On The Run From Home (still... after two years)

The sun glared down at Hollywood as Experiment Number Sixteen walked leisurely. She hadn't been in LA for a long time. Not since she escaped... She hummed as she went, looking around as if she were a tourist and not some test tube grown experiment. She stopped by an alley way and ducked in, sighing. She settled down and just sat there, waiting for sun down. Sometimes, she wished she could fly. She'd fly right to another country or something. She didn't know. She ducked her head between her knees and closed her blue eyes.

"...and then we could just speed up the kinetic energy of the atoms in the bread! There we go! Instant toast! Ha! Who would have known it would be that easy?" The doctor laughed manically, tapping his fingers against each other. He always walked out when he was busy thinking of an invention, it kind of helped him think better. He continued walking a bit further, deep in thought, and he rammed his head into a wall.

"Huh? Oh, sorry sir," He waved his hand, not even checking what he bumped into.

"But how would we contain the spread of the energy? Ah, who cares. It's instant toast! What could possible go wrong? Well, besides the hydrogen bomb- grade explosion? That's right, nothing." He continued laughing more, and walked aimlessly in a direction.

She sighed and stood up to dust herself down, turning and catching a voice... A voice that she was scared to see. She turned and looked. "Oh no," she whispered and hoped to whoever was watching that she'd turn invisible now... But the cold of invisibility never happened. Squirming metally, she just froze. Here he was. Doctor Gordon Freeman... Her crator... The babbling man talking about toast... Actually, taost didn't sound too bad at that moment...

"Well, this could be used on more than just toast... on anything, really. It would probably have the energy to incinerate an organism by touch! Muhahah...MUHAHAhahaha...MuhahMUHAHAHAHAHA!" He laughed, walking into an alley way, his shadow filling the place. He made his hand to look like a bunny.

"Ha! Shadow puppets." He chuckled, moving the bunny around, and in doing so, some light reflected on something that wasn't bricks...

"Hey! Who are you, and what do you want with my ideas?" He asked, nearing closer to whatever it was.

"I am one of your stinking ideas. What the heck would I want another one of them sticking around for?" she said, scowling. "Two years and you don't even recognise me? Some genius you are, Doctor Freeman."

Experiment Sixteen scowled. "I mean, I was the sixteenth attempt!"

She flipped her dark hair behind her shoulder and glared at him.

"Wait, experiment number 60? Wait, no, 16." He said with a vigorous shake of his head. "What are you doing here? I thought you left to go far away or something." Gordon crossed his arms like an upset child.

"I have gone far. I came back to LA to enjoy the perks of not being poked and prodded with those ghastly needles. Not to mention your chatter," she glared. "What are you doing in Hollywood? Shouldn't you be in your stupid lab? Making another person who will eventually grow tired of being your test dummy?"

She crossed her own arms. She didn't look like much with her ripped jeans and slightly too big check shirt. She had grown since he'd last seen her, both as a person and in height. Her hair was knotted and tangled but she had it tired back in a loose ponytail. She'd grown prettir too but she did her best not to draw attention to herself.

"But...but I thought you liked being tested on," Gordon frowned. He thought it was a normal father and daughter relationship to see how the body reacted to some nanobots. He shook his head.

"I'm here because walking outside helps me think. Look, I'll help you. Those clothes look a bit ragged. I can buy you some things - a scientist who invents weapons for the government gets paid well." He told her, trying to be a good father. Well, creator. It took him all of his strength not to add 'If you let me subject you to some tests', but he was trying to sound nice. At least, he hoped that's the way he was conveying himself.

She narrowed her eyes. "In return for what? I've learned since the last time I saw you, Doctor. I know there's no such thing as a free lunch. And I can see you're itching to try more tests on me. Your eyes give it away. Just like those men in- nowhere. No men. No place..."

She looked away and sighed. Would she really subject herself to more torture just to get some more supplies? "You never even gave me a real name," she scowled.

"In return for...in return for n-...in return for noth-...HNNNNNNG nothing," Gordon struggled to say, his face contorting. He was proud when he got it out. He wanted to help her, she was his creation, but he didn't know exactly how. "And I never gave you a name because I thought it'd be cooler if you made your own name! People sometimes wish they could change their name, but with you, you can make your own name! See, it's a genius move of mine," Gordon chuckled, and then waved his hand. "Because, I mean, who names their kid Gordon? That's a silly name. My first name is Doctor." He smiled and nodded his head, thinking it correct.

"You don't get it. I used to look up to you and I used to think you were the most amazing man on earth. Oddly, I still think you are quite a wonder, Doctor," she said. Experiment Number Sixteen. "The closest thing I have to a name is E X Girl. After some freak learned I had no name, he nicknamed me. Most people name their creations or children. And they stick with the name. I know there are ways to legally change your name, Doctor."

"Well then do you want a name?" He asked her seriously. "Because if you want I can name you right now. Would you like that?" He asked. He fiddled his fingers, and then paced a small amount of time, thinking of a name.

"Alyx. Alyx Rosalyn Freeman. Do you like it?" He inquired.

She smiled. "I hate it. But thanks. Now... About those tests... Don't even think about denying it. I know you want to run some. You can't help it. Let's get back to your lab. I'm curious about that instant toast anyway."

"I want to...but I won't..." He managed to say, running his hand through his hair again. As for the instant toast, I haven't made it yet, although the schematics for it aren't that difficult...might be able to make it when I get there..." He muttered.

"My lab isn't too far from here, let me just have some of this..." Gordon said, looking in his lab coat and found a dark liquid, labeled 'Teleportation'. He drank the whole thing and put the test tube back in his coat as he jumped into the air.

"Ha! Teleportation. The ability to go anywhere you want." He held out his hand to Alyx.

"Coming?" Gordon asked her.

Alyx reached out, hesitant. She sighed and took her 'father's hand. "Yeah. I'm coming," she said and shrugged. "To the insta-toast, I guess." And warm water, food, heat, showers and technology and clothes that fit and aren't completely wrecked.

"Well then off we go!" Gordon laughed manically as he teleported back to his lab. He would try his hardest not to do any tests on the girl, though he wasn't sure if he could do that. He would quickly make the instant toast machine though. He would at least nourish his creation.

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