The Iron Man [Serial]

Mission Briefs

It was late in the afternoon by the time Alpha called us to hear our new orders. I gathered in the tent with the others, Chief Custodio and Prim included, where the flaps were lowered to give darkness enough for the projector borrowed from the Narcís to cast images onto the interior wall. I found a seat on one of the cushions that was on most nights my bed.

Garin sat a short distance from me, feeding translucent pages into the projector, which he had spliced into the wires running to the small permanent structures to power its lamps. The first image was of a physical-political map of the Mediterranean which I recognized from my studies.

Alpha stood near the projected image, dressed sharply as usual, and used a riding crop as a makeshift pointer. Sina took a seat at my left side, somewhat closer to where Murphy crouched in the corner.

"Earlier today we received communications from our superior in Cairo and one of our allies in Alexandria." Alpha's crop cast a thin shadow across the glowing map as he pointed to locations south and north of the Nile Delta. "Our new orders are for the team-- all of us here now --to be in Cairo before the Autumn Equinox."

"Around September 20th," Garin said.

"It's already September now," I said. I had been working with Murphy longer than a month.

"Yes," Alpha confirmed, "and Chief Custodio informs us that it will not be possible for the Narcís to be underway for some days. There's more-"

"Sir," I said, "Excuse me, Captain, but was it not our superior who ordered the Narcís here for improvements?"

"You don't know about the cow, do you?" Garin asked me.

"What cow?"

"Merciful Minerva," Alpha whispered.

Murphy laughed, "So, once, the Malik of Egypt asked his son to fetch him a cow. The Prince looked through the Nile Valley and found a marvelous white bull, which he brought before his father. The Malik looked at this bull and said to his son, 'Milk it.'"

"But you can't...."

"You can't refuse an order from your superior," Murphy said.

"So?"

"So the Prince milked the marvelous white bull and brought the bowl of its product to his father. And the Malik said, 'Well done. Now, go fetch me this cow's mate.'"

Alpha said something in Arabic.

"He means we find a way to get it done," Garin said. "No questions."

"Not only are we to be in Cairo within a few weeks, but our superior has requested we collect and escort a person of interest to Cairo. This electrical engineer is working in Austria now." Alpha paused. Austria wasn't even on the current map and he gestured to the space above the map in the low-light. "But, he is coming willingly and has agreed to meet us in Venesia." Alpha tapped his crop to the northern end of the Adriatic Sea.

I saw our challenge. The Balearic Islands, including Eivissa, were in the far west of the Mediterranean. Alexandria was the south east of the wide sea between Europe and Africa. Venesia was well out of our way; the great 'boot' of Italia was in our way.

"After consulting our contacts, and officers here, I decided to call for reinforcements." Alpha waved towards the projector. "Ghat."

The map was replaced by a hand-drawn chart depicting three vessels: Narcís, Hippocampus, and Zephyr, which looked like a large steam-powered yacht.

"We will work with Team Aphrodite to carry out our orders," Alpha said. He gestured again and Garin brought back the map. "The Hippocampus will leave tomorrow crewed by Murphy, Jade, Sina, Prim and myself. We'll sail to Napoli where we will meet Valentine, the Aphrodite leader." Alpha pointed to the city on Italy's western, Tyrrhenian, coast. "Murphy will command his team, with Valentine providing transport and support."

Murphy stood and reached across to gesture to Italy. "The Zephyr is in the Adriatic now. We'll use the Autostrade to cover most of the distance by land, then go by ship to our rendezvous in Alexandria."

"Meanwhile," Alpha said, "Prim and I will take the Hippcampus to Malta where he has independent orders. This should leave time enough for Chief Custodio to complete his improvements to the Narcís. He will be acting Captain. Dolly, Ghat, I count on you both to support the Chief. If you are able, you will meet with Prim and I at Malta, but if we've moved by then, make directly for Alexandria."

When Alpha had finished explaining our orders, he dismissed the group to begin preparations for supper and travel. Before we could leave, Murphy asked that Sina and I remain a while to hear specifics of our mission.

"We have a second purpose in Venesia," Murphy said once the others left. "Alpha's secretary, Hypatia, forwarded a wirefax from some of her informants in Venesia. Their weavers are being harassed and they fear their ability to stay safe and report for us is compromised. The engineer is our priority, but if we are able, we'll help the weavers."

Sina and I agreed.

"It will be the first field mission for both of you." Murphy smiled. "I know the three of us trust each other and will do well. Just remember that Napoli and Venesia are part of the Nuovo Impero now, and public loyalties will be near as much to Catholicism as the Fashionista."

"That suggests there are private loyalties," I said.

Murphy nodded. "It's as we say, 'I against my brother, my brothers and I against my cousins, then my cousins and I against strangers.'"

"We don't know in a new place what ties of blood, faith, or politics with work for or against us," Sina said, "if our presence will divide or unite those against us."

"Then we should take extra care in how we dress and act," I suggested.

"But, Jules, I always take care," Murphy said.

I shook my head.

"You should know by now. It is always calculated."