Page 20 of Freedom Fighters
Daniel shook his head. “Advanced technology isn’t going to do it. In my pack, I have a radio transmitter. It’s small, it’s old, but it works. Do you know Morse Code at all?”
Cristián’s eyes widened. “Morse!” he exclaimed and reached for the glass. He wasn’t aware ofthe instinctive reach for fortification. “That’s…that’s…”
“It’s a throwback,” Daniel agreed. “I don’t think anyone has seriously used it since the Second World War. It works, though.” He pulled the little code book from his shirt pocket and tossed it so it landed in front of Cristián.
Cristián flipped through it curiously, a fine line between his brows. The code book had been written by thegeeky Rubén Rey, who had run off copies of it on the printer in Calli’s office, behind a locked door with an armed guard standing with his back to it. It was held together with staples and had a blank cover made from a manila folder, which had been laminated to make it stiff and waterproof. The whole booklet was two-and-a-half inches across, three inches tall and a quarter inch thick. It would tuckaway anywhere.
“I guess I’d better learn Morse,” Cristián said, peering at the pages.
“You’ll pick it up,” Daniel assured him. “You choose a code set. It doesn’t matter which one, as long as you don’t use the same one each time. Pick them as randomly as you can. The first thing you transmit, once you’ve received acknowledgement, is the code’s page. Then you send the coded message. Also, translatethe basic message to English before you encode it.”
“My English is not so hot,” Cristián pointed out.
“Trini’s is pretty good. She can help you. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Using English is an added layer of protection. The Insurrectos will blow all their energy trying to spot patterns in Spanish, not English, and that will slow them down a lot.”
“You talk like the Insurrectos will figureout the code.”
“They will. Anyone can figure out codes, given time, computing power and enough coded messages to work with,” Daniel told him. “All you can do is make it complex enough and random enough to get some use out of the code.” He pointed to the book. “Before that is too old and too used, you’ll get a fresh set of codes. Don’t ask me how, because no one is planning that far ahead. We’llfigure that out when the time comes.”
“You could always bring it yourself,” Cristián pointed out. “Mom would love that.”
Daniel ignored the warm feeling Cristián’s observation generated. “Anyway,” he said, “that code book is of the highest security. You find somewhere in the house to hide it. Somewhere no one will ever stumble over it.”
“What if the Insurrectos raid?” Cristián asked. “Whatif they find it, anyway?”
“If they don’t throw you into the Pascuallita holding cells straight away, then you send a clear, uncoded message that says ‘Four eyes out.’”
Cristián winced at the nickname. “Then you change codebooks?”
Daniel nodded. “Only, that’s the optimistic version. You realize that, don’t you?”
Cristián swallowed. “What’s the realistic version?”
“If the Insurrectos raid andfind the code book, they’ll shoot you on the spot as a Loyalist spy.” He gave him a moment to absorb that. “This is the big leagues, Cristián. If you don’t want to play, now is the time to say so.”
Christian stared at the blank cover of the book. Then he looked up at him. His jaw was set. “No, I’ll do it.”
Daniel gave him a small smile. “I knew you would.” He picked up the bottle and filledCristián’s glass. “A toast. Then you get to sleep.” He picked up his own glass and held it out.
Cristián tapped his glass then tossed back the mescal with another grimace. “You expect me to sleep after talking about summary executions?”
“We’re all under a death threat,” Daniel said gently. “While the Insurrectos control Vistaria and for as long as they think the Loyalists are a real threat,they will shoot and kill anyone they think is against them.”
“That’s a long list,” Cristián said. “I’ve heard the talk in town. No one is a genuine Insurrecto supporter.” He hesitated. “How much longer do you think this war will last? When will Nicolás Escobedo make his move?”
The standard ‘none of your business’ response rose to his lips. Daniel repressed it. Cristián was family. He spoke candidly.“Nick is a smart man. He knows that after the White Sands thing, the Loyalists have momentum and the good will of the rest of the world on their side. He won’t let that evaporate by sitting on his ass. As for when and how, I don’t know and wouldn’t tell you if I did.”
Cristián nodded. “I suppose that’s fair.”
“It’s safer,” Daniel amended. “The Insurrectos are on their back foot for the firsttime since the revolution broke out. They’re frustrated and probably scared, too. Fear makes cornered men dangerous. Things will get rocky now.”
Cristián got to his feet. “It’s good to have you home, Daniel. Even if you do arrive with bad news.” He stretched. “I’ll check my mail, then go to bed.”
Daniel cocked his head, studying him. “You’re falling asleep on your feet, but you’re going to checkyour email, anyway? Who is she?”
Faint pink tinged Cristián’s cheeks. “I don’t know her real name. We use phony IDs and IP masks.”
“Someone on Vistaria?” Daniel asked, concerned. It wouldn’t be the first time a spy had been brought out into the open because he couldn’t keep it in his pants. Email was a new wrinkle, but that was just the medium.
