prisoners had any drugs in their possession when they were searched here. None
of them had even heard of this super-chacal you keep mentioning. And thanks to
your efforts, we don't even have any proof the pocket dimension ever existed.
That leaves only your word and that of your men. And that's not good enough,
against someone like Morgan. He's a man of standing in the business community,
and a pillar of society. He also has a great many friends in high places. People
with influence. He hadn't been in Headquarters ten minutes before pressure began
coming down from Above. Without real evidence, we didn't have a case. So I let
him go, along with all of his people. I might add that Morgan is strongly
considering suing us for false arrest, and you in particular for assault. I
can't believe you were stupid enough to hit him in front of witnesses.'
For a while, none of them said anything. It was very quiet in Glen's office, the
only sound the murmur of people going back and forth about their business in the
corridors outside.
'There were crates of the drug,' said Hawk finally. 'If they've disappeared, it
can only mean they vanished on their way here, or they were removed by people
working inside Headquarters. Either way, we're talking about corrupt Guards. I
demand an official investigation.'
'You can demand anything you want; you won't get it.'
'I want to talk to my men, the Constables who were with me on the raid.'
'I'm afraid that's not possible. They've already been detailed to other duties.
Haven't you got the picture yet, Captain? As far as our superiors are concerned,
this whole incident is a major embarrassment, and they want it forgotten as soon
as possible. You've got some very important people mad at you. At both of you.
They're looking for scapegoats, and you're tailor-made to fill the bill.'
'Let me see if I've got this straight,' said Hawk, his voice dangerously calm.
'Morgan has walked. So have all his people. And several tons of the most
dangerous drug Haven has ever seen have gone missing. Have I missed anything?'
'Yes,' said Glen. 'I've been instructed to suspend both of you, indefinitely,
while a number of official charges against you are investigated. Charges such as
reckless endangering of life and property, disobeying orders, assaulting
citizens without provocation, brutality, and possible collusion in a vendetta
against a faultless pillar of society. That last was Morgan, in case you were
wondering.'
Hawk grabbed Glen's desk with both hands and threw it to one side. Papers flew
on the air like startled birds as he grabbed two handfuls of Glen's uniform,
picked him up, and slammed him against the nearest wall. He thrust his face
close to the Commander's, until they were staring into each other's eyes.
'No one's suspending me, you son of a bitch! Those drugs are still out there,
waiting to be distributed! They have to be found and seized, and I can't do that
with both hands tied behind my back! Do you understand me?'
Glen looked over Hawk's shoulder at Fisher, standing by the overturned desk.
'Call your partner off. Fisher.'
She shrugged, and folded her arms. 'This time, I think I agree with him. If I
were you, I'd agree with him too. Hawk can get very upset when he thinks people
are conspiring against him.'
The door burst open behind them and two Constables rushed in with drawn swords,
alarmed at the sounds of violence from the Commander's office. Fisher drew her
sword and quickly moved to stand between them and Hawk and Glen. Hawk slowly put
Glen down, but kept a tight hold on him.
'Tell them to leave, Glen. This is private.'
'Not anymore,' said Glen. 'Not after your foul-up this morning. You can't fight
your way out of this one, Hawk. Not even you and Fisher can take on the entire
Guard.'
Hawk grinned suddenly. 'Don't bet your life on it, Glen. We've faced worse odds
in our time. Now, tell those over-eager friends of yours to leave, and we'll…
discuss the situation.'
He let go of Glen, and stepped back a pace, his right hand resting casually on
the axe at his side. The Commander nodded, and gestured for the two Constables
to leave. They looked at each other, shrugged, put away their swords and left,
not quite slamming the door behind them. Glen looked at Hawk.
'You've upset them.'
'Oh dear,' said Hawk. 'What a pity. I'm not going on suspension, Glen. I've got
too much to do.'
'Right,' said Fisher.
'Help me pick up my desk,' said Glen, 'and we'll talk about it.'
Hawk did so, while Fisher leaned against the wall, still holding her sword. Glen
picked up his chair, and sat down behind his desk again. He glanced briefly at
the papers scattered over the floor, then fixed his attention on Hawk and
Fisher.
'All right, no suspension. But I'll have to find somewhere to put you so you're
out of sight until things calm down again.'
'Sounds sensible,' said Fisher. 'What did you have in mind?'
'I can't have you working together; word would be bound to get out. But as it
happens, I've got two jobs to fill that should suit the pair of you nicely. As
you know, even though officially you shouldn't, Peace Talks are taking place in
Haven at the moment, to try and put an end to the border clashes between the Low
Kingdoms and our traditional enemy Outremer, before they get out of hand. The
Talks themselves seem to be going well enough, but there are a number of
political and business interests on both sides who would like very much to see
them fail. Captain David ap Owen is currently in charge of security, but he's
been under a lot of pressure and could use some assistance. Think you could
handle that, Captain Fisher?'
'Sounds fair enough to me,' said Fisher, glancing at Hawk. 'What level of
security are we talking about?'
'Absolute minimum. Officially, the Talks aren't happening here at all. We can't
use troops to guard the delegates; that would be too conspicuous, so there'll
just be yourself, Captain ap Owen, and a dozen Constables in plainclothes. We
can't use any magical protection, either. Same reason; it would just attract
attention. So if anything happens, you're on your own. By the time you could get
word to us it would all be over, one way or the other. You'll have to cope with
what you've got.'
'Do the delegates know that?' said Hawk.
'They suggested it. They're expendable, and they know it. Well, Captain Fisher,
is the assignment to your liking?'
'Sounds like fun,' said Fisher.
Glen looked at her for a moment, and then turned to Hawk. 'I need someone to
find the drugs that went missing. Surprisingly enough, I had worked out for
myself how dangerous this super-chacal could be. I want to know how the stuff
