The Devil in Brockton Bay

by Dovesnoze

Lucifer doesn't quite know what to do when he realised that his latest explosive mishap landed him in a place he doesn't recognise. It's alright though. Improvisation always was one of his strengths. He had Maze and his loyal Hellhound Cherona by his side. What could possibly go wrong? Blame SomeoneYouWontRemember for this one. Also: limiting characters to 4 is, well, limiting.

11. Chapter 10

Here's the next one! It aligns pretty much with the last one in the sense that it starts slightly before and offers background as to what is happening. We get some motivations and a few interactions, some of which are decently fluffy. Also: Thank you for the feedback! I've gotten my first piece of constructive criticism for this story and while I think that not all of their points are valid, I'm beyond thrilled someone went through the trouble to write up what they can't stand about it before leaving! And it wasn't even an anonymous review! Anyways, thank you for sticking with me and I hope you enjoy the chapter. Please do leave behind some thoughts!

~Lisa Wilbourn/Tattletale~

Her eyes widened as her power fed information about what she was seeing into her mind. Terror lanced through her and she felt faint at the sheer scope of consequences this would have.

"Team meeting, now!"

Brian's voice echoed through their lair. The fear, anxiety, and confused anger were easily audible even without her power feeding her the cues, making it clear that he'd likely gotten a similar message.

With shaking hands, she put her phone away and hurried out of her room. Brian was already waiting for her and the others were arriving at the same time as her so she immediately clarified.

"It wasn't me, I swear! I'm an insufferable smartass, not a suicidal moron!"

"So you are self aware, huh... Who'd have thunk. You know that makes it worse, right?"

She ignored the grinning idiot beyond sending him a heated glare and continued her explanation.

"Our boss decided to fuck us over. He's been more quiet than usual as of late and I thought he was preparing something big. I couldn't gather much from him so I was in the dark because he only contacted me over text or mail the past few weeks. I didn't expect him to pull something like this! He must have somehow gotten his hands on my account! I...-"

She stumbled over her words with panic still surging through her like a raging tide. Brian's raised hand stopped her from spiraling and she shut her mouth.

She could see in his eyes that he believed her and that did much to calm her down. As calm as she could be with this cluster fuck looming over them anyways.

"The fuck's going on."

Rachel's blunt question drew the collective attention. She was leaning against the wall with her trademarked scowl firmly in place and her arms crossed. Brian pinched the top of his nose and released an aggravated sigh to the air.

"The Empire Cape lineup was outed in its entirety and it was done over Lisa's officially unofficial account. There's quite a few who know who it belongs to, so for all intents and purposes, it looks like she threw the Empire under the bus while pissing all over the Unwritten Rules. It basically means that the Undersiders have the biggest fucking target in the city on their back."

Rachel's answer almost drew a disbelieving laugh from her.

"Alright, let's fuck them up."

Brian looked at her as if she'd gone crazy while the as of yet silent Alec just had an amused quirk to his lips. The boy was so broken that even this situation drew only a small smattering of emotion from him.

"Who? Who do you want to fuck up? The Empire? The heroes who'll come knocking? The plethora of villains, heroes, and rogues who'll take offense to this?"

"Yes."

Rachel nodded matter-of-factly and turned to her room as if she was planning to let deeds follow her words. Her power told her that yes, she was serious. This time, she couldn't quite contain the hysterical giggle.

Her breakdown drew some pity from Brian and a twisted smile from Alec. Rachel was just confused, but that was alright.

"Thanks, I needed that."

She told them after getting it out of her system. Panicking wouldn't help. It was better to use the stress hormones surging through her body more productively. She narrowed her eyes and focused.

They'd definitely need to act quickly. She went over all the facts in her head and actively drew on her power to help her Thinking along. Several possible plans formed and were shot down until she settled on one. Soon, she sighed yet again.

"Ok, here's what we do. We need to wait this out. Trying to leave the city now is way too dangerous. The powderkeg is about to explode and there's only really one safe place. We need to go deeper into the Docks."

She preempted Brian's incredulous outburst. They didn't have time for their usual spiel.

"Yes, yes. I know. But... He's shown to be surprisingly reasonable for someone so powerful. I have to rely on my own judgment here since my power is suspiciously silent whenever he comes up. Thinker resistance, I reckon. The information I've managed to scrounge up has me carefully optimistic though."

He relaxed slightly after throwing her a dirty look for taking the wind out of his sails before it could even gather. It seemed he gave her an opportunity to explain though. Good. That meant he was already half-convinced.

"He has an impeccable reputation as a Dealmaker. As far as anyone knows, he has never reneged on one once he gave his word and the prices and favours he collects are fair. He also seems to have a soft spot for people turning their lives around and children, but don't quote me on that."

She let him draw his own conclusions. Judging from the thoughtful frown on his brows, he did just that. With a carefully measured voice, she continued.

"Crime in the Docks and bordering areas is at an all-time low, so we know he actively protects those he considers under his banner. People in his claimed territory are actually smiling genuinely in a city like Brockton Bay. I know it's not much to go on, but I think he's our best chance."

She had him in a thoughtful mood instead of a panicking one. That was good progress but not enough. She had to push without looking as if she was pushing. Almost as if it was an afterthought, she added.

"For reference, our chances of making it out of this city without being killed, captured, or worse is somewhere along 1 in 5 odds. And that's only if things don't get too crazy. Just a little reminder, this is Brockton Bay. Murphy basically has a monopoly on this city."

"If they try to stop us, we fuck them up."

Rachel grumbled but she could tell her heart wasn't in it. Despite her... impulsive streak, she didn't want to put her dogs into needless danger. That was one of the main reasons why she was usually following Brian's and her lead despite only reluctantly acknowledging Brian's leadership role.

Alec had gone back to his previously paused game, some strange Aleph-imported comic-style shooter named Borderlands, expressing his disinterest in the process of decision-making. He'd go along with what they decided.

Rachel would too, now that she had calmed down a bit from the initial excitement. She had her crude leather satchel already packed, understanding that they'd probably leave soon.

Her own emergency bag was already pre-packed so she could leave at any moment. Brian was silent for a few more seconds before his face set in that determined frown he usually sported when his course was set.

She grinned and hurried to her room before he even had a chance to talk, making him release a deliberately loud and long-suffering sigh after her. Soon, they were sitting on their transport and barreling towards the Docks.

She had a route in mind that was almost permanently devoid of humans except for a squatter or two. As she led them through the streets, a strange foreboding feeling filled her. The unease wasn't like one of her usual power-based hunches.

Just the feeling that something momentous and life-changing would soon happen. She tried and failed to shake it off before deciding to ignore it for now. She couldn't afford the distraction.

She really shouldn't have done that. She had no time to process what was happening when they turned a corner and found a convulsing Victor on the ground. The sounds he was releasing were strained, panicked, and filled with agony.

Some meters away, in the middle of a heap of metallic scrap that looked like an assortment of hooks and blades, there was a well dressed gentleman, casually keeping the large form of an unmasked Hookwolf upright by his chin. His eyes were glacial, though there was some curiosity in them when he threw them a side-eye.

[Warning! Do not antagonize T̵͛̈́͆͜ẖ̴̈́́́e̶̤̔ ̷̢́͂L̸̻͌͘i̸̧͋̑͘g̴̢̲̍͑͝͠h̶̪̤̜̓t̸͔̲̩̅̀͂b̸̲̫̏r̷͙̞̐͛ị̴̼͔̏̈̈́͝ń̵͔̙ḡ̵̨̭̈͒̏ë̵̝͙̺̻r̶̦̲̎̓̑ͅ!]

The mother of all headaches lanced through her skull as she laid her eyes on the person they were about to seek out. She did everything she could to keep the scream that wanted to push past her lips to a subdued groan as her power, for a lack of a better word, panicked.

She could feel it more clearly than ever before as it rearranged the wrinkles of her brain to try and somehow get her to run away. At the same time, Rachel's dogs decided it was a fantastic time to roll over.

She barely made it off of her ride in a fall that somewhat distracted her from the unintentional murder attempt her power had just staged. Her eyes, unfocused from the fucking agony she felt behind them, turned to the dogs.

They completed their rolls and were now lying on their backs, barely breathing and lightly shivering. Confusion clouded her mind for a moment before her power decided to chime in.

[Acknowledged superior entity. Designation T̵͛̈́͆͜ẖ̴̈́́́e̶̤̔ ̷̢́͂L̸̻͌͘i̸̧͋̑͘g̴̢̲̍͑͝͠h̶̪̤̜̓t̸͔̲̩̅̀͂b̸̲̫̏r̷͙̞̐͛ị̴̼͔̏̈̈́͝ń̵͔̙ḡ̵̨̭̈͒̏ë̵̝͙̺̻r̶̦̲̎̓̑ͅ accepted as Alpha.]

She winced when that incomprehensible gibberish once again filtered into her mind, causing her already unbearable headache to intensify. Almost delirious from pain, she still had the presence of mind to check on her team.

Rachel was apparently imitating her dogs and Brian as well as Alec were winded and confused, but somewhat alright. No one was seriously hurt, which was a small miracle already.

That was when she noticed that Hookwolf wasn't propped up by a disproportionately strong grip anymore. Instead, he laid there, carelessly left on the ground in the heap of metal that was his former body.

The reason for their sudden predicament was closing in on them with a polite smile that didn't reach his glacial eyes. Gently carried in his arms, he had a girl with her head pressed against his shoulder.

Worry was gnawing on Lisa's guts when she began to understand what was happening. The girl looked worse to wear and with the mayhem in the surroundings, she could already somewhat imagine what had happened even without all the cues her power was feeding her.

That didn't stop it from doing so of course. Once she laid her eyes upon her, it immediately latched onto the girl and began to work out and compile all the gleanable details.

[Girl between 10-13 years of age. Likely to be a Parahuman. Costume partially homemade but of high quality. Altercation between the recently named vigilante Horizon and the Empire. Recruitment attempt gone awry? Destructive residue in line with spatial manipulation on a medium scale. Reality Distortion Effect achieved. Age as well as power set similar to Ward Vista. Cross-referencing physical attributes... Match confirmed. Horizon is Vista.]

Oh... Oh, that wasn't good. She'd heard about the newcomer and was expecting an order of recruitment from Coil but it never came so she deliberately didn't look all that deeply into her. As for Vista, there were some really persistent rumours on PHO...

[Rumours about parenthood are likely to be correct. Entity T̵͛̈́͆͜ẖ̴̈́́́e̶̤̔ ̷̢́͂L̸̻͌͘i̸̧͋̑͘g̴̢̲̍͑͝͠h̶̪̤̜̓t̸͔̲̩̅̀͂b̸̲̫̏r̷͙̞̐͛ị̴̼͔̏̈̈́͝ń̵͔̙ḡ̵̨̭̈͒̏ë̵̝͙̺̻r̶̦̲̎̓̑ͅ procreated... Attempting to calculate escape route... Calculated route invalid due to lack of immediate space-faring capabilities. Recalculate... Chances of escape nonexistent. Alternate solution: Do not antagonize T̵͛̈́͆͜ẖ̴̈́́́e̶̤̔ ̷̢́͂L̸̻͌͘i̸̧͋̑͘g̴̢̲̍͑͝͠h̶̪̤̜̓t̸͔̲̩̅̀͂b̸̲̫̏r̷͙̞̐͛ị̴̼͔̏̈̈́͝ń̵͔̙ḡ̵̨̭̈͒̏ë̵̝͙̺̻r̶̦̲̎̓̑ͅ.]

Tears sprung up in her eyes from the way her power continuously badgered her brain. It was obvious that something was blocking it from whatever it wanted to communicate. Was this what it felt like to face someone immune to Thinkers?

"Oh will you stop screaming at the young lady? If I wanted to hurt you, I'd already done it by now. Leave her in peace so that I can have a fruitful conversation with her, will you?"

Suddenly, the connection to her power was muted and she gulped fearfully as her eyes widened behind her mask. It was still there, shivering in the presence of the man in front of her, but her mind was more silent than she'd ever experienced since she triggered.

Not even a single useless observation was thrown at her. She glanced up at the man who was reaching out with a glowing finger only for him to tap her forehead as if her mask wasn't even there, making her headache vanish like a bad dream.

He silenced her power with a single careless comment and took away her pain with a simple touch. She tried to control the shivers that ran down her body but it was of no use. This wasn't just a matter of nullification.

Her power was there. She could feel it. It just refused to entertain the thought of being used on him. Just how powerful did one have to be to have an effect like that?

"Well, that's better, isn't it? Now, why don't you tell me what you are doing here? Do note that I will not react well to being lied to. Also, let me warn you that I will know if you are dishonest."

Frantically, she threw the agreed sign to let her do the talking behind her back. They couldn't afford to let Alec fuck this up with his callous and/or sarcastic humour. Or Rachel with her confrontational tendencies. Or Brian with his straight-laced and rigid attitude...

She wasn't a good choice either since her power was completely silent. She had to rely on nothing but her own wit for the first time since triggering and it was a daunting feeling, especially so since this would decide their future. She took a shuddering breath to fortify herself and began.

"We... We are the Undersiders and we came here to search you out actually. We want to work for you, at least for a while."

His curiously raised eyebrow prompted her to continue.

"We were betrayed by our previous boss. He threw us out like yesterday's trash and painted a target on our backs that will have us dead or worse by the end of the night without help. We need a strong deterrent to somehow survive long enough to clear our names."

He released a thoughtful hum as he stared into her eyes. She didn't dare look away despite the distracting glow surrounding the girl in his arms. She noticed from the corner of her eyes that her wounds were closing with a speed visible to the eye.

"I see... And pray tell, who is this former boss of yours? Why would he so callously throw you out?"

The benign tone of his voice set her on edge. Instinctively she knew that her answer would decide their fate. She had to choose her words carefully. With grit teeth, she replied, impulsively deciding to reveal some details she hadn't even told her team.

"Our boss was Coil. He's way more dangerous than authorities think. If I'm right, then whatever happened here is at least partially his fault."

She tacitly ignored how his eyes lit up with flames when he heard that. If she ignored the terror they brought with them it would go away, right? So she continued as if she wasn't internally screaming.

She was good at ignoring emotions. It helped that her usual coping mechanism kicked in. She talked. She needed to convince him to take them in and that would only work if she put them in a good light while disparaging Coil… A surprisingly easy task in hindsight.

"He had us pretend to be an independent small-time gang to place us where he needed us without being implicated. I don't know what he was thinking, but... I guess I am the reason he cut us loose. He recruited me at gunpoint, which isn't necessarily the best way to foster lasting loyalty, you see..."

She could feel Brian's surprised stare in the back. She didn't tell them that when she recruited them. All they knew was that they had a sponsor who pulled their reins and that they would be paid along with whatever they made from their heists. She looked at the club owner with a frown on her brows.

"We all have reasons for our criminal careers. The reasons of my teammates aren't mine to tell, but I can divulge my own. I ran away from home and used my powers to keep myself over water and it went pretty well for a while. I scammed and blackmailed people and the ease with which I succeeded got to my head. Until I enter Coil's crosshair."

She debated with herself before decisively reaching up to her mask. This decision would either make or break her.

"My birth name is Sarah Livsey but I go by Lisa Wilbourn nowadays because I really don't want any connections with my birth parents. I was a petty criminal before being recruited into outright villainy."

It was a calculated risk to completely unmask in front of him. The way his eyes softened told her that she won that particular gamble. They weren't out of the woods yet though.

"I hope this was enough honesty for now. As for why you should take us in despite us being a hot commodity right now, we can be useful."

Thoughts shot through her head in quick succession before she decided on a strategy. She had to highlight their potential value, so she opted to treat this like an impromptu job interview.

"Grue is a capable leader of small-scale units. He is a competent martial artist with an emphasis on boxing and his power allows him and his team to engage and disengage at will. He is also a reliable man who does not easily panic and his loyalty is unquestionable as long as his needs are covered."

She quickly turned her attention to the more troublesome members of their little troupe. Rachel wasn't actually all that hard to praise. While she was socially impaired, she was also quite useful and that easily balanced out the trouble she potentially was.

"Bitch, or Hellhound as she's known on the other side of the law, is difficult to get along with but she also is a powerful asset. Her power allows her to enhance canine animals to pretty ridiculous degrees if she has the time to push the limits. She is also very loyal once you earn her approval."

She paused for a moment as she tried to think of a way to somehow make Alec an asset worth investing in. Shrugging, she just went along with her first thoughts.

"Regent is a little shit. He's fatalistic, sarcastic, borderline suicidal, and a sociopath. But since you seem to put emphasis on it, he's honest at least. Sometimes to a fault. He will spout out his first thoughts, no matter if you want to hear them or not and lying is usually too much of an effort for him."

She hoped that made him somewhat tolerable in the eyes of her hopefully new boss. She ignored the growing amusement in his eyes and continued unperturbed.

"As for my own competencies, I am very capable in the fields of administration and information gathering. I do have some field training that was forced upon me but I think I would be best put to use behind a screen, organising efforts from afar. Together, we are a well established unit that has run numerous successful operations. Oh, and we all have at least basic first aid training. Grue insisted."

She told her piece and now she waited for the verdict. The man who would decide their future looked at them thoughtfully before coming to a decision.

"As expected of The Negotiator, I suppose. Very well. It seems I just saved myself the first recruitment drive. Consider yourself hired. I shall shelter you until I've cleared your names and once I've done that, you will enter the roster of my sponsored Independent Hero Team under Mouse Protector. Welcome to The Beacon."

His jovial words impacted her mind as she stared up at him with a clear lack of comprehension. He was founding an indie team? When? How? Why? And did they really just flip sides accidentally? Her thoughts came to an end when the atmosphere surrounding them changed.

"We will have to walk since my dear Devilspawn isn't yet stable enough for other modes of transportation. Since we have the time, be a dear and tell me everything you know about this... Coil."

He paused for a moment as if tasting the name.

"I feel I will have to pay the man a visit. To thank him for his... generous present and to remind him of the consequences it has to try and play The Devil."

The air around him stagnated in a way that was hard to grasp. As if the world itself held its breath in the face of his fury. She shivered from the sensation even though she wasn't the target.

'But... I can use this...' Unbidden, a tremulous but decidedly vulpine smirk pushed onto her lips when she connected the obvious dots. It seemed she'd get her revenge for the constant terror and the sudden betrayal quicker than she'd thought.

"Oh, and do call someone to clean up this mess. I've gotten everything I need from them."

She blinked at the order but quickly grabbed one of her burners and sent an anonymous tip to the PRT that Hookwolf and Victor were out of commission and ready to be collected.

With everything that was happening, she'd done her best to ignore the two Empire Capes in dire straits. And the ground that was still lazily bubbling.

Now that negotiations were over, she glanced at the crying, twitching, and occasionally whimpering mess that was Hookwolf and the unresponsive but breathing Victor.

Honestly, she couldn't bring herself to feel any sympathy. The men deserved what they got. Just like her old 'boss'.

In a better mood than she probably should have been, she followed along with the others as her new employer escorted them back to his club. Sure, she was due for a dress down from her illustrious leader but she could live with that if Coil was going to be dealt with.

The look Brian sent her confirmed that they'd be talking about this in detail later on but right now, he was willing to play ball. Her power whispered to her that he trusted her to have their best interest in her mind. It was sweet but not the main reason for his compliance.

That was a healthy dose of fear. He'd seen what the man did with Jack Slash and she managed to gather some of the details as to what happened to the other members of the Nine, so he didn't want to agitate Lucifer Morningstar without a very good reason.

Rachel was extraordinarily subdued, especially when compared to her usual attitude. She was very clearly intimidated by something and the looks she sent the man leading them were filled with equal parts fear and worship.

Her power only repeated that she found her Alpha but Lisa lacked the context to really understand what that meant so she couldn't do much with that information. Not that she planned to intervene anyways.

Alec seemed as unruffled as ever but she was a bit surprised that he didn't put their lives in jeopardy with a dumb and suicidal comment already. Maybe he was learning to actually shut up when it was necessary? 'Fat chance...'

She almost snorted the thought and immediately dismissed it. She'd seen just how far his lack of survival instincts could go and it was honestly a small miracle that he wasn't already six feet under. She'd ask him later why he was so silent.

With the assessment of her team done, she turned to their future boss and started gleefully spilling everything she was able to gather about the man behind her involuntary employment.

Every little detail she squirreled out and most of the conjectures she'd drawn over her time in his employ. Her already exemplary memory had been enhanced even further by her trigger so she had no problem recalling even the smallest morsel of information.

Whatever Lucifer needed, she'd try and hand him. She hated Coil with every fibre of her being but more than that, she feared him. If she ever wanted to feel safe again, she needed him gone. Maybe then, she could have that moment of reprieve she so bitterly needed.

~Lucifer Morningstar~

He very carefully continued to direct his Celestial Essence to mend the self-inflicted injuries of the newest addition to his family. He couldn't afford a single moment of carelessness to not overload her little body and Soul as it could have adverse effects he'd rather not contemplate.

They were home now so he would soon be able to regulate his Light with the help of runic formations but right now, he was still doing all the work manually. A mentally tiring task if there ever was one. It certainly didn't help that he had to concurrently keep his temper in check.

His rage burned with the smoldering intensity of a volcano on the verge of erupting deep in his core, and it flared every time he looked down at the peaceful resting face of his fragile charge. It took everything out of him to not lash out irrationally.

To distract himself, he directed his mind to the strays he unintentionally picked up. The little troupe had silently followed him like ducklings and he offered the same accommodations he would have offered his guests. A fact that was clearly appreciated by them.

They were a tragic bunch. One was broken, almost beyond repair. One's Soul was twisted into something not quite fully human. The other two weren't quite as damaged, but they had their fair share of darkness too.

Even so, he couldn't hold them entirely responsible for their deeds. They were children and they were also victims of a world that was unkind to the young and innocent.

The decision to add them to his roster might have been a bit of an impulsive one, but since they searched him out for one reason or another, he took the opportunity. He was confident he wouldn't regret it.

He took great care not to associate them to the misdeeds of their former employer in his mind. They had no hand in them and it would hardly be just to crucify them for his actions when they themselves suffered from the consequences of his schemes.

No, he would direct his vengeful nature at the proper targets. He had to prioritize however. That was why he opened the door to his personal sanctum. His… daughter's safety was of paramount importance. Especially so after she almost perished.

A tight feeling formed in his chest and he grit his teeth. He was almost too late. When he heard her accidental prayer bidding him goodbye as if she was certain she would die, he felt something akin to terror for the first time in millennia before all-encompassing rage took its place.

That was when he realized the kind of relationship they had settled on. It was a familial kind of connection. It had sneaked upon him, his own traitorous emotions gleefully collaborating. Despite the short timeframe, it wasn't a sudden development from a certain point of view.

From the first moment he felt her clumsily traipsing feelers attempt grand theft on his scones, he admitted a certain fondness for the tiny cheeky space bender. He felt similarly for her as he once did for his younger siblings.

Teaching and protecting them always made his heart sing too, back when everything was good. It was a long, long time ago but he remembered with bittersweet fondness the easier existence he lived then.

It was a time when his Father took his role as parent and husband a bit more seriously and when his Mother was still the loving, nurturing woman who would never shy away from showing her affectionate side. That past was lost to him.

His siblings only knew hate and scorn when thinking of him, his Father despised his existence enough to strip him of his very Essence, and to his Mother, he was nothing more than a jailor.

He thought he closed his heart to such feelings a long time ago and he intended for it to stay that way. Along came this little Miss. A precocious little thief trying to stealthily nab the fruits of his labour without the hint of a talent for sneaking.

A remarkably bright Soul, marred only by familiar pain. Specifically, the kind that came to be through neglect. Oh, he recognised the sort of turmoil she lived through soon enough for he suffered through the very same too once upon a time.

She grew on him from that very first moment, and the sensation only rose in intensity the better he got to know her. Before he knew it, he considered her a part of his life.

She also caught him off guard several times with her surprisingly open nature. The glimpses he allowed himself to take of her Soul told him she should have been wary, distrustful and yet... For some reason, she felt safe with him. Safe enough to show the kind of affection he thought lost to him.

She did the unforgivable, the unthinkable, and trusted The Devil. She then went a step further and decided to elevate his position in her life to a parental one. A decision so inconceivable to him that he would stay baffled over it for a long time.

He didn't deserve it, he was sure. But... he would be damned even more than he already was if he didn't ensure that she'd never regret her Choice. He was determined to fulfill that set of responsibilities to the very best of his ability.

Despite his resolve, he almost lost her the same moment he learned what he meant to her. Because he decided to not take away her privacy by keeping his senses on her around the clock despite their connection, he was almost too late.

One of the many duties a parent had was the offer of safety. It was amongst the basics of parenthood. So basic that even he knew of it. Despite the obvious nature of that particular duty, he failed. It was unforgivable.

He had much to answer for, but the first thing he had to do was correct his failure. Only after she was under proper protection would he hunt down the people responsible for her state. He would be creative too. 'It's been a while since I personally designed an Infernal Loop...' he mused.

Just because he had to do it to make sure she would stay safe in the future didn't mean he wasn't allowed to enjoy putting them in their place. The raging beast in his core purred in satisfaction and anticipation at his thoughts.

Surprisingly, there was no conflict between the two sides of his being this one time. His Infernal Essence acknowledged his claim on her and his Celestial Grace was fiercely protective over her. Both demanded he avenged her.

Not letting his rage control him, he pulled back the covers with a casual wave of his free hand and laid her fragile form in the middle of the bed. On the surface, she looked hale and healthy now, if a bit frail. On the inside, it was a different matter entirely.

Frankly, she should have died before he had a chance to save her. It wasn't the wounds she suffered by foreign hands, though they too were grievous and he would hunt down each and every one who was even tangentially responsible for them.

No, it was what she did to herself. She forced her almost completely mundane brain to perceive a being that was far beyond her comprehension and mutilated it almost irreparably in the process.

While not to the degree of Divinity, the being was certainly above mortal capabilities to perceive. Through the widened connection they shared, he had the chance to glean some more details without giving too much of himself away, and it was quite a strange thing.

Folded into itself over several dimensions, some of which were entirely alien to this Universe, it looked back curiously. In some ways, those beings were harder to understand for a mundane mind than creatures of Celestial Origin. Divinity was a part of this universe and thus part of the Natural Order, even as absent as it was at the moment.

These creatures were utterly foreign however. He wasn't yet entirely sure just what they were or where they came from but he knew that they didn't originate from this universe. They were invaders incapable of truly fitting in and they only vaguely followed the local natural Laws.

They were also oddly familiar. From the reactions he received from some of them, he quickly realised that he must have encountered them once upon a time already, but with the number and scope of the wars he participated in, it was somewhat challenging to narrow it down.

It didn't help that he disliked thinking about that aspect of his life too much. It was painful because for every triumph they celebrated, three other worlds were lost until the tables turned due to his own stubborn efforts.

That wasn't even talking about the emotional strain it put on him to think about the brothers that once were closest to him. He shook his head. Now wasn't the time. Despite his wariness, he was glad her passenger decided to intervene, though in a unique way.

It allowed for some of its core, which seemingly consisted of crystallized information, to be transmitted through their widening connection. The unique medium allowed her to shift the entirety of herself into this newly formed core.

Even if she had no body left, as long as he had access to this crystal, he would have been capable of reviving her without much of a fuss beyond the material cost. The tradeoff was that she wasn't entirely human any longer. Something he wasn't sure she'd take well.

Nevertheless, he would forever be grateful to it for its intervention and he already had a Boon in mind to pay back the monumental favor it had offered freely. Especially so since he sensed that the life-saving deed was done out of a surprisingly pure motivation.

The creature itself was confused, but he could see that an all too human fondness had sneaked up on it. It appreciated the tiny being that was resting on his bed and it didn't want to lose its host. It was protective and willing to go through great lengths to keep her safe.

He wondered what the introduction of human emotions would do to a creature as supposedly unfeeling and mechanical as this. That was a thought for later however. Right now, he had a bucket list so to speak, and he was intent to work it off.

With a wave of his hand, he cleansed her of all foreign substances and covered her in the only piece of clothing he was capable of conjuring, the practice not being his forte by far.

A golden robe created from Astral Threads came to be on her body before he did away with her previous outfit. He grimaced at having to clothe her in such a gaudy and tasteless garment but her worn outfit was simply unsalvageable.

There was also a hint of his Presence in his conjured clothing which he hoped would offer her a measure of peace during her healing sleep. As soon as she was safely cocooned in Astral Threads and silken covers with a sinful thread count, he started laying down Formations.

Runic circles began to revolve around his divine form as soft Light flowed from him in a steady stream. The symbols flared one after another before imprinting on sleek pieces of Celestial Silver.

He was glad he over-prepared for the ritual that gave birth to Jibril and that he hadn't started laying down the Circle for the Ritual of Penance yet. That gave him access to all the materials collected for it.

Bonesaw, which was a rather distasteful choice for a name, was still in peaceful stasis since he had to change some of the Ritual's directives. He could simply regather the needed resources at a later date. With no reason to be frugal, he drew more and more resources from his storage.

Protective circles formed around the bed one after another as he fortified her resting place against any and all circumstances. He frowned lightly as he laid his eyes on the formations. 'It's not enough... I need to keep her safe.'

Unknown to him, soft golden Light shone from his eyes as his protective intent magnified. His veins shone with liquid silver as his Grace flared behind the flimsy Seal, almost burning it away with its intensity.

Only barely did he keep it in place while he continued to weave defensive enchantments and linked them into an Array rather similar to his Masterpiece, though of a lesser scope.

His Light spread outwards in controlled pulses, influencing the area he laid claim to just slightly. A measure of Peace spread amongst the confused and fearful people when the Concept of Safety settled within the limits of his territory.

Unknown to him, the foundations for a new religion were laid that day when people observed pulses of pure, warm Light originating from the surprisingly aptly named Lux. All those basking in the shine had their wounds healed and their minds soothed.

Lucifer's territory turned into an oasis of Peace while the city was consumed by chaos, violence, and uncertainty. Unknowing of the consequences his actions had, he continued to weave.

Flawlessly interflowing script settled throughout the room and beyond before flaring as he impressed upon them the Concept of Healing. His Intent pervaded the runic sequences and gave them Meaning, allowing them to work optimally. With a final push, he linked Protection and Healing into one massive Array.

Slowly, the flow of his Light petered down to a trickle that would passively fuel the protections linked to him. He released a slightly laboured breath that ushered stardust into the air as his arms fell from their raised position. This would do for now.

'I may add upon the enchantments at a later time but for now, it should be enough.' He directed a last glance at the girl who claimed him. Never would he have imagined to ever be able to feel so strongly for a mortal.

'Another thing that needs to be rectified.' He idly mused as he somewhat reluctantly turned and left the room. Once outside, an even tinier girl barreled into his legs with unmatched enthusiasm.

"Papa!"

She cried out joyfully as she was followed by a panicking Maze and an antsy Claire. The latter had unmasked to him at the end of their negotiations, making him warn her against being so trusting.

Her answer had been a shrug and the comment that if she couldn't trust the one who saved her life, she could trust no one. His attention quickly focused on Maze as she looked ready to go to war.

"Are we being invaded?! I felt the wards strengthen a fuckton and-... Are you glowing? Why are you glowing? What the fuck happened?!"

Jibril quickly turned to her and pointed her tiny finger accusingly.

"Don't swear, Aunty Mazie! Swearing is bad! I think?... That's what Riley always said at least..."

He somewhat awkwardly petted Jibril's head and used his telekinesis to lift her into his arms as she frowned cutely with some confusion visible on her small features, though she immediately latched on to him as soon as she was in his hold.

Her adorable actions made him smile slightly despite the mood he was in but quickly found himself nonplussed by what he saw when he glanced again at his subordinate. One side of her head was nearly completely bald.

How had he missed this? It didn't look bad. In fact, it fit her quite well, but it hadn't been long since he left so he was understandably confused how this came to be.

"When did you cut your hair? And why, for that matter?"

He asked and the question made her eyes flash as she grit her teeth in a sign of vexation. It also made the hero who had followed behind her try and fail to suppress a snort of amusement despite her obvious agitation, making him understand that he was lacking some context.

His most loyal demoness took a very deliberate breath to calm down. Slowly, she answered after glancing at the little girl who had given up her contemplations in favour of snuggling up to him and poking idly at his cheek.

"I just felt like it. Don't try to change the topic. You're glowing like a fu-... dging neon sign right now. I thought your brother was bad when he got serious with those ominously glowing eyes, but he's got nothing on you apparently. What happened out there?"

His lips twisted into a scowl and he could feel the unforgiving heat creep into his gaze. Maze's eyes widened as she whistled slowly, and Claire gasped silently but didn't react otherwise.

"That bad, huh..."

The leader of his newest whim and Deal showed admirable mental fortitude as she looked him into his eyes without even a hint of fear, but he still pressed down on his rage. It wasn't time to unleash it yet, so he took a calming breath.

She was safe for now. Safe and on the road of recovery. He made certain of it. All that was left was to deal with those who threatened her. After calming himself, he answered her question.

"Let's just say our little space bender's evening walk didn't quite go as she expected. I was almost late but managed to rescue her. Oh, and I picked up some strays along the way. They'll be in your care once I have had a conversation or two, Claire."

The rodent-themed hero, who was in full costume, looked a bit surprised but nodded quickly with a boisterous smile before saluting crisply.

"I will strive to instill only the best of values into them! I will inspire them to follow your teachings to the last word! I will ensure that they make your name reach even the most distant of lands! This, I swear on my honor!"

Jibril, who had turned on his arm to watch the heroine, was clapping enthusiastically even as he massaged his temples with his free hand. Was she always going to be so enthusiastic?

"You... need not to go that far, my dear. I am not planning to create any more cults in my name. Father knows the last few did not go over well..."

He grumbled before frowning. He closed his eyes and carefully stretched his senses. He felt a faint sense of discomfort since his Light was still raw from overuse in the previous Ritual and the construction of the wards.

The soreness didn't stop him from perceiving the descent into madness however. He believed her but now his senses told him that Lisa's predictions turned out correct. He could sense it clearly.

Given the chance, far too many humans decided to give in to their baser instincts. It was nothing new. While he'd seen the most selfless acts performed by mortals, the opposite was sadly true as well. Usually, he would end up being blamed for the latter.

As his Infernal Essence stirred from the amount of Sin permeating the city, he felt pressed. The situation was escalating. The streets were ripe with violence. Wrath and Greed flared everywhere and a haze of corruption, guided by the insidious mind of Lisa's former boss, settled in Brockton Bay.

Some locations were more worrying than others. Unnatural fury mounted somewhat close to the Trainyard, which hinted at a confrontation between Capes and he had an inkling just who the angry fellow was.

Another confrontation was looming close to his territory and one participant was the delightful military lady he met first amongst the heroes. It seemed it was time to act.

"I suppose we should intervene..."

He silently mused. It wouldn't do to let this city fall to ruin because of a single man with an enormous ego and a small mind. The way Coil manipulated the populace was truly distasteful to him.

He just had to take care not to get too involved. After all, he knew how quickly things could escalate and with his level of power, he had to be careful in the ways he moved. Especially so since he hadn't determined the Sources yet.

The amount of power he used today was already risky, especially since his rescue of Missy wasn't done behind wards that dampened his presence. He chastised himself for that, but couldn't regret his actions. For the boundless fury he felt, he did keep himself in check remarkably well after all.

By now, he was almost certain that whoever the invader was wasn't extraordinarily dangerous to him, but it was better to be safe than sorry so he wanted to reach an equilibrium and remove the Seal before he confronted them.

That said, he was possessive. He claimed this place as his home so he wouldn't leave it to perish in the mayhem conjured by a megalomaniac in his quest for satisfaction. The obvious solution was to send his subordinates to mitigate the worst of it, so that was what he'd do.

That was also the reason he warmed up to the idea of founding a team of his own so quickly. Well, that and he thought it might be fun. Claire had been fairly convincing too and her sincere passion certainly had a way of drawing him in.

The Beacon, he decided, would be his arm. They would intervene in his place. He just had to build it up first. Protecting this city from the schemes of a madman with delusions of grandeur was a proper first outing, he supposed.

His gaze turned to his Right Hand with a considering hum. A decisive gleam could be found in his eyes as he sent her out.

"Mazikeen. Be a dear and support the good heroes of this city. You might even get to play with the raging lizard. He seems to have forgotten your last warning, so you are allowed to use your Infernalis. Make sure it sticks this time."

The sadistic smirk on her lips almost made him pity the man. That was until he remembered why the warning was even necessary. Slavery was an abhorrent crime. Especially the sexual kind.

He gave the man a single chance to abolish the practice and he sent Maze to deliver his ultimatum. They came to blows and he walked away with a new scar, unhealable by mortal means.

The girls they'd freed had been taken in by him. Some of them wanted to stay in the flesh peddling business but most of them decided to take him up on his offer to sponsor a change of career.

Many already had a profession they previously practiced, so all he had to do was to either hire them himself or to arrange for a working place for them. He didn't collect any favors for those arrangements. Those women, and the few men, suffered enough already.

This time, the lizard wasn't the instigator however. Coil might have provoked this but it was the Empire that decided to commit to this. Seemingly as an afterthought, he added.

"Oh, and do tell them that they have until daybreak to take down the Empire. If they fail, I will take matters into my own hands."

A feral smirk spread on her lips in response to the Hellfire he flashed at her. She nodded with barely hidden glee and turned to leave. The poor woman was a bit pent up from the lack of challenges. Letting loose a bit on someone who could take a hit or two would do her some good.

He turned to his other employee. This would be a good time to introduce her and make her new affiliation known. With a faint smile, he sent her off.

"Claire. Your paramour is on her way to our borders but in her way, there seems to be a pesky little fellow determined to stop her. Please receive her and make sure she and the people under her protection safely reach the camp."

Her eyes widened and filled with worry at the information before she nodded determinedly. She wasted no time and teleported away. His eyes followed her for a moment. She really cared for the woman who he met first among the heroes.

She didn't seem like someone who would play with the feelings of her better half and yet, she was responsive to his advances... It was peculiar and something to keep an eye on but compared to the current situation, it had a low priority.

With a sharp whistle, he summoned Cherona. She wasn't far and soon entered the corridor and trotted up to him. Jibril threw her arms into the air, unintentionally slapping him in the process, and greeted the Hellhound.

"Cherry! My most handsome steed! We are finally reunited!"

She jumped out of his arms and onto the hound, who took the addition of a living accessory that was suddenly clinging to her with the unfaltering calmness that was so quintessential to her.

"Isn't she your only steed?"

He asked, somewhat bemused, only for his spawn to shake her head vigorously.

"You and Auntie Mazie carry me around so you are steeds. And Aunty Mousie said she'd give me a piggy back tomorrow so she counts too."

His brows furrowed, somewhat offended.

"I lost to Cherona in terms of appearance?"

She nodded sagely.

"Cherona's the best. You can be the most handsome papa though."

He shook his head lightly and commented with a wry smile before instructing the hellborn guardian while ignoring her by no means warranted smug amusement.

"I should hope I am the only one of those but very well. I suppose I'll have to take what I can get. Now listen to me, please. The reason I summoned her is that I will need to leave for a matter of great importance."

Jibril perked up and looked at him with her face half-hidden behind Cherona's sizable head. He addressed the Infernal Guardian with serious eyes.

"I need you to protect my little dove. Her sister is as safe as she can be while recuperating behind my wards. I will however rely on you to keep Jibril safe and sound. By any means."

He ominously added and her amusement as well as the habitually lazy look in her eyes lifted briefly as she growled out her ready acceptance of the task. It was only for a moment but he smiled nonetheless when he saw the rare flash of seriousness.

She would fulfill her task, he had no doubt. While her means were often unconventional, she hadn't yet failed any of his assignments and he genuinely doubted she'd start now.

The serious atmosphere died a fiery death when the fledgling Celestial assaulted their eardrums with a squeal of surprise before she rapidly shot question after question at him.

"I have a sister?! Since when? Do I know her? Is she older or younger than me? When can I meet her? Did you make her out of stardust like me or did you create her the conventional way? Does this mean I have a Stepmom? Who's my real mommy? Is it that strange computer girl? Or is it the silent one that looks like a statue?"

He reacted quickly and took the small pause in her onslaught as an opportunity. Smoothly, he knelt down to be at the same height as her and took one of her tiny hands into his before telling her gently.

"If you want your questions answered, you will have to let me get a word in, my little cherub. Yes, you do have a sister. Her name is Melissa but she dislikes the name so we call her Missy instead. Truthfully, I dislike that name but I will respect her choice. She claimed me today and she is older than you."

He began and mused for a moment that either was true actually. While Jibril's creation wasn't long ago, she inherited much of the knowledge she had before. Due to the way that worked out, her mental state wasn't a mature one however.

She lacked the sense of experience behind those memories and thus didn't mature through them. For all intents and purposes, she was a child no older than ten years of age. He recalled the order of her questions and continued to answer.

"I did not create her in any way, but she wishes for me to fill a parental role in her life. A desire I've agreed to as I am fond of her. I would very much like it if you two could get along. A meeting will have to wait since I put her in a healing sleep. You'll have to be patient until she wakes."

She nodded at his words with a bright smile and a twinkle in her eyes, clearly already imagining all the fun they'd have once they met. With a more serious tone to his voice, he continued.

"Due to the circumstances of your creation, you do not have a mother and neither am I inclined to offer such a role to a random woman. Should there ever be a person in my life that has more meaning than mutual gratification, I might consider it but they'll have to earn your approval as well as Missy's first, alright?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding slowly. He breathed a small sigh of relief that the questions had stopped. He honestly had no idea how to deal with curious children but offering answers to their questions seemed to be the right call.

"Now, I truly do have something urgent to take care of. Will you be a good girl and stay with Cherona while I'm gone?"

She looked back at him with a slight frown and he thought she'd demand he stay, but instead she nodded before asking softly.

"When you come back, will you tell me a story? And give me a kiss on my forehead before going to sleep? For some reason, I think I really want to experience that..."

It was likely a craving of the Soul she was an imprint of. An echo, a cry for attention she never received. He could feel his eyes soften as he smiled at her.

"How could I refuse such an earnest plea? I promise I will tell you a story once I am back. I will also lay a kiss on your forehead, tuck you in, and sing you to sleep. My word is my Bond."

He was a tad alarmed when suddenly tears sprung up in her eyes but the feeling faded when she pushed forward and hugged him over Cherona's head.

The mischievous canine didn't want to be left out and somehow managed to maneuver herself into the embrace as he caught her, making Jibril giggle wetly before shrieking and laughing outright when the first Hellhound decided to press her wet nose to her neck.

"Stop it! Your nose is cold and that tickles!"

He subtly removed himself from the equation and watched them tumble around with Cherona teasing his precious fledgling with pokes and licks. Until she licked back, that was. He chuckled at the guardian's bewildered and faintly offended look and felt some of his suppressed fury melt away at the adorable actions.

With his worries put to rest, he could finally focus on the Hunt. It was time to unleash his nature on the deserving and he had just the perfect first target in mind. He was certainly deserving of his personal attention.

~Amelia Dallon/Panacea~

"Get me my drugs or we'll start shooting! Look at the bitch over there if you wanna know how serious I am, you cock guzzlers!"

He screamed into the room. She grit her teeth in frustration as she looked around surreptitiously to try to find an opportunity to knock the fuckers out. Or at least to get to Jackie to heal her.

The elderly nurse who tried regularly to get her to take some time off stood up resolutely against the druggies who stormed the ER a few minutes ago and she paid for it. Her expertise told her that she'd bleed out in a few minutes if the gutshot didn't get treated.

Rarely did she despise her severely limited range as much as right now. Her contemplations paused when she heard a young voice from the entrance.

"So we are here to visit someone? Is it another sister?"

A bark she'd recognise everywhere sounded through the room and hope surged through her. Cherona shouldn't have any problems dealing with a few thugs. Several of the druggies turned their weapons towards the entrance, confused by the voice floating into the room.

"Not yet? What's that supposed to mean? Huh? Why do I have to wait out here? I wanna come with!"

Another series of barks followed and then a short silence. That was when the massive form of Lucifer's hound entered the ER. The druggies quickly started screaming and shooting when they watched her trot leisurely to the first one and swipe his legs quicker than he could possibly react.

She almost winced at the crack that echoed through the room when his head impacted the vinyl floor. The abnormal canine shrugged off the bullets shot at her and moved far more grace than a hound of this size should have been capable of.

Several patients used the sudden chaos to take out a couple of the former merchants themselves and she quickly shuffled over to Jackie to fix her. The woman turned her head weakly and smiled at her.

"Do I have permission to heal you?"

She whispered to her and received a weak nod. Without wasting any more time, she began working. First, she used Jackie's own flesh and muscles to stop the bleeding and push out the bullet. Only then did she heal her.

It was quickly done since bullet wounds were only rarely complicated cases and she had loads of practice dealing with them. 'Fucking Brockton Bay.' She inwardly grumbled as she sealed up the wound.

"You'll be alright. Just eat an additional full meal a day for a week or so and you'll be right as rain. I also took care of the first onset of Arthritis for you."

She gruffly murmured, earning herself a thankful smile.

"Oh thank you my dear. Trying to talk down a couple of armed thugs was good for my health in the end it seems. Maybe I should do so more often?"

The cheeky little smile on her lips did nothing to calm her temper, but she kept a lid on it beyond the fierce scowl she shot the woman to show her what she thought of her tasteless joke. Jackie only laughed silently in response.

Amy gave it up before shuffling away a bit and crossing her arms. Cherona was done it seemed. The thugs were subdued and secured while their weapons were put on a pile in the back of the room.

Miraculously, no one else was shot by those shit-for-brain morons who thought that storming an ER when there was a fucking war going on outside was a good idea.

She mentally corrected herself. Calling the lethal crash between the two addled brain cells they collectively shared thinking was a gross overstatement. Her unkind thoughts came to an end when Brimstone flooded her perception.

A gasp left her mouth and her head snapped over to the amused canine who had shocked her out of her mind. A friendly huff was the answer to her glare. She kept it up for a moment longer before she sighed.

"Yeah, good fucking evening to you too, you ugly mutt. All that blood and gore I've seen over the past hour really brightened my day. What are you doing here and who's the kid that's trying to look into the room around the corner when all she'd have to do is look into the mirrored wall behind her?"

Cherona glanced over and released one of her signature chuffs that sounded so much like a human chuckle. It was funny, she supposed. She just wasn't in the mood for laughs right now.

Finally, the girl decided to just risk it and stretch her head in. Her eyes roamed the room before they lit up when she saw Cherona. She rounded the corner and stopped for a moment to orient herself.

Once she'd zeroed in on them, she stormed over with pitter patter sounds that somehow were audible over the ambient sound of an ER filled with sick and hurt people.

"Cherry! Why didn't you get me when you were done! Is that my future sis? Hi, my name is Jibril and I like your freckles!"

"Thank you? I like your… hair?"

She reflexively answered. 'Future sis?...What?' Her confusion mounted and wasn't helped at all by her enthusiastic bouncing and the amused huff from Cherona. She blinked at the bright smile and hesitantly sent one back, making her brighten even more.

"I wanna hug you so badly but I'm not allowed to because I can't keep you out yet. That's what Cherry told me at least… Oh, we'll have so much fun when you're finally my sister! We can go bowling and skydiving and maybe even join Papa on a Hunt? What do you think, Cherry? Will he let us join him when he punishes the people who made him angry?"

As she watched Cherona's head sway from side to side in a deceptively human gesture of denial that made the little confusing girl pout before clamouring that she'd convince him, she could only think one thing. 'What the fuck is my life?'

She was distracted from her questionable life choices when the authorities finally decided to appear and take away the thugs. The next half an hour went by as a blur as she alternated between healing critical cases and giving a statement.

She sighed in relief when the police finally left and glanced at the tiny slip of a girl that brightened the ER with her presence after understanding that she was busy healing. She was running around asking innocent questions and cheering up the few children in the room by playing with them under the watchful eyes of their parents.

"Do I have permission to heal you?"

It should have been a bother to the many sick and injured people but somehow, she managed to endear herself to the majority of them. She was admittedly cute with the permanent and honest smile she showed and the tiny Wings fluttering excitedly with her mood.

Via osmosis, she finally learned that she was Lucifer's. Because of course he had a kid and it was the cutest little brat ever. Even the small angel Wings didn't deter all that many people from doting on her despite their association with the Simurgh.

"Do I have permission to heal you?"

The amount of sweets she was given and consequently consumed couldn't have been healthy but if she inconvenienced Lucifer a bit on her sugar high it certainly wasn't Amy's problem.

Her brows furrowed in confusion as her mind went to their belief that she'd end up Jibril's sister. How exactly would that happen? Would she be adopted a second time? 'Yeah right. Because the first attempt ended oh so well.'

"Do I have permission to heal you?"

She blinked away the familiar sting of tears at the thought. She refused to give in to the pain. Officially, she was still Carol's ward but her aunt housed her now since she wasn't really welcome in Carol's house anymore.

Apparently, Mark stopped Carol from doing anything drastic and forced her to calm down before she took any steps she'd later regret but that fact didn't change. She was surprised that he managed to stay coherent long enough to do as much as he did honestly.

"Do I have permission to heal you?"

Vicky decided to stay at Sarah's as well for now since she admitted that she couldn't guarantee not to slap Carol again if she went off on a rant about having to stop Amy's descent into villainy.

It honestly hurt just how little trust in her integrity her adoptive mother had. Did she really think she'd just snap one day and plunge the world into chaos by creating plagues and eldritch horrors?

"Do I have permission to heal you?"

She only met with Mark once since the house of cards crashed down from a single blow of the storm called Victoria, but apparently, the answer was yes. Which was why he told her that it wouldn't be a good idea for her to return for now, if ever.

Admittedly, he looked genuinely contrite and pained about what he said, but that didn't change the fact that he easily chose his wife over any consideration for her. It fucking hurt.

"Do I have permission to heal you?"

It wasn't fair to him, but she would have wished for him to at least hesitate a bit. 'Lucifer would have fought for me…' The thought was as unbidden as it was true. She knew without a doubt that he wouldn't have discarded her like that.

Spending time with the man was easy and uncomplicated. He was obviously fond of her snark for some reason and never chastised her for speaking her mind. That was despite her being far less than pleasant company due to the turmoil in her recent life.

"Do I have permission to heal you?"

It was refreshing to have someone encourage her to be herself and let out her frustrations, fears, and pains instead of suppressing who she was for good PR.

Ironically, the fact that she was allowed to let most thoughts flow freely out of her mouth when she was at the Lux made controlling herself in public much easier. Maybe that was why she searched out his presence so often?

"Do I have permission to heal you?"

It helped that he never rejected her. He always made time for her if he was present, even if it was just her sitting on his sinfully comfortable couch and observing him while he went about his business.

She liked to think that they'd grown closer over the past few weeks. 'Maybe that's why Cherona thinks he'll take me in?...' She stubbornly ignored the longing she felt at the thought of having a parent that actually gave a fuck about her.

"Do I have permission to heal you?"

She wasn't that desperate yet. 'That's a bit of a lie, isn't it? And you know how Lucifer thinks about lies…' Her own mind betrayed her and she sent the patient in front of her fleeing unintentionally with a fierce scowl.

'Good riddance. There were three different STDs on that guy and the ring tells me he's married.' She mused as she waved in the next patient. She'd intentionally only healed what he came in for and had left his STDs alone. After making sure they wouldn't be contagious of course.

The stream of new admittances had slowed down to a trickle and she was now working off the backlog so to speak. The young girl approached her hesitantly and she noticed that she still wore her scowl.

She had to rein herself in. 'Stay professional.' She chastised herself and sighed as she put on the neutral expression she usually forced on her face while healing.

"Sorry. It's been a long day and it's getting to me. Do I have permission to heal you?"

The patient, a girl named Melania, sent her an understanding smile before agreeing to receive treatment. Usually, this was all done via contract but ER was a bit different, especially today, so she needed verbal consent.

She continued working as her mind wandered again. To distract herself in a specific direction, she looked over to Cherona. The canine seemed to have decided to take up a post in front of the entrance where she could keep observing the room through the mirrored wall.

She was guarding it like the Hound of Hell she was. Already, she sent several armed people running with a deep, menacing growl that was exceptionally well suited to strike terror into the hearts of men.

She admittedly felt safer now that she knew that no one with bad intentions would be able to enter. As did the nurses and doctors, who had long since gotten used to the massive dog.

Usually, she was waiting outside close to the parking lot, but sometimes she'd stroll into the waiting area if she was bored. She never attacked anyone, was always docile and friendly, and kept her distance from the patients.

As far as the personnel was concerned, she was more pleasant company than most patients. It helped that she understood English better than most of the daft idiots who were admitted and their relatives.

Also, this was Brockton Bay. A massive dog visiting the hospital to escort the premier healer home wasn't the strangest thing that had happened here. Not by a long shot.

The thoughts of the many bizarre cases she'd seen in her comparatively short time as a Cape kept her entertained as she continued her monotonous work deep into the night.

When she was gently stopped and led away by Dr. Morrison, she put up far less of a fight than usual. Though the stern glance from Cherona may or may not have had something to do with it.

'Darn worrywart.' She thought with clear fondness in her inner voice as she slowly fell asleep on her large back with Jibril a bit behind her.

She'd grown large enough to accommodate both of them without them touching for some reason she had no energy left to think about.

~Joseph Schmidt~

'Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck...' He repeatedly swore in his mind as he continued packing with shaking hands while his head was filled with the events leading up to tonight.

This wasn't what he signed off on when he was loaned out to the Empire by the Gesellschaft. He thought it would be a relatively easy gig but he thought wrong.

While his unique experiences and enhancements allowed him to keep up with the average Cape and if he managed to catch them off guard, some of the stronger or more exotic ones too, he knew his limits and realised that this was far beyond his pay grade.

He wasn't one of the blessed few who were capable of triggering. He learned that fact relatively early in his youth when he volunteered for their induced Trigger program. All he got out of the ordeal was trauma.

He still wanted to support their cause, and he knew he'd have to work his ass off to make himself useful. He was determined to further their glorious agenda by being the best he possibly could be, even without access to powers.

His fervour from a young age drew the attention of the upper echelon of the Clans and the Gesellschaft. That led to him being trained by a plethora of experts, but his real break came when one of theirs triggered with a chemical Tinker power with an emphasis on enhancement.

He was in the know because he was one of three people who were present when it happened and survived the ordeal. A true windfall as it turned out.

The higher-ups were ecstatic about his specialty and set him to experiment under the best anti-thinker protections they could afford. As one of those in the know, he was offered the chance of being a test subject and he jumped on it.

This would offer him the possibility to serve their cause even better than before. How could he not take it?! And it paid off! He became the very ideal they once tried to create.

The serum he was injected with enhanced his mental capabilities several-fold and gave him a resistance against Masters that influenced body and mind. And that wasn't even all!

Physically, it gave him the equivalent of a low tier Brute rating and enhanced his stamina beyond human limits. He was more durable and slightly stronger than peak human performance, but he lacked a healing factor or something similar.

He was the pinnacle of what humanity could achieve. A true Ubermensch. And all it took was a month-long coma and two weeks of the worst pain he ever experienced.

He was one of only two people who survived the first trials from 60 Participants so the success rate was around 3%, but he offered to undergo follow-up enhancements anyways. He couldn't call himself Aryan if he backed down now.

Sadly, before it could come to that, their Tinker was found with a single bullet hole in his forehead and a calling card with a fedora embossed in the middle.

The loss was a tragic one but he didn't linger on it. Instead, he was determined to use his new capabilities to their fullest. It wouldn't do to rest on his laurels now. He received the opportunity to reach for the stars so that was what he would do.

Surely, the fact that their cause was advancing with the help of the enhancements he brought to be would allow the deceased man a measure of contentment even in death.

With a body capable of enduring harsh conditions and a mind made for the absorption of information, he learned and trained himself into the ground.

By the end of his journey of self-improvement, he had the knowledge and physical capabilities he strived for under his belt. Masterful weapon-handling for both, a plethora of hot and cold armaments. Subterfuge. Counter intelligence. Guerilla tactics.

And to round things off, a thorough grounding in several martial arts. With those capabilities, he thought himself ready to further their cause and he was right. The success rate he sported in his assignments was impeccable.

He felt on top of the world. Until he was offered up for a temporary trade, that was. The trade itself wasn't what changed his mentality. He was actually rather flattered by it. It was what came after that shifted his view.

Night and Fog wanted to stretch their wings for a bit and the Gesellschaft offered up him and his squad to replace the two Capes until they were ready to return to the Empire once more.

He was proud that they considered him and his brothers in arms the equivalent of two powerful Capes and was determined to do his best to prove that he was worth this much consideration.

He also found some friends amongst the like-minded with James being one he reunited with as they knew each other from their time in the Gesellschaft and Brad being a new and welcome addition.

With most Empire members and supporters, he got along just fine. Only one, he truly disliked. Victor. The man had most of what he had and a knowledge base that was infinitely more broad and he had to do nothing but engage his power to get it.

He loathed the parasite. While he had to work his ass off, that man lived the easy life. Still, he stayed cordial. They shared a common cause after all and he was married to little Ophelia. For her, he'd keep his dislike in check.

The young woman, he knew her since she was a little child, clearly was in love with the man. Grudgingly, Joseph decided to be the bigger man and tolerate him.

Soon, he was too busy to hold a grudge anyways since his temporary leader began to send him on missions to test his capabilities. To fathom out his limits.

He did well as always and fulfilled his duties impeccably while making sure to inform his superior of the difficulties during his missions to give him a better grasp as to what he was capable of.

Things went as expected for a while but he quickly learned that Brockton Bay was a bit different. Oh, it started normal enough. Skirmishes with the local gangs and government agencies, espionage, an assassination or three.

He realised that there were several Capes he couldn't do much against and planned around them, but that wasn't anything new. He was kept busy, but he didn't mind. It showed that Kaiser knew his worth and wanted to get the most out of this deal.

He took his well filled schedule as a compliment instead. This routine he established was rudely interrupted several times, however. First it was that edgy teen Shadowstalker that mercilessly targeted their goons.

She was theoretically within his capabilities to hunt down but she was also beyond slippery and escaped no matter how he tried. Only recently had he learned that she was vulnerable to electricity but before he could use the knowledge, she was recruited into the Wards.

The next annoyance was the one who made a laughing stock out of their forces by making them stumble around like drunk loons. Horizon, she called herself. The only reason they even knew what she looked like was because she was filmed by a sympathiser who sent the footage to Kaiser.

The spatial manipulator proved herself far more dangerous than he first thought when she almost cost Brad his life. He couldn't even help his friend since all his shots went wide from the influence of that mini black hole she created.

It showed him once again that he really shouldn't underestimate Capes. They were unpredictable at the best of times and most of the time, they chose violence over peace. Luckily, she ran out of juice before the worst happened.

He had no chance to celebrate however because the last and worst of the three stumbling blocks made an appearance. Lucifer Morningstar. The man who vanquished the Nine. And he was pissed.

He felt cold sweat form on his forehead when he thought of what he observed through his lens. Frozen and hopeless, he watched the man deconstruct his friend both physically and mentally.

He witnessed in silent horror as Victor collapsed and started spasming on the floor after merely being looked at. Despite the distance, he could hear their desperate screams and howls and those sounds would follow him into his nightmares.

'Yeah, no. I'll return to the Gesellschaft and tell them that the Empire is done for. I have some experience with powerful Capes and that guy isn't someone they can deal with, even if they manage to survive the outing. He makes my instincts scream.'

He frowned as he thought. He already sent James, Ophelia, and Tamara a recommendation to do the same. They needed to return to rebrand and lay low as quickly as possible.

The Empire 88 was a sinking ship, especially after the identity leak. There was no feasible way to salvage this. It was better to cut it off completely before it was entirely submerged and dragged them with it.

He shook his head free from the intrusive thoughts and concentrated on checking over his luggage. He had to travel light but that was alright. He was used to it due to the nature of some of his missions.

With his bag crammed full with the essentials such as clothes, money, and fake identities, he looked with some nostalgia at his modified Remington M24. Sadly, the rifle that accompanied him the past few years was too cumbersome to take with him.

Decisively, he turned and left his bedroom only to stop cold when he found faintly glowing orange-red eyes staring at him. There was a jovial smile on the lips of the handsome man they belonged to but no one would have mistaken his expression for a friendly one.

Paradoxically, despite looking as if they were burning, the coldness in them was palpable. Cold sweat ran down his back when he tried to go for his concealed weapon and realised that he'd locked up.

He couldn't move a single muscle as fear surged through him. His first ingrained instinct was buried by existential terror. Usually, he'd compartmentalize and carry on but that didn't seem to be a possibility here.

Despite his resistance to Master effects and the way he trained himself against several Capes of that variety to push that aspect of his enhancements further, he failed to push down his horror. The way he was drawing his worst fears to the surface of his mind was getting to him.

He was schooled in the practice of recognising and dealing with artificial emotions and memories, but this man obviously wasn't a conventional Master. The emotions he was sensing were his own, drawn from the depths of his own mind.

Even worse was that the way he locked up had nothing to do with that effect. No, it was his plain old enhanced instincts telling him that if he moved, his life was forfeit. He trusted them implicitly. They never led him astray before.

He consciously relaxed his stance while feverishly thinking on how to deal with this. Before he could think of a solution however, Lucifer decided to break the silence.

The well dressed man uncrossed his legs, leaned forward slightly, and steepled his fingers as he propped up his elbows on his knees. His voice when he finally spoke to him was soft, almost regretful.

"Joseph, oh Joseph. You know, you share your name with the stepfather of my baby brother. He was a good man who, despite understandably not being thrilled about the way his wife was used as a surrogate mother for a deity's child, still cared for the boy as if he was his own."

Was he talking about Jesus? Wait, was he actually buying into his own persona? Was he one of those nutjobs who went crazy pretending to be someone else like the Fairy Queen? 'Fuck. The crazy ones are always the most unpredictable ones.'

"I never understood why Father handled this in the way he did but as the saying goes, no one knows his Grand Plan but He Himself. Still, Joseph didn't deserve the fate he had. I was rather fond of him. You however, I find to be infinitely less pleasing."

The glow in his eyes intensified and the words reverberated through him. There was nothing left of the fond remembrance in his voice. Instead, it wouldn't have been out of place in the arctic.

He had no illusions about the situation. His chances for survival just hit rock bottom. He knew his limits. Neither would his enhancements help him here, nor was he equipped with anything that would help him take down the powerful Cape.

He would have to talk himself out of it. That was alright. He wasn't a skilled orator like Kaiser, but he also wasn't an uneducated buffoon. With deliberately projected calmness that didn't allow for his inner turmoil to shine through, he formed his statement.

"I understand you are likely to be irate, but this wasn't personal. I was ordered to take her out so I tried to do so. Without success, apparently. She survived and almost ended the life of Hookwolf in the process. She certainly is an impressive girl. As expected of a growing member of the Aryan race."

He appealed to his pride. It was obvious that the man was either the father or at least a close relative. Praising her would form a connection and increase his chances of survival.

A strange expression flittered over his face but he paid it no heed, too busy weaving his narrative. He had to put in a bit more effort. With an impassioned voice, he continued to defend his stance.

"I am glad she survived honestly. It's obvious that she is one of the chosen among our glorious race. I was just doing my duty. Nothing more and nothing less. If you want to get revenge, taking out the hand that wields the weapon isn't the way. You'll have to go after the head that directs it."

There was some detached amusement in his expression now, but he didn't take that as a sign for his plea to work. Instead, he felt as if the predator in front of him had decided on something and it wouldn't be good for his health.

"Oh, whyever would you think I didn't already plan on doing that? The Empire will be defunct by the end of the week at the latest. If I feel motivated, I will finish the Clans, the Ahnenerbe, the Schutzstaffel, and the Gesellschaft within the same timeframe. It's better to remove the cause with the symptoms, you see."

He looked at the lunatic incredulously. Was he serious? His first instinct was to laugh in his face. As if a single man could ever dismantle the expansive network that stretched through all of Europe and had footholds in South Africa, the Americas, and parts of Australia.

"Oh, how adorable. You think I'm incapable of what I'm claiming. Very well. It seems I have found the first aspect of your Punishment."

The sharp smile on his lips was uncomfortable on his skin. He felt as if he would be cut if he moved even an iota. His eyes flashed brighter as he continued.

"I will enjoy ripping apart the detestable practices of your compatriots. I will remove every single intrusive root your ilk has laid in society and it will be my pleasure to eradicate the foul influence you have on this world."

His words reverberated with Power and created a pit in his stomach that only grew when a ruthless light flashed past his terrifying eyes. For a moment, he saw the man's true visage, burned horrifically by the flames of Hell, and it almost cost him his sanity.

Joseph shuddered when he saw for the first time what they'd called down on themselves when they antagonised him. This wasn't some run-of-the-mill Parahuman. This was a genuine powerhouse who hadn't suffered a single loss since he started moving. And now he was moving against his fellow ideologists.

"I genuinely never understood the concept by the way. Humanity was created equal. I would know. I was there when it happened. It's your decisions and those of others that elevate or demote your existence."

He committed grand blasphemy as casually as breathing while he rose to his feet and Joseph panicked. Was this it? Would he die now? He couldn't! He had to get a warning through to the Gesellschaft!

Throwing the Empire under the bus didn't work, so he had to save himself through other means. with desperation mounting inside of him, he opened his mouth to argue but he was interrupted when the man advanced towards him with a casual gait.

"In fact, let me Enlighten you. I have decided. Knowledge shall be the second aspect of your punishment."

He declared with an ominous edge to his voice as his eyes began to glow with golden light. It overflowed and invaded his petrified form while Lucifer's strong grip kept his head steady.

His mouth was open in a soundless scream as memories not his own invaded his mind. Before his uncomprehending eyes, he saw Paradise. A garden so beautiful, it was painfully hard to comprehend even for his enhanced brain.

His mind balked when he grasped what he was seeing. This... This was the Garden of Eden. The realisation struck him like a hammer blow even as ancient history flowed by in front of his inner eye.

The first crack in his worldview appeared when he saw the first members of the human race. Their appearance was more at home in the south. While Eve's skin could be attributed to a heavy tan, Adam was dark beyond that. Those two were the ancestors of the human race. The ancestors of his own ancestors.

What followed were numerous scenes of human history that shattered his ideologies like glass, disillusioning him as he was forced into objectivity. He wanted to deny, to close his eyes in front of The Truth. He failed. He knew without doubt that he was shown no lies.

His horror mounted when his mind continued to expand. The cruelties suffered by the minorities under the Nazi regime were burned into his consciousness as if he suffered through them himself.

He was flogged, waterboarded, worked to death, experimented on by insane scientists, and so much more. He was led to the gas chambers to suffer an ignoble demise for no reason but the circumstances of his birth countless times.

He was anguished as he watched his family die in front of his eyes before being allowed the sweet release of death, only to open different eyes and suffer through another scenario.

Forced to watch and experience every single detail to have them irrevocably burned into his mind, he felt his beliefs die as the cause he subscribed his entire life to was invalidated without doubt. There was nothing lesser in their suffering.

When it was done, he found himself lying on the ground. With empty, far away eyes, he stared up at the fallen Angel whose dispassionate brown eyes bored into his own. This was his verdict. The Punishment he invoked for going after the Devil's child.

"I can't construct a proper Loop outside of Hell but this shall do. Live on in the knowledge that every evil you have committed was performed for a cause without basis. Every order you have followed in your pathetic life was issued by greedy, power hungry, and delusional fools."

He leaned down slightly and there was no pity for his state in the Devil's eyes. A subtle mocking smirk was on his lips, made clearly visible by the bright moonlight shining through the window.

"Every night, you will dream. You will suffer through the atrocities your precious comrades would have put you through if your skin was darker or your eyes a bit more slanted. Now, be an obedient little Nazi and wait for the authorities to collect you. I have more important things to do than looking after you."

With his part said, he didn't deem him worthy of his presence any longer. He smoothly straightened his body and turned around before disappearing in a glaring flash without another word, leaving him behind with the leftover shards of his Weltanschauung.

It was slightly less than half an hour later that he was collected by the troopers of the PRT and as commanded, he hadn't moved. He didn't respond to their voices but when they lifted him to his feet and led his catatonic form out of the apartment, he followed obediently.

Was living even worth it any longer? His very Soul shuddered at the faint suicidal urge he felt. Instinctively, he realised that ending his own life would displease the Devil even more than he already had. He shook his head while chuckling.

The troopers watched him with concerned frowns as he began laughing with desperation lacing his hysterical voice. Tears flowed in tandem as his mind began to crumble.

'You Nazis truly are just perfect little bundles of cliché, aren't you? First you try the famous and disproven defense of 'I only followed orders.' and now you are the second one to show a tendency to escape by losing your mind. Insanity is an easy way out of your Punishment. Do you truly think I would allow such a thing?'

The smooth and dangerous voice of the Devil mockingly echoed through his mind and forcefully drew its fragments together, making his laughter come to a sudden stop.

Abruptly, he hunched over on his seat, making the troopers shift to take him down if necessary. A sob left his mouth as soul wrenching terror consumed him when he realised he wasn't even allowed to flee reality by losing his mind.

He would have to live out his days with The Truth firmly lodged into his brain and the horrors of the past waiting for him at night. Was this what they called Hell on earth?