Quantum

by Jess Anastasi

  Behind her, Zander gave a short laugh. “If you don’t think Mae is trouble, then you don’t know women very well, Forster. Now, is anyone going to bring up the gigantic point we’re all missing here?”

  Mae turned to look at him as he reached behind his back and pulled out one of Chase’s nonworking stun guns.

  Of course.

  When the Reidar had taken the hit from that weapon, it had messed up the creature’s shape-shifting and revealed its true form. Of course, it could have easily also been a coincidence. They wouldn’t know for sure until they had more Reidar to try the handgun out on.

  Forster glanced from the weapon back to Mae. “That’s one of Chase’s guns he’s been working on. So what?”

  “When I shot the alien with this, it seemed to disorient him and made him change back into what he really was,” Zander answered.

  Mae looked at Chase, who had an intrigued expression on his face. “Are all three of those guns calibrated the same way? Because whatever electromagnetic waves you programmed into this one in particular, it adversely affected the Reidar’s ability to shape-shift.”

  Chase nodded, and Mae could all but see the wheels in his mind spinning at light speed. “Two of them are, but the third isn’t. However, it wouldn’t take much to have the other one operating at the same capacity.”

  Mae turned her attention back to Zander, who was still holding the gun.

  “It could have been a fluke. It might not work again.” Although she was striving to be the voice of reason, deep inside her, excited hope stirred.

  “Or we might have just stumbled onto our only advantage in this war.” Zander raised his arm, lining her up with the gun. Her breath caught, but she forced herself to breathe out evenly. The gun was supposedly harmless to humans.

  Zander flicked a glance toward Chase. “Are you sure this thing doesn’t work on people?”

  Chase nodded, his gaze bouncing back and forth between where Mae had stilled in front of the gun to where Zander held it pointed at her.

  “I tested it multiple times, both comp sims and on Lucie once or twice.”

  “Then I guess we know Lucie isn’t Reidar,” Zander murmured. “One down, four to go. Sorry about this, Mae. Don’t take it personally.”

  She sent Zander a tight nod, holding her arms out to the side. While she trusted what Chase had said, there was still something unnerving about standing point-blank range at the business end of a handgun, with the man she cared so deeply about on the other end.

  Whoa.

  Everything flashed out of focus for a dizzying moment before resettling in a way that left her perspective unrecognizable.

  Oh god, had she really just thought that? Hell, yeah, she had. She focused on Zander’s grim gaze, his thick-lashed, toffee-brown eyes intent on her. Yep, she had totally gone and started falling for the last man in the universe she ever should have. Good one, Petros.

  Zander’s frame tightened a fraction, and he fired a round, hitting her in the middle of her chest, ironically right over her heart. The shot didn’t hurt but sent a wave of fine tingles rushing over her skin. She shivered and then lowered her arms.

  “My turn.” She stepped forward and held her hand out for the gun.

  Forster made a rude noise in the back of his throat. “So what? We’re going to shoot everyone to see whether or not they’re really an alien? We don’t even know if the gun actually worked or whether it was just some random one-off.”

  “No, we don’t,” Zander answered without looking at Forster as he pressed the weapon into Mae’s hand. “But even if it is a long shot, it’s still the best one we’ve got.”

  Zander cupped his fist around hers as she settled the gun into her palm. He lifted her hand and pressed the gun into the middle of his chest, keeping his gaze locked on hers.

  “What’s the point of this? I already know you’re not a Reidar. The one impersonating you is flying around in your flagship, remember?”

  His hand tightened around hers. “Thanks for the reminder. But fair’s fair. I shot you, now you get to return the favor.”

  He squeezed his finger over hers on the trigger, and a low hum sounded as the pulse went through him. She felt him shudder, and then he shook his head with a short grin. “Wow, tingly.”

  Mae couldn’t help a small laugh over that as she turned to survey the remaining crew of the Ebony Winter. “Who’s next?”

  Forster scowled as he stepped forward. “I suppose since I’m the captain, it should be me.”

  He stopped in the middle of the communal room and held his hands out. “Well, get on with it.”

  Mae brought the handgun up and shot him, which resulted in nothing. She blew out a short breath as Chase lined up. The other guy, whose name she still couldn’t remember, came over last and offered to take a hit as well.

  Once everyone had been cleared, Zander took the weapon back and slid it into the back of his pants. His expression hardened as he took up a wide-legged stance, slipping into his captain admiral persona. “Chase, I want you to give the other working gun to Forster, and once you’ve calibrated the third, give it to Mae. How long will it take you to make more of these?”

  Chase rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve got another half built. I could probably have that finished in another two days or so. I’ve only got enough parts to make one more after that. From scratch, they take four or five days to put together. Why? How many do you want?”

  Zander shrugged. “If we can get you some more parts to work with from somewhere, we need as many as you can put together, and as quickly as possible. Everyone onboard should carry one, and then we’ll need some for the crew of the Imojenna—”

  Forster straightened from where he’d been slouching against the bench. “Hang on a minute, Graydon. Chase has better things to do than make toys for you. And anyway, you can’t just go commandeering my crew. I know being a starched-ass captain admiral, it might be hard to control your overbearing tendencies, but this is my ship—”

  “Which had been infiltrated by an alien you didn’t even know about.” Zander crossed his arms and speared Forster with a sharp look. “So, if you really think there’s something more important Chase could be doing with his time…”

  “Fine.” Forster muttered a few inventive curses under his breath. “Now, if you’re done ordering my people around, let’s see about getting in contact with Sherron. The sooner I can get you off my ship, the better.”

  Zander glared as he followed Forster out of the common room. “The feeling is mutual, believe me.”

  Mae shared an exasperated look with Lucie before the two of them trailed Zander and Forster toward the bridge.

  She desperately wanted to believe that Chase’s weapon would be the answer to gaining an advantage in this war no one even knew was happening. But until they could find another Reidar to shoot so they knew for sure, her pragmatic side told her hope would only bring disappointment. And as for her compromised emotions toward Zander? Well, that was another shuttle crash just waiting to happen.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Nadira

  Rian took a shallow breath as he stepped out of his room and headed across to the galley. It had been over a month since Ella had come onboard and started brewing that damn Jasmynah tea several times a day. Any other person would have gotten used to the subtly seductive scent by now. But not him. Nope. Every single frecking morning he walked into the galley, and as the jasmine-laced air hit the back of his throat, it sent an electric jolt through his system. And every single frecking day, he pretended like it didn’t affect him.

  This morning, everyone was present as he crossed the room, heading toward the percolating coffee. Real coffee cost him a good chunk of his currency, but like his Violaine, it was something he refused to do without. Repli-coffee was a crime against the universe, and he’d gotten more than his fill of the revolting beverage during his years with the IPC military.

  He poured half a mug and topped the rest up with brandy before turni
ng to survey his silent crew.

  “Jezus, people, it’s not like Ella and I are going to an execution.” He lifted the cup and took a short gulp. “Have everything ready for departure. I want to leave this ass end of a world as soon as we get this crap sorted out.”

  Lianna pushed up from where she’d been sitting at the table. “I’ll head up to the bridge and check the Swift Brion’s current position and then plot our fastest intercept course.”

  As she left, the rest of the crew joined in a chorus of what they all should be doing to get ready for departure, leaving the galley until he and Ella were the only ones left. Rian set aside his half-drunk coffee as he looked at the priestess.

  “Are you ready to go? Hopefully this shouldn’t take too long.”

  Ella inclined her head with a graceful movement, stood, and then walked over to put her cup in to wash, as well as some other dishes the crew had left behind.

  “You shouldn’t be cleaning up after them.” He finished off his coffee and stepped next to her.

  “I’m not, and I don’t.” She cut him a sidelong glare as she finished up. “I just like things to be orderly.”

  “Then living on this ship must be driving you crazy, because there is definitely nothing orderly about the Imojenna.”

  She straightened to face him, her gaze trapping him in place. “There is a sense of controlled chaos to the ship, yes, but there are other more important things keeping me here.”

  A subtle ripple of some kind of hyper-awareness swelled through him, and he sent her a frown, not liking what she might be insinuating. Like she’d made him her pet project or something.

  “Come on, the sooner we go and make our statements, the sooner we can finally get off this damned world.”

  Rian headed down through the ship, only pausing to lower the ramp in the cargo bay. The gaping metal walkway revealed a dull morning, thick, patchy clouds obscuring the sun and a chilly wind tugging at his shirt as he stepped out of the ship.

  They walked the few blocks to the law offices in silence, though he couldn’t say the quiet between them was strained or awkward. Of course, Ella had a way of putting people at ease; most of the time, tranquility practically oozed out of her flawless dark-golden skin. He glanced down at her, taking in the gorgeous angles of her face and smooth line of her neck. His heart gave a single erratic pound, and he shook his head at where his thoughts had strayed.

  Rian forced his attention onto the issues at hand, and by the time they were walking through the doors of the law offices, he’d worked out what he was going to say and what would likely be the quickest way to deal with the legal technicalities and get back to his ship.

  However, the sight that greeted Ella and him as they stopped into the foyer didn’t bode well.

  Alyssa Faulkner stood with her arms crossed and two CP officers on either side of her. Rian heard a chime, followed by a click, and glanced over his shoulder to see the doors had locked behind them.

  “What the hell is this?” He turned his attention back to the Faulkner woman, and the CP officers pulled out their weapons.

  “Rian Sherron and Miriella Kinton, you are both under arrest—”

  Rian forced out a short laugh, though the sound held no humor. “Make up your mind, people. First, you want to arrest us, then you let us go, and now we’re being detained again. I know this cousin-marrying planet doesn’t get much contact with the outside universe, but you do know how the law works, right?”

  Faulkner crossed her arms, expression far from impressed. “You want to talk law? Fine. Captain Sherron, you already admitted to killing Mr. Weston, so that’s pretty much an open and closed case. Ms. Kinton, you are being arrested on charges of solicitation.”

  “Solicitation?” Rian scoffed, unable to believe the audacity of these people. “Are you serious? That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard, accusing an Arynian priestess of being some kind of scrog hustler. No one’s ever going to believe that.”

  An edge of frustrated annoyance crept into Faulkner’s expression. “We have a witness who will attest to the fact they saw Ms. Kinton soliciting Mr. Weston.”

  Rian hooked a thumb into his weapons belt. This situation just kept getting more and more stupid. “Oh, yeah? And how much are you paying your brother-husband to say that?”

  “Say whatever you want, Captain Sherron, but you will be charged and the rest of your crew detained until the IPC military get here. There are still those charges of intergalactic terrorism you need to answer for once you arrive on Erebus.”

  One of the CP officers standing beside Faulkner pulled out two pairs of flexicuffs and handed them to her. Beyond them, behind the counter, and in the hallways and office doorways, more CP officers and civilian staff appeared to gawk over the apparent spectacle.

  Rian felt Ella shift closer to his side, but he didn’t take his eyes off the people standing in front of them while he weighed up who would likely pose a threat or put up a fight if things got ugly…

  Actually, no if about it. Things were definitely going to get ugly.

  The other thing he hated, almost as much as being touched unexpectedly, was getting backed into a corner. And this situation was looking more and more like a big frecking corner with every second that went by.

  “It will be easier on both of you if you don’t resist.” Faulkner stepped forward, eyes glittering with malice as she stared at them.

  Rian yanked out his pulse pistol and lined the woman up. “This is because I refused to sleep with you last night, right? I’ve heard of a woman scorned, but this is taking things to a whole new psychotic level.”

  A bright stain of red spread over Faulkner’s cheeks, but her expression only got angrier. “This is because you are guilty of a crime, and apparently totally remorseless over killing a man. Everyone in the universe has heard the stories of the war hero Rian Sherron. But in reality, you’re just some sociopathic killer who used the war to get off on slaughtering people and has been using the same fraudulent reputation to get away with it ever since. Just how many innocent people have you killed, Sherron?”

  Rian tightened his hand around the pulse pistol, the dark shadow within him roaring to life and vibrating through his limbs with searing ferocity. The darkness took over his mind, zeroing his focus onto the woman standing in front of him. He fought for control, striving to keep hold against the growing shadows that howled for blood. He had to get out of here, or there wouldn’t be a single person left standing by the time he was done. It was a scene he’d experienced more than a few times, and one he didn’t want to live again.

  He tried to relax his hold on the pistol, exhaling unevenly. “How many innocent people have I killed? I’ll never know the exact number, but you’re more than welcome to join their ranks. Now let us out, or I won’t be held accountable for what follows.”

  Faulkner had paled, but her stance remained rigid. The two CP officers standing on either side of her backed off. Smart lads. “You’re not going anywhere until the IPC military reinforcements show up.”

  A thin crack split through his tenuous control, and he sucked in a sharp breath.

  “Let. Us. Out.” The words were forced through his clenched jaw, his muscles going rigid and aching as the shadow slid like oil through his veins, urging him to pull the trigger and solve his problems the permanent way.

  Ella’s hand closed around his left wrist, and it was like a shaft of sunlight cutting through the dead gloom of space. But it was fleeting and couldn’t hold back the waves of black swelling within him.

  Faulkner glanced over her shoulder at one of the CP officers. “Detain them.”

  The last of Rian’s resolve shattered. But before his body went onto automatic pilot, he flicked the pulse pistol to stun, the last thread of sanity keeping him from taking unnecessary lives.

  He fired at the two closest CP officers, and chaos erupted in the background, some people ducking for cover while others pulled out weapons to aim in his direction. Rian shoved Ella beh
ind himself, sheltering her with his body as his mind processed things faster and clearer, calculating the targets who posed the greatest threat to their safety and taking them out one by one. The local CP officers were a lousy shot, but one of them winged his shoulder with a nucleon blast. Less than a second later, the shooter was unconscious on the deck, adding to the tally of comatose bodies littering the floor.

  With all of the CP officers down, Rian swung the pulse pistol around to line up Faulkner, who was trying to get through a door into the back of the building. Except some ingenious person had activated a kind of security measure, and the building had gone into lockdown.

  “I won’t tell you again, Faulkner—let us out of here.”

  The woman turned to face him, but instead of looking terrified, she appeared to be incensed. When she pulled an ion blaster from somewhere, Rian took a shot before she’d even leveled the weapon off. As she took the hit from the pulse pistol, Faulkner let off a stray discharge, which exploded into the ceiling, raining debris down between them. Rian started to lower his gun, but as the smoke cleared, Faulkner was still on her feet and advancing toward them, the ion blaster aimed at his chest.

  What the frecking hell? That pulse had knocked out every other person in the building in a single shot, and he definitely hadn’t missed her—

  Comprehension dawned even as Ella grabbed a handful of his shirt at the base of his spine.

  “Rian, she’s—”

  “Christ.” He half turned and wrapped an arm around Ella, taking them both to the floor as the ion blaster whined, the shot exploding into the doors they’d been standing in front of. Rian flicked the pulse pistol to its highest setting, one that would liquefy the insides of any human… Unfortunately, it seemed Faulkner wasn’t human.

  Covering Ella with his body, he pushed up and fired off three quick rounds. Each hit made Faulkner stumble back a step but didn’t put her down, and she still had that damned ion blaster in her hand. Shoving to his feet, Rian hauled Ella up and half dragged her behind the counter as another explosion blackened and melted a row of chairs.