Half Life Alyx But the AI is Self-Aware

Recharted Lands

As Wayne put the headset back on, starting another stream, Tommy stirred awake, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "Good morning, Mr. Freeman, you sleep weirdly," he mumbled, still half in a dream. Gordon sighed, "Morning, Tommy. Wake up the others while I get Alyx." Gordon made his way to the closet, where he heard some shuffling and muffled curses. He opened the door to find Alyx standing there, looking at him nervously. "Uh, good morning, Gordon!" she said with a sheepish smile. Gordon raised an eyebrow, not entirely sure what had transpired behind that closet door. "Need a minute...?" he asked, feeling the awkward tension in the air. Alyx nodded, and he closed the door, leaving her to finish whatever morning rituals she had started. Returning to the main room, Gordon found the science team members already awake and engaged in discussion. "Hey, guys, we're waiting on Alyx," Gordon informed them. He couldn't help but wonder what had put Alyx in such a flustered state, but he decided not to pry for now. Soon enough, Alyx emerged from the closet, now looking composed, "Alright, I'm ready," she said with determination, her earlier nervous behavior seemingly a distant memory. Gordon noticed the quick shift in her demeanor but chose not to press the issue at the moment. He had learned over time that their adventures that questioning people usually led to the science team shooting them dead upon sight. Alyx, now walking beside Gordon, tried to engage in conversation. "So... I'm guessing we're not even a quarter of the way to the end of this?" she asked, her tone filled with curiosity and maybe a hint of anxiety. Gordon sighed and adjusted the headset on his head, the subtle weight reminding him that this was just a game, not reality, "Not even close," he replied. Alyx sighed, "Of course..." and they went down the hall. Benrey was oddly quiet before saying, "Why do you crouch in your sleep?" he seemed genuinely weirded out, "I do?" Gordon said, and Alyx gave a confused and humored look, "You crouch in your sleep?" Gordon got slightly defensive, "I-I-I don't know?! Why does it matter?" he was slightly embarrassed, "I'm just messing with you, Freeman, relax," Tommy shrugged, "Mr. Freeman always crouches in his sleep," Gordon looked at Tommy, "What?" Dr. Coomer was still trying to process what was happening, despite having been with them the entire trip, "Why are we in the past?" he asked,  and Alyx sighed, "I guess we never explained that to him, hang on," and he dragged Coomer off, leaving Benrey, Tommy, Bubby, and Gordon amongst themselves, "So..." Benrey started, "How many bit-beasts you have?" Tommy gasped, "Bit-beasts?! Like- Like Bayblade?!" Benry smiled, "Yeah, I got, like, five Bayblades," Gordon sighed, "Bayblades, huh? I didn't have the chance to get into that when I was younger," Gordon said, reminiscing about his own childhood, "But I've had my fair share of collectibles and hobbies, for sure," Tommy's eyes lit up with excitement. "You had collectibles too, Mr. Freeman? What were they?" Gordon smiled, enjoying the opportunity to bond with the other again, "I used to collect little things, mostly Pokemon, little figures...anything that was popular. I think I still have some of my stuff at home," he said, smiling slightly, "I gave most of it to Joshua, though," then Benrey spoke, "Sounds kinda shit," Gordon sighed, the moment ruined, "You know what's funny? In the future, Pokemon was still massive amongst kids," Alyx said, returning from her explanation to Coomer, greeting Gordon with a somewhat cryptic statement, "Hello, Gordon! My mental state has declined greatly!" Gordon shook his head, "What was even left of it?" Coomer thought, "Good point!" then Alyx walked down to the next hall, "So...who's Joshua?" Gordon smiled slightly, "My son. He's 7," Alyx nodded, "Cute. You'll have to show me a picture of him," Gordon smiled, "Y'know, if I remember and we find my locker again, I will." He noticed Alyx still seemed slightly stand-offish to him. Her questions seemed slightly condescending or suspicious of him, like she didn't trust him. He was too smart for her, compared to the others. She thought of the other scientist as more book-smart compared to Gordon, but oblivious. Gordon was smart in the sense that he noticed things more than the others. It scared Alyx somewhat. She was hiding something, she didn't want him or the others to know, "You good, Alyx?" Alyx looked at him, and at that moment, her guard went back up, "Yeah, sure," she said, dismissively. This worried Gordon, she was warming up to them a little bit, and then it seemed like all that progress just...disappeared...Benrey walked in the back of the group, smiling, knowing something that Gordon or Alyx didn't seem to get. Gordon looked at him, "What's with the smile?" he asked, "What smile?" Gordon sighed, "Nevermi-" Gordon managed to walk right into a barnacle, "Look, Gordon! Ropes! We can use these to traverse over large pits!" Alyx spun around quickly, "Duck!" she shouted, aiming, and Gordon did, feeling the air move as bullets shot past him and killed the attacker, before dropping him onto the floor, making him groan in pain. Alyx ran over, genuinely worried for him, "Are you alright?!" she asked, and he sat up, rubbing his head, "I hit my head pretty hard..." he pulled his hand to his face, looking at it, seeing crimson red on it, causing him to scream out, "Calm down!" Alyx said, before looking at the science team, "I need a cloth, preferably not white!" and he was given a little rag from Tommy, "Here! I use this to- to- to hold sodas when they're- uh- they're too cold!" and Alyx used it to stop the bleeding, "Looks like it's just a gash. You'll be alright," he sighed, "Thanks Alyx," Gordon held the rag to his head, allowing Alyx to step back, "You think you're good to keep going?" She asked, Gordon nodded, getting up, "Yeah, I'll be alright..." and they continued to the next room, where two mixers were, stiring two vats of green ooze, "What-"  Alyx said, already done with the day, "How is this safe?!" Gordon said, "Don't- Don't worry, Mr. Freeman! This is all built to CODE!! It'll be okay," Alyx sighed, "Alright, walk around the edges carefully, guys," Tommy spoke again, "Right, very carefully, slower than molasses drips off a spoon," Tommy said, smiling, "We could also use the platforms over there...?" he said, pointing to the very obvious moving platforms, "Oh, um, of course," and they walked, easily passing this obstacle, "I knew that," she said, "No you didn't," Bubby said. He seemed slightly stand-offish to Alyx and Gordon, Benrey already filling his head with ideas. Alyx seemed a little on edge, jolting when Coomer put a hand on her shoulder, "Alyx, are you-" Alyx spun around and backhanded him, immediately regretting her decision, "Oh, god! Dr. Coomer, are you alright?!" Coomer held a hand to his nose, "I'm alright!" Alyx kept apologizing profusely, but Coomer stopped her, "Alyx, it's really alright! I'm the one who spooked you!" Alyx sighed, still feeling bad, "Sorry," Bubby felt slightly bad for Alyx, seeing how genuine she was, as did Gordon, but Tommy spoke before Gordon could say much, "Look! A soda machine!" Gordon shot it open, "Alright, let's grab as much as we-" he had forgotten what the science team did with soda machines. They started drinking all of the sodas, Alyx, initially caught off guard, couldn't help but burst into laughter, her amusement triggered by the science team's behavior. Her laughter was infectious, and soon, Gordon, too, found himself laughing, unable to contain his amusement. "We need that!" he managed to say through fits of laughter. Dr. Coomer spoke, "Gordon, I'm full!" Alyx, still giggling, seized the opportunity, grabbing a root beer and playfully announcing, "I call the root beer at the next machine!" The laughter brought a much-needed moment to the group. Alyx, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes, managed to say, "Christ almighty..." They continued their journey and soon came across an elevator. Gordon, in a tired tone, instructed, "Alright, everyone-" The elevator soon shot down the elevator shaft, killing 3 scientists inside, "You just killed those men again, Dr. Freeman!" Coomer said, and Gordon sighed, "Alright guys, careful going down..." This made Alyx nervous, "Going down?!" but the others were already going down. Alyx descended clumsily before slipping and almost falling, but Gordon caught her and pulled her up, "You alright, kid?" Alyx huffed, "Now you're doing it on purpose," Gordon smiled, "Maybe," they found themselves in a dimly lit corridor at the bottom, the walls adorned with peculiar, glowing crystals of various shapes and sizes. Alyx's curiosity got the better of her, and she approached one of the crystals, examining it closely, "What's all this?" she wondered aloud, gently reaching out to touch one of the softly pulsating crystals. Gordon, a bit eager to explore and understand their surroundings, joined her, "These crystals weren't here before..." he mused, his curiosity piqued. The rest of the team, while not as engrossed in the crystals, still gathered around to take a look. Bubby squinted at the crystals and then at Gordon. "Think you can figure out what they're for?" Gordon gave it his best shot, attempting to understand the crystals' properties and their possible function. Alyx stood nearby, watching but still hesitant to get too close. While their camaraderie was growing, she was not ready to fully embrace it just yet. Gordon looked over to Alyx, "You ever see these in city 17?" he asked, "No, never...not ones like these," Alyx said, letting her guard down for a moment to relax. Tommy, on the other hand, looked nervous. "I hope Sunkist is okay," he said with a shaky voice, his childlike innocence showing through his worry. The moment of anxiety shifted the atmosphere, and Dr. Coomer tried to ease Tommy's concerns. "Don't worry, young Tommy, we'll find Sunkist. Gordon is quite resourceful!" but Gordon showed curiosity, still playing the part "Sunkist?" Gordon asked, "Is that your sister or something?" Alyx gave Gordon a weird look, "No, I'm an orphan, but I have a dog!" Alyx smiled, "And her name is Sunkist?" he nodded, "Uhuh! I made her! She's immortal," Alyx nodded, "Alright, immortal dog, weird..." Alyx and Gordon continued to examine the glowing crystals until she heard a crunch. They looked at Benrey, who was eating one of the crystals, "It's pop rocks," he said, crackling coming from his mouth. Soon, Coomer took a bite, "That they are!" then Gordon, "I...are you serious?!" Alyx looked at all of them like they were deranged, before eating one of the crystals, "I'm bout to start fighting people," she said, humored again and annoyed, "I thought these were actually dangerous, Jesus..." As the echoes of their laughter filled the corridor, Tommy's nerves gradually began to ease, seeing that this group could find moments of joy even in the strangest of circumstances. However, despite the laughter, Alyx remained somewhat guarded, still wrestling with the unease that had gripped her earlier. She looked around at the peculiar surroundings, her curiosity mixed with wariness. The entire place had an air of unpredictability that kept her on edge. Bubby, having devoured a considerable number of the crystals, suddenly hopped up and down, declaring, "I feel more powerful!" as he struck an exaggerated pose. Tommy laughed at the spectacle, a smile finally breaking through his nervous demeanor. Their unique personalities and quirks were beginning to form a peculiar, yet oddly harmonious, blend that was familiar to Gordon. He managed to gather some extra crystals, storing them in a small container. "Who knows? These pop rock crystals might come in handy later," he mused, trying to make some practical use of their odd discovery. As the team continued to explore the corridor, Alyx found herself drawn to the mystery of this place, despite her initial reservations. The strange world, filled with bizarre and wondrous phenomena, had a pull that even her wariness couldn't resist. Soon, they found a group of scientists, some of them looking like Dr. Coomer, "Survivors!" Alyx shouted, "Wait," Gordon said, and within milliseconds the science team shot them down. For some reason, Alyx was physically unphased, "What the fuck," was all she said, Gordon sighed, "Yup," Coomer spun to look at them, "Those were my Clones, Gordon and Alyx!" Gordon nodded, somewhat detached, "Yup...thank you, Coomer." They soon found themselves in a room with more waste, "Ok, THIS is too much,"  Alyx said again, "Yup! And it's all built to code. The U.S. lets us do this. This is all to regulation. Everything," Alyx just became more frustrated as the more Gordon's story lined up with what was happening, they had to parkour their way out of the room, hopping from one platform to another, "You know, Dr. Freeman, if you have any struggles with the puzzles along the way, utilizing Playcoins and the Super Player Feature can help guide you and player 2!" Gordon looked over  "Player 2?"  Coomer thought, "Yes? I don't know, I'm just rambling, Gordon," Gordon was very confused now, "Who's player 2?"  but no answer came to him except for Benrey, "I am," Gordon sighed, "No you aren't," soon Bubby joined in, "Let the man be player 2 if he wants to be," Gordon could only shake his head. They soon found an area where they could rest, "I can't wait until we're out of here...What are you gonna do when we're out, Freeman? Y'know, in the future?" Gordon thought, "I wanna be a JustInTv streamer...at least I think I do...I mostly want to go home and sleep," Alyx smiled, "What about you, Bubby?" Bubby shrugged, "I don't know. I was born here,"  Alyx gave a perplexed look, "What?" Bubby gave a neutral expression, as if unphased by Alyx's reaction, "I was made in a tube," Alyx looked even more confused as Gordon spoke, "They make test tube babies here?!" his acting getting better, "I came from the surface, from my Mummy and Daddy," added Dr. Coomer. Gordon pressed, "We do test tube babies down here?" then Bubby spoke, "This place is oooooooold Gordon," Gordon gestured as he spoke, "It's older than me, that's for sure. I'm younger than all three of you....except for Tommy, Tommy's, like, five," Bubby spoke again, smiling a little, "We love our little Tommy," Gordon smiled a little too, "We love Tommy," The others continued as Alyx noticed Benrey flirting with another guard, "Dude, what-" Benrey looked over, then gave her a wink, "You are 10 years older than me, what the hell?!" Benrey laughed maniacally, "Bro!" Gordon tapped her shoulder, "He flirts with people to annoy them, including me," Alyx sighed, "Thanks for telling me beforehand," she said, sarcasm in her voice. Soon she stood, sighing, "Let's just go..." she then looked at Benrey, "Stop doing that to him, c'mon..." and she left the room. "Gordon, I have never heard of Alyx before until she was with you yesterday. Where did she come from?" Bubby asked. Gordon thought for a moment, then Coomer spoke"Most people don't know Alyx 'cause she was from the Time-Travel Experimentation and Development Department!" Tommy smiled, "I heard they- they- they know a lot because of, uh, time wizards!" Gordon continued, despite Tommy's sentence being so jumbled he couldn't understand, "Yeah...there isn't much I can say, mostly because it's not my story to tell...but basically-" Coomer spoke, "She was in the future! And so we're w- Nevermind, I can't say that," Gordon smiled, "Good catch. The only person who actually has some memory of Alyx is me, Coomer, Tommy, and another scientist...I wonder what happened to her," Tommy smiled, "I like Alyx! She's really nice, and fun! I worked in the department next to hers, and we- uh- we would go and- and- play uh Nintendo!" Alyx heard them, listening from the other room. She felt somewhat bad about treating them like how she had been treating them. Soon a skeleton approached her, missing its right arm and left leg, but walking like both were still there, "What the-" its bony hand turned to flesh, covering her mouth, "Shhh," the skeleton sounded like like a tired woman. It soon handed her something, then left, as if nothing happened. She followed it, but it had disappeared without a trace, "What...?" she looked at what was given to her. It was a piece of paper. She opened the paper, reading its contents, "Keeps your eyes and ears aware, the gnome is around somewhere," Alyx looked back in the room where the others were, then at the paper, "My buddy?" she then heard a voice, "Ha he!" Alyx looked around, "Buddy?!" she then heard it again, "You have failed the challenge!" she began running, "Gnome!"