Detective Decker steered her cruiser in her usual cautious manner. Perhaps even a little more cautious now that her attention was divided between the impossible LA traffic and the whirlwind in her brain. The Devil in the passenger seat tried to dispel the boredom he felt as the detective drove by busying himself with his new cell phone that he had bought because she had been riding him on it. In no time he had discovered social media and found it to be a damn fun activity. In no time he had built up a following that others could envy, and the attention he received did his already overgrown ego especially good. Suddenly he heard:
"Lucifer?"
From beside her, it didn't sound very interested:
"Hmmm."
Yet she knew he heard absolutely every word she spoke. As if the biggest nonsense she had to say was somehow special to him.
"Lucifer, I have at least a million questions, and after what I have seen and heard this afternoon, I am storming toward an existential crisis. The only reason I can keep it together for the moment and not hide myself in my bed with a box of wine is because we have a murder investigation on our hands."
Of course he had to comment on the most trivial thing in the words she had spoken.
"A box of wine? Please tell me that your taste buds are not so underdeveloped that you like wine from a cardboard box."
She ignored his words and rolled her eyes. The Devil stored his new toy in his inside pocket and said more seriously this time:
"You are a woman of lists. You even make lists of lists to make. Why don't you just make a few lists? Just write down your questions as they come, no matter how illogical or jumbled they may be. Then take all those lists and make a new one, THE LIST, that you think makes sense and works. Together we can see what can be done with it. I promise to try to answer all your questions to the full truth. Some things even I don't know. For the last few thousand years I have not been a beloved presence up there. Well yes, I haven't been up there for thousands of years, so..."
"I have a question I want to ask now because it has to do with this case."
Lucifer sighed because he knew exactly what she was getting at. The one subject he would prefer not to talk to her about. Which he hoped she would have partially forgotten about.
"Of course, detective, just ask."
"Why are your wings in a container? Are those things removable or something?"
The Devil sighed deeply again and said softly:
"or something yes..."
"She looked at him from the side for a moment:
"A few seconds ago you already promised to answer my questions to the fullest. So I would appreciate it if you at least made a sincere effort not to be evasive. That you are open with me..."
"Very well, detective, the short answer might not make you much wiser and give you even more questions than an answer. So bear with me, please... Our wings are not just decoration. Among other things, they are our main way of getting around besides the fact that they can be used in a fight as a defense or as an offensive weapon. But that's a whole other story. Our wings allow us to travel between dimensions, the realms of Heaven, Hell, and Earth. It allows us to fly from point A to point B in a normal way, but it also allows us to do trans-location. In fact, going from point A to point B instantly without losing any time, maybe a nanosecond. Father and Alex are the only two Celestials who are the exception to that rule."
For a moment it looked like he had the smile of a proud father on his face.
"Alex has wings, two beautiful blood-red ones, but he only uses them to have some fun in the air when he goes for a flight at night. Or to scare the living daylights out of a really bad guy. I know his pursuits or better what they are will be on one of those lists of yours. Trust me right now that what we usually hunt are toddlers who stole a gumball. Alexander plays at a whole other much higher level."
He raised his hand for a moment because he knew her detective mind would threaten to override the conversation and said:
"Trust me... Most of the time he just snaps his fingers, and he appears wherever he wants. Heaven, Hell, Australia—it doesn't matter. Even that snapping of his fingers he doesn't need. It's something he started doing as a child when he started experimenting with manifesting. Also something only he and Father can do on Earth, a sign of their immense power, so to speak. He thought that was so incredibly cool as a kid and just kept doing it."
He pointed to the city through the windshield:
"Alex decided to go to college here in LA, and I came to visit him when he and Celine were moving. I decided that I wanted to be closer to my son. So I decided that I would semi retire as King of Hell and make a new life here. If Father had anything against it, then he could just come down and take care of it himself. I decided that I would never, ever go back to that damn place on my own accord."
He softly shook his head:
"I've already told you about that pig-headed brother who wanted me back in Hell over and over again. Because I didn't want to use violence, let alone really hurt him, it came to a skirmish during which we exchanged some brotherly punches, after which I more or less voluntarily returned to Hell for a while. Under my own power with my own wings. When I decided to stay in LA and I don't have my wings anymore, there is only one way left for him because off that . He has to bring me back personally. He and that small group of siblings he belongs to who believe I do belong in Hell know there is only one way to do this, and that is to use force."
I don't have my wings anymore
"They really see me as the monster, the Devil father called me just before he pronounced his punishment. Those idiots take every word of him as absolute truth written in stone. Something I am not too worried about now that I no longer have my wings. There are really only three ways to get it done. The first is overt violence. They could come to Earth as a group, attack me and trow my featherless ass in Hell. But Father has strictly forbidden that, violence between Angels on Earth surrounded by humans who would be guaranteed to share in the lumps if so many celestial powers were released all at once. If there is anything that group absolutely observes, it is a decree from Father. The second way is that Father himself would intervene, but this one has not allowed himself to be seen in thousands years on Earth and is hardly ever seen in Heaven since he left Michael in daily charge there because Father is apparently playing with something new in his workspace. Michaels mojo is fear and that is mostly enough to make any of the Angels yield. If that is not enough he still has his full Demiurge powers so it would be very silly trying to go against Michael, certainly if he is pissed."
He looked at her with a twinkle n his eyes:
"My twin is not the Saint as described in the Bible detective. Piss him of enough and he will strike to hurt, hurt badly and he will enjoy the process. The third way is the only Angel who could defeat me now that I no longer have wings, and that Angel is Michael. The first and only time he did it was at Father's direct command. In Heaven, no Angel can ignore a direct command from Father. Somehow I am the exception; otherwise, we would not have had all this misery. At least that was so until Michael brought me into the domain of Hell. Something strange happened at the moment we passed the tress-hold. He told you at the table that together we are the Demiurge, the most powerful among the Angels. The absolute power of Father's Will and Power. One could say that Mommy and Daddy did the naughty thing, and there was the Big Bang. It was Michael and I who, as His Will and Power, brought order to that primordial soup. The moment Michael brought me into the domain of Hell by Father's command, part of me, the part of the Demiurge I represent the Will, passed into him. He still does not have full free will; only you humans have that, but that which he has was enough to make it very clear to Father that he did that once but would never do it again or bad things would happen in Heaven. So by removing my wings I gave Father the ultimate middle finger, so to speak. If he wants me back in Hell, then he has no choice but to come to Earth himself and do it."
Chloe pondered Lucifer's words for a moment. They made it clear how determined he was never to return to that terrible place. However, she also had a brief flashback to her dreams from earlier that night. She said:
"Two questions, Lucifer."
He continued to look at her intently. Knowing that one of those questions would inevitably go to how his wings had ended up in that damn container.
"With that trans-location, as you call it, can you transport people and to, oh I don't know, let's say, Mars?"
The Devil looked at her, not understanding but answering anyway:
"Of course we can. But why would we want to? It's been more or less a dead planet for millions of years. All that dust, pfff, even worse than a day at the beach with that Urchin of yours."
The detective turned a little red and quickly changed the subject:
"My second question. I understand that you don't want to go back to Hell, so you've taken your precautions. But how did those wings of yours get into that container?"
"The wings of Angels are loaded with Devine powers. For example, they can heal wounds. The downside is that they can have a very negative effect on people's psyche. Ever heard of the Jerusalem syndrome detective?"
She looked at him doubtfully and said:
"Isn't that where people suddenly think they are Jesus?"
He laughed somewhat at that comment by Chloe and said:
"It's much broader than that. Jerusalem pretty much means the center of the world to three religions. And it's not just believers or fanatics who have to deal with it. There are cases know of the most even-handed atheists suddenly having to deal with it upon arrival in the city, usually Old Jerusalem. The really historic part. It ranges from psychoses, visions, to spiritual experiences that cannot directly be explained to be the more shall we say unstable spirits that suddenly claim to be a prophet, the reincarnation of Abraham, David or Solomon and my favorite, to be the second coming of my little brother."
"Wait, what... Please say you mean another little brother than the one I'm thinking of right now!"
"If you were thinking of a young thirty-something in sandals riding a donkey through Jerusalem, alas detective."
"Oooo... You're going to tell me about that later in full detail mister, but I don't want to lose the thread here. What does that syndrome have to do with your wings."
"Right yes, those bloody appendages! For some reason Father took a special interest in that city thousands of years ago. His interest in the city began with David, the shepherd boy who became King of the Jews by beating a beast of a bloke with a slingshot. You know the story. Once King, Father whispered in his ear that he should make the city the capital. David himself had fought quite a few wars, which for a tangled web of political wrangling made it difficult for him to build a Temple in honor of Father. His son Solomon did not have that problem so he was able to build that Temple. Since that moment, the build-up of divinity began and a heavy echo of it still hangs in the city. During that time there have been so many Angel manifestations, miracles, prophets and of course Yeshua ben Joseph wit the biggest miracle of all..."
"Who now?"
He looked at her with pleasure in the eyes and said:
"I think you need to take tutoring from that history teacher/son of mine detective. Yeshua ben Joseph is the original name of Jesus. The West led by Rome made it Jesus. But what I wanted to say, all those manifestations of The divine in a single place has caused Jerusalem to have an effect on the psyche of certain humans to this day. Being in the presence of the wings of an Angel let alone coming into contact with them can have disastrous consequences. Hence, they had to be stored very safely."
She nodded:
"Okay, I can understand that. Not a good idea to leave those things lying around where anyone can see or touch them and go gaga. But how did they get off your back and into that container Lucifer!"
In a small voice he replied. Partly because it brought up very painful, literally, memories and largely out of fear of her reaction:
"Shortly after we arrived in LA I told Maze to cut them off and put them away."
Chloe slammed on the brakes hard, steering the car to the edge of the road. She looked at him sternly:
"You did what now!"
The look in her eyes did not bode well, it was not a question she was asking. Her face and eyes betraying to him that he had probably once again failed to take something into account. Something Chloe, as the detective she was, had picked up on immediately and was now pissed about. He swallowed for a second and said:
"I told Maze to cut off my wings so no one could force me back to Hell..."
She closed her eyes for a moment and then asked softly:
"That one morning in the Penthouse, those big scars on your back that I saw..."
He only nodded. She looked deeply into his eyes and said:
"Right now I don't know what to do first! And don't go fucking make a teenage joke about it or one of your offhanded sexual innuendo's because I'm so not in the freaking mood right now, understood! On the one hand, I would like to take you in my arms because something like that must have hurt so damn terribly. And because you were so gigantically abused psychologically and driven to the point where you saw self-mutilation as the solution that it shatters my heart. On the other hand, here and now I want to strangle you so damn slowly because it had entered your thick head to tell Maze to do such a thing! AND I bet at this point neither of those two brain cells you seem to own know what I'm talking about!"
Just as the conversation between Chloe and Lucifer was heating up more and more, Ella, with the tip of her tongue hanging out of one corner of her mouth a bit to Alex's immense amusement, tore around the last corner behind the wheel of the Senna with squealing and smoking tires before driving a bit more restrained into the underground garage of the police station. She came to a stop in the corner reserved for visitors. Every cop and visitor present in the garage took a second look at the car. It's not every day you see a black work of art on wheels go by. Before Ella brought the car to a stop, she lowered her window. She couldn't resist pressing the gas pedal a few more times which she did. She closed her eyes enjoying herself as the infernal growl of the hyper-car echoed through the garage. With a deep sigh and an even bigger smile, she stopped the engine and got out. She seemed to be trembling on her legs. Without any thought, being her eccentric warm self she hugged Alex firmly and said:
"Thanks, I haven't had this much fun in years."
He allowed himself the hug as it felt heavenly to him. Though there was nothing more behind it than Ella's natural bubblyness. However, he couldn't help but take in the scent of her hair deeply. When she released him, he said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes:
"New in town, right? Come by Lux tonight. I'll make sure your name is on the list of special guests. The security people will show you the way to the parking garage. You should be at minus two but you'll need an access code to get there. I think I have a little surprise for a little motor mouse like you."
She looked at him suspiciously for a moment. His smirk appeared on his face and he asked:
"What's the matter you don't trust your friendly neighborhood Antichrist?"
This obvious reference to Spiderman made her giggle. She said:
"I have heard from Lux or should I say heard what reputation the club has in the city and even the country. And you're just going to make sure that a stranger like me can just walk in there when even well-known Hollywood-names can't count on preferential treatment?"
He nodded decisively:
"It has its advantages when your father is not only the Devil but also the owner of Lux."
He saw her ponder that statement for a second and then make the connection:
"lux, light, The Lightbringer..."
"Someone give Miss Ella a cookie..."
She turned a little red in the face and almost whispered:
"I have heard that Lux is a party paradise where the guests...hmmm.... can pursue certain pleasures. Nothing really outrageous but not exactly Sunday school either. You should know why Rae Rae wanted me out of Detroit. I was slipping too much toward the dark side of life. I was not an immediate textbook example of a good Catholic girl. I promised her I would do better. You could say she saved me from much worse. Now that I know she is literally Azrael I could call her my guardian angel. I therefore intend to keep my promise Alex. Not because I am afraid of offending an Archangel but because I noticed almost immediately after I decided to follow her advice that I began to feel incredibly better. And I like how I am now and I don't want to go back to that dark Ella. That's why I no longer just go on a date with someone I barely know or just got to know more or less. let alone loose, mindless one night stands."
Just like that morning on the crime scene, he theatrically put his hand on his heart and said with pleasure in his voice:
"But Miss Lopez what do you think of this poor Antichrist. This is not a date. Call it a kind of...hmmm.... museum visit. Jeans and T-shirt or hoody are absolutely appropriate as a dress code. We won't even see the inside of Lux. Unless, out of pure interest, you want to take a look inside the club when we go to Dad's penthouse afterwards. Trust me, after what you're going to get to see, a glass of wine will be the least you're going to need."
She laughed out loud:
"Yes I can see it happening already. Me Ella Lopez a nobody in jeans and a hoody in Lux, they will be staring quite a bit. Staring me out the door that is."
He got a serious look in his eyes and said:
Miss Ella, don't ever say you're a nobody again! You are fucking Ella Lopez a force of nature on two short legs. Friend of powerful Archangels and I hope to be able to say a friend of this Antichrist. You Ella are special, much, much more so than all those so-called Hollywood wannabes who are eager like trained poodles to be even tolerated in Lux."
She heard the seriousness in his voice and felt that what he said was absolutely heartfelt. She didn't know where it came from but it made butterflies flutter in her stomach. She gave him a short gentle kiss on the cheek and said:
"You really are one of the good guys. Oh, I have no doubt that as who you are you are capable of bad things because my baddy radar sometimes goes off at level eleven with you. Okay, deal. Tonight Lux, jeans and Hoody and it's definitely not a date..."
She turned on the heels of her sneakers and disappeared. Just before she entered the building she turned back for a second and asked asked:
"What code do I need?"
he winked and said:
"666, of course..."
That made her laugh hard as she disappeared inside the building. He watched her until she was out of sight. Took a seat behind the wheel and spurred the Senna toward Lux where he had an appointment to talk something through. On the way, he had a constant smile on his face and unconsciously fired off a prayer:
"Uncle J give me the strength..."