The Iron Man [Serial]

Breaking Ground

I had gone with Alpha to the groundbreaking ceremony for the planned library. I was glad to not feel as if I had been arrested or abducted, and to see Alex from the back of a steam-cab, as opposed to a strongcar. There was a menagerie I had not seen, and a lot more university campuses than I would have expected. I had almost asked Alpha why he'd gone to study in Cairo, if he'd lived in Alexandria as a boy, but I saw he used the drive to study notes Hypatia had provided.

The ceremony itself had gone well. Alpha, or His Highness Crown Prince Athené Antonia Kaígetai, Sultan of Alexandria, as he was formally announced, had stood with various Ministers of Egypt, librarians, and construction workers, and given a short speech. I had stood among a group of guests cleared by the military detail, as Alpha used a shovel to ritually break the ground of the site.

I watched on as he passed the shovel to the foreman and then made rounds of the other important people, shaking hands.

I had worn my blue suit, as it seemed the fashionable color in Egypt, not only for the military.  I did not know why, only that I was certain it wasn't mentioned specifically in The Code. Their national colors were green and white; and so I had tried to look patriotic by wearing a green necktie with my sword clip. The photographs and pictures in the Review would still be monochrome, though it had been said for years a color process must soon be developed.

Finally, Alpha returned to my side. He leaned down to speak at my ear, "Don't smile overmuch or try to pose. Let me do the talking, unless I hint otherwise."

"Ha."

Alpha touched one hand lightly to my back to guide me through the crowds, toward our cab. A pair of uniformed guards walked with us, one behind and one a few steps ahead. Camera flashes popped  from beyond the temporary barriers.

Reporters from The Review and university press flanked our path. "Your Highness! Prince Athené!"

Alpha kept moving, but slowly, as if to give those in the crowd just enough time to focus and snap a photo.

There were ladies declaring love in at least four languages.

"Prince Athené, when are we going to see At'on about Alex again?"

Alpha reached out, so his fingertips touched the shoulder of the guard in front. He stopped walking, then addressed the crowd, always moving to include them all in his glance, or perhaps to give the cameras better angles or scan for attackers. There were so many people, I looked away from Alpha there seemed an equal crowd on our other side.

"Tyron is ever my dearest friend and number one bodyguard, but even he needs a holiday. I have our new friend Julien for company today."

Instantly there was a wave of overlapping queries. I could scarcely distinguish the voices. How was my name spelled? Where had we met?

Alpha waited for a lull, "I found him along a river bank."

The response was amused laughter, and I could only smile and nod. His account was not technically untrue.

"From where does your friend come?"

Alpha's knuckles touched the back of my hand. I smiled then answered, "I was born in New York. It is a small state in the Americas."

"Highness, any comment on the situation in Palestine & Hejaz?"

"I must ask you to address The Malik's office." Alpha took my hand and again walked toward our cab.

The reporters persisted, "Any response to Psyche Mariwda's statement that Egypt must be more transparent in its plans for Palestine?"

Alpha squeezed my hand. "None." He kept walking, and we finally reached the cab. He opened the door and I climbed into the back seat. Alpha then slid into the seat beside me. "Go," he said to the driver, as our second escort was still stepping up into the vehicle.

"Who is Psyche Mariwda?" I whispered.

Alpha did not answer immediately, but simply looked uncomfortable. "She is an Auditor for the Anatolian Demilitarized Zone, which means she is a functionary of The Pax itself."

"I know that part. Cloud mentioned her."

Alpha sat straighter. "She's been talking to Cloud? Was Erik there?"

"Yes. He was the one to whom Cloud spoke. Valentine looked even less happy than when he talks to you."

Alpha said something under his breath I supposed might be a curse. "I cannot talk about it now."

Perhaps he meant in the presence of the soldiers. "Oh. Well, what is that situation in Palestine & Hejaz, I mean besides their being on maps with dotted borders?"

"The situation is that they exist as a de facto protectorate of Egypt, after we made a point of withdrawing our military from both at the end of the war. It is a mess, considering how we professed self-determination in our struggle to be protectorate of no other nation."

"Oh."

"I'm not sure there's a simple explanation." Alpha looked apologetic. His mouth hung open before he finally continued. "Imagine we're both of us is a desert either side an oasis with water and we're both thirsty. You reach for the water, but seeing me approach you do not drink. Now, I come to stand right beside the water. You see me perspire, but I do not drink. I only stand there with a sword. What do you think that means?"

"Of course I want that water," I supposed, "but now it looks like you will strike me down before you even let me share."

Alpha nodded. "Hejaz is the water. I'm Egypt. You are Abdulaziz from bordering Najd. The water is holy. Faithful across the earth are just as thirsty as we are."

"Was he trying to take all the water?"

"King Ali said there were attacks, but we can't know what might have happened, because we intervened. And now Hejaz is under protection, we have obligation."

----------------

Chapter 55 and back to regular Tuesday and Friday updates. The Iron Man has over 1,800 reads now, near 300 votes, and it's still on the Science Fiction Hot list.

Media for this chapter is an instrumental cover of Lady Gaga's Paparazzi by Simply Three. Because the chapter features paparazzi.

Apparently Alpha and Murphy have a canonical in-universe ship name: At'on. I almost went with Tyten, but unofficially I think the fictional Egyptian press might use Hyten or Hythen for when Hypatia and Athené are seen together. But maybe it should be Apati. Maybe when he's with Julien it's Alien. LOL

Eventually I think the Psyche matter will be explained.

In real life, Abdulaziz ibn Saud did capture Hejaz. It was post-WWI and the King asked the British for help. In the story, it's post The Great War and Ali called an already independent Egypt for help.