The God Complex: A Thriller (7 page)

Antoine Noble walked onto the UN stage to rapturous applause after a humbling introduction from the UN Secretary General. The philanthropic endeavors of Atlas Noble through their trust were humbling to even the greatest nations of the world. Immunization for every child, clean water for all, the eradication of malaria, measles and malnutrition were amongst a number of their targets. Unlike many, these were not just wishful targets; Atlas Noble was spending more money than the nations of the world combined in an effort to make it happen. For the previous eleven years, every child on the planet had benefitted from the AN injection, a cocktail of immunizations that had already wiped out malaria and measles for all of its recipients.

Antoine waited for the applause to settle.

“Citizens of the world,” he began. “We are truly blessed to live on this wonderful planet, a planet that we have only begun to understand. A planet that merely nine nations, represented here today could, in the blink of an eye,
destroy
!”

Antoine paused
, allowing his words to sink in before he changed the direction of his speech to a very different slant than the one he had spun to ensure acceptance of his invitation. The nine member states in possession of nuclear weapons shifted uneasily in their seats.

“Even today
, long after the threat of the Cold War and the darkest days of human history, those nine countries between them hold over 17,000 warheads. At Atlas Noble, we strive every day to make the world a better place, yet we all live under the shadow of a past that still haunts us - mutually assured destruction.”

Antoine paused once more
. Heads were turning towards the nine nuclear states. TV cameras were refocusing their lenses on the individuals, the nine individuals who held the power and ability to destroy the planet.

“
Whatever religion you believe in, however you believe the world was created, it wasn’t at the hands of those nine men. Those nine men have the power to undo all creation and I, for one, think that is wrong. I believe it is time we asked those nine men whether they agree.”

A rapturous applause engulfed the audience
. Antoine looked at the UK king, who had recently taken the throne following his aging grandmother’s abdication and father’s untimely death which, together with his mother’s death many years earlier, was considered suspicious. King William looked across at his Prime Minister who stood up and walked towards the stage. The French President followed suit when Antoine’s eyes fell on him. Both moves had been carefully orchestrated in advance and both countries would benefit significantly from the support shown to Antoine.

The applause grew louder
when the two of the nine neared the stage.

Antoine’s eyes fell on the Israeli president, a country that
had refused to confirm it even had nuclear weapons. The Israeli President stood, and he too walked slowly to the stage.

The Indian President looked
at his Pakistani counterpart, both held each other’s gaze, nodded at each other, and they too walked towards the stage.

Antoine motioned to his staff at the side of the stage
. Nine desks and chairs appeared alongside him and he motioned for each leader to take one of the chairs.

The applause continued to rise. But the big four didn’t move.

Antoine raised his hands to calm the audience.

“Perhaps I can make this decision easier for some of you
,” he said with a wink to the camera, instantly turning more serious when he addressed the audience. “Any country that fails to sign an agreement here today to eradicate their nuclear arsenal is not a country that Atlas Noble will have any further dealings with. To clarify, what I mean by that, is that all Atlas Noble holdings within that country will either be liquidated or moved to a nuclear weapon free country.”

President Mitchell
’s red line cell erupted as his cabinet members tried desperately to alert him to what he was already fully aware of. Atlas Noble pulling out of America simply wasn’t a viable prospect for the ongoing wellbeing of the nation. He rejected all attempts by his Secret Service agents to pass him the cell phone. He looked across at his Russian and Chinese counterparts. He knew that the Russians were in the same boat as him; they would have to sign. The Chinese were trickier. They would spite themselves. As for the North Koreans, Antoine’s threat was unlikely to faze them. However, America could not allow the North Koreans to be the world’s only nuclear state. The idea was ludicrous and inconceivable. President Mitchell remained seated.

Antoine looked
at the young North Korean leader who got up from his seat. Antoine knew they would be the stumbling block. With little outside influence, the North Koreans had little to lose, but as Antoine had promised the North Koreans, they had a huge amount to gain. North Korea was about to see a cash injection that would transform its economy and strengthen the young leader’s position within his country, despite giving up his nuclear arsenal.

A roar greeted the young leader as he walked towards the stage
, a new experience for the world’s most hated nation and one the North Korean leader was certainly enjoying.

President Mitchell
appeared as shell-shocked as his Russian and Chinese counterparts that this was really happening. He knew the Russians would eventually go, so he focused on the Chinese President. His face remained impassive. Antoine began to speak rapidly in Chinese. President Mitchell grabbed his headset and heard the same threat repeated again. Obviously, Atlas Noble owned more in China than he had imagined, otherwise the threat was worthless and why repeat it in Mandarin? An almost imperceptible nod from the Chinese President received a far stronger nod from the Russian President and a relieved nod from President Mitchell. All three presidents from the three most powerful nations on the planet walked towards the stage.

A standing ovation followed as the three men shook hands with the six already in place.

News channels broke into broadcasts around the world reporting the auspicious moment. Antoine Noble, the billionaire philanthropist, had changed the face of the world forevermore. In one month, as stipulated by the agreement, signed by the nine premiers and presidents, the world would be free of all nuclear weapons.

President Mitchell signed the agreement.

“Are you shitting me
?!” shouted the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“What was he supposed to do?” asked the Commandant of the
Marine Corps.

Their regular weekly Joint
Chiefs meeting had been interrupted by the breaking news. The seven most powerful uniformed officers in the United States watched on in horror as their most powerful weapon and main deterrent was swept away from under them.

“Nothing he could
do,” agreed the Army Chief of Staff.

As much as some of them disagreed, deep down, if they were in the
President’s position, they knew they would all have had to sign the agreement. Atlas Noble was a massive employer.

“That guy is a genius,” said the Air Force Chief.

“Genius? He’s certifiably crazy!” argued the Navy Chief.

The Air Force Chief said,
“Atlas Noble is the world’s largest arms manufacturer.”

“And?”

“Just wait,” said the Chairman bitterly. “We’re about to see the largest bump in our budget in years. We’re about to see an arms race unseen since the height of the Cold War. Those two aircraft carriers you put on hold, trust me, they’ll be dusting off the plans before the end of the day.”

Cash waded into the rubble, keen to assist in any way possible
. The fire crews had already cleared the way to the basement and were nearing the shelter.

Rigs
, as instructed by Cash, called in their situation. There would be a myriad of agencies fighting over the scene within the next few hours. By the time he had finished the call, a far more relieved Cash was walking towards him, leading the shell-shocked Kramer family.

When Sophie and her mother
took in the scene of their devastated home, the home Chief Kramer had built, they wept.

Deputy Chief Sanders walked over and offered his condolences.

“We need a car,” said Cash abruptly.

Sanders handed his own car keys to Cash
. He was still keen for the President not to discover who his prank caller had been.

“Thanks,” said
Cash, leading the Kramers away.

“What happened?” asked Sophie
, looking at the ruins of her childhood home.

“We’re not sure yet but we’ll find out,” he said
, looking at Rigs.

“Cash, don’t do anything stupid
,” said Sophie, reading between the lines.

“Me
? Never,” he said with a smile.

“Says the guy
who disappeared for fifteen years.”

“I’ll make it up to you.”

“It’s too late for us, it’s Kyle you have to make it up to.” Cash looked at the only woman he had ever loved, a woman who, fifteen years later, had only grown in beauty.

“I was a fool
.”

“You were always headstrong but in your defense
, you were seldom wrong.”

“I’m never wrong,” he smiled
again.

“About us?” she
asked, climbing into the car.

Once
, he thought,
once
.

“So where to
?” asked Rigs across the roof of the car.

“Drop the
m at a hotel,” Cash said quietly, “then you and I are going to pay the Surenos a little visit.”

“Good
call. We’ll have to be quick though, to beat the cops.”

“Exactly, so stop
talking and get in the car.”

Cash took the driver’s seat
. He knew the area, or, a fifteen-year older version of the area. After a few minutes of deafening silence, he felt he had to say something. He had to apologize to the son he didn’t know he had but had no idea how.

“So
, Kyle, how’s school?’ he asked awkwardly.

“It’s
okay,” replied the sullen, typical teenager.

“
He’s his father’s son,” said Sophie, “top of his class in every subject, driving his teachers crazy with questions they struggle to answer.”

“I wasn’t top in every class,” Cash
argued.

“Hmm, yes
, physics,” Sophie said to Kyle. “Your father pretended to be not so good at physics, so I’d be top of that class.”

Cash smirked.
“I’m not sure I remember it like that.”

“
Cash, your father always wished you’d followed him into astronomy,” said Sophie. “He reckoned your brain was twice the size of his at the same age.”

“So how about sports?” asked Cash, desperate to change the subject. The guilt of the fifteen missed years with his father was beginning to sit heavily on his conscience. At least he had the chance to apologize to Kyle
; that opportunity was gone for him and his father.

“Not bad,” said Kyle.

“Captain of the rugby team, star of the athletics team,” said Sophie.

“Just like
my father?” Kyle laughed.

“Swap the rugby for
football and yes, just like your father,” confirmed Sophie.

“We’re here,” said Cash
. “Wait here while I arrange some rooms.”

With Cash gone, Rigs
remained silent in the front passenger seat, his eyes looking out for signs of danger.

“You don’t say much, do you?” asked Sophie.

Rigs shook his head awkwardly.

“So you’ve been friends with Cash for a while?”

Rigs nodded slightly. “Fifteen years.” He was uncomfortable with the unfamiliar environment and the questioners. “A great friend,” he added, keeping his eyes fixed on the hotel entrance, awaiting Cash’s return.

“Hmmph,” said Mrs
. Kramer, stirring irritably in her seat. “He abandoned his son.”

“Mom!”
Sophie hissed.

“You can’t abandon someone you didn’t know existed
,” said Rigs, turning to face his friend’s dissenter. Few things riled Rigs, but an attack on Cash he would defend. “Cash Harris risked his life daily to save his fellow Marines. That’s not the type of guy who would let his own son down.” Rigs turned back to face the front and reenter his own world.

“Well he did
,” said Mrs. Kramer flatly. “I’m sorry, Kyle, but your father is a…”

“Mom, Rigs is right, Cash didn’t know
.”

Mrs
. Kramer stared at her daughter for any hint that she was lying. Sophie didn’t blink or look away.

Rigs spotted Cash exiting the hotel and opened the car door to get out.

“Kyle, go with him,” Mrs. Kramer ordered. “Mom, Cash didn’t run away because I was pregnant,” were the last words Rigs heard before he shut the car door behind him.

Rigs placed his hand on Cash’s chest to stop him getting to the car
. “They’ve got a couple of things to sort out,” said Rigs. “Give them a minute or two.”

Cash handed Kyle a key and
directed him to the elevators.

He
glanced into the car and saw both Sophie and her mother talking heatedly, but couldn’t hear what they were saying. All the while, Rigs held him back.

“
It’s fine,” Rigs told him, “let them work it out.”

A minute later
, Sophie’s door flew open and she stormed out of the car, took a key from Cash and disappeared into the hotel without a word. Mrs. Kramer followed, far calmer, and walked over to Cash. He held out a key to her but instead of taking it, she took him in her arms.

“My boy, my dear sweet boy!” she said
, before taking the key and, like her daughter, disappearing into the hotel.

Cash looked
at Rigs for an explanation.

He shrugged
. “Women.” And taking a key, he left Cash bewildered as to what had just transpired.