Teleportation

"You mean it's working? For real, this time? Because... I still have nightmares about that cat!"

- Barney Calhoun

Teleportation is the transfer of matter from one place to another, more or less instantaneously, either by paranormal means or through technological artifice. In Half-life 2 it mainly takes the form of a (fixed) teleportation device, altough occasionally vortigaunts have been able to harness it.

Half-Life
Teleportation was studied in the Black Mesa Research Facility, where it is discovered that in the Lambda Complex teleportation was used for scientists to reach Xen and bring back specimens. Both Gordon Freeman (through the Black Mesa's Lambda Core teleport) and Barney Calhoun traveled to Xen through a teleport after a failed teleportation experiment causes a Resonance Cascade. Adrian Shephard discovers the Displacer in Opposing Force, a weapon that allows its user to teleport to a variety of locations in Xen.

Half-Life 2 and its episodes
At the start of the game, Isaac Kleiner and Eli Vance had been working on teleportation and were finally able to rebuild two teleports to connect Kleiner's Lab to Black Mesa East. At the start of the game, it is inaugurated and Alyx Vance travels safely to Black Mesa East. When Freeman's turn arrives, Lamarr, Kleiner's pet Headcrab, jumps into the teleport, which creates a malfunction, sending Gordon to several random places, such as the Wasteland, a lake where an Ichthyosaur is swimming, Black Mesa East and even Breen's office in the Citadel. Gordon is finally dumped right outside Kleiner's Lab and is forced to travel to Black Mesa East by other means.

When Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance reach Eli Vance prisoner in the Nova Prospekt Depot, they force Judith Mossman to help them bring Eli to Kleiner's Lab through the Combine teleport installed in the lower sections of Nova Propekt. However, Mossman escapes with Eli to the Citadel leaving Alyx and Gordon to wait for the teleporter to recharge. Combine were able to sweep the area just as the forcefield around the teleporter kicked in, and attempted to destroy it. They destabilised it and just as teleportation occured the teleporter exploded, destroying the surroundings. Gordon and Alyx arrive at Kleiner's Lab a week later, while for them it just took seconds. In that timeframe, rebellion has started in City 17.

At the end of Half-Life 2, as the Citadel's Dark Fusion Reactor exploded, the G-Man intervenes and pauses time, afterwards placing Freeman in stasis. However, when he returns to awaken Freeman, vortigaunts intervene, preventing the G-Man from reaching Gordon then teleporting him into a pile of ruins at the foot of the damaged Citadel.

In Episode 2, Alyx and Gordon discover the ruins of the Citadel and the infant Superportal, which was said if it were to open, would allow Combine units to sweep in and recapture earth. However, Superportals take a while to gain strength and eventually open.

Portable teleporters have been set up in Episode 2's final battle in response to the imminent threat of striders to supply Freeman with enough Strider Busters to defeat the striders attempting to destroy Magnusson's rocket.

Behind the scenes
The Depot teleport was designed by Viktor Antonov, as was most of the Combine technology and the Depot itself.

List of appearances

 * Half-Life: Day One
 * Half-Life
 * Half-Life: Opposing Force
 * Half-Life: Blue Shift
 * Half-Life: Decay
 * Half-Life 2
 * Half-Life 2: Episode One
 * ApertureScience.com
 * Portal
 * Half-Life 2: Episode Two