Page 28 of Freedom Fighters
“Yes.” His responsewas flat and without hesitation.
Carmen looked at him, surprised.
“Then I suggest you hang on to your good soldiers. You’re going to need them,” Nemesis said. “Can you get hold of a short wave radio transmitter?”
“Probably,” Garrett said, sitting back. “Codes?”
“Very good,” Nemesis replied. “Here.” He didn’t move.
Instead, Garrett pulled his hand out from under the table. There was a flatsquare object in his hand, which he placed on the seat between them and opened one-handed. He glanced at the open page. Carmen could see rows of letters, in pairs.
“Is there a schedule for changing codes?” Garrett asked.
“Random and rotating,” Nemesis said. “After acknowledgment, your first code pair is the page number.”
Garrett nodded and closed the book and slid it into his jeans pocket.
“Don’t use the Internet anymore,” Nemesis added. “It’s too insecure and too many people know about it. The general population can use the chat group to report in. Their observations are useful. Real data must be coded from now on.”
“Something is going to happen?” Carmen asked carefully.
Nemesis nodded. “Soon,” he added. “I’ve spent the last four days meeting groups like yours. Everyone is onthe same page. Just as everyone at the big house is, we’re waiting.”
“Waiting?” Garrett asked.
“For Serrano to make his move.”
Garrett smiled. It was a knowing expression. “You’re waiting for him to flinch.”
“Exactly.”
Garrett glanced around the café, making it seem casual. “He may be flinching already,” he said quietly. He dipped into his medical bag. Then he straightened and placed somethingbetween Carmen and him. He kept his hand over it. “Give that to him,” he told her.
She slid her hand underneath and paused to adjust to the weight. It was heavy and cool to the touch. Metal.
Silver.
Her heart thudding, Carmen let her gaze flicker around the room to see if anyone monitored them.
She put the bar in her lap, then picked it up with her other hand, all while keeping her gaze upand moving around. She didn’t look at Nemesis as she put the ingot on the seat next to him.
His hand came down over it. “Where did you get it?” he demanded.
Carmen looked down at the seat. The ingot had disappeared.
Garrett told Nemesis about the train they had hijacked, the armed guards and the box of silver, using lots of idioms and metaphors. Even if anyone did understand English in thiscafé, the chances were good they wouldn’t be able to follow the jargon and slang.
Nemesis stared at the table top.
Carmen sipped her spiced coffee, which was excellent, and waited.
Nemesis took in a big, slow breath. “This could be something,” he agreed. “It marries up with information I got from one of theNuevo Sevillagroups.”
“The Insurrectos have reopened the silver mine on The Big Rock,”Garrett said, using the English rendition ofLas Piedras Grandes, so it wouldn’t catch anyone’s attention.
Nemesis nodded. “The smelter was damaged in the first wave of fighting that broke out on the rock. Sabotaged. Now the Insurrectos are bringing silver into the city to work it. They’re using the original, small test smelter on the grounds of the university. There are many reasons why theymight want to get their hands on stamped ingots of silver.”
“They’re already taxing the people to death,” Carmen said hotly. “They’ve hiked basic taxes up fifteen percent in the last few weeks. Why would they want more?”
