Chapter Text
[And after setting off again, the Science Team is taking a well earned rest deep within Black Mesa.]
[They’re in a large test room, brandished with empty tubes meant for holding humans not unlike Bubby, with a cold concrete floor and a balcony many, many feet above them.]
[Sitting criss-cross on the floor, Tommy observes Coomer’s extendo-arms.]
[He runs a hand down the arm, which flares and separates into sections to reveal wiring and metal underneath.]
TOMMY: You’re uh-You’re like a Transformer!
COOMER: I don’t believe there are any quite like me!
BUBBY: That’s not true.
[Coomer and Tommy turn to see Bubby leaning down, standing over them to interject.]
BUBBY: Trust me, I know a thing or two about turning into a car.
TOMMY: What else can they do?
[Bubby kneels and sits down besides Tommy.]
COOMER: I can do this!
[His arm stretches quickly, and in a quick motion, he smacks Gordon in the back of the head and puts his arm back to normal length before Gordon can turn around.]
GORDON: HEY-
[Bubby breaks down laughing as Gordon stands up indignantly.]
[Benrey walks into the room from behind a tube.]
BENREY: nice
GORDON: Wait-Where the hell were YOU?
GORDON: Have you been gone-you weren’t even here this whole time?
BENREY: don’t worry about it
GORDON: I’m gonna worry about it.
BENREY: i told you not to
GORDON: I’m worrying about it as we speak.
[Bubby glances upwards towards the balcony, back down, and then his head shoots up towards it.]
BUBBY: Gordon-
GORDON: You can’t just go off and do whatever the FUCK you want!
BENREY: why not
[Bubby rises, agitated.]
BUBBY: Gordon!
GORDON: Oh, really, no idea, maybe it’s the APOCALYPSE!
BENREY: you call this an apocalypse
BENREY: not even uh
BENREY: not even any radiation
GORDON: There is radiation. There’s plenty of radiation. It’s-
[Bubby flinches]
BUBBY: GORDON!
[In a split second, three things happen.]
[1: A shot is fired.]
[2: Blood begins to gush down Benrey’s forehead.]
[3: Benrey wobbles, then collapses.]
[Tommy leaps up and fires several shots towards the balcony above.]
[The pained scream of a soldier sounds in the air, and the assailant collapses, half hanging off the guard rails.]
TOMMY: Holy shit!
GORDON: Benrey?
[Shaky, Benrey tries to give a bloody thumbs up from the ground, and fails.]
GORDON: BENREY?
GORDON: Tommy-Find a first aid kit. Find a fucking-find a thing. Blood thing. Find a station. WHAT IS IT CALLED?
TOMMY: I think-
GORDON: GO FIND ONE!
[Tommy nods quickly, and runs off.]
[Gordon crouches down to lift Benrey, but stumbles and drops him on the floor again.]
BENREY: cool
BENREY: cool claw machine move
BENREY: rigged so you can’t-can’t get your kirby toy
GORDON: Will you please-
[Gordon’s voice is strained, and he takes a knee to cradle Benrey’s head, searching for the bullet wound.]
BENREY: uh oh
GORDON: What-What’s uh oh?
BENREY: i got shot
BENREY: idiot
GORDON: I AM VERY AWARE.
[Coomer extends a hand to try and help Gordon lift Benrey, but Bubby lays a hand on his shoulder and pushes him backwards.]
[They are silent, but both understand.]
[Gordon holds Benrey’s helmet until he feels out where he was shot.]
BENREY: hey
[Gordon bites his lip, wiping blood off his hand on his own HEV suit.]
BENREY: hey
GORDON: What-
GORDON: You-You’re BLEEDING OUT, man! What do you WANT-
BENREY: look who’s touching face with who now
[Gordon hesitates.]
[He blinks, confused, and finally registers the location of his hand.]
[Gordon is cupping Benrey’s face. Gently, truly holding Benrey’s cheek.]
[And then, Gordon starts laughing. Loud, boisterous, and unashamed, he breaks down in a fit of laughter.]
[Benrey joins him. In fact, Gordon is laughing so hard he drops Benrey. The two only laugh harder when Benrey hits the floor.]
[Tommy runs back in with medical supplies in his arms, only to slow and watch the pair in hysterics.]
TOMMY: ...Um. Did I miss-uh. I miss something?
COOMER: Yes!
COOMER: It was quite a touching moment!
[The three continue to watch at a distance. Neither Gordon or Benrey seem to acknowledge any aspect of the world around them.
[They’re in their own bubble, and it’s their whole universe in that moment.]
BUBBY: This means nothing, does it.
COOMER: Nope!
TOMMY: They’re-ah. They’re going to go right back to normal as-uh, as soon as we get going, aren’t they?
COOMER: Yes!
BUBBY: Maybe that’s just how they work best.
BUBBY: An infinite snark feedback loop.
COOMER: I never suspected for a second they’d suddenly drop the act and become lovebirds!
TOMMY: Kinda sounds like you did.
COOMER: Never!
[Bubby sighs and slings an arm around Coomer.]
BUBBY: Well, we learned nothing.
COOMER: We did learn not to try and force an intimate relationship between two people whose dynamic is already interesting and healthy!
BUBBY: ...Nah, I’m gonna do that again at some point.
COOMER: Not if I have anything to fucking say about it!
TOMMY: I think-uh-maybe this is all a joke gone really-horribly wrong.
[A beat passes.]
TOMMY: ...You uh. You guys wanna go talk about flatworms?
BUBBY: GOD, yes.
COOMER: Absolutely!
[The laughter dies down as they begin to discuss, and slowly the bickering returns between Gordon and Benrey.]
[And all in all…]
[It was better that way.]