Ficlet: Not What We Expected (Prompt Fill #1)
The first prompt ficlet, from arnie1967 who gave me: The first thing that springs to my mind is Silver turning up in Press Gang, seeing as David Collings was *in* Press Gang (2 eps, I think you said?). So, does Lynda or anyone realise he's not who he's supposed to be? Does he take something important and what does he need it for?
I don't think I answered any of those excellent questions, but here is the resulting bit of nonsense, anyway.
Title: Not What We Expected
Author: lost_spook
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 466
Characters/Pairings: Lynda Day, Kenny Phillips, Silver
Notes/Warnings: Press Gang/Sapphire & Steel crossover. No spoilers. It is, however, important to know that David Collings also played Mr Winters in Press Gang. (So this takes place sometime during S1/S2.)
Summary: Sometimes life at the Junior Gazette is more unexpected than usual, and it's not even Colin's fault.
***
In the darkened newsroom, Kenny and Lynda looked at each other across the desk as they heard the unexpected but unmistakable sound of movement and falling boxes from Colin’s office.
“Colin?”
“Can’t be,” said Kenny. “He left hours ago.”
“He could have come back. Although how he’d have the nerve, the little weasel -”
“Well, I don’t think so. He was wearing a long coat with a fake beard and sunglasses and said something about lying low in Holland for six years.”
Lynda slumped back in the chair. “Great. Because the last thing we need is someone finding us here -.”
“I did say -.”
Lynda glared.
“Look, Lynda, it’s three o’clock in the morning - and it’s a school night -”
“Don’t be silly, Kenny. It can’t be morning and night at the same time.”
“You know what I mean. We were told not to run the article -”
“We were told not to run it as it stands. Well, we’re not, are we? We’re changing it.” Lynda stood, and nodded to Kenny, gesturing towards the headquarters of Colin Mathews Enterprises, adding in a low tone, “Better see who it is.”
“Mice, probably,” said Kenny, although that was mostly wishful thinking. It was more likely to be someone here to kill Colin. Which was fine, except that many people who wanted to kill Colin also believed that violence against other members of the Junior Gazette was acceptable, a point of view with which Kenny disagreed strongly.
*
Silver was following an electric cable along the office, his progress impeded by the clutter - shelves and boxes of items that even he might have been hard pressed to find a use for. He searched past a pile of unhappy and armless rag-dolls, a boxful of ping-pong ball halves, a collection of spoke-less umbrellas, blue plastic noses that surely should have been red, and a box of variously-sized pram wheels that he accidentally knocked to the floor.
He paused, but there was no sound from outside. What was more, he had found the wire’s destination at last, down behind the desk. He crawled towards it and reached for his case of tools when the door to the cupboard-cum-office opened and two young humans entered. Silver kept behind the desk and hoped they would go away, but they didn’t. One of them switched the light on.
“Whoever you are, we know you’re there,” said the girl. “We’re busy right now, okay? So if you want to kill Colin, he’s not here. Come back in the morning and queue up like everybody else, can’t you?”
“Lynda -”
Silver pulled a face, and emerged from behind the desk, but before he could even try to smile and explain, their expressions altered; first to shock, then disbelief and finally outright horror.
“… Headmaster?!”
***
The Prompt Me post is here should anyone want to leave me any more. (Especially things that can be turned into tiny fic and/or icons.)
I don't think I answered any of those excellent questions, but here is the resulting bit of nonsense, anyway.
Title: Not What We Expected
Author: lost_spook
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 466
Characters/Pairings: Lynda Day, Kenny Phillips, Silver
Notes/Warnings: Press Gang/Sapphire & Steel crossover. No spoilers. It is, however, important to know that David Collings also played Mr Winters in Press Gang. (So this takes place sometime during S1/S2.)
Summary: Sometimes life at the Junior Gazette is more unexpected than usual, and it's not even Colin's fault.
***
In the darkened newsroom, Kenny and Lynda looked at each other across the desk as they heard the unexpected but unmistakable sound of movement and falling boxes from Colin’s office.
“Colin?”
“Can’t be,” said Kenny. “He left hours ago.”
“He could have come back. Although how he’d have the nerve, the little weasel -”
“Well, I don’t think so. He was wearing a long coat with a fake beard and sunglasses and said something about lying low in Holland for six years.”
Lynda slumped back in the chair. “Great. Because the last thing we need is someone finding us here -.”
“I did say -.”
Lynda glared.
“Look, Lynda, it’s three o’clock in the morning - and it’s a school night -”
“Don’t be silly, Kenny. It can’t be morning and night at the same time.”
“You know what I mean. We were told not to run the article -”
“We were told not to run it as it stands. Well, we’re not, are we? We’re changing it.” Lynda stood, and nodded to Kenny, gesturing towards the headquarters of Colin Mathews Enterprises, adding in a low tone, “Better see who it is.”
“Mice, probably,” said Kenny, although that was mostly wishful thinking. It was more likely to be someone here to kill Colin. Which was fine, except that many people who wanted to kill Colin also believed that violence against other members of the Junior Gazette was acceptable, a point of view with which Kenny disagreed strongly.
*
Silver was following an electric cable along the office, his progress impeded by the clutter - shelves and boxes of items that even he might have been hard pressed to find a use for. He searched past a pile of unhappy and armless rag-dolls, a boxful of ping-pong ball halves, a collection of spoke-less umbrellas, blue plastic noses that surely should have been red, and a box of variously-sized pram wheels that he accidentally knocked to the floor.
He paused, but there was no sound from outside. What was more, he had found the wire’s destination at last, down behind the desk. He crawled towards it and reached for his case of tools when the door to the cupboard-cum-office opened and two young humans entered. Silver kept behind the desk and hoped they would go away, but they didn’t. One of them switched the light on.
“Whoever you are, we know you’re there,” said the girl. “We’re busy right now, okay? So if you want to kill Colin, he’s not here. Come back in the morning and queue up like everybody else, can’t you?”
“Lynda -”
Silver pulled a face, and emerged from behind the desk, but before he could even try to smile and explain, their expressions altered; first to shock, then disbelief and finally outright horror.
“… Headmaster?!”
***
The Prompt Me post is here should anyone want to leave me any more. (Especially things that can be turned into tiny fic and/or icons.)