Half-life Oneshots + Scenarios

OS- Gordon x reader

You had been working in the Anomalous Materials department for about a year now. Despite this, you still had trouble remembering all your coworkers, only caring to recognize the people you worked with often. The day started off fairly normal. You arrived to work 20 minutes early to make sure everything was still on track. That's when you and you're team where notified of some last minute changes. Not a big problem, at least that's what you originally thought. You're ideas started to change when Dr. Vance brought up an issue with the machine. He asked Dr. Kleiner to assist him in fixing it. The scientist in question was more then welcome to lend a hand. He followed Eli and calm the crew down, claiming he and Eli should have everything working by the time Dr. Freeman is ready. At the time it didn't seem like a big deal, since Dr. Freeman seemed to be running late. Soon enough, the man finally arrived. Since Kleiner was still working with Eli, you decided to instead explain the situation to the scientist. You stood up and cleared your throat.
"Greeting Dr. Freeman. I'm Dr. y/n l/n. Glad to see you finally arrived." You introduced yourself. The man stayed silent, only responding to your introduction with a simple wave. You were a bit confused by his silent nature but brushed it off.
"Anyway, we just sent the sample down to the test chamber."
"We've made a few... last minute changes." One of the other scientists joins in.
"Yes, that we have. But don't worry Dr. Freeman. We have everything under control." You reassured the man, although you couldn't see his facial expressions through the HEV helmet.
"Come along, Freeman. They're waiting for you in the test chamber."
———
Everything that could go wrong went wrong. The lab's power went out and alarms blasted in the distance. You and another scientist ducked under the control panels as a bright yellow ray shot in through the now shattered windows. The ray struck the wall. The wall practically shattered, leaving a large hole were the ray had struck. Not only that, but the heat from the ray cause a fire to start. At first small, but it was quickly growing. The ray continued to aim at different spots, causing small explosions and more flames.
"Fuck this! You can stay here but I'm leaving!" The scientist next to you screamed before running over to the exit. He tried the controls, but the door didn't budge. It was jammed. That's when you heard the other door, the one leading to the test chamber, open. You and the other scientist glanced over to see Dr. Freeman. You were stunned to see him alive but decided not to ask questions. The more important topic was how to escape this place alive. The other scientist returned to the door. This time he tried to call for help from the other side while he banged on the glass. Freeman took a step into the room, that was until you motioned for him to stop. He could easily get hit by one of the lasers. Speaking of getting hit by the lasers, one just so happened to strike the doorframe the other scientist was standing at. An explosion erupted, destroying the jammed door, but also the scientist. You nearly screamed, but stopped yourself by covering your mouth. Freeman on the other hand didn't waste any time, let alone react. He ran over to you and helped you up before heading to the now open exit.
———
Walking through the facility was a nightmare. Machines were busted and wires scattered the floors. The fire had taken over a few of the other rooms. Glass was shattered next to someone's corpse. Doors were also either jammed or only somewhat functional. Everything that was perfectly fine just minutes ago was now in ruins. You looked over the destruction with a heavy heart. You new deep down that this was always a possibility, but you never expected a resonance cascade. What was going to happen? How many people had died? Could Black Mesa recover from this?
Questions ran through your mind, most of them not helping with the guilt you felt. Freeman took notice that you slowed down, taking in the environment around you despite its dangers. You came to a complete stop when you saw a broken picture frame. Inside was a picture of everyone working in the Anomalous Materials department. You sighed and picked up the picture, examining every face and detail. How many of these people were still alive?
You pondered over the photo until you felt an arm on your shoulder. You looked over to see Dr. Freeman, this time without his helmet, finally showing his face.
"Oh, sorry. Am I holding you up?" You asked. You thought Freeman would have continued his escape, unfazed by your departure. Apparently not. The man didn't respond. He only looked down at the picture in your hands with a sorrowful look.
"I was just caught up in my thoughts and paranoia. We should really get going, though. This place is falling apart." You explain, gently putting the picture back up. Freeman nodded and walked over to the double doors. You followed close behind.
"You're not much of a talker, are you Dr. Freeman?" You asked, finally bringing up his silence. The man glanced at you and gave a thumbs up.
"Alright. I'll keep that in mind." You replied. You made a mental note to use yes and no questions. That way it was easier to communicate. You then noticed that Gordon still had his helmet in his hands.
"You should really put that back on, Freeman. You've already proven how protective the HEV suit is. It can't work to its fullest potential if you don't have the whole thing on." You explained as you speed up to walk next to the doctor. He glanced at you and extend the helmet towards you. You stared at it confused to what he was trying to convey.
"Do you want me to hold it for you?" Freeman nodded with a smile.
"Did I not just tell you to put it on?" You asked in a stern way. He pushed the helmet into your hands and tried communicating through his hands.
Thankfully you knew a sign language. Not much, but enough to get by. It was one of the electives you took during your schooling.
'I don't like how it feels." Gordon signed with a pout.
"That's not a good excuse. We are in a life or death situation. You need this."
"The suit will still protect the rest of my body. I'll put the helmet on when I feel it's needed." The man retorted. This showed a stubborn side to Gordon you haven't seen before. Then again you didn't know much about him. You let out an annoyed groan and decided to go with it.
"Fine. I guess I'll use it or something." You knew you couldn't use the helmet. It was practically useless without the rest of the suit. Gordon smiled and gave another thumbs up. You couldn't help but smile back despite your feelings about the former interaction. Freeman then ran ahead to scout the area and find the safest way through, since you were mostly unprotected.
(I'm probably going to make a part 2 to this since it turned out to be more of an introduction to the scenario.)