Shadow Seed 1: The Misbegotten by Richard M. Heredia Read Free Book Online Page A

every vehicle down into the emergency suspension-nets a meter or so below the former surface of the road.  Most of them were saved.  A few, though… the heaviest of the transports couldn’t be helped and unseen generators squealed in protest to keep those ponderous monsters aloft – to no avail.
    Another round of deflections flickered behind them as huge Glide-haulers, over-long bus-trains, Grav-trucks and many, many more specialized conveyances fell from the upper level and onto the level they were traversing.  Collisions, explosions, pulverized bodies, tremendous heat and flames stretched back as far as the one-time brother and sister could see.
    “Do you have them?” asked the Keeper through clenched teeth.  Though they had left Angel Free Town years and years ago, it was obvious Estefan was still possessive of it.  It had been, after all, his hand that had raised it from the ashes of war and famine.
    Flavia didn’t answer.  Her fingers, like a pianist above his keys, never stopped moving over the Weapons Interface.  Suddenly, their Grav-car shuddered beneath them.
    The Keeper watched as single Mark 97-Super G, anti-Grav Torp ejected from a hard-point somewhere within their vehicle.  Its warhead was already searching for the specific gravitational signature of the elongated chase car.  The Guardian had been imputing its frequency the entire time.
    The chasing Grav-car turned aside violently, trying to avoid the large weapon.  Its occupants hastily raising a Beam-Shield, hoping its electronic “thrum” would be enough to confuse the Super G’s homing mechanisms.  It worked – almost.
    Instead of a direct hit, the torpedo slammed into the rearmost section of the –car.  It wasn’t a killing blow, because it mostly exploded in the storage compartment of the vehicle, which, unfortunately, was armored.  Thus, most of the Dia-The rm Hybrid warhead’s detonation was contained within.  It did serve, however, to disable one of the rear Grav-lifts, which had to be compensated for by the other three.  This was no easy task.  It forced the extra-long Grav-car to hover at an angle ten degrees to the right.  It also meant, their enemies couldn’t travel any faster than one hundred and fifty kilometers an hour.
    Estefan and Flavia quickly left them behind.  There were few vehicles that could keep up with their modified Merc-Ford 5500 at full capacity.  A hobbled –car simply couldn’t manage it.
    “Someone’s going to feel my foot up their ass for this,” grumbled the Keeper as his one-time step-sister extracted herself from the Weapons Module and snaked her way back to the driver’s seat.
    She flipped her hair behind her ears, settling into the adaptive chair.  “Fucking audacious,” was all she’d say.
    “Imm-hmm,” agreed the Keeper through pursed lips.
    She didn’t take over navigation of the Grav-car right away.  She left their conveyance in auto-mode and began checking all of its many systems instead.
    Estefan had anticipated this.  “Our course is still true.  We’re spot on for the Null-unit.”
    “We gonna need it,” she said, nodding her head at the hundreds of flashing lights as Public Safety descended upon the scene.
    “Go stealth, Flavy, and get us the fuck out of here.”
    She flicked her fingers over the correct modulator and took control of the –car, the Spaceport already in sight, though it was still some ten kilometers away.
    A long silence ensued.  They were both immersed in thought.  Who could’ve done this?  Why?  Who had the means?  Who had funded a Fermonist and such advanced weaponry like the TARP?  Who had compromised Dr. Ahmed’s security?  What were they getting into?
    Flavia breathed a few heavy breaths, then sighed hugely.  “They killed a lot of people, Eff.”
    He nodded, looking out the window, trying to find solace in the farms.  He failed.  “They’ll pay.  We’ll find them and they’ll