Chapter Seventeen;
A Little Bit of Madness…
A few days later, after hearing nothing from Price, the man suddenly turned up on Mike's ship asking for his company. Mike paid him it, but hesitantly. Price grinned as Mike joined him on the deck of the Canberra. "You know Mike, I really like these things, might try and get one myself one day. Plus they must be a step up from those dingy little patrol boats."
"I enjoyed captaining a patrol boat." Mike muttered, walking to the starboard railing and looking out over the harbour. "And at least the patrol boats meant never seeing this." He waved his hand towards Waverton.
Price frowned. "As a Sydney man born and bred I take offence to that. Even burning down Sydney Harbour still looks better than Brisbane on a good day." He grinned. "But I'm not here to sell you the good bits, I'm here to sell you the worst." Mike looked up at him with a look of wariness. "I made a friend whilst wandering the city today, a man who can get us outside the military confines and into the real Sydney."
Mike tried to avoid showing that he didn't really want to see the city outside the peaceful walls of the military barriers, but didn't say this openly. "You sure that's a good idea?"
Price saw right through him. "Scared Mikey?" Mike shook his head. "Good, let's roll then, he's waiting."
Twenty minutes later they stood in Hyde Park, an area well outside of the military borders. Here people had set up little kips of tarpaulin and blankets, homes with small open fires and a mound of leaves in a pile that appeared to be their lavatory. And everything smelt. It was like the homeless of the world had combined. Mike had been to Hyde Park a few times before on day trips from Kuttabul on days when he brought the Hammersley down for the old Open Days. Back then beautiful big trees had filled it, there'd been a café and a fountain and busy streets and buildings that people flowed out of bordered every side of the park. There'd been two train stations and dogs and businessmen settling in at the café, school kids sitting around trees and your average tourist snapping a photo of just about everything. Now the buildings were gone, rubble or fires in their place. The streets were empty save for the common wild dog or a homeless person not lucky enough to have set up a home on grass. Dirty children wearing rags played with sticks and pinecones. Their parents sat in corners watching, collected firewood or scavenged for anything resembling food, right down to pigeons. Everything and everyone was dirty and smelly. Price and Mike stuck out like a sore thumb.
"This wasn't a good idea Steven." Mike muttered as they walked through Hyde Park, being eyed off by hundreds of eyes, all of which wanted them, Mike thinking for cannibalistic intentions.
"We're nearly there." Price said back, smiling back at the people like they were his adoring fans. Eventually they made it to the centre of the park, a long arched pathway that ran through the middle and out towards the Cross. Well, what was left of the Cross anyway. Waiting for them was a small band of men and women; all as smelly and dirty as the others they'd passed. The man Price had befriended, a 20-something named Riley, introduced them. They were Shelley, Nick, Holly and Paul. All smiled and shook the Captains' hands. Mike clearly looked surprised because Holly smiled.
"You've heard bad things about us? We know only bad things about you too." She spoke like she'd just come straight of an education. Mike would later find out that until 10 weeks previously, she'd been living and studying at Uni of NSW in the city. 10 weeks ago it had been torched, taking 26 of her classmate's lives with it. "But I assure you, we do not hate the Navy. In fact, we've had support from the Navy."
Mike frowned and glanced at Price. "What?"
"Holly doesn't mean our anarchy, she means our rebuilding steps and feeding. I'm sure you must understand that not all of us want this city to burn. I am the sixth generation from Sydney and I am proud of my city. Three years ago I was sitting, on this day, in the SFS watching the Roosters play the Bulldogs. Now sport is gone, the SFS is burnt down and nothing remains of the city I grew up in." Paul said, stepping forward. "A year ago people began to lose everything and they came here, the heart and soul of Sydney, for solace. They found it through a man named Augustus." Mike knew that name. He looked at Price for confirmation.
"Augustus was the CO of Kuttabul. Eight months ago Admiral Henshaw discovered he'd been aiding these men and women with food and blankets and shelter. He was dismissed on the spot."
"So Henshaw knows about this? He knows these people aren't fighting for anarchy, just for their lives?" Mike couldn't believe what he was hearing, but at the same time he could. He put nothing past the tough-talking Admiral that had taken over the position only two years earlier. Back then he'd been a beacon of light, now he was a curse. He'd destroyed two patrol boat fleets, cut admissions to the Navy and closed down Cerberus. He was a menace, but with no stable government there was nothing anyone could do.
"He knows. What he doesn't know, we hope, is about the army." Price looked at Riley. "Tell him."
"We run scouting parties down to Circular Quay, the home of the NSWAS, New South Welshmen Against Segregation, a terrorist organisation. They blew up six ferries full of people from the other side of the harbour only eight weeks back. They're mad. But they have all the food. We go down there, steal some and leave. One day Paul and Shelley were down there and they almost walked in on a deal between some huge pig-faced Army man and the leader of the NSWAS." He glanced at Price who nodded. "You might know him. Brown hair, pig nose, big cheeks, about 145cms tall and just as wide."
Mike did. "Redgrave."
"Ding ding ding, we have a winner." Price muttered. He looked at Mike. "Do you believe the outside world is so bad now?"
"I don't know wh…"
He was cut off by the sound of guns being fired into the air and with one glance at Price the Captains ran towards the sound as the five civilians they'd been with scattered. As they reached the fountain they found armed Army men pointing their guns at people washing themselves in the stagnant water of the fountain, many women screaming at the sight. Price called out 'hey' and they turned with a frown. One man stepped forward, a Lance Corporal and spoke. "Captain Flynn? Captain Price?" They nodded. "Admiral Henshaw sent us looking for you. You're needed back in the military zone for a meeting, NOW!"
Price looked at Mike. "Speak of the devil." They followed the army men back into the safety zone, an area that Mike now called the 'danger zone'.
***
The meeting was longer and more painful than either Mike or Price could've predicted (even if Price had safely assumed the worst) and they didn't make it out of the place until well after midday, a worry seeing as they were meant to sail at 1600 that afternoon. As they did head for the door, Price walking faster in a desperate bid to get out alive, a very proud looking Admiral Henshaw rounded them up. Mike, who was spotted first, knew he had to stop despite Price muttering something under his breath that sounded a lot like 'keep moving'. Henshaw smiled and came to them, first shaking Mike's hand then offering it to Price. Price took it hesitantly.
"I was surprised to find you were outside the usual parameters this morning Captain Flynn. I never had you down as one to break the rules."
"You clearly haven't read enough of my records sir." Mike returned with a smile, noticing Henshaw hadn't said the same to Price, something that also didn't shock Mike.
"Indeed, I'll have to give them another look. So, why were you out there anyway?" Henshaw's eyes danced over Price, but the Brisbane CO stood his ground, glaring back at Henshaw with a look like a cockroach had just crawled up his nose. "I understand you strongly echo our desire for the liberation of Sydney, but it isn't safe out there."
"It's safe enough for the Navy sir. In fact, the people I spoke to were still Navy fans, just not so much of the Army." Mike told him calmly, fighting the urge to state exactly which member they hated most.
"All the same Captain, solidarity within the armed forces is the image we have to give off Mike or else those out there will bleed us dry."
The Admiral looked very smug as he spoke, but the look from Price soon brought him down again. Especially when the Brisbane CO snorted. He finally stepped forward. "No offence sir, but enough of this liberation and solidarity bullshit. No one buys it, no one plays it and in all honesty no one gives a shit about it. What we are facing here is the same crap we've been facing for years – political turmoil, unemployment, recession and a power-mad Defence Force that thinks it can offer more to a world that neither needs nor wants any kind of leadership that resembles being told what to do."
The Admiral almost took a step back. He'd clearly never been spoken to like this by someone ranked far lower than himself. "Excuse me Captain?"
"The Army sir, they've been openly discussing their intention for martial law." Mike interpreted.
The Admiral shook his head. "Then you are mistaken Captain." He said, turning back to Price. "The Army are hard-working individuals that are the last line of defence against Sydney and social anarch…"
"Have you stepped outside sir? We are in social anarchy. The poor hate the rich, the poor hate the less rich, the poor hate the less poor, the rich hate the less rich, etcetera etcetera. It's a never-ending cycle of hate vs. hate. And who's smack-bang in the middle of it stirring up trouble? Redgrave and the rest of the army men, that's who."
"These are unsubstantiated claims." The Admiral protested.
"No sir, we have five witnesses to Redgrave doing illegal dealings with some of the people believed to be responsible for the attacks in The Rocks on Wednesday. Civilians. They would happily talk in a court of law if y…" Mike started but he was cut off.
"Civilians! Civilians are idiots. They are the cause of all this."
"So much for serve and protect." Price muttered.
"Captains, I must ask you to return to your ships immediately. Your views will be noted for now. As for these civilians…" he stressed the term with distaste. "I suggest you ask them to leave Sydney."
"If you think that will solve the problem, sir…" Price said, adding as much venom to 'sir' as the Admiral did to 'civilians', "I fear you are gravely mistaken." The Admiral raised his hand and pointed them out of the building. Price raised his hand in salute. "May God save the King Admiral." He turned and left.
When they got out into the muggy streets of Sydney Mike turned to Price. "You were out of line back there."
"What can I say Mike? With me, no one dies wondering if I like them or hate them."
"He is the Admiral. This could spell the end of our jobs, you know that right?"
Price laughed. "In a Defence Force this depleted? I doubt it. Tomorrow both of us, and Redgrave, will still have our jobs." He looked at Mike. "Anyway, you didn't exactly try and stop me."
"Yeah well, united front and all that."
Price grinned. "Oh Mikey, I think you're starting to warm to me."
Mike shook his head. "There must've been something very wrong with how you were raised."
"Like what? My mother never loved me? My daddy made me feel five inches tall or my only friend was a pink stuffed teddy called Grumbles?"
"Something like that…" Shaking his head again Mike turned away, pointedly ignoring the one last comment Price just had to get in before Mike left.
"Grumbles liked bean sprouts, polka dots and anything by Wham!"