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Chapter 10: False Alarm

Haven City

There was a mob in front of Spud's Spud Emporium by the time Holly returned to Haven and decided to drop by the fast-food restaurant for a quick meal. It seemed like most of Haven's citizens were out and about late that evening; a palpable cloud of anxiety and fear seemed to hang over the city. Even during the goblin/dwarf turf wars that flared up from time to time and with increasing violence, Holly had not seen fairies in Haven this disturbed or uneasy before.

'Hey! You!' a dwarf called to her as she pushed through the crowd to the restaurant's doors. 'Where's our apology?'

'I demand an explanation for your actions!' a gnome yelled.

'Police brutality!'

'You're beating up kids!'

'Where's the head honchos then?'

'My shop's been robbed! By an LEP officer!'

It wasn't just the dwarfs and goblins protesting in front of Spud's Emporium – the crowd stretched down the street and past the nearest police station. Elves, and pixies, and gnomes, and sprites – it seemed that everyone had a complaint against the LEP tonight. And she, Captain Short, was the target for their grievances and complaints due to the simple fact that she had on an LEP uniform and badge.

This isn't about the turf wars anymore, she realized, her heart sinking as more fairies blocked her way to the restaurant's entrance. Something's gone really wrong.

An empty cup sailed over the crowd and hit her in the face, hard. Holly held her hands up, indicating that she meant no harm and was carrying no weapons. It didn't work – fairies continued to jostle her as she pushed her way through; some deliberately elbowed and tripped her.

'Hey officer,' an elderly female elf said, grabbing Holly's arm, 'you get right back to the station and sort things out, all right? Or we're going to fight back. We've got our families to think about, and our kids aren't safe if LEP continues to act way out of line. So get back to your superior before things get worse.'

'Wh-what?' Holly stammered, stumbling over various feet and legs in her path. 'What happened?'

'Listen, girl. I'm one of them who's kept her head, but I can tell that most of us won't be calm and steady if things get worse. We've got LEP beating up fairies for no reason, and some have guns. I don't know why they're doing it – we don't know – but I want you to find out why. So go!'

'But I can't get out –' Holly winced as someone aimed a well-placed kick to her hip.

'Get to the door, get out at the back.' The elf shoved her through the mass of bodies and pushed her through the half-opened door. 'Go!'

Holly hobbled through the silent restaurant – Spud had locked the doors after her and taken refuge under the counter – before stumbling through the back door into the quiet back street.

There were three figures a little way down the street, talking in low voices among themselves. Holly made a dash in the opposite direction, praying that those fairies had not spotted her. She couldn't see their faces and uniforms in the half-darkness, but there were signs that they were LEP. The guns they were holding were a big giveaway, for starters. Best to get out of the place and away from her fellow officers, as civilians were all too likely to start attacking LEP in the current situation. Head to the nearest station, said the elf. Which was what Holly did.

Operations Booth

'Holly? Holly? You there?' Foaly banged a fist down on the table and dialed the number again. 'Pick up the damn phone, Short!'

There was no answer. Foaly searched through the LEP's records feverishly, calling up Holly's phone signal to track her location. Her helmet seemed to be stationary – location: LEP station near Spud's Spud Emporium – but he had to be sure that she was safe. He had to warn her to stay away from the mobs and disguise herself if possible –

'Foaly!' Holly shrieked down the line. 'What the D'Arvit happened?'

'Where are you?' he yelled back. There was so much noise in the background – fairies shouting, children crying, and calls for people to help build –

'Foaly?' The noise level dipped slightly; Holly must have managed to extricate herself from the crowd. 'It's bad here.'

'Where are you?'

'Just outside Briar Street and Enders Tunnel. Foaly, they're building barricades across the streets.'

'What?'

'LEP, Foaly, LEP. They haven't shot anyone, thank Frond, but a few fairies have been threatened and some shops looted and now people are worried, so they're building barricades to stop any more officers coming to their street. What's happening?'

'I'm checking, I'm checking.' Foaly ran through the list of officers who had signed out weapons and equipment on the current shift. Right. Time to track their movements.

'Foaly?'

'Hold on a sec. Wait…oh D'Arvit, there's nothing there! Officers above ground, on patrol, all seems okay –'

'Foaly!'

'What?'

'I just saw Corporal Scarlatti going past – oh there's Rook – '

'Right. I'm seeing them here – they're supposed to be on patrol along Wendell Avenue – anyone else from LEPtraffic there?'

'Just those two.'

'Right, right. I have to get Kelp on this – oh, and Holly?'

'Yeah?'

'Get out of your LEP uniform, okay? And keep your phone with you.'

'I will. I'll try to get to Police Plaza.'

'Good. And now I have to meet the commander.'

Council Meeting Room, Police Plaza

'In light of the recent tragic events,' said Chairman Cahartez, 'I have decided that it would only be proper for the Council to elect a member to replace Councilwoman Ariya, in order to ensure that all procedures proceed as smoothly as possible in this crisis.' He adjusted his official conical hat and beamed at the fairies assembled in the meeting room. 'So what do you say? Any suggestions? Objections?'

'I second that.' Pomona Lyess raised her hand, glancing round the room as she did so. 'We need to ensure safety in Haven, particularly in this trying time.'

'Shall we vote on it then?' said Cahartez.

'Do you have a candidate in mind?' asked Vinyáya.

'To be sure – Bresniv, if you would be so kind as to rise and introduce yourself?'

Otto Bresniv rose from his seat beside Cahartez, his smile mirroring the Chairman's as he nodded amiably to the rest of the Council. Cahartez clapped his hands for attention.

'Otto Bresniv was, as you all here know, recently promoted to head of Internal Affairs after ex-Commander Sool was – ah – demoted.' Cahartez shook his head and went on, 'I assure you that Bresniv has an impeccable record and has demonstrated admirable qualities in policing and leadership. He was an officer in the Retrieval Two squad, back in my heyday as a field operative…'

'Load of bullshit, isn't it?' said Vinyáya laconically in an undertone to Commander Kelp beside her.

'I agree.' Trouble smiled. 'I take it that you'll vote against?'

'Oh yes.' Vinyáya raised her hand. 'Nay.'

'And you, Commander Kelp?' said Cahartez.

Trouble raised his had alongside Vinyáya's. 'Nay.'

Cahartez chuckled, amused. 'The majority wins, unfortunately. Bresniv, I, on behalf of the Council, do welcome you into our elite club! Give a round of applause to the new addition to the Council!'

Boulevard of Kings

More chaos. More fear. More headache for a certain LEP officer in disguise.

Holly trudged along the street on the edge of the crowd, half-listening to the conversations that floated to her ears. People were talking about protecting themselves from the LEP; there were also suggestions for the crowd to disperse and for people to return home and lock themselves in. Well it was a good sign, wasn't it, if they were thinking about going home now?

She hoped so, at least. Where was LEPtraffic and crowd control?

Holly scratched her neck for the fourth time that night; the dress she had thrown over her LEP uniform had proven effective as a disguise, but the lace at the collar and cuffs was giving her a serious itch. Still, she wasn't one to complain – she had been lucky to obtain one after stumbling blindly through somebody's back door while running from a group of irate gnomes. The female gremlin had taken her word that she meant no harm and had promptly produced a dress for Holly to wear over her tell-tale dull green uniform.

What am I doing here? she wondered as she passed a half-constructed barricade being built across the road leading to Burnball Avenue. I'm supposed to be back at the station. Or Police Plaza. Not here.

But something made her stop to watch fairies gathering in front of their homes, their children and families with them.

My parents would have done the same, she thought, noting the fearful expressions on the faces of the younger fairies. The older ones looked decidedly grim. LEP or not, they would've done anything to make sure that the kids are okay. It's my duty to protect these people, but how am I supposed to do that when the LEP is responsible for doing this to them?

Your job is to protect the People, Short. Those were Julius Root's words, hammered into her head over the years, again and again. You do the job you have to do, and your job is to protect the People.

Back to Police Plaza then.

Police Plaza

'Short.' Trouble was waiting for her in his office, sipping a cup of sim-coffee thoughtfully as he sat on the edge of his desk.

'Yes, Commander?'

'Nice dress.' Foaly gave a whinny of amusement as he entered the office behind Holly, computer in hand. 'You okay, Holly?'

'Fine, thanks. Thanks for calling. And don't insult the dress – it saved my life out there.'

'Good thing too – it looked bad for a while there.' The centaur sighed and passed the handheld computer over to Trouble. 'Civilians protesting in the streets, some started building barricades and many claimed that the LEP was misusing authority.'

'Who were those officers?' said Trouble as he passed the computer back to Foaly and poured himself more coffee. 'Are they ours or impostors?'

'Ours.'

There was silence as Trouble finished his coffee and Holly fidgeted with the dress.

'Any updates?' asked Trouble. 'From those still in contact?'

'A few,' Foaly replied. 'LEPtraffic reports that most roads have been blocked, but things are more or less under control. People are calming down, and rogue officers haven't been seen for the past two hours.'

'That's encouraging.' Trouble poured himself a third cup. 'Do you have the names?'

'That's the amazing part,' said Foaly, holding up the list of names displayed on the computer screen. 'Somebody sent this message fifteen minutes ago. I've checked them against our records, and these officers were supposed to get off their shifts hours ago. They signed out at the end of the shift, all right, and then we don't know where they went to. Presumably they went home, but it doesn't look like it, does it?'

'Who sent the message?' asked Holly, watching as Trouble poured yet another cup of coffee.

'Ah.' Foaly grinned sheepishly and flicked his tail in embarrassment. 'I can't trace it.'

'The vigilantes again?' said Trouble.

'Might be, Kelp, might be. Some witnesses to the police attacks claimed that they've seen people in grey uniforms arguing with the LEP officers. There've been fights too, apparently, but as nobody seems to know who these fairies in grey are, we can't say for sure if they're working with the rogue officers or not.'

'Rogue officers and vigilantes,' Holly said, smiling wryly. 'The plot thickens.'

'So what are your next orders, Kelp?' said Foaly.

'Should I get out there and assess the situation?' said Holly. 'I can go in disguise.'

'We lie low for a while, Foaly.' Trouble gulped down his sixth cup of coffee and pointed at Holly. 'And you, Captain, are to go home and get some rest.'

'But I can do some recon right now,' she protested. 'What if the situation goes completely out of control?'

'I don't think so, Holly,' Foaly said, consulting his computer. 'Looks like the crowds are dispersing, people are going home, and some are listening to our LEP officers…'

'Go home, Short,' said Trouble. 'That's an order. You look dead on your feet.'

'Commander –'

'Why do you have to be so stubborn, Holly? Get some rest. You'll have a lot to do tomorrow, since you're so eager to help.'

'Oh – all right. Night then. See you. Bye, Foaly. Kelp.'

Trouble waited until the elf had walked out of sight before he went to shut the door. And then he made himself a fresh pot of coffee.

'You might want to slow down on the caffeine, Kelp,' Foaly remarked, looking meaningfully at the cup in Trouble's hand. 'I've heard it gives you insomnia.'

Trouble waved a hand dismissively. 'I've gone longer without coffee to stay up nights.'

'What did you think about Bresniv?'

'Cahartez's pet monkey, clear and simple. He brought the guy in to swing the Council vote in his favour. Not surprising with these politicians.'

'You should've told her about the decision though,' said Foaly, reading the latest updates on his computer with exaggerated attention. 'The last one didn't go down too well with her.'

'I'll tell her when I see her in the morning.'

'The sooner the better, I say.' Foaly headed to the door with a smirk on his face. 'Cheerio, Kelp. Good luck breaking the news to her.'

'Females. Emotional creatures,' Trouble confided to his fifteenth cup of coffee. He sighed and drained the last of the sim-coffee. 'All the best to you, Trubs.'

A/N: Yep, more credit given to Pratchett's Night Watch.