The automated door of the recruitment office slid open, making way for an ill-dressed gentleman apparently in his early twenties. His green suit and the bright, yellow pants he wore made an unusual appearance, however the most notable decoration in his possession was a sizable golden chain, holding a Maltese cross. He flashed a grin as he stepped in, as if it was an attempt to mask his eerie looks, entirely unfitting for a guest visiting a police office.
The young female officer stationed at the door raised her baton, subtly blocking the way of the arriving individual.
"Hold on, sir. I believe you're lost. This is the BPA recruitment office, the local inn is..."
The guest raised his smile once again, revealing his clean, shiny teeth, staring at the face of the officeress from an intimate distance, interrupting her mid-sentence.
[color=#FFCC66]"I'm here to join the Force, kitten. Where's the recruiting office again?"
Obviously enough, the well-mannered woman took offense in being called a kitten. She replied with a cold, harsh and denying tone.
"You're standing right in it," saving a remark to the gentleman's clothing, she continued after a brief pause, "the door to the left leads you to Sergeant Sykes. He'll be handing your application."
"Thanks, birdie. We'll be seein' each other later on, right?"
He clicked with his tongue and departed with a wink. The officer rolled her eyes and wished for a death sentence to be applied for the failure of the recruitment process.
The gentleman cruised to the door on the left and after a knock, he burst into the room. The sight of the grim-looking Sergeant Sykes, sitting behind his desk littered by tons of paper, broke his cheery mood however. He was hoping for one of the many underweight blokes he has seen on the streets before, it looked like as if Sykes was put to office exactly because of people like him.
"Sir!" he saluted.
The Sergeant pointed to a metal chair in front of his desk without a reply or a change of facial expression. His lack of gestures and the cold behavior made the wannabe recruit assume a serious state. One may even say he was scared. Sykes grabbed his notepad and opened a new entry, then proceeded to ask the questions he asked from many other recruits before, ignoring his clown-like appearance and seemingly disregarding mentality.
"Name?" the Sergeant began in his usual, booming voice.
"Alastair Graham Hind, sir."
The Sergeant put the entry down in a second or so.
"Tell me about yourself. Family background? Previous employers?"
Alastair looked up and scratched his chin, thinking for a second.
"I was born in 795, on Leeds. Finished elementary and high school there then I moved off to Cambridge. Not to study though, I worked in a machine shop contracted by Cryer to repair their research toys. Tinkered with ships too, mainly Clydesdales and Percherons, but I know a thing or two about the Hussar as well," he paused for a longer moment, blinking as he recalled past memories. "The most significant change in my life was probably the war, since I'm from Leeds. My parents were evacuated to Nuremberg, Rheinland with a refugee transport, I haven't seen them since. Takes a wad of cash to visit, something neither me nor they have so the best bet is to stay put until we win the war," he bit his lip noticing that he went off topic," I've been looking to join the BAF for a while, but I realized the homefront is just as dangerous as the things in Leeds are. We may kick the ricers... I mean the Kusarians out, but what do we gain if the marauders and smugglers take over the Royal Palace?"
The Sergeant remained expressionless, even after the last, cheeky statement.
"Do you understand the AFO policy of the BPA?" the next question was shot.
"If it still applies, I get no hitters, right?"
"Do you have any ambitions within the BPA after you join?"
Alastair sat back, now pondering whether to reply honestly. He finally made up the expected reply.
"I'm looking to serve Queen and country, sir. Everything else is secondary."
The final question came, striking Alastair as a shock from all the seriousness and grunt-like behavior.
"If you could have any pet in the world what would it be?"
"Er... I'd like a cheetah."
Sheer silence took over the room for the next few seconds, then the Sergeant's notepad started clicking as he noted the answer.
"Your answers have been noted. Send in the next applicant."
Alastair didn't notice before, but he actually started sweating. It made him truly look like a clown in the green-yellow outfit he was wearing. He slowly stood up and left the room, stil shaking from the unexpected shock he had to experience.