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Chapter one

Sandra Foster of the New York News looked into her handheld mirror, applied a touch more lipstick, and, satisfied that she looked eye-catching and professional, glanced at who else was squeezing into the White House's Press Briefing Room. The hall was full to capacity, but it wasn't only reporters that were filling up all the available space; also present were scores of people who had travelled with their religious leaders to attend the extraordinary press conference.

Foster heard a scuffling sound and turned to see her old friend, Robert Thomas, of the London Express, pushing his way towards her. Thomas was in his late forties, always appeared to be slightly rumpled, and gave the appearance of everyone's favourite uncle, a facade he had perfected over the years. Foster was a little younger, though no one knew her actual age, as she kept this a secret from employers and friends alike.

'Hi, Rob,' gushed Foster a little too fulsomely, trying to hide her uncertainty. 'How are you doing?'

'Oh, fine, fine,' replied Thomas, trying to keep his tone light. 'Anything further been said about... well... all of this?' Foster shook her head. No one knew for certain what was going to be announced, though it was obviously tied in with the strange hints that had been skillfully leaked by the various world governments over the past few weeks. Hints on a spiritual journey to come. Hints that the righteous should prepare. Hints that the end time was approaching.

'Ah,' said Thomas. 'Looks like something is happening now.'

Thomas and Foster looked as the president of the United States of America, Phillip Forlander, led the way onto the stage. Trotting just behind him like a nervous puppy out for its first walk was Gerald Weller, prime minister of Great Britain, determined as ever that he should be as close to the president as possible, while ensuring that he was noticeably ahead of the rest of the world's leaders.

Also coming onto the stage were a number of people who, after several weeks of political spin, were well known to the Western media: Angelo Rossi, the Pope's personal envoy; Doctor Reginald Barclay, the Archbishop of Canterbury; Abdalla Akil, the archbishop of the African Anglican Nations; Rabbi Max Goldstein of the American Judaic Trust, and Imam Muhammad Luqman of the Muslim Council of America. Also present was Pastor Lionel Ransom, head of the wealthiest evangelical church in the country, which included President Forlander amongst its fervent congregation.

Also with them were Sikhs, Buddhists, Hindus, and several others who were unidentifiable but were presumably representative of their various religions. It was astonishing to see so many faiths gathered in one place. It was even more astonishing to see that they weren't fighting amongst themselves.

'Oh, God, the world's religious leaders, can it really be true?' breathed Foster in eagerness.

'It would explain why so many of their followers are crowded in here,' observed Thomas, looking around at the scrum of people who had started to pray, chant, weep, and cheer as their respective spiritual leaders walked out onto the stage. These are interesting times, he thought apprehensively.

'Ladies, gentlemen,' said the president, calling for order. 'Thank you all for attending on this most important day in history, this day that is history.' The prime minister bristled; he had revealed the start of his speech to the president in strict confidence, and now the president had used it for himself. But it just showed the high esteem that he was held in by President Forlander, who, after all, hadn't stolen any other delegate's opening remarks. Weller flushed in pleasure at their 'special relationship.'

'Ladies and gentlemen,' continued Forlander. 'We have called you all here today because we have found God!'

Chapter two

The journalists gasped in disbelief. This was confirmation of the unbelievable insinuations that God could now be proven to exist, but surely it had to be some sort of trick? 'When did we lose him?' muttered Thomas, taking refuge in mocking incredulity.

'No doubt some of you got a hint that we were building an entirely new type of starship out beyond the moon,' said the president, glossing over several weeks' worth of political and religious manipulation of the public. 'Those reports were true; we have developed the most sophisticated and staggering engine ever imagined, an engine that will allow us to break what has been termed the faith barrier, and which will bring us face-to-face with our creator, God Himself!'

'It can't be true, surely?' muttered Thomas dubiously; he couldn't quite believe it, not after so many years of covering the bleakest evidence of humanity's intolerance towards humanity, of covering so many disasters, natural and man-made, and after so many bitter years of personal and professional disappointments. He glanced across at Foster, expecting a similar response from a reporter who was as chary as he was, but he was taken aback by his companion's fervent response.

'Will you shut up? This is a spiritual awakening for me; I need this, so shut up. Just-shut-up. This is it, my God; we really are going to meet our creator... ' Foster's eyes glazed over and shone with a totally unexpected rapture. 'It's true, it's all true, the Bible is true,' she murmured over and over again.

'Bloody hell,' muttered Thomas, who had never seen anything in Foster's behaviour that hinted at any sort of deep spiritual belief, apart from occasionally wearing a diamond-encrusted crucifix at film premiers. Around him various others seemed to be reacting the same way, all suddenly convinced of scriptural inerrancy despite being surrounded by varying faiths that seemed to at least put a question mark over which particular faith was actually the right one.

This, thought Thomas, already planning the imagery he would use for his next news column, was fairly typical for humanity and religion; most people stood on a precipice of insecurity, and when they were knocked into the abyss of religious certainty, tolerance always plunged to the bottom. He rather fancied he might misquote George Orwell, and have the headline: 'All faiths are inerrant, but some faiths are more inerrant than others.' Surely, at long last, he should win some recognition for that? Maybe even an award?

Thomas looked a little closer and saw that many in the hall had the same look on their faces.Even seasoned journalists were hugging each other enthusiastically, instant converts in the face of what appeared to be absolute proof. It didn't escape his attention that all the hugging was kept rigidly within each denomination, and there was little overflow of love or goodwill between differing faiths. He turned his attention back to Forlander.

'The ship, named the Truth, is almost ready to go. It will travel to the outer edge of the galaxy, which will take about a week, and then it will engage the faith engine and jump the faith barrier. So, within a month, we will meet our God! Hallelujah,' added Forlander, partly out of genuine belief, partly out of political spin.

'What's the reaction of the world's religions?' shouted Thomas over the noise of various prayers and whoops of joy coming from the audience. He gestured at the delegates on the stage who were leaning on each other as they attempted to ensure that they were the central point of attention.

'We all agree that this is an absolutely unique time in history, without parallel, a time exactly like when God handed down the Commandments to Moses,' responded Forlander in rapturous contradiction, his hands raised to the heavens like the Sunday preacher he was. 'Praise the Lord!'

'Yes, but what do they actually say?' pressed Thomas, looking at Imam Luqman.

'I feel that the time has come for all Muslims to prepare themselves,' said Luqman. 'Now, at last, the one true God shall judge us all.'

'And is your one true God also President Forlander's one true God?' asked Thomas, in genuine perplexity.

'My God is the one God,' stated Luqman dogmatically. President Forlander cast an apprehensive eye at the Muslim leader, who had been carefully chosen to represent Islam because of his conciliatory attitudes towards the West. He never really said anything contentious about America or Christianity, and as such he could be safely used as evidence of the president's acceptance of all religious and political ideals. Was Luqman suddenly going militant? the president wondered in alarm, with militant in this sense meaning disagreeing with whatever Forlander said.

'And what does the Vatican think of this?' asked Thomas, wondering why he seemed to be the only person asking questions. He glanced doubtfully at Foster and noted that her hands were clasped together as though in prayer, while on his other side there was ...