27th Division Meeting Room, 7 AM, Roll Call:
Hope stood at the lecture podium among a sea of noise. She had 20 officers assembled for her first roll call and not a one of them had addressed her when they came in. Her browns ticked over each of them, mostly rookies and a few on probation for infractions she'd reviewed. They all seemed interested in chatting with each other, eating hastily grabbed pastries, breakfast sandwiches or coffee. Phones were out and no one was looking at her.
"Ahem! Officers! Roll Call will begin now. Ahem!" Hope said loudly and clearly.
One rookie looked at her and snorted and went back to ribbing his buddies about a wild night out at a few bars. Hope could distinctly smell him and his list of drinks wafting through the room. She rolled her eyes, this was ludicrous.
"Attention!" Hope said at the top of her lungs.
The group quieted, for just a moment to regard the yelling woman at the podium. Then one rookie, a perky looking brunette piped up.
"Can we just leave already. Captain Ravenlock isn't showing and we don't have time to take orders from his secretary. I have a few appointments to keep with my stylist." She said.
Hope's eyebrow ticked up a moment. Okay, maybe she could let one snark go by. Another officer, a middle aged sergeant on probation leaned back and yawned as he spoke.
"C'mon. Can't we get some loosening up in this regime? Brian runs us all ragged with polished boots and brass. Besides, he's leaving, just like all the other do-gooders at the other divisions. You wont last a week in his shoes, girl. So just dismiss us and let us do some real work." He said.
That eyebrow shot up more and Hope face palmed for a moment. She was seconds from standing in front of Brian's desk explaining why she throttled half of the room, but no, she wont be accused of being that kind of tyrant. Oh no. The jabs at her, fine, it was typical jockeying anytime leadership changed up. The snipes at Brian though made her mind snap a bit. She quietly left the podium as other officers started in the heckles, the excuses of this being a waste of time or that she was unfit to command a paper bag.
"You will all stay put till I return." Hope said loud enough that they all heard her. More whoops and jeers were thrown at her.
She snagged a passing Lieutenant to close the door and not let anyone out. The confused man nodded and gave her a salute seeing the Captains bars on her lapel. Hope then did her best determined stalk to the weapons locker that could be done with a limp and a cane. Thank the gods she didn't have the lame brace anymore.
Hope returned to the Lieutenant a few minutes later and she thanked him for watching the door and relieved him. Hope went into the room limped back up to the podium to a sea of more jibes and protests of wasting time. She stood at the podium and put in a pair of yellow ear plugs for shooting guns on the firing line. No one noticed as she anticipated. She looked to them all again.
"Settle down for Roll Call!" Hope snapped out.
The reaction was the same and Hope let the comments die down as they all went back to their chatting or other distractions. She gave a small sigh and from her jacket a pair of very dark sunglasses was and the put on. Then she withdrew a standard issue flash bang from the armory and pulled the pin.
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1 . . ." She lobbed the flash bang into the center of the room.
The room and the rest of the central offices may have gotten a good ringing as the flash bang went off catching the rookies and probies off guard, many falling to the floor off their chairs, others rubbing eyes and holding ears for a moment or two disoriented. Hope took off the glasses and removed the ear plugs and returned them to her jacket.
"We are taking roll call boys and girls. Sherry Molo . . ." she started taking roll call for the morning patrol teams.
Hope stood at the lecture podium among a sea of noise. She had 20 officers assembled for her first roll call and not a one of them had addressed her when they came in. Her browns ticked over each of them, mostly rookies and a few on probation for infractions she'd reviewed. They all seemed interested in chatting with each other, eating hastily grabbed pastries, breakfast sandwiches or coffee. Phones were out and no one was looking at her.
"Ahem! Officers! Roll Call will begin now. Ahem!" Hope said loudly and clearly.
One rookie looked at her and snorted and went back to ribbing his buddies about a wild night out at a few bars. Hope could distinctly smell him and his list of drinks wafting through the room. She rolled her eyes, this was ludicrous.
"Attention!" Hope said at the top of her lungs.
The group quieted, for just a moment to regard the yelling woman at the podium. Then one rookie, a perky looking brunette piped up.
"Can we just leave already. Captain Ravenlock isn't showing and we don't have time to take orders from his secretary. I have a few appointments to keep with my stylist." She said.
Hope's eyebrow ticked up a moment. Okay, maybe she could let one snark go by. Another officer, a middle aged sergeant on probation leaned back and yawned as he spoke.
"C'mon. Can't we get some loosening up in this regime? Brian runs us all ragged with polished boots and brass. Besides, he's leaving, just like all the other do-gooders at the other divisions. You wont last a week in his shoes, girl. So just dismiss us and let us do some real work." He said.
That eyebrow shot up more and Hope face palmed for a moment. She was seconds from standing in front of Brian's desk explaining why she throttled half of the room, but no, she wont be accused of being that kind of tyrant. Oh no. The jabs at her, fine, it was typical jockeying anytime leadership changed up. The snipes at Brian though made her mind snap a bit. She quietly left the podium as other officers started in the heckles, the excuses of this being a waste of time or that she was unfit to command a paper bag.
"You will all stay put till I return." Hope said loud enough that they all heard her. More whoops and jeers were thrown at her.
She snagged a passing Lieutenant to close the door and not let anyone out. The confused man nodded and gave her a salute seeing the Captains bars on her lapel. Hope then did her best determined stalk to the weapons locker that could be done with a limp and a cane. Thank the gods she didn't have the lame brace anymore.
Hope returned to the Lieutenant a few minutes later and she thanked him for watching the door and relieved him. Hope went into the room limped back up to the podium to a sea of more jibes and protests of wasting time. She stood at the podium and put in a pair of yellow ear plugs for shooting guns on the firing line. No one noticed as she anticipated. She looked to them all again.
"Settle down for Roll Call!" Hope snapped out.
The reaction was the same and Hope let the comments die down as they all went back to their chatting or other distractions. She gave a small sigh and from her jacket a pair of very dark sunglasses was and the put on. Then she withdrew a standard issue flash bang from the armory and pulled the pin.
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1 . . ." She lobbed the flash bang into the center of the room.
The room and the rest of the central offices may have gotten a good ringing as the flash bang went off catching the rookies and probies off guard, many falling to the floor off their chairs, others rubbing eyes and holding ears for a moment or two disoriented. Hope took off the glasses and removed the ear plugs and returned them to her jacket.
"We are taking roll call boys and girls. Sherry Molo . . ." she started taking roll call for the morning patrol teams.