Shortly before Half-Life 2: Episode 2's 10th anniversary, the series' writer Marc Laidlaw has posted what appears to be one possible plot for Half-Life 2: Episode 3.
Laidlaw posted "Epistle 3" to his personal website, a letter written from the first-person perspective of "Gertie Freemont" about her adventures with "Alex Vaunt," in what appears to be a gender-swapped version of events following Half-Life: Episode 2 and its cliffhanger ending. He made sure to note, however, on his Twitter that this piece is by no means official to Half-Life's story and is "fanfic," as far as he is concerned.
"I hope this letter finds you well. I can hear your complaint already, 'Gertie Fremont, we have not heard from you in ages,'" the letter begins, noting that past events will even be referred to as "Epistle 2" in a clear nod to the last official Half-Life episode.
The letter goes on to explain the Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance stand-ins' adventure to find the Hyperborea — aka the Borealis, the Aperture Science research vessel introduced in the last episode. Freeman and Alyx discover the "Hyperborea" as it is "phasing in and out of existence" while the Combine — referred to as the Disparate in the Epistle — have set up camp around it.
Dr. Wallace Breen (known as Dr. Wanda Bree in the letter) has been revived, this time with his consciousness plugged into something resembling "an enormous slug," revealing himself to be a Combine prisoner, begging for them to kill him.
The duo later rescues Dr. Judith Mossman, or Dr. Jerry Maas in Laidlaw's latest writing, from a Combine prison and boarded the Borealis, only to be shifted through space and time. Among their travels, they witness the Seven Hour War, previously mentioned in Half-Life 2.
And as the group debates what to do about the Borealis, the G-Man — known as Mrs. X in the letter — appears to Alyx, who agrees to go off with him from this reality. Left alone, Freeman, aboard the Borealis as it shifts through space, views the Combine homeworld come into view, protected by a Dyson sphere. But, before much else can happen, the Vortigaunts "plucked me out, and set me aside" from whatever was about to transpire.
Freeman wraps the letter up in somewhat meta-fashion, saying "Enough time has passed that few remember me, or what I was saying when last I spoke, or what precisely we hoped to accomplish," noting that this is his "final epistle."
As Laidlaw left Valve in 2016, he's noted on Twitter in response to fan comments that this post is "0% official" to the canon of Half-Life and that "at this point I'm operating strictly in a fan capacity." Thanking fans while reiterating that this is in no way an official story continuation, Laidlaw wrote "I guess fanfic is popular, even a genderswapped snapshot of a dream I had many years ago."
And though Laidlaw describes the work as "fanfic," it's still a fascinating and unique opportunity to see a writer instrumental to such a beloved franchise offer a peek into the ideas he had for how the story could have continued.
Earlier this year, Laidlaw said he "had ideas for Episode 3" and about setting up the Half-Life story to live beyond his work on it.
Laidlaw left Valve in 2016, and earlier this year Gabe Newell insisted Valve is still working on single-player games, though it's unlikely that those games include Half-Life 3 according to reports. A joke Half-Life 3 ad at Gamescom 2016 caused some confusion last year but was not tied to any official announcement of a next installment in the series.
Half-Life 2: Episode 2 released as part of The Orange Box in 2007.
Jonathon Dornbush is an Associate Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter @jmdornbush.
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