"So many of them."
"You should get out more. How long do you think its been like this?"
"I thought the rains?”
"Not enough. Sure. One good season. Now there are five drought years for every one normal year. No imports, can't keep up."
I scanned the crowd. Family groups. Not quite in rags. Nobody here looked like they had slept in a bed for a while. Huddled quietly. Carrying everything they owned, I guessed. I looked across at Kylie and wished that I hadn't.
"While you are indulging your middle class guilt here, we have a job to do. It's important."
"I know."
So hard to move on. The higher imperative. What greater cause was there? She was right. One food grab here or there won't make any difference. I felt like my legs were full of lead.
"Which way?" I asked Max.
"Overpass."
So up we climbed, above the crowd. Up and over. Not far to the lockup. As we got to the flat and gained speed I could hear gunshots.
We did a check scan. Searching for their sensors. All clear. Planning a route. Tracking the intel. It kept my mind off things.
I couldn't reassure myself that what we were doing would help them. They would be long gone. Abstract. All causes were abstract. Not about people really.
Unlocking the storeroom we there was lots of scanning, lots of checking. Paranoia. We cut further south on the motor bikes. We took turns passing each other and drifting in and out of the lanes. No traffic. Like a dance at high speed.
Churning in my stomach. The realisation that I was totally ill-equipped for what I had signed up to do. But that I would do it anyway.
“Star.” Kylie said. So we got to the intersection and split. In different directions. Kylie and Alice going one way. Phil and I heading East. Forced security to make a choice. Who to follow? They had the profiles. The systems already programmed. Max figured they would let the computers decide who to track, and that the computers would pick Alice and Kylie.
Chapter 40
Gormandale. When you thought of the hidden valley, this was it. Northwards slight hills towards Traralgon. To the South the steep hills, and beyond that the coast. So peaceful. Birds flitting about. You could hear the ‘zee-twang’ of the banjo frogs. Phil and I. Two motorbikes, a tent, explosives.
No communication now with anyone - too much danger of interception. Had the satellite schedule warner giving us updates. Every time one came over we had to make ourselves invisible. Even in the low light it could make a face, and do the recognition.
"This is intense." I said to Phil.
"All the fault of your hormones."
We both laughed. Timing. When we took the contract it seemed so easy. Just specify exactly the date and time at which the coal fired power station is disabled. Now there was hundreds of millions of dollars riding on us.
Stared into the middle distance. Stretched out and tried to sleep. Knowing that we would only sleep in fits and bursts.
At 4am, with the moon high in the sky, we assembled everything. No talk at all. I checked the explosives. Five packs, detonators. Simple countdown timers.
Nobody at all on the road. We stood out. I kept thinking of the satellites. The surveillance. Turning every bend expecting to see a roadblock and guns pointed at us. Maybe not even that. Just a roadside bomb, primed for our approach. I was double shaking. One shaking was from the cold. The other was from the enormity of what we were about to do. Once the shakes started, they sort of accelerated. Even to the point where I thought I might have trouble steering the bike.
Up the hill, the trees arcing over the road. Past the general store, with the football ground on the other side of the road. Climbing the hill.
There it was. The white steam draped vertical. Imposing. The power station. Our target. All those posters, all those demonstrations. You could see the coal elevators working. To the vast majority of the world, this was evil incarnate. The very embodiment of the Australian problem.
"Ready?" said Phil.
"Yes. We stop exactly 400 metres before the gate."
I had Alice on the glasses. She was going to guide us through. Once again I was taking orders from Alice. But I felt confident with her on the line. She really was steady, and I knew she the best of us at this.
We pulled over to the side of the road, looking for the cameras that covered the external fence. Cutting the fence with the metal cutters, then slipping through. Just inside the fence was the cable that connected surveillance. We had to connect the box, so Alice could track their network.
“Got the feed?” I asked Alice
“Wait a moment.”
“Want me to check the connection?”
“No. We’ve got it. Will come up on your glasses.”
It folded back so that we could see what they were seeing in the gatehouse. Lots of peripheral scans. But no infrared alerts. Rather than go across the open space towards the plant, we had to go around the outside out of reach of the scanners. Keeping inside the tree cover. Alice would tell us if we came up on their systems.
There were five huge furnaces, towering above us. We went towards the first tower. The coal loader at the bottom, then the furnace. So big. It was hard to imagine that the explosives we had would make any impact at all.
At the base of the tower we were to put the charge into the bottom hopper. No real smart placement. Any damage here would take weeks to fix, and that was enough. If we got the timing right it would blow just as the coal entered the furnace. If you want to destroy it then a much larger explosion would be needed. We were just disabling it.
Now we were running. To get to the other four towers. So high. So solid. As we got to each in turn we threw the packs in. We were at the second last tower.
“You’re coming up.” Alice said
“Alerts?”
“They are running analytics. You’ve got seconds.”
“Shit”
“They are on the move. Hide here.”
On the glasses, it showed an arrow. To behind the last tower. As we walked the arrow guided us. There was a low structure, with a gap underneath. We dived under it.
“Stay still” Alice said.
The glasses showed them, showed us. They were coming in our direction. We almost stopped breathing. Watching. Slowly they came down the alley. As they came to just along side us they slowed. Shit, I thought. This is it. But they glided past.
“Now?” I asked Alice.
“Wait.”
“Now”
We sprinted across the gap to the last tower. The last hopper. Throwing it in. Then running towards the bush at the back. We couldn’t run and use the glasses, we were needed Alice to guide us.
“Shit. On your right Dad.”
We turned to the left. Up the hill and into the bush. Adrenalin spiked, really charging. We knew that we had only minutes to get back to the bikes. But it was that one word that was echoing through my system. Only a three letter word, but it was like it was directly connected to my central nervous system.
By the time we got to the bikes we were gasping for breath. But no chance to pause. Down the hill, up to the second. A pause. Stopped at the side of the road. Trying to ignore the frenzy on the glasses of security like an ants nest that has been poked with a stick. We were waiting for our explosive timers to count down to zero.
Nothing. Not a sound. At the time. Was it time yet?
Then it came. A dull thud. I couldn't see any damage. Had we done it?
Max "Zero output. You've done it."
We were jumping. High fives. Yelling. Then the realisation that we had to move. Fast.
Chapter 41
Colin tensed up as he waited for the lift. It wasn’t good. None of it was good. He imagined the calls waiting for him. As he left the lift it was like he was hit by waves. “Conference room, ten minutes” was all he got out. At least he would have a few minutes to collect his thoughts.
&nb
sp; Looking at the gatehouse security footage wasn’t really necessary. But he was surprised to see Andrew and Phil.
“I want all the satellites re-tasked. Drones in a circle around the impact site. You are not going to lose them.”
He looked up.
“Now would be good.”
He turned to Ian
“How many EMP weapons do we have?”
“All together? Including military?”
“Yes.”
“Only about 10.”
“I want them deployed in a radius centred on Warragul Road. Every major intersection.”
“M1?”
“Yes.”
Yes, it was personal. But now he had to field the calls. The bleating.
“Of course. The situation is grave. I recognise. I take full responsibility.”
So it went. One after another.
Chapter 42
“They have you locked.” Max said.
“You want us to take a different route?” I said.
“No point. They will still have a lock.”
We were on the M1, just going past Wellington Road. Looking for the drones, but not seeing them.
“Alice is moving to intercept with you. We can deal with the helicopter. But you have to move fast. They are pulling in resources.”
I looked across at Phil. He gave the thumbs up. Truth be known we were still on a high from the blast. Imagining the party, the celebrations. Now I realised it wasn’t going to be like that. We were fugitives.
“Warragul Road. I want you to exit there.”
Max was almost shouting. Which didn’t improve my mood. Max never got agitated - at least not until now. So down the ramp we went. Now I was picking up Alice on the headset.
“There is a path parallel to the M1 straight ahead. Go for that.”
Then I saw them. Just as they saw me. On my right, set up under the bridge. It looked like an EMP box. I could almost see them hit the button.
Then we were just rolling. I tried the throttle once - nothing.
“We are hit. On foot.”
I dropped the bike, and started running towards the path. As I ran away from them, I wondered why they were not firing. Then it came to me - the prize. It was all about capturing Phil.
“Faster.” I yelled.
He didn’t need any encouragement. We were sprinting up the ramp.
“I am 100 metres ahead of you. The first clearing on your left as you come up the path.”
I heard the clack clack clack of the helicopter. Right ahead of us. Now I was running towards it.
“On your left. Hurry.”
There was Alice. In the black BMW.
The helicopter edged lower. I could see the arc of a missile heading towards it. Alice accelerated and I was pushed back into the seat. The car strained and only just held on to the road as she pushed West.
“They have a lock. Drones. How do we get out of this?” I said to no-one in particular. Alice wasn’t answering. Max came back.
“Don’t worry. We’re working on it.”
We came up to Dandenong Road. Coming up the hill, the car completely left the ground as we turned south. I almost closed my eyes. Now West again, under the railway bridge at Caulfield. Alice tracing the racecourse. I looked at the dashboard - the car was redlining. I’m telling myself that you can’t outrun helicopters.
“Max.” I said, then stopped myself.
“Full ghosting.” He said. “We have a complete substitute picture on their systems. They think you are heading north.”
“How?” I said, then looked across. Phil just smiled.
Even though we were screaming through the southern suburbs, I almost relaxed. For a short moment I thought of Kylie. I tried to raise her on the communicator, but couldn’t.
We reached the Nepean Highway at Moorabin. Heading south. Why were we heading south?
Chapter 43
Alice looked across and smiled: “You are going on a long bike ride.”
Good. I thought. Then thought: why?
“We can’t hide in the city anymore. They are closing in. We are going to split up. Most important in all of this is to hide Phil. You’ve got to take him and merge in with the refugees. It’s our only hope.”
Phil looked uncomfortable. I wondered what it was like to be a living breathing secret weapon.
“So we blend in. Just us?”
“Yes.”
No Kylie, I thought. I was about to ask why, but I knew I’d get some operational stuff.
“You will follow the main refugee trail, heading East then North. Following the coast. You’ll be like a needle in a haystack for them.”
“And you?”
“We have our own path to follow. You know that I can’t tell you. You know why.”
In case we were captured and interrogated. Of course.
It was beautiful. The sun hanging above the water. Alice almost slowed down, as much as Alice ever slowed down for anything.
“If we don’t make it...” I began.
“Don’t talk like that. We will all make it.”
As we passed the Mordialloc pier, Alice followed the road around, over the bridge. Then she accelerated. We were on a time limit with the ghosting. Soon they would switch to broad search, retasking the satellites and the drones.
Alice looked at me.
“You know that our plan is critically dependent on one factor.”
“Yes. I know.”
For some unknown reason I thought of Alice’s first day at school. I wondered what it was like. I looked up and we were at Seaford, and Alice was redlining again. Soon we would be at Frankston.
Chapter 44
Bravado. Just ride away into the distance. Not looking back. Who knew if we would meet again? I tried to put those thoughts away somewhere. Somewhere where they wouldn’t come out too often. I looked across at Phil. He didn’t look quite at home on the bike.
“Long way to nowhere.” I said.
“At least we have company.”
True. This was part of the main trail north. I’d ridden this way years ago. Then you might see one cyclist in a week.
Here we were on the main road to Tooradin. Not a major road. I looked ahead. Abut a hundred or so. Then looked back. About the same.
Cargo bikes ruled here. Loaded. Worldly possessions. At least those worldly possessions that could be carried.
We passed through Pearcedale. At the shopping centre, there were camps. Next to the supermarket. The calculus of survival. If you couldn’t or wouldn’t propel yourself then you were stuck here. I looked across. The faces of the lost. The camps of the damned. So after a while you didn’t look.
“What will become of them?” I asked, rhetorically.
“You don’t want to go there.”
Climate. Drought. Breakdown. It only took a small shift in things. A 20 or 30% shortage of water was enough. Throw in energy shortages, little transport, and that was enough. The calculus of survival told you that about 3 million refugees were all heading north, and you were in the middle of it.
Of course the premium went to those who fled early. A plane to far northern Queensland. There in a few hours. Later on, a bus. No such luck now. Only the extremely wealthy and the extremely powerful had access to the “precious juice”.
“Death toll?” I asked. Knowing that he would have worked it out.
“Best case 25%.”
Mostly from simple starvation. As the population had grown, it had become dependent on desalinated water and imported food.
“That’s assuming some sort of order prevails. More likely they will start killing each other first.”
So. North it was. Not inland. No water or food. Hugging the coast.
Somewhere out here was Max’s camp. No instructions. Just “Head north once you get to Orbost. We will find you.”
The crowds were important to us. Without them it would be simple to just swoop over in a helic
opter and take us out. Now we were small needles in a very large haystack.
I kept thinking of Kylie. Standing there. Just waving slightly. As if we were going off on a short ride.
Chapter 45
At Tooradin we headed East towards the highway. At the turnoff there were a couple of bikes heading the other way, back towards the city. Almost all of us were heading the other way. The occasional car, threading its way through. Usually in groups for protection.
I looked across. A family group, towing a trailer. Child on a seat.
“Where you headed?” I asked the mother. She looked mid thirties, not out of place on a bicycle.
“North of Rockhampton. Small place in the hills.”
“Why there?”
“My brother has a farm there. Grows everything. We’ll be able to stay there I hope.”
“Sounds good.”
“What about you?”
“Phil and I are headed for Orbost.”
“Should only take you about a week.”
“I’m Andrew.”
“I’m Maree, with the double ee, not the ie. This is my husband Maurice, and my son Alexander. Say hi, Alex.”
“Hi.” he said. Smiling a little.
So it went. The large crowd. It was our hiding place. I caught up with Phil.
“Big crowd.”
“Yes, but it makes food and water an issue.”
Always thinking, Phil. He was right. I tried not to think about it too much.
I drifted back to talk to Maree.
“What did you do in the city?”
“IT. Programming. I don’t miss it. Rather be out here.”
“Me too. I used to do network management. Don’t think I’m going to miss it.”
Hidden in plain sight. My task was to keep Phil hidden. Security now had only one objective: find, and capture Phil. Strange, in the age of technology, that it would come to one person. Computer power only got you so far. You needed insight.
I looked around us at the rest stop. About twenty of us in this small group. Young, mostly. You didn’t get too many older types signing up for the self-propelled journey to the North. While we sat, I couldn’t help but scan the tree line for drones. They would be somewhere close. Tasked with a profile, a walk, a face. One face.
We were both careful not to drink too much of the water at the stop. It had to be enough for all of us. Small stop. Meeniyan.