20th November 2015 Writings

20^th

Excerpt from: The Kelsington Conspiracy

Krystal thought for a moment. Things had moved quite fast, such that UNOSA still hadn't met to the consider the matter.

Thursday, 12 August 2004

When Elias arrived back at his room after lunch he turned the radio on. It was tuned to the student radio station, 2UNO at 109.6 MHz. “....UNOSA President, Krystal Lake has announced that as of tomorrow, a UNOSA supported protest rally against the Kelsington grant will be held outside the Madgewick Building. This adds to the protest notions by the Student Representative Council's of Curtin and St. Patrick's Colleges.”

“Good...” Elias mused as the reporter went on about the plans by Austin and Drummond to vote that night, and Robertson, Wright and Dewey's plans to vote the next day.

“...There are no plans by Mara Green College to revisit their vote,” the reporter continued. Was there some bitterness there? Elias wondered. He knew that the reporter had stayed at Mara Green for a short time the year before before moving down to Drummond. Still, at least there were going to be protests. The Vice-Chancellor and the University Council would have to listen.

Then there was a knock at the door He went to the door. “Parminder?” he asked. She had never come to his room before.

“You're here! Good!”

Something in her tone, alerted Elias that something wasn't right. “What's wrong?”

“There's a KI agent in the college,” she said.

“What are you talking about?” Elias asked incredulously.

“She's asking after you.”

“KI agent?” He knew there were rumours that Kelsington International engaged in extra-legal activities, but he doubted that they would do such on the grounds of a university that they were attempting to gain favour with.

“Yes!” Parminder said impatiently.

“So, you don't want her to find me?” Elias asked.

“Yes! It wouldn't be good. You may have started the protest movement here.”

“I doubt it. Krystal Lake said she was already considering taking action when she wrote back.”

“But that's what she believes. Come!”

Elias then heard the sound of someone coming up the stairs. He made his decision. He grabbed the keys off the hook and then allowed Parminder to pull him from the room. He pulled the door closed as she did so.

“Elias Stanton!” the KI agent called. Parminder ran, pulling Elias behind her. He easily kept up with her.

“Where are we going?” Elias asked.

Parminder remained silent. “Parminder Sangha!” the KI agent called out.

'Great!' Elias thought. 'She can recognise her from behind.' Then again, there weren't very many students of Punjabi origin, with classic-length hair, attending the University of New Oxfordshire, not to mention Mara Green College.

The two students ran through the upstairs Hall Two foyer, and then along the other upstairs corridor. Then across the connection to Hall Four. They turned as they came to the landing outside the Resident Assistant's flat. Then Parminder paused for breath. “She's still following,” she said.

“Right,” Elias said, breathing deeply. Parminder then moved again, pulling Elias down the stairs to the lower floor of Hall Four.

They didn't stop there, going further, down to the basement level of Hall Four. Parminder paused at the bottom of the stairs. The KI agent was at the top of the stairs. “Come on!”

They entered the Basement Common Room, one of the largest common rooms in the college. “Why have we come here?” Elias asked. They could go out the doors to the courtyard between Hall Four and the Deer Park, but there wouldn't really be further to run if the door on that side of Hall Six was locked. (And it would be difficult to go up the hill to Hall Seven.)

“There is more to the College than you know Elias,” Parminder said as she dragged him around the Billiards table. She flipped one of the paintings that were there, revealing a printpad.

“What?” Elias asked.

Parminder said nothing, but input a sequence into the printpad. Then silently, part of the wall slid aside revealing a secret compartment beside the BCR. Light's switched on automatically in that compartment. Parminder quickly pulled Elias inside, before hitting a second printpad on the other side of the wall. The wall slid back as silently as before. Then Parminder let go of Elias' hand. “Follow me,” she said quietly. Elias looked ahead, he could see that the compartment was a corridor ran along the western side of the BCR.

“Sure,” Elias said, knowing that Parminder would tell him more when she felt it would be safe to do so. They walked to the end of the corridor, where there was a ladder down to a lower level. Parminder went down first. He followed her.

They emerged into another compartment. Parminder then opened another door, revealing another room, the same size as the BCR above.

The KI agent entered the Marlie Yeates Room (otherwise known as the Basement Common Room). However, Elias Stanton and Parminder Sangha were nowhere to be seen. 'They cannot be in the other rooms down here. She would have heard if they had gone into the bathrooms or the other common room. She entered the Marlie Yeates Room and looked around. She went to the doors to the outside dining area. They weren't outside, heading to Hall Six.

Elias followed Parminder out of the subbasement room into a room that also reminded him of the foyer. “Where are we going?” he asked.

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