Chapter Text
That was when Xen exploded. Not literally, but it was almost dormant until now, a sharp tentacle, one of those purple ones, burst out of the ground and fucking swiped at them.
They only had a split second to think, and thankfully that's what Tommy does best, he scoop up the orb and cried, "Run!" Malicious red bugs came out of nowhere, chasing them, and Gordon mowed down a big armored guy with gunfire. Just like their first visit to Xen!
Gordon's veins pounded with adrenaline as he and the rest of the team retraced their steps, more intimately familiar with the layout of Xen, absolutely fleeing for their lives. He lost track of anything but surviving for a while, movements automatic and listening to shouts and commands from the other two, and soon he was being sucked up and spit out of another portal. This time, he free fell and didn't hit the ground immediately, and scrunched his eyes tight through the dizziness, totally out of control.
His landing was soft, though, and it was a half a minute before he realized that. His eyes opened to a friendly face. "Oh, thank fuck, Dr Coomer, you caught me."
"Yes, I did," he said, in that smug-but-loving tone of voice. Gordon squirmed out of his arms, finally ready to take stock, on his own feet.
Tommy slipped the orb out of his inner lab coat pocket (why he insisted on wearing it to Xen Gordon did not know) and held it up. It was kind of like a crystal ball, but it seemed light in the man's hands, and glowed faintly with colours that didn't make sense. This was the first time Gordon thought of Benrey as something other, staring down at the thing, hesitant to touch. Tommy looked nervous. The expression remained as they picked themselves out of the ruins again, and hopped into the Forester, and he still looked nervous as they parked, light sensors coming on to illuminate their path inside.
Home. It felt kind of stupid to just scatter after what happened, and what went on to happpen. So collectively, the Science Team shared space. It was easy, nice even, due to their level of camaraderie and the place they lived at being so damn large. Something about choosing Black Mesa for the not-half-bad pension plan, and Tommy's...savings. Money is a farce, anyway.
Gordon clicked the door shut behind them, placing a hand on Tommy's shoulder as he cradled the orb in both arms, and he rubbed a little when the other man sighed out his worry. "It's just-- what if he's stuck like this? Or we hurt him somehow in an accident, or he's already…?" He paused, like he could say so much more. "What if this isn't him?"
He had to chew on his words for a second, faced with something entirely new, "Well, we're scientists, right? And we have a hypothesis. That uh," he gestured, "This is Benrey. So now we figure out whether our hypothesis is true." He almost blurted out 'or not' but was quick enough to snatch it from his own mouth. Tommy blinked at him.
"That's right! We can compare video games to other video games and call them 'knock offs,' see if our friend doesn't wake up from the outrage." Dr Coomer says, on the man's other side. Tommy's expression had lightened considerably, though they still had a mystery on their hands.
"Listen, no matter what happens, we're hopefully done with more outer-world travel. And furthermore, need to eat some God-damned dinner. This good?" Bubby held up his tablet (because phones are too small to see) and he'd been putting together an order of food this whole time. Gordon was conflicted between a smile and a fond eye roll from Bubby's both blunt and sly way of caring.
They ate. The orb, Benrey really, sat in their periphery and neglected to glow like it did on Xen. Meal consumed, the team found they had the energy to discuss... everything. Gordon was curious.
"What made you--how'd you know that it was Benrey?" He asked, knowing there was no need to sugarcoat anything but he thought it might be a kindness.
"I... just knew, like--like in a dream? When you don't see someone but know they're there, you know? But …maybe it was just wishful thinking."
Gordon didn't know, but it made sense. After all the shit he's seen--again, witnessing unknown secrets of the universe, (plus he had an orb of energy in his house) he'd consider any sort of supernatural sense. Especially from 'instinctual' Tommy. He felt like he should be taking notes. "Okay. So you got vibes. And it didn't seem to be a Xen-ish thing either, despite the bioluminescence."
"I've never seen the man take a form like this, though," Coomer piped in, lounging as best you could in a dining chair.
"Right…and he--he either doesn't want to communicate, or he can't." Gordon swiveled his head to look at the Orb Benrey (Orbrey, his mind supplied) like it would reveal some secret the orb was hiding. "I guess we just wait and look out for changes?"
Everyone agreed to that sentiment, a little awkward as they went to bed, not sure how to act around this thing. How do you treat something that seemed hardly alive?