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

Chapter Twelve

"BREAKING 'S NEWS' ALERT: President Abaddon was presented the 'Freedom of Earth' award by the business community this morning. An award was created in his honour for saving humanity and ensuring the next planet will be as profitable as this one. President Abaddon accepted the award graciously: 'My fellow citizens of Earth, for delivering you from the slow fiery death you made for yourselves, I accept this award and the new title of Supreme Leader of the New World, so I may guide you to a promised land with a brighter tomorrow, a land worthy of being called New Earth. And so, we give thanks to God - we thank God for the courage, fortitude, desire and intellect that he so blessed me with so I may lead you on to a new and profitable future, because out there, somewhere, paradise awaits. Thank you and God bless me'."

Gabe shook his head slowly, put his phone back into his pocket and carried on brushing his teeth. Last night's conversation with Tiffany was still playing on his mind.

He'd left so many promises broken down the years he daren't look back anymore. It was a crowded trail of destruction he could no longer face; a battlefield strewn with dead hopes and dreams lying scattered and lifeless through his past. Fallen victims of a hopeless war.

It was much safer to look forward.

This time it would be different. There was nothing left for him to lose. It was time to be someone Tiffany could be proud of once more, maybe it was time to be a little more... Rupert. He opened up his wardrobe and instinctively grabbed his brother's leather jacket.

'No,' he thought. 'Time to move on.'

London was still in full party mode after yesterday's news of salvation. It didn't help that with the Earth slowing on its axis, the morning's sky still looked like yesterday evening with the crimson dusk only starting to settle into night. It was eight forty-nine am.

As he walked through the gates at security, fumbling for his pass, he found Jaibles talking to a couple of blokes outside the building while they finished their cigarettes, if he had to guess he would have put them in engineering or maintenance.

Roll-up cigarettes give a man one of two looks. Either two meals away from homelessness, or knows how to put an engine together. Gabe was trying to place where he'd seen the one with the beard before, he didn't look familiar but every woman who walked past him took a double take and looked him up and down, like he owned the world's last piece of chocolate. Gabe assumed he might have been famous for something, but he didn't recognise him. Just looked like the sort of bloke who had two broken motorbikes in his garage at any given time.

'If you're talking favourite deities,' Jaibles continued. 'Then it's got to be the big JC for me, every time. Jesus was way ahead of the game, he understood the importance of advertising in modern religion, the importance of building a brand. I mean the crucifixion alone has to go down as the most successful outdoor advertising campaign of all time.'

'Sup Jaibles,' said Gabe.

'Gabe! Was wondering when you'd show your ugly mug. What's happened to your jacket?'

'Nothing,' said Gabe, forcing a smile. 'Just left it at home today, that's all. This should be interesting,' he said changing the subject. 'You ready to put your life in the hands of your YAMA colleagues out in space, after only a couple months of basic training?'

'Darling, do you really think they're going to let a bunch of barely trained idiots pilot and navigate their precious company through deep space? Nah mate, this is going to be a free ride. We'll have EDEN's finest chauffeur driving us to the promised land, leaving you and I sipping cocktails on the croquet lawn, wearing nothing but our tuxedo speedos, and I for one can't wait. I don't buy this 'paradise awaits' line either, if there was a planet out there that could sustain life, we'd have found it by now. No, Gabe my old chestnut, you and I will see out our days in relative luxury, you mark my words. I mean, did you go through the Eden program the first time around? I can't go through that again.'