About 9:00, Orba Organics research centre, somewhere in the Pacific, Tuesday the 13th of April, 2055.

About 9:00, Orba Organics research centre, somewhere in the Pacific, Tuesday the 13th of April, 2055.

I awake to a glorious sunny day. All trace of yesterday's storm has passed; the skies are clear and the air smells clean and sweet. Things seem nice and quiet so I take some time just to relax in my own company.

About eleven Sykes and Yuki knock on the door to say they are going over to the main building for some late breakfast. I go over with them and Paul rustles us up some food. During breakfast we decide that such a great day should be spent on the beach and ask Paul which of the island's beaches we should head for. He suggests the beach we landed on yesterday would be the best.

So we finish our food and Crash joins us as we make our way down to the expanse of black volcanic sand. It really is a tropical paradise now we can see it properly in the sunshine. Thanks to the reef and the lagoon, the waves are just lapping gently upon the shore. There's a cooling onshore breeze that is just taking the edge off the heat and making the leaves on the palm trees sway slowly and gracefully.

Time passes quickly and about mid-afternoon I suggest to Yuki that dinner on the beach, with the food cooked over a bonfire might be an idea. She agrees it sounds good so we all head back up to the research centre to see what we can scavenge for the evening's entertainment.

I head into the building to have a word with Paul. He says that if I get a good fire going later, he'll arrange some food. He tells me where to find a sizeable bundle of dry driftwood that I can take down to the beach with us. I come out of the building to find that Yuki and Crash have somehow acquired a pair of quad bikes. I've no idea what they're for, but I collect the driftwood and put it the back of Yuki's before climbing on behind her for the trip to the beach.

The four of us make the trip down and while I set about making the bonfire, Yuki and Crash chase Sykes up and down with the quad bikes. I get the fire going and about seven, Paul arrives with a big hamper full of food which we set about cooking.

A short while later another eleven of the staff come down to join us. I'm pleased to see that Christene is one of them. The party goes on for several hours and everyone seems to be having fun. It's amusing to watch and see who is trying to get together with who.

I notice in conversation with and from watching Christene that there's something that's just a little odd about her. Some of the things she says and does are out of the ordinary, but that just makes her more intriguing.

Shen's the first I spot to leave about half ten. He doesn't seem the social type so it's not too surprising. As the light fades, the beach is lit only by the glow of the bonfire and I've got Christene for company, so the world seems a very beautiful place...