(no subject)

[acts_of_gord]

One thing for sure about the Bar: wherever it's teleporting things in from, the warehouse is top-notch. When Gordon went up to inquire about a movie, it produced not only a DVD of Star Wars, but an appropriate player and television to go with it. Rentals, of course, clearly marked as such, but still.

"I probably should've asked for some popcorn too," Gordon notes as he gets the last few cables plugged in. "Then again, I think we're both full at the moment. Are you ready?"

Comments

[acts_of_gord]

"I think they make the smart ones pilots," Gordon says. "That or officers. You don't get to show your face unless you're smart enough to notice."

[vance_prime]

"I dunno, the officers were dumb enough to buy the 'my transmitter is broken even though it worked just fine ten seconds ago' excuse..."

R2, who is plugged into the control room's console, starts beeping and squealing frantically.

"What is it?"

"I'm afraid I'm not quite sure, sir. He says 'I found her' and keeps repeating 'She's here!'"

"Well, who?"

"Princess Leia."

"The Princess? She's here?!"

"...yep. Definitely the smartest one."

[acts_of_gord]

"I always liked him."

"This isn't going to work."

"Why didn't you say so before?"

"I did say so before!"

There's something fairly satisfying about seeing Chewbacca tear into the armored and other goons in the room when they finally let him loose. Gordon adds, "He might possibly come in second."

[vance_prime]

"I might have to agree with you on that one."

Our heroes are pinned down in a corridor with a metric assload of Stormtroopers covering the only exit... until Leia grabs Luke's gun and blows a hole in the nearest vent cover.

"Ahh, the vents. Of course."

[acts_of_gord]

"Of course," murmurs Gordon, who's just remembered what's coming next.

Yeah. That's going to be fun.

"Oh! The garbage chute was a really wonderful idea. What an incredible smell you've discovered!"

Alyx isn't the only one who can squeeze hands tightly.

[vance_prime]

Alyx squeezes back, looking over at Gordon with obvious concern.

"Y'know, it's not gonna take 'em long to figure out what happened to us."

"It could be worse."

A low, gurgling rumble echoes through the room, like the call of some unseen but massive creature.

"...it's worse."

[acts_of_gord]

"... okay, they didn't have one of those in the Black Mesa trash compactor..."

[vance_prime]

"--the what??"

[acts_of_gord]

Gordon exhales. "I got ambushed. I was- my blood sugar was tanking, my blood was tanking, I'd been ambushed by these ninjas or black ops types or something, I don't even know- I thought I was hallucinating them. When I saw a corridor with a health station at the end of it I was too out of it to even think of looking for an ambush, and I got jumped." He nods at the trash compactor scene on the screen. "I woke up when two Marines were dragging me off to throw me into a trash compactor so they wouldn't have to account for my corpse."

[vance_prime]

Alyx grabs the remote and hits 'Pause,' freezing Han and Leia in place braced between the walls.

"...we don't have to keep going if you don't want to," she whispers, putting her other hand on top of Gordon's.

[acts_of_gord]

He shakes his head, a small, tight gesture. "It's all right," he murmurs. "I made it out. So'll they." A little louder he adds, "I, um... think it might help to see them actually pull it off."

[vance_prime]

"Are you sure?"

[acts_of_gord]

He doesn't quite trust his throat not to give the lie to his words, so Gordon just nods at the question and gestures for Alyx to hit 'play' again.

[vance_prime]

She does.

"--copy?? Shut down all the garbage smashers on the detention level! SHUT DOWN ALL THE GARBAGE SMASHERS ON THE DETENTION LEVEL!"

"No, shut them all down! Hurry!"

The walls creep closer and closer--they're barely three feet apart--and then, abruptly, they stop.

As the room echoes with the rebels' whoops of joy and relief, Alyx breaks her grip on Gordon's hands so she can wrap her arms around him. "You okay?"

[acts_of_gord]

He's shaking a little- it's so stupid, he knows it's so stupid, it's only a movie even if he was thinking of that specific scene when he was trapped in there-

"I'm fine. I'm just... I'm going to need a minute, okay?"

[vance_prime]

Without breaking the embrace, Alyx fumbles blindly for the remote and hits 'Pause' again. "Of course, baby. Take all the time you need."

[acts_of_gord]

It takes him a while. (It'd be easier if he still had the crowbar to hang onto. He's pretty sure of that.) But eventually his breathing evens out, and the shivering stops, and he nods in Alyx's arms. "Better now," he manages. "Sorry. I- thank you."

[vance_prime]

"You're welcome," Alyx murmurs with a faint smile. She settles back into her seat, but keeps one arm wrapped around Gordon as she hits 'Play' and the movie resumes.

"Listen. I don't know who you are or where you came from, but from now on, you do as I tell you, okay?"

"Look, 'Your Worshipfullness,' let's get one thing straight. I take orders from just one person--me!"

"It's a wonder you're still alive. Will somebody get this big walking carpet out of my way?!"

[acts_of_gord]

The storm troopers do very little to prove their intelligence any further. Which is just as well for our heroes, really. Especially Kenobi, who seems quite happy to be surrounded by idiots as he gets to work.

On the other hand, Han charging the stormtroopers and everybody getting separated so deep in enemy territory it makes Nova Prospekt look like the time-out corner at Montessori School? That doesn't really speak too well for the heroes, either. In their defense, they are performing awfully well as far as evasion goes for horribly unprepared people.

[vance_prime]

...at least, until Luke and Leia find themselves teetering on the edge of a chasm in the middle of the base and the retractable bridge doesn't seem to be working.

"Why is that even there??"

[acts_of_gord]

"The Empire's got a thing for gigantic chasms in their architecture for no good reason. At least the Combine did something with theirs."

Explaining the throne room in Return of the Jedi's going to be fun.

[vance_prime]

"But why make the bridge retract at all? Just closing the door would make an effective barrier..."

As the movie has just demonstrated when a set of blast doors closes between Han and his pursuers.

[acts_of_gord]

"It's more visually dramatic this way? I don't know," Gordon says. "That and maybe they wanted the troopers to be able to do what Luke just pulled, there."

Man, he could've used a grappling cable like that in more than a few places.

[vance_prime]

"Kinda hokey, isn't it?"

Meanwhile, the movie has shifted scenes; instead of hallways full of Stormtroopers, there are two robed figures approaching one another warily, each wielding a lightsaber.

"I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner; now I am the master."

[acts_of_gord]

"You should see what the movie studio did with a guy with a whip."

"Only a master of evil, Darth."

And the duel commences. Gordon leans forward to watch; the saber fighting was the only worthwhile part of the horrible, horrible mess that was the prequel. This is decades older than that combat, but it's still worth the price of admission.

"Your powers are weak, old man."

"You can't win, Darth. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."