CHAPTER 50:
"Even An Angel Can Fall"
Geist and Angel had gone ahead to the main lobby. Geist had suggested it and Demetre had agreed with a non-verbal grunt.
Demetre knew the Shinigami would not be able to fit in the elevator. Soichiro Yagami couldn't see them, but just because something was not seen, didn't mean it wasn't there taking up space?
Demetre thought of Archimedes' (the ancient Greek mathematician) principle of Floating Bodies. The basic premise hinged on the physical law of buoyancy that stated that any body completely or partially submerged in a fluid (gas or liquid) at rest acted upon an upwards (or outwards) force and pushed out with the magnitude of equal ratio.
The same thing related to the space around a person especially if it was confined. There was not enough room for three humans and two Shinigami in the elevator despite the capacity reserved for twenty individuals. But the calculation was based on a human average weight ratio—not gods' of death with an undetermined weight.
Shinigami were vastly more broad about the shoulders and larger then the average human.
Geist himself stood over nine foot tall, not to mention Angel, who stood just as tall but slimmer. However, the combined weight of both Shinigami would far outweigh the ratio that the elevator could take and the cable would snap.
So, it was a good thing Geist and Angel went on ahead. They could displace themselves through walls anyhow. In fact, Demetre bet they were already down in the lobby observing the hostage taking events unfolding below.
"I'm sure you're not fully aware of the current situation, Demetre," Light's father began. "I know you're here to help, but how did you know Light was in trouble in the first place? And how did you get here?"
"Let's just say it was an empathic feeling," Demetre replied. "And how we got here, well...I'll tell you later."
A lie, he thought. He couldn't tell Light's father that he rode through a god of death's spacial gateway on a motorcycle traveling nearly a hundred miles within seconds. He would just sound crazy.
Later, Soichiro Yagami and the rest of the Kira Task Force, including L, would learn of the existence of the Death Note—but not for a little while, and not until they apprehended the Third Kira.
But that future would change irreparably if Light died here! This unknown Third Kira would then become Kira!
He saw Soichiro Yagami once again look at the gun. Obviously, Demetre holding it made the man nervous since he was the veteran here and was completely unarmed. In Japanese law, if a person was not in law enforcement or did not have a license, they were forbidden to carry a gun.
Light's father was an ex-policeman who joined the Kira Task Force. Did Soichiro Yagami refuse to carry a weapon because he was no longer with the NPA? Demetre wasn't sure. But the fact that he had asked for it told Demetre what he needed to know.
But even a gun would not prevent Kira's judgements, Demetre thought. Nothing short of Kira's exposure will.
Kira/Light had killed a lot criminals and sacrificed innocent lives for his agenda, but Demetre knew about the underground resistance generated by the criminal underworld and they were untouchable to Kira using fake names to hide. He bet this infuriated Kira.
Even though you've lost your memories, Light, when you do eventually regain them, you'll want to catch the Third Kira and kill him, then retake the power you once covenanted. You always hated when you lost at chess to me, you could never beat me. You're a sore loser.
The new Kira who was now killing criminals in lieu of Light and Misa carried on Kira's judgments. A Shinigami by the name of Rem had found a new person with Kira's intentions, according to what Geist told Demetre. Unfortunately, it was not the same person Geist told him about that interacted in the original Kira Incident. And that concerned Demetre.
Some events in the timeline have been altered because of my introduction into events and I don't know if it's a good or bad thing?
But he would worry about that later.
Right now, Light was his main concern.
He had to rescue his friend from the assassin that Zurn Wellington had sent to kill him. It would have been simpler for Zurn to use his Death Note to kill Light by heart attack, but obviously that was too easy. Zurn's Shinigami, Prometheus, obviously wanted to be entertained.
Prometheus was an Ethereal-type Shinigami. There were many types, some took solid form and some were ghostly. And some were just plain demonic, like those who associated themselves with the League of Darkness—cultists that thought humans should be ruled over.
But like all Shinigami, no doubt Prometheus wanted Zurn to entertain him with this stunt that went against the grain of the timeline Demetre saw.
And Zurn was evil personified, possessed by an evil Shinigami. Normally Shinigami never took sides, but obviously Prometheus did.
To an extent, the human race had fallen from God's good will, responsible themselves for creating the chaos within the Human Realm. Demetre knew this. God had given humans free will to do what they wanted. And it was not God's fault for Man's flaws.
Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge and after that the Human Race truly begin according to the Bible. The genesis of the Human Race began with the birth their children. It was also the beginning of Humankind walking down a dark path a violence and destruction, greed and gluttony, war and pestilence, and death—hence the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse that forever plagued Mankind.
"Stop looking at it, sir," Demetre said to Soichiro Yagami firmly. "You're not getting the gun. It stays with me."
"Very well, Demetre," Light's father conceited. "It's difficult for me to say, but Light knows the mechanics of how a gun operates, but you know how to fire one. Light needs a lot of practice. He did get some lessons from a colleague of mine, a very staunch police officer named Zurn Wellington at the academy, but even then, Light needs a steadier hand."
Demetre and Dana shared a look.
Demetre looked at the numbers counting down slowly in the elevator. "I wouldn't put your trust in Zurn Wellington, sir," he said seriously. "After the experiences I've had with him, I can tell you, he's a ruthless bastard, a sadistic masochist, and a demon in human form."
"Pardon?" The look on Soichiro Yagami's face was shocking.
"Without getting into too many details…he kidnapped me, chained me up, and tortured me to within an inch of my life," Demetre began. He stopped there. But Dana urged him on. He sighed, he didn't want to expose the Society. But he trusted Dana. "He's a member of the Savant Society, or was their most vicious enforcer. Just before we departed to come here, I received some information that he had been kicked out. And there's evidence that he hired Christian Troy, an assassin, to kill Light. That's why we're here—to stop him from murdering Light."
"He…what? Why?"
"His own reasons," Demetre said vaguely. "I'm a member of the Savant Society with Dana. The details of our enrolment will remain ours, but I want to assure you, Mr. Yagami, that the Savant Society is peaceful. Zurn is acting on his own and his actions are not sanctioned by the Society."
Soichiro Yagami nodded. "You have a lot of explaining to do, son. But I'll save the interrogation for later. But who is Christian Troy? Wait! Bryant Harvey is the one holding Light and Misa hostage right now. Are you saying you know his real name?"
"Do you mean that media chauvinist?" Dana asked. "He's the one holding Light and Misa hostage right now? But he's not a killer? Nothing in his profile demonstrates he's willing to take a life from what we know of him in media reports."
"If the incentive is high, even an angel can fall from grace," Demetre answered.
I once considered Light an angel in human form. Childish to think, but he was so kind when we were kids. And he was always smiling—so innocently, so angelically. He once protected me from a bully, putting himself in harms way. We both got beat up, but that was Light—always standing up for his friends, always standing up for the underdog. And then, when Dana left, I helped get him through his depression. I want to save Light here, but I want Kira gone! There's still a chance!
Light was once attacked by Jasper Yuta when he was thirteen in his own home when Yuta escaped from a mental hospital. Light had been kidnapped and held by Yuta's father (The Child Butcherer of Japan)—when he was ten years old—and would have been killed if the NPA didn't act quickly and find him. His father told me everything that happened. After that, Dana soon left him. Maybe a form of undiagnosed PTSD played an underline role in Light's mental development in using the Death Note against his better judgment? Harming people went against Light's moral code. But was everything he went through as a child incentive enough to kill those in a world that turned against everything that was good?
Was Light himself a victim of the Death Note's usage? He felt hurt. Did using the Death Note make him feel better? They say, power corrupts absolutely.
He forgot about Light for the moment.
"Bryant Harvey was never an angel," Demetre then said. "The media has labelled him as an escape artist, escaping with millions of dollars and priceless jewels; no one has been able to apprehend him. It would be interesting to know where he stored everything he stole?"
"We suspect that Kira might be protecting him," Soichiro Yagami stated. "He seems unstoppable and Kira will not kill him, despite murdering dozens of other criminals as of late. But perhaps the reason why is Kira does not know Bryant Harvey's real name? Kira needs a face and a name to kill, this is what we know in our investigation of Kira so far. They are like rules he must follow in order for his agenda to go forward. Criminals whose names that have been misspelled have not died. We believe that's the extent of Kira's power—other than manipulating a person before they die, his MO remains the same. Everyone who is influenced by Kira dies!"
"Far from it," Demetre responded. Not everyone dies after their name has been written in the Death Note. There are ways to stop Kira's judgements. I know of a few: my method of stopping the clock, and the Death Eraser—which erases the person from its judgement. A person can also have their memories altered, like Adam did to Naomi Misora. "Kira is not infallible," he then added.
"Care to explain that, son?"
"No," Demetre said stolidly.
Soichiro Yagami adjusted his glasses. "Since you were young, you have always been like a member of our family, Demetre. But your lack of answers now is testing my patience." Demetre saw a look of disappointment from him. "And you know me, I don't like to being kept waiting for long. I'm impatient when it comes to certain things. I'll give you a some latitude for the moment. But after all this is over—you, I, and L—we're all going to sit down and have a very long chat about everything. Do you understand me?"
"I appreciate the kindness your family has given to me over the years, sir. But not to be rude, please be patient a little while longer. I'll explain everything in detail later" —What a bold face lie, I have no intention. "To add, we suspect Zurn Wellington is responsible for a series of unexplained murders, harvesting organs for the black market to finance a personal agenda. We have an investigator on his case now."
"I've heard about that case," Soichiro said, nodding, and stunned that Zurn was involved. "And you're saying that Zurn is responsible? Whatever issues you've gotten yourself into with this cult, Demetre—be very careful. The last major cult caused the lives of countless people."
Demetre nodded. "Heaven's Gate," he said. "The Savant Society was aware of them, I was told. It was before my time. But our Society as a whole is not one to act upon those who engage in, simply said, pure insanity. We have representatives spread throughout the world helping to make the world a better place. The Savant Society also has its enemies; they lurk in the shadows, and have, at times, struck without warning. But they're kept at a distance. However, we suspect that Zurn may have joined their ranks now" —The League of Darkness.
Soichiro mused, and made a grumbling noise under his breath. "Like I said, son, you have a lot of explaining to do when all this is over. And what are you—some secret agent for this Savant Society?"
Demetre laughed. But in a way—yes! He was given permission by the Savant Society to undertake this mission to save Light when it was learned Zurn had sent out an assassin. This was his first mission.
Zurn can't succeed here, or the timeline will cease to be—even though I know what happens, or I believe I do? Light must not be killed here. He must be exposed, or "Kira" will just become someone else!
"Right now, I'm just here to save my friend," he said instead. However, the term friend was said loosely.
Demetre felt Dana hold his hand below. She smiled at him. He smiled back.
To be continued...