Chapter 3:
22 April 2017
Pauline woke up in a large room that she didn't recognise, her mouth dry and head foggy. She was lying in a big bed with white sheets. Panic rose quickly when she realized she was naked under them. She wrapped herself tightly in the duvet and scanned the room.
Memories rushed in: the car ride, the woman named Claire, the bottle of water. Her heart pounded. Where was she?
A neatly folded pile of clothes sat on a nearby chair, combat boots on the floor. The outfit was strange - olive cargo trousers, and an orange jacket and T-shirt, both with a bizarre logo: a baby angel in war dress wielding a bow, the word CHERUB printed underneath.
Still alarmed but driven by a building sense of determination, Pauline got dressed and put on the boots. Then, she made her way to the window, from which she was able to look out on a large sports ground, with a running track on which a bunch of kids and teens were doing exercises, while a teacher was shouting at them. Almost like a military academy or something. She felt increasingly uneasy, wondering what she was doing there. She walked to the door, which she was happy to find was unlocked, and stepped out into an empty corridor. After waiting there for a while but seeing nobody, she climbed the nearest stairs, reasoning that someone in charge might be at the top.
She was right. Opposite end of the staircase there was an office with the a glass sign saying "Ewart Asker – Chairman". At a desk behind the first, open set of doors sat a secretary, who noticed Pauline's presence as soon as she exited the staircase. In a tone that allowed no questions, she told her to take a seat on one of the chairs in front of the office. At least that meant that Pauline seemed to have chosen the right course of action.
After only a few minutes an elderly man exited the office and Pauline was told the chairman was ready. She knocked at the door. From inside she could hear a voice saying "You may enter", so she pushed it open and walked into the office. A tall, heavy-built middle aged man in a navy suit with a red tie, a white shirt and blondish-white hair with dark roots was sitting at a desk.
He greeted her warmly, gesturing her to sit down on one of the deep leather armchairs next to the fireplace and took off his jacket. Then he began to speak:
"As you might already have noticed, my name is Ewart Asker. You may call me Ewart. I'm the chairman of CHERUB, which is where we are. We train and recruit children - exceptional children - to become agents, using them for undercover missions adults could never do. We have more than 300 pupils, four swimming pools, six indoor tennis courts, an all-weather football field, a gymnasium, a dojo and a shooting range, just to name a few. We have a school on-site. Everyone knows 2 foreign languages, but a lot learn more. Classes have up to 10 kids. We have a higher proportion of students at top universities than any school in the country."
Pauline blinked. "Wait, sorry. Did I hear you wrong or are you really saying this is some kind of spy school?"
"Exactly, CHERUB is part of the British Intelligence Service. You're here because we think you might be a good fit. But this isn't a life anyone is forced into. You'll be tested. If you pass, you'll have a choice."
"And... the drugging?" Pauline asked sharply.
"A necessary precaution. We have to ensure utmost secrecy. If you decide not to join, we will handpick a good foster family for you."
Pauline hesitated, looking down at the rug under her boots, trying to make sense of it all. It was all absurd—yet strangely logical. And there was a part of her that was intrigued.
"You'll spend the day undergoing evaluations - medical, physical, psychological, and of intellectual aptitude. If you pass, you'll be able to join CHERUB. If you do, you'll do a 100-day basic training in two years time. It's gruelling, pushing you discover what you can really do. If you succeed, you'll become an agent."
She sat in silence, the words sinking in. Somewhere beneath her guarded exterior, a spark had lit. A school where she could bloom. A life where she could do something that mattered.
Ewart stood. "Let's begin with your medical exam."
Pauline followed him out of the room. She didn't know was going to happen - but for the first time in nearly a year, she didn't feel like she was just surviving.
Together they left the office and headed to the medical building.