Wesley Snipes - Talon of God

“Which I suppose you think you’re on?” Lauryn said, glaring.

“But of course,” St. Luke replied. “That’s not foolish pregame bragging, either. As I’ve mentioned at least twice now, I’ve already won . My Z3X compound is spread all over Chicago. Even if your God decided to blow up every one of my factories right now, it wouldn’t change a thing. The damage is done. There’s nothing anyone can do to stop it now, not even me.”

With every word St. Luke spoke, Lauryn’s hope grew dimmer. She didn’t want to believe him, but it was hard to keep the faith when she’d already seen the proof of what he was saying with her own eyes on the drive up here. But even as her belief that this could be fixed faltered, the ever-analytical doctor side of her still wasn’t satisfied.

“Why?” she demanded.

St. Luke blinked. “Why what?”

She sat back on her knees, staring him straight in the face. “Why are you doing this? I’ve seen what Z3X does, and I still don’t get it. What victory does driving everyone crazy achieve? All you’ve got is a city full of psychotic monsters.”

“Not monsters ,” St. Luke said, his voice taking on the same irritated tone she’d heard in her own when she was trying to correct someone who wasn’t listening. “Anchors. Gateways. Vessels for my soldiers.”

“You mean demonic possession,” Lauryn said, voice shaking.

“‘Possession’ is such a strong word. I prefer to think of it as an opportunity. You see, even I can’t make people be evil. I can only tempt them until they become that way on their own, after which they’re left open to me like a window left cracked for a burglar. Continuing this metaphor, Z3X would be the crowbar. It’s a tool for widening what’s already there. Every person suffering under the effects of Z3X was already on a bad path. All my drug did was speed up the process, opening millions of souls that would otherwise be very poor grips for us on this world into full-scale hooks.”

Lauryn frowned. “Hooks?”

St. Luke nodded. “That part is very important. What you have to understand about hell, Dr. Jefferson, is that it’s very far away. ‘Cast into the deepest pit’ isn’t merely flowery Biblical prose. This world, the mortal world, is as far above us as heaven is above you, and it’s protected by death.”

This explanation left Lauryn more confused than ever. “How does death protect something?”

“It’s the only way through,” St. Luke explained. “Under normal circumstances, the only way a soul goes from here to hell is to die. The same goes for demons headed in the other direction. Unless we find a way to cheat the system, which I have found ways to do. But even then it’s very hard, because, again, hell is very far away. That’s where my plan tonight come into play, though.”

“What do you mean?”

“What I mean is that hell doesn’t have to stay so far away.”

He lifted his bloody hand, curling the fingers into a shape like a hook. “Every soul Z3X opens up is a soul for us to get our hooks into. The more hooks we have, the better our grasp on this world, and the easier it is to pull things from hell up . Get a good enough hold—say, a major metropolitan area of around two million people—and you’d be amazed what we can pull into creation. Whole armies, maybe even a citadel of hell itself! And once you get one foot in the door, it becomes easier and easier to pry it open even wider, forcing the veil of death back until there’s nothing in our way at all.”

He finished with a deeply satisfied grin, leaning down until he was nose to nose with the doctor on the floor. “Now do you get it?” he whispered. “ Now do you see what I mean when I say I’ve won? The moment that Z3X hit the streets months ago, my foot was wedged in that door. This whole time, I’ve been working on it, pushing it, wheedling it open wider and wider. At this point, I don’t think I could close it if I tried.” He pointed at the cube of darkness at the lab’s heart. “Look and see for yourself, if you dare.”

Lauryn didn’t want to do anything he said. But curiosity had always been her great weakness, and in the end, she looked, lifting her eyes to the nothingness inside the black box no light could penetrate.

“Careful,” St. Luke warned. “It stares back.”

For once, Lauryn believed him. She could almost feel the darkness watching her, but horrifying as that was, she didn’t think the blackness was the doorway to hell St. Luke was making it out to be. First off, there was no stench of brimstone, and second, St. Luke had said hell was far away. All the way on the other side of mortality. But if that was true, then that black cube in front of her was…

“Death,” she whispered, chest heaving. “That’s death.”

“You are a clever girl,” St. Luke said, reaching down to pat her on the head. “Good guess. Though I’m afraid what you see there is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The actual hole I’ve dug is much bigger, and getting more so all the time. At this point, with so many hooks in so many hearts, I’ve practically pried open a highway, which means my work in this city is all but done. The only thing left to do now is give it one last, hard yank.”

Lauryn’s heart started pounding even harder. “And how do you do that?”

St. Luke wagged his finger at her. “Oh, no, darling. That’s privileged information. Insiders only. But I’m in a very good mood, so I’ll make you a deal.”

“To what?” she scoffed. “Join you?”

“You say that like it’s unthinkable.”

“What else can it be?” she cried. “If I believe anything you’ve told me, then you’re from hell. Actual hell, as in realm of unending torture. Even if you were destined to win, which I don’t think you are, why would I ever choose to join a side where victory means literal hell on earth? In what possible world is that a tempting offer?”

“Well, it wouldn’t be hell for you ,” St. Luke said. “You’d be with me, at the top. Take it from one who knows, my dear: ruling in hell is far better than serving in heaven. For one thing, we actually respect intelligence. Unlike those other guys who answer every reasonable question with mumbo jumbo about believing and trusting and other forms of blindness, we encourage skepticism. We also believe in proper compensation. You know SEE warriors take a vow of poverty and celibacy, right?” He shuddered. “What’s the point of all that power if you never get to use it? But you’re forgetting the strongest argument of all: I’ve already won. This whole thing’s a done deal. There is no victory condition left for Talon and his ilk. And since a big part of my victory is to slaughter all who oppose me, you really might want to reconsider my offer.”

“So that’s my choice?” Lauryn said. “Join you or die?”

St. Luke flashed her a charming smile. “I like to keep things simple.”

It was certainly that, but Lauryn wasn’t changing her mind. “Your enemies aren’t slaughtered yet,” she reminded him. “Just because you’re ahead doesn’t mean you’ve won.”

“Really?” St. Luke said, crossing his arms over his chest. “By all means, then, enlighten me. How shall I be defeated? Are you going to spout some more holy poetry at me? Move me to tears? Make an impassioned plea that will turn even my evil heart?”

“That wasn’t what I had in mind,” Lauryn said, lurching sideways to grab the hilt of Talon’s sword from where Korigan had dropped it.

St. Luke’s eyes followed the motion, and he sighed in disappointment. “So that’s how it’s going to be?” he said, shaking his head. “Foolish girl, you don’t even know how to use that weapon.”