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“So Jesus tells me. You’re
certain she is here?”
    “I am. The alien who captured her used
Baalth’s portal, the one he was using to supply you with additional energy to maintain your war, to bring them
here.”
    Unable to read anything in God’s
expression, I watched as He turned and glanced at Jesus before returning His
gaze to Longinus. “I see, but if this being brought her here, it’s certain he
is on this plane no longer.”
    Longinus stood, his meaty hands clutching
the edge of the table. It creaked beneath the pressure. “Then tell me where I
might find him.”
    “I would ask something of you first,
Maximus, before we discuss the issue of your daughter.”
    “No. I will make no deals for the freedom
to protect my child.”
    “And I would not ask such a thing.” God’s
deep blue eyes looked up at Longinus. “There is but one place where he could
have gone without alerting me or my people of his passage…” His voice trailed
off.
    Longinus glared for a moment, and then sat,
exhaling loudly. “What do you want from me?”
    I sighed right alongside him, just catching
on. There were no illusions in my head as to the nature of God. While most of
the bible stuff is blown out of proportion or just plain wrong, Lucifer had
always made it very clear that we and humans were truly made in His image, as
was commonly believed. That said, the image aspect had little to do with our appearance and everything to do with our
personalities, our emotions, our sense of right and wrong, and our characters
in general. He built us from a pool of His experiences, of His imaginings, and
we were flawed because He was.
    The humans blame Lucifer for all the bad in
the world, all the evil and foul deeds, but who the hell do you think plugged
all that into him to begin with? God was a computer programmer: garbage in,
garbage out. His experiences didn’t transfer properly into short, mortal lives.
We just didn’t have the depth or breadth to comprehend the feelings and urges
we were given. Shit, they didn’t even transfer properly to the angels who were
granted immortality. Their brains just weren’t wired for the complexity of
God’s existence. It’s no wonder He’s had a string of rebellions across the
board. The one-size-fits-all option lacks the refinement necessary for such
complex machines. Cram too many electronics into something and you can
guarantee something is gonna blow up.
    So here we were, getting a firsthand
example of just how human God was. He
was holding the location of Karra over Longinus’ head in order to get what he
wanted. Something deep inside me laughed; a cold, bitter bark of amusement.
    “I will not stand in the way of you
retrieving your child, but I ask you
return here, to me, once you have done so.”
    “As I told your Son, I have no interest in
your war. If existence is to end, so be it, but I will go into the hereafter
with my daughter by my side.” Jesus shifted uncomfortably behind his Father. It
was clear he wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut.
    God rose to his feet. It was singularly
unimpressive and awe-inspiring at the same time. The waft of His presence was
powerful, in defiance of His mundane appearance. “Your personal desires mean
nothing to me, Maximus.” There was a sudden chill in his voice. “I need
soldiers for this battle. There is far more at stake than the life of your
daughter.”
    I could have sworn Longinus growled.
    “Many souls will be destroyed before this
war is over, and though I will mourn each and every one, as they are all a
piece of me, one or two more devoured by this conflict will not sway my
intentions. If you would find your daughter without offering your services, you
will do it on your own.” He waved Longinus off.
    Clear as day, the threat settled over us. God
was gonna let us go like Jesus had promised, He just wasn’t gonna let us go
where we needed to, and there was no way we would find Karra if He chose to
interfere. My anger