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

Chapter Fifty-Seven

The sickness. The agonising sickness of real life drenched Gabe in abject suffering as he staggered back into the Archangel. For years, every emotional need and want had been catered for without him even having to ask, like the sweetest drug coursing through his veins, shielding him from the emotional agony of everyday life, until it was nothing more than a distant memory. But now, he was forced to experience negativity, loneliness and remorse as if it were the very first time.

Channelling all of it into an anger that only a God could hear, he cursed his name, screaming hot wet expletives at him, casting serious aspersions on the promiscuity of whomever made him. Gabe teleported from shuttle to shuttle, lining up their main cannons to the same spot in their containment, setting them to automatic repeat fire. The gentle twinkling glow of the protective shield began to throb under the devastating firepower but still it would not yield.

Hunger then ravaged him, a deep gnawing hunger, the like of which he had never experienced. Whatever had kept them sustained in Paradise, it clearly wasn't real food. He doubled up as he staggered into the kitchen, with all his hunger and turmoil blending into one singular craving. He fell into a frenzied attack, devouring bacon sandwich after bacon sandwich filling all his senses with ecstasy; the heavenly smell soothing his frantic mind as his stomach sang. Finally, he fell back against the wall and slumped to the floor, an extra sandwich cradled, precious, within each hand as his eyes drifted out towards the window. Then he saw something, something his brain refused to comprehend because it simply couldn't be true. It was the same hazy green marbled moon of Saturn he saw when God first opened Paradise with the promise of taking them to a new Earth. But it couldn't be, because that meant that in all those years, they hadn't budged a single inch.

On and on the bombardment went, goading God to face him, as Gabe struggled to find the words to comprehend this betrayal.

'WHAT!?' screamed God. 'For the love of all that is pure and good, what?'

'We're still here?' said Gabe, absently as the guns fell silent.

'What? said Alan. 'So what?'

'You... you gave us Paradise to take us to a new earth, but we haven't moved.'

'Oh. Yeah - I lied. There is no new Earth, never was, and even if there were do you really think we'd let you lot on it? Your earth is the most durable planet in this Universe and yet every time you take it to the brink of destruction.'

'But... you're God, you created this universe for us... I don't understand.'

'Incredible. You people do this every time, honestly, it's becoming tedious.'

'Do what?' said Gabe, quietly.

'This!' boomed Alan, 'always assuming you're the centre of the universe. Thinking you're the first of your kind to do something, or go through something, well you're not, not even close.'

'But...' said Gabe, struggling to take it all in.

'That's right, even this little scenario has played out countless times throughout the millennia - long before I joined the company. In fact, there's a whole section in the Users Manual just dedicated to this little moment.'

'What? Why are you telling me this?'

'Because absolutely none of this matters. I'm stuck here forever playing out this insanity over and over again with no hope of progress. All of this, everything that's happened in your miserable life is so insignificant I could weep.'

'You're a fraud,' said Gabe, getting to his feet. 'All this time you've been manipulating us, making us compete in your Tasks of Redemption, causing us to fight each other and for what? To keep us trapped so you can play this out again and again? What the hell has any of this been for?'