Free Paradeisia: Origin of Paradise by B.C.CHASE

eerily reptilian way. “I was chosen,” he said, his voice hollow.  The corner of his mouth upturned slightly in a disdainful smile.  With his black eyes leering up at her and his body as still as a snake, Karen half expected a forked tongue to project from his thin lips.
    Of course that didn't happen: he just stared at her with his usual condescension.  She swore a final time and spun around to stomp back down the marbled hall.
     
    When she was gone, Abael Fiedler lifted the paper from his lap.  It was an executive order for the quarantine of anyone potentially exposed to a virus of some sort.  As he did with any new piece of information he received, he studied it carefully.  Then he wheeled himself into the empty Oval Office, placed the paper on the President's desk, took one of his pens, and signed the document in the President's hand:
     
    B araq B asra
     
    Abael then wheeled himself out of the Oval office and into a corridor to a door on the left.  He knocked.
    A reply came from within.  He opened the door to reveal a small office.  The President, wearing a jacket and slacks, reclined in an armchair with his legs propped up on an ottoman.  He looked up from the screen he was reading.
    “How may I help you?” the President said.
    “Karen just came.  She had an executive order she wanted you to sign.  Another health scare.  I signed it for you so we can give it back to her tomorrow.”
    “Thank you, Abael.  You know how busy I am.”
    “Yes, I know, sir.  The world will look to you, you know.”
    The President sighed and shook his head, looking distant, “And they don't even know what's coming.”
     
     
    NP-452
     
    Aubrey heard the mechanical clunks from the landing gear descending.  She was in her seat beside Lorraine, gazing out the window, and in spite of Henry, she felt a flutter of excitement in her chest at what she saw outside.
    Bright blue sky was punctuated with small fluffy clouds, and in the distance far below, the sparkling ocean was interrupted by a round white beach of cresting waves.  A vast expanse of flat land blanketed with grass, shrubs and the occasional palm tree spread out from the beach.  Then a cascade of tropically canopied green ridges rose up to a grand vista of lush mountains.  Far in the distance were two peaks towering magnificently above it all, wisps of fog billowing near their crowns.
    Lorraine was clearly as moved by the sight as Aubrey, and breathed, “My word.  It's beautiful.”
    “But where are we?”
    “Paradeisia,” a voice behind them said.  It was Lady Shrewsbury.   She pronounced the word pair-ah-DAY-sya, and her face bore a pleasant, though mysterious, expression.  “137 square miles of tropical paradise.”
    Aubrey posited, “So...it's an island.”
    “Yes, part of the Lesser Antilles, to be exact.”  Receiving a blank stare from both Aubrey and Lorraine, she clarified, “You know, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia...  This island was purchased for an outrageous sum of money from France.  Of course back then it was a secret.  They called it 'NP-452.'  Now, it's the largest private construction project ever undertaken.  And, so far, still a secret.”
    Lorraine inquired, “What did they build?”
    Lady Shrewsbury raised an eyebrow, “It's not so much what was built as how deep.”
    “How deep?” Aubrey asked.
    “Yes...  Many of the islands here produce oil.  The government intended to extract it from this one by excavating via the empty magma chamber of the volcano.  Only they didn't find what they were hoping for.  No, they found something...quite unexpected.”
    “What was that?” Lorraine asked.
    Lady Shrewsbury drew a quick breath, a hint of a smile gracing her lips, “Well, I'm here for the adventure as much as you.  We shall soon see the place together, shall we not?”
    The pilot's voice came over the intercom, requesting everyone to be seated.  He intoned, “And, please, buckle up.  This is going