The Iron Man [Serial]

Fall

I stood in the open doorway of the Tessitori di Velluto di Misericordia. One of the doors was broken at the lock and would need repair to secure the workshop. It could be handled later. Now,  I watched the velvet-clad mafiosos-- if that's even what they were --as they moved down the calle.

Aje Morté kept to the late afternoon shadows, walking toward the Rio della Misericordia with his guitar on his back. The other two, Thierry and Jean-Daniel, could not even be bothered to walk straight. They strutted along the calle, laughing and shoving at each other that way they had earlier. I saw no clue they were conscious of loss or failure.

They'd simply seemed  to admit they had no response for Miranda's rhyme, and left.

"None of this makes sense to me," I said. "Thierry is Las Nouvelles, and Jean-Daniel is Murphy's former...schoolmate"

"What do you mean, 'new'?" Miranda asked.

I watched, making sure they descended to the canal. I heard a distant engine, then turned towards the interior. Sina still held onto her sword. Miranda looked past me to the calle. "He said it," I explained, "Thierry's from La Nouvelle. A city-state in the Freedman Territories. I recon it's on the Gulf Coast. You can hear it. His emphasis on words...." Maybe it was naive, but I hadn't considered I'd meet Americans after leaving Long Island. 

A metallic ring sounded from above.

"The telephon!" Miranda moved past me and then climbed the stairs. I followed after her, my legs burning from the climb. I realized I'd forgotten I was still wearing chopines. As soon as I thought about it, I stumbled. I caught up with Miranda in her office. She gestured towards the telephon base, as she held the handset. "It's Murphy. For you."

I walked around the desk and took the handset. "Jade speaking."

"Need to come back." Murphy's voice, with layer of crackle and distortion.

"What if they come back?"

"Saying abort mission. Do you understand?"

"There's something off about this. We--"

"Jules, do you hear me? You are to come back. All of you."

"I hear you."

"Not say more over the telly."

"I understand."

"You?"

I sighed, sure the device was clipping everything I said. "Yes, sir, we'll meet you at the hotel."

I finished the call. Sina and Miranda were both watching me expectantly. I shook my head. "Murphy says we're all to meet at the hotel. He was unable to explain more via the telephon."

We split up to make ready to leave. I gathered our things, while Sina went downstairs with Miranda. When I joined them, sandbags had been stacked near the broken doors. Miranda then explained she had left a note that Angelo and Estasi would understand, and we could leave by the door facing the Rio della Sensa.

We dropped to a tethered boat which served as the workshops means of reaching the nearby calle. From there we backtracked the way we'd come the day before, finally boarding a steam-powered waterbus for the Lido.

It was evening when we arrived. The lagoon-side bus and ferry terminals was busy. We climbed up onto the crowded roadway. I looked to the signs and lights for a safe path to the hotel. 

"Wait," Miranda said; she touched my left arm.

I heard someone in the crowd calling her name. Angelo came towards us, with Estasi close behind. Miranda took hold of Estasi first, drawing her out of the crowd to embrace her. There was another man behind Angelo who did not move on like the others. He wore a peaked cap with insignia incorporating a globe and anchor, symbols of the Mercantile Navy.

Miranda embraced Angelo, then looked to the Captain.

"Signorina Asteréllēs," He said, "Are you well?"

"Yes. I-- Thank you Captain Derrick. I'm grateful you were able to look after Angelo and Estasi, but I am going to a meeting with my cotton suppliers."

"Yeah, of course they are," he said. I thought his particular accent might be Dutch, I'd known families with similar ancestry from Long Island and Pennsylvania, though something of Ken's features appeared Asian to me. "From Egypt. It is time we all spoke."

"We have companions at the hotel," I said.

"I've been in contact with your Murphy," Ken said, "It will be a friendly conversation."

At the hotel, we prepared to go up to our room to see if Murphy were there, but met Valentine in the lobby. He looked over our group. "Where's Murphy, then?" he asked.

"I last spoke to him on the telly."

"I thought he'd gone out to meet you," Valentine said.

Sina glanced at me and shook her head, and I answered for us both, "Perhaps we missed him in the crowd. We met with Captain Derrick who wishes a word with us."

"Ah," Valentine said, hesitating just a moment, "But your Serbian friend is with Hedone now, expecting you for dinner."

We had suddenly acquired a large group, and I was not certain whether it was advisable for all of us to discuss business together. I glanced at the captain. "We should at least go in and greet our companions."

Hedone was in the hotel drawing room with its windows overlooking the darkened beach. A tall, slender man stood beside her, dressed in scholarly black. Hedone gave names for Sina and I, and her companion then introduced himself, "Nikola Tesla. Good to meet you."

"Likewise," I said.

Nikola took a watch from his fob pocket, "It's after 8 o'clock." As he spoke, the outer doors opened. A young man ran in, shouting, and ran through the drawing room waving his hands. Several porters and the desk clerk appeared. Miranda gasped and pulled at my arm, but it was Nikola who translated, "He says there's a dead man on the beach."

I ran. Through the doors, across the portico, along the path and onto the beach. I saw people gathered. I saw him. "MURPHY!" I shouted and shouted.

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