by Matt Pike
Love.
*
Oh, I nearly forgot. That pitstop on the way home was to a jewellers where I found the ring. The design was pretty simple, really. Just a gold band, where the front wrapped around itself and formed the shape of a heart. I knew it was Alyce immediately. Well, the Alyce I knew and what she meant to me.
She cried when I gave it to her.
It was a joy cry, for the record.
So, you know, officially engaged and all that.
We talked about our wedding, if we get through this. A simple ceremony. At the oval, of course. Shane would be my best man, Alyce wants Angie as her bridesmaid. Hell, the entire crew would be in the wedding party. Hopefully, we’ll have a few hundred special guests as well.
So, we’ve got that to look forward to, if, you know.
*
I’m just going to leave that train of thought right there. It’s already some stupid hour of the morning and I’m sitting alone with my thoughts and my diary. Couldn’t sleep. But I shouldn’t be writing either. I can feel the thoughts all heading to places I don’t want them to go.
I’m no good to anyone here like this. I’m going to head back to the warmth next to Alyce. Hopefully the sleep gods will be kinder to me this time around. Big day tomorrow. Perhaps the biggest.
I just wanted to say everything that needed to be said, while I still had the chance, in case this is my last post and my demise is nothing but memories that not many will be around to remember and blank pages for where my words of great victory should’ve been.
*
March 19, 2015
Well, so far so good. I’m still here.
It’s been a big day. Now there’s nothing to do but wait. I have some time to jot down the basics, but really, it’s all about time with Alyce, sleep and being ready for whatever breaks loose tomorrow. Hopefully sleep will be kinder tonight, even if the conditions aren't.
We were up early - everyone. The mood around camp was a strange one. Everyone handling whatever thoughts they were having in their own way. Some, like Jonesey, talked. A lot. Others found some meaningless task to busy their mind or distract themselves.
I didn’t have to worry about any of that too much as I was on the first hover out of there, with Ye-jun, Steph and Kelly. When we reached the outskirts of the parklands, we dropped off Ye-jun to wait for Asha’s return from the sniper point lookout, then we continued on to the Goodwood hub.
It was a totally nerve-wracking trip. Whatever unknowns we would be facing tomorrow were going to be far more achievable if we had them onboard. And this was our one chance to get some asssurities around it.
We were all in and we needed to know whether they were.
We were soon sitting around their HQ leadership table with Maria, Jimmy and the others. We’d spent the trip there reminding each other how important it was to stay calm so we could look relaxed and in control.
I know I failed, dismally. I felt I could sense doubt in the others, too, but that didn’t concern me as much as the doubt I felt in the Goodwood group. I couldn’t tell if it was because we looked like we were shitting ourselves about what was to come, or they were hiding their own fears from us. Or even their own secret play they were going to tell us about.
Either way, this was the first interaction I had with them that didn’t feel like there was trust and understanding behind it all. Something else was in the mix. Maybe it was just general doubt. Maybe not.
They sure did ask a lot of questions, though. Details about the plan that awaited them Mostly details we didn’t know. That provided its own dynamic of tension that was a new thing for our negotiations. But there were other things at play as well. Usually, Maria is the spokesperson for the group. Jimmy is definitely part of the brains trust, as is Naomi to a lesser extent, but Maria mostly speaks. Not today - everyone was over every detail. Not only that, the goon boys were asking things as well.
All of them questions we could barely provide any real answer to, if we could provide anything at all.
It was a major shift in everything. I couldn’t help but think they were having their own crisis of direction and, for perhaps the first time, Maria had her doubters. Perhaps I’ve had a distant awareness of that before, but here, I felt it. Jimmy, I sensed, was with her. The others were driving something else. I knew it.
For our part, we tried to stress the possibilities on the other side of tomorrow. It was a pretty important why to keep referring back to - the only why, really.
I can’t say it seemed to steer the conversation in more positive directions, though. The questions kept coming. The dynamics had changed. Soon, we were all well aware of what was going unspoken in the Goodwood crew. We tried not to get more desperate in our responses, but I knew we did.
We asked how they’d gone talking to the other groups. Their response was very vague and non-committal.
Whatever this game of poker within the game of poker was, it was clear it had the potential to have big ramifications for us, the oval and New Adelaide. Something told me Maria and Jimmy were no longer the ones we had to convince.
It wasn’t long before we’d gone around in circles a number of times and the end to the play was called. I didn’t want to leave it there. I didn’t want these awkward unrevealed politics to unravel everything we had been working towards.
As we got up to leave, I looked at them all in turn. “Look, we can’t give you promises on how this is going to play out. What we can give you is our word. We have your back. And if you have ours, we’ll help make this the biggest move this city has ever seen. A real change for the future. A place to live without worrying about where your next meal is coming from and that someone else might take it away from you. That’s an Adelaide worth fighting for.”
I got some mixed expressions back my way after I’d said it. It was way too hard to tell what they meant. Maria nodded and smiled to me, in a surprisingly subtle way for her. Jimmy also gave me a knowing look.
Then we left. None the wiser as to what they would do. In fact, with way more doubt as to whether they’d be there tomorrow than not.
It was a quiet trip back to the fringes of the city. I’m not sure much was said, beyond Steph’s “Well, that went well” as we left.
The silence was a way of blocking out the doubt. We were heading in, with or without help. There was no point letting the doubts around that situation control us any longer than the minutes it took to get back to the CBD.
As if in silent agreement, we were all full of action and plans for the moment when we got there. We all flipped the same switch and were now more determined than ever. I left Steph and Kelly in the city to begin our work there. Asha was supposed to join me on the return trip to the coast, but she decided to stay.
All three marched into the city centre to prepare for our arrival and to prepare for war.
*
The next few hours for me were spent on ferry duty. I took four return trips to gather the rest of our crew and all the weapons and equipment we needed for tomorrow.
The mood was a strange one. Everyone handled the return to the city in their own way. Some of them hadn’t been back since we left. All had their own demons to deal with. Not only was their return a way of being challenged by thoughts of the past, it was also the moment when the countdown from talk to action became real. There was no going back now. On each trip there was some early chatter amongst those on board, but it evaporated as we neared the destination. That’s when they each went into their own battle, shaping their minds to be ready for what was to come.
I paid particular attention to Angie and Jessie. I’d seen what the fighting had taken from them and how it nearly broke them. I’d followed them in their recovery as they tried to rebuild from the darkness, as I had done before.
I knew what being back in the city meant. I made sure both of them knew I was thinking of them in the final part of that trip. With Jessie, I called him up next to me at the control of Phoenix and asked if he was alright. He nod
ded. I knew the nod was as much him convincing himself as it was me, but I could see the determination beyond the doubt as well. I started to talk the logistics of the battle. Things he would’ve already heard, but I figured some clear focus on the task ahead was as good a thought as any to fill his mind with.
The trip with Angie was slightly different. It was the last leg for me as well. Jonesy talked for the first half of it, while Angie held hands with Eliza. Her face was full of dread at what memories she might soon confront. I gave her reassuring looks whenever I could. She’d smile, but her eyes couldn’t stay on mine.
Instead of parking Phoenix on the western edge of the parklands like I had with every other mid-city run, I headed in closer to our temporary base for the night. The wind was coming from the north, so I looped around to the south, then drove into the breeze and into the heart of the city. I had my two-way on, listening for any signs that the enemy may have picked up the sound of Phoenix’s fans, but it was all good.
The Central Markets were about half a kilometre from where the real action was going to go down tomorrow. It was going to be our base for the next, hopefully, 24 hours. I managed to drive straight into the complex, parking at the southern end. I got Nate, Steph and Ye-jun to help carry the generator up to the security room.
Then I left them to do their thing, while I headed to our digs for the night.
There was a little Japanese giftware store near the King William St end of the complex. The early crews had swiped a bunch of quilts, sheets and pillows from the nearby Hilton Hotel. The space looked like some giant hippy love-in commune, or something.
It was cosy once we were all in, but big enough to give us room for a good night’s sleep - if that was likely to happen.
Soon after, Steph and the boys came back with good news - we had our own two-way system set up. We had eight two-ways to work with. While a bit of planning and consideration had to go into how we were going to use them and when, this was massive! It gave us a huge advantage we didn’t have yesterday. Things had just worked - a rare treat in this world. And the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. It was a huge boost of morale - you could feel it. It just gave us that little added confidence that this crazy, barely apparent plan might just work.
It was worth celebrating.
Jonesy did a swipe of the nearby bottle shop to help in that regard. I’m not entirely sure he was doing it for the celebrating, I think he was going to have his fill of drinks one way or the other tonight anyway. So, maybe it was a happy accident, but regardless, it was a great way to get together as a group and feel connected before shit went down.
We drank and ate and ran through the plan one more time - now updated with our new comms upgrade. The plan was a loose one, at best. We’d place our snipers on the Adelaide Club roof, then place everyone else in hiding around Government House and, well, wait. Oh, we’d also have a small contingent at base, to drive comms and to greet whatever additional support might arrive from Goodwood and beyond. Hopefully.
Oh, and Ye-jun was heading to the oval in case one of Zoe’s team rocked up.
At some point, if Zoe is true to her word, the Fat Man will make his way down King William Rd from the oval to Government House. That’s when her crew will start the fight, leaving the Fat Man stranded between his team in battle and the home at the oval.
And that’s it. From that point on, there is no plan.
We have a bunch of rules we’ve given ourselves for when to attack and how. Who should take the lead, when to start using our communications etc. But, really, it’s a case of get there, lie low, then go big when the fighting breaks out.
Our main target is the Fat Man.
Although we’ve turned the tables in our favour in the last few days and given ourselves some serious intel and our own communications, there are still far more unknowns than knowns. The two-way win gave us that kick of confidence we were looking for, but it’s not to-the-core confidence. There’s no way we could possibly have that.
When it comes down to it, all we really have is a plan, hope and each other.
We shared our love for each other and what we’d survived and built together. Then we drifted off into our own worlds to face whatever each of us needed to do to be ready for whatever dawn would bring.
For me, that was another night in Alyce’s arms and savouring every second of the touch and connection she brings to my world. We talked about our wedding again. Whispered words for a shared dream we prayed would come to pass.
After she drifted off, I was left with my thoughts. The Japanese kitsch took my thoughts all the way back to impact night. Mr Mochizuki dressed in full Japanese kit, supporting his country of origin’s rocket as it attempted to intercept the comet that would change life here forever.
It didn’t happen. Really, it was never going to. Just like all the other attempts. The comet had our number and nothing any human would do could stop it.
I thought about the others who survived rock night with me at the Jameson’s. I wondered where they were now, or, even if they were anymore.
I thought about the people of Japan. Was there still a society there? Did a tsunami wipe them off the map completely? Did some survive? If they did, are they doing better than us? Are they working together?
Then my thoughts turned to Jase. My only brother, stranded on the other side of the world. What was London like now? Was Jase still alive? Would I ever find out?
Then I thought about my parents. Never getting a chance to say goodbye.
Then Fi - another love taken from me, for another reason.
All the people I’d known and loved, all the pain and loss. It all came down to tomorrow. My survival kept their memories alive. Our success tomorrow would change this world again. This city hinges on it. Everyone’s lives will be changed by whatever happens, whether they are here to be part of it or not.
I hoped they would be.
*
March 20, 2015
The following is an account from the events that reshaped New Adelaide on March 20, 2015. It is both through my eyes and from what I have heard from others who survived to tell their tale. It is not the complete story, but it’s the best I can do.
We were up and ready well before dawn - dressed, camouflaged and armed. There wasn’t much spoken, aside from one final run-through of the plan. That included a reminder on the new two-way protocol - we listen to theirs (low volume) and we don’t use ours until shit hits the fan. Comms were allowed between the sniper location and base. The rest of us could tune in, if it was safe. But this was a no-risk situation. Zero - none. No talking if there was a chance you’d get found out.
The rest of the limited time we had was spent wishing each other luck (again) and saying goodbyes (again). Everyone got to everyone else. One to one, we all made peace with whatever fate awaited us and got to tell those we loved what they meant to us.
It wasn’t really sombre, as such. It was more a pre-battle ritual, both focusing and freeing our minds on what needed to be done.
We split into teams. Angie, Jessie and Jonesy waited for the arrival of the Goodwood crew, while the rest of us headed north to the oval. As we reached closer to North Tce, we further split into the smaller groups assigned for the battlefront.
Asha and Nate took the two sniper rifles and climbed back to the Adelaide Club lookout over Government House. The rest of us divided into smaller groups both along the riverfront behind Parliament House and on the other side of Government House, a group near the library and another pushing down as close as they could get to the riverfront while staying in cover. Ye walked with the parliament crew before continuing on to the jail. Each group had at least one two-way to monitor the enemy and one to communicate with us. Everyone spread out and found cover, but within proximity of the others around them.
Then we waited.
The dawn started to take hold. It raced by… and took forever. As the light lifted, the nerves went up, as did the feeling of being exposed.
They waited back at base, too. The sunlight came, the Goodwood crew did not.
*
It felt like forever cooped in a hole between the ash and a slab of broken brickwork. I had a line of sight to the snipers and a view of the ash wall around Government House, with empty guard towers to my left and right. There were so many thoughts running through my head. Not only around the battle, but around everything - survival, victory, Alyce, the future. Everything. It’s hard not to think when all you’ve got is the passing of time.
I kept trying to tell my mind to refocus on staying clear and prepared, but it would not listen. I would’ve gone a bit strange had I been there too long. Fortunately, the first move wasn’t long coming.
The morning workers marched down from the oval, under the watch of the Fat Man’s crew.
We could hear the chatter on the radio just before we could hear them heading our way. They walked into the yard and couldn’t have been more than 50m or so away on the other side of that wall. I could hear everything - the footsteps, the instructions. They were right on top of me now. I felt so exposed.
Then guards climbed into the two King William St side towers, as they had done before. Then another two climbed into the towers facing the oval direction - this was new. And it left me and the others very exposed.
I was so close to one of the towers. I just froze in my position, with gun at the ready.
The guard looked out over the scene a couple of times. I swear he even looked right at me at one point and held my gaze for what seemed like forever. But he didn’t move or react in any way. Soon enough though, he turned his focus to what was happening within the grounds of Government House. I took a long overdue breath.
The radio was barely a whisper, thankfully. I could still make out what was being said though. Something big was brewing. They kept referring to it as the redundancy, or sometimes mission: redundancy. Neither of those things sounded good. They also referred to moving the flag, which I read as either a direct reference to the Fat Man, or the centrepiece of their operations. Either way, it seemed to me like Zoe had delivered. This was the day.
