Chapter 71: I Had Hoped It Wouldn’t Be You.

(Aden's P.O.V)

I bit the bullet and used my air-bending to construct an air platform to carry the three assassins back to Club Lux with me. I used the cover of the night to fly straight towards the window of the Penthouse as opposed to going in the way I came out. All those flight of stairs were annoying.

I came upon the window and inside the room, saw Lucifer seating on the couch with closed eyes, hands spread out along the length of the purple couch, enjoying the slow rhythm of classical music. Maze on the other hand was nursing a drink on the private bar on the far end of the room. She saw me and what I was carrying and promptly gave me the middle finger. I raised an eyebrow at that. 'Pssh, Jealous bitch.'

Back to The Morningstar, a few minutes ago, jazz was playing and now it was classical music. Guess the Devil loves variety. I felt like chuckling at the image of Lucifer doing the Dougie at the back drop of Teach Me How To Dougie. I quickly sobered up after recalling who I was dealing with.
"Dude can turn your skin inside out with a mere pinky wave, Aden. Pick your fights wisely."
I advised myself.

I reached out a hand to push open the panel when the glass making up the window rippled like a thin film of water, allowing the limb to plunge through the surface. I spared a glance at Luci who was still vibing to some Mozart and shrugged.
'Never look a gift horse in the mouth.'

I flew through the window and stepped onto the floor of the Penthouse.
"Points for the unorthodox entry."
Lucifer chuckled while sitting up straighter. His eyes ran over the League of Shadow's agents I had floating behind me.
"Thank you for allowing it. I come bearing… gifts."

The air construct carrying them, slowly pushed forward. Maze sprang from her seat and walked up to us while twirling her daggers in anticipation. The construct unravelled and Cheshire, Hook and Black Spider were unceremoniously dumped on the floor.
"I'll give it to you kid. You didn't take too long so well done."
Maze complimented, making me gasp in mock surprise,
"Holy cow, did you just say something nice?"
Lucifer laughed at the comment while the Lilim gave me a stink eye.

She turned to Lucifer, ignoring me.
"Looks like he got them all. These three are the ones I was sensing."
Lucifer hummed in response and crouched to study them. He snapped a finger and the sound left echoes ringing for a few seconds throughout the room. I felt something spread out and in an eerie unison, the three assassins all got up. I took a step back, warily. Maze spared me a glance at the action but chose to keep quiet.

I frowned at the unnerving way their bodies stayed motionless in place. Like statues carved standing ramrod straight and still. It was creepy. Lucifer walked around them in curiosity before he made it back to his previous position infront of Cheshire and the others. He turned to me,
"You seem to be… familiar with them."
I nodded at his observation.
"Yes. My team…" I paused and corrected myself. "Previous team and I, had an encounter with all three of them during a past mission. The girl is known as Cheshire, The guy with the Hook…Hook and the last one is Black Spider. They work for an organization called The League of Shadows."
I explained.

"Intriguing."
Lucifer commented while stepping up closer to Cheshire. He reached out and lightly grabbed her chin, turning her gaze to lock onto him.
"Tell me, what is it you desire?"
His charming voice left goosebumps on my skin due to the subtle hint of power it contained. I leaned in, curious about what her answer would be while noting absentmindedly just how useful this ability was. Knowing your enemy's deepest desire would give you a chance to come up with a good strategy to defeat them.

Without pause, Cheshire answered.
"To be the best at what I do. Better than my father ever could."
Her voice was blank and neutral. Makes sense, I suppose. Cheshire's dad was Sportsmaster, who also happened to be a strangely good Merc. His skills and equipments were sport themed, hence the Moniker, Sportsmaster. Upon giving her answer Maze snorted.
"Oh look at that, someone else with Daddy issues."
She laughed.

Lucifer rolled his eyes at the slight jab and turned to Black Spider who was standing motionless on Cheshire's left.
"And what about you 'Spiderman'. What is your deepest desire?"
My eyes widened a little at the nick name Lucifer had given Black Spider. Was it intentional or not? I immediately evaluated who I was dealing with again. This is a multiversal entity. Why am I still surprised at everything he does or says? Lucifer glanced over at me as if sensing my inner turmoil and winked.

I blinked. My thoughts were thankfully interrupted by Black Spider's predictable yet surprisingly fitting response.
"I want to feel the rush of free fall while swinging from the city forever. To never be weak again. To forever be strong."
A predatory smile made its way to the Devil's face.
"Is that all? I doubt it. What else do you desire?"
Luci's voice was tempting and silky smooth. Even I felt like telling him all my deepest desires. The words were just at the tip of my tongue, waiting for me to go over the edge. To give in. With a will belonging to the gods, I overcame the feeling. Maze smirked at me, a little happy at my discomfort. Sadistic bitch.

"I…I…want to grab… Talia Al Ghul's sexy ass and eat…."
Black Spider stammered out. For a minute I thought he was joking before realizing he possibly couldn't have been, Lucifer's power was absolute. Atleast on mortals. I think.
"Ok that's enough, Spidey. Keep it strictly PG-13, we have a child in the room."
The Archangel in question, patted Black Spider's shoulder, while I spared an 'Are you serious' look at Maze who was dying of laughter.

I looked at the dark skinned beauty and promised retribution with my eyes. My attention went back to the King of Hell. So far, everything had been very educational. An idea on a super powerful skill I could create was blooming inside my head and I wanted to see more of The Lightbringer's desire exhibition power to form an outline of what I wanted. If I was successful, then most of my plans would go much more smoothly.

However, Lucifer simply turned and went to sit back on his couch without asking what Hook's deepest desire was.
"Ummm… aren't you forgetting something?"
I tentatively asked, motioning not so subtly at the tall Caucasian male on Cheshire's right. Ok, I admit it. I was curious, scratch that. Very curious to know what motivated the Captain Hook rip off.

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Lucifer merely crossed his legs and leaned back while taking a sip from the drink on his half full glass. He shrugged while running a not so impressed look over Hook.
"I know the type. It's all standard fare. Money, Power and recognition. Nothing interesting or noteworthy. Just like 90% of everyday humans."

Wow. I wonder where I belong. Is it with the normal 90% or the noteworthy 10%.
"You're wondering what your deepest desire is."
Lucifer observed casually with a knowing look. Maze snorted absentmindedly while caressing her curved dagger.
"Trust me Kid. That's a slippery slope. You might find out, you're not special at all and selfish just like the rest of us. Not worth it."
She warned, already anticipating what my next statement would be. A request for Lucifer to use his Desire Exhibition on me. I knew what I needed to do of course. What I was working towards. I guess what I sought was validation from my inner most self that it was also what I desired. Hearing Maze's warning however, put everything back to perspective. I didn't know if I was ready to hear it.

The woman in question managed to grab my attention when she started stalking towards Cheshire with…this bloodthirsty look on her face. My mouth opened as I found out what she wanted to do. Her specialty was torture. Of the Hell kind. Yikes. I doubt anyone would come out sane after a few sessions with her. And despite the fact that these guys were super annoying murderers, they weren't the worst out there. Well except for Black Spider. The feeling I got from him was that of someone who enjoyed killing and fighting as part of the adrenaline rush he sought out.

However, the other two while still everything wrong with the world, were comparatively less murder hobos than the Spider Merc. I had decided when I started out that I would have a code. No mercy for the scum of the world but no senseless killing either. Not when I didn't give someone the chance to quit or stop before I took them down. Despite the fact it would be much easier to just kill them and be done with it…things would get much more complicated if I took the easier approach.

Fuck. The truth was, I didn't want Artemis to lose her sister. It was frustrating as hell to see I was still a selfish prick. Even after all that had gone down, I still cared for them. I closed my eyes and made a promise, never to let my emotions get in the way. Just…just this one time.

I stepped between the three assassins and Maze. The latter did not look happy.
"What are you doing boy? Offering yourself up as a substitute?"
I barked out a laugh.
"For these guys? They wouldn't afford my services."
I joked.

Maze did not look to be in a kidding mood. I cleared my throat and a serious look appeared on my face.
"Just hear me out. You can't kill them. There's a high possibility that they could be a big help in taking down the Shadows."
She cocked her head to the side, looking at me as if I was an idiot.
"I'm not going to kill them. Not before they tell me what they know. The information they give me will more than help you in taking them down if you want. I just need a few minutes with them. Now step out of my way."

I winced.
"See that's what I'm afraid of. A few minutes with you…they will end up crazy and useless."
Maze clenched her jaw.
"Move."
She ordered, looking ready to go through me if I didn't.
"No."
I stubbornly said, getting ready for a fight. What the fuck am I doing?

"Children. Settle down, will you? Besides their pick up is here."
Maze and I turned to Lucifer in confusion. What…was he talking about…

A purple boom tube portal appeared inside the room. The energy felt eerily familiar to me. The Avatar State inside me stirred before settling down, as if reacting to something. From within the portal, a man stepped out. My eyes widened. This guy?

Vandal Savage looked around before fully coming out of the portal. The next figure to step out was the one who caught my attention immediately. One of the Terror twins, Tommy who had disappeared suddenly with his sister after attempting to attack Metropolis followed behind Savage. But he was different. His eyes had a purple tint in them and his aura and general vibe felt off. He cocked his head to the side and stared intently at me.

The answer came to me almost immediately, The Fatherbox. I gulped. What in the hell?
"Fuck."
Vandal Savage's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. His gaze was stuck on Lucifer. It was clear he was hiding his fear pretty well.
"I had hoped it wouldn't be you."
He said to the Archangel.

 

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