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

Chapter Thirteen

"BREAKING 'S NEWS' ALERT: We asked you for your ideas on how President Abaddon should be celebrated for saving humanity, you voted for renaming the last Friday of every month: Buzz Friday."

Gabe stood in front of the gates at YAMA pharmaceuticals and tried to repress the memory of his first ever day at EDEN. How terrified he was, just eleven years old with the weight of his and his brother's survival on his shoulders. He couldn't believe how different his school looked overnight, how all the colour had been stripped away. Where once their paintings and coursework were displayed, were now whitewashed walls with metallic grey machinery, wall-charts and diagrams.

They were systematically weighed, measured and processed before being led to the main hall where someone, who looked important, explained to them just how lucky they were and if they didn't show one hundred percent commitment, then there were plenty of kids ready to take their place.

Gabe looked around at the other kids during that first lesson as the Training Commander bellowed furiously at them and took solace that he was at least holding it together better than most. It was then he first realised he didn't need to know everything, he just needed to know more than those around him. After that, with the Training Commander on his side, life got progressively easier for Gabe.

Watching Training Commander Cain cut student after student down, turned Gabe's stomach. Every kid in that class lived in fear that they would be next. He literally had power of life or death over them, when he decided you were a lost cause, you were out, ignored, denied training with no chance of ever setting foot on an exploratory shuttle. If you didn't meet Training Commander Cain's grade, you didn't exist.

There was a point when Gabe truly believed Commander Cain was his friend; truly believed he cared as much about getting Gabe onto one of those shuttles as Gabe did, and maybe he did. For as bad as Gabe felt about misleading him, nothing compared to his reaction to Gabe telling him he was walking away from the EDEN program.

Even now, Gabe could still see his contorted face screaming into his. The anger, the hatred that erupted from him. As numb as Gabe felt at the time, submerged deep within his own pit of loss, he still felt the earth shake.

He felt like that same frightened little boy as he walked through YAMA's gates.

Since the meeting in Conference Room One, YAMA pharmaceuticals had completely ripped out the inside of their building, taken away each department in full, from the chairs to the desks to the filing cabinets and computers. Only the canteen and all its bacon were still standing.

In its place were several units, boxed off from the outside. All that was visible was a door and a black digital server attached to the side of the unit. Gabe stood and stared, it looked nothing like the EDEN he remembered. He took his place in one of the many queues that had formed towards reception and joined his fellow co-workers in open-mouth bewilderment at the twenty-foot poster of Abaddon that now adorned their company's wall.

Abaddon was painted in full EDEN military uniform pointing towards the stars with his face set to grim determination. Underneath the abomination written in gold: President Abaddon – Supreme Leader of the New World, and emblazoned above it his new campaign slogan: 'Paradise Awaits!'

The poster had a strange muting effect on everyone who saw it. Gabe watched as fellow coworkers, who were also enthralled in its curious allure, made eye contact with each other but neither party could ever find the words to describe how they felt. Yet, if ever in the history of communication a raised eyebrow followed by a confused shrug screamed 'perhaps we don't deserve to escape this planet after all?' It did that day.

When Gabe finally got to the front of the line he had to hand in his work pass, answer several basic questions to prove he was the same man on his photo id. Then he was asked if he had any previous EDEN experience; if he wished to train for a position on the flight deck or within the YAMA service sector before being asked to sign about fifteen different forms that basically denied YAMA any responsibility in the event of his untimely maiming, mutilation, decapitation or death, during the training process; the flight or future employment in the new world. Seemed reasonable.