The Reverend Sheppard had now worked himself into a ranting, gesturing frenzy. “This man is an impurity to the body! There is no place for dissension! If we are to succeed, we must be absolutely united! One mind! One heart! One purpose!”
He seemed to have regained control of the masses, who cheered and applauded wildly. It was like attending a Nazi rally. I was getting close to the stage as the security guards led Voorman away. There was nothing I could do to save Voorman, but I still held onto one desperate hope, I’d only have a few seconds.
Sheppard turned and left the podium, and the crowd began a deafening roar. I reached the front of the stage and pulled myself up off the floor. No one reacted initially as I ran for the podium. Grabbing the microphone, I yelled at the top of my lungs, “These men are murderers! The purification is a lie! Everyone on Earth will be slaughtered!”
Several hands grabbed me and pulled me back.
“Only you can stop them!” I was wrestled to the floor. After being punched and kicked a dozen times, I was lifted roughly from the floor and hustled off the stage and down a set of stairs. I was dragged through a door and into a hallway. A voice cried out to take me to the holding room. Moments later, we reached a door, which one of the men opened. I was hauled inside and thrown into a large seat that vaguely resembled an electric chair.
Restraints were locked over my wrists and ankles. Another went around my forehead.
Most of the men left the room, leaving two security guards to glare at me. One was a slightly built, completely bald man I didn’t recognize. He looked like Mr. Clean, without the earring. The second was a breath-takingly beautiful blond woman. The third person I knew. It was maybe the last person in the world I’d expected to see. Lowell Percival.
UAKM — CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“Well, Mr. Murphy, I must say, you are full of surprises. I don’t remember sending you an invitation to our little party, but you seem to have found your way here regardless. I can only admire your ingenuity and tenacity… both very fine attributes, by the way. And here you are! With such exquisite timing! Not everyone will be able to say they witnessed the greatest event in the history of the world!”
Perciavl, dapper in a full tuxedo and black tie, looked for all the world like Fred Astaire’s smaller, evil brother. He was in good form, much more animated than the other times I’d seen him. He clasped his hands together and smiled widely. “You’re surprised to see me. I shouldn’t wonder, the way my building blew to pieces.” He gestured grandly. “A most impressive explosion. Who could hope to survive such a cataclysm?
Only the Phoenix! I have risen from the ashes to live forever!”
He was clearly insane. But I wanted to find the method in the madness.
“Why’d you do it, Percival?”
The little man waved a hand at me. “A whim. A distraction. Something to keep my enemies occupied long enough for me to escape. And, I suppose, a morbid interest in reading my own obituaries. Some of them were quite stellar, I must say. It seems I lived quite a charmed life. Not unlike you, Mr. Murphy. I’ve never in my life known anyone who had quite the knack you do for surviving. I’d call you lucky, but you come through again and again.
“Finding the Habuh, for example. The statuette, I mean. I really must thank you for your efforts in securing that for us. It was the one item that had eluded our grasp. The sacred text said that our destiny would be secure only if we had the statuette in our possession.”
Percival moved closer and lowered his voice. “Just bewteen you and me, I believe that prophecies should be taken with a grain of salt, but there’s no harm in hedging one’s bets.”
He stepped back and made a pretense of bowing. “In any case, we are deeply in your debt.”
“So you were the anonymous friend the countess referred to. The one who said I was good at finding things.”
Percival chuckled gleefully. “Ah, yes. The countess… what was it?… Renier. I did indeed recommend you. The task you accomplished for me in the Martian colonies made quite a positive and lasting impression. And, as it turns out, I made the right decision in asking for your assistance.”
I cut in. “But why me? I appreciate the compliments, but it doesn’t seem too logical to count on someone to find your statuette.”
Percival turned away, chortling. “Don’t overestimate yourself, Mr. Murphy. By no means were we depending on your success. There’s a quaint expression for it: I was stacking the deck in my favor. There were literally hundreds of people searching for the Habuh. For some reason that simple logic can’t explain, you happened to find it first.
One of our agents followed you to and from Mexico City, and then relived you of it at the first opportune moment.”
He had been pacing, but stopped suddenly and raised a finger. “I digress. The important issue is your presence here and how we’re going to proceed. The way I see it, you have a choice to make and, depending on your decision, you will either live or die. Let’s address the first option.
“In an hour or so, we will fulfill an ancient prophecy — specifically, the purification by means of the Great Alluvion. It’s a fabulous name for a somewhat unpleasant process.
Those creative minds at Genetic Research Systems labored for years to make our prophecy a reality. It was quite a challenge to come up with a plan that would match the details of the Great Alluvion, as it’s described in our sacred text. It cost me a fortune, but now everything is prepared.
“The fact of the matter is, the Earth has become a rotting shell, inhabited by a mongrel breed of half-humans that infest the pure races with their filthy, mutated genes.” Percival stepped toward me, his hands extended in a pleading gesture. “I ask you, Mr. Murphy, is that to be the fate of mankind? I say it is not! The Earth must be thoroughly cleansed for mankind to be saved! Otherwise, we would simply degenerate into a primitive state and squander the attributes and knowledge it has taken us millenia to achieve.
“Minutes from now, we’ll release the seeds of purification. The Great Alluvion, the baptism of fire that will follow, will destroy all life on Earth, but from the destruction will arise a glorious new age! Then, after the waiting, our genetically pure children will return to a world that, like them, is clean and unspoiled. Though I may not live to see it, I will die peacefully, knowing that I have given mankind a purified world!
“Look around you, Mr. Murphy. You are aboard an Ark of Humanity. This is now the last bastion of mankind. There is nowhere else to go. But the Moon Child is more than a mere haven. It is paradise. The biospheres have been constructed to represent Earth as it once was and will be. Our skies are blue and clean, not red and saturated with deadly radiation. There are forests and rivers and lakes, the likes of which haven’t been seen since the war. There are even deserts and fields and mountains, all filled with their native flora and fauna. I spent the bulk of my fortune on this satellite, creating an orbiting Eden, from which the Earth will be reborn.
“There is everything you could want here! In addition to the ecological wonders, there are aquariums, aviaries, and zoos. We have vast libraries and a superior educational system. Every conceivable form of entertainment is available, from nightclubs to concerts to sports. Any pursuit for the betterment of oneslef has been included.
“And the people! Only the creme de la creme. Artisans of every kind are represented and will teach their crafts to the next generations. Doctors here provide an unrivaled level of care and have been equipped with only the finest machines and instruments. Of course, the arts are well represented. Musicians, artists, dancers, vocalists are all free to explore their creativity and will train our children.