Robert was cradling the phone, listening intently when Bart and Arnold returned. Fidel and Hylas were watching the security monitors.
‘Two more cars have arrived,’ Fidel whispered. ‘Tom, Dick and Harry in one, and a couple of other self-important men in another. They waited till you’d come up here before joining the bloke you were talking to.’
A minute later, Robert sprang silently to his feet and picked up a small backpack. ‘We’ve gotta go! They've decided we’re a threat, and when we leave the guards will take us somewhere and dispose of us.’
‘I heard a cough a few seconds ago. There’s a guard outside the door.’
A silently as wraiths they made their way into the adjoining storeroom and from there along a side corridor to the fire escape. A minute later they were on the roof. It was very dark but a streetlight gave just enough light for them to see the first bolt. Two minutes later they had crossed the street and taken shelter in the obscurity of a doorway.
‘Ok, this is it,’ Robert said grimly, removing a cell phone from his backpack and pressing the number sequence.
Silence. Then more of a thump than a bang; felt through their feet rather than heard. For at least a minute nothing else appeared to be happening, then a crunching, grinding, crumbling, crashing, cracking and the roof they had just left began to sag. They’d seen enough so raced for their lives back to the apartment, collected their prepacked rucksacks while Robert sent the command to the bank to start the multi transfer process, then ten minutes later were driving sedately along Gympie Road heading north.
After an hour’s driving they bumped down a side track between the pines of a plantation until it widened and there was space to park among the trees, concealed from all except someone flying overhead.
The seats folded flat but it was going to be a squeeze, so Fidel, Arnold and Hylas opted to spend what was left of the night in their sleeping bags under the stars—until five minutes later when mosquitoes drove them back in to swelter in the van until first light, when they unwound, rubbed blood back into their limbs, drank some water and headed north.
The sun had been up for half an hour when they bought a few provisions, then parked the van beside the National Park, locked up, shouldered their packs and jogged along sandy tracks, winding up and down among banksias, scribble gums and all the other vegetation that had clothed the eastern seaboard before apartments and roads and commerce replaced them. And then the sandhills parted and a blue expanse appeared—Alexandria Bay.
Robert stopped and laughed happily. ‘Nothing’s changed! It’s as if we were here yesterday, Bart.’
The turquoise ocean was hurling breakers on to a long crescent of white sand, seagulls whirled over rock promontories at either end, and trees straggled from encircling hills right down to the dunes. A vast amphitheatre open to an even vaster sea - yet intimate and friendly.
‘Race you,’ Bart shouted, leading the way to the right over a small stream, along the sand to a grassy knoll under a clump of pandanus palms. They stripped and ran into the waves, laughing, diving, surfing and splashing themselves with the clear salty water as if trying to wash the dirt, dust, decay, and moral turpitude of the city from their bodies and hearts. By the time the first surfies and naturists arrived they were consuming a delicious breakfast of hard-boiled eggs and bread, crystal clear water from a spring that burst from a hole in the hill behind them, slices of papaya, and bananas.
‘Bart brought me here when I was seventeen,’ Robert said with a dreamy smile. ‘We camped illegally in the forest. The most perfect holiday I’ve ever had. This is the first time we’ve been back and it hasn’t changed a bit. I wish we could stay forever.’
‘I guess I'm getting old,’ Bart grinned. ‘The prospect of endless nights sleeping rough are not too appealing. I’m sure we’ll find somewhere just as nice but more comfortable.’
‘I lived in Noosa all my life before going to Brisbane, but never came here.’ Fidel said shaking his head. ‘What a waste…it’s so beautiful! Did you come here after I left, Hylas?’
Hylas shook his head. ‘Our parents should never have had children.’
‘So,’ Arnold said breezily, ‘I agree it’s a lovely place, but with all those surfies and their molls we are no longer alone, so it’s already losing its charm for me. One last dip and then I want to open bank accounts, get the money into them and go somewhere less exposed. I’m actually a neurotic mess after last night. I wonder what they’ll say on the news?’
They bought newspapers in town, but their explosion wasn’t mentioned.
There was no problem with their new identities and documents that provided all the necessary information to open an account—each at a different bank; nor was there a problem transferring the money. Each ending up with nearly two million dollars—not a large enough amount to attract any interest in a millionaires’ playground like Noosa.
After buying something interesting for lunch, Bart phoned Michael and John from a public box and then there was time to drive past Hylas and Fidel’s old house, which made Fidel feel sick and Hylas angry. It looked the same. To their relief, they didn’t see their mother in town and her name wasn’t listed in the phone book, so they were happy to head into the hinterland along tree-lined secondary roads winding through State forests and farmland, and past several ancient volcanic cones. The gate was open and they bounced the vehicle up a long tunnel of overhanging mimosas and flowering banksias, then parked under the miserly shade of eucalypts. The air seemed fresher and cleaner than on the coast. Only a bad-tempered screech from rainbow lorikeets feeding in a grove of grevilleas, a butcherbird and his mate warbling duets, and a distant hen disturbed the peace. They climbed out of the van in time to greet a tanned, stringy old man in blue Speedos.
‘Michael! You still look so healthy! And you’ve new Speedos.’
‘The old ones fell to bits.’ They shook hands warmly, then Bart introduced everyone.
‘Where’s John?’
‘He heard the vehicle and cut down to lock the gate. You’ve timed it well. Lunch is on the table—or will be when you hand over the goodies you mentioned on the phone.’
They ate lunch on the east verandah looking towards the mountain.
‘The mountain’s almost disappeared,’ Robert said sadly. ‘You used to be able to see most of it.’
‘The trees have grown, despite the odd weather. Everything’s grown, even John and me…only we’ve grown older. The only thing that hasn’t is the pond you used to love swimming in. We had six months rain in two hours a while ago that scoured out banks and retaining walls, and since then not a drop, so as we haven't stopped watering the garden it’s down to an unpleasant slimy residue you wouldn’t put your toe into. But if you're going to climb the mountain, I suggest you go now so you get back in full daylight. The drought’s caused lots of loose rocks that can be treacherous.’
‘Are you coming?’
‘And let you youngsters see what clapped out old carcasses we are?’ John said gruffly ‘No, you go and afterwards it'll be time to tell us what's going on in Brisbane and why you let our flat get bombed.’ He smiled at Bart’s look of alarm. ‘You did us a favour, Bart. We couldn’t work out how to get rid of the queer tenant and his boyfriend so we could sell the place. Now insurance has made it better than new and already a buyer has made an offer.’
‘That's a relief,’ Bart sighed theatrically. ‘We were wondering how to tell the crabby old landlords we wanted out of our contract.’
Everyone laughed.
‘Have you kept anything apart from your documents?’
‘Yes. The two paintings you gave me, John. They're the only things I'm sentimental about. I’ve got them with me in the van. Can I leave them here till I’m settled?’
‘Of course! It'll be good to see them again,’ Michael replied. ‘Which brings me to another little triumph for John. There's a prestigious art gallery down the coast where he’s had an exhibition. It closes tomorrow afternoon but all the works are still hanging, so we’re going down to pick up the unsold stuff. Would you like to come?’
‘Of course we have to see them! That’s brilliant, John, I always knew you were good.’
‘I’m not; I just paint in a similar style to the owner of the place, Peter Corringe, so we hit it off. When he had an empty spot in his calendar he offered it to me. He’s a good man, and his boyfriend’s even better. They're independent-minded people it might be useful for you to know.’
‘Thanks, John, you really are an old sweetie.’
‘Old? Stop buttering me up; I know you mean ancient.’
They climbed the mountain. Old eucalypts, giant reeds, grass-trees and dead casuarinas made a tangled barrier that eventually gave way to a canopy of scrappy tristanias. The track was indeed treacherous with many loose rocks and small landslides. They followed the base of unscaleable buttresses, scrambled up to the edge of a bluff then trudged up a scrub-covered slope to the top where windswept bushes, rocks, native bees and several hundred butterflies greeted them. In the distance, sea hazily met sky, hills and mountains poked from rolling land, and green valleys carried roads between narrow ribbons of trees. A railway cutting gashed through brown fields. On the horizon, Noosa Hill was silhouetted against a pale sky. The world looked deceptively peaceful and pleasant.
Afterwards they washed off sweat and dust under a hose, then devoured a plate of cakes and drank pots of tea under trees in the garden while their hosts were brought up to date.
John was grinning in delight. ‘You actually tossed that awful Lance and his mates over the rail! That is so wonderful, exactly what he deserved. And last night you bombed the new JECHIS sex and entertainment centre, burying an administrator and the three bastards who raped Hylas and probably two girls as well, and also their guards and three other important-looking fellows! That is too, too perfect. I hope they assume you guys are dead too.’
‘Yeah. It was pretty cool…but we don’t know if anyone apart from them knew we were in the building. Certainly, once they’ve cleaned it away they’ll discover we weren't, and that my car was the source of the explosion… that's a bit of a worry.’
‘Yes. Very sobering. But you’ve new identities and a few weeks to get lost. Perhaps you should lose your beards?’
‘We’ll have to think about that. Meanwhile, it’s nice to know we’ve struck a blow against those bloody child molesters. But we couldn’t have done it without Robert.’
‘Indeed! Shifting that money around, Robert, I didn’t realise you were so smart.’
‘Come on, Michael, you were an accountant, you could have done it.’
‘No way. When I retired, computers and the Internet had barely started; there was no such thing as Internet banking. It was very brave and clever of you.’
‘It was very generous and brave of Arnold to trust me with his money, and then share it among us all.’
‘Yes, we’re all wonderful,’ Arnold said, embarrassed to be mentioned. ‘But I can’t help wondering why they thought we were too dangerous to let live.’
‘Bart was too clever. He said all the right things that supported them and their actions, but the trouble is, he thought it out for himself.’
‘What do you mean, Fidel?’
‘People like the administrator want to be the ones who tell us how to live. The last thing they want is people who can think of these sorts of things for themselves, because pretty soon they’ll start to think other things and begin to ask questions. And that’s a no-no in a theocracy. He who questions, doubts the word of god. It’s the philosophy behind George Bush’s declaration that you're either for him or against him.’
‘Yes, yes of course you're right,’ Bart responded thoughtfully. ‘But would it have made any difference if I’d acted dumb?’
‘Don’t ever think that, Bart,’ Hylas sighed, patting him on the shoulder. ‘Tom, Dick and Harry had already decided to get rid of us, the interview was just to satisfy the Administrator’s curiosity. So don’t beat yourself up over it. I'm glad we got it over with. If we’d had to wait till the opening I think I’d have gone bonkers with worry.’
‘Hylas is right, Bart,’ Arnold agreed. ‘You’ve done us all a favour. Meanwhile, I’m wondering what the reaction will be. We’re not even sure we got away with it. They could have had infrared sensors on the back of the building and seen it all. There was nothing in the paper this morning, has it been on the news?’
‘We never watch or listen—too depressing. We’ll check tonight; but don’t worry, if they knew where you were or that you did it, you'd be dead already. Those evil bastards don’t waste time. So, what're your plans? How long do you want to stay? We’ve only the one guest room but we’ve a tent you could erect on the lawn.’
‘Arnold, Hylas and I will sleep in the van,’ Fidel said quietly. ‘We don’t want to bring you into danger, so I think we shouldn’t stay too long in case there is some way they can find where we are and they're biding their time to see who might have assisted us. They seem to know everything and I can’t believe we haven't been stopped yet.’
‘Don’t worry about us, Fidel, but thanks for being concerned. We’re too old to be troubled about vicious thugs like them. If it get’s too uncomfortable, we’ve got our exit strategy.’
‘You don’t mean? But you’re young and…’
‘Oh Hylas, I love you. We’re not young; we've lived more than our allotted three score and ten, and we’ve never had any intention of hanging on if we lose our independence. We’ve had an excellent life but aren't greedy. You young chaps, though, have the best in front of you, so you must take no more risks, get yourselves somewhere safe, and then see what you can do. You can stay here as long as you like, if you don’t mind getting bored.’
Michael laughed. ‘You guys have no idea of the momentous nature of John’s offer. He’s a dyed in the wool misanthrope. Apart from the boys at the gallery, you’re the first strangers to enter this property for three years, Robert and Bart aren't strangers, they're more like sons, yet here he is offering you the keys to the estate.’ He plonked a kiss on his partner’s brow. ‘I’m proud of you, John.’
John shrugged and glowered to conceal his embarrassment.
‘Yeah, it’s incredibly generous of you,’ Arnold said huskily,’ ‘we were thinking of going north, as far as possible from Brisbane.’
‘Three years with no visitors!’ Hylas said softly. ‘Do you visit other people? You're both so nice you must have loads of friends.’
‘We did when we were young and silly, but most people aren't really interested in others, they visit because they're bored, and then expect you to be and think like them. The first thing they do if you visit is offer alcohol, then act offended if you refuse. If they come here and get no alcohol, they don’t know how to cope. They have little conversation and even fewer opinions, at least about things that interest us, and are always inviting us to go and watch surf championships, or car rallies, or listen to idiots give talks, or play badly on the piano. We’ve great pleasure and no boredom in each other’s company, and would be fools to disturb the tranquillity of our last years by entertaining people we neither like nor admire.’
That evening at eight o'clock precisely, the screens of every TV, smart-phone, and Internet-connected computer suddenly went black, then immediately restarted with a loud screech that heralded a large map of Australia dotted with lights. A well-fed, middle-aged man in a black suit stared into the camera and didn’t smile. In an expressionless voice made husky from a lifetimes’ inhalation of cigarette smoke, he bragged…
‘Two years ago the national youth unemployment rate was forty-eight percent; today it is less than two percent. Before JECHIS replaced the pathetic men and women you elected to govern you, corruption was rife in all departments. Now there is none. Hospital waiting times are a thing of the past. Our jails are empty. Crime has all but disappeared. Schools are places of quiet, disciplined learning, and men and women are beginning to understand their roles in god’s plan. JECHIS has achieved all this with commendable restraint and the minimal use of force. However, there are some people unable to accept that god has finally come to the aid of humans who have proven themselves unable to make the choices that will gain entry to paradise after death in this world. Last night a building was destroyed by ignorant fools—fortunately there was no other damage. This has forced the Triumvirate to reconsider the softly, softly approach.
From tomorrow we will enforce to the letter the ancient laws of God. Read them very, very carefully and obey. There will be no second chances.’
The screen went black again, then in gold letters the new rules slowly advanced up the screen.
Whoever rejects the orders or the verdict of a judge or priest who represents the Lord your God, will be put to death.
Whoever follows any form of religion apart from JECHIS, shall be stoned to death.
If a man falsely declares he is a spokesman for JECHIS, his family shall stab him to death.
Whoever damages the property of JECHIS shall be publicly whipped to death.
Whoever causes the death of any of God’s servants shall be flayed alive, then burnt at the stake.
The screen slowly darkened and all transmission in every medium ended for that night.
‘We caused that.’ Hylas’s eyes were wide in horror. ‘That's what they’ll do to us if they find us!’
‘No you didn’t, and they won’t find you. They’ve been waiting for an excuse to announce these laws. There’ve been hundreds of acts of insurrection all over the country. Their hold on power isn't as strong as they think. This is a panic reaction.’
‘The lying bastards. No other damage. There’s no way anyone survived that explosion. The whole building collapsed on itself and they were inside.’
‘Their sole justification for usurping power is that they are the chosen servants of god, so they're not going to admit that their god failed to intercept you and save his emissaries.’
Nervous fears and doubts made sleep elusive and they woke the next morning feeling less heroic than they’d like.