From Dusk to Dust (Destiny Fan Fiction)

6-House of Failure

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."