Omega Stars - Chapter 2

Well it's the second chapter. It's gonna be like a star wars things. You know, where it's two stories in one? Enjoy!

A small rebel camp stood south of the antlion's nest. A large transportation truck drove through the sand leaving a long trail of dust behind it. A gate cause the truck to stop and Resistance members walked out of their small buildings to inspect. "What's the load?" one of them said. The man driving the truck leaned out the window and yelled back, "It's Marlin! We got him from Nova!" Almost immediatley the gates opened.

The entire camp cheered at Clark's return with Marlin. After the cheering subsided, they both went to a certain tent in the back of the camp. Upon entering, they were greeted by a man with a fancy uniform. "Marlin! Clark! You made it back safely!" the man said with ethusiasm. They nodded. "Please, sit, we got some fresh water shipped in today." They sat down with no hesitation, grabbing two cups that have been pre-filled for them. As if to ruin the moment of hapiness, the man spoke with his back turned, facing outside the tent, "What we did... really sparked the Combine's. It's almost certain they'll retaliate with much force. That's why I need you Ma--" His voice was stopped by an explosion that what seemed to feel like just outside the tent. (Author's Note: Climax! Well... sort of like a semi-climax. This is the act that seperates Marlin and Clark... like I said, it's sorta like Star Wars, just... not.)

All three of them ran out of the tent to inspect what happened. Combine... everywhere! Four or five dropships full of Combine. "We can't take this many..." Clark said under his breath. Rebels shot uselessly into the sky at the dropships. "The RPG's are without rockets, we need to escape," the man beside them said. Clark turned towards Marlin, "You need to get out of here, you're our only hope to winning this war!" Marlin stared at him. "I'm not leaving you here to die," he said with a tone. "Don't worry about me, Marlin, just get the hell out of here! I'll meet up with you in the antlion's territory. There's an abandoned building there. Also, if you go south of here--" Another explosion shook the ground. He covered his head and continued, "If you go south of here, you'll get to a pipe. Go underground to the antlions!" Marlin hesitated, "I..." "Just go!" Clark yelled at him before he can finish, and immediatley he ran to an ammo box and grabbed a rifle and some clips. He looked back for a second to witness the destruction of the camp, as Combine dropped from the dropships. After a few moments, he ran quickly down a clif.

Marlin was already half way down the cliff and he could still hear the gunshots and yelling. He continued to climb until he got to a small hole in the cliff. "I guess I can take a rest here," he said with a sigh. As soon as he climbed into the cliff-side cave, a headcrab lunged at him. He quickly dodged it, whipping out his rifle and firing at the headcrab. The alien's green blood spilled across the cave. As soon as he checked to see if it was dead, a ghostly shriek pierced Marlin's ears. His eyes widened and he turned around quickly to see what the sound was. A Zombie Runner was coming at him, fast. He freaked out and shot the rifle wildly, missing a lot. He stepped back while firing which caused him to fall off the cave.

His eyes opened to reveal himself being in a swamp area. "Augh... my head," he strained to say. He reached up to feel a bump on his head, then standing up to see where he was. Sounds of eerie nature echoed through his head. He turned in a circle. No pipe was to be found, could Clark of been wrong? He started walking, not knowing where to go. Bringing out the transmitter in his belt he attempted to radio through, "Hello? Can anybody hear me?... Clark? Anybody?" Marlin repeaditly called uselessly into the radio before he discovered it's been cracked. He sighed and threw it away.

-- Meanwhile --

Clark was continuing to battle the Combine, which seemed like an endless supply. He ran behind a boulder and called out to a man a few yards beside him, "How many dropships are left?" "I think one more, sir!" the man called back. Clark got frusterated, "We won't have enough for another assault, radio the team to move back. We're heading to the antlion's territory." The man stared at him for a few moments and replied, "The ... antlions, sir?" Clark nodded, pulling away from his cover to fire a few clips at Combine soldiers running towards them. Bodies fell to the ground and blood covered the area. "Just do it!" Clark yelled out. The man followed his order and told the remaining Resistance to pull back towards the antlion's. They nodded their heads and started to run back while still firing. Soon the camp was cleared, the Combine took over the area.

They headed seperatly than Marlin, going the long way. They kept running til the camp was out of sight. "Alright, we can rest here," Clark said while laying down under a tree. The other rebels sat down to rest as well. The antlion's area was a few miles away. They could see the sandy desert in the distance. "Sir... you know the antlions are ruthless... there's no way we can survive," a nearby rebel said to Clark. "We'll make it. Marlin is supposed to meet us there. When he does, nothing's going to happen to us," Clark responded. "You seem to have so much confidence in him..." the rebel sighed. "I do." Clark said under his breath, then closed his eyes.

That was the introduction to the Zombie clan, which will be a trouble for Marlin on his way to the antlions.
There's going to be a twist. I'm trying to make this fanfic like the "beginning of half-life" sorta thing.