20th
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.
Words:
930
