Chloe's wide eyes saw none other than Lucifer Morningstar.
The first thing she felt was something that ordinary people call shame. The woman knew that she was very likely to be caught one day... but to be caught by such a rich jerk, to whom she did not understand why she blabbed about her intentions regarding the almost-human, now lying on the table in the form of a fresh corpse - a crushing blow to her, frankly, rather big ego.
But then she took a closer look at what had happened - and realized that the initial assessment of the situation was unforgivably superficial. The intruder gazed at the scene in front of him with a wide, self-satisfied grin - he obviously did not care about the aforementioned corpse, or the sluggish stream of blood dripping onto the floor from the table, or the knife in her hand. And he'd obviously followed her for the last three days, from his club to this very building, and Chloe didn't smell a damn thing. There was no way her instincts could have suddenly become so dull - hence the surveillance was very, very good. Yes, and this look... cheerful, curious, but at the same time sharp, as if seeing through her. The man in front of her was much more than just a party-goer and a playboy - she made out a 'wolf' barely peeking out from under the 'sheep's clothing'. Her speculation about his ties to organized crime came to mind — perhaps he even held a high position within it, considering his business with deals and ownership of one of the so-called 'hot spots'. And someone who, like her, violated the laws on a regular basis, was far from being so ashamed to get caught.
"If you are worried that guys and girls with tokens and pistols are coming here to catch you hot and wet," Lucifer chuckled incomprehensibly, "you shouldn't. They were not invited to this private party."
"Like you," Chloe stated calmly.
"Oh…" the interlocutor's smirk became even wider. "And here you say the famous 'now I have to kill you', truly?"
Yes, it was so… except that the key word for her in this phrase was not 'kill', but… 'have to'. Her father's code was clear and unambiguous in everything... with the exception of two fundamental points. One of them was 'Don't kill the innocent'. Logically, it is he who should be at the forefront - after all, the Code was a surrogate, replacing her missing conscience. Most of the rest of the rules were about how to distinguish between the innocent and the guilty. But Chloe for John Dekker was not just some kind of weapon in the fight against crime or a dangerous sociopath in need of guidance - she was his daughter . He, despite everything, loved her and was a good parent... and for good parents, the interests of children are always a priority over the interests of others. So, the main rule of the Code was 'Don't get caught'. That is, in the absence of any other way out, she had the right to kill anyone who threatened her life and freedom.
But for all these years, such a need has not even come close. Up to this point, she worked so well that none of her targets were even declared dead - they were all officially either missing or did not come to the attention of law enforcement at all.
And now, when without any warning the need to kill an innocent confronted her, Chloe hesitated. Sometimes she played such scenarios in her head, while always wondering - how would she feel if she took the life of someone who did not deserve this? Will she feel anything at all? Suddenly she realizes that there is no difference... and eventually discards the Code, becoming another serial killer without excuses and regrets, of which there were dozens? Love for the pope, however rudimentary compared to 'normal' people, it was completely opposed to this idea.
It seems she was so obvious in her indecision that Lucifer noticed it - his smirk decreased, his head tilted slightly to the side, and his eyebrows converged on the bridge of his nose: "Interesting... you don't want to kill me, right?"
Chloe again fell into that strange state that did not allow her to lie: "I don't want to ... I don't know what I will become by killing someone whose fault I'm not sure. And I'm not eager to find out... But I don't have much choice after what you've seen."
The man blinked, and the need to tell the truth was gone. Again this fucking disorder manifested itself! What's wrong with her?!..
"You're right — you have no choice." There was something... warm in his smile? "But not in the way you think. The thing is, you can't physically kill me. What kind of Devil would I be if I could be cut with the most ordinary knife? So your little dilemma is solved by itself." He deliberately slowly extended his hand towards her, palm up. "Here. You can try to hurt me," and, rolling his eyes, he added with a sigh. "You people never want to take my word for things like that."
Wonderful... This guy didn't just shock the public by calling himself the Devil - he really believed in it! What an irony - one psycho found another! There is even a small plus in this: if he theoretically left this room alive and started chatting about what happened, he would hardly be believed that the sweet and pleasant Chloe Dekker cuts the throats of the villains at night and hides them so that no one else will ever find them. However, in practice, she could not let him go. And, since he so generously offers, so to speak, a helping hand in his own murder - why not start with it, thereby reducing the combat potential of the target?
The woman tried on. It will definitely not be possible to cut off the entire brush, yet the knife is not a sword, the length and mass in it is not enough. But the fingers are fine.
A swing, a whistle of a blade cutting through the air, a blow to someone else's fingers...
…That didn't even think to fall to the floor, separating from the owner. Moreover, there were no signs of a cut. Even scratches. Despite the quite palpable collision with a knife so sharp that it could shave - Chloe took care of her tools more than carefully, not to mention the fact that this particular knife was successfully tested in practice just a minute ago - on the neck of a certain Travis Smoke . Since the hand was still outstretched in her direction, the woman decided to strike again... with the same result.
What happened was so wrong that, spitting on caution, she grabbed his hand and jabbed the point of the knife hard in the middle of the palm. The skin sagged a little under the pressure, but nothing more — like trying to cut through a pillow into which a brick had been thrust under a thin layer of soft filler.
Chloe knew better than most what the human body could and could not bear. What she saw with her own eyes was impossible ... and yet it happened.
There were two most likely explanations for this.
Or she, in addition to sociopathy and murder mania, developed schizophrenia - and now she was poking a knife in the air, looking at a non-existent hand.
Or this guy was in some incomprehensible way… invulnerable.
The first explanation was, to put it mildly, depressing. The second was extremely discouraging, since it meant the very possibility of the existence of invulnerability.
Moments later, Chloe resolutely dismissed the first option. Her own mind - powerful, tenacious, clean and organized, was the subject of her pride. And if he let the owner down enough to give out hallucinations indistinguishable from reality... life would simply lose its meaning for her. Until there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary, she will bury the thought as deeply as she can.
So, invulnerability became the starting point of her further reflections. How can this be explained? Lucifer claimed that he is the Devil, that is, a mythical creature that is the embodiment of evil in several religions. But Chloe has always treated religion with an extreme degree of skepticism. Faith without evidence was an absolutely incomprehensible concept to her. It's not that she didn't understand the appeal of fantasy - fiction and cinema were not completely alien to her, even though the woman was very selective in their regard. But believe in your own fantasies? Worship them? Pfft… what nonsense!
Saying what she thought was very unusual for her... but the Killing Room has always been the territory of candor, right?
"Well, I won't deny the obvious - I can't hurt you... at least not with a knife," Chloe admitted. "But the Devil? A horror story that a bunch of people are trying to justify their own darkness? To believe in the existence of such, frankly, bullshit, I need something more... concrete," she smirked. "Maybe horns? Hooves? Tail?"
"No, it's all pop culture," the interlocutor laughed. "I don't have any of the above. However, if you're in need of clear evidence…"
Lucifer's irises, previously black, suddenly turned into flames. And in this flame, Chloe saw the truth - Satan himself stood in front of her .
When his eyes turned black again a few seconds later, she stumbled back a couple of steps and sat down on a chair covered with plastic.
"Wow…" the woman breathed. "Wow…" Then something suddenly dawned on her. "Wait a minute… it's like… you put the knowledge of your truth into my head!"
"True," he nodded. "This is one of the functions of my 'hellfire'. But the other function didn't seem to work for you…" He frowned. "Why aren't you horrified?"
"I can't possibly be terrified," Chloe shrugged, seeing no reason to hide it. "The range of most of my emotions ranges from 'absolute vacuum' to 'seems to have felt something' - severe sociopathy in all its glory. In particular, my fear never goes beyond apprehension. By the way…" a thought pierced her, "it's because of you that I've already blurted out the truth twice, which I would like to keep to myself, right?! I thought I had some new disorder!"
"What can I say?" Lucifer threw up his hands. "People love to share their desires with me. But that's just a little push on my part. Otherwise, I do not invade the minds of others - it is not in my rules to encroach on someone else's Free Will."
Chloe chuckled vaguely at that. Then she shook her head, "Damn, there are so many thoughts in my head… I am a scientist. Not one of those who make incredible breakthroughs in science, of course ... but facts and evidence are my 'bread'. Criminologist, after all. And I always perceived mythology and religion as complete nonsense. That is, I understand some of the ideas contained there. But the form of expression is so... underdeveloped that reading like that without rolling your eyes is a feat."
"And perceived it correctly," the man laughed, "because basically this is complete nonsense. Even if we forget about gross lies or autor's assumptions, people used to have too little knowledge about the world to understand many things even remotely correctly. Now you people are much better with this…" he thought for a second, pursing his lips a little, "at least some."
Chloe stared wide-eyed at the human... or rather, non human in front of her. Like an uncontrollable forest fire, her curiosity flared up stronger and stronger. From childhood, she eagerly absorbed knowledge in a variety of areas - including because it not badly helped to distract from thoughts about harming others. True, her mind didn't dwell on anything in particular. However, over time, it turned out that she was excellent at linking disparate facts and information into a coherent system. This helped both in forensic science and in 'extracurricular' activities. The woman still loved to read magazines in her free time (although in recent years they have increasingly been replaced by Internet sites) about the latest scientific achievements.
And now in front of her, very likely, was a 'walking encyclopedia' that could answer questions about the true world order... or not - you can find out only by asking.
"How long have you been around?" she burst out.
"Difficult question…" Lucifer drawled. "I guess it's enough to say that I was created long before the universe you know. Which, by the way, was formed not by my Father, but by me, albeit according to his project... but all thanks, as always, went to the old horseradish," his face twisted in irritation.
Now Chloe's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. Strange, but she believed him - perhaps because she easily recognized a lie, being a virtuoso in it. And now the desire to ask the first million questions, take a breath and... ask the second million, almost exploded her skull.
"Oh, now I see… thirst for knowledge, right?" the interlocutor grinned good-naturedly. "One of my favorite things about you humans." He narrowed his eyes, tilting his head slightly to one side. "You know, we could make a superb deal. I'll answer your questions to the best of my ability, and in return…" he glanced at Travis' corpse, "you'll tell me how you got to this life. Interested?"
"Does the deal include not disclosing what you have learned or will learn?" the woman asked suspiciously.
"I'm wounded…" he put his hand theatrically to his chest. "Of course, this is not included in the deal. Your secret is safe with me unconditionally, I give the floor."
"Do you... give the floor?" Chloe asked skeptically.
"I never lie." Now, surprisingly, he looked really hurt. "A point of pride." She doubted it, but decided to keep her doubts to herself. At least so far it has sounded pretty true. "However, I must report that Maze knows quite a lot about the events of tonight."
"What else is Maze?!" she said. One person dedicated to this part of her life is already a problem... but two persons? Her normally titan composure began to thin.
"Mazikeen, my demonic 'right hand,'" Lucifer explained. "I'm not very good at stealth — so I sent her to keep an eye on you as soon as you left the 'Lux'. When she reported that you dragged your villain here, she really wanted to come in and say hello. But I sent her away, deciding that one visitor in such a… intimate situation would be enough."
"How thoughtful of you," the woman said half sarcastically, half seriously. Then her thoughts returned to the interlocutor's proposal. It was very enticing, and not just the promise of satisfying her curiosity - in fact, the prospect of telling someone about her life as an assassin was a strangely pleasant thrill. After all, what does she have to lose? The Devil (the real one, damn it!) already knew the most important thing, but apparently there was no way to get rid of him in the traditional way. "Okay, I agree to the deal. Do you need something for bonding? Signed in blood on a contract with fire letters? Are there small prints?"
The man laughed sincerely, shaking his head, "No, a verbal agreement is enough. And my deals are transparent." He thought for a moment. "Although I think we should both reserve the right not to answer each other's questions if it would be too unacceptable for the respondent. I'm pretty sure there will be."
"Sounds reasonable," Chloe agreed. "And now, if you don't mind, I need to finish cleaning…" she went to her tools, put down her knife and was about to grab a medical electric saw… and then her eyes fell on the phone lying next to her. Turning it on and looking at the time, the woman cursed softly.
"What's happened?" Lucifer pricked up his ears.
"You ruined my schedule!" she spat. "I usually leave myself a decent amount of time for contingencies, but this time I already used it up when Travis showed up later than I expected." Chloe paced back and forth restlessly. "And after your intrusion, I'm not sure if I'll have enough time before dawn to get rid of the body! Driving around the city with a sawn-up dead man in the trunk during the day is much more risky than at night!"
"Oh…" To her surprise, the interlocutor seemed genuinely embarrassed. "I was very curious, but I didn't want to cause trouble for you with my visit." He looked thoughtful for a few moments. "However, since I created it anyway… I feel obligated to offer help in solving them. I can destroy the corpse."
"Destroy?" The woman frowned slightly. "How exactly?"
"Incinerate. 'Poof!'" pointing his hands up, he abruptly straightened his fingers folded into fists, depicting an explosion, "and instead of a leather sack of meat and bones, there will be a heap of ashes."
"Like… right here and now?" she asked incredulously. "Actually, making a beacon of the pre-electric era from this place is even worse…"
"Only the corpse will be affected," Lucifer assured.
"Oh," Chloe tried to imagine it, and couldn't. The more she wanted to see what it would look like. "Well… well… let's go." She moved back to the wall and pointed at Travis with both hands, as if to suggest that they go through the door before her. "Burn."
He turned his right hand palm up... and suddenly a sphere of dazzling white flame began to form above it! Although it was painful to look at, the woman could not take her eyes off the miracle that was happening before her! And then he made a slight gesture with his hand, as if lightly tossing something in his palm - and the sphere rushed to the body, and, touching, merged with it. She expected at least some kind of burning ... but instead there was a flash, as if someone had put the camera right in his eyes, pressed the shutter - and the corpse simply crumbled to the table with ashes! At the same time, even the film that held it remained intact!
"Fuck," Chloe whispered, spellbound. "What should be the temperature?"
"About fifteen thousand," the man shrugged.
"Almost three times more than on the surface of the Sun…" she turned to her interlocutor. "Holy crap!"
"Well, I kindled the stars," the interlocutor chuckled. "Not all, of course - only a few thousand of the very first, from which a chain reaction went, and the Sun is not among them, but still…" he sighed. "Well, since I have no intention of causing further complications in your… cleaning, I suppose I should take my leave. When you have a free minute, I'll wait at 'Lux'."
With a wink of goodbye, Lucifer left the Killing Room, leaving Chloe as confused as ever in her life.