#to gordon

[the-sleepwalker-503]

tommy, how's sunkist? how's that sweet puppywuppy

Gordon retracts his hand. So no one else can see the things he's seeing. Great.

"H-how's Sunkist? Been a while since I've seen her too."

"Sunkist, Sunkist is okay! I think she likes it here, she's been singing all kinds of happy colours!"

Tommy starts booking it in the direction of a house.

"Uh- dude! Slow down, man! Is this it?"

Gordon comes to a halt beside him. The taller man is pointing at something.

"Like, that's her favourite tree! But...she won't let me touch it :(."

Gordon looks up at the tall, three-storey house in front of them. It even has a garage. He turns his attention to where Tommy is pointing. Behind the fence, growing out of the backyard, is a tall, dark tree.

"Oh woah, sweet house. This yours?"

"No. The fence won't stop her though."

Gordon looks closer at the fence. There's a dog-shaped hole in it.

[the-sleepwalker-503]

EPIC DARNOLD REVEAL?

Gordon looks at the man currently lumping a glop of alfredo pasta onto his own plate.

"Dude, what're you even doing here, I thought you said you were gonna go home after the whole Black Mesa thing?"

"Oh! I, uh, I was! But, it seems like there were other plans in store for us, and now I'm here."

"Oh, okay. Uh, cool."

Darnold goes to hand the serving spoon to Gordon. Gordon watches him pause when his eyes land on his right arm. There's a beat of silence.

"That doesn't look like the arm I gave you."

"Yeah, uh, this one was issued to me, after. Wouldn't want a...cranky, one-armed guy going to a prosthetist and spilling all them Black Mesa secrets, huh?"

Darnold looks slightly disappointed.

"Oh. Well. Is it, is it any good?"

Gordon looks down at his arm. Two pulses to switch from the pointing mode it'd found itself in. Reach for the spoon. One pulse to close it around the spoon. Thankfully, this goes off without a hitch. He clicks his wrist into position.

"...yeah, yeah it's okay I guess."

[the-sleepwalker-503]

BENREY??

"Bye."

Gordon turns and walks back out the door, not looking back. He hears the team calling for him. The anxiety spikes. He picks up the pace, not caring where he's-

"see ya. where you goin' man?"

Gordon lets out a harrowed laugh and backpedals, stumbling backwards into someone. It's Tommy.

"Mr Freeman, wha-"

Gordon grabs him by the arm and pulls them both in the opposite direction until they're at a safer distance. He points at the figure of Benrey, only his upper torso sticking out of the sidewalk still.

"That's not real right? You don't see it? Tell me you don't see it, I'm suh...I'm seeing things."

"...No, that's, uh, that's Benrey, Mr Freeman. Do you not- don't you remember him?"

[the-sleepwalker-503]

uh oh! bees gordon!! 🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝 bees!!

"Aaah, bees-"

A sudden explosion of incoherent buzzing and a haphazard swarm of whizzing yellow and black streaks flood Gordon's senses.

"AAAAAAAH WHAT THE- HOLY FUCK-!!"

He starts breaking into a run, not caring where he's going until- All at once, it stops.

Gordon comes out of it, sweating profusely and confused.

"The- WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT??!"

[the-sleepwalker-503]

At this hour, it's easier to see clowns by looking in the mirror.

"Hahah, very funny-"

He pauses again, eyebrows knitted in concentration.

"…wait, no actually that's. Terrifying. That's fuckin' awful- that's like, y'know the scary clown with the…red balloon. "We all float…up here"... or somethin'. Could you imagine if you saw that in the mirror?"

[the-sleepwalker-503]

HELLO DR.COOMER!!! (wait can he hear us or are we constricted to only feetman's head?)

Gordon waits for Dr Coomer to react. The old man simply blinks at him expectantly. It doesn't seem like he heard that.

"It's getting quite cold out here, Gordon. My temperature monitor tells me I'm hitting the negatives!"

"Yup, yup, goin'."

Gordon takes off to the bathroom, looking for a towel. He drops his voice into a whisper.

"Hey y'all, I know you wanna talk to me, but we're gonna have to keep it discrete. Yes-or-no questions until he leaves, okay?"

He finds a suitable towel and walks back out through the kitchen, calling out to the living room.

"Hey, you should maybe get that checked out, I don't think body temps are supposed to go that low in the rain."

[the-sleepwalker-503]

How much sleep didja get gordo

"Oh, I uhh...I think I got some? Still freaked out when I woke up at-"

He checks the time. It's 3pm.

"-woah...but y'know what? I feel kinda rested. Maybe like 10%. Kinda sore too, but better than since I first got here."