The Hard-Boiled Egg Test
The Prologue: in which Sod's Law kicks in
by GhostsInTheMachine
Rating: PG. I understand 'sod' is a mild curse in British English...
Warnings, Pairings, or Warnings about Pairings: Might be some CA, but little else. I suppose I should mention there's going to be an original character... Mary Sue or not? You decide.
And oh yes, the obligatory disclaimer: Discworld and its characters belong to Terry Pratchett. Remember that, fellow fanficcers, and do not try to put them in a bag and steal them. :-)

Angua didn't bother raising her head from her slumped position at the table when Vimes came into the Watch canteen.

"Carrot's coming, sir," she mumbled as he sat down and put a mug of coffee in front of her. "Prepare for the attack of the colons."

Vimes took a few seconds to puzzle this out. "Are you warning me about Carrot's punctuation, or is Fred's extended family launching an attack on the Watch House? Either way, Sergeant, you need some sleep."

"P'nctuation," she replied, now nearly inaudible. "'Sides, got coffee. Not bedtime yet. Lunchtime."

"You've been awake for hours on end. We got him. We're done. Go to sleep, I said."

"People in glass houses," she mumbled. "'M fine. Hi, Carrot."

Carrot paused by her chair and peered at her worriedly. "Commander," he whispered loud enough to wake the dead(1), "shouldn't she be off duty by now?"

Vimes raised his hands in a gesture of defeat.

"Still, though, it's been a pretty good day so far," said Carrot, trying to inject a note of cheeriness into the irritable and, above all, exhausted mood. "Lunchtime already, and no major problems yet—"

"Except a murdering maniac rampaging for two days straight—" interjected Vimes.

"Well, yes, that. And two unlicensed thefts, Visit tells me. I think we can relax now."

A pause.

"Why do I feel like something should have dropped from the ceiling just now?" (Angua was beginning to revive a little, probably due to the coffee.)

In spite of themselves, Vimes and Carrot glanced up momentarily. "Sod's Law doesn't always kick in, you know," said Vimes. "If it always worked, then it wouldn't be Sod's Law anymore— what was it that quantum wizard said? 'The biggest coincidence of all is a life entirely without coincidence,' or some such. And Sod's Law always working is about as likely as it never working."

"Makes sense," said Angua, gazing contemplatively into the coffee. "You can never, ever have perfect order. Entropy and all that."

"Entropy?" asked Carrot.

"It's…" Angua paused, trying to translate her mental explanation out of Exhausted-Werewolf-Speak. "All right, imagine a giant jigsaw puzzle. That's the universe. Now, if you shake it and spill it out onto a table, it's almost impossible to have it come out in the exact order it's supposed to be, right?"

Carrot and Vimes nodded.

Something dropped from the ceiling

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(1) And give all the undead severe headaches.