Lucifer found his next assignment waiting on his new work phone: an emergency delivery of a non-disclosed "Prototype Defense Mechanism" to a secure Stark facility in New Jersey.
The manifest was intentionally vague, but the pickup location—a nondescript, isolated warehouse on the Brooklyn waterfront—screamed trouble.
When he arrived, Tony had left a package for him in a locker, along with a secure data chip.
Tony's Note: Morningstar, you're going to need more than the force field of yours for this one. I packed you a gift. It's non-lethal, but it hits like a freight train of bad decisions. Try not to break it. And try not to die. The package you're picking up is worth more than your entire life savings.
Lucifer opened the package. Inside was a sleek, black wrist-mounted device and a set of instructions.
[New Tool Acquired: The 'Sleeper' Pulse-Stunner (Non-Lethal Defense)]
[Effect: Emits a focused, high-frequency kinetic pulse that causes instantaneous, non-lethal muscle seizing and temporary incapacitation. Effective range: 5 meters.]
"Good,"
Lucifer muttered, strapping the device onto his wrist.
"Now I can put people to sleep without getting blood on the carpet."
He located the package—a large, heavily shielded metallic case—and secured it to the back of his scooter.
The moment the case was latched down, Basic Empathy flared wildly.
He wasn't sensing greed or anxiety; he was sensing Terroristic Intent and Savage Determination.
The attack came less than five minutes into his drive, in a dark, narrow alley that Lucifer had foolishly taken as a shortcut.
Four large, heavily armored figures on modified motorbikes roared in, cutting him off.
These weren't muggers; they wore matching military-surplus armor and carried non-standard weaponry.
They were professionals, and their target was clearly the package.
"Delivery boy! Drop the case and we might let you keep your teeth!"
The lead rider snarled.
Lucifer didn't waste time negotiating.
"Shield Up!"
The Tier 5 carbon-composite Force Field immediately encased him.
The ambushers opened fire. Their weapons were kinetic pulse rifles, designed to shatter armor.
K-K-K-CRACK!
The pulses slammed into his shield. It held, but the impact felt like being hit by a dozen baseball bats simultaneously.
[Tier 5 Force Field Overloaded! Sturdiness 80%]
[Tier 5 Force Field Activated (3/10)]
Lucifer reacted instantly, using his Sleeper device. He spun the scooter and fired a precise pulse at the lead rider.
ZZZZT!
The pulse hit. The rider seized up mid-scream, falling backward off his bike, which skidded and exploded against a dumpster.
One down. Three to go.
The remaining two riders spread out, flanking him, while the fourth man, armed with a heavy-duty plasma torch, approached the package.
Lucifer activated his shield again and focused his mind. He couldn't fight them all, and the package was exposed.
He used his Force Field Platform maneuver to launch himself off the scooter toward the torch-wielding man.
CRASH!
He slammed into the terrorist, sending them both flying.
He managed to hit the man with the Sleeper, dropping him, but the action left him exposed.
The remaining two terrorists dismounted and advanced, wielding electrified batons.
Lucifer was trapped, his shield on cooldown, his Sleeper blinking, indicating a temporary recharge delay.
He tried to dodge, but the coordinated attack was too fast. A baton slammed into his side, sending a shockwave of pain through him.
His body screamed in protest.
"Shit! It hurts!"
This is it, he thought, bracing for the final hit.
I'm going to die in a New York alley with a half-billion-dollar package.
Just as the second baton swung down, Lucifer felt a cold, crushing pressure stop the world.
It wasn't fatigue suppression; it was a sudden, absolute vacuum of all emotional energy that seemed to freeze the very air.
His Basic Empathy exploded with a contradictory signal: Unbridled Rage and Absolute Protective Intent.
Raven had arrived.
She was standing twenty feet away, her purple cloak swirling impossibly in the still air.
Her feet were hovering, and the deep, humming, violet energy that signaled world-ending power was radiating off her in waves.
"Touch my friend again, and I will dissolve you into thought,"
Raven's voice echoed, cold and multi-layered, shaking the alley walls.
She didn't wait.
The violet energy coalesced into three massive, clawed shadows.
They were faster and darker than the ones she had used in Gotham.
The shadows shot forward, easily bypassing the terrorists' armor and weapons.
They didn't crush; they wrapped around the terrorists' minds, inducing pure, debilitating psychic terror.
The two remaining terrorists dropped their weapons, seizing up in silent agony, their eyes rolled back in their heads as they experienced the full, unfiltered fear of a demon's daughter.
The shadows began to deepen in color, becoming inky black. Lucifer sensed the energy shifting—Raven was losing control, the deep, righteous rage at someone trying to harm him was overriding her containment protocols.
She was about to turn the psychic torture lethal and vaporize the men.
"Raven! Stop!"
Lucifer yelled, pushing himself off the ground despite the pain.
The shadows froze just inches from liquefying the men.
Raven turned her head slowly, her shadowed eyes fixing on Lucifer.
The rage in the air was so thick it was suffocating, but she was listening.
"They tried to hurt you, Lucifer,"
She hissed, her voice a low growl.
"They must be removed."
"No!"
Lucifer commanded, ignoring his pain.
"They're just thieves! They're not Trigon's people! You keep them non-lethal! You promised me no exploding the apartment! That includes the streets of Manhattan!"
He pushed through his pain, a sudden spike of desperate, protective concern for her stability overriding everything else.
He knew losing control meant losing her.
Raven wavered.
The massive shadows trembled, shrinking slightly as she fought her internal chaos.
Finally, with a visible spasm of effort, the rage subsided, replaced by a cold, devastating indifference.
The shadows dissipated instantly, but the two terrorists were left catatonic, breathing raggedly but alive.
Raven floated down, her feet touching the ground, the violet energy vanishing.
She looked completely drained, her frame shaking slightly, but she was in control.
"They will require institutionalization,"
She stated, her voice returning to normal, albeit faint.
"I gave them a glimpse of true terror. They will not be bothering you again."
Lucifer coughed, testing his bruised ribs.
"Thanks, Raven. You saved my life..."
"It seems you attract a disproportionate level of chaos for a simple delivery boy,"
She replied dryly, walking over to his battered scooter and the package.
She used a tiny, controlled pulse of energy to right the scooter.
Lucifer grabbed his helmet. He had a delivery window to hit.
"Duty calls,"
He said, strapping the helmet on.
"I'm on a Platinum-Tier delivery. Gotta keep that momentum up."
Raven leaned against a wall, crossing her arms.
"You were nearly beaten to death in an alley, and your primary concern is the delivery schedule. You are an absurd creature, Lucifer Morningstar."
Lucifer just shrugged, ignoring the throbbing pain.
"Someone has to keep Tony Stark alive and pay the rent. I'll call you when I'm done. Don't leave the apartment."
He kicked the scooter's starter and, with his Tier 5 Force Field on a five-minute cooldown and a fresh surge of Fundamental Insight ready, he sped out of the alley toward the secure facility in New Jersey, leaving Raven alone to deal with the incapacitated terrorists and the lingering scent of ozone.
Raven sighed and then went back to their home.
'Our home… I like it…'
[Side-Quest Update: The Sanctuary]
[Objective: Deliver the Prototype Defense Mechanism to the secure Stark facility.]
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