Friday evening came round too fast but Lady Margolotta insisted Otto and Lily attended the weekly Temperance meeting. She also requested Otto bring his 'special' iconograph and tripod. The goblins stayed at the shop and kept on top of the last minute preparations so that they would be ready for the morning.

As they turned the corner they were surprised to find their group outside, the Lady herself among them. "Good evenink," she announced in a way only she could. "Ve haff heard zat you haff some uninvited guests expected? Ve zought perhaps ve could be of help in locating zem?" She was of course referring to the three vampires Von Kugelstadt had sent.

"Oh my goodness!" Lily was touched by the gesture, but also a might apprehensive.

"Ve all of us had a chance for redemption. Ve must offer zem zer chance to see zer error of zeir vays." The other vampires murmured agreement at this.

"But ve don't haff zer first clue of vhere zey are." Otto countered.

"I zink ve vill very shortly. Vould you be kind enough to take our picture? Zat is the Mark 2 is it not?"

So that's what she was up to, Lily thought, enough of them together might reveal the vampires they were looking for in their future. A group picture was quickly set up and taken. Otto and Lily peered at the image, the former hoping it didn't turn to black like the pictures of Sator Square. The swirling began and pale faces began to come through clearly.

"What's that?" Lily asked, pointing at a blur at the top of the iconograph; three monochrome streaks. They looked upward just as over the rooftops three caped vampires appeared, swooping towards Lily and Otto. The Temperance league reacted quickly but Otto reacted even faster. "Get down!" He yelled at Lily stepping in front of her and deftly turning the tripod over, he stabbed it forward.

There was a crunch as the Pictsie Mark 2 hit the cobbles and three sickening squelches as the trio of vampires were staked by the tripod's legs. Moments later, they were dust. As that dust settled, Lady Margolotta straightened up and nodding her approval, simply said, "Vell, that solves zat zen. I believe zer cocoa should be ready." She walked inside and the other vampires slowly followed behind. Lily stood, blinking, not quite sure what had just happened.

"Could uh... somevun get a dustpan and brush?" Otto asked weakly.

###

As the vampires drank their cocoa and sang their songs, the Watch did the same, although both the drinks and the content of the songs were a lot stronger. Pints were being pulled at 'The Bucket' but Vimes was keeping a watchful eye of exactly how many. He needed them all in a sober frame of mind the following morning. Sipping his beetroot juice slowly he watched them raise their glasses again for their fallen comrade and hoped she would be their last casualty.

###

It was the morning of 'O Day' and the City woke up for the most part blissfully unaware that it may well be its very last morning. Those that were in the know however were far from blissfully anything. Adrenalin and nervous energy ran through their veins after a night of little to no sleep. The market at Sator Square was set up at 6am. At 6:30am before there was much in the way of custom, the Watch began to evacuate the stallholders with a promise of remuneration for a day's lost wages. In some cases a promise was not enough and Vimes, keen to keep the operation running smoothly, dug into his own pockets. In many ways he hoped they would get a chance to spend it.

The Wizards arrived at 10am. They had got in one last hearty breakfast before bringing over the filters. "If you're going to go out with a bang," the Archchancellor told his Faculty, "why not do it on a full stomach?" The Watch helped them arrange seven stalls in a semi-circle and the filters were placed one behind each, in spectrum order. An eighth hid the book trap.

The problem of where to hide the golems came up next. They were far from small, which was rather the point of them, but they were also ridiculously shiny to boot. Ultimately, they were really bloody obvious but sometimes hiding in plain sight was an option. There were several other reflective surfaces in the square in the shape of the fountains. Once the golems lay in the water they were practically invisible unless you were right on top of them.

Lily and the goblins were assisted by the Watch to transport the Salamanders. This was a very delicate exercise as too many bumps or shocks could set them off. With just under an hour to go before the book was due to open it might not be long enough for them to recharge so it was slow-going.

At half-past eleven, the Watch, Wizards and Team Pictsie stood beneath the clock for one final run through.

"This is where the iconograph showed Dulling and 'The Colour of Magick' appearing," Ponder told the group, "so this is where we will be directing the light. The salamanders will need to be poked in order, those with the red filter first, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet."

"The golems?" Vimes asked.

"They will need to be in position first but they have been given clear instructions and will move quickly."

"How will we know when to…poke?" Angua questioned.

"I will tell red," Ponder replied, "the timing will need to be precise for that, then one of the red group will go to the Orange, then the yellow."

"Like a relay?"

"Yes, except if you drop the baton we're all dead," Vimes chipped in. "Listen, we've got one chance at this so we've got to make it work. Protect our city so the idiots that live here get to keep being idiots for a little bit longer. So that we all can get home to our loved ones afterward and appreciate what we've got." He had given Sybil and Young Sam many extra hugs and kisses these last few days, despite his son now reaching the stage where he felt too old for hugs from his old Dad. "I made a promise to Pinky's family that her death would mean something." He nodded to Constable Forrest. "Let's not break that promise eh?"

Heels clicked and salutes were given, "Yes sir!" The Watch seemed to say as one.

"I von't be much help I'm afraid," Otto said, "All zer light vill turn me to dust, but I vill be just around zer corner, in zer shadows if you need me." He said this to all of them but it was mainly Lily he wanted to reassure.

"Alright then," Vimes looked up at the clock, "Time's a ticking. Everyone into position." He put on his mirrored shades. "And be careful out there."