Alexander's last encounter with his father had left him with a throbbing headache. The changes he was making in the lowest three circles of hell had suddenly been set back years by his reckless actions. He was tired of the eternal two steps forward, one step back, and he was tired of screaming. He had flown into the suite like a type-11 hurricane and was shouting:
"I'm going to kill him, this time I'm really going to kill him! I'm going to fucking cut his head off!"
Celine replied laconically:
"Can't do it, Alex, or we'll get stuck in a time loop, remember?"
"I'll be stuck in a time loop, not you darling. First I'm going to send you back home in the company of Anna! And your argument that I would be stuck in a timeloop is not exactly a counter-argument, I would rather call it an enticing sales pitch. If I'm stuck in a timeloop, I can kill him over and over again, an endlessly satisfying thought..."
When Lucifer entered his son's suite and the latter didn't even bother to stand up or look at him, he knew he was in trouble. Anna, who still had a small smile after Alexander's tirade, refilled his and Celine's glasses and brought the King a glass of his favorite whiskey. After the Antichrist took a big swig, he spoke softly:
"Dad, I don't even want to know what on earth you could be thinking after that stunt of yours. Right now, Pazuzu is whipping up his damn warriors, and that means I can go to the lower circles in a few days and put down another rebellion. Celine and I didn't invest six thousand damn years to see everything go to shit at the last minute!"
He lit a cigarette, looked the Devil straight in the eye, and said:
"Do everyone a damn favor, Dad, take Mazikeen with you and disappear to Earth until it's time to remove Godfry from the throne. We are too close to our goal. I can't risk you starting another revolution in Hell just when we need to go to war with Heaven! And knowing you, that would be exactly what would happen..."
This was a solution that seemed to please everyone. Lucifer is always happy to be out of Hell. Mazikeen, who also enjoyed a little party on Earth and knew that there was no one better than Lucifer to get a party started. Celine enjoyed the silence when the King of Hell was not in Hell. Generals Bearus and Belios were reassured that their job was much easier without a King who was more of a hindrance than anything else, and without a Prince who was so nervous that he could burn someone out of existence at any moment. But most of all, an Antichrist who was relaxed and able to look at his strategy and plan with a clear head.
8 BS
Alexander and Celine did their best to stay as far away from Lucifer as possible. His father had made a life for himself in Los Angeles over the past two years. By day, he was a dealer in antique religious art and books, of all things. By night, he was a party monster who frequented the city's top clubs. Women and men lined up to share the sheets with the seemingly wealthy dealer with the devil's stick. Mazikeen oversaw the security of his business and the shipping of the often priceless art. Alexander had been relieved when Crowley and his partner, the angel Aziraphael, told him what his father was doing on Earth. Something that diminished a bit when he had to order Crowley and Aziraphael to intervene. Apparently, Lucifer had gotten involved with a painting that had been stolen by the Nazis. When the Devil complained about the intervention to Alex in a safe place far away from prying eyes, Alex had to deliver a sermon. He had to explain to Lucifer why it was absolutely not a good idea to get involved with Nazi art because he would inadvertently attract a lot of attention in all the wrong ways. Especially when he was on the wrong side of the law. When Lucifer still didn't seem to understand, Alexander took a different approach and made it personal. He explained that being involved with art stolen by the Nazis was not appreciated in certain circles. That he was now a very popular figure in the nightlife scene. A status that would fade very quickly to the point of becoming a pariah. That he could very quickly say goodbye to his constant partying in Los Angeles. That his party bed would very quickly become very empty and very cold. And that he should not count on the idea that simply moving cities or continents would be a solution. Once branded by Nazi art, he would never get rid of that mark. And what did the Devil promptly do? Of course, instead of doing it quietly and discreetly, he immediately did the fucking opposite. Instead of being on the wrong side of the law with stolen art, he profiled himself as the good guy by tracking down this kind of art. For free, like some kind of fucking philanthropist. Once he found it, he sent Mazikeen to steal it from the bad guys and return it to its rightful owners. For free because he was the good guy, but not a humble guy because he made sure reporters were on the scene to report on his good deeds. That this too would bring publicity did not seem to bother Lucifer. Soon he had built a reputation and was only too happy to enjoy the media spotlight. Alexander and Celine had made sure to get a good buzz after seeing Lucifer's first television interview, hoping for all that was holy and unholy that his escapades would be confined to works of art and books.
4 BS
Alex and Celine had gone to their secret hideout on Earth, the only place where he seemed to be able to really relax and let go. His two idiots Aziraphael and Crowley wanted to give a comprehensive report on Lucifer's occupations and the activities of Alex's Earth-based organization. Alex had deliberately put Lucifer last on the agenda because he wanted to put off his headache as long as possible. So when the Ultimate could no longer be postponed, he said rather gruffly:
"Okay, what about my father?"
The Angel and the Demon looked at each other for a moment before Crowley cleared his throat and answered:
"A few things happened in quick succession, boss. There was an incident at Lux. He was in contact with the LAPD. Specifically, the homicide department. After all, a friend of his was shot dead in front of Lux's entrance and he wanted to know at all costs who the perpetrator was to punish him. He is in contact with detectives Espinoza and Decker."
Alex's face became extremely tense. If he had bitten his molars any harder, he probably would have shattered them. But he said nothing and let Crowley continue:
"Detective Decker seems to be strangely immune to Lucifer's charms, and as you can imagine, that works like a red rag on the proverbial bull."
The Antichrist lit another cigarette and had to think for a moment. This compilation was so close to the goal that he did not expect it and could miss it like a toothache. Finally he asked quietly:
"Do you have any idea why Mazikeen has not contacted you to solve this problem in some way?"
Crowley shook his head:
"No idea, boss. I was expecting a call and had made my preparations. I could have had her transferred to the FBI academy in Quantico in a heartbeat. A promotion she couldn't say no to, given the prestige of that place. Unfortunately, the call never came."
"So now we are left with what is probably a pawn of Godfry in my father's daily life, even if she does not know it herself. Damn nice. Any idea how Decker could show up so unexpectedly in his life?"
Aziraphael took a deep breath and said:
"Initially just stupid bad luck. Decker was assigned to the murder, nothing out of the ordinary with that. What followed, well that is a trap, that's for sure. At about the same time as the Detective, Amenadiel reappeared, and it looks like he won't be disappearing anytime soon. Your father is all too aware that something is going on. For his nemesis has appeared. Strangely, Amenadiel makes no move at this point to drag Lucifer back to Hell by force. As far as we can tell, he has verbally admonished your father a few times to go back to Hell, but he seems to stop there. The only conclusion we can draw is that Amenadiel must be playing some other little game. A long con, so to speak, at the behest of Godfry, because we know that he himself does not have the patience or the brains to come up with such a thing. So Godfry has turned his attention back to your father. Thus, Lucifer is currently applying the adage: keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. Amenadiel's presence, however, puts us at a pretty big disadvantage, boss. Amenadiel knows that Decker is in your father's sphere of influence, so we can no longer take her away from the scene without him knowing something is up. Especially not since he, euch…, volunteered his time to be a civilian consultant for the LAPD as long as he can work with detective Decker. There is no way we can get close to Lucifer now without that idiot noticing because he is making himself at home and dropping in and out as he sees fit. So we have to let this one play out."
Crowley added:
"The only surveillance we have now is electronic, through the devices I have installed in his studio, gallery, Lux and the penthouse, and of course through Patrick."
Wearily Alexander asked:
"Is there something else I should need to know?"
"During the first case, the one of his murdered friend, he got in touch with a therapist. The few conversations he had with the good doctor must have pleased him so much that he decided to undergo therapy under her care."
Alexander blinked a few times and stared at Aziraphael and Crowley with a gaze that seemed to go into infinity. For a moment, his brain seemed to refuse to accept the information. When Celine chuckled softly, he finally managed to say:
"Are you really telling me that my father, the Devil, the King of Hell, is going to voluntarily lie down on a psychiatrist's couch and pour out his soul?"
Aziraphael nodded:
"Yes, Alex. Apparently, he finds it a blessing that he can finally vent to someone who is not part of this divine circus."
They let Alexander think for a moment and finally Celine asked:
"What do you think, Alexander?"
He lit a cigarette and said:
"First of all, I would say that he has finally done something he can't get into trouble with. With all the trauma that has built up in him over the millennia, it's actually not a bad idea to talk things through with a therapist. He can only benefit. Unfortunately, we know him all too well, and sooner or later that bubble will burst as well."
He shook his head for a moment and asked:
"Did you go over his file with his therapist?"
They both nodded and Aziraphael said:
"The doctor's initial diagnosis is that Lucifer has a personality disorder. That he must have suffered considerable trauma in his childhood at the hands of his parents. That is why he adopted the alter ego of the friendly devil and speaks in metaphors when he talks about his past and his family."
"Okay, as long as he doesn't sprout wings in the middle of a session, I won't worry too much for now. We are going to put this under doctor-patient confidentiality from now on, though. So his file and his sessions are off limits."
He stubbed out his cigarette:
"Okay, it is what it is for now. If we can't get closer to him, then we have to find someone who can. In this case I think of a lot of invisible people. The homeless and unfortunately Los Angeles has more than enough of them. Crowley, start recruiting some of these people, will you, concentrate on veterans. All they have to do is keep an eye on them. Report where Lucifer and Amenadiel go in the city and if possible who they are in contact with. Nothing else, absolutely no contact with either of them! Just watch and report from the shadows. And as always, compensate them well and help them get back on their feet in a healthy way."
He refilled his glass and asked:
"Is there anything else I should know?"
"In addition to several restaurants he has bought or invested in over the past two years, he now fully owns the nightclub Lux. He has appointed Patrick as his head bartender so that we can keep an eye on the club at all times. Your father's time is now divided between his new toy, his gallery, and tracking down lost art and books. The gallery and the books seem to be a bit on the back-burner for now, he left them in the capable hands of experts. They are now more of an investment than anything else. The more time he spends on that, the less time he gets into trouble, the better for us."
Aziraphael said:
"This might interest you, boss."
He put an A4-sized picture on the coffee table and Alex picked it up with great interest. He asked:
"What is she doing in Los Angeles?"
Crowley replied:
"She's a civilian working for the LAPD. She graduated summa cum laude. She is a special boss and her knowledge is outstanding. She is a very talkative person. I had to kick Azi in the shins a couple of times, otherwise he would have told her things about Botticelli that would have raised red flags. She could easily get a job in any big pharma company. She has had many offers but has turned them all down. She is passionate about finding the truth. It's all one big treasure hunt for her. Then, of course, the LAPD with all its toys is perfect for someone like her. She could obviously make a lot more money in the private sector, but she doesn't seem to care much about money. She sometimes struggles financially because LA is not a cheap city to live in. From your reaction to the photo, I assume you know who she is?"
Alex took a closer look at the photo and then handed it to Celine. Her eyebrows raised slightly as he explained to his idiots:
"We even know her quite well. Miss Ella Lopez, she has the mark of The Magdala, and Rae Rae has a special relationship with her. So I suspect our little sneaky sister is behind this. We have been trying for years to discreetly guide Miss Lopez from the darkness to the light. I think our little angel of death took it a little too literally this time and sent Ella into the life sphere of the Lightbringer himself. Well, it seems that the closer we get to our goal, the more players appear on the field. Amenadiel and Godfry may not be able to see what she is through the marker, but we're not taking any chances. The difference here is that we are not watching her to see if she is a potential threat but for her safety. I want her to be healthy, well and happy. We also need to have a chat with our little sister of death as soon as the opportunity arises. I have a very good idea why she did it, but I want to hear it from her own mouth. When did she show up?"
"A couple of months after Decker and Amenadiel."
"That sneaky little brat..."
He looked at Celine, and after all these years on the road together, the two of them could communicate almost wordlessly. She asked:
"Gently infiltrating our former JSOC Margo as an extra layer of protection?"
"Yes, and out of sight, I want a full extraction team on standby around the clock. We're taking no chances with our Miss Lopez. They won't take their job seriously if they're protecting a lab rat. Make sure they understand how important she is to us."
Celine got a wicked smile on her lips:
"Done."
He pointed at the angel and the demon:
"And you will make sure that Dad hires Miss Lopez as a part-time consultant and pays her handsomely. Let's make her life as easy as possible without attracting attention."
1 BS
Alexander sat in his office in Hell. His reforms in Hell had finally progressed to the point where he no longer had to fear rebellions or civil wars. Dis and the first four circles were now completely loyal to him. This ensured that he could completely isolate the lower circles at the first sign of trouble. Now that he was so close to his main goal, it was a relief that he no longer had to worry about that. Of course, the fact that his father had been gone from Hell for a few Earth years also played a role. Suddenly, Crowley burst into his office without knocking. The Demon hated Hell and would never show up without a good reason. Not to mention ignoring protocol altogether. Alexander felt a throbbing headache coming on. He motioned the Demon to a chair and manifested drinks for himself and his guest. After taking a few large sips, he spoke one word:
"Go..."
Crowley swallowed for a moment and spoke:
"Boss, your father has made himself known to the doctor."
Alex blinked a few times and was silent for half a minute. Then he asked quietly:
"Made himself known? As in; dear doctor right here proof of the divine?"
The demon just nodded. The Antichrist mumbled something unintelligible between his teeth and then said:
"For fuck's sake! When is this idiot going to think before he acts? Do we have any idea how this could have happened?"
"Yes, but to do that we had to disregard your order that his file be considered medically confidential for a moment. They had a rather heated discussion during one of his sessions. The good doctor was frustrated that she was not getting through his metaphors and thus not making sufficient progress with her patient. In a last attempt to break through, she more or less demanded that he prove that he was the Devil. Of course, she must have thought that he couldn't possibly do that, and so there would be some kind of crack in his fantasy world, because the whole devil persona is, in her opinion, a kind of coping mechanism. He took it like the doctor thought he was lying and you know him, Alex. He never lies and that is a point of honor for him. So instead of getting up and walking away from the situation, he pulled out his Devil Face."
Alexander lit a cigarette:
"Okay, and what are the consequences? How big is the damage?"
"Less than one would expect. Now that she knows that Lucifer is the biblical Lucifer, she has naturally made the connection that Mazikeen is a Demon and therefore Amenadiel must be an Angel. She buried her head in the sand for a few weeks and then reacted strangely for a few more, but everything is back to normal now. Well, if we can call something normal when Lucifer is involved, that is..."
Alex looked at him strangely for a moment:
"If everything had fallen into place and the situation with the doctor was not vital, then you would never have come to Hell, friend, so..."
Crowley took a few sips from his glass and said:
"True boss and the doctor is the absolute least of our problems. The situation on Earth in Lucifer's immediate circle seems to be rapidly unraveling."
"What exactly do you mean by unraveling?"
"It seems that an ever-increasing concentration of heavenly bullshit is landing. You know that Doc and Amenadiel are having an affair. There is no trace of grace left in him, so Godfry must have taken it away from him. I was able to walk up to him and bump into him in a crowded place. No reaction whatsoever. In other words, he is just a human being right now. Two ordinary people, man and woman, plus sex equals pregnancy."
What Alexander had expected the moment Crowley had flown into his office came true. He felt the throbbing headache. He said:
"So the good doctor is not only aware that her patient is the literal biblical Lucifer, but she is now pregnant by what appears to be a fallen Angel. And that falling has to be taken with a mountain of salt in Amenadiel's case. There is more to this fall than simply being punished by Godfry, and we know this thanks to our friends from Heaven. In any case, the child cannot possibly be a Nefilim, something Amenadiel must have been secretly hoping for. So the idiot has unwittingly given us a weapon to use against himself. Not the child itself, of course, but simply the knowledge that he is the father. Okay, what's next?"
"Detective Decker is also aware of Lucifer's true identity."
Alex almost shouted:
"How the hell did that happen? Did this idiot confess his undying love to her and play open book for good measure or something?"
"No boss. There was a shooting a few days ago. All he could do to save her life was to use his wings as a shield and then he took out the shooters. His wings are something you can hardly see past, of course."
Alexander snapped at him:
"And you come to tell me this now, after a few days!"
The demon raised his hands and said softly:
"Unfortunately, yes. Amenadiel's presence prevents us from tightening our surveillance net as much as we would like. Lucifer and Decker received a tip and decided to act on it immediately, without backup or anything. They were expecting to talk to a tipster. They didn't expect to find themselves in the proverbial lion's den with some gangsters opening fire with heavy weapons. The fact that this happened some distance out of town blinded us until it was all over. Decker, of course, was very upset. She took all her vacation days and went on a trip. She's somewhere in Europe, far from the civilized world. Everyone at the LAPD thinks she needs some time to recover from the firefight. Not to mention that she was romantically involved with her boss Pierce aka Cain."
"And Lucifer?"
"That boss is the third problem. Godfry has started to interfere directly with what's going on. A few weeks ago, Eve suddenly reappeared on Earth. Before you start screaming because we didn't inform you right away. We first wanted to know what game was being played. Aziraphael and I have come to the conclusion that if there is a game being played, she does not know what it is. We think she's a pawn on the board who knows she's involved in a game, she just doesn't know what game or what the endgame might be. At least we think so but we cannot possibly approach her to have a little chat now can we. You know her, she is naive, out of touch, and certainly not the brightest. But she knows the two of us personally from way back in the Garden so we have to be even more careful when we are in LA. In any case, the two behave as they did in the Garden when they first met. In other words, as much sex as possible."
Alexander leaned back in his desk chair and thought for a moment. Finally he said:
"Well, what's done is done. I want you and Aziraphael to see if we can tighten the net around Lucifer and his gang. I don't expect much, though, since we can't get too damn close. Godfry is up to something, that much is clear from the presence of Eve and Amenadiel without grace. On my side, I'll put the extraction team and Belios and Bearus on standby, because I have no doubt that the idiot could descend into Hell once again for some idiotic plan he doesn't want me involved in. I hate to do it, but I can't help it, so I'm going to scan the whole lot right now and see what comes up."
He drained his glass and lit another cigarette:
"What about Detective Espinoza and Miss Lopez?"
"Detective Espinoza found out on his own that Lucifer is indeed who he says he is. Oddly enough, he doesn't seem too bothered by it. He's going after the evidence. Everything he has points to the fact that Lucifer is absolutely not the biblical devil. On the contrary, there is not an evil bone in your father. He completely agrees with your assessment that he's a complete idiot who never thinks before he does anything, but that's about it. Miss Lopez is also well on her way to finding the truth on her own. To her, Lucifer is one big puzzle, and to her, a puzzle has only one purpose: to be solved by her. It will take some time though, because unlike Detective Espinoza, she has no insight into what goes on in the field and thus what Lucifer sometimes unwittingly shows."