The God Complex: A Thriller (34 page)

“Oh my God!” said Cash. “Have you tried the food?”

“Yes,” said Sophie, her mouth full. “It’s amazing!” She looked around. “Where’s Rigs?”

Cash
tilted his head over toward an exit that led to the garden. Rigs stood just inside watching them.

“He’s not the party type.”

“Do you see who’s getting set up on the stage?” she asked.

Cash looked, he didn’t recognize anyone.

“They’re only like the current number one band, their tickets sell out in seconds, Kyle’s a huge fan.”

“Who are they?”

“I can’t remember what they’re called - he’s got their posters all over his walls though.”

“Well let’s go and get him their autographs,” said Cash, taking her hand and pushing through the crowd.

Sophie looked around as they walked. “Have you noticed anything strange?”

Cash shook his head, his eyes fixed on the prize, getting his son his favorite band’s autographs.

Sophie stopped being pulled and stood in the middle of the marquee, surrounded by men and women.

Cash felt her stop and backed up towards her. “What?”

“Look,” she said.

Cash looked around. They were surrounded by women in evening gowns and men in tuxedos.

“You can’t see it because you’re not out of place,” she said. “Look at all the men and then at all the women.”

Cash spun around quickly. “We’re seriously under dressed to be here?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Look beyond that.”

Cash spun around more slowly and began to see it. “Everyone is exactly the same height,” he said.

“And build,” said Sophie. “Look at the guys, same as you, six feet two, broad shoulders and fit. Not a fat or thin one in sight. The women all five eight, without their heels, and bodies to die for, not a one fat or thin.”

“Rich people,” said Cash with a smile. “They’ve got it all.”

“There are, what, five hundred people here?” she asked.

Cash stood on his tiptoes and looked around. “Give or take
.”

“And they’re all the same height and build? Seriously, that just doesn’t happen!”

“They’re all from the same family, it’s not like they all look identical.”

“Yeah, facially they’re a little different but if you look you can see the similarities, even you
—”

“Conrad said you were here.” A woman approached Cash. Like everyone around her, she stood easily three inches taller than Sophie, who was feeling small at five foot five, despite wearing
heels.

Cash looked at her blankly.

“Anya Noble. I was a friend of your father’s many years ago. I was so sorry to hear of your loss. He was a great man.”

“Anya,
‘The answers you seek, lay around us in our past,’” quoted Sophie.

“I’m sure they do,” said Anya, holding out her hand.

“Sophie Kramer.”

“Ah
, Dr. Kramer, I’ve read a number of your articles, excellent work.”

“Thank you,” said Sophie. “Do you know the band?”

“Yes, my nephew’s favorite.”

“My son’s too!”

Anya looked at her. “You can’t have a son old enough to like them?” she asked, further winning Sophie over.

“We do,” said Cash proudly. “Kyle.”

Anya looked at him. “I’d love to meet him,” she said with a deep sincerity.

Cash didn’t have a chance to answer, Rigs was by his side propelling him through the crowd.

“Sorry?!!” said Cash weakly, turning to Rigs. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Trouble,” said Rigs, working his way urgently towards the stage, Cash in tow.

The Senator and Antoine entered the marquee. Antoine’s eyes desperately searching for his son Alex. Over five hundred Nobles filled the tent and he was nowhere to be seen. His wife Chantal caught Antoine’s eye and waved him over. “Where have you been? We’re waiting for you to make your speech on the stage!”

Antoine looked at the stage. Alex was standing with the band. The two assassins who had been protecting the Senator were fighting their way towards him.

“You liar!” Antoine
screeched at his uncle. “Stop those two!” he roared, his voice reaching halfway across the tent, but then drowned out by the music.

The Senator looked around
, trying to see what he had made him react the way he had. Cash and Rigs were desperately trying to get to the stage where Alex was. He looked at the stage but knew that Cash and Rigs didn’t even know who Alex was, so they weren’t going after him.

Antoine ran towards the stage. His son was about to be murdered before his very eyes and he knew he would most likely be next but that didn’t even enter his thoughts. He had to save his son. Conrad rushed to his side, three of his security men
plowing their way through the crowd to get Antoine to where he wanted to be.

“The two killers! He brought them here to kill Alex and me. He all but told me!” he explained to Conrad.

“But he’d need to kill you as well, we need to get you out of here. Let me save Alex, my men will—”

Antoine pushed past Conrad, he
had no intention of going anywhere but to Alex’s side. He defied his age and leapt onto the stage, the three security men by his side. Conrad pulled himself up from the ground where he’d landed.

“Shoot them!” ordered Antoine, pointing to Cash and Rigs, who were next to his son.

Rigs raced on to the stage, Cash right behind him. He showed Cash two fingers and pointed to the curtain that was obscuring the back stage area. He had spotted something from his vantage point at the exit. A young man
wearing a ‘21’ badge stood chatting to the band members by the break in the curtain that Rigs was racing towards.
Alex
, thought Cash. The Senator had mentioned it was a twenty-first birthday party.

“Two stagehands, guns,” said Rigs, bringing Cash fully up to speed as they approached the curtain. “Get them out of the way!” he said to Cash, motioning to Alex and the band. Cash moved towards the band and Alex, to keep them safe.

“Shoot them!”

Cash turned around and recognized Antoine Noble easily enough; he just didn’t quite understand why he was telling his security men to shoot him and Rigs.

He threw up his hands while Rigs threw himself behind the curtain and straight into the unsuspecting stagehands who had been startled by the shout.

“We’re helping you!” Cash
bellowed, watching Rigs struggle with the two stagehands through the space in the curtain. Cash couldn’t move. Three guns were trained on him. Nobody else could see what Cash could. The curtain obscured their view, except for Alex.

“He’s telling the truth!” said Alex.

Cash didn’t blink, he raced through the gap and field-kicked one of the stagehands in the head as he scrabbled on the floor with Rigs and was about to reach his gun.

“Took your time,” mumbled Rigs
, rolling across the floor with the other. Cash grabbed one of the two loose guns from the floor and placed its muzzle on the stagehand’s temple. He stopped fighting instantly.

The Senator joined the scene, two of Conrad’s security men flanking him on either side.
“Good work guys,” he said on behalf of the Nobles. “Anyone seen Blake?”

Anya joined the group. “He snuck out of here when he saw you, you’d have thought he’d seen a ghost.”

Antoine let go of his son and walked towards them. “I’m sorry…” he said. “You saved my son! I thought…”

“Doesn’t matter,” said Cash. “It’s all good.”

Antoine gave him a hug. “Thank you,” he said, moving towards Rigs, who took three paces back, ensuring he didn’t suffer the same fate.

“Don’t mind him, he’s special,” said Cash, winking at Rigs.

“If there’s anything I can do…”

“Well, actually,’ s
aid Cash. “There is one thing…”

The attackers admitted to Conrad and his men everything they knew, which was very little. They had been hired to kill two men, Antoine and Alex Noble. Their passes would get them into the backstage area, where two guns were hidden with the band’s equipment. They were to wait until the speeches were underway and then shoot them both, making their escape during the ensuing chaos. It was only after they arrived that they had seen the level of security and realized it wasn’t going to be as easy as suggested. They did not know who hired them; it had all been done online. That became irrelevant after Blake, when confronted, admitted it. He said he was what was best for the Nobles. Antoine was an unworthy leader. Everybody, according to Blake, was unworthy. Only Blake really understood what being a Noble truly meant.

“Where are the two attackers?” asked the Senator.

Conrad looked out of the library window to the lake.

“To the Nobles,” toasted Antoine, as the three of them shared a drink in the
library.

“T
o the Nobles!” the others chorused.

“Cash and Rigs
,” said the Senator, “are nowhere near understanding what’s going on.”

“You want me to call off the Sicarii?”

“To be honest I think you’ll find the Sicarii want to be called off. Cash and Rigs have taken out five of them— three dead and two crippled.”

“Are you sure they’re no danger to our plans?” asked Conrad.

“Call Anya, I’ll tell her what I know and let her decide.”

“
Okay,” said Antoine.

After ten minutes of explaining everything they knew, Anya agreed.

“They’re nowhere near. If they don’t have the professor’s results—that he spent years pulling together along with his research— they’re months, if not years from putting it together.”

“They’re looking for what’s going to destroy
Earth,” laughed the Senator.

“You have a soft spot for them?” asked Antoine.

“They just saved my favorite nephew and great nephew’s lives, so I guess so.”

“
Okay,” said Antoine. “Done. Now if you don’t mind, I have to talk to my son.”

The three left the library. Anya pulled the Senator aside
while Conrad went to call off the Sicarii. She led him into an adjoining room.

“Thank you,” she said, giving him a hug.

He smiled. “What for?”

“How long have you known?”

“The moment he walked in front of my committee. I know a Noble when I see one. I checked his background and lo and behold, his father was Charles Harris, the boy my niece used to gush about at university.”

“You brought him here for me?”

“After what happened to Charles…”

“Don’t, please. I got to hold him for a few minutes before I had to leave him. I left a note to Charles, telling him I couldn’t have anything to do with him or the boy and came home. He tried to contact me through the only details he had for me. I told him to tell Copernicus that his mother had died in childbirth. After that, he never tried to contact me again. What sort of mother…”

“One with no choice,” said the Senator, wiping away her tears.

“He
-he has a son,” she spluttered. “I have a
grandchild
!” she bawled, throwing herself into the Senator’s chest.

“I can’t believe all you asked for was the band members’ autographs!” said Sophie. “The man has more money than—”

“Everyone,” finished Rigs
, causing them both to look over. Rigs had taken the seat at the rear of the lounge area on the Senator’s plane and they thought he had gone straight to sleep. The Senator had stayed behind to help his family cope with the trauma, insisting they go ahead without him.

“Yes, everyone,” she agreed.

“You said Kyle really liked them?”

“He’s a teenager, he loves
Corvettes as well, you could have asked for one of those!”

“His Uncle Rigs can buy him one of those,” smiled Cash, noting a nod from Rigs.

Sophie gave up. The seatbelt sign had lit up.

“We’re nearly there,” she said.

“Are you sure about this?” asked Cash. “You really need these measurements?”

“Yes,” she said.

“Okay, but this time, we’re not taking any chances,” said Cash. He grabbed his HK416 and checked it was ready for use. Rigs was packing a small rucksack full of ammunition.

“We’re landing three miles from the site and it’s dark, we’ll be fine.”

“We will be because we’re ready for whatever comes at us,” he said, placing the US Air Force’s night vision glasses in his top pocket.

The plane touched down at MoD Boscombe Down, a former RAF base and test range for new aircraft. They taxied to the apron where an old Ford sat waiting for them, with ‘Alfie’s’ emblazoned on the side.

The steward apologized; it was the only car service they could find at that hour in the quaint English countryside.

Cash exited first
, his HK416 leading the way. Sophie followed with Rigs at the rear. Cash relaxed as he neared the taxi. There was not a soul in sight.

“I’m not sure you’re allowed those things in these parts, my lad,” offered the taxi driver cheerily as they climbed in.

“It’s alright, we have permission,” Cash lied. “We’re on important business for the government.”

“Some people might be stupid enough to fall for that, but important business in Alfie’s cab
? I’m not so sure. I might sound simple,” he turned and faced them, “but it’s after midnight and if the tip’s big enough, Alfie might just forget what he saw, if there’s no trouble, that is.”

Rigs handed the driver a wad of dollars.

“No trouble,” promised Cash, his fingers crossed just in case.

Less than five minutes later, they had arrived. Sophie eagerly waited for Rigs to give her the all clear. Finally the thumbs up released her. She grabbed her equipment and rushed across to the center of the stone circle.
It was dark, with an eeriness that seemed to multiply as you neared its center.

“Stonehenge
is a bit creepy,” she said, setting up her kit in the pale moonlight.

“So how old’s this place?” asked Cash
. He scanned the area with his rifle after donning his night vision glasses.

“Ten thousand years
, but the majority of the big stonework’s nearer half that.”

“
Five thousand years and they were moving stones like that?”

“Yep
.” Sophie aimed her laser precisely as described in the professor’s notes. “Some of them weigh fifty tons and were transported from one hundred fifty miles away.

“But why here? Why not build it where the big stones were
?”

Sophie stopped. “Come here
.”

Cash looked at Rigs who stood well back, as always, overseeing the whole area.
Cash walked forwards. Sophie directed him to the center of the circle.

“Whoa,” he said, stepping back.

“What?”

“It’s like someone walked over my grave!”

“That’s why they built it here, some connection to the Earth’s energy.”

She hit a button on the laser and a beam shot off into the sky.

“So what is it you’re measuring?” he asked, following the beam off into the distance.

“Well, I thought it was
simply points that aligned with particular points on the calendar. Which they do at each site, see? The laser just cuts the top of that stone, which relates to a point on the calendar. However, it has been the same at each site, it just nicks a point on the calendar before continuing off into space.”

“You think it’s pointing to somewhere out there?”

“I think it’s pointing to some
thing
out there. Perhaps a comet that is hurtling towards us that we don’t know exists?”

“But how would they know ten thousand years ago if we don’t know now?”

“You’ve heard of Halley’s Comet?”

“Vaguely,” he replied.

“It’s visible to the naked eye every seventy-five years as it orbits around the solar system. There are probably many more that we don’t know about. Their orbits, maybe every five hundred years, a thousand, perhaps every two thousand years.”

“Or every 2,160 years,” said Cash.

“Exactly. Maybe they think the next time it comes around, it may hit us.”

“Like the movie
Deep Impact
?”

“Precisely,” said Sophie.

“So we send up some nukes and blow it into a billion pieces.”

“Yes,” she said, noting down her findings.

“But we don’t have any nukes anymore,” said Rigs, who had wandered within earshot.