From a Different Angle

A Small Trip to A New Contract Part 4

We made it to the landing platform with time to kill, there was no one around either meaning we could relax for a minute before having to deal with a life changing decision. I took a deep breath and began to think about what I may have to say, what sort of offers I should make and so on. At the same time I was showered with thoughts of fear regarding how Scarlet knew my name and what she may want to do with me. It was a rush of anxiety and adrenaline that came over me, making me sweat a bit as I waited. It was all put to a halt as Lucifer put his hand on my shoulder gently

"Let me do most of the talking. It's not that I don't trust you, I just have a feeling that I may have a better chance at bargaining with her than you. Don't take it personally"

He said to me and I replied with a little nod. Unable to speak at the moment without having to blur out one of my million thoughts rushing my head.

"I'll make sure to get us a good deal one way or the other."

As he finished speaking I could hear the approaching engine from the ship, going from a small buzz to a loud deafening sound followed by the gusts of wind that caught me off guard. The sound slowly came to a stop as the rather large ship hovered in front of us and slowly opened its doors. An escalator with red steps connected to the landing pad and soon after there was what seemed to be a small child with a black suit and tie, and a katana by his side that came out. He stood at the very top of the red steps as he looked around for us. He walked down the escalator then up to us, that was when I realized that the boy was wearing what seemed to be a muzzle on his face. He pulled out a picture of me then motioned us both to follow him back up the escalator that was now going upwards.

"Hey not to sound mean but this is already starting to look a little bit odd. Can't tell if that's really a child or someone with some growth disorders"

Lucifer whispered at me as we looked up at the child, the suit he was wearing made his features seem more and more to that of a child making us question further what we were getting ourselves into.

"Let's just do what you said. Hopefully things don't go sideways"

I whispered back to him anxiously as we reached the top and walked inside, the doors slowly closing behind us and the steps receding back to their place slowly. We were then guided to what seemed to be the receiving area of a restaurant, a man dressed in a matching red suit and tie looked at the child then at us.

"Welcome to the Red Fury. You must be the guest of honor that the boss mentioned and your plus one. Grim you can go now, Elizabeth said she needs you for something"

The small boy walked away without making a sound, already knowing where to go. I got this odd feeling as I looked at him, that something just did not seem alright in general. I mean sure this entire scenario could be considered that but the way he seemed, just did not sit with me.

"Y-yeah. I spoke to her last night about a deal. Wasn't sure what to expect when she said she would pick me up."

The man gave a polite chuckle as he went through some pages on the binder in front of him, eventually stopping then pulling out two pins with a black rose on it and handing one to each of us.

"Please wear these at all times when aboard the ship. If lost or misplaced come to me right away and I'll assign you a new one. The boss is through the door to my right, and in the very last room. Thank you for coming."

He said to us like how he probably told a million other people that same day, I could tell his actions and words were forced. Whether he was just a simple employee or something else I could not tell just yet. I nodded at him then started walking to the door, then down the hall where I saw the small boy at the end of the hallway enter what I assumed to be the same room we had to go into.

The hall was filled with some chatter within the rooms we passed, I could not help myself and ended up listening to a few conversations. It was then that I realized that the place was a long row of meeting halls for contracts of sorts. From a simple hit on someone to gun trafficking and even food services in planets of need.

"This little contract seems more and more like we are getting set up. Be on your guard for anything, I really don't like this anymore"

Lucifer said to me in a low voice as we made it to the last door. We both looked at each other, then I slowly opened the door nervously unsure of what I may find inside. To my luck however, what I found was the same woman from the bar in a much more fancy dress than before and next to her was a woman of similar features but with purple hair and a matching dress. The boy sitting on the floor next to her like a dog almost.

"Well well well, look what the heavens dragged in. We have two of the most legendary people in the universe in one room. I'll cut to the chase on that end, i know who you both are. Gabriel the man who killed God, and Lucifer the man who is cursed for all eternity to live and die. I know your stories all too well, and I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am to do business with you two. The ultimate tag team"

Scarlet said as if she was a fan meeting her celebrity crush for the first time, in the other hand the other girl remained quiet and listening. Lucifer sighed then messed with his hair, wiped off the makeup he put on and put his glasses back on.

"So much for hustling you for more money with a mysterious figure. Alright let's get down to business with no bullshit. First question, why should we consider you a reliable partner?"

She let out a soft giggle as she looked at us, she opened a drawer and lit a cigarette as she spoke

"I think you got this backwards darling. You see, I have something that'll make you my pretty errand boys. I'll pay you don't worry, everyone needs some money and I am not a slave master. I am simply a women of buisness"

Lucifer's eyes grew with as much interest as they did with the sudden urge to kill her, stopping her so we didn't have to find out exactly what she had in her hands that could make her such dangerous person

"You must either have some sort of ancient artifact that protects you from being deleted or some good info to have you talking like that"

I finally spoke as she took a drag from her cigarrete, her smile turning into a wicked smirk. Her hair seemed to be dimly lit even, as if she truly had power over us.

"I'll make it nice and brief for both of you to understand. I know how you die Gabriel. I know all about the death that you desperately run from every single day. And if you don't cooperate with me, then I could easily have a new God step into the plate"

She spoke with confidence and honesty. She wasn't lying, she knew about it. She truly knew how to make me die and never come back, I could not sense any sort of lie within her words. I froze, taking a secound to recollect my thoughts as Lucifer looked at me then back to her.

"Wait, what the hell is going on. If he is God couldn't he just avoid it entirely, wouldn't that make your entire proposition that much more useless"

She let out a hearty chuckle then put out her cigarrete as she put one hand on the desk and the other one on her cheek.

"Oh you have no clue about it do you little Luci? While Gabriel is still waging his options let me explain it to you."

She said with joy, knowing I was writhing in pain as I attempted to figure out what I should do.

"Gods can only be killed one way and one way only, but that is a secret. They don't even know themselves. However, they know either Where, When or How but they can only know one piece of information at a time. And our dear outlaw from Heaven here knows How, and I know that too. You could kill me right here, right now but it would only speed up the process even for he has no escape from this sealed fate of his. I was only interested in getting Gabriel by my side, but if you are his friend I don't mind helping you split the pay for jobs I have. So what do you say boys? We got ourselves a deal?"

She moved around her little office chair in excitement, biting down her red crimson lips with that wicked smirk I already began to fear. I had no other option, there was nothing else I could think of doing that would help me out of this situation. If I killed her, it could simply jump start everything leading to my inevitable death but if I simply stay put and do what she says then God knows what sort of wicked things she could twist me into doing. I looked at Lucifer who was reaching for his gun and stopped him quickly.

"I accept your deal... Under the condition I still remain a free man, I will not live under the same roof as you but I'll come and accept or do jobs as you want. As well as being paid fairly depending on the job completed."

I replied meekly, like a mouse being cornered and about to be devoured. Lucifer looked at me in disbelief, what he came to know as the God of everything being put into submission by a woman he does not even know. What a joke.

"Fine, I'll accept as a partner to him. We'll split the pay amongst ourselves but I won't be signing any contracts with you Scarlet. I am not your employee I am Gabriel's partner, I'll leave it at that"

He took his hand away from his gun then took a deep breath as he leaned agaisnt the chair. He seemed disappointed, even annoyed at the decisions I just made.

"Very well, then I'll need you to sign some papers while we talk about this contract. Grim, go fetch me the paperwork that's in my office"

Scarlet said to the boy, who looked at the other woman for confirmation but he was only met with a kick to the stomach that took me and Lucifer by surprise

"Is your brain finally melting? Do what you are being told you stupid f*****g mutt"

He took the hit and insult without making a sound, almost as if he was use to it all. He dusted himself off then walked outside the room, the footsteps growing more distant as he kept walking

"Do not mind them, she is my daughter. And Grim is her little toy, nothing that should concern you"

She said coldly, not interested on what we may think about what we just saw. Instead she lit another cigarrete and pulled out a worn piece of paper then slid it to our side. I grabbed it and read it.

"Join the Goddess' loyal guard. Help us win a war against a false queen. You shall be rewarded for your valiant efforts-The Goddess' Royal Guard

Along with it was a drawing depicting women in battle using spears, swords and shields. The weapons seemed to have some sort of light emanating from the blades, and the hilt had a noticeable gray color and the craftsmanship of the weapon itself seemed to be more sophisticated than what would be found in most places.

"Are we joining a civil war or something?"

Lucifer said after taking a small peek at the propaganda poster.

"In fact you are my two dearly beloved new employees. Oh sorry, employee and side dish."

She said with a condescending voice and still smiling at us making Lucifer grip his own hand with a malicious intent. I could tell he wanted to act on his own, but his grasp on the situation was far too vague for him to make a decision on his own.

"Oh don't get your panties in a twist dear, it was just a playground joke. Regardless, here is what's on the table. There is a war happening in a planet named Lion nine, the place is ran by amazonian women who rule over the males with an iron fist. They recently were split in two factions, one that wants things to remain as they always have and another named "The New Goddess" who says they'll free males of their shackles and be equal to them. You can see where the conflict begins here"

She explained to us as Grim came back, setting down the papers in front of her gently then sitting back down next to the other woman who looked down at him then hit him again for the giggles

"We are supporting which side?"

Lucifer asked with a much more calm tone now, focusing himself in the work ahead rather than this long term issue at hand.

"The old order of course, they have a lot more money than the new people. It's all about buisness darling, had it not been for their rather low offer compared to the other one we would be fighting for the New Goddess."

She responded back to him as she shuffled through the papers then slid a small stack to me then another stack between us.

"Sign those papers, they make our partnership official. These on the other hand are the details of the contract we are about to undergo, it's really just a long list of ways to say don't kill any friendlies. Skim through it if you want I do not care, the Amazonian women will brief the rest of your task once we are there"

Lucifer took the papers and started reading them, going through each page quickly then setting them back down slowly as he looks back up at her

"Then that brings up the question, what's our cut from this? I mean we are gonna be frontline soldiers that are supposed to turn the tide on what seems to be a losing battle"

Scarlett rolled her eyes as he finished speaking then blew smoke our way

"The contract is for a total of twenty five million credits, which surprise surprise is a lot. However I am the contractor meaning I get a bigger cut which would be fifteen million in this case, after splitting some bills and whatnot you guys still get nine million. I do not see anything wrong with the way the money is being split, and I am sure we can agree on that"

Lucifer looked at me, he shrugged his arms but I could tell that he was just as impressed by the amount of money being offered for the job

"We'll take the job. Win the civil war? Doesn't sound too hard."

I said while giving back the papers, it felt as if I was giving away my soul in that very moment. I was reluctant for a second to even let her take the papers.

"Thank you very much darling, I should warn you. The Amazonian are very sexist towards any males, don't expect a warm welcome or a nice stay. And another thing. That little boy there, he will be with you."

She said as she pointed towards the boy who slowly raised his head but then was grabbed by his hair and made to look at us

"He requires some more battle experience. He is efficient as a body guard but I want him to be better. My personal hound. If he dies don't worry, it just means he was weak."

The other woman said then threw him against the floor as if he was an unwanted toy. It made my heart break in two but I chose to not show feelings to keep myself away from being seen as weak by these two monsters.

"Fine, but don't come crying if he ends up getting injured."

They both just giggled at his statement, not caring at all for the little boy.

"Whatever, we will arrive at Lion nine in some hours. The cafeteria is open for you to use, and showers if you need to as well. Once we arrive I'll have someone fetch you both. Now go, I have some paperwork to do"

Lucifer and I looked at each other and then got up to walk out of the room and back into the hallway. As we got further and further away he wrote in a small hologram he projected from his arm.

"You noticed it too right? Celestial power doesn't seem to work on her. I tried to feel her intentions, and see if she was lying or telling the truth. That why you accepted the deal?"

I looked around and quickly started to type back a respond in the hologram he was using

"I couldn't detect a lie from her when she spoke. I assumed she was being truthful but we don't know for sure yet. We have to figure this out soon or we can be put in a bad position"

"Agreed but we gotta focus on the mission first. We can deal with her later on. Let's hope it all goes well"

As he finished typing I felt my stomach growl a bit, a feeling I have not felt in a long while now. It even startled Lucifer as he turned to look at me.

"I thought true celestials didn't get hungry? I know I do because I am half human or something like that. But you are God."

I shrugged as I sighed, following the signs to the cafeteria

"I don't know man. Don't care either, all I know is that I want some food and I want it now"