Half Life: Pandemic

Chapter 9: White Forest

33-36 WEEKS AFTER OUTBREAK

The destruction of the Citadel caused an infant superportal to begin forming above it's ruins, which can allow the Combine to regain contact with their Overworld and send massive reinforcements once finally matured. While the rest of the refugee trains reached the destination safely, the last train which Freeman and Alyx boarded on had derailed and crashed when the Citadel's explosion destroyed the bridge beneath it. However, the two of them managed to survive the train crash.

The Resistance members that have survived the exodus from City 17 begin evacuating to White Forest Base; some however evacuated to a few other safe places outside the base. During the movement of the rebels to the base, the infected that survived and followed the trains enter the forest, and the both of them began hunting each other down like a deadly game of tag in the forests. Soon, most of the rebels evacuated to safer points, however some did not and have become infected. The infected slightly grew in number and managed to feed on the Headcrab Zombies and smaller alien wildlife to replenish their hunger.

After Freeman and Alyx escape from the train wreckage, they witness portal storms coming from the infant superportal, similar to the portal storms that occured long ago during the post-Black Mesa incident. The duo now having retrieved the Combine data packet from the Citadel before it exploded, contacted the other Resistance leaders to inform that they are on the way to deliver it.

Later on, a scouting pack of small agile Combine synths, known as Hunters, venture into the areas Freeman and Alyx are passing through. While Freeman works on opening a gate, one Hunter spies him from behind, and runs away when Freeman spotted it. While he crawls through a small gap in a small building to reach Alyx near the gate, the Hunter reappears and tackles Alyx to the ground. The Hunter uses it's pair of sharp blades to impale Alyx. After dropping Alyx, it kicks down a wall above Freeman, trapping him with a pile of rubble in the small gap. The Hunter then goes back to the critically wounded Alyx, finishing her off by stomping her to the ground.

Moments later, a small pack of infected wander into the area and discover the dead body of Alyx. Upon trying to start consuming the corpse, a group of Antlions appear to claim it from the infected. While the infected and the Antlions fight, a lone Vortigaunt arrives and kills them all. After he frees Gordon from the pile of rubble, he discovers the lifeless Alyx. However, he believes that she can still be revived. He distantly communicates and calls for help from a small group of other Vortigaunts, then he carries the body of Alyx as they both travel to a rebel hideout located in a nearby mineshaft called Victory Mine.

While the two journey in the undergrounds, Freeman eventually finds himself separated from Alyx and the Vortigaunt. The Vortigaunt takes Alyx to the hideout first while Freeman takes a far longer and dangerous route through the mineshafts. Although he did not find himself in a usual zone overrun by the infected, he ventures into an Antlion hive. After fighting through swarms of antlions, squishing Antlion larvae and even getting past an Antlion Guardian protecting the hive, he eventually and finally makes his way into the hideout.

Freeman finds the Vortigaunt in the process of reviving Alyx, along with two rebels guarding him. After the two rebels realized that Freeman had been passing through the hives, they assume that he killed Antlion larvae and had possibly made the Antlions mad. The two of them immediately showcase to him a device called the "Antlion Detector", which has three lights that light up depending on how many Antlions are approaching.

The three start loading their guns and setting up turrets and hoppermines. Soon, swarms of Antlions begin invading each entrance of the hideout, increasing in number as more waves of them approach. In the middle of the battle, one Antlion Detector lights up with all three lights, and Freeman and the rebels prepare for an impending massive swarm. However, instead of a large swarm of antlions, they find the three other Vortigaunts breaking through a ceiling killing a few Antlions.

Just in time when the group of Vortigaunts, all Antlion Detectors in the base began signalling three lights. At this point, all their turrets have run out of ammo and their supply of hoppermines have been depleted. The three Vortigaunts, the two rebels and Gordon Freeman prepare for the biggest swarm of Antlions they are ever going to encounter.

Dozens of Antlions begin emerging from all four entrances of the hideout as the group held them off from reaching Alyx and the Vortigaunt. Finally after an intense battle, Alyx was safe and untouched, and the Antlions were held off and have retreated. When the group of Vortigaunts join in the reviving process, the first Vortigaunt states that they require the larval extract from the Antlion larvae in order to complete the process of revival. He and Freeman venture into the hives one more time in order to find the extract. After claiming the larval extract, they begin safely travelling back to the hideout. However, the Antlion Guardian grew enraged because of this, and began to seek out for Freeman and the Vortigaunt.

Upon arriving to the hideout, the Vortigaunts consume the extract and begin the final reviving process together with Freeman. However in the middle of this process, Gordon is put in stasis by the G-Man for a short period of time, and soon returns back to normal time seeing that Alyx has been revived. Freeman and the Vortigaunt help Alyx move out of the hideout; leaving the mineshaft and heading back into the open forest.

Upon exiting the mines, they discovered the Combine forces reuniting on a nearby bridge; heading south towards White Forest Base. The group begins heading to the base as fast as possible before the Combine reach it first. The three exit the mines, only to find themselves face to face with massive swarms of Antlions and the Antlion Guardian itself. Freeman defeats the swarms and slays the Guardian, allowing Alyx and the Vortigaunt to safely pass through the area.

Soon, the three wind up into a largely contaminated zone with a nearby bridge which still contains a working car on it. Freeman takes the job of getting to the other side of the bridge to get the car, while the Vortigaunt powers up an inactive Combine sniper rifle for Alyx to use. While Freeman ventures through the contaminated zones, he comes across many infected feeding on the Headcrab Zombies in the areas. When Alyx finally had the rifle charged up, she uses it to assist Gordon by sniping the infected from below. Eventually after crossing the contaminated zone, Freeman finally reaches the car.

However, before he could have started driving across the bridge, another portal storm occured and the bridge was further damaged. When Freeman manages to tilt the bridge upwards and form a ramp to the other side, he drives the car over the bridge which nearly collapsed. He and Alyx thanked the Vortigaunt for assisting them, and he wishes the both of them the best of luck in driving to White Forest Base.