Work Text:
Uncivilized or Not
"Come on Goose, shoot for Christ's sake," the leather-clad officer said from the sidelines to his fellow MFP comrade with a note of disgust mixed with impatience.
"Oy Max, don't rush me! I'm just sizing up my next victim." The blond paced back and forth, considering and calculating; finally, he made his decision and aimed his weapon. His pool cue ran straight and true as he sank the number seven ball into a side pocket.
"Geez, playing against you takes forever." Max Rockatansky held his cue impatiently; this game of nine-ball was just about over.
"You kids have no patience at all," Jim Goose said as he surveyed his next shot.
"Kid? You're 24 - that's just a year older than I am."
"Yeah, but a year is a long time these days." Both men were members of the Main Force Patrol of Australia; a cobbled together unit whose job was to watch over the roads of the Outback. Ever since the Middle Eastern War curtailed much of the world's oil supply, the level of lawlessness in the world was rising and Australia's interior was no exception; it was becoming a haven for marauders in both the lone and gang variety. Goose made his next shot and combo'd the nine for the victory. "That's four games to two. One more and I take the match. Rack 'em again, four-wheel."
It was a friendly rivalry between the two mates - Max drove an Interceptor as part of his duties, while Goose piloted a motorcycle. Both were very good at what they did, but that didn't eliminate the risks so much as just reduce them somewhat. "At least I don't have to wear a helmet while I work," Max said as he racked the balls again.
"It keeps the bugs out of my teeth," Goose said as he broke the fresh rack. He pocketed the three to keep control of the table. "If I really wanted to eat flying and crawly things, I'd just have my meals at Fat Nancy's more often."
"I think you eat there enough as it is," Max said as he watched Goose sink the one. "It doesn't have to be that way, you know. I thought you'd marry Calamine by now and spend more time at home."
Goose paused at the mention of his girlfriend. "Someday, my friend; someday. In the meantime, we have...an arrangement - I call her up when I'm lonely and she borrows money from me when she needs it. It doesn't work much different than you and Jessie." The two ball just barely kissed the rail, sending it away and keeping it from dropping.
"It's not the same, Goose. Jessie and Sprog are what keep me going," Max said as he took his turn, putting away the crippled two that was hanging by the corner pocket. "I don't know what I'd do without them. The whole world is starting to fall apart and it's getting harder and harder to tell the good guys from the bad. A wife and a kid give you a little sanity." He tried a cushion shot on the four and missed completely, scratching.
"No, it's not that hard," Goose said as he took the cue ball and studied the table before placing it. "The bad guys take things from people. The good guys try to stop them by taking them away from society. Pretty simple to me." He stroked the cue and the four fell. "Uncivilized versus civilized."
"But take two people. One man steals a car and it's theft. The other man 'requisitions' it for use by the police and nobody says a word. They belong to the same civilization all the same, but I don't see much of a difference," Max said as Goose combo'd the seven with the five.
"Darkman did." Harry Darkman was Max's former partner, fatally injured in a pursuit a few months back. The 'Dark One', as he was called, was immortalized by name on the fender of Max's car now. "He always said you can tell by their eyes. Having an APB on the perp doesn't hurt, either. He was practical that way." Goose finished off the five. "Then we just let the Hall of Justice take care of it from there."
"And if the Court doesn't do its job?"
Goose's face darkened for a moment as his jovial demeanor disappeared. Like a cloud passing overhead, his face suddenly regained its normal happy disposition. "Accidents happen." He shrugged his shoulders and made an impossible shot, striking three balls before tapping the nine into a pocket. "That's the match. Your game is off, Max. You usually take three from me."
"Yeah, well I'm worried - worried I might, you know, get like them one day."
"Who, Roop and Charlie?" Goose asked, referring to two other officers that shared an Interceptor. Both considered the other officers to be inferior in skill.
"No, man - like that Crawford Montazano bloke. You know, Mr. 'I am the Nightrider' that we brought in yesterday. What if you turn into him. Hell, what if I turn into him?" Max asked as he put his cue on the table.
"I'll make you a deal. If I turn into him, you take me out. If you turn into him then I'll take you out. But it ain't gonna happen. You've got Jessie and the kid to keep you sane, remember?"
"And you?"
"I'm already insane; I've just learned to live with it. We have our own little pocket of civilization here; mates, fuel, food, a job and a place we can relax and shoot a game every once in a while. I risk all that every time I go out on my bike - I must be insane. Ask anybody. Hey!" he called to their chief Fifi McAfee sitting across the room, "Captain, am I already insane?"
"You're both crazy," the head of the unit said without looking up from his work. "You wouldn't be here if you weren't. You're just a good crazy."
"See?" Goose smirked. "We're immune. We're already sick, so we can't catch anything. You've tried quitting in the past, Max, but you always come back."
"Don't be too sure," Max said as he shook his head. He walked over to his locker and pulled out his .357 and holster to equip himself. "Things are changing all the time."
"Then I'll just have to change with it," Goose said as he removed his gun from a locker. A smaller model 13 to fit his riding position, he strapped it on. "But not today. Today, we're good guys; I'm making it safe for Calamine and you're making it safe for Jessie and your kid. Be loose as The Goose!" The two friends laughed at the directive and left the room to get to their vehicles and out onto the roads.
The End