Hello, this is my Discworld fanfic, so all credit has to go to the amazing
Terry Pratchett. Please don't sue – I have no money ^_^
So… I've pulled the times of existing DW events to pieces to fit this story in. If you don't like it – sorry, just pretend you haven't noticed..
The story is about Marissa Vimes, daughter of Sam Vimes - Commander of the Ankh Morpork Watch. I've sort of moved all the Lady Sybil and Vimes stuff back about 15 years from the book, so when the story starts, Marissa is around 19, the Watch is fully formed, and it's round about after 'The Truth' times.
In brief: Marissa got bitten by a werewolf, is married to William de Worde, get over it. I needed something to annoy Vimes with, okay?
"Three people? That's terrible! Do they know who it was?"
The officer looked uneasy. "Yes…there were witnesses that gave us a description…"
"That's good then. You want me to go and see if I can find this madman?"
"Well…"
"There's something you're not telling me, corporal…"
"You see… I've just got their statements…and I've talked to the Commander and…"
"Come on… get on with it."
"The person they named was…you."
Marissa started, and took a step back. She was about to say something, when Angua came out from the office. Marissa couldn't read anything from her face, she looked blank, not giving anything away.
"Ah…Marissa…could I talk to you for a minute?"
She suddenly realised why Angua was hiding her emotions.
"You think I did it! You believe them!"
"Not exactly, Marissa…but there were eye-witnesses…"
"You're mad! You're not honestly thinking that I would do something like that?!"
"You were seen at the scene…just talk to us, Marissa… I'm sure you have a perfectly good alibi and we can sort this out…"
"What? You know where I was!"
"Ah well," the corporal interjected, feeling he should contribute to this, "if you can just tell us where this was and who saw you there…"
Marissa looked at Angua. She wouldn't meet her gaze.
"You don't have an alibi then, Mrs de Worde?"
"Oh no," Marissa stammered, backing away. "Angua…you've got to help me… you know I wouldn't…"
"Then explain why four people saw you at the scene!" came a shout. Vimes was standing at the door of his office, looking furious. "Get inside, Marissa." He said, a lot more quietly.
"You all think I did it! I don't believe this!" she backed away more, looking frantically around her.
"If you don't come quietly, Marissa, we're going to have to arrest you anyway…" her father motioned to a few officers, who started to move towards her.
Marissa spun around, and fled out of the door, leaving the shouts far behind.
"Right. So be it. I want as many men as we can spare after her."
"No, sir."
"What? That was an order, Sergeant."
"I mean, no – there's no point, Mister Vimes. She'll have changed and be long gone by now."
Vimes gave her a long, cold look. "Then you can do the same and go after her. And don't say you can't – because I know you can find her. I want her in chains, back here, in the cells by sunset, alright?"
The assembled watchmen watched him silently as he stamped back up to his office. Then, as one body, they turned to Angua. She shook her head, and said quietly, "Follow me."
They followed the trail to one of the empty houses wrecked by the recent fire.
"Marissa! Come quietly! We're not going to hurt you!"
"I didn't do it!"
"Then let us talk to you!"
"No! You don't believe me! I didn't do it!"
The watch advanced, cautiously. None of them wanted to make the first move. Marissa backed into a corner, sobbing hysterically.
"Please…Angua…you've got to believe me…"
"Marissa…" Angua said, and took a step forward- bad idea, as in her current state, Marissa thought she was moving to attack her.
"No!" she screamed. And in a flash, Marissa was gone, and a full grown wolf stood snarling in her place. She couldn't stop herself, in mid air, Angua changed too, and Marissa lashed out. That was enough for the others. They all closed in, warily, for two full-grown growling and snarling werewolves were not something anyone wanted to face.
Marissa threw Angua off her, and started to press for the door. The watch tried to stop her, but were continuously thrown back. She fought like any animal would in a corner, ferociously, but she never killed anyone, Angua noticed. With one swipe, she could have killed any one of the Watch, but all she did was knock them away. As she watched, Marissa began to disappear under the force of the attack against her.
"Give it up, Marissa," she snarled.
"No! Never! I didn't do it!" she screamed back in wolf- speak.
Someone raised a club. It hit Marissa squarely between the eyes. She collapsed slowly, changing back to human form as she hit the ground. Angua looked away. "Take her back to the station."
She was all but a shadow of what she used to be. Once red and flaming hair was dull and lay lifelessly in clumps. Her skin was pale and grey. She was thin, thinner than usual. Her bones showed through taught skin. She just lay there, curled up on the floor of the cell. At one point, her eyes snapped open, staring wildly, unseeing. She was still asleep, William noticed, but her eyes were dull and haunted, ringed with black. Vimes came and stood beside him. "She rarely sleeps." He said flatly. "When she does, she has terrible nightmares. We hear her screaming."
"What does she say?"
"I don't think…"
"Tell me."
"Most of our officers refuse to go on duty at night now. She cries. She begs. She screams for mercy and pleads innocence…"
William turned away, and when he spoke his voice was pained. "I don't believe you're doing this. Your own daughter! You know she didn't do it…"
"That hasn't as yet, been proven."
"For gods sake's man! What's wrong with you?"
"I can't give her preference just because she's my daughter! How could I do my job if I let every criminal go free just because their friends claimed they didn't do it?!"
"Sometimes Vimes, you have to stop being a policeman and think like a human being." He strode away up the stairs, out of the cells.
The Commander of the Watch glanced backwards quickly, then walked after him.
Unseen in the dark, from closed eyes, a single tear ran down Marissa's face.
So… I've pulled the times of existing DW events to pieces to fit this story in. If you don't like it – sorry, just pretend you haven't noticed..
The story is about Marissa Vimes, daughter of Sam Vimes - Commander of the Ankh Morpork Watch. I've sort of moved all the Lady Sybil and Vimes stuff back about 15 years from the book, so when the story starts, Marissa is around 19, the Watch is fully formed, and it's round about after 'The Truth' times.
In brief: Marissa got bitten by a werewolf, is married to William de Worde, get over it. I needed something to annoy Vimes with, okay?
"Three people? That's terrible! Do they know who it was?"
The officer looked uneasy. "Yes…there were witnesses that gave us a description…"
"That's good then. You want me to go and see if I can find this madman?"
"Well…"
"There's something you're not telling me, corporal…"
"You see… I've just got their statements…and I've talked to the Commander and…"
"Come on… get on with it."
"The person they named was…you."
Marissa started, and took a step back. She was about to say something, when Angua came out from the office. Marissa couldn't read anything from her face, she looked blank, not giving anything away.
"Ah…Marissa…could I talk to you for a minute?"
She suddenly realised why Angua was hiding her emotions.
"You think I did it! You believe them!"
"Not exactly, Marissa…but there were eye-witnesses…"
"You're mad! You're not honestly thinking that I would do something like that?!"
"You were seen at the scene…just talk to us, Marissa… I'm sure you have a perfectly good alibi and we can sort this out…"
"What? You know where I was!"
"Ah well," the corporal interjected, feeling he should contribute to this, "if you can just tell us where this was and who saw you there…"
Marissa looked at Angua. She wouldn't meet her gaze.
"You don't have an alibi then, Mrs de Worde?"
"Oh no," Marissa stammered, backing away. "Angua…you've got to help me… you know I wouldn't…"
"Then explain why four people saw you at the scene!" came a shout. Vimes was standing at the door of his office, looking furious. "Get inside, Marissa." He said, a lot more quietly.
"You all think I did it! I don't believe this!" she backed away more, looking frantically around her.
"If you don't come quietly, Marissa, we're going to have to arrest you anyway…" her father motioned to a few officers, who started to move towards her.
Marissa spun around, and fled out of the door, leaving the shouts far behind.
"Right. So be it. I want as many men as we can spare after her."
"No, sir."
"What? That was an order, Sergeant."
"I mean, no – there's no point, Mister Vimes. She'll have changed and be long gone by now."
Vimes gave her a long, cold look. "Then you can do the same and go after her. And don't say you can't – because I know you can find her. I want her in chains, back here, in the cells by sunset, alright?"
The assembled watchmen watched him silently as he stamped back up to his office. Then, as one body, they turned to Angua. She shook her head, and said quietly, "Follow me."
They followed the trail to one of the empty houses wrecked by the recent fire.
"Marissa! Come quietly! We're not going to hurt you!"
"I didn't do it!"
"Then let us talk to you!"
"No! You don't believe me! I didn't do it!"
The watch advanced, cautiously. None of them wanted to make the first move. Marissa backed into a corner, sobbing hysterically.
"Please…Angua…you've got to believe me…"
"Marissa…" Angua said, and took a step forward- bad idea, as in her current state, Marissa thought she was moving to attack her.
"No!" she screamed. And in a flash, Marissa was gone, and a full grown wolf stood snarling in her place. She couldn't stop herself, in mid air, Angua changed too, and Marissa lashed out. That was enough for the others. They all closed in, warily, for two full-grown growling and snarling werewolves were not something anyone wanted to face.
Marissa threw Angua off her, and started to press for the door. The watch tried to stop her, but were continuously thrown back. She fought like any animal would in a corner, ferociously, but she never killed anyone, Angua noticed. With one swipe, she could have killed any one of the Watch, but all she did was knock them away. As she watched, Marissa began to disappear under the force of the attack against her.
"Give it up, Marissa," she snarled.
"No! Never! I didn't do it!" she screamed back in wolf- speak.
Someone raised a club. It hit Marissa squarely between the eyes. She collapsed slowly, changing back to human form as she hit the ground. Angua looked away. "Take her back to the station."
She was all but a shadow of what she used to be. Once red and flaming hair was dull and lay lifelessly in clumps. Her skin was pale and grey. She was thin, thinner than usual. Her bones showed through taught skin. She just lay there, curled up on the floor of the cell. At one point, her eyes snapped open, staring wildly, unseeing. She was still asleep, William noticed, but her eyes were dull and haunted, ringed with black. Vimes came and stood beside him. "She rarely sleeps." He said flatly. "When she does, she has terrible nightmares. We hear her screaming."
"What does she say?"
"I don't think…"
"Tell me."
"Most of our officers refuse to go on duty at night now. She cries. She begs. She screams for mercy and pleads innocence…"
William turned away, and when he spoke his voice was pained. "I don't believe you're doing this. Your own daughter! You know she didn't do it…"
"That hasn't as yet, been proven."
"For gods sake's man! What's wrong with you?"
"I can't give her preference just because she's my daughter! How could I do my job if I let every criminal go free just because their friends claimed they didn't do it?!"
"Sometimes Vimes, you have to stop being a policeman and think like a human being." He strode away up the stairs, out of the cells.
The Commander of the Watch glanced backwards quickly, then walked after him.
Unseen in the dark, from closed eyes, a single tear ran down Marissa's face.