Torrent (Cosmic Forces Book 1) Read Free Page A

smugglers to get them out. Each Texas city had its own marked tokens. Houston’s tokens couldn’t appear in Dallas without arousing suspicion.
    Torrent shook his head. What kind of a life was that? They had to carry Scancom identification cards and couldn’t leave the city without permission. The interesting thing about the Scancoms, they were barcoded, but had no pictures. Why no pictures? Was the League of States unwilling to invest the funds in technology that supported picture identification cards? He shrugged. All he cared was that he could possibly turn that to his advantage. The gates to the city were under the Leaguers’ guard, and the outside perimeter was patrolled—scavenged—by the privateers.
    Damned privateers. He scanned the area, his night vision seeking out anything out of place. Any humans out here would only be privateers. They said the city’s walls were impenetrable; going in or out without proper authorization was a feat. Word was that with the exception of the privateers’ vehicles, with their electronic gate openers, no one else ever received authorization to come or go.
    Cosmic Forces had no authorization. They were to covertly bring out the package and bring it to Chicago.
    What was in Chicago? Who wanted the kid?
    “Hey. I’ll see you later.” Vector clapped Torrent on the back, the closest thing to a hug that the typically stoic Vector would give.
    “Yes. Later.”
    “By the way, you’re bleeding.” Vector looked down at the ground pointedly.
    “It’s not a biggie. I’ll take care of it. A little nick from the crash. Loose metal.”
    “Right. Stanch the flow. You don’t want to leave a trail.”
    Torrent wondered why he couldn’t feel the blood seeping out. He hoped the new interface was programmed correctly. He’d have to keep an eye on it.

Chapter Four
    H ouston . A once thriving metropolis. Now… a dystopian mess, concrete crumbling, bullet-riddled, the victim of explosives. Exposed electrical wires were rendered useless in many parts of the city.
    Torrent traveled the city streets with purpose, avoiding the searchlight piercing the darkness, looking for curfew breakers. The searchlight’s course was not random. With the help of his interface, he had the pattern memorized by the end of the second rotation, and it was easy to avoid.
    Torrent’s purpose was to find the address that held the package, then he could set up the best point from which to conduct his surveillance and reconnaissance.
    After that he’d lie low and determine the best method to pursue.
    He wished he’d asked Control why they’d picked him. Why was he the right one to get the package and bring it back?
    He found the address without issue, even with the city in shambles. Even with concrete rubble, steel and brick rubble, even with all of this, it was easy to see the metropolis that Houston had once been.
    He shook his head. Shame. All this. Gone.
    Not his problem. He needed to keep moving.
    What the hell?
    He froze. What was this about? Thirty individuals. Almost all looked like teenagers. One adult, female, leading the way in the dark. And she was doing it mostly by feel or memory, it seemed. If he hadn’t had enhanced night vision and hearing, he’d never have known they were there.
    The woman moved with the assured stealth of a cat in the middle of the night. Her body was full, definitely in the bloom of her womanhood, and very different from the super slim, extremely buxom cyborg ladies of Delta Lambda Four. She had curves, her outfit clinging to hips and ass. Suddenly he enjoyed his night vision and the benefits of it. Outside of missions, he’d never had much use for it. Not this kind of use, he mused.
    What were they doing out here, endangering their lives, risking being caught?
    They were heading his way. He leapt into a large crevice and held his breath so that he wouldn’t give himself away.
    The woman stopped right in front of his hiding place, mere feet away. She turned her head in