'Someone pick him up!' Vimes fumed, pointing to the recumbent form of William de Worde.
He stomped off to his office, slamming the door behind him and slumped in his chair, surrounded by the cold breeze flowing in through his window. He froze for a moment as he realised that his window was open but relaxed when that sardonic grin didn't materialise. Automatically he reached for another cigar and lit that up, taking deep mouthfuls of smoke and blowing them out in huge clouds as he tried to figure things out.
This Jayson was driving him nuts, he claimed to be Carrot's brother yet attacked both him and Angua, he was also a werewolf which meant he was going to be hard to capture, half the squad in Pseudopolis Yard had just went after him and couldn't keep up. Yet if he wasn't such a bottle-covey and grinned in that way so reminiscent of Carcer he'd also want to shake his hand for taking care of Dragon for him which angered him even more... and wasn't there something else?
Vimes couldn't think anymore, the beast clouding his thoughts as he tried to think of what he'd tell Vetinari about all this, that's if he didn't know about it all already. Jayson had gone to de Worde and sent him here as if knowing it'd annoy him, yet as far as Vimes knew he had to be new to this town, a character like him wouldn't be able to stay inconspicuous for long. The problem was Vimes wasn't sure if he would be content with waiting for Jayson to pop up again uncertain of the damage he'd cause.
Jayson and Junior found themselves wandering the river side of the Shades as they looked for Quirke's house.
'A disgrace like him belongs here.' Junior muttered unaware of the numerous eyes in the darkness.
'Yeah well at least it'll make my job easier although I don't think you'll be able to get away without watching.' Jayson said shrugging turning onto Rumpty Street.
'You should have family round here, isn't Cockbill Street round here?' he added conversationally.
'They're all dead... anyway why do I have to watch this one? You think I'll enjoy it or something?' Junior replied huffily.
'We're in the Shades remember? Admittedly it's not as bad as back home but I'd like you to still be here when I come out. As for enjoying it, how do you know until you try?' Jayson replied with a smirk.
Junior rolled his eyes yet drew closer to Jayson as they came to a nondescript building made of mouldering stone and a decaying wooden door.
'Obviously he hasn't got anything worth stealing and criminals probably don't target their own, even if they were an ex-copper.' Jayson said dryly and kicked the door, the wood splintering into clouds of dust around his foot.
They entered the dark room, Jayson aware of the sharp breathing in the back, tempered by rasping. Junior followed him in, closing what remained of the door out of habit and the room was plunged into total darkness.
Junior was adjusting to the dark, his vision slowly coming from pure darkness to a murky black when he saw stars, something hitting him across the temple.
He staggered back clutching his head with one hand whilst flailing for his attacker with the other.
'Damn it J...' he started saying when a whisper of air blowing past him cut him short and there was a muffled cry and the sound of flesh landing on stone.
Then there was blinding light and the smell of sulphur as a candle was lit expelling the gloom and revealing the bulk of ex-Captain Quirke lying on the ground, arms twisted under his back and pinned there with a wooden rod, presumably the same that had hit Junior across the face. Meanwhile Jayson was stood over him holding the candle, the yellow rays highlighting his sharp features with shadows.
'Who are you?' he asked through ragged breaths, his large, saggy cheeks flapping as he spoke, his blue/grey eyes full of fear.
'Pitiful.' Junior said softly looking at the ragged clothes the large man was wearing, full of holes and dirty as if never washed, hands covered by worn fingerless gloves.
His cheeks were flushed red whilst the rest of his face was pinky-white, wisps of hair teased over his bald crown.
'The years haven't been good to you have they?' Junior said smirking and realised he was sounding like Jayson and quickly shut up.
'We're Pain, Misery and that's Death.' Jayson quipped, jerking his thumb to some unseen figure in the shadows behind him.
Quirke's piggy eyes widened even further. 'What do you want? I don't have anything, I haven't done anything!' he pleaded, his feet scrabbling on the floor as he struggled to sit up.
Jayson glanced at Junior, giving him a look and the older man turned obediently aware of what was to come.
'You have anger, resentment, boiling away in that belly of yours and I know where it leads, what you'll do with it when the time comes and I will not allow it!' Jayson snapped tilting the candle slightly over Quirke so that hot wax dripped down and landed on his flesh, the smell of singed hair appearing as Quirke screamed in pain.
'Now I hope I'm a merciful man for your pain will be brief compared to that you'll cause.' Jayson whispered as he leant down close to the whimpering figure.
There was a sudden blur of movement and a crack of bone cutting the whimpering off suddenly. Behind Jayson, Junior shivered slightly at the sound and then turned back round to see the dead eyes of Quirke as Jayson stood.
'So it is done?' Junior asked as Jayson seemed to step back for some unseen figure, nodding to them and winking briefly.
Junior screwed his eyes up trying to see who this was but gave up his mind deciding it was all the trick of shadows as Jyason's voice cut in.
'For you yes... I have a final appointment to make.' He said softly.
Junior's eyes widened and he took a couple of steps back. 'What do you mean?' he stammered.
Jayson turned to Junior and gave a rough chuckle. 'Calm down... I'm not going to kill you too... it's just that it's time for you to go back.' Jayson told him and with that Junior faded and disappeared, to be replaced by an undulating darkness covered in stars.
'I have a bone to pick with you.' Jayson said softly as Lobsang materialised.
'Oh really?' Lobsang said smirking.
'Why did you let Junior come here? He has no idea of what I was doing and he didn't need to!' Jayson snapped turning to him.
'You were gone for months and the poor lad was fretting, I figured I'd let him see.' Lobsang replied still with a faint smile.
'For what reason? He'll forget it all now! That part of him doesn't exist anymore!' Jayson ranted.
'True but you won't...' Lobsang replied.
'Don't I know that? The amount of times I've gone through this? This is the last one! As soon as I tell them I can go back and it'll all be different. Was Junior's arrival here some lesson of the Sweeper's?' Jayson demanded.
'That I cannot say.' Lobsang replied his smile fading.
Jayson sighed 'The deal is almost done, don't back out now on account of that trickster.' He told him.
'As if I would? I will keep to my word.' Lobsang answered sincerely.
'Good otherwise Miss Susan will have a few harsh words to say no doubt.' Jayson said smirking.
'Well you know how she feels about this...' Lobsang said paling.
'Yeah I think the phrase "Historic causality can go jump" was a polite way of saying it.' Jayson replied and snuffed the candle out between his fingers, a hissing sound as it singed his flesh.
'For all that I may complain I'm grateful for the chance you gave me.' Jayson said softly.
'Well you know the price.' Lobsang said softly.
'I'm a werewolf, murder is easy if I just let go.' Jayson said dryly.
'You know what I mean.' Lobsang replied.
'Yeah, yeah. Well I guess I'd better finish it all off and hope Vimes doesn't kill me in the process, though gods knows I probably deserve it.' Jayson said grinning in the dark, leaving Quirke's corpse to cool in the night whilst Lobsang dematerialised.
Vimes awoke with a snort, the cigar crushed against his face, a smear of ash running over his cheek. His eyes opened and found himself looking into a jar of water with black specks floating within it.
'What the hell?' he muttered, sitting bolt upright, the cigar falling away from his face.
'Good morning your grace.' The voice said close by making his blood freeze.
'You!' he growled looking into cold blue eyes and reached for the sharp letter opener on his desk somewhere among the piles of paper.
'Ah ah!' Jayson said quickly and pinned Vimes hand to the desk taking the other one in the stomach as Vimes bunched his fist and struck him with it.
Jayson grit his teeth and flinched, exhaling and turning his grimace into a grin.
'Nice one your grace but I'm not here to fight. I'm here to speak with you, Carrot and Angua if you'd be so kind to call them to your office.' He said softly brushing Vimes' fist aside.
'Are you insane?' Vimes' snapped rhetorically.
'Call them.' Jayson said simply, squeezing Vimes wrist.
It was Vimes turn to grimace and with his free hand he reach over to the networks of tubes that either delivered important notices to various parts of the building or enabled him to summon various personnel. He lifted the funnel-like end of the tube from its hook and muttered something into the end before Igor's voice came on the other end.
'Is Angua well?' Vimes asked and there was a pause as Igor's voice answered.
'Right could you tell her and Carrot to come see me? It's urgent.' He told him still grimacing in mild pain as his knuckles turned white.
He then replaced the tube and the pressure was released from his hand, Jayson somehow in the far corner of the room a second later as Vimes swung at where he had been.
'You shouldn't listen to the beast all the time... it could get you killed.' Jayson said sadly.
'Says a murderer like you?' Vimes growled rubbing his sore wrist.
'I only kill the deserving... and no I'm not an Assassin so the deserving doesn't mean those with the right price.' Jayson said archly.
'No not the Assassin type.' Vimes replied grudgingly.
The door to his office opened and Carrot and Angua walked in one after the other, Carrot's brow crinkling in honest perplex ion and Angua's eyes flashing in anger as they noticed Jayson.
'What's he doing here?' Angua hissed whilst Carrot placed himself between her and Jayson.
'I have some explaining to do.' Jayson said softly.
'Damn right.' Vimes muttered.
'Firstly I have to apologise to both Carrot and Angua. I didn't intend to harm either of you merely prepare you for what was to come.' Jayson told them.
'What do you mean?' Carrot asked.
'What's coming?' Angua added.
'A revolt... un-dead from Uberwald with a grudge. However this shouldn't be too bad since I've killed the main conspirators but it will still happen and the Watch will be hit worst.' Jayson explain his eyes not leaving their faces.
'Is that why you came here to warn us? To tell me of our shared past?' Carrot asked.
Jayson sighed softly and gave a weak grin 'In a way... except we don't have a past.' He said softly.
'What!?' both Vimes and Angua exploded.
'I'm not your brother Carrot, on that I lied, but you do have werewolf blood in you and you will not be able to deny it when it starts, not if you want the Watch to survive.' Jayson told them his gaze directed mainly at Carrot, his eyes full of regret.
'Then how do you know all this?' Vimes asked.
'Because of something you'd understand sir.' Jayson said.
Vimes frowned. 'And what's that?' he asked, reaching for his crushed cigar, in need of a smoke.
Jayson smirked briefly. 'Time travel, your grace. I'm from the future, one that's a lot darker than the past of May 25th.' He told them causing Vimes to drop his cigar.
'You...' he muttered, both Carrot and Angua glancing between themselves bemused.
'Know? Yes I do. The Sweeper asked me to send his regards.' Jayson answered causing Carrot and Angua to share another glance.
'Why did you approach us this way?' Carrot asked holding Angua up as she started to sag at the knees.
'It's the only way I had and now it's time for me to go.' Jayson said softly heading to the window.
'Wait! You haven't explained everything!' Vimes shouted.
'I've told you all I can. It's up to you what you do with what I've told you.' Jayson answered his hands resting on the windowsill, his back to then, trusting that they believed his words.
'How can we believe you?' Angua murmured weakly.
'It happens in a few years, it'll start with a trickle of werewolves coming to Ankh-Morpork and then there will be trouble with Borogravia again, much worse than it is now, all part of an interference to get Vimes out of town, then the war will begin.' Jayson told them.
'And what's your part in all this?' Carrot asked.
'Me? I'm just an innocent victim of it all, orphaned and looked after by a good man who's sitting here now, the son of which is a good friend of mine.' Jayson said softly still not looking at them.
'What? Me?' Vimes said aloud realising what was said as Carrot smiled faintly to himself.
Vimes stood walking over to Jayson 'Is Sam here with you?' he asked grabbing Jayson's shoulder and turning him to face him.
'No... I came alone.' Jayson replied twisting the truth slightly.
'How is he?' Vimes asked letting Jayson go.
'That I can't tell you.' Jayson replied smiling faintly.
'Why? Because of the rules of time?' Vimes asked glaring at him.
'No because if you listen to me and take heed then it'll all be different when I go back. By the way I've left Dragon's ashes as a gift to you. It'll make a good paperweight.' Jayson said softly and with that leant out the window.
Vimes went to grab him but was too late as Jayson slipped out, falling forward headfirst. There was a crackle of light and as Vimes stuck his head out the window to see where he had gone Jayson was nowhere to be seen.
'He's gone...' Vimes said pulling his head back in and closing the window as Carrot and Angua looked on in blank amazement.
'So what do we do now, sir?' Carrot asked his blank face concealing the thoughts he was having.
'I guess we'll have to wait and see if what he said comes true.' Vimes said softly, sitting in his chair.
'You believe him?' Angua asked incredulously.
'He's just vanished into thin air which is what happened to me when the lightning struck the Library at the University that time. Maybe he isn't telling the truth but can we afford to ignore him if he was?' Vimes said and gazed at the jar on his desk.
'I guess not sir.' Angua murmured, her eyes closing as she slumped against Carrot.
'I guess you should take her back to bed lad. I wouldn't have brought her here in her condition except Jayson wanted her to hear what he had to say.' Vimes said softly.
'Well we must have important roles in what's to come or he wouldn't have picked us. Maybe he got it from your son?' Carrot replied scooping Angua up in his arms.
'Maybe...' Vimes said softly not voicing the thought that he felt Jayson meant that the both of them were to die in this war.
'Well I'd better let Angua get some rest.' Carrot said interrupting his thoughts and tried to salute with his hands full.
'Very well Captain.' Vimes replied. 'By the way, how's de Worde?' he added as an afterthought.
'We got him downstairs with Igor.' Carrot replied as he left the office.
Once he was alone Vimes allowed himself a little smile. It was a shame he wouldn't be able to be there when de Worde awoke, Igor had some interestingly frightening things down there...