Chapter Text
“Tell me again why we have to visit this backward city just to help them solve their own murders?” Lucifer was complaining as he and Chloe raced across the Central City airport, desperate to catch the first cab they could to the CCPD. Chloe sighed, fed up with him just as she had been for the first five hours on the plane on this trip. At least Ella and Maze had managed to secure their own flight and were arriving an hour later – sure, Maze didn’t really have to come on the trip this time but with everything Captain Kramer had told Chloe and Dan over the phone about the murders they needed help investigating, it just seemed right. With Dan still stuck in L.A running point on a ring of human trafficking cases they'd previously been investigating before all this, Chloe had had Lucifer's musings about this new case and this archaic city, as he liked to call it, all to herself. Lucifer apparently seemed to conveniently forget that what they were dealing with here was supposed to be part of the supernatural, otherworldly mysteries that he enjoyed. Enjoyed a little too much sometimes, if you asked her.
“You said it yourself,” Chloe reminded him sternly, waving her hand to hail down a cab as soon as they burst out onto the street. “There might be something – different – about this case, and we need to investigate. Plus, Captain Kramer asked for our help in particular, so maybe just grin and bear it for a while?”
“Grinning and bearing anything is not one of my specialties,” Lucifer groaned. “Maybe if we do find something out of this world, supernatural as you say, there’s always a chance it doesn’t have to do with any afterlife or Heaven or Hell and we’ll just end up investigating a basic murder and doing this city’s jobs for them.”
“Oh, come on,” Chloe rolled her eyes. “At least admit you like investigating the murders. Even when they’re not all about you.”
“And what are the chances that this murder will turn out to be all about me?” Lucifer huffed in disdain. “We’re halfway across the country, no decent food or bar or accommodations in sight – may I ask exactly where this Captain Kramer has decided we stay until this case is closed? A decently accommodated AirBnB, I would hope at the very least?”
“A... Holiday Inn,” Chloe said, thrusting the packets of information over to Lucifer, who threw them to the ground in disgust.
“A Holiday Inn! A Holiday Inn – Detective, are you serious right now? There is no way that either you or I are staying in a Holiday Inn –”
“Look, right now we should at least try to get a cab,” Chloe interrupted, impatient as ever. “Then we can be on our way to the precinct and start investigating. We’ll figure out accommodations later, baby steps Lucifer –”
“I am not taking ‘baby steps’, I am the Devil after all –”
“Look, can’t you do your thing to make one of these drivers slow down?” Chloe interrupted again, throwing her hand out as cab after cab passed them in the street. “Central City, I swear –”
“Fine,” Lucifer grumbled and stepped out into the road. Suddenly, a speeding car came barreling down the street, headed straight toward him. Lucifer turned to stare at the driver, fully expecting them to stop before he was hit, but was suddenly pushed away by a red blur that came out of nowhere. Chloe watched in shock as this red blur pushed her partner to the sidewalk and in less than a second, the car was stopped and the driver pulled out from the seat. It crashed barely a moment later. Pedestrians began to scream and rush out of the way.
“Lucifer!” Chloe yelled, running over to him as he staggered up from the pavement. “Lucifer, are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” Lucifer grumbled as he got to his feet. “What about that bloody red blur, what the hell was that thing –”
Chloe glanced up to survey the scene as CCPD cop cars started to speed their way and surround the wrecked car. In place of the red blur, there was just... some guy wearing a red suit with a lightning bolt on the front?
“Uh, I think he is,” Chloe said, pointing. Lucifer straightened his collar, squinting in the same direction.
“That’s it? Some random guy in a leotard and a fancy mask? However did he –”
“It’s the Flash!” some bystander yelled, and the crowd that had surrounded the car outside the airport burst into cheers and claps. “Three cheers for the Flash!”
“Three cheers, my arse,” Lucifer grumbled. “It’s either a hologram, or a smoke screen, or –”
“I thought you said you were all about wonder and whimsy and magic,” Chloe said, giving him the side-eye. “Why not accept that there are superheroes, Lucifer? I mean we’ve heard it on the TV, the Green Arrow, Supergirl, Superman –”
“Yes, yes, oh very well,” Lucifer rolled his eyes. “I know about them –”
“Well, you just got saved by Central City’s own superhero, so maybe, I don’t know, respect them a little bit?” Chloe said under her breath. Lucifer shot her a surprised look, a smirk spreading across his face.
“Why detective, I didn’t know you had such a thing for men in tights –”
“I don’t,” Chloe rolled her eyes once again. “I just think, if he’s a superhero, then maybe –”
“I don’t care who he is, look at him, he’s absolutely drunk on the power he holds,” Lucifer scoffed. Chloe looked ahead, thinking that the Flash actually looked a little unsure of himself as he waved to the crowd before speeding off again in a burst of lightning.
“Well, why don’t we talk to the CCPD and get the lay of the land, alright?” Chloe compromised. Soon enough, a Black offer walked over to them, introducing himself as Detective Joe West.
“Detective Chloe Decker from the LAPD?” Joe asked with a nod. Chloe nodded before gesturing to Lucifer.
“And my consultant –”
“Her partner, Lucifer Morningstar,” Lucifer smiled, shaking Joe’s hand. Joe sighed.
“Well, I wish I could say that this car crash is the crime we called you out here for, but it’s not. We’ve been dealing with a wave of supernatural murders, something even beyond what we think regular meta-humans can do –”
“Sorry, did you say meta-humans?” Lucifer asked, frowning. “What do you mean, meta-humans?”
“Lucifer, how do you not know about meta-humans?” Chloe hissed. “They’ve been all over the news for years!”
“Then why are there never any in LA?” Lucifer asked. Joe West cleared his throat.
“You’re lucky you weren’t hit by that car, Mr...?”
“Morningstar, and I assure you, I would’ve gotten myself out of the way just as fast as your superhero did,” Lucifer said. “So no need to worry about that, I am an angel after all –”
“Sorry I’m late!” yelled a voice behind them. Chloe, Joe, and Lucifer turned to look as a tall, lanky man with dark brown hair, a maroon sweater, and a collared shirt and a haphazard look about him ran up to them. He adjusted his grip on his shoulder bag and started to immediately survey the car crash.
“Doesn’t look like anyone was injured here, Joe, where’s the body?”
“Body, Barry?” Joe quipped. “Not anyone here. We found another meta-human in the trunk of the car that crashed into the one the Flash saved everyone from.”
“Another one?” Barry asked grimly. Chloe did a double-take.
“I’m sorry, who are you?”
“Oh, are you the team from LA who Captain Kramer called in to help us out?” Barry said eagerly, putting down his bag and extending his hand for Chloe and Lucifer to shake. “Detective Decker, right? I’m a huge fan –”
“Yes, but who are you?” Lucifer asked, extremely pressed. Barry turned to him, extending his hand. Lucifer didn’t take it.
“Barry Allen, CSI with the CCPD,” Barry finally introduced himself, slowly taking his hand back. “You’re the team trying to track down our meta-human serial killer, right?”
“Well, I haven’t exactly explained the details to them,” Joe said quickly while Chloe narrowed her eyes. “But yes, we are tracking a serial killer who is targeting meta-humans.”
“But we’ve never dealt with meta-humans before,” Lucifer said, cross. “Why call us when we have no experience?”
“Because the Captain thinks you might find his calling card familiar,” Barry grimaced, leading them over to the trunk of the car. “Since we heard you’ve dealt with this sort of thing before.”
He opened it, sighing heavily as they all caught a glimpse of the body that was covered in stab wounds. But even more chilling to Lucifer was the clue that had been placed directly center.
Lucifer leaned down and picked up the dark grey feather off the very dead body.
“Michael,” he spat in disgust. “What have you done now?”