I lowered my smoking gun as the sparks from the camera skirted out into the air before fizzling out into nothing. I lowered my arm, looking at my comrades. Stern looks came from Uwu and Echo, with a bit of reluctance from Ash. Noodle was dead faced. No emotion coming though, but I knew she was filled with conflicting thoughts.

  Either her parents were dead, and all her hope would come crashing down, or they were alive and they would have a sweet reunion that would be cut short by being bsted into a million pieces. Maybe, just maybe, we all got out alive. I doubted it.

  “Let’s get our asses moving.” I smiled at everyone, trying to lighten the mood with some old-fashioned bravado, “And if you see a big Goril, leave him to me. I’ve got unfinished business with him.” My hands tightened on my guns.

  Uwu nodded at me, “Echo, take point. Everyone else keep your head up. We need to take the command terminals to free the prisoners, and find your parents.” Uwu pulled out his Holo-Map; projecting a translucent map of the prison.

  Noodle swallowed hard, just nodding in silence.

  A shout came from the doorway, “I heard some noise in here, is everything okay?” The door began to open with a Prison Guard walking in, his eyes wide knowing what would come next.

  Boom! Echo’s shotgun cut him in two at the waist. Echo chuckled at the carnage, “Let’s get a move on then, eh? They sure as shit heard that noise throughout the prison.” He took to the hallway, leaving us behind.

  I eyed the hesitant Anthro-Cat, “You want to save your parents or not?”

  She let a devious smile creep onto her face. “You bet your ass I do.” She brandished her firearm and joined Echo. Uwu came running up with the map, Ash sticking by his back like an unwanted growth. I followed up in the rear, our feet pattering against the concrete floors, echoing down the halls that snaked throughout the prison.

  Uwu shouted ahead, “Take a left and we have to move up the main hall. Expect contacts by the dozens!”

  Some shouts rang out from behind us. I gnced back to make sure we weren’t getting bsted in the back. A group of Corpo soldiers ran into the supply room. We all came to a halt at the intersection.

  Echo chuckled again, “Don’t worry about them. I left a nasty surprise.” His smile spread ear to ear as he produced a small switch from his cloak, “Boom.” His thumb spped down and the supply room erupted into an inferno.

  I gnced away as the light burned into my retinas. I blinked it away as the sounds of the dying filled the air. Sirens bred out now. Red lights bounced off the walls. The surprise attack was well over now. Hopefully Echo’s stunt struck some fear into the Corpo shitheads.

  Uwu closed his Holo-map, “We got to keep moving.” He pushed ahead and down the hall towards the control room. “It should be just ahead, at the top of a tower in the central prison.”

  A bright light burst from ahead of us. We emerged into a massive circur room; every inch lined with doors. Spotlights waved in our direction, illuminating our small group.

  “Shit!” I shouted as I grabbed Ash by the shoulder, dragging her to the left behind a concrete wall. The rest of our group dipped to the right behind another concrete wall as gunfire opened up, bsting all around us. Chips of concrete scoured up in a hail of lead. Sparks zipped off the metal doors nearby; muffled terrified shouts came from behind it.

  I gnced about, trying to keep my cool. Several bridges connected the main tower with the rest of the prison. If we could cross one of those bridges, we could make it to the tower and take control. We just needed a diversion.

  “Uwu! I shouted, “Make a distraction, we can get across there!” I pointed to the closest bridge, just to the left of Ash and I. He gave a nod and started talking with Echo and Noodle.

  The group took off right as I popped a few shots off to take the attention off their push. Machinegun fire turned on me, cutting though the wall, narrowly missing my shoulder. Echo pushed out with his grenade uncher, lobbing a round at the tower while continuing running to the small amount of cover there was.

  The explosion rocked the prison, echoing across the massive room. Uwu took a few pop shots, followed by Noodle’s submachine gun. The tower turned their efforts to the new attack. The machinegun fire never let up as it swung towards the group, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

  I grabbed Ash. She looked terrified as she gripped her Arc pistol tightly.

  I looked her in her rge eyes, “Just keep running, don’t leave my back, okay?”

  She nodded and we began to run with all our might, turning onto the bridge across the chasm between the tower and prisoners. Small arms fire tined around us as we ran. My heart was racing now. Shouts from the prisoners were filing the air. They chanted and banged on their doors. I returned fire at the tower’s guards trying to buy us a little space.

  Another explosion rocked the tower, causing the guards to duck away. We made it across the gap and smmed into the metal walls of the tower, catching out breath.

  I gnced back at Ash to make sure she wasn’t filled with holes. She seemed fine, huffing just as bad as I was. I nudged her, chuckling, “You ready for part two?”

  She nodded nervously as we began to ascend a stairway to the doors above. I kept my guns leveled out in case of any surprise attacks. A Corpo guard peeked over the railings above us. I gave him a spray of gunfire. His face erupted in a mist of blood and he toppled over the rails, tumbling far below.

  I made my way to the top nding. There was a rge metal door in front of us. I tugged on it, but it was locked tight. I looked at Ash’s Arc pistol and pointed to the door, “Would you do the honors?”

  She raised her gun and squinted her eyes as she pulled the trigger, yelping as the burst of light erupted from the muzzle and sliced clean through the door. The metal door burned red hot, glowing with intense heat. I kicked it inward and gnced inside the room. Smoke filled the tower from the Arc pistol. A guard was lying on the floor, screaming as his body was cut in half, his flesh cauterized and sizzling. The carnage was there. It’s why the Arc weapons were outwed everywhere.

  I stepped inside the tower, covering my positions. Several Corpo guards stood about, coughing, and scrambling to get their guns ready. I cut them down with short bursts. Finally taking control of the tower. I hit the arm button, cutting off the bring sirens.

  I could see Uwu and the group making their way across to us.

  This was it. We completed the easy part of the mission. Next, we just had to get out alive with our targets. Easier said than done.