Free Quantum by Jess Anastasi Page A

aches from the crash he hadn’t noticed before had settled into his bones along with the night’s cold.
    When Petros had taken first watch, he hadn’t slept a wink. Instead, he’d spent her allocated hours worrying about Jaren and asking himself again and again if it was crazy to think she had anything to do with this unplanned camping trip.
    The questions kept stacking up, but he had no proof, which frustrated him even more. Maybe it was an illogical leap to be suspicious Petros had turned up at the same time everything started going haywire. But now he had the added coincidence of her rigging up her comm to the ship’s control panel, only to have a missile find them not even a few hours later.
    Could she have called in the missile because he’d survived the crash? But why sit around and wait for it, then warn them at the last minute? She could have just as easily slipped away and left Nazari, Jaren, and him to burn.
    If he kicked the paranoia and made himself think logically, it didn’t make sense that she’d ordered the missile strike. She’d seemed just as surprised as he was. Still, his gut told him there was something more to her, and he couldn’t ignore that.
    Soreness making his gait uneven, Zander crossed the short open space and checked on Jaren. He still couldn’t bring the young officer around. Had he fallen into a coma or something? He’d thought the kid might have internal injuries, but maybe he’d hit his head as well.
    With a heavy sigh, he went to rouse Nazari but found her already awake, eyes open and staring at the sky.
    “Did you get any sleep, Sergeant?” he asked as she sat up.
    Nazari stood, her movements stiff. “A bit, sir. The pain in my ankle made it a little hard. But I guess my internal clock knew my turn at watch was coming up. I’ve been wide-awake for about fifteen minutes now.”
    He nodded downward, indicating the leg she was clearly favoring. “How do you think you’ll go once we start hiking?”
    She glanced down, frustration crossing her features, but edged with determination. “I won’t lie, sir, it’s going to hurt, but I won’t slow us down.”
    “I respect that, Sergeant. But while it might only be a sprain, that doesn’t mean you won’t do yourself more damage if you’re not smart.”
    She crossed her arms, glancing across to where Jaren slept, then returned her gaze to him. “If you don’t mind me speaking freely, sir, my sprained ankle is the least of our worries. When we set out in a few hours, we’ve got to take the terrain hard and fast.”
    The unspoken sentiment being they wanted to give Jaren a chance to get out of this wilderness alive.
    “Three hours until sunrise, Nazari. If Petros and I aren’t awake by the time the sun is coming up, wake us. I want to start out as soon as there’s the slightest bit of light.”
    “Yes, sir.” Nazari nodded and made her way over to a tree on the perimeter of the small clearing, using the trunk to lower herself again as she kept her injured leg immobilized.
    Zander grabbed a spare thermal blanket. Rubbing the back of his neck where a tight ache had taken hold, he moved over to where Lieutenant Marshal Petros lay curled on her side near the large rock. He stepped over her and stretched out in the space between her and the boulder, flicking the thin, reflective sheet over himself.
    He settled on his back, getting as comfortable as he could on the hard, cold ground. The old sleeping habits he’d developed as a soldier years ago didn’t fail him, and he fell right into a combat nap.
    Except what only seemed like five minutes later, a shaft of light cut across his eyes. As his mind kicked the last of the sleep haze, he went to shield his face with his arm, but it was pinned. That last detail shot an acute dose of adrenaline into his system, instinct telling him another person held down his arm. He rolled to put his attacker underneath him, trapping the person in place.
    The beam of light cut across him again