Apocalypso by Robert Rankin

powers.’
    ‘What
powers?’
    ‘Telepathic
powers. Although the freezing had damaged his physical brain, his mind had
developed over the long years. He was now capable of imposing his thoughts
physically upon others. He could hurt them with his mind. Inflict mental and
physical anguish upon them. Force them to do his bidding.’
    ‘I don’t
like the sound of that one bit.’
    ‘I’m
sure you don’t. But nevertheless it was true. In fact all over the world we
have evidence of this being’s existence. Works of monumental masonry dating
back to the megalithic period. He forced thousands into his service, driving
them with mental torment to achieve his ends. Our old friend Stonehenge for
example. Massive stones dragged for many miles across rugged terrain. Not
dragged there by choice, or at the bidding of a priesthood. Dragged by his slaves
and hoisted into place to provide a shelter for him.
    ‘And he
survived. He lived for centuries. Carnal, the pyramids; all his doing, the work
of his will. People were cattle to him; he drove them until they died.’
    ‘Why
didn’t they revolt?’
    ‘How
could they revolt? His will was too strong. The mental control he exerted, the
pain he could inflict was too great. Unbearable. None could stand against him.’
    ‘So
what happened to this tyrannical monster?’
    ‘Mu,’
said Dr Harney.
    ‘Meow,’
said Danbury Collins.
    ‘Not mew, you stupid boy, Mu! The lost continent of Mu. It went down, like
Atlantis. Natural catastrophe.’
    ‘Cat-astrophe,’
said Danbury, ‘ha ha ha.’
    ‘Smack
him,’ said Sir John. ‘I find it helps if he gets silly.’
    Dr
Harney smacked the psychic youth and Danbury made a sour face. ‘So he went down
with Mu,’ he said. ‘Then that is that and a good thing too.’
    ‘It is
not the end of the story.’
    ‘It’s
enough for me,’ said the lad, his right hand straying once more to his trouser
pocket. ‘Down with Mu will do for me.’
    ‘I
will, however, tell you the rest. What I have told you so far regarding his
rule on Earth has been pieced together from ancient texts and hieroglyphics.
Allow me to quote to you from one of the last.
     
    ‘And as the ground
shook and the temple fell The God did enter into His shield. And His shield was
as a seven-pointed star and at its heart a tomb of ice. And the shield did
close upon The God and did rise into the heavens.
     
    ‘So he took off in
search of other worlds to conquer.’
     
    ‘But the heavens were
troubled and all about a storm did rage. And The God fell once more to earth a
great way off and never was He seen again.’
     
    ‘Crash
bang wallop,’ said Danbury, ‘and a good thing too.’
    ‘There’s
a little bit more.’
    ‘Go on
then.’
     
    ‘And the people
that did dwell behind, those who had served The God, did cry out in a loud
voice, saying, “Bloody good riddance,” and did bare their bottoms in the
direction of His passing and make with gestures that were lewd and most
profane.’
     
    ‘As
well they might.’
    ‘Agreed,’
said the doctor. ‘And there for the most part you have it. Part conjecture,
part historical account and please would you not do that while I’m talking to you.’
    Danbury
untrousered his hand. ‘I recall,’ he said, ‘that you mentioned “partly physical
evidence”. By that did you mean the monumental architecture?’
    ‘No, I
meant the satellite photographs from a recent geophysical survey. It was
carried out by the Ministry of Serendipity to map the movements of the
continental shelves and record undersea activity, volcanic and the like. Plate
tectonics, you know the kind of business. Allow me to show you this.’
    Dr
Harney took from his case a large transparent sheet of film, not unlike an
X-ray plate. ‘Take a look and tell me what you see.’
    Danbury
examined the sheet. ‘An area stretching from the western coastline of South
America to the Tuamoto island chain. These would appear to be undersea
fault-lines and we would be