Ĉiel kept running his fingers through his hair and glancing at the projector clock on the left wall over the glass desk.

Max wasn't going to let him leave. He hadn't said a word for about two minutes, a tactic he liked to use on people because it made them uncomfortable. Then they were relieved once he talked or they willingly started talking themselves.

Ĉiel was the one to speak.

"Why are you doing this," he asked.

"We both know why," Max replied. "Why did you choose this name?"

"I was told to be distracting because I'm good at it! I did it!"

Max ran over and kicked the couch so hard that it wobbled a little, and Ĉiel shook a little in fear. He didn't look like a fighter, but Max didn't care. He was willing to do anything to stop more people from dying.

"Stop trying to distract me. What does your partner look like," Max asked.

"I can't tell you," he replied. "If I do...he'll hate me..."

"I don't care! Tell me or else."

"I can't. He'll kill me!"

Max's eyes went milky white, and he was done asking nicely.

"This house is old," Max said. "Many spirits here are stuck. Bored. Willing to listen to me."

"You made that stuff up earlier," Ĉiel said with a nervous laugh.

"Let's find out."

Max raised his finger in a come here motion, and a giant, transparent, skeletal finger curled up from the floor. It pushed Ĉiel up from behind and forced him to get up from the couch. He was silent, shaking, tears in his eyes, now ready to confess.

"I'll tell you but please don't kill me," he pleaded.

"I won't," Max said.

He knew the imperial courts would.

Max's voice changed to that of a softer, friendlier man. One that was more forgiving, more understanding. One that did not exist in that room, at that very moment. The ghastly giant finger slinked back under the floorboards and Max gave a small smile. He squeezed Ĉiel's shoulder and was now playing good cop.

"I promise to protect as many citizens of Aria as I can," Max said. "Don't worry."

Ĉiel nodded, now compliant to confess.

Max smiled, telling himself he technically wasn't lying because if he killed Ĉiel then it would probably save more people than if he lived.

"He has dark skin, green eyes, like me, and bright white hair," Ĉiel said. "He's short, like me, and has a deep voice."

"What's his name," Max asked.

"He never told me his real name. He said it's in case we ever get caught."

The pair was smart enough to hatch a plan but not smart enough to execute it well. Max's confidence soared from the easy victory, and he again assured Ĉiel that everything would be fine. He gave him a hearty pat on the back and told him to sit down. He went back to the door, this time facing it, and made a call to Tiffany.

"Azure, call Tiffany."

"Yesssir~"

She picked up immediately and was in the foyer while everyone was clapping. The Emporer had just arrived, and the lights were dim. It was hard to hear her with all the noise in the back, so she moved away from the crowd, talking rapidly, panicking.

"I found him," she shouted. "I found his partner!"

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"What are you talking about? He's here with me right now," Max said.

"No. No. Look."

She directed her AIA to focus the camera on Ĉiel, who was in the crowd, clapping with everyone else, and standing next to the Duke and his wife.

"Tiffany I need you to shoot that man in the face," Max said "He-"

The call ended because Max was given a swift smack to the back of the head with the table lamp on the desk.

He grunted when his head hit the floor, and his attacker pulled him out of the way, opened the door, and ran as fast as he could. He was lost in the large mansion and didn't know where to go. The sounds of clapping and cheers from below were dizzying, so he irrationally opened the door right next to the study, a bathroom, and locked it.

Luckily there was a window in the bathroom.

"He better not fuck this up," Ĉiel said. "I did my part."

His eyes flashed orange, and with inhuman strength, he tore the window out of the wall. Glass shards went everywhere when it hit the toilet, some striking his back and legs. He ignored the pain and was more concerned about the sweet escape and taste of freedom. His cyborg body made it hard to fly and use wind, but he hoped it could break his fall.

He jumped, and his guess was correct. He fell, but not as fast, and into a tree branch. He slid down the trunk and hit the ground running before security could see where he went. The getaway car wasn't very far, and it blended in perfectly with all the other vehicles in the lot.

He ran to a limo shaped like a golden paser, got in, and lay on the leather seating, heaving, his body trembling from the adrenaline. Immediately, the two front doors opened and the cyborg's partners came to check if everything went according to plan.

"Did it work, Moxie," Aster asked.

"Yeah, it did."

Moxie's body slowly morphed back to its old self. Her skin darkened, her eyes changed to purple and so did her hair. Her eyebrows arched more, her lips became softer, and her breasts grew where there were none. Ĉiel was gone, the disguise easily shed like so many others. The hardest part to change was the multiple outfits they needed to keep up with their disguises.

"I think I'm a really good actor," Moxie said. "I think I deserve a fucking accolade or some shit for that."

While Aster checked Moxie for any signs of permanent damage, Fajro, the get away driver went into the trunk to get their new disguises. Aster felt that Fajro looked extremely familiar but couldn't place where he had seen him before. Fajro had extremely bright red hair, green eyes, and was much more level-headed compared to the other's in their group.

Fajro wasn't his real name, and again Aster was feeling silly being the only one who gave his real name, other than Kylan who possibly didn't care.

Fajro returned to the backseat with a hiking outfit for Moxie, a first aid kit, and a tool box. Their cover story if pulled over was that they were just a group of friends that got lost and were looking for help on the way back. The next part of the plan was to switch cars once they made it far enough and then reconvene at the safe-house.

"They fell for it," Fajro exclaimed. "How long did you distract them?"

"Long enough. Tell them the next part can begin. I think the Emporer already came out."

Fajro's AIA let the others still at the gala know that the second phase was ready. Next was the second half, once their enemies understood it was too late. Aster felt that waiting for Kylan and Ghost to return was worse than waiting in the car earlier. He tried to focus on fixing Moxie's wiring, opened the tool box, and pressed the inside of her wrist.

A slow seam appeared from her wrist, went up to her shoulder and stopped. Four more horizontal lines grew out of the original and Moxie's arm opened up, her glowing wires and flesh naked to the outside world. Aster took some gloves from the first aid kit, the smallest size screwdriver he could find, and emptied his mind of the outside world while he fixed her.

He was so busy, so concentrated on what he was doing, Aster didn't hear the screams from coming outside. Fajro had to tap his shoulder to get his attention multiple times and Aster jolted back to reality.

"It's time," Fajro said. "The Emporer is making his escape. Is Moxie good to go?"

"Yes, I paid special attention to her arm like you asked. Why," Aster replied.

"Because I'm going to shoot that fucker out of the sky with my arm," Moxie said. "Our intel says he's called the Golden Paser and that his vehicle is lighter colored compared to the others."

Moxie's right arm now whirred and clicked back into place, but her hand detached when she screwed it off like a lid from a jar. The hollow inside let out a purple glow while the plasma bullets inside heated up. Next, Fajro and Aster put on bulletproof vests and they were ready to tail down the man of the hour, the Emporer himself.

Isolating him in the chaos was their main goal and the "threat" inside the building was a wonderful distraction. Now Aster had only one more job left to do.

"Before we head out can I go to the bathroom," Aster asked Fajro.

Fajro's eyes squinted, he tilted his head slightly and grimaced in disgust, as if he had been asked a very personal question.

"All this excitement made me nervous," Aster explained. "When I get nervous-"

"Now is not the time to get cold feet," Fajro yelled.

"But-"

"No!"

Aster felt warm all over in embarrassment. His feeble attempt at escape didn't work and he didn't think of another excuse.

So he ran.

He unlocked the door, stumbled out, and ran toward the crowd of people rushing out of the building. Fajro kept yelling at him to return and he slammed his fist against the steering wheel.

"What an idiot, I really wanted to be wrong about him," Fajro told Moxie.

"So what if he got cold feet? He can't leave without us, he'll come back," Moxie replied.

"No. That's not it. Ghost told me he would leak info. He told me that this might happen."

"Shit."

"Shit is right. If he somehow makes it off the island we're gonna have to kill the poor idiot the next time we see him."