Chapter 5: Exit 17

Barney comes out in his dapper post-apocalyptic turtle neck to say that if we can escort enough resistance fighters to the trains we should be ok. Here we go. The escort mission. The good news is we only have to go lead them through two rooms. The bad news is that we have to lead five separate groups each made up of four people. So it comes out to 20 escort missions.

First Trip 

Take the first group to the train station. There will be a big, blue train car lifted in the profane, “ass-first” position. Head under it and then up onto the concrete walkway to get around the other, less promiscuous, train. When you get to the fenced in area by the windows, your followers are safe. Run back outside and across the junk pile to pickup another set of citizens.

Second Trip

Alyx stays behind to (wo)man the gun turret in the most un-strategic position. It’s like she is guarding the five yard line when there isn’t even anyone on that side of the field. 

• Since you were last in the parking lot, the combine fairy has left hopper mines. Use the Grav Gun to disarm them. Then, move them to the concrete base of that yellow building across the street. The combine will repel down to these spots on your next time through.
• Run over to the other building for more citizens. No one says “Let’s get the hell out of here” or “come on let’s go” but you have to take them anyway.
• When you fight the waves of Combine, stand in the doorway of Barney’s building. Doing so will keep the citizens from wandering out and getting killed by the enemy. (Which is the number one problem with escort missions.)
• Use your rockets, there is an endless rocket supply crate here so you can refill when you go by.
• When the coast is clear, run across the parking lot the train depot.
• Instead of running right under that profane blue train, stay by the door so your mindless followers won’t be running bullet sponges.

The third trip

• When you go back out to the parking lot, the hopper mine fairy visited again and left three mines. Deactivate them and place them once again under that yellow building across the street.
• Fight the next set of parking lot attackers the same way you did before, by keeping the citizens from leaving the room.
• In the train depot, the combine are already there waiting for you. One of them has the good sense to censor the train that is presenting by bombing it into a more discrete position on the ground.
• The old path is blocked, so climb the catwalk ramp that fell when the bomb went off.
• Jump down from the catwalk when you get over to Alyx’s side. Don’t worry, your followers have no problem jumping from up there.

The fourth trip

• When the citizens are deposited, run back to the parking lot.
• Outside, the combine are actually waiting for you. Shoot the four or five that are right by the door and refill your rockets.
• You will need the rockets because at the top of the lot is a fighting vehicle that launches rockets too. To kill it, stay close to the rocket crate, fire a quick shot and then retreat back into the doorway of the train depot.
• After picking up the citizens, the second trip across the lot isn’t so bad. Inside the depot, though, the troops will come pouring of the lower level door. A few missiles will make quick work of them.

The fifth Trip

• There will be more Combine in the parking lot. Do what you can.
• This is the final group so Barney will come with you. He will make some combat talk but overall is fairly useless.
• Kill just enough Combine to get to the other side. You don’t need to kill them all here.
  

When you get there, Alyx will close the gate behind you and this escort mission comes to a close. Be sure to write to your local video game developer and tell them that we don’t need any more escort missions . Ever. 

 Battle Against The Strider

Barney tells us to get into the train but Alyx speaks for the both of us and says, “you go on ahead we’ll take the next train.” Like hell we will. I’m getting on that first train. Alyx can do cleanup on her own.

Sadly, that’s not a choice and we have to follow Alyx to the next battle. The area is a train yard populated with busted up trains and huge cargo containers.

Alex stands in front of a garage door. Use the nearby orange crank to open it so the two of you can escape. Unfortunately, a Strider drops in and destroys the crank just as Alyx is safely behind the cargo door. Now you have to fight a Strider by yourself despite the fact that this was all Alyx’s idea to stay behind and take the afternoon train. All affection I had built up for the lady went right out that garage door she that she is safely behind.

So, now you have to battle against that crawly thing. The first step is to get yourself through the series of crates and to the other side of the tracks. You shouldn’t worry yourself with attacking the thing yet. You just want to get over to a more secure place. Here is a basic strategy:

• Wait for it to blast the nearby crates and run through them.
• Continue behind the next series of crates until you get to the white one that is tilted upward.
• Run up it and then around to a blue one that is full of wooden boxes.
• Dash across the two red crates and pull a counter clockwise U-turn to head back for the White tilted crate. This time, though, you will be on top of the crates instead of on the ground level.
  

Now that you are on top of another pair of red cargo crates, dash because you are in plain site of that Strider.

• Jump up to the catwalk and use the health refill station.
• Fire the crates that are up there at the further stretches of the catwalk. There are trip mines and exploding barrels that will be cleared out when you do this.
• Duck and crawl along the rest of this area so you are hidden from the Strider behind the steel sheets.
• Watch out for the Combine up ahead and the hopper mines down below.
• The next stretch of catwalk is protected by a two-high section of those corrugated steel sheets - Dash through the next area and hop down behind the blue crate to rest and refill.
• You can’t stay long because the Strider will really start hitting you and pushing the blue crate towards you.
• Run around it and hop down a fenced off hallway just to the left of the Strider.
• You just have to make it to the end of this hallway but be careful because there are several hopper mines.
• When you see the red and yellow striped train take a quick left in front of it and cross the tracks. You have now successfully navigated to the other side.
  

Look to the nearby wall for the ladder. Climb up it quickly. At the top are plenty of missiles so you should start your attack.

• Hide behind the tacked up corrugated steel sheets as it is totally impervious to Strider fire. Why didn’t they make Gordon’s Hazmat suit out of this stuff? He would be indestructible.
• Listen to the Strider’s firing pattern. After a few shots it will stop and rest. This is the time to pop out and fire at it.
• After four or five hits it will go down.
  

Alyx comes out and plays to the game’s target audience by heaping tons of praise and saying that you are her new hero. Which makes me wonder who her old hero was considering we have been saving her bandoliered ass for the last three hours.