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

Chapter Fifty

"SHUTTLE 'S NEWS' UPDATE: Dramatic events unfurled during Susan the Unworthy's surrender negotiation today. Supreme Leader Abaddon heroically disarmed a gunman who shot the Archangel Chief Engineer and S News 'sexiest Champion' five months running: Monkey Richards (as voted for by you). The assailants were apprehended shortly afterwards by EDEN Military Police and detained back in their Mothership. The murderers have been confirmed as Rupert Maxwell-Rupert III and Tiffany Kardashian, employees of the Corporate Finance Mothership: Komy, Hubbard & Phelps. It is yet unclear how they gained entry to the negotiations."

Gabe and Pembo rushed Monkey's lifeless body back through the transporter and dragged him down the corridor towards the MediBay. As soon as Jaibles found them, he scooped Monkey up in one arm and sprinted out of sight. By the time they had caught up with him, Monkey was already contained within a life-support pod with Jaibles frantically starting the operating system.

'What the Hell happened in there?' yelled Jaibles.

'He had a gun,' agonised Gabe, pacing around his lifeless friend.

Pembo punched a conveniently placed first aid kit, spilling its contents onto the floor. 'How could we have been so naive.'

Bingram skidded into the Medibay glazed in sweaty panic. 'You'd better come see this. The revolution has started my brothers!'

'You go,' said Jaibles, 'I'll make sure he's stable.'

When they got to the observation deck they were met with a flurry of excitement and activity. The Motherships guarding them from Abaddon's Military were dispersing as fragments of twisted metal and machinery peppered against their shields, sparking off a gridded purple light and sending each fragment bouncing harmlessly off into space.

'What happened?' said Pembo.

'The uprising,' declared Susan with a wild look in her eyes. She was still visibly shaken but determined to channel it into anger as she addressed the room. 'What you see before you is the sacrificial warning to Abaddon that his time is up.'

Wildcard came over to Pembo: 'They just turned on the shuttle Rupert and Tiffany were on after S News reported they'd killed Monkey.'

'But you know that isn't true, Susan,' shouted Pembo. 'It was Abaddon who tried to kill you. You need to stop this.'

'Monkey's death has acted as the catalyst for the revolution!' she screamed with maniacal glee. 'With this magnitude of blood sacrifice in his name, Alan is sure to return! If only their anger could somehow be harnessed towards the rest of Abaddon's network.'

'MONKEY'S NOT DEAD! They're killing thousands of innocent people. You have to tell them.'

The Archangel rocked as another explosion illuminated the sky in a purple gridded lightshow. A cloud of death and debris shattered off their shields, beginning their endless journey to the far reaches of the universe.

'That was another corporate shuttle,' said JJ checking the scanners.

'SUSAN!' screamed Pembo

'What would you have me do?' she replied.

'Go onto S News and appeal for calm. Stop this while we still can.'

'I know Dominique,' said Gabe, turning away. 'I'll call him and can get you on, but then I'm going back to the MediBay - the man who just saved your life is still clinging on to his.'

Unable to listen to anymore of their bleeding-heart counsel, Susan wandered the corridors of the Archangel with only her bitterness for company. 'How could they still not understand her? Not understand the sacrifice they all must endure to reach paradise? But they could never understand,' she reasoned sadly, 'because they could never understand their God like she does. She was entrusted with this task, her and her alone. None of them are worthy of paradise, but they will beg her forgiveness before the end, at the gates of heaven.'