N/A: I think this got a bit out of hand. I hope you don't mind this chapter being slightly longer. The next chapter will conclude this first mini-episode, but not the fanfiction itself.

Let there be Truth - Taste no evil 4

Now that she finally got to the part where she was asking questions, Chloe felt more confident and lost at the same time. There were so many things she wanted, even needed, to know. Her training went to hell and the carefully planned interrogation she would have conjured up in her line of work disappeared. Instead, she got to the most pressing question. The one that had made her believe as well as doubt Lucifer's true nature.

"So, Lucifer is immortal?"

Once again, the reverend had a benevolent smile. "Of course, you aren't a believer, so my reply might not satisfy you, but yes. Lucifer is immortal, and so are we."

She paused and glared at the man she'd thought to be quite rational in his investigation so far. Chloe wouldn't have thought this centered scholar would have thought himself invincible.

"Our soul is immortal," Egbert clarified.

"What about his body?" Chloe didn't think about it this way, indeed. After all if God and the Devil existed, then surely so did Hell and Heaven.

"Well, much like any angel, Lucifer would exist on a different plane than ours. He wouldn't have a body." The reverend thought that was enough, but since the detective kept staring, he turned his chair back towards the bookcase behind him. "You have to understand that when angels descend to Earth, they are generally carrying a message for a prophet. The only heavenly entity to actually have a body in Christianism is God himself, who visited Earth as Jesus Christ. Well, as I said before, this varies depending on your denomination."

He presented her with a couple of books and talked about the difference of opinion on the subject. This time, her interest did fade as he talked about the concept of Docetism and the like. The man, who had seemed to understand her Lucifer so well, suddenly appeared as he really was: an enthusiast who had spent most of his life studying antique manuscripts. Her Lucifer, she cringed at her inner choice of words.

The reverend must have picked up on it, because he suddenly stopped his rambling. "Now, if it were in Lucifer's power to adopt a carnal form, he would very much be in control of it. While the embodiment of an angel would possibly appear human, they would remain otherworldly creature immune to harm."

"Let's assume that they wouldn't." Chloe tried to appeal to a nerd's appetite for 'what ifs'. "What if Lucifer could bleed? What if he happened to die on Earth."

Reverend Egbert covered his mouth once again and took a bit of time to open his laptop and type a few words. Too curious to care about being reprimanded, Chloe leaned on her side to glance at the screen. All she could see were photos of old pieces of papyrus possibly covered in Hebrew. Egbert shook his head and opened one of his many bibles.

"If incarnation was a unique process and could not be achieved by different means, then I assume his embodiment would experience the same thing as Jesus Christ. He would die and… Well, in lieu of Heaven, he would probably descend to Hell. However, while God is infinite and the Son could sit to the right of the Father, Lucifer would not."

Chloe frowned. She didn't understand what he was getting at.

"Lucifer would go to hell, but he wouldn't go back as its ruler. He would be damned, just like the souls he watched over for millions of years."

Chloe felt her heart sink at the thought. "Who would rule, then?"

"If God did not appoint a new angel, then the demons, I suppose."

She thought about the analogy the reverend had used earlier. Lucifer had been the warden of hell since its inception. What would prisoners do to a warden if it suddenly ended up in gen pop with no one but criminals to watch out for him?

The FBI had treated Chloe like a traitor to her country after the fiasco at the restaurant, but the police chief hardly hold it against her. Somehow, as soon as she'd mentioned Lucifer acting out, her boss had been more interested in the devil's romantic status than the investigation report.

Of course, the unnerving club owner had been right about the Bratva taking care of Asimov's case. The bear of a man had been found cut in two on the old rails of the city, as though he'd been left there for a train to roll over him. A gruesome end to a ruthless life. Chloe didn't have to fight anyone to get hold of the position of lead investigator, cops in her precinct were comfortable enough putting surveillance on shady producers to risk exposing themselves to the real criminals of this world.

The killer was probably a hitman for the Russian mob, and she didn't really care about that. What mattered was that she had an opportunity to keep an eye on the people who would come after Lucifer, to find out his sources. If the devil thought he was immortal, she'd seen him bleed. He was accustomed to a life deprived of all danger, she'd have to be careful for him.

For the tenth time that night, she pulled back the slide of her Smith & Wesson to make sure there was a bullet in the chamber. She'd kept using the Glock after shooting Jimmy Barnes, but if truth be told, she'd always preferred using the nine millimeter. There wasn't any need for a bigger caliber when you had the aim, and shooting had never been her weak suit.

She could have been inside the club, right now, listening to his adorable accent and his shameless pick-up lines. There was probably some music as well as good drinks, in there. Chloe had to admit that she would have felt better if she had him in sight, when she knew he was in danger, but her intelligence did not let her. She had a perfect vantage point on the Lux from where she was. Even if someone engaged in the back ally, she would see it in the mirror of her car.

If it had been anyone else, she would have forced him into protective custody, but Lucifer had proved to her how elusive he could be. Handcuffs were quite literally bracelets to him, and she had no doubt he'd charm his way out of a cell without much trouble. As for reinforcement watching the club, she was still a pariah in the department, and Lucifer hadn't made any friends blowing their operation.

She put on the contact when she saw a van with blacked-out windows turn into the Lux's back ally. Chloe had always known how to pick the right spot to stake out a place, a family secret in a way. Familiar with the streets of Los Angeles, she had no trouble following the vehicle once it left. All doubt escaped her as she tracked the Russians back to a disaffected hangar. Finally, Chloe was back to her element. She could have called it in as soon as she parked her car, but she had to make sure they actually took Lucifer. Her career couldn't take any loss of credibility at the moment.

Chloe opened her glove box and clipped the Glock's holster to her belt before she exited the car. Having two guns might have been a bit overkill, but better to be safe than sorry, she thought. Shoot outs were that much more likely to happen with a smart mouth like Lucifer around. She should know. She shot him.

The detective slipped into the hangar through a fire exit that led to the catwalk above the workspace, where the foreman's office was. She pressed the gun against her palm and lift it up, her index finger extended along the barrel. She breathed in deeply and slowly followed the silhouette of one of the henchman, keeping him in her sights while he got to the back of the van to open it. Chloe recognized Lucifer despite the bag on his head. The expensive black suit was a telltale sign, of course, but the fact that he kept a relaxed demeanor despite being kidnapped was the real proof.

She kept her weapon raised while she used the other to use her phone and call it in. They started talking as she whispered, which prevented her from understanding any of what they said. While she remained concise, she not only had to tell the police where she was but how many people were there, how many suspects, how many civilians. She gave as much information as she could.

"I'm not going to give you the route," she heard Lucifer say once she hung up.

"Not only… Are you going… To give us the route… You will give us… Your source." Chloe didn't see the burn scar from here, but she knew by the rhythm and accent that it was the old man from the restaurant. It suddenly occurred to her that Asimov might have not only invited his peers to the restaurant. Maybe his boss was there too. Now, that was a collar the LAPD would be proud to make.

"Oh, you think you've seen the worst because of your little scratch," Lucifer said rubbing his hand on his own neck. "But trust me, pal, you haven't seen it yet."

Out of nowhere, the old man let out a sharp cry. "Na pomosh!" He gestured to his henchmen who looked at him as though he'd lost his mind. "Pristreli yego!"

Lucifer extended his arms. "Please, do! I'm looking forward to it."

Chloe recognized the flippant attitude and the excitation in his voice, the same he had during their last case together. She might not have understood Russian, but he did, and that gave her enough notice to secure her aim. Once of the henchmen pulled out his gun and immediately dropped it when he took two bullets to the shoulder.

"What now?" Lucifer exclaimed, apparently disappointed.

Second henchman, same reaction time. Chloe counted the bullets mentally as she continued to take down the unsuspecting opposition. Finally, a volley of bullets came her way and she ducked behind the railing. She knew that she couldn't pop up again, unless she wanted to test her own mortality. With a silent swearword, she jumped over the railing onto the stairs. She hurried down and found cover behind an old piece of machinery. SWAT response time was always good when there was an officer on the line, even one as despised as her, and there was so little traffic to the old industrial site that they could probably get there even faster. Still, her life wasn't the only one she had to save.

"We have to go!" one of the bodyguards shouted to the old man.

The old man probably didn't have any more breath to spare on yelling, but one of his men did it for him, which is perhaps why he spoke English. "Kill them first, we can't afford the publicity!" A rather loose translation, Chloe was sure.

The adrenaline put a nasty grin on her face as she imagined taking out both guns and rushing in like in a John Woo scene, but instead she kept her mind straight. She took the perfect path between the abandoned pieces of equipment to stay in cover, and once she was close enough, she took down two more guards before she reached Lucifer.

He greeted her with a charming smile. "Detective, I knew you wouldn't keep away from me. You can't help yourself."

"Shut up and get back in the van, we have to go."

"Can you wait a little bit? I'd like to give my compliments to the old man. He has been avoiding his judgement – earthly or not – for quite some time and I would like to finally give it to him." Lucifer rolled his head like a sportsman before an important match.

"No! That's enough. You're in danger and we need to…" Chloe blamed herself for focusing on him when a silhouette suddenly popped up from behind a couple of rusted barrels. She raised her gun and pressed the trigger, but nothing happened.

Lucifer met her eyes as she let the panic take hold of her for a second, and she saw understanding in his look. He put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed before turning in order to present his back to the gunman. Despite herself, Chloe counted five bullets. There was no pain, however. She had been shot before. She remembered the shock, the pressure, the blazing heat that came afterwards. She was fine, but Lucifer?

Chloe looked up to him and saw the closed eyes, the mouth distorted in a grimace, waiting to suffer. And suddenly, his eyebrows jumped on his forehead, almost reaching his hairline. He smiled without malice, just plain relief. Chloe felt like laughing when he flicked his finger at her arm, like he had in the car when she asked what he felt when he got shot.

Lucifer turned around and suddenly the men flew backwards.

The devil was back.