“You serve your country, put yourself in the line of fire. Then you come back and can’t even afford to buy a house. Don’t worry about money or resources. Once we flip sides in the war it will be like a huge tide.”
The discussion continued in this vein. Ruby relaxed a bit, got out of her huddled in Dandenong funk. Felt like that just maybe it would work out. Afterwards there was time for them to go up onto the top deck and take in the view. Adam leaned against the railing. Ruby tried to make out the gas terminal on shore.
“Conspirators. All of us. They will disappear us, if we let them.” Adam said.
Ruby’s boat was ready. As it drifted out, and her journey back to Tooradin began, she wondered what would become of them all. It was hard not to look up and expect to see an armed drone swooping low, or even a fighter jet. Hard to believe that what they imagined could actually happen.
At Tooradin the car was waiting.
“I’ve got a stray drone in the east.” Noah said.
“Armed?”
“No, it’s too small. I think it is just curious about you.”
“We scanned the car again. Nothing transmitting from it.”
“I know. It’s working visually I think. You’ve clicked over a threshold somewhere.”
“Stray fishing person doesn’t fish for long enough?”
“Something like that.”
“So what do we do?”
“A salmon in the stream. We find a stray crowd and establish our membership. Lull them back into a false sense of security.”
They were both silent while the car looped around. Noah watched the drone path.
“It’s hard to imagine. Even after meeting with them.”
“You can’t think like that.”
“I know. Dream it into reality. But it seems so unlikely.”
“That’s what they want you to think. It’s how they hold on.”
“We lose that drone?”
“It’s off chasing shoppers. Yes.”
Noah was buried in something as she walked in, but looked up.
“Made it.” She said.
“Not what you expected?”
“No. Not at all. They were so relaxed about it. So confident.”
“So should you be.”
“Maybe on the outside it looks so strong, but in here it seems to be held together with tape. So fragile.”
“You know there is some guy sitting in government headquarters, staring at data, saying exactly the same thing. Imagining the rebels have amassed a huge army, ready to strike.”
She smiled.
“Yes. I guess.”
Takeover
At the top of the top of Collins Street, it was tense as they prepared to advance. Hard not to imagine some huge force sitting somewhere poised to strike at them. It was eerily quiet, and the screens were strangely empty.
“That coffee van still down by the river.” Ruby asked
“Not sure.” Noah said
“Task a drone to find it.” She said.
They both laughed. But they did, and yes, there it was. They sprinted for the lift and were out in the street before anyone had the chance to notice.
“Adam, the army guy. What do you make of him?” Noah asked.
“Serious. Committed. I trusted him. He was confident of carrying almost all of them. Only a small minority loyal to the government.”
“You believed him.”
“Give me a reason to doubt him.”
It was surreal getting information feeds from army bases, drone bases, naval bases. Noah continued.
“You know the drill. Communications first, then the airport, then energy, transport and water.”
“Water.”
“The others seem important, they are all flashy but without water it all fails. Water is everything.”
It was still there, the cart. They sprinted across the bridge towards it. The guy remembered them. He was mid 20’s, seemingly enjoying what he was doing. Certainly business was brisk. Four of five in front of them.
“It’s you, again.” He said. “The rebels.”
“Yes.”
“I love you guys. Blowing it away.”
The barista continued.
“They suck you in, with coin offers, equity. Once they have you in they work you over. Pay you for fourty hours and you work one hundred. You don’t dare complain because they will delete your equity. Bastards. They just work you over until you can’t do it anymore. You leave, and there is another victim coming in the door as you go out.”
Ruby waited for him to finish, then smiled.
“You won’t have long to wait.”
As they walked back, more slowly, sipping the coffee. Noah glanced along the river. There were mists coming off the water. As you looked to the west, the arc of the river stood out with the tall buildings as a backdrop. The sun glinting off the glass. Noah turned towards Ruby.
“You think you should have let that go? The timing?”
“You think there is a microphone on the van, a low flying drone? A parabolic microphone pointing from one of the buildings? Or a guy up a tree?”
“They know, anyway.”
“Of course they do. We are watching them. They are watching us. Waiting for a move.”
It all unfolded so quickly.
“What’s that?” Jack asked, pointing at the big screen. On the airport ground view, there was something just visible in the distance, flying low, amongst the trees north of Tullamarine. Noah stared at the large screen, showing the airport and its defences.
They all looked at the screen. At first there was nothing. Then the fluttering of drone blades, low on the horizon. It was almost invisible , coming in low from the East with the sun behind. Oldest trick in the book, used in warfare since it was invented. Designed to confuse any humans or vision systems trained in that direction. Only the satellites would have a good view, and even then it would just show as motion. None of the automatic systems were good enough to detect it.
“They haven’t responded.” He said.
“Can’t see them yet.” Ruby said.
“Triggered automatically?”
“No, a human trigger.”
Somewhere there was a room just like this one. With a group much like this staring at screens.
“Much easier to defend than attack.” Jack said.
“Only if you are well prepared.” Ruby said.
The incoming drones were in clusters. The larger armed drones were surrounded by a swarm of smaller drones. It looked like a swarm of bees rapidly circling a mother ship. Although they looked like they were touching, it was just an illusion as