Lambs for Slaughter Part 2

Chapter 20

Lucifer smirked when the humans pulled their guns, expertly trained on their surprise guest. "Come on now, boys. Let's all play nice here. We wouldn't want a repeat of what happened at SHIELD, would we?"

The leader, Brock Rumlow, which Lucifer surmised within the first two seconds of arriving, hesitated, lowering his weapon a few centimeters. "You're...Lucifer? The actual devil?"

"In the flesh, baby," he agreed with a wide grin, stretching his arms out to the side as if presenting them with the prize that was himself. "And as the foremost expert on all things evil, I happen to know that you and your little STRIKE team buddies don't exactly 'fit in' with Captain Stars and Stripes and his merry band of do-gooders. Am I right?"

Rumlow's shoulders stiffened at the accusation, causing the other men in the room to straighten in response and tighten their grips on their guns. "I don't -"

And that immediate denial? It just pissed him off.

"DON'T LIE TO ME," Lucifer boomed, cutting him off abruptly as the walls and the glass between them rattled. He let loose a low hiss between his teeth, forcing his sudden spike of anger to trickle out with it. "I am the King of Deceit, the Father of Lies. It is impossible to pull one over on me, I can promise you that."

He flicked his wrist and all five men were forced to put their hands back down by their side and were shoved into their chairs. Lucifer himself pulled out a seat across from them and sat down, steepling his fingers beneath his chin. "Now that we're all comfortable," he drawled. "Let's try this again. Tell me, where do your loyalties truly lie?"

Rumlow swallowed thickly, casting a glance over to his teammates before returning his gaze to Lucifer. "Hydra. We are loyal to Hydra."

"Hmmmm," Lucifer hummed, his interest peaking. "Hydra. Originally a cult that worshipped the inhuman 'Hive,' at least until he was banished to a different planet by his enemies. His disciples were the ones to establish a secret society which endeavored to bring him back and destabilize the Earth so that the world would be ready for his return."

The humans before him blinked in surprise, as if Lucifer wasn't the one to sow the seeds of discord five thousand years ago. He scoffed.

"Hydra's symbol is inspired by what the secret society believed to be Hive's true form. They were wrong of course, but no harm done," he shrugged before continuing. "With the rise of Hitler, Johann Schmidt led his own Hydra cell and developed weapons with the help of Arnim Zola. He most certainly did more for that ancient society than any of his predecessors, which I've gotta admit, I found pretty damn impressive. That is, until the one and only Golden Boy brought him down back in the day."

Lucifer leaned forward in his chair, his gaze boring into Rumlow's. "But you know what Hydra's motto is, don't you? Cut off one head, two more will take its place. The society managed to thrive despite it's setbacks, even infiltrating the US government and its far-reaching military divisions, including SHIELD. That's quite a bit of power, but that's not enough for you and your men, is it?"

"I guess I shouldn't even bother to ask how you know any of this..." Rumlow responded, still looking uncertain.

Lucifer shook his head and sharpened his grin. "No, no you shouldn't. All you need to know is that I can take your little cult further than any of its founders, Johann Schmidt or Arnim Zola ever thought possible. I am the Lightbringer, the King of Hell, the Prince of Darkness. Under my rule, Hydra will succeed in its original mission to destabilize the world without anyone becoming the wiser until it is much too late."