I wished to greet Murphy, as he exited the state-car, but the Malik made a gesture showing the palm of his hand that clearly indicated we should make way. Nearby, Alpha and Sina slid from a cab. Seeing Sina wave, I went instead to greet her.
She kissed my face.
"Are you both back with us?" I asked.
Sina did not answer except to nod. Beside us, Alpha lifted a rolling chair from the steam-cab and set it upon the ancient pavement.
"Murphy?" he called.
Near the front of the state-car, Murphy shook his head, then went on walking slowly towards the upraised basalt blocks, leaning on his cane.
"It's harsh. The need for men to be strong, "Sina whispered. "He should be in the chair."
The Malik walked before Murphy, with Troy dancing about his heels. It might have seemed to an observer who followed the Review that Murphy was returned from holiday in a desert and acting as bodyguard. Yet, most gathered, save perhaps David, Hakim, and Howard, knew very well Murphy had been in hospital.
The Malik stepped up onto the basalt pavement. Why the flooring should be so thick I did not know. There was some exchange between them in which it appeared Murphy was given leave. As Murphy sank down to sit on the edge of the dark stone, I looked again to Sina.
"You are a member of our team, with or without Murphy present."
"Perhaps now that will be true. I think Me'rah will give a favorable report to my father and uncle. It is different for me, not being in the military...I serve our nation by my father's leave."
I nodded, having some understanding this had to do with Sina being female. We had talked before about the way lives were changing. Alpha and Hypatia had impressed upon me how Egypt had advanced toward self-determination aided by wives, sisters, and daughters joining protests in the streets.
I was marginally more familiar with the changing roles of women in London. There, the greater loss to the male population in war had left little choice but for women to expand their roles, while also taking foreign or immigrant spouses.
This was portrayed in its most romanticized form in popular picture-novels. Yet, our generation's shift from segregation to assimilation was not without difficulty. The Pax promoted equality, but the existence of unequal risks was evident from listening to my mother explain the uses of hatpins, or Alpha telling Dolores to use her spanner.
Sina's father, a man who had protected his family and sheltered refugees during The Great War, surely knew the dangers of the world and must worry for Sina as much as he trusted her.
Selfishly, I wanted her on our team; she was better with a sword than I, and often more patient a teacher than Alpha or Murphy.
"He'll want to see you," Sina whispered.
I tried to shake my recent thoughts. "Alpha said Murphy sent visitors away."
"Me'rah and Dr. Abu Shadi were allowed in, and he sent requests for clothing and reading materials with them. Then the Malik came to invite him to prayer, and he went."
"The Malik? Not Alpha?"
Sina pressed her lips together, unable to say. Her dark eyes shifted upwards, looking towards Egypt's monarch as he strode between the lamps and coils. I could hear him as he raised his voice, asking where the others were and why they had not arrived.
I hadn't known we were expected to gather.
I approached Murphy. He was looking away from me, towards Hedone, who seemed to be trying to communicate something in a series of gestures while remaining near Nikola.
Murphy turned his head to regard me as I stepped close. "Julien," he said. There was a slight hesitation in pronouncing that first syllable, but I barely noticed it.
"I missed you." I smiled.
"As I did you. I spent a whole night alone in that hotel, and another in the hospital." I was not sure how serious he was from his tone, but then I saw the grin spread across his face.
I laughed.
I must have made some further excited gesture, for Murphy closed his mouth in a decidedly smug smile, then tapped a finger against his cheek. Grateful for the invitation, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his face. It was barely enough to qualify as Miss Nancy's #1, but it felt like more than a greeting.
"Are you well?" Murphy asked. He gestured to an empty space beside him.
I sat upon the stone. "I really am."
There was a silence between us.
Behind me, the Malik called out, "Tesla! Where is Nikola? Is it true the Holy Father has this Marconi device to make all the Impero hear his words?"
I began to turn around to see those speaking; I could hear Hypatia and Nikola's overlapping voices. I was distracted as Alpha stepped close to me.
He called for Ghat, and Garin hopped down from the raised pavement to join us.
"I sent rays for them as soon as he asked where they were," he reported.
Alpha looked down towards Murphy. "I'll go talk to him."
The Malik's voice was yet raised, and now his tone had the pitch of panic. "If they put the receivers in places where a neighborhood gathers for news they are probably already in every Mercantile Post Office! By now, the Mercantile Navy has these wireless devices in every ship! We cannot afford to be behind!"
He seemed upset, unlike the man who'd patiently shown me how to eat pomegranate. Troy no longer leapt, but stood at his master's heel, shadowing him as the Malik paced. Alpha approached his father and lay a hand on his shoulder. I did not overhear their words.
After a few moments, both stooped and pet the dog.
Shortly, Alpha stood, one hand yet touching his father. "David," he said, "His Majesty would be happy to see your demonstration, now."
[Photo of Son et Lumière at Giza, Egypt by Wikimedia Commons author MusikAnimal used under CC Attrib. ShareAlike license. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Son_et_lumi%C3%A8re_sound_and_light_show_at_Giza.JPG]
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Chapter 71! The Iron Man is over 3,100 Reads! It's ranked 243 in Science Fiction right now.
The video media above is a video for Ruby's "Mesheet Wara Ehsasi" (I have seen the title transiterated different ways.) I mostly picked it for the House/Dance music in front of the pyramids.
I used an in-chapter media here, mostly because I had difficulty linking this one. But, I love the photo.
There is also an external link which leads to a youtube video of a recording of the Giza Son et Lumière show. Apparently, they have been using the same recorded narration for many years, but I have never been to Egypt in person to see it.
In other news, The Iron Man is entered in the FANTASCI The Chosen One contest, so if you would like to follow along and see if The Iron Man can make it past the first round, or you just want to find other Science Fiction or Fantasy to read, go to their group's profile and look for the Champions and Heroes The Chosen One Contest book.