The Runaway {Hunter} (WATTYS 2022)

Chapter 63

Running down the corridor, blasters we're being fired all around her. She ran as quickly as she could, turning her body, shooting the TK troopers behind her. Tech threw a smoke bomb to Hunter who threw it at the feet of the troopers as the group had stopped running.

They hid close to the walls as they could as they stunned the troopers, but as quick as they went down, more came. Hunter nodded his head towards the hall as the group made a mad dash to the next hallways, away from the troopers coming their way.

Turning a corner, a Commando quickly shot Gregor. He dropped to his knees as he groaned. Cora rushed to his side as the Commando knocked down Tech. Hunter stunned the Commando, shooting a few times before he was fully down to the ground. Cora wrapped her arm around Gregor as more shots came from the hall. Echo took Gregor's other side as the group backtracked from the way they came. Tech shot back towards the troopers coming, Hunter doing the same. They made it into a room with a computer system.

Gregor leaned on the panel, Echo flipping through the system as Hunter and Tech joined them.

"How bad?" Hunter asked as Cora tried to help Gregor.

He held his arm in pain and chuckled. "Ha! Don't worry about me. This is nothing." Gregor glanced at Cora. "I got blown up once and survived. I can survive this." He groaned again.

"We'll get you out of here." Cora assured him, a hand on his hood shoulder.

"You just promise to patch me up real good like you did last time, Senator." Gregor smirked and winked to Cora. Hunter watched him carefully before Echo spoke up.

"They have all access points to the central ring blocked off."

Tech looked to his data pad as it beeped, he looked around and then finally looked above the group. He pointed to a small vent above them. "There. Those pipes are reactor conduits."

"And?" Hunter looked to Tech.

"Well, they should lead to the main reactor's external exhaust port." Tech looked up from his pad. "That is our path to the outside."

Everyone turned to look to the vent, "The exhaust vent's halfway up the mountain." Gregor told them. "We can't survive that jump." He leaned off the panel and looked towards Tech.

"No, but we would be able to signal our ship."

Tech pulled out a small explosive device and stuck it to the grates above them. It blew the gate off as Echo helped Hunter climb up first. Cora pulled herself up and followed as everyone else came behind her. Hunter crawled forward and kicked the next gate out, leading the group to a tunnel where they could stand. At the end, the blue sky could be seen as the breeze flew in through the vents.

Gregor stood to his feet, Echo put his arm around him and helped him walk towards the ledge. "How did you even end up in this place?" Echo asked.

"I was sent here with other commandos." Gregor groaned and coughed. "I quickly realized I wanted out." He chuckled. "It turned out the Empire doesn't take too kindly to desertion."

"Yeah, no kidding." Echo mumbled.

Hunter stood with Cora at the edge of the opening. They looked down at the drop below them. "Wrecker, Omega, come in." Hunter pressed his comm again.

"We read you, Hunter." Omega's voice washed over them as they looked to each other.

"We have the target, but we ran into some trouble." Hunter said looking back into the tunnel as the group stood before the opening. "We need a pick up."

"On our way!" Omega said quickly.

"On our way!" Wrecker repeated with a laugh.

Cora couldn't help but chuckle. "I guess they're having fun."