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Canidy nodded.

Tubes looked at Nola and said, “Then that makes you Optimus.”

“Optimus?” Nola said tentatively. “Thank you.”

“It means ‘the best,’” Tubes explained.

Nola’s eyebrows went up and he suddenly looked visibly moved.

“I am not worthy of such honor,” he said softly.

No shit, Canidy thought.

“Well, you’re probably right,” Canidy heard himself saying. “But until I come up with something else—and it’s really too late for that—we’ll just have to leave you as Optimus.”

Tubes grinned, then looked back at the message.

“And since Neptune is god of sea,” he said, “then that’s the sub?”

“Good. And Mercury?” Canidy said. “Your station name?”

“Now I remember,” he said. “Mercury was the messenger god.”

“Is the messenger god,” Canidy corrected, patting him on the shoulder. “Well done, Tubes. You surprise me.”

Canidy looked toward the radio set.

“Okay, let’s get this sent. Then you need to come downstairs. There’s been—how do I put this?—an interesting development.”

Fuller looked at him, then turned to the radio set.

After encrypting the message, he moved to the transmitter. He adjusted the box a little, enough to get his right hand to it comfortably.

The transmitter and the receiver were nearly twin black boxes, each about ten inches lon

g and four inches wide and tall. They had black Bakelite faceplates that held an assortment of knobs, dials, toggle switches, and more. (Each weighed half the ten pounds of the similar-sized box that was the power supply.)

At the bottom right-hand corner of the transmitter faceplate was a button-shaped key. It looked somewhat like a black plastic drawer pull on a short shaft.

Tubes exercised his fingers and wrist, warming them up. Then he looked at the message he had encrypted, lightly put his right index and middle fingers on the key, and rhythmically began tapping out the Morse code.

Canidy and Nola and Andrea Buda were in the kitchen when Jim Fuller came thumping down the stairs and into the room.

He was holding out the flash-paper message to Canidy when he caught sight of Andrea.

He made no attempt to conceal his surprise.

Praise the gods! Fuller thought. A real nymph!

“Tubes,” Canidy said, “this is Andrea Buda.”

Fuller nodded and smiled, then stepped forward. He held out his right hand.

“Hello,” he said. “It’s my pleasure to meet you.”

“She doesn’t speak English…” Canidy began.

Andrea returned the smile, put her hand in his, and leaned forward, slightly turning her face to present her left cheek.