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

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Monkey rushed down the ladder propped precariously against the side of the shuttle, specs of white paint over his beard and an industrial paint gun slung across his back.

'What are you doing out there Monkey?'

Monkey activated the intercom on his watch.

'Can't leave without giving her a name, Geezer!'

'If you don't get inside soon, we'll never get to leave!' replied Jaibles.

Monkey swiftly kicked over the ladder, unhooked the industrial paint gun and ran into the belly of the shuttle, punching the button to retract the ramp behind him sealing them inside.

'I'm in!' he reported, 'and we're airtight. Take us up Geezer.'

'Copy that,' replied Gabe.

Monkey felt the engine roar into life as he made his way into the control room and strapped himself tightly into his seat. The hangar creaked and groaned as Gabe launched them out into the hazy London Sky; the thrust of the engine's boosters collapsing it in a heap behind them.

Gabe struggled to maintain control as he bounced them across the skyline, the raw power of Monkey's upgrades making the controls ultra sensitive. Eventually he brought her under control.

'Christ Monkey! What have you done to the engine?'

'Yeah, might have made a few special modifications,' smiled Monkey as he smoothed out his beard.

'No kidding,' exclaimed Jaibles. 'So come on then, you were out there for long enough as the world crumbled around us, what have you named her? Better be good otherwise we're leaving you to die in east Finchley.'

'The SS Archangel after our little Gabriel here,' said Monkey pleased with himself.

'Nice, thanks Monkey,' said Gabe.

'Yeah, I suppose,' said Jaibles begrudgingly, 'still dont see what was so wrong with naming her the Five Knuckle Shuttle.'

Climbing higher, they watched through the control room window as England burned, but no matter how high they climbed, all they could see was smoke and fire.

'There's no going back,' said Gabe softly

He inhaled deeply and punched it into gear, arching them back down towards east London.

'Arm the cannons.'

'Arming cannons,' replied Jaibles, 'though I don't think there's much left to fire at, Treacle.'

'There's one thing this stinking world doesn't get to take away from me,' said Gabe as he accelerated towards a greying tower block of an east London suburb.

'Call it a leaving present to myself,' he said, firing off two rounds and flying through the dust that used to be his home.

Gabe sat back in his chair, satisfied. 'So what about you two? Any last requests before we say goodbye to Earth forever?'

'Now you mention it Geezer,' started Monkey, smoothing out his beard. 'I always imagined growing up I'd travel a bit, you know? See the wonders of the world. This is probably my last chance.'

'Well then,' replied Gabe, increasing altitude. 'Let's go see how many are left.'

Whipping through the clouds that crossed the continents, they stared in silence at the empty world beneath them. It had a sadness to it: desolate and forgotten. An abandoned museum to human failure.

With the Earth now motionless on its axis, time no longer had the same relevance. They had left a perpetual dawn back in England as they travelled towards midday and eastern Europe, while sunset would forever be left in Asia.

Not that there was much of Asia left for the sun to never set upon. Wherever the great wall of China or the Taj Mahal used to be, they were now replaced by scorched earth and gaping wounds of molten lava.

Precious few words were shared as they stood in front of the great pyramid of Giza, wandered the ruins of the Colosseum in Rome or climbed the ancient Mayan temple of Chichen Itza in the permanent Yucatan midnight.

As they sat atop mount Corcovado, a stale moonlight illuminated Rio de Janeiro beneath them. Monkey rolled himself a cigarette and leaned back against the base of Christ the Redeemer.

'How did it come to this?' he said, taking his first drag. 'All the beauty and creation in the history of human existence, all the good and kindness that we tried to teach ourselves, forever turned to ash.'

He flicked what was left of his cigarette out towards the once vibrant barrios and picked himself up. 'Come on, this is depressing. Your turn Jaibles, any last requests?'

'Now you mention it, Monkey. There has been something building inside of me that I now feel compelled to do, something pressing that I never thought I'd get the chance to accomplish before we left.' Jaibles eyebrows danced majestically on his forehead. 'Come on, I'll show you the way.'

Some time later, Gabe was squinting out into the cold darkness of the far corner of the south lawn, the light of the shuttle offering only partial visibility to what unknown creatures now prowled and rustled through the bushes of central Washington. He shuddered and quickly retreated back to the safety of the shuttle ramp.

Monkey leaned against its side and rolled himself another cigarette, the chill of the night air biting his fingers. He looked back towards the east wing where he had seen the glow of flash light Jaibles had taken with him clatter past the windows, followed by Jaibles colourful expletives, some time ago.

'He's been gone 28 minutes now,' said Monkey checking his watch.'

'Let the man take his time,' said Gabe. 'You can't rush these things.'

After two more rolled and smoked cigarettes, they finally saw the lumbering frame of Jaibles strutting down the steps with a look of profound accomplishment plastered across his face as he buttoned up his trousers.

'So, how was it?' Shouted Gabe from across the lawn,

'Presidential,' said Jaibles. 'In fact, I would say it was the most presidential bathroom experience I ever had.'

'Yeah, well I hope you flushed properly and cracked a window,' said Monkey as he stumped out his cigarette and headed back into the shuttle.

'Flushed? What makes you think I used their toilet?' Said Jaibles turning around to salute the White House before following him up the ramp.

'Come on boys, let's get out of this dump, we've got a Universe to explore.'