"The problem, as far as I can see it, with this dramatic flair and desire to be the superhero is the fact that you put far too much fair in what you think you know."

Lucifer grinned like a cat as he glided past the parting crowd and stood with his peers in front of his throne. On the surface he still looked his usual cool,calm and confident self, but I stared closer and could still see the dust from the Pits staining his clothing, his hair a windswept tangle as it fell out of the tie at his neck, and the maniacal glint in his cold eyes that made me more nervous than he'd ever done before. No,this wasn't a good sign, not at all.

"You put all of your trust in prophecies and what is written. You believe you have power here only because of a theory you've managed to concoct between this merry band of unlikely companions. And yet you've still not managed to learn that prophecies have as much basis in fact as fairy tales. And the only theory that you've actually managed to prove has been my own."

With a flourish Lucifer folded himself onto his throne, crossed his long legs and grinned even more broadly at my look of bewilderment.

"What is he talking about?" Lucas hissed in my ear, not the only one of us to be growing agitated at the sudden change in dynamic of this meeting.

"He means,"Beelzebub chimed in with a wheezing cackle, "that you've all been played for fools."

"But we thank you for furthering the grand plan, truly we could not have succeeded without your help." Belial's tone was sarcastic and hollow as all of the Faces made their way back to their seats upon their thrones and stared down at us with pleased expressions. They were like the cats who go the cream, only these cats were really lions and they'd tasted blood.

"I think we might have screwed up here somewhere, Love," Frank said, voicing all of our concerns aloud, his voice ringing around the room uncomfortably loud although we'd all come to realise it no longer mattered what we said or who heard us say it. There was no way we were saving this moment.

I felt my power crumble as a muttering of dissent rippled through the ranks of demons and I shook my head. "No, Frank. We didn't screw up, they screwed us over."

"What the fuck is going on!" Lucas hissed with increasing urgency in my ear and I could sense Jesse's tense presence at my back.

He was shaking as I turned my head to glance at him, his lips moving in a quiet muttering and I could just about make out the words he was saying over and over again; the very same ones I was beginning to think myself.

"It's a trap, we shouldn't have come here...My Dad is going to die and it's all for nothing."

I grimaced. He was right, I should have listened to him in the first place. Now Malick and his father were goodness knows where putting into action exactly what we were trying to prevent from happening, and our whole big plan to bring down Lucifer with the help of the other three Faces as backfiring big time.

"They're all in this together," I muttered, shaking my head as a cold sweat settled over my whole body. They'd played with us all, used us as pawns in their game and we'd done exactly what they'd wanted us to do.

"Bingo!" Lucifer chuckled in a sing song voice, "and we really much thank you for the breakthrough in our study. Without your help we'd still be no closer to our goal."

"The Requiem ritual, the prophecy, my death, everything. You planned it all, the four of you planned all of it. Why? I don't understand what this is all about, why go to so much trouble, put us through this whole ordeal and for what? To have me brainwash every demon in Hell for you? Well you're plum out of luck there because I will never make them believe anything you want. They're mine to control not yours."

"Ahh, and there we have it. Those dramatics once again, I was worried for a moment that we had spoiled the mood."

"Spoiled the mood?" I said, incredulously, gaping and at a loss for anything more to contribute to the conversation.

"They're not yours," Satan boomed, "your power already falters and it will not hold them all in sway indefinitely. You can show them possibilities,broaden the scope of their minds, but ultimately they will always belong to us."

I looked at the crowd that had so willingly followed me. Was it really all such a farce? Was my whole power trip, the concept of the Revelator and the good that I was supposed to do just a lie concocted by the Faces. No,it couldn't be.

I'd been physically changed by the ritual, that hadn't been just a show the evidence of such as tangible, readily seen by anything with eyes. It was not just all in my head. So what was their real plan, what hadn't we figured out? And how in the hell had they managed to so utterly fool all of us with this charade.

"Why are we still here entertaining what these bastards have to say. We should be back out there looking for my Dad!" Jesse fumed, frustration making his fingers shake as he raked them through his long, brown hair. "I have to get to him, we have to help him."

"Your...Father?"Lucifer peered down at Jesse, a frown creasing his pale brow, "that is who Malick selected to be our new test subject? Well now that is an interesting revelation. One truly worthy of the Revelator."He smirked at me as he spoke the words, though I could see the cogs turning in his mind. So he hadn't had knowledge of this part in the plan. Malick really was still working against him – even if only for his own benefit – could we use this to our own advantage?

I squashed the possibility back down almost as soon as I'd thought of it. Of course we couldn't, not now. We'd dug ourselves in much too deep, and I was almost certain we wouldn't be getting out of this room with our freedom, or if we were incredibly unlucky with our lives either.

"No,by all means your young gentleman is right. Go find this Dad of yours, find Malick too and bring him to me. I believe we need to have a brief discussion before the next phase in our plan can truly begin."

"Come on, Love," Frank whispered close to my ear, his hot breath shifting the hairs around my face, "let's just get out of here. He's giving us a chance, a way out. We don't take it, if we stay here we're all as good as dead and you know it."

Lucifer smiled down at me as I shook my head. He had given us a way out only because he knew I would be too damn stubborn to take it. I couldn't leave without knowing what was going on. They'd played us for fools and I would sooner die than leave without understanding why. I guess my father knew me better than I ever imagined.

"I can't, and he knows I can't...I won't. You should though, the three of you should go."

"No we ALL should. You can't stay here, Rayne, he's giving us an out so let's take it." Lucas grabbed my arm and shook me, trying to drag me away from the dais but I wouldn't go. I couldn't, not now,probably not ever. I had a feeling that there would be no walking out of this room alive for me and, although terrified by that prospect apart of me had kind of known this end would come for me all along.Besides I could hardly just leave without finding out what their real plan had been, the knowing I'd been cheated but not understanding why would drive me insane.

"Don't be a fool, Lucas. He's not giving us an out, if we all leave we'll be constantly watching our backs to figure out when they're going to strike next. We'll never be free, never be safe. We'll live inconstant fear of the day that they'll finally catch up to us. You think they'll just let us leave, go live our lives as we please?"I shook my head. "Why would he ever just let us go? At least if I stay... I don't know, maybe you three can get away. Maybe he won't be so keen to come after all of you if he still has me."

I met Lucifer's eye and he smirked at me. "Well, I wouldn't go quite that far,but perhaps I can be kind enough to give them a decent head start."

"Go now, go on!" I said, turning to look at all three of their faces. "Find Malick and turn him over, he at the very least should pay for his own part in this. Find Jesse's Dad and get him out of here if you can, and then go. Find yourselves lives somewhere else and...just get away, please. All three of you...there aren't words good enough that I can say, but I'm sorry for everything."

I pushed them away and moved myself slowly but deliberately towards the four thrones. The crowd had thinned significantly as I felt the power fade away from me, and the demons began to realise where they were and how escaping quickly might be the best thing to do if they wanted to stay alive.

Jesse looked back at me as Lucas began to drag him through the crowd, but I couldn't read the look on his face. I was just glad they'd left without too much argument, although Frank had lingered a few moments longer than the other two and I knew he wished there was something more he could do. From where we had started out, attacking each other in the deserted bar of that pub, Frank and I had come a really long way and I'd grown rather fond of the Whisperer. He might never admit it out loud but I was pretty sure he felt the same way too.

Take care of them, Frank, I thought to myself and I swear I saw him nod as he turned and walked away.

"Now,"I looked back to the four Faces of power, placed my hands on my hips and tried to face them down with as much confidence as I could muster. "It seems I've done everything you wanted me to do, so tell me what the hell is actually going on. I think you owe me that much.

"We owe you nothing," Beelzebub wheezed, but I ignored him, fixing my gaze intently at Lucifer. They may present the illusion of a united front of power but I wasn't fooled.

Lucifer was the one really pulling all of the strings, as ever. He already had the ultimate power I'd been fooled into thinking he was still seeking, and for some I just he would tell me exactly what I wanted to know; he wouldn't be able to resist bragging about his genius. At least I might finally understand the truth before I died.

"No,you owe me everything. None of your plans wouldn't have gotten anywhere if it weren't for my help. I think I at least deserve to know what it is you're really doing down here. What is the big plan you couldn't pull off without manipulating someone so lowly as me."

"You speak so forwardly in front of your betters," Belial murmured.

"After the shit you put me through, you're damn right I do!"

I was beyond being afraid of them in that moment. Certainly I was scared to die but I also knew I could do little to change how this was going to work out, and I was anything if not stubborn enough to go down kicking and screaming right up to the end.

"I'm not afraid of you, any of you. Not any more. And you're damn well not my betters. But I will know what it is you're planning. I can't stop you, I realise that and you've known as much all along so go ahead."I looked Lucifer square in the eyes and smiled. "I know you can't wait to spill your guts to me."