Case # 27: Video

[19centconstable]

[George is sitting at the table in his room. His helmet is in front of him, and he's scrubbing furiously at the badge mounted on it with a toothbrush. He pauses and peers at the badge through a magnifying glass.]

Oh, for the love of...

[Back to scrubbing. There are still small traces of tarnish. George eventually puts the toothbrush down with a frustrated sigh, and tells the viewers at home:]

I suppose I ought to be thankful at least that it hasn't grown a tree.

[Oh, did you think this was an accidental post? No, George's communicator has yet to act up, he was just distracted by the creeping rust.]

I had just wanted to say that the other day I happened to notice a suspicious damp bit on the floor of the fifth level common room, by the shark's tank, and I thought someone ought to check into that.

[Just in case, as George suspects, the shark has started piddling on the floor to get attention. Or, more realistically, the decay has made its way down to level five and has started eroding the tank. And nobody likes a loose shark. Particularly the shark, because they can't breathe air very well.]

Comments

[yourunichase]

Yeah. That's not going to fucking help, Georgie.

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

What isn't?

[yourunichase]

Scrubbing like that.

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

I had to do something; I couldn't just let it stay tarnished. That would be terribly disrespectful to the badge.

[yourunichase]

It's going to get tarnished over again.

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

I suppose I'll have to get another toothbrush then.

[yourunichase]

Probably. I've got some gun cleaning shit that may help if you want to borrow it. It's meant for metal.

[scentbombed]

[She sighs when she sees the badge-polishing. Of course he is.] What's suspicious about it, George?

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

[It was going all rusty! Like the deck and some of the lesser used doorknobs. And letting your badge go rusty is the sort of thing that gets you disciplined.]

How it might have got out of the tank, for one thing.

[scentbombed]

[She'd given hers a half-hearted polish, come to the same conclusion as Parker, and decided to let it go until this "Halloween" day came.]

How what got out of the tank? ...the fish?

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

Well. Or the moisture. But you never know...

[scentbombed]

Have you thought about the possibility that someone spilled something in there, Constable?

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

I suppose they might have done. But what if they hadn't?

[scentbombed]

[She doesn't sigh, because she can't be having with sighing at him all the time.] All right. Hold on.

[And she turns off the communicator!

About half an hour later, she turns it back on, absently adjusting her clothes.] Well, you're right, actually, it is coming from the tank. It sme-- it seems like all the decay's put a hole in it.

[thebestnose.livejournal.com]

Don't say that. It might.

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

That would be impossible to wear.

[thebestnose.livejournal.com]

A lot of things are impossible but they still happen.

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

But what would its roots even live on?!?

[thebestnose.livejournal.com]

I don't know. It would be interesting to find out.

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

Only if it were on someone else's head.

[strangehistorian]

You should probably speak to the janitorial or maintenance departments; we wouldn't want that to grow mold.

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

Have we got either of those things?

[strangehistorian]

Yes. I believe Trip is on the Maintenance crew, and last I had heard the Doctor - that's the one in the long scarf with the fluffy hair and the deep voice - was in charge of the janitors.

[19centconstable.livejournal.com]

I'll see about contacting them, then. Thank you, miss!

[strangehistorian]

No problem!