Episode Two is the second in a trilogy of episodes to extend the story behind the original Half-Life 2. In the previous episode Dr. Gordon Freeman escaped from City 17 with Alyx Vance, while the Citadel was destroyed by a storm of unseen proportions. Episode Two brings the team face to face with the Combine forces stationed in the White Forest, since they have been ordered to stop Gordon and Alyx from delivering a packet of crucial information stolen from the Citadel to an enclave of survived scientists. The focus is on the use of large, open areas.