He did not, of course, announce the results of confidential meteorological reports indicating that the clouds of aerosols that circled the earth, made up of sulfuric acid and other photochemical compounds, had been almost totally absorbed into the upper atmosphere. The reports indicated that in a matter of hours the sun would have begun to break through—without help from anyone. But President Mark Beaulieu had no intention of announcing that piece of news, and no one in science would have thought to preempt him.

Instead, he held out his right hand to the camera. The red dot on his palm began to glow. “Let there be light!” he intoned majestically, then walked off the platform to wild applause. By morning, the rays of the sun were breaking through in Washington. Within twenty-four hours, people around the world were beginning to feel the sun’s welcome warmth.

Once more the god-man, the world leader, had brought deliverance to the earth. He had proven he was worthy of worship. He could control demons. He had come back from the dead. Now he had shown that he could control the atmosphere surrounding the planet.

Tauriq Haddad lost no time in capitalizing on what had taken place. At exactly 8:00 o’clock the following evening, he arranged a global telecast to announce that President Mark Beaulieu, the god-man, had appointed Federal Reserve chairman, Tauriq Haddad, as the presiding bishop of the Church of Eternal Peace. Churches and temples were to be built all over the world so that worshipers could come to pay honor to the god-man.

In his new role, then, Bishop Haddad arranged for the construction of hundreds of lifelike statues of President Mark Beaulieu. Inside each one was installed an elaborate artificial intelligence apparatus designed to duplicate, and in some instances to exceed, the functions of the human brain. Not only could these statues hear and understand human speech, but they could also give logical answers to questions posed to them.

The statues were placed on high platforms in Temples of Eternal Peace that were hastily constructed all over America and then in strategic locations around the world.

Worshipers flocked to the temples. They would praise and adore the statues, then bow down before them. They would ask the statues questions. The answers that came back were so reasonable and so logical that multitudes believed they had heard from the oracle of god himself.

It was partly the product of the latest technology. It was partly demonic. It was partly a snake-oil and medicine show. But the people loved it. They had found their god, and nothing could shake their confidence in him. Secretary of Defense Al Augustus recalled to James Wong the words of the apostle Paul that so vividly described them as people, “who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator.”