JOURNAL ENTRY – PHILIP HARROWFIELD // JULY 17–21, 2097

 

July 17
Woke up to discover that the private concert scheduled for July 23—originally set beneath the stars at Giza—had been unilaterally relocated to Waset-Nekhbet (Luxor), epicenter of Upper Egyptian magical resurgence. Not by me. Not with my knowledge. The reason given: “ritual appropriateness.” Translation: someone in Horizon moved without consulting Operations. Again.

After a spirited exchange with Horizon liaison Irene Cho, we reached an understanding: the original concert proceeds as planned. The Upper Egypt event may proceed only as an additional concert, contingent on security guarantees from whatever gods or priesthoods run that zone. Irene agreed. She also assured me future surprises would be minimized. I consider this character growth.

July 18–19
We flew out to Cairo early on the 19th, checking in at the Nile Crown Arcology on Zamalek Island. Beautiful views, if you don’t mind the ever-present helicopters.

While Halo immersed herself in Egypt’s spiritual palette—settling on a performance persona styled after the goddess Isis, calling for the unity of Upper and Lower Egypt—the rest of us got to work.

That night, after a Nile-side BBQ, Kate debuted her new interview show: The Truth With Kate. I was her first guest. Light topics, naturally—engagement rumors, shadow-cats, ancient continents, the end of privacy, etc. It was raw, unedited, and Matrix audiences seemed to love it. Niche appeal, but promising. Guests tentatively lined up include Phoenix, Halo, Astrid Nygård, and, inexplicably, Lofwyr.

July 20
I was invited to a discreet meeting on Lake Moeris, where High Priestess Naema of Bastet (human body, feline head) greeted me aboard a reed boat.

The meeting was... surreal. That said, I got what I came for. Security guarantees for Waset-Nekhbet. And a deal: the concert in Luxor may proceed if—and only if—the scepter stolen in Samarkand is returned, and Selvetra Vivekzai is surrendered to her father’s custody.

Tabloids are already spinning tales about the nature of our “agreement.” Horizon issued a denial. Starway Elite declines to comment.

July 21
Today took a darker turn.

John Gardner—father of my fiancée, Evie—reached out. He had in his possession two pairs of cybernetic eyes, taken from victims of the Hope Springs killer. He insists he’s not the killer. I almost believe him.

We had Wizkid analyze the visual buffers. One pair yielded nothing. The second, however, showed Maria Gardner—Evie’s mother—covered in blood, surgical scalpel in hand.

I contacted Maria in VR. She admitted to the killings. Not under duress. No apology. Just... satisfaction. And the missing eyes? She eats them. I reminded her she now works for Aztechnology. I also informed her she’ll be under constant surveillance for the rest of her life. She either gets with the program or she has to go. Her call.

To offset the day’s horrors, I convinced Evie to join me in Cairo for the concert. She’ll be arriving on the 22nd via suborbital. It’s been over a month since we saw each other.