Within three months there were, as promised, one million people worldwide following the Facebook postings relating to The Settlement. The emphasis gradually changed from the naked pictures of Tanya to the forecast collapse of the Ross Ice Shelf and its ghastly consequences.
Settlement community members sent Sebastian information to include in his daily update. Even David and Chloe sent things through, although usually her contributions were sceptical. Her disbelief added another dimension to the Facebook pages, helping to grow the audience.
When the worldwide audience reached fifty million, governments started to take notice. Suddenly, the price of land in remote areas in Australia and many other parts of the world escalated sharply, with people belatedly trying to imitate the developments in the Bower settlement.
When the weekend visitors reached more than one hundred in a weekend, Mark announced. 'We are unable to cope. From today, each visitor will require a coded pass to enter and exit at the front gates. '
They restricted the entry to fifteen visitors at any one time. It worked for a few months until some impatient visitors broke the barrier down, allowing a flood of people to inundate the property. It took the efforts of most of the community to persuade them to leave.
'We'll install a barrier with spike pads that will only be removed when the code is correctly entered,' said Mark. 'At weekends I think we will have to have armed guards as well. It gives us all some idea of the necessity for completely isolating ourselves when the Ice Shelf collapses.'
Jonathan warned David that there was increasing unrest in Canberra about the pages of comment on Facebook. 'They are receiving e-mails and calls from all over the world suggesting we should be closed down.'
'What do you think I should do?' asked David.
'Be prepared for a nonsensical initiative from Government. I don't need to tell you to stick to your guns, I'm sure you will do that anyway.'
More and more of the Facebook postings attempted to discredit The Settlement and the science behind it. Most of it was ill-informed and resulted in renewed interest in the topic.
Tanya spoke to David by phone during that period. 'There have been some odd things going on.'
'Such as?'
'I have been followed by the same car whenever I leave the house.'
'Coincidence, surely?' said a sceptical David.
'No, this has happened about ten times now.'
'Take the licence plate number and report it to the police,'
'The funny thing is I have reported it twice. The second time I made the report they said they had no record of the complaint. My tyres have also been let down a couple of times. Mark has had similar problems.'
'Did you report that?'
'Yes, they just laughed at me. It must have something to do with the huge social media following.'
'Yes, I'm pleased about that. It may influence Governments around the world to finally address the problem.'
'I'm sure they think of us as a threat. Have there been any unusual happenings at your end recently?'
'Lance was arrested a few weeks ago. The man you made an example of in the parade ground.'
'Oh, yes, of course.'
'They are now suggesting we should have realised he was a known criminal and may be charged accordingly.'
'Ridiculous! Lance's name was on the list of residents you gave the police a few years ago. There is no possibility they will be able to make that stick,' said Tanya angrily. 'I think they are trying to shut us down again.'
'Shut us down? We are much stronger than when they tried that earlier in the piece,' said a now very concerned David.
'We need to find out what they will settle for ... I don't like any of this. You may be asked to attend a meeting, in Sydney or Canberra, perhaps relating to Lance's arrest. Please don't go voluntarily. If they arrest you that's another matter. Something is brewing. Mark and I will move to the mountains until this nonsense has all blown over.'
Within the week, Mark and Tanya had made arrangements with their respective offices to work from The Settlement and they moved with the family to the Blue Mountains. The intimidation ceased and Tanya was hopeful that whoever was behind the pinpricks had given up.
She said to David, 'We should be careful, they may merely be planning something else.'
A week later David received an urgent call from a Canberra number. 'Mr Bower?'
'Yes,' replied David.
'My name is Nicholson, from the Attorney General's office.'
'Please give me a phone number where I can reach you. The call must go through an identifiable switchboard and then be put through to you.'
'Is this charade necessary?' said an astonished voice.
'Yes, I need to be certain this is not a hoax.'
'I promise you it is not a hoax.'
'There have been some peculiar goings on in recent months. I have to be certain the call is genuine.'
'What sort of problems?'
'The number please Mr Nicholson, or I put the phone down,' said David firmly.
There was a sigh and David was given a Canberra number.
David quickly called Joe and explained he needed a call to be recorded in a few minutes. He buzzed Tanya. 'It's certainly about this Facebook stuff. The Attorney General's department wants to talk to us. We need to be as hard as nails. Do not give an inch, but be polite.'
When Joe indicated all was ready David dialled. The call was answered by a switchboard, then a secretary, followed by Nicholson.
'That was quite unnecessary,' said an irritated voice.
Joe waved at David. 'The conversation is being recorded,' he mouthed.
'Hello Mr Nicholson, one can't be too careful, apologies for the delay in returning your call. I also needed to have my senior colleague with me as part of the conversation. Her name is Tanya Bower.'
'Good morning Mr Nicholson, you will remember a previous conversation with me, some years ago,' said Tanya.
There was no response from the Canberra end.
David looked at her curiously.
'Harold,' she mouthed.
He nodded his understanding.
'We know this conversation is being recorded at your end,' said David. 'I would like to inform you that we are also recording the conversation.'
There was a brief hesitation on the line and Nicholson said, 'I want to talk to you about all this Facebook nonsense. Do you know what I'm talking about?'
'I presume it has to do with the science of climate change,' said David.
'Well partly.'
David remained silent.
'I would like you to put a stop to all this sensational nonsense on Facebook about climate change and about the collapse of some lump of ice in the Antarctic that is supposedly going to cause mayhem around the world.'
'The science surrounding the collapse of the Ross Ice Shelf, Mr Nicholson, and the projected outcomes have been in the public domain for more than twenty years. Millions of relevant pages are available on the Internet. There is nobody who can put a stop to it,' said Tanya quietly.
There was a muffled conversation at the other end.
'The current publicity is making people panic. The US President, the British Prime Minister, and a dozen others have called asking us to stop this nonsense. There is no acceptance, in Canberra, that this analysis is correct.'
'The analysis is correct. What should be done about it is the real question. Many people will die as a result of the inaction of governments round the world. Respectfully, continuing denial of the science will just result in a bigger catastrophe,' said Tanya.
'I can't influence any of that. You need to close down the Facebook page.'
'The Facebook page is run from London, with postings from around the world,' said David.
'But it's all about your bloody place in the Blue Mountains. You have encouraged people to invest on the basis of a fraudulent, unproven theory. We could close you down on that basis alone.'
'I don't think so,' said Tanya. 'Every settler knows the science, but has accepted that the decision to settle here is theirs alone. You have tried this nonsense before. As I expect you know, there was an ASIO plant here for a few months. When he found everything was above board, he moved on.'
'Where is he now?'
'Goulburn prison.'
There was silence from Canberra.
'Have you consulted the federal environment or climate change people about the science?'
'No.'
'We have had discussions with both departments. It is well accepted.'
'The amount of publicity is embarrassing the Government. We could send in the police and close you down.' The tone was threatening.
'Remember, everything you say is being recorded. Unless you formally withdraw that threat within an hour this whole conversation will be posted on the Facebook site. That will probably double our following overnight,' said Tanya quietly.
'The department will not be pleased. I need to phone you back.'
'The first thing you need to do is to withdraw the threat you made, very specifically.'
'I withdraw the threat.'
'Not good enough, it needs to be very specific,' interjected David.
'My name is Nicholson from the Federal Attorney General's office and I formally and unreservedly withdraw the threat made to send in the police to close you down,' said Nicholson in a tired, irritated voice.
'Thank you,' said David. He attempted a conciliatory suggestion, 'If you have the time, it might pay you to visit us. You will find we pose no threat to anyone. I will arrange to fly you in here by helicopter.'
'Whose helicopter?'
'The Australian military's.'
'I will ring back later today.'
When he called back, Nicholson suggested David visit Canberra. Tanya, Joe, and Mark all shook their heads vigorously.
'To what purpose?' asked David. 'And please remember this call is also being recorded.'
'In order to explain the climate change science to all the parties involved here.'
'There are dozens of people in Canberra, considerably better qualified than anyone here, to explain all aspects of climate change. If you want to learn something fresh, pay us a visit.'
'So you won't come to Canberra?' said Nicholson.
David had nothing to add, so remained silent.
The phone was put down in Canberra.
There was a call from the gate to Mark, 'There are two police vans at the entrance, most definitely SWAT teams. They wouldn't say why they were there and they have no warrants. I have sent another dozen Academy people to the gate as reinforcements.'
'This is bullshit,' said Tanya forcefully. 'I think we should post the phone conversation on Facebook and be done with it.'
'When we escalated the crisis at the time of the floods, we came off second best. I think we should phone Nicholson back. I don't think the people in Canberra have any idea of the scale of The Settlement,' said Mark.
David called Nicholson in Canberra and was told he was busy.
The phone rang thirty minutes later.
'Have you changed your mind about visiting Canberra?' asked an aggressive-sounding Nicholson.
'No, quite the opposite. I'm sure you are aware there are two SWAT teams stationed at our front gate. They aren't communicating with us and have no warrants. You need to understand Mr Nicholson, that more than three hundred people are settled here, including a large number of women and children. SWAT teams imply violence. Can you imagine the press reaction if one of our children was hurt in an action by the police? Dealing with a few comments on a Facebook page would certainly pale into insignificance compared to dealing with that,' said David quietly.
'Three hundred people?' asked Nicholson, surprised.
'Three hundred and thirty as of yesterday. We have a school, a hospital and so on. We are wholly self-sufficient and pose no threat to anyone. Attempting to shut us down by force will get you nowhere. If you really wish to understand what we are about, please pay us a visit.'
'I will call you back.'
'Please remove the SWAT teams first,' said David.
The visit was arranged for a week later.
'It will include representatives from the environment and climate change ministries,' advised Nicholson.
The six civil servants, awaiting the military helicopter flight, were surprised to be greeted by, "Colonel Bower", as Jonathan introduced himself.
'Are you related to the Bowers at The Settlement?' asked Nicholson.
'David Bower is my father. I will give you some background on the way over,' he said.
The complete Bower fraternity formally greeted the visiting group.
'We have arranged a brief presentation of The Settlement and our achievements here. Then, we will give you a site tour in one of our solar-powered vehicles. We have arranged a lunch in our community centre, where you will meet many settlers, after which there will be time to discuss any issues you wish.'
The visit went very smoothly. Tanya made her presentation and David conducted the tour of the site, including the hospital, where the staff had just completed a major operation on an ill patient. The official entourage were shown the dams, stock, milking parlours, horses and cultivated area, as well as the recreational facilities, several houses, and school. There was no mention of The Academy.
Nicholson and Tanya avoided each other as far as was possible.
Tanya thought, This bastard has caused me more grief than anyone else I know.
Knowing the visit was critical, she said no more than was required of her. Nicholson found he was confronted by an obviously competent, very attractive woman. He was intimidated by the experience as Tanya had nearly derailed his career.
Patricia talked about the youth programs. 'Most of the young belong to various groups, some recreational and others teaching them essential life skills important to their long term future in the community. Many are learning trades here while others are at university, studying degrees such as medicine, veterinary science, agriculture, and forestry. We are working on a plan to continue university level training after isolation.'
'What about welfare?' asked Nicholson.
'There is no welfare as such and, as far as we know, nobody in the community receives Government welfare. However, we do have some people who have either had an accident or are otherwise incapacitated. They all have a function within the society; there is a hospital orderly who was born with Down's Syndrome for example. Families look after their own and the religious groups help in this regard as well,' Patricia answered.
'I see you've had an extensive bush fire,' one of the visitors observed, pointing to the still partially-blackened hillsides.
'Yes, the advice we received from our Aboriginal settlers was invaluable. It almost certainly saved the community and many lives. We were well-prepared,' David told him.
'You have Aboriginal settlers here?'
'They come and go, but they are very much part of us. They teach groups about the basics of bush craft and about local wildlife. We also have many faiths represented here. The Christians, Jews, and Muslims are in the process of building a joint facility for worship.'
'Astonishing!'
The visitors enjoyed a sumptuous lunch in the community centre.
'Everything you see here was produced in the community,' said Chloe. 'All the children are taught to ride. It forms a major part of the recreational activities.'
Nicholson said, 'Our impression of the place is good. You seem to have a clear plan. I understand, if this Ice Shelf collapses, you are going to isolate the place and wait for some sort of recovery?'
David nodded.
'What about the rest of us?'
'How many people survive depends on what the Government does to mitigate the situation,' said Tanya.
'We, and most nations around the world, are committed to policies that will reduce greenhouse gases materially over the next fifty years,' interjected the visitor from the climate change ministry.
'That is admirable and necessary, but unfortunately that will not save us from the current situation. The Ice Shelf will collapse.'
'What should we do then?' There was a chorus of frustrated voices.
'As fast as possible, you should build infrastructure that reduces the impact of the floods. Oil refineries will have to be moved to higher ground and ports need to be able to operate in the new environment,' said Tanya.
'But that will cost billions.'
'Trillions,' said Tanya unhelpfully.
'Where are we going to find such huge funds?'
'You could borrow from overseas. You probably won't have to repay much of it because many of the lenders won't be in existence within a few years. Also, cut every budget by a percentage and use funds from that.'
'I don't know of any other country thinking like this.'
'Not many are doing much, but check what the Chinese are doing. I'll bet you anything they are doing exactly what I've suggested.' Tanya didn't think any of them were absorbing what she was saying, it was just too difficult. 'They may even be thinking about what the new world order would look like. I expect that Australia may be part of their considerations.'
'They wouldn't dare come here, the Americans … ' Nicholson's voice trailed off. 'The real purpose of our visit is how can we reduce the current panic and then put in place a strategy to deal with what we've learned today.'
'We won't post any new information on the Facebook page. I expect interest will slow down over the next few months.'
Several of the visitors made gracious speeches praising David and what had been achieved at The Settlement. Many watched as the helicopter took off and set a course for the southwest.
'I don't think they see us as a threat anymore, so they will take the pressure off,' predicted Tanya. 'They won't be able to get their act together in time. Any country taking the threat seriously will be keeping quiet, especially if they are installing infrastructure. Just watch out for countries borrowing heavily over the next three years. After the collapse, Australian mineral wealth will be worth two fifths of five eights of fuck all until the world starts to consume again in, say, five hundred years. Jonathan will give us a full briefing, but I think we can get on with our lives and our preparations for the catastrophe. Any bets one of that group will be an applicant for residence here? Whew!'
Jonathan reported a week later, 'There was some chatter about the visit on the way home, but they soon began to discuss other issues. In my perambulations around Canberra over the last few days, I believe you are right off the radar.'