Chapter Text
Due to his position as the leader of the UAC, Samuel had plenty of experience standing before a large group of people who waited for him to speak. Yet, in all his days, the brightest mind of humanity had never seen such a colorful and varied crowd. Angels, Demons, and Deities. There were also Sinners, who were technically Demons, but they were still a unique category.
Lucifer and Lilith handled the explanation process. When Samuel was on the same page as the others, the group eagerly anticipated what he'd say. Everyone's been going on about God, how to approach him, and what their general course of action should be. Hopefully, Samuel could help to organize it all.
"Firstly, let's address Doomguy's situation. What Lilith has done was the best choice to make. I'm not entirely certain what I can provide will remedy this problem, but it is worth a shot. My staff and I have never come into contact with Divine power. Instead, we perfected a method of purifying Doom's energy to create something safe and limitless in potential. Its name is Argent, and during the Mars invasion, Doomguy used it constantly. To my amazement, the energy took to him better than any other subject. Whether or not this is because of his innate resilience to everything is unknown. Still, it was able to heal him and fight against Doom's Corruption with no issues. Seeing as how it would be preferable to have him back in fighting condition as soon as possible, I'll bring some Argent from Mars and administer it to him.
Secondly, God. As all of you have realized already, God is a crucial component in painting the picture we're lacking. As I will be busy here tending to Doomguy, I think the most powerful among us should handle this matter. Although it may be presumptuous of me to offer a list of participants based on my current knowledge, I'd still like to do so to see if you agree with who I'd send. Lucifer, the Sins, and those from Heaven. I'd prefer if Lilith, Eve, and Charlotte stayed here to assist me should there be any more unpleasant developments. Everyone else, as harsh as it might be to hear, wouldn't provide much when confronting God. It only makes sense for them to remain.
Thirdly, the nature of Doom's connection with Doomguy and how it was able to link with Lilith. At the risk of displeasing any of you, I'd prefer not to comment on this subject for now. There are still far too many unknowns for me to commit to any theories. It'd be better to keep our focus on the present until more information is obtained.
Lastly, the Praetor. The suit itself is functional but still needs some work. The helmet is a different story. Since it was destroyed, I have to make a new one. Like the Praetor, its construction is exceptionally complex, so that will take longer to complete. The earliest I can have the Praetor ready for Doomguy is within the next two hours. The latest will be three or four." Samuel stated. "Any questions?" He asked.
Instantly, a wave of arms shot straight up. Each of the limbs was attached to either those from Heaven or the individuals the Sins had brought.
"You there, the tall Angel." Samuel called.
"Good sir, might it be possible for us to have learning materials brought from your reality?" Sera requested.
"Ah, yes, that would be beneficial for all of you," Samuel acknowledged. "Very well. I shall have as much as I can provide you with be delivered from Mars to this sanctum." He promised.
"Thank you. That is greatly appreciated." Sera said with a smile.
"Hey!" Adam exclaimed, not wanting someone else to be called upon.
"Yes, sir?" Samuel replied, looking toward the man.
"What're we going to do if God keeps us out? To be clear, I'm not just referring to a locked door or barrier. We don't know what the reaction's going to be when we go to the Ivory Tower. Maybe God will just try to ignore us, or maybe he puts all his power into keeping us away. If he decides to hunker down and resist, what's the plan?" Adam inquired.
"If Lucifer is unable to give you alternative options, then you should come back so we can work through it together. Otherwise, if you believe there is a way to get to God, I'd recommend sticking to it unless you feel you are in danger." Samuel told him.
"Lucifer? Your input?" Adam followed up as all eyes fell onto the Devil.
"I'd like to say that I know for certain my father wouldn't act so aggressively towards us, but we're surrounded by mystery and are only able to make guesses right now. The possibility of God being a fraud or having lied to all of us to an egregious degree is one that I can't definitively disprove. Still, he is my father, and even now, among all of these revelations, I'd like to have some faith in him that he isn't a total bastard. Thus, I don't think we need to be worried about a fight developing." Lucifer stated.
"Well, there you have it," Samuel resumed speaking, getting the focus back on him. "Anything else?" He called.
"Over here!" Charlotte reacted, waving her hand. "Samuel, in addition to the things Sera requested, could you provide us with the means to contact each other at any moment?" She asked.
"Of course, especially after what's transpired," Samuel answered, making her smile. "Before we separate again, I'll have some simple devices brought here for everyone to use. They're personal data assistants, PDAs for short. I'll explain how they operate and how you can interact with them to ensure no one is confused." He said. "Is that all?" He inquired.
"Not quite," Olivia spoke. "You still need to tell us why you arrived looking for Doomguy in a fit of rage." She reminded him.
A brief silence took the air. It's not that Samuel had hoped that the group had forgotten about that. Rather, he didn't know how he'd be able to explain himself.
"..." In what was a rarity for the man, Samuel released a heavy sigh. "As I proceeded with the Praetor's repairs, I took the time to examine the suit's integrated inventory system. Essentially, this component of the armor allows Doomguy to deconstruct any items he wants so that he may store them for later use. All I expected to find were his weapons and a few peculiar objects he had collected during the invasion. Everything was accounted for, but there was one thing I didn't expect. It was a device that had been specifically designed to contain incredibly precious data. There was only ONE of them as it was only ever meant to be used for that purpose and nothing else. I didn't consider that Doomguy might have used it since his interactions with technology were either touching screens or smashing things to pieces. Yet, below and behold, that mute bastard used this device to make a copy of the data I mentioned and didn't think to show me. At the time, I can understand. But after the invasion? There is NO excuse." He informed them. His voice progressively became lower and angrier as he talked.
"Forgive me if I sound rude, Samuel, but what data could be so precious that it warrants such passionate emotion?" Lilith asked.
"The data is the sentience of my greatest achievement. An artificial intelligence by the name of Vega. Without him, neither I nor Doomguy could have stopped the invasion and saved our reality. He did so much, but his greatest contribution was his self-sacrifice at the end. I thought I had lost him. I believed Vega was dead. However, he wasn't, and Doomguy knew it." Samuel answered, his fists tightening again.
Everyone was taken aback. No one was unfamiliar with the idea of AI, so there wasn't any confusion. Heck, Nifty might be the expert in the group due to all of the sci-fi stories she's read. That, combined with Samuel's tone and body language, conveyed one message very clearly. Vega, as it was referred to, wasn't just some automated tool that assisted Samuel. Although hard to imagine with nothing to go on, it sounded like a real person. On top of it all, Samuel was Vega's creator. His anger toward Doomguy's secrecy made sense.
"Have you restored Vega?" Lucifer inquired.
"I can't. Vega had a physical body in the form of an entire facility. That's the only way his mind could function properly. Vega's death resulted in the total annihilation of that building. At present, and for the foreseeable future, there is no way to restore Vega. I have his mind, but there isn't anything available to us that could handle it." Samuel shared.
Oof, damn. That was another reason for Samuel to be upset. Yet, that could also explain why Doomguy hadn't revealed the device. If Samuel knew about it, he might've dedicated himself to figuring out a way of restoring Vega and little else. Whether it was right or wrong ultimately depends on who you ask.
"Let's not dwell on this," Samuel advised, wanting to get back on track. "Are we ready to carry out our tasks? Or do you have more questions?" He asked.
Obviously, everyone had plenty of things they wanted to know more about. However, these curiosities would either be addressed with the resources Samuel provided or be handled later. After receiving a collective nod from the group, he opened a portal so that his machines could deliver what he promised. When that was finished, those headed for Heaven made their exit.
A Short Time Later
The Ivory Tower. The home of God. The starting point of Creation, or so it has been believed. For any other soul, including Heavenborns like Sera and Emily, the only way to get here is if God summoned you. For Lucifer, he could open a portal there with ease.
Just in case the worst scenario occurred, Lucifer made the rift appear a small distance from the structure. If anything about God was true, then the group couldn't risk his Omniscience. Then again, if God is Omniscient, then he would've heard everything that was said in Lilith's sanctum. Ugh, dealing with an all-powerful entity was equal parts exhausting and frustrating.
But, to the relief of everyone, they were not met with hostility when they arrived. If anything, the ethereal space the Ivory Tower resided in was serene. This location was still Heaven, right? It matched the group's expectations, but still, there was this...alien quality. It's hard to put into words.
"Hey," Adam spoke as they approached the tower. "Real talk, no BS, I promise. If God's not all-knowing, then we've got the element of surprise. If he is all-knowing, then he's waiting for us to come to him. What are we doing in reaction to either one?" He inquired.
"If we're managing to sneak up on my father, then we just remain calm and keep going. If he's expecting us, then anything we say right now he'll be able to hear." Lucifer said.
"Right, about that, if God's been listening this whole time, why would he stall for so long that we'd reach the point of action? I'm not looking for any explanations, I just can't think of any logical reason, you know? Even if we view God as a lying prick who's been pulling a fast one on all of us, how is it advantageous to make us do this? If God can overpower us, then this is pointless. If God can't overpower us, then he's just handed himself over with no resistance. It's just...It's just..." Adam replied, stammering at the end as his mind was overwhelmed.
"Stupid?" Satan suggested.
"Yeah!" Adam exclaimed. "The only thing, and I legit mean the ONLY thing that I can imagine, is that this was all done for theatrics. Sure, that's just as dumb, but that's all I got. God wants to have a dramatic reveal where he sits us down and reveals the truth." He concluded.
"Sadly, I'm the theatrical one between him and I. My father was a very...controlled person. Routines and rules were our lifestyle before I became independent and meddled with his big plan for everything. Or, as we now know, all that exists within our reality." Lucifer described.
"Alright, so, if theatrics are out of the question, is there ANYTHING you can consider? Seriously, man, even the most outlandish thought will suffice." Adam asked.
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"No, I'm sorry," Lucifer answered with an apology and sigh. "Apart from the isolation and lack of communication, I have no other explanations for my father's behavior. I'm at a loss." He told him.
"Ah, don't sweat it, Luci," Mammon chimed in. "We're almost to the tower. No sense in running our minds ragged when we're about to get the answer." He reasoned.
"Wow. Mammon said something helpful." Beelzebub commented with widened eyes.
"...I don't like how genuine you sounded..." Mammon muttered with a squint.
From here, the group continued to converse to help pass the time. Sure, each person could've used wings or magic to get there faster, but the endless unknowables kept them walking. As was already mentioned, if the group did have the element of surprise, then it was better to act with that in mind rather than carelessly waste it.
Eventually, everyone reached the entrance to the tower. Even when at its base, you couldn't see the top of the monolithic building. It stretched on forever into the infinite horizon above.
"Prepare yourselves," Lucifer instructed as he placed his hand on the door. "I can command the tower with my soul just as my father does. If he truly is ignorant of our presence, this is going to end that luxury." He stated.
The others all nodded. Everyone got ready, but only Satan took a proper battle stance. If a fight were necessary, then he'd be sure to act as the frontline with Lucifer to help shield the rest.
As for the Devil, he closed his eyes and concentrated. It'd been a long time since he did this, so he was a little rusty. Lucifer needed to channel his soul into the tower. When that was done, he tried opening the entrance.
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A series of mechanical sounds were heard. Phew, still got it. Despite having a fairly normal design, the Ivory Tower was a marvel of engineering. Then again, that's where Lucifer's love for tinkering came from. It was one of the best things about his childhood and his interactions with his father.
After a few seconds, the door opened. Yet, the group didn't enter the tower. The reason for that is they were met with a startling discovery. None of them, not even Lucifer, could've ever predicted this.
The Ivory Tower was filled with darkness. A chilling cold poured outward from within. Nothing was turned on. There were no noises or other signs of activity and life. This place had been abandoned long before now. God, its sole resident, was gone.