“What about Peabody?” one of the other detectives asked.
“What about him?” Bradly snapped, intensely annoyed by the repeated query. “I already told you, one of his old enemies got him, this morning.”
“Well, there’s a problem with that,” a voice said behind Bradly. “You see, it’s a complete fabrication. You’re lying, Bradly. Badly.”
Bradly spun, furious, to challenge the speaker…
…Only to see IPD Investigator Winston Peabody standing there, hale and hearty.
Accompanied by IPD Director Lee Carter, IPD Investigative Lead Detective Nick Ashton, ICPD Colonel Maia Peterson, and ICPD Detective Callista Ames, and the lot of them flanked by the rest of the ICPD’s ‘Team,’ plus a substantial number of the ICPD beat cops.
“It seems, Mr. Bradly,” an incensed Carter paraphrased an ancient bard, “that the rumors of our deaths have been greatly exaggerated.”
“Take them into custody,” Ashton ordered the ICPD Team.
Bradly went for his weapon, and suddenly found he was facing down, not only Carter, Ashton, Peabody, Peterson, Ames and the ICPD detectives and street cops, but all of the IPD investigators, and most of the IPD beat cops. All had weapons drawn, and were slowly herding Bradly’s co-conspirators into the center of the circle with Bradly.
“I wouldn’t do that, Bradly,” Ames almost snarled. “Not unless you enjoy looking – and feeling – like a block of Swiss cheese. Because I, for one, will be more than happy to oblige you in your chosen style. Just give me a damn reason.”
“What she said,” Peterson growled.
Bradly stood for a moment, stupefied. Then he quietly bent, laid his weapon on the floor, and kicked it away with his toe.
The rest of his co-conspirators followed suit.
A Decision
Once matters had settled down at the temporary New Headquarters, and the obvious conspirators had been sorted out and arrested, Carter called everyone left together in the beat cop bullpen, which was the largest room available. The fact that Carter & Co. had deliberately shown up during shift handover meant that virtually every current employee in the department headquarters was there. They all looked at him, waiting, the same question written on all their faces.
“Yes,” he answered the unspoken question. “There was indeed a concerted attempt to assassinate me, my wife, Detective Ashton, and his wife. Both our wives work as investigators for ICPD, and they know their stuff. More, ICPD has kindly offered to assist us through the reorganization and build-up. That group who was just arrested would not only have killed the four of us, but had apparently planned to fire-bomb the ICPD main building. What they figured to do about an unhappy Emperor, I don’t want to think. Especially after what happened to the last Empress.”
There were murmurs and grumblings throughout the big room.
“Now, I didn’t want to have to do this, but they’ve forced the matter by what they did,” Carter continued. “I would like a show of hands. Who is willing, not only to re-take their Oath, but to do so while sitting in a lie detector chair?”
A startled reaction went through his audience, then around eighty percent of the hands went up.
“How many would not be willing?”
Most of the rest of the hands went up.
“How many aren’t sure?”
Some half a dozen hands went up.
“Nick, could you take those handful aside into your office?” Carter asked, pointing out the uncertain and patently confused staffers. “I’ll be in there in a moment to talk to them.”
Carter waited until the small group had left the bullpen.
“Now, could I see the hands who would refuse, one more time?”
Hands went back up.
“Fine. You’re fired. Clear your desks and get out.”
Quite a few people stepped back in stunned amazement.
“You’re kidding,” Andy White said, shocked. “Just because we don’t want to re-take our oaths?”
“That lot that we just arrested for trying to kill me and several other people – including, let me note, Investigator Peabody, there, who is willing to be proven honest, even after having already done so by his actions – took the Oath, too,” Carter pointed out. “And they perjured themselves in the process. I’m sorry, but it’s a tough road we’re walking today. If you’re not willing to prove to me that you’re trustworthy when you take that Oath, then you’re not willing to do this job the way I want it done. The way the Emperor wants it done.” He nodded at White. “Now get your things and leave.”
“We don’t get a chance to change our minds?”
“Your first reactions told the tale, White. Go. I won’t say it again.”
Grumbling, the dissenters began gathering their personal belongings from their desks. Carter addressed the rest of the group.
“Between the new facility being set up two floors down, and the facility at ICPD’s main precinct, there are two lie detectors available,” Carter noted. “The ICPD has kindly offered to handle the matter for us, so please get with Colonel Maia Peterson, here, and work out a schedule to re-take your Oaths, please. And thank you for understanding, and being willing.”
“Are we being vetted, as well?” Jimmy Rodriguez wondered.
“You are,” Ashton answered. “It’s hard, because we’re trying to staff up as fast as we can, given everything going on. But thorough background checks are being performed, not only with the aid of the ICPD, but with the aid of a couple of offworld ICPD sectors, such as Catalonia, whose lead is working with me to help out, there. Please be patient while we work through a really big backlog of checks.”
“Any other questions?” Carter asked, and when none were forthcoming, he announced, “Dismissed.”
Once Carter had discussed matters with the half-dozen confused staffers, they
