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It’s a shitass building that was full of zombies and holes before they found it, but the Combine’s not focused on it, and the zombies were easily locked in a couple side rooms. The important part is the drawbridge that accesses another building, and from there, a couple routes that could take them to the train station.
Barney’s taking a moment to breathe, he’s got two people he trusts with him in the critical room - Artem and Jessie. Downstairs, Marty is organizing rebels and citizens, and Barney can take five minutes to breathe through his concussions. He doesn’t need a mirror to know he looks like shit. He can feel the blood dripping from his hairline, cutting through the dust that clings to his head and CP uniform. He hasn't slept in a few days, and is running on adrenaline and stims given to CPs. He’s sore all over, not only from fighting Combine, but fending off rebels and civilians who just see the CP armor, and don’t know that he’s been on their side from day one. It’s why Artem shed his own CP gear as soon as he found a spare set of citizen clothes on the first day of the uprising. Barney hasn’t had the luxury, only going so far as to tuck his mask and cowl under a belt. The gear is what lets him interact with Combine computers and systems, after all.
Feh, there’s a few ‘rebels’ around that Barney’s pegged for being CPs smart enough to shed the gear, still using their own chestpieces as armor, and blending in with the revolting populace. For one, there’s a certain way they move and handle their weapons. The way they hitch a moment, catching themselves before they report to an overwatch that can no longer hear them, that they’re now trying to escape. Plus, most of them are out for their own skin and will run instead of helping take down the enemy. It’s amazing how the populace has risen up.
Artem’s staring out the window, but suddenly ducks down. Barney and Jessie both duck without asking. A bang, the building shuddering, and Barney curses.
“Sounded like a headcrab rocket,” Barney groans.
“Yeah, saw it,” said Artem. Barney groans again.
“Aw hell, I hope-”
Gunfire, the report of a shotgun from downstairs. Maybe one exclamation, but it quiets down quickly with no screaming. Barney sighs.
“Sounds like it’s under control. Good.”
“Combine probably won’t come through for a bit at least,” says Jessie. She looks exhausted, but determined, shotgun clutched in hand. A streetcleaner by profession, she’d been an easy person to hand off pilfered CP supplies to to ferry over to the resistance, and was one of the few people who knew Barney and some of his fellow rebel CPs. Not that there were a lot of those; Artem’s here, Margaret, Volodymyr and Michael are hopefully already at the train station laying low and keeping any other Metrocops gone rogue from taking the trains like Barney told them too, but…
Well. It’s be easier for those three to save their skins by just taking a train and going. He has no hold over them except hope. Well, Mags will wait for him, he knows that, but Vlod and Mike… he doesn’t know. Looking the other way when Barney let someone sneak out the back without their beating, or stole rations for starving citizens is a different ball game than waiting around while the citadel could blow at any time. Mags will keep those two in line, he hopes.
There’s the sound of heavy boots in the hall outside the door, and Barney opens the little viewing panel to have a look. Familiar green eyes look into his over a somehow pristine pair of glasses, and Barney’s stomach does a funny flipflop.
“Gordon!? Alyx!?” he exclaims. Artem and Jessie turn to the door, but keep their shotguns pointed away. Barney can’t help the relieved smile. “I don’t believe it!”
He opens the door and steps back to let them in. His (ex? They haven’t exactly had time to talk about it, but it’s been two decades and Gordon hasn’t aged and Barney's old AND a spy) boyfriend and the daughter of the leader of the rebellion, somehow alive after being at the Citadel when it’s reactor went up. “How the hell did you get outta the citadel?”
“We’re… not exactly sure,” says Alyx, rubbing the back of her head. How the heck does she look so… clean. Uninjured. Actually, the HEV suit is dented to hell, and theres some suspicious stains. Gordon’s probably been himself and done everything he could to protect her. “All I know is the Vortigaunts had something to do with it.”
Barney tilts his head questioningly, but lets her keep talking, glancing to check that Gordon was alright. He wouldn’t mind giving him a hug, but maybe it wouldn’t be appropriate considering, well… He glanced at Alyx. Not a shred of bitterness or resentment rises when he sees her looking at Gordon like that, smiling at him like that, despite the situation.
“But what about you, Barney?” It’s nice that she cares. Makes her easy to like even though pretty much everyone seems to think that Alyx and Gordon are the symbol of the revolution, a power couple that could defeat even the Combine. Ah, there’s the jealousy, but it’s a dull ache, not raging, not possessive.
“I’m doin’ okay,” he says as brightly as he can. No need to go into too much detail, they can no doubt see that he’s filthy, exhausted, and blooded. “Just going crazy trying to-”
“They found us!” Artem interrupts with a shout, and Barney whirls to see a scanner at the window, it’s mechanical eye fixated on Gordon.
Artem’s fast on the draw, and two shots take the scanner down, but Barney knows they’re caught.
“Aw hell, Gordon!” he snaps, not meaning anything by it, but he’s so tired. “Were you followed again?”
Gordon gives him a surprised look, shifting his pistol to his left hand with intent to sign, but then he and Alyx share a glance and she starts talking.
“We stole some information from the Citadel on our way out. I don’t know what it is yet-” Barney glances from her to Gordon, who nods every time Barney makes eye contact. They’re a good team, Barney thinks. They go well together. It stings less than he thinks it should, even accounting for how beat up and tired he is. “But it’s important enough that they’ve been hounding us ever since.”
Now that’s a high priority. Barney wishes he had a computer to make a copy or three of that data to help ensure it’d get to someone in the resistance, but he doesn’t. So. Right now, his concern has to be people.
“Well, that puts the pressure on,” he says, catching Gordon’s wry nod. “We gotta get moving.”
Gordon signs ‘yes’ at him while nodding, voice apparently not working at the moment. Barney takes a quick breath, hands on his hips. He needs to stay focused. Damn, might be time to break out the CP stims. “You guys know about the evacuation trains, right?”
Alyx crosses her arms and doesn’t nod, but she says ‘yeah.’ Barney’s not convinced, so he explains anyway.
“Yeah, well, we’ve been planning to make a push on the train station,” he looks to Gordon, seeing his own concerns reflected back at him. “Now it looks like we’re gonna have to cut a path through every chickenshit metrocop that’s having second thoughts about defending City 17.”
Barney has no problem seeing metrocops die. He’s been one, after all. He’s had a first hand look or even a hand in a lot of monstrous things. Even if you tried to be decent, a ‘good’ cop, the Combine’s regulations and expectations, it’s punishment and reward system was made to squeeze out any dregs of humanity from it’s servants. There’s blood on his hands that helping people rise up, helping them escape City 17 might help wash away, just a little.
God, he really hopes that that desire for redemption is keeping Margaret, Vlod and Mike from just taking that train and going. Barney sort of wishes he could have sent Artem with them too, but… he glances briefly at the man at the window. He’s also glad to have him at his back.
Alyx pulls him from his musings. She’s looking intently at Gordon, who nods decisively. How can they have gotten to know one another so well in such a short time, Barney wonders enviously. “If Gordon and I can take a separate route, we could draw the Combine away from you.”
“Hm.”
“That’ll give you a chance to get the trains filled up before we get there,” Alyx finishes.
“Really?” He rubs the back of his head, stressed at just the thought of using Alyx and Gordon as bait. Hell, Jessie and Artem both look stressed at the idea. It would be bad for The One Free Man to die, and that data with him and Alyx to be lost, everyone in the room knows that. But Barney’s starting to believe the hype. There’s something in Gordon’s steady gaze, his upright posture that reminds Barney that this man, his once-lover who hasn’t aged for twenty years killed an Elder god, according to the Vorts. That he fought his way out of City 17, into Nova Prospekt of all places, and came back. If anyone could do it, well. “Well, if you say so. Now, c’mere. Look over here.”
He leads them to the drawbridge. “Now, across this bridge, over the rooftops is a safe path to the station.”
“You two head that way,” He turns to the crank that will let the bridge down and sees the crowbar he jammed there. He snatches it out, the wheel spins and lowers the bridge. He looks up at Gordon and sees his brows pinched, just a little. “I’ll hit the streets and round up everyone who’s been waiting. We’ll meet you there.”
Alyx is at his side, he notices, and he looks at her just in time to catch a confident smile than she then turns on Gordon.
“Sounds good,” she says, gaze warm on Gordon. “Let’s go.”
She jogs over the bridge as Gordon’s reloading the magnum in hand. Barney should… say something to Gordon, he thinks, looking back at him. Some kind of blessing, to release him from the idea that the two of them are a thing just because they were twenty years ago when the resonance cascade happened. “Hey Gordon… before you go.”
Green eyes turn on him as he blocks Gordon from following Alyx across the bridge for a moment and he feels the full force of that gaze. Barney holds out the crowbar he just grabbed, and Gordon’s gaze turns to it. Come to think of it, Gordon doesn’t have his crowbar anymore. That won’t do and… maybe Barney’s a coward.
“I was getting tired of carrying this around,” he says, holding it out with an attempt at a playful smile. “Listen, I don’t have many more of these, so… try not to lose this one, okay?”
No, he should say it. He really should say it, he thinks as Gordon takes the Crowbar and frowns at it thoughtfully before signing a ‘thank you’ to Barney. What can he say while not holding everything up with a fond farewell? Well…
He steps aside, giving Gordon a clear path to her, and gives him his best smile “Go on across Gordon, she’s waiting for ya!”
Gordon looks towards Alyx, than back at Barney, who spreads his hands and says as brightly as he can. “You lucky dog, you!”
There, he said it, and it’s a relief. Maybe it was clumsily done, but Gordon knows it’s okay to have moved on and he can let his and Alyx’s relationship grow without guilt. Barney puts his hands on his hips to watch Gordon go. Except…
Gordon blinks, brows furrowing. He glances to where Artem and Jessie are still guarding the door, then steps up to Barney and grabs the collar of his CP vest.
“Gordon, wha-”
Barney’s pulled forward, and there are lips on his and it’s such a shock that his jaw goes slightly slack. Gordon presses in a little more, leaning into Barney, and takes advantage of his parted lips with his tongue. Before he pulls away, he nibbles Barney’s lower lip. When he releases the shorter man, he pauses only a moment longer to gently brush the wound on Barney brow. That should probably hurt, but all Barney feels is warmth.
“We’ll talk later,” says the scientist softly, only for Barney, and then he’s squaring his shoulders and going after Alyx. Barney stands stupidly where he’s left. Well… he’s not tired anymore; that woke him up better than a shot of stims.
“Did…” says Artem, barely heard. Barney shakes off his shock just enough to give the duo across the way a wave. Alyx looks surprised too, he notices.
‘See you at the station!” He calls out with a wave to remind them what’s at stake.
He sees them turn and then pause as a gunship flies by, thankfully heard, not seen.. Then he slowly turns away, only to see Jessie and Artem staring at him. He stares back, still processing.
Artem clears his throat and starts again. “Did Gordon Freeman just kiss you on the lips?”
Barney absently licks said lips, chasing the last taste of Gordon’s mouth. He’s a little shell shocked, brain behind his mouth, so he doesn’t realize what he’s said until it’s already out there. “There was some tongue in there too.”
Jessie bursts out into a wild cackle, which startles Barney from his daze, and he shakes his head, starting to grin for real past his blush.
“Right, lets go gather everyone up. They’ll have had enough of a head start by then. Then we focus on getting everyone to the station.”
“Yessiiir,” said Artem, tossing a casual salute. “Don’t want to be late for a romantic train ride.”
“On the double, ya bastard!” Barney orders, and Artem’s out the door and down the stairs, and Barney’s going to hear about this from him and Jessie and everyone they tell and he doesn’t care at all. He hopes he gets that train ride with Gordon. Seems that they have a lot to talk about.