(Untitled)

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

The door opens. A muzzle pokes briefly through it somewhere around shin level, then withdraws with a whine. A moment later the door opens a little farther, and this time the muzzle (and attendant dog) are nowhere to be seen; however, there's a walker, and a human in baggy grey t-shirt and shorts leaning heavily on it instead. A pale and harrowed-

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[a_mere_child]

!!!

Alyx didn't think she could rise to her feet that fast.

[a_mere_child]

"D'you want to talk about it?"

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

Ellen shrugs a little; her shoulders- well, everything- aches too much to do more than that. "Got the purifier back," she says. "Lot of dead Enclave. But we got it back."

She's doing her best to get the story settled in her head, so it takes less energy to speak. Her sentences will be a bit short for a while.

[a_mere_child]

Alyx is engaged to Gordon Freeman. She can cope with terseness.

"That's good to hear."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

She nods.

"They- the Enclave- they'd tried to- to activate it. It wouldn't." She swallows. "Don't know if it- it was them, or Dad... but it was in a bad way. Really bad."

"So much radiation."

[a_mere_child]

Alyx blanches.

"Good God..."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"I passed out," Ellen says, "and woke up like this. In- in the- in the Citadel infirmary. Autodoc said."

Dogmeat bumps his head against her leg; she smiles, but doesn't lean over to pet him, because she doesn't entirely trust her balance at the moment.

"Don't know how I got out. Might've been Fawkes."

[a_mere_child]

"And you haven't seen anyone since you woke up?"

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Just Sawbones," says Ellen. "The autodoc. He left to get someone, so I got up."

"And Dogmeat."

[a_mere_child]

Alyx smiles, just a little, and gives the dog a scratch behind the ears. "I'm glad he found you again."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Good dog," says Ellen as Dogmeat tries to lick Alyx's hand. "Wish he could talk."

[a_mere_child]

"I'm sure somebody will tell you what went on, once the autodoc brings them," says Alyx.

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

Ellen nods. "Hope so," she says. And then: "Sarah. She was there too.. Sarah Lyons. Hope she's all right."

[a_mere_child]

"If there's anything I can do to help..."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Don't know," admits Ellen. "I'm not- I don't-"

She blows a breath in frustration that would've puffed her hair out of her face, if there had been any to blow upward.

"I just got up. I don't know."

[a_mere_child]

Alyx wraps her up in a sideways hug. "Well, let me know, okay?"