Once in the car, the detective did not start it immediately but turned to Lucifer with a serious face and said:
"Let's forget about the damn horse for a moment, but believe me, you should be very afraid to wake up one day with the head of that horse in your bed if it ever gets within a thousand miles of Trixie. I swear to you I will go full Godfather on your sorry ass!"
She took a few deep breaths and counted inwardly to ten in the hope of getting her blood pressure back down and getting past her murderous intent of strangling the man sitting next to her. Finally she said:
"We need to have a talk. After that conversation yesterday, I did a lot of research on the Devil and thought about certain inexplicable things I've seen you do in the past. Like just now. I saw you pull a grown man out of his ice cream cart with one hand like it was nothing. I'm not saying I believe you, that I believe you're the Devil. But I want to talk to you anyway. We need to pick up the new lab technician, Ella, and then we are expected for lunch with your son. He was, on the one hand, pleasantly surprised by something Ella said, and I could tell by your face that you recognized her strange phrasing as well. Are you going to tell me what that means and what's in that container, or am I going to have to wait for Alexander to tell me because, unlike you, Lucifer, I don't think he has much desire to play games. I don't know him. All I know is that he must be somewhere in his early twenties and knows how to use real power if he can convince someone in Washington to put him more or less on the FBI payroll where he can do more or less whatever he wants. That takes real political power, not just money. He clearly has a surplus of both! I listened intently as he spoke in the warehouse. He is damn smart and has an eye for detail. This whole affair with your container is getting on his nerves and he doesn't seem to care for playing games or wasting time."
Lucifer seemed to think deeply and wiped his mouth and hands with a napkin he had brought from the ice cream truck. Finally, he said extremely quietly:
"Yes, I ignored his warnings and that has pretty much exploded in my face now. The container holds something very personal, detective. I don't know what that son of mine is up to or has gotten into his head. What I do know, what I have learned despite my sometimes unbelievable stubbornness, is that I can trust him, completely. He takes incredible pleasure in calling me an idiot, and admittedly, sometimes I am. But I know that he has only my well-being in mind and would never do anything to harm me. That being said, I am afraid of your reaction to what he is going to say and more probably is going to prove, because I think he has it in mind to do something that has never, ever happened before. But something at the same time that is in line with the picture he has for the future. Otherwise, he would not have invited Miss Lopez to be present. Our way of responding to her words was because we realized that Miss Lopez in some way seems to know my little sister, Alex's favorite aunt, Rae Rae."
He looked out the side window so he didn't have to look at Chloe and spoke, but Chloe clearly felt the pain in his words as he spoke them:
"You are special, Chloe. At first I was just intrigued because you were seemingly resistant to my mojo. There aren't many things that can surprise me anymore, but that surprised me big time. That intrigue faded very quickly when I noticed how special you are. I'm just afraid after this lunch everything will be over and you will absolutely want nothing to do with me anymore. Not being able to be around you seems unimaginable to me, if I'm honest."
She was dead silent for a few seconds and said:
"Let's break this up into smaller pieces to make it easier to digest, okay?"
He looked at her again and waited for what would follow.
"What is that very personal thing that's in that container?"
"I never lie, detective, and you should know that by now. I could twist the truth a little and say it's a gift from my father. A collection of expensive antique matryoshka dolls. That wouldn't exactly be a lie because those are in the container, but that's not my father's gift."
She nodded:
"But there is something else in that container as well. I don't suspect anything illegal like weapons, stolen art, or drugs. But something that is special enough that it needed a place like that warehouse to be stored for safekeeping and stay out of sight."
He merely nodded.
"What is in that container that is so important to you, Lucifer?"
With fear in his eyes, as if she would once again not believe him or worse, run off, he said softly:
"My wings detective. My wings are the gift from my Father and they are hidden in a secret compartment in that container."
That was the moment she totally surprised him when she said:
"I cannot believe I'm going to say this... Let us assume for the moment that I believe you and Alex. That you are the Devil and Alexander is the Antichrist. Those wings, that gift from your father, would then be the wings you had as an Archangel when God created you. How come those are not...well...on your back but in a simple storage container?"
The Devil's mind was not functioning at its peak efficiency. His reaction was decidedly slow. The words Chloe spoke and the way she spoke did not sound like her usual tone when she had to listen to his ramblings about being the Devil. Her question and her words were absolutely sincere. The answer he had to give her made him not dare to look her in the eye, but he still did not answer her question fully. There was a part he kept secret, hoping she would forget the original question and get lost in the rest of his story so he would not have to tell the whole story. The part he asked Maze to cut his wings off so he could not go back to Hell even if he wanted to. That he had to be taken back to Hell by force when someone wanted him there bad enough.
"About 24 years ago I was on Earth for a short time and got to know a very interesting woman. A bit like you, detective, my mojo had no effect on her either. It has happened throughout history that I met someone who is immune. Leonardo was one ad Oscar is another."
Her brain came to a screeching halt, and she asked, truly amazed:
"Please tell me you are talking about Leonardo Smith, the house painter, and Oscar the plumber, and not the people I associated with the word history."
He looked at her and said deadpan:
"Well, I could do that, but then I would be lying. Yes, you are thinking about the correct people, detective. Leonardo DaVinci and Oscar Wilde. Two magnificent specimens and absolute free thinkers. People who did not let themself be chained by the times they lived in. Can you imagine the courage Leo must have had to tell the pope at that time to shove it, or Oscar to be so openly bisexual? The woman I was talking about belongs in that category. That's why I came to think after time that only really free-spirited humans can resist my mojo, because what is there to desire if you live your desire to the fullest? She was a free-spirited individual who aspired to fully embrace life. The time we had together was for both of us pleasureble. We had a connection, but I was not in love with her, and neither was she in love with me. I admired her absolute free spirit and her trust for life. We did care about each other; that is clear to me, but it was not love. Let alone love at first sight or anything like that as described by poets and other hopeless romantics throughout the ages. I have a brother, a bit of a stiff, Amenadiel. He has taken it upon himself to force me back to Hell time and again after a short vacation. Something I did not resist too much because I have absolutely no desire to hurt any of my siblings even though I am so much more powerful than them, well, except for Michael, my twin, but he has stayed out of the fray for ages. From the moment Father forced him to take me to Hell, his relationship with God has been strained. And that is putting it mildly. Michael is the commander of the Heavenly forces, and Father needs him badly to keep order in Heaven. If that was not the case, I would have had company in Hell real fast. The only one Michel really interacts with, and then still in absolute secrecy, is Alex and a very select few Angels, like Rae Rae, Gabriel, and Raphael. But I digress. You met Celine in Lux, Maze's sister. She became good friends with Alexander's mother, Angelina. Something was wrong with her body, and Raphael, our head healer, scanned her and determined that she would not survive Alex's birth. Not for one second did she think about interrupting that pregnancy and saving her own life. She gave up her life so that Alexander could have his. She asked Celine to raise Alexander on Earth and so I could visit that kid of mine from time to time. Celine is his mom, and believe me, she is a real mama bear when it comes to her cub; she scares even the living daylights out of me when she is pissed. They had a place just outside Baton Rouge. When Alex got a little older and was ready, he decided to go to college here. He is a very smart kid, and being a celestial, well, he learns a lot faster than humans. So at sixteen they moved here; they had a small beach house, literally a beach house on the beach, not like my place he uses when he is in town. He thought it was funny to be able to live in the City of Angels. At that point I decided I had had enough of being king of Hell. Alex had been coming to Hell since he was a toddler. The older he got, the more the Demons and my generals looked up to him and no longer needed me. He has been the de facto king since he was a year or twelve; I just wore the proverbial crown. His way of getting this done in Hell is so different from mine. All the Angels are his aunts and uncles; some of them, like Rae Rae, are more than that; they are very close friends. Some of the Demons like my former generals, are more his brothers than anything else, and he has a couple of real good friends down there. One could say that he threw out the out notion of Hell and Heaven having to be mortal enemies, brought his two little groups together, and turned them into a tight-knit family that is loyal to a fault to him. I decided to retire here in LA and build a new existence. Free from Heaven and Hell because I dislike both places with the same passion. Amenadiel made one more attempt to take me to Hell. Something that went particularly bad for him thanks to Alex. My son sometimes jokes around that he is the only one who gets to kill me when the time comes, that to protect that exclusive right, I'm off-limits to all others. He pretty much flambéed Amenadiel and then took him by the scruff of his neck to Heaven in front of Father's throne. There he demanded that God would make known before the entire Angel Host whether he would honor the agreement he had made with me at the time of that insane Job debacle or admit he had made a mistake and would nullify that agreement. Father is never, ever going to admit that he would have made a mistake, and so he ratified the covenant. The ruler of Hell also has dominion over Earth. Alexander declared himself to be the new ruler of Hell because I was retired and demanded that Father endorse his order. From then on, no Angel who was ill-disposed toward me, his self-proclaimed family, or humanity was welcome on Earth. Ignoring that order would be met with the penalty of death. And believe me, Alexander would carry out that punishment in Heaven for all Angels to witness. The boy does not play politics; he just strikes, damn hard! Father confirmed that order, and that is why I have been living here in relative peace for several years, one could say. When Father asked him why he had not mentioned himself in the order he had given, Alexander seemed to have replied with a broad smile that he did not want to miss the opportunity to hurt one of Father's zealots like Amenadiel so terribly bad that it would make the collective Heaven sickened."
Choe pondered Lucifer's words for a moment and said softly:
"So you owe your freedom and your life here on Earth to your son, and at the same time that son has made it clear to your father that he is not like you. That he is not a kitten to be handled without gloves, and unlike you, he would have no problem hurting an Angel."
The Devil nodded and said:
"It does come down to that, yes. Alexander is called the Antichrist by you people, but he would never, ever hurt an innocent person. He can get incredibly pissed when innocents get hurt by some lowlifes. In contrast, he is always ready and willing to help where he can. But for those who have done evil or have evil in their minds, and I don't mean stealing a gumball, he can become the ten Biblical plagues in one person, and he goes Old Testament and enjoys it. He is the de facto king of Hell, the Earth falls under his domain, and he is not human but a Nephilim. Because he is a Nephilim, none of Father's laws that are meant for Humans, Angels or Demons apply to him. He is unique; there is only one like him, and I heard that even scares Father at times. In addition, he is so much more powerful than any Angel or Demon even though they would all conspire against him at the exact same time. There is only one being in this universe who is more powerful than Alexander, and that is Father. But there are times when I see what his powers are capable of and how he actually runs Hell that I even doubt that. In a couple of weeks he will turn 23 and will have grown into his full powers. On the one hand, I cannot wait to see what that will mean; on the other..."
Chloe stared blankly ahead, her hands clasping the steering wheel so hard it turned her knuckles white. The Devil instinctively sensed that he would do better to keep quiet now. Finally, without looking at him, she said:
"I want you to do your very best and keep quiet until we get to Alexander! And I'll explain why. First, you have to be very, very aware that I am absolutely not afraid of you. That, to me, you are still the wacky nightclub owner ripe for an institution. I'm not going to start screaming, crying, begging for my soul, or running away. Second, and this is a lot harder for me. From home I was raised absolutely not religious. I always considered myself an atheist. Daniel, with his religious family, sometimes got on my nerves quite a bit with their ramblings and the things they tried to talk Trixie into. Right now every brain cell in my head is screaming that I am as crazy as you are to even consider for a second that what you and Alex say and claim to be could be the truth. If Alexander doesn't come up with irrefutable evidence later on, then we are no longer partners, Lucifer! Because I am not going to cooperate with someone who is delusional. I don't give a damn what deal you made with the lieutenant because I would rather request my transfer to another department in another building than to spend a single minute longer working with you. Damn, I would rather be a meter maid for the rest of my career than work a second longer with you. However, if your son comes forward with evidence, as I very strongly suspect he will, then you are going to damn well help me make sense of all of this, of my worldview. Because if Heaven and Hell exist, if Angels and Demons exist, if God exists, what is my role in all that? What do I mean, a puny little, powerless human compared to beings like the Devil or an Archangel?"
She looked at him, and he could clearly see fear in her eyes. He sensed, however, that she was not afraid of him. It was the fear a small child must feel when it loses its mother in a big department store and is suddenly very alone in a big unknown world full of people whom it does not know. She almost begged:
"Please, Lucifer, have you understood me, and can you do that for me?"
And suddenly the Devil heard himself say something he thought he would never say to a human being:
"Dear Chloe, for you, anything. I wouldn't hesitate for a second if you asked me to return to Hell, a place I despise deeply, so you could live your life peacefully."
She got big eyes and a lump in her throat upon hearing those words. She knew from his endless tirades he held against God and Hell how much he hated that place. Now she felt that he would do exactly what he had just said just because she, little puny human Chloe Decker, would simply ask him to. The lump in her throat was extremely audible as she said softly:
"Shut up, you stupid Devil..."
Alexander landed in the marketplace in Dis, snapped his fingers, and suddenly had his battle gear back on. His delicate, tailored gray suit from Saville Row was rather out of place in Hell. It was not an unfamiliar sight for the Demons to see him or his father in a tailored suit. Still, the Antichrist preferred above all else his black battle gear with the red fire-breathing dragon in Dis or the first four circles. He had landed in Dis for a good reason. Since he had grown into most of his powers at eighteen, he had proven himself to be the son of the original Lightbringer. He had given the city and the first four circles a sun of sorts and, as a counterpart, a night sky that seemed full of beautiful stars. Not only did he thereby surprise every Demon but also Rae Rae and even more so Michael and Lucifer, who at that time were in Hell for his birthday. He proved on that day with what he did that he held the power of both halves of the Demiurge. The eternal falling of ashes he had also given short shrift to that. He remembered a lesson from an otherwise rather monotonous, listless geography teacher at school. Ash could be a good addition to get fertile soil. So he had let it rain for days on end. Not only did this wash the ashes out of the city, but it also flooded the fields outside the city. Once the water had soaked into the soil, the Demons could begin to do something they had never done before with the help of a lot of human souls he freed from their cells in exchange for their help. They could begin to cultivate the land and grow things. The souls of the farmers and gardeners who had been locked in a cell in Hell were happy to be released from that cell. The Demons were happy for the sunlight and the crops they were learning to grow. Slowly the two species had started to live and work side by side for the better of the rest of Hell. His first tangible change toward his ultimate goal: no more segregation between all 3 species, Humans, Demons and Angels. Slowly, Alexander had added different kinds of animals. To the extent that the palace garden now resembled half a zoo. Ducks, swans, and other waterfowl in and around the large pond. The huge garden around it was inhabited by a multitude of smaller mammals, birds, and insects. He had even created a group of dodos and let them loose in the palace garden. The birds, extinct on Earth, seemed to be as funny and clumsy as penguins on dry land. Something that provided him with infinite pleasure in observing them. The fact that they were not used to natural predators and were very curious caused every time Alexander ate his lunch in the garden that the group came waddling toward him and enjoyed the attention he gave them as well as the bread he manifested for them. It did his soul good to picnic in the garden and watch all those critters go about their business. For him, it was nothing short of his own personal garden of Eden. Nowhere was a cage in sight; the animals had full freedom. The only thing he had done to restrict them was that he made sure they stayed in the park and a wooded area he had created next to the palace so they stayed safe from certain Demons and predators. The place was immune from predators, and the Demons had been made to understand that hunting there was absolutely forbidden unless they wanted their crown prince to go Old Testament.
In no time, a Demon of about Alexander's age appeared beside the Antichrist. At least that's what he looked like because real age didn't really play a role in Hell. He served as Alexander's go-to person in Hell, and the two had been close friends since the Antichrist's early childhood. The Demon made a slight bow and said:
"My Prince, the generals await you at your office."
Excitedly, Alexander replied:
"Then they are going to have to wait a few minutes, Dromos. I don't know why, but just now I suddenly got a craving for a lemon-apple."
For whatever reason, Hell had spawned an apple tree that produced a fruit that looked like a juicy, bright green apple, sort of a Granny Smith, but that also subtly had a bit of the taste of a lemon. A fruit Alexander particularly appreciated. He was given his desired fruit by the Demon manning the vegetable stand, and together with Dromos he walked toward the palace while enjoying the apple. The Demon noticed that Alex had a slightly wider smile on his face than usual and that he also seemed to have an extra spring in his step. Now that no other Demons seemed to be around, Dromos abandoned the whole protocol thing that he knew Alex hated and asked offhandedly:
"Did anything particularly fun happen besides your successful hunting party on Earth?"
The Antichrist looked at him strangely and said:
"Other than meeting a nice lady in Lux and having a relaxing night and my new toy that finally arrived, not really. Why?"
Dromos looked him in the eye:
"And that particular young lady makes you so happy?"
Just before Alex opened the door to his office, he said:
"No, not really."
He looked at Drmos not understanding what this one was going on about and said:
"No idea what you are talking about, dear Dromos. Shall we just get to work? I have lunch with Dad and his detective later and am going to have some fun with Rae Rae. So I want to get this over with as soon as possible so I can fully enjoy the chaos."
The mischievous smile that accompanied those words was something Dromos knew all too well, and he could already picture what the Antichrist called fun and chaos.
In the office sat Bearus, Belios, Arad, and a large, corpulent, six-armed demon who listened to the name Morax, the head of Hell's archives, waiting for his arrival. Again, protocol played no part. Alexander walked to the head of the small conference table in his office, took a seat, and filled a mug with coffee. His first question hit on the group of Satanists they had picked up on Earth the night before:
"Morax, have our new guests been neatly delivered to Lilith? Maybe a little gift bow around their necks..."
"Exactly as you asked, boss. A couple of her...euch...bigger-endowed boy's seem to have liked the gift. She asked if she could return the favor and send you some company to make your stay more pleasant."
Without pause, Alex said:
"Although the company she usually sends is extremely pleasant and mostly beyond just spectacular, I will have to kindly decline this time. I unfortunately can't stay that long. Dad has gotten himself into a bit of a mess and needs a little supervision. So I will spend some time on Earth, but I will do my best to be here every morning, Earth time, for our meetings. Okay, it's three more weeks before I turn twenty-three and will have my full powers. That is also the same time for the big talk with Grandpa. Are we on track in terms of our plans and the changes in Hell I want to present to him?"
Morax pulled out a tablet and connected it to a large screen in the office. A few graphs appeared on the screen, before he began to explain he said:
"You really need to look at that little problem with a wifi connection between the realms if we can get this thing off the ground it would help tremendously."
The Antichrist replied with a mysterious chuckle:
"Believe it or not mate coincidentally I think I have stumbled upon the perfect solution to that by absolute coincidence. We will have to wait and see to be sure but I have a feeling this could be solved in a very short time. Well at least between Earth and our offices here."
Dromos saw Alex's face, the little soft smile and thought he had found the answer to his question.
Marax nodded and launched into the matter:
"Okay, all the graphs and numbers in red are the souls we have classified as too young for Hell. The group you want to give absolute priority to in order to get them out of here."
Alexander's face changed instantly. Being confronted with this group of souls and why they were in Hell was usually enough to raise his blood pressure as well as his intention to whack his grandfather on the skull with a frying pan until he would wake up sometime in the next millennium. It was a group of young people between 12 and 18 who, mostly, had committed suicide or fallen victim to war or nature's chaos. In the cases of the cuicides the reason for that suicide was usually eternally the same. Shame, guilt, pain, depression, etc. Mostly inflicted by third parties. This group was usually victims of bullying, violence, physical and/or mental abuse, sexual assault. Or something as stupid as guilt. And guilt was one of the reasons people ended up in Hell. This, coupled with the fact that most of this group were suicides and God law left no room for interpretation. Suicide is a form of murder, making it a direct path to Hell. The Devil had eternally hated that these types of young people ended up in Hell. The Antichrist could get downright furious about it, and then it was best to stay away from him for a while. His generals knew how he felt about this and spoke as little as possible on the subject. He looked at Belios:
"Do you and Belios have your plan of action ready because I don't want to have to wait a day to put that into action once I get Grandpa to agree."
"Raffa has about 50 healers at his disposal. Together with Chamuel, he has selected a whole horde of therapists from the volunteers who signed up for this project in Heaven. Souls who would like to do something different from eternally lazing around in their paradise and want to be able to feel useful again by helping patients."
Bearus said:
"We are going to build it slowly so as not to create chaos in Heaven and not give that one group of angels a reason to run to God to complain that we are making a mess. We are going to start with the youngest, 100 or so the first day, and then build up. Once that group is gone, we'll move on to group two."
The Antichrist nodded and asked:
"Problems with Demons in the circles now that we actually plan to completely empty the first and second circles?"
This one shook his head:
"Our people have no problem with these souls disappearing from Hell, boss. The last thing they want is to bother those souls in their cells. There is no Demon to be found in the first four circles that thinks these people are in their right place here. None of them have the slightest inkling to enter those cells and torment those poor souls a little extra. Adding to this is the fact that the demons now active in the first two circles can then get to work in circles three and four. The population on Earth is exploding, causing the traffic jam at the gates of Hell to get longer every day. With more than enough demons for circles three and four, job security is guaranteed, and at least these are souls who deserve to be punished. Not forever either, but still some time. It's not like we're suddenly going to run out of work overnight, boss."
The meeting continued quietly until they finally came to the last point, which they knew Alexander would bring up.
"Okay, what about my grandmother? How far has the program progressed, and how is she evolving?"
Bearus replied:
"Actually a little faster than we anticipated. Your idea of removing her from her Divine status and letting her go through life in her cell as an ordinary human woman instead of a Goddess has done wonders. She is now to the point where she has an understanding of what it means to be human and what it means to lose everything you love. That insight has made her regret her past actions as a Goddess when she wanted to erase humanity from existence... a couple of times."
Alex thought for a moment and asked:
"Do you think she is ready for a new chance, a new beginning?"
"Yes, but only under absolute conditions. She will need a new body if you want to get her out of here, Alex. A body in which her divine soul is bound. Most importantly, however, she should never, absolutely never, be allowed to tap into her full divine powers."
He got his mischievous smirk on his lips and said:
"Oh, don't worry about that new body. She will get one that will allow her to go through life as nothing but a human being. And as for her divine powers. Once her life on Earth comes to an end, she can return to Heaven, but she will never have more powers than an ordinary Angel, not even an Archangel. Okay, how long until the loop she is in now comes to an end?"
"About, five Earth days, boss."
"Okay, that's the moment I will put her in her new body and take her with me to earth. I'll keep her close in the beginning to keep an eye on things. If it turns out that our experiment did not work and she reverts to her old habits, I'll bring her right back."
Belios said:
"Trust is good, but control is indeed much better!"
Time in Hell ran faster than it did on Earth. Thanks to the combination of the powers of Lucifer and Alexander, aided in the deepest secrecy by Michael, who had let some of his powers flow through Alex, they had managed to slow it down. But time was still far from synchronized. So Alexander had plenty of time to chair this extended work meeting and be back on Earth in time for his infamous lunch date. He appeared out of nowhere in the lux parking garage in his crisp suit and happily got into his new toy. After starting the engine, he couldn't resist pressing the gas pedal deeply a few times to echo the monstrous growl of the Senna. With a rather wide, mischievous smile, he tore out of the garage and made his way to the beach house. The black speed monster lived up to all his expectations, and he was sure he had committed a whole slew of infractions as he drove up the short driveway and brought the bolide to a stop. He walked energetically into the garden and dropped into a chair at the table that was already set. Celine, this time dressed not in a tight little concealing leather outfit but in an elegant, soft-colored summer dress, was already waiting for him. With a bemused smile, she asked:
"You have planned for some fun with your father and Rae Rae, I understand?"
He smiled broadly and said:
"Call it giving Dad a hand, and if that's funny at the same time, who am I to complain? Rae Rae is another story. That little Angel has been keeping something secret from us that I happened to find out this morning. I think it's time she paid the price for that..."
The Demon shook her head and said amusedly:
"Alex, with the best will in the world, sometimes I don't know if you're a youngster who's about to turn twenty-three or if you're a teenager whose favorite hobby is teasing your dad."
With Ella in the back seat of the cruiser. Ella had found it odd that the nightclub owner had actually done nothing but look out the sidewindow dreamily the entire drive, and Chloe had been extremely silent as well. Chloe drove up the short driveway of the luxurious house at the appointed hour and parked her car next to a silver Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster 722 S-specs and the pitch-black Senna. Two cars Ella knew extremely well as the car nut she was. When she got out of the cruiser, she was gawking at the Senna with big eyes and wide open mouth, and she just about started drooling. Lucifer said:
"Hmmm, I see you seem to have the same taste for these kinds of toys as my son. Then you will surely appreciate his little collection. The SLR, on the other hand, is his mom's, and if you would like to keep your hand attached to your body, I would recommend never touching it."
The little Latina had to force herself to get moving, or she would have remained nailed to the ground. Together with Chloe, she followed the nightclub owner through the spacious house. He walked resolutely toward the garden. Neither Alexander nor Celine bothered to stand straight as the trio walked into the garden, and with unabashed amusement, Alex said:
"Ah, I see our guests of honor have arrived. Please, sit down."
He pointed to the side of the table to his right and said as he patted the chair next to his:
"Dear Ella, do me the favor of keeping me company."
As the three took their seats, the scent of fresh apple blossoms once again penetrated Antichrist's nose as Ella was seated next to him. Something he did not find at all unpleasant. Chloe bluntly stated because she was on edge:
"What is it you want to tell us and show us, Alexander? After everything I've been through this morning with your father, I hope this is worth it!
He looked at her, not really understanding, and asked suspiciously:
"Apart from the container, is there anything else he might be responsible for?"
She looked him straight in the eye and said sarcastically:
"Depends on what passes for normal with you two. If you think it's normal for a young girl to beg for a pony, after which your father is absolutely unable to say no to said young girl, and then can think of nothing better than to casually arrange for a foal of a freaking real thoroughbred Arabian racehorse, then I'd say no, everything absolutely normal..."
Celine groaned and closed her eyes. Alex blinked a few times, but the smile forming on his face grew bigger and bigger until he could no longer contain himself and burst into laughter. When he had recovered somewhat, he asked:
"Please tell me you got him to correct that...hmmmm...little misunderstanding because I don't feel like ending up with a horse in my garden. A horse and my flowers do not mix so well."
The detective looked at the Devil and it was clear that the whole horse thing was still weighing heavily on her mind when she said:
"He'd better take care of that, or I'd like to find out exactly how vulnerable he is!"
The Devil swallowed audibly, and with that, she looked back at Alexander and said:
"And that brings us back to my original question!"
Alexander nodded. Got a demonic smile on his lips and said mysteriously:
"Of course, detective, and immediately. I hope you don't mind me saying grace before we start this conversation and this delicious lunch."
Ella did not understand, and Chloe merely watched as Alexander folded his hands and said:
"Oh, Azrael, I want your ass here NOW! And please, bring Uncle Mickey, because he'll be able to savor this lunch in particular, I'm sure."
When nothing happened for a moment, Chloe looked at him questioningly, and he said dryly:
"There are sometimes some delays on the line, detective; my apologies, especially when it comes to getting Uncle Michael from behind his desk."
Less than half a minute later, they heard the flapping of large wings, and two human forms appeared in the garden. One, Rae Rae in her usual cloak with the little round-rimmed glasses, which she absolutely did not need, her gray wings in full view. The other, a tall, broad, handsome man in a dark suit with long, blond, curly hair and black wings. Both Chloe's and Ella's eyes probably couldn't get any bigger, and if their mouths had hung open any further, their cheeks would have been torn. Rae Rae wanted to say something but suddenly saw Ella sitting next to Alexander at the table, and now she had equally big eyes and a very startled look on her face.
The blond man in his dark suit looked at the three women, shook his head, sat down at the table opposite Lucifer, and said somewhat excited:
"I can't wait to hear this explanation..."
Chloe turned pale and looked from the man to the woman and back to the man. Finally, she looked Alexander in the eye and spoke:
"So, it's all true? Lucifer is the Devil, you are the Antichrist, Heaven and Hell exist; God exists?"
Alexander saw that Ella had instinctively wrapped one hand around her little crucifix and that her other hand was shivering. He gently took the trembling hand in his and spoke one word:"
Yep..."
Ella did not withdraw her hand; on the contrary, she gripped Alexander's more firmly. She looked at Rae Rae, who had remained uneasily standing a short distance from the table. The little Latina asked almost pleadingly:
"But why? Why did you lie to me? Why did you let me believe all these years that you were a ghost?"
The little Angel looked at her feet, as she dared not look Ella in the eye, and fidgeted nervously with her hands as she answered:
"Because I was scared. When I arrived at that terrible car accident, it turned out you were still alive. Your name was on the list, and then suddenly it disappeared again. It turned out to be a false alarm; it happens sometimes. No administration is without errors, and the bigger, the more errors. The administration in heaven is the biggest of all, so do the math. The problem was that you could see me. Humans can't normally see me when I'm doing my job. When you asked who and what I was, I panicked. I said the first thing that came to mind, that I was a ghost that would stay with you until help showed up. I shouldn't have done it, and if Father knew, he wouldn't be very happy. But I couldn't help but keep looking you up. The light and warmth of your soul kept drawing me in. At first I thought it was because you were still a child that you could see me. Children are so much more open to the supernatural. But as you got older, you kept seeing me, and we had become such good friends in the meantime that I didn't dare confess the truth. You should know that once people know who and what I really am, they want absolutely nothing to do with me, and you were my very first human friend."
Rae Rae took a deep breath, looked straight in Ella's eyes, and said with watery eyes of her own:
"My full name is Azrael. I am the Archangel of Death. I guide the souls of deceased people to the afterlife if they are stuck on Earth for some reason."
Two thick tears ran down the little Angel's cheeks, and Ella jumped up and practically ran at her. She took Rae Rae in a firm hug and said:
"I am not afraid of you, Rae Rae, even now that I know you are the actual freaking Archangel Azrael. But please, no more lies, yes?"
The Angel looked at her expectantly over the lenses of her glasses that had comically slipped down to the tip of her nose:
"Does this mean you still want to remain friends with me?"
"Of course, Chicka! But I'm going to have to get all that processed in my brain. Wow... I'm best friends with a daughter of The Big Guy... oh wow..."
Alexander and Michael had been watching the scene amused. The Antichrist said:
"Why don't you ladies join us at the table? I'm sure there will be a lot more questions asked."
Ella took her place next to Alex, and Rae Rae sat down next to Michael. The latter looked at the young Antichrist:
"I take it you'd like me to come up with a plan so the two of them can have a little more time to hang out with each other in a more normal way now that the truth is out? instead of Rae Rae making visits on the sly."
Alex nodded:
"Micky, I would be extremely grateful if that did not cause any issues with Grandpa."
"Don't worry about it, kid..."
Alexander was the first to scoop his plate full and said:
"I always get hungry from sappy stories; probably that's why I always stuff my face when I watch a romcom."
He looked at Rae Rae and asked:
"Am I to believe that our lovely Miss Lopez suddenly found that Detroit was a little too cold and she casually decided to move to sunny LA, where there are not only palm trees and warmth from the sun, but where, coincidentally, the Devil, your big brother, has found a home after retirement?"
The little Angel turned as red as a tomato and said softly:
"Maybe not quite, no..."
"Why?"
The Angel looked at Ella as if silently asking permission to answer. The little Latina nodded, and Rae Rae said:
"Ella had to leave Detroit because she was a little too attracted to the darkness. No, nothing supernatural. Rather her circle of socalled friends that really were nothing but a real bad influence on her and her state of mind. I thought she could use a little more light. So LA, and if my favorite human were to be near none other than the Lightbringer, his son, and the rest of my family here on Earth, then that would be a win-win. However, I hadn't taken into account that everything would happen so quickly and that Ella would be exposed to the celestial almost immediately."
Alexander nodded:
"Okay, understood. But dear aunt, this action of yours has consequences. You are from now on Ella's first point of contact for everything related to the celestial. I'm sure Dad would have no problem answering questions, but I think his time is now better spent on someone else, and you know I'm not always available and my schedule is not always stable."
That was the moment Chloe finally came back to her full senses enough to speak:
"My civilian consultant in the police department is none other than the Devil!"
She looked at Lucifer and asked almost pleadingly:
"Why? Why me?"
The Devil was apparently not as hungry as his son and played a little with his fork and the bit of food that was on his plate. He said softly:
"As I said before, detective, you are special. Yes, it all started because I was intrigued by you because you could resist my mojo. But that motive faded very quickly. I wanted to work with you because you are special...because I wanted to be around you. I wanted to spend as much time with you as possible. And if that was by helping you punish criminals, well, that was a bonus."
Chloe took a big sip from her glass of white wine and suddenly asked again absolutely seriously:
"You are the Devil and your son is the Antichrist! Please tell me that the research I did last night is correct. That you two are not evil and have nothing bad to do with humanity. That you never killed humans, tortured them, or God knows what? Please say that Trixie is in no danger!"
Before Lucifer or Alex could say anything, Michael roared out. He had to drink a sip because he almost choked, looked Chloe in the eye, and said:
"Miss Decker, do you know my name, and do you know who I am and what I stand for?"
She nodded and said:
"You seem to be Michael, the famous Saint Michael, the leader of the Heavenly forces and the personification of justice."
He nodded:
"Almost correct...
He pointed his finger at Lucifer:
"I am indeed everything you just listed, but he is the personification of justice. We are twins, detective, and at the same time we are each part of a whole, the Demiurge, the Will, and the Power of God. In that respect, we are each other's counterparts. He is light, and I'm the darkness; the color of my wings gives that kind of away. He is matter; I'm the antimatter; he is creation; I'm destruction. Where he personifies justice, then I personify the punishment that comes after justice has been spoken. And as for your question. I may be the commander of the Heavenly forces, Lucifer was the leader of a very different group of Angels; art, knowledge, science, love, mercy. If there is an Angel in Heaven who would be responsible for the destruction of man, it will not be Lucifer, but that task will fall on my shoulders. So, no, from Luci you have absolutely nothing to fear. I can attest to the fact that he has never, since mankind walked the Earth killed a human or tortured one. Well, maybe he had some fun with a uniquely despicable specimen after their arrival in hell, but who wouldn't, if given the chance to take the piss out of Hitler or Mao, or whatever it is you have in that brain of yours."
This time he pointed to Alexander:
"From our young Antichrist here, mankind has nothing to fear either. Unless you belong to the category for which there is a cell reserved in the deepest caverns of Hell. I cannot attest to the fact that he never killed a human and had fun doing so, but what I can attest to is that those bastards all seemed to escape human justice and would go on and live on happily ever after, continuing whatever evil, vile things they were doing. I won't shed tears for those bastards, just as Father doesn't, and if He believes that Alex's actions are justified, I believe you shouldn't worry either. What mankind can expect from him is the opposite of the crap you people believe the Antichrist will bring about. His sole objective, his grand vision for the future, is to create a world where segregation no longer exists. Not just among humans, but across the whole board. No more segregation between Human, Angel, or Demon. Everyone equal under the law, no exceptions! That dream of his makes for quite the lively conversations with his grandfather. Something that every Angel in Heaven runs like, pardon me the pun, as if the Devil is on their heels. This is to get as far away from those conversations between the two of them as they possibly can. Because believe me, Alex and Father can get into it a bit, to put it mildly. Those, Miss Decker, are the two individuals sitting at the table here with us for whom humanity trembles in their boots. And what is this fear based on? Lies! Nothing more and nothing less than vile lies."
He took another large sip from his glass, which the Devil promptly filled to the top.
"Yes, there was a great unrest in Heaven when Luci began his so-called rebellion. And I say so-called for a damn good reason. Humans made it a rebellion, a revolt, a fucking war. That could not be further from the truth. When things threatened to get out of hand, my little brother threw himself at the feet and the mercy of Father to end it right then and there. And believe me, he took the brunt of it. A punishment most of Heaven does not agree with and are absolutely opposed to. But when the guy dealing out the punishment is God, what are you going to do about it? The Result: two groups emerged. One group remained loyal to the changes Luci wanted to make but could do little to change the rules or bring what Luci wanted to achieve to reality; again, God stands in the way. Our little baby sister, the youngest Angel of us all, Rae Rae here is the leader of that group. The other group are zealots led by Amenadiel, the self-proclaimed favorite of God. That group holds on to an Old Testament God and thinks humanity is a failed experiment of Father. A group that is rather disappointed that Mother failed in her attempt to wipe your species out of existence. That group was and is downright jealous of humanity because you seemingly hold a special place in Father's heart. God decreed that Angels are at the service of humanity, that we should help and protect you. They understood that decree as if they were to be servants of humanity. Their only goal is to exterminate humanity. The only reason Amenadiel feels himself the favorite is that he sees everything Father does or says as God's will and absolutely does not question it. In the past, if God wanted something done on Earth, of which he knew a lot of us would have problems with, he called for Amenadiel, and he ran to carry out Father's wishes, never questioning them. The problem is that Amenadiel's group is made up of warriors, and Rae Rae's group are the angels who see Lucifer as their leader, and they are not exactly figures who would do well on the battlefield if you listened to my little list of Angels who followed Luci. The only reason it hasn't come to an open battle in Heaven is not Father. For some damn reason, God has pulled his hands off humanity and the day-to-day business in heaven. Yours truly runs that damn circus in his stead so he can retreat to his private quarters as much and as long as possible. Rae Rae has the full support of J and M, besides that, I am there with my people. We maintain peace and act as a protective shield for Rae Rae and her group. However, we cannot do this openly; it is a delicate exercise in rope walking. I do it under the cover that I will not stand for any dissent or the slightest form of aggression and will punish those who dare to challenge my orders with full force and with the blessing of Father. And yes, that means that even the death penalty is an option at my disposal. J and M can do it openly and mess around with politics. Given their status in Heaven, the fact that J outranks Amenadiel in the hierarchy, and he cannot rebel against J if he is not to fall out of favor with Father or worse. Go against J, and that is almost a certain way to get God to go Old Testament on your ass. Since his last stunt with Luci, in which he pissed Alexander off considerably, Amenadiel has been walking on the edge of a razor-sharp sword and, as far as I know, has been keeping his head down. He has pissed off Vader with his ill-considered action and forced Vader into a corner, where the latter could do nothing but accede to Alexander's demands. And that is the absolute last position our Amenadiel wants to find himself in, his oh-so-beloved God not giving him a glance for the moment."
Ella and Chloe took a moment to process and fully understand the words Michael had spoken. Until Ella suddenly asked:
"Who are those J and M?"
As Rae Rae giggled, Michael's head made contact with the table with a not-so-subtle thump. In that position, the blond general said:
"J and M are Jesus and the Magdala. And please, if you want to know more about those two, ask after I'm gone, because I have absolutely no desire to see Alexander turn into a history teacher because then his babbling will know no end."
Alex pretended to be offended and said:
"But Uncle Micky, I'm a history teacher, and I like to be accurate."
Michael lifted his head, looked at him bored, and said:
"Kid, your dad and I existed before there was matter and antimatter in this universe; without us, there would be no history, and we lived that damn history. So do me a favor and shove it..."
Ella looked excited at Alex, smiled softly, and asked:
"You're really a history teacher?"
He swallowed a piece of melon he had just put in his mouth, nodded energetically, and said:
"Yep, well, I actually got a couple of doctorates because this could help me with what I am planning. But I studied here at UCLA and got a double doctorate. Psychology on the one hand and archaeology for the fun of it on the other, with a mayor on the Roman Empire. I help out about twice a week in a school downtown with kids that do really poorly in that subject. I do not mean the Romans but history as a subject. I'm trying to get their grades up so they do not have to do a year over or help them to graduate."
Hearing this suddenly made it look as if she was lighting up a bit while looking at Alexander. Something Celine did not miss and found very interesting. Michael stood up, signaling that it was time for him to leave. He looked at Chloe and said:
"I hope that what I have said to you has been able to put you at ease a bit. If you ever need help with that idiot, pray to me, and I will come. I closed myself off for prayers, or I would get nothing done, but I'll make sure you have a direct line to me from now on."
He looked at Ella, got a sneaky smile on his face because he too had seen how the young Latina was looking at the Antichrist, and said:
"No, you don't get a direct line! You have your own personal Antichrist and a guardian Angel on top of that, whom you can harass when you have questions, and I have no doubt you will have about a million plus some more. I have enough trouble with a bubbly Rae Rae storming in to my office or, worse, my home for no reason at all at all times of day or night. Let alone having to spend my time with the two of you together while I could be doing more interesting things like watching paint dry or grass grow..."
The next moment, the general had disappeared from the garden. Alex drained his glass and asked seriously:
"Any questions at this point, ladies? And I don't mean the more mundane questions that will surely come to you after this revelation really starts to sink in. Things like: What do Heaven and Hell look like? Is Hitler in Hell? What does God look like, and what is He like? No, I mean questions about my Devil or myself. I would like to get those out of the way, after which we can all move on with our existence. I admit, for you it will never be the same now that you know the celestial is real, but that shouldn't stop you from living your lives and doing whatever it is you people do."
Almost immediately, Chloe asked:
"What is our role in all this? What do we small, powerless mortals mean compared to beings like you?"
He looked at her with a soft, warm look in his eyes:
"Who said you are mortal, Miss Decker?"
She looked at him non-comprehendingly, and he clarified:
"Every soul harbors a minute particle of divinity. The time between your birth and the moment you die is just a phase. As far as I'm concerned, call it going to school. If you graduate, you go to Heaven; if you flunk, you go to Hell. Once that school is over, your life only begins, and believe me, your soul is already as immortal as that Devil sitting next to you. The only difference is that you are still in school and have to shed your mortal coil at some point, but after that, you are just as immortal as he is. And those who say you are small and meaningless don't know what they are talking about. Why don't you ask Lucifer in a quiet moment where you can talk undisturbed about the meaning and nonsense of life? Ask him what he thinks about humanity. I promise you, you will be amazed at how highly he rates you little people."
Some time later, Alexander walked with his guests toward their car. Again, Ella kept looking at Senna with a dreamy expression as the drool almost ran out of her mouth. He saw it and looked at her amused. He leaned a little closer toward her and suddenly caught the full scent of her apple blossom shampoo in his nose, and it did something strange to his stomach. Mischievously, he whispered in her ear:
"If you promise not to harm my new baby and not to drive like a grandma turtle, you can get behind the wheel and drive her back to the precinct because I have to be in town for a while anyway..."
Her eyes almost popped out of her sockets when she heard the words. When he took the special key out of his pocket and held it in front of her on an outstretched hand, she knew he absolutely meant it. The little Latina grabbed the key, as fast as the laws of physics allowed her hand to move, from his outstretched hand and got behind the wheel while a smiling antichrist took a place in the passenger seat. The black hypercar came to life with a monstrous roar, and with screeching tires, Ella left Lucifer and Chloe standing. Lucifer got a chuckle and said to the detective:
"It looks like the kids are having fun. Shall we get back to work? I think we have a date with some leather-clad gentlemen with the unpoetically name los Diablo's. Should they wear any other kind of leather, I might have been tempted to offer them a job as go-go dancers in Lux... Alas, you can't have everything in life..."
As the Devil took his usual spot in her cruiser, Chloe thought:
"What the hell did I do to deserve this..."
And that would absolutely not be the last time she would think that.