Grissom Academy, located on Putnam, somewhere east of the Presidium System, a school for gifted students, ranging anywhere from ten- to twenty-year-olds given the chance of a lifetime going to it in hopes of unlocking their potential.
A school people would sell their souls for the chance of attending and according to David, they're not above doing it if it means it works, though he isn't surprised that people have been caught trying to bribe the Dean for an acceptance letter.
It's a rigid process that only 1% of applicants have a chance of getting in, but the school prides itself of curtailing the student body, to the point that it boasted that they're a homogeneous group.
PR talk, says David, but from what he understood that there isn't much of cliques or bullying, everyone here's for a reason, and for a school of only thirty students, it's surprising.
"Give them a chance to win an iPod," Lila pointed out that while that may be true, give the student something tangible like an iPod, the advertised homogenous group quickly becomes tribal.
It's a neat trick on paper, chaos in practice, but the point stands.
Shrugging, David says, "I was always partial to the Walkman myself!"
Fun name to say.
Walkman.
Walking with my… Walkman!
Rolling her eyes, Catherine uttered, "He sings that constantly!"
Swatting the air, David insisted that he didn't, but Catherine shook her head as she brought up the numerous times the man broke out into song, describing it, "A madman trying to summon a demon!"
Chuckling, Lila poked fun at David's expense, "Trying to summon up the courage, ey, Davey?"
Recoiling, David retorted, "Don't judge me! Not like you two are any better!"
Oh, trust David, he knows all!
But, enough of that, they have work to do, on a deadline, all that, so he led them towards the entrance of the academy, his hands shoved into his suit pockets as he walked up to the wide doors.
They opened automatically, allowing him to enter freely with Lila and Catherine following behind him, their eyes surveying the supposed academy of everyone's dreams.
Rows of awards won over the years since the school's inception, perfectly aligned behind the thick glass, as it reflected the three while they walked through the sterile white main area.
From his friend, David said this school excelled mostly in science, but there's still enough room for a creative touch, pointing out the statues erected in the middle of the circular area leading into the school proper.
"Students made them?" Lila raised her brow as she sees the statues that looked like commission pieces and David confirmed that they were made by students attending the school.
Surprised him, too, but that's what he heard from the Dean.
Marveling at the sight, Catherine gave a rare compliment to the statues, they reminded her of statues she saw with her father during her youth, before quickly turning to anger when David made a comment that "of course she saw marble statues, she kissed Da Vinci!"
Would've smacked him hadn't the Dean showed up, hand outstretched, and shook David's hand, thanking him for taking the time coming out, before David waved his free hand, assuring him that neither rain or shine, he'll come out to help.
The Dean led the three through the school, describing the peculiar issue they ran into when they came into possession of a box.
A crate, really, but, more on that when they get there.
Anyhow, it came into their possession and they've been working on understanding what it is, even the greatest minds the school produced couldn't solve the intricate issue.
"What's the hubbub about a box?" Lila questioned the lengths the school went into opening it and the Dean informed her that when they initially studied the box, something came to their attention.
Something's inside the box.
"Oh lord, don't be a head," Catherine uttered, causing Lila to turn her head with a quizzical look, before Catherine said covertly, she watched the movie while David was on a date with Jenny.
David swatted the air as he assured them that it's not a head, before asking the Dean if it is, and the Dean answering that there isn't a head in the box.
They've tried using x-rays, but something about the box's composition kept preventing them from accurately using the x-rays, thus leaving them without a clue.
"And, uh, where did it come from?" Lila asked the Dean as he led them through the large doorway towards the laboratory where they ended up placing the box until they can come up with another set of trials.
Initially, there's nothing in storage except everything one expected a school of this caliber to have, until Lila's chestnut eyes spotted a large black 'box' in the back.
Looked like one large black Rubix cube, taller than Lila, taller than David, and the more they approached it with caution, and see the deep lines etched into the box, however there's no way of seeing them unless Lila got up close to the box, as she and Catherine stared at it quizzically.
"Well, it was gifted to us," the Dean informed Lila how the box came into their possession.
No names attached, it was an anonymous donation, there's nothing for them to piece together.
All the Dean knew's that it showed up one day and been a mystery ever since.
"Does this happen, a lot?" Lila asked the Dean if anything like it happened before and as he studied the box from afar, the Dean says that they're usually gifted works of art, money, things of that nature, but this is a first for him, and he'd been the Dean of Grissom Academy for over thirty-years.
It's almost a miracle they were able to move the box to the laboratory, that's what bothered them greatly.
On the scale, it weighed in the tonnes and should've required machinery to move, but here they were, able to use a simple low-jack.
It added to the mystery.
A seemingly impossibly heavy box that's still capable of being lifted and moved by a simple low-jack.
"It looks like some sort of… obelisk," Catherine mused what the box looked to her, just by touching it, she felt the unbridled cold coming from what felt like steel, but the more she held her hand against it, it felt like the box's a heat sink, absorbing the heat from her hand.
Nodding, the Dean informed her that they've been trying to guess how old it is, a few of his students got into an argument because they couldn't date the box, conclusively, despite all the methods they have on hand, it's been giving them different inconclusive dates.
"Weighs more than Optimus Prime, but can be carted around, sounds like a riddle more than anything," Lila shrugged as she looked at the Dean as she processed what he told them.
Pointing to David, the Dean says he hopes that with help from the Doctor, they have their answers, there David showed him an unconvincing smile as he assured the Dean that he'll do his best.
"Dean Warwick, we're having problems with the twins, again," they heard a woman call out to the Dean, his assistant, apparently the McCormick twins started arguing about quantum theory, again, and it caused the Dean to shake his head disapprovingly.
Looking towards David, the Dean gave him a summary of where he can find what he's looking for before heading off with his assistant to break up the argument.
Left alone, the three looked at the box, trying to come up with answers.
"He said there's something inside it," Lila shrugged as she recalled what the Dean told them as Catherine nodded before saying, "But it can be lifted by a low-jack?"
Sounded like one of those riddles that a man with a glass eye will tell some traveler and threaten bodily or supernatural harm to them if they couldn't solve it within a set time.
Crossing his arms, David pondered as he stared at the black box that towered him and the women, his bushy brow raised with interest.
"So, not even the Sonic Screwdriver can do anything to it?" Lila looked towards David as he went up to the black box, touching it, trying to see if it opened somewhere, but of course nothing's simple when he's the Doctor.
Shaking his head, David demonstrated what would happen if he tried, reaching into his suit pocket, bringing out his trusty Sonic Screwdriver, and attempted to use it on the black box, trying to force an answer that way, but what resulted was his Sonic Screwdriver warbling as the blue light faltered until it turned off.
Only when David moved it far from the black box, it turned on, again.
"And this never happened before?" Lila tilted her head as David shoved it back into his suit pocket, before he answered her question, "No. Oh! Except wood. I always have problems with wood. But this isn't made of wood, I don't know what it's made from!"
Now, Lila sees why David wanted Theodore's input, however as they said, she couldn't reach Theodore from here, and she didn't want to be a buzz kill on his day-off, so instead she's going to do what anyone in their situation would.
Wing it and hope for the best.