War by Deception: Undeclared, #2

By Maxine Millar

It is a changed world they are living in, yet so much of the planning for this war is in the public domain. It is not hidden; it is ignored. Why is this? Why do people not read what is out there? Summer sees the sickness and deaths increase. Why is this not investigated? Why is the mass media silent? The flatmates have differing views as to what is going on in New zealand and the world. Yet life goes on, study and romance still live on. Each, in different ways, plans to survive.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Maxine Millar
• Release date: Jul 2, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215970560

Maxine Millar

Maxine lives in New Zealand, on a life style block. She now writes full time.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Wellington, New Zealand, Sunday morning, 25th March 2022

Petra glanced away from her arguing flatmates and out the dining room window. A few roses and bushes fought with the weeds. The lawn needed mowing. The windows needed cleaning. It was no better out there. She turned her gaze back inside and said,

Stop arguing. We need ideas. What are we going to do? How are we going to get out of this mess? Petra looked at her flatmates; Summer the doctor, Dan and Liu the students, Abby the Financial Analyst and herself the unemployed teacher. Broke, unemployed teacher.

It won’t be for ever. You’ll get your job back, began Liu.

It’s not just her, Summer interrupted, we’re all affected.

Stop panicking, Dan intervened. The government only did what they had to, to keep people safe.

Really? Summer said sarcastically. I have to cope with this in my work, Dan. I feel like I’m living an appalling lie; like I’m being dishonest to my patients. There’s this massive great elephant-in-the-room in my Accident and Emergency Ward and we’re all ignoring it. Two to three patients a shift are coming in, where there are forbidden questions I’m not supposed to ask when trying to find a diagnosis. That’s unscientific let alone inaccurate diagnostic criteria. How do you think that makes me feel? I’m having increasing trouble dealing with this. I’m having nightmares over it. Over having to justify it in the future. Maybe having to explain myself in the future or pay for it.

She looked at the disquiet on his face but refused to feel guilty. He needed to wake up to a world of a new reality. Her unaccustomed hardness shocked her. Just a little. But her nightmares were real and so was her fear of future consequences. For her patients and herself.

It’s not all a conspiracy, Dan argued. Stop listening to Evan. He’s been a conspiracy theorist for all the years I’ve known him.

Summer had to concede that point. Evan had been ready for anything. She glanced at Petra who tried to hide her smile. They both liked Evan. They both thought he was probably right.

And I refuse to believe Evan’s theory that my country caused all this, Liu agreed coming in from the kitchen. She sat down at the ancient wooden table, adding another cup ring to the collection that was almost a pattern.

Petra sighed. Every other morning was fine. Every other morning, they were all out working or attending University. This was Sunday morning. They were going around and around the mulberry bush as usual. There were too many reasons for her flatmates to toe the line. Dan and Liu were in their final year of study and needed to qualify to justify the huge student loans they had. Then they needed jobs to start paying off their debts. Abby and Summer ditto re their crushing student loans. Only she had paid off her student loan. Only she had had savings and a choice. Only she had had parents who volunteered to back her stance, financially if needed.

Can I come in? called out a voice as Evan let himself into the kitchen and deposited something on the bench. He wandered into the dining room seeing the others there and stopped at the scene. Five cross faces, toast and coffee, he saw and smelt. Well he could put some smiles on those faces, he figured. Brunch coming up. He noticed the cross faces predictably turn instantly to smiles.

Petra looked at Evan and decided her cold toast could feed the birds. Bacon and eggs with all the trimmings she thought hopefully. She shook her head wondering, not for the first time, how someone in his mid-thirties, with a face like a drop-dead-gorgeous Viking and the body of a weightlifter, who could also cook, was unmarried. He must be a fast runner as well. Sadly, like her, Evan had lost his personal trainer job. He did have some choice; the rent of his flatmates covered his mortgage with a little left over. For a while, he would be able to cope. Just as well.

Petra quickly washed the bits of the huge table she could get at as Summer and Liu stacked up all the study materials to one side, keeping her and Dan’s notes separate. Dan went out to talk to Evan as Summer set the table.

Half an hour or so later as the six of them sat, cheerfully, consuming Evan’s home-made hamburger patties instead of the usual home-made bacon, Petra asked,

Alright, we’ve all nearly finished the meat. What was it? Venison?

Good guess. Yes.

It tasted like beef, Summer said, puzzled.

Flavourings, Evan answered. On another topic, what’s everyone doing on Matariki weekend? June 27th, our new public holiday.

Working and studying, Dan answered.

Ditto, added Liu.

I’m free. She’ll be working, Petra indicated herself and Summer. Why?

Care to see if you can get some time off and come camping? Something I need to check out. Some company would be nice. I’m hoping to catch or shoot the food. Anyone interested?

Dan shook his head. Camping in winter? Not a chance. He wasn’t crazy and he’d learnt not to accept Evan’s dares. The hard way.

Liu smiled, thinking Evan was crazy but she wasn’t.

Summer looked at Petra. They were both tired and overworked. She was constantly working overtime and Petra was working in a burger joint, all the hours she could in order to pay her bills at a markedly reduced hourly wage from her normal pay. But there was a problem,

It will be winter then, Summer explained sweetly. June, she reminded Evan.

No problem. You don’t need to bring a tent.

Summer noticed how he looked highly amused at her hesitancy. He expected her to decline? To chicken out? Her eyes narrowed, I’ll see if I can get someone to swap with me. I will too, she thought. I’ll show him.

I’m in, Petra answered cheerfully.

She would be! That wasn’t a surprise, thought Summer. Petra, predictably, took that invitation for a dare. Which it clearly was. Camping; that would be a new experience for her. Possibly not for Petra.

Petra was intrigued. An invitation from Evan, she was not about to turn down. He would be in for a surprise. Her family had done a lot of camping and he would not find her unskilled. She was relieved at his cooking this morning, which had defused the argument. The food was tasty and meat. They were all so sick of the constant vegetarian meals, especially soup for tea. It just wasn’t filling. Their food budget was tight. Their usual choices were restricted. It didn’t help their tempers. It was just as well her flatmates all knew each other so well and all were tolerant enough to cope with differing opinions on the divisive vaccine issue. She knew marriages and flats which had not survived the recent conflict-ridden Mandate and vaccine issues over the past few months. A bit like her parents described the country’s division over the Springbok tour of New Zealand in the 1980’s. The accompanying apartheid issue had split the nation. This was also a type of apartheid but for a different reason, exaggerated out of all context. And everyone knew the anti-apartheid social issue of the 1980’s had ultimately won. So would eventually be the case this time, as soon as the majority of people woke up.

Petra smiled; she was going to enjoy that long weekend. Now what did Summer know of camping? As Evan and Dan switched to enthusiastically discussing some sports event yesterday, her mind drifted. She wondered how her pupils were coping. Were they having relief teacher after relief teacher? Would she ever get her career back? Would Evan? She would have been replaced by now. She shouldn’t think of them as ‘her’ pupils. They were someone else’s now. She had lost them. Lost her job. Lost her savings. Maybe lost her career. She had been very lucky to get this burger joint job. It wasn’t Mandated. The pay was minimal but it paid the rent. Would she have to go overseas for a decent job?

Dan worried, yet again. Why did these intelligent people think there was a world-wide conspiracy? The idea was too preposterous to be true. His church didn’t believe it, backing the government. But he had to agree the media was biased and they shouldn’t be. Balance had left the nightly news and now no one in this flat watched the news in any form. Virtually the only topics were Covid, the war in Ukraine, natural disasters and climate change. With apologies to the Ukrainians and those suffering due to climate change, he was sick of all of it and increasingly suspicious. Climate change was impacting the poor and middle classes, but not the rich. Nor the industries and those causing most of it. They were being left alone. He suspected climate change, like Covid, was being used as an excuse for an awful lot of restrictions. He took his dishes to the kitchen, dodging the coffee cups beside every chair. He smiled; not his turn to do the dishes. Yay!

Chapter 2

April 4th 2022 (nearly two weeks later)

Summer came home from a day shift, late as usual, to find Liu and Dan in the kitchen, which smelled heavenly.

What’s cooking?

A cake to celebrate the Mandates ending at midnight tonight.

Except on health don’t forget, Summer reminded Liu. They’re on for another two weeks. On the most vulnerable sector. Gosh, what a surprise.

Well they can apply for their jobs back, Dan said cheerfully.

Where do you think those staff are?! Summer replied. Who can go five months without employment? I’ll bet a lot of them have gone overseas, the foreign ones who could, that is and they are probably in no hurry to return if at all. I wouldn’t be coming back if I were them. In a few months, they will be well established overseas. Why would they return to a country that Mandated them once and could do so again? I know of some Mandated nurses who left as soon as the border reopened.

Do you think she had a bad day? Liu whispered as Summer trudged up to her room. Petra’s jubilant. She’s already applied for a job at her old school.

As they all sat down to sweet and sour pork, cooked by Liu, Dan noticed that Summer seemed to have cheered up a bit and Petra was ecstatic, telling them all that her old school would take her on as a reliever,

My job went to another teacher, but the Principal gave me a reliever job and I start tomorrow. Not with my old class, of course. I will just have to take whichever class doesn’t have a teacher. She said she can’t guarantee me work, but I’m booked for the next four days.

So you’ll drop the burger job? Liu asked.

No. I have already told them I’ll work Friday night, Saturday and Sunday.

What?! Are you mad?

No Dan I’m broke! My savings are gone and I may get little teaching work. This week, I’m replacing a sick teacher. Next week, no one might be sick and they have other relievers. And remember the school holidays start soon. There’ll be no teaching work at all for those two weeks.

Liu listened, troubled. She’d thought all their worries were over but realised they weren’t. Petra was right. Another teacher had her old job. Summer was right. Many health workers would now have other jobs. Some would have planned or applied for overseas jobs when the borders reopened. Foreign Mandated medical staff would have already gone home, as soon as they could get out.

Liu noted that Summer and Abby were less enthusiastic but very pleased to have a special meal cooked for them. Abby especially, as it had been her turn to cook. Liu was worried. Abby was tired all the time. Even her cooking was less enthusiastic and limited and she had not been a good cook to start with.

Whose turn was it to cook tonight? Dan was puzzled as to why Liu was cooking so often lately. Not that he was complaining.

It was my turn. I’ve been so tired lately I resorted to paying Liu to cook my turn for me. She’s a better cook anyway. I pay her five dollars a meal and she’s happy.

Liu wondered about telling Abby about Chinese medicine. There had to be a reason for fatigue in someone who could never be described as lazy. Conventional medicine was pretty useless for illness, in her opinion. It denied the cause of diseases in many cases and mostly had no treatment for the symptoms apart from pills. A whole industry was based on people staying sick and paying for pills instead of getting better. But Chinese medicine and Naturopathy had solutions and treated the cause.

Would Abby be interested? Something had to change. If anything, Abby was getting worse. It was hard to reconcile her with the Abby who had worked six or seven days a week not long ago. Fancy not wanting to cook. Liu considered herself lucky. She had been taught to cook as soon as she had been big enough to reach the bench. She found it no effort and often worked out study problems while she cooked. She noticed her cake, a Lemon Drizzle Cake, was well received. Worried, she wondered if Abby was going to continue to deteriorate.

Summer mentioned to Petra later that night,

I’m wondering if I should look for a job overseas. I’m worried about the Mandates coming back. And the future. The government has granted itself all these executive powers ‘for the emergency’ and I can’t see them giving power back. By the end of this year I will have two years’ experience in Accident and Emergency. That should get me a job anywhere but I will have to choose carefully where to work. I need a country that didn’t Mandate. My other problem is, I’m useless at languages and speak only English.

A lot of European countries speak English. You might find it easier than you think. It’s something I’ve been thinking of, getting out of here. I’m free and clear financially. Like you, I guess I feel I’ve been betrayed by my own country. Part of me wants out of here but my family are here. Maybe I can persuade some of them to come with me.

Overhearing this, Dan and Liu looked at each other. Dan sighed,

I think Evan’s right in one thing. I need to get whatever job I can and climb from there. The future doesn’t look good here.

Liu was shocked. Dan looking at starting at a job other than CEO? Wonders would never cease. She was going to take whatever she could get and that had been her intention all along!

Chapter 3

Wellington, New Zealand, 1pm, Friday, 24th June 2022

(two months later).

Petra looked in, Are you packed?

Summer nodded, I’m not looking forward to this. Roughing it is not my idea of fun.

You missed the main clue. He said not to pack a tent. So either there are tents there, or it’s a hut. Maybe a Department of Conservation one. The remote huts have fires. We might have to cut wood but we won’t be cold. At least that’s my working theory. Petra struggled not to laugh. The sight of the normally impeccably dressed Summer, dressed in mismatched trackpants, a cotton polo necked top and a heavy woollen rust coloured bush shirt, was something she never thought she’d ever see. Summer’s black hair and pale