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[a_mere_child]

The observation window into the reactor core isn't as comforting as you'd figure. Alyx can only catch brief glimpses of Gordon as he makes his way around the chamber, and he's out of sight behind the walls for alarmingly long periods of time. The monitoring systems give her more information; first one stabilizer comes online, then another, and

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[acts_of_gord]

Just once- just once- Gordon would like to see a reactor that didn't seem like its security systems were designed by a maniac with a fetish for giving people agoraphobia. The last jump he has to make to reach the platform leading back to where he left Alyx is the kind of thing that'll live in his nightmares for a long, long time.

Fortunately, there's no more jumping to do. The forcefield he'd expected at one end of the last stabilizer chamber is gone, and the passage leads back to the control room where he left Alyx. He hasn't been so glad about the terrain around him changing unexpectedly in a long, long time.

[a_mere_child]

Alyx hears a familiar set of footsteps behind her--

"Gordon!" She rushes over and grabs him up in a hug. "You did it!"

[acts_of_gord]

... all right, maybe there are some perks to getting almost incinerated by high-speed energy orbs after all. "I had to," he says. "I could see you watching when I went past the window."

[a_mere_child]

Alyx breaks off the hug fairly quickly. The immediate danger may be past, but they still don't want to stick around too long.

"C'mon, I wanna show you something. While you were in there, I did some poking around in the control data..."