Chapter 3 - The Griffin's Ring

David and Chloe meet for the first time, but not before a mad drive through Oxfordshire.

Chapter 3 – David

“Words can be like X-rays if you use them properly -- they’ll go through anything. You read and you’re pierced.”
Aldous Huxley – Brave New World
 

David climbed into the back seat of the SUV. The interior was spotless and had a smell of newness about it. He fastened his seatbelt and put his book down on the seat next to him. Mr Wright shut the door behind him while Ms Grey climbed into the driver’s seat. She adjusted the mirror and started the engine, which purred into life as Mr Wright took his place in the front passenger seat.

‘You might want to hold on to something,’ Mr Wright advised, glancing over his shoulder at David. ‘When Ms Grey is in a hurry, she doesn’t hang around.’

‘Thanks for warning,’ he replied as Ms Grey gunned the engine and he felt the back end of the car slide sideways as she hauled it round in a tight turn on the wide gravel driveway. ‘Are you going to tell me what this is really all about now?’

‘All in good time,’ Ms Grey interjected calmly as she gunned the accelerator and sped the car away from the school. ‘You already know why we want to talk to you, or you would have made a scene in Mr Hodgson’s office. I can assure you that we mean you no harm.’

‘That’s good to know … I think.’

‘You think?’ Mr Wright asked.

‘There’s a part of me that is revelling in the idea of a bit of danger right now,’ David answered with a shrug.

The car was speeding along the driveway towards the main road at breakneck speed. Ahead David could see the huge wrought iron gates at the end of the impressive school driveway slowly opening towards them. At this speed, he wasn’t sure the gates would be open enough for the SUV to make it through the gap, but Ms Grey showed no sign of easing off the accelerator.

‘Be careful what you wish for,’ Mr Wright warned. ‘Ms Grey’s driving can get more than a little exciting.’

‘And reading that’s not going to change your thinking either,’ Ms Grey chuckled, nodding at his copy of Brave New World. ‘I don't want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.’ she quoted as they flashed between the gates, breathtakingly close to removing both wing mirrors. She hauled the car into an expertly executed sideways slide out onto the main road and the engine roared as they accelerated away.

‘You’re a Huxley fan?’ David asked, trying to keep his voice calm as they almost immediately swerved out into the oncoming traffic lane to overtake a silver Audi. ‘This’ll be the third time I’ve read it,’ he added as they narrowly avoided an oncoming BMW. Horns blared behind them, but neither of the adults appeared to be in the slightest bit concerned.

‘I’m a fan of many books,’ Ms Grey replied. ‘You’ll find we all are at Milton College. I can’t speak for God, but I’m sure you’ll find the rest of those things where we’re going.’

‘Sounds like a fascinating place,’ David commented, falling silent as the SUV’s tyres gave a particularly anguished squeal of protest while rounding a roundabout faster than he would have believed possible. Somewhere deep inside, the real David was cowering, desperate for the car to stop so that he could get out safely. His adopted persona however, was calm and matter of fact about the crazy driving.

There was a sudden electronic beeping sound from somewhere in the front. Mr Wright and Ms Grey exchanged a glance, but what was conveyed in that brief look, David could not interpret.

He felt more certain than ever now that they knew about his ability. How they knew was a mystery, but that was what made going with them so attractive. He wanted to understand what made him different and he suspected that these people held answers to questions he had kept buried for a long time.

‘We’ve got company,’ Ms Grey commented, taking a slightly extended glance in the mirror. ‘Hold on. This could get rough.’

David glanced over his shoulder. Sure enough a black Mercedes with dark-tinted windows was catching them fast. Apparently there was a reason for this madcap race through the countryside after all.

‘Who are they?’ he asked.

‘They’re a problem,’ Mr Wright replied cryptically.

‘Are you in trouble with the authorities?’ David asked. ‘Is that some sort of agency car behind us? MI5 or something?’

‘You have a vivid imagination,’ Ms Grey replied, her voice still deadly calm as she weaved the car in a snaking path to prevent the Mercedes from pulling alongside them. ‘No. I can assure you they’re nothing to do with the authorities. MI5 know nothing about them. However, the people in that car are dangerous and we need to lose them before we head to the College.’

‘OK, so there really is a College,’ David commented. ‘That much at least is true.’

‘Oh, yes!’ Mr Wright replied. ‘Milton College is very real.’

The driver of the Mercedes tried again to get alongside them. This time feinting one way before accelerating the other. Ms Grey didn’t hesitate. She stood on the brake pedal and the black Mercedes hurtled past on the right. David felt the seatbelt cut into his shoulder as he was thrown forward and then to the side. There was a dramatic squeal of tyres and suddenly they were facing in the opposite direction. A cloud of smoke billowed around them momentarily as the wheels spun, burning rubber as they struggled to gain traction against the road surface. Then they were off again, accelerating like crazy in the opposite direction.

They reached a minor junction and Ms Grey turned right, hurtling off down a tiny country lane that was barely wide enough for a single car. The hedges loomed on both sides of the car, racing by in a green blur. For about a minute David thought they had thrown the Mercedes driver off their tail, but then the car appeared again and rapidly closed the distance between them until the bumpers of the two cars were all but touching.

‘It’s no good. They have the faster car,’ Mr Wright observed calmly.

‘Time to play hard-ball,’ Ms Grey returned.

A ‘T’ junction appeared ahead and again Ms Grey did not hesitate. Swinging a fraction left, she turned hard right, barely slowing at all as the car slewed round the corner, the back end snaking as she calmly fought for control. The road was wider here. There were still hedges to either side, but there was a narrow verge and a shallow ditch in front of the hedge to their right.

The Mercedes driver pushed up tight behind them, again looking for a chance to pass.

‘What do they want?’ David asked. ‘Are they trying to kill us?’

‘No,’ Mr Wright replied. ‘They want you.’

‘Me?’ he asked. ‘I’m flattered, but I don’t see why I am suddenly in such demand.’

‘Yes you do,’ Ms Grey replied. ‘You know exactly why. You have an ability that in the wrong hands could be very dangerous.’

‘And yours are the right hands, of course,’ David said, lurching as the Mercedes made contact with the rear of the car with a bang. He instinctively looked over his shoulder again, but he could not see in through the windscreen of the chasing car.

‘Naturally,’ Mr Wright confirmed, flashing him a tight smile. ‘Trust me, you wouldn’t want to go with those guys. The food is far better where we’re going.’

David’s eyebrows rose in surprise at the dry humour. There was another bang and a jolt as the Mercedes made contact a second time.

‘Come on,’ Ms Grey said quietly as she glanced in the mirror. ‘Try that again. You know you want to.’

The Mercedes driver appeared more than ready to oblige. The gap closed again as he prepared to shunt them a third time, but this time Ms Grey was ready. With amazing precision, she swerved, tapped the brakes and swerved again such that the back end of the SUV gave a side-slap to the front of the Mercedes and accelerated out of the snake all in a smooth sequence.

Taken completely by surprise, the Mercedes driver lost control of the car and it spun one and a half full rotations before plowing backwards to an abrupt stop in the ditch. Ms Grey did not slow down to admire the results of her skilful manoeuvre, but David just had time to see the driver’s side door burst open before they rounded the next corner. Unfortunately he had no chance to see anything of the person inside.

They drove in silence for much of the rest of the way. Within fifteen minutes they were on the M40 heading north and once his heart rate had begun to return to normal, David turned to his book in order to fully calm himself. Immersing himself in his reading, he glanced up briefly as they branched off on to the M42 to note which way they were heading and then again when they left the motorway altogether and began weaving through the suburbs of South Birmingham.

He put the book down only when they stopped at a tall metal gate in a high chain-link fence. A wound barbed-wire crown ran along the top, old and rusted. Mr Wright jumped out of the car, unlocked a huge padlock and pulled the metal gate open. They drove inside on to a cracked concrete surface. Weeds had claimed every small piece of territory that their roots could find purchase on. They stopped again to allow Mr Wright to shut the gate behind them and David began to feel genuinely uneasy for the first time. This entire industrial area looked long since abandoned. It appeared his inner Musketeer was fading. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled as they pulled up outside what looked like a derelict warehouse.

‘Out you get,’ Ms Grey ordered. ‘We’re there.’

‘Here?’ David responded, trying not to sound too surprised. He craned his neck to get a better look at their surroundings. There was certainly no sign of an exclusive college.

‘Yes, here,’ she confirmed. ‘Don’t worry, David. You know what they say about judging books by their covers.’

‘Yeah. Always do it,’ he muttered.

David felt an almost overwhelming urge to run. As he picked up his book and climbed out of the car it felt like he had stepped on to the television set of a fictional crime show. Victims were often taken to disused warehouses just like this one and nothing good ever seemed to happen there. He took in the crumbling red brick walls, the filthy cracked windows behind metal mesh, the blowing rubbish, piles of old tyres and the tangled and rusted machine parts with brambles growing through them. None of it added up to anything good.

Maybe going with these people wasn’t such a good idea, after all, he thought. Come on, David! He closed his eyes a moment and focused on what it had felt like to have the confidence and swagger of a Musketeer. It was still there, but it was fading. That was the frustrating thing about his ability. It never lasted very long. All too quickly he would be back to being boring, introverted David Chambers; only child of successful businessman, John and high-powered lawyer, Phoebe Chambers. Embracing the nub of confidence he could still sense deep within, he took a deep breath and followed Ms Grey towards a nearby door.

She grabbed the round plastic handle and paused a moment. There was a distinct clunk, and then she twisted it. The peeling green paint of the door and faded plastic of the door handle proved to be yet another layer of the façade that hid the building’s true nature.

Stepping across the threshold made David feel like Alice stepping into Wonderland, but whatever he was expecting to find inside, it was not what he found. To his complete surprise, the inside of the warehouse was a top of the range fitness facility. The floor was completely covered with foam jigsaw matting. There were several young people working out on multi-gyms, treadmills, running and rowing machines. A couple were lifting dumb bells in the free-weights area, while another was pounding at one of the suspended punch bags. There was all manner of other sports equipment.

Two youths were geared up in protective padded helmets, gloves and boots, and were sparring under the supervision of an adult instructor. They looked like they really knew what they were doing.

‘Not what you were expecting, I’m sure,’ Ms Grey commented as she passed him, turning left towards the far wall.

David paused a moment longer before following. Some of the youngsters looked naturally athletic, but at least half looked like they would rather be anywhere other than in a gymnasium.

Curious, he thought.

‘You could say that,’ he said aloud. ‘So where are the books? I assume you have some at this Literature College.’

‘Patience!’ Ms Grey replied, her tone gently admonishing. ‘What you see here is the tip of a very big iceberg. The fitness centre is on the ground floor as any unwanted intruders would see it as an appropriate use of space. Follow me. The heart of the College is this way.’

David glanced up at the high ceiling. From what he'd seen of the outside of the building, there couldn't be much above the gym. Ms Grey was making little sense, but he gave an inner shrug and followed her anyway.

She led the way across the floor to what looked at first glance like an ordinary brick wall. Pressing her fingertips against one of the bricks, another slid aside just slightly below David’s eye level to reveal a small stainless steel framed glass screen. Ms Grey positioned her right eye in front of it and pressed a button.

‘A retinal scanner?’ David asked.

‘Very astute,’ she replied as an entire section of the brick wall moved forward and to the side to reveal stainless steel lift doors. ‘After you,’ she directed, waving for him to enter ahead of her as the doors swished open.

As elevators went, this one was comfortably large. David observed there were buttons for ten floors, which at first glance seemed ridiculous … until the lift began moving.

‘The College is underground?’ he observed more than asked. ‘That’s rather unconventional.’

‘There’s very little that’s conventional about Milton College, David,’ Ms Grey agreed, giving him a wry smile. ‘You wanted to see the books, so we’ll take a quick glance at the library before heading down to the briefing and orientation facility. You’re fortunate. With your arrival, we have enough to begin a new training class. One of your class mates just missed the last cohort and has been here for a number of months already.’

‘Months!’

‘Yes. I wasn’t lying when I said you are one in a million, David. People with your ability are rare. It has been some weeks since we last found one and then two of you are located in a single day!’

‘My ability,’ he repeated. ‘And what exactly do you think “my ability” is?’

At that moment the lift stopped descending and the doors opened. David gasped.

‘Oh … my …’

His jaw hung slack as his eyes tried to adjust to the unexpected sight that met his eyes. He stepped tentatively forward and out of the lift. Turning his head left and right, he mind was even further blown by the scale of what he was seeing. The lift doors had opened to a labyrinthine library. Ahead was a corridor lined floor to ceiling with shelves of books for as far as he could see. To either side it was the same story. Every few paces along the corridor were side passages. They too were rammed floor to ceiling with books.

‘We will discuss your ability during your orientation briefing,’ Ms Grey answered. ‘And we will help you explore, refine and hone it. Hopefully, getting a glimpse of our library will convince you how serious we are about harnessing the power contained in the written word.’

David stepped forward a few paces. Reaching out he ran his fingers gently across the spines of the books on the shelf to his right. A tingle ran from his fingertips up his arm, lifting a rash of goose bumps as it went. He shivered a little and turned to face his guide.

‘You have my attention,’ he admitted. ‘And to be honest, it’s a bit of a relief to know that I’m not some sort of freak – that there are others like me.’

‘You’re not the first to say that,’ Ms Grey noted. ‘And I doubt you will be the last. Society dictates that we should all conform and we are brainwashed from a very early age to believe that being normal is good. Believe me, being normal is over-rated. Here at Milton we embrace the extraordinary… but let’s get down to the induction facility and later you’ll get a taste of what I mean.’

Reluctantly, David stepped back into the lift. His fingers were still twitching from the feel of the book spines and he would have loved nothing more than to have spent the rest of the day wandering the library. Fighting his urge to explore the shelves, he turned his attention to the lift buttons and concentrated on feeding his curiosity about the College. Just how expansive was this underground facility? He had not been able to judge the extent of the Library, but his initial impression led him to believe that it occupied a vast area. If every floor was of similar size, then the total floor space available would be mind-blowing.

Ms Grey keyed the button for the seventh floor and David’s mind instantly started playing with the number. Seven Harry Potter books, seven Keys of the Kingdom, the seventh son of the seventh son… the number seven cropped up a lot in children’s literature. The bible was full of sevens: seven days, seven feasts, seven plagues, seven seals. According to the scriptures it was the number of perfection; a number of completeness. Did the number have any significance to the purpose of their destination today?

The doors opened with a gentle swishing noise and David followed Ms Grey out into the brightly lit corridor. The commotion was apparent immediately. A girl’s voice, impassioned with protesting discordant notes floated along the corridor. Ms Grey paused a moment, a slight smile brushing her lips.

‘Our other new arrival I imagine,’ she observed.

‘She doesn’t sound too happy to be here,’ David replied, wincing.

‘She will calm down when she’s completed the induction.’

Ms Grey sounded very sure of her statement. How can she be so certain? David wondered. Do they use drugs or some sort of mental manipulation to ensure those who come here are compliant?

Suddenly the owner of the voice burst out through a side door a short way down the corridor.

‘I’ll ask you again,’ she exploded, her voice surprisingly powerful given her diminutive stature. ‘What the hell gives you the right to kidnap me like this and think you can get away with it? I’m going to the police. I have rights. You’re all going to jail, you psychos!’

David took in the red hair, the blazing eyes and the indignant pose. Drama Queen, he decided. She instantly reminded him of someone – a character from a book – but he couldn’t think which one. Feisty and strong-willed were descriptions that fitted many strong young female characters in literature, but there was something very specific about this girl. Something that he couldn’t quite place his finger on.

‘Please calm down, Miss Hunter,’ a soothing voice countered. ‘If you would just give us a chance to explain why you’re here, you will understand the reasons for our methods. Trust me, you will be free to return home if you don’t wish to stay. We will not hold you here against your will.’

‘Damned right you won’t!’ she responded. ‘If you’re going to tell me, then you’d better do it fast before I punch your lights out.’ The girl suddenly became aware of David and Ms Grey in the corridor. ‘And what do think you’re looking at?’

David smiled. He couldn’t help it. Predictably it triggered another tirade. Ms Grey waited until Chloe had completed her outburst before making polite introductions.

‘Chloe Hunter meet David Chambers. David, this is our other new discovery, Chloe Hunter.’