Gordon arrives at a small Resistance outpost within the mines manned by Griggs and Sheckley. The Lone Vort has brought Alyx to the outpost and is awaiting the arrival of his kin in order to heal her wounds. Griggs and Sheckley introduce Gordon to the Antlion Detector, and, with the aid of reprogrammed Hoppers and Sentry Guns, are barely able to hold off several Antlion attacks until the Vortigaunts arrive. The Vortigaunts assist in dispatching the next wave of Antlions and proceed to tend to Alyx. The Vortigaunts are unable to save Alyx, however, without the use of an Antlion larval extract, so Gordon and his Vortigaunt companion travel deeper into the mine to retrieve it.
Gordon and the Vortigaunt discover a Zombie infestation, as well as an overrun Combine troop carrier accompanied by Zombines. As they travel deeper into the Antlion caves, they encounter the Antlion Guardian, protector of the larval extract. Gordon is forbidden from killing the Guardian for fear of spoiling the extract and hence must outrun the creature through the caves. He is able to avoid the Guardian and summon the Vortigaunt to the Nectarium where the extract is obtained.
They deliver the extract just in time, and the Vortigaunts heal Alyx. During the healing process, the G-Man contacts Gordon, stating that he has been prevented from doing so by the Vortigaunts until this point. He hints at Alyx's importance to his plans and reveals that he had saved her life at Black Mesa despite the objections of unnamed others (Dr. Breen's face flickers on the screen behind the G-Man at this point). The G-Man asks Gordon to escort her to White Forest safely and instructs an unconscious Alyx to tell her father to "prepare for unforeseen consequences."
After Alyx has recovered, she and Gordon, accompanied by the Vortigaunt, proceed to the surface.
This chapter contains examples of:
- Developer's Foresight: If the player manages to get through a small crevice past the antlion guard, there is floating text that reads "How did you get here?" further into the cave.
- Hold the Line: One of the major setpieces of the chapter has Gordon, with the assistance of two Resistance members, two turrets they've reprogrammed, and a good supply of hopper mines, defend Alyx and the Vortigaunt from several waves of antlions, complete with stoplights at the mouth of each tunnel giving an idea of how many are coming down it - which, naturally, after extra Vortigaunts arrive in support, sees every tunnel with all three lights on at once.
- Lampshade Hanging: A quarter of the Vortigaunt's lines are poking fun at the game's own use of tropes, such as the prevalence of Broken Bridges or Gordon's habit of falling into pits. Examples include, "Pity the generator that requires a Vortigaunt to operate", "No pit would be complete without a Freeman climbing out of it", and "What next in the parade of constant obstacles?".
- Shout-Out: The title of the chapter is a reference to the phrase "shuffle[d] off this mortal coil" from Shakespeare's Hamlet.
