Sons of War

Luke: the Order of Evil
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Like Spike's story, Luke's is done in the point of view of a news reporter. This time it isn't entirely an interview, however. Instead, Ms. Caldwell experiences what it's like getting too close to the truth about the Hunters.

The Order of Evil

 

Allie Caldwell waited patiently for Luke Hunter to get back to his Trump Tower penthouse from a recent business trip he was on.  The news van was becoming unbearable because she had to deal with the stifling heat along with the incessant crunching noise her camera man, Ed, was making as he ate out of a bag of potato chips.  She rolled down the window to let some fresh air come in along with the sound of the street to drown out the crunching.  Soon even the streets became an annoyance.  Fortunately Luke’s limousine pulled up and he got out before she decided to give up.

“Come on,” she said to Ed, and then she opened the door and got out.

Ed looked at her in confusion, but she was not going to wait for him and let Luke slip away.

“Mr. Hunter,” she called as his limo driver closed his door behind him.

He turned to look at her and she paused for a moment.  His eyes were not the greedy business tycoon’s eyes she had seen on so many of his kind; instead they were a gentle light blue.  She had never seen him up close before.  In fact, not too many people have.

“Yes?” he said. “What can I do for you?”

He had a commanding presence about him, and an air of dignity.  Up close she could see that he was tall and lean under his tailored suit.  His blonde hair was long though not girlishly so, and tied back with a golden clip.

“My name is Allie Caldwell,” she said after a moment.  “I’m with the Channel 10 News and I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions.”

He turned the rest of his body to face her full on and said, “Sure.”

His tone was amiable.  This was also unexpected.  She thought she would have to fight to get five words out of him, and if anything those words would be “no comment, please go away.”

“Is it true that you are going to defend your brother and bodyguard, Spike Hunter, in his murder trial tomorrow afternoon?”

“Yes, I will be acting as Spike’s attorney.  I do have a degree in law, so the judge has kindly agreed to let me defend him.”

“Is there any merit to the allegations that your client murdered the magazine columnist, John Campbell?” she asked.

“Of course there’s merit to the allegations,” he replied, “or else they wouldn’t be charging him.  But the allegations are entirely false.”

“How can you say that when it is obviously his voice on the tape the police found in Campbell’s apartment after the murder?”

“You forget, Miss Caldwell, what age we are in.  This is the computer age.  Voice synthesizers are a common thing these days.  It could have easily been someone trying to frame Spike.”

“But Campbell made it clear on the tape that Spike Hunter was the person to whom he was speaking.  How could he be mistaken in the identity of who he was talking to when everyone knows what Spike Hunter looks like?”

“It could have been two people, both acting out a scene and then killing Campbell in order to put the blame on Spike.”

“And what about the article that recently appeared in Campbell’s magazine that was said to have been written by none other than your other brother, Adrian?  The story about the Headhunter coming out of the restaurant with a little girl in his hands checks out.  There are several eye witnesses who live in that area who have confirmed it.”

“The Headhunter is as real as that microphone you’re holding.  There is no doubt about that.  Everybody in New York has heard about what happened to that little girl and her family.  Anyone could have made up their own version of what happened.  What was printed in Campbell’s magazine was simply an attempt to slander the name of the Hunters.  We are, after all, very rich men, and there are a lot of people out there who are jealous of our wealth.  Besides, you also have to remember that Campbell’s magazine is one that publishes short fiction and poems.  The only factual information in it is the articles and book reviews, which are actually opinions in any case.”

 He had a point, but there was one question she was dying to ask him that she was hoping would get some kind of rise out of him.

“Are you the devil, Mr. Hunter?” she asked with a straight face, trying to trip him up.  “And if so, isn’t it true that you could be lying to me?”

“Why yes,” he said, “of course I’m the devil.”  Then he leaned forward and said in a low voice, “But next time you decide to ask a question like that you should make sure the camera is rolling first.”

She looked back at Ed, who was standing behind her with the camera at his side, looking confounded and somewhat upset.

“What’s wrong with you, Ed?” she asked in annoyance.  “Why weren’t you getting all of that?”

“All of what, Allie?” he asked indignantly.  “You’ve been talking to the air for the last ten minutes.  What the hell were you doing, rehearsing or something?”

“I was just talking to Luke Hunter,” she said, and turned around.  But he was no longer there, and neither was his limo.  It was as if he had simply vanished into thin air.  She looked at the entrance to Trump Towers, but he was not there either.  He could not have gotten very far in that short of time, and she had not even seen the limo pull away either.

“Come on Allie,” said Ed.  “He’s not going to show up.  I’m getting hungry; let’s go get something to eat.”

“But . . .” she said weakly.  She decided to let it go though.  She did not see any reason to make him think she was crazier that he already thought she was.  But now she was beginning to think she was crazy, too.

The next day she made sure she was at the courtroom early.  Luke was already there going over his case files, and Adrian was sitting behind him.  Adrian’s hair was a bit longer than Luke’s, hanging loosely across his shoulders and upper back, and it was wavy rather than straight.  It was also raven black as opposed to blonde.  He could easily have been mistaken for the Headhunter with his muscular build and the leather he was always seen wearing.

They did not even turn around to see who it was when she came in.  She took a seat toward the back of the room on the inside of the aisle so she could see the proceedings.  No one else was in the room, which kind of bothered her.

In a matter of minutes the doors opened and people began pouring in.  The trial was about to start.  The prosecutor shook Luke’s hand and went to his desk.  Soon the place was packed as the spectators waited for the defendant and the judge to take their places.  Two men stopped right next to her and began talking to each other in low tones, but she did not pay them any attention.

The room began to calm down as everyone found their seats and soon a low murmur of voices was all that could be heard.  But the two men were still standing beside her, talking.  Maybe they’re waiting for me to scoot over, she thought.  Well if that was the case then they would have to ask, because she wasn’t budging.

The double doors at the back of the courtroom opened and everyone turned to see Spike Hunter walk in dressed in orange with his hands and feet chained together.  Every eye was on him as he walked down the aisle.  He was shorter than his brothers by about four inches, but the similarities in their facial features were apparent.  His hair was also shorter; blond like Luke’s, and spiky.

Then something strange happened.  He split into two identical forms.  One Spike continued walking to the end of the aisle and to his seat, and she noticed that everyone else was still watching that one.  The other one came toward her, or more specifically toward the men standing beside her.  She looked up to see who they were and did a double take.  It was Luke and Adrian Hunter.

“Hey guys,” said Spike as he approached.  “What’s up?”

When he got to them he nodded at Allie, catching her off guard.  Then he deftly removed his chains and tucked them into his pockets.  Adrian smacked him on the back of the head and said, “What’s up is you’re an idiot.”

“Hey, I wasn’t the one who wrote that sappy article about Betty-Betty.”

At that remark Adrian punched his brother in the nose hard, sending his head whipping back.  Allie was surprised the hit did not break Spike’s neck.

“No one would have believed that article if you hadn’t agreed to do an interview with that stupid reporter.”

Spike laughed and said, “Yeah, he was kind of stupid.  They should change his name from Campbell to ‘Can’t Hold His Bladder.’”  He burst out in laughter until Adrian punched him in the face again.  Then he started laughing some more.

“Stop,” Luke commanded, “both of you.  We’re not here to squabble over whose fault it is, we’re here to fix it.”  He looked at Allie, sending a chill down her back.  “And she’s the one that’s going to help us.”

Just then the judge walked in and the bailiff announced him and the trial.  The judge was a large, imposing black man in his late forties.  He looked at the Adrian sitting down in the front row and said, “Mr. Hunter, would you be so kind as to take off your shades in my courtroom?”

“Sure,” the fake Adrian said, and took off his glasses.

The real Adrian said, “Who does that son of a bitch think he is?” and started walking toward the judge.

“Calm down, Adrian,” said Luke in warning.

Adrian responded by grabbing Luke’s throat and lifting him into the air with one hand.  “The bastard disrespected me,” he said.

“He was talking to your stand-in demon,” Luke pointed out, undaunted by the fact that he was being held up by his throat.  “And besides, he was very respectful.”

Adrian put him down and leaned against the bench in front of Allie.  She looked around to see if anyone else could see them, but they were all watching the trail.  Pseudo-Luke was giving his opening statement and the defense was about to call their first witness.

“Not only that,” Luke added, “but we have enough publicity.  If you start something here, you’ll blow our cover right out of the water.”

“I say we just kill her,” said Adrian, looking down at Allie.

“I second that motion,” said Spike with a smile on his face.  “She’s the only one who can expose us for what we really are, after all.  I mean, she is a respected reporter.”

“You know,” Luke responded, “sometimes subtlety will get you better results than brutality.”

“Yeah,” said Spike, “but brutality is a lot more fun.”

“Enough,” declared Luke.  “We do it my way.  Is that understood?  Or do you want to go back to Vyper and be generals for our father?”

“Suits me,” replied Adrian.

“Nah, I can’t kill people on Vyper,” said Spike.  “Pops would kick my ass for killing potential soldiers.”

“And I still have prospects here on Earth,” stated Luke.  “If I leave now, I’ll lose my stockpile of souls to God and have to start all over on another planet sometime in the next millennium or so.”

“You know,” said Allie, standing up, “I find it very rude and disturbing that the three of you are discussing my fate so callously right in front of my face.”

“Ooo,” said Spike.  “She’s feisty.  I like her.”

“Does it look like we care?” said Adrian in disgust.

“I apologize,” said Luke.  “Perhaps we should get out of this place.  Come with us.”

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“Just follow us and you’ll find out,” said Spike with a smile.

“Yeah right,” Allie replied.  “That’s what you said to Campbell, and look what happened to him.”

Spike burst into laughter and Luke said, “But it’s not going to happen to you.  You’ll be safe, trust me.  You’ll just have to take our word for it.”

He did not wait for her to answer before he started heading for the door with his brothers trailing behind him.

“Yeah right,” she said to herself.  “Trust the word of the devil.”

She looked down at her seat and saw herself still sitting there, watching the trial attentively.  She was tempted to just sit back down and try to forget what had just ensued.  But something made her grab her purse and walk out after the Hunters.  When she got outside Adrian and Spike were on Harley-Davidsons.  They were revving the engines loudly as they waited for her to come out.  Luke was standing in front of a black Mercedes-Benz.

“What happened to the limo?” Allie inquired.

“I thought it would be kind of tacky,” Luke replied.  “Most lawyers don’t arrive in limousines, you know.”

“I didn’t know rich people knew how to drive,” she said mockingly.

He laughed and said, “There’s probably a lot you don’t know about rich people.”

He opened the door and let her in.  The inside was spacious and upholstered in luxurious tan leather.  Other than that, it was actually rather plain.  She expected to see a car phone and a navigational computer at least, but about the only high-tech thing she could see was a CD player with a ten-disc changer.  She sat down in the comfortable seat and reached over to unlock the door for Luke, but there was no lock on the door that she could see.  He opened his door without a key and got in.  Then he started the engine, again without a key.

“How can you do that without a key?” she asked, dumbfounded.

“New technology,” he replied.  He took a little black card out of his pocket and said, “This card sends a signal to the car letting it know that the owner is near and wants to go somewhere.  It then activates buttons that can unlock and start the car, so I don’t need a key.  It fits perfectly into my billfold as well.”

“I still don’t understand why you’re driving around in your own car instead of a limousine.  I mean, limos are safe and bullet-proof, and you’re a rich guy.  Aren’t you afraid someone will assassinate you in this car?”

“No,” he said.  “This is a Mercedes-Benz Guard S500.  It’s the same thing as a regular S500, except it’s bullet-proof.  Cost me a measly 160,000 dollars, too.”

“What do you mean, measly?” she asked.  “160,000 dollars is a lot of money.”

“Oh that’s nothing,” he said.  “The McLaren I have in Germany cost me nearly a million dollars, but it’s well worth it.  The thing goes as fast as a damn Formula One car.  It’s perfect for those German roads without speed limits.”

She was amazed, but still confused about why she was in the car to begin with.

“What do you want from me?” she asked.

“Your silence,” he replied.  “Like Spike said, you are a respected reporter.  People will follow your word and eventually we will be exposed.”

“Why should I help you?” she asked.  “You’re the god damned devil.”

“Nice choice of words,” he said.  “Why help me, you ask; maybe because your own downfall will come along with mine.”

“What do you mean?” she asked warily.

“Did you ever tell your husband the real reason you divorced him?”

She gasped and looked down in shame.  “No,” she said.

“You never told your parents either, did you?”

“No,” she replied.  Tears were beginning to form now.

“What would it do to your relationship if say, your best friend, Kara, were to tell them.  She’s the only other one that knows, right?”

“She would never do that to me.  We made a pact.”  A tear made its way down her cheek.

“Yes, but you saw the demon stand-ins in the courtroom.  What makes you think I couldn’t do the same with Kara?  Or I could simply have her killed and have demon-Kara take her place.  Then the real Kara wouldn’t confuse the issue.”

“You wouldn’t,” she said.  But she knew the answer.

“I am the devil, after all.”

She regained her composure and countered, “How do I know you even know the reason?  You could just be bluffing.  You are the devil, after all.”

“It was going to be a girl,” he said.

She choked, and the tears started to come full force now.  He did know.

“It was too early to tell,” he continued, “but you just knew.  You had a feeling it was going to be a girl, and you wanted a daughter so much.  You even had a name for her.  Felicia, was it?  But then you remembered what had happened to your real mother.  She had died while giving birth to you and you didn’t want to risk that happening to you.  You didn’t want to sacrifice your life for someone you would possibly never know.

“So you went with Kara to the clinic, and you never told Dan or your parents.  When the abortion was done you felt guilty.  You couldn’t bear to look at your husband and it was getting harder to keep the secret from him, so you opted for the easy way out.  You ran away and sent him divorce papers from here in New York.  Then you landed a job as a news reporter and tried to forget about him, but you couldn’t.  The guilt was still on your conscience.  And here you are, a successful reporter, and you haven’t visited your parents in four years because you’re afraid you’ll end up breaking down and telling them, or worse, that you’ll run into Dan again.”

“How do you know all of this?” she asked between sobs.

“Well I can’t claim to be a mind reader,” he replied.  “Konrad’s the only one in the family that has that power.  But I can read hearts.  Not only that, but I had my demons do some research on you.”

“How do I know that if I keep silent you won’t still tell them?” she asked, choking back the tears.

“This is the deal,” he began.  “I give you my word that this little bit of information will never get to your family or Dan through me or any of my associates if after the trial you report how it turned out, and not what you saw personally.  Keep this silent for the rest of your life, and you will never be bothered by us again.  Agreed?”

She thought about it for a moment and the consequences were too much to bear.  “Agreed,” she answered finally.

“Good,” he said.  “Then enjoy the rest of the trial.”

She awoke with a start and suddenly realized she was back in the courtroom.  She felt groggy, as if she had been sleeping.  She looked around to see if the Hunters were anywhere, but they were in their places up at the front of the courtroom.  Had she really just dreamt everything that happened, or did it really take place?  It was so real and fresh in her memory that she could not tell.  But if it was a dream, then the Hunters were really just normal humans and she was just letting the stories get to her.  And if it was not a dream, then there was no way she could expose them and risk ruining any possible chance she had to redeem herself in the eyes of her parents and Dan, who she was still in love with.

For the first time she noticed the judge was not at his bench.  The trial must be coming to a close, she thought, and he’s about to give his verdict.  Before long he came out of his quarters and took his seat.  He banged the gabble a few times for order and then read his verdict.

“In the case of New York State versus Spike Hunter,” he said in a loud voice.  “On the count of First Degree Murder, I find the defendant ‘not guilty’ by reason of lack of substantial evidence and the fact that he did have a reliable alibi given by an officer of the New York Police Department.”

How they pulled it off, she did not know.  But then she remembered who she was dealing with.  Satan, the Lord of Illusions.  He had just pulled a fast one on the entire world.

Later that night, back at Luke’s penthouse, the Hunters sat in silence, drinking and pondering the recent situation.  Adrian had not expected the press to get so avid on researching his story.  Spike just didn’t care.  But Luke was not about to leave his luxurious life on Earth to live in the bowels of hell or become a general in his father’s army once again.

“Do you think she’ll talk?” asked Spike, breaking the long silence.

“I don’t know,” said Luke.  “I suppose we could ask Flynt.”

Suddenly a man appeared in their midst.  With as much power as Luke knew this man had, he did not look like anything special.  Dressed in a T-shirt and jeans with short black hair and grey eyes, he looked like any everyday, run-of-the-mill kind of guy.  But he was much more than that; he was the Master of Time, one of the most powerful beings in the entire universe.

“You called,” he stated.

“Yes, Flynt,” said Luke.  “I have a question to ask of you concerning one Allie Caldwell.”

“She won’t talk,” said Flynt, knowing the question already.  Then, anticipating the next question, he said, “A week from now she will go back to Ohio and tell her parents everything.  Soon she will run into Dan in a local bar as he will be on vacation touring New York.  She will tell him and he will forgive her after he goes through a long trial of emotional pain.  A year from now they will be re-married.  They will have three kids, ten grand kids, and she will die at the ripe old age of ninety-two after living an upright life that she will be very proud of.  And she will not outlive any of her children or her husband, but he will join her in Heaven a year and two months after her demise.”

“I don’t even know why you bother waiting for us to call you,” said Adrian.  “You know we’re going to do it anyway.”

“True,” said Flynt with a smile.  “I just have one question.  Why did you change her destiny?  She would have come to you if you hadn’t interfered.”

“I can let one soul go for the opportunity to corrupt millions of others,” Luke replied.

“I see,” said Flynt.  “Well you are a devious man, Luke.  I’ll give you that.  I’ll leave the three of you to your thoughts now.”

When he was gone, Adrian asked Luke, “Why didn’t you just tell him the truth?”

“Flynt and I were never close,” he responded.  “He didn’t need to know.”

“I still think it’s messed up,” said Spike.  “You’re the only one out of the three of us whose job it is to be evil, and yet you still have hope for the human race.  I just don’t get it.”

“Like I told Allie, Spike,” said Luke, “I know people’s hearts.  You two just know their deeds.  Guilt and fear of Hell can turn a person’s orientation completely toward the side of good.  If enough people could feel guilty for the wrong and sinful things they do, maybe they would strive to be better and eventually achieve that.  Then this world would be a better place and I will have succeeded in failing to do my job.”

“Jeez,” said Spike.  “I hope no one ever mistakes you for being a decent person.”

At that they all laughed and began talking and joking and teasing each other, just as any other trio of siblings would do.