Page 23 of Jude

“I gave away nothing that would cause us problems,” said Jude.

“Just in case I was a Dinnorm in disguise?” There was a teasing edge to Octavia’s words.

“Don’t take it personally,” said Lincoln. “The State would love to see us strung up on a death wall. We need to take precautions.”

“I get it. Jude was careful when we talked.” Octavia smiled at him. “It sounds good to be in a safe place with people all fighting for the same cause. Maybe I shouldn’t have stayed away for so long.”

“You’re here now,” said Jude. “This can be your home if you want it to be.” He hoped she would stay. He wanted her to feel safe. It must have been a long time since she’d experienced that.

“If I can, I’d like to keep broadcasting Flame,” said Octavia. “A lot of people benefit from it.”

“We have the most secure comms system you can imagine,” said Jude. “Kade makes sure that any messages we send out can’t be tracked back to the source. I helped him rig up the system. It most likely operates the same way yours does. It’s a mixture of ultra-high-frequency radio, satellite tech, mobile multi-channel microwaves, and radio relays.”

“You’ve lost me,” said Lincoln.

Octavia grinned. “That’s pretty much the same with me. I overlay everything with my wireless mesh net, ensuring a wide signal spread. If anyone picks up my messages, they have a search radius of about one hundred kilometers to work through. Chain links help, as well. I also use an omnidirectional transmitter.”

“Someone put me out of my misery,” groaned Lincoln. “I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

Jude returned Octavia’s grin. “Ignore him. We also use multi-point links.”

“I bet you’ve got a kick-ass early warning system.”

“Of course,” said Jude.

“I had one in the van,” said Octavia. “Any time someone hooked into my signal, I could change frequencies and send them hunting down a dead-end.”

Jude liked her style. She knew how to keep her broadcasts secure. “You should be fine to carry on transmitting Flame from the bunker. I imagine Arlo will insist on it. He loves your music.”

“How about you?” asked Octavia. “What do you think of it? When we first started talking, you kept asking for songs I didn’t have.”

“Jude likes songs full of tortured, broken love,” said Lincoln. “Or hippy tunes. He loves folk rock.”

“Again, ignore my idiot brother.” Jude’s smile softened as he saw Octavia’s eyes shine. “Honestly, I didn’t know much about rock until we got talking. Your music has kept me awake on so many late shifts. Any time I was dozing off, the scream of guitars or someone slamming the drums would keep me wide awake and ready to go.”

“We all love Flame,” said Lincoln. “It would be a crime if you stopped transmitting.”

“I won’t get in the way when I do,” said Octavia. “I’ve operated with a small kit all this time. I’ll take up a tiny corner of a room. You won’t even know I’m in the bunker.”

Jude nodded. He would know she was there. Ever since he’d fixed his gaze on her, he’d felt a frisson of tension between them. Maybe he was the only one who felt it, but there was a connection there. He’d know if Octavia was in the next room to him.

“I’ll message through to the bunker that we’re about to come in,” said Lincoln.

Jude nodded as he turned another corner and squeezed the Cobra along a narrow alleyway. He headed to the back of the bunker, the concealed door in the wall already sliding open. Two armed guards stood by the door, both nodding in acknowledgement as they saw Jude driving.

Gliding the Cobra down the slope into the vehicle bay, he stopped and turned to Octavia, keen to see what she thought of the place. “Welcome to our home.”

***

STEPPING OUT OF THECobra, Octavia did a slow turn, keeping her head tilted so her scars weren’t obvious in the light of the vehicle bay. “This place looks incredible.” Half a dozen vehicles were parked. They looked to be modified military trucks. Several people were working on them.

“We made use of a former government’s worries about nuclear war and accessed their extensive system of underground bunkers,” said Jude. “This is one of many we operate out of.”

Octavia nodded. She’d heard about these bunkers. There were supposed to be over a thousand of them in this country.

“Come on, Malachi.” Lincoln draped an arm over his shoulders. “I can see we’ve served our purpose. Let’s allow these two to get to know each other better.”

“Thanks for the help.” Octavia watched them walk away.