Former Half-Life Writer Leaks What Might Be Episode 3's Plot

If you're any kind of Half-Life fan, there's a better than good chance you've already heard about this, because it's causing the internet to explode on itself. But for those of you who dwell under rocks, here's what you need to know: former Half-Life writer and current hero of humanity Marc Laidlaw has just released what looks to be a short summary of what he imagined the plot of Half-Life 2, Episode 3 would be, and, considering his position, it may in fact be what was/is actually planned, if Valve ever decides to finish the project.

Here's the scoop: Over on his Twitter account, he linked to a page on his personal website (which has since crashed due to demand) called Epistle 3. Epistle 3 contains a personal letter with some nonsense nouns and names, but if you swap said nouns for characters and organizations from the Half-Life series he helped pen (For example, Gertie Fremont is pretty obviously Gordon Freeman), you have what seems like a perfectly reasonable, easy-to-follow synopsis of the thus far unreleased game.

I suggest you check out the full webpage if you find the time, because there's also some not-so-subtle digs at Valve's new business model in the letter, but a TL;DR version has been posted with all the proper names swapped in, which I'll include below. Get out those reading glasses, folks.

Gordon and Alyx head for Antarctica, resting place of the Borealis, the research ship mentioned at the end of Episode 2. Theyre shot down as they approach, though, and find that surrounding the ship is an enormous Combine base, inside which the Borealis is continually flickering in and out of existence.

After an encounter with Dr. Breenwhose consciousness had been transplanted into an alien slugs body, allowing him to survive the demise of his human body in Episode 2 Gordon, Alyx and Dr. Mossman (who you rescue from a Combine prison) manage to board the Borealis, and while there are pulled across both space and time, seeing things like the Seven Hour War, alien worlds the Combine were about to conquer and even the ships origins at Aperture.

Following a dispute over what to do with the ship (Mossman argues for keeping the ship, Alyx wants to honour her fathers wish to destroy it), Alyx shoots Mossman dead, and commits Gordon to a plan to drive the ship into the heart of the Combines invasion nexus.

Before it can strike, though, the G-Man arrives, speaks with Alyx and the pair depart, leaving Gordon alone to drive the ship on its suicide mission. Just as its about to hit its target, the Vortigaunts open a portal and save Gordon, dropping him on a shore where he isnt certain of what year it is or how the war against the Combine has ended.
  
And...thats where it wraps, Freeman writing Except no further correspondence from me regarding these matters; this is my final episode.

Does it answer all your questions? No. Is it as satisfying as playing a finished game? No. Is it better than nothing? Heck. Yes. It's questionable if Valve will let this piece of content stay afloat in the internet, but frankly, it seems like trying to get rid of it would only legitimize it, so they're more than likely to leave it alone. Besides, it's not as if they were planning on releasing the episode anytime soon, right?

So drink it in, friends and fans. It may be the only closure we get for this beloved series.