Dark Price of Paradise

Time To Act

Teuila took the glass bottle containing the Isoniazid out of her medicine cabinet. It was still full. Teuila was still having her dark moods, she still woke up short of breath with her heart pounding, still had nightmares. As she held the bottle in her hand she considered what to do.

If Teuila took one of these pills she might keep taking them. Just like she worried about becoming dependent on the barbiturates to help her sleep. She had used the barbiturates sparingly. Teuila didn't want to be dependent on a pill to make her feel good, a pill to make her sleep, another to counteract the bad affects of the first two and so on.

Teuila got on her bicycle simply because she hadn't used it in a while and brought the Isoniazid back to Doctor Li at the clinic. Teuila had expected an argument.

"I only intended it as a temporary solution." Doctor Li put the bottle with his other medicines in a locked glass cabinet. "It can cause liver damage if used extensively. All I ask is that if you begin to feel suicidal or severely depress you come in and see me."

"I'm only keeping the barbiturates because some nights I have trouble sleeping." Teuila admitted.

"Those can be addictive, so be careful taking them." Li had done a cursory examination of Teuila. "If you continue to have trouble sleeping I suggest you check with me and we'll find some alternatives."

"Is Daisy in the building somewhere?" Teuila wanted to talk with her.

"I sent her with Lola Halali to the farms. She might make a good midwife and we need a few more." Li had seen a remarkable improvement with Daisy. "If people can get around what she used to be, and accept her for what she is now, I don't see a problem."

"If they can't get around it?" Teuila asked.

"You might remind people she is your friend. That might prove very effective." Li told her.

Mike Hatta sat in the old military medical clinic taken over by Edward Reed and Antonio Fetcillo. The two Americans had misplayed this one. Now, Mike was going to take the fall. The two of them didn't see much they could do about it at the moment.

"We wait." Eddie said.

"Wait!" Mike shouted. "For what? I'm going to lose my position. If that happens you two are going down with me."

"I wouldn't suggest letting that happen. That would mean that you were in a conspiracy with us to commit treason. If you think that you are in a bad position now, how would you like facing execution." Eddie reminded Mike.

Tony nodded. "That is the present punishment for treason against the island. Of course, Ed and I would be deported, but you are facing execution."

Mike was furious. These two had gotten him into this situation. They had promised to make him President of a new island democracy. What Mike had gotten was lose of respect and power. Both of which Mike felt were the same. Especially outside the island.

"Mike, the islanders can be easily persuaded. We both know that at heart the majority of islanders are like naive children." Eddie held the view that most whites did concerning islanders. "All it takes is a little push in the right direction and they will turn on the present government. We all want to see Waka develop into a proper democracy. So do a majority of the islanders."

"We made a bad decision, Mike. Now, we have to take the fallout and try again." Tony backed up Eddie. "Despite your loss of position with the islanders who still have the support of the United States. That means we are prepared to compensate you financially for your loses."

Eddie knew that money spoke where Mike Hatta was concerned. He should have led with this proposal, he had to hand it to Tony for thinking this up on the spur of the moment.

"I was going to get to that, Mike." Tony picked up where Tony life off. "We will compensate you for your lose of position. Not only that we will fund you in a new campaign for retaining your position and much more. The United States has deep pockets, all we ask is that you provide us with a little assistance with our ultimate goal, to make Waka a capitalist democracy."

Mike left the compound richer, more confident then he had been since he felled in his coup at the recent Council meeting. Eddie and Tony kept their mole in the Council of Advisors on the island. Money would buy Mike's election to Advisor again.

Eddie went to the radio communications room and contacted his CIA handler. The encoded message informed him what they intended to do next. The handler sent them a message back in code.

"Confirmed. Enact as soon as possible." The handler replied.

"Confirmed. Enact as soon as possible." Charlie King repeated the message to Teuila.

"It's time we acted then." Teuila said.

"Are you sure about this. The American's won't take this lightly. They might consider it an attack against American citizens." Zach Nathon was there in the room where Charlie King had the interception radio set up.

Charlie King had been spying on the communications of the two American scientists and the CIA handler in Hong Kong since he had connected the two scientists with the criminal Victor Thrayer. With the help of his contacts in the Vulgates. The secret society had long arms that embraced a number of agencies. Including the CIA.

"This isn't like Victor Thrayer's organization, I don't intend to go in with gun's blazing." Teuila assured Zach. "Charlie, I want to promote you to my Internal Security Advisor. Do you have a conflict with that?"

"I don't think that the people I answer to would have a conflict with it. My people only answer to the President of the United States. If he has a problem with it, then they will, and I'll step down." Charlie explained. "In the interim, with no present orders to the contrary I accept."

"Who do you answer to?" Teuila doubted Charlie would give her a straight answer, but she had to ask.

"As I said. Ultimately I answer to the President of the United States." Which was not quite accurate. Charlie answered to the Spirit of America, that essence that made America what it is. What made America truly great.

Dwight D. Eisenhower. The Thirty-forth President of the United States had been given a 'Book of Secrets' by his predecessor Harry S. Truman. It had been passed down from one president to the next since George Washington first took office. Secrets so classified that only the president was allowed to relay them to his predecessor. In that 'Book of Secrets' was the acknowledgement of the Vulgates or Light Bringers. A quasi religious organization that stood for the 'Spirit of what made America great.' As the Book put it. They often took instructions from the United State's President, but operated independently most of the time. The exact hierarchy of this organization was unclear. What they did do was stop the McCarthy Trials in their tracks. They also managed to put a blanket over FBI's Herbert Hoover, who had quickly learned to avoid their agents.

President Eisenhower was familiar with the island of Waka. It was considered a essential, strategic port during the Pacific Campaign of the last war. Although obscure, the island was considered important because it was considered obscure, which made it perfect for a base of operations again in any future actions that might take place in the Pacific, such as the Siam conflict that was brewing.

When the Vulgate's agents requested a relocation of certain American citizens on the island, President Eisenhower saw no problem with the request, despite the fact that they were CIA agents. If the island's Chieftess wanted the old military medical clinic as a new hospital for the island, he saw no reason not to relocate the scientists. It was well known that it was best to keep the Vulgates as a friend, then make them an unnecessary enemy.