Chapter Twenty-Three Faith

Eager to share what she'd overheard with Madeleine, Faith headed to the office. As she approached, she could hear excited voices coming from inside. Knowing better than to enter without knocking, she tapped on the door.

"Come in!" Madeleine sounded far more animated than usual.

Faith pushed the door open, starting to speak before she even crossed the threshold. "Danforth knows about the leaflets. I just heard her talking to Anderson about it."

As she moved inside, she noticed Robyn sitting on the far side of the room.

"How long have you been back?"

"Not long."

"Well, I'm glad you're here." Faith closed the door behind her. "You'll want to hear this too. They sounded worried. I mean, really worried."

Robyn and Madeleine exchanged grins.

"Anderson said–"

"That's great." Robyn cut her off. "And it ties in beautifully with what's about to happen."

Faith glanced between the women, puzzled.

"Stella's trying to broadcast again." Madeleine gestured at the datadev.

"She's safe?" Faith gaped at the Resistance leader. "But… Anderson implied it was only a matter of time before Danforth–"

"Don't worry." Robyn's tone was soothing. "We anticipated this."

Faith spun to face her. "You did?"

"Of course, we did." Madeleine frowned. "As soon as Stella printed the leaflets, we knew she'd be a target for Danforth. Once she'd delivered the leaflets to headquarters, we moved her into one of the safehouses. It wasn't easy, transporting all her equipment so quickly, but she's well-hidden. Danforth won't find her."

"That's a relief."

"We're hoping the leaflets will give her a larger audience." She waved Faith into a chair. "Sit."

Faith obeyed. "How'd the leaflet distribution go, Robyn?"

"Well, I think." Robyn grinned. "I'm the first one back, but the others should be back any minute." Noting Madeleine's frown, she lowered her voice. "I'll fill you in properly later."

"Listen!" Madeleine was tapping buttons, adjusting the volume, her eyes glued to the screen. "Should start any minute."

Robyn leaned forward, whispering now. "Stella's trying a new signal blocker. Something Blake's been working on. We're hoping she'll get more information out before they find her this time."

Faith felt a surge of excitement. It was all coming together! Her eyes moved to the screen, where a black logo with the letters BE stood out against a white background.

After a few seconds of silence, a disembodied voice rang out from the speaker. "Good evening citizens of Bellator, and thanks for tuning in."

Faith turned to Robyn. "Stella disguises her voice?"

"Shh!" Madeleine glowered at them. Hiding a smile, Robyn nodded and raised a finger to her lips.

"A huge welcome to any new listeners out there!" Stella sounded almost gleeful. "I'm hoping my audience tonight is larger than usual, due to a certain publication which has been… finding its way into the hands of the Bellator citizens tonight. For the benefit of any newbies, let me explain. Bellator Exposed likes to bring you the very latest insights into what's happening in our beloved city. Regular listeners will remember me mentioning the rumours about the explosion at the Bellator Hospital in previous broadcasts."

There was a dramatic pause before the voice continued.

"We were told… officially, anyway… that it was an accident… a gas leak… but as you know, I had my doubts. As always, I kept on digging, and yesterday… guess what? I managed to grab an exclusive interview with a young woman who actually witnessed the event."

Robyn jabbed a finger at Faith in excitement. Trying not to blush, Faith kept her eyes on the datadev.

"My subject tells me she was at the hospital on the night of the explosion for some tests. Tests, I hear you ask? In the middle of the night? Very suspicious, I'm sure you'll agree. And definitely something that our well-respected chancellor doesn't want us to know about."

At the mention of Danforth, Faith turned to Robyn. "Anyone can listen to this?"

Robyn leaned closer, whispering to avoid Madeleine's wrath. "Anyone who knows about the broadcast."

At a glare from Madeleine, they turned their attention back to the broadcast, where Stella was talking about Eremus.

"…would have us believe that this place of legend was destroyed by our beloved guards many years ago. Of course, from time to time we hear about a few dangerous men who hide in the forest, waiting to attack the city, but we're always reassured that Danforth's forces eliminate them."

Faith considered how, not long ago, she had believed everything the chancellor told them. Madeleine was right. Most Bellator citizens just blindly accepted whatever they were told. If the Resistance was going to fight to improve things, it had to start by opening people's eyes. She felt proud to be part of it.

"The subject of my interview, Faith Hanlon," at the sound of her name, Faith shuddered, "told me how she was taken from the hospital that night to a large community hidden deep in the forest. That's right, folks. Contrary to everything we've been told, Eremus still exists. And that's not all–"

There was a short pause, a clicking sound, and the strange voice was silenced.

Robyn glanced at her wristclip. "Eight minutes. Not bad."

Faith swallowed her disappointment. "Blake's signal blocker worked, then?"

"It did," Robyn confirmed. "Stella got a lot more out than her previous attempts. And she'll set up from a different frequency tomorrow."

"And reveal a bit more?"

Robyn grinned. "That's the plan. Unless Danforth finds out who's responsible for the broadcast, she'll just keep at it."

"But Stella would be…" Faith chewed her lip. "I mean, she has to remain anonymous. Or… she'd be in danger?"

"She would, but she takes multiple precautions." Madeleine raised an eyebrow. "As we have with you."

Faith blushed. "So tonight's mission. If the leaflets reached enough people… if Stella's broadcast is more widely heard… if citizens begin to realise Danforth's been lying to them–"

"They join us. Or at least support us." Madeleine stood up. "And finally, we can start to make significant change."

"And you believe it will happen?"

"I do." Madeleine regarded Faith with a steady gaze. "It's complicated, it's frustrating, and it's dangerous." She folded her arms across her chest. "But with your words, and with Eremus on our side, it's looking more possible every day."

A buzzing sound emanated from Madeleine's datadev. She glanced down at it. "People in the tunnel. Probably some more of the raiders returning."

Robyn leapt up. "I'll let them in."

As she bolted from the room, Madeleine turned to Faith. "Go get Blake. Tell her to come see me with her notes. I don't need a full report, but I want to know how many were listening just now."

Reluctantly, Faith obeyed.

At the door of the hub, she glanced towards the tunnel exit. Was Diane among the returning raiders? As Madeleine cleared her throat loudly, she thought better of staying to find out. Head down, she hurried to Blake's office. The sooner she relayed the message, the sooner she could return and check on her friend.