Of Smoke and Stardust [[COMPLETE]]]

CHAPTER 6- PARKER

        Parker and Ax kept pace behind the Hawks as they careened down the corridors. There were prisoners running around in the chaos, looting and fighting over crap, even when they'd just die within a few minutes. Those were the real cons; the people who actually did some serious shit to get into prison.

        He hoped the people he was close to got to a Pod, if there were any left—people he cared about, his comrades in the rebellion that never even got a chance to rise. Parker let a slew of curses out through harsh breaths. Everything was ruined.

        They rounded a corner and Ax almost crashed into a guy named Joksar, one of their close confidents.

        "Joksar!" Parker called.

        "Parker!" Joksar skidded and spun, to keep up with the group. "What's going on? The place is complete anarchy! This wasn't part of the plan, was it?" His already bug-eyes eyes were even larger.

        Parker slipped his gaze to Alya and Zion to see if they heard, but they were too occupied pushing people out of their way. He kept his voice low. "No. The warden didn't like how nosy the Hawks were so he's blowing the place up. We're going to their ship, follow us, and if you see anyone, grab 'em."

        Joksar's face paled, his skinny throat working to swallow, but he controlled himself and nodded. "Got it, Boss."

        They stampeded around another bend, towards the staircase. The door leading up was barely being held open with a fire extinguisher. The group bottlenecked with everyone trying to get through the small gap.

        Alya slipped through the gap first with cat-like grace, followed by Zion. Parker and Ax were only a few feet from the doors when some idiot knocked the extinguisher out of the way. Parker opened his mouth to yell a warning, if anyone was caught between the panels they'd be crushed, but before he could make a sound, Ax bolted forward, shoving his way through, and lunging between the panels.

        Ax snarled, a vicious war-like roar that Parker had only heard him let out in the ring. His muscles bulged under the series of tattoos and the veins in his neck looked ready to burst. There was a moment of silence, everyone watching, including Alya and Zion on the other side, eyes wide. Then, Ax pushed away the panels. Everyone winced at the screeching sound that grated on their eardrums. The panels jerked apart, and then stayed, unmoving and broken.

        A harsh laugh escaped Parker before he shoved forward and clapped Ax on the back. They followed the Hawks, who were already dashing up the stairs, skipping two or three at a time. "Thank the universe we were never in a death match."

        Ax laughed. "I would have done the favor of making it quick for you at least," he said, and winked.

        ​They barreled through the last doors leading to the loading dock, the flow of people bleeding and fanning out through the large hangar.

        ​In the center of the docking bay, riddled with scratches and bullet holes, sat a modest size space cruiser—the Hawks' cruiser, Parker guessed. And between them and the cruiser, two damaged shuttles and a few guards lay sprawled on the ground, dead. They must have gotten killed when they tried to take over the Hawk's ship.

        "Idiots," Parker growled. They could have been out of there already if they didn't fight against each other. But that was the problem with people. A few were smart—could work together—but a pack of people like this, desperate and free..."Morons."

        "Let's go." Zion commanded. He didn't look phased by the mob of prisoners in his way, he just pushed through. Alya followed right behind him.