Stretched out in her bath, Sarah allowed her thoughts to drift. Really, she couldn’t blame the Chinese for what they were doing. Perhaps it was her ruthless side that helped her to see it from their perspective. If she were in their position, and a soft, lazy Australia was sitting on the key to her future, she would do the same thing. Stifling a laugh, she suddenly found it darkly funny that Australians were so surprised and upset by the actions of the Chinese.
How stupid had we been? she wondered. So blissfully unaware of China’s intentions, we went about our business, raising the prices of resources, controlling the volume, choosing with whom we did business, and, in doing so, fooled ourselves into thinking Australia controlled the market. It really was brilliant. Feigning willingness to pay the prices and accept the crippling restrictions for years, all the while watching as Australia grew fat, lazy and stupid. We basked in our wealth and glory, relaxed by the notion that America would protect us from the bullies in the playground. Then, when China decides the time is right, they invade with such force that the possibility of defence is ridiculous. And then, the genius of it, they tell us they’re not interested in our culture, our cities or our way of life.
After another 10 minutes soaking in the hot water and sipping the wine that, luckily, lived up to its reputation, Sarah stood, slowly letting the water slide off her long, toned body. Feeling momentarily dizzy, she waited for the blood to go back to her head then reached for the towel and stepped out of the bath. Her mind feeling refreshed and her body relaxed, it was time for work.
She knew that once she had satisfied her need for self-preservation by getting herself an exit strategy, she could dedicate herself to the job of overthrowing the government and taking back Australia. Doubt, until now, hadn’t entered her mind — but she was beginning to realise the scale of General Stephens’ plan and the difficulties they would face…
A few hours later, she was just finishing up her work when she was startled by a knock at the door. Was it that time already? she thought to herself. She trotted to the door and opened it with a grin of anticipation.
Matt took the sight of her in, wearing only a white work shirt and knickers. Her skin looked radiant and the smell of incense lightly hit Matt’s nose.
‘Come in,’ she said seductively, tilting her head and beckoning him inside.
Matt took just two steps into the hall and waited for her to close the door. Turning her, he pulled her in close and kissed her hard, forcing her against the wall. She moaned involuntarily and grabbed at his back.
Matt had one hand on the back of her head, the other inside her shirt, moving slowly down. Lifting her, wrapping her legs around his waist, Matt walked her into the bedroom and threw her on the bed. Taking off his shirt, he looked down at her.
She returned his gaze, her hair creating a tousled halo around her head on the mattress. Two months ago, she’d had made a play for Matt at a local bar. He was cute, and he had a demanding job that would keep this thing from getting too personal — he was the perfect candidate. It had been a passionate affair from day one. But then, when the invasion occurred and General Stephens signalled his intention to take over the leadership, the relationship took on a whole new meaning — for Sarah anyway. She’d been using their time together to carefully test Matt’s allegiance and his loyalty to Hudson. It hadn’t taken much to realise that Matt saw Hudson and his failings all too clearly. Sarah knew that if General Stephens was to succeed, they would need the support of the people closest to Hudson. And today, finally, Matt had given his. He was clearly eager to accept his reward for it.
Afterwards, lying on the bed exhausted, Sarah felt Matt’s heart rate slowly come back to a normal pace.
‘So tomorrow’s going to be a big day,’ said Matt.
‘The biggest day in politics this country has ever seen,’ replied Sarah, brushing her hair away from her face.
‘It really is amazing. You’re convinced you have majority support?’ asked Matt.
‘We won’t know for sure until tomorrow, but yes, it looks like we will have most of parliament’s support.’
There was a long silence as they both stared at the ceiling. Matt stroked her hair tenderly.
‘You know Matt, after tomorrow we won’t be able to see each other again for a long time. For one, I might be going to prison, but secondly, we can’t be seen to have collaborated on this, for your own career.’
‘Yeah, I figured that would be the case. And I imagine I’ll be kept pretty busy, being the liaison between the military and the government. But if you go to gaol, it’ll be a shame, really. You’re a great shag,’ he said, grinning down at her.
‘Ha, you’re not so bad yourself,’ said Sarah, lifting her head to look him in the eyes.
‘Who knows what might happen?’ said Matt more seriously now. ‘I mean, who would have predicted the last few months?’
‘True, you never know what will happen,’ said Sarah, reaching for MiLA to scan the latest emails.
Chapter 6
Parliament was in progress, with the Minister of Chinese-Australian Affairs making a speech about the need for greater security in Asian-dominated suburbs. The sound of a door opening at the back of the large hall went unnoticed, until the sight of 20 men and women, some armed, marching down the steps to the floor turned all heads. Most of the people in the gallery knew what this was, but it was still an incredible sight to behold. Leading the group was General Martin Stephens, looking focussed and determined, flanked by General Fletcher, Colonel Main, Connor Adams and Sarah Dempsey. The Minister of Chinese-Australian Affairs looked confused.
‘What is…?’ he started to ask, but his question trailed off as he moved to sit down. Hudson, who had been sitting, staring at his note pad, his mind a thousand miles away, looked up, confused and alarmed.
‘Wh… What’s this all about? General Stephens, what are you doing? What’s going on?’ cried Hudson, panicked, looking around frantically for answers.
Standing and searching the faces of his own ministers, he stared in disbelief as every one of them averted their gaze. But Hudson’s face did not twist in anger or flush with shock — it relaxed with a look of pure relief.
He didn’t want this job anymore, he didn’t want the responsibility, the guilt, or the pain. He suddenly realised that this was the perfect solution: let someone else take over. His expression was almost serene.
It was all over and General Stephens hadn’t even opened his mouth. He didn’t need to. He just stood there in front of Hudson, resolute. A silent coup.
Hudson was the first to speak. Standing to face General Stephens he gripped the collar of his suit jacket, pressing it down. ‘So you want the job, do you?’ he said, staring him directly in the eyes. Turning to his own ministers, holding out his arms, he asked, ‘You want him to lead the country now, too?’
Again, his response was averted gazes.
Looking back at the general, Hudson took a step closer and stood just millimetres from the general’s face. ‘It’s yours,’ he hissed. And with that, Hudson turned and walked out of the building alone. A stunned silence pervaded the entire cabinet.
After the door had closed behind Hudson, the general took a deep breath and exhaled, slowly looking around at each of the faces in the room. He felt a rush of adrenalin like nothing he had experienced on the battlefield. But it was controlled, his mind free and lucid.
When he spoke his voice was clear, his tone deep, pace steady and even. ‘You all know me and, for most of you, what has just happened is no surprise.’ Pausing for effect, he continued. ‘Today we start a new day in Australia’s history, with one single-minded objective. There is only one strategy and only one tactic that will lead to just one result. We are getting China out of Australia, no matter what the cost. Since the invasion, we have done everything the Chinese wanted us to do, whether we knew it or not. Well, that’s about to change. They’re banking on our fear and weakness to keep us at bay, to keep us in our cities and on our coastline. But today we’re not afraid. Today we fight back. And we will continue to fight back, whatever the cost.’