Challenge #4: In Peace, Vigilance (AU part 3)
Rating: T
Word Count: 1200
Summary: Commissioner MacTir and the Denerim police department fill the Wardens in on the circumstances of Mayor Theirin's abduction.
Notes: Part 1, Part 2
There was a palpable aura of unwelcome as the Wardens made their way into the strategy room, which was really more of an awning huddled over stacks of equipment atop folding tables, a thick coil of wires snaking off to a municipal power outlet somewhere. Grey Commander inspected the drawn faces of the men crowded around screens or growling into walkie-talkies and decided that at best, they were indifferent to the group; at worst, they smouldered with barely-contained hostility. Denerim's finest were not fans.
Not that she would let it get to her. The Wardens were here for the mayor, not the DPD. If they couldn't see that they were all on the same side, it wasn't her job to convince them. In her opinion, everyone under that tent - herself included - were to blame for letting this happen. They had all known that Darkspawn was getting bolder, and thus far had done precious little about it. That ended here and now.
“Commissioner,” All-Star was saying, extending a hand to the sallow-faced man. Denerim's most decorated officer shook it once, quickly, letting his brevity say what his strength could not. Nobody was going to get the firmer handshake on All-Star, but Commissioner MacTir didn't need to. With one pump of his hand, he reminded the entire tent that he was the hero of the River Dane standoff, while the Wardens' most publicly beloved member was still just a kid in a cape.
“While I see my daughter has informed you of the situation, I imagine she did not provide you with any details,” the commissioner said, clasping his hands behind his back.
“No, sir,” All-Star admitted. “We came as soon as we heard. First Lady Anora was insistent.”
“That she can be,” came the reply, tinged (probably despite his best efforts) with fatherly pride. Elissa Cousland felt a pang of anger and sorrow, of which Grey Commander gave no sign. If her parents were alive today, would her father have that same light in his eyes when he spoke of her?
The older man cleared his throat, shaking off this brief display of emotion, and nodded at Captain Cauthrien, who faced the Wardens wearing a guarded expression.
“First,” she began, scanning their faces. “We must insist that you use the utmost discretion with the information we are about to give you. Ordinarily, this sort of thing would be highly classified and kept on a need-to-know basis. We have to be sure that we can trust you not to disclose anything we tell you to anyone, especially the press.”
“You have our word,” All-Star assured her, as Grey Commander stalked around the back of the group to a more shadowed corner of the tent, the better to observe the conversation. Although she made a point of watching everyone, her eyes kept drifting back to Commissioner MacTir, contemplating how their separate paths had led them here. The commissioner didn't know it, but he was part of the reason Grey Commander existed in the first place.
Bryce Cousland had once been one of MacTir's allies in the fight against Carmine Orlais, a fellow assistant DA who helped Rendon Howe build a case against the criminal and his syndicate. This seemed all but forgotten now, after the mysterious circumstances of his and his wife's death. All that remained of the Couslands, in Denerim's mind, was a very spoiled heiress and District Attorney Rendon Howe, who had made his old friend's death a cornerstone of his campaign. Loghain MacTir had closed the case years ago, ruling it a murder-suicide. Grey Commander was the only detective still following leads. Had it not been for her lingering suspicion that the police department itself was involved in her parents' death, she would probably have joined the force as an officer. Instead, she had been forced to seek justice through other means, not all of them legal.
Now, however, was not the time to think of that. The police captain was explaining the details of the mayor's abduction.
“At eleven-oh-five, Mayor Theirin left his bodyguards and was last spotted at eleven-thirteen by a traffic camera on Lothering Avenue,” Cauthrien reported, motioning to a map of the city behind her. “He was heading southbound on Market Street.”
“Do you have any idea of where he might have been going?” All-Star asked, examining the map. Cauthrien and the commissioner exchanged meaningful glances before she cleared her throat nervously.
“We have reason to believe he intended to visit an establishment known as the Pearl,” she informed the group quietly. Zipper's face broke out in a knowing grin.
“Ah, the Pearl!” he said gleefully. “The mayor has excellent taste!”
Cauthrien coughed again, not meeting the speedster's eye, as All-Star looked back and forth between the police captain and his team-mate helplessly. That handsome face of his was drawn into a look of sincere confusion.
“Why? What kind of place is the Pearl?” he asked, brows knit. From the back of the group, Holy Archer swallowed a snicker, and suddenly nobody in the tent wanted to look All-Star in the eye. Nobody, that is, except Zipper.
“The Pearl, my dear All-Star, is an establishment of the highest quality, offering the best in exotic dancing and Denerim nightlife.” Behind his goggles, Zip's eyebrows waggled knowingly. All-Star continued to stare at him, confused. Then Boudler spoke up.
“It's a strip club, boy.”
“Oh!” All-Star exclaimed, ears turning pink. “Oh. Did the may--” His voice broke. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Did the mayor make it to the, er, establishment?”
“No,” Cauthrien replied. “That time of night, it should have taken him about twelve to fifteen minutes to get there. The staff don't report ever seeing him. Darkspawn must have taken him some time between 11:13 and 11:20.”
“That's not a very large window,” Grey Commander observed. Cauthrien jumped, apparently having forgotten she was there. MacTir did not. “What happened to his car?”
“Uniforms found it a block away from Kohari Park” the captain told her, regaining her composure. “The keys were still in the ignition.”
Holy Archer frowned, meeting Grey Commander's eye before speaking. “But Kohari Park is nearly on the other side of town from Ostagar, and at least forty blocks away from Market Street.”
“How did they get the mayor to Ostagar when they abandoned his car that far away?” All-Star wondered aloud. Commissioner MacTir snorted derisively.
“That is immaterial,” the commissioner cut in. “What matters is that we know he's there now.”
“How do we know he's alive?” Grey Commander asked, keeping her tone neutral. MacTir's back stiffened anyway as he rounded on her.
“Because, 'Commander', we've been receiving hourly demands from these punks, along with threats directed towards my men and the city as a whole!” he snarled. Grey Commander schooled her expression into one of complete nonchalance.
“When did you hear from them last?” she asked, voice steady.
“Nearly an hour ago,” Cauthrien supplied before her superior could reply. “We've actually been waiting --”
“Commissioner?” one of the officers interrupted, removing his headphones and peering over his monitor at the group. “You need to see this.”
Word Count: 1200
Summary: Commissioner MacTir and the Denerim police department fill the Wardens in on the circumstances of Mayor Theirin's abduction.
Notes: Part 1, Part 2
There was a palpable aura of unwelcome as the Wardens made their way into the strategy room, which was really more of an awning huddled over stacks of equipment atop folding tables, a thick coil of wires snaking off to a municipal power outlet somewhere. Grey Commander inspected the drawn faces of the men crowded around screens or growling into walkie-talkies and decided that at best, they were indifferent to the group; at worst, they smouldered with barely-contained hostility. Denerim's finest were not fans.
Not that she would let it get to her. The Wardens were here for the mayor, not the DPD. If they couldn't see that they were all on the same side, it wasn't her job to convince them. In her opinion, everyone under that tent - herself included - were to blame for letting this happen. They had all known that Darkspawn was getting bolder, and thus far had done precious little about it. That ended here and now.
“Commissioner,” All-Star was saying, extending a hand to the sallow-faced man. Denerim's most decorated officer shook it once, quickly, letting his brevity say what his strength could not. Nobody was going to get the firmer handshake on All-Star, but Commissioner MacTir didn't need to. With one pump of his hand, he reminded the entire tent that he was the hero of the River Dane standoff, while the Wardens' most publicly beloved member was still just a kid in a cape.
“While I see my daughter has informed you of the situation, I imagine she did not provide you with any details,” the commissioner said, clasping his hands behind his back.
“No, sir,” All-Star admitted. “We came as soon as we heard. First Lady Anora was insistent.”
“That she can be,” came the reply, tinged (probably despite his best efforts) with fatherly pride. Elissa Cousland felt a pang of anger and sorrow, of which Grey Commander gave no sign. If her parents were alive today, would her father have that same light in his eyes when he spoke of her?
The older man cleared his throat, shaking off this brief display of emotion, and nodded at Captain Cauthrien, who faced the Wardens wearing a guarded expression.
“First,” she began, scanning their faces. “We must insist that you use the utmost discretion with the information we are about to give you. Ordinarily, this sort of thing would be highly classified and kept on a need-to-know basis. We have to be sure that we can trust you not to disclose anything we tell you to anyone, especially the press.”
“You have our word,” All-Star assured her, as Grey Commander stalked around the back of the group to a more shadowed corner of the tent, the better to observe the conversation. Although she made a point of watching everyone, her eyes kept drifting back to Commissioner MacTir, contemplating how their separate paths had led them here. The commissioner didn't know it, but he was part of the reason Grey Commander existed in the first place.
Bryce Cousland had once been one of MacTir's allies in the fight against Carmine Orlais, a fellow assistant DA who helped Rendon Howe build a case against the criminal and his syndicate. This seemed all but forgotten now, after the mysterious circumstances of his and his wife's death. All that remained of the Couslands, in Denerim's mind, was a very spoiled heiress and District Attorney Rendon Howe, who had made his old friend's death a cornerstone of his campaign. Loghain MacTir had closed the case years ago, ruling it a murder-suicide. Grey Commander was the only detective still following leads. Had it not been for her lingering suspicion that the police department itself was involved in her parents' death, she would probably have joined the force as an officer. Instead, she had been forced to seek justice through other means, not all of them legal.
Now, however, was not the time to think of that. The police captain was explaining the details of the mayor's abduction.
“At eleven-oh-five, Mayor Theirin left his bodyguards and was last spotted at eleven-thirteen by a traffic camera on Lothering Avenue,” Cauthrien reported, motioning to a map of the city behind her. “He was heading southbound on Market Street.”
“Do you have any idea of where he might have been going?” All-Star asked, examining the map. Cauthrien and the commissioner exchanged meaningful glances before she cleared her throat nervously.
“We have reason to believe he intended to visit an establishment known as the Pearl,” she informed the group quietly. Zipper's face broke out in a knowing grin.
“Ah, the Pearl!” he said gleefully. “The mayor has excellent taste!”
Cauthrien coughed again, not meeting the speedster's eye, as All-Star looked back and forth between the police captain and his team-mate helplessly. That handsome face of his was drawn into a look of sincere confusion.
“Why? What kind of place is the Pearl?” he asked, brows knit. From the back of the group, Holy Archer swallowed a snicker, and suddenly nobody in the tent wanted to look All-Star in the eye. Nobody, that is, except Zipper.
“The Pearl, my dear All-Star, is an establishment of the highest quality, offering the best in exotic dancing and Denerim nightlife.” Behind his goggles, Zip's eyebrows waggled knowingly. All-Star continued to stare at him, confused. Then Boudler spoke up.
“It's a strip club, boy.”
“Oh!” All-Star exclaimed, ears turning pink. “Oh. Did the may--” His voice broke. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Did the mayor make it to the, er, establishment?”
“No,” Cauthrien replied. “That time of night, it should have taken him about twelve to fifteen minutes to get there. The staff don't report ever seeing him. Darkspawn must have taken him some time between 11:13 and 11:20.”
“That's not a very large window,” Grey Commander observed. Cauthrien jumped, apparently having forgotten she was there. MacTir did not. “What happened to his car?”
“Uniforms found it a block away from Kohari Park” the captain told her, regaining her composure. “The keys were still in the ignition.”
Holy Archer frowned, meeting Grey Commander's eye before speaking. “But Kohari Park is nearly on the other side of town from Ostagar, and at least forty blocks away from Market Street.”
“How did they get the mayor to Ostagar when they abandoned his car that far away?” All-Star wondered aloud. Commissioner MacTir snorted derisively.
“That is immaterial,” the commissioner cut in. “What matters is that we know he's there now.”
“How do we know he's alive?” Grey Commander asked, keeping her tone neutral. MacTir's back stiffened anyway as he rounded on her.
“Because, 'Commander', we've been receiving hourly demands from these punks, along with threats directed towards my men and the city as a whole!” he snarled. Grey Commander schooled her expression into one of complete nonchalance.
“When did you hear from them last?” she asked, voice steady.
“Nearly an hour ago,” Cauthrien supplied before her superior could reply. “We've actually been waiting --”
“Commissioner?” one of the officers interrupted, removing his headphones and peering over his monitor at the group. “You need to see this.”