12 Seconds Short of Eternity

12 Seconds Short of Eternity Ch.8

Sol rose the same as every morning. Today the star had revealed a new Syèl. The winds of change were blowing, and Lucifer was riding the current.

He had been telling each Angel in the Souk that he was holding a meeting this very evening and asked them to help him pass this along to all they saw. Tonight, was crucial. He needed as many as possible to attend, so he could learn where everyone stood on the matter and how best to handle them, thus maximizing the odds of his plan's success.

Lucifer would be prepared for open dissent, how could there not be? It was a radical shift in belief that he would be proposing, but, if he set forth a logical hypothesis based upon factual evidence, and lean upon their sense of family, tugging at their heartstrings, perhaps he could persuade a portion of fence sitters to join him.

He had his followers, and also those who were dissatisfied with the Lord and his absence from their lives. These two groups, by sheer number of voices, would help him to get even more undecideds to join, maybe even sway the idiots he had fought with at the Souk earlier today.

It was the loyalists that worried him, especially the Archangels. He didn't need them in his pocket, just to sit out the coup. If he could convince them to not do anything until he was Lord, it would be too late for intervention.

If the Archangels stood together against him, their strengths would be formidable, but still not unconquerable. However, if enough lesser Angels followed the Archangel's lead, it could prove his undoing. He did not want to use violence against his brethren unless necessary, because an all-out war is too unpredictable.

All night he had wrestled with these thoughts, and he could see no way to insure the proliferation of the Angels, other than replacing God. The survival of his race depended upon it and depended upon him alone.

He was the only one with the intelligence, power, and experience capable of leading them through this. He could make any hard choices necessary, solely for the sake of the Angels, of course. But, he had to admit, Lucifer the Lord Almighty, had a nice ring to it.

All of his grand plans were for not, if he failed at the meeting. God was already creating man, if he completed them, there would be hesitation among the Angel's. Some would want to wait, to see the results of humans on Earth before taking any action, there was no time for that. They had to act now while God was preoccupied and unable to voice an opposite view.

Surprise was key for his coup to succeed which meant timing was everything. His plans were raw, still being formulated, but if you think big, you achieve great things.

He knew the Angel's well enough from their previous meetings, to understand how to approach them. There were only two angels that were almost certain as to be on the opposite side of the coup, Sava and Arcade. Sava was always at God's side and had no discernable abilities. He had never left the hall, not even to train with Abaddon the battle master, so fighting shouldn't be an issue with him.

As far as Lucifer could tell Sava's ability was strictly memory. He remembered every step the Lord took during his creations, and if this was true, he above all other Angels must not be harmed. That knowledge would be invaluable in reconstructing universal existence into Lou's image.

Arcade on the other hand, presented the biggest dilemma of all. His loyalty to the Lord was all-encompassing, and only if he was overpowered or outwitted could he be removed from his post at the door, allowing Lucifer's plan to succeed.

Arcade's love for the quiet Amaliel might work against him. He might forgo confrontation due to that relationship, if not then Lucifer had another ace up his sleeve, Carnaval. She might be able to persuade her brother into leaving the door long enough for him to defeat the Lord. If everything else failed, he would have to find a way to take Arcade out.