The Island (6 page)

“What does that mean?” Ryder asked.

“I mean keep in mind the entertainment aspect. You may go into The Island together but you don’t have to remain that way. Go in groups or on your own, it really doesn’t matter. What matters is that people keep watching.”

“Isn’t that out of our hands?” Perrie asked. Despite looking half cut earlier, she was calm and in control.

Lomar’s grin widened. “Quite the opposite. It is all in your hands. The best television shows are filled with drama, twists and turns. Granted, there will be plenty of those when you get onto The Island itself, but I want more. A good double cross, a tasty argument. Maybe a bit of sexual tension between contestants.” He looked at the two girls as he said it, raising one eyebrow for a split second. “Whatever you choose to do it up to you. Bonuses will be paid for those who are deemed to be making it more of a show.”

“Isn’t death enough to keep people watching?” Chase had no idea he was even going to speak until the words had left his mouth. Even so, the question was a valid one.

Lomar looked at him for a second, his grin faltering ever so slightly, and then he responded in the same conversational, jovial tone. “Of course, a person’s mortality isn’t something to be frowned at, and I mean no disrespect. But there is something to be said for the kind of dramas that only you, the season one contestants, can make. Be memorable, be controversial. Be ruthless. Remember, there can be only one winner. Your faces will be broadcast all over the world on live television. There are over three hundred thousand cameras rigged up through The Island to capture your every move. Each of you will be wearing cameras on your clothing too in order to capture everything that takes place. To capture the first glimpse of what lives behind those two hundred foot walls.”

“And what does live there?”

It was Alex who had spoken. His foot was still, but his eyes still darted. His t-shirt was ringed under the arms with sweat and he looked completely uncomfortable. Lomar was still smiling, but now it was the smile of a crocodile rather than a friend telling a humorous story.

“I’m afraid to tell you that would spoil the very real reactions when you encounter what I have in store for you.” Not so much the words themselves, but the delivery of them had brought everyone’s mood down just a touch. The burgers still sizzled and smelled gorgeous, the pool still looked inviting and cool, but all any of them could think about was death. “Well,” Lomar said, sensing the mood drop. “I have to leave on business later today, however my staff have been instructed to give you anything you require until you leave for The Island. You will also be visited by our survival expert tomorrow who will show you a few basic survival tips. I believe one of you is former Special Forces, am I correct?”

Ryder raised his hand Lomar nodded. “For you, I’m afraid it might be a boring exercise, but the rest of you ought to pay strict attention. In closing, I will wish you all good luck. Pasquale is preparing food out on the grill, and the pool is gloriously cool. Enjoy these days of freedom. Soon, you will enter The Island. Now go ahead and relax, you’ve earned it. Leave your bags; they will be taken to your rooms which you will be shown to later.”

The crowd was about to disperse, and Chase was about to head outside when Lomar put a hand on his shoulder. “Would you come with me, Mr. Riley?”

Chase’s heart vaulted into his throat. He could feel the eyes of the other contestants on him, willing something to be wrong, hoping for their odds to improve at his expense. Chase suspected what it was about. It had to be the cancer. They had made a mistake in clearing him and now were about to kick him off the show. He followed Lomar to a small room off the dining area. It looked like a study or office of sorts. Immense oak bookcases lined the wall, the room itself dominated by the biggest desk he had ever seen. “Please, take a seat,” Lomar said, motioning to the high backed chair. Chase sat, and Lomar walked around to the other side of the table, where he too sat. Folding his hands on the spotless table top, Chase tried his best not to appear nervous, but there was no way to deny that Lomar was an intimidating presence. Chase sat in the silence, listening to the monotonous tick of the clock as the seconds were eaten away.

“I understand you’re not in the best of health.”

With those words, Chase knew the game was up. He considered trying to fight it, to try and lie his way out of trouble, but Lomar’s piercing gaze told him that any lie would be seen through, any excuse dismissed. “Yes. That’s right,” Chase said.

Lomar nodded. “Cancer of the lungs I believe. Terminal according to your medical scan.”

Chase nodded. “Apparently. But your health scan cleared me to take part, if you intend to throw me off the show I–” A raised palm was enough to stop Chase in his tracks.

Lomar smiled a thin, toothless gesture. “Don’t try to talk your way out of it. It’s not necessary.”

“I can still do it. I can still take part.”

“Mr. Riley, please, let me speak.” The slightest air of authority. Chase imagined Lomar would be terrifying during board meetings when he dialled that aggression all the way up to eleven if his staff wasn’t getting the job done as he wanted it.

“I’m sorry,” Chase muttered. “It’s just that... This is important to me. You have no idea.”

“Actually, I do. I selected you, remember? All of you. I know the motivations for you taking part. I know the situation, Mr. Riley. Make no mistake about it.”

Chase nodded, folding his hands in his lap.

“Now I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, that we can’t have a contestant on our show that is already facing death regardless of if he wins or loses. The public would feel cheated. You see my dilemma?”

“If the public feel cheated that I’m already dying, then maybe it’s them that are the problem, not me.”

Lomar grinned, then stood and walked around the desk to the window, which gave him a spectacular view of the ocean. “I can’t speak for the public, only myself. But you are of course right. That doesn’t change the fact that the public
will
feel cheated. I can’t have that.”

“Then why bring me here? Why not just reject me at the application stage? Why give me false hope that I could do this?”

“Mr. Riley, please!” This time, the snap in his voice was clear. Sharp. This wasn’t a man used to being questioned. “Let me finish.”

Chase sat in silence, watching as Lomar opened a drawer and took a small silver device. It looked like a cross between a pistol and a tattoo gun. Smooth chrome, handle moulded for comfort. Chase felt fear bristle down his spine, wondering if he was about to be killed for trying to deceive a mega power like Lomar, for wasting his time and resources. He wondered if it would be quick, if they would put him out of his misery then take his body out to sea and dump it overboard. Panic was close to taking over. Lomar was approaching now, chrome device held loose and hanging at his side. Just as Chase had decided to try and make a run for it, Lomar placed the device on the table in front of Chase then returned to his seat. Chase looked at the device, confused and curious in equal measure. On closer inspection, the device was some kind of drug delivery device. The needle protruding out of its end covered in a rubber tip.

“What is this?” Chase asked. Lomar smiled. Crocodile this time like when he was asked about what was on The Island.

“Vaccine.”

“For what?”

“Your cancer of course.”

Chase stared at the needle gun, then at Lomar, looking for the joke, for the first hint that he was being tricked. He saw nothing but curiosity in the billionaire’s face.

“I don’t understand.”

“Like I said, Mr. Riley. I can’t have the public chastising me because one of our contestants is already dying.”

“I don’t think you understand. I have
cancer
.”

“And there is the vaccine,” Lomar said, slowly and patient as a man trying to explain something simple to a child. Lomar leaned on the desk, crocodile grin spreading. “When you reach The Island, you will learn that science has made many things possible that the public know nothing about. The treatment for cancer has existed for at least twenty five years. Only those rich or powerful enough can afford it. As you know, certain cancers can be treated with drugs. I believe that was your intention in coming here, correct, to get the treatment?”

Chase nodded.

“Well, here is something better. How will it feel to know that you can cure your daughter completely and immunise her from the disease if you win. Believe me, Mr. Riley, even I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get this vaccine. You have no idea how difficult it was to obtain.”

“People are dying, my daughter… I mean… This isn’t something you can hold back.”

Lomar shrugged. “I’ve held nothing back. The decision not to release the vaccine is one made by people far more powerful than me. I would imagine the near eleven billion dollar turnover in the pharmaceutical trade each year has something to do with it. Frankly, none of that is our concern. What is my concern is making you fit and well for the show. So, if you want to take part in The Island, you will inject yourself with that in the left forearm. Within forty eight hours, your symptoms should have completely receded. By the time you set foot on The Island, you will be as healthy as you were before those deformed cells ever tried to invade your body.”

Chase picked up the vaccine gun and stared at it. All his daughters suffering, all the suffering his family had gone through, could have been resolved by that one little vaccine. A single jab then cured within two days He could barely comprehend it. There was so much he wanted to say, questions he wanted to ask, but his tongue was uncooperative and sat on the floor of his mouth, unable or unwilling to move. Lomar grinned, not crocodile, but friendly now. He was enjoying the show.

“Strange isn’t it, how just a simple thing can have such a big impact?”

Chase nodded. “And you can get more of this? I mean, after the show, if I won, could you get this for my daughter?”

Crocodile grin was back. “Of course. The prize is anything the winner chooses after all. Why settle for giving her the best healthcare money can buy, when you could eliminate the problem and assure her of a happy and long life free of her disease?”

“If I win,” Chase muttered, staring at the vaccine.

“If you win,” Lomar repeated.

Chase stared at Lomar, then at the vaccine. He removed the rubber stopper from the end of the needle, and touched it to his forearm. “Do I just jab it?”

Lomar shook his head. “Hold it there where you have it then pull the trigger.”

Chase’s palms were sweating. He couldn’t bring himself to go through with it, knowing that he had the power to cure his daughter in his hands and was about to administer it to himself. He glanced back at Lomar, who seemed to be enjoying the mental struggle. It was then that Chase made a decision. He depressed the trigger, the sting as the needle fired into his arm and administered whatever miracle cure was inside a distant thing. One thought now cycled around his mind. No matter what it took, no matter how far he had to go to make it happen, he was going to survive The Island and cure his daughter.

“Congratulations,” Lomar said with a smile. “You are now cancer free.”

There was no joy. No excitement. Just an overwhelming desire to reach their destination so he could give his daughter the life she deserved. If that meant having to murder a few strangers he had just met, then so be it. He was more than prepared to do it.

FINAL PREPARATIONS

NECKER ISLAND, BRITISH VIRGIN ISLES

MARCH 8
th
2044

Richard Glebe reminded Chase of a bug. A praying mantis maybe or some kind of stick insect. He was tall and skinny, his bulging eyes not complimented by his gaunt features. His hair was slicked down with a gallon of oil, and when he talked, he gestured with his hands, something that, for Chase at least, had quickly become annoying.

The last two days had been anything but the luxurious relaxation that Lomar had suggested it would be before he had jetted off on whatever business he had (pausing to wave to them as his private helicopter transported him from The Island to the mainland). If anything, there was a sense of apprehension mingled with eagerness to get started. As Lomar had said, Chase’s cough had subsided, and he felt better than he ever had before. The vaccine he had been administered was certainly potent. All of them had spent the last two days differently. Moses and Alex had been quiet and reflective, Alex the most as he continued to become more and more isolated from the group. The two girls, Ellie and Perrie were like chalk and cheese. Perrie was almost the stereotypical ditzy girl, a happy-go-lucky party animal who seemed oblivious to what they were about to undertake. Ellie on the other hand was an enigma. Although she was quiet, there was something about her that Chase couldn’t quite place. Something between fierceness and a determination to succeed. She had spent the majority of the last two days sitting in the sun, earphones jammed in as she listened to music. Chase supposed that like him, she was assessing the competition, which was her right. The complete opposite again was Ryder. He was brash and cocky, and took great delight in telling everyone that he was the favourite to win with the bookmakers, a fact that was impossible to verify the validity of. Chase watched him now, doing push ups by the pool, skin slick with sweat as he moved with piston like efficiency. Chase had tried to make conversation, but Ryder it seemed only wanted to talk about one subject, which was himself and how he was going to win. He had taken great delight in telling them how he had learned to live off the land and build shelters, start fires and survive in the most hostile environments on the planet. Chase wasn’t certain how much of it was bullshit designed to intimidate or true. Either way, Ryder was confident of his chances. Chase decided he didn’t want to think about Ryder or the rest of his competition anymore, and turned his attention back to the mantis-like Glebe, who was gesticulating at the team of men who were setting up a green screen towards the rear of the pool area. It was rare for Chase to take an instant dislike to someone, but Glebe had all the qualities he hated in people. Smarmy and arrogant, he spoke like a man who was far superior to those around him as he buzzed from location to location checking everything was in order. As if hearing Chase’s thoughts, he turned towards them and clapped his hands together.

“Contestants, to me, please. Stop what you are doing and come to me.”

They all complied, Chase’s heart rate increasing just a little. Every small event was now leading to the first tentative step onto The Island.

“Come on, a little closer so I don’t have to shout,” Glebe said, his patronising tone not going down too well with any of them. They all stepped closer, forming a semi-circle around him. Satisfied with their positioning, Glebe spoke, the insincerity of his friendliness easy to spot.

“Okay, as you can all see, we have a green screen set up here behind me. What I want to do is have each of you record little vignettes. For those of you who don’t know what that means, we want to shoot little interviews, promotional segments where you tell the people at home a little bit about yourselves and why you applied for the show.”

Chase switched from partly listening to giving his full attention. This was what he had been waiting for, to find out the motivations of the others. It seemed Glebe and Lomar didn’t want to make it so easy. “You will do this one at a time in privacy. These vignettes will not air until you are already on The Island, so any attempts to glean a little information on your fellow competitors will be fruitless. If you would please wait in the reception room until my assistant calls each of you in turn, we can begin.”

And so it went on. One by one, they went and stood in front of the green screen and told their stories about why they were there and why they thought they would win. When it was done, Glebe gathered them all back outside. The day was already hot, the sun unforgiving as it burned down on the concrete yard.

“Alright, if you would all gather your belongings, and report to the dock, we will be on our way.”

“We’re going now?” Perrie said.

“Of course.”

“So soon?”

It occurred to Chase that Perrie was at last starting to understand what was going on. For a while he had thought she was just a little bit shallow, but now he was starting to wonder if it wasn’t a touch of denial.

“What did you expect?” Glebe said, reaching new levels of pomposity. “That you could stay here and sun yourselves on Mr. Lomar’s island? No, the boat is waiting for you at the dock ready to take you to The Island. Remember that feeling of the beds you slept in last night. When you lay down this evening, it will be beyond the walls.”

Although it was obviously delivered in a dramatic fashion for the television cameras which were all over the property, Chase thought it had done a good job of raising the drama. Even Ryder seemed a little quieter. Chase could see Glebe in some kind of amateur dramatics society, maybe Shakespeare or Macbeth. He suppressed a smile.

“Take all of your belongings with you,” Glebe went on. “If you forget anything, or neglect to take it, you will have to survive without it. Once you have your belongings, please make your way down to the dock and board the boat. From there, you will be transported to The Island.”

People started to move and gather their things. Chase’s legs felt light as he moved around, that bitter fear taste he had first experienced in the Lomar building coming back. His stomach felt light, and danced as the terror and adrenaline mingled to make a potent combination. His bag had been packed since the end of the survival course on day one, but he still double checked the straps, wondering if he had missed anything, if anything had been forgotten which would put him at a bigger disadvantage than he already felt he was. He shrugged into his backpack, the weight of it reminding him just how unfit he was compared to Ryder particularly, who was wearing his pack and bouncing from foot to foot like a tennis player waiting to receive a serve. Glebe led them to the boat, the three-man camera crew filming them. They each wore small cameras on the shoulders of their shirts which filmed everything as they saw it. For Chase, the walk down the dock was when it really hit home. Gone was the luxury boat with the free bar and the sun deck. In its place, a rough workman-like vessel complete with armed guards who waited on deck, watching them approach. This boat wasn’t meant for them to relax on. It had an entirely functional purpose. There was no greeting, no warm welcome. It was now all business. One by one, they climbed on board. Perrie first, then Ryder, Moses and Ellie. Chase was fifth. As he approached, he wasn’t sure he would be able to go through with it. He envisioned himself standing there on the dock, unable to step over as the others looked at him like a pack of hungry wolves. However, there was no hesitation. He stepped over the side, boots landing on the old boards with a finality that reminded him he was too far gone to back out. The disappointment on the faces of the others was welcome, and as much as he hated himself for it, he joined them and watched, curious to see if Alex would go through with it. He was skinny, and looked positively ridiculous in his backpack, which seemed much too big for his slender frame. He was sweating, and Chase was sure they would be heading to The Island with five instead of six, but Alex too got on board, giving them all a cautious glance as he stood with them. Glebe stood on the dock, hands on hips, beaming his impossibly white grin. He waited for the cameras to get into position, one filming him, the other pointed at the six of them in the back of the boat.

“Alright, there you have it,” Glebe said, addressing the viewer’s rather than them. “Our first six contestants of the season one premiere of The Island are on board and ready to go. This is their last glimpse of the civilised world. Their next stop will be The Island and whatever secrets it holds.” He waited, grin firmly in place. One second. Two. Three. One of the cameramen gave him the thumbs up to say they were off the air, and then moved to new positions ready to get shots of the boat as it left the dock.

With the cameras focused elsewhere, Glebe was his usual pompous self. “It’s a twelve hour ride out to The Island. Fifteen if you hit bad weather,” he said, looking at them with contempt that was barely hidden. “Remember, only one of you can win, but that doesn’t mean one of you
has
to win. If you all fall to The Island, then so be it. Just because this is a television show, don’t make the mistake of thinking you will be protected. Once you reach The Island and go through the gates, you are on your own. Remember, one winner. Make the show good, make what might be your last hours memorable. Good luck.”

Chase thought that was the speech they should have aired. He may have come across as a pompous prick, but at least he seemed like a real person. Either way, Glebe didn’t stay to watch them leave. He made his way back up the dock, maybe to flit around the pool as the crews took down the cameras and returned Lomar’s home back to its previous state. The six of them watched as lines were cast off, and the boat put into gear. They moved away from the dock towards open water. All of them watched as their last glimpse of the civilised world melted away into the horizon, and then thoughts turned to their destination, all of them aware that as of that moment, the game was underway.