, his Barney is safe…he hoped. So knowing his status, he doesn’t know if his answer will truly be genuine. The door to the stairs opened up, Amy came up to the roof in a spare change of clothes of a tanktop and sweatpants.

“Oh, I wasn’t interrupting anything, was I?” she asked. Red sucked his teeth, he fixed himself before shoving the bookmark in his pocket.

“No, you didn’t. Out of my way.” he said, rushing past her and accidentally shocking Barney for getting close. Amy rolled her eyes as she approached Gordon and leaned against the railing close to them.

“You alright?”

“I’m fine, just a crazy night. Again, thanks for the help.” he typed

“It’s no biggie, I had fun fighting someone who could kick my ass. How is your friend?”

“Oh, he was just…having a moment.” he answered, but Amy just shook her head.

“Not the one eye drama queen, I meant the one in blue.” she corrected. Gordon and Barney were in disbelief, they looked at each other and their suspicions were right, Amy can see him.

“You can see me?!”

“Tommy can too, but might be for another reason. I always had this…weird thing about senses. He was floating around you so he must be some sort of ghost I guess? I don’t know…” she said.

“Oh man, someone else who could see me! I mean, I didn’t mean like being just Gordon here is bad or anything-”

“HEY!”

“Well, you guys could explain it all to me when we wake up. I am tired! Oh, come by my room when you get a chance too!” she said before waving them a good night. She was right, this night was chaotic and it almost ended in possible death, if they could even die in this world. Gordon and Barney went back to the apartment and to his room. There, he closed his eyes and thought about the only thing that was in his mind, Barney. What is he doing? Is he really safe? Is he looking for him? That one was stupid, of course he is. So if he was…what’s taking him so long?

-:-

The dream was hazy, foggy white obscuring the view, but many things could still be made out. It was a simple home in a suburban area. Gordon recognized the decorations, very middle class with a few expensive items. There he was, getting ready in front of the mirror. From his nerdy school clothes to his neat and groomed hair. His room was very barren, just basic necessaries and school items. No sort of imagination or decorative accessories exist in the room. Yet, the boy didn’t mind. To him, it was the norm, his norm. He didn’t have an issue studying, he was quite fond of it. Yet, why was this memory so…painful? This had to be a nightmare, he could feel himself getting a headache as he stared more into the mirror. Why did he hate this outfit so much? Why did he hate his room so much? Everything was in order, this wasn’t some made up dream. His mother called him downstairs as a sigh escaped his mouth upon hearing her voice. His blood boiled as he walked down the stairs. There she was, in her usual business suit. She was fixing up her cuffs as she was holding the house phone between her head and shoulder.

“Good, you’re dressed. You have an audition in an hour, an interview at 10am. Then at 12pm, we have to meet at the private school’s board of education for your future enrollment. Once that finished-” she kept going on and on. By the time she finished, Gordon counted over 10 things he has to do today and only god knows how many are tomorrow.

“Gordon, are you listening?” she asked. Her voice burns, he could feel the searing scorch of her words smelting his face when she spoke.

“Yes ma’am…”

“Good. Wash your face one more time and meet me in the car.” she ordered him. She left through the door as he went to the bathroom to freshen up again. But he didn’t turn on the water, he just stared into his reflection. The more he stared at himself, the madder he became and with a violent scream, he slammed his fist into the mirror. It shattered, glass flung into the air like glittering snow. The shards falling onto the countertop and floor, creating a crashing noise that his mom failed to hear. He huffed, his body was hot. His skin was blood red as blood poured out his knuckles. There, where the mirror once stood was now a bloody fist print, he looked down at the one shard still intact. He tilted his head as he was confused about his appearance, was his hair always this red?

-:-

Gordon opened his eyes to a new day. Though still sluggish from last night’s battle, he was glad to get some proper rest. He stretched his arms, rubbed his eyes and unleashed a mighty yawn that seemed to even shake Barney who was sleeping in a chair. He was surprised to not find him phasing through it, until a thought crossed his head and heard the irritated thought of how many times Barney fell through the floor. Gordon chuckled, movies always showed how incredible and amazing being a ghost was, but now he can see that it was all lies. If he’s being honest, Gordon hasn't even heard a single good thing about Barney being a ghost besides being an invisible lookout. Regardless, Gordon got up and sat on the edge of his bed and thought about the dream. Again, it was how he remembered up till the end. He didn’t remember being so aggressive, so angry, shattering that mirror or having that deep shade of red hair. He paused and thought about the last part again. Deep red hair? Almost like-

“Mannnnnnnnnn, seems like one of us got some sleep!” Barney interrupted. Repeated the same actions as Gordon when he first woke up. His thoughts came to a stop as his attention was towards his floating buddy.

“Whatcha thinking about?” he asked. Odd, is Barney doing the same thing as Gordon? Blocking some of his thoughts to feel less intrusive?

“Oh, a weird dream I had-”

“Another one? Twice now, isn’t it?”

“Y-yeah, it was a childhood memory…but it was a bit weird. Nevermind that, let’s go see Amy!”

“Right, she wanted us to come into her room. The last door on the left was the one she went into!” Barney reminded him. Gordon got off his bed to stand up, he gave himself another stretch before leaving his room and going further down the hall to Amy’s. They gave a gentle knock on it and soon heard the door unlocked, they entered inside and the pair were blown away. Amy’s room was a mixture of fashion related clothing that would cost a fortune, all of them hanging in her closet. There was a wide dresser with a mirror attached to it with a neat and organized make-up kit to her left and right. On the frame of the mirror were small lights which they assume was for helping her see better when applying make-up. It was like they walked into some actress trailer on a movie set. However, that was only half of the room. The other side, despite its fluffy and feminine appearance, was filled with dangerous equipment. The wall hides lines of firearms ranging from hand pistols to double-handed rifles. Below them was a shelf that held a similar appearance to the dresser. However, it was divided up in multiple ways. The top portion was a glass casing split in two, the left holding different kinds of combat knives, the right holding secondary weaponry. The bottom portion was also divided into two. The left side held bullets, the right side held chemicals.

“What fresh hell?!” Barney let out, Amy chuckled before going back to her chair and sat in front of the mirror checking her face.

“Good morning to ya as well.” She greeted them.

“Your room is so…so…”

“Uncharacteristic? Yeah, I get that a lot. Hard being a gal that looks pretty when your job involves cutting throats and gouging out eyes.” she said. The pair froze up, who could casually say they kill people in such cold blood? But even with a cutthroat presence, Amy isn’t an immediate hostile person...they hoped. If anything, she felt like the opposite of Cooper to Gordon. Cooper was more focused and prepared, Amy is much more mellow and relaxed. Yet, she is always combat ready. They looked at her bed and saw a phone sitting on top, but it wasn’t the same as Cooper’s.

“Neat huh? Not as powerful as Coops, but it gets the job done. Anyways, let’s get down to business.” she said. Turning around in her chair, Gordon quickly went to close her door before taking a seat on her bed.

“I got filled in from the others and so did Tommy. From what I gather. We can only be outside for about 5 hours, the fifth hour is when the sickness settles in. Benrey ugly ass is clearly the overlord of this world and we’re trying to figure out how to escape-”

“We went to the basement and saw something in the distance too far to see. We saw equipment you normally see at a construction site…but it seems we didn’t find anything other than getting attacked.” Barney finished. Amy nodded her head, but then chuckled before rising from her seat and nodded to the pair to follow her. They shrugged their shoulders as they trailed behind her. At the table was Tommy who was fiddling with Amy’s laptop with some trinkets beside him. In the living room, Yellow Gordon was on the couch with Red Gordon in the one-seater. They both were watching something on a brand new TV that clearly wasn’t there last night.

“Morning!”

“Hmph…” was all Red gave. Amy sat on the couch with Gordon joining her.

“Thanks for the TV, Amy. You can see the pores on some of these people-”

“Now if only every channel wasn’t fucking Benrey on it!” Red cut off. He was right, the quality on the screen was mesmerizing, but Benrey being everywhere took the beauty away from it. After flipping through some channels, Tommy came in and gave the Gordons the trinkets he was fiddling with. They resemble watches with a gauge on them, the gauged was tied to the person the watch was attached to.

“Ta-da! I made these thanks to the help with Amy's advanced computer and the programs she showed me!”

“I thought you were in human resources?”

“Tommy dabbles in a lot of things, he’s like that handyman you call to fix something rather than using actual service companies.” Yellow praised. Tommy blushed and playfully shied away.

“Annnnnnnnyways. These will help monitor us when we’re outside. Speaking of, we’re going to have to start planning our trips.” Amy suggested.

“First we need to find more clues, the site was a bust.”

“Tommy figured that out, it had to be a wharf.”

“A wharf?”

“Wharfs are similar to construction in terms of equipment, but the thing that really stood out was the water.” Tommy pointed out. The Gordons paused as they looked back and realized he was right. There’s even a great bay with a bridge, so there has to be a wharf somewhere, but where and what if it’s more than one? Splitting up isn’t an option as they don’t want another encounter with that woman without Amy around them. Speaking of, who was she? It was clear that she had to be with Benrey as she told them that before she retreated. But if she can see what Benrey is doing, why is she siding with him? Furthermore, now she has a personal vendetta with Gordon knowing she was a part of the group of assassins he defeated in Black Mesa. A shiver went down his spine, twice he had those encounters and only lived because he had both Cooper and Amy. That thought alone questioned his fighting capabilities. Yes, he showed that he could put up a fight, but is that enough to get him home? His “enough” resulted in his other selves defeat, he was understanding why Barney froze up so much when he came into conflict. Barney could hear his thoughts, even if he was trying to block them out. Amy could read his face, he’s clearly in deep thought, it reminded her of Cooper.

“So, what’s the plan?” Yellow asked.

“Nothing. Your wounds may be healed, but it seems this place doesn’t fix exhaustion.” Amy brought up and she was right. Their wounds are gone, but the Gordons still feel very sluggish. They all looked at each other, Red quickly looked away and didn’t say a word. Tommy and Yellow whispered to each other and shrugged their shoulders.

“Why don’t we take this time to actually explore the city? Ever since we got here, we never ventured until we knew someone dropped in this world.” Yellow brought up.

“Even if we’re exposing ourselves, Benrey can’t really touch us until we get the sickness, right? He can’t enter this complex for some reason and we know we have 5 hours before the sickness sets in, we should learn more parts of this city for future explorations.” Tommy suggested. Amy nodded her head and changed her mind, that was a more approachable idea. If they’re gonna be stuck in a world they’re not familiar with, then they better get to know it. And now with Tommy’s new monitors for everyone, they can keep track of their exposure limits.

“I’m not going anywhere…” Red said.

“Good, we wouldn’t want someone who walks without a leash-”

“Gordon…” Tommy called.

“It’s true! If he wanna drag himself down, don’t bring the rest of us.” he said. Surprising everyone, Red didn’t say a word. He just sucked his teeth and looked away again, Yellow rolled his eyes before facing the group again. He wanted the four of them to go out and explore the city, maybe follow the bay and hopefully find the wharf. Amy looked at Gordon and could read his face, same with Barney, she suggested that Orange should go with Yellow and Tommy and she’ll stay behind. A chill ran down their spine as they would rather not be outside without her, but it should be fine if they stay close to the complex. After shrugging their shoulders, they agreed to go out and explore. Amy then pulled out her phone and sent Gordon a message.

“I’ll watch Red for Barney, you guys go have fun.” it said. Barney looked up and smiled, Amy winked back at them as Tommy gently pushed Gordon to get moving so they could explore. But as they left out the door, Gordon turned to see Barney looking at Red. He crossed his arms and gripped them tight, he hates how much he can’t be close to him.

-:-

They three stepped outside the complex and turned on their watches, it displayed their status and showed they were in the green. They then look up to the sky, bright and blue with some clouds scattered about. A perfect late spring day, crisp winds that carried a hint of sea salt within the air. The streets were bustling with bystanders, stray animals, and cars. The billboards and displays on buildings still showcasing products with Benrey on it. Gordon raised his brow, this Benrey guy wasn’t on the attractive side, at least for him. For someone who stole Barney’s looks, he sure doesn’t play the part well.

“Ok…so what do you guys want to do?”

“Shouldn’t we follow the bay to find the wharf?” Tommy asked.

“Hmmmmm, we have five hours before the sickness. I think we can spend a little time exploring.”

“Then how about this? We stick to closer places for a bit and then we go to the bay area and follow it. Where the body of water expands will most likely be where the Wharf will be.” Yellow suggested. The others nodded as yellow turned around and tried to think of something for them to do. As he did that, Tommy and Gordon turned their attention back to Barney. He was looking at the complex as Gordon could hear his thoughts again.

“(Is he ok?)” Tommy whispered. Gordon turned off speech on the phone before typing up a message instead.

“(Honestly, no. His thoughts are flooding again and I can barely form my own with how loud his is. He’s really worried about Red, I wish I could take his mind off him…)”

“(Hmmmm what if we go back inside and you take Yellow?)”

“(Barney can’t get too close to Red no matter how much he tries…)”

“Well, being close to him in general is clearly what he wants. Plus, maybe you can convince my Gordon to lighten up around him…?)”

“(I’ll try…)” he said. Gordon went to yellow and told a lie about why Tommy isn’t coming with them as the other two went back into the building. Yellow shrugged his shoulders as he began walking down the sidewalk, traveling and trying to find anything that could remotely be seen as entertainment. But everywhere they went, Benrey’s face was on it. And the more of his face was on something, the less appealing it was becoming. This ranged from arcades and toys, to even food items, it was like someone's room filled with photos of themselves. With nothing interesting to them visible, they went to the park near the bay. Upon coming to the edge, they took sight in the bay. Pristine waters with a beautiful shade of blue glimmering across like a fine coat of paint. They watched seagulls' reflection glide across the clean waters as the fresh scent of sea salt mixed within the air. The large bridge above it was frightening, stretching across land to land, the metal workings under it showing fine craftsmanship. Construction was never Gordon's strong suit, though they have some knowledge, they prefer smaller gadgets or at least something sizable. Yellow looked to his left and saw that the bay was expanding, so he suggested they head that way in hopes of finding the wharf.

“You know, your clothes don't match your…personality.”

“Huh?” Yellow questions.

“Red clothes match his aggressive behavior. Yours would assume you were very preppy and well-mannered. But you are more on the…cautiously panic side?” Gordon said.

“I just like more semi-business casual clothing…I think?”

“Think?”

“Look, whenever I think about myself, I just feel…hazy. I don’t know, like something is blocking me.” he said. Gordon thought about that, he and Red were able to bring up their memories, but Yellow hasn’t. He just knows about the Black Mesa incident and Tommy, it was still odd though. He didn’t look like he had any injuries besides his hand and as far as I remember, he seemed to have been here the longest. That should have been more than enough time, yet still nothing? Gordon didn’t pry any further, they just left it at that as Gordon brought up another topic.

“Hey…about Red-”

“No, if you’re asking me to play nice with Rambo, request denied!” he cut off.

“But-”

“He is out of control and honestly? If I could kick him out, I would! Especially now, we got Amy with her supersoldier goldeneye skills-”

“(HA! I KNEW I WOULDN’T BE THE ONLY GORDON WHO THINKS THAT!)”

“And Tommy, one less maniac for us to deal with, the better!” he claimed, but he was wrong. Yellow thinks Red is a problem, but he’s not in the right either.

“I know Red hasn’t been reasonable, but to say he’s only at fault is-”

“Are you saying I'm wrong?!”

“Not in the sense of what he did, but constantly approaching hostile isn’t helping either! Like this morning, he was quiet and you insulted him!” he brought up, but Yellow snapped his head away.

“Whatever, let’s just look for the wharf!” he said. Gordon sighed, this is going to be much harder than he thought. He remained silent for the rest of the walk, he looked at his watch to check their status. It only lasted two hours, but Gordon was below average and he could feel it. Though it was slight, his stomach was feeling a tad odd. The sickness was forming again, that would explain why it sets in at hour 5. This is a good thing to note and tell the others, but when he was about to tell Yellow, he noticed something. He thought his eyes were playing tricks because of his sickness, but he was catching glimpses of Yellow’s watch. It was hidden by his sleeve cuffs, but it gets pulled down by how much he swings his arms when walking. His monitor, it was still within the green. Gordon shook his head before trying to look at it again, but Yellow happened to be fixing himself. The sleeve was over his watch again, preventing Gordon from taking another look. It was probably his imagination from the sickness coming. After a few more minutes, they found what they were looking for. There was a shipping wharf within view and just from where they’re standing, they saw everything that was in the basement that served as clues.

“Yes, this has to be it! It’s two hours by foot, but maybe we can find a ride or whatever! Let’s get back and plan something out!” Yellow suggested. They ran back as fast as they could to relay the information to the others. But as they bolted back, there was someone watching from a distance. He flipped open his phone and dialed up a number.

“Well?” Benrey asked.

“Yeah, they found it. You didn’t do a good job preventing them.”

“Do you not know how much energy I'm cycling to keep this world intact AND bringing in-” the call hung up.

“Noisy, but he’s right. All well, guess it’s my turn to be the roadblock. Hope it’s long enough for balding gramps to get something planned.” the figure said. He put the phone back in his pocket as they whistled a tune. The Gordon’s made it back in time and informed the others on their findings, Amy gave them some praise for finding one so soon as Red just remained silent. Yellow caught note of it, but held back his insult. Amy looked at Gordon and all he did was sighed. Regardless, their next location was in sight, so Amy told everyone to rest up and prepare to head out. Everyone did just that, taking quick naps and waking up soon after to prepare themselves. When Gordon stepped out, Amy was sharpening her knife as everyone else was stretching. Amy gave Gordon a handgun and a pat on his shoulder.

“No bigger gun?”

“And where are you going to store it? You can’t just magical-girl summon it like you could with your crowbar. Even with a strap on you, it’s so big, it’ll just get caught on stuff. We’re sneaking inside, remember?” she said. Gordon nodded, she was right. He looked at the others as they all seemed ready to go. They left the apartment and went to the elevator, they rode it down until they came to the complex’s entrance. But when they opened it, they were blinded by light. It forced them to shield their eyes until the light started to fade. When it disappeared, no one could utter a word, the world they were in just changed. Was this…some middle-earth themed fantasy world?

Chapter Text

Her head ached, her vision blurred as she struggled to see two feet in front of her. She was cold, her clothes drenched from being submerged in water as they left her shivering. She let out a few coughs, tapped her head to get any water in her ear out before standing on her feet. She was underground, deep underground. She fell into some cavern with tunneled burrows throughout it. The cave walls were dimly illuminated by some purplish-blue light source that bounced off the wet walls. It was almost like she was walking inside some crystal. She looked around her, spiraling as she saw none of her companions. The last thing she remembered was being swept away by the flood after Barney tried to grab hold of her, the waters must have split them apart. If she had to guess, probably somewhere in the cave. But before she took a step, something approached and stood in front of her.

“DOG!” she called. Her mysterious companion was a figure in the dim light as a shadow was still cast over it, making only the orb of light visible. The orb rubbed against her face as she rubbed it with her hand.

“Did you save me, boy?” she asked. She watched the orb go up and down, telling her yes. 

“You really are a girl’s best friend…now where are we…?” she asked next. Dog couldn’t answer her, but something caught his attention. 

“ALYX!” Herman called. The girl turned to see the old man approaching her with a relieved look on his face.

“Are you ok?”

“Y-yeah, Dog saved me! Are you ok?”

“I’m fine, kinda wasn’t easy being in water, but I'm tougher than a roach! Not easy to kill me, haha!” he claimed. Alyx snickered, this was the first time anyone compared themselves to a bug. Afterwards, Dog nudged her, urging Alyx to follow him as she did. They ventured through one of the tunnels until she came across a clearing. It was a dead end with a giant wall in place, the ground was wet from water rushing through the place moments ago. But before they ventured more, she saw someone she knew lying unconscious on the ground.

“BARNEY!” she cried. They rushed to his side and saw he hadn't awakened yet. 

“...ok, still breathing…a bit. No doubt some water is probably still inside him…huh?” she paused. The dog was still nudging her, Barney wasn’t his only intention.

“What is it…oh…OH!” she yelled as the pair looked closely at the cave’s wall. As she examines the wall, Barney is still deep within his dream. He was just…floating in empty space, black as far as he could see. Up was down, left was right. No sound, no feeling, just a void devoid of any kind of…anything. He felt scared, being alone in such an empty place, making him feel like everyone had got up and left him. He curled up, holding himself as he drifted aimlessly. Humming himself a song his dad would sing to him when he was little. That terrible tune that always manages to make him fall asleep. But that song turned into sniffling, that sniffling turned into crying. He hated it, he hated feeling alone. He hated feeling left behind, he hated being…Barney. Then just like a dream, he awakens. A snort was let out as he rose his body as he frantically looked around. It…was an office, Gordon’s office. He was confused, why is he back here? Was it a dream? Was this really all just a crazy dream? Everything was the same within the space. His desk, paperwork, even the hanging pictures of them together, everything was how it was back then. The door opened up and he turned to see Gordon coming in with two cans of coffee for the both of them. Barney almost cried, it was his Gordon. His flowing auburn hair tied into a ponytail, his tall lean body dressed in his uniform. His glasses, forest green eyes, and that lame goatee. Gordon took his seat before turning on his computer again.

“(You ok?)” he asked. 

“Dude…you’re real…right?” he asked. Gordon paused, freezing his attempt to open his coffee as he raised a brow.

“(Um…as real as I can be…?)” he answered, reaching over and pulling off a sticky note off Barney’s face.

“Dude…you wouldn’t believe this! T-there was this alien invasion, a-and people was dying left and right-”

“(Uh…huh…)”

“Y-you got kidnapped by this G-man bastard, then some…interdimensional space nazi regime took over the world-”

“(Go…on…)”

“Then we met this time-traveler named Cooper, we escaped this city that was a prison and…it…just felt so real…was it really all just a bad dream?”

“(I think you should stay off the conspiracy theory books.)” Gordon suggests. Barney shook his head, he couldn’t believe it, everything…was normal again. Then not a moment later, Alyx burst in the office with Eli chasing her. Isaac was peeking his head inside as it was his fault Alyx got away from them. She was hugging Barney, he was rubbing her head. The others were talking about some experiments that were nonsense in Barney’s ears. It was a dream, it was…all a dream. It felt like life was back to normal. No more survival, no more struggles, no more death…it was all over-

“(W-what…?)” he thought to himself. Everything went dark, then it came back. Everything hurt, but quickly was fading away. He didn’t know where he was, but it wasn’t Black Mesa. He should have known, it felt too good to be true. But before he could get up, he turned to his side as he heard Alyx's muffled voice.

“Not too hard, Dog!” he managed to hear.

“Whoa whoa, maybe a punch to his gut from a robot might be too much…” he heard next from his father. Dog lowered his arm and walked away, he came back with a sizable rock and hovered it over Barney’s body.

“That…”

“Do it, Dog!”

“Wha…?” he questioned as he looked above him. Something was coming down at him and it opened his eyes completely.

“WAIT-” too late.

Something was lodged in his gut and Barney felt the water that was in him forced out like a bottle being squeezed. He felt deflated as Alyx softly whistled as she clearly went too far.

"Oh...whoops..." Alyx let out.

“Uh...so...I see that's…you’re awake…” she managed to say with such guilt.

“*Coughs* YES I'M AWAKE, WHAT THE HELL?!”

“I thought the water inside you was making you unconscious and I didn’t know mouth to mouth-”

“I rather not have you do that on me-”

“I figured-”

“AND WHY YOU DIDN’T DO IT, DAD?!”

“Ha, don’t want the audience to get the wrong idea!”

“Why do you talk like that…?”

“So anyways, I did the next best thing!”

“Which is…”

“Him!” she answered. Barney looked behind him and felt his skin had gone pale. There was a metal contraption at least a meter tall looking down on him, it was made from scrap metal that was refined to a professional degree with the head being an eye with a glowing light as its pupil.

“Barney, this is Dog. Dog, Barney!” she introduced.

“W-W-W-W-W-WHEN DID YOU MAKE THIS?!”

“Well…I didn’t, dad did. See, when the Combine was making it harder and harder to see him, he thought extra protection for me was needed. So, he made Dog to watch and protect me about 5 years ago. But over time…I made some modifications to him, he was NOT this tall hehe.”

“H-how did you hide such a massive thing, how did it even escape the city?!”

“He lived in the junkyard, the Combine never cared for the place so it was perfect. As to how he escaped…I don’t know. I told him to find his way…and he did!” she said. Barney pinched his brow as he took a closer look at Dog. The towering metal creature was quite intimidating, was Dog the one who made the massive heavy footsteps he heard yesterday? It would make sense as the lighter footsteps were clearly the children that ran off with Gordon’s glasses. With that in mind, he looked around and he didn’t see those kids anywhere. He highly doubts they didn’t get swept away in the flood, that tsunami had to hit all of the city. And yet, they weren’t around. And not just them, Cooper and Isaac were missing. He shook his head, coughed out more water as he rubbed his injury. But before he took a step, his eyes were glued to the wall. There were some paintings on the wall in front of them, there were creatures that resemble those aliens he fought in Black Mesa. They were praising someone in the center of the painting, a man in an orange suit.

“That…has to be-”

“Gordon…” Alyx finished, but Barney raised a brow.

“I guess a smartypant like you would figure that…”

“But…why is he being praised? What’s that big thing he’s standing on?” his father asked.

“Oh that was the big bad guy in Xen who was causing the portal storm…sort-ish. The Nine-something-whatever the hell G-man said.” he said

“Wait, I thought you, Coops, and Gina also helped in the fight?”

“Yeah…where are we? Why is only Gordon here?” he questioned.

“Maybe Barney isn’t a cool name?” Herman guessed with a wide grin stretching to his ears.

“AND GORDON?! AND WHY YOU’RE DOGGING ME?! WHAT ABOUT COOPER AND GINA?! WHAT A MINUTE, YOU NAMED ME!” He yelled, but all that was given was another wide goofy smile. Aside from joking, the question still remains. The mural is inaccurate, Gordon may have landed the final blow, but he didn’t solely defeat the leader of Xen. It was souring his mood, why was one person getting the credit and not- no, he shouldn’t think like that. This wasn’t a mission for glory, it was either to save the world or let it be taken over. Well, the latter didn’t mean anything considering that the Combine did that for them. Regardless, he took the lead as the others followed behind him. The heavy footsteps echoing in the spacious yet narrow tunnels, how deep underground were they? There’s lights bouncing off the surface of the walls, meaning they couldn’t be that far down. And yet, these tunnels felt endless, it was a maze. Barney remembers reading something about elaborate tunnel layouts that were made as a defense system for intruders. But these tunnels didn’t feel like they were someone’s designs to a degree, especially knowing something was burrowing underground. 

“Hey Alyx, do you think that thing crawling around made these tunnels?”

“Hmmmmm, judging from this…the creature may have made the tunnels, but look around. Some of these don’t seem like the actions of just some wild beast.”

“So…someone used the creature to create this tunnel system?” Herman asked.

“Most likely the case, think about it. The burrower was only around the top parts of the surface, but these tunnels are clearly deep underground judging by the material of them. There would be no reason for the burrower to be this underground if, let’s say, looking for food. You would look above ground, not under.”

“Ohhhhhhh, so that’s what they meant!” a child said. The group stopped as they looked above them, there hanging on the edge of a tunnel’s cliff was the children from earlier. Barney was right, they were about Alyx’s age. They climbed down the wall and dropped in front of them, one was a boy, the other a girl. Their clothes were baggy with tears that were poorly stitched up, but the more important thing is that they were fed, well fed. 

“It’s good that you guys were awake and walking, we thought you guys got eaten after we left!” the girl said. Her accent was thick, but it was still clear what she was saying.

“Are you guys ok? The robot too!”

“We’re fine-”

“Fine! Gimme back the glasses, now!”

“J-jeez, we don’t have it on us, we left it back at home. We went back after dragging you two out of the flood waters. We came back to see if you were awake so we can take you back like the others-”

“To Where?”

“To Papa’s home, come!” the brother said. They took the lead and led the group into the correct tunnels and within an hour, they reached another clearing. The three stood on the cliff as their breath was taken away, it was a small town built underground. But the home structures were out of a cheesy fantasy film. Small huts made of unknown vegetation and rock-like material. Poles with glass bowls over the top of them, they had strange bugs inside them that glowed constantly, creating something similar to street lamps. But that wasn’t the thing that caught their eyes, it was who was living in the town. Barney froze in place, his mind flashed back to Black Mesa, it was them. Those green creatures from before, the ones who slaughtered his colleagues, the ones that almost killed him. Alyx looked at his face and grew concerned, she knew his mind was going a million miles a second. She saw how much he sweat, his hand shook. She gripped his hands and it brought him out of reality.

“We…can go back? We can ask them to take us back to the surface…?” she suggested. Even with his beating heart, he smiled. He was grateful for Alyx to think about him over her own curiosity of the town, something Barney didn’t do when they were on the chase. He drew in a deep breath and denied the idea. If the others got caught in the flood then they would most likely be in this town if they woke up as the children did say they helped the others. They continued onto the town where Alyx's excitement got the better of her. She peeked her head through windows, doors, places that looked like shops. Poking at odd items, sniffed weird looking fruit, even waved at the residents as they waved back to her. This isn’t the first time she saw these creatures, but this is the first time they didn’t attack her or Barney. Despite being cautious, even Barney noticed they weren’t hostile aliens. It was if they were like him, just people walking and existing in an ordinary town. The kids led them to a hut a bit further away from the town and entered inside.

“(PAPA, WE’RE BACK!)” They spoke in their native tongue. A creature like the ones outside came out of a room covered by some grassy curtains and greeted their guest. However, this one had a coin attached to a string and was wearing it as a necklace.

“Thank you for bringing them here, children. Please, go rest and get into proper clothing before an illness befalls you.

“Ok!” they said, running behind the curtain and leaving the group. Dog peeked inside, but Alyx told him he’s too big to come in, so he had to wait outside. A sad squeal was made, but he understood the order.

“Greetings, my esteemed guests and welcome to my home. But before I continue, I must ask for forgiveness for anything my children may have caused.” he said. Barney was taken away from their politeness, he couldn’t even get angry at the matter of the children's thievery. The creature offered some seats to sit down on, little homemade pillow cushions or that’s what they at least resemble as. They took the offer as the creature sat in front of them.

“You must have many questions I assume.”

“Yeah, for starters…what are you guys? I was…you know, busy trying to keep myself alive when I first saw you guys 5 years ago…”

“It may come as a surprise, sir Calhoun-”

“Barney is fine…”

“Barney…I promise you it is all a misunderstanding, once your friends come back, i’ll explain everything in full details.” they said. Friends? Did he mean the others?

“If...it’s ok, I’m kinda anxious being around you guys. Just explain now…please?”

“As you wish, Mr. Barney-”

“Dude…”

We are called the Vortigaunts. We’re a race of species that communicate telepathically, forever linked as we share our knowledge with each other. As we can do it with ourselves, we can apply it to others. Like now, we’re not speaking in what you humans call, English. Instead, we tapped into your consciousness and chose the language best accompanied by the individual. The blessing of this ability allows us to communicate with other species than our own. There is much more to us, but that is…what you call the basics. Now, you’re asking why we “invaded” your world, but that is where the misunderstanding started. We weren’t invading…we were fleeing.

“Fleeing? From…?”

“The Nihilanth.” they answered. Barney knew what, well who that was. That creature, the boss of Xen that he and the others defeated. 

You see, Mr. Barney, we were fleeing from their tyranny. We Vortigaunts are peaceful creatures, we like to settle disputes with diplomacy, not savagery. Originally, we were not creatures of Xen, but refugees. We share a common enemy, Mr. Barney. The Combine, they were our first invaders. Like the chaos they caused when they came to this world, they wreaked the same havoc on ours. Capturing, enslaving, killing, our fate was left in their hands in those moments. We fought back as much as we could, but we were no match for their offensive capabilities. As our last chance of survival, we decided to leave for another world. We used our power and ripped reality apart, a rift small enough where it wouldn’t damage the world, but big enough for us to flee. We landed in Xen and at that time, the Nihilanth was in control and everything was fine. But it didn’t take the leader long before they turned into tyranny and enslaved us. You see, Barney. We can open small portals and go to different worlds attached to the leyline it’s connected to, a power the Nihilanth abused. Eons and eons passed and we were under their command, those who disobeyed were soon forced under their mind control. 

“The red eyes…” Cooper said, coming in through the entrance. He told everyone to hold their words and let the Vortigaunt continue.

Yes, those with their eyes glowing red were forced to do what flying ones said. It was truly…a depressing time and we thought all hope was lost…until that happened. A surge of unstable energy occurred and it created portals on the leyline and even reality fissures. Out of desperation, we ventured through the portal to escape Xen in hopes of finding a new home. This is why we were in Black Mesa, we wanted to be free. However, so did the wildlife. We weren’t the only ones who went into the portals, the carnivorous life did too…and so did the Nihilanth forces. This led to this “war” between the humans and the creatures of Xen. That same war that caused panic with the humans inside the facility, even when we approached them friendly. Despite the numbers of our deaths, many of us escaped Xen and hid ourselves within the place called “Earth” while the rest were still stuck in Xen. Yet…freedom was once again stripped from us, the Combine came and invaded earth, forcing us to flee once more into the deep underground where they couldn’t reach us at the time. Over the years, we grew our community and lived in peace. And with Xen life invading Earth, we were able to produce our own food supply. Aside from that, that’s our story, it was a misunderstanding.

Barney felt ashamed. The Vortigaunts, they just wanted a new home to live in peace. They’re victims of the Combine…just like him. This opened his mind to many things, one being how many lives did the Combine destroy? As the guilt built up, the Isaac arrived as the children came out with new clothes too. The Vortigaunt explained the same thing to him to catch them up and they had the same reaction as Barney. They were all the same, under the thumb of the Combine. Barney asked if they could just open rifts, why haven’t they left this world? The vortigaunt explained that due to a great number of their kind lost, it’s difficult to maintain a rift. Then he explained that the world’s space and time is too unstable, they don’t want to risk more tears and make life even more difficult to live in. The Vortigaunts took all this into consideration while the humans didn’t. Even when they were a part of killing their kind, they still chose kindness. 

“Please, if there’s anything I can assist in your ventures, don’t be afraid to ask.”

“Well…why not introductions?” Herman suggested.

“My apologies, senior Calhoun-” he paused, Herman felt his bones crack when he was referred to as “senior”. Chuckles and snorts passed around as the older man pouted his face.

“I am George.” The Vortigaunt said.

“George?” Barney questioned.

“Well, my real name is #%$#@%%^@%$%^-”

“OK, George it is!”

“I’m Xolotl, and that’s my brother, Geovanny!”

“Hey!” the boy said. Within the next moment, they crowded around Alyx and chatted up a storm. Barney remembered the lack of kids in City 17, and the ones that were there were still much older than her. He and Eli always wanted her around kids her age, even if she was 10x more smart than them, it was better than hanging around middle aged men. They pulled her outside, not bothering to put on a struggle as they crowded around and played with Dog. As they were distracted, the group asked a series of questions. George answered as many as he could with the knowledge shared between their kind. And with that knowledge, they were able to fill in some gaps that may be useful in the future. Barney went next and brought up the wall mural and to why Gordon was the only one present? When the other asked, he told him there was a painting with Gordon being praised as he defeated the leader of Xen. Cooper backed his claim as he was there during the battle, but George seemed confused.

“We’re telling you that it happened! How is that confusing?”

“If…the Vortigaunts can share information via telepathy, could they have been linked to the leader of Xen? Like a hivemind?” Issac questioned.

“Hmmmm…when you battle, you need to focus on it. If they really are linked, could it be that they couldn’t receive information because the leader was too busy dealing with us-”

“Ohhhh, then I reckon the reason why Gordon is on their mind is because it must have been the last thing on their mind before he did the final blow.” Barney assumed.

“Seems like the most concrete, Detective Calhoun, another case solve-”

“Stop that, Izzy. Ok, one last thing. George, we need to find a railroad that leads out to the next country, can you point us?” he asked, but all George did was sighed. Something was causing an issue, but when asked, all he did was ask them to follow them. He told the children to come along as he led them to one of the exit tunnels that lead them back up to one of the railway stations, the one they were planning to go to. Upon reaching the surface, they saw that the city was flooded with water. It was chest deep to where Alyx and Herman had to be carried. But if they looked hard enough, the water is going down ever so slightly. There, they followed George on walking on the rail tracks. The kids splash and climb off and on on the dog as the rest wonder what was in store. As they followed the tracks for a good hour, they reached the edge of the city. However, as soon as they stepped out, it came back. That glitching effect they saw in Black Mesa occurred, bringing static to their ears as within an instant, they were brought back to the west entrance of Rivine.

-:- 

They were at a loss of words, they were teleported back to the western entrance of the city. Barney had flashbacks to those times where that glitching occurred, how it made escaping out the facility and finding Gordon much harder than it should. They attempted to turn around and leave from the west, but it was pointless. The same glitching effect occurred and brought them to the east. 

“This is why I wanted to show you instead. This city…is trapped in a spatial rift, those who enter cannot leave. It’s a blessing against invaders, a curse for those inside.”

“Is…is that why there’s NOTHING here? No people or Xen?” Barney asked.

“Yes…but also no…”

“No?”

“You see…there is  something here besides my species.” George brought up. Barney was confused for a second, but it hit him a second later. He was referring to whatever is creating those burrow tunnels on the surface and underground.

“Shit, we are not gonna deal with a giant mutated rodent, are we?” he asked.

“I don’t think these are rodents’ doing, Calhoun. From my observation, it looks like something a bug made.” Isaac corrected.

“Not like giant bugs are better…”

“Let’s return, the sun is almost setting behind the horizon. The tunnels will eventually drain the city of the water and return it to the bay. Come!” George urged. With nothing else to do and trapped within the area, they were escorted back to the Vortigaunts village and back to George’s home. The children quickly took Alyx away again as the rest sat around the room again. They rubbed their chins and scratched their heads. Trapped in a city by spatial rift and a giant bug is basically on the verge of causing a giant cave in. They didn’t know if the bug itself caused the spatial rift, but if they want to get any further, that’s the first thing they need to eliminate before doing anything else. As George excuses himself, the others go to think. However, they weren’t the only one scheming. Somewhere far from the city, a ship was soaring through the air. A man sitting in his room was writing his report during his spare time before his bound arrival to City 10. The room was dull, holding nothing but muted colored walls and the bare minimum within it. Just a bed, a window, and a desk with a chair. Just when he was about to finish his report, the ceiling removed a tile as a screen pulled down and hung in his view. The aggressive woman came on his screen, the last person he wanted to talk to at the moment.

“What is it, Jessica?”

“Well aren’t you the greatest at warm welcomes.”

“I don’t have time for you, I have to return to the city to give my report to Lauhon.”

“Just put his cock in your mouth already. I swear, if he tells you to jump-”

“I say how high? My devotion to the captain is what I value, not your input. Especially after your last incident-”

“Being a boy scout all the damn time isn’t going to make him fall in love with you-” she called out. The boy averted his eyes and cough, holding his hand over his mouth to cover his blushing cheeks. 

“Such absurd comments is why you’re not the most desirable officer in the Combine. I just wanted to let you know that you were just available at the moment.”

“YOU-”

“Enough of this dribble, if it’s not about the escapades from City 17, then I don’t want to-”

“It actually is, look at this.” she interrupted. The screen changed and it showed an alarm display.

“Someone triggered a sensor set by a recon team 2 years ago in Rivine.”

“Rivine? Why would anyone go there? There’s a spatial rift entrapping the entire city, anyone outside the walls knows that-”

“Rivine should be devoid of people, yet an organic being past it, human organic.”

“So…what are your suggestions?”

“We camp out in the area and I'll sync the sensor with our system. If it gets crossed again or something belonging to the Combine is in use, we know they must be inside, at least human. What do you say, Boyscout?” she asked, the man scrunched his face, he didn’t want to act without direct orders, but this was a chance he couldn’t pass up. He sighed as he pinched his brow, Jessica was right.

“We will sit down for the night and check the scanners in the morning. If nothing happens by nightfall, we leave. It’s already bad enough we’re empty-handed, I don’t want the Captain to get upset for us being too tardy.” he said. But all Jessica did was imitate getting a blowjob before the screen turned off.

“Insufferable woman…”

-:- 

Dinner was served as George added an assortment of Xen’s fruits and vegetables and laid them out on wooden platters with bowls sat in front of everyone. He stepped into the kitchen and came back out to place a giant pot right in the center. When he removed the lid, the aroma of what was inside was almost unidentifiable, both in a good and bad way. For starters, the broth was purple, a frightening color for something that is meant to be consumed. There was some meat George had reserved, strange looking vegetables like the ones on the table. But that wasn’t the most concerning, it was the tendrils and bits of headcrabs floating inside the stew. The group’s face turned purple, they can eat the headcrabs? They turned their gaze to Georges’ kid and watched them rapidly eat without a care in the world. 

“Please, try!” he urged. Barney backed out, he was still on edge about being in Vortigaunt's presence. So he picked up a random fruit and decided to eat that instead. The fruit held a pale blue color and the shape was like a bloated sea urchin.

“Ah, a favorite among my kind. It can help with one’s mental fortitude, but it can also turn against you if you fall victim to yourself.”

“Sure…whatever that means…” he said, taking another bite of the fruit. Herman looked at the pot and shrugged his shoulders, he poured some in his bowl as the others watched him. They all grew silent, waiting for Herman's reaction as he raised his spoon to his mouth and put it inside. But what they thought was coming was not pleasant, Herman's eyes turned into stars. His hands moved on his own, joining the kids in the rapid eating as if he was eating Cooper’s home meals.

“This stuff is amazing!” he praised.

“I find great amusement that you are delighted in my cooking. I made sure to pick out what was not only safe for human consumption, but may provide the best outcome for a pleasant taste.”

“...hey, this is really good!” Alyx backed up.

“My, this taste is absolutely scrumptious!” Isaac added.

“Barney, you have to try it!” Cooper urged him, but he just looked away.

“I’m…fine, you can enjoy the food-”





                        “(Why are they so trusting of the Vorts?)”

“Wait, what the?!”

“Barney?”

“I-it’s nothing. So, what's the plan?”

“After a conversation with my brethren, we can make a clear assumption that the Antlion Queen may be connected to the spatial rift. It seems to be even eating the rift itself.”

“Antlions?” they all questioned as they made up their own image of what it could be.

“Yes. They’re an invasive species on Xen, but they made their home here on your world. The Queen is more massive than the King and their other counterparts. But with the spatial rift involved, it may be a fiercer foe.”

“How would we know if it’s the Queen or not?”

“It’s the largest, right? We just fight the biggest one and we’re done-”

“Barney, I really think we need more info than it being the big-”

                                          “(Cut him off.)”

“If it’s the one burrowing the tunnels, then it has to be the biggest, end of story!” he cut off. Cooper remained silent, something wasn’t right. What was with Barney’s weird passive aggressiveness? Even Barney found it strange, it was like someone else’s thoughts were coming forward instead of his own. No, it didn’t feel like that. Cause why did Barney agree so eagerly to shut his friend down? The others were just as shocked, but remained quiet. It was just as Barney said, find the biggest and eliminate them. As everyone continued eating, Cooper excused himself and asked to speak with Barney in private. As they walk, Alyx turns to Herman. All he did was nod his head, it’s a conversation that doesn’t involve them. When they came outside, they faced each other.

“Barney…did I do something to you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Barney, everyone saw it…” he said.

“(Look, you are just overthinking it because of staying up so late during watches.)

  Look, you are just overthinking it because of staying up so late during watches.” he repeated.

“...maybe you’re right. I know we are going to clash during this journey, but just even with what I say, no bad blood will be between us.”

“(Just nod.)” the voice told him. Barney did just that, just nodded and went back inside. Cooper sighed, there will be bad blood between them. The question is, just how much when this adventure ends? As the night progressed, Barney was still awake. Staring at the ceiling of this makeshift stone-like home as he could hear his dad goofy snoring. He looked over and saw everyone was asleep, resting for what’s to come tomorrow. He needed to do the same, but no matter how hard he tried to shut his eyes, they wouldn’t stay close. His thoughts he heard earlier, in his head. That other voice, the one who told him what to do. It scared him, maybe that was his reason for not wanting to close his eyes? He didn’t know, did he want to know? He sucked his teeth, he needed some air, real air. Not stuck underground, back outside. He rose up, crept outside, and looked around. But just before he set off-

“Can I come?” Alyx asked.

“...I’m not even going to fight this one, just please stay right next to me, alright?” he told her. She nodded her head as they went to the tunnel from earlier and traveled but to the surface. Upon reaching the top, they saw that the city was still flooded and walking in the water would be too uncomfortable. Barney looked around and saw a float plank large enough for the both of them to sail on. Grabbing a broken road sign, they climbed aboard as Barney rowed them in a random direction. They both sail the quiet waters, watching the surface twinkle with the moonlight shining from above. Alyx was awestruck, it has been awhile since she experienced a normal night. No sun next to the moon, no daylight when it’s night time. Just the now clear skies with a blanket of stars to keep it company. They eventually reached the mall where they were washed out from, Barney sailed inside it and didn’t know what to expect. Everything was drowned and buried beneath the dark waters. They came to a halt when Alyx point to one of the store signs

“What’s it say?”

“Toyland…”

“Might be one of those shops for kids or for finding pop media collectables. Let’s go inside.” Barney suggested. They got off their raft and walked inside. As expected, the store interior was destroyed. Shelves fallen over, material rotted or distorted from water damage. However, Alyx did find one good thing before putting it in her inventory. When asked, she said it was a secret. Afterwards, Barney kicked something up from the water. When he grabbed it, he saw what it was.

“This…is one of the Combine’s stun batons. …Seems to be out of juice.” he said, pressing the device on his body. Alyx noticed a button on the handle of the baton and pressed it. A jolt of electricity was shocked into Barney’s body before he managed to pull it away.

“JESUS, ALYX! What if I dropped this and shocked the water?!”

“...Doesn’t look like that work, seems to be designed to not release a charge without the trigger to be pressed. There’s even a fail safe where if the entire thing is submerged, the power won’t go off.”

“Ok, smartypants! You…figured it all out just by looking?”

“They are the same models from the one used in City 17, I picked one apart and an old model in the junkyard before...well as much as I could.”

“Hmmm…” was all he said as he clipped the baton to his side. Afterwards, they left to the raft and sailed to the stairs leading to the second floor. There, they climbed some thick ivy to the hole in the ceiling until they reached the rooftop of the mall. There, they sat on the edge of the and just stared out to the distance. Despite the ruined city devastated by the water, it performed a dazzling dance that was in perfect sync with the moonlight. An unforgettable sight that they wished they could capture forever. Barney took in a deep breath and exhaled, as if a lot of weight was just removed from his chest. Alyx copied him, drawing a deep breath before exhaling. Though to her, it just was breathing. 

“I almost forget there’s stars in the sky sometimes…” she started with.

“Yeah…it’s so weird. The odd stuff is what’s normal now, so seeing normal stuff is-”

“Odd now?”

“Yeah. It’s not…everyday you can see a sea of stars in the night sky without the sun ruining the scenery sometimes.”

“Do you like stars, Barney?”

“Not stars in particular, I liked aliens. I used to read tons of those conspiracy theory books!” he revealed.

“You read those…while working in a top secret research facility?”

“I-I didn’t know I was going to be thrusted into an invasion…well, what we thought was an invasion.” he said, laying on his back now with Alyx doing the same.

“I took Gordon to the rooftops one day and we did this, stargaze and all that. He then took my hand and pointed the constellations out and we just…never let go of it. I think about that night every time the sky becomes like this…”

“I miss Gordon…”

“Me too…”

“I liked his hair and weird ponytail-”

“Me too…” 

“His weird colored green eyes…”

“They were bright, weren’t they?”

“Or how he drowned my burnt nuggets in ketchup and pretend it was good to convince me to eat them-”

“Ha, me too.”

“I miss how he would let us stay up late at night, just for mom and dad to-”

“...” Barney fell silent. Alyx realized why, she was just reminiscing about the past, but it was ok. Barney wasn’t upset, if anything, now is a good time to talk about “her”.

“I don’t know anything…”

“Hm?”

“My mom. You asked about her a lot…and I never gave you an answer. Well, it’s because I don’t have one. My mom left my dad after he returned from war, I was only three. So when I said it was just me and him, that really was the truth. He always said she left for good reasons, but I call bull. Dad is a good man, so what could he have done to drive her away? So I just…believed it was because of me. But my anger was always directed at her, she had so many chances to come back…but she didn’t. So while she did whatever the hell she wanted, I was forced to watch dad struggle, starve himself, get spit on and bad mouth just so I could have a good night sleep and something in my stomach! Day and night, I watched his eyes go red from stress or tears, his hair going from its natural color to gray within a matter of years! I…even found…”it”