Title: Private Announcement
Author: cghardy
Rating: Green Cortina (swearing, that's about it)
Word Count:
Summary: Test Card Girl has an important announcement for everyone.
Notes: Slight crossover with Doctor Who. First full story.
Sam Tyler was walking.
He had gotten off for the day, actually not staying late and filling out the rest of the paperwork. However, instead of joining everyone down at the pub, he decided he wanted to walk. Feeling excess energy from a day of not being out, he took a few routes around town. He picked up a few groceries, stopped by a record store and sat while eating in the park.
Getting back to his flat, he stumbled across a sign hanging up on a brick wall. No other sign was around it. It was only black and white. There was only two words on it, surrounding an X. The words were "Vote Saxon." Unlike all the other signs he's seen, this wasn't old, weather-worn or touched by anything. He went over to take a closer look.
Nobody was around. There wasn't a sound in the surrounding neighborhood. He didn't like it, feeling in the middle of a ghost town, or at the beginning of a horror movie. He first touched it, to ensure it wasn't an illusion. It was only paper. No laminate or protection. Even his fingers, a little dirty from the graphite and ink of pencils and pens, didn't leave a mark.
"Don't you like it, Sam?" a small voice asked. He swiveled fast to see her, the little girl from the card. She held the doll to the side, its eyes staring at him from the awkward angle. "A little reminder of home. Everyone's talking about him. He's the best thing for the country." He shut his eyes and rubbed them vigorously. When he opened them back up, she was gone. He turned around to see the sign. It wasn't there.
He didn't know what was going on, but he was careful to watch out for next time.
[VOTE SAXON]
Gene Hunt was pissed. Five drinks of a good draft with a few shots of Jack Daniels after a severely hard week did him right as he staggered in the bathroom. The pub's bathrooms were set off the main room. Opposite of the doors was a cork board filled with advertisements. His eyes were slightly blurry, but they were still able to pick up the one sign that wasn't messed with. "Vote Saxon. Never 'eard of him," he slurred.
"He's going to turn the country around," a voice said. He tried to focus on the person talking to him. It was a small girl. The girl from the test card. Even comes with the ruddy clown. Holding it so it stares at me. He gave himself a mental shake. Dolls can't stare.
"You're not..." he started.
"Everyone agrees with me. He'll be the best thing." Gene started to feel a little woozy, so he closed his eyes to balance out. When he opened them, the little girl was gone.
"What the bloody 'ell was that?
[VOTE SAXON]
Ray was walking back from escorting a prisoner down to the cells. He went by a few wanted posters before noticing that one was out of place. "All right, who placed this poster 'ere?" he yelled, trying to draw up some plod to explain this. "Vote Saxon" blared at him in plain black and white. " 'Ever 'eard of this guy."
"Are you sure? Everyone's talking about him. He's going to be the best thing for this country." A little girl was standing in the middle of the hall. Her toy clown was held loosely in her arms. Ray felt both her and the doll's eyes on him.
"Alright, which one of you are playing a trick?" he yelled again, looking for someone. When he turned back, she was gone. The poster was gone, replaced with the wanted poster of Vic Tyler. "What was that?"
[VOTE SAXON]
Chris came out of the police station with the intention of going to a concert. He headed to the park that was going to hold it. He passed by a few booths selling merchandise and came across a few posters. He looked at one where the band was circling a monument and pulled it up to see under it. Instead of another band poster, he saw the sign, blaring out at him. "Hey, do you know..." he started to ask, looking up and seeing no one manning the booth. He turned to ask someone else when he noticed no one was around. The band which had been starting practicing wasn't on stage. The air was quiet.
"He's going to be the best thing for this country," she started. He turned to her, out of place in her red dress. The clown was placed on a table, looking at him. Instead of the green jumpsuit that Ray had seen it in, it was wearing a black suit. It was staring at him.
"Where's your parents?"
She ignored the question. "Everybody's talking about him. Your friends all know about him."
"My friends."
"Sam, Gene, Ray. I still need to tell Annie." She picked up the doll. Chris looked around for anyone that could possibly look like her parents when she disappeared out of the corner of his eye.
The attendants voice got his attention, yelling ,"Hey, are you going to buy anything?" The place became crowded again.
"N-no, I'm fine." He looked around for the girl, but there was no trace of her or the clown.
[VOTE SAXON]
Annie was the last one to see her. They had just taken down a drug dealer that was using paper to transport. Annie was going over the inventory when she saw the sign among the paper shreds, not shredded and untouched by dirt on the floor.
"Have you heard?" She swung around to see her sitting on a TV set that they had set up. Her clown doll was dressed in the black suit Chris had seen, but he was holding a small item. She couldn't accurately describe it; it reminded her of a torch in size and shape but nothing else. "Saxon's the best. He's going to be the greatest thing for the country."
"I'm sorry. I never heard of Saxon."
"Harold Saxon. He's running for Prime Minister." The doll was watching Annie as she moved to pick up the sign.
"Are you supposed to be here? Where are your parents?" The girl was relieved from answering as they both heard someone coming back.
"Annie, Annie are you done going..." Sam faltered as he and the rest walked into the room. "What are you doing here?"
"I told everyone, Sam. He's going to be the best thing for the country."
"All of you have seen her?" Chris asked.
"Saw her in the station. With that poster."
"The concert I went to, she replaced one of signs of the band."
"Bloody hell, I just thought I was drunk."
"Sam, why does she know you?" Annie inquired.
Sam chose not to answer, instead going after the girl. "Why are you hear?"
"I'm spreading the word, Sam. He's going to be the best thing for this country." The doll in her arms started moving, raising the torch-like item at them.
[VOTE SAXON]
"Harry, you're ruined it," Lucy complained as they released hold of Sam's head. The hum of medical machines were the only noise they heard in the ward. "You weren't supposed to move."
"It was just too delicious to pass up," he whispered, trailing kisses up and down her neck. "Oh, the story he weaves in his head. I wonder where he came up with those characters."
Okay, I'm going to ask for a bit of help. Am I getting the characters right? Comment, please and thank you.