He patted the cold metal of the dish. “Good work,” he whispered.
His wife, Fatima, emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands. “Is it back?”
The television inside crackled.
The static didn’t vanish—it coalesced . First came the audio: a faint, distant recitation of the Quran from a Saudi channel. Then, a few pixels of green. Then a face. Then a whole news anchor, sitting behind a desk in Islamabad, speaking clearly.