HL2E3 Fan Script, Chapter 2

Save for the air rushing by and the low drone of the dropship, the time passed by mostly in silence.
Gordon and Alyx reviewed their plan, but only to break the monotony, for they both knew it off by heart already.

Their comrades carried in other dropships would overwhelm the site, like Greeks in a Trojan Horse; despite the enemy being a faction that once took over the planet in seven hours, this scenario would be a strong fighting force versus some polar explorers.
Dog, accompanied by Gordon and Alyx, would "rush B and plant the bomb". The two had gotten tired of saying "Borealis" so much over the last month, so recently they referred to it with just a letter to spare themselves the repetitiveness.
The trio would then flee and ensure the bomb detonated; hopefully with the timed detonator, but failing that their comrades would be more than happy to fire upon the ship until they got a lucky hit.
Finally, grand-theft-aero would be committed as everyone left the Arctic the same way they came, via Combine aircraft. Dead soldiers wouldn't need the helicopters they came in, after all.

Alyx shuffled in place, and the rifle on her shoulder clanged against a large metal claw. Although these dropships were being used for heavy lifting instead of military engagements, the larger containers they carried were not any roomier in practice, this particular container packed to the brim with what appeared to be huge metal limbs.
Though Alyx seemed unhappy about the cramped conditions, Dog seemed fine, shoving aside the massively heavy equipment if space seemed inadequate.

The high windows of the container were providing little light, though in a very vivid orange, as the dropships travelled so far north that the sun merely skimmed the horizon over the passage of day. Further south, it would be nightfall by now, but there the sun only planned to briefly dip below the horizon around midnight.
Dog's towering stature allowed his face to be lit orange, and standing on what would hold Gordon and Alyx took a look for themselves; all colours were there, from the red of the sunlight to the blue of the sea, and from the black of the high-altitude dusk sky to the white of the ice not far ahead.
They could see the other dropships carrying their comrades too, but as they watched, another dropship joined the convoy. A troop carrier, judging by the more standard container size and the greater speed of the vessel.
"That shouldn't be there... Hopefully there aren't more" hoped Alyx, and she radioed the other squadrons.

With their weakened hold on Earth, the Combine were no longer generously pouring troops into every engagement and policing with extreme gratuity, but extracting the most important piece of human technology to the Combine was certainly an important enough operation to spare more troops than were already on the site.
Gordon cocked his shotgun, partially to be ready out the door but mostly for the confidence boost.
He carried his crossbow too, a bit tatty compared to what the resistance had access to now but he was well practiced with it.

The dropship finally began its descent, and the trio hid amongst the cargo.