his way out by claiming she would have done the same in his position. Her reply, “Of course, but I’m a daemon from Hell, I’m supposed to be the epitome of evil. What’s your excuse?” had even caused the camera operators and stage crew to break out into howls of laughter. Paschal caught another sideways glance from her eyes and reminded himself that she hadn’t changed. She’d got a veneer of sophistication and style now, and her clothing sense had improved dramatically but she was still the same succubus who’d tried to play everybody around her. And was still doing so.
“You’re on four months hiatus I believe? Going to take a trip back to Hell?”
Lugasharmanaska shook her head. “I didn’t make many friends back home when I sided with humans.”
“You know Deumos is dead? She died of her injuries during the assassination of Satan. Brain got squeezed inside out and the exhaust from the missiles fried her.”
“I know that.” Lugasharmanaska more than knew it, she was intimately involved in the power plays that were going on between the various factions that were maneuvering to replace the late and not at all lamented Deumos. Not as a candidate of course, she had far too enjoyable a position here on Earth and being on the side of the humans brought with it many benefits. One of them was that each of the factions that did want to provide the Succubae with their new queen believed that she had great influence over the humans and could swing their support to her desired candidate. That was why she didn’t wish to visit Hell, if she did, the fact that her possession of any such power was a delusion would become all too obvious. As it was, they were competing with each other to offer her the most tempting considerations and privileges. It was, she had decided, much more profitable and much safer to be a Queen-Maker than a Queen. Anyway, she had her audience to think of.
“So, what plans do you have for the next four months?”
“I’m going to be resting.”
Paschal snorted with laughter. Lugasharmanaska was picking up the habits and traditions of show-business with slightly terrifying speed. If she carried on this way, she’d be addressing everybody as ‘darling’ soon. “In other words, you have no commitments and nothing substantial to do. Well, I can fix that. How would you like to return to DIMO(N) for a few months, help us out with giving Yahweh the same treatment we handed out to Satan?”
“How much, and do I get a percentage of the gross?”
Yup, thought Paschal, our Luga has been in show business too long already. “Voluntary service and no percentage I fear. Although your fans will be ecstatic to hear you’ve volunteered your service to help the war effort. Again.”
She studied his face carefully while the options ran themselves though her mind. The focus groups had pinned down her one drawback as an star was the doubts people had over her final loyalties. This was, Luga thought, unfair. She didn’t have any final loyalties. But, giving up her time on hiatus to help the human war effort would convince the dubious that she was indeed on their side.
“As long as volunteering gets me on the news. What do you want me to do?”
“We’re getting a battering from Yahweh. We’re taking losses, nothing we can’t afford but irritating nonetheless. The problem is, we can’t get back at him. Over the last six months, every possible way we can get to Heaven has been methodically closed down. So we’re pulling in every asset we can get our hands on to change that. And you, Luga, are one of them.”
She nodded. One thought running through her mind was that The Eternal City was effectively a mass of precious stones and looting it would make her a fortune. Another was that poking Yahweh in the eye was always worthwhile. And if it increased the debts that humans owed to her, well, so much the better. “Right, I will rephrase my answer, what do you need to know?”
“Essentially, everything you can tell us about the Great Celestial War, how it was fought, where the fighting took place, how Heaven and Hell managed to get at each other. More than that, what sort of weaponry Yahweh brought to the party.”
“I can answer some of that right here. To get directly from Heaven to Hell or the other way is very hard indeed. It takes much effort and cooperation from both ends. There were very few such links and only one survived the war. Heavengate. Why don’t you use that?”
“It’s been closed.”
“Very sensible of Yahweh, or, I suspect, Michaellanyahweh.” Luga pronounced Michael’s name daemon-style, running all the parts into a single word. “Michael is Yahweh’s general. But weapons? Nothing compared to yours. He has his beasts of course and they are terrible to behold but compared to your tanks and aircraft?” Luga snorted with laughter.
Paschal thought that her laughter had a most engaging quality to it, then cudgeled himself over the head. Damn it, those pheromones were dangerous and the confines of a limousine were perfect for them to develop their effects. He swallowed, got a grip on himself, and continued. “That’s a good start. Anyway, our experts will need to speak with you.”
“Why do you not ask Abigor? He fought in that war, one of Satan’s best Generals. Or Belial, who was one of his worst.”
“We have no idea where Belial is. Anyway, we never rely on a single source.”
“Very wise.” So the humans haven’t found Belial yet? Very interesting. “Driver, take us to my apartment.”
Desert, South of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. May 2009
“Does The One Above All know what He is asking?”
I don’t think ‘asking’ is quite accurate, thought Michael-Lan, screaming demands and issuing blood-curdling threats in almost incoherent rage would be a little more accurate. “Is there anything that is beyond the knowledge of The All-Seeing Father? Yes, He does know what He asks but there is no alternative. It is the Americans who are the center of the resistance to His Divine Will and it is they who must be made to suffer for their disobedience. The city close to here will be a suitable target I think. It is on the border so it should be easy prey for you.” It is also in Texas, whose state motto is ‘Shoot first, keep shooting, shoot some more and if anybody is left standing, ask some questions’. You’re in for an interesting time Uriel-Lan-Yahweh.
“There is no easy prey in this world Michael-Lan. There hasn’t been for many years but now things are much, much worse. Everywhere I go, humans scan the skies with their machines, if they see anything suspect, they send up their aircraft to investigate. Since the war started, every time they see something, they fire their missiles as well. Even the poorest and least of their countries have them now. And they have something else, something I do not understand. I have seen only hints of it but it is beyond my understanding.”
Michael-Lan nodded sympathetically. “Humans love their machines. Some of them even give them their own names and speak to them as if they are alive. Mexico is much poorer than America, come in from the south and the door should be open to you.”
“There is something else. Once, all I had to do was to will it and the humans died. No matter where, no matter when, they died without effort on my part. Now, it takes all my strength to snuff them out and even then, many survive. The animals of every kind die but the humans do not, not all of them. Since this war started, my task has become harder with every day that passes. Their aircraft are worst of all, once I could still the lives of the pilot and the aircraft would fall from the sky.” Uriel paused, remembering the times when he had seized upon one of the great passenger aircraft the humans used and snuffed out the lives of its crew leaving the aircraft to crash. To do the same to the human fighter aircraft had often been harder but now was virtually impossible. He had used all his strength and the effect had been beneath notice.
Michael-Lan frowned mightily. “Uriel-Lan-Yahweh, do you doubt the wisdom of The One Above All?”
Uriel stepped back in sheer shock at the accusation. “Never!”
“I am pleased to hear it. You are the Fire and Sword of The Most High, his most trusted servant and the bringer of wrath upon his enemies. The All-Seeing Father would be most disturbed if he was to hear that you believed there were humans who were beyond his reach. You can say that again, and hear it he will.
“You may tell The One Above All that tonight, Uriel will extinguish the city of El Paso.” Uriel drew himself up in a mixture or pride and offended dignity.
“I shall. Now, I must leave, I have business in the south.” Picking up a consignment of cocaine and some of those exquisite mushrooms. But no need for you to know that. Michael-Lan gathered his wings, inflated his sacs and took off, leaving Uriel staring after him.
2nd Battery, 365th Air Defense Battalion, El Paso, Texas. May 2009
“Sarge, we’ve got a bandit on the radar.”
“Sure it’s not civilian?” There was no need to ask whether it was military or not, there was no identification
