Where the Green Ants Dream (Wo die grünen Ameisen träumen)

103?

No, I tell a lie.

It's 107, and the air conditioner's rooted.

Welcome to purgatory south.

I know it well.

Coke's cold anyway.

I have a picture here.

It's Ben, Benjamin Franklin.

That's Ben and that's me.

The real problem is, Mrs. Strella, we -

Strehlow, Ms. Strehlow.

We don't do this.

We're not the people to help you.

I mean, our equipment here is meant for -

Registering footsteps?

Well, yes, but- Footsteps could make the needle jump?

My Ben, he's out there in the tunnel,

in the darkness.

And you've got the equipment to find him.

A coke, mein capitan. Okay?

Yeah, it's cold.

Madam.

Perhaps you would show

this young man the photo.

Well, thank you, madam.

I haven't been called young, in a long time.

She's lost her dog.

Really?

That picture's four years o Id. Four?

So, when Mr. Franklin,

God rest his soul,

brought me the 2 puppies,

he said, "Which do you prefer, Lucy or Ben?"

I, without a moment's hesitation,

I said, "The little brown one."

Oh, he was so cute and funny.

It's true, our instruments are very sensitive,

they can pick up the tiniest movement,

footsteps, anything,

but they'd have to occur

right next to the measurement probe.

Then, you can find him.

It's possible,

but we'd have to bore probes in the whole mining area.

That'd mean at least 5,000 borings.

My Ben, he's lost out there in a tunnel, the darkness.

We're gonna be blasting again soon.

You've got to move.

Boom, boom, quick, quick.

Understand?

You've never been here before.

Why all of the sudden you're -

Just what are you doing here anyway, eh?

We are keeping watch, this place.

Come in.

Lot 252 ready to go, Mr. Hackett.

Beauty. Let's do it now, okay?

Right.

Anything wrong?

The boys would like to wish you luck.

Thanks, Lauri.

Like I mean, after all the trouble you had with the company,

getting approval to do the tests out here,

where you said, it's good to see it happen.

Come in, Cole. Over.

I'm here, mein commandant.

Get the boys back.

Tell them with any luck, they'll be campaign

in buckets for everyone tonight.

'Cause I'm laying 5 to 1, and I'm not a betting man,

that they go off their brains at headquarters,

when they see what we're sitting on out here. Okay?

Everything okay here. Waiting for the go-ahead. Over.

Signal. Test. On.

Running. 30 seconds.

Get out of there! Get out! Get back!

Get down cable!

Get the bloody cable out!

What's happening out there? The impulse has gone dead.

What the fuck do you think's happening?

They cut the cable, and thank Christ they did.

Cut the cable?

Come on out! Some fucking bum's gone crazy!

What's going on here?

Can anyone tell me why someone ran into the middle of our test?

What's he saying?

There will be no digging

and there'll be no blasting.

Oh, I see.

May I ever so politely ask why?

This is the place where the green ants dream.

Ants! Green ants, dreaming here!

Cole.

Why the fuck can't they dream somewhere else?

Cole, calm down!

Get someone to check the ignition cable.

I'll see if I can contact headquarters.

Calling headquarters, calling headquarters.

This is Mentabi Test 252.

Lance, is that you?

Nancy here.

Hello, kid. Look, is Ferguson there?

I've got to speak with him.

No, he's in Sydney with.

Tell him to contact the legal department.

Say, it's like what happened in Aurukun

when those blokes went berserk on that test site.

We're gonna need the best legal advice.

Hang on, hang on.

Tell him to come up here straightaway!

Lance? Lance answer me.

What's happening out there, Lance?

Cole! Cole, turn that off!

Back off, I'm taking care of this.

Turn it off or I'll fucking kill you.

Now, turn that off!

Give me the keys!

Has everyone gone mad here today?

I could have taken care of this easily!

Nobody would have gotten more than a few scratches!

Everything that happens here henceforth,

I want you to know, you caused it!

Gentlemen, on behalf of Ayers Mining, I'd like to apologize.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

You all right then?

Dry off.

I'm sorry.

How are you?

How are you?

Gentlemen, my name's Ferguson, Baldwin Ferguson.

I'm executive vice president of Ayers Mining Company.

I don't need to introduce you, Lance.

Do you smoke?

Please, help yourselves.

I've been informed of the incident yesterday.

But, I'd like to hear from your side

what the background of the problem is.

Who is your spokesman?

Our spokesman is Miliritbi. He's the keeper of the song.

I am a tribal elder.

So, you're a tribal elder?

Actually, they explained it to me yesterday.

We mustn't disturb the dreaming of the green ants.

We mustn't wake the green ants up.

I admit that from the side of Ayers Mining

no inquiries have been put forth.

Now, please allow me an explanation.

Until today, we've lacked a representative to contact,

or at least one legitimate person to address.

At the same time, may I remind you,

that it didn't seem necessary, because this is an area

which doesn't bear the official status of a reservation.

All of us, and that includes you,

are subject to the binding strictures

of the Land Rights Act of common wealth of Australia.

And we have countersigned and initialed all necessary

contracts and all permissions have been procured.

You tell me, what is this Land Right Act,

because we have been here for 40,000 years,

longer than you came.

If you can mining in this land,

you're going to destroy the land of green ants.

And green ants will come out and destroy the whole universe world.

What we're doing here is exploring an option.

Hackett, please explain the nature of our activities.

Uh, well, these are only preliminary tests.

We don't yet know much about the geological

substructure of the region.

Uh, look, let me put it this way.

If you have a tree trunk there in front of you,

well, you don't yet know much about how it looks inside,

so you tap it and listen and you can see if it's hollow or not.

We're listening to the earth's interior.

You have to shoot us first,

before you move in.

Well, that's an option

we've not considered, naturally.

But, you must absolutely understand

that we will take legal steps.

We wish very much, Mr. Hackett,

from your company, to come to talk to us and stay with us.

That seems sensible.

What do you say, Hackett? It's up to you.

Look, I'm only a geologist.

I'd rather think of you as an employee of Ayers Mining.

Yeah, so I am.

Gather round, fellows.

It was here.

It was here that he was last seen.

Yes, well the real problem is that

these northern tunnels here run into some natural caverns.

They haven't been explored thoroughly yet,

but we do know that they're pretty complicated.

Rock formations are stable, they won't fall in or anything,

but it's a real labyrinth,

all sort of levels.

Then we need ladders.

I don't think so.