by Robert Ross
“That he was dining with the Devil? Of course not, Kellan. Do try not to be stupid. I hate stupid.”
“Jesus, Lucifer, why did you ask me if you looked like David Bowie then?” Kellan frowned, then said, “Why are you laughing, now.”
“Jesus-Lucifer.” the devil repeated, “That may be the first and only time those two names have been uttered here. Well done.”
Kellan sighed and waited while Lucifer composed himself. “Anyway, I wasn’t asking because I didn’t know what he looked like. I was asking for confirmation.”
“You want to look like David Bowie?” Kellan asked slowly.
Lucifer took a long drink from his glass and stared back at Kellan like he had just asked the most inane question even uttered, “Well, who wouldn’t?” said the Devil.
“Fair point,” said Kellan, “but this is just too surreal for me. I’m gonna sit down right here in one of these Downton Abby chairs. This is a replica of Lord Grantham’s library right?”
Lucifer leaned against a stone wall between two large windows and looked thoughtful for a moment. “We really do have a lot to cover, don’t we?” Kellan just shrugged and took another drink.
“Let me try to net a couple things out for you so we can move on to more important topics. I am immortal but not unchanging. I am of the world and the world impacts me,” he raised a finger, “of my own choosing. If one remains unchanged by changing times, well, one’s sanity becomes brittle. This was the downfall of my poor Asmodeus. In many ways, he became a caricature. A two dimensional shadow of a three dimensional being.” Lucifer saw Kellan nodding and the fallen angel’s eyes began to glow while his voice took on a hard edge so quickly that Kellan jumped, “Not! That it justifies what you did to him, Sentinel of Order. I see the tint of creation in your eyes even now. You stole that from Asmodeus at the cost of his very existence.”
Kellan embraced his power and channeled a shield around himself while letting the glass slip from his hand.
Lucifer thrust his left arm forward and Kellan felt the Chaotic energy take form. The young Sentinel watched mutely as his falling glass stopped scant inches from the floor then rose to hover in front of him.
“Don’t,” growled Lucifer, “waste good Bourbon.”
Kellan reached out and grasped the floating glass, then said, “You’re nuts.”
Lucifer’s eyes faded to their pale blue and he flashed a brilliant smile, “Not at all, Kellan, I’m eccentric. I see you look doubtful and that’s fine. But, it is my flexibility in both mind and body that enables me to transcend the ages with my essence intact. Now where were we?”
Kellan fell heavily back into his chair and answered numbly, “Bowie.”
“Oh yes. To begin with, I had more than a passing resemblance to David Bowie millennia before there even was a David Bowie.” Kellan smirked skeptically and Lucifer merely shrugged before continuing. “I really couldn’t care less if you believe me, Kellan, but as I’ve mentioned, I do not lie. I am as my father made me—“ Lucifer paused, interrupting himself as he glanced upward toward the ceiling and mumbled, “Well, assuming he did make me.” He looked back to Kellan and waved a hand dismissively. “Anyway, apparently, Bowie’s death impacted me to the point where my actual physical appearance changed somewhat. Perhaps it was because he bore some resemblance to me that it was heightened of late. Who knows about such things, my young Sentinel. I try not to dwell too much on that which I cannot change. Creates anxiety, and who needs that?” Lucifer flashed a smile.
Kellan shook his head trying to make sense of things. “If you liked him so much, why didn’t you cure him?”
“Cure him? Does that sound like me, Kellan? No, no, no. That is not my way. People die all the time. I can’t be interfering without getting something out of it to further my own objectives and I liked him too much to put him in that kind of situation. Yes, far better that he pass on. I will miss the Starman though.”
“And Downton?”
“Hmm, oh. Yes, this is a pixel perfect replica of the entire village of Downton.”
“You know what a pixel is?”
Lucifer looked at Kellan with a flat expression, “Yes, Kellan, I know what a pixel is. I keep up on things. I know about computers. I even know about AI? That reminds me, how did your talk with James go?”
Kellan had been absently pulling a thread from couch and looked up sharply, “James? It didn’t go well, thanks to you. He’s probably defacing all my Saddleback leather as we speak and what the heck does James have to do with Artificial Intelligence. He’s an IBM consultant.”
Lucifer just swirled his glass and smiled, “Nothing I suppose, just musing aloud is all. Anyway, I love Downton so why the Hell not. What were you expecting? Literal lakes of fire?”
“Kinda?”
“Don’t be stupid Kellan. I—“
“—Hate stupid. Yeah, I know.”
Lucifer nodded in agreement. “The universe is based on rules, Kellan. Energy cannot be created or destroyed. It just changes forms. How much energy would it take to have an entire realm that consisted of eternal fire hot enough to perpetually melt rock. I mean, really? Hell, is just my pocket universe, eternally separated from God.”
Kellan perked up at this. “Well, that’s interesting. You mean like the workroom where,”
“You killed my servant and friend, yes. Just like that.”
Kellan ground his teeth. “Look, you can keep bringing that up, but I’m not going to apologize for it. He came after me, ok?”
Lucifer left the window, took a few steps, and hopped over the arm of the second couch to land in a sprawl. He glanced up and his glass obediently flew to his hand as Kellan looked on jealously.
“You wish you could do that, right?” Asked Lucifer.
“Yeah, I just can’t make telekinesis work. Or flying.”
The fallen angel nodded in apparent sympathy, then laughed. “I hope you don’t expect me to teach you. Figure it out on your own, Sentinel of Order. Now, as I was saying, the universe is based on rules.”
“I know all about the rules, Lucifer and don’t need a primer from you.”
“Oh, really? Then if you are so well informed on the rules of creation, pray tell which one the Cabal is about to breach in order to undue all of creation?”
As if on cue, Kellan felt a slight tremor run through the house and he looked at Lucifer with suspicion, “What are you doing?”
He just smiled and shrugged, “Me, nothing at all. I promise.”
Just then a massive quake shook the entire house with cracks running across both floors and walls. Plaster dust fell from the ceiling and distant crashes could be heard. Kellan leaped up as the ground heaved beneath him, wood floors beginning to buckle. He ran to the window and looked in horror as deep furrows split across the previously pristine landscape. Trees bucked from the earth their roots shattering and steam burst from vents that randomly appeared. Kellan turned around, eyes wide, and did a double take as he watched Lucifer laying on his couch with one leg lazily draped over its back. “What in Hell is going on,” Kellan yelled trying to be heard over the din.
Lucifer tilted his head back to make eye contact and mouthed, “Just wait.”
A moment later the shaking began to subside and then stop altogether. The cracks sealed themselves up and in seconds it was like the last few minutes of chaos had not even occurred. A quick glance out the window showed Kellan that the the landscape had likewise been healed.
“You want to explain that,” panted Kellan trying to catch his breath.
“That, my dear young Sentinel, is what happens when someone begins to breach a foundational rule of creation.”
“It causes earthquakes?”
“Oh no, not earthquakes. Nothing like this is happening on earth. All your fellow apes are blissfully unaware.”
Kellan ignored the insult and sat on the table in front of Lucifer’s couch. “Ok, fine, not an earthquake. A hellquake.”
Lucifer grinned, “That’s g
ood. I’m going to use that sometime. But, no, not a hellquake either. What you just experienced occurred throughout all of creation’s spiritual realms simultaneously across all of time. It means the Cabal has opened their dark portals and assembled all the artifacts they need to convert them to light portals, well, except the Spear” He paused looking thoughtful and glanced over at Kellan. “I do hope you’ve hidden that well because if they get their hands on that spear, it’s game over, man.”
Kellan could feel the anger rising to a crescendo. “Holy shit. What are you even talking about? What is a dark portal and yes, I’ve hidden the spear exceptionally well.”
The fallen angel nodded at the last, “I hope so, Kellan. I happen to like creation, for the most part, it just needs a few tweaks.” Lucifer sighed and swung himself into a sitting position, then motioned and a large blackboard appeared in a 1950s era rolling wooden frame. “I guess it’s time for a lesson on temporal dynamics.” With that, he stood, reached into the air for a pair of glasses that manifested from red mist. He slipped on the glasses and picked up a piece of chalk. At one end of the chalkboard he drew a starburst and wrote, “A. Big Bang.” Then he drew a line all the way to the other end of the chalkboard, drew a square, and wrote “B. Game Over.” Lucifer pointed the starburst and said, “Creation starts.” He then pointed to the square, “Creation ends.” He continued, “In between points A and B there are both fixed and relative points of time. Fixed points of time are fixed because they are only relative to creation itself while relative points are relative to each other.”
“I know all this,” Kellan said, but Lucifer just ignored him.
“Time, my fine young Sentinel, is one of the foundational pillars of creation. Fixed points of time are load bearing pillars of creation. You can muck around with relative points in time all you want. It may create a variety of nasty problems, but it won’t cause even the slightest wobble to creation. But, mess with a fixed point in time, well, that’s another whole kettle of fish. Altering a fixed point causes cracks in the fabric of creation itself, which is why no one does it, at least on purpose. Occasionally one being or another will screw up and alter a fixed point. This is exceptionally stupid. Have I mentioned how much I hate stupidity?”
Kellan just gave Lucifer a long blink and he grinned back at the Sentinel. “Yes I did mention it. Anyway, even that kind of stupidity can heal over time. God’s creation is really quite resilient that way. Very impressive. However, and this is really important so pay attention, Kellan, there are nine fixed points in time that are foundational to all other fixed points. If any one of those points are disrupted in any meaningful way, it will cascade across the others and time itself will unravel all the way to—“ Lucifer threw his piece of chalk at the starburst. “The Big Bang. Creation will be undone.” The fallen angel waved his hands, making a wide gesture, “All of this, will never have existed.”
Kellan had been leaning forward as if to catch Lucifer’s words as soon as they were spoken. Now he just sat stunned at the revelation. The fallen angel stared back at him as an innocuous smile played across his lips. “Wait,” said Kellan smiling, “You are shitting me, aren’t you?”
Lucifer shook his head, smile broadening, “No, Kellan. I shit you not.”
Kellan yelled, “They why the hell are you smiling?”
Lucifer shrugged, “Just your expression. It’s priceless. Fear, doubt, confusion all rolled into one. If it weren’t for my own un-creation weighing on me, I’d just revel in it for a bit. Wait though, it gets better. Ask me what these foundational points all have in common?”
Kellan mumbled through his fingers as he rested his head in his hands, “For the love of God, just tell me.”
“Ha,” said Lucifer, “that’s almost as good as your ‘Jesus-Lucifer’ outburst from earlier, but to come full circle, it is Jesus.”
“What is Jesus?”
“The keystone fixed points in time. They are the nine immutable moments in the life of Yeshua ben Joesph”
“What immutable moments exactly?” Asked Kellan lifting his head.
Lucifer held out both hands, made fists and slowly uncurled each finger as he counted, “1—Nativity, 2—Baptism, 3—Wedding, 4—Lazarus, 5—Last Supper, 6— Garden & Betrayal, 7— Trial, 8— Crucifixion, 9— Resurrection”
“The Cabal is going to stop one of those from happening, and then,” Lucifer brought his hands together then separated them while making a soft explosion sound, “Boosh!”
Kellan repeated the gesture and sound himself, “Boosh?”
Lucifer nodded gravely, “Bada-Boosh.”
“Wait a minute,” said Kellan suspiciously, “You are responsible for moments seven through nine and now you are telling me it’s my job to make sure no one stops them from happening. That seems mighty convenient.”
Lucifer leaned against the blackboard and flipped his piece of chalk in the air then pointed at Kellan. “I’ll grant you that, Sentinel of Order and it’s fair for you to point it out. However, and you will just have to trust me on this, had I known how seven through nine would work out, I’d have stayed out of the whole thing. No, Kellan, I’m afraid you are missing the point. It doesn’t matter what happened at each of those foundational points.”
Kellan raised an eyebrow and Lucifer waved his hands in negation. “Well of course it matters, but not to the foundation of creation. It’s altering any one of those nine foundational points from what time has established as a fixed point that will cause the unraveling.”
Kellan put his head back in his hands and said, “I know I’m going to regret asking this, but why nine?”
“It’s a good question,” Lucifer replied, again seating himself on his couch. “Let me ask you a question first.”
“I’d rather you didn’t,” said Kellan but was ignored.
“Do you like, math,” asked the fallen angel?
Kellan looked up feeling weary, “What?”
Lucifer frowned, “Did I slip into Aramaic or Latin? No, you would understand me regardless. I said, do you like math?”
“No. No, I don’t” answered Kellan
“Me neither,” said Lucifer, slapping the arm of his couch for emphasis, then asked, “Have you ever spent a lot of time with someone that loves math?”
Kellan squinted, “I assume there is a point to this. No, I haven’t. Why would I? I just said I don’t like math.”
“Why would you indeed. Well, Kellan, let me tell you who loves math. God loves math. Loves. It. Everything is math, math, math. You know how Einstein said he could see the fingerprints of God in math? Einstein was right. So, why nine foundationally fixed points in time?” Lucifer stood, threw his hands up and spun around, “Because, Kellan, three is a magic number.” He pointed at the Sentinel. “Trinity. And what is the square of three?”
“Nine,” answered Kellan with a defeated sigh.
“Yes, nine. Hence nine fixed points on which all of creation rests.”
“Perfect, and which one does the Cabal plan to break?”
Lucifer had begun the shadow dance with himself and glanced down to the Sentinel, “No idea, but they’ve opened dark portals to them all and that’s what the quakes were about. Once they have the spear, one of those portals will go light and,” he paused, “I feel like I’m repeating myself.”
Kellan stood and walked to the small window table and refreshed his bourbon, then looked back, “I don’t know shit about light and dark portals, but am not interested in playing any games to have you explain it.”
“No games,” came the response, “And you do know shit about one of them. You’ve been using light portals for over a year now. They are tears in the fabric of creation, both spatially and temporally. It’s the dark ones you don’t know shit about.” Kellan continued to stare saying nothing and Lucifer spun around picked up his chalk and drew an oval on the blackboard. “Dark portals are like one way mirrors. You can see through them, but can’t enter and no-one knows they are there.” He put a finger t
o his lips, “Shhh, they are a secret.” He spun one last time and gently dropped his chalk on the wooden tray beneath the blackboard.
Kellan took a slow breath and said, “You sure do spin a lot for being, you know, the Devil. It kind of reminds me of—“
“Of who?”
Kellan shook his head, “Nothing. You wouldn’t know the reference.”
“I know lots of things, Kellan.”
“Ok, it reminds me of the 11th Doctor. There. I said you wouldn’t know it.”
“Matt Smith’s Doctor,” said Lucifer with a broad grin. “I have to tell you, when Tennant regenerated into Matt Smith I said, ‘the new doctor can suck it.’ But he really grew on me and so I stole some mannerisms. It’s what I do. Helps me change otherwise, as I’ve already explained, I would be as Asmodeus was. Change Kellan. Times change, and so must I. We all change. When you think about it, we’re all different people all through our lives, and that’s ok, that’s good, you gotta keep moving, so long as you remember all the people that you used to be.”
Kellan narrowed his eyes and frowned. “You just stole that from Matt Smith’s farewell speech. You can’t do that. That’s plagiarism.”
Lucifer spread his arms, then pointed at himself, “I’m Satan!” He laughed and pointed back to Kellan. “And your tutorial is over, baby Sentinel. Get the Hell out and go save creation.”
Chapter 14
Jarvis
James remained sprawled on his couch, eyes closed, as his front door recognized and unlocked to admit Kellan. The young Sentinel hesitantly explored the kitchen, peering over the polished concrete breakfast bar to see if James was hidden from view. Next he walked further into the condo. James heard various doors open and close and his name called out, first confused, then concerned as Kellan made his way back out to toward the entrance.
James cracked his eyes to see his friend pass back into the living area and spy him lying on the couch, having missed him before. Kellan stood uncertainly shifting his weight from foot to foot.
