Chapter 5- Troy Conde

*Troy Conde*

I was staring at the photograph glued on the glass board.

Everybody's making a fuss to find a faceless Prince.

I let a smirk out of my face.

Is that even interesting? How could anybody hunt down a Prince who didn't exist for years?

His nation doesn't even know anything about him and yet they wanted to eliminate him. I pity him so much.

"A Father" I mumbled as I looked at his majesty's picture. I saw a father wearing toughness and confidence on his face.

I looked at the late Queen's side and there I saw a woman of dignity.

And then my eyes glanced at the last person.

It was Prince Rob who died six years ago. I envy him for being a noble but then I realized that he had a hard life being a Prince.

He has the right to be loved by his people. He has the right to rule, he has everything an individual wishes to have but he lacks one thing that defeats him and his regime. Power! How poor of him to be a powerless royal.

"May you all, rest in peace." I mumbled as my eyes scanned the picture once again.

"Wow!" I heard a woman's voice from the back. It was Ady giving me a curious look on her face.

"How long have you been there?" I asked her.

"Not so long. I just came a minute ago. Don't you worry, I didn't hear anything if you've mumbled any secrets." she answered.

"I don't even say a word." I lied. What will I spill to her? That I wish them all to rest in peace? That's a total creep.

"Sabi ko nga wala di ba?" she said. I thought she's going to start an argument with me again.

"But what's with that stare?" she then queried.

"Stare? What stare?" I asked her back to avoid her in any conclusions she can make.

Sometimes girls are just so paranoid.

"You stared at them like the way I do, like you knew each of them?" She said in a curious manner.

"Of course I knew them, we all knew them Ady. Sila ang Royal Family ng Maharlika hindi ba?" I defended.

"Are you sure you just knew them because of the mission?" she said with all the suspicions in her face.

"Yes, and how about you? What do you know about them? Do you have deep connections with Royals? What's so special with you to be personally picked by the BCI?" I asked her with all the speculations running in my head. If she's suspecting me for something then I assumed that I can throw all the accusations on her too.

She just smiled at me before she got serious and uttered a very frustrating answer.

"If you're so curious to find out, why don't you give it a try and dig deeper?" she said as a smirk was drawn on her face.

"Kanina ko pa kayo hinahanap nandito lang pala kayo sa power room." Napalingon kami pareho kay Sebastian na nakasilip mula sa labas ng pintuan ng power room.

Pumasok siya at ngumiti saming dalawa ni Ady.

"Are you guys planning on a rematch?" he said.

"Of course not, nag uusap lang kami ni Conde about sa Royal Family." Ady answered.

Sebastian's face turned serious then he looked at the photograph on the board.

He stared for a while before he spoke again.

"Sure kayo? Baka nag aaway na naman kayo?" tanong niya ulit sa'min.

"Kami magkaaway? Feeling ko nga nagiging close na kami, hindi ba Conde?" Ady said as she slapped my back to convince Sebastian that we're getting closer.

Unfortunately she hit the wrong spot. I got bruises from the match a while ago because of hitting the ground so hard through Ady's attack.

"Urgh!" I accidentally reacted from what she did.

"Hey are you okay?" tanong niya at saglit na napatingin sa likuran ko kung saan niya ko pinalo.

"I'm fine!" pagsusungit ko sa kanya.

"That wasn't a hard slapped Conde, did you get hurt from the match?" she said as she insisted on checking my back. She pulled up the shirt I'm wearing to uncover my back and saw the bruises I've got.

"Oh my gosh!" Sebastian reacted as if my back was seriously hurt.

"Halika na." Ady said as she tried to pull me.

"Where are we going?" tanong ko sa kanya na may pagtataka. All of a sudden she's acting like she cares.

"Ah..gagamutin ka?" Iritado niyang sagot sakin.

"Sumama ka na! Kesa madala ka sa hospital di ba?" Pagsang-ayon ni Sebastian sa kanya.

Napakaliit na bagay naman nito kumpara sa mga dinanas ko noon. Para ito lang!

"Whatever." sabi ko.

Sinunod ko na lang ang gusto nila kaya heto ako ngayon sa kwarto ko.

I was sitting on my bed wearing a bathrobe. I was wearing it half so Ady could put ointment and do hot compress at my back.

"Why didn't you tell me na masakit pala ang likod mo?" she asked, nagging like a mother.

"Tsk." naiinip kong sagot.

"Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital? What if it damages your spine?" she asked again.

"Can you stop acting like that?" sumbat ko sa kanya. Dahil una sa lahat hindi kami magkasundo at pangalawa hindi naman kami magkaibigan.

"Acting like what??" galit niyang tanong sakin.

I turned to see her face.

Acting like you care when you really don't.

That was stuck in my head. I was just staring at her. At first she stares at me too and waits for the words I wanted to tell her. But it feels like no words would want to spill out of my mouth.

It was a long stare of each other for a moment.

When we realized that what we're doing is awkward we both turned our heads away to avoid each other's eyes.

She gets up and is still facing my back.

"T-tawagin ko na lang si Sebastian." she said and walks out the door.

The moment she walked out was followed by Allen's presence.

He bought patches and ointment that I no longer need.

It almost hit him when I threw it. He started teasing me with Ady again.

I hate that about Allen.

***First day of training***

Today is our second day as a team. Yesterday we took our time to get to know each other. And now we're getting ready for our first official training.

Our team captain Ezekiel Benitez picked us up and now we're on a shooting range.

"Okay team let me explain the mechanics of the game. First round! You will be divided into two teams. You need to get the flag of your enemy, if no one accomplished the mission in 20 minutes the team with the highest number of survivors will be the winner." Benitez discussed.

We decided to draw lots to choose a teammate. Sadly Allen is on the other team with Ady. I have Sebastian on my team so I guess it is fine. We have an advantage though I'm not saying that Ady isn't that competitive. I just have a feeling that Sebastian and I can win this game.

We started loading our guns (toy) with bullets. We just have to hit their sensor, hitting the sensor means bulls eye. And if its bulls eye it means their dead. Sensor is our life on this game.

"You better put the sensor on your armpit so they can have a hard time shooting you." I told Sebastian while we're getting ready for our battle.

"Ibang klase ka rin magjoke no?" he asked while he's laughing.

"I'm not joking. Both of us can die. We can't have a chance of getting their flag but we can kill them both. Highest number of survivors can win the game remember?" I seriously uttered that made him stop from laughing. I looked at him and he looked away from me. I may sound intimidating but I want him to take this training seriously.

"So you better be alive." I told him before I left.

My sensor was located on my right toe. I think it's harder to shoot the toes because it didn't stick together.

I was standing in our camp holding binoculars to eye on our enemies. I saw Allen from afar. I scanned his posture to find the sensor. He placed it on his left hip. Is he underestimating our team? Why did he put his sensor in an open area? That's so easy to shoot. I move the binoculars to see Ady, just like what I did to Allen I scanned her to find the sensor. She tied it in her hair. It's located on her ponytail. They made it so obvious. Are they insulting me and Sebastian?

"Did you find them?" Sebastian asked me. I didn't even notice him coming from the back.

"Where did you put your sensor?" I asked without even looking at him.

"Present!" he said as he raised his left arm causing me to take a look at him and there I saw his sensor, in his armpit. He really did obey me. Now that's the spirit of our team.

I decided to carry the flag so I could protect it. I'll let Sebastian be the bait.

Kahit barilin nila siya hindi nila siya madaling mapapatay. sino ba naman ang makaka-bullseye kung hindi nila makikita ang sensor sa katawan niya?

I was holding an assault rifle while Sebastian's holding a pistol.

We decided to carry the gun with our own preference.

"Do you think we can win against them?" Sebastian asked me while we're exploring the place.

"Of course!" tipid kong sagot sa kanya, masyado akong naka-focus sa area kaya wala akong time makipag-usap sa kanya.

"Paano kung mamatay ka kaagad? Paano na ako nun?" Sebastian asked me, again.

"Alam mo Seb manahimik ka na lang kung gusto mong manalo tayo!" Sarcastic kong sagot sa kanya.

"Okay okay." he said while laughing.

He stopped laughing when we encountered a shot coming in front. It was Allen and Ady, both holding a vector.

So they're really underestimating us.

"HIDE!!" I shouted in command when I saw them coming to us.

Sebastian runs away while I keep on exchanging shots with the other team.

Ady followed Sebastian and to my demise, I was left with Allen alone.

He let off a shot from his weapon and I immediately hid from the cargo.

Hindi ko alam kung yung flag ba ang pakay niya? O ang sensor sa paa ko?

I peaked at the edge of the Cargo and I saw him shoot his vector again.

And again I hide.

"That's not how you fight Troy, unless you have the most valuable thing with you." He said, trying to intimidate me.

So what he after is the flag! Maybe because he also knew that Ady can't last with us.

"Are you so afraid to lose?" I uttered as I freed bullets from my rifle.

He rolled to the ground to dodge it. I continued shooting at him until he covered himself in a block of hollow located on the left side of the Cargo where I was hiding a while ago. I saw the flag on his pocket. What a lame plan Allen.

Pinakiramdaman ko muna siya, pero hindi ko pa rin binibitawan ang baril na hawak ko.

I know he's up to something.

I was pointing the rifle to where he was hiding. I was too focused while walking towards hollow.

When I finally reached his location, I pointed the rifle at the left corner knowing that he's hiding there but I was surprised to see no one.

Where did he go? Did he climb somewhere?

Kaagad kong iniangat ang paningin ko and there I saw Allen jumped to attack me. We both rolled to the ground.

Nabitawan ko ang rifle na hawak ko. I don't know if he still have his gun.

Bumangon ako with a defense position, I saw Allen throw the vector. So this is how he wants to fight me. Fist to fist!

Mukhang mapapagod ako sa laban na gusto niya ah? Allen taught me how to fight.

Yes, he trained me. He's my senior in the service even though we only have an annual gap of age. He's bones may be harder but it's not impossible for a student to defeat his mentor.

Tumakbo siya palapit sakin at iniangat ang kanyang kanang kamay,

He's a right hooked guy as always.

Akmang matatamaan na niya ako ng pigilan ko siya gamit ang kanang kamay ko rin.

I dodged his fists and tried to hit him whenever there's an opportunity.

He started attacking me with his 45 kicks. I smirked as I knew that, that won't work for me either. I twisted my legs and prepared for an axe kick but he has his own way to avoid it.

"We didn't have this kind of match for a long time." he said.

Yeah. That's why he chose to fight me this way. He misses the old times.

He pushed me hard to the ground. I can see what he's doing. He wants me to think that he's attacking me for real where in fact he's just playing with his fists and feet. That made me look so easy to fight on.

He grabbed my left arms and put a pressure to my shoulders by pinning his hand so hard. He's acting like he's going to throw me in the air and smashed me to the ground.

Akala niya siguro ay hindi ko yun mahahalata. He's always been so easy to me. He always thinks that I'm a weakling.

Well I'll let him know that I'm not.

I let him do what he wanted. I let him throw and smashed me on the ground like Ady did yesterday.

He was flustered to see my body on the ground. His eyes widened as he was shocked on what happened.

"Are you okay?" he asked me.

I smirk. I can't stop smirking right now. I'm more than okay, I am so much okay.

I've raised the color white flag with my right hand.

"What the- how did you do that?" he shockingly said.

I just smiled at him.

The moment he grabbed my left hand I noticed that I'm close enough to reach the flag in his pocket. So I let him throw me, I disturb him by smashing me while I'm making my way to reach their flag. And when my back finally tasted the ground I already got victory on my hands.

He stretched his arms to offer help, I grabbed it and stood up.

Someone whistled. It was Benitez.

"One point for Troy and Sebastian." he announced.

"Hey, did you intend to do that?" Allen asked me about the smash thingy.

"I intend to tell you that don't underestimate me." I said as I let a smirk out on my face.