Chapter 5: Collapse

"Emergency broadcast", from the archives of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation

"A nationwide alert has just been issued by the Department of Defence, as national security has been officially declared compromised. Details are still emerging, but there are reports of active military engagements between the Australian Defence Force and an unidentified group of combatants both in Sydney and Melbourne, though the extent of the attack is not yet known.”

“Anyone who is currently on the Australian mainland is advised to seek shelter immediately. The ADF has also sent guidelines for civilians which will be in effect until the threat is deemed neutralised. They are as follows: Avoid streets and areas where combat is taking place at all costs. If possible, seek entrance to underground areas such as subways or basements. If no such areas are safely accessible, put as many walls between yourself and the outside as possible. Stay informed of the situation and try to keep up with media coverage. Do not trust..."

"We are just now receiving information that the ADF is evacuating citizens to underground bunkers in various Australian cities. In accordance, guidelines have been updated. They are now as follows: Try to locate a bunker as quickly as possible. If you are ushered towards a bunker by an official, follow their instructions. Take only the minimum necessary provisions to get there. Food and media access will be available in the bunkers. Escort yourself to a bunker before attempting to make contact with friends or family. If safe access to a bunker is impossible, try to locate a safe area until access is again available. Any information suggesting the surrender or collapse of Australian armed forces is false. Most importantly, keep calm and maintain order. This message has already been sent through all Australian mobile networks and will be played through sirens."

"ABC News will continue to provide up-to-date information as the situation develops and will..."

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"And will not be evacuating."

*Unintelligible*

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"For direct coverage of the situation, we turn now to defence correspondent Andrew Greene who is reporting live from Canberra. Andrew, what is happening?"

"Thanks Ellen. Apologies for the low resolution, I am recording myself without a camera crew from my laptop camera, because that's just how unforeseen this event has been. I was preparing to go to bed with my wife until just minutes ago when we heard gunshots echoing out from the streets just outside, which you can hear behind me. I can report that fighting has broken out in Canberra as well, and I have received reports from contacts in Brisbane, Darwin and Perth that suggest the same has happened there too, so anyone residing in any of those places should be especially cautious and alert. It seems that for the first time in our history as a nation, Australia is being invaded."

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"Is your wife okay Andrew?"

"She's evacuated to one of the bunkers already. She promised that she'll send me a text when she arrives... We have one very close to our home, so I'm sure she'll be safe."

"...Well, there you have it dear viewers. Australia is under attack. If the urgency of the situation wasn't already clear, it should be now. How does the fighting look up close Andrew?"

"Ellen, I wish I could show you myself but unfortunately, as mentioned, I don't have a real camera. But I've already seen pictures and videos being posted online, as the internet is thankfully still available, so I can advise any viewer who wants visuals that they look at what's being posted on social media platforms such as Facebook and Reddit. What should not go unmentioned is also that many news networks in other countries are also reporting attacks in major cities, so any international viewers may want to tune in to their local stations to ensure they aren't themselves in danger."

"Indeed. Apparently we've got pictures now that we can display for ourselves. Viewers should beware that the following images may be graphic or..."

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"Holy shit."

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*voicecrack* "Y-eah. Holy shit."

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"Based only on these images I can already speak to something that strikes me as incredibly odd as a defensive specialist. The models of equipment being used by the enemy here are uncharacteristically dissonant. In these pictures alone, we can see among the weaponry everything from an M88A3s, which isn't even supposed to have been in production yet, to F1s which were only used in the Vietnam War, to what I think is a Martinsyde G.100, which to my knowledge hasn't been used since World War One! There's also the aspect that there seems to be no coordination in how these machines are being used; No concentrated strike, no attempt to prevent friendly fire, no SHIT, GRENA"

*Static*

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"Cut the feed Larry."

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"To all our viewers... I want to..."

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"I..."

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"I.. I want to thank my crew. I want all of you to know that when I announced that we weren't evacuating, everyone here stayed. A lot of us have families you know? I have a family. Two wonderful boys. And it's only thanks to these guys that I could read on the prompter that they've successfully evacuated to the bunkers. And if I hadn't known that, I probably wouldn't still be here presenting this programme."

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"We will continue to stay here. We will continue to bring you the most up-to-date coverage from the outside. And I can tell you all that even as I'm saying this, none of the people in this room is moving an inch."

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"We have new messages from the Australian Defence Organisation. We can now confirm that the only Australian cities currently under attack are Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Darwin, Brisbane and Perth. Anyone who is not in one of these cities can take relief in knowing that at least for now, there are no ongoing battles outside. However, as the situation is still developing, the department has stressed that the outbreak of fighting is very much a threat even outside of these cities. Therefore, we urge our viewers to do everything they can to find refuge in a bunker and to keep out of open streets unless absolutely necessary."

"The perpetrators of the attacks are still unknown, but the BBC is reporting of similar attacks taking place in Beijing, Boston, and London. The implications of this are not clear, but it may indicate that those responsible are not allies of any major world government. To be clear, this is at this point in time purely speculative, and until those responsible are identified the government urges citizens not to take anything reported by foreign news organisations as fact, even from reputable sources such as the BBC."

"With the aid of our various reporters around Sydney and other cities, we are currently in the process of compiling a map of what streets are and are not seeing combat, and what buildings are considered safe. If you are still outside for whatever reason, and you have information about a street that is... th-at..."

*Static*

End of recording.

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