Episode Three

[Thenarius]

Just a Half-Life fanfic. Made to occur after the events of episode three, whichever those are. I have taken creative liberties in assuming that this episode will culminate in a beautiful explosion that kills Gordon and destroys the Combine's presence and hold on Earth. This is just draft 1, and G-Man's dialogue will be changed heavily.



The blinding white light of the explosions began to give way to a black expanse surrounding Gordon, making him wonder if he was permanently blind. The piercing noise that had deafened him temporarily (explosions and gunfire really are a LOT louder than one would think, he mused) became a constant hum for a second or two, until it began pulsing.

Where am I?


"Why don't you take a look for yourself, Doctor Freeman...?


He did.


The sight that greeted him was indeed overwhelmingly a black expanse -- however, the murk seemed to be dotted with stars that, upon further examination, were not static white beacons but instead viewing portals with rapidly flashing imagery of Gordon's life and much more. The imagery flashed by too fast for him to consciously keep up with it, but something within him moved much more quickly, rapidly affirming each vision with a small thought. He could find no order to the imagery when he tried, but that deeper portion of him recognized everything for what it was.

The history of the life of the Universe itself, past, present, and future, was revealing itself to Gordon in this instant. He gasped at the beauty of the cosmos, unable to comprehend on any level but the instinctive the sheer grandeur of all that was now in front of him, fully accessible. He tried to reach his hand out and move towards one of the "stars", but there was nothing to move. The supernova-like cataclysm moments before had robbed him of that form...

He realized he could still "turn" his awareness, and experimented with this. His senses reached in all directions, and he soon found that he had a view of everything around him. He was able to focus on every star. Some were more distant than others; the realities shown within them were strange, foreign, and different from what he had been through. Sometimes the stars showing these realities "blinked out" for a moment before resuming their broadcast. He turned his attention to the nearest star, which was approaching even closer. It, too, showed many different events, but some of them he already knew consciously -- albeit a very limited amount compared to just how many images there were there. He had lived this series.

He did not know how much time had passed as he examined the stars, and just as he began to wonder what would come "next", behind him he heard that voice again: "Now, Doctor Freeman, I believe we can begin to have a little...chat."

He focused on the source of the voice, and before him the image of the G-Man resolved itself in front of the brightest star, the image of which then turned to static.
"This form should be unnecessary to us, now, but I figured I would do it for...old times' sake. I have been watching you peruse the briefings on my desk, Doctor Freeman, with some interest -- both yours and mine, of course. I have no doubt that you now realize that you have watched the lifecycles of millions of universes. Each one differing only in the slightest ways, the smallest, most insignificant variables. Of course, each of these variables, when changed, has severe ramifications on the rest of the Universe's course of developments. You have watched ones that destroyed themselves merely minutes after they came into being; you have seen ones that perpetuated themselves throughout eternity. You have seen life itself begin, change, die out, and renew itself countless times, in different ways each time. Indeed, you have begun to familiarize yourself with my own line of work. But I am not worried about any competition just yet. I do, however, have a business proposition for you, once again."

The darkness around Gordon flashed for an instant with another bright light, and Gordon found himself at the front of a train car like the one he first met the G-Man in, in his own body, traveling through the void towards the brightest star, which still seemed impossibly distant even though it had gotten closer.

The image of the G-Man straightened his tie and brushed at the side of his suit, clearing his throat before continuing. "Excuse my overuse of this metaphor but it has come in quite handy in my dealings with you before. You, of course, perished in the explosion just before coming here, so this body is but an illusion. Your sacrifice was heralded as the epitome of valor, and the Combine your species has fought against for so long have, indeed, been vanquished. You need not worry about the denizens of Earth. However, there remain certain...loose strands of work needing attending to."

To the left of Gordon through a window there flashed a stream of imagery about the final battle, the explosion, and his own body lying on the ground as the dust cleared. All around the wreckage in the distance was celebration, but nearest to him was Alyx Vance, weeping over his still form. No one else seemed to have noticed him yet.

"Not everyone is pleased at the happenings of this battle. But, then, are you able to please anyone? It is good to know one's capabilities, Doctor Freeman. And although I do enjoy cleaning and tidying things up to the best of my ability after I have finished a job, there are always certain...values that are out of my reach to change. Thus, it is not that realm that is the concern of my proposition." At his words the stream to Gordon's left went static, while another one began to start up on his right; this one was blank, however.

"I have always taken an interest in you for your exceptional talent and tenacity in your field, as well as your...adaptability, when it comes to performing tasks outside of your stated responsibilities." Memories of Black Mesa flooded Gordon, and these memories showed up faintly through the static of the left stream. "These are qualities that make a good worker. What makes an excellent worker, however, is simply the ability to take it further. Talent, tenacity, and effort that are a step above what any other could perform. Simply put, it is genius and determination beyond normal capacity. And I have...observed...you to be an excellent worker. By my urging, you have developed skills that exceed anyone else's on your planet. Indeed, you are far beyond the comprehension of humanity now, Doctor Freeman. You have experienced too much. None of your former colleagues could relate to you now...at least, not yet."

The streams on both sides of Gordon activated.

On the left, he saw Alyx Vance, Dr. Kleiner, and imagery of the most wonderful and most terrible moments he had had in his lifetime.

On the right, he saw something that he could no longer put into any words but "an expanse of potential". He saw stars and universes being formed; he saw the base structure of life itself and began to understand just how these things came to be, on a level beyond that which ever was taught to him in his many years of school.

"Doctor Freeman, on a basic level, you are no longer human. And in this way, it is for you to decide if you enjoy this idea. You can choose to either refuse this, or accept it, of course. You can always choose. I do not seek to rob you of that choice; merely to inform you of all sides of the decision. It is your desire now that must decide on your path." The streams collapsed into two bright-white portals and the doors of the train car opened before him.

"Choose to live in the past, and you will awake right next to Alyx Vance, your body as good as new and with decades ahead of you both to take it upon yourselves to spearhead the revitalization movement of humanity. You will be leaders, glorified and worshiped in this world by your kindred -- but you will lose the comprehension of all that you have seen here, with only a vague memory that humans call 'spirituality'. You will likely lose this fast due to the influences around you, and will become completely normal, the experiences of Black Mesa and the Combine rulership of Earth having done nothing to enrich your life but to bring you to an exalted position...in short, you will be as you were as a person before the Resonance Cascade, but with a personality cult revolving around you, consisting of the greatest minds of your planet, including one fiercely loyal woman whose tears now stain your face...

"Choose to live in the 'future', however, and you will once more be robbed of your body. In exchange, you will have the whole of all Universes to move about in. Your consciousness will not be limited by a single subset of space or of time, and you will have the capacity to understand all of existence around you. You will have millenia upon millenia before you -- yes, Gordon, you will be immortal, and you will have eternity to spend as you wish. You will be free of responsibility, but you will have the freedom too to...engage...yourself in the Universes you explore. You will have memory of your life, but as a subset of your memory of eternity itself, and all the growth as a person you have experienced will remain with you for all that time. You will forsake your humanity and instead gain the companionship of the stars, although it is not outside the realm of possibility that one among them would eventually be able to join you...and join with you. And, of course, there is always the possibility of 'glorification and worship' still in this form...depending on how perceptive the population of the universes is.

"So, Doctor Freeman, what is your choice, now? You have plenty of time to think about it. Ms. Vance is not experiencing the passage of time; neither is the All that awaits you. I do not rush you, but your choice will be final. Now...make your decision."


Gordon looked between the two worlds and the images within the portals. He took a deep breath, stabilizing himself, and walked into the light.