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along the stems. Bump into that, and you’ll be there for quite a while getting unhooked.’
    â€˜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.
    â€˜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?’
    â€˜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.’
    â€˜Parachute?’ I asked.
    â€˜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.’
    â€˜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 commandotraining. 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?
    â€˜Right,’ I said. ‘When do we start?’
11:14 am
    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.
    â€˜I’ve included a solar phone charger. Might be useful when you’re camped out in the jungle,’ Paddy said.
    â€˜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 canonly be accessed at eleven o’clock at night and only for a few