Replay - The Secret of the Pyramids - 8. Chapter 8

We continued our journey as soon as the first rays of light hit the water. Breakfast was in order and I helped Manu to sit up. Elisa informed me that there was good progress on the wound.

“Tissue regeneration will be completed within three days. Yet, the upper five millimeters of tissue will be omitted so the optics of the wound are preserved.”

Good, she thought about that. I would otherwise have had to slow her down a little so aiding recovery didn’t become a miracle cure.

“How are you today?” I asked Manu.

“Much better really. Almost like new. It’s just when I move my left arm it hurts so I just keep it still. I’m right-handed anyways. Tonight, however, it was a different story. I even had hallucinations, you know. I saw a man attacking you with a sword. But instead of piercing right through you, the blade just broke apart.”

Guess he woke up earlier than I thought. “Yes, how odd” was all that crossed my mind in answer.

“Oh, why did you give me your bracelet?”

“Well, it has always brought me luck. I hoped it would bring you luck, too.” At least that wasn't’ too far from the truth.

“I guess you can have it back now.”

No, that wouldn’t work. By no means should Manu take it off, because the nanobots ensuring his speedy recovery would fail without induction energy from the bracelet.

“No no, keep it for a few days. Just to be sure, you know.”

“If you say so. Come a little closer though, Ameniu. I want to whisper something in your ear.”

I did as asked, bending my ear towards him.

“Thank you for caring for me like this. I love you.”

I blushed. No one had ever said that to me. But did I return his love? Could I? Was I allowed to?

---

Finally! We were approaching our destination. Memphis was but a few miles ahead. Now, twelve days after our departure, the succession of landscapes repeated the other way round. First, we passed field after field where farmers were working diligently. Soon, huts appeared next to the road. And finally, the city wall came into view.

When we entered the harbor, the city’s size took me by surprise. Manu stood next to me on my right, Amendat and his wife Aneksi to my left. They all marveled at the Egyptian metropolis.

It was on the third day of our journey I last had contact with home. Besides transmitting a brief status report – in which Elisa hopefully omitted certain delicate details – there had been nothing new.

Manu’s injury healed very well. He didn’t need to wear the bandage anymore. Despite Elisa’s caution, Amendat attested to Manu's “extraordinary and tremendous” power of self-healing. I also took back the bracelet.

“Dr. Marten, I am receiving a faint energy signature. It would have been impossible to detect in our time. Yet here, in the absence of all artificially produced energy, the signal stands out.”

Electromagnetic radiation, 1400 years B.C! I’ll eat my hat if that wasn’t also the source of the interference Lisa described.

“Where exactly is it coming from?”

“Localization impossible. The signal is too weak. There might be a better chance once you get closer.”

Sure. But in what direction should we go? Maybe I would get lucky and something will come up while we were going through the city.

“There we are. Welcome to Memphis!” captain Senmut exclaimed. “It was a pleasure to travel with you. Don’t forget any luggage and may the gods be with you.”

Manu and I left in good spirits. The captain held us back shortly before we disembarked and handed us two sabers, remarking, “you never know”. What I knew, though, was that I had no idea how to handle the weapon if push came to shove. We said our goodbyes to Amendat and Aneksi, who left us with an invitation to visit them one day.

Somewhat stumped I stood on the wharf. “Where do we go now?” I asked Manu.

“I thought you’d tell me. After all, it is you who is looking for somebody.”

“Sure. I didn’t mean searching for my colleague, which I don’t know where to start looking either for that matter. I was rather thinking along the lines of where we’d sleep tonight?”

I wondered whether this place had a hotel or some kind of guest house at least.

“Oh, I know a place. Part of my wife’s family lives here. I’m sure they’ll host us for a few days.”

“You think so? After all, you didn’t exactly leave in harmony with your wife. Maybe she has told them.”

Manu laughed.

“First, her pride would never allow her to do that. Second, how could she have accomplished that? No letter of hers could have arrived before us.”

Ah, of course. I was shaped by a culture of global telecommunication. Always able to be reached, anywhere and anytime. In my case, anytime was especially true!

“Alright so let’s go there,” I said. “We can start the search tomorrow. It’s almost dark now anyway.”

Manu nodded. “You’ll see, my step-mother will be very happy about our visit. She has had little opportunity for socializing since her husband died.”

We made our way through the busy streets of Memphis. It looked the same as Thebes, just bigger and with more people. From time to time we walked past a well or larger cistern. It was always crowded there, with women and children getting water and chatting with each other. It gave an impression of peace and harmony, but perhaps I was deceiving myself. The next street was already less crowded, the houses looking slightly run-down.

Manu took a left turn, leading us into a side street. The impression of decay became even more prevalent here.

“Manu, are you sure this is the right way?”

He turned around, shrugging his shoulders. “Well, my last visit was over three years ago. And the city has grown quite a bit since then. But I think we should go left again on the next junction.”

In other words, we were lost. I guess we would find our way, eventually. Even without a city map.

Just as we were turning around the corner, someone jumped out of the shadow to our right. He was wielding a knife.

I couldn’t believe this! Did we carry a sign saying “please rob us” on our backs or what?!

It was our own fault, though. We shouldn’t have ventured down this decrepit side street. Let alone at dusk. Manu immediately drew his saber. I did too.

For each step the guy took toward us, we took one step back.

“Attention! There is another attacker behind you.”

I whipped around, realizing that Elisa was right. They had surrounded us.

“Give us your jewelry and no harm will come to you!”

Given that I did not possess any jewelry, he probably meant Manu.

“Never!” Manu exclaimed to my surprise.

I was of the opinion that giving in to their demands would be a much smarter approach.

“We really should do what they ask, Manu. I don’t want you to get hurt again!”

Besides, I wasn't wearing my shirt. I was carrying it in the pile of clothes tucked under my arm. Stupid.

Unfortunately, Manu didn’t give an inch. He made it an issue of pride.

“Ameniu, you take care of the one behind us. I’ll dispatch their frontman.”

He was out of his mind! I had no idea how to use the damn saber. I was about to object, but it was too late. Manu was already crossing blades with his opponent. The bandit Manu graciously assigned to me didn’t hesitate either. He charged.

My mind raced. There was no chance I could win a direct fight. I had to improvise.

A diversion. I took the pile of clothes from under my arm and threw it toward the approaching foe. It clinked as his saber collided with my clothes. It must have hit the shirt. Not that the collision damaged his blade, but it distracted him for a brief moment.

My eyes frantically searched the ground for something else I could use as a weapon. A stone, about fist-sized, lay a few steps to my right. Without second thought I dashed toward it. I caught a glimpse of what Manu was doing. Didn’t look too good either. These bandits knew what they were about. Years of professional experience, I’m sure.

As soon as I got a hold of the stone, I hurled it full force toward my opponent. He was just turning toward me to resume the chase, but that was not to be. The stone hit him hard in the face. He lost balance and fell over. After hitting the ground, he remained motionless.

So far so good. I turned around to assess Manu’s situation.

Unfortunately, and much to my surprise, I had fared better than him. His opponent was in the process of disarming him. Now, the bandit held his sword to Manu’s neck.

Fuck! I had to do something!

“Hey!” I shouted. “You can have my jewelry. Here it is.”

I released the TTEK’s right bracelet from my arm, holding it out to him. Not just randomly, but at a specific angle. With some luck, he would grab it at just the right spot. The one where the injection module was located.

“Elisa, sedate him as soon as there is skin contact!” I commanded silently.

The bandit laughed. “They’re all the same, the rich. They draw with confidence. They fight with confidence. When their life is on the line, however, they come crawling.”

He grabbed the bracelet.

“The other one, too,” he bawled. “And you as well”. He pointed at Manu.

“I was able to inject 23 nanobots. They are programmed to advance to the next vein and release an anesthetic.”

That didn’t sound like much. I hoped the substance was strong enough.

In the meantime, Manu had started to take off his jewelry. I looked around. My pile of clothes was scattered over the ground just three feet away, my shirt in between. If we had to flee quickly, I would be able to grab it. That was good because I really didn’t want to lose it.

I watched the bandit carefully. Now he threw my bracelet into a bag so he could grab Manu’s belongings. I prayed the nanobots had already reached a vein. If not, it would be too late. Without the TTEK as their energy source, they were just a heap of micro-garbage.

The man suddenly started to squint heavily. He stumbled backwards.

“Run!” I screamed at Manu.

I launched myself at the pile of clothes, grabbing my shirt. Then, I snatched the bag from the puzzled criminal’s hand. Running, I took the way toward the city center, a perplexed Manu next to me.

We were running along the road. However, the bandit had already recovered from the low dose. He wasn’t far behind us.

“Faster! He’s catching up!”

We ran as fast as we could. Our lives literally depended on it. There was no time to look back and check on our pursuer.

Half a minute later the surroundings had changed. The street was wider again, a main road wasn’t far. Even some people crossed our path. Panting and snorting, we stopped and looked back. There was no trace of the bandit anymore. Apparently, he didn’t dare follow us onto a busy thoroughfare like this.

Manu breathed a sigh of relief. “Phew… we were lucky. He must have drunk a little too much wine recently for Dutch courage.”

It was quite interesting how Manu, time and time again, came up with explanations for these kinds of things. Although I wouldn’t have found this one so plausible. After all, the bandit fought extremely well. But of course, I would be wary of telling him my doubts about his theory.

“So, how do we get to your wife’s family now?”

“I think I remember this area. It’s actually not that far.”

And indeed, a few minutes later we stood in front of a house that Manu recognized as the right one. He knocked.

A moment later, a young servant appeared. “You wish?” she asked.

“I am Imanuthep, husband to Naha. And this is ambassador Ameniu. I’d like to speak to the mistress.”

She bowed. “Please come in. I will announce you to Shani.”

We entered the reception room. It immediately reminded me of Manu’s home in Thebes because it featured the same style. Although there was different furniture and decoration on the walls.

A woman, probably in her late thirties, entered the room. This had to be Shani, Naha’s mother and mistress of this house. She actually looked more like fifty or so, given her blackish-gray hair and slightly wrinkled skin, but I had learned to compensate for the lower life expectancy here.

“Manu! What a joy to see your face again. And apparently, you have brought company. Welcome to my house, ambassador Ameniu.”

I took a brief bow.

“What brings you here, though, Manu? I hope there is nothing to complain about. I mean, regarding my daughter.”

“No no, of course not!” he said, quickly reassuring her. The question made him blush a little. I guessed he was thinking that if there was anybody to complain about, it would have been him, not Naha.

“I’m here on business. Together with my friend, the ambassador. And because I don’t really know anyone here besides you, I was wondering whether we could stay at your house for the duration of our short visit. It would be but a few days.”

The widow’s face lit up. The prospect of having some company, if only for a few days, seemed to make her happy.

“There is nothing I would rather do! You can stay as long as you want. You already know your way around here, Manu. The guest rooms are on the second floor. The house has been rather empty since my dear husband departed – may Ra watch over him. When you are settled in, I will expect you in the garden. You must be hungry. I will have something prepared for you at once.”

We expressed our gratitude and ventured upstairs. Shani reminded me a lot of my own grandmother. Always concerned about her little boy who was – in her eyes – constantly on the edge of starvation.

We didn’t want to let her wait for too long. After we dropped off what little luggage we had in the two – unfortunately separate – rooms, we made our way back down toward the garden.

“By correlating the signal intensity gradient with your position while you were moving through the city, I was able to triangulate the source of the signal. I now have the location, provided the signal did not change position during triangulation.”

Elisa projected a map onto my visor lenses, pinpointing the presumed source of the signal. I tripped and started to fall down the stairs because the damn map was blocking my view. Manu, who was walking in front of me, caught me at the last moment.

“Ameniu, what are you doing? Even walking down the stairs you need to be looked after.”

Elisa immediately hid the map again.

“My apologies, Dr. Marten. I did not compute this parameter.”

No surprise. Of course the parameter ‘human stupidity’ wasn’t in her memory. I would address the signal tomorrow. Although I would have preferred to start right now, it wasn’t feasible. As we had already learned the hard way, one should stay off the streets at night.

Shani made an inviting gesture as we entered the garden. “Come, sit down. There isn’t much left, but I hope it will do for a humble meal.”

Was she joking? The table was bending under the weight of fruits, cooked vegetables, and various meats. I seriously doubted we’d be able to eat it all. Rather, I was under the impression her pantry was always well-stocked in anticipation of an event like this.

“Go ahead you two, tell me something. I’m an old woman who doesn’t get around much. How was the journey?”

She certainly wasn’t old. I was, however, thinking in terms of the twenty-first century where the average life expectancy was eighty years. Here, it was only thirty-five years. I let Manu do all the talking. He recounted our journey by boat, focusing on the exciting part, the raid.

“By the gods! Is that possible? You, were hurt?!”

These were her comments throughout Manu’s account. She clearly enjoyed being regaled with such a suspenseful story. Meanwhile, I enjoyed the meal.

The only thing superseding her joy was fear for her son-in-law.

“So you are fully recovered now?”

“Yes, completely. The priest traveling with us was trained in medicine as luck would have it.”

He didn’t mention the burglary attempt only an hour ago, from which we barely escaped unscathed. I guess it was better that way. No need to trouble her.

The conversation between the two ended and Shani turned toward me.

“Dear Ambassador, now you ought to tell me something about yourself as well. I think you haven’t spoken a word yet since you arrived here.”

Well, this had to come eventually. I couldn't pretend to be mute anymore, because that just wouldn’t fit my role as ambassador.

“I have to apologize for being so quiet, Shani. My language skills are quite limited.”

“Oh, don’t you worry, they are just fine. It’s just the pronunciation that is a little funny. Let me give you a few pointers. Or better yet, let me recommend you a few places you should definitely visit in this beautiful city.”

I wasn’t on a sightseeing tour, but let her proceed. The more she was talking, the less I had to.

“First and foremost, there are the three big pyramids of Pharaohs Cheops, Chephren, and Mykerinos.”

Manu nodded. “If we have some time to spare, we should visit them. I always wanted to go.”

“Yes, you should,” Shani continued, “they are quite impressive, especially closeup. Although I have heard recently that they’re supposed to be haunted. If you take idle gossip for face value, that is. Which I don’t.”

I noticed a ghost of a smile playing around Manu’s lips. He probably wished Naha would think the same way.

---

I woke up the next morning, feeling a little bleary. It had been quite late when the lady of the house dismissed us. Luckily, I was spared from having to talk too much, at the consequence, however, of being told pretty much her complete life story.

Manu and I slept in different rooms, of course. A shy good-night kiss was all that was possible in terms of affection. Anything more would have been too dangerous. The last thing Manu wanted was for his mother-in-law to find out his little secret.

I was wondering, though, how we would go on. I couldn’t forever be his secret lover, disguised as his servant. Or could I? And even more, I could no longer look his wife in the eye. Anyway, these issues would have to wait. First, I had to deal with the reason we had come here.

“Show me the map again, Elisa.”

The virtual map that had almost been my undoing yesterday appeared again in front of my eyes. The city of Memphis was roughly outlined in the center. A few kilometers further, the signal’s presumed location was indicated.

It was the area of the pyramids of Gizeh. Very interesting. Perhaps there was a grain of truth in the rumors claiming the area was haunted?

“Has the signal changed position overnight?”

“That cannot be determined for certain. However, there is no significant change in signal strength, making it probable the signal has remained stationary.”

So I should certainly start my search in that area.

I yawned, putting on the by now familiar Egyptian clothing. The pyramids were a few kilometers from here. I would need a cart to get there. Although I wanted to avoid dragging Manu into this as much as possible, I hardly had a choice. There was no way I could make it clear to him that I wanted to visit the pyramids alone. Especially after he expressed interest in going there himself last night.

I walked to the bathroom to freshen up a little. Of course, the standard of hygiene here was not exactly up to modern levels, but it was better than nothing. Manu even brought some kind of toothbrush. Instead of toothpaste, there was a natron solution.

I had almost finished when Manu entered. He was beaming.

“All hail Ra!”

I returned the Egyptian greeting, followed by a brief kiss.

“Watch it, Ameniu. You never know, my mother-in-law could come through the door any time.”

He complained, but couldn’t resist coming in for another kiss, much deeper and longer this time. Our tongues connected, playing slowly with each other. Much too quickly he released me. If it was up to me, I could have stood here like this for days, being safe in his arms, blocking out the rest of the world. My cock made itself felt as well. We had not been able to share much affection during the journey. It was high time to catch up on that.

Not now, though. I had to find that signal before it was too late. Who knew whether it would still be around in a day.

“We need to go down, Manu. Shani is surely waiting for us with breakfast.”

He chuckled, caressing my cheek with his left hand. “I’m not sure I can eat much, after that feast yesterday.”

I took his hand off my cheek, pulling him along out of the bathroom and towards the stairs. Time to bring today’s little getaway into play.

“You know, I’d like to see the pyramids today, Manu.”

“Really? Didn’t you want to go looking for your fellow first?”

“Well… yes. But after hearing Shani talk about the pyramids yesterday, I really want to see them. I mean, I can still look for him in the afternoon.”

Phew! I hoped I could get out of this finding-my-colleague-story unharmed.