Page 286 of Every Almost

"She's not here,"Maren said, the worry in her voice evident and climbing.“Two of the colonists are here and are walking to us on their own. But Wickett—Charlie isn’t with them.”

Torvax turned to Reyna.

“Bridge, the third colonist isn’t here either.”

“Hey. HEY!”

A new voice came through, muffled from not being on comms and coming through one of the ground team’s headsets.

“That’s one of the colonists,”Maren explained.

“He’s got a broken arm, why is he—"Kess.

“He wants us to follow him.”Maren said softly.

And then Tavi’s voice broke through comms and caused the speakers to screech on the Bridge.

“Then we fucking follow him!”

Reyna stoodon the Bridge of her own ship and listened to her crew run.

Heavy breathing. Gravel sifting. Somebody swearing.

"Where—"Tavi.

"There. THERE—"Maren.

"Oh, no. No no no—"Tavi.

"Bridge,"Maren addressed the room.

"Laith. Report. Immediately," Torvax demanded.

"We have her. We have Wickett. She's..."

The whole Bridge heard Maren's voice crack.

"... down. Confirming Wickett is down. She's on the ground, there's a colonist—somebody's got her head up out of the dirt?—"

"MAREN, GET KESS,"Tavi shouted, interrupting Maren's report.

"Kess is right—!"Maren started.

"Charlie? Charlie, hey. Hey, come on—"Tavi's voice, soft but pleading.

"Breck. Report. What do you see?" Torvax said.

"Move."Kess's voice.

"Kess—"

"Tavi, MOVE."

Reyna stood with her fists clenched and her eyes trained on the communications console. She listened to nothing for fifteen seconds. Twenty.

The Bridge could hear somebody breathing, somebody's hand going on and off a comm unit.

And then, new voices again.