AN: This chapter is dedicated to my best friend Reese, whom I love very much. She is incredibly supportive of this fan fiction. Thank you for being such an amazing person. <3  I didn't realize it, but the title of this chapter is like a pun off of the Houses in the Fallen's lifestyle. 

Hard rain fell from the sky, accompanied by random pieces of hail. They fell like meteors towards the ground and clinked against anything they collided with. People huddled in their jackets or their umbrellas, hurriedly scurrying to their destinations. A musty earth smell hung in the air and the aroma of everyone else mixed together to create a cringe-worthy smell.

Malachi shoved his hands in his black jacket's pockets and continued to walk down the street. He sunk back a little bit and the hood fell farther over his face, shadowing him from the public even more. He kept his brown eyes low to the ground and watched where he took his next step. Rain fell onto his hood and soaked through, causing small droplets to fall down his face. He licked his lips and turned to go behind an apartment building. He ducked down into the basement through the small entrance and shook off some water.

Mr. Hyangaua sat at the only table in the room. The fan hit his face and shuffled the musty air around the room. His dark eyes focused on the small television he had brought in. An important newscast came on and the President took the stand. The ribbon at the bottom had the same headline going through, "The Traveler Changes History Forever."

Malachi had to do a double take of the broadcast and watched as pictures flashed on the screen. A giant white orb stood out in space near Venus, but nothing in particular could be seen due to the blinding sunlight coming from behind the object. Malachi's jaw dropped a bit and he glanced over at his boss to see if he had done the same thing. Life. In space. This...this is...It has to be some government ploy. It has to be. Malachi thought to himself. He couldn't believe his eyes, but his attention stuck back to the screen.

Both men watched in awe of the mystery orb as the President had a blonde NASA worker come forward to talk more about it. The lady shook the President's hand and let him pass by to the side of the room. She set her papers down on the podium and looked out to the audience. A bright light shined in her face and through her glasses. She stood up straighter and sucked in a breath before speaking, "Ladies. Gentlemen. People of the world. The workers at NASA never thought this day would come in a million years, but here it is, happening right now. We are provided with the greatest opportunity to help humanity achieve its efforts of long-term survival and even expansion."

She nervously licked her red lips and wiped some sweat off of her hands. She continued with slight confidence, "This object we're showing you is nothing to be afraid of. It travels from planet to planet, terraforming them to benefit us. The Traveler is creating a way for us to expand life out into space and live on these changed planets. There's clean air, water, no radiation, and livable terrain! Imagine a life where we could live on Mars, Venus, or even the Moon!" She calmed herself down from her jittery excitement and toned it down a notch. "We've received data from it. Schematics to things you wouldn't even believe. We can't disclose anything right now, but the future is incredibly bright because of The Traveler. We will provide a follow up update as we learn more about this. Thank you."

Mr. Hyangaua turned the television off and muttered something under his breath. He took a second to breathe and let the news sink in before he turned to Malachi. When he saw his worker showing up empty handed, his face fell to anger in seconds. "Well? Where is it?"

Malachi flat out told him the truth in a nonchalant tone, "I still have to retrieve the object. Just wanted to give you an update so you don't harass me."

Hyangaua stood up immediately and looked Malachi straight in the eye. "So you are telling me you lost it?"

Malachi was pissed beyond all hell that those two got away. The scrawny guy took the object, which caused him not to get paid. He got played by a sick man and some hotshot fighter chick. Was he really that off his game? Malachi grunted, "Yeah. Two other guys were there for the same thing." If he admitted to Hyangaua he got beat by a woman, Hyangaua would never let him live it down. He thought it best to save himself from the embarrassment.

Hyangaua talked to himself lowly and looked around the room. His skin turned red with anger and his breathing unsteadied. Talking about this failure only made it worse. Hyangaua forced words through his gritted teeth, "And you let it out of your sight? One of those imbeciles has it?"

Malachi threw his hands up in defeat. "What did you want me to do? Kill them?"

His boss slammed his hands on his desk as metaphorical smoke flew out of his ears. Hyangaua yelled at the top of his lungs, "Yes!"

Malachi shrugged his boss' anger off and pointed out, "I wasn't paid to kill anybody. I was paid to retrieve an item."

Mr. Hyangaua moved around the table and got up close and personal with his worker. He scowled and jabbed his finger into Malachi's chest. The words dripped out of his mouth like venom, "That you clearly lost!"

"I have a lead on it. Calm down."

Mr. Hyangaua twitched with anger and balled up his hands into fists. That object was worth billions of dollars, and Malachi lost it. His top worker lost it. How could someone be so naïve? So ill prepared? Hyangaua's blood boiled in his veins and he finally lost control. He aimed his fist and swung at Malachi's face, but Malachi stepped back.

Malachi's hands trembled and he could feel them growing hot. Extremely hot. He was about to glance down until Hyangaua moved to make another strike. Malachi blocked the shot and pinned Hyangaua down to the table. He held a gun to the back of his head, but something was off.

Malachi peered down at his hand and found it on fire. He was startled and looked at the pistol with wide eyes, only to find out that it wasn't his pistol. His pistol was still holstered. When he glanced up at the gun again, it disappeared, leaving fire embers floating in the air. What the hell is going on here?

Hyangaua tried to escape from Malachi's grasp. He had trouble breathing and threatened under his breath, "Get out of here now, or I will put a bounty on your head!"

"Fine. Working for you was shit work anyway." Malachi saw some money lying on the table and snatched it. He had to be compensated for at least wasting his time and flying out to the middle of nowhere. He grunted and slammed the door on his way out.

Malachi pocketed the money after he counted it. Twelve hundred dollars. That wasn't much money, but he could at least make two months rent off of it. He shook his burning hand out and got lost in his thoughts while on the walk home.

He glanced at his phone after a while and found his lock screen blank. No picture. No happy thoughts came from it. No emotion. Nothing. He had changed it a long time ago after she... He shook his head at the thought of her and sighed heavily, pushing his crushing sadness back down into the pit it came from. Nothing's been the same since she left.

Malachi shifted his focus elsewhere before the emotions overpowered him. He looked up at the rainy sky and let the raindrops hit his face. The coldness of the water breathed new life into his burning skin. Whatever happened back there must've been because of that damn object. He thought back to the two people who went for the object. The sick man and the woman who matched his fighting skills. He wasn't expecting either of them. Now, one of them had it. I'm going to get it back, even if I have to shoot the woman to get it.

Tanis slunk against the door as he opened it. His whole body felt drained of energy and the flight over didn't help. He threw his keys onto the side table and dropped his backpack onto one of the chairs in the living room. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. Maybe it was exhaustion, or maybe it was his sickness. Either way, he hated both options.

Tanis' father, Dr. Hardin, yelled in frustration over his project in the lab. Tanis rolled his eyes and groaned, knowing that if he didn't tell his father he was home, he would get reamed later on. An idea struck him right before he descended the stairs. If I show him the object, he won't be angry. He'll be satisfied and I'll finally earn some damn respect.

Dr. Hardin dragged his hands down his face in defeat and paced around the room. A broken lab piece lay on the table, a small stream of smoke rising from the dead battery. He checked the time on his watch and his brown eyes stared at the wall for a moment. His blond hair stuck out in a weird position; Dr. Hardin must've been pulling at it. His lab coat appeared worn and dirty, giving Tanis a thought that perhaps he hadn't left the lab in a few days.

Tanis hung onto the wall for support and waited to see if his dad would notice him. When his father turned back to papers that were scattered around the room, Tanis knocked his knuckle against the wall to get his attention. His father snapped up and looked at him with tired eyes. A broad smile swept across his father's face and he embraced him in a big hug. "I've been worried sick about you! I'm so glad you're okay."

Tanis was taken aback and didn't know how to react. He didn't wrap his arm around his father, rather just stood there dumbfounded. He couldn't remember the last time his father gave him a hug. "You have?"

"Of course I have! You left without telling me. You left without your extra set of pills. You could've died out there! I would have never known what happened to my son," Dr. Hardin backed away and gazed at his son. He took a long, hard look at him, memorizing his features as if he'd never see him again.

Tanis furrowed his eyebrows together in confusion. He must've inhaled too many gases in here. He's acting like he's a regular loving father. Tanis thought and moved to the side a bit. "Why are you acting this way?"

Dr. Hardin was shocked to hear his son utter those words. His mouth hung agape until he quickly shut it and responded in a sincere tone, "I do love you, Tanis. Everything I do is to benefit you."

Everything I do is to benefit you. Tanis mocked his father in his mind. He nearly scoffed upon hearing that. Everything? Leaving him alone to grow up by himself? No friends? No one to turn to? No one to love? No. Not everything. "Oh, please. That is a lie and both of us know it. You have not done everything for me."

His father reached for some papers that were strewn about on the table. He flipped through them until he found a specific one. He shoved the paper into Tanis' hand and asked him, "What do you think this is?"

Tanis skimmed the paper over, but all of it appeared to him as gibberish. Equations, short hand writing, incoherent smudges. Nothing stood out to him. "I have no clue," he admitted with a slight shrug.

"I'm trying to find a cure for your Leukemia, Tanis."

Tanis heard what his father said, but he didn't listen. He seemed to be in a daze and it didn't register in his mind what he meant. It took him a few seconds to adjust and realize that his father really was trying to benefit him. He's been looking for a cure this whole time. Anger and anguish piled in his system. He wanted to be grateful, but at the same time, he was neglected all of those years, so why should he be? Tanis peered into his father's eyes, but all he could see was pain. When Tanis began to talk, only a broken voice came out, "Why? Why did you leave me alone all of those years?"

"I wanted to find a cure, but I've come up with nothing. All those years, wasted. I'm so close to finding one. I just need a bit more time," Dr. Hardin explained. He looked like he was suffering too. All those years, gone. He didn't spend time with his son. All he wanted was to end his suffering. End all hostility between them. In the end, it didn't work out.

The depression that's built up until now tried to devour Tanis' heart. It weighed him down and it felt like he was drowning in nonexistent water. A tear fell from his watery eyes and he turned away. "Don't you see? You've had time. I got better, yet you still neglected me. You still left me alone. I had nothing. Nothing but an empty house to come back to."

"And I'm sorry for that, Tanis, bu-"

Tanis cut him off, forcing the words through his gritted teeth, "You don't get to explain. Nothing will make the past better. It's over. I'm dying. There's no point in trying to make excuses. You still weren't there for me."

Dr. Hardin's face contorted into anguish, his features dropped and a frown settled on his lips. He was expecting a different reaction from his son. One with a warm embrace and happy tears, not the cold shoulder and anger. He stuttered to find a better choice of explaining, "I-I trie-"

Tanis threw his arms out and yelled, "I don't want to hear it!"

Something flew from Tanis' hand and latched onto his father's computer equipment. It glowed purple and hung on there for a few seconds before blowing up in a small blast. The blast's purple energy flew halfway across the room, destroying everything in its path. Tanis and his father shielded themselves, and when they looked again, everything was fried. The papers disintegrated, computer systems fried, and the furniture was nothing but a pile of ash.

Tanis peered down at his hands to find them glowing the same purple color. He stumbled onto the staircase and glanced at his father with wide eyes. A horrified expression took over his features and worry built up in his system, suffocating the depression, anguish, and anger. "The object m-must've..." he began, but he couldn't find the words to finish the sentence.

Dr. Hardin took a long look at all of his equipment and fell onto his knees. He let out a cry filled with sheer brokenness and despair. Everything was gone. His research. His findings. His failed experiments. Gone.

Tanis ran up the stairs as fast as he could and threw the object into his backpack. He snatched his keys from the table and left. He couldn't stand being there. He blew up his father's life work. Dr. Hardin would surely turn to anger once he was done crying. Plus, Tanis didn't feel like that was his home anymore. It never really was. It was just an empty shell of emotion.

Now he was scared. Running for his life. Not only from his father, but from himself. Whatever the object did to him changed him. If he could blow up a lab, imagine what else he could do. Sorrow and fear washed over him, but all he could do was run. I'm dangerous. I can't go back. I have to find the other two people and just sell the object to them. Maybe if it is out of my possession, this...power will go away.