The God Complex: The Book Of Alan, Destroyer Of Worlds

Chapter Eight

President Buzz Abaddon slumped deep into his chair and continued to flick elastic bands into the waste paper bin over the other side of the oval office. He was feeling reflective, truth be told, he was feeling a little guilty.

With the latest conservative estimate set at six months, he found himself reflecting on some of the choices he'd made; the legislation he passed that put his own personal glory ahead of decisions that possibly, just possibly, could have expedited the end of all living things.

As his planet sat on the brink of collapse, he pondered what glory lay in dying as the most powerful man on a dead planet.

He picked himself up and meandered slowly to the mirror, his suspiciously black hair, for a man his age, was pristine in its side parting, while his portly frame was finely tailored in his trademark designer black suit and blood red tie, tied tight around his starched white collar.

He flashed his winning campaign smile.

'Abaddon's always win, right Granddaddy?'

Growing up in the post-war mid-west in one of the most respected and feared families in America certainly had its advantages. Opportunity was everywhere, you just had to reach out and take it - even if it belonged to someone else.

He was raised to stamp out weakness wherever he saw it, that's why he was never allowed to see his father.

As far as Buzz knew, he was a gentleman from another well-to-do family up north, who was married in to take over the business after his granddaddy had only sired daughters, but he was a man who was simply far too content with what he had and was therefore deemed unsuitable. In fathering Buzz, he had effectively made himself obsolete and was 'sent away' leaving his grandaddy to raise the only male heir to the Abaddon legacy.

'Your father is a goddamn waste of space but you're gonna be different aren't you boy, you're going to rule the world like your Granddaddy. Cast your shadow long over this disappearing land and make them whisper your name, boy, because Abaddon's always win, you hear? Abaddon's always win!'

Buzz would stare up wide-eyed at the man, he had a glow about him, an authority that made everyone in the room, staff or senators wilt when he entered and obey when he spoke.

Fear and awe.

The Abaddon's were already the richest family in America when they landed on its shores, but what set them apart was their doggedness to sniff out opportunities for more power and wealth.

That was the pioneering, enterprising country his Granddaddy loved so much. He saw early on how the railroads would transform commerce, so he simply waited for them to be built before taking them for himself.

'People are nothing but wild dogs,' his Granddaddy would tell him as he wound the window of their chauffeur driven Cadillac. 'They need to be trained to need you, disciplined to fear you otherwise they will tear you apart limb from limb to take what's yours. Are you heeding me boy?'

Abaddon's pondering was abruptly cut short by his Chief of Staff knocking as he entered.

'Excuse me sir, I have the Head of R&D at EDEN here to see you, he says it's urgent.'

'God damn it, I thought we shut that thing down? Well y'all better send him in then,' sighed Abaddon.

A tall, fair haired man in his sixties scurried into his office and without breath manically proceeded to tell him about his vision from God. How he had shown him the technology for mass space travel and it worked! How they now had the technology that would allow an intergalactic space shuttle with a crew of thousands to travel almost indefinitely. How with a few modifications the fleet of super shuttles they had created the first time around could be used to evacuate everyone on earth before it stopped spinning.