He Doesn't Pay Me Enough For That

Malachi silently shut the door behind him, his footsteps muffled by the plush carpets that covered the hardwood floor. He took a moment to admire the room, casting his gaze across the sleek black and blue marbled desk that lay at the center. His fingers glided across the cool, polished surface as he slowly made his way around the desk. A sigh escaped his lips as he flopped into the comfortable chair positioned in front of the computer.

Fortunately, one of the things Lux had given him was the code to Aeris' computer. He pulled up the code, quickly typing it in.

As he let out a sigh, he opened the file sections, scrolling through the countless folders. Thankfully Aeris was one of the most organized people in the world. He looked in the section labeled 'W'. He only searched for a few moments, but he quickly found what he had been looking for. 

"Wings- Structure, Mechanics, and Dangers"

Malachi pursed his lips, realizing the risk of downloading the data directly. It would be all too easy to trace the source back to him. So instead, he got to work, taking a picture of each page of the document. It was slower and more tedious than downloading it, but it was worth it. He made sure to capture every detail on each page carefully, knowing that if he missed even one thing he would have to repeat the process over again.

He also had to hurry since Aeris would be notified that his computer was being accessed. Scrolling through each of the pages, he took the pictures as fast as he could. "Why in the fuck does she make this shit so detailed?" He cussed under his breath, annoyed when he saw that he was on page 63. 

Once he finished up, he shut down the computer system. Getting out would be dangerous since Aeris probably notified his guards of unauthorized activity in his office.

Breaking out of a window would be too obvious, so he pulled up the camera system again. He didn't mess with them too much, so there wouldn't be a very large trace. 

Once he determined it was clear, he slipped out of the room. He had to be even more careful now that they were searching for him.

He jumped up, grabbing the door frame and pulling himself up. He held onto the beams lining the roof, using them to hold himself up. 

He quickly made his way to the foyer, keeping himself pressed as close to the ceiling as possible. It got difficult after a while since the lights were so hot, but Malachi kept going. The consequences were a problem for future him.

After arriving at the foyer, he noticed Aeris and Mono standing there. Aeris had an eye-catching appearance to say the least. His deep black hair shone blue in the room's lighting, his lilac eyes scanning the room around him in a suspicious manner, his eyes lingering on the shadows. One thing was for sure; if Malachi hadn't been given the ability to cling to the ceilings, he probably would've been caught hours ago.

In fact, it seemed like the guards in the building were searching for him, rather than protecting the two.

"Malachi?" Aeris suddenly spoke up. "I know it's you… I'm not sure how, but I'm guessing it has something to do with her?" 

Hiding seemed pointless at the moment. He really didn't want to get charged for breaking and entering, and theft, but having some answers seemed worth it. So, he let himself fall, landing on his feet with a soft thud. 

"Hey there, old friend," Malachi greeted, looking between the two with a smirk. "So, what'd you do to piss her off this time?" He chimed in a mocking tone. 

Aeris simply scoffed. "Y'mean you came all the way here and just didn't ask any questions?" He clarified incredulously, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Mind telling me who this lady ya keep talking about is?" Mono spoke up, sounding annoyed. "Oh… I kinda forgot you existed…" Malachi said, pursing his lips.

"His mother," Aeris replied plainly. "Not even a name?" Mono huffed, folding his arms across his chest and glaring at Malachi. "She who shall not be named under the roof of the overly sensitive Mr. Sivert here," he said with a smirk. 

Aeris flipped him off. "Hah, no thanks. I'll leave that job to your lil friend there," Malachi replied jokingly. "He doesn't pay me enough for that," Mono cut in, making Malachi snort.

"Can both of you just shut up?" Aeris snapped. Both of them, surprisingly enough, complied. "Thank you."

"Now, Malachi, here's how this is going to play out; you can either tell me why you're here, or I'll have a bounty put out for you," he said sharply, resting a hand on his hip as he glared at Malachi. 

"You won't catch me alive, sweetheart," Malachi said in a mocking tone. 

"Y'know, the one good thing about working with her for so damn long, is that I learned a fair bit about which sedatives work on you," Aeris sighed with a gentle nod.

Malachi was confused by the gesture, but that confusion didn't last for long.

His hand shot to his neck as a sharp sting spread from it, the pain making him wince. His vision started to go fuzzy around the edges, before slowly growing darker as he struggled to stay conscious. He tried to speak but found himself mute. He could feel his body grow weaker with each passing second, his legs giving out beneath him as he slumped to the ground, succumbing to the darkness enveloping his senses.