In his struggle, he is joined by various allies, including fellow scientists, rebels, and friends (such as Alyx Vance) - all shocked to see him alive. Freeman is forced to battle against increasingly unfavorable odds in order to free Mankind from the Combine. Taking place in and around City 17, nearly two decades after the events of the first game, Half-Life 2 follows the scientist Gordon Freeman as he is thrust into an unfamiliar environment in which the aftermath of the Black Mesa Incident has come to bear fully upon human society.
