Missing (3 page)

Now I noticed the deep concern and worry in his
eyes. ‘We won't send you over there unprepared, Cal. Paddy will organise the necessary training and equipment for you.'

I suddenly remembered my physics assignment. ‘What about school? And my mum and Gabbi?'

‘You can leave that to us. We'll talk to your family for you,' said BB. ‘You have enough to focus on.'

I thought of something else. ‘Did anyone from SI-6 recently send me a text message? A picture of the world with a skull and crossbones on it?'

The blank look on BB's face answered my question. ‘Skull and crossbones?'

‘Never mind. Someone sent me some random picture.'

‘Maybe it was a prank. From a friend?'

‘Maybe. So, how am I going to get there?' I asked, changing the subject. ‘Aeroplane? Boat?'

‘We'll talk about that later,' said BB. ‘Shadow Island presents a few challenges—especially for a covert insertion.'

‘Covert insertion, dude?' said Boges. The three of
us sat around Winter's kitchen table as I repeated what BB had said. ‘That is serious military talk. That's
commando
talk.'

I'd told them everything that had happened with SI-6 and Benedict Bellamy—the insane tests they'd put me through the night before, then the revelation that they knew where Ryan was and that they needed my help. I pulled out the photograph of BB's daughter.

‘She looks young,' said Boges, picking up Sophie's photograph.

‘I wonder what BB meant by “challenges” on the island?' Winter said, helping herself to another biscuit.

‘I don't know yet. But it seems that there have been rumours about the Paradise People and the guy who's running it now. They think he might not have the same kind of experience as his brother. Someone at the Bank Street Youth Centre had some concerns.'

‘Bank Street?' Winter asked. ‘I've done volunteering at that centre. I know Rebecca, the woman who runs the place. We should ask her what she's heard.'

Boges pulled out his tablet computer and within moments had found what he was looking for. ‘Check this out, guys. This is the Paradise People Resort website.'

Boges clicked on ‘Things to Do' and zoomed in on the pictures on his screen so that we could all see it—kids playing volleyball on a beautiful beach with a vivid blue sky above. There was a row of palm trees and a big mango tree, with kayaks underneath, in front of a sparkling ocean. Table tennis games were happening on the grassy area beside the beach.

‘I feel like going there myself,' said Winter. ‘It looks fantastic. I could handle a bit of tropical island right now.'

‘What is it, Boges?' I asked, noticing the two lines on his forehead coming together. ‘You're wearing your “something's-not-quite-right face”.'

‘Because something's not quite right, dude. Who's paying for all this?'

‘I thought about that, too. It's some kind of charity, I guess,' I said. ‘So that's it, guys,' I continued. ‘I go there undercover and check Sophie and Ryan are both OK. And have a bit of a look around and make sure everything is above board—that the guy who's running the place knows what he's doing and hasn't gone troppo.'

‘What's that?' asked Winter.

‘When too much tropical heat makes people go crazy,' Boges explained.

‘Doesn't sound like you'll need us at all,' sighed Winter, scrolling through the website and
admiring the photographs. ‘Unless you need a ball boy or girl to jump into the surf and bring back a lost volleyball.'

‘Great work if you can get it,' said Boges. ‘And you've got it, dude.'

‘Paradise,' I said, rubbing it in a bit. ‘What could possibly go wrong?'

The three of us walked into the youth centre—a converted church hall with a small cafe area on one side, battered old lounges and armchairs, and a couple of computers.

Winter went ahead of us to the small office. A young woman looked up and smiled, getting out from behind her desk. ‘Hi, Winter. How are you?'

‘Good thanks, Rebecca. These are my friends Cal and Boges,' she introduced us.

‘Hi guys,' said Rebecca. ‘Haven't noticed you two around here before.'

‘We wondered if we could talk to you about Shadow Island,' I said, leaning against the back of an old lounge.

‘Are you thinking of going there?' Rebecca asked cautiously.

‘Why? Is there a problem?'

‘I'm not sure,' she said, frowning. ‘It's just that I know someone who was there for quite a few months—Brittany Philips. At first, she was very happy. She loved it there and started helping out, and was really pleased when they asked her to stay on as a staff member. But by the time she got back, she was in a terrible state. She'd been asked to leave and she wouldn't, or couldn't, talk about why. She was always a bit on the quiet side, but after that she was really timid and withdrawn. She bunked here for a couple of nights, too scared to leave the premises.'

‘What was she frightened of?' I asked.

‘She didn't say,' said Rebecca. ‘It might all have been in her imagination. She had an anxiety problem, and nightmares too. I heard her yelling out about a key or something.' Rebecca paused, trying to remember. ‘I'm sure that was it. She was raving in her sleep about a key, and when I woke her up she mumbled, “If they know I know, I'll be in terrible danger”.'

I looked questioningly at the others. ‘
If they know I know—
what? About a key? And who's
they?
'

‘Search me, dude,' Boges said.

Winter shrugged her shoulders. ‘What do you think she meant, Rebecca?' she asked.

‘I wish I knew. I shook her properly awake because she was so distressed. But then she
just clammed up. She wouldn't tell me anything more. Now I don't know where she is and I worry about her. And there have been other kids too. I've noticed that some of our most neglected and vulnerable kids are the ones who end up being drawn to the place. Most of them come back after a few weeks. But a couple of the kids, I've never seen again.'

‘They might just be getting on with their lives,' Boges suggested.

Rebecca didn't look convinced. ‘Could be. I've just got a bad feeling about that place.'

Later, as we walked back to Winter's house, it felt like Rebecca's bad feelings were contagious. Shadow Island had changed from being a tropical paradise into something potentially much more sinister. Even the name now sounded menacing. And what was the key for?

‘What did you make of what Rebecca said?' Winter asked me.

‘Not sure yet,' I said. ‘I was thinking about Brittany Philips and her nightmares.'

‘I don't like the idea that some kids seem to be missing,' said Winter. ‘Shouldn't the police be doing something?'

‘What can they do?' asked Boges. ‘At that age, kids can leave home and go where they like. They might just have gone off and not told anyone.'

That was true, I knew. And surely, if there'd been any real problems, the authorities would have been asked to investigate Shadow Island by now. Rumours are just that—a game of whispers. Lots of kids ‘disappear' for a while. I know I did for a whole year. Although, I mused, I wouldn't wish that kind of life on anyone.

Winter interrupted my thoughts saying, ‘You know Cal, until I met you, Boges and Ryan, and then Harriet, I might have been one of those vulnerable kids. I might have been the sort who went to Shadow Island and then just—just …'

‘… disappeared?' I laughed. ‘No way. I can't imagine that! But I think we need to talk to Brittany Philips,' I said.

‘We've gotta find her first, Cal,' Winter reminded me.

‘OK,' said BB, standing in front of us and pointing to the screen on the wall. Axel, Paddy, D'Merrick and I sat around a long table, ready for my briefing. I had been eager to learn more in the last few days, but SI-6 seemed to be running to their own schedule. Perhaps this was the downside of an ‘off the books' operation.

‘This is Shadow Island,' BB announced, ‘as per the Paradise People's website. It's quite small—about six kilometres long and a couple of kilometres wide. Like most of these islands, it has steep volcanic cliffs and dangerous ocean breaks on the windward side, with a more sheltered bay on the leeward eastern side.'

BB pointed to the screen and continued, ‘There've been small rumbles from a volcano
there, but very little recent activity, apart from the occasional tremor. The terrain is rugged and mountainous in the middle, with one heavily forested large peak that's usually covered in cloud. This area,' BB pointed to the screen, ‘was used for a while as a penal colony in the 19th-century. Parts of an old stone prison and the prison governor's residence are still there, but they're all derelict now. The island was also used by the military during the Pacific War.'

BB turned back from the screen to face us. ‘Jeffrey Thoroughgood has been running the place as a youth camp for a number of years now. As you can see, it's a pretty, tropical island—but like all paradises, it has its serpents too. There are potential dangers on Shadow Island, like the Gympie Gympie trees which grow in the rainforest areas which cover much of the island. It's a harmless-looking tree with heart-shaped leaves, but if you brush up against it you'll be in pain for months. There's also a nasty climbing palm called a ‘Wait-a-While', which has hundreds of little hooks along the stems. Bump into that, and you'll be there for quite a while getting unhooked.'

‘Great place for a retreat!' I said. It looked like I was going to be busy dodging danger—not playing volleyball.

BB went on, ‘For many months of the year, the surrounding water is dangerous due to the strong currents and huge seas on the windward side, which makes the western side of the island almost inaccessible. There are also large colonies of Irukanji jellyfish. Have you heard of them?'

I had and I didn't like the sound of those suckers. ‘Aren't they the ones that are even more deadly than box jellyfish? Plus they're tiny and almost invisible?'

BB nodded.
Great
.

BB hit a button and a tiny, glassy creature with long, vein-like threads drifting behind it, pulsed across the screen. ‘Anyone who goes swimming must wear a stinger suit. Jeffrey Thoroughgood has them stored in the resort.'

Paradise is getting better and better by the minute, I thought, as I stared at the image on the screen.

‘So you must take care to avoid these hazards. I'll make sure there's an adrenaline shot in your first-aid kit, Cal, just in case you need to take action against anaphylactic shock,' BB said. ‘That can happen if you get enough toxin to make your body go into meltdown. It can be fatal if not reversed quick smart. Paddy or Axel will show you how to use the shot. OK?'

He looked at me. ‘Any questions?'

‘Have you heard anything about some kind of key on the island?'

BB frowned. ‘I don't think so. Why do you ask?' It was clear from the puzzled look on his face that he hadn't. I decided to let Boges and Winter fill in SI-6 on Brittany Philips later so I moved onto my next question. ‘How will I get onto the island?'

I saw the four of them looking at each other before BB spoke. ‘Obviously going by sea is out of the question. Any craft would be smashed to pieces on the rocks on one side of the island, and on the other side, a beach landing could be easily spotted.'

‘Parachute?' I asked.

‘Paraglider. We notice you've used a hangglider before. The plan is to fly you most of the way at night, when the weather conditions are just right, and then you will glide in for a quiet landing on Shadow Island. But we'll make sure you get enough training and practice jumps in first.'

‘Alright, that all sounds OK.'

BB's face became concerned and thoughtful. ‘Cal, I want you to think carefully about this. This is the sort of job that should rightly be done by an experienced operative with commando
training. We don't anticipate problems with the Paradise People themselves, but to a large degree you'll be going into an unknown situation. Do you understand what I'm saying?'

In the silence that followed BB's words, I thought about it. A mysterious group of people and a night landing onto a small island in the middle of a huge black ocean. A killer surf and jagged rocks on one side, possible volcanic activity and stinging trees in the middle, and deadly invisible jellyfish all around? How could I resist?

‘Right,' I said. ‘When do we start?'

Paddy and BB accompanied me downstairs to the equipment area of the Special Intelligence building, where I was given a strong backpack with lightweight camping gear and army-style rations, as well as a secure mobile phone, with built-in encryption capabilities. Paddy explained how to use all its specialised applications.

‘I've included a solar phone charger. Might be useful when you're camped out in the jungle,' Paddy said.

‘You'll also take a small satellite phone,' added BB. ‘You might need it in case you can't get a phone signal. But the secure channel can
only be accessed at eleven o'clock at night and only for a few minutes. I don't want to expose this mission to anyone else in SI-6. This job is strictly under the radar. Your call sign will be Night Hawk. Mine will be Condor. OK?'

BB wished me luck, shook my hand and left. The worry in his eyes was easy to see. I realised that I was keen to help reunite Sophie and her father. For a moment, I felt a pang of sadness for my own. But I shook it off as I tried to focus on Paddy's instructions about my new equipment.